Places
Roman Catholicism in Nevada
Roman Catholicism in NevadaChurches in early Nevada history were often the focus of their members’ social lives. Roman Catholic churches additionally served as an anchor for their foreign-born parishioners and a source of charity for the needy. The Irish were the largest of the early... more
Rollin Mallory Daggett
Places: Virginia City, Storey County, Northern Nevada
Born in New York in 1832, Rollin Daggett moved to Ohio when he was five and eventually worked there as a printer. At seventeen, Daggett became a '49er following the dream of California gold. Failing to become rich, he joined J. Macdonough Foard in 1852 to found The Golden Era. The famed San... more
Rock Art of Nevada
“Rock art” is the collective term for a variety of forms of visual representation made on natural rocky surfaces (boulders, cliff faces, cave walls, etc.) and are found throughout the world. Pictographs and petroglyphs represent the two main techniques used to make rock art. Pictographs... more
Robert Heizer
Robert Fleming Heizer was one of two towering figures who dominated Great Basin archaeology after World War II. Heizer, of the University of California at Berkeley, focused on understanding the sequences of past periods of occupation. The other, Jesse Jennings of the University of Utah, worked with... more
Robert G. Schofield
English-born Robert G. Schofield (1838-1915) regularly placed advertisements in the Pioche Record that touted his skills as a watchmaker, jeweler, engraver, housepainter, and signmaker. In addition, there was a constant thread throughout Schofield's life—his love of art, mostly expressed... more
Robert Brady
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Internationally renowned sculptor Robert Brady was born in 1946 in Reno, Nevada. An indifferent student in high school in Reno, and needing an easy class to make up credits missed during a lengthy illness, he signed up for art. By the end of his first day he was enthralled with clay. His teacher... more
Riviera Hotel
Places: Clark County, Las Vegas, Southern Nevada
Originally to be called the Casa Blanca, the Riviera hotel project languished in the early 1950s as its five partners, mostly from Miami, ran into licensing problems after the Nevada Tax Commission learned that one of its applicants had ties to the infamous mobster Meyer Lansky. In 1953, the... more
Riverside Hotel
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
The Riverside Hotel has been a fixture of the Reno community and skyline for 130 years. The Lake House was the first structure on this spot along Virginia Street just south of the Truckee River. Myron C. Lake built the lodging and resting place in 1870. Lake had purchased the land and adjacent... more
Rise of the Mormon Church
While fur trappers and government scouts were the first Americans to traverse the Great Basin, its early white settlers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormons, as they were called, arrived in the late 1840s seeking isolation. But within a few years, the... more
Riepetown
Places: White Pine County, Northern Nevada
As "company towns" began to expand in White Pine County in the early 1900s, several other communities were developed to provide additional housing and services to area miners. But because they were not subject to the strict laws of company towns, they quickly turned into wild and rowdy... more
Richard Jose
Places: Carson City, Virginia City, Reno, Storey County, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Richard Jose was born in Cornwall in 1862. After his father died in 1876, Jose came to Nevada searching for his uncle. As an adult, Jose claimed a birth date of 1869, promoting the story of a mere child traveling alone to the American West. He also changed the pronunciation of his name, and hence... more
Responsibilities of the Nevada Legislature and Term Limits
Generally, the Nevada Legislature, which meets every two years, enacts the laws of the state; specifies the tax rates levied on individuals, businesses, property, gaming, and sales; appropriates funds collected for the support of public institutions and the administration of state government;... more
Representation and Redistricting of the Nevada Legislature
The Constitution of the State of Nevada requires the Nevada legislature to adjust the boundaries of the legislative districts following each decennial (ten-year) federal census. The number of members in each house may be changed at that time, but it is not required. After considerable discussion... more
Rephotographic Survey Projects
A rephotographic survey is an attempt by a documentary photographer/scholar to understand changes in the landscape by making a contemporary photograph at the same spot as a historical one and comparing the two images. The passage of time in these photographic pairs is often a reflection of human... more
Reno: Twentieth-Century Divorce Capital
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
For more than half of the twentieth century, Reno was Nevada's sin city and the divorce capital of the world. Journalists and gossip columnists called it the "Great Divide," a destination for divorce seekers who wanted to take "the cure," get "Reno-vated," and... more
Reno's Italian Amerians
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
For almost 150 years Reno, Nevada, has had an Italian American presence. In the late 1860s, Italian immigrants began migrating to the Truckee Meadows and its surroundings. After arriving in American ports on the West Coast as well as the East Coast, the immigrants who had the means moved to more... more
Reno Jewry
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Reno's early Jewish community played an important role in the development of Northern Nevada's largest city, creating an economic, religious, and intellectual legacy that continues into the twenty-first century. In 1868, Jewish merchants were among those who purchased lots when the Central... more
Reno Divorce: The Women
The Women is a glossy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release from 1939 featuring a group of women who visit Reno for divorces. Directed by George Cukor and based on Clare Boothe Luce's stage hit, the play was adapted to film by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, with uncredited help from F. Scott Fitzgerald and... more
Reno Divorce Colony Literature
From the 1920s through the 1960s, Reno was the divorce center of the United States. Known as the Colony, Reno attracted the famous and infamous. The literature that emerged from the Colony included informational pamphlets and brochures, magazines, newspaper articles, short stories, poems,... more
Reno Arts and Culture Commission
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
The mission of the City of Reno's Arts & Culture Commission is to "secure, enhance, advocate and fund excellence in the arts in the City of Reno." Their primary activities include managing a grant program for arts organizations, overseeing the city's public art program,... more
Reno and Transportation in the West
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
From the beginning, transportation to and from the Truckee Meadows has been a significant theme in the history of Reno. The emigrant trails, stage roads, the Pony Express, and the railroad have all served to bring people and goods through the region. The transcontinental railroad, coming through... more
Reno and the African American Divorce Trade: Two Case Studies
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
From 1906 until the late 1960s, Reno, Nevada was known as the "Divorce Capital of the World." Before the modern age of no-fault divorce, legal dissolution of marriage could take years, or it was simply not allowed. Early in the twentieth century, a number of states competed for the nation... more
Reno 911
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
Reno 911 is a television series that airs on the Comedy Central network and features members of the fictitious Reno Sheriff's Department. Envisioned primarily as a spoof of reality television shows such as Cops, Reno 911 has become a cult favorite for its improvised comedy sketches and... more
Reno
Places: Reno, Washoe County, Northern Nevada
When the first Euro-Americans passed through in the 1840s, Washoe and Paiute peoples inhabited the land along the Truckee River. In the late 1840s and 1850s, thousands of travelers on their way to the California gold fields would linger a few days in the Truckee Meadows to feed their animals on the... more
Referendum
During America's "Progressive Era" (1890s through 1920s, ) populists in Nevada adopted several major political reforms, including initiative, referendum, and recall. The right to referendum was the first reform, enacted in 1904. Referendum is a direct vote of the people whether to... more