Reno in Washoe County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Reno

Photographed by Alvis Hendley, March 16, 2016

1. Reno Marker

Updated marker.

Inscription. Before the arrival of the European Americans, the Washoe and Paiute people inhabited the Truckee Meadows. The Stevens-Murphy emigrant party passed through the area in 1844, and settlement began in the early 1850s. Charles William Fuller established a river ferry across the Truckee in the fall of 1859 and completed a bridge and a hotel by the spring of 1860. Myron C. Lake acquired Fuller's holdings in 1861, rebuilt the bridge and established Lake's Crossing. In 1868, Lake offered land for a depot to the Central Pacific Railroad and the town was laid out. The community's name honors a Civil War officer, General Jesse Lee Reno.

Reno's transcontinental railroad connection and its rail link to the Comstock Lode helped lay the foundation for the economy, as did the lumber industry and the surrounding ranches and farms.

The community's reputation as a divorce center began in 1906 and gambling was legalized in 1931.

Erected by Nevada Historic Preservation Office. (Marker Number 30.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.

Location. 39° 31.439′ N, 119° 48.734′ W. Marker is in Reno, Nevada, in Washoe County. It is on South Virginia Street (Nevada

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Route 430) south of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 199 South Virginia Street, Reno NV 89501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Sierra Nevada

and in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Washoe County World War II Memorial (here, next to this marker); Spanish-American War Memorial 1898-1899 (within shouting distance of this marker); Major General Jesse Lee Reno (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Nevada’s First Public Library (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Frederick Joseph DeLongechamps (about 300 feet away); Lake's Crossing (about 300 feet away); The Virginia Street Bridges (about 600 feet away); Ginsburg Jewelry Company (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Reno.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 14, 2011

2. Reno Marker

Original marker.

Reno Marker on the Grounds of the Washoe County Courthouse. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, June 14, 2011

3. Reno Marker on the Grounds of the Washoe County Courthouse.

The Nearby Washoe County World War II Memorial is seen at the far right of this view.

Photographed by Denise Boose, September 29, 2014

4. Reno Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2018. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 967 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on April 23, 2016, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. Photos: 1. submitted on April 23, 2016, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. 2, 3. submitted on July 5, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 4. submitted on February 8, 2015, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.