Empire was founded in 1923 when Pacific Portland Cement Company set up a tent city to mine a patent established in 1910. The 40th Parallel Survey of 1876 mentioned selenite (crystalline gypsum) domes 20 – 30 feet high and 50 feet wide at the . . . — — Map (db m189378) HM
Situated between Black Rock Desert on the east and Smoke Creek Desert on the west, the townsite of Gerlach lies in country occupied for thousands of years.
John C. Frémont traveled through these Northern Paiute Indian lands when he camped here in . . . — — Map (db m150274) HM
On this site stood the Silver Star Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons #5.
Chartered on Oct. 13, 1864, Lodge #5 once hosted the largest membership in Nevada.
Timberman Duane L. Bliss who established Glenbrook and was a builder of the . . . — — Map (db m46071) HM
Located on the mountain above are the remnants of the "Great Incline of the Sierra Nevada." Completed in 1880, this 4,000 foot long lift was constructed by the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company. A unique steam-powered cable railway carried . . . — — Map (db m94306) HM
History records Sand Harbor as playing an important role in the operations of the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber company, one of three large combines supplying lumber and cord wood to the Comstock mines during the late 19th century. Walter Scott . . . — — Map (db m208666) HM
"We crossed the river 3 times ... which has become almost a perfect torrent ... our men have had all kinds of sport at the crossings, the water sometimes taking them off their feet and rolling them over like a barrel." - James Godfrey, Aug 7, 1849 — — Map (db m149927) HM
Galena had a dual personality. It was developed in 1860 as a mining property by R. S. and Andrew Hatch. The Hatch brothers' quartz mill and smelter were among the earliest erected on this side of the Sierras. The gold float from the local mines . . . — — Map (db m93942) HM
Dedicated in honor of the sons and daughters of Nevada, veterans of World War II. Erected by Sandy Bowers and his wife, Eilley Orrum, in 1864 with the gold and silver from their mine on the Comstock. Purchased in 1946 by popular subscription and . . . — — Map (db m163609) WM
IN ITS HEYDAY, Bowers Mansion was one of the most extravagant houses in the Nevada Territory, a product of mining wealth and personal taste. The story of Eilley and Sandy Bowers is a historic boom and bust tale. The mansion itself remains a . . . — — Map (db m163622) HM
Replacement Marker:
Built - 1864 Restored - 1967
Bowers Mansion recalls the wealth of the Comstock Bonanza. Lemuel S. "Sandy" & Eilley Orrum Bowers were probably the first millionaires produced by the famous find in Gold Canyon. As . . . — — Map (db m89418) HM
Orson Hyde, probate judge of Carson County, Utah Territory, founded Franktown in the Wassau (Washoe) Valley in 1855.
A sawmill became an important enterprise in furnishing timber to the Comstock mines after 1859. The Dall Mill, a quartz mill of . . . — — Map (db m93939) HM
Gold Turns to Rust The Mansion Turns to Shambles AFTER EILLEY LOST THE MANSION IN 1876, the grand house passed through a number of different hands. Myron C. Lake first acquired the mansion and worked hard to revive its glory. The . . . — — Map (db m163627) HM
HISTORIANS DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW the origins of this building, but if the Bowers built it, they most likely used it as a carriage house. Carriage houses were typically separate from the primary dwelling and housed the horse-drawn carriages, carriage . . . — — Map (db m163625) HM
Mill erected in 1861 for the reduction of the ore from famed Comstock Ophir Mine. The Ophir Mill ceased to operate in 1866. Here a thriving town grew, second only in size to Washoe City, which at that time was the largest town in Washoe County. . . . — — Map (db m163884) HM
Reminders of the Past THE OLD FARM EQUIPMENT you see here once belonged to Washoe Valley's early ranchers. In spite of the area's famous mining heyday, agriculture and ranching have been the real mainstays of life for local residents since the . . . — — Map (db m163623) HM
This large carpenter-gothic style structure, completed about 1864, was the ranch home of Theodore and Maggie Winters and their seven children. Originally this area was settled by Mormons, and the ranch was purchased from Mormons by Winters and his . . . — — Map (db m93935) HM
This is Rancho del Sierra, home of the Winters family from 1858 to 1953. The estate once covered six thousand acres of the surrounding property and included an orchard, horse race track and extensive livestock herds. The house was built by Theodore . . . — — Map (db m93938) HM
