Indian Springs - Remote Wars, Quiet TownStop on Area 51, a free self-guided tour.Your loop closes in a sleepy desert town that hides one of the most modern military stories in the West. Indian Springs began in 1906 as a way station on the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, and it took its name from the springs where Native Americans had settled. After Pearl Harbor it became an Army airfield, then an Air Force base that supported nuclear testing in the 1960s.On June 20, 2005, the base was renamed Creech Air Force Base for retired General Wilbur L. Creech. Today its 432nd Wing controls MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones that fly missions across the globe, from a desert base that looks nothing like a war room. It is also an aerial training site for the Air Force Thunderbirds.The base is closed to visitors, and the town's casino was shut in 2014 to expand a security buffer. Look toward the fence line and reflect on how far the secrets of this desert have traveled.Getting here: From the Alien Center, follow US-95 southeast for about 55 miles to Indian Springs. Las Vegas lies roughly 45 miles beyond, closing your loop.Trivia: Creech Air Force Base was renamed in 2005 for which general?Nearby: Services in town are limited, but Las Vegas is under an hour away for a proper meal and a bed.Stops on this tourAtomic Testing Museum - Where the Secrets BeginAlamo - The Last Town Before the TrailAlien Research Center - A Silver Sentinel at the GateGroom Lake Road - The Line You Do Not CrossBlack Mailbox - Send a Letter to the StarsLittle A'Le'Inn - Aliens Welcome, Burgers TooTonopah Mining Park - Silver, Then SecretsMizpah Hotel - The Lady in Red Waits UpstairsGoldfield - Nevada's Biggest City, OnceRhyolite - A Ghost Town in the SpotlightArea 51 Alien Center - Last Call for SouvenirsIndian Springs - Remote Wars, Quiet Town