Alluring Roadside Nevada Monument Is Like Satan’s Junkyard

If you've ever driven on Interstate 80 between Lovelock and Winnemucca Nevada, then you've seen it. I decided four years ago to finally exit the highway and walk the grounds of what might be the country's most interesting and twisted roadside monument.

Imlay, Nevada has a population of roughly 70, according to online data. If you blink your eyes while driving through the area 33 miles southwest of Winnemucca, you'll surely miss it. However, if you happen to glance off to the side of the highway in either direction, you'll be drawn to Thunder Mountain Monument like a magnet, and likely just keep on driving.

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Old typewriters, bicycles, plastic dolls, bottles, vintage military objects, vehicle parts, and other items are on display for all to see. Speaking of seeing, one can't help but get the feeling of being watched by someone (or something) the entire time you walk the grounds.

In the summer of 2020 while most people were ordering contactless delivery and watching the number of Covid cases rise on CNN or FOX News, I pulled off with my wife and four-year-old boy and walked up to the entrance of Imlay's most popular landmark.

Thunder Mountain Monument was built by a former United States military veteran from California back in the sixties. The name was derived as a tribute to Native American culture and the items that are forever entombed on the property were collected by Frank Van Zant over a period of decades.

Old typewriters, bicycles, plastic dolls, bottles, vintage military objects, vehicle parts, and other items are on display for all to see. Speaking of seeing, one can't help but get the feeling of being watched by someone (or something) the entire time you walk the grounds.

Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. I highly recommend people traveling through the area take a moment to check out this fascinating landmark that many people have seen but haven't worked up the courage to experience. The monument is a bit intimidating from the highway.