Mesquite, Nevada · from the book and the press
The City of Mesquite's museum: the research stop behind much of the book's history, and the first name in its acknowledgments.
If the trails are where the book was ridden, the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum is where it was read. The City of Mesquite's museum is where Berg went back again and again while writing, and it is the first organization thanked in the book's acknowledgments.
"I spent a lot of time at the (Virgin Valley Historical) museum and I found some great books about the area's history which gives wonderful information," Berg told The Progress. Mesquite Local News described "his numerous trips down to the heritage museum" as part of his favorite stretch of the project, diving into the history of southeastern Nevada.
The Progress also explained what he did with what he found there: the historical records were often focused on genealogy, family history and old pioneer stories, but they did not always connect to the modern-day places where those things happened. Bridging that gap, bringing the places and events into the present day, is one of the things the book strives to do. For a visitor, that makes the museum the natural first stop before the trails, and the book the guide that connects the exhibits to the ground.
Sources: The Progress, December 5, 2023; Mesquite Local News, February 15, 2024; the book's acknowledgments page (sample pages); the resources page of this site. Hours, admission and the street address are the city's to publish, so they are linked rather than copied.
Hours and admission: see the city's museum page (opens in a new tab).
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