| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Abraham Van Santvoord Curry — 1815 – 1873 — “A Man with a Vision” |
| | Abraham Curry, the “Father of Carson City”, accomplished more in his 15 year residence than most men hope to in a lifetime. Not only did he purchase the land in 1858 which is now Carson City, but laid out the townsite and built many of its buildings, both public and private.
Curry envisioned Nevada’s statehood long before its time and donated the four acre plaza on which the capitol stands today. One of the owners of the Gould and Curry Mine, Curry served as a Territorial . . . — Map (db m20874) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 44 — Carson City |
| | Nevada’s State Capital, one of the state’s oldest communities, was established in 1851 as Eagle Station, a trading post and ranch on the Carson Branch of the California Immigrant Trail, by Frank and Warren L. Hall, George Follansbee, Joe and Frank Bernard and A.J. Rollins. The station and surrounding valley took their name from an eagle skin stretched on the wall of the trading post.
In 1858, Abraham Curry purchased much of the Eagle Ranch after finding that lots in Genoa were too expensive. . . . — Map (db m20911) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Carson City — Original Station — Apr. 3, 1860 - Nov. 20, 1861 |
| | [Front of Marker:]
Dedicated April 12, 1996
Carson City
Original Station
Apr. 3, 1860 - Nov. 20, 1861
by
Byron L. & Peggy Clark & Family
Bob & Tina McFadden
Mae & Jim Thorpe
The Bike Smith
Betty Young & Erica Young
Pony Express Trail Association
[Sponsors:]
Joseph L. Schroeder ∙
Bud & Gayle Klette ∙
Laughlin Associates, Inc ∙
Capitol Ford Mercuty ∙
Nevada Commission on Tourism ∙
Dean G. Barnett & Betsey . . . — Map (db m23038) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 258 — Charles W. Friend House, Observatory, and Weather Station |
| | This is the site of the house and observatory of Nevada’s first weatherman, astronomer, and seismologist, Charles William Friend. Born in Prussia in 1835, Friend immigrated by way of South America to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. In 1867, he moved from Folsom to Carson City where he set up his own jewelry and optical store.
Friend built Nevada’s first observatory located southwest of his house and east of the Nevada State Capitol. Nevada’s U.S. Senator William Stewart helped him . . . — Map (db m20919) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 77 — Dat-So-La-Lee |
| | “Myriads of Stars shine over the graves of our ancestors.” Dat-So-La-Lee had seen some 96 winters, mostly in Carson Valley, when death came in 1925.
She was the last of those Washoe weavers whose ancient art had been practiced by countless generations.
Gathering willow, fern and birch with the aid of her husband, she wove into her masterpieces the legends of her people and their love of nature. Her baskets are unsurpassed for artistic conception and symbolic importance.
She . . . — Map (db m20801) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 76 — Eagle Valley |
| | Centrally located between the first Nevada settlement at Genoa and the precious metal deposits of the Comstock Lode, Eagle Valley, site of present Carson City, was a vital link in land communications.
One of the key California emigrant routes, the Carson branch of the California Emigrant Trail, crossing the Sierra Nevada at Kit Carson Pass, came through Eagle Valley roughly along Sage Drive, a block east of this point.
The first overland telegraph, colloquially known as “Bee’s . . . — Map (db m20802) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 1 — Empire and the Carson River Mills — 1864 - 1964 |
| | When the Comstock Lode was discovered in 1859, the problem of reducing the ore from the fabulously rich Virginia City mines had to be solved. Mills were built in Gold Canyon and Six Mile Canyon. In Washoe Valley, at Dayton, and on the Carson River which offered the most abundant source of water for generating power to operate the mills.
On the east shore of the river near the town of Empire the first small mill, built in 1860, was later enlarged to become the Mexican. The site of this mill . . . — Map (db m55083) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 194 — Gardner’s Ranch |
| | On this site in the period from 1870 until 1918 stood the ornate two-story home of Mathew Culbertson Gardner, rancher and lumberman. The residence was headquarters for Gardner’s 300 acre ranch in Meadows to the Southward.
Here was located, 1870 – 1898, the Carson – Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company’s large lumberyard. During the 1870’s and 1880’s Gardner logged south of Lake Tahoe for the company and built the only standard gauge logging railroad in the Tahoe Basin. He maintained . . . — Map (db m20926) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 193 — Historic Flume and Lumberyard |
| | Approximately one-half mile south of this point and west of the present highway lay the immense lumberyard of the Carson-Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company, the greatest of the Comstock lumbering combines operating in the Lake Tahoe Basin during 1870-1898.
Situated at the terminus of the 12 – mile “V” flume from Spooners Summit in the Sierra Nevada, the lumberyard was approximately one mile long and one-half mile wide. A spur line of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad served . . . — Map (db m20804) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Isaac Evan James — January 6, 1830 – January 1, 1887 |
| | In March 1868 William Sharon of the Bank of California contracted with Isaac Evan James to construct a railroad from the mines of the Comstock Lode to the stamp mills located on the Carson River. Survey work got underway in December and grading began in February 1869. The line had meanwhile been extended to Carson City and was up and running to Virginia City on January 29, 1870.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad – “Crookedest Railroad in the World” according to many . . . — Map (db m21338) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Kit Carson 1843 – 44 |
| | Unveiled June 10, 1989
Artist: Buckeye Blake
It was the winter of 1843-44 when Kit Carson along with the John C. Fremont expedition worked his way south from Pyramid Lake looking for an easy route across the Sierra Nevada. Carson, depicted here tracking his way through the mountains east of this location, was considered one of the best mountain men of the day. His name is still synonymous with the wide open spaces and lore of the American West, an image we still cherish as part of our . . . — Map (db m20897) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 71 — Methodist Church of Carson City |
| | Dedicated in 1867, this church serves a congregation that was organized in 1859 and is often referred to as the “Cradle of Nevada Methodism”. Like many other buildings in Carson City, the stone used in its construction was quarried at the nearby State Prison. Reverend Warren Nims (Pastor 1863 – 1866) was responsible for much of the original construction . Altered extensively over the years, the structure with its octagonal porch posts and pointed-arch windows is still an . . . — Map (db m21240) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 72 — Nevada State Children’s Home |
| | The Nevada Orphan’s Asylum, a privately funded institution, was opened in Virginia City Mau 1867 by Sister Frederica McGrath and two other nuns of the Sisters of Charity. By 1870, most of its functions were taken over by the Nevada Orphans’ Home at Carson City, authorized in 1869 by the Legislature and constructed on this site. The first child admitted October 26, 1870.
In 1903, the first building gave way to a larger one, constructed of sandstone from the State Prison Quarry east of Carson . . . — Map (db m20806) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Nevada Viet Nam Memorial |
| | In memory of our Brothers who Never Returned From
Republic of VietNam 1954 – 1975
POW – MIA
[Column 1:]
Perry Richard Clark – LDCR – Navy – Carlin – 31 Aug. 1967 • Whittemore Frederick H. – CDR – Navy – Carson City 11 Apr. 1968 • Bower Joseph Edward – MAJ – Air Force – Ely – 3 Aug. 1965 • Garcia Joseph Andrew – SP4 – Army – Ely – 31 Jan. 1968 • Hill Billy David – SFC . . . — Map (db m21348) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 25 — Nevada’s Capitol |
| | Completed in 1871, Nevada’s splendid Victorian Capitol was built of sandstone from the quarry of the town’s founder, Abe Curry. The octagon annex was added in 1907, the north and south wings in 1915. Notable features are its Alaskan marble walls, French crystal windows, and elegant interior.
Nevada Centennial Marker No. 25
Sponsor: Daughters of the American Colonies — Map (db m20812) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — Olcovich-Meyers House |
| | Olcovich-Meyers House
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior
1874 — Map (db m21395) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 252 — Rinckle Mansion |
| | Completed in 1876, this palatial residence represents one of the finest and best preserved examples of High Victorian Italianate architecture remaining in the American West.
Charles H. Jones, a French-schooled designer, constructed the residence for Mathias Rinckle using European craftsmen. The mansion is constructed of pressed brick resting upon sandstone ashlar foundation. The sandstone originated from the Nevada State Prison quarry. The brick came from Carson Valley and knot-free lumber . . . — Map (db m21246) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — St. Charles Hotel |
| | One of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the state. It is composed of two hotels. The three story St. Charles and the two story Muller House next door south. Construction of both buildings took place in 1862 with completion in August of that year. Geo. Remington, Al Muller Dan Plitt were the first proprietors. In September, Charlie Slicer became the first bar owner serving the finest spirits money could buy. As one of the most elegant hotels in the state it became the main stage stop . . . — Map (db m23039) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church — Carson City, Nevada — Nevada Historical Marker |
| | Construction of this graceful reminder of the churches of old New England began in October 1867. Work was completed in July 1868 at a cost of $5,500.
The church was first occupied by its congregation on Sunday, August 9, 1868, with the Reverend George B. Allen officiating. Beginning in December 1873, additional construction work brought the edifice to substantially its present
form and appearance.
On April 18, 1874, a public rental for 51 of the 56 new pews installed in the enlarged . . . — Map (db m21211) HM |
| Nevada (Carson City County), Carson City — 91 — Stewart Indian School — 1890 – 1980 |
| | Originally known as the Carson Indian Training School. Stewart Indian School, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, provided vocational training and academic education for American Indian students from throughout the west for nearly a century.
W.D.C. Gibson, the first superintendent, renamed the boarding school in honor of U.S. Senator William Morris Stewart of Nevada, the principal figure in obtaining Congressional authorization and funding for the institution.
In the early . . . — Map (db m20796) HM |
| Nevada (Churchill County), Fallon — Fairview Peak Earthquake Faults |
| | When the energy from pressure built up underneath the Earth's thin crust is suddenly released, an earthquake occurs. At first the crust may just bend. But if the stress is great enough, the rocks will break and "snap" to a new position. This usually happens along fractures in the earth known as faults. If the fault lies close to the surface it may become visible following a large earthquake - the area directly in front of you is an example of this.
Between July and December 1954, six . . . — Map (db m62121) HM |
| Nevada (Churchill County), Fallon — Measuring Earthquakes |
| | Scientists measure the force of an earthquake in several ways. The Richter Scale and the Modified Mercalli Scale are the two methods most often used to gauge an earthquake's strength and magnitude.
The Richter Scale provides an estimate of an earthquake's magnitude through the use of a very precise instrument called a seismograph. It measures and records the seismic waves, or vibrations, created by the sudden release of energy caused when segments of the Earth's crust move. The . . . — Map (db m62122) HM |
| Nevada (Churchill County), Fallon — 19 — Ragtown |
| | Ragtown was never a town, but the name of a most welcome oasis and hamlet. This mecca on the banks of nearby Carson River received its name from the appearance of pioneer laundry spread on every handy bush around.
The Forty-Mile Desert, immediately to the north, was the most dreaded portion of the California Emigrant Trail. Ragtown was the first water stop after the desert. To the thirst-crazed emigrants and their animals, no site was more welcome than the trees lining the Carson River. . . . — Map (db m42290) HM |
| Nevada (Churchill County), Fallon — Sand Mountain Pony Express Station — A Practical Design |
| | Two small rooms at the southwest end of the station were originally one large room and shared a common wood floor. The wall which now separates the two rooms was built on top of the floor some time later. The center room was probably used for battery storage when the Transcontinental Telegraph Company occupied the station.
A shallow, stone well was constructed in the small northwest room. Wire and iron hooks found here suggest there was a windlass or other device to raise water from the . . . — Map (db m51696) HM |
| Nevada (Churchill County), Hazen — 178 — Hazen |
| | Hazen was named for William Babcock Hazen, who served under General Sherman in his "March to the Sea." The town, established in 1903 to house laborers working on the Newlands Irrigation Project south of here, included hotels, saloons, brothels, churches, and schools.
In 1905 the first train came through on the new routing to Tonopah. In 1906 the Southern Pacific Railroad built a large roundhouse here as well as a fine depot.
In 1908 Hazen was nearly destroyed by fire.
As a tough town, . . . — Map (db m42328) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Blue Diamond — 33 — The Old Spanish Trail — 1829 – 1850 |
| | Stretching for 130 miles across Clark County, this historic horse trail became Nevada's first route of commerce in 1829 when trade was initiated between Santa Fe and Los Angles. The trail was later used by the wagons of the "49ers" and Mormon pioneers. Concrete posts marking the trail were erected in 1965. — Map (db m29218) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Alabam |
| | At the height of Hoover Dam construction, more than 7,000 men labored in Black Canyon. Some jobs were glamorous and exciting, such as the high scalers who swung over the canyon on ropes or the cableway operators who kept concrete buckets moving 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other jobs were more mundane, but no less important: there were mockers who shoveled mud out of the tunnels, truck drivers who hauled rock up and down the river or, like the man you see here, those who swept the outhouses and kept them well supplied with paper. — Map (db m39487) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Bootleg Canyon |
| | Originally a Native American trail, Bootleg Canyon – also called the Hooch Highway was a well-known backdoor into Boulder City and the Hoover Dam construction site during prohibition. Bootleggers brewed illegal alcohol in stills hidden in draws and arroyos then moved it through the canyon into the dry community of Boulder City and down to the Colorado River. Later, trails in the area were improved by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the area was used for public picnics and gatherings. . . . — Map (db m29324) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium — Hoover Dam |
| | One of the finest examples of how civil engineering ingenuity shaped the development of society's quality of life in the 20th century. — Map (db m31900) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Dr. Elwood Mead — Namesake of Lake Mead |
| |
Born in 1858, Dr. Elwood Mead became a world-renowned water and irrigation engineer. He wrote Wyoming's first water code, the basis for codes throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. He wrote the Carey Act, led water conservation and irrigation efforts in Victoria, Australia, and Palestine, created the Rural Institutions Program for the University of California, and led the first federal irrigation studies. He was the Bureau of Reclamation's first . . . — Map (db m31902) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — 6 — Eldorado Canyon — Head of Steamboat Navigation in Nevada |
| | Eldorado Canyon runs east from here to the Colorado River and was the site of one of Nevada's mining booms. Prospectors began digging for gold and silver here, about 1859, forming the Colorado Mining District. The three largest mines, the Techatticup, Wall Street, and El Dorado Rand Group, yielded over $6,000,000.
