CARSON CITY – History buffs and treasure hunters continue to search wide swaths of Nevada for remnants left behind by famed explorer John C. Fremont and his Corps of Topographical Engineers who traversed the region in 1843-44.
Many still look for the “genuine” Fremont Cannon, a 12-pound mountain howitzer the expedition abandoned during the expedition, although Nevada State Museum officials are confident they have it. (Now on display as part of the “Finding Fremont: Pathfinder of the West” exhibit at Nevada State Museum Las Vegas.)
The argument over the cannon might rage on, but there is little debate as to Fremont’s importance in the history of Nevada. It’s what led the Nevada State Museum in Carson City to create the “Finding Fremont” exhibit in time for the state’s sesquicentennial and was the impetus for a commemorative medallion.
This Friday (Aug. 10), the Carson City museum will be minting the “Finding Fremont” 30-millimeter medallion on its historic Coin Press #1. The medallion, in pure silver, features a bust of Fremont and an image of the “Fremont Cannon.”
The minting will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and museum visitors are welcome to watch and get a history lesson about the coin press in the process. Visitors can also purchase a pure silver blank in the museum’s store for $60 and have it pressed with the Fremont design.
Admission to the Nevada State Museum is $8 for adults; free for museum members and children 17 and younger.
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