This site contains natural springs that were once used by the Tribe for cultural purposes. The springs have been destroyed from years of accumulated mine waste. The mine was active in the 1920s with low metal production. It has been abandoned since . . . — — Map (db m97605) HM
America's most beautiful desert lake is a remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan, which covered some 8,450 square miles in western Nevada during the Ice Age. Caves and rock shelters along its shore have yielded evidence of Numu (Paiute) people living . . . — — Map (db m97602) HM
In 1909, twenty-two year old Alice Ramsey became the first woman to drive across the United States in an automobile. She and her three female companions are depicted here, in her 1909 Maxwell Briscoe, crossing the Nevada desert east of the Truckee . . . — — Map (db m144487) HM
Reno lounge singer Whoopi Goldberg gets in the habit with a convent of nuns in “Sister Act” Filmed here at the Reno Arch with the technical assistance of Local 363 (1992) — — Map (db m189722) HM
(front plaque)
Marker No.T.R.R. 13-A -- Truckee Meadows
the California bound emigrants rested here
before ascending the Sierras to the west
(back plaque)
This marker is No 13-A of a total of 70 placed along
the Humbolt, . . . — — Map (db m113027) HM
Upon entering the Truckee Meadows along the Truckee River, thousands of California-bound emigrants turned their wagons southwest to avoid extensive marshes and uncrossable sloughs. Here at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain the emigrants established a . . . — — Map (db m94434) HM
Frederick Joseph DeLongechamps was Nevada’s foremost architect of his time. Statewide he was prolific in the number of buildings he designed. From this point one can see a group of structures that stand, collectively, as a monument to . . . — — Map (db m44217) HM
The Galena Creek Fish Hatchery represents an attempt to make amends after Nevada's Comstock Lode ravaged the region's ecosystem in the 1860s and 70s. Fishing decimated local streams and lakes to feed a growing population. Eventually, restocking . . . — — Map (db m94432) HM
Seven-tenths of a mile east of this marker was Geiger's Station, the largest station on the Geiger Grade Toll Road, the main thoroughfare between the Comstock Lode and the ranches of the Truckee Meadows. Located at the site were a toll house, three . . . — — Map (db m94119) HM
[south base]Clock originally located at 133 North Virginia Street November, 1935 Harry Ginsburg, Proprietor In the mid 1960’s, the clock was donated to Park Lane Mall on Plumb Lane and South Virginia Street by Sam Ginsburg who took over the . . . — — Map (db m163887) HM
In 1890 General O.M. Mitchel Post #69, Grand Army of the Republic, bought 17 lots in the original Hillside Cemetery for the last resting place for comrades-in-arms during the Civil War, 1861-1865.
While friends and relatives of the soldiers . . . — — Map (db m93896) HM
This tree was planted in soil from Civil War battlefields and dedicated to the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic. By the National Commander in Chief June 10, 1913.
Marked and Dedicated by Isaac Crist Camp No. 28
Sons of Union Veterans of . . . — — Map (db m42403) HM
The historic road corridors from the Truckee Meadows northwestward into the Honey Lake area contains a tangle of intertwined routes following the course of valleys, portions of an emigrant trail cutoff, toll roads, county roads and casual parallel . . . — — Map (db m115855) HM
Before the arrival, 1858, of Granville W. Huffaker driving 500 head of cattle into the Truckee Meadows, the principal settlers were Mormon. The Comstock Lode and its mining needs focused attention on the valley. Huffaker established his ranch in . . . — — Map (db m94304) HM
Here was located one of the busiest crossroads of pioneer Nevada, converging point for many major toll roads of the area. The earliest emigrants from the east crossed through Truckee Meadows at this point and by 1853 the intersection was known as . . . — — Map (db m93674) HM
Washington J. Marsh built this house in 1877. Myron C. Lake, regarded as a founder of Reno, purchased it in 1879, and ownership passed to his divorced wife, Jan, in 1881. This Italianate-style house has been moved twice and is listed in the National . . . — — Map (db m94123) HM
First settlement in this area was a toll station & bridge constructed on this site in 1859-60 by E.W. Fuller. It was later known as Lake’s Crossing after Myron C. Lake purchased this property in 1863. Lake’s land gift to the new overland railroad . . . — — Map (db m44213) HM
Lake's Crossing, a growing community along the Truckee River in Northern Nevada, was parceled into a proper town site by the Central Pacific Railroad. The railroad named the town Reno, to Honor Major General Jesse Lee Reno.
