This weekend was a little of everything. Each day brought a new aspect of Nevada history.
Friday
Friday was dinner in Virginia City at the yummy Cafe Del Rio with Stan Paher, author of Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, followed by his presentation of ghost town photos at the Fourth Ward School Museum. Built in 1876 the school taught over 1,000 students grades 1-9 with the last class graduating 1936. The school has been restored and is now an amazing museum of Virginia City history. Museum director Nora has done an amazing job with restoration and bringing presentations to the museum. You might see someone else presenting about ghost towns in the future.
I finally got to meet author Shawn Hall. Shawn has several wonderful books on ghost towns organized by county. The books are a wealth of information and I hope he has more in the works, hint hint Shawn. Explorers, authors and photographers Austin of Nevada Expeditions and Scott of Outerrealmz were at the presentation. Both have great Facebook and Instagram pages and websites. We compared notes and hope to have some joint trips soon.
Saturday
Saturday started early with a tour of the historic Trimmer ranch in Genoa. The ranch is owned by a sixth generation Carson Valley ranching family and has an amazing barn, buildings and history.
Sunday
Sunday was hazy with smoke but I wanted to get out for a little bit. My son and Hubby accompanied me on a mini tour of lesser known places in Carson Valley. We started at the 1860s Boyd Toll Road which connected Genoa to Cradelbaugh Toll Road. The roads continued to Aurora and the Esmerelda Mining District.
Next stop, after getting a few supplies at Target, was Jack’s Valley. The first land claim in the valley was filed here in 1853 and a small settlement grew around the site. Jack’s Valley was a Pony Express stop in 1860. I drive past Jack’s Valley frequently and never knew a settlement existed here.
We stopped a few places along Foothill Road but it wasn’t a great day for photos. We stopped briefly at Mottsville and the late 1850s schoolhouse, now a private residence.
Our final stop was the Ben Palmer Ranch. Ben and his wife were freed slaves and early settlers on the emigrants trail. He became one of the largest ranchers in the valley and a prominent citizen. He was asked to vote prior to the 15th amendment and ran for political office.
9-20-2021
Follow me on social media:
Leave a Reply