Eric, here is the history of why the peak is named after Octavius Gass. Sit down as this will take a moment to read. I'll put it on the front page since your question made me research it out:
Octavius Decatur Gass is considered a founding father of Las Vegas. A street is named for him as well as a mountain 14 miles north of Las Vegas. He was born near Mansfield, Ohio on February 28, 1829. He attended Oberlin College, where he learned Spanish and mathematics among other subjects. He headed west in the gold rush, sailing around Cape Horn and arriving at San Francisco in January 1850. He headed for the El Dorado Gold Fields. He hooked up with another miner named Fenton M. Slaughter. They pooled their money and went to Los Angeles. Between 1853 and 1855 he was an irrigation inspector. In 1862 he got restless and headed back to the mines. He arrived at El Dorado Canyon near present day Boulder City. He filed six claims here on March 16, 1863. By December 17, 1864, he had filed a total of 29 claims. This proved unsuccessful too so he turned to ranching in the Las Vegas Valley.
In 1865 Nathaniel Lewis, Lewis R. Cole, and Gass took over the old Las Vegas Fort, which was now mostly in ruins. At first they called it Las Vegas Ranch. In the 1870s, he bought out his partners, so he had all 640 acres. It was all under irrigation by that time. He grew grains such as wheat, oats, and barley, and hired local Indians to harvest them. After the first harvest he planted beets, onions, cabbage, potatoes, melons, corn, and Mexican beans. He raised crops for wine, and grew figs, apricots, apples, and peaches. He sold them to travelers on the Mormon Trail and to miners going out to El Dorado Canyon and Potosi. He learned Paiute and got along well with them and the Mormon settlers.
In 1864, he became a congressman for the Western Corner of Arizona. This was while Las Vegas was still part of Arizona. He could also speak Spanish with the Mexicans. He was married to May Virginia on February 24, 1872. They eventually had seven children. On January 22, 1878, he purchased Spring Ranch. Eventually, financial difficulty caused him to sell out to Archibald Stewart, in May 1881. In June, the Gass Family left, driving 1,500 head of cattle 300 miles to a ranch in California. He sold them to wealthy Tombstone Arizona investor Richard Gird. Then he bought a farm near San Bernardino and tried to raise grapes. He did not succeed. In 1885, he tried his hand at prospecting but without luck. In 1888, he tried to work some quartz claims in the Yucaipa Valley. After 1900, he moved to his sons holdings near Bryn Mawr, California, and tended a garden and orange groves while in his 70s. He died December 10, 1924, as a result of a fall.
Damn, he was a hard-working dude! Makes me ashamed of myself. Also ashamed of myself for asking questions based on an incorrect reading of the peak's name. I saw Glass, not Gass. But thanks for the history, it helps me appreciate the people who built this country, and how soft we have it because of folks like Gass.
Has anyone every hiked Gass Peak from the south? From what I understand and heard, the BLM is now restricting travel on gravel roads within the Las Vegas Valley. This a quote from some people that recently climbed Gass Peak
"
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WARNING: No driving on gravel roads on BLM land in the Vegas Valley Message List
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In spite of all the hype the weather folks gave us regarding how cold it was
going to be on Saturday, the 6 of us who climbed to the top of Gass Peak had a
very enjoyable time. The hike is quite strenuous, and we found ourselves
peeling off layers as we made our way up to the peak. The only really
uncomfortable part of the hike was when we reached the top and received the full
force of the wind as we sat and ate lunch.
For those who want beta on the southern route to Gass Peak for any future hikes:
We drove to the base of the escarpment on the gravel road that starts at the
north end of Decatur Road. We then hiked up the canyon that begins just west of
the parking area, taking the left (west) branch when we came to a "Y". That
branch eventually reaches a 25-30 foot dry fall which we skirted around by
scrambling up the sloping cliff side on the right of the canyon. We then hiked
up the river bed above the dry fall until we reached a large bowl with a very
steep slope on the north end. From the bowl, we hiked northeast up a tributary
wash until we reached the base of a multi-ledge cliff that could be ascended by
scrambling. The third ledge of that cliff is a wide one that slowly wraps
around to the northeast. We followed that ledge to the northeast around another
bowl and over a ridgeline until we reached another north-south canyon. At that
point, the weather station at the top of Gass Peak is very clearly in view. We
then descended down into that second north-south canyon and hiked NNE up the
combination of scree slopes and short cliffs and ledges until we reached the
peak. We retraced the route on our return, completing the hike in about 7
hours.