This portion of the Colorado River was navigable before Dam construction, allowing steamboats and barges to freight good 350 miles from the California Gulf to the mouth of Eldorado . . . — Map (db m29328) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Frank T. Crowe |
| |
[ Front ]:
"The Old Man"
Francis Trenholm Crowe
Born: October 12, 1882
Died: February 26, 1946
World's Outstanding Builder of Dams
[ Right Side ]:
"We had 5,000 men in a 4000-foot canyon. The problem was to set up the right sequence of jobs so they wouldn't kill each other off"
Frank T Crowe
[ Rear ]:
Frank T. Crowe Memorial Park
Dedicated March 14, 1981
In Memory of
Their Friend
And Associate
Frank T. Crowe . . . — Map (db m39485) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Hoover Dam |
| | A modern civil engineering wonder of the United States
One of seven selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers 1955 — Map (db m13436) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Hoover Dam and Lake Mead |
| | Since 1935, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead have provided flood control, irrigation, drinking water, and power to communities in the desert. These resources have transformed the southwest into production farmland and thriving communities. The dam was originally built to protect farmland in southern California from flooding by the Colorado River. The Bureau of Reclamation planned the project and designed the dam. Engineering geologists played an important role by surveying the Colorado River for . . . — Map (db m31879) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Hoover Dam Memorial |
| |
[ Front ]:
They endured the hardships so all of America might prosper
This Memorial was contributed by the men and women who built Hoover Dam to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its dedication
September 30, 1985
[ Right Side ]:
The Hard Hat
Prominent among the project's many contributions to the construction industry is the hard hat, which made its debut as mandatory equipment at Hoover Dam, where "safety first" was the order of the . . . — Map (db m39486) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Hoover Dam Turbine Runner |
| | This cast steel turbine runner (water wheel), which is 14.2 feet in diameter and weighs over 34 tons, powered the N-7 generator at Hoover Dam Power Plant from 1944 to 1982. The function of a turbine runner is to convert the force of falling water, delivered through the penstock pipes, to rotating energy which is then utilized by the generator in producing hydroelectric energy. This turbine runner was presented to the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association on April 30, 1983, by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior. — Map (db m29248) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge |
| | May all who cross the canyon on this memorial bridge travel their life journeys with the strength and inspiration found in the high ideals and heroic deeds of these brave humble men.
In Memory of these men of heroic sprit who overcame adversity throughout their life journeys to help people along the way and inspire those yet to come, grateful Americans respectfully dedicate this monumental bridge.
14 October 2010
Mike O'Callaghan 1929 – 2004
SGT ISMC – CPL USAF . . . — Map (db m46836) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Puddler's Break |
| | Legend has it there are many workers buried in Hoover Dam. However, due to the manner in which the Dam was constructed, this would have been impossible. "Puddlers" directed buckets of concrete over empty forms, released the concrete, and then used their shovels and feet to spread it around. In the process, they made sure there were no air bubbles or debris that would weaken the structure after it hardened. Moreover, fresh concrete was added 8 cubic yards at a time, increasing the depth by only . . . — Map (db m39488) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — Railroad Pass |
| | Named for an 1890's railroad which was never built, Railroad Pass first became a destination after Professor Robert T. Hill discovered alunite in the area in 1908. A mining district was formed, but only small amounts of gold were found. Mines in the area included the Alunite, Bean Pot, Lucky Dutchman, Ouo Vadis, Spearhead, and Vincent. The short-lived mining boom ended by 1910.
With the advent of the Great Depression, tent cities sprang up in the pass with names like Texas Acres and . . . — Map (db m39484) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — The Boulder Dam Hotel |
| | The Boulder Dam Hotel has been part of Boulder City history since its opening in 1933. Designed by Mort Wagner the hotel was built by Paul Stewart "Jim" Webb, Raymond Spilsbury, and Austin Clark. It is located in Cardenas Plaza - known today as Hotel Plaza - one of Boulder City's three original downtown squares.
Expanded in 1934 and 1935, the hotel was acquired by Glover "Roxy" Ruckstell in 1936, and merged into his Grand Canyon - Boulder Dam Tours. This company also included Grand Canyon . . . — Map (db m39502) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Boulder City — TWA Terminal Building |
| | In 1938, Transcontinental and Western Air Lines, later Trans World Airlines, began serving Clark County, flying into Bullock Field in Boulder City. The airline believed that Boulder City would be a more lucrative market than nearby Las Vegas, and did not want to lease space at the Western Air Express airport east of Las Vegas. The airport was located here from 1933 until 1990, when a new airport for Boulder City was opened at the current site. This building was built as the terminal for TWA in . . . — Map (db m46833) HM |
| Nevada (Clark county), Boulder City — Women Airforce Service Pilots — WW II 1942 – 1944 |
| | We Salute all WASPS…Y
You have shown that you can
fly wingtip to wingtip
with your brothers — Map (db m46834) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Callville Bay — A Town at the Bottom |
| | About two miles in front of you, the remains of the town of Callville lie buried in silt on the bottom of Lake Mead. Originally developed as a port on the Colorado River to supply goods to Mormon settlements, Callville had long been a desolate ruin by the time Lake Mead's rising water swallowed it up.
In December of 1864, Anson Call traveled overland past this point to the north bank of the Colorado, where he selected a town site along a horseshoe bend of the river. Call built a landing . . . — Map (db m3917) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Cal-Nev-Ari — Cal-Nev-Ari |
| | Originally known as Stage Field, this was an outlying airfield of Camp Ibis, one of the eleven camps established within the Desert Training Center, California-Arizonan Maneuver Area during World War II. Developed by General George S. Patton, Jr., the vast area was used from 1942 to 1945 to train troops for duty overseas.
With the closure of the training area, much of the land reverted to the control of the Bureau of Land Management. Slim Kidwell, who had been operating the Torrance . . . — Map (db m39463) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Goodsprings — Good's Spring |
| | This small spring, first used by Anasazi and Paiute people, also sustained the caravan that pioneered a pack route now known as the Old Spanish Trail. En route to Los Angeles from Santa Fe, trader Antonio Armijo, 60 men and 100 mules camped here on January 11, 1830. The spring was named for miner Joe Good, who watered cattle here in the 1860's.
The spring was artesian, promising adequate water for a mill and town if wells were drilled. Increasing mining activity in the 1860's and 1870's . . . — Map (db m39470) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Goodsprings — 102 — Goodsprings Mining District 1856 - 1957 |
| | Ore deposits readily recognized in the faulted and folded limestone deposits of this district remained unworked until 1856, when the Mormons developed a single lead mine at Potosi—probably the oldest lode mine in Nevada.
Named for cattleman Joseph Good, the open springs area was developed into the mining-ranching community of Goodsprings by A.G. Campbell.
With completion of the Los Angeles-Salt Lake Railroad in 1905 and the narrow-gauge Yellow Pine Railroad from Jean to . . . — Map (db m39471) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Goodsprings — The Pioneer Saloon |
| | George Fayle moved to southern Nevada from Calico, California in 1904. He settled at Goodsprings Junction, which was later renamed for his wife Jean. In 1912, he moved to Goodsprings. He built the Pioneer Saloon in 1913, later building the Fayle General Store and the Fayle Hotel. Through he died in the flu epidemic of 1918, his vision lived on through his saloon, still a center of community life. Later owners have also affected the community, none more so then "Poppa Don" Hedrick, who raised . . . — Map (db m39472) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Henderson — Alunite — "There's Gold In Them Thar Hills". . . Or Is There? |
| | Seeking Pay Dirt
In 1908, mining engineer Robert T. Hill staked a claim in Railroad Pass hoping to find gold deposits as rich as those in Goldfield to the north and Searchlight to the south. Hill reasoned that gold could surely be found at this location, since he had discovered large deposits of alunite, a white mineral typically used as an indicator of gold deposits.
Dust in the Wind
Hill formed a syndicate and built a bustling mining camp known as Camp Alunite southwest of . . . — Map (db m46738) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Henderson — 141 — The Old Spanish Trail – Armijo's Route |
| | On January 8, 1830, the first pack train to pass from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angles crossed Las Vegas Valley. Antonio Armijo, a merchant in Santa Fe, commanded the train and roughly sixty men. The successful completion of the journey opened a trade route between the two Mexican provinces of New Mexico and California.
Following the "longest, crookedest, most arduous pack mule route in the history of America," Armijo's party and others brought woolen goods to Los Angeles and returned to . . . — Map (db m29247) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Hoover Dam — Dr. Elwood Mead |
| | Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, 1924-1936 whose life-time work culminated in construction of the Boulder Canyon project creating Lake Mead, named in his honor. — Map (db m1313) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Hoover Dam — High Scaler |
| | The man depicted on this monument is performing one of the most dangerous yet essential jobs in the construction of the (Boulder) Hoover Dam. Sitting in a bosun’s chair, hundreds of feet in the air, his job was to set charges and clear the loose rock from the face of the canyon walls.
This statue depicts Joe Kine, who performed the work of a high scaler at Boulder Dam, Glen Canyon Dam and other reclamation projects in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Joe was given the first artist’s proof several . . . — Map (db m24317) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Hoover Dam — They Died to Make the Desert Bloom |
| | The United States of America will continue to remember that many who toiled here found their final rest while engaged in the building of this dam.
The United States of America will continue to remember the services of all who labored to clothe with substance the plans of those who first visioned the building of this dam. — Map (db m1311) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Hoover Dam — They Laboured that Millions might see a Brighter Day |
| | In Memory of our Fellowmen who lost their lives in the construction of this dam. — Map (db m1312) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Jean — Jean, Nevada |
| | Founded in 1904 as Goodsprings Junction, a station on the San Pedro, Los Angles, and Salt Lake Railroad, Jean received its current name in 1905 when the post office was opened. It was named in honor of Jean Fayle, the wife of George Fayle who had built a mercantile business and had the post office in his store.
The town enjoyed some growth with the building of the Yellow Pine Mining Company Railroad from Goodsprings to connect with the railroad here in 1911. By the time the Yellow Pine . . . — Map (db m39464) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Jean — Old Elko Fire Bell |
| | According to the early history of Elko, Nevada, this curfew and fire bell played a vital role for local citizenry. It often rang to signal disastrous fires, deaths of celebrities, and celebrations.
Harbinger of both good tidings and bad, the bell was cast by W. T. Garrett and Company of San Francisco in February, 1890. It is unique in that six hundred silver dollars were cast with the brass and bronze to give the bell a more beautiful tone. The six hundred dollars were collected by Elko . . . — Map (db m39466) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Jean — 195 — The Last Spike |
| | This site is near where workers drove the last spike which completed the railroad between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, California. It was driven on January 30, 1905. This was the last "transcontinental" line to Southern California and one of the last lines built to the Pacific Coast. There was no formal celebration at the time of the last spike. The men on the spot gave some recognition to the event.
Las Vegas owes its existence to the railroad, then known as the San Pedro, Los . . . — Map (db m29367) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Jean — The Last Spike |
| | Track crews constructing west from Salt Lake City met track crews constructing east from Los Angles
January 30, 1950 — Map (db m29368) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 13 — "Bugsy" — Nevada Celebrates Filmmaking |
| | Flashy end-credit sequence filmed here
at the Flamingo Hilton
Stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening (1991) — Map (db m53375) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Aladdin's Lamp — Circa 1966 — Neon Museum |
| | Aladdin's Lamp was originally installed in 1966 at the Aladdin Hotel, 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South.
Restored through a generous donation from Richard Schuetz and presented as a gift, with love, to Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and her children: Maura, Kaitlyn and Patrick.
Installed as part of the Neon Museum on July 8, 1997.
Designed by Raymond Larsen.
Built by Young Electric Sign Co. (YESCO).
Owned by YESCO. — Map (db m64033) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Auction Site |
| | On May 15, 1905, in this area, The City of Las Vegas was founded with the auction of lots in Clark's Las Vegas Townsite by San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad and Las Vegas Land & Water Company, predecessors of Union Pacific Railroad and Upland Industries
Corporation in Nevada. — Map (db m47732) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Auction Site / First Train Depot |
| | This is a two sided marker
Side A:
Auction Site
At this site on May 15th 1905, the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad auctioned off lots for the creation of the new city of Las Vegas. With 110 degree temperatures scorching the crowds, about three thousand people gathered to bid on the prime lots, many of which sold for up to $1,750 each.
Instantaneously, a tent city sprang to life, and soon permanent buildings marked the emergence of the new city. Las Vegas began . . . — Map (db m47736) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 16 — Biltmore Village — 1942 |
| | This WWII neighborhood was named for the Nevada Biltmore Hotel which opened nearby in 1942. A WWII housing shortage called for the construction of several hundred homes for military personnel and their families. The federal government approved the Biltmore Village for construction. Typical wartime housing, the homes were small and one story, built in the modest Cottage and Ranch styles. Much of the original neighborhood remains today, boasting curved, tree-lined streets and welcoming front porches. — Map (db m51057) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 3 — Binion House — 1942 |
| | Colorful Horseshoe Club owner Benny Binion and his family lived here from 1947 to 1989.
