Reno's Oasis: Idlewild Park

Reno's Historic Idlewild Park

 

The California Building in Idlewild Park

  Reno’s Idlewild Park, which sits on the edge of the Truckee River, just west of the downtown, has long been a sanctuary for the city’s residents.

  The park site, in fact, can trace its roots to the late 19th and early 20th century, when it was apparently part of several ranches. In 1907, the land was purchased by the Newlands Company, which developed the Newlands Heights neighborhood.

  In 1923, as Reno city officials were beginning to show interest in civic projects that could improve the lives of residents, the 49-acre site was sold to the city of Reno for a park (for $23,500).

  That same year, the Nevada State Journal conducted a contest to name the park, with the winner receiving a $25 prize. Upon selected winning entry, Idlewild Park, Reno Mayor Edwin E. Roberts told the newspaper that he approved of the name because he had “never seen anybody doing any work out there, and it sure as hell is wild!”

  One of the big attractions in the early days of the park was an old log cabin, moved to the park in 1924, which was alleged to have been writer Mark Twain’s abode in Aurora in the early 1860s.

  Reno historian Patty Cafferata has written that the cabin was moved to Reno from the old mining camp of Aurora after Nevada officials found that California wanted to move it to their state (Aurora is located right on the boundary between the two states).

  According to Cafferata, the cabin was dismantled and moved to the park in two large trucks, then reassembled.

  While the cabin remained a popular attraction for several decades, by 1940, the Work Projects Administration Guide to Nevada described as sad, forlorn and neglected. Cafferata said that, sadly, in 1945, picnickers began removing pieces from the cabin to use for firewood and it quickly disappeared.

  The other, more lasting landmark in Idlewild Park is a large building known as the California Building, which was erected in 1926-27. The structure, which is still in use, was a gift from the state of California for the Transcontinental Highways Exposition of 1927, which celebrated the completion of the Lincoln and Victory Highways across the country (Reno was where the roads converged).

  California dedicated two years and more than $100,000 for the building and related displays and exhibitions.

  The California Building was constructed in the Mission Revival architectural style with stucco walls, a clay tile roof, a bell tower and arched windows. When it opened, it was dedicated to those who died in World War I.

  Following the exhibition, the building was deeded to the local American Legion post, which, in 1938, donated it to the city of Reno.

  In addition to the California Building, Idlewild Park, which remains one of the city’s most popular parks, boasts a large and beautiful rose garden, ball fields, a municipal swimming pool, the Lion Arch Playground, two large ponds and lots of trees. In fact, a self-guided walking tour of the trees is available for download (https://issuu.com/cityofreno/docs/idlewildparktrees-selfguidedwalking).

  In the summer months, the park offers a train ride for children, which was always a popular attraction for my kids when they were young.

  For more information about Idlewild Park, go to: https://www.tmparksfoundation.org/parks/idlewild-park.

Virginia City's Piper's Opera House Still Puts on a Good Show

  Piper’s Opera House is one of Virginia City’s most enduring landmarks. Built in 1885, the opera house is a giant wooden and brick arched structure that symbolizes Virginia City’s heyday as one of the west’s wealthiest and most sophisticated cities.

  The list of performers who appeared at Piper’s read like a “who's who” of 19th and early 20th century entertainment giants, including Nevada-born soprano Emma Nevada, actor Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes Booth, who killed Abraham Lincoln), bandleader John Philip Sousa, magician Harry Houdini and actress Lillie Langtry.

  The site of the opera house, on the corner of B and Union streets, was originally known as the Piper’s Business Block because it was owned by John Piper, a successful local businessman.

  Starting in about 1860, Piper operated a number of businesses on the street including Piper’s Old Corner Bar, on the corner where the opera house is located today.

  In 1867, Piper acquired an establishment known as Maquire’s Opera House, which had opened in 1860 on D Street. Following the disastrous Great Fire of October 1875, which destroyed most of Virginia City, Piper rebuilt his properties, shifting the site of his rebuilt opera house to its current location on B Street.