UNFORTUNATELY, we were met at the end of the gravel road by two BLM rangers that
gave us a $125 ticket for traveling on the gravel road. According to one of the
rangers, driving is now prohibited to all but authorized vehicles on all gravel
roads on BLM land within the Las Vegas Valley. According to the definition he
gave us, that could likely include the gravel roads leading from the west end of
Cheyenne into the La Madre range, the roads leading west of any private land in
the Summerlin area, the gravel roads on the west, north, and east sides of Lone
Mountain, any roads on BLM land north and west of the Black Mountain range, and
any roads on BLM land south of Frenchman's Peak. He claimed that several signs
prohibiting vehicular traffic were in place at the beginning of the gravel road
we took to the escarpment. We found a few very narrow, hard-to-read brown
markers at the sides of the road that none of us had seen on the way up in the
pre-dawn darkness. The markers had a small symbol on them of a jeep with a line
drawn through it that most of us had previously taken to mean no offroading
beyond the gravel road. In any case, BE FOREWARNED. That means don't drive on
the gravel road, even if it looks very frequently traveled (as the road we took
did.)
Fortunately, Gass Peak can still be climbed from the south, but you'll have to
park your car on the north end of Decatur Road and hike up the gravel road to
the base of the escarpment. Although this could add a couple of hours to the
hike, the distance from one end of the gravel road to the other appeared to be
similar to the distance between the Great Basin Highway and the foot of the
canyon leading up to Hidden Peak in the Arrow Range. Hiking the road up would
be a real nuisance, but possibly worth it if you're dying to do Gass Peak from
the south side and have a full day to commit to your hike."
What is going on with the BLM around Vegas. It seems like because of all the building going on that they are trying to limit access to places now. Land is being bought too. It is now difficult to get into Brownstone Canyon. I hope something gets done so we can "legally" enjoy these places without having to hike so far to get to them.
I know that Harlan and some of the LVMC have done Gass from the south but it looks like that the northern route is now really the one and only choice since the BLM is now sticking people with big tickets. Bummer. Thanks for sharing this.
yeah, part of an LVMC group hiked down the south side for a return on their hike back in 2003. I guess you could do it and just hope you don't get caught. I plan on contacting the BLM sometime and getting more specific information or see if I can get a permit to go to these kind of places.
I contacted the BLM today and spoke to someone about this issue. Apparently you can't off road within the Las Vegas Valley. This includes the roads around Sunrise Mountain, the South Side of Gass Peak, areas West of 215, and so on. I asked what the reason was for this and this was the reason: DUST.
You have got to be kidding me, they are worried about dust. He said you can still hike in all these areas, just can't use any Motor Vehicles. Appently the BLM are cracking down on people that due this too. So if you want to hike Gass Peak from the south, you now have to park on North Decatuer in a residentail area and hike in. Same thing with many other areas within the valley.
I asked if he thought they would ever be open again to off-road to get closer to hike destinations. He said, "probably not." It is apparently just in the Las Vegas Valley though, he said to off-road you need to get out of the valley (out of town).
I spoke with Lee in the recreational department of the BLM here in Las Vegas. The old guy, Brunno, who use to work in that department retired in January.
hgrapid - Apr 17, 2005 10:12 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled Commentmtwashingtonmonroe - Apr 17, 2005 11:52 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentAlready a very nice page Dean! Thanks for sharing and have a nice rest of the weekend!
-Britt
Scott - Apr 17, 2005 12:01 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentNice.
The topo map on the front page takes forever to load on dial up, but the page is really good.
IdahoKid - Apr 17, 2005 1:03 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentThanks Dean! You have now given me something to do in Vegas when my parents drag me there and gamble. Great Page!
Sean
Dean - Apr 17, 2005 2:59 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentEric, here is the history of why the peak is named after Octavius Gass. Sit down as this will take a moment to read. I'll put it on the front page since your question made me research it out:
Octavius Decatur Gass is considered a founding father of Las Vegas. A street is named for him as well as a mountain 14 miles north of Las Vegas. He was born near Mansfield, Ohio on February 28, 1829. He attended Oberlin College, where he learned Spanish and mathematics among other subjects. He headed west in the gold rush, sailing around Cape Horn and arriving at San Francisco in January 1850. He headed for the El Dorado Gold Fields. He hooked up with another miner named Fenton M. Slaughter. They pooled their money and went to Los Angeles. Between 1853 and 1855 he was an irrigation inspector. In 1862 he got restless and headed back to the mines. He arrived at El Dorado Canyon near present day Boulder City. He filed six claims here on March 16, 1863. By December 17, 1864, he had filed a total of 29 claims. This proved unsuccessful too so he turned to ranching in the Las Vegas Valley.
