Two Forgotten Henry Van Sickle Stories . . . . If you’re from Carson Valley, you’ve probably heard the name Henry Van Sickle. After all, he was one of the first settlers in soon-to-be Douglas County, Nevada, arriving in September 1852. And if you live here you’ve probably passed his famous Van Sickle Station, […]
Orson Hyde & Pioneer Justice
Pioneer Justice Was Swift: When Snowshoe Thompson skied into Placerville on February 2, 1856, it wasn’t just the Carson Valley mail he brought with him over the mountains. He also carried the latest gossip. Among other news Thompson brought to eager listeners was a report of a crime — some $75 […]
Pet Parrots on the Comstock
The Victorian Parrot Craze Victorians adored their feathered friends. Gold Hill in 1876 was said to boast “more parrots than any city or town on the Pacific Coast.” The Nevada State Journal quipped: “You may walk for miles and miles and never hear anything said but ‘Pretty Polly!’ and ‘Polly wants […]
W.E. Lindsey: Stone-Carver
Etched in Stone: The Work of W.E. Lindsey It all started out with just a name: W.E. Lindsey — which kept popping up over and over again in old newspaper stories. Lindsey, you see, was a marble cutter. And those old newspapers kept talking about Lindsey installing headstones. Beautiful […]
Three Bullets, Two Julias: Where Everyone Wound Up (Part 4)
Julia Lake’s wasn’t the only life snuffed out by those three bullets fired by an irate wife. (And in case you missed the earlier parts of this story, here’s where you can find Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3!) No, when Julia breathed her last on August 2, 1871, […]
A Stabbing Affair at Genoa NV
It was a quiet Sunday evening in Genoa. Or at least, it started out that way. The date was April 16, 1882. The place: Al Livingston’s “first class” saloon on Main Street, Genoa. Jerry Raycraft was enjoying a companionable game of billiards with a friend. A barkeep […]
One Bad Man & Two Tough Ladies: The Saga of Sam Brown
Everyone in Carson Valley knew “Bad Man” Sam Brown back in 1861. He was, after all, a pretty hard guy to miss. Heavy-set and quarrelsome, Sam walked with a swagger. Besides his handy pistol, he kept a nasty-looking Bowie knife strapped to his belt. Sam didn’t hesitate to use that knife, either. He reportedly “carved […]
Roots a Mile Deep: The Story of the Adams Family
They weren’t trucking cattle up to summer pasture when Wally Adams was a kid. Nah. For over 30 years, Wally helped drive cattle the hard way, saddling up at 2 a.m. to get the herd to the top of Old Kingsbury Grade before nightfall. That meant long, dusty days on horseback. But it’s what you […]
Newly-Discovered History at Mormon Station
Next time you drive past Mormon Station State Historic Park, keep an eye peeled for a small, white, garage-looking structure just north of the stockade. When Mormon Station acquired the 1.2-acre property adjacent to the Fort in 2002, that’s exactly what they thought this small building was: just a “barn or garage.” Initial estimates dated it to […]
Treasure Out of Tragedy: A Tiny Reminder of Genoa’s Avalanche
Call it the Hand of Providence. How else to explain a fragile ceramic figurine surviving one of the worst disasters to hit Genoa, Nevada — and making it through another 132 years, too?! As you may remember, the Great Avalanche of March 17, 1882 wiped out several Genoa homes — and took at least ten lives. […]
There’s More to the Lillian Virgin Finnegan Story!
Sure, you’ve probably heard of Lillian Virgin Finnegan — one of the founders of the famous Genoa Candy Dance! But here are a few things you probably haven’t heard about this hometown Genoa gal. Lillian was born in Genoa on October 6, 1878, to parents Daniel W. Virgin and the former Mary Raycraft. Older brother William had […]
The Amazing Tale of Agnes Train
She was a woman very much ahead of her time. A talented artist, author, botanist, and fossil collector, Agnes Train served as the first curator of the Nevada State Museum in 1941. And oh yes, from 1939 to 1956, she was also the owner of Genoa’s Pink House (with husband Percy), […]