Spirited Adventures Carson City, Nevada Heart of the Silver State — By Jamie Roberts — uch of Carson City was built by those M seeking their fortunes in the gold and silver mining rushes of the mid-19th century. Nevada’s state capital was named for frontiers- man and guide Christopher “Kit” Carson, who scouted the valley—nestled near the sparkling waters of Lake Tahoe and in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range—for explorer Nevada State John C. Frémont in the mid-1840s. Capitol Building For 6,000 years, the Washoe American honor of the multilingual Carson, whom valley was named Washoe to honor the Indians lived near Lake Tahoe at the bor- he had hired for this expedition. indigenous people.) der between California and Nevada. One By 1851 Frank and Joseph Barnard, In 1854, the area became part of the of the first European Americans to the George Follensbee, Frank and W.L. Utah Territory and was governed from high desert valley was expedition leader Hall, and A.J. Rollins opened Eagle territorial headquarters in Salt Lake Frémont, who traveled through the area Station, a small ranch and trading post City. Early settlers were troubled by in 1844 on one of his quests to explore along the Carson River, as a stopover the idea of control from afar and called and map the west. Frémont wrote news- for California-bound gold prospec- for the creation of a separate Nevada paper articles about these expeditions tors. Some historical accounts say the Territory. In 1858, a group of influ- with his wife, Jessie, that encouraged station and the surrounding valley got ential settlers led by Abraham Curry the American public to travel and settle their name from a bald eagle shot by purchased “865 acres in Eagle Valley for in the West. He named the river flowing one of the early settlers and mounted $500 and a herd of horses,” according to GETTY IMAGES through the valley the Carson River in on the wall inside the post. (Later the the Carson City Culture and Tourism American Spirit | September/October 2019 21 Spirited Adventures • Clockwise from above left: The Paul Laxalt State Building, formerly a post office and a courthouse, was built between 1888 and 1891. • The circa-1862 St. Charles Hotel • An 1877 lithograph shows the mining technology used at the Comstock Lode mines. Old Testament. “By asserting that this was the Ophir mine, they were claiming this was a mine of biblical proportion. They got it right: Hundreds of millions of dollars came out of the ground, begin- ning right here.” Thousands of miners poured into Carson City and other nearby towns. Authority. The group began laying “Comstock was remarkable because In 1861, Curry’s prediction came true: out a community, which they named it was one of the richest gold and sil- Nevada was named a territory and Carson City. Curry, predicting Carson ver strikes in history,” said Ronald Carson City its capital. Despite its City would someday serve as the terri- James of the Comstock Foundation small population, Nevada’s wealth was tory’s capital city, left a 10-acre plot in for History and Culture. “What also needed for the Union’s Civil War effort, the center of town for a capitol building. made it remarkable was that it took a leading to approval for statehood on In 1859 in the hills to the northeast good 20 years to excavate it. So, for 20 October 31, 1864. Carson City was con- of Carson City, gold prospectors dis- years from 1859 to 1880, this place had firmed as Nevada’s permanent capital. covered a massive silver strike, which ongoing opulence.” James explained Beginning in 1869, the first section became known as the Comstock Lode that they called the main mine “Ophir” of Nevada’s short-line railroad, the after American miner Henry Comstock. after King Solomon’s gold mine in the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, was GETTY IMAGES 22 Daughters of the American Revolution Best of the West arson City’s site near the crystal- Kit Carson Trail clear waters of Lake Tahoe and Cthe spectacular Sierra Nevada mountain range allows for year-round outdoor recreation, with nearly endless options for swimming, fishing, boating, hiking and mountain biking. The region is also home to nine golf courses, 18 ski resorts and numerous parks and trails. Washoe Lake State Park offers gor- from Memorial Day through the end of geous views of a trio of mountain ranges: October. Tours are every hour, on the the Sierra Nevada, the Carson and the hour, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Virginia. Located between Reno and www.washoecounty.us/parks/specialty_ Carson City, the park features hiking, facilities/bowers_mansion.php camping, picnicking, water sports and equestrian activities. Kit Carson Trail, or the Blue Line Trail Several of Lake Tahoe’s beaches, Marked by a blue line on the side- including Chimney Beach, Secret walks, this self-guided walking tour of Harbor and Whale Beach, are located the historic district