Nevada's Dinosaur and Ghost Town State Park

Ghost towns and dinosaurs are two things thatestablished thrived and over 300 persons live
seem especially interest many little boys (andthere.
some grown up ones, as well!). In spite of theIt had a general store, an assay office, boarding
broad difference between the two, both arehouses, a union hall, a schoolhouse, three saloons
featured in one of the most unusual state parksand many residences. Unlike many small western
in all of the United States. What better place couldghost towns, Berlin was never destroyed by a
there be for kids to see and explore? In afire, and because Nevada is so dry, many of the
remote part of central Nevada is the Berlin -old wooden buildings still stand in a state of
Ichthyosaur State Park that combines the oldarrested decay where visitors can view them
historic silver mining ghost town of Berlin, and ajust as they were built over a century ago.
completely unique display of Ichthyosaur fossils.Perhaps the most interesting feature of the park
Park Rangers give talks and tours in an oldis a small area which contains more than a dozen
underground silver mine, and in another part offossilized Ichthyosaurs. These giant dinosaurs
the same Park, they speak about and exhibitswam in the sea and were up to 70 feet long and
dinosaur fossils, explaining the life and habits of theweighed from 40 to 60 tons. They were the
gigantic Ichthyosaur, a dinosaur reptile that swamlargest animals in existence in their time. Like the
in the sea like a fish.whales of today, Ichthyosaurs had no gills and had
The old ghost town of Berlin is situated on theto swim to the surface to blow and breathe air.
Western slope of the Shoshone range inThese unusual reptiles were the great ocean
west-central Nevada. The town was founded inpredators of their day and preyed mostly upon
1897 after silver was discovered in nearby Unionsea fish. They lived in an ocean that covered
Canyon. For 13 years the little towns that werewhat is now western Nevada.