Darcy Farrow, NV

Darcy Farrow Was Her Name

“Where the Walker runs down to the Carson Valley plain” is the legendary opening line of a 1965 folk song first recorded by Ian & Sylvia, and since recorded by dozens of country and folk musicians, including John Denver, Nanci Griffith, and Jimmy Dale Gilmore. This haunting lament is part star-crossed lover’s story and part minitravelogue through much of northwestern Nevada.

The Walker River begins its run in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and crosses into western Nevada near Topaz Lake, south of Carson City. From there, it meanders through juniper-sprinkled hills and alfalfa-green valleys until it vanishes into the desert lake called Walker, near the town of Hawthorne (pop. 3,311). In between, the river runs through some of the most beautiful country in eastern California and western Nevada—through the Walker River Canyon near Bridgeport and past the old mining town of Yerington (pop. 2,883), which is also mentioned in the song.

The heart-tugging saga of Darcy Farrow has inspired some creative legends about its beginnings. The most common is that songwriters Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell wrote the song for a class while students at UCLA, attempting to mimic an old Celtic folk song. Some folklorists have called it a 19th-century “gold-rush era” song. The real roots of the tune, however, are even better than the myths.

“The song is based on something that happened to my little sister, whose name is Darcy,” says Gillette. “At 12 years old she was running behind her horse, chasing it into the corral, when she was kicked. She broke her cheekbone but had no other lasting effects; there was a three-day period where she was in the hospital, and we were all concerned she might have a concussion.

“During that time,” Gillette continues, “my friend, Tom Campbell, my co-writer on the song, took a melody I had written and came up with a story about the two young lovers and the tragic fall. I was a little horrified about the idea since it was so dark and involved my sister’s name, but as we worked with it and took it in the direction of the old cowboy songs, I was much more comfortable with it. So many of the old cowboy songs take their melodies from Scottish-Irish musical traditions.”

Campbell’s roots are in Nevada. Born in Las Vegas, his father lived in a log cabin homesteaded by Tom’s grandfather along the East Walker River. Campbell’s father went to high school in Hawthorne, and this unique location became the setting for the song. “I’ve always loved songs about the land,” Campbell says, “and the Eastern Sierra corridor holds a special place in my heart. I worked up something from a riff that Steve had written, and I played it for Ian and Sylvia at a party one night, after they had performed at the Golden Bear in Los Angeles.”

The rest is history. Ian and Sylvia’s rendition of the song became a modern folk classic, and many other musicians have since recorded the tune. “John Denver’s version on his Rocky Mountain High album probably popularized the song more than any other,” Gillette says. “It sold more than 4 million copies.”

Darcy Farrow

Words & music by Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell

Where the Walker runs down to the Carson Valley plain,
There lived a maiden, Darcy Farrow was her name
The daughter of old Dundee and a fair one was she
And the sweetest flower that bloomed o’er the range.

Her voice was sweet as the sugar candy
Her touch was as soft as a bed of goose down.
Her eyes shone bright like the pretty lights
That shine in the night out of Yerington town.

She was courted by young Vandermeer
And quite handsome was he I am to hear
He brought her silver rings and lacy things
And she promised to wed before the snows fell that year.

But her pony did stumble and she did fall.
Her dyin’ touched on the heart of us all.
Young Vandy in his pain put a bullet to his brain
And we buried them together as the snows began to fall.

They sing of Darcy Farrow where the Truckee runs through
They sing of her beauty in Virginia City too.
At dusty Sundown to her name they drink a round
And to young Vandy whose love was true.

Copyright 1965, Cherry Bell Music (ASCAP)

Sherril Steele-Carlin is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos

Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great. Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.

 Start Uploading Now!

 

Discuss this Article