Even before the Kingsbury & McDonald toll road was completed, the quasi-passable track began to attract attention. A telegraph line for the Humboldt & Salt Lake Telegraph Co. was strung along this route in late 1858, connecting Genoa with Placerville. And beginning in April or May, 1860, Pony Express riders began following the Kingsbury Grade […]
The Story of Kingsbury Grade (Part 1)
Few people ever stop to read the Historic Marker for Kingsbury Grade. Perhaps that’s because the marker isn’t actually on today’s Kingsbury road at all, but rather on Foothill, tucked between Mottsville and Muller Lanes. But this small sign marks a fascinating and important early site: the original jumping-off spot for emigrants bent on taking the Daggett Pass route to […]
The Legacy of Roy Thran
A ten-year-old boy. A small box of his most prized possessions. And 83 years later — a very special legacy shared. Born June 10, 1925, Roy Thran was the last of five surviving children of Dick and Marie Thran. (You may remember our story a few weeks ago about the beautiful Thran House.) Roy’s mother, Marie was 48 […]
Washoe City: The Cemetery Time Forgot
Tracks through the tall grass say people still visit the old Washoe City Cemetery. But the stories of its dead — and even some of their names — are long-forgotten. Here’s one little-known tale that’s survived: the life of Lorenzo Smith. His family was part-and-parcel of Washoe County’s early history. And you can still find his headstone here, amid […]
A Visit to Lake Shore House
Ahh, Glenbrook. Capt. Augustus W. Pray arrived here in the spring of 1860 with N.E. Murdock, G.W. Warren, and Rufus Walton, when no tourists had yet discovered its pristine beauty. Settling in the lush grasslands beside the lake, Pray and his companions built a log cabin, dubbing the site Glenbrook in a nod to the small […]
Tale of the Thran House — and an Old Trunk
“I’m going to build you a grand house in Carson Valley, like we have in Germany!” promised Dietrich Thran. And a “grand house” Thran built for his wife, indeed! Completed about 1910 to 1911, the house featured stained glass over the front door, stately pillars out front, and a gigantic room upstairs for dancing. Thran […]
Carson City’s “Palace”
There was a certain “ambivalence” toward prostitution in Carson City’s early days, notes historian Peter Mires. Everyone knew it was happening, but — talking about it? That was a no-no! And some fascinating history was made by what didn’t quite make it into the record books! Practice of the world’s oldest profession in Carson City […]
Genoa’s Avalanche of 1882
Genoa, Nevada has weathered its share of disasters: earthquakes, high winds, and of course the Great Fire that nearly wiped out the town in 1910. But did you know Genoa once was struck by an avalanche? The time was 5:30 a.m. on March 16, 1882. Residents who happened to be awake at that early hour heard […]
Minden’s Old-Time Judge
Clark Gable was a true gentleman. And we have that on the very best authority: straight from Minden’s own early Justice of the Peace, Walt Fisher. One of Fisher’s very first acts as JP was to perform the 1955 marriage of the much-married Gable to actress Kay Williams. The Douglas County Clerk pulled a bit of a fast […]
Earl Lessley: The Flying Cowboy
He died over half a century ago. But tales live on about Earl Lessley, the “flying cowboy”! Earl Lessley was born in 1889 in Drytown, California. His parents, Mary and Samuel Lessley, had crossed the plains from Missouri by covered wagon. Even after they arrived in California, the family evidently moved around a bit; a second […]
Julia Bulette . . . There’s more to her story!
Julia Bulette was a beloved Virginia City prostitute who tended the sick and was a darling of local firefighters — and her murder on January 20, 1867 outraged this tough mining town (though a few high-society matrons were said to be relieved!). A Frenchman named John Millian paid the ultimate price for Julia’s heinous murder: he was […]
The Adventuresome Samuel Chapin
The sign on the tall, blue house in Virginia City caught our eye as we whizzed past one recent afternoon: “The Chapin House.” It’s an unusual last name — and one we recognized from old letters in Alpine County. So, just who was Samuel A. Chapin? We tracked down a few pieces of his life story puzzle — and […]