The Genesis of Reno: The History of the Riverside Hotel and the Virginia Street Bridge

by Jack Harpster

Over 157 years ago—before there was a Reno, Nevada; before there was a state of Nevada; and even before there was a Nevada Territory—there was a bridge over the Truckee River at a narrow, deeply rutted cattle and wagon trail that would one day become Virginia Street. There was also a small rustic inn and tavern occupying a plot of ground at the southern end of the log-and-timber bridge, catering to thirsty cowboys, drovers, and miners. The inn and the bridge were the first two structures in what would one day be a bustling metropolitan area, and to this day they still form the nucleus of the city. The Genesis of Reno  traces their history up to the present day. The 111 year-old concrete bridge that was replaced in 2016 by a magnificent new structure was honored for its longevity and unique character with placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
 

Genres: History

272 pages, Hardcover

Published September 13, 2016

About the author

I was born in 1937, attended high school in Memphis, TN, and graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin in 1959. I moved to Southern California and spent 27 years in the newspaper business there, moving to Las Vegas in 1986 where I rounded out my career with a 17-year stint on that city's two newspapers on the business management side of the industry. I retired in 2002 and moved to Reno, Nevada with my wife in 2006, where I currently live.

I have seven books published, and another coming out next April. I have also written dozens of essays and articles on history and biography for magazines and journals.

Reviews

[Diogenes Grief · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, micro-histories fill their niches and cater to “locals” who revel in their tiny fantasylands. As a recent transplant to Nevada in general, and of the Washoe Valley specifically (named after the indigenous who lived here for some 6,000 years before the White man showed up), I find this state truly bizarre with 90-some percent of it being, essentially, an inhospitable desert wasteland. Focused on the creation of a bridge that spans the Truckee River, and a hotel that lasted a long time next to it, Harpster gives an insightful history of this area from the Caucasian perspective after 1850 and onward. Where mobs of miners sprinted from site to site to make it rich, taverns, hotels, and casinos sprung up to accommodate and fleece them. This is Deadwood without the colorful characters. Harpster gives a couple of lines to the indigenous and one whole paragraph to Blacks; otherwise, it’s just a White world here and even those of Spanish and Basque decent are rarely mentioned. Sadly, the “cowboy mentality” persists to this day with their numbers constantly dwindling. Some 3 million live here, with Las Vegas/Clark County housing 2.3 million of those and another 600,000 dwelling in Carson and Washoe valleys, making it a terribly lop-sided state (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada). At least we can say we have the snow-covered mountains, pine forests, babbling creeks, and overdeveloped Lake Tahoe (which should have been declared a National Park long ago, saving it from exploitation by the filthy rich). Silver, easy divorces, gambling—this is what the area is most known for. We’re also a state with no state tax and very lax environmental laws, making it a solid place for manufacturing investments and devil-may-care schemes like under-mountain vaults for nuclear waste.

I’ve been around and my wife, who’s a Reno native, is going to scold me for saying this, but Reno is not a spectacular city; it’s not an awful one either though. Far from it. We have our problems, large and small, systemic and social. Our tallest buildings are casino-hotels after-all, and rent and mortgage prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, making the incentive to move here for fresh work unpalatable for many, especially in healthcare fields. Nobody wants to work for non-living wages and I understand that completely. City counsel members are married to development and construction companies, our homeless population needs help, our education system is poorly funded, casinos are casinos with me having nothing good to say about them in general, our politics are purple and wingnuttery pervades (we elected a dead pimp to office not long ago, and Klan and Boogaloo groups infect rural towns, nevermind “libertarians” like the Bundys and their moronic ilk), traffic sucks and drivers are all to often idiots (you can tell who’s a local by how close they cling to your bumper), the soil is quite lousy for greenthumbs (a landscaper told me the only good soil is that trucked in from California), summers are hot and often smoke-filled, and then there’s the silly spectacle of Burning Man.

On the flip side, we have ample nature and outdoor endeavors, an indigenous colony that exists in the heart of the city, a growing multicultural scene (thank you, Californians!) with better restaurants, black-box theaters, and more metal bands stopping by on their way westward, a rising progressive movement hungry for systemic change, and we’re always a short drive over the mountains into the fantastic amenities of California (we stock up on wine in El Dorado and Amador counties twice each year).

I’d hazard to guess this valley could weather climate change better than many other places, if it can hold together civilly, conserve water, build a robust solar infrastructure, and improve public transportation. Time will tell, but we’re already flirting with the idea of moving to Canada or elsewhere before this country Balkanizes. We have the privilege of being able to do so. Too many do not.

So, as a history book with a very narrow focus, 5 stars. As a history book launched into the tumultuous river of humanity, 3 stars.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

very detailed complete story of the 2 classic iconic structures. More detail than a newcomer can absorb, but great overview of town's history regarding 2 related topics (bridge/road and hotel/casino)