Elko's Sherman Station: Clever Historic Adaptive Reuse

When you visit Elko’s Chamber of Commerce, you can’t help but think that a stagecoach just might pull up at any moment. That’s because the chamber is housed in a 100-plus-year-old former stagecoach stop known as Sherman Station.

Completing the image is the fact the two-story structure, which sits in a shaded park near the center of Elko, is made of two-foot-thick bristlecone pine logs.

In 1997, the station and four other wooden structures were relocated to Elko from a Huntington Valley ranch about 60 miles south. The five buildings, which were restored to their original condition, are part of a visitor center and historic complex now open to the public.

Inside the main station building, visitors can view a re-creation of an early 1900s parlor, which contains original artifacts and antiques that belonged to the Walther family, the station’s original owners.

Additionally, the 4,800 square-foot log ranch house has a meeting room and events center as well as a gift shop and chamber offices.

Adjacent to the house is the restored log stable, which once housed stagecoach teams, and is now leased to a company offering horse-drawn carriage rides of Elko.

Other historic wooden buildings on the premises include the Blacksmith Shop (now a specialty shop selling leather goods and other crafts), the Creamery (now a cowboy wear shop), and the Schoolhouse (now a museum).

Sherman Station traces its beginnings to the early 20th century, when rancher Valentine Walther erected the log house on his property on Sherman Creek in Huntington Valley.

Walther and his wife, Sophie, had homesteaded 600 acres in about 1875. According to the Elko Chamber’s information, the Walthers lived in two covered wagons during their first few years in the valley before building a small log cabin.

Somehow the two managed to raise 12 children in the cabin (eight girls and four boys). In 1895, Sophie was killed in a carriage accident.

Shortly after her death, Valentine Walther and a friend, Nick Scott, began construction of the two-story log house. Apparently, it took three years to cut and haul the dense bristlecone pine logs from the Ruby Mountains, another three years to trim and shape them and a year to assemble the logs into a house.

Finished in 1903, the ranch house also served as a post office (called Sherman) as well as a stagecoach stop (on the line heading south to the mining town of Hamilton) and community center.
At the time of its construction, it was considered the largest log house in the state.

For many years, Walther operated what was considered one of the best orchards in the state, raising cherries, plums, apricots and apples. Several of his original trees still stand on the former site of the station.

The Walthers owned the ranch and log buildings until about the 1920s—family members still live in the Elko area. Several later owners lived in the big house until the 1970s, when it ceased to be used.

In 1995, Peter and Kathy Scheidemann donated the historic structures to the Elko Chamber, which was able to obtain grants to pay for moving them to Elko. The restored buildings opened in 1999.

Sherman Station is located on the corner of 14th and Idaho streets in Elko. It is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.elkonevada.com.

Check Out Kershaw-Ryan in Eastern Nevada

It’s probably a good thing that Kershaw-Ryan State Park is located in remote Lincoln County because that allows it to remain one of the unspoiled gems in the state park system.

Kershaw-Ryan is small—only 264 acres—so it could easily be overwhelmed by too much attention. Additionally, as several friends have told me, part of what they find attractive is the fact that you can go there and feel like you’ve discovered something not everyone else knows about.

Despite the fact that Kershaw-Ryan is little known, especially in Western Nevada, it is one of the oldest state parks. The park encompasses Kershaw Canyon, which was named for Samuel and Hannah Kershaw, who homesteaded the area in the 1870s.

The Kershaws took advantage of the presence of natural springs in the canyon to plant a variety of fruits and other crops—a few of their century-old apple trees can still be found in the canyon.

From 1892 to 1904, a post office and a small settlement were located near the canyon. In 1904, the Kershaws sold their holdings to James Ryan of Caliente.

In 1926, the Ryan family donated about 40 acres of the canyon, which was then known as Kershaw Gardens, to Nevada for use as a state park. In June of that year, Kershaw-Ryan was opened to the public.

The park was enlarged by exchange of lands between the state of Nevada and the federal government. Additionally, in the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed picnic sites and a small pond at the park.

When the state formally created the Nevada State Park system in 1935, Kershaw-Ryan joined Valley of Fire, Cathedral Gorge and Beaver Dam as the state’s first official state parks. During the next few years, a campground, covered group use area, water system, restrooms and trails were developed at Kershaw-Ryan.