Originally built in 1942 by service station owner C.A. Morehouse, the home was one of the largest in Las Vegas with three bedrooms, several baths, a large basement, guesthouse and swimming pool. In 1946 the home was sold and converted into a "dude ranch" where those seeking a quickie divorce could establish their six-week residency requirements. Benny Binion, a boisterous Texas gambler with a great . . . — Map (db m51045) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Block 16 |
| | The notorious Block 16, North First Street between Ogden and Stewart Avenues, was the only area in the Las Vegas Townsite, outside of hotels, where liquor could be sold, starting in 1905. The block quickly changed from its original liquor and gambling activities to feature prostitution. The swankiest of the clubs was The Arizona Club, the "queen" of Block 16. World War II brought an Army Gunnery School, later Nellis Air Force Base, to Las Vegas. Bowing to the Army's demands, the City ordered prostitution on Block 16 to end in 1942. — Map (db m47859) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Chief Hotel Court — Circa 1940 — Neon Museum |
| | The Chief Hotel Court sign was originally installed around 1940 at the hotel located at 1201 E. Fremont Street. Hotel architect was A. Lacey Worshwick.
Loaned and refurbished by the Tiberti Family.
Installed as part of the Neon Museum on July 8, 1997.
Owned by the Tiberti Family. — Map (db m64031) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 10 — Christensen House "The Castle" — 1935 |
| | This fairy-tale residence reflects the unique family that built it, whose roots stretch back to a pioneering Utah Mormon blacksmith, ranchers in Idaho and Nevada, and railroad workers in Las Vegas.
The life of Las Vegas pioneer Lucretia Tanner Christensen Stevens, mother of LeRoy Christensen, builder of "The Castle," embodies much of western history. Lucretia's parents were Susannah Hathaway, a young white girl who came to Utah with her family in the early 1850s, and Tom Tanner, an . . . — Map (db m51052) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — County Courthouses |
| | On May 15, 1905 Senator William Clark's railroad auctioned off lots to found the new town of Las Vegas. Block 20, between Second and Third and Carson and Bridger, was reserved for public purposes. In 1909 when the state legislature created Clark County, leading citizens contributed $1,800 to build a small one-story concrete-block county courthouse on Carson Street. In 1911 when the City of Las Vegas was incorporated, the city and the county shared the space.
In 1914 Clark County hired . . . — Map (db m47822) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — El Portal Theatre — "The Gateway" |
| |
Built • 1927-28
Architect: Charles Alexander MacNelledge
Opened June 21, 1928
This building was Las Vegas' cultural center for many years. Its 700 seat auditorium and elegant Spanish motif lobby were used for films, plays, music recitals, vaudeville shows, and high school graduations and other social events.
310 Fremont Street — Map (db m47745) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — First Church Built in Las Vegas — 1905 - 2005 |
| | Building Rededication
Honoring the 100th Year
Anniversary of the First Church
Built in Las Vegas
presiding
Honorable Mayor Oscar B Goodman
December 13, 2005 — Map (db m47756) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 170 — First Las Vegas Post Office |
| | John Steele, one of the original L. D. S. missionaries, secured a mail grant for the Las Vegas Mission. The documents to establish the Post Office, and, appointing William Bringhurst Postmaster, were brought from Salt Lake City by Benjamin H Hulse, January 10, 1856. This office was continued until the mission was abandoned in 1857. Mr. Steele acted as postmaster under President Bringhurst. — Map (db m29294) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — First Water Company |
| | 1905 - 1908
City of Las Vegas
Diamond Jubilee
From within this area flowing artesian springs and wells provided the lifeblood to the valley and it settlers.
This abundant supply of water has been the most important asset in the establishment, development and growth of the city of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valley. — Map (db m47888) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Fremont Street |
| | This is a two sided marker
Side A:
Standing on Fremont Street today, it's hard to visualize the canvas tents with hand-painted wooden signs that lined this dusty street and served as hotels, saloons, shops and banks in the early 1900's. During the transition from a frontier town to a neon-lined gambling extravaganza, Fremont Street, named after explorer John C. Fremont, has remained at the heart of downtown Las Vegas. For many decades, Fremont Street was where residents shopped, . . . — Map (db m47754) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Gaming / Helldorado |
| | This is a two sided marker
Side A:
Gaming
Like most western frontier towns, gambling was prevalent in the backrooms of early Las Vegas saloons and other establishments. From its inception as a railroad town in 1905, the citizens of Las Vegas tolerated gambling as a part of daily life.
While some games of chance were already legal, Nevada legalized "wide open" gambling in 1931, creating legitimacy for the industry. That year, the first local gaming license was issued to . . . — Map (db m47737) HM |
| Nevada (Clark county), Las Vegas — Green Shack |
| | Opened around 1931 by Mrs. Mattie "Jimmy" Jones, the Green Shack restaurant was a town landmark at this site. The restaurant opened in a Union Pacific Railroad barracks building that was moved here; in 1934 additions were made to the structure. For decades, the Green Shack served its famous fried chicken dinners to everyone in town from dignitaries to laborers, originally catering to the traffic that headed to and from the Hoover Dam construction site along the Boulder Highway in the early . . . — Map (db m47894) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 8 — Harrison Boarding House — 1933 |
| | Black entertainers were not allowed to stay at the Strip hotels where they performed in the 1940s and 1950s. Mrs. Harrison's boarding house offered fine accomodations for many of the era's most famous stars.
During one memorable week in September 1949, Mrs. Harrison hosted singer and actor Pearl Bailey (pictured bottom left), Jack Benny's sidekick Eddie (Rochester) Anderson (pictured top left), who had just completed a week at the Thunderbird, singer Bob Parrish en route to Europe from a . . . — Map (db m51050) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Historic 5th Street School |
| | The following text is from a missing 2005 Centennial Marker.
Fifth Street School
This graceful Mission-Style complex was built by the federal government in 1936 to replace the Las Vegas elementary school, which burned down in 1934. In 1973, Clark County remodeled the building as an annex to the nearby courthouse. Currently owned by the City of Las Vegas, the Fifth Street School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Plaque located near the building: . . . — Map (db m48196) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Historic Light Standard — Historic Site |
| |
This light standard was placed at the entrance to the Las Vegas Union Pacific Railroad Station in 1937. The Depot was removed in 1970 to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel. Mr. Frank Scott, Chairman of The Board of Union Plaza Hotel preserved this relic of the city's past; now it has been placed at this location to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of The City of Las Vegas. — Map (db m47734) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Historic Preservation |
| | Las Vegas was established as a railroad town in 1905; at the head of Fremont Street, the Mission-style depot represented the railroad's dominance over the economic and social life of the town for several decades. The streets of downtown were laid out parallel to the railroad tracks and not on a North/South grid. The building of Hoover Dam in the 1930s and the rise of the gambling industry in the 1940s and 1950s fueled spectacular growth in the Las Vegas Valley. With the growth came the loss of . . . — Map (db m47860) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 9 — Jackson Street Commercial District — 1942 |
| | Commerce on the Westside was short lived, collapsing in 1905 when rival Las Vegas Townsite opened on the east side of the railroad tracks. In 1942, the Westside defined a new commercial district to serve the ethnic population of the area.
The new zone, locally known as "Jackson Street," covered two blocks, from D to F Streets along Jackson and Van Buren. In July 1942, permit requests on file included a grocery store, barbershop, beauty shop, recreation center, restaurant, drug store and . . . — Map (db m51051) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 4 — Kim Produce Farm — 1932 |
| | Here in the 1930s and 1940s, Korean immigrant Frank Kim raised melons, tomatoes, and onions. His devoted son, Frank Kim, Jr. became a pillar of the community.
From the early days of Las Vegas, Asian [...] considerable skill to make poor desert soil produce crops. Frank Kim, Sr [...] advertising melons, tomatoes and onions by the crate. Customers could pick them up at his home, the last house on Clark Street (now Bonanza), south of the road near present day Martin Luther King Boulevard. At . . . — Map (db m51046) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 40 — Las Vegas Fort |
| | In 1855 Pres. Brigham Young appointed a company of men under the leadership of William Bringhurst to establish a colony at Las Vegas. The company left Salt Lake May 10 and arrived at Las Vegas June 14, 1855 and camped near this site. William Bringhurst was appointed President, Wm. S. Covert and Ira S Miles, counselors. Sunday, June 17, they built a bowery and held their first religious services. The next day they began to build the fort, 150 feet square, with walls 14 feet high, 2 feet wide at base and 1 foot at top. — Map (db m29292) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Las Vegas High School — "Las Vegas Academy" |
| | Las Vegas High School
"Las Vegas Academy"
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior
1931 — Map (db m48197) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Las Vegas High School / Las Vegas High School Neighborhood |
| | This is a two sided marker
Side A:
Las Vegas High School
As the population of Las Vegas increased throughout the 1920s and the construction of Hoover Dam was assured, many saw the need for a new high school. Principal Maude Frazier overcame public criticism that the location was "too far out of town." Despite opposition, she led a successful bond measure to pay for the school. This noteworthy example of Art Deco architecture was completed in 1930 for $350,000. The new school . . . — Map (db m47886) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Las Vegas' Most Historic Hotel & Casino |
| | 1906 – 2006
One Hundredth Anniversary Celebration
Golden Gate Hotel & Casino
One Fremont Street — Map (db m47742) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 13 — Las Vegas Paiute Colony — 1911 |
| | The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) bought this ten-acre site in 1911 from Helen J. Stewart, former owner of the Las Vegas Ranch, to provide a home for the Southern Paiute Indians living in and near Las Vegas. With this purchase, the government officially recognized the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe.
Paiutes displaced from traditional lands needed a place to live in Las Vegas where they could find work and services. The BIA created this small reservation to improve government supervision of these . . . — Map (db m51055) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Las Vegas Springs |
| | The San Pedro, Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad bought Helen Stewart's Las Vegas Ranch in 1902, giving it control of the Las Vegas Springs and the water supply needed for the creation of Las Vegas in 1905. The railroad's subsidiary, the Las Vegas Land and Water Company, regulated water use. Early delivery to residents was inconsistent, often due to the use of redwood pipes. The valley was dotted with artesian wells; unfortunately many were unmonitored, contributing to the depletion of the . . . — Map (db m50274) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 1 — Las Vegas Springs — 8000 B.P. |
| | Bubbling artesian springs flowed here until they were exhausted in the middle of the 20th century, over-pumped to serve the city's growing population.
These springs and the creek they created gave life to the center of the valley. They erupted about 8000 years B.P. (before present). People came to the valley because of the reliable water and the plants and animals it supported. The springs allowed the Anasazi Indians and later the Paiute Indians to irrigate small gardens. Between 1829 and . . . — Map (db m51043) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 2 — Lorenzi Park — 1926 |
| | Lorenzi Lake, the dream of pioneer David G. Lorenzi, opened as a private resort in 1926, became the Twin Lakes Lodge in the 1940s, and a public park in 1966.
Arriving in southern Nevada in 1911, Lorenzi began building his park on 80 acres of raw land two miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas in the early 1920s. The "park" was mostly a grassy area with a swimming hole until the commercial opening in 1926. Lorenzi built two lakes and two islands, one with a band shell and the other a . . . — Map (db m51044) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Mary Dutton Park — Gateway to the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood |
| | The City of Las Vegas Mayor and City Council
presents
An Art in Public Places Project by The City of Las
Vegas Arts Commission
In celebration of the Las Vegas Centennial
Sculpture by Steven Liguori
"Breaking Ground"
This 14' high stainless steel sculpture depicts a surge of water and
1920's farm plow, symbolizing the fertility of the land.
Mary Dutton Park
Gateway to the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood
Dedicated April 11, 2005
In December 2001, the Historic . . . — Map (db m47890) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 6 — McWilliams' Townsite — 1905 |
| | Created by J.T. McWilliams in 1905, the Original Las Vegas Townsite was Las Vegas' first business and residential development.
J.T. McWilliams (photo top right) was hired to do survey work in and around the Las Vegas Valley for the San Pedro, Loas Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in 1904, and later platted a townsite west of the railroad tracks. Located along the wagon road between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the townsite became home to roughly 1,500 people who worked at nearby mines and . . . — Map (db m51048) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 11 — Moody House — 1939 |
| | Herman Moody, Las Vegas' first black career police officer, was raised in this house at 321 Van Buren Avenue, built by his parents (father Henry Moody pictured lower left) who came here in 1939.
As first African-American in Las Vegas to make a career of police work, he helped improve the performance of the Las Vegas Police Department. Moody joined the force in 1946 as a decorated U. S. Navy war veteran. There was no police academy, so he taught himself how to file reports that would stand . . . — Map (db m51053) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 5 — Moulin Rouge — 1955 |
| | The first integrated hotel and casino in Las Vegas, the Moulin Rouge opened in May 1955. It is celebrated as a landmark of racial integration in Las Vegas and the United States.
Entertainers from the Las Vegas Strip and Hollywood flocked to its showroom and casino, where celebrities and patrons, black and white, mingled freely – an electrifying experience in segregated Las Vegas. Boxing champ Joe Louis, part owner of the hotel and official greeter, welcomed crowds of gamblers, . . . — Map (db m51047) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Neon / Atomic Testing |
| | This is a two sided marker
Side A:
Neon
Neon lighting, introduced in Paris in 1910, offered a brilliant, and efficient, alternative to the incandescent light bulb. In the United States, neon's popularity soared, used to advertise motels, restaurants, theatres, and it even appeared on the Goodyear Blimp. The spectacular signs of Broadway's "Great White Way" became the ultimate neon display.
