History

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Little-known Facts of our Official State Emblems

There’s a state locomotive? Indeed there is. While most people can name our state animal or state song, all told there are 22 official state symbols as designated by the Nevada Legislature. How many can you name?
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Five Fools On A Flume

A bonehead challenge in Nevada’s ‘wooden wonder’ BY BOB SAGAN That ancient adage—a fool and his money are soon parted— might have found its purest form of expression in a little-known incident that occurred in 1875 Nevada, had it not been for a hefty dose of dumb luck. The incident in question was triggered by […]
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A Mysterious Murder On The Comstock

VIRGINIA CITY – A MYSTERIOUS MURDER ON THE COMSTOCK Unanswered questions loom after the murder of a notorious prostitute. BY ROBIN FLINCHUM It’s been 150 years since that dreadful January morning when Mary Jane Minieri left her little cottage on Virginia City’s D Street and stepped carefully through the mud to her friend and neighbor Julia Bulette’s […]
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The Petticoat Prospectors

The Petticoat Prospectors Looking back: The little-known history of female miners in the Silver State BY TERRY SPRENGER-FARLEY “We do not see any reason why women should not engage in mining as well as men. If they can rock a cradle, they can run a car; if they can wash and scrub, they can pick […]
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Nevada Historical Society

Collecting and preserving Nevada’s past takes more than just a museum. BY MEGG MUELLER To unlock the story of the Nevada Historical Society in Reno seems a bit like unfolding an origami swan. The intricacies of the design, the numerous layers and folds, and the amount of effort involved in its creation are just a […]
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History Men

Nevada Sentinel E Clampus Vitus keeps keen eye on the state’s story STORY BY ERIC CACHINERO PHOTOS BY ASA GILMORE If you’re a consumer of Nevada history, E Clampus Vitus may play a bigger role in your life than you’d expect. Sure, you may think that this group of men, donning red shirts and badge-clad […]
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The Territorial Enterprise

The Territorial Enterprise FIRST SHUTTERED 100 YEARS AGO, THE ICONIC COMSTOCK NEWSPAPER LIVES ON. BY CHIC DIFRANCIA When William Jernegan and Alfred James pulled the first sheet of the Territorial Enterprise off an old Washington hand press in Genoa on Dec. 18, 1858, a newspaper legend was born that has endured to this day. Future […]
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Law, Order, and a Game of Chance

Law, Order, and a Game of Chance THE EARP BROTHERS SEEK THEIR FORTUNES IN NEVADA. BY RON SOODALTER Life in the Old West—Hollywood notwithstanding—was often mundane. The deadly gunfights and daring hold-ups were comparatively few. Yet, certain names have attained legendary status, selling countless books and millions of theater tickets, while the reality was considerably […]
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Dashing Through History

Lake Tahoe Famiy at the Reins of a Half-Century of Memories. BY TERI VANCE   With a natural affinity for the outdoors and animals, Sam Borges had always dreamed of a life working with horses. And when a sense of dissatisfaction with the routine of his job in San Jose, Calif., came upon him, Sam […]
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Harolds Club

Harolds Club RENO’S WILD WEST CASINO EXPERIMENT LEAVES LASTING IMPRESSION ON GAMING. BY DORESA BANNING The giant, $60,000 mural that once hung over Harolds Club’s South Virginia Street entrance in Reno now stands in front of the Reno-Sparks Livestock Center as an homage to this pioneering Nevada casino. The 70-foot-long, 35-foot-tall painting is vibrant in […]
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The Genes of our Jeans

  The Genes of our Jeans JACOB DAVIS, RENO’S UNSUNG INVENTOR, CREATES A FASHION LEGEND. BY KATHLEEN PAINI CLEMENCE When a jean-clad crowd filters into Reno’s Knitting Factory on concert nights, it’s unlikely many know they are entering the site where fashion history was made. Formerly known as 31 Virginia Street, the property housed the […]
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Boulder/Hoover Dam

History never repeats itself, but the Kaleidoscopic combinations of the pictured present often seem to be constructed out of the broken fragments of antique legends.— Mark Twain         Then & Now: Boulder/Hoover Dam HISTORIC ENGINEERING FEAT STANDS STRONG FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS. BY ERIC CACHINERO We love historic places in Nevada, and […]
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The Spark that Ignited a Valley of Fire

The Beauty of this Nevada State Park Burns Bright. BY ERIC CACHINERO Fire is a truly wondrous element. It can be used to heat, cook, forge, ignite, power, illuminate, and even sustain life. But it’s not flames that light up Nevada’s first state park, rather millions of years of geologic activity that gives the landscape […]
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The Glenbrook

Historic Train Roars Back to Life. BY WENDELL HUFFMAN After slumbering for almost 90 years, the historic locomotive Glenbrook is once again under steam, blasting its whistle just a short distance from where it first started operating in 1875. This Memorial Day, the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City is set to host the […]
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St. Augustine’s Cultural Center

St. Augustine’s Cultural Center AUSTIN CHURCH GETS A SERIOUS MAKEOVER. STORY & PHOTOS BY ERIC CACHINERO On Christmas Eve 1866, St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Austin was officially dedicated. The bricks and solid-granite foundation used in its construction were pulled from the Austin quarry and brickyard, which flourished in the 1800s. The church was constructed […]
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Silver State, Gold Records

Nevada’s musical legacy stretches back more than a century. BY NELLIE DAY Nevada leaves a lasting impression on people for many reasons. Case in point: Nevada has been a keen source of musical inspiration for more than a century. Just ask Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons—an American indie rock band from Las Vegas—who […]