Visiting a Nevada ghost town brings to mind a long dusty trip, bouncing around in 4×4 over miles and miles of washboard roads. While that may be true for some ghost towns, others sit on a paved highway, which is comfortably accessible. Washoe City boomed as the Washoe County seat, but after the arrival of rail service and Comstock’s mills relocating to the Carson River, Washoe City became a ghost town ghosted within ten years.
(Photo credit: WNHP)
Today, Washoe City is intersected by Old Highway 395 and I580. Winters Mansion and the cemetery are among the few reminders of a once-thriving town. I drove past Washoe City for decades without realizing the history alongside the highway.
Born of the Comstock
(Photo credit: UNR Library)
Washoe City was founded in 1860 to supply lumber to mines in Virginia City. Washoe Lake provided unlimited hydropower and mills processed ore from the Comstock Lode. In 1861, the Atchison mill was constructed. The New York, Buekeye, and Minnesota mills soon followed.
(Photo credit: Legends of America)
Dozens of mule freight wagons made daily trips between Washoe City and Virginia City. They transported lumber, food and other supplies to Virginia City and carried ore for processing on the return trip.
Newspaper News and Curse of the Washoe Times
Washoe Cities’ first newspaper was the Washoe Times, a paper that seemed to curse its owners. George Derickson published the first edition of the Washoe Times on October 18, 1862. General James Allen edited the twenty-four-column paper. A subscription for the weekly periodical was $5 annually.
Founder Derickson was shot and killed on January 23, 1863, by H.F. Swayze. Allen assumed the paper on February 12, 1863, but died at the Nevada State Fair seven months later on October 3, Nevada Day. John K. Lovejoy assumed the Washoe Times on December 5, 1863. He discontinued the paper, using the printing materials to start his newspaper, Old Pah Utah.
Washoe City
On July 3, 1862, the Washoe City post office opened. The town quickly had stores, hotels, saloons, restaurants and livery stables. Professional services included physicians, dentists and attorneys. Later the town built schools, hospitals, churches, fraternal clubs and a courthouse. At its height, Washoe City had 6,000 residents. Many residents were transient and spent only part of their time in town.
(Photo credit: WNHP)
Washoe City is said to have had the first stock exchange on the West Coast, which predates the San Francisco stock exchange by a few years.
(Photo credit: UNR Library)
With the completion of the Virginia and Truckee Rail Road in 1869, mines began to process ore in Empire City and along the Carson River. Washoe City’s decline was rapid; within a few years, the population decreased to 2500.
(Photo credit: UNR Library)
Washoe County
In 1861, Washoe City became the county seat for Washoe County. A decade later, after a legal battle in the Nevada Supreme Court, Washoe City lost the county seat to Reno. Washoe City residents then petitioned the legislature to secede from Washoe County and join Ormsby County, but their efforts were fruitless. The population continued to decline, and in 1880 only 200 residents remained. The post office was renamed Washoe in 1894. Service continued sporadically until 1920 when the postal service transferred to Steamboat.
Today, there is little left to mark the location of the former Washoe county seat. The county dismantled the courthouse in 1873 and the bricks used in Carson City. The beautiful Masonic and Odd Fellows Halls were abandoned and later collapsed. Scattered along Old Highway 395 are the last reminders of Washoe City, including Winters Mansion, Washoe Jail, Washoe Cemetery, Ophir Mill and nearby Bowers Mansion.
Winter’s Mansion
Theodore and Maggie Winters built the beautiful Gothic-style mansion in 1864 to raise their seven children. Theodore made his fortune in the Comstock. He expanded his property, Rancho del Sierra, to 6,000 acres, raising race horses, beef cattle, and sheep.
Winters Mansion is a private residence with several markers on the site.
Washoe City Jail
Now, Washoe Zephyr Gardens, this Washoe City structure, saw multiple uses, including a jail.
Washoe City Cemetery
Washoe Cemetery is large and spread out. Many graves are marked only by a circle or pile of rocks. Native vegetation has taken over the grounds.
Multiple graves were unmarked, and a kind soul erected crosses marked “UNK” for unknown. I wonder if this was an Eagle Scout project similar to Empire City.
Several graves have ornate metal fences and marble headstones. One unusual grave had a stacked rock border. I have never seen a similar grave in all the cemeteries I have visited.
Some graves are marked very simply with a cross or wood arch. Once engraved, the name has faded into history. Many of the small arch markers were on infant-sized graves.
Washoe Valley Old Cabin
If you have taken Old Highway 395 through Pleasant Valley, you likely noticed this log cabin at the old Cattleman’s Restaurant a few hundred feet from the Washoe City Cemetery. It took some research, but I learned it is not a pioneer cabin. The cabin was built in the first half of the 1900s for a movie set and later converted into a residence. A reader said the movie was never released.
Ophir Mill
The Ophir mill operated from 1861-1866.
Bowers Mansion
Not far south of Washoe City is the iconic Bowers Mansion.
