I bet you thought people went to Wendover just to worship in the Peppermill, Red Garter, and Nugget.
Or get entangled in one of the other casinos in this oasis in the desert.
You might be surprised to find active churches in the shadow of the bright lights of the casinos.
And an LDS church that's much bigger than the building we meet in.
You might also be surprised to find out Wendover played an important role in World War II.
More than 1,000 flight crews trained here for bombing missions over Germany.
But more famously, this is where the designs for the atomic bombs dropped on Japan were tested and the flight crews for the Enola Gay, which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, and the other atomic bomber planes trained.
After the "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima and "Fat Man" on Nagasaki, Japan didn't surrender immediately and a third Fat Man left in a plane from Wendover. The Japanese finally surrendered and the plane was sent back to Wendover from just beyond California.
The buildings are in pretty sorry shape today, but the tower still stands, one building was just remodeled as the Wendover terminal, and a couple other buildings are undergoing slow renovation. One restoration that's close to complete is the officers' hall, which will once again host dances and other events.
About 30 miles past Wendover is another little town that hasn't fared so well. Oasis is for lease if you're looking for a business that's too close to Wendover in one direction and Wells and Elko in the other to be much needed as an oasis on I-80.
I don't know when the place closed shop, but this truck looks like it's been waiting a long time for the service station to open.
An ice cream might sound good if you're passing through here in the middle of summer.
It looks like the owners left in a hurry--cups still fill the Pepsi dispenser.
You can almost see someone enjoying a chicken fried steak with an ice cold soda.
Then again, the desert is harsh. Even those that are well suited for this environment don't last long.
1 comment:
Hello, My name is Geoff Goldsborough. I live in Montello Nevada, just 20 minutes north of Oasis. My wife and I are LDS and I found your blog linked to the Hollaback Ostrich blog. We have been in contact with "The Michaels" for a couple months now. We have been here almost a year now perusing a similar endeavor. I assume you are related to one of them, probably the female Michael. I would love to learn more about your trip to Oasis and your connection with the area. Also we look forward to meeting The Michaels when they come out again. Unfortuneatly we missed them this trip. By the way we love the same kinds of music. I love your playlist. I have been a diehard CCR fan since I was 8, I love the other songs on the list as well.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Geoff Goldsborough www.montelloalpacacompany.blogspot.com
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