The town of Rachel was founded in 1978. The population peaked around 500 in the early 1980's when the nearby Lincoln Mine was still operating. But even then the young town did not have any official structures such as a mayor or town council. After the mine closed many residents moved away and Rachel began a steady decline.

Edith Grover (left) and Fay Day during Rachel Day 2003, celebrating the 25th birthday of Rachel

By the late 1990's the population had dwindled to about 90 give or take. The history of Rachel lived only in the memories of current and former residents and was lost with their passing or moving away. Two long time residents, Fay Day, widow of D.C. Day, the late founder of Rachel, and Edith Grover were considered the town elders. Known among locals as Ms Fay and Ms Edith they were as close to a mayor as Rachel ever had. Ms Fay owned the Quick Pick mini market and gas station; Ms Edith operated the senior center and thrift store.

My interest in Area 51 first brought me to Rachel in 1998. I successfully launched Dreamland Resort, which quickly became the largest Area 51 web site. During my visits to the area I fell in love with Rachel and soon bought land here. I quickly realized there was a steady stream of tourists coming to the area, but they knew very little about the history of Rachel or about the many historic sites nearby. In early 2002 I decided to start a web site about Rachel and the surrounding area, including ghost towns, mining operations etc.

After I launched this web site I talked to both Ms Edith and Ms Fay about bringing it to the next level. Ms Edith gave me a very comprehensive article about the history of Rachel, written by a former resident, to add to the web site. Both were excited to see Rachel being put on the digital map and they suggested making it the official town's web site. Over the years many Rachel residents have contributed photos, historic information and other material to help our town's web site grow.

Ms Edith and Ms Fay have passed since, but in their memory I continue to operate and expand this web site. As they would have wanted I share the history of our town and the beauty of this area with visitors and interested readers from all around the world. In the absence of official record keeping this web site tries to preserve the history of Rachel that otherwise would be lost in time. It has done so for well over 20 years and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.

Thank you for visiting us online. We hope to see you in Rachel soon

Joerg Arnu
Rachel Resident and Webmaster