Map (db m47755) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Nevada Motel — Circa 1950 — Neon Museum |
| | Opened in 1937 at 5th Street (Las Vegas Boulevard) and Garces, the Nevada Motel was the first auto court in Las Vegas to identify itself as a "motel". In its last years in business it operated in conjunction with the Sweetheart Wedding Chapel next door. This sign, dating from around the 1950, was one of several neon signs downtown that immortalized the image of cowboy "Vegas Vic," a character created for the Chamber of Commerce publicity campaign in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Installed as . . . — Map (db m64028) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Old Betsy |
| | On this site stood "Old Betsy," Las Vegas' first electric generator, which serviced the power needs of the new town. The generator, operated by the Consolidated Power and Telephone company, supplied electricity from 1906-1916. The company evolved into the Southern Nevada Power Company in 1930 just before the building of Hoover Dam, and changed its name to Nevada Power in 1961. — Map (db m47867) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Old Mormon Fort |
| | After founding Salt Lake City in 1847, the Mormon Church expanded its settlement westward. The Las Vegas Mission was established in June 1855 as an outpost roughly halfway between Salt Lake City and Southern California. Built alongside the Las Vegas Creek, 30 missionaries constructed a 150 square foot adobe fort. This was the first non-native building and settlement in the Las Vegas Valley. A part of an original 1855 wall remains and is the oldest extant building remnant in Nevada. The Mormons . . . — Map (db m50273) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 142 — Old Spanish Trail — Mountain Springs Pass |
| | This portion of the Old Spanish Trail was discovered in January, 1830, by Antonio Armijo during his first trip from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. The spring just north of this marker provided excellent water and fed meadows of luxuriant grass for draft animals. Two days were required to travel between Las Vegas and Mountain Springs Pass. The trip was broken at Cottonwood Springs, the site of Blue Diamond, where an early start was usually made in order to climb the pass by nightfall. Early travelers . . . — Map (db m29219) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Old Well Tower #10 |
| | Las Vegas Valley
Water District
Old Well Tower #10
1942 — Map (db m47852) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 115 — Potosi |
| | The desire of the Mormon settlements for economic self-sufficiency led to mining by missionaries for lead. In 1856 Nathaniel V. Jones was sent to recover ore from the "Mountain of Lead" 30 miles southwest of the mission at Las Vegas Springs. About 9,000 pounds were recovered before smelting difficulties forced the remote mine to be abandoned in 1857. Potosi became the first abandoned mine in Nevada.
In 1861 California mining interests reopened the mine, and a smelter and rock cabins of 100 . . . — Map (db m29366) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 214 — Rafael Rivera |
| | This historical marker commemorates the valor and service of pioneer scout Rafael Rivera, the first Caucasian of record to view and traverse Las Vegas valley. Scouting for Antonia Armijo's sixty man trading party from Abiquiu, N.M. in January 1830. Young Rivera ascended Vegas Wash twenty miles east of this marker and blazed a route to the Mojave River in California by way of the Amargosa River.
Rivera's pioneering route became a vital link in the Old Spanish Trail, with Las Vegas Springs a . . . — Map (db m29167) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Ralph Louis Engelstad — January 28, 1930 – November 26, 2002 |
| | With gratitude to the Engelstad Family Foundation for its generous contribution to this Liberty Bell monument, and in recognition of the life and achievements of Ralph Louis Engelstad who personified the highest qualities of personal liberty. Just as the spirit of the inscription on this bell goes beyond the words themselves, so too, do the noble and humanitarian acts of Ralph Louis Engelstad. — Map (db m47828) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 7 — St. James the Apostle — Catholic Church 1940 |
| | St James has been a vital force in meeting the needs of this underserved, segregated but expanding community.
The second Catholic Church in Las Vegas, St. James opened in 1940 in a small concrete building at H and Morgan streets (pictured left). Originally most parishioners were Latino, but by the mid- 1960's, the parish became largely black. Through the 1960's and 1970's, this church was served by a social activist clergy who helped the community grapple with the social problems of the . . . — Map (db m51049) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The "Bugsy Building" |
| | On this site Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel's original Flamingo Hotel stood from December 26, 1944 until December 14, 1993.
The hotel, which housed 77 rooms, including the notorious Mr. Siegel's “Bugsy Suite” or “Presidential Suite” as it was sometimes referred to, was unique in more way than one. The windowpanes, for instance, were bullet proof, and, although there was only one entrance to the top-floor suite, there were five possible exits. This included a . . . — Map (db m53373) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The First Telephone |
| | At this site the first
Telephone
was installed in Las Vegas
Dedicated during Las Vegas'
Diamond Jubilee — Map (db m47744) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The Flame Restaurant — Circa 1961 — Neon Museum |
| | The Flame Restaurant sign was originally installed in 1961 on the roof of the restaurant at #1 Desert Inn Road.
Restored through a generous donation from Rich Travis.
Installed as part of the Neon Museum on July 8, 1997
Believed to have been designed by Hermon Boergne.
Built by Young Electric Sign Co. (YESCO).
Owned by YESCO: — Map (db m64029) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The Huntridge Neighborhood |
| | Las Vegas' first tract subdivision, the Huntridge neighborhood was erected between 1941 and 1944 on land purchased in the 1920s by international businessman Leigh Hunt. After his death in 1931, Hunt's widow sold off large chunks of land. In December of 1941, the developers announced plans to build a subdivision, graciously naming it Huntridge in Hunt's honor. The modest traditional style homes rented for $50 per month with an option to buy for $5000. The Huntridge neighborhood, loved for it . . . — Map (db m47893) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The Las Vegas Mormon Fort — A Midpoint Way Station on the Mormon Road |
| |
In April 1855, Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, called thirty men to leave their families and possessions in the recently settled towns of Utah to serve a mission at the Las Vegas Springs. The verdant meadows watered by the springs had been seasonally inhabited by the Paiute Indians for centuries. The water and the meadows made Las Vegas an important stop on the Spanish Trail (called the Mormon Road after 1848).
President Young directed this . . . — Map (db m1419) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The Little Church of the West |
| | Built 1942
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior — Map (db m29215) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — The Welcome To Las Vegas Sign |
| | 1959
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
By the United States
Department of the Interior — Map (db m29216) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 86 — Tule Springs — (Archeological Site) |
| | Tule Springs is one of the few sites in the U.S. where evidence suggest the presence of man before 11,000 B.C.
Scientific evidence shows this area, once covered with sagebrush and bordered with yellow-pine forests, had many springs. These springs were centers of activity for both big game animals and human predators. Evidence found at these fossil springs shows the presence, 14,000 to 11,000 years ago, of several extinct animals; the ground sloth, mammoth, prehistoric horse and American . . . — Map (db m29960) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — United States Post Office and Courthouse |
| | This property
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
United States Post Office
and Courthouse
c.1933 — Map (db m47746) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Von Tobel's Hardware Store |
| | Text is from the City of Las Vegas Department of Planning, Historic Preservation Office.
Von Tobel's Hardware Store
As a founder of one of the pioneer families of Las Vegas, Ed Von Tobel came to the 1905 Las Vegas land auction and purchased a lot. He established a lumber company on Main Street in 1905 and then moved to this site in 1906. The hardware business reflected the rapid growth of Las Vegas and Von Tobel's became the longest family business in town. When Las Vegas . . . — Map (db m47879) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 12 — Westside School — 1923 |
| | The first school in West Las Vegas opened with two rooms and two teachers for four grades.
From 1904 until 1923, children from McWilliams' Townsite crossed the railroad tracks to get to school in Clark's Townsite. This dangerous situation lasted until the Las Vegas School District built this two-room school on land in the new Valley View addition, adjoining McWillams' Townsite on the east.
The school quickly expanded with two more rooms in 1928 when news of the construction of Hoover . . . — Map (db m51054) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — Woodlawn Cemetery — 1914 |
| | Opened in 1914 on ten acres of donated land, the cemetery was the unofficial veterans cemetery until 1989 and is the home of Veterans Memorial Circle
Woodlawn Cemetery
Is listed on the
National Register
of Historic Places — Map (db m47851) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Las Vegas — 14 — Woodlawn Cemetery — 1914 |
| | Until 1914, when the railroad donated land for a city cemetery, people buried the dead in small family plots or on public land just north of the railroad-owened Las Vegas Ranch, east of Las Vegas Boulevard.
In pre-railroad times, the Paiute Indians and the few local ranchers set aside graveyards for family use. Other deceased were placed in an informal burial ground just north of Las Vegas Ranch. The markers for these graces eventually disappeared, and the burials were forgotten. In 1914, . . . — Map (db m51056) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — Avenue of Flags |
| | American Legion Post No. 60 Laughlin-Nevada proudly designates this Avenue of Flags in honor of all those who served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States, protecting our country and assuring us that our flag will forever wave. Dedicated this day of our Lord May 30th 1992 AD. — Map (db m37279) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — Camels and Commerce |
| | After the United States government's successful experiment with camels in the west in 1857, entrepreneurs saw possibilities in the ungainly beasts for carrying supplies. In addition to the government's camels, which were sold off by 1864, two private shipments were brought in to Texas, and three into San Francisco, with over 200 eventually imported. Companies were formed to utilize camels from British Columbia to Mexico. In Nevada, civilian use of camels included transporting salt and lumber to . . . — Map (db m46731) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — Donald (Don) J. Laughlin |
| | Pioneer and Founding Father of the Town of Laughlin. His vision in 1966 of the opportunities and growth for this area is what you see today. — Map (db m37278) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — History of the Fort Mojave Tribe |
| | In first times, there was chaos, and from the union of earth and sky was born the Great Spirit Matavilya.
Before he could teach his people all they needed to know about their world, he was killed by his sister, Frog Woman. It was then that his little brother Mastamho took charge of the world of the people. There were only people then, no animals, birds or fish. Mastamho had to teach the people everything about living, for they knew nothing, not even that they were hungry, thirsty or cold. . . . — Map (db m40308) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — Laughlin, an Oasis on the Colorado |
| | During the building of Davis Dam, the Nevada side of the river here became known as Tristate. In 1964, Don Laughlin was looking for an investment opportunity. He had sold his 101 Club in North Las Vegas, and flew over a closed saloon and motel across the Colorado River from Bullhead City, Arizona. Laughlin saw a possibility, and purchased the motel, saloon and six acres along the Colorado River. His vision was a Las Vegas south, with casinos and hotels lining the river. In 1966, Laughlin opened . . . — Map (db m46732) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Laughlin — 104 — The Camel Corps |
| | In 1855 Congress authorized $30,000 for camels as frontier military beast of burden because of their adaptability to desert heat, drought, and food.
Lt. Edward F. Beale surveyed the wagon route from Fort Defiance, New Mexico, to the Colorado River near the tip of Nevada, testing the fitness of these camels. They crossed the Colorado River into Nevada north to Fort Mohave, October 18, 1857.
The experiment was not practical, but ten of Beale's camels hauled commercial freight from . . . — Map (db m32822) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 3 — Abbott Way Station — Circa 1917 |
| | On this site was one of the first rest-over businesses in the Virgin Valley. Here an early version of an adobe brick house was used as a small grocery store with a separate wash house that had shower and laundry facilities, and a way station (campground) for freighters and travelers. Hay was also sold to those traveling by horse drawn wagons and buggies.
Mesquite Fine Arts Center
2003
In 2003 the City of Mesquite broke ground to build this complex as a center of activity for the . . . — Map (db m46745) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 15 — Abram Woodbury Home and Gas Station — Circa 1919 |
| | Abram Woodbury, one of the first permanent settlers in Mesquite, built a new home here circa 1919 and opened a mercantile store. He also built overnight cabins for tourists and operated Mesquite's first gas station. Abram purchased gasoline by the drum and hauled it by team and wagon from the train station in Moapa, selling it one gallon at a time. Later a regular tank was put in, and the gas came out by turning a handle. — Map (db m46762) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 17 — Charles Arthur Hughes Home |
| | Circa 1901"We lived in a lumber granary and the old rock house. We traded for this lot and built a sixteen-foot square room. I borrowed Jim's team and wagon and worked at the sawmill to get lumber for our first home." It was braced on rocks and the lumber floor lay on top of that. The walls and roof were made of 12" lumber and 6" boards were nailed over the cracks. The ceiling was made of factory cloth. The fireplace on the south and the chimney were adobe. All of their 13 children lived in . . . — Map (db m46764) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 12 — Charles Hardy Home — Circa 1894 |
| | Charles Hardy, one of the first settlers in Mesquite, used lumber he brought back from Mt. Trumbull and local adobe to build the original large central room of his home – the other rooms were added later. The room was used as a bedroom, living room, school and church. The first school classes and church meetings held in Mesquite after its permanent settlement in 1894 took place in the home that was built on this site. — Map (db m46941) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 23 — Dairy Barn — Circa 1941 |
| | This site was the location of the first commercial dairy in Mesquite, which began operating circa 1941. The barn was used by over twenty families in the community. According to a schedule, they would drive their cows to the barn twice a day to milk them. The milk was kept cool in water tanks and then sold in Las Vegas. This building has since been converted to a residence. — Map (db m46743) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 16 — Drug Store / Bakery — Circa 1940 |
| | In the 1940's the place to go was Leonard Patty's soda fountain and drug store. This was the first soda fountain in town and served up all the favorites for quenching thirst in those days, including phosphates and sodas of all varieties – lemon, vanilla and cherry. This building has had several uses, including a bakery, an American Legion hall, and a residence. — Map (db m46763) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 2 — Egg House / Telephone Building — Circa 1929 |
| | The Egg Association formed circa 1929 as a local cooperative, selling and distributing local eggs to tourist oriented businesses, or to market in Las Vegas. High school boys studying agriculture were part of the enterprise. The Association built a two-story house here where the eggs were processed and sold.
Circa 1944 the Egg House was converted to become the first freestanding telephone office in town. Once the office was moved to this site the company expanded from 4 telephone lines to . . . — Map (db m46746) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 18 — Ervin "Casey" Jones House — Circa 1932 |
| | This adobe brick building was built by Deloy Abbott circa 1932. Behind the house was another adobe building used as a chicken coop. Ervin Jones purchased the home in 1941 and lived here until his death. The house was later converted to a business. — Map (db m46741) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — History of Mesquite |
| | Mesquite proved a total failure after several years labor. And today only a few ravines and sand-filled ditches mark the place where the village once stood. —LDS Church Historian Andrew Jensen, 1891.
