Monday, July 28, 2003 | 11:07 a.m.
From a distance there doesn't seem to be much left among the remains of St. Thomas -- a few cottonwood trees that usually are covered by Lake Mead and fields of vegetation fed by the moist soil.
But when National Park Service archaeologist Steven Daron comes here every other month, he finds signs of the life that once buzzed in this 19th century Mormon settlement that was buried when Lake Mead was created in 1938.
The artifacts so far include old China, pieces of wagon wheels, tools and vintage-car parts.
He has also found holes -- 40 to 50 of them -- evidence that other treasure hunters have beat him to some of the finds that would preserve this history of Southern Nevada.
Daron, who has studied St. Thomas for nine years, understands the draw of this place as it rises from the lake that has receded 66 feet in the past year and a half.
"It is a unique opportunity to see how they lived and see what life was like. It was a pretty tough life," he said.
But the private treasure hunters, some armed with metal detectors, are stealing a piece of the past that cannot be replaced, said Bill Collup, a park service ranger who oversees the Overton Beach area where St. Thomas is located. Ruins of the town's hotel have been chipped away by those wanting to take a souvenir with them.
In the Las Vegas area, where old casinos are toppled and new ones are built, preserving history can be difficult. Despite warning signs that have been placed throughout the area, visitors still steal from the site with no regard for federal laws, Collup said.
With an additional drop of 20 feet expected this year because of the four-year drought, National Park Service officials expect the ruins to be exposed even further.
So park rangers are not only getting tough with violators, they're getting help catching them.
This year 13 citations have been issued, four for violating preservation laws and two for using metal detectors. The penalty is a $100 to $500 fine and a maximum of six months in jail. In egregious cases felony charges can be pressed, with a $10,000 fine and maximum of 10 years in prison.
Cars have been blocked from driving on the town site. Collup said 200 to 500 vehicles visit every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
And park rangers now rely on a corps of volunteers to keep an eye on St. Thomas.
Residents of nearby Logandale, Overton and Moapa Valley help preserve and maintain the old town site by coming out daily and monitoring it, Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said. Although they cannot write tickets if they catch a violator, the volunteers act as the eyes and ears of rangers at the site. They call park rangers if they see anything suspicious or find people stealing.
The vigilance of rangers and volunteers is important, Collup said. When artifacts are stolen, there is no way park officials and archaeologists can track them, he said.
"We really should be preserving these things for history and future generations," Collup said.
Much of the history has already been preserved in oral and written histories, as well as artifacts that were saved before the town was flooded.
As a result park rangers can rattle off the facts about the town: St. Thomas was established by 45 Mormons led by Thomas Smith in 1865. The town was once a key supply stop along the old Mormon Corridor from Utah to San Bernardino, Calif. The settlement was a busy mining and farming community. In 1938 the town was flooded in the creation of Lake Mead.
But as Ranger Michelle Riter has found, seeing that history rise from the lake bed gives it a different perspective. Since the tops of the cottonwoods first became visible a year ago, she has been studying the history of St. Thomas. Every artifact uncovered reveals stories of residents who lived there, she said.
"Every single day the water became lower, the more puzzle pieces were put into place," Riter said.
Archaeologists have been documenting what they find at the site and whether any damage has been done. They also look for items that may have been missing and try to connect the items to the oral history they have heard.
When Riter discovers new artifacts she leaves them in their place and catalogues them. After taking digital photos of them, she takes measurements of where they were located and documents what they could have been used for.
"It's a place that tells many different stories of a community that had to adapt to change very quickly," Riter said.
Dey said all artifacts are catalogued and left in the lake bed "so people can see them and enjoy them in place."
"When the water levels come back up, they'll be protected," she said. "Our intent is keeping the items where they are in relation to the town. That's what tells us the story."
She said by viewing the remains of the town, workers can see what daily life was like and how the structures in the town related to the residents' lives.
"For example, we can tell education was very important to them, by the placement of the schoolhouse and the effort that went into it," she said.
Park officials hope that getting the word out about the need to preserve this history will help stem the thefts. They are asking locals to work with them in monitoring the site and educating others about its value.
"My belief is the more we educate the public of its history, they won't want to steal from it," Collup said. "I believe we are successful in getting the word out to visitors."
Rangers encourage any visitors who see people with metal detectors or trying to take artifacts to call them at (702) 293-8998.
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