How Well Do You Know Your Nevada Railroad History?

Virginia & Truckee Railroad Today

  Railroads played an essential role in the development of the Silver State. In fact, if not for the development of the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1860s, Nevada might not even exist today.

  The following are a few trivia questions related to Nevada’s railroads that are designed to test your knowledge of the state’s rich rail-related history.

  Q: When did the first railroad locomotive enter Nevada?

  A: On December 13, 1867, the first locomotive, from the Central Pacific Railroad, edged across the state line near present-day Verdi. Construction of the line, which started in Sacramento, California, had begun on January 8, 1863, and took five years due to difficulties in building over (and through) the Sierra Nevada range.

  Q: What rail official was responsible for naming Reno?

  A: Reno was named by Judge Edwin B. Crocker, attorney for the Central Pacific Railroad (and brother of Charles Crocker, superintendent of the railroad) in honor of General Jesse L. Reno, a Union officer killed in the battle of South Mountain, Maryland in 1862.  

  Q: What potential rival to the Central Pacific Railroad conducted a survey in 1862 for a rail line from Sacramento to Virginia City, via Placerville and Lake Tahoe?

  A: The San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, incorporated in 1864, planned to build along a route roughly parallel to today's Highway 50.  The line would have connected with the Placerville & Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento Valley railroads.  The company envisioned eventually extending the line from Virginia City to Austin but never got off the ground.

  Q: What Nevada railroad advertised itself as “Queen of the Short Lines?”

  A: The famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad, which ran from Virginia City to Carson City to Reno (during its peak period), and included a branch line to Minden.

  Q: What railroad name was apparently so popular it was used twice in two different parts of the state?

  A: The name was the Nevada Central Railroad, which applied first to a shortline between Pioche and Bullionville that ran from 1872 to about 1883, then to a later, more successful line between Battle Mountain and Austin that operated from 1880 to 1938.

  Q: What Northern Nevada town was created in 1902 after the Southern Pacific Railroad (formerly the Central Pacific) moved its shops and facilities there from Wadsworth?

  A: The new company town was originally called "East Reno," then "New Reno," then, in 1903, "Harriman," after the President of the railroad.  In 1905, it was officially incorporated as "Sparks," after then Governor John Sparks.

  Q: What did Carson & Colorado Railroad owner Darius O. Mills once say about his railroad during an inspection tour of the line in 1883?

  A: Mills arrived in Hawley, California in the Owens Valley, which at the time was the end of the 293-mile line that was supposed to continue to Mojave in Southern California. He scanned the sandy, dry desert along the eastern side of the valley—not near the more fertile agricultural region on the west side—and said the railroad had been built either 300 miles too long or 300 years too soon. The line did not extend beyond Hawley (later called Keeler) until after it was later sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad and its name was changed to the Nevada & California Railroad. The line survived until 1959.

Wander Eureka's Back Streets to Discover Additional Fascinating History — Part 2

Eureka Sentinel Museum (Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/Sydney Martinez)

  Not all the history in the former mining town of Eureka is found on its Main Street. Go a block or two from the main drag and you’ll find plenty of other places that provide glimpses of the community’s rich past.

  Along the town’s side streets visitors will find aging brick, stone and wooden buildings from the last century beside newer homes and structures that speak of more recent developments.

  For instance, at the south end of town the Tannehill Log Cabin, located on Highway 50, which is believed to be Eureka’s oldest building. The crude log structure was constructed in either 1864 or 1865 and was reportedly the first house built in the town. Later, it was used as the town’s first commercial store.

  If you head west, back into town, you’ll spot a small gas station and general store in a two-story brick building. This structure was built in 1882 as the Ottawa Hotel and was later converted to a general store. In the 1920s, it became one of the state’s earliest gas stations.

  On the corner on Edwards and Galena streets, on the hillside above the south end of Eureka, is the Zadow and Morrison residence, built in 1886. This elegant Victorian was originally owned by James Wilson, and then was purchased by William Zadow, who operated a local butcher shop and a hotel.

  Heading north on O'Neil Street, you encounter St. Brendan's Catholic Church, built in 1874. This sturdy stone structure was constructed with volcanic tuff taken from a quarry on the west side of town. It is still used.

