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Historical Markers of Douglas County (17)


Every county in Nevada contributes to the state by way of a specific role. Here in western Nevada, Carson City is the state capitol; Storey County is set immortally in the history books for the Comstock Lode; Lyon County ties Carson and Storey together to form another branch of Nevada's historical roots. Washoe County is a struggle of transition between western Nevada ruralty and the region's only true urban metropolis. Then, there is Douglas County, quite old and yet quite new, a county with a ramshackle identity. Douglas stands alone in western Nevada.


"Jewel of the Sierra?" True Nevadans disagree.

Founded in 1861, Douglas County was named after Stephen Douglas, the running mate and Vice President to Abraham Lincoln. Is it no surprise that Douglas and Lincoln Counties are located on opposite sides of the state? A rapidly changing demographic over the past century may be to blame for Douglas’s loss of identity. Douglas County also welcomes many faces of the California tourist, close to fifty thousand on an annual basis to be exact. Visitors, mostly from Los Angeles and Southern California, arrive in droves via the scenic 395 corridor of California’s eastern Sierra. This may further complicate the county’s changing identity. Douglas may also be the envy of some other western Nevada counties. Simply put, fate seems to favor Douglas with good old-fashioned income. The county's western half resides within the Carson Range, a virtual gold bath with half of its real estate right alongside Lake Tahoe's east shore. This whopping influx of economy contrasts greatly from the county’s eastern half –- a largely unspoiled terrain within the Pine Nut Range and neighboring high desert valleys. Here in “the east,” wealth takes on a much different meaning. However, it is its “heart,” the Carson Valley, that provides the lifeblood and workings of Douglas County. Life in the valley negates a struggle that carries on today. While the views here will likely forever remain spectacular, its pace and way of life remains ever-changing. Herein lies the problem and herein is where the plot thickens. Once genteel, Douglas County faces a deeper struggle not easily fixed in today’s growing Nevada.

Part One: "So ... Who is older?"
Reversing our thoughts for just a moment, let us head west onto the foot of the mighty mountains. Here, a few miles west of Minden, may be the centerfold for Nevada’s roots. Nevada's history might very well have begun with the first white settlers in Carson Valley, specifically, Mormon farmers who migrated from Salt Lake City. During 1850, Mormon followers, once seeking the guidance of a determined Brigham Young, sought a refuge away from the Mormon Temple -- a new beginning in an undiscovered region of Utah. In 1851, they founded “Mormon’s Station,” a true haven nestled at the foot of the Carson Range and seemingly worlds away from Mormon doctrine. The community soon became a trading post for passers-by when a hotel was built just south of town. This fine location could have very well been the envy of Utah as it was positioned well for farming and raising livestock due to the runoff from the well-watered Carson Range. Mormon’s Station was also the only place in Utah free from Mormon rule resulting in its name change. The settlers chose the name Genoa, in honor of a city in Italy. That same year (1851), a courthouse was built and residents declared Genoa the county seat of the newly-created “Nevada County, Utah Territory.” Genoa was so successful, the town even briefly served as a re-staging point along the Pony Express Trail in 1860.


"First Courthouse," Genoa, NV.

Genoa has refused to change much in the past 160 years. Although Genoa claims to be “Nevada’s Oldest Settlement,” the debate for the “oldest community” sparks some notoriety with nearby Dayton, some thirty miles to the east. Many historians believe Dayton is Nevada’s earliest settlement. The earliest permanent residents settled at the mouth of Gold Canyon from the spring of 1851 at least two weeks earlier than Mormon Station, even though “Day-Town” was more or less a conglomeration of tents and makeshift shelters. This competes with Genoa's brick and wooden structures along its well-defined main street. The debate is so touch-and-go, even life-long Nevadans cannot quite settle on an answer! Of course, each town has its own opinion. So then, the question should not lie in which town is older, but rather, “what should define a true community?” Should a community be solely based as structures built from wood or stone, or can the definition be loosened by adding in a town comprised of pitched canvas tents? Both communities were active commercially, each one living out opposite trades. Do we go with a bucolic farming community nestled at the mountain’s base, or a dusty, gold mining outpost along the Carson River? Whatever the case, why not battle out the debate with a Dayton fellow inside Nevada’s oldest saloon. Yes, Genoa does have one staked victory -- the Genoa Bar, officially confirmed to be Nevada's oldest watering hole. Established in 1851, the Genoa Bar has been serving drinks for over a century and a half ... so why waste any more time here? Bottoms up.

