JSCNHM home • Spring 2012 • vol. 4 no. 2

Washoe County, NV

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Bowers Mansion Regional Park

4005 US Highway 395
North Carson City, NV 89704
Phone: (775) 849-1825
Website: http://www.co.washoe.nv.us/parks/parkdetails~pkid=1

Bowers Mansion Park is on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada between Reno and Carson City. The stately Bowers Mansion is located in the center of the park and offers a rare glimpse into Nevadan life of the 1860's. L.S. "Sandy" Bowers and his psychic wife, Eilley Oram, earned a fortune in their silver mine near Gold Hill, Nevada. They were Nevada's first Comstock Lode millionaires. With their wealth they built a mansion in 1864 and then traveled the world to furnish it. It is now one of the most impressive restored homes in Nevada.

Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park

P.O. Box 6116
Incline Village, NV 89450
Phone: (775) 831-0494
Email: tahoesp@hughes.net
Website: http://parks.nv.gov/lt.htm

Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park offers a number of different areas for visitors to enjoy. Sand Harbor is the most popular, with sandy beaches, a boat launch, picnicking and group use facilities. Sand Harbor is located three miles south of Incline Village on State Route 28. Memorial Point and Hidden Beach. Situated between Incline Village and Sand Harbor, are areas which offer outstanding views of the lake and more secluded access to its shores. Spooner Lake, at the intersection of State Route 28 and U.S. 50, is popular for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, catch-and-keep fishing with a limit of five trout and cross-country skiing. A developed interpretive site is available as well as rental cabins. Spooner Lake is also a trailhead with access to the backcountry.

The backcountry between Lake Tahoe and Carson City provides miles of hiking, equestrian and mountain biking trails plus two primitive campsites. No vehicles are permitted in the back country, which has been designated as a State Primitive Area. Two of the more popular trails in this area are the Flume Trail above Sand Harbor and the Tahoe Rim Trail along the crest of the Carson Range. Cave Rock, located along U.S. 50 near Zephyr Cove, is a popular spot for boat launching and fishing. During July and August enjoy the shows put on by the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor.

National Automobile Museum

The Hurrah Collection
10 South Lake Street
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: (775) 333-9300
Email: info@automuseum.org
Website: http://www.automuseum.org/

The mission of the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) is to collect and preserve the automobile for future generations with an emphasis on vehicles collected by William "Bill" Fisk Harrah, to tell the story of the impact of the automobile on American society, and to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Harrah as a renowned collector. Harrah also established several still-operating casinos in Nevada.

Nevada Historical Society

1650 North Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89503
Phone: (775) 688-1190
Fax: (775) 688-2917

The Society museum contains two permanent galleries: Nevada and Reno History. In the hallway and conference room gallery spaces, these are the changing galleries that rotate new exhibits.

The Society research library contains a unique and rich collection of manuscripts, photographs, maps, rare books and print materials on Nevada, the Great Basin and the West.

The Nevada Historical Society is the oldest cultural institution in Nevada, dating back to 1904. Our founder, Jeannie Elizabeth Wier was a History professor at the University of Nevada (Reno).

Nevada Museum of Art

160 West Liberty Street
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: (775) 329-3333
Fax: (775) 329-1541
Email: art@nevadaart.org
Website: http://www.nevadaart.org/

The Nevada Museum of Art is the only accredited art museum in the state of Nevada.

Dr. James E. Church, a Professor of German and Classics at the University of Nevada, Reno, founded the oldest cultural institution in the state of Nevada, the Nevada Museum of Art in 1931 as the Nevada Art Gallery. In 1949, the Gallery obtained a facility and the foundation of a permanent collection at the bequest of Church’s friend and co-founder, Charles F. Cutts. In 1978, under the guidance of its first professional staff, the Nevada Art Gallery purchased Hawkins House, a national historic landmark building overlooking Reno's Truckee River. Upon moving into the new facility, the organization's name was changed to the Sierra Nevada Museum of Art.

