San Francisco inspired a ‘sovereign nation’ in the Nevada desert

The Republic of Molossia is the city of your adolescent, Candy Land dreams, where the currency is cookie dough and the nation’s leader officially outlawed spinach.
 
How does a place like Molossia, located about 45 minutes from Reno, exist within the confines of the United States? The self-described independent nation, ruled by President Kevin Baugh and first lady Adrianne Baugh, is actually a micronation within the United States.  

Molossia is enclosed within a small Nevada town called Dayton, on an 11-acre property with a total population of 38 souls. Three of the citizens are dogs.

Molossia is an artistic expression with shades of outlaw libertarianism, and it owes its entire existence to a San Francisco icon who was a pioneer in “fake it till you make it” social entrepreneurialism. 

The micronation accepts tourists but on specific terms. I rode over the desert brush to find it on a recent August afternoon. Before embarking on the journey, I somewhat expected an unhinged social vigilante with a political agenda, but what I discovered instead was a seemingly well-meaning couple with a solid sense of humor and a love of entertaining the masses with their clever takes on what it means to run a micronation.

I left knowing it was a place I would need to bring friends, if only to experience the hilarity and downright weirdness firsthand. Without seeing it, it’s hard to say who will believe a place like Molossia exists.

Tours are held one day a month between April and October, usually, but not always, on a Saturday. During this time, anyone can visit Molossia. A passport isn’t strictly required, but if you bring one, you can get it stamped at the customs office.

Molossia is smaller than 10 football fields but can draw worldwide attention. During my visit in August, I met people from Canada, Washington and Texas, as well as many from other parts of Nevada. In total, there were about 20 attendees. It’s customary to bring cookie dough to exchange for the local currency, called Valora, which is Latin for “brave or courageous.”
 
It’s important to abide by the laws when moving about Molossia. That means no contraband like tobacco, incandescent lightbulbs, plastic bags, catfish, onions, walruses and, of course, spinach.
 
Other laws prohibit citizens from causing catastrophe; torpedoes may not be set off inside of the country, and percussion instruments are barred from every bathroom. It’s also illegal to detonate a nuclear device within the nation and offenders incur a 500 Valora fine.
 
President Baugh is also considering outlawing hurricanes, but the weather in these parts of Nevada tends to be sunny.

“Molossia weather is always perfect,” he boasts. He says the problem is that “we’re so close to the U.S. border that their crappy weather blows in all the time.”
 
A tour guarantees access to all of Molossia’s main buildings, including a post office, Tiki bar, the president’s office, a trading post and a jail cell. You’re subject to arrest if you bring in unpermitted items, but the president doesn’t make a habit of keeping anyone past the end of their tour (or for more than a few minutes).

Although Molossia is still at war with East Germany — there’s a long-winded explanation to this involving an argument suggesting East Germany still exists as a small island off the coast of Cuba — the micronation resists the need for a military to defend itself (in part because that East Germany island is uninhabited). 

Nevertheless, Molossia does have a naval program composed entirely of inflatable kayaks that explore nearby lakes, including Lake Tahoe on flexible biannual excursions. There are also annual and public events including a dry land boat race.
 
The space program is predictably limited, but you can launch a small rocket when visiting, which earns yourself a designation as an honorary Molossia space cadet.

If Molossia seems absurd, that’s the intention of its founders.

President Baugh created his first micronation in 1977 alongside his friend “King” James Spielman. They called it Vuldstein. The duo was inspired by the movie “The Mouse That Roared,” a British comedy centered around a war between a European micronation and the United States.
 
“We were really struck by the imagination and creativity of this tiny country idea,” Baugh says.
 
In 1998, Vuldstein was in Portland, Oregon, when President Baugh changed the name and uprooted the location of that micronation. He established the Republic of Molossia in Dayton, Nevada, that same year, drawing inspiration for the name from a Hawaiian word for peace and serenity.

Molossia began hosting tours in 2009, and the nation steadily grew. Because the president is a fan of Disney, you’ll notice several influences from Walt Disney himself, such as an Adventureland-themed trading post to buy souvenirs. Several addresses on Molossian buildings reference famous Disney films, and his name is pasted across the heroes monument.

The micronation built its own miniature railroad, designed a flag, wrote a national anthem and established a time zone (39 minutes ahead of Pacific Standard Time).
 
“We like doing unusual things here,” Baugh laughs.
 
In addition to the property in Dayton, there are other outposts of Molossia sprinkled across the universe. The Protectorate of New Antrim is in Pennsylvania, and the Desert Homestead Province is in Southern California. Neptune Deep is at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and Molossia stakes claim to a 49,000-square mile chunk of the planet Venus.
 
While micronations are not common, there are dozens across the world, and twice a year, the leaders of those nations gather to discuss micronation rule at a conference called Microcon. This year, the meet-ups were held in Belgium and Chicago.

Some of the names are posted on a wooden directional sign near the front gates of Molossia, including the Antarctic micronation Westarctica, founded in 2001; the Principality of Sealand, made up entirely of an offshore platform in the North Sea; and the Conch Republic, a playful nod to the secession of the Florida Keys.

As one of the oldest running micronations in the world, President Baugh is famous among newcomers. He’s received more than 100 medals from other nations (and gifted to himself). Since he rules under a dictatorship, this is allowed.
 
While it’s clear to see that Baugh sees his micronation as all in good fun, there is a serious side to his rule. Micronations need currency and laws. Most agree they have to file a formal declaration proclaiming how and why the sovereign state was created. A micronation does not need a legal basis to exist, and most rely on neighboring government agencies for emergency services.

Baugh calls him “the first micronationalist,” and in Molossia, Norton Park is named in his honor.