Part Two: Bittersweet Air
Past or present, tourist or local, people often fall head over heels for Carson Valley's spell. Although, many people call Douglas County home, many are equally unaware of an ever-brewing problem. The problem of "instant urbanization," a stone-cold killer in rural Nevada, threatens the quality of life here in formerly-rural Douglas County. The area's proximity to Reno and Lake Tahoe make it easy pickings for people to find refuge in Carson Valley's quiet corners and high-desert Patagonia. The county's relatively cheap real estate compared to Lake Tahoe make Carson Valley even more appetizing for newcomers. Today, it is commonplace for hundreds of people who work at the Lake (Tahoe) to make the daily drive down the mountain to their quiet residence on the valley floor. In the past decade, dozens of home builders and contractors have staked out Douglas's quiet corners for reasons similar to this, while other reasons appeal to the almighty dollar. As a result, the last rural niches of Carson Valley have fallen victim to enclosure by gated communities, locking out the public to appeal to newer residents addicted to urban sprawl. This burst of annoying suburbia, mostly prompted by newcomers to Nevada, threatens the rural nature of Douglas County and its forlorn valley. To see a golf course set next to a dairy farm, or to watch a spiffy new SAAB race around a rusty old tractor on Muller Lane would have been an outlandish concept two decades ago. I myself have seen many old timers turn a blind eye to a “rancheria” built only a few acres away from their hay barn. Long-time locals keep the peace as best they can against this encroaching creature we call suburbia, but find it hard to ignore a rural way of life that is quickly changing. I met a couple a few years ago on my marker hunting journey, two long-time residents of Douglas County ... “It was so easy to fall in love with the place. I still love it.” “June” pointed to the horizon where a series of sand traps and cut grass seemed to scalp the sagebrush just west of Gardnerville. She recollected on her version of Douglas’s days gone past. In her wrinkles and bittersweet voice she continued as I listened carefully and patiently ... “You should tell those people to make that a historic plaque. If only they knew what we lost.” And they say progress is for the better.


Enjoying the much quieter side of Douglas County. A trip into the Pine Nut Range!

Long-time locals like June and her husband continually chant "Keep Nevada Rural.” Almost every true Nevadan relates directly to such words. Of course it is still possible to see the good days in Carson Valley, when the valley was a sheltered, green oasis set against the mountains. It is also possible to revoke the thought, just as much as referring to Lake Tahoe as "the jewel of the Sierra." Only true Nevadans know this term died with the building of Harrah's. Add on memories of Sharkey lounging around in his casino in Gardnerville, or the ancient language of the Washo People resonating among high-desert sagebrush in the Pine Nuts. Still not convinced? Imagine Basque sheepherders wandering the valley, or a time when US 395 was a two-lane byway without shoulders or stop lights. Better yet, embrace the quiet crackle of aspen leaves in Douglas’s mountain ranges, a sound complimented not by barreling traffic or the sound of progress on US 50, but rather what it means to be a Nevadan: wild and free. All of these may be only hints of nostalgia to today's Douglas County residents, but they are hints nonetheless. Visitors here need to close their eyes, take in a final whiff of fresh-cut hay and then breathe in the overwhelming smell of a short, summer rain. Then, I would hope they open their eyes to see such beauty set against a cloud-studded blue sky or an autumn light show at sunset. For all we know, these may be the last reminders of a rural Carson Valley and a land set below Job and his Sister. Life goes on.

The Markers
Marker hunters are invited to grip the wheel and prepare for some great hunting here in Douglas County. Although most of the markers here are found in Carson Valley, I invite hunters to begin their journey in Genoa, “Nevada’s Oldest Community.” Although the Preservation Office failed to erect even a single historic marker in Genoa, history nevertheless is interwoven into the town’s fabric, holding on tight below the mountains’ mighty mastiff. Park at the Genoa Park and take an hour’s stroll of Genoa’s old buildings. Places like the Masonic Lodge, the Genoa Bar, the original courthouse, or even a pleasant walk through the cemetery are great reminders of days not quite past. By tackling Genoa first, hunters can work south along SR 206 to conquer the half-dozen or so historic markers along the base of the mountains. From here, hunters can either circle back to Gardnerville to tackle the main Carson Valley markers, or turn west up SR 207, the Kingsbury Grade. The Kingsbury Grade and its eleven percent upgrade branches away from the Carson Valley; here, the highway skirts upward and delivers you to an overwhelmingly crowded version of a Mountain Vegas -- a place I like to call, the Tahoe Basin. It might be difficult for some to imagine what the outcome would have been without man's exploitation and commercialism of this mountain bowl. Was Tahoe ever the “crown jewel of the Sierra?” Many people want to think so. Indeed, “the finest view the whole earth affords,” according to Mark Twain, has been loved to death. A visit to Lake Tahoe is bittersweet, often invoking as much depression and disgust as it does fascination and wonder. Regardless, the lake remains, surviving and outlasting what we throw at it.

After stopping in Stateline for a break or two, three more markers await conquering along the east shore of Lake Tahoe. At Glenbrook, US 50 makes a swift turn eastward to head over the summit and back down onto the valley floor in Carson City. After mounting a defense against the traffic and the basin’s overpriced goods, most people realize one very important thing: just how special us Nevadans have it down here on the desert. Therefore, it is my hope that Nevadans continue to embrace this very nature. Hopefully, people of Nevada continue to let themselves be strengthened by the past, the state’s triumphs and defeats equally and without remorse for centuries to come. As Nevadans, let us not be in a hurry to change. Instead, let us change wisely and patiently. Nevada has always been a fighter and a survivor with its dignity and roots intact. She is “Battle Born” after all.

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Copyright © Paul Sebesta