In 1859, Charles Fuller built a log bridge across the Truckee River and charged a fee to those who passed over it on their way to Virginia City and the gold recently discovered there. Fuller also provided gold-seekers with a place to rest, purchase a meal, and exchange information with other prospectors. In 1861, Myron Lake purchased Fuller’s bridge and with the money from the tolls, bought more land and constructed a gristmill, livery stable, and kiln. When the Central Pacific Railroad reached Nevada from Sacramento in 1868, Lake made sure that his crossing was included in its path by deeding a portion of his land to Charles Crocker (an organizer of the Central Pacific Railroad Company), who promised to build a depot at Lake’s Crossing. On May 13, 1868, the townsite of Reno (named after Civil War General Jesse Reno) was officially established. Lake’s remaining land was divided into lots and auctioned off to businessmen and homebuilders.
The Lake Mansion is one of Reno’s oldest surviving homes. Built in 1877 by William Marsh and purchased by Lake in 1879, the Lake Mansion originally stood at the corner of California and Virgina Streets. In 1971, it was moved to save it from demolition and today the Lake Mansion serves as a small museum on the corner of Kietzke Lane and Virginia Street.
At the turn of the century, Nevada Senator Francis Newlands played a prominent role in the passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902. The Newlands Reclamation Project diverted Truckee River water to farmland east of Reno, prompting the growth of the town of Fallon.
Built in 1889, the residence of Francis Newlands, is one five National Historic Landmarks in Nevada.
Because Nevada’s economy was tied to the mining industry and its inevitable ups and downs, the state had to find other means of economic support during the down times. Reno earned the title “Sin City” because it hosted several legal brothels, was the scene of illegal underground gambling, and offered quick and easy divorces.
Nystrom House, built in 1875 for Washoe County Clerk John Shoemaker, is also significant for its role as a boardinghouse during Reno’s divorce trade in the 1920s. The Riverside Hotel, designed by Frederic DeLongchamps, was built in 1927 specifically for divorce seekers and boasted an international reputation.
In 1927, in celebration of the completion of the Lincoln Highway (Highway 50) and the Victory Highway (Highway 40), the state of California built the California Building as a gift for the Transcontinental Exposition, held at Idlewild Park.
After World War II, Reno continued to grow and expand. The Mapes Hotel was built in 1947 and opened for business on December 17 of that year. It was the first high-rise built to combine a hotel and casino, providing the prototype for modern hotel/casinos. The building went vacant on December 17, 1982, 35 years to the day after it opened. The Reno Redevelopment Agency acquired the property in 1996, and sought a developer to revitalize the building. After four years of failed attempts to find a cost effective way to save the structure, the Mapes was demolished on January 30, 2000.
This brief history of Reno highlights only a few of the many treasures that make up the unique history of “The Biggest Little City in the World.” To own an historic property is to own a piece of a shared history. Because the craftsmanship and fabrication processes that created them are no longer available, historic structures are non-renewable resources and rely upon the efforts of their owners to ensure that they survive into the future.
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