The remoteness of the area, the water woes, the scanty provisions, the scorched earth, and undoubtedly the scorpions, badgers and snakes offered incentive for settlers to recoil, rethink, and reestablish elsewhere
Mesquite had its origins in February 1880, when leaders . . . — Map (db m1448) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 10 — John David Pulsipher Home — Circa 1900 / 1901 |
| | John Pulsipher purchased the Tent School (Marker #9) and moved it across the street to this location to use as a residence. The following year he built a large adobe brick one-room house with walls three adobes thick. The tent was then converted to a kitchen by attaching it to the rear of the house and lining its walls with lumber hauled from Mt. Trumbull. — Map (db m46747) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — Mary Jane Leavitt Abbott |
| | July 16, 1873 – November 30, 1956.
… from weary travelers to women and their children who would come to visit … she never turned anyone away without feeding them. She would invite you to eat and then say ‘There’s plenty such as ’tis; … Bless her heart, it was as big as al outdoors when it came to hospitality. —Nellie Hughes Barnett (granddaughter).
Mary Jane was Mesquite’s Angel of Mercy. Her satchel, filled to the brim with mustard plasters, castor . . . — Map (db m1466) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 1 — Museum and Fire House |
| | Library
Circa 1941
The museum building started as a library and was one of only two National Youth Administration (NYA) projects in Nevada. Volunteers finished the building when NYA funds were diverted to the war effort. Clark County operated a branch library at this site for about a year.
Hospital
Circa 1943
Due to rationing and the difficulty of travel during Would War II, the building was converted to a hospital and later a medical clinic. It operated under the direction . . . — Map (db m46744) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 11 — Rock House — Circa 1880 |
| | This is the oldest standing house in Mesquite and was continuously used as a residence from 1894 until 2003. The original portion of the house dates from circa 1880 occupation when Mesquite Flats was temporarily settled. The large rocks made the walls of the room 18-20 inches thick. An adobe lean-to was added later. — Map (db m46748) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 9 — School and Gymnasium Block |
| | Public Square, Circa 1894 • Tent Chapel and School, circa 1899.
When Mormon settlers came to Mesquite Flats in 1894, they designed the southeast corner of this block as the Public Square. It was a place where the community gathered for many events. At this site a tent was set up circa 1899 for use as a chapel and a school. It was 16' x 16' with no windows, no heat, a dirt floor, and only logs to sit on.
Block School, circa 1922.
The Block School, so-named because it was made of . . . — Map (db m1412) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 31 — The Old Spanish Trail — 1829 - 1850 |
| | Stretching for 130 miles across Clark County, this historic horse trail became Nevada’s first route of commerce in 1829 when trade was initiated between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. The trail was later used by the wagons of the “49ers” and Mormon pioneers. Concrete posts marking the trail were erected in 1965. — Map (db m1414) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 4 — Tithing Lot |
| | Tithing Lot
Circa Late 1890s.
The southeast quarter of this block was originally owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was used as a tithing lot. Church members paid tithing in-kind donations of fruit, crops, etc., and items were then distributed to the poor. The tithing office was an adobe room over a rock cellar. The lot was enclosed with a fence and had a barn to store hay.
Hughes and Frehner Store
Circa early 1920s.
The Hughes and Frehner Store was . . . — Map (db m1282) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 56 — Virgin Valley |
| | Virgin Valley was traveled by Jedediah Smith in 1826 and by Fremont in 1844.
The valley served as the right-of-way for the Old Spanish Trail (1829-1848) and for the Mormon road or southern route of travel to southern California.
The areas was settled by pioneers of the Latter-Day Saints Church, who colonized Bunkerville in 1877, and Mesquite in 1880.
The Virgin River provided water for the development of the valley’s agricultural resources. — Map (db m1279) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — 19 — William Abbott Home/Abbott Hotel — Circa 1901 |
| | This is a two-story adobe building with a rock foundation. The walls are three adobes thick and there are six rooms on each floor. Abbott served as Bishop of the local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints for 27 years. His large home was a gathering place and hotel, offering lodging for weary travelers and visiting church authorities. — Map (db m46740) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Mesquite — William Elias Abbott |
| | October 16, 1869 – February 19, 1949.
It was under William Abbott’s supervision that Mesquite was founded on a firm foundation. —Howard Pulsipher, Mesquite Pioneer.
At the age of eight, William journeyed from his birthplace in Ogden, Utah, to Bunkervile, Nevada. The year was 1877, and Will, a youthful participant in establishing the town, was a keen observer. He listened to debates, took note of critical decisions, and became skilled in diplomacy. In . . . — Map (db m1447) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Moapa Valley — 36 — Moapa Valley |
| | Rich in prehistoric, pueblo-type culture, and noted by the explorer Jedediah Smith in 1826, Moapa Valley is crossed by the Old Spanish Trail.
In 1865 Brigham Young sent 75 families to settle the area, to grow cotton for the people of Utah, and to connect Utah with the Pacific Ocean via the Colorado River.
Located near the junction of the Muddy and Virgin Rivers,and now under Lake Mead, the "Cotton Mission" was named St. Thomas for its leader, Thomas Smith. A prosperous, self-contained . . . — Map (db m46780) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Moapa Valley — Pueblo Grande De Nevada — Lost City Museum |
| | Existing today as a 30-mile series of adobe ruins, this “Lost City” was once the home of an ancient Anasazi Indian civilization. Beginning with the basketmakers (300 B.C.-A.D.700) & followed by the Pueblos (A.D.700-1150) this valley was inhabited by a sedentary population of Anasazi farmers. They grew corn, beans, squash and cotton on the valley floor. (The high ground was used for housing) Watered by the Muddy River which sources at Warm Springs, 25 miles north of here, living in . . . — Map (db m62112) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Nelson — 6 — El Dorado Canyon |
| | Toward the Colorado River from this point runs El Dorado Canyon where occurred one of the biggest mining booms in Nevada history. Gold and Silver mines were developed here about 1859 and soon rich mines were developed. In the 1860's the canyon was bursting with a rowdy population of nearly 500 men. Many of these said to be deserters from the Civil War.
The river was navigable at the time making it possible to bring in food and supplies by boat.
Notorious for its feuds and shootings, . . . — Map (db m29326) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Nelson — 6 — El Dorado Canyon |
| | Toward the Colorado River from this point runs El Dorado Canyon where occurred one of the biggest mining booms in Nevada history. Gold and Silver mines were developed here about 1859 and soon rich mines were developed. In the 1860's the canyon was bursting with a rowdy population of nearly 500 men. Many of these said to be deserters from the Civil War.
The river was navigable at the time making it possible to bring in food and supplies by boat.
Notorious for its feuds and shootings, . . . — Map (db m29327) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Nelson — Queho's Cave |
| | In 1940, Charley Kenyon and Art Schroeder located a cave above the Colorado River, about twelve miles northeast of this spot. In it were the remains of southern Nevada's last great renegade, Queho, who had been dead about six months. Queho had grown up in Eldorado Canyon area, and was responsible for a string of murders between 1910 and 1919. After the last killings, he continued to live in the area for another 20 years. The bones were identified by physical characteristics, and artifacts found . . . — Map (db m29332) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Nelson — Techatticup Mine |
| | The Techatticup Mine, located in 1861, was the most important mine in El Dorado Canyon. It produced millions of dollars in gold ore, and was originally served by steamboats on the Colorado River. The mine's name is taken from two Paiute words meaning "hungry" or "bread".
Two of Nevada's most famous renegade Indians lived in the canyon; Ahvote, who killed five victims, and Queho, who killed over twenty people. Near this spot, Queho killed his last victim, Maude Douglas, in 1919, and successfully eluded Sheriff's posses. — Map (db m29331) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), North Las Vegas — 224 — Kyle (Kiel) Ranch |
| | Established by Conrad Kiel in 1875, this was one of the only two major ranches in Las Vegas Valley throughout the 19th century. The Kiel tenure was marked by violence. Neighboring rancher Archibald Stewart was killed in a gunfight here in 1884. Edwin and William Kiel were found murdered on the ranch in October 1900.
The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad purchased the ranch in 1903 and later sold it to Las Vegas banker John S. Park, who built the elegant white mansion. . . . — Map (db m22414) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — 168 — Arrowhead Trail |
| | 1914—1924
Las Vegans claimed to be the originators of this all-weather route between Los Angels and Salt Lake City. From the beginning, the Arrowhead Trail was a "grass roots" effort including promotion by various chambers of commerce and volunteer construction by local citizens. However, it was Charles H. Bigelow, from Los Angeles, who gave it great publicity. During 1915 & 1916 he drove the entire route many times in his twin-six Packard "Cactus Kate."
The trail, as seen behind . . . — Map (db m3431) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — Early Settlements in the Moapa Valley |
| | During the early 1860's, Brigham Young directed that settlements be built in the area known today as the Moapa Valley. The water from the Muddy River, and the rich soil of the Valley, made the land a prime agricultural area for southern Nevada. Settlers sent by the Mormon church created the towns of St. Thomas (1865), St. Joseph (1865), Simonsville/Mill Point (1866), West Point (1868), Overton (1870), Logandale (1881), and Kaolin (1910). Early settlements thrived until 1871, when local . . . — Map (db m47027) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — Fay Perkins, Sr. |
| | January 28, 1885—October 10, 1962
Fay Perkins Sr., was born in Overton, Nevada and spent his entire life in Moapa Valley. In 1924, Fay Perkins and his brother John Perkins reported to Governor James G. Scrugham that many ancient Indian ruins existed in the Moapa Valley. Governor Scrugam immediately called archaeologist M.R. Harrington, of the Heye Foundation, Museum of the American Indian, and excavations were begun in that year.
From 1924, until his death in 1962, Fay Perkins . . . — Map (db m4036) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — In Memory of Sergeant John J. Clark — ( Early Valley of Fire Traveler ) |
| | John J. Clark was born in Canada in 1844.
He enlisted as a private in Company F of
the New York Infantry in 1862, serving
actively in the Civil War. After being shot
in the hand and contracting typhoid
fever, he was honorably discharged
6 March 1863 as a sergeant in Company
B of the New York Calvary.
Following his discharge, Sargeant Clark
emigrated to Southern California. While
traveling from Bakersfield to Salt Lake
City on a buckboard, he stopped near
this spot, tied his . . . — Map (db m32812) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — Lost City Museum |
| | This property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps to display artifacts of prehistoric Native American cultures. — Map (db m4038) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — 275 — Moapa Valley Pioneers |
| | In 1864 Brigham Young called for settlers to colonize the Muddy (now Moapa) Valley. On January 8, 1865, eleven men and three women arrived and began the first settlement at St. Thomas, now covered by the waters of Lake Mead. Later other settlements were made. In 1871, because of high taxes, Indian depredations, distance from markets, and other adverse conditions, some 600 people abandoned their hard-won homes. After 1880 other families came and settled the entire Moapa Valley—this time to . . . — Map (db m4039) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — 150 — Nevada’s First State Park |
| | This park, situated on the old Arrowhead Trail, was designated on March 26, 1935 as Boulder Dam-Valley of Fire State Park.
Though four state parks were established by concurrent legislation, Valley of Fire is considered Nevada's first state park as it was dedicated prematurely on Easter Sunday, 1934.
Thomas W. Miller of Reno (Overton-Caliente) led the move to establish Nevada's State Park System. He was appointed in 1935 as the first Park Commission Chairman.
Recognized . . . — Map (db m3432) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — Pioneers |
| | Dedicated to those stalwart pioneers who forged an oasis out of the desert sands
The St. Thomas Cemetery was established in the 1860s in the town of St. Thomas, Nevada. Anticipating inundation of the town by the waters of Lake Mead, the graves were moved to this point in 1935. Only past residents of the buried towns of St. Thomas and Kaolin and their decendants are buried here.
What sorrow fills the hearts of us
Who know we cannot now return
To walk the shady streets of long ago.
Afton Hannig — Map (db m4040) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — 37 — Powell of the Colorado |
| | On August 30, 1869, Major John Wesley Powell landed at the mouth of the Virgin River, about 12 miles south of here, thus ending the first boat expedition through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.
The expedition left Green River City, Wyoming Territory, on May 24, 1869. For three months Powell and his men endured danger and hunger to explore, survey and study the geology of the canyons along the Green and Colorado Rivers.
Exhausted and near starvation, the Powell party was . . . — Map (db m46781) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — 41 — Pueblo Grande de Nevada |
| | Indians of a highly developed civilization lived throughout Moapa Valley from 300-1100 A.D. Several hundred ancient pithouses, campsites, rockshelters, salt mines and caves of "Anasazi" people make up what is commonly known as "Lost City." These people cultivated corn, beans and squash in fields irrigated by river water. They also gathered wild seeds and fruits and hunted widely for deer, antelope, desert bighorn sheep, small mammals and birds. They wove fine cotton cloth, fired beautifully . . . — Map (db m4041) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Overton — Valley of Fire |
| | has been designated a National Natural Landmark
This site possesses exceptional value as an illustration of the Nation's Natural heritage and contributes to a better understanding of the environment.
1968
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior — Map (db m3433) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Searchlight — George Frederick Colton and the Duplex Mine |
| | George Frederick Colton can be considered to be the father of Searchlight. The Searchlight claim made on May 6, 1897 was the earliest claim of importance in what became the Searchlight Mining District. He is also credited with providing the name of the new district. It was either taken from a popular brand of matches, or a reference to the need for a searchlight to find the gold in this region. Colton's Searchlight Claim, New Years Gift Claim later became the Duplex Mine. The Duplex Mine was . . . — Map (db m29333) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Searchlight — 116 — Searchlight |
| | Initial discoveries of predominately gold ore were first made at this location on May 6, 1897. G. F. Colton filed the first claim, later to become the Duplex Mine.
The Quartette Mining Company, formed in 1900, became the mainstay of the Searchlight District, producing almost half of the area's total output. In May, 1902, a 16-mile narrow-gauge railroad was built down the hill to the company's mill on the Colorado River.