In 1938, a state parks booklet described the park as “a beautiful, natural recreational area with unusual scenic cliffs which have eroded through time by rain and wind.”

The steep cliffs of Kershaw Canyon, in fact, are impressive—layers of colored stone that are similar to the namesake walls of nearby Rainbow Canyon.

Both Kershaw and Rainbow canyons were created by water that carved deep crevices in the bedrock. Until about 10,000 years ago, large lakes covered the nearby Meadow Valley Wash area. Uplifting and changes in the climate eventually drained the lakes, leaving behind the colorful canyons.

According to the park’s web site, Kershaw-Ryan is home to four different plant communities including riparian species like willows, dogwood, and cottonwoods, which grow on the cool, damp canyon floor, as well as desert shrub plants, like sagebrush and rabbitbrush, which grow just outside the canyon.

A substantial number of animals, reptiles and migrating birds are attracted to the canyon because of the presence of water and vegetation, so it’s not unusual to spot deer, mountain lions, and coyotes.

Over the years, Kershaw-Ryan has been the site of several flash floods, including major flooding in 1984 that destroyed nearly all of the park’s developed facilities. As a result of the flood damage, the park was not able to reopen until 1997, when a new picnic area, restrooms, and trails were built.

There are three developed, fairly easy hiking trails in the park including the one-mile-long Canyon Overlook Trail (which offers the best views of the cliffs), Horsespring Trail (a half-mile route) and Rattlesnake Canyon Trail, which is about a half mile.

Kershaw-Ryan State Park is located three miles south of Caliente via U.S. 93 and State Route 317. The park is open year-round, although it can be cold (elevations at the park range from 4,312 feet to 5,080 feet) in the winter months.

The park has day use picnic sites as well as two group use areas. It also has a 15-unit campground with restrooms, coin-operated showers and an RV dump station.

For more information, go to http://parks.nv.gov/kr.htm.

Cool Story About the New Book on Carson City

The McDonough Voice in Macomb, IL, where I live, had a nice story about my latest Nevada book. Check it out at http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/newsnow/x481350268/Moreno-pens-Nevada-travel-book.

Success Loop Road Near Ely is Satisfying Drive

When it comes to scenic drives, few roads in the Silver State can compare to Success Loop Road, a little-known route near Ely that passes through the Schell Creek Range in Eastern Nevada.

The 65-mile drive is best accessed via Cave Lake State Park, which is located about 15 miles southeast of Ely via U.S. 93. After heading south of Ely for about eight miles, turn right on a marked, paved road (this is Success Loop Road) and continue for another seven miles to the park.

After turning onto Success Loop, you notice that it gradually begins to rise above the surrounding sagebrush carpeted landscape. Ahead are expressive limestone formations that stand like elegant sentinels at the entrance to the lake.

Continue through a narrow canyon that leads to the lake, which is actually a 32-acre reservoir. The dark emerald lake is situated in a scenic niche in the mountains, surrounded by forests of pinon and juniper.

Above the lake is a small yawning cave—the lake’s namesake—and ridges of rough, crumbling granite peaks weathered by countless centuries of icy winters and hot summers.

The recreation area offers a variety of activities with two developed campgrounds (Elk Flat Campground and Lake View Campground) offering showers, restrooms, a dump station, picnic areas and a dock for small fishing boats.

The lake is extremely popular for fishing and regularly stocked with brown and rainbow trout—the state record brown trout was caught in the lake several years ago.

A five-mile hiking trail begins near the entrance to the recreation area and affords a pleasant opportunity to wander through the trees, enjoying the beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings.

For those wanting a more backcountry experience, Success Loop Road continues above the lake and heads deeper into the mountain range. The road in not paved past the campground area but it is a seasonally maintained gravel road that is accessible by most high clearance vehicles. The route is best to travel in the summer and fall months.

Back in here, you will also find a number of undeveloped but usable campsites along several small creeks. The sites are part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest so there is an overnight fee.

Continuing on the drive, you climb through forests of fir and pine trees as well as groves of white-barked quaking aspen. Above, you can see the marvelous carved, bowl-shaped cirques carved into the Schell Range.