  Nearby is the Presbyterian Church, now called the Eureka Bible Church. Built in 1873 by a Presbyterian congregation, the church has actually been used over the years by several different denominations.

  Down the hill from the Presbyterian Church is the Eureka Sentinel Museum. This two-story building, which has three distinctive arched front doorways, was built in 1879. Constructed of bricks made locally, the Eureka Sentinel building was home of the town newspaper, which was printed there until 1960.

  In the early 1980s, the building was restored and opened as a museum. Today, you can find an interesting collection of historic artifacts ranging from mining equipment to photos of the various floods and fires that hit the town.

  Additionally, it contains a 1872 printing press and a wall covered with historic handbills and posters printed at the shop.

  Nearby is the Colonnade Hotel, a whitewashed brick structure built in 1880. It began operating under its present name in 1886 and was closed from 1890 to the 1940s, when it was renovated and reopened. In recent years, new owners have lovingly restored the old hotel and once again offer rooms for rent.

  Farther up the street from the Colonnade is the former home of Governor Reinhold Sadler (1896-1902). Sadler built this two-story brick house in 1879 and it remains a private residence.

  A few houses away is the former Eureka County High School, built in 1924. It housed all grades until 1969, when a new high school was built above the town.

  On the other (east) side of Main Street, you can find a handful of other historic sites, such as the St. James Episcopal Church on Spring Street. Built in 1872 of volcanic tuff, this was Eureka's first stone church. It was used until 1907 and has been reopened in recent years.

  A few doors away is the former Methodist Church, now a private residence. This stone structure was erected in 1881 and used until the 1920s. By the early 1980s, it had deteriorated to four walls with no ceiling. In the 1980s, it was rebuilt as a home and workshop.

  If you wander north on Spring and Paul streets, you pass a number of picturesque, abandoned buildings, including the brick ruins of the Skillman House, built in 1870 by Archibald Skillman, who was the founder and publisher of the Eureka Sentinel newspaper.

  To the west are the photogenic remains of a stone warehouse, probably built in the 1880s. The walls and arches, made of beige volcanic tuff taken from a quarry on the nearby hillside, indicate a high degree of workmanship.

  In addition to its dozens of historic buildings, Eureka also has five large cemeteries located on the western edge of the town. This area, called Graveyard Flat and Death Valley in the 1880s, includes the city, county, Odd Fellows, Masonic and Catholic cemeteries. Chinese and Jewish cemeteries were also once here, but have mostly disappeared due to vandalism.

  For more information about Eureka, check out the Visit Eureka website at: https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/. A useful walking tour map can be found at: https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/walking-tour-map.

Great Stories Found Wherever You Walk in Historic Eureka — Part 1

 

Downtown Eureka, Nevada (Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/ Sidney Martinez)

  History lives in every building in the historic Central Nevada mining town of Eureka.

  In fact, with the possible exception of Virginia City, no other Silver State community has managed to keep its historical character as intact as Eureka.

  Founded in 1869, Eureka quickly grew into a city of canvas tents, log cabins and wooden shanties. The haphazard boomtown construction made the town vulnerable to fire, the first of which occurred in 1872.

  Four years later, seven major downtown buildings were destroyed by fire, despite the best efforts of a new steam pumper. That was followed by the town's worst fire, in April 1879, which burned nearly half the community and caused more than $1 million in damages. An 1880 blaze torched 300 homes and businesses.

  Fire wasn't the only danger. Flash floods ripped through the town in 1874, 1876 and 1878. Fifteen residents lost their lives in the flooding of 1874.

  Because of the dual threats of fires and floods of the early years, Eureka's residents rebuilt many of their structures, particularly in the downtown out of brick, with fireproof iron shutters and doors.

  The sturdy construction helped lessen the fire danger and has allowed the town to stave the usual ravages of time. Today, Eureka is one of the finest examples of a 19th century mining town found in Nevada.

  Eureka's main street is lined with well-preserved brick and wooden commercial buildings, most of which are still used. Two of the most prominent are the Eureka County Courthouse and the Eureka Opera House and Theatre.