  The new Piper’s Opera House opened behind Piper’s Old Corner Bar in about 1877. Another fire burned down the opera house in 1883, which Piper rebuilt sans his saloon.

  The opera house managed to survive the downturn in Virginia City’s mining fortunes during the latter part of the 19th century, but, in 1918, a performance by Polish pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski was reported in Virginia City’s Territorial Enterprise newspaper as the hall’s last official concert.

  During the following decade, the building was used for a variety of public events ranging from community dances to boxing matches and community basketball games.

  The opera house was finally shuttered in 1929 and sat empty for many years. In 1945, Edward Louis Zimmer (John Piper’s grandson) reopened the building as a museum, which it remained until 1969, when his daughter, Louise Driggs began gradually restoring it.

  In the 1970s, a new concrete foundation was added as well as improved electrical wiring and fresh canvas on the walls. It served as a theater again for more than a decade.

  In 1997, the opera house was sold to a nonprofit organization, the Piper’s Opera House Program Inc. The group embarked on an ambitious fundraising effort to renovate the old theater, which, in recent years, has been reopened for performances and guided tours.

  Despite the years, the opera house has retained its 19th century Victorian charm and is worthy of a visit.

  Piper’s Opera House is open for tours on select days from April to October. There is a nominal admission charge. Additionally, the Opera House hosts regular community events, performances and lectures. For more information, go to the Opera House web site, https://pipersoperahouse.com/.

Virginia City's Ponderosa Saloon Offers Glimpse of the City's Underground World

Ponderosa Saloon Mine Tour

  At least someone is now making money off Virginia City’s Best and Belcher Mine.

  Originally worked in the late 1860s, the Best and Belcher was a good example of a mine that seemed like a good bet, except it wasn’t.

  When the shaft was sunk, it was situated between the incredibly profitably Gould and Curry Mine and the equally-lucrative Consolidated Virginia Mine—so, naturally, there had to be silver and gold there, right?

  Unfortunately, while its neighbors brought in hundreds of millions in silver ore and were branches of the fabulous Big Bonanza vein, the Best and Belcher produced mostly dirt.

  Over a nearly 40-year period, various owners sunk more than $1.6 million in developing the mine. But despite the investment, the mine proved to be a bust and was finally abandoned in 1917.

  In the 1970s, however, the owners of the Ponderosa Saloon, located in what was the Bank of California offices, discovered that the Best and Belcher shaft ran through the hillside behind their building, which had been constructed in 1864.

  They decided to dig a horizontal tunnel from the rear of the saloon into the old vertical mine shaft and open it up for tours. Since then, thousands of visitors have walked the 315 feet from the saloon into the shaft to catch a glimpse of Comstock history.

  The Ponderosa Mine Tour, in fact, is one of the best ways to get an inside look at the source of Virginia City’s fame and success. You catch the guided tour in a waiting room just beyond the saloon’s wooden bar.

  While waiting for the tour to begin, make certain to check out the wall displays which include a dozen or more vintage firearms, a rock exhibit and historic photos and papers.

  The tour begins with your guide, who is wearing a protective helmet (mostly for dramatic effect), ushering you through metal doors into a timbered map room. Pointing to a large underground map of the area, he or she explains how Virginia City is crisscrossed with old mine shafts and noted that if all were placed end to end they would stretch more than 750 miles.

  From the map room, the tour moves into a dirt tunnel (wear shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy) that leads into the heart of the Best and Belcher shaft. Along the way, you pass an old powder room containing a few old, wooden dynamite boxes (empty!).

  According to the guide, during the 1870s Virginia City’s miners were the highest paid in the world, making $4 a day (the equivalent of about $230 a day today).

  The pay reflected the fact that the work was difficult. Virginia City’s mines were filled with natural pockets of toxic gases as well as hot water and steam. Additionally, the miners faced the possibility of cave-ins and accidents. Not surprisingly, the average lifespan of a miner was 42 years old.

  The guide also explains the various ways silver ore was extracted from the mine. Using various props on hand, he describes the hand-drilling techniques used in the 1870s ,as well as mechanical steam drilling, which was introduced near the turn of the 20th century.

