Overton

Overton was originally settled in 1869 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the 1930s, the town of St. Thomas was submerged by water as Lake Mead was being filled, and the majority of its population relocated to Overton. In 1980, residents of Overton and the nearby town of Logandale approved a referendum on merging the two towns. The Clark County Commission affirmed the vote, legally creating Moapa Valley on February 13, 1981. Near Overton, there are deposits of magnesite, kaolin, and gypsum. Silica sand is also being produced. Overton is located 65 mi (105 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The town features a landscape of mesas, foothills, and nearby Lake Mead. It is also the settlement closest to Valley of Fire State Park. It has four entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Two more entries are located in the vicinity of overton. These are the wreck of Boeing B-29 Serial No. 45-21847 submerged in Lake Mead and Pueblo Grande de Nevada. In popular culture, a novel by Jackson Ellis tells the story of the last family to vacate Overton following construction of the Boulder Dam. The book is set partly in Overton where the Lord moves to after the flooding of the St.Thomas branch of the L.A. and Salt Lake Railroad. The final six-mile segment, which was submerged under waters of Lake Mead, was abandoned.

History

Overton was originally settled in 1869 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A regular branch was organized there in 1883. In the 1880s, Overton was the location of the only store in the lower Moapa Valley. In 1980, residents of Overton and the nearby town of Logandale approved a referendum on merging the two towns. The Clark County Commission affirmed the vote, legally creating Moapa valley on February 13, 1981. The town of St. Thomas was submerged by water as Lake Mead was being filled, and the majority of its population relocated to Overton in the 1930s. After that, overton developed as the main core of the business community. It also hosted most of the social events in the area. In 2010, the town celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a parade and celebration of the history of the town. The city's first mayor was a former mayor of the same name, who served from 1969 to 1974. The current mayor is a former member of the Nevada House of Representatives, who was elected to a second term in 2000. The mayor of overton has served in the U.S. Congress since 2001. He was a member of Congress from 1998 to 2002. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources from 1999 to 2001, and served as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources from 2002 to 2007. He is currently serving as the president of the Clark County Board of Supervisors.

Geography

Overton is located in Moapa Valley, 65 mi (105 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The town features a landscape of mesas, foothills, and nearby Lake Mead. It is also the settlement closest to Valley of Fire State Park. Overton has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh), and is located on the Nevada-California border. It has a population of about 1,000, with most of its residents living in the town of over 1,200 people. It was founded in 1881. It's located in the Mojave Desert, which is one of the hottest places in the United States, with an average temperature of over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the summer. In the winter, the town has a low-lying, arid climate, with temperatures of around 50 degrees (Cfh) or less. It also has a high-desert climate, which means it has a warm, dry, and dry climate (BWh) The town is located near Lake Mead, which has a temperature of around 80 degrees (Fahrenheit). It is the closest settlement to the Nevada/California border, and is also close to the valley of fire state park, where it is possible to hike to the top of the mountain in the evenings. It lies on the eastern side of the Nevada River, which runs through the town. It features a hot, dry desert climate, and has a dry, hot, and wet desert climate.

Economy

Nevada State Route 169 connects Overton with Interstate 15 in the north and Lake Mead National Recreation Area in the south. Near Overton, there are deposits of magnesite, kaolin, and gypsum. Silica sand is also being produced. Overton is located on the former St. Thomas branch of Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad which runs along the Moapa Valley, from north to south. There is no passenger service, but there is freight traffic. The branch currently extends to the town southern outskirts, serving the Gypsum plant. In 1938 and 1939, the final six-mile segment leading to St.Thomas, which was submerged under waters of Lake Mead, was abandoned. The final segment of the railway was submerged in the same year as the sinking of the L.A. and S.L.C. in the Gulf of Mexico. The railway was made a double track in 1919, and was abandoned in 1939. It lies on the main line between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. It was built in 1911 from Moapa station, which lies in the town's southern outskirts. The construction of the branch started in 1911, and by March 1912, the construction was completed. In 1919, the line was upgraded to double track, and in 1938, the last six miles of the line were abandoned. It is no longer used for freight traffic, but is used for passenger service. The town has a population of 2,000. The population of Valley of Fire state park (formerly a part of Nevada State Road 169, decommissioned in 2001) is 1,200.

Attractions

Overton has four entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Two more entries are located in the vicinity of Overton. The wreck of Boeing B-29 Serial No. 45-21847 submerged in Lake Mead and Pueblo Grande de Nevada. Overton Wildlife Management Area is located south of overton and adjacent to Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Double Negative is a work of art dug into the ground near Overton and houses artifacts from Puebla Grande deNevada. The Overton Gymnasium was listed in 1992 and St. Thomas Memorial Cemetery waslisted in 2005. It is located on the eastern edge of the town of Boulder Dam, in the eastern part of the state of Nevada. The town has a population of about 2,000 people, with most of its residents living in or near the town center. It has a total area of 2,200 acres (7,000 hectares) and is located in a valley. The city's population is about 1,200 people (or 1,100 square miles). It has an area of 4,000 acres (1,500 square miles) and has a water intake of 1,000 feet (300 meters) The town is located near the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which are the highest peaks in the U.S. west of the Rocky Mountains. It also has a lake, Lake Mead, which is the second highest water source in the state, after the Colorado River. The community is home to the Boulder Dam Park Museum, which was built in the early 1900s.

In popular culture

The novel Lords of St. Thomas (GWP, 2018) by Jackson Ellis tells the story of the last family to vacate nearby St.Thomas, Nevada in 1938 following construction of the Boulder Dam. The book is set partly in Overton, and is where the Lord family relocates to after the flooding ofSt. Thomas. The novel is set in the 1930s and 1940s and is about a family who move to Overton after the flood. The Lord family move to the town of Overton in the novel's second half. It is also set in 1938, when the town is flooded by the construction of Boulder Dam, and the family moves to the nearby town of St Thomas to escape the flooding. The story ends with the Lord's moving back to their original home in St Thomas, Nevada, in the 1950s and 1960s after the dam has been completed.