A bar-room fight. One dead body. An angry mob. And a nearby tree.
The year was 1897. And the facts of the murder weren’t in dispute. Thanks to a bottle of Red Eye, a loaded gun, and one nasty temper, teamster Hans Anderson wound up dead.
The Hanging Tree, photo by Wickwire Photos.
Shooter Adam Uber claims he didn’t even remember the killing once he sobered up inside the Genoa jail. But local citizens had had enough. Anderson had been well-liked in town; Uber, not so much. A self-appointed posse marched up to the jail and — well, Uber was history.
Some say justice was served. Others say Uber cursed those who took the law into their own hands, and justice took its own vengeance on the avengers.
The Hanging Tree sign, photo by Wickwire Photos.
The tree where Adam Uber met his untimely end still stands today on Genoa Lane, just on the edge of the town of Genoa. And more than a century later, you can easily find it. Just look for the wooden sign marking the infamous “Hanging Tree.”
Want to read more? Click here for the full Hanging Tree story.
Hans Anderson and Adam Uber were both buried at the Genoa Cemetery, though Anderson’s body was moved to Gardnerville’s Garden Cemetery two years later. Uber is still at Genoa Cemetery somewhere, in an unmarked grave. Want to visit Genoa’s historic cemetery and learn more about the fascinating folks buried there? Pick up the first two volumes of “The Old Genoa Cemetery” for a virtual tour of the two southernmost sections. Written in 2017 by an all-star team of local historians, it’s available at Carson Valley Museum & Historical Society, Dangberg Home Ranch State Park, Shelby’s Book Shoppe, and online at www.clairitage.com.
The Old Genoa Cemetery book cover.
Story by Karen Dustman, a fun local author who shares her passion for history through her books, blog, and free history newsletter. Find out more at www.clairitage.com.
Main image courtesy of Cheryl Hale.