Thinking about deserts usually conjures up images of sand and wind—not water. However, in the high desert region in western Nevada, you will find Pyramid Lake. One of the largest natural lakes in the state, this body of water exists entirely within the boundaries of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s reservation, which is about 35 miles northeast of Reno.
Sawmills in the Western United States have an intriguing history. As mostly European-descendant settlements of the 19th century American West forged deeper into resource extraction of wood to build homes and towns, sawmills were developed to process immense logs into usable lumber. Naturally, a power source was needed to propel the industry beyond the work of hand-sawyers. Technology used to power the mills included water turbines and steam engines, while boilers provided steam for a sawmill’s kilns.