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Museums & Historic SitesThe Carson Valley is rich in western history and lore. Visitors can spend hours or days visiting historic sites and museums, steeping themselves in the lives of the early settlers. There they will discover detailed information on Kit Carson and Snowshoe Thomson, the Pony Express, the Emigrant Trail, and more. The town of Genoa, originally named Mormon Station, is the oldest permanent non-native settlement in Nevada. It boasts many historic buildings, a wonderful museum, and a park featuring a stockade. In Gardnerville, the Museum and Cultural Center is a marvelous place to spend an afternoon, learning many aspects of early life in the Carson Valley. Visitors can also experience the ranch life of the old west at the Dangberg Ranch historic park. |
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Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center
1477 U.S. Highway 395(map) Gardnerville NV 89410 Phone: 775-782-2555 The architect for this building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was Frederic J. DeLongchamps. First serving as a high school, the building now features Basque and Native American exhibits as well as an exhibit on Nevada's wild and free-roaming mustangs. A special highlight is "Main Street," depicting Main Street in Gardnerville as it was from 1870-1950, with its mercantile, dry goods, and drug stores, doctor's office, barbershop and newspaper office. |
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Courthouse Museum in Genoa
2304 Main Street(map) Genoa NV 89411 Phone: 775-782-4325 http://www.historicnevada.org/ The original Douglas County Courthouse from 1865 to 1916, later serving as the Genoa School. Exhibits highlight Native Americans, the Emigrant Trail through Nevada, the Pony Express, and Snowshoe Thompson, as well as an old-fashioned parlor, a post office, a school classroom, and the original courtroom and jail. Open mid-May to mid-October. |
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Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park
1450 State Route 88(map) Minden NV 89423 Phone: 775-783-9417 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it http://parks.nv.gov/hr.htm The Home Ranch was once the center of operations for a 48,000-acre ranch. Built beginning in 1857 through the early 1900s, the ranch house, old stone cellar, laundry, and carriage house are open for tours Wednesday through Sunday. This is Old West history at its best! Open mid-April through December. Tours available by advance reservation only. |
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Mormon Station State Historic Park
2295 Main Street(map) Genoa NV 89411 Phone: 775-782-2590 http://parks.nv.gov/ms.htm Mormon Station was originally a trading post established during the 1849 Gold Rush as a place for California-bound travelers to rest and purchase supplies before tackling the Sierra Nevada. It was the first permanent non-native settlement in Nevada and was later renamed Genoa. The park features exhibits in the museum and stockade as well as a pavilion and picnic area. |
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