A Peek at Nevada's Mighty Mountain Peaks

 

   The late David W. Toll—one of the state’s most gifted wordsmiths—once described the mountains of Central Nevada as being “like sleeping women, sprawling languorously across every horizon.”

   He might well have been writing about any of the more than 300 ranges found in the state.

  Nevada’s many mountains have long fascinated people. Another author, John McPhee, wrote an entire book about them, “Basin and Range.” In it, he noted that “each range here is like a warship standing on its own, and the Great Basin is an ocean of loose sediment with these mountain ranges standing in it as if they were members of a fleet without precedent, assembled at Guam to assault Japan.”

  The mountains of Nevada not only give the state its name—Nevada is Spanish for “snow-covered”—but also help define its character. Nevada is the most mountainous state in the union and is home to at least 42 peaks higher than 11,000 feet.

  The following are a few facts about some of Nevada’s mountains, which, for differing reasons, have interesting stories.

   For example, In Humboldt County, on the edge of the Black Rock Desert, you can find King Lear Peak, which has an elevation of 8,923 feet. King Lear Peak was named after the main character of the Shakespeare play of the same name—although no one is quite sure why.

   The playwright himself also earned his own mountain as you’ll find Shakespeare Point, a 7,093-foot peak, near, not surprisingly, Lake Tahoe’s famous Shakespeare Rock, a cliff face said to resemble the bard.

   A name of a decidedly less literary bent is the bizarrely-named Toe Jam Mountain in Elko County. As to why such a descriptive moniker was bestowed on this particular mountain isn’t known, we do know that it is located in the Tuscarora Range and has an elevation of 7,123-feet.

   It’s also interesting to note that Toe Jam Creek—perhaps someone should bottle water under that label—runs just below the peak.

   Another unusual name for a mountain is Auto Hill, located in the Buckskin Mountains of Humboldt County. Measuring 6,650 feet, Auto Hill’s name reflects the general theme of landmarks in this vicinity, which are generally named after cars and car parts.

   The reason is that the prospector who discovered gold in the area in 1907, Jesse Workman, drove a National automobile. He named his original claim, the National mine, in honor of his trusty vehicle.

   Later, a town by that name cropped up, and Workman began naming other stuff with car-related names including Radiator Hill and mines with names like Fender, Starter, Brake, Headlight, Transmission, High Speed and Low Speed.

   The tallest peak entirely located in Nevada is 13,065-foot Wheeler Peak, which is located in the Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. While another mountain, Boundary Peak in the White Mountains of western Nevada, is higher at 13,143-feet, a portion of it extends into California.

   Wheeler Peak was named after Lt. George Wheeler, who, in 1869, led a U.S. Army mapping expedition to the summit. Am earlier explorer had named the mountain “Jeff Davis Peak,” after then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis but the name fell out of favor after Davis became the leader of Confederacy during the Civil War.

   Some have described Nevada as God’s Country and that’s certainly true of the magnificent Jarbidge Wilderness Area, north of Elko. One of the peaks found in the Jarbidge Range is named God’s Pocket Peak, which measures 10,184 feet—high enough to feel downright celestial.

   Winning the award for most obvious name is Hole in the Mountain, located in Elko County’s East Humboldt Range, southwest of Wells. There, you’ll find not only Hole in the Mountain (the mountain), which is 11,127 feet, but also Hole in the Mountain Peak at 11,306 feet. Locals also refer to it as Lizzie’s Window.

   Occasionally, ordinary folks are honored with their own mountains. Perhaps that’s why in Nevada you can find Bill’s Peak (8,113 feet), Joe’s Peak (5,956 feet), Jim’s Peak (6,090 feet), Kate Peak (6,120 feet), Ed’s Hill (6,645 feet), and Maggie Peak (6,272 feet). I couldn’t find a Rich’s Peak, but hope springs eternal.

   Mountain names also can be quite literal. In Humboldt County, you’ll find Little Peak, which is 6,634 feet, as well as two Big Mountains (one is 8,594 feet and the other is 6,949 feet). Fortunately, both are taller than Little Peak.

   Perhaps the two most descriptive mountain name in the state would have to be Old Man of the Mountain, a peak in Elko County that is 7,068 feet high, and, presumably looks old.

   A close second in the name contest might be the two different peaks in Nevada named, respectively, The Nipple. They’re not located in the same place so the name can’t be plural.

   Still, maybe that’s what David Toll had in mind.

Get Trivial About Clark County and Las Vegas

The Golden Gate in downtown Las Vegas is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the city.

  One constant about Las Vegas is that nothing is constant. Las Vegas is a city that thrives on change. It’s a place where the skyline is different almost every time you visit.

  Of course, all that means is that sometimes it takes a bit of effort to learn about the community’s history, which is pretty fascinating. With that in mind, the following are a handful of trivia questions about Las Vegas that are designed to help make you an expert of all things Vegas.

