The Lahontan Basin stretches along nearly the entire western edge of Nevada. High desert sagebrush grows in dry valleys, and barren mountain ranges reach into the sky. In the basin’s southernmost reaches, near the town of Fallon, a series of lakes and the state’s largest marshlands form an oasis in the desert landscape. Tall sedges called tule grass line the shores of these marshes, offering a temperate reprieve for vast populations of songbirds, waterfowl, and freshwater fish. Beginning at least 12,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers visited the basin to collect reeds used to make woven fabrics. They searched out nearby caves to bury their dead, and, eventually, established villages in the comfort and abundance of the marshy shoreline. For the Northern Paiute people, this oasis not only provided crucial resources, but was the place their ancestors were created.
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