Born April 20, . . . — — Map (db m77708) HM
Built in 1922 by the Pincolini brothers Joseph, Adelvaldo, Evaristo and Dante.
Listed in the National Register of Historical Places, it served the community well for eighty four years.
Destroyed by fire on October 31, 2006
In . . . — — Map (db m195366) HM
Opened as a resort on October 29, 1905, Moana Springs took its name from a famous Hawaiian spa. In addition to a large bath house with a pool fed by hot springs, Moana had a stately hotel, a clubhouse, baseball diamond and picnic grounds. . . . — — Map (db m94303) HM
First building on the Reno campus, Morrill Hall was named in honor of Senator Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Author of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 which led to the establishment of the university. Founded in Elko in 1874, the campus was moved . . . — — Map (db m113035) HM
This building was constructed as a passenger depot for the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad, a narrow-gauge line connecting Reno with northern California and southern Oregon.
It began operations in 1882 as the Nevada and California Railroad. . . . — — Map (db m113777) HM
Discoverites of gold and silver in the early 1860s led to the founding of Peavine. Later it was re-named Poe City in honor of John Poe, but was referred to as Poeville or Podunk.
The district’s boom was brief lasting only four years. The main . . . — — Map (db m195365) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m94116) HM
A City Built on Trains and Automobiles
Nevada's alliance with the Union during the Civil War was important not only for the mineral resources of the Comstock Lode but because the state held portion of the transcontinental transportation and . . . — — Map (db m113036) HM
A Missouri mulepacker, William C. Fuller failed to strike it rich in California’s gold fields. His trek home, around 1859 or 1860, included a stop in the marshy valley known as the Truckee Meadows, located north of the Comstock Mining District, . . . — — Map (db m77626) HM
In 1895, Washoe County District Attorney, Frank H. Norcross, later a Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court and a Federal Judge, began a drive to establish Nevada’s first free public library in Reno. That year, he persuaded the Nevada Legislature . . . — — Map (db m44215) HM
In 1908, the Reno Red Cross Society and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union gave to the City of Reno, a public drinking fountain to serve people, horses, and dogs. It was dedicated to the Nevada Veterans of the Spanish-American War, in . . . — — Map (db m77707) WM
These natural hot-springs are notable for their curative qualities. They were nationally acclaimed by President Ulysses S. Grant when he visited them in 1879.
Early emigrants so named them, because of their puffing and blowing. Located in 1860 . . . — — Map (db m94118) HM
On this site on July 4, 1910, Reno hosted "The Fight of the Century," a heavyweight championship boxing match between John Arthur "Jack" Johnson, the black title holder, and James J. "Jim" Jeffries, a former champion seeking to regain the title he . . . — — Map (db m94121) HM
This arch was originally erected on Virginia Street at Commercial Row in 1926 to promote an exposition that celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory highways. Electric bulbs spelled our "Reno" and "Nevada's Transcontinental Highways . . . — — Map (db m94431) HM
Myron Lake, owner of the nearby toll bridge, deeded acreage to the Central Pacific Railroad to locate the depot at this site. In April 1868 the CPRR platted the area and on May 9th auctioned the lots and constructed a utilitarian wood depot. The . . . — — Map (db m167822) HM
Flowing out of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west, the Truckee River is Reno’s most striking natural and historical feature. Shown below on a relief map of the surrounding Reno area are a few of the more significant historical sites near the . . . — — Map (db m44212) HM
In 1859, one of the area's early residents, Charles W. Fuller, built a dwelling on the south side of the Truckee River where the third Riverside Hotel now stands. He constructed a seventeen mile crude sketch of road in the region and received . . . — — Map (db m184325) HM
"Came to another crossing of the river (here from the...left flows down into the river one of the finest spring rivulets...). The 23rd crossing...is quite difficult. Made so by the large round bolder [sic] rocks...in its bed." - Augustus . . . — — Map (db m149982) HM
VFW Post #207 was formed in 1926, seven years after World War I. During the Second War, Post #9211 came into being. In 1945, the two organizations merged and built the present-day hall which opened the following year.