passes many note- within the city limits. Another nearby worthy places such as the 1869 home beach, Skunk Harbor, can be accessed of Abraham Curry, founder of Carson only by hiking or biking a 1.6-mile-long City; the circa-1863 home of Orion abandoned railroad path. Clemens, best known as the one-time In addition to its plentiful outdoor residence of Nevada’s first territorial attractions, the city offers the following secretary and the brother of Mark sites with unique perspectives on the Twain; and the 1863 Sears–Ferris built between Carson City and Virginia history of the Silver State’s capital: Mansion, once the home of George City to haul ore, lumber and supplies to Washington Gale Ferris Jr., inven- the mines of the Comstock Lode. Two Bowers Mansion Regional Park tor of the Ferris Wheel. On Saturday years later, the track was extended to The historic two-story mansion illu- evenings in the summer through the Reno to connect with the Central Pacific minates Nevada’s 1860s heyday and the end of September, the annual Carson Railroad and allow train service to San fascinating lives of Comstock Lode mil- City Ghost Walk draws visitors with Francisco. With this connection to the lionaires Allison “Eilley” Oram Bowers supernatural tales connected to many newly completed Transcontinental and her second husband, L.S. “Sandy” historic buildings. Railroad, Nevada had access not only Bowers. After earning a fortune in their http://carsonpedia.com/Kit_Carson_Trail to a seaport, but it was also linked to the silver mine near Gold Hill, Nev., the rest of the United States. couple built the Washoe Valley man- Governor’s Mansion Carson City’s population decreased sion in 1864 and lavishly furnished it In the heart of the historic district is as the Comstock Lode and smaller from their European travels. The Bowers the Classical Revival-style Governor’s mining booms waned, dropping to Mansion and grounds are open season- Mansion, built between 1908 and 1909 just over 1,500 people by 1930. The ally (weekends and holidays), usually and designed by Reno architect George city slowly grew after World War II A. Ferris. Acting Governor Denver and again reached its 1880 population Bowers Mansion Dickerson and his family occupied the by the mid-20th century. On April 1, mansion in July 1909 and opened the 1969, Ormsby County and Carson City house to the public for the first time on officially merged as the Consolidated New Years’ Day 1910. The governor’s Municipality of Carson City. Now the daughter, June Dickerson, was born in municipality and its 146 square miles the mansion in September 1909. The of city limits is one of America’s largest mansion is open for tours on Nevada state capitals. Day, an official state holiday observed American Spirit | September/October 2019 23 Spirited Adventures on the last Friday in October that marks Ichthyosaur Shonisaurus, the state fossil. Nevada’s admission to the Union. http://nvculture.org/nevadastatemuseum carsoncity Nevada State Capitol San Francisco architect Joseph Gosling Stewart Indian Cultural Center Nevada State Railroad Museum designed the Capitol between 1870 and Train aficionados will enjoy this 1871 in the Classical Revival-style. The to separate buildings—though all remain museum dedicated to Nevada’s rail- legislature had outgrown the building by within one large city block. The Capitol road history and featuring artifacts the early 20th century, so new legislative is open to the public for self-guided tours such as steam locomotives and cars wings designed by prominent Nevada 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday. of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. architect Frederic DeLongchamps The museum also offers steam train were completed in time for the 1915 ses- Nevada State Museum rides around the grounds every week- sion. For more than 50 years, all three First opened on Nevada Day in 1941, end May through September, with branches of the state government were this museum in the restored U.S. Mint some dates in October, November housed in the Capitol. Today, the gov- building celebrates the natural and and December. This year an exhibit is ernor’s office is still located there, as is cultural heritage of the Silver State, commemorating the 150th anniver- a second-floor museum with histori- including exhibits on Nevada rocks sary of the Transcontinental Railroad. cal exhibits, but the Nevada Supreme and minerals, prehistoric creatures http://nvculture.org/nevadastaterailroad Court and state legislature have moved found in the area, and a replica of the museumcarsoncity Stewart Indian Cultural Center Many American Indian children from ADVERTISEMENT Nevada and throughout the West— from tribes including the Nevada-based Washoe and Paiute, as well as Hopi, Apache, Pima, Mohave, Walapai, Ute, Pipage, Coropah and Tewa—were forced to attend the Stewart Indian School, an off-reservation boarding school, up to secondary school age.