  The two-story brick courthouse, completed in 1880 and restored a few years ago, is one of the state's most classic frontier halls of justice topped with an elaborate white cornice. Like many of Eureka's buildings, the courthouse has iron shutters on doors and windows.

  The Opera House, restored a few years ago and reopened as a convention center, was originally built in 1880. The two-story red brick building was constructed with two-foot thick masonry walls, a brick and iron front, and a slate roof, to make it completely fireproof.

  Adjacent to Opera House is the Jackson House, an impressive two-story brick structure. Built in 1877, it was originally called the Jackson Hotel, then the Brown Hotel, and later the Jackson House. It was restored in the early 1980s and, when open, has served as a restaurant in recent years.

  On the other side of the Opera House is the modern-looking post office, actually housed in an historic brick building. It was originally home of the Eureka Meat and Groceries, which was built in 1880. The interior still has a press tin ceiling with floral and bird designs.

  Down the block, on the corner of Main and Gold streets, is the former San Francisco Brewery, erected in 1880. Later it served as a saloon and soda pop bottling plant, then as the post office and as offices.

  South of the Jackson House, you come to the main part of downtown. On the corner of Bateman and Buel streets is a two-story brick building, now a private residence, which was once the Ryland Building. Built in 1880, it originally contained offices and bedrooms, and later a restaurant.

  West is the partial facade of the Foley-Rickard-Johnson-Remington Building (now vacant), once a magnificent two-story brick building. Built in 1880, the structure was a hardware store with the Odd Fellow's Hall on the second floor. The upper level was demolished in 1983, following an earthquake.

  Nearby Raine's Market, also on Main Street, includes two historic brick structures, both built in 1879-80. The northern portion was originally a saloon, while the other part served as a clothing store. Inside, you can find the original hardwood floors.

  At the end of the block is the local bank, located within a stone building built in 1879 (although it's been modified and covered with stucco). The structure was originally a saloon, then converted to the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1924. Later it became part of the First National Bank of Nevada.

  Across the street from the bank is the brick Masonic Building, built in 1880. It has served as a dry goods store, jewelry store, barbershop, bathhouse, tailor shop, tinsmith shop and post office. Just after the turn-of-the-century, the Masons began holding meetings in the basement.

  Al's Hardware, a half block up the street, is another Eureka institution. A portion of the stone building was built in 1873, then rebuilt following the fires in 1879 and 1880. In the 1880s, it served as a boarding house and saloon, then as the Eureka Cash Store. In 1946, Albert Biale opened the hardware store, which his family continues to operate.

  On the opposite side of the street you can find additional historic buildings such as the Tognini and Company building, which dates back to 1877; the Eureka Cafe (1873), and Jim and Lorraine's Cafe and Bar (1873).

  An excellent resource for exploring Eureka is the Walking Tour Map found at https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/walking-tour-map.

  Next week, we’ll wander some of Eureka’s side streets looking for more history.

More Than Meets the Eye in Wendover

  On the surface, the town of Wendover doesn’t appear to be a place with much history. But look a little closer and you’ll find plenty of interesting stories.

  Wendover, located on the Nevada-Utah state boundary, can trace its roots to Jedediah Smith, the first non-Native American to visit Nevada. In 1827, Smith is believed to have crossed the nearby Bonneville Salt Flats while returning from an expedition to the future state of California.

  In pre-historic times, the area around Wendover was actually beneath Lake Bonneville, a large inland sea that covered western Utah and Eastern Nevada, according to historian Ronald R. Bateman, who wrote an excellent area history entitled, “Wendover: Winds of Change.”

  In 1833, fur trapper Zenas Leonard journeyed through the area and wrote that he had seen a tall mountain (10,715-feet) covered with snow (now known as Pilot Peak Mountain), which he said stood out because it appeared to be unconnected to any other mountain range.

  Later, many emigrant wagon parties camped in the area during their journey to Oregon and California. Pilot Peak, which has natural springs at its base, served as a guide for those traveling across the barren salt flats.