In 1865 Nathaniel Lewis, Lewis R. Cole, and Gass took over the old Las Vegas Fort, which was now mostly in ruins. At first they called it Las Vegas Ranch. In the 1870s, he bought out his partners, so he had all 640 acres. It was all under irrigation by that time. He grew grains such as wheat, oats, and barley, and hired local Indians to harvest them. After the first harvest he planted beets, onions, cabbage, potatoes, melons, corn, and Mexican beans. He raised crops for wine, and grew figs, apricots, apples, and peaches. He sold them to travelers on the Mormon Trail and to miners going out to El Dorado Canyon and Potosi. He learned Paiute and got along well with them and the Mormon settlers.
In 1864, he became a congressman for the Western Corner of Arizona. This was while Las Vegas was still part of Arizona. He could also speak Spanish with the Mexicans. He was married to May Virginia on February 24, 1872. They eventually had seven children. On January 22, 1878, he purchased Spring Ranch. Eventually, financial difficulty caused him to sell out to Archibald Stewart, in May 1881. In June, the Gass Family left, driving 1,500 head of cattle 300 miles to a ranch in California. He sold them to wealthy Tombstone Arizona investor Richard Gird. Then he bought a farm near San Bernardino and tried to raise grapes. He did not succeed. In 1885, he tried his hand at prospecting but without luck. In 1888, he tried to work some quartz claims in the Yucaipa Valley. After 1900, he moved to his sons holdings near Bryn Mawr, California, and tended a garden and orange groves while in his 70s. He died December 10, 1924, as a result of a fall.
Gangolf Haub - Apr 18, 2005 12:28 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI would have asked about the name too. Thanks for explaining to Eric. Good to have all the secondary info in the Additional Section.
Johan Heersink - Apr 18, 2005 3:57 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentGood page!
William Marler - Apr 18, 2005 9:45 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentVery good work. Cheers William
cp0915 - Apr 18, 2005 11:46 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentLots and lots of info on this page! Good job, Dean. (...& thanks for putting up some Hayford pics!)
cp0915 - Apr 18, 2005 1:16 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentThanks Dean. Post away. I'll let you know how Jumbo goes.
Joseph Bullough - Apr 18, 2005 11:56 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentYour typical excellent job :)
Eric Sandbo - Apr 18, 2005 12:00 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentDamn, he was a hard-working dude! Makes me ashamed of myself. Also ashamed of myself for asking questions based on an incorrect reading of the peak's name. I saw Glass, not Gass. But thanks for the history, it helps me appreciate the people who built this country, and how soft we have it because of folks like Gass.
rpc - Apr 18, 2005 7:12 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentEXCELLENT page Dean!
Will check out the photos next.
The Lower Marmot - Apr 19, 2005 9:52 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentLooks good!
Don Nelsen - May 30, 2005 4:36 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI'm late to the party but, still, what a great page! Excellent info, well written and great links.
I've spent a lot of time in Vegas over the past 30+ years and have wondered about this peak. Now I guess I'll have to go climb the thing!
- Don
Day Hiker - Jun 2, 2005 3:13 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Dean.
redsplashman23 - Feb 7, 2007 3:51 am - Voted 10/10
Gass Peak from the SouthHas anyone every hiked Gass Peak from the south? From what I understand and heard, the BLM is now restricting travel on gravel roads within the Las Vegas Valley. This a quote from some people that recently climbed Gass Peak
"
Messages
Messages Help
Message #
Search:
Advanced
Start Topic
WARNING: No driving on gravel roads on BLM land in the Vegas Valley Message List
Reply | Forward Message #3544 of 3570 < Prev | Next >
In spite of all the hype the weather folks gave us regarding how cold it was
going to be on Saturday, the 6 of us who climbed to the top of Gass Peak had a
very enjoyable time. The hike is quite strenuous, and we found ourselves
peeling off layers as we made our way up to the peak. The only really
uncomfortable part of the hike was when we reached the top and received the full
force of the wind as we sat and ate lunch.