  Near the end of the tunnel, you find out that you are about 52 feet underground and that the temperature year-round is a cool 50 degrees.

  The guide then takes you to a partially caved-in ventilation tunnel—which he says was the original entrance to the shaft—and lights a small candle. He extinguishes the electric lights in order to illustrate what it was like to work in the mine during the 1870s.

  The single candle barely illuminates his face, let alone much of the shaft.

  At this point, he calmly relays that the biggest problem for miners was a sudden breeze coming in from the ventilation shaft and extinguishing the candle—then, of course, he does exactly that with a puff of air.

  After turning on the overhead lights, he notes that sometimes miners brought canaries in small cages down into the mines with them. If the bird suddenly died, it was a sign that the air was thick with methane gas, and the miners would quickly exit in order to avoid a similar fate.

  And, with that, we did the same.

  The 25-minute mine tour is offered daily from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Ponderosa Saloon is located at 106 South C Street in Virginia City. For more information go to: https://travelnevada.com/mines-prospecting/ponderosa-saloon-mine-tour/.

Strolling Through Virginia City's Fascinating Old-Time Saloons

 

  

  “There are in Virginia City about one hundred saloons, all of which have their customers.” –  The Big Bonanza by Dan De Quille

  Nevada has always had an appreciation of barkeeps and their places of business. De Quille’s more famous contemporary, Mark Twain, in fact, wrote in his book, “Roughing It,” that “the saloonkeeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”

  So, it’s not an exaggeration to say that in most mining camps, one of the first businesses to open was often a saloon.

  If Dan De Quille’s estimate regarding the number of saloons in Virginia City in the mid-1870s is remotely accurate—and according to some sources, it might even be a bit conservative—that would mean there was roughly one saloon for every 200 people in the community.

  These days, there aren’t a hundred saloons in Virginia City, but there are several with bloodlines that stretch back to the Comstock’s colorful past. Most of these hardy survivors can be found on C Street, the town’s main artery and business district (also called State Route 341).

  While each serves similar types of refreshments, what makes them unique is their ambience and, in some cases, quirky gimmicks to make you want to visit. These can range from an allegedly deadly card table to a mural made of thousands of silver dollars.

  Among the oldest and most colorful is the Delta Saloon, said to have been in operation since 1876. The Delta, at 18 South C Street, is one of the largest bars in town and can be a bit boisterous with its rows of clanking slot machines. But it has a comfortable honky-tonk atmosphere with wood-paneled walls, Victorian lamps and a nice brass bar.

  A visit to the Delta should also include a visit to the famed Suicide Table, a 19th century faro table (a card game) that allegedly was responsible for the deaths of several men. Apparently, the deceased were unlucky gamblers who lost heavily while playing at the table and committed suicide.

  Across the street from the Delta is the Bucket of Blood Saloon. The Bucket of Blood, which claims to also date back to about 1876, often features live music as well as a great view via its back window of nearby Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Dayton Valley.

  Up the street is the venerable Silver Queen which is notable for its wall-size painting of a woman whose dress is composed of 3,261 silver dollars (with a couple of dozen gold coins for a belt). The Queen also offers slot machines, an upstairs dance hall and a wedding chapel.

  An entirely different experience can be found at the Ponderosa Saloon, located in the former Bank of California building at 106 South C Street. In addition to the usual libations, the Ponderosa has a fun, guided mine tour. A shaft has been dug from the rear of the building that leads to a portion of one of the old Comstock mines.

  More about the tour in next week’s column.

  Another Virginia City establishment with an historic pedigree is the Old Washoe Club. This old-time saloon, said to have been built in 1875, traces its origins to a Virginia City drinking society whose members were millionaires. The club, at 112 South C Street, has an unusual spiral staircase, listed as the world's longest circular stairs without a supporting pole.

  There are, of course, many other Virginia City saloons, each with some type of claim to fame, so feel free to explore them all, if your liver can take it.

  For more information about Virginia City’s classic saloons, go to: https://visitvirginiacitynv.com/virginia-city-saloons/.