  The community of Wendover found its footing much later, in the early 20th century, when the Western Pacific Railroad established the town, complete with a roundhouse, depot, water tower and other services in 1907. The first train to reach Wendover arrived two years later.

  For several decades, Wendover was a sleepy hamlet that mostly catered to rail traffic and, starting in the 1920s, to automobile travelers on the Lincoln and Victory highways, which passed through the community.

  In 1914, a man named Teddy Tezlaff drove a Blitzen Benz automobile as fast as he could on the nearby Bonneville Salt Flats, becoming the first person to attempt to establish a land-speed record (his unofficial time was 141.73 miles per hour) on the flats.

  The town’s first travel-related business was established in 1926, when Bill Smith and Herman Eckstein opened the Cobblestone Service Station and put a light bulb on a pole in front that was never turned off. They called it “the light in the desert.”

  In 1932, Smith and Eckstein added a roulette table, becoming the first gaming establishment in Wendover.

  According to Ronald Bateman, the Second World War was a very significant event in the town’s history because in 1940-41, the Wendover Bombing and Gunnery range was opened and over the next few years it grew substantially larger as additional companies of troops were sent to the region for training.

  In 1944, Wendover was selected to be the training ground for the 509th Composite Group, a top-secret contingent of troops that prepared for an atomic bomb mission to Japan. On August 6, 1945, the group’s commander, Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. piloted the Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, which effectively ended the war.

  An impressive stone and bronze monument has been erected adjacent to the Wendover Visitors Center to commemorate the men who worked on this project and as a monument to peace.

  Additionally, the hills around Wendover have been painted with graffiti, much of which was painted during World War II by airmen and soldiers. In some cases, you can still read the numerical insignias of the various troop companies.

  In recent decades, Wendover has become a destination for thrill-seekers and tourists. The Bonneville Salt Flats, located a few miles from Wendover, has hosted a number of land speed record attempts over the years.

  Additionally, several large resort-casinos were constructed in West Wendover (the Nevada side of the settlement) in the 1980s, which helped transform the town from sleepy last-stop-before-you-leave-Nevada into a popular gaming destination for travelers on Interstate 80.

  One of Wendover’s most recognizable landmarks is Wendover Will, a 64-foot-tall, neon cowboy sign erected adjacent to the Stateline Casino in 1952. In 2005, the big buckaroo was renovated and moved to a new location near the Wendover Visitors Center to serve as the community’s official goodwill ambassador.

  In addition to the hotels, Wendover still has a handful of landmarks that recall its time as an important airbase during World War II. Southeast of the main section of the town is the Wendover airbase. You can still find some of the old hangers that housed the airplanes of the 509th Composite Group during the war.

  Some of the buildings have appeared in several motion pictures including the 1996 science fiction thriller “Independence Day."

  For more information about Wendover, contact the West Wendover Tourism and Convention Bureau, https://www.westwendovercity.com/services/tourism-convention-bureau.

Take a Stroll Through the Las Vegas High School Historic District

 

   While it’s true that Las Vegas doesn’t always show an appreciation for its history, there is a cool walking tour brochure, downloadable online, that spotlights one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.

   The area, known as the Las Vegas High School Historic District, includes the community’s oldest standing high school, Las Vegas High School, as well as several dozen historic homes built between 1928 and the start of World War II in the neighborhood around the school.

   The district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990, is roughly bounded by Sixth Street, Clark Avenue, Ninth Street and Gass Avenue.

   Of course, the heart of the district are the Las Vegas High School and Gymnasium, a pair of Art Deco gems built in 1930-31 and designed by noted Reno architects George A. Ferris & Son.

   Ferris and his son, Lehman Ferris, utilized a blend of Art Deco and southwestern motifs in the buildings’ ornamentation. This style has been described as “Aztec Moderne.”

   Interestingly, the two structures at 315 South 7th, were originally thought by many locals to be too large and too far out of town. But two years after its construction the school was filled to capacity because of the influx of children of the workers building Hoover Dam.

   While no longer used as a regular high school, the building are now part of the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Performing Arts, a magnet school for specialized studies.

