The original residents to the area around what is now Topaz Lake were Northern Paiutes, whose diet included the abundant trout from the Walker River – the same river that feeds the lake today. Explorer Jedidiah Smith and party were the first non-natives to cross the Sierra Nevada, a 400-mile-long mountain range that aptly translates to “Snow Covered Mountains” in Spanish. As they travelled down the Walker River, they passed by a small, shallow body of water that early settlers would later refer to it as Alkali Lake.

Fast forward a bit into the gold rush era, where activity began to increase along the West Walker River. Miners had dreams of making their fortunes on the river and they did find some gold, however, the remote location made it too expensive to be lucrative. Routes began emerging to link boom towns across the Antelope and Carson Valleys. Ranchers began grazing their herds by 1860 along the river and irrigated agriculture was being established.

Enter one such rancher named Thomas Brinley Rickey, who would later be referred to as one of the most influential men in Nevada, the “Cattle King” and perhaps the person most responsible for the Topaz Lake area as we know it today. Rickey was making big moves early on, partnering with wealthy Reno banker Richard Kirman, purchasing land and using flood irrigation to replace the native sagebrush with alfalfa and grass. Rickey’s main ranch on the West Walker River included most of the then “Alkali Lake” and he diverted some of the river into the lake. This was helpful for irrigation, but also pleased local fishermen. Kirman passed away in 1897 and Rickey bought out the rest of the partnership. At that point, one of his main goals was to expand Alkali Lake so it could be used downstream in the Smith and Mason Valleys. Construction began, but as was common for the time, issues arose in the form of water rights disputes. The case eventually made its way up to the US Supreme Court and litigation wasn’t settled until 1919. At this point, Rickey lived in Oakland and passed away in 1920. The land was subdivided, the Walker River Irrigation District was formed and Rickey’s dream for the lake came to fruition.

There was just one last problem – what to call it? As it stood, Alkali Lake would no longer be appropriate once the reservoir was filled with the crisp, clean waters of the Sierra. There was quite the stir over the naming and several options were proposed including Walker Reservoir, Rickey Lake, Antelope Lake and Interstate Lake. The Walker River Improvement District eventually selected Topaz Lake, which came from the name of the local Topaz post office. There were several explanations for that naming, but the best is that Rickey’s wife Jennie chose the name in the late 1800’s since it was the fall color of the leaves on the beautiful local aspen trees. Great choice, Jennie!