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History

Bowers Mansion
The legendary silver rush
is but a part of the vast
history that continues to
make the region a
beautiful, productive area.
Wherever there is a remote chance, somebody will chance it. Wherever there is a risk, somebody will risk it. Wherever there is a way to win, somebody will attempt it. In Nevada you can bet on it.

Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone tribes who camped along the Truckee River long before there was a town called Reno, liked to bet on games and contests when they gathered for festivals and ceremonies.

For centuries, native tribes had the place to themselves, including the shores of Lake Tahoe.

The discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859 brought a flood of would-be gold miners to the area. Tahoe became the center of a lively commerce for the wood needed to supply the mines, the new boomtowns and the railroad.

Gambling was legal in Nevada until 1910 when the "Progressives" group succeeded in getting it banned. From there gambling went underground, using cigar stores as fronts for operations.

In 1931 gambling was legalized again in the hope that it would help boost the economy during the depression. In the years since, the great quality of life in the Truckee Meadows has attracted other industries such as Microsoft Licensing, Intuit, iGo, Amazon.com, John Deere & Company and Kal Kan.

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

  • 1844-First recorded sighting of Lake Tahoe by a non-Native American, John Fremont's exploration party led by "Kit" Carson
  • 1859-Comstock Lode is discovered in Virginia City
  • 1861-Gold rush tapers off, silver rush begins with discovery of one of the largest silver strikes in the world
  • 1864-Nevada becomes a state
  • 1868-Central Pacific railroad reaches what is now Reno after crossing the Sierra from Sacramento
  • 1880-90-Populaton dwindles by 35% as mining declines
  • 1890s-Lake Tahoe becomes popular retreat for the wealthy from San Francisco, Sacramento and Virginia City
  • 1903-Reno is incorporated. Named after Civil War General Jesse Reno
  • 1904-Sparks is founded by Central Pacific Railroad. It is built in one day after railroad sells lots to employees for just a dollar
  • 1910-"Progressives" group succeeds in banning gambling. Reno then becomes known for "quickie divorces"
  • 1926-Original "Reno Arch" is put in place
  • 1931-Gambling is again legalized to boost economy during the depression
  • 1936-Harolds Club opens in downtown Reno
  • 1942-Bill Harrah adds slot machines, a crap table and a blackjack game to his downtown gaming parlor
  • 1945-By action of The California State legislature, Lake Tahoe becomes the official name of the lake
  • 1965-Centennial Coliseum opens. Today this facility is known as the Reno-Sparks Convention Center
  • 1970s-The world's largest hotel-casino to date is built in Reno-the MGM Grand
  • 1995-National Bowling stadium is completed

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