Searchlight began to boom in 1902 and reached its peak year in 1907. . . . — Map (db m29369) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Searchlight — Searchlight |
| | Gold was discovered near here in 1897. In July 1898, the Searchlight Mining District was organized and in October the post office opened. The boom peaked in 1907 and quickly faded along with the town. But the town never died, instead becoming the home of such luminaries as Edith Head, John Macready, Rex Bell, Clara Bow, and William Nellis. We dedicate this plaque to Searchlight's pioneer redshirted miners.
Satisfactory! — Map (db m46736) HM |
| Nevada (Clark County), Searchlight — Zulu Echo Six |
| | On 3 Aug 1970 a Navy P-3A
Orion crashed near here
with the loss of all
ten crewmen.
In Memory of
LT Timothy D. Bailing PPC
LT Norman L. Johnson TACCO
LTJG Henry J McGreevey CP
ADJ1 Ambrose Ordonia FE
ADJ! Johnny D Shelton FE
ATN3 Cletus L Morrison RDO
AW3 John d Maas ASW
AW3 John W. Schmitz ASW
AW3 Michael A. Silvers ASW
AW3 Bruce E. Weaver ASW
— Map (db m46735) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Adaven Building — 1435 Highway 395 — Vernacular Commercial Style |
| | Originally the site of the I.O.O.F. hall built by Baptiste Borda at the turn of the 19th Century. The Adaven Building has been a merchandise store, soda fountain, restaurant, and hotel. The Adaven Building also had a post office for a period of time. With the advent of the automobile "Gasolene" could be purchased here.
While the building has been added to over the years, granite blocks made by the Carson City Penitentiary can still be seen in the structure.
Adaven is "Nevada" spelled backwards. — Map (db m21649) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Airtanker 130 Is Headed West |
| | From this Valley on 17 June 2002, the crew of Tanker 130, Steven Wass, Craig Labare and Michael Davis answered the call to duty and took wing to fight a horrific fire in the Sierras. For their determination and ultimate sacrifice, we honor their memory.
Airtanker 130 Is Headed West.
Placed by the Carson Valley Sertoma Club — Map (db m25358) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Arendt Jensen Home — 1243 A&B Eddy Street — Vernacular with Bungalow Elements Style |
| | The Arendt Jensen, Jr. House is a 1-1/2 story bungalow style home and stands near the Arendt Jensen Mansion, the first and largest home built by the Jensen Family.
Completed in 1932, the home was built for Arendt Jensen, Jr. and his wife Minnie Springmeyer, who was from a prominent Carson City family. The home was built on a lot transferred from Arendt Jensen, Sr. to his son. The home also sits between the Jensen Mansion and a home built for Arendt Jensen, Sr.'s parents on the corner. . . . — Map (db m21682) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Arendt Jensen Merchandise — (Carson Valley Mercantile) — 1423 Highway 395 |
| |
Vernacular with neoclassical elements style
Arendt Jensen built this general merchandise store in the early 1900's. On the store shelves shoppers could find a wide variety of everyday necessities and supplies from clothing to agricultural tools and seeds. Mr. Jensen also founded the Douglas County Farmer's Bank in Gardnerville, the first bank in Carson Valley.
Mr. Jensen sold the adjoining property to the Masonic Lodge in 1919. While it appears that the site contains one building, . . . — Map (db m21466) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 1 — Brockliss Road |
| | This was the name given to the present Centerville Lane on the 22nd day of October 1894 when it was declared a public road by order of the county commissioners. Opening of the road was made contingent on the willingness of ranchers along the section line to donate sufficient land for a right of way. The Brockliss Estate, near Sheridan, through which the western end passed, was the original Brockliss homestead taken up in 1860.
Centerville, comprising a bar opened by Chris Berning in 1902 . . . — Map (db m10801) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 131 — Dresslerville |
| | In 1917 State Senator Wm. F. Dressler gave this 40 acre tract to Washo Indians, then living on ranches in Carson Valley. After a school was opened in 1924, it became a nucleus of settlement.
Before the intrusion of caucasians in 1848, Washos living in winter in the Pinenut Hills where they stored autumn harvested pinenuts. In summer, they lived in the Lake Tahoe Basin fishing the tributary streams and gathering roots and berries. In fall, they hunted jack rabbits and gathered seeds in . . . — Map (db m3190) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — East Fork Hotel Building — 1441 Highway 395 — Vernacular Utilitarian Style |
| | The East Fork Hotel was constructed in 1893 by George and Charley Brown, two brothers who came to Genoa, Nevada with a traveling circus. The Brown Brothers also owned the East Fork Brickyard, providing bricks that were used in many Valley buildings.
The hotel is one of the earliest commercial buildings in Gardnerville. The East Fork advertised, "Excellent accomodations and an excellent livery stable connected" at the turn of the century.
One of three eventual Basque hotels in town, the . . . — Map (db m24832) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Farmer’s Telephone Company — 1225 Eddy Street |
| | Built in the early 1900’s and known at
that time as the “Nevada Consolidated
Telephone and Telegraph Company,” only
five telephone lines were originally
installed in Gardnerville. “Long
Distance Connections Available” was
printed in the Gardnerville section of
the Douglas County Business
Directory.
During World War I, the federal
government took over and began
regulating telephone service with a
rate increase.
After World War I the United . . . — Map (db m15835) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Garden Cemetery — Corner of Spruce and Cemetery |
| | The Garden Cemetery was established in the late 1800's. Interred here are generations of prominent Carson Valley families. All who are laid to rest here are part of the history of this community, and their contributions to The Valley stand today.
Carson Valley has proudly sent men and women to serve their nation - both here in the United States and around the world. Veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War are laid to . . . — Map (db m54792) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Gardnerville Branch Jail — 1440 Courthouse Street — Christensen and Madison, Contractor |
| | Constructed by Douglas County on land donated by the East Fork Township's Fourth Justice of the Peace, Mr. L.S. Ezell in 1910. The main jail in Genoa was destroyed by fire in 1910, and the Gardnerville Branch Jail was quickly placed in full service.
The Gardnerville Branch Jail was Douglas County's only jail in the Valley between 1910 and 1915. The lower floor was used to house "guests" while the upper floor served as a courtroom. The upper floor courtroom cost an additional $400 and was . . . — Map (db m21409) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — J & T Basque Restaurant Building — 1426 Highway 395 — Italianate Commercial Style |
| | This building dates back to the 1870's and was moved to Carson Valley from Virginia City before the end of the 19th Century. It was somewhat commonplace to move buildings from Virginia City after the Comstock Lode Era.
Town founder Lawrence Gilman used the building as the bar and dining room for the Gardnerville Hotel. The hotel had formerly been the Kent House in Genoa before being moved to a spot just north of here. The Gardnerville Hotel burned down and was never rebuilt.
The J & T . . . — Map (db m24091) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Jensen Mansion — 1431 Ezell Street — Colonial Revival Style |
| | Arendt Jensen had this beautiful mansion constructed for his family in 1910. Mr. Jensen owned a general store in Gardnerville that became very prosperous. He later established the first bank in the Carson Valley, the Douglas County Farmer's Bank.
An advertisement in the Record Courier in 1906 stated at the "A.Jensen Store you can buy anything at prices that are right."
Meticulously restored, the Jensen Mansion has been a bed and breakfast in the recent past. The home and grounds also . . . — Map (db m21541) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Jensen/Schacht House — 1235 Eddy Street — Vernacular Neoclassical Rowhouse Style |
| | The Jensen Family emigrated from Denmark in the late Nineteenth Century. As Gardnerville grew, Arendt Jensen, Sr. took advantage of the growing economy becoming a successful businessman and banker.
The Jensen Family's merchandise store was located on main street along the main stage and freight line. Douglas County Farmer's Bank started by Jensen was the first bank in the Carson Valley.
Owning much of the land in this general area, Jensen conveyed some parcels to family members as the . . . — Map (db m21721) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 117 — Kingsbury Grade |
| | Dagget Pass Trail, named for C.D. Dagget, who acquired land at its foot in 1854, was earlier called Georgetown Trail. Replaced in 1860 by the wagon road built by Kingsbury and McDonald, for which they received a Territorial Franchise in 1861, it shortened the distance between Sacramento and Virginia City by 15 miles.
The road cost $585,000. Toll receipts were $190,000 in 1863. Heavy eastward travel occurred in 1860 to 1868. The toll for a wagon and four horses was $17.50 round trip from . . . — Map (db m21892) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 118 — Luther Canyon — (Fay Canyon) |
| | Luther Canyon, west of this site, takes its name from Ira M. Luther, who from 1858-1865 had a sawmill there. The house behind the marker was his home. He was a delegate to the second Nevada Territorial Legislature. After 1865, the canyon came to be known as Horse Thief Canyon, because of the “business” of John and Lute Olds, owners of the next ranch south. Besides operating a station along the emigrant trail for a number of years, they rustled horses from emigrants. The animals were . . . — Map (db m34516) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 121 — Mottsville |
| | This is the site of the settlement on the Emigrant Trail known as Mottsville, where Hiram Mott and his son Israel settled in 1851. Their homestead was the scene of an impressive number of firsts in Carson County, Utah Territory:
1851: Israel Mott's wife, Eliza Ann Middaugh, was the first white woman settler.
1854: Mrs. Israel Mott opened the first school in her kitchen. The Mott's second child, Louisa Beatrice, was the first white girl child to be born.
1856: Judge W.W. Drummond . . . — Map (db m40102) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Perry's Dry Goods — 1448 Highway 395 — Vernacular Residential Style |
| | This building has been used for many commercial purposes dating back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. The single story rear portion of the building is thought to be the original home of John and Mary Gardner, the Town's namesake. Ollie Haugner, who operated a shoe store here, is said to have moved it here from the Gardner Ranch. The lumber in some of the building is thought to have come from the Lake Tahoe area.
Frank Yparraguirre purchased the land and building and was the proprietor . . . — Map (db m21617) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Record Courier Building — 1218 Eddy Street — Vernacular Style |
| | The Record Courier has been published in Douglas County since 1904 when Dr. Southworth merged the Gardnerville Record and the Genoa Weekly Courier into one newspaper. In 2004 the Record Courier marks a solid century of printing.
This building housed the Record Courier for many decades, and also served as the home and office of Bert Selkirk who purchased the paper with W.S. Ezell from Dr. Southworth in 1904.
Under Mr. Selkirk's guidance, the Record Courier printed news including the . . . — Map (db m28071) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Ritchford Hotel — 1404 Highway 395 — Styless Utilitarian Style |
| | Opened in 1896 by Mr. and Mrs. William Ritchford, the three-story hotel was a stage stop. A water tower was also built on the site, however it no longer stands.
The Ritchford was the most luxurious hotel in town at the turn of the century. It was famous for its wonderful meals and well-kept rooms, and visitors from as far away as San Francisco were highly impressed.
An advertisement in the Record-Courier shortly after the turn of the 20th century stated:
Ritchford Hotel
Excellent . . . — Map (db m25577) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — Sharkey's Nugget — 1440 Highway 395 |
| | The "Corner Saloon" was constructed on this site in the late 1890's. Adjacent uses on and near this site came to include a drug store, blacksmith shop, and mortuary. C.M. Krummes operated the blacksmith shop and mortuary, and served as the first chairman of the Gardnerville town board in the early 1900's.
The building is actually several buildings joined together. The drug store was located inside to the south. The building was known as the "Golden Bubble" until its purchase by Mr. . . . — Map (db m21446) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — 122 — Sheridan |
| | In 1861, a blacksmith shop, a store, a boarding house, and two saloons comprised the village of Sheridan. The village had grown up around Moses Job’s General Store, established prior to 1855.
The Surveyor General, in his 1889-90 biennial report, stated that Sheridan was the metropolis of the Carson River West Fork farmers.
The Sheridan House, erstwhile boarding adobe, has been converted to a dwelling. It may be seen across the road. It is all that remains of the . . . — Map (db m21309) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — St. Galls Catholic Church — 1475 Highway 395 |
| | This building served as the first Catholic Church in Gardnerville, and is an excellent representation of brickwork found in many valley buildings.
Completed in 1919 on land donated by local merchant Sam Imelli, the building was used until 1984 for Catholic services.
In 1984, this building was purchased by Ronald and Lynne Cauley and Michael and Barbara Gibbons, who immediately renovated it for its current use as office space.
St. Galls is currently located on Centerville Lane a . . . — Map (db m23250) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Gardnerville — The French Hotel and Bar — 1437 Highway 395 — Mixed Architectural Style |
| | Owned at one time by Baptiste Borda and later leased to the Mitcheo family. Raymond Borda, upon returning from World War II, owned and operated the hotel for many years. The French Hotel was one of the three main Basque hotels in Gardnerville during the 1930's.
In what is now the parking lot to the rear of this building, a pilota court stood with a large fronton, or wall. Pilota is a traditional Basque handball game. In the mid 1930's, teams from as far away as San Francisco would come to . . . — Map (db m25321) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Douglas Lodge #12, F& AM |
| | Chartered on September 17, 1868 by the newly created Grand Lodge of Nevada, their first Worshiper Master was Robert W. Bollen. In early 1873 they purchased this building in a partially finished condition. It was subsequently completed in November of 1873. Dedicated and occupied. On this, their 125th anniversary, they have continuously held their meetings in this edifice.
Dedicated this 17th day of September 1993 by
Douglas Lodge #12, A & FM
Snowshow Thompson Chapter #1827. E. Clampus Vitus — Map (db m20677) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Genoa — In Search of the Pony Express — Station Marker |
| |
[Front of Marker:]
Genoa
Original Home Station
April 3, 1860 – Aug. 30, 1860
Relay Station
Sep. 1, 1860 – Nov. 20, 1861
By
Town of Genoa
Genoa Volunteer Fire Department
Carson Valley Historical Society
Pony Express Trail Association
[Back of Marker:]
Mandlebaum & Klauber’s Store was located at this site. They were agents for the Pony Express Route and Wells, Fargo & Co.
