One of the first jobs I had after I left the ranch was as an engineering aide for the Nevada State Highway Department (Now NDOT) in 1962. I was assigned to a survey crew on the first Interstate 80 freeway project heading east from the California state line near Verdi. While working there, I learned that this area was the scene of the first train robbery in Nevada. On the … [Read more...]
Nevada History: The Terrible Winter of 1889
Snowfall was early and heavy in December 1889, and Nevada stockmen were jubilant at the end of a long dry spell. The snow continued to fall, and by mid-January train service at all Nevada points came to a standstill. From Wyoming west, the country was in the grip of a disastrous winter. Sheep and cattle starved and froze. Trains were stalled. The Sierras were blocked, as fires … [Read more...]
Hoard of Gold Coins Found at Lovelock Chinatown
There are countless stories about lost or buried treasure with gold, silver and other valuable items in Nevada history. Most of these are legends that may or may not have any basis in fact. The following story is one of the rare cases where a real treasure was found when there was no previous knowledge that it even existed. During my highway construction inspecting days, I … [Read more...]
Nevada’s First New Year’s Eve Dance
Nevada Gold was first discovered in 1849 by Abner Blackburn and several other placer miners at the mouth of Gold Canyon where it empties into the Carson River at Dayton. Shortly after the discovery, an influx of prospectors, placer miners and opportunists began working its way up Gold Canyon in pursuit of the elusive yellow dust and nuggets. It would be another 10 years before … [Read more...]