Photo by Sydney Martinez | Travel Nevada
“Several years ago, when I worked for the Nevada State Department of Transportation, a co-worker and I were doing some work in Caliente and other southeastern Nevada communities.
“After work one day, we decided to stop by the nearby town of Panaca to see what the town was like and perhaps have a beer after work. After spending some time looking for a bar or a place to buy some beer, we were told that Panaca was only one of two towns in Nevada where the sale of alcohol was prohibited and gambling was not allowed.
“The area that was to become the Panaca settlement was explored by Mormons in 1857. Brigham Young dispatched the explorers to locate a potential refuge in case of a U.S. military campaign against Utah. The location was selected due to the Meadow Valley oasis at the headwaters of the Muddy River.”