In 1988, the E.L. Wiegand Foundation provided the Museum with a new 15,000 sq. ft. facility and the institution was renamed the Nevada Museum of Art/E.L. Wiegand Gallery.

Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society

P.O. Box 6812
Incline Village, NV 89450
Phone: (775) 832-8750
Fax: (775) 832-8798
Email: askus@thunderbirdtahoe.org
Website: http://thunderbirdlodge.org/

One of the most stunning pieces of Lake Tahoe's history is the secluded Thunderbird Lodge. The eccentric San Francisco real estate magnate, George Whittell, built this magnificent Tudor Revival summer estate between 1936 and 1939. Located on Nevada's eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, the property consists of a main lodge surrounded by three cottages, a card house, a boathouse, an elephant house, a lighthouse, three garages, and a gatehouse all nestled in a high desert pine forest.

In 1970, a year after Whittell's death, the U.S. Forest Service obtained 4,732 acres of the Whittell Estate. Wall Street investor Jack Dreyfus, Jr. purchased most of what remained of the Tahoe property including the Lodge in 1972. That same year, Dreyfus sold 10,000 acres of his new acquisition to the Forest Service. Dreyfus retained title to the Lodge and a surrounding 140 acres. Although Dreyfus considered the Thunderbird Lodge as more investment than residence, he nevertheless decided to add a 10,000- square foot addition, which was completed in 1985.

By the 1990s, Dreyfus decided to cash in on his investment. After many years of extended negotiations, ultimately, an assortment of governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and a private corporation arrived at a solution. In a complicated land exchange, the Del Webb Corporation purchased most of the Dreyfus acreage from the U.S. Forest Service. With the help of the American Land Conservancy, an environmentally minded nonprofit corporation, and Nevada's U.S. Senators Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, an intricate arrangement emerged. A new nonprofit called the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society would assume the mortgage held by the Del Webb Corporation. Finally, on October 15, 1999, the land transfer was complete and the Preservation Society took over management responsibilities of Whittell's complex of buildings.

Washoe County Library

301 South Center Street
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: (775) 327-8300
(775) 327-8341
Email: amaurins@washoecounty.us
Website: http://www.washoecounty.us/library

The library is a cultural center, offering lifelong learning enrichment opportunities through access to ideas, information and the arts. The Washoe County Library system consists of eleven branches serving the entire county, including Reno, Sparks, Gerlach, and Incline Village.

One of the library’s primary goals is to help to fulfill community residents' appetite for information about popular cultural and social trends and their desire for satisfying recreational experiences.

Washoe Lake State Park

4855 East Lake Boulevard
Carson City, NV 89704
Phone: (775) 687-4319
Email: washoelake@hdiss.net
Website: http://parks.nv.gov/wl.htm

Washoe Lake and Little Washoe Lakes are located in the heart of scenic Washoe Valley, between Carson City and Reno. Here, visitors will find spectacular views of the majestic Sierra Nevada and the Carson Range. Popular activities in the park include nature study, bird watching, hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, windsurfing, water skiing, catamaran sailing, jet skiing and fishing. A campground, boat launches, group use area, day-use picnic sites and equestrian trailhead are available. A wetlands area with a viewing tower and interpretive displays is a new addition to the park. The park is located 10 miles north of Carson City and 15 miles south of Reno.

The Wilbur D. May Center

Rancho San Rafael Regional Park
1595 North Sierra
Reno, NV 89503
Phone: (775) 785-5961
Fax: (775) 785-4707
Email: bharmon@washoecounty.us
Website: http://www.washoecounty.us/parks/maycenterhome/

The Wilbur D. May Center is an adventure for people of all ages. It is a museum, a collection of rare and exotic artifacts, a place to experience fun traveling exhibits and special moments. The Arboretum is where gardeners gather seeds of knowledge—an incomparable display and living museum of colorful flowers, creek side meadows, outdoor courtyards and secluded benches.

This center is a legacy to Wilbur D. May, Nevada rancher, businessman and philanthropist. The May Center perpetuates Wilbur's commitment toward family, children and education.

 

 

 

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