United Four Wheel Drive Associations
An International Organization

Category: General News
Date: Jul 2 2005

Nevada: Jarbidge Road Celebration

Nevada United Four Wheelers Assn. and Blue Ribbon Coalition Invite you to the 5th Anniversary of the Reopening of the Jarbidge Road

July 2, 3, 4, 2005

from the NUFWA website...

Shovels, Stars, Stripes, and the Jarbidge Road

In Jarbidge, Nevada these three things add up to Citizens rights and the Fourth of July. This July 4th is the 5th Anniversary of the Re-opening of the Jarbidge Road. The Nevada United Four Wheelers Association, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and Northern Nevada A.B.A.T.E. are gathering to show support to the People of Elko County, who have been defending the public's right to travel on county roads, and to keep the government from closing these roads. The celebration begins on July 2 with an opportunity to be in the Basque Festival yearly Parade and their all day festivities in Elko. July 3rd is the Parade and B-B-Q in the historic town of Jarbidge. Visitors will most importantly, have the opportunity to drive up the road that was once closed. If you want to leave your mark, since we always leave trails clean, volunteers are restoring the giant shovel your name can forever be on the Jarbidge shovel for a $5 donation.

If you are not familiar with the Jarbidge Shovel Brigade and the events behind this important event it all began when the floods of 1995 washed out the dirt road to the Campgrounds along South Canyon Road in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forrest. It was accepted that this county road needed repair, however, so did many other county roads. The County of Elko agreed to let the Forrest Service make the repairs. The County and Forrest had shared maintenance of the road in other wash-outs over the years. South Canyon Road is the only access into this scenic area of Northern Nevada.

Two years later the Forrest Service had not made the repairs so the county made plans to repair the road themselves. The battle began. The county and USFS went to court and embarked on a long journey of legal fees. It was argued that the bull trout would be "disturbed" if the road was repaired now that so much time had passed.
In addition to this, the Forrest Service contracted to have debris and rock piled onto the road for a 900-foot stretch to ensure that the county could not repair the road. The county was then sent the bill! A Nevada judge ruled that the county had the right to remove the debris and repair "their" county road, However, the legal debate continued and county workers were even threatened with arrest when they tried to repair the road.

Citizens in Elko County banded together to demand the county be allowed to re-open their road. Support came in by the "Shovel". Elko County Commissioners began to receive shovels from across the United States. Jarbidge received over eleven thousand shovels in 2000.

Volunteers came cross-country to spend their 4th of July 2000 "shovel in hand" with the citizens of Elko County and the Jarbidge Shovel Brigade. People came to assist the community in removing the debris and the six-ton rock, now known as, Liberty Rock. This was a true triumph of "The People". The courageous people that opened the Jarbidge Road with shovels on July 4, 2000 will be honored this year. If you haven't been to the town of Jarbidge, Elko or the Cowboy Country of Nevada, you have missed one of the most beautiful places in Nevada. If you have been there, it is time to come back. So come and spend your 4th of July with a shovel, your mechanized recreational vehicle, and the proud community of Jarbidge Nevada. I hope to you there!

nufwa.org


Nevada United Four Wheelers Association
www.nufwa.org