Overton, Nevada

Overton is a community that is part of the unincorporated town of Moapa Valley in Clark County, Nevada. Overton is on the north end of Lake Mead. It is home to Perkins Field airport and Echo Bay Airport.

Overton
Unincorporated town
Overton seen from the edge of Mormon Mesa
Overton
Location within the state of Nevada
Coordinates: 36°32′35″N 114°26′46″W
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
CountyClark
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s)702 and 725

History

Overton was originally settled in 1869 with Helaman Pratt serving as branch president. A regular LDS branch was organized there in 1883.[1] In the 1880s, Overton was the location of the only store in the lower Moapa Valley and attracted people from neighboring localities who arrived in Overton to buy supplies. In the 1930s, the town of St. Thomas was submerged by water as Lake Mead was being filled, and the majority of its population relocated to Overton. After that, Overton developed as the main core of the business community in the lower Moapa Valley. It also hosted most of the social events in the area.[2]

In 1980, residents of Overton and the nearby town of Logandale approved a referendum on merging the two towns into the town of Moapa Valley.[3] The Clark County Commission affirmed the vote, legally creating Moapa Valley on February 13, 1981.[4]

Geography

Overton is located in Moapa Valley, 65 mi (105 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The town features a landscape of mesas, foothills, and nearby Lake Mead. It is also the settlement closest to Valley of Fire State Park.

Economy

Industry

Near Overton, there are deposits of magnesite, kaolin, and gypsum. Silica sand is also being produced.[5]

Transportation
Former St. Thomas branch of Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in Overton.

Nevada State Route 169 connects Overton with Interstate 15 (exit 93) in the north and Lake Mead National Recreation Area in the south. South of Overton, the highway into Valley of Fire state park (formerly a part of Nevada State Route 169, decommissioned in 2001) branches off west.

Overton is located on the former St. Thomas branch of Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad which runs along the Moapa Valley, from north to south. The construction of the branch started in 1911 from Moapa station, which lies on the main line between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. By March 1912, the construction was completed. In 1919, the railway was made a double track. In 1938 and 1939, the final six-mile segment leading to St. Thomas, which was submerged under waters of Lake Mead, was abandoned.[6] The branch currently extends to the town southern outskirts, serving the gypsum plant. There is no passenger service, but there is freight traffic.

Attractions

Two more entries are located in the vicinity of Overton. These are the wreck of Boeing B-29 Serial No. 45-21847 submerged in Lake Mead and Pueblo Grande de Nevada.

Notable people
  • Archie Butler (actor), an actor, stunt man, and crewman in numerous films and television shows, died here February 4, 1977, aged 65[8][9][10][11]
  • Betty Willis, visual artist and graphic designer, best known for designing the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign , born in Overton, Nevada[12]

The novel Lords of St. Thomas (GWP, 2018) by Jackson Ellis tells the story of the last family to vacate nearby St. Thomas, Nevada in 1938 following construction of the Boulder Dam. The book is set partly in Overton, and is where the Lord family relocates to after the flooding of St. Thomas.[13]

References
  1. Andrew Jenson. Encyclopedic History of the Church (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1941) p. 665
  2. "Moapa Valley History". Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. "Two towns to merge". Las Vegas Review-Journal. November 20, 1980. p. 14B.
  4. "Overton, Logandale become Moapa Valley". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 4, 1981. p. 2B. The unanimous vote of the County Commission affirms the vote by town residents and legally creates the town. The commission's action will not become law until Feb. 13.
  5. "The mineral industry of Nevada" (PDF). U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2000. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  6. Myrick, David F. (1992). Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: The southern roads. University of Nevada Press. p. 662. ISBN 9780874171945. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  7. "Overton Wildlife Management Area". Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  8. "Secrets Of TV's The Rifleman: More Than Just Guns And Good Times: Stuntman Archie Butler". Trend-Chaser.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  9. "Archie Butler (1911-1977)". IMDb.
  10. "Archie Butler: Celebrity Interview and Paparazzi". OV Guide. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  11. "Who Was Archie Butler?". Biographies & History. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/us/betty-willis-whose-sign-defined-las-vegas-dies-at-91.html?_r=0
  13. Robison, Vernon New Historical Novel Tells Story Of Evacuation Of St. Thomas
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