The original Pony Express Route from April 3, 1860 to May 13, . . . — Map (db m20663) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Genoa Church |
| | Built by volunteers to replace the church destroyed in the Terrible Fire of 1910, this pioneer refuge served the town for town meetings as well as church services for many years. The bell tower and porch were added in 1978 by volunteers.
Genoa Historic District
National Register of Historic Places — Map (db m21245) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Genoa or “Mormon Station” of the Pony Express |
| |
Near this spot stood the
Genoa or “Mormon Station”
of the Pony Express
1860 – 1861
St. Joseph, Missouri
To Sacramento, California.
_________
Dedicated June 9, 1934
By Citizens of Nevada.
Under Leadership Minden Rotary Club — Map (db m20668) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Hanging Tree |
| | On this tree, early morning Nov. 26, 1897 occurred the blackest episode in the history of Nevada. Adam Uber of Calaveras Co. Cal. was forcefully taken from jail abused and hanged by an angry mob, for the pistol killing of Hans Anderson a local teamster in a Millersville bar room Brawel.
Donor “Sharkey” Begovich
Historian and Ranch Owner Arnold Trimmer
Maker: Boone – Sons Sonora, Ca. — Map (db m20655) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson — (Jon A. Torsteinson – Rue) — Mailman of the Sierra |
| | Born: April 30, 1827, Tinn, Telemark, Norway
Emigrated to America from Norway: May 30, 1837
Carried the mail: January 1856 – May 1876 (Twice a month -
during the winter for 20 years.)
Distance: 90 miles between Placerville, Ca and Genoa, Nv
Buried: Genoa Cemetery. The gravesite headstone carving
depicts a pair of crossed skis.
Traversing the mighty Sierra Mountain ridges on a pair of homemade
long skis and using his single pole for balance ”Snowshoe” braved 20 to . . . — Map (db m20679) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson |
| | Born April 30, 1827 at Upper Tinns, Telemark District of Norway, John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson’s parents Tosten Olsen and Gro Johnsdotter baptized him as John Tostensen. At an early age he learned to “snow skate” (snow ski). In 1837 he moved to America and settled in Illinois with other Norwegian immigrants. He Americanized his name to John A. Thompson and moved to California in 1851. In January 1856, due to severe Sierra winters, “Snowshoe” Thompson began . . . — Map (db m20712) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — John A. “Snow-Shoe” Thompson |
| |
[Upper Marker:]
As a Tribute
To a great compatriot from Telemark
This plaque was presented
by the Norwegian Olympic Ski Team
Competing at Sqaw Valley
In February 1960
[Lower Marker:]
Dedicated to
John A. “Snow-Shoe” Thom(p)son
Born April 30, 1827, in Tinn (Atra), Telemark, Norway. Died May 15, 1878 near Woodfords, Calif. A man made immortal for his unbelievable treks through the most severe storms of the Sierra to bring the mail to pioneers . . . — Map (db m20748) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Judge Daniel Webster Virgin — July 4, 1835 – August 19, 1928 |
| | Served as first elected judge of Douglas County from 1864 – 66. Later on he served as District Attorney and Superintendent of Schools.
While in the practice of law he was considered one of the foremost jurists of his time and was engaged in the famous case of Van Sickle vs. Haines.
Snowshoe Thompson Chapter 1827
E Clampus Vitus
July 28, 1990 — Map (db m20785) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — 132 — Mormon Station — No. 132 — Erected June 1949 |
| | In 1851 Col. John Reese, with a little band of eighteen men crossed the great deserts and built the first trading post in Nevada, “Mormon Station”. Later came more members of the Mormon Faith who settled and established the town of Genoa. Among these came the first lady settler, Eliza Ann Middaugh Mott, wife of Israel Mott. The first native daughter was Louisa Beatrice Mott.
Under the leadership of Orson Hyde, the community prospered and the area became Carson County, Utah.
Washoe County, Nevada. — Map (db m20686) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — 36 — Mormon Station - Genoa |
| | In early June, 1850, a party of Mormons led by Abner and Thomas Blackburn, Hampton S. Beatie and Joseph Dumont, established a trading post about a mile to the north of this site. In September, as they returned to Salt Lake City, a party of Bannock Indians attacked them and stole most of their horses and livestock. On September 9, 1850, the U.S. Congress created the Utah Territory, which included this section of present-day Nevada. Nine months later, June 1, 1851, John and Enoch Reese, Salt Lake . . . — Map (db m20698) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Nevada’s First Newspaper |
| |
The
Territorial Enterprise
Was founded at Genoa
December 8, 1858
Mark Twain
Began his career as
A writer on its staff
———————
Placed December 8, 1938
University of Nevada
Press Club — Map (db m20665) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Old Genoa Bar |
| | In 1863, Al Livingston built this building and called it Livingston’s Exchange. In 1884, Frank Fettic bought it and renamed it Fettic’s Exchange. He operated it as a “Gentlemen’s Saloon” allowing no rough stuff or excessive drinking. It subsequently had three more owners until 1963 when Robert Carver purchased it. Now known as the “Old Genoa Bar” it is the oldest continually operating thirst parlor in the State of Nevada. “No Horses Allowed”
Dedicated . . . — Map (db m20661) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — Old Mormon Station |
| | The principle emigrant trail to California’s gold fields in the 1850’s passed about 50 yards east of here. In June, 1850, Hampton S. Beatie and Abner Blackburn, two Mormons from Salt Lake City, established Nevada’s first trading post a few yards from this marker. It was a roofless 20-by-60-foot log structure soon known as “Mormon Station.” Beatie and Blackburn obtained provisions from Placerville, Ca and traded them to emigrants in need who had just crossed the Forty Mile Desert . . . — Map (db m21218) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — The Pink House |
| | Built 1855 by Col. John Reese, who established a trading post, Mormon Station, (Genoa) along
Emigrant Trail to California.
Genoa becomes first settlement in Nevada.
For over 145 years The Pink House has been a
famous Nevada landmark. — Map (db m20658) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — The Pony Express — 1860 - 1960 ** 1861 - 1961 |
| |
These plaques are near the site
of the original Pony Express Station.
The Pony Express passed through
Genoa, the oldest city in Nevada, until
the completion of the telegraph.
Erected by the Nevada Pony
Express Centennial Committee.
National Pony Express Centennial Association
Dwight D. Eisenhower – Chairman Waddell F. Smith – President — Map (db m20711) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Genoa — We Salute John “Snowshoe” Thompson / A Tribute From Three Lutheran Churches |
| |
We Salute John “Snowshoe” Thompson
On his homemade snowshoes John carried the mail and supplies over the snowy Sierras for 20 winters. As he traveled, he saved the lives of seven people who were snowbound in mountain cabins. In 1866, after this tall Norwegian became an American citizen, he homesteaded a 160 acre ranch in Diamond Valley. Respected by all who knew him, John was elected to the Alpine County Board of Supervisors.
A Tribute From Three Lutheran . . . — Map (db m20729) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Glenbrook — Friday’s Added Station |
| | (back) The Pony Express Started on April 3, 1860. The original route from Johnson Pass (Echo Summit) to Genoa went through Hope Valley to Woodfords Station.
On May 14, 1860 the new toll road over Daggett Pass opened to foot and horse traffic and was no used by the Pony Express through Lake Valley. Known as the Kingsbury Grade and built by David Kingsbury and John McDonald it was opened to wagon traffic on August 14, 1860.
A new station was needed and “Friday’s” . . . — Map (db m432) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — A. F. Neidt House |
| | Built in 1909 by A.F. Neidt, a cement contractor who also poured most of the early sidewalks in Minden. The home was later occupied by Annie Hickey Raycraft, who offered room and board for "unmarried lady" school teachers. — Map (db m23833) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — C.O.D. Garage |
| | Ground was broken for the garage in 1911, with structure additions in 1917 and 1927. The initials stand for the owner Clarence Oliver Dangberg. Later, under the ownership of the Fred "Brick" Hellwinkel family, the C.O.D. garage was the oldest continuous family owned franchised dealership in Nevada. Over the years the company sold Chevrolet, Buick, Ford, Hupmobile, Jeep, Lauson Tractors, Goodyear Tires, offered AAA towing and sold gas under Union Oil and Shell canopies. — Map (db m23514) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Clock Park — The Town of Minden |
| | To recreate turn-of-the-century Minden, local merchants Don and Roxanne Stangle, in 1990, suggested building this park. A beautiful period clock would be its central feature. After seven years of planning and designing the park and raising nearly $40,000 entirely from private benefactors, the merchants of Minden, together with members of the Minden Town Board, set the Minden Clock and landscaped Clock Park on June 6, 1997. The Town of Minden thanks all those who donated significant time, materials or funding to help make Clock Park a reality. — Map (db m23424) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Coventry Cross Episcopal Church |
| | Construction of Coventry Cross Episcopal Church began in 1936 at the building's original site in Smith Valley. The church was named for the large stone cross that stands on the church's Rood beam (a beam in a medieval church across the entrance to the choir: it supports the rood, a large crucifix.) The Dean of Coventry Cathedral gave the cross, originally part of St. Michael's Cathedral in Coventry, England, to Bishop Thomas Jenkins in 1930. The church was moved to its present site in 1954, and . . . — Map (db m23948) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — 123 — Cradlebaugh Bridge |
| | The remains of Cradlebaugh Bridge, built in 1861 by William Cradlebaugh, stand ¼ mile westward. This bridge shortened the distance from Carson City to Aurora in the then booming Esmeralda Mining District.
There were two routes from Carson City south to the bridge where they joined, crossed the river, and headed into the desert. One followed the west side of the Carson River; the foothill alternate went via Jacks Valley and the old John James Ranch, then around the hill to the bridge. . . . — Map (db m40100) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Douglas County Courthouse |
| | The Nevada Legislature voted to move the county seat to Minden in 1916. The Courthouse, designed by F.J. Delongchamps, was built for $23,178 on a lot deeded from the Dangberg Land and Livestock Company. Originally the building housed all the county offices and the jail. — Map (db m23971) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Douglas County World War II Memorial |
| | In Commemoration
of Douglas County men who gave
their lives in World War II
Franklin Mack Andrews ● Semore Arnold ● Donald Cornbread ● Giles Cornbread ● Wilber Frank ● Harlan Fricke ● Walter Leehman ● Howard G. Park ● Charles N. Roberts ● Kenneth G. Storke ● Earl Watson
Carson Valley 20 – 30 Club No. 85
Dedicated June 14, 1952 — Map (db m20881) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — First National Bank of Nevada |
| | Construction began in 1968 when the old Farmer's Bank, purchased in 1954 by the First National Bank of Nevada, had again outgrown itself. The remodeled building now houses an engineering firm owned and operated by R.O. Anderson. — Map (db m23787) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Grace Melissa Dangberg |
| | 1896 — 1985
Grace Dangberg was the granddaughter of Heinrick Frederick Dangberg, a pioneer Carson Valley settler from a village near Minden, Germany, whose family founded Minden, Nevada.
Miss Dangberg, a distinguished Nevadan, devoted her considerable talents and fortune to the enhancement of cultural pursuits and Nevada history, giving generously to the University of Nevada-Reno, the Carson Valley Historical Society and other deserving institutions.
Dedicated by the Historical Society in 1988. — Map (db m3191) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Henry Beck House |
| | This, the second house built in Minden (1907), housed Henry Beck, the first manager of the Minden Milling Company, and was located across the street from from the mill at Fifth Street and Railroad Avenue, now Highway 395. — Map (db m23898) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — John Dangberg House |
| | This house was designed for John Dangberg by Frederic DeLongchamps, a noted architect throughout the West. Construction was completed in 1912. John was one of the Dangberg Brothers who founded Minden in 1906. Dangberg Land and Livestock Company established the town and laid out the square, now known as Minden Park. The first houses around the square were built by employees of his company. — Map (db m23933) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — M. E. Fay House |
| | Built in 1917 for local rancher M.E. Fay, the home was later owned by John and Norma Ellis. John, Norma and their son Darwin owned and operated the Minden Mercantile. — Map (db m23936) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — 130 — Minden |
| | Minden, the seat of Douglas County since 1916, was named for a town in Westphalia, Germany, where the founder of the D.F. Dangberg Land and Live Stock Company, was born in 1829. The company established Minden in 1905 to provide terminal facilities for the Virginia and Truckee Railway, which was then extending a branch line southward from Carson City. The passenger and freight depot was situated at this point.
Principle promoter of the town, and its related development, was H.F. Dangberg, Jr. . . . — Map (db m20877) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Minden Dry Goods |
| | First opened in 1910 by Chris Christoffersen. This was the first store in Minden of its type, selling dry goods, clothing, shoes, and cameras. Later, the store was operated by Lin Blondin and Ken Watson. In time, it became known as Town and Country under the management of Tom and Norma Andrews. The C.O.D. Garage purchased the building in 1975, creating Pioneer Motor Parts. — Map (db m23578) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Minden Flour Milling Company |
| | Completed in 1908, the new mill was financed by many of the early residents of Minden. Initially, it could process 100 barrels of flour daily from the local grain. Its four silos held 65,000 bushels of grain. In 1921 the mill was described as "one of the biggest milling concerns in the state, with a reputation for excellence". Beside flour, a line of chicken mash and cattle feed was produced. The Mill ceased to operate in the late 1960's and was purchased by Bently Nevada Inc. in 1975. The . . . — Map (db m23981) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Minden Park |
| | Built in 1906. the park became the “town square” for the first residential section of Minden. The first bandstand, a rectangular structure, was built in 1914. The present bandstand was built by the Minden Rotary Club in 1984 and dedicated to Wilton Neddenriep, a valley rancher and Rotarian who was killed in an accident on his ranch. — Map (db m20893) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Minden's First Homesite |
| | This site marks the end of the Virginia and Truckee rail extension from Carson City which was completed in 1906. A depot was built here as well as first home site for the station manager, Herb Coffin. Mr. Coffin’s home was a converted boxcar but a house was built for him in 1906. The railway into Minden initiated the growth of the town and the V & T thrived until the late 1930’s when its operation became questionable. The town was growing but the railroads’ profitability was lagging. The last . . . — Map (db m23430) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Reed-Meneley Insurance |
| | The original building was constructed in 1951 for the partnership of Warren Reed and Willard Meneley Insurance Company. In 1953 the offices also served as the temporary home for the Douglas County Public Library. Reed's son Alan and family currently operate a restaurant on the site. — Map (db m23742) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — Second Farmer's Bank of Carson Valley |
| | The Second Farmer's Bank was constructed in 1918 and operated until 1968. The bank had sound financial resources for its size and in 1933, following a bank moratorium called by President Roosevelt, Farmer's Bank was among the first in the nation to reopen. The building has been used in movies and as a forest fire lookout station. Today it houses offices. — Map (db m23700) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — The Heidlberg |
| | Built in 1910, few buildings in Minden have experienced a more diverse life. Its many uses include a saloon/bar, card parlor, soda fountain, grocery store, and several restaurants. — Map (db m23361) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Minden — The History of Sunset Park |
| | The members of the Minden Town Board selected this site, on the Minden-Gardnerville boundary and adjacent to the telephone company offices, as a particularly appropriate location for what they have named "Sunset Park".
