Letter to the Editor of the RGJ, June 24, 2008

Protect Wovoka as bit of American history

Now that the dust has settled, the hope or fear of a Public Lands bill has begun to fade. One fact does remain, Bald Mountain in Lyon County or the area some folks call Wovoka still needs protection; Wovoka is a national treasure.Wovoka is home to bear, deer, and mountain lions. In the late 1800s it was the spiritual home to the Paiute Messiah Wovoka aka Jack Wilson. Wovoka took his vision of the Ghost Dance to Sitting Bull and the Sioux in the Black Hills, a vision that ended tragically at the Massacre of Wounded Knee in the winter of 1890. Wovoka has been home to the early settlers to Lyon County and helped build their strong pioneer spirit.A good portion of Wovoka remains roadless and wild. It is a part of Lyon County that the passage of time has forgotten. A person can follow a faint game trail and in a few minutes travel back in time to the days of the old west, days that forged our spirits and tested our courage. It is time for all sides to come together and talk about saving a bit of American history. We must protect Wovoka.

Kurt Kuznicki, Reno