Luther Canyon (Fay Canyon) - Genoa, NV - Nevada Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This Nevada State Historical Marker is located about 10 miles south of Genoa, Nevada. It is situated on the east side of the road, along a small dirt pullout. Luther Canyon is definitely a place with an interesting past, as can be read from the marker:

LUTHER CANYON
(FAY CANYON)

Luther Canyon, west of this site, takes its name from Ira M. Luther, who from 1858-1865 had a sawmill there. The house behind the marker was his home. In 1861, he was a delegate to the second Nevada Territorial Legislature. After 1865, the canyon came to be known as Horse Thief Canyon, because of the “business” of John and Lute Olds, owners of the next ranch south. Besides operating a station along the Emigrant Trail for a number of years, they rustled horses from emigrants. The animals were sent up the canyon to drift over the ridge into horse thief meadows. After resting and feeding the horses, they were driven down to Woodfords Canyon to sell to other emigrants. A prospector called Sawtooth was allegedly murdered and buried in the barn south of the Luther house. Sam Brown, a notorious bad man, was shot and killed in front of the Olds barn in 1861 by a man he threatened. “Lucky Bill” Thorington, implicated in a murder in California for which he was hanged by vigilantes in 1858, had a ranch two and a half miles to the south----and the pioneers called the school district "Fairview".

State Historical Marker No. 118
Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology
Carson Valley Historical Society
and Fred Dressler

Marker Title (required): Luther Canyon (Fay Canyon) Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): 118 Marker Text (required): Luther Canyon, west of this site, takes its name from Ira M. Luther, who from 1858-1865 had a sawmill there. The house behind the marker was his home. In 1861, he was a delegate to the second Nevada Territorial Legislature. After 1865, the canyon came to be known as Horse Thief Canyon, because of the “business” of John and Lute Olds, owners of the next ranch south. Besides operating a station along the Emigrant Trail for a number of years, they rustled horses from emigrants. The animals were sent up the canyon to drift over the ridge into horse thief meadows. After resting and feeding the horses, they were driven down to Woodfords Canyon to sell to other emigrants. A prospector called Sawtooth was allegedly murdered and buried in the barn south of the Luther house. Sam Brown, a notorious bad man, was shot and killed in front of the Olds barn in 1861 by a man he threatened. “Lucky Bill” Thorington, implicated in a murder in California for which he was hanged by vigilantes in 1858, had a ranch two and a half miles to the south----and the pioneers called the school district "Fairview". County (required): Douglas Marker Type (required): Full Size (with blue painted mesh) Is Marker Damaged? (required): No URL - Website (optional): [Web Link] Other Marker Type (optional): Not listed Other Damage Type (optional): Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/23/2014 find waldo visited it 08/14/2013 tatie visited it 11/10/2011 Chasing Blue Sky visited it 10/16/2010 brwhiz visited it

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