In the early 1900's, United Farmers Telephone and Telegraph provided telephone locally and to an expanding rural region. In the 1940s, United Farmers became California Interstate Telephone Company, which later became Continental Telephone and Telegraph, serving the South . . . — Map (db m55510) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Stateline — The Pony Express |
| | In
Commemoration of
The Pony Express
A fleeting but exciting epoch in the
Winning of the West
——————
Erected April 4, 1963
by Harrah’s
William F. Harrah, President
——————
The first Pony Express rider passed here
April 4, 1860 on his way to
Friday’s Station
A remount point 4/10ths of a mile northeast
At Edgewood, Nevada — Map (db m46433) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Zephyr Cove — 207 — Carson Valley |
| | Carson Valley below, now a broad expanse of cultivated and pasture lands, was originally a strip of meadow along the banks of the river where 49’ers, following the California branch of the emigrant trail, rested their stock and bought vegetables from the Mormon Station owners.
After discovery of the Comstock Lode (1858) settlers extended the natural meadows by irrigation to provide hay, meat and butter for the miners in Virginia City and neighboring towns.
From 1870, German, Danish . . . — Map (db m34518) HM |
| Nevada (Douglas County), Zephyr Cove — 219 — Glenbrook |
| | Lumbering operations in the Glenbrook area of Lake Tahoe began in 1861. Consolidation of V-Flume systems in and near Clear Creek Canyon by 1872 made it possible to float lumber, cordwood, and sawed material from Spooner’s Summit to Carson City and to eliminate wagon hauling over the 9-year old Lake Bigler Toll Road (Kings Canyon Road).
In 1873, the new Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company, under Duane Bliss, assumed all operations, becoming the largest Comstock wood and lumber combine. . . . — Map (db m21014) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — Artzaina Zain — The Watchful Shepherd |
| | Preserving our
Basque Heritage
Euzkaldunak
Elko Basque Club
Lowell Swenseid, Artist 2000 A.D. — Map (db m1344) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — 106 — Elko |
| | On December 29, 1868, representatives of the Central Pacific Railroad started laying out lots for the future town of Elko. By 1870, the thriving town had 5,000 people. There was an immense volume of freight and passenger traffic over the stageline roads north and south from the railhead at Elko to the mining area.
The University of Nevada was originally built in Elko in 1874 and remained here until 1885, at which time it was moved to Reno to its present location.
By the early 1870’s, . . . — Map (db m1372) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — 107 — Elko Airport — Terminus of the First Commercial Air Mail Route |
| | On April 6, 1926, Varney Air Lines pilot Leon Cuddeback, carrying one bag of mail, landed his tiny Curtis Swallow bi-plane at Elko, Nevada, completing the first scheduled air mail run in the United States.
The single engine, 90-horsepower aircraft had taken off from Pasco, Washington, stopped at Boise, Idaho, for fuel and mail, then completed the 460-mile flight to Elko. The Varney contract was awarded October 27, 1925, at a rate of eights cents an ounce. Varney sold to Boeing, which merged with United Air Lines in 1931. — Map (db m1371) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — Elko County High School |
| | In 1895, Nevada established the County High School Act. Built in 1896, this was the first school building in Nevada to be constructed under this act. The structure served as the Elko County Library from 1917 to 1974, when the county offices located here. — Map (db m1345) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — 108 — Ruby Valley Pony Express Station |
| | (Reconstructed) The original location—60 miles south.
April 1860 - October 1861. — Map (db m1523) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Elko — Sherman Station |
| | Constructed on Sherman Creek in Huntington Valley, 60 miles south of Elko, by rancher Valentine Walther. It took Walther, family and friends seven years to complete and was finished in 1903. The house served as a home, post office, stage stop and community center. Miners hauling ore from N.E. Nevada mines could stop to rest in the bunkhouse and feed livestock. The ranch was named Sherman when the post office opened. Donated to the Chamber in 1995 by Peter and Kathy Scheidemann of the XJ Ranch. . . . — Map (db m1431) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Wells — 45 — Humboldt Wells |
| | These springs, seen as marsh spots and small ponds of water in the meadows here, are the Humboldt Wells, a historic oasis on the California Emigrant Trail. Here, during the period 1845–1870, hundreds of covered wagons each year rested and refitted from their arduous journeys up Raft River, past the City of Rocks, across the Goose Creek Range and down Thousand Springs Valley, and prepared for the grueling 300-mile trek along the Humboldt Valley. Ruts of the old emigrant trail winding down . . . — Map (db m1373) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), Wells — Remember Metropolis |
| | In memory of those valiant pioneers who settled and built a city here, giving so much to us all in their pursuit of happiness and security. Today, we enjoy the fruits of their efforts.
The first settlers came in 1910, followed by many others until 1935. Many who lived here aspired to become teachers, lawyers, civic leaders, church leaders, and best of all reared great families in homes where love and happiness filled their lives. May we always remember our Metropolis heritage and beginnings, . . . — Map (db m1266) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), West Wendover — 509th Composite Group – First Atomic Bombardment |
| | “The Atomic bomb is too dangerous to be loose in a lawless world ... we pray that (God) may guide us to use it in His ways and for His purposes.” —President Harry S. Truman, August, 1945.
In Memory. This monument is dedicated to the members of the 509th Composite Group, United States Air Force, who trained at the Wendover, Utah, Army Air Force Base in 1944-45, for the vital, secret mission of delivering the first atomic bombs on Japanese targets in August . . . — Map (db m1278) HM |
| Nevada (Elko County), West Wendover — Wendover Will Reclaims Skyline Once Again |
| | Wendover Will has been greeting travelers to Wendover since 1952. His name comes from the founder of the State Line Hotel & Casino, Mr. William “Bill” Smith, who started the State Line Service, a cobble stone service station, on the Utah/Nevada border in 1926. Prior to Wendover Will arriving, visitors were greeted by a shimmering light atop a tall pole that provided a signal of sorts to weary travelers crossing the Great Basin Desert, that they were within reach of this small but . . . — Map (db m1355) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Blair Junction — 155 — Silver Peak |
| | Discovered 1863
Silver Peak is one of the oldest mining areas in Nevada. A 10-stamp mill was built in 1865, and by 1867 a 20-stamp mill was built. Mining camp lawlessness prevailed during the late sixties, and over the next 38 years, Silver Peak had its ups and downs. In 1906, the Pittsburg Silver Peak Gold Mining Company bought a group of properties, constructed the Silver Peak Railroad and built a 100- stamp mill at Blair the following year.
The town, at times, was one of the . . . — Map (db m3493) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Gold Point — Gold Point |
| | Known originally as Lime Point, this area was first settled about 1880. The early camp was abandoned by 1882. In March 1908, a silver strike brought a new camp into existence. Called Hornsilver, it flourished for about a year, boasting about 800 residents, at least 11 saloons, a post office, telephone service and a newspaper. Most of the businesses closed the following year. After a number of small booms and busts, the town was renamed Gold Point in 1932. Two local residents eventually served . . . — Map (db m34251) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — 156 — Gold Point |
| | Gold Point was initially called Lime Point for the lime deposits found in 1868. Processing difficulties in the 1880’s discouraged silver mining locally.
Goldfield Ore discoveries in 1902 stimulated area mining interest and high grade hornsilver was discovered here in 1908. The name was changed to Hornsilver & a typical mining camp development occurred. A newspaper, postoffice, stores and saloons began operations, and a town of over 225 wood-frame buildings, tents, and shacks appeared. . . . — Map (db m35148) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — 14 — Goldfield |
| | For a 20-year period prior to 1900 the mining in Nevada fell into a slump that cast the entire state into a bleak depression and caused the loss of a third of the population.
The picture brightened overnight following the spectacular strikes in Tonopah and, shortly afterwards, in Goldfield. Gold ore was discovered here in December 1902 by two Nevada-born prospectors, Harry Stimler and Billy Marsh. From 1904 to 1918 Goldfield boomed furiously. The city had a railroad that connected into Las . . . — Map (db m42666) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — 157 — Lida |
| | Known as a contact point for Shoshones and Northern Paiute Indians, Lida Valley was the site of early prospecting in the 1860's.
Later prospectors organized a mining district in 1867 and laid out the town in 1872. Soon stores, shops, stables and a Post Office were established. Some ore was milled locally. Yet high grade ore (500 dollars - 1,000 dollars per ton) was treated at Austin or Belmont. After 1880 mining declined.
Lida revived and thrived for three years during the Goldfield . . . — Map (db m52961) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — HM 145 — Palmetto |
| | Thinking that local Joshua trees were related to palm trees, the 1866 prospectors named the mining camp Palmetto. Although a local 12-stamp mill worked the silver ore, the town died for lack of profitable material. New discoveries in the late 1860's brought Palmetto back to life, but once again meager deposits caused its demise.
New prospecting in 1903 caused Palmetto to grow to a town of 200 tents on a platted town site. At its peak in 1906, the commercial street contained all the . . . — Map (db m35150) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — 242 — Southern Nevada Consolidated Telephone-Telegraph Company Building |
| | This was the communications center of Goldfield from 1906 until 1963. From 1904 to 1920, Goldfield boomed sa a gold producing center. It was the largest (20,000+) city in Nevada during that period, having four railroads and other modern conveniences. The building was one of a few spared by a fire that destroyed 53 blocks of the downtown area in 1923. Today, it is one of the few unspoiled examples of the work of the craftsmen of the early 1900 era, and an example of the business life in the . . . — Map (db m42288) HM |
| Nevada (Esmeralda County), Goldfield — The Santa Fe Saloon |
| | Built in 1905 by Hubert Maxgut, the Santa Fe Saloon is the oldest continually operating business in Goldfield. Maxgut was killed in a gunfight in 1912, but subsequent owners kept the saloon open. It was located outside of the business district to be closer to the mines. Because of its location, it survived the flash flood of 1916, and the great fire of 1923 that destroyed most of Goldfield. In 1976, the saloon was purchased by Jim Marsh, who has preserved this piece of Nevada History. — Map (db m65381) HM |
| Nevada (Eureka County), Eureka — Bartine Outhouse |
| | This historic five-hole outhouse was built for prominent Eureka businessman, Frederick Bartine (1888-1964).
A native of Finland, Bartine immigrated here in 1901. Soon after, he prospered as owner of the Ruby Hill Water Works, the Bartine Ranch, the Bartine Service Station and two mining claims on Willow Creek.
The outhouse itself has had a troubled past. It has been move numerous times and has been the center of a legal dispute. It has now found a home on the site of the old Eureka . . . — Map (db m51694) HM |
| Nevada (Eureka County), Eureka — 11 — Eureka — 1864 - 1964 |
| | “Eureka!” a miner is said to have exclaimed in September, 1864, when the discovery of rich ore was made here—and thus the town was named. Eureka soon developed the first important lead-silver deposits in the nation and during the furious boom of the 80's had 16 smelters, over 100 saloons, a population of 10,000 and a railroad, the colorful Eureka and Palisade that connected with the main line 90 miles to the north.
Production began to fall off in 1883 and by 1891 the . . . — Map (db m14690) HM |
| Nevada (Eureka County), Eureka — 80 — Eureka Courthouse |
| | Built in 1879-80, of locally-fired brick and of sandstone quarried nearby, the Eureka County Courthouse remains a fine example of boom town Victorian opulence. This relic, scene of many famous trials, lives on in reflected glory of the days when Eureka was the first important lead-silver district in the United States.
State Historical Marker No. 80
Nevada State Park System
Board of County Commissioners
NSP 9-15-70 — Map (db m14616) HM |
| Nevada (Eureka County), Eureka — 170 — Eureka Sentinel Building |
| | Constructed in 1879 at a cost of $10,000, the Sentinel Building was designed by architect C.M. Bennett. The Eureka Sentinel was published in this building from 1879 to 1960. Three generations of the Skillman family, Archibald, Edward and Willis, edited the newspaper. The last editor, Edward J. Moyle, had been with the Sentinel for over fifty years before he took over the editorial chair in 1944.
State Historic Marker No. 170
Division of Historic Preservation & Archeology
Eureka Historical Society — Map (db m14686) HM |
| Nevada (Eureka County), Eureka — Eureka Sentinel Newspaper |
| | When A. Skillman closed the Shermantown Reporter at Hamilton he moved is printing press to Eureka. Together with Dr. L.C. McKenny they started the Sentinel as a weekly paper in July 1870. It became a daily in June 1871 reporting local and international news via telegraph dispatches. The Sentinel's reporting of mine and other opportunities helped bring people and investors to this once great Nevada mining district. Originally located at No. 5 Buel Street it relocated here in August 1879. Last . . . — Map (db m14687) HM |
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