(Photo credit: Travel Nevada)
Bowers’ Mansion in Washoe Valley was built in 1863 by Lemuel “Sandy” and Eilley Bowers. A life of financial fortune and personal tragedy set the stage for the many reported hauntings in the mansion and on the grounds.
(Photo credit: UNR Libraries)
Tours of the mansion and outbuildings are available in summer and fall. Hubby, the kids, and I visited the last weekend tours that were open for the season and ended up with a private tour.
Washoe City is part of a nice loop around Washoe Valley, including Lakeview, Mill Station, Franktown, and Ophir. A stop at the nearby Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory is a treat for kids and adults.
WANT MORE GHOST TOWNS?
For information on more than three hundred ghost towns in Nevada, visit the Nevada Ghost Towns Map or a list of Nevada ghost towns.
References
- Basso, Dave. Nevada Historical Marker Guidebook. Nevada Publications, 1986. Page 166.
- Carlson, Helen S. Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press, 1974. Page 242.
- Ghost Towns: Washoe City
- Legends of America: First Train Robbery On The Pacific Coast
- Lingenfelter, Richard E and Karen Rix Gash. The Newspapers of Nevada: A history and bibliography 1854-1979. University of Nevada Press, 1984. Pages 275-276.
- Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 43.
- Smith, Grant H. The History of the Comstock Lode. University of Nevada Press, 1997. Page 45.
- University of Nevada Libraries: Washoe City
- Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection: Washoe City
- Wikipedia: Washoe City, Nevada
Steve says
Excellent. Thank you
Tami says
Thank you again Stephen
Karen Melarkey says
Great photos and information. Just one correction…Bowers Mansion is not located on Franktown Road. It’s on the old main highway (Old Hwy 395). Thank you for the research!
Tami says
Thank you for pointing that out. I think of that area as Franktown as I always take that route. I double-checked, and it isn’t on Old Highway 395, it is on Bowers Mansion Road. I didn’t know that was considered a separate road. I updated my article to just say it is a Washoe County Park. Thanks again.
Ann Dunn Bingham says
I have a copy of the original document showing who are interred in the graves in the Old Washoe city cemetery. It was made by Lorenzo Smith, brother of by great grandmother on the back of a calendar.
Tami says
Wow, what a treasure!
I started updating the article on Washoe City but needed to work on the radio show first. I would love any information you have, with credit to you of course/
I was fortunate to visit Franktown Cemetery last fall.
Do you have Pioneer of the Ponderosa? It is a wonderful book and is available online. It took me years to find a printed copy.
Karen says
Wow that is a treasure. I didn’t realize how big the cemetery actually is until recently. Driving by doesn’t do it justice. Do you happen to know who owns the piece of land the cemetery is on. Our group wanted to get permission to help clean the cemetery (remove some weeds, etc) but didn’t know who to contact. Thanks.
Tami says
It is owned by “Washoe City Cemetery.” Not other information on the assessors list.
We have done cleanups at other cemeteries, but they were on BLM and USFS land and we worked through them. Maybe the city or county office knows?
One resource might be the State Office of Historic Preservation. Hopefully they can guide you, I would love to see it cleaned up.
Sharon says
Do you know what movies were filmed at that liog cabin in Washoe City?
Tami says
Funny how I never thought to ask that question. I am looking for information on what movie it was used for. The Shootist was the big movie in the area, but that was after the cabin would have been a movie set.
Mitch says
As I live in Washoe Valley and have done more research of the history, from what I have gathered the old cabin was built in the 1940’s and was never used as a movie set for what it was intended. The Shootist was filmed in Carson City in a vintage home a few houses down from the Governors Mansion on Mountain st. I was in 8th grade watching them film that portion. There was a scene in Washoe park of John Wayne and Loren Bacall in a buggy. The other scenes of John Wayne shooting a bandit was in Carson Valley on Ranch Land close to Genoa. Thanks for the input on your newsletters. I am surprised of the history in Washoe Valley due to being born and raised in Carson City NV.
Tami says
You caught me when I was updating my post on Washoe City! It was one of my earlier posts. I am reformating the layout and adding new information. It is taking longer than planned.
I have been reading Pioneers of the Ponderosa: How the Washoe Valley Rescued the Comstock. I was fortunate to find a hard copy, but it is also available online. It is probably the best history of Washoe Valley and has information I have never seen in other places. It was my main reference for Deadman’s Creek, on the east side of Washoe Valley.
That makes sense about the cabin; I was never able to find a movie filmed at that location. Thank you for the insight.
There is a scene from the Shootist with John Wayne and Ron Howard and our ranch in the background. If you look closely, you can see power lines;)
Rick Cooper says
Several years ago some of us in the community held an event to clean up the cemetery. A 20 yard dumpster was filled by volunteers of overgrown vegetation. There has been an impasse with the County Commissioners on designating the cemetery as county property and it remains ambiguous. Other interests have since done other improvements. Washoe City is one of our “living ghost towns” that ebb and flow in population.
Tami says
Washoe City has been on my list to update. I saw ECV dedicated a memorial at the cemetery. Thank you volunteers for cleaning up the cemetery grounds.