The Lodi Valley freight route was used by some freighters instead of the Craig Canyon route. They could travel from Deep Well Station through Lodi Valley, past Holly Wells and Lodi Tanks. Next came Porter's Station, seven miles further. Porter's Station was located near the junction of two heavily used wagon roads.
The surveyors placed it more specifically in Section 15 of T14N,R37E M.D.B.&M. which is the location of the ruins called "Burnt Cabin" today. In 1865 Mr. O'Donnell was the proprietor of a station at the spring on the road from Ione to Westgate on the Overland Trail, and the pass from Ione Valley to Lodi Valley was then coiled O'Donnell's Pass. It was 40 miles from Ione to White Rock Station (near Eastgate) with only three or four watering places in that distance. A newspaper mentioned that Mr. O'Donnell had a crew of men sinking wells to improve conditions on his road. By 1883 the station was known as Porter's Station, and the surveyors recorded a station building, barn, and corral. Don Maestretti of Battle Mountain said his father's grandmother lived at Porter's Station. He did not remember her name, but recalled that it had been said she was blind and that she created some amusement by smoking a pipe. The station must have burned sometime before 1900 as the area has been known as Burnt Cabin Summit for over 80 years."
-Gabbs Valley, Nevada - It's History and Legend, Ruth Danner
If the map hadn't said there was something here, we would have gone right by. As it were, the debris we found wasn't exactly where the map said it would be, but USGS maps have been off a bit before. While the roads leading to the site are passable enough, you might want something with a little more ground clearance than Dad's Buick, hence the 4WD requirement.