In the spring and summer the surrounding mountains become filled with colorful wildflowers (mostly lupine and mule-ears) and, occasionally, your vehicle will disturb what appear to be clouds of butterflies that take flight as you pass by. The area is also home to herds of deer and elk, so keep your eyes open during the drive.

Success Loop continues for about another 30 miles, with the best part being the first 15 miles or so. If you follow it all the way, the road winds through the mountains and across a few hidden valleys before dropping back to U.S. Highway 93 a few miles north of the tiny community of McGill or about 17 miles north of Ely.

For more information about Cave Lake and Success Loop Road contact the Nevada Division of State Parks, P.O. Box 761, Ely, NV 89301, 775-867-3001 or go to www.parks.nv.gov/cl.htm.

New Books Tells Carson City's Story

While hundreds of books about Nevada history have been published over the years, only a few have focused on Carson City. Recently, I completed “A Short History of Carson City,” which was my attempt to add something new to the capital city’s story.

Published by the University of Nevada Press, the book traces the history of Carson City from its beginning as a trading post in the Eagle Valley in 1851 to the present. Along the way, readers learn about some of the larger-than-life characters associated with the community, such as Abraham Curry, the man generally credited with founding Carson City, and writer Mark Twain, who spent a few years in the capital.

The book outlines the development of the community as it evolved from a dusty outpost on the edge of the Eastern Sierra range into one of the state’s most important cities and host of the state capital.

While the Washoe people had long lived in the region, the first white settlers arrived in about 1851. A group set up a trading post in the area north of Carson Valley, which they named Eagle Valley, and began catering to travelers heading to California. Within a short time, others settled in the valley, including Dr. Benjamin L. King and Jacob Rose.

But Carson City didn’t really become Carson City until the spring of 1858 when Abraham Curry, John J. Musser, Francis M. Proctor and, a little later, Benjamin F. Green, decided to purchase approximately 865 acres in the valley, which they planned to develop into a community.

Years later, Proctor acknowledged that he had come up with the name, Carson City. He said it was named after the Carson River, which flows through the south end of the valley. The river, in turn, had been named in honor of the famed scout Christopher “Kit” Carson, who led some of the earliest expeditions into the land that would become Nevada.

The group hired a surveyor to layout lots and streets, and once they had their blueprint for a town, began selling lots. Curry set aside a four-acre chunk of land in the center of the planned community for a public square or, he hoped, as the site for territorial government buildings. It would turn out to be a prescient decision.

Within a short time, a business district began to form in the center of the settlement around Curry’s public square. To the east of the budding community were sandstone deposits, which provided building material for many of the community’s buildings.
In 1861, Curry, who became the most prominent of Carson City’s founders, built a two-story stone hotel near the quarry, which he named the Warm Spring Hotel because of the presence of natural hot springs in the area.

An energetic promoter, Curry also lobbied hard for Carson City to become the capital of the newly organized Nevada Territory. To sweeten the pot, he allowed his hotel to host meetings of the territorial legislature at no cost. In response, one of the first acts of the legislators was to designate Carson City as the territorial capital.

Later, when Nevada statehood was granted in 1864, it was only natural and logical that the state capital also be located in Carson City. Curry donated the four-acre plot of land in the center of the community to the new state for a future capital building.

The book also traces the development of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, which was headquartered in Carson City, as well as the development of the community’s most significant landmarks ranging from the State Capitol building to the many historic homes on the city’s west side.

The middle chapters describe the region’s ups and downs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the state’s mining industry slumped, as well as the community’s slow but steady march from a sleepy hamlet that prided itself on being America’s smallest capital city (in the 1920s and 30s) to modern, medium-sized American city.

Later chapters cover more recent developments such as the growth of new commercial enterprises on the city’s south end, the rebirth of the V & T Railroad and the development of the Carson City Bypass.

“A Short History of Carson City,” retails for $21.95 and is published by the University of Nevada Press. It is available from local bookstores as well as from the UN Press at www.unpress.nevada.edu.

Where to Find Out about Lyon County's Rich History

The Lyon County Museum might best be described as the region’s attic. Where else could a visitor find a portrait made of human hair or a seven-million-year-old mastodon tusk or a couple of intact early 20th century schoolhouses?