Q: What does Las Vegas mean?

A: It is a Spanish word meaning “the meadows.” Traders on the Old Spanish Trail, which passed through that part of Southern Nevada, are believed to have given the name to the area because of the presence of natural springs and grass. It first appeared in writing in explorer John C. Frémont’s report of his 1844 expedition through the region.

Q: What was the name of the first post office opened in the Las Vegas area?

A: The first non-Indian settlement in the valley was the Las Vegas Mission (or Mormon Fort), established in 1855 by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On August 1, 1855, a post office was opened, which was named Bringhurst, in honor of William Bringhurst, one of the leaders of the settlement. The post office closed September 22, 1860.

Q: What percentage of Nevada’s population lives in Clark County (Las Vegas and surrounding area)?

A: According to the last census, Clark County accounts for some 74 percent of Nevada’s total population, with 2.292 million residents. By comparison, the state’s smallest county is Esmeralda, which boasts 743 residents.

Q: How many marriage licenses were issued last year in Clark County?

A: Typically, about 77,000 marriage licenses are issued each year in Clark County, with Valentine’s Day being the busiest marrying day.

Q: What Clark County community holds the state record for hottest temperature on record?

A: Laughlin, located about 90 miles south of Las Vegas, is the state’s hottest place. The highest recorded temperature was 125 degrees in Laughlin on June 29, 1994.

Q: Where is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states?

A: The Desert Wildlife Refuge, which stretches about 1.5 million acres in Southern Nevada. The refuge, which is home to more bighorn sheep (about 1,500) than any other place in the world, encompasses the Desert, Las Vegas, Pintwater and Sheep mountain ranges.

Q: About how many people visit Las Vegas each year?

A: Every year, an estimated 41 million visitors descend on Las Vegas to enjoy its attractions.

Q: What is the oldest continuously operating hotel and casino in Las Vegas?

A: The venerable Golden Gate in downtown Las Vegas is the oldest. It opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada.

Q: Who named the Las Vegas Strip and why?

A: That honor goes to Guy McAfee, a former Los Angeles police officer, who headed the city’s vice squad for a time—while also indulging in some vice-full activities like owning an illegal casino. In 1939, he relocated to Las Vegas and acquired the Pair O’ Dice Club on Highway 91 (the main road between Las Vegas and Los Angeles). He is recognized as the first person to designate the casino-lined Highway 91, “the Las Vegas Strip,” after Los Angeles’ famous Sunset Strip. The name obviously stuck.

Q: How large is Clark County in terms of acreage?

A: The county encompasses 8,061 square miles, of which 7,891 square miles is land and 169 square miles is water. It is the sixth largest county in Nevada.

Discovering Asa Fairfield's Pioneer History of Lassen County and Early Nevada

Pioneer Asa Fairfield

  One of the best things about researching and writing regularly about a place like Nevada is learning about a book or a resource you had not seen before (or perhaps knew about but just had never had an opportunity to read or see).

  Such was the case recently, when I was reading comments on a Facebook group about ghost towns and saw the mention of an early Lassen County pioneer named Asa Merrill Fairfield.

  For some reason, I was not familiar with Fairfield and did not know he had written one of the earliest histories of Lassen County, which included a pioneer history of the state of Nevada.

  Bearing the lengthy title, “Fairfield’s Pioneer History of Lassen County, California; Containing everything that can be learned about it from the beginning of the world to the year of Our Lord 1870 . . . Also much of the pioneer history of the state of Nevada . . . the biographies of Governor Isaac N. Roop and Peter Lassen . . . and many stories of Indian warfare never before published,” the work was published in 1916.

  The author, Asa Fairfield, who was born in Massachusetts in 1854, but moved with his family to Illinois in 1855. Two years later, the family again relocated, this time to Iowa, where they lived for four years.

  In 1865, with his father in ill health, Fairfield’s family moved to Honey Lake, California, located about 90 miles northwest of Reno, where his mother had family. Four years later, the family returned to Iowa, where Fairfield completed his schooling and became a teacher.

  In the fall of 1873, the family moved back to Honey Lake, where Fairfield took a position teaching at the Janesville School. He would continue to teach at various schools in the region until 1899.

  In about 1909, Fairfield began work on a pioneer history of Lassen County. Over the next six years, he interviewed the few remaining pioneer settlers in the county to save their stories.

  The result was a 563-page volume, which Fairfield self-published, that traced the development of the Lassen Trail, one of the branches of the Emigrant Trail, as well as the white settlement of the Honey Lake-Susanville area.

  Later chapters dealt with the creation of the Nevada Territory—Honey Lake was once considered part of Nevada—and the politics surrounding its creation, as well as the troubled relationship between settlers and the native people who originally lived in the region.

  In his book, which is arranged chronologically, Fairfield also described Peter Lassen’s death, the development of Susanville, and the 1860 Battle of Pyramid Lake, during which Major William Ormsby of Carson City was killed.

