Places
Bagpipes in Nevada
Places: Virginia City, Storey County, Northern Nevada
In 1869, Journalist Alf Doten noted that Virginia City's annual celebration of Robert Burns, Scotland's Poet Laureate, included "a highland piper in costume." Scottish dance competitions at Nevada's nineteenth-century Highland games would have also required the presence of a... more
Western Folklife Center
Places: Elko, Elko County, Northern Nevada
In 1980, the Utah Folklife Center, under the direction of Utah State Folk Arts Coordinator Hal Cannon, expanded its focus beyond the Beehive State's borders and became the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada. Cannon remains the Founding Director. The Western Folklife Center's mission is... more
White Pine County
Places: White Pine County, Northern Nevada
White Pine County embraces 8,877 square miles in eastern Nevada, in the White Pine Range adjacent to the Utah border. The state legislature established the county in 1869 as a result of the mining boom at Hamilton, its first county seat. The boom ended after less than three years, but the community... more
White Pine County Company Towns
Places: White Pine County, Northern Nevada
When mining partners Edwin Gray and Dave Bartley discovered copper deep within a mountainside in central White Pine County between 1900 and 1902, they sparked a mining boom that would soon become one of the richest in the state. By 1910, four communities called "company towns" were... more
Avant-garde in Nevada
Places: Clark County, Reno, Washoe County, Las Vegas, Northern Nevada, Southern Nevada
Although there may be some truth in the notion that avant-garde art and literature have always been slow to reach Nevada and the Great Basin, there have been, over the years, some noteworthy undertakings. And, like the vanguard works of last century's Modernism, they usually combine verbal and... more
White Pine County Courthouse
Places: Ely, White Pine County, Northern Nevada
Created in 1869, White Pine County's government seat was originally located in Hamilton. A 40-by-60-foot brick courthouse was built in 1870 for $55,000. The building served the county until it burned down in 1885. Previous quarrels over relocation of the county seat raised suspicions of arson.... more
Austin and the Reese River Mining District
Places: Austin, Lander County, Northern Nevada
In 1862, William Talcott discovered silver ore in Pony Canyon, a pass through central Nevada's Toiyabe Mountains. The strike attracted newcomers who founded Clifton below the new claims. David Buel then platted Austin up the canyon, naming his town for his partner Alvah Austin. Because of the... more
White River Narrows
Places: Lincoln County, Southern Nevada
The White River Narrows Archeological District, approximately 90 miles south of Ely, Nevada, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The area is especially scenic because of its rhyolite cliffs on which much of the Archaeological District's rock art is situated.One of... more
Wilber Stevens
Places: Clark County, Las Vegas, Southern Nevada
The White River Narrows Archeological District, approximately 90 miles south of Ely, Nevada, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The area is especially scenic because of its rhyolite cliffs on which much of the Archaeological District's rock art is situated.One of... more
Aurora
Places: Aurora, Mineral County, Southern Nevada
In 1860, the discovery of gold and silver about eighty miles southeast of Virginia City led to the creation of the boomtown Aurora. E. R. Hicks, J. M. Corey, and James Braley made the find while on a hunting and prospecting expedition. On August 30, 1860, they established the Esmeralda Mining... more
Will Bruder
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
The architect for the 2003 Nevada Museum of Art building in Reno is Phoenix-based Will Bruder. Bruder has a philosophy about successful architecture, which he expressed succinctly in the catalogue, designed by will bruder: "Truly memorable buildings exploit the tension between the sensual and... more
Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at the Nevada Test Site
Places: Nye County, Southern Nevada
One hundred atmospheric nuclear tests were detonated at the Nevada Test Site (originally the Nevada Proving Grounds) between 1951 and 1963. The first Nevada series, code-named Ranger, was conducted during January and February 1951, immediately after President Harry S. Truman had approved the... more
Will James
Places: Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Artist and author Will James is beloved by readers for his life-like drawings and illustrated stories of horses in the American West and the cowboys who work them. His books are comprised of story and essay collections, novels, an autobiography, and children's books. All depict aspects of the... more