Despite many fundraising . . . — — Map (db m141504) HM
Soon after the Chinese laborers graded this section during the summer of 1871, track gangs commenced laying rail south, reaching Steamboat Springs by late October. To celebrate the occasion numerous residents rode an excursion train to Steamboat on . . . — — Map (db m73947) HM
The Nevada Equal Franchise Society founded in 1911 moved to the
Washoe County Bank Building at this location in 1913. This office sent suffrage news to papers across the state, set up national figures for speaking tours, and recruited workers from . . . — — Map (db m213136) HM
"God grants liberty to only those who love it and are ready to guard and defend it" - Daniel Webster
Dedicated to the brave men and women who served their county at home and abroad from 1941 - 1945. Their efforts and sacrifices shall not . . . — — Map (db m44526) HM
On this north east corner of Sierra & Plaza Streets stood the first building of the Salvation Army in Reno, Nevada. Established September 19, 1889.
Commemorated this day, November 2nd, 1989. Celebrating 100 years of Salvation Army service to . . . — — Map (db m226043) HM
"Leaving the [Truckee] river bore off to the right over a sage plain near a mile with rather sandy road to the base of a low ridge." - D. B. Andrews, Aug 9, 1852 — — Map (db m149888) HM
This honors the heroism and hardihood of the thousands of Chinese who played a major role in the history of Nevada. From across the Pacific the Chinese came to California during the Gold Rush of '49 and on to the mountains and deserts of this state . . . — — Map (db m73946) HM
Opened to the public on June 20 1909, Coney Island was among the most elaborate amusement parks of its day. Otto G. Benschuetz, founder and owner, landscaped the grounds, put in a children's playground, a bandstand for outdoor concerts and a dance . . . — — Map (db m149980) HM
"Oldest remaining school in Nevada"
Constructed in 1864 - in continuous use until 1958
Glendale, as a settlement, preceded Reno and was destined to be the metropolis on the Truckee River until the Central Pacific Railroad was induced to . . . — — Map (db m111444) HM
Glendale, as a settlement, preceded Reno and was destined to be the metropolis on the Truckee River until the Central Pacific Railroad was induced to bypass the community for a station at Lake's Crossing (Reno).
E. C. Sessions, the first . . . — — Map (db m93941) HM
Railroad Park was officially dedicated on July 4, 1976, in commemoration of our nation's 200th birthday. It was officially named James C. Lillard Railroad Park, by the City of Sparks City Council on July 12, 1976, in honor of Mayor James C. . . . — — Map (db m67227) HM
Prospecting began in 1860 with additional claims being staked in 1864. The greatest activity took place between 1901 and 1903 and continued until 1921. Subsequently, mining has been sporadic over the years, but again is being done today. Total . . . — — Map (db m167370) HM
Replacement Marker:
Soon after 1900, laborers reworked some 373 miles of the original Central Pacific (now the Southern Pacific) line between Reno and Ogden, Utah. The effort involved shortening of the line in some places. One such . . . — — Map (db m67223) HM
Updated Marker:
Engaged in straightening and realigning the old Central Pacific trackage across Nevada, the Southern Pacific Company moved its shops and headquarters from Wadsworth to this location in 1904. The railroad set aside five . . . — — Map (db m67222) HM
Built in 1905, the Bank of Sparks, the first bank in the City, served residents and railroad workers from the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The Romanesque Revival architecture of the building is rare in Sparks, and includes a wide stone arch around . . . — — Map (db m149932) HM
The Truckee River, seen below, runs from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. The river's first recorded discovery was by Captain John C. Fremont in January, 1844. He camped by its terminus at Pyramid, then followed it to the big bend at Wadsworth. Captain . . . — — Map (db m67268) HM
[Just before fording to the north side of Truckee River]" the road forks the left hand one is the old Truckee Route to Sacramento...The right hand one and the one we traveled is Beckwiths Cutoff [Beckwourth Trail]" - East S. Owen, Aug 22, 1852 — — Map (db m149925) HM
In 1860, the first bridge, known as O’Neils Crossing, was built at this site. In August 1867, the Crystal Peak Toll Bridge and Road Company was formed by J.P. Foulks and M.J. Smith. The toll bridge charged lumber wagons, stage lines and local . . . — — Map (db m66020) HM
The Henness Pass Road was a major immigrant trail from the Truckee Meadows to the California gold fields. In the 1850's it was improved and became a toll road. In 1860 Felix O'Neil built a bridge over the Truckee River, east of this place and near . . . — — Map (db m94297) HM