  The Lassen County Historical Society website describes Fairfield as a “very well-known man in Honey Lake Valley. He was well respected, and by all accounts a proper gentleman of his time. Many people named their children in his honor.”

  Fairfield died in Susanville on September 12, 1926 at the age of 72. He is buried in Lassen County’s Janesville Cemetery, in the valley where he spent most of his life.

  Fortunately, Fairfield’s book is in public domain and can be viewed (and downloaded) on several websites, including Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/fairfieldspionee01fair.

  Additionally, reprints of his book are available on Amazon and other online book sites.

Reno Has Close Links to Acclaimed L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as the Lear Theater, is one of a handful of buildings in Reno designed by prominent African-American architect Paul R. Williams.

  Most histories of trailblazing architect Paul Revere Williams focus on the many buildings and homes he designed in the Los Angeles area. It’s not surprising since Williams, who lived most of his life there, designed such iconic properties as the Los Angeles County Courthouse and the spider-like, futuristic Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport.

  Additionally, Williams was in high demand among the Hollywood crowd, designing homes for Frank Sinatra, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Lucille Ball, Barbara Stanwyck, and many others.

  But Williams, who was the first African-American member of the prestigious American Institute of Architects, also designed a handful of buildings in the Reno area (as well as several in Las Vegas).

  His first job in the Biggest Little City was in 1934, when he designed a duplex at 599 California Avenue, known as the Luella Garvey House, after its original owner.

  Garvey, the widow of manufacturing magnate Clayton H. Garvey (a co-founder of U.S. Steel), had come to Reno in 1927 to obtain a divorce from her second husband (Garvey, her first, had died in 1925). She liked the community and decided to build a home there while continuing to live part of the year in Southern California.

  Apparently familiar with Williams’ work, she hired the architect to design a two-story, white Classical Revival-style duplex with French Regency and landscaping. Built at a cost of more than $40,000, the house was the most expensive home ever built in Reno up to that time.

  Following her death in 1942, the home was purchased by Reno gaming boss Nathan “Nick” Abelman and his wife. Abelman had gotten his start running casinos in Goldfield and Tonopah in the early 20th century, before relocating to Reno to operate several gambling establishments.

  The Abelmans owned the home until 1978 (Nick died in 1951 and his widow, June, continued to live in it until her death in 1978), when it was sold and converted into a single home.

  In addition to the Garvey House, Williams was called upon to design the Rafael Herman home, a Classical Revival-style house that is now part of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.

  Constructed in 1936, the structure was commissioned by Raphael Herman, his brother Norman Herman, and Norman’s wife, Mariana. The wealthy Herman family had acquired the 300-acre cattle ranch in early 1936 in order to establish Nevada residency, and take advantage of the state’s favorable tax laws.

  The house boasts 18 rooms, to accommodate the Hermans and their full staff when visiting, although it doesn’t look that large from the outside. Today it services as meeting rooms for the park.

  A year later, Williams was hired to design 15 prefabricated steel housing units, known as the El Reno Apartments. The cluster was originally located at 1307 South Virginia Street to serve as short-term housing for those coming to Nevada to obtain a six-week divorce.

  About a decade later, Roland “Joe” Giroux, who owned the complex, decided to sell off the individual units, which were relocated to other neighborhoods in the city. One of the best preserved is at 711 Mount Rose Street.

  Perhaps the most ambitious Williams project in the Biggest Little City was the First Church of Christ, Scientist at 501 Riverside Drive, now known as the Lear Theater.

  Completed in 1939, the structure, which cost $140,000, was built in a Neoclassical Revival style with large columns and a double-curved portico. It was large enough to accommodate 600 people.

  The church remained in use until 1998, when the congregation relocated to a newer facility. That same year, local philanthropist Moya Lear purchased the building and donated it to a nonprofit group, the Reno-Sparks Theater Coalition, to preserve and use as a performing arts theater.

  The coalition, however, was unable to raise sufficient funds to renovate the former church and, in 2011, it was deeded to Artown, a nonprofit group that sponsors a month-long arts and events celebration in July. In 2021, the city of Reno purchased the site and adjacent parking lot and is still determining what to do with the historic building.

  Interestingly, many historic surveys credit Williams with designing a fifth project in Reno, the Loomis Manor Apartments on Riverside Avenue, but there is some disagreement about whether he was the architect on that development.

  Born in Los Angeles in 1894, Williams studied at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design and the University of Southern California before embarking on a successful career as an architect.

  During the course of his long career, Williams designed more than 2,500 buildings. He retired in 1973 and died in Los Angeles in 1980. In 2020, he was the subject of a PBS documentary, “Hollywood’s Architect,” which can be viewed at: https://www.pbs.org/video/hollywoods-architect-3prwsa/.

  A good comprehensive guide to Williams’ Reno work can be found on historian Alicia Barber’s excellent website: https://renohistorical.org/tours/show/16.