   Following the walking tour, other noteworthy stops along the way include:

   • 408 South 7th is a marvelous example of Spanish Revival architecture. This single-family home was built by developer R. B. Griffith, who developed the Mt. Charleston area and Rancho Circle, who sold it to Charles “Pop” Squires, a pioneering newspaper publisher who is often called “the Father of Las Vegas” because of his promotional moxie.

   • 500 South 7th is a home built in the French Eclectic-style in 1938. It was owned by divorce attorney and Justice of the Peace C.D. Breeze, whose clients included Mrs. Leopold Stokowski (for her divorce action against the famous conductor) and G. Henry Stetson (whose father invented the famous cowboy hat of that name).

   • 624 South 6th is an unusual Spanish Revival-style house, with a round turret, built in 1932 by prominent Las Vegas dentist and civic leader J.D. Smith. The home boasts a basement, which is a feature that is nearly unknown in the Las Vegas area.

   •618 South 7th is a Mission Revival-style house that was built in 1930 for Harry Allen, a pioneer Las Vegas businessman. Allen was a banker and later president of Nevada Power. He lived in the house until the 1950s.

   • 850 Bonneville is a Tudor Bungalow built in 1931. The home was originally owned by a teacher, Florence Burwell, until she married in the 1940s and sold it to Lewis Rowe. The elegant home was originally located on a lot at 602 South 9th and has been extensively remodeled.

   • 704 South 9th is a Spanish Colonial Revival-style home constructed in 1930. Built at a cost of $10,000, it was owned by District Judge A.S. Henderson, who also had served as a Nevada Assemblyman, a State Senator, and as Las Vegas City Attorney.

   To download the walking tour brochure, go to: https://files.lasvegasnevada.gov/planning/LV-High-School-Historic-District.pdf.

The Strange and Unusual Death of Raymond Spilsbury, Owner of the Boulder Dam Hotel

 

  Maybe it’s fated that a place like Boulder City, which has always seemed so typically American with its manicured lawns, tidy houses and neat street grids, would be associated with one of Nevada’s most mysterious deaths.

  The death in question is that of Raymond Spilsbury, one of the original investors and owners of the Boulder Dam Hotel. Spilsbury, who was born into a wealthy Utah ranching family, had spent several decades working in Peru as general manager of a copper mine.

  In 1933, he became an investor in a new Boulder Dam Hotel being constructed in Boulder City. During the next decade, despite becoming a playground for Hollywood celebrities, the hotel experienced financial difficulties. In 1942, Spilsbury acquired full ownership of the property.

  Two years later, Spilsbury retired from the mining business and moved into the hotel with his wife and son. At the time, his brother, G.C. Spilsbury was manager of the elegant Colonial-style lodging house.

  During the 1930s and 40s, the hotel had hosted many famous people. Actress Bette Davis vacationed at the hotel after filming a movie nearby and actor Boris Karloff (“Frankenstein”) lived there while gaining residency for a quickie divorce.

  On January 19, 1945, the then-56-year-old Spilsbury drove out to Emery’s Landing, a fishing camp on the Colorado River to go fishing with its owner, Murl Emery. According to newspaper accounts of the time, Spilsbury never met up with Emery but was seen taking a walk along the river.

  The next day, Emery saw that Spilsbury’s car still parked in the lot at 3 a.m. and the next morning started to look for the owner. According to one account, Emery discovered Spilsbury’s hat and coat about a day later. The latter had been carefully folded and a rock had been placed on both to keep them from being blown away.

  Inside the coat pockets, was a check for $12,352.40, $1,100 in traveler’s checks, $53 in cash, two pairs of glasses and keys to the car and Spilsbury’s hotel room.

  For the next five weeks, searchers combed the river and surrounding area looking for any sign of Spilsbury. Finally on February 27, a group of three fishermen from Los Angeles spotted his body tangled in a clump of bushes about eight miles from Emery’s Landing, near Nelson, Nevada.

  Perhaps the most peculiar aspect, however, was that when Spilsbury’s body was pulled from the river, authorities found that his ankles had been tied together using his own belt and his pockets were filled with heavy stones.

  A few days later, authorities said they believed Spilsbury, who, according to his brother, had been in ill health for several years, was depressed about his health and committed suicide.

