Shoshone-Paiute Tribes
101 Ranch
​​Brown's Gulch Fire impacts Wilson/101 Ranch and surrounding USFS allotment
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On August 8th 2012 a wildfire started just northeast of Mountain City, NV. A lightning strike started the fire at approximately 7 p.m. Fire crews responded to the scene at 2 a.m. The fire was put out and crews remained on scene to mop up. Early in the afternoon on the 9th the fire reignited and numerous additional lightning strikes led to several more fires in the immediate area, including one on the hillside above the pasture at the Wilson/101 Ranch. Fire crews from state, federal, volunteer and the local area responded and an air and ground attack was executed to keep the fire from consuming the town of Mountain City. The town was evacuated.
At the Wilson/101 Ranch, located just south of town, the fire reached within 30 feet of the main house and up to the edge of two outbuildings. One historic chicken coop was lost to the blaze (the building had partially fallen down and was not in use at the time of the incident). The house was almost lost due to a lack of fire support at the property until just moments before the fire reached the homesite from the east and north sides of the property.
Fire swept through the Home, Ratliff and Baker parcels of the ranch with the most extensive habitat damage occurring on the Home and Baker. Approximately 165 of the 175 acres of sagebrush steppe habitat was lost. Fire crews carved a CAT line around the Ratliff parcel barn to prevent it from burning. Most of the impacted habitat on the Ratliff was confined to the west end of the property, about 15 acres of sagebrush steppe and some riparian habitat.
The Baker parcel on California Creek was the most heavily impacted area of the ranch. The fire took all of the sagebrush steppe habitat (approximately 87.5 acres) and much of the riparian habitat as well. The Ross Gulch Arm of California Creek supported a dense riparian area and much (but not all) of this was lost.
Click on the links below to see the extent of fire damage on the Home, Ratliff and Baker parcels along with a detail of the types and amount of habitat affected on each parcel.
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