Atlatls
From at least 8300 years ago, and probably earlier, Nevada's ancient Native Americans used the atlatl or throwing stick to propel feathered and, usually, stone tipped darts at their prey. In fact, most “arrowheads” found in the desert are most likely atlatl dart points. Although... more
Artown
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Artown is an annual monthlong festival of the arts held in Reno every July. The celebration includes hundreds of performances of music, dance, and theater, visual arts exhibitions, films, and activities for children and families. The Artown organization, a nonprofit entity, books most of the larger... more
Will James: The Artist
Places: Clark County, Las Vegas, Southern Nevada
Will James lived like a character in one of his own novels. The Canadian-born cowboy, writer, and artist came to Nevada in 1914. Soon after, he got caught in a rustling scheme and spent time in prison; he used the solitude of jail to sharpen his skills at drawing scenes depicting life on the ranch... more
Arthur V. Buel - Biography of a Nevada Caricaturist
Places: Nye County, Tonopah, Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada, Southern Nevada
Arthur V. Buel (1877-1952) has been described as Nevada's most prolific editorial cartoonist. His long newspaper career started in the mining towns of the Yukon Territory and took him to Tonopah, Nevada, where he honed his distinctive approach to the art of caricature. In 1922, Buel moved to... more
William A. Clark
Places: Clark County, Southern Nevada
William Andrews Clark, a one-time United States senator and railroad magnate, is the namesake for Clark County in recognition of the rail line he owned and built that extended through the Las Vegas Valley, and the 1905 land auction that is considered the birth of Las Vegas.Property that Clark... more
Artemus Ward
Places: Austin, Carson City, Virginia City, Lander County, Storey County, Northern Nevada
Artemus Ward, often called the first standup comic, played a pivotal role in the history of American literature during an 1863 Christmas visit to the Nevada territory when he influenced the career of Mark Twain. Born Charles Farrar Brown in 1834 in Maine, the future Artemus Ward lost his father... more
William Bird
Places: Virginia City, Storey County, Northern Nevada
William Bird was a prominent member of Virginia City's African American community during the Comstock era. A barber by profession, Bird was active in the mining district—he even staged an unsuccessful run for mayor in 1870.Born in Ohio in 1822, Bird first appears in the 1860 census of... more
William Chapman Ralston
Places: Virginia City, Storey County, Northern Nevada
William Ralston was a California investor who assembled the means to monopolize the Comstock Lode during the 1860s. Born in Ohio in 1826, Ralston moved to San Francisco in 1854 and became a rising star as part owner in a steamship company. Beginning in 1860, he turned his attention and his... more
Art Deco Style Architecture in Nevada
Places: Carson City, Clark County, Boulder City, Reno, Washoe County, Las Vegas, Northern Nevada, Southern Nevada
Art Deco was a style that influenced everything in the visual and decorative arts. The 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs in Paris made the Art Deco movement international. The style established a thoroughly modern look that would, in its permutations, affect the rest of the twentieth century and... more
William Nellis
Places: Clark County, Southern Nevada
Born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, in 1916, William H. Nellis moved to the town of Searchlight as a child. His father was a miner, and his grandmother ran a boarding house. He moved to Las Vegas as a teenager, attending Las Vegas High School. Later he went to work for the railroad, as many local boys... more
Armenians in Southern Nevada
Places: Clark County, Las Vegas, Southern Nevada
When Las Vegas started as a small railroad town in 1905, Armenian farmers, craftsmen, and merchants showed little interest in settling in a place best known for its arid desert, sparse natural resources, and limited trade connections. But over time, Armenians escaping persecution and genocide in... more
William Sharon
Places: Virginia City, Storey County, Northern Nevada
William Sharon played an important role in early Nevada. Born in Ohio on January 9, 1821, he practiced law in St. Louis then pursued business in Illinois. With the 1849 Gold Rush, Sharon traveled to California where he engaged in business and real estate, but he lost his earnings in stock... more