This site was the last natural crossing of the Truckee River before the Henness Pass Road began its climb over the Sierras. In 1860, Felix O’Neill had the first station on the river, while D.M. Bull operated a stage stop at the foot of Dog Valley . . . — — Map (db m231065) HM
The Inyo Marble Works was erected on this site in 1890 by San Francisco financiers. The rough marble was cut and polished into columns and slabs using cheap water power from the Truckee River. The finished product was shipped by rail to California . . . — — Map (db m167878) HM
You are standing at a crossroads of human history that goes back to the time of the mammoth hunters. This passage over the Sierra Nevada was a key route for Native Americans, mountain men, wagon-train pioneers, miners, stage coaches and travelers . . . — — Map (db m94301) HM
The West’s first train robbery occurred near this site on the night of November 4, 1870. Five men, led by a stage robber–Sunday school superintendent, John Chapman, boarded the Central Pacific Overland Express at Verdi, Nevada. Two took over . . . — — Map (db m66022) HM
These are the first Lincoln Highway bridge rails ever built on the nation's first transcontinental highway. The Abraham Lincoln Highway ran from Times Square, New York, to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, during 1913-1927.
Towns all across the . . . — — Map (db m67269) HM
In 1864, the town of Crystal was laid out by the Crystal Peak Company west of this spot in order to prospect for gold in the rich quartz deposits that gave the peak its name. The miners were disappointed that the quartz deposits of Crystal Peak . . . — — Map (db m94302) HM
In prehistoric and early historic times, the Truckee Valley in the vicinity of Verdi, was occupied by the Washoe Indians. Their camps were on these flats near the river. Many fish blinds were located nearby for their use in this important . . . — — Map (db m66023) HM
"Drove over a hill and came through a most beautiful pine forest to the [Truckee] river and crossed it for the last - 27th time. Camped on the opposite side by a spring." - Joseph Curtis Buffum, Aug 7, 1849 — — Map (db m149990) HM
In 1844 the Townsend-Stephens-Murphy Party became the first wagon train to reach California over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Their rugged route through the Truckee River Canyon was hazardous to the pioneers and their animals, so in 1845 . . . — — Map (db m94298) HM
Modern Verdi came into being with the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad through Nevada in 1867-’69. It became a major mill town and terminal for shipment of ties and construction timbers with a network of logging railways reaching into . . . — — Map (db m66021) HM
Dedicated to those galant (sic) Americans who
Served in the Armed Forces of America
during our time of trial.
Presented by Verdi Nevada Post #10053
Veterans of Foreign Wars
June, 2001
Russell Mattfeldt – Commander
James E. Inman - . . . — — Map (db m66019) WM
This cast iron obelisk was one of only four such monuments set by Allexey Von Schmidt during his survey of the California Nevada boundary in 1872-73. It was intended to mark a point on the 120th meridian, the border line between the two states north . . . — — Map (db m94295) HM
In August 1973, the U.S. Congress designated a cross-country stretch of Interstate as the “Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway,” in tribute to President Eisenhower’s early recognition of the need for a national network of highways to enhance . . . — — Map (db m143684) HM
The Truckee River you can see on the other side of the Interstate highway provided the first drink of life-saving water California-bound emigrants had after
crossing the Forty-Mile Desert. Emigrants and animals staggered to the Truckee,
half dead . . . — — Map (db m143783) HM
"Following up the Truckee, on a sandy road, in four miles an abrupt mountain shut out the valley, compelling us to cross the stream, which we found quite dangerous, because of the swift current and deep water." John Steele, Sep 10, 1850 — — Map (db m149892) HM
From 1868 until 1884, the Central Pacific's Truckee Wadsworth Division was located on this site. In 1882, work was started on a new site across the river, and by 1883, a new round house, shop, etc. were completed there. A fire on April 15, 1884, . . . — — Map (db m67266) HM
"During the early days of statehood Washoe City shone as a bright star in the new firmament.”
Washoe City-Founded 1861-County Seat of Washoe County, Nevada territory. Timber supplier to the Comstock Lode. Home to 10 quartz mills and 281 . . . — — Map (db m131827) HM
