 International Intrigue and the Humbolt River — Button Point, NV
Posted by: Volcanoguy
N 41° 00.999 W 117° 34.414
11T E 451774 N 4540763
History sign at the Button Point Rest Area.
Waymark Code: WMWZW4
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 11/05/2017
Views: 3
History sign at the Button Point Rest Area on I-80 northeast of Winnemucca, Nevada.
Marker Title (required): International Intrigue and the Humbolt River
 Marker Text (required): Before nearly quarter of a million California-bound emigrants followed the path of the Humboldt River from 1841 to 1869, someone had to have first explored the Humboldt and figured out where it went. That someone was Peter Skene Ogden, who traveled south from Oregon and first arrived on the Humboldt near here in late 1828.
Ogden worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, an early 19th century fur-trade enterprise that also furthered the interests of its home country — Great Britain. Having fur traders active in the West was a way to “check” or “counter” American expansionism. Ogden and his men tried to trap all the beaver out of this valley twice so that Great Britain could claim the land, but it didn’t work. Under the pretense of “exploring new country” they were actually violating the sovereign territory of another nation — Mexico.
With the treaty that ended the Mexican-American war in 1848, the Great Basin became part of the United States. In 1850 this area became part of Utah Territory, established after the State of Deseret that was proposed by the Mormons in Salt Lake City in 1849 was rejected by Congress. In 1864, the Humboldt River Valley then became part of the new State of Nevada.
 County (required): Humboldt
 Marker Type (required): Other (describe below)
 Other Marker Type (optional): Fiberglass
 Is Marker Damaged? (required): No
 Other Damage Type (optional): NA
 Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): Not Listed
 URL - Website (optional): Not listed

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