Located in the peaceful town of Yerington, the Lyon County Museum is also one of rural Nevada’s most comprehensive regional museums.

The main portion of the museum is housed inside the former Mason Community Church, a Baptist house of worship that was built in 1911 and used as a church until 1930. It was later relocated from the Mason Valley to Yerington and has served as the museum’s quarters since 1978.

Once inside the museum, the first impression is that nearly every space is filled with something. Display cases line the floor of the building and nearly every wall contains some type of exhibit.

The museum is devoted to telling the story of Lyon County and does a good job of fulfilling that task. For instance, mining was long a mainstay of the regional economy and the museum has an Anaconda Room containing displays describing the substantial copper mining that happened in the county.

In addition to historic mining photos (the copper mine at nearby Weed Heights was active from 1932 to 1978), there are rock samples showing native copper, malachite, and other minerals from local mines.

Another wall display shows handmade quilts, some from the late 1800s, when the region was first settled. The museum also tells about the area’s Native Americans and exhibits a handful of ornate baskets, cradleboards and arrowheads.

Wandering through the room, you can spot displays devoted to the history of gambling in the area (there is a wooden roulette wheel and a Mills nickel slot machine) as well as vintage toys and firearms.

There are also reconstructions of a 19th century sitting room with an 1860s organ and a 19th century Grand Piano (and Eilley Orrum Bowers’ original rocker, which once was in the Bowers Mansion) as well as a re-creation of an early 20th century kitchen.

You can also find “Mac’s Barber Shop,” a re-creation of a 20th century men’s barber shop, the telephone switchboard once used in the nearby Smith and Mason valleys and a railroading exhibit with historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad and Nevada Copper Belt Railroad artifacts.

If you look on one of the walls, you’ll see the museum’s most unique item——a picture of flowers that was handmade of human hair. Scottish-born Margaret Nichol, a Smith Valley pioneer, created the hirsute heirloom in 1860.

Outside of the main building are a half-dozen other historic structures from around the county that have been relocated and now serve as additional display space.

For instance, the former East Walker School, a classic one-room school has been moved to the museum grounds and set up as it once was with desks, wall-size chalkboard, wood stove and books. In this building, visitors are invited to ring the old school bell.

Another building on the grounds in the former Thompson school, originally located in the mining town of Thompson. Inside, visitors can find vintage medical equipment and newspaper machinery.

Adjacent is the former Gallager School Building, constructed in 1880, which was used as a school until 1941. Inside, exhibits describe the region’s natural history and include displays of antelope, chukar, muskrats and other local species.

The museum’s oldest artifact can also be found here—a 7.5 million-year-old mastodon tusk discovered in the Smith Valley.

Next to that is the Country Store, once a residence in Yerington, which has been set up to resemble a turn-of-the-century general store, complete with old time scales, counters, cash register, tins, and other period products.

One of the most popular exhibits for children at the museum is the model railroad display, built by the Yerington Model Railroad Club. And for those wanting to see the real thing, the museum houses the restored Engine #6 from the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad, which once ran in the area.

The Lyon County Museum is located at 215 South Main Street in Yerington. It’s open Thursday through Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is by donation. For more information, call 775-463-6576 or go to www.yerington.net.

New Review of a Classic Book

The www.examiner.com/reno web site recently ran the following review of a photo book that I co-authored several years ago with photographer Larry Prosor. The book, "Endless Nevada," was a blast to work on. Larry, who lived at Lake Tahoe for many years (he now resides in New Zealand) provided amazing photos while I contributed seven or eight essays about various aspects of the Silver State. It's still available from the publisher, Stephens Press, on amazon.com and in Nevada bookstores.

Nevada photography books - Endless Nevada, A Photo Essay

* By Stan White
* January 27, 2011

Endless Nevada, A Photo Essay, is more than the sum of its parts. With outstanding photographs by Larry Prosor and narrative by Richard Moreno, you'll find this to be an engaging trip through corners of Nevada most people don't see. Included in the journey is a history of the places pictured, giving the reader context with which to enjoy the scenes. I find this type of format in a picture book particularly interesting. Larry Prosor is a self-taught photographer who has learned the craft through many years of field experience. Richard Moreno is the former publisher of Nevada Magazine.