May – June 2020

Issue Cover May – June 2020

What’s Inside

On the Sails of a Prairie Schooner

For the pioneer of the mid-1800s leaving life behind to verify whispers of gold out west, the scene must've been something spectacular. In many cases, the ordinary family farm wagon was modified for the trip: hickory bows were affixed to the wagon bed and a canvas cloth was stretched over the top. The wagons in those days became known as prairie schooners, due to the cover’s resemblance to a boat’s sail. ... read more

Michael Branch: For the love of the Great Basin

Most of Nevada is part of the Great Basin Desert—a massive, dry expanse of parallel mountain ranges and deep valleys covered in sagebrush, where you can drive miles without seeing much in the way of humanity. While some look at the vast desert as mileage that needs to be covered before reaching a destination, author and University of Nevada, Reno English Professor Michael Branch looks at what others consider nothingness as a place of complicated beauty that is waiting to be explored on foot. Branch has penned three books that chronicle the joys—and hilarious challenges—of his life living on the edge of the dry Nevada wilderness. ... read more

Once You're In, You're In For Life

Going to Las Vegas to visit a museum might have once sounded as foolish as trying to sell ice cubes to Eskimos. It’s not that the town is culturally bereft; far from it. From sunken objects recovered from the Titanic to Carroll Shelby’s gleaming machines—not to mention the wealth of historical, cultural, and incredible artifacts at the state museums—Las Vegas has long had its fair share of educational diversions. The city also had its share of historical diversions during its growth, and none has been quite so infamous as Las Vegas’ connection to the mob. ... read more

Your Favorite Nevada Wildlife

Each issue we showcase what we love about Nevada. Well, now it’s your turn. We’re dedicating these pages to our readers this year, and we’re asking you to share images of your Nevada favorites. Each issue we’ll pick a theme (see below) and let our readers lead the way! We asked to see your favorite wildlife and what a diverse group of animals you sent! We knew this would be an exciting theme, thanks to how prolific wildlife is in the Silver State, but we were still blown away by your submissions. There were so many incredible photos to choose from, we can’t thank you enough. Nevada certainly is rich in beautiful wildlife. ... read more

Helen Stewart: First Lady of Las Vegas

On a quiet day in March 1926, businesses in Las Vegas shuttered their doors. Local schools closed for the day and the federal post office was deserted, for most of the city’s residents were attending the funeral of Helen Jane Wiser Stewart. The homage paid to Stewart by the city she helped create would have surprised the unassuming and frail woman. But the legacy of her strength, character, intelligence, and spirit was evident to all who knew her, and it continues to inspire today. ... read more

Nevada Twilight

Local Lore & Mysterious Matters Episode 3: A cashier conundrum, the Pyramid cradle, and the Sundance scandal. BY ERIC CACHINERO Mankind’s natural curiosity for the mysterious and unexplained spans our entire h ... read more

Haunted Nevada

When I heard we would be spending a night in the miner’s cabin at the Gold Hill Hotel—one of the most popular destinations for paranormal researchers in the state—and taking a walking ghost tour in Virginia City both in the same night, I was naturally (or supernaturally) elated. ... read more

The Ballad of Diamondfield Jack

Despite the Hollywood version of cattle raising in the Old West, few ranchers employed a gun-for-hire to eliminate rustlers or sheepherders. This is not to say it wasn’t done; around 1895, a few of the larger spreads in Wyoming brought in a “regulator” named Tom Horn to “clean up” the range, and at $500 a head, he was well on his way to doing so when he was convicted of murder and sent to the gallows. For years, Jack Davis faced the likelihood of the same fate. ... read more

Editor's Note

My note last issue was titled “Looking For Solid Ground.” As I sit here in my dining room, working from home and wondering how our current situation will resolve, I find myself once again looking for something solid to stand on. For the record, it’s April 2. ... read more

Yesterday: A Woman of Breeding

Molly Flagg Knudtsen gave up the good life for the great life—raising cows on her ranch near Austin. This story first appeared in the September/October issue of Nevada Magazine. By ALICE M. GOOD The slender woman wipes the blood off her knife with a sponge and waits for the three cowhands to bring another calf down the chute and wrestle it ... read more

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