Fly Ranch

Fly Ranch is located off Highway 34, north of Gerlach. Fly Geyser is located on the ranch.

The 1881 Gibbs map of California and Nevada indicates a ranch named "Wards" is in the vicinity. Fly Geyser is referred to as Ward's Hot Springs in an 1886 geology report.

The Fly Ranch was first homesteaded in the late 1800s by Fred Gerlach, son of Louis Gerlach, for whom the town of Gerlach was named. Later it was a part of the John Casey estate, until it was sold to Todd Jaksick (Bright Holland Corporation) in 1998.

The feature known as Fly Geyser has attracted a substantial amount of interest since it developed from a leaking geothermal well into a striking colorful spouting statue, sitting on a dais of mud amidst ponds of warm water and thriving plants. The property is generally off limits to visitors because of liability and vandalism concerns.

References

• [GNIS]
• Sessions S. Wheeler, "The Black Rock Desert," p. 157. Fred Gerlach homesteaded Fly Ranch
• Albert Charles Peale, "Lists and Analyses of the Mineral Springs of the United States (A Preliminary Study)," p. 200, 1886. Mentions Ward's Hot Springs