For those who want beta on the southern route to Gass Peak for any future hikes:
We drove to the base of the escarpment on the gravel road that starts at the
north end of Decatur Road. We then hiked up the canyon that begins just west of
the parking area, taking the left (west) branch when we came to a "Y". That
branch eventually reaches a 25-30 foot dry fall which we skirted around by
scrambling up the sloping cliff side on the right of the canyon. We then hiked
up the river bed above the dry fall until we reached a large bowl with a very
steep slope on the north end. From the bowl, we hiked northeast up a tributary
wash until we reached the base of a multi-ledge cliff that could be ascended by
scrambling. The third ledge of that cliff is a wide one that slowly wraps
around to the northeast. We followed that ledge to the northeast around another
bowl and over a ridgeline until we reached another north-south canyon. At that
point, the weather station at the top of Gass Peak is very clearly in view. We
then descended down into that second north-south canyon and hiked NNE up the
combination of scree slopes and short cliffs and ledges until we reached the
peak. We retraced the route on our return, completing the hike in about 7
hours.
UNFORTUNATELY, we were met at the end of the gravel road by two BLM rangers that
gave us a $125 ticket for traveling on the gravel road. According to one of the
rangers, driving is now prohibited to all but authorized vehicles on all gravel
roads on BLM land within the Las Vegas Valley. According to the definition he
gave us, that could likely include the gravel roads leading from the west end of
Cheyenne into the La Madre range, the roads leading west of any private land in
the Summerlin area, the gravel roads on the west, north, and east sides of Lone
Mountain, any roads on BLM land north and west of the Black Mountain range, and
any roads on BLM land south of Frenchman's Peak. He claimed that several signs
prohibiting vehicular traffic were in place at the beginning of the gravel road
we took to the escarpment. We found a few very narrow, hard-to-read brown
markers at the sides of the road that none of us had seen on the way up in the
pre-dawn darkness. The markers had a small symbol on them of a jeep with a line
drawn through it that most of us had previously taken to mean no offroading
beyond the gravel road. In any case, BE FOREWARNED. That means don't drive on
the gravel road, even if it looks very frequently traveled (as the road we took
did.)
Fortunately, Gass Peak can still be climbed from the south, but you'll have to
park your car on the north end of Decatur Road and hike up the gravel road to
the base of the escarpment. Although this could add a couple of hours to the
hike, the distance from one end of the gravel road to the other appeared to be
similar to the distance between the Great Basin Highway and the foot of the
canyon leading up to Hidden Peak in the Arrow Range. Hiking the road up would
be a real nuisance, but possibly worth it if you're dying to do Gass Peak from
the south side and have a full day to commit to your hike."
What is going on with the BLM around Vegas. It seems like because of all the building going on that they are trying to limit access to places now. Land is being bought too. It is now difficult to get into Brownstone Canyon. I hope something gets done so we can "legally" enjoy these places without having to hike so far to get to them.
Dean - Feb 8, 2007 5:06 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Gass Peak from the SouthI know that Harlan and some of the LVMC have done Gass from the south but it looks like that the northern route is now really the one and only choice since the BLM is now sticking people with big tickets. Bummer. Thanks for sharing this.
redsplashman23 - Feb 8, 2007 7:49 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Gass Peak from the Southyeah, part of an LVMC group hiked down the south side for a return on their hike back in 2003. I guess you could do it and just hope you don't get caught. I plan on contacting the BLM sometime and getting more specific information or see if I can get a permit to go to these kind of places.
redsplashman23 - Feb 12, 2007 11:54 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Gass Peak from the SouthI contacted the BLM today and spoke to someone about this issue. Apparently you can't off road within the Las Vegas Valley. This includes the roads around Sunrise Mountain, the South Side of Gass Peak, areas West of 215, and so on. I asked what the reason was for this and this was the reason: DUST.
You have got to be kidding me, they are worried about dust. He said you can still hike in all these areas, just can't use any Motor Vehicles. Appently the BLM are cracking down on people that due this too. So if you want to hike Gass Peak from the south, you now have to park on North Decatuer in a residentail area and hike in. Same thing with many other areas within the valley.
I asked if he thought they would ever be open again to off-road to get closer to hike destinations. He said, "probably not." It is apparently just in the Las Vegas Valley though, he said to off-road you need to get out of the valley (out of town).
I spoke with Lee in the recreational department of the BLM here in Las Vegas. The old guy, Brunno, who use to work in that department retired in January.