  But was it suicide? According to one account, Spilsbury’s wife, Vona, was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death and never completely accepted the determination that her husband had killed himself.

  Ultimately, no other motive—certainly he wasn’t robbed—than suicide could be found and the case was closed.

  But even today some believe there is more to the story. In fact, one theory is that Spilsbury—and perhaps Emery—may have hidden caches of money in the vicinity. But who knows for sure?

  The most complete history of the Boulder Dam Hotel, including Spilsbury mysterious death, can be found in Dennis McBride’s 1993 book, “The Secret Life of the Boulder Dam Hotel.” The story is also investigated in my book, “Nevada Myths and Legends, Second Edition.” Both can be found on Amazon and other online booksellers.

  For more information about the Boulder Dam Hotel, go to: www.boulderdamhotel.com.

Everything You Might Ever Want to Know About Sparks Can Be Found at the Sparks Museum & Cultural Center

 

   Often overshadowed by its sister-city, Reno, the city of Sparks has its own rich and fascinating history. That story, in fact, is well told in the Sparks Museum & Cultural Center (formerly known as the Sparks Heritage Museum), located in the community’s downtown core.

   The museum is housed in the historic former Sparks branch of the Washoe County Library and the Sparks Justice Court. The two-story brick structure with the red-tile roof was built in 1931 and designed by noted Nevada architect Frederic J. DeLongchamps. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

   Originally, the Washoe County Library was housed on the upper floor, while the Justice Court was in the lower part of the building. The library relocated to Oddie Boulevard in 1965 and the Justice Court, which had taken over the entire building after the library departed, moved out of the building in the mid-1990s.

   The historic structure, which reflects the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture, became the home of the Sparks Museum several years later.

   The museum, which now encompasses the entire building, offers a large collection of permanent and changing galleries that tell the community’s story.

   While the city was formally incorporated on March 15, 1905, its roots began a few years earlier when the Southern Pacific Railway Company decided to shorten and straighten its main line across Northern Nevada.

  The railroad rerouted its tracks along the eastern Truckee River corridor to eliminate several dangerous curves and grades.

  In about 1903, the railroad announced that as part of this realignment it would relocate its main division point in the region from Wadsworth to a site about four miles east of Reno. It originally looked at Reno for its new shops, but went east because of cheaper land.

  To entice its workers to move to the new site, the railroad made a generous offer—a tract of land would be set aside adjacent to a new roundhouse and the railroad would give each employee clear title to a 50-foot by 140-foot lot. Additionally, the railroad offered to transport any existing house in Wadsworth to the new community at no charge.

  Records show that in the summer of 1903, a drawing was conducted with employee names in one hat and lot number in another, and each was randomly awarded their lot. Some 67 lots changed title that day at a price of $1 per lot.

  The new town was called “East Reno” for a short time, then “Harriman,” after E.H. Harriman, owner of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Finally, in April 1904, Harriman decided to name the community in honor of Nevada’s popular Governor, “Honest” John Sparks.

  Over the past century, the railroad has become a less important part of the town’s economy but has remained an important symbol of the past. The Sparks High School athletic teams are called the “Railroaders” and the downtown’s “Victorian Square” development theme evokes the architecture and style of an earlier rail era.

  The importance of railroading to the development of Sparks can be seen in many of the displays in the museum. For example, dozens of historic photographs depict the railroad buildings and equipment used at the Sparks rail yard.

  In one room, you can find an original oak desk once used by the railroad, and still covered with the paperwork. Cabinets display uniforms, steam whistles, dining car trays, and an extensive collection of railroad lanterns.

  Other exhibits spotlight the Lincoln Highway, which passed through Sparks in the early 20th century, as well as the Nugget Casino, long a Sparks institution.

  Other displays contain handmade quilts, a vintage piano, talking and recording machines, radios, refrigerators and clothing from the late 19th and early 20th century. Against one wall, you can even find a switchboard like that used by the old Sparks Telephone Company. The facility also has an extensive research library, with helpful librarians.

  The Sparks Museum and Cultural Center is located at 820 Victorian Avenue. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the research library is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

  For more information go to: https://sparksmuseum.org/.