A tour of Nevada’s past can help us understand where we are today. As another one of our blogs pointed out, the workings of the Comstock Lode affects the Sierra even today. At times, though, it’s hard to picture long ago events, but a tour of Nevada Historical Monuments can help everyone envision how it looked way back then.

NHM 238 – West side of South Virginia Street, south of Huffaker Lane
This marks the terminus of the Pacific Lumber & Flume. Logs came down the mountain via a 15 mile long water flume to the depot and telegraph office built here by the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.

NHM 213 – Just south of Washoe Lake The location of Lakeview, a lumber storage area. The lumber came down by V-flume from Incline Village. The products were then shipped to the Comstock mines via Virginia & Truckee RR

NHM 193 – Just north of the State Railroad Museum in Carson City, in a small park on the West side of US 395, at the intersection of Stewart Street.
One half mile south of this point was the lumber yard of the Carson-Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company. It was the terminus of the 12 mile V-flume from Spooner Summit

NHM 261 – Spooner Summit
Site of the Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company settlement housing workers. The company operated the Lake Tahoe Railroad from Glenbrook to this spot. Wood transported by rail was transferred to an 11 mile long V-flume running down to Carson Valley where it was loaded on the V&T Railroad .

NHM 219 – Highway 50 at Glenbrook
Lumbering began in 1861. The Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company became the largest Comstock wood and lumber combine, controlling over 50,000 acres of timberland. It operated four sawmills, two Lake Tahoe steam tugs to tow logs, two railroads, employed 500 men, as well as operated a planing mill and box factory in Carson City.

NHM 225 – Spooner Area, is just past the guardhouse at the entrance to Spooner Park.
This marker lets us know that Michele E. Spooner is the reason we have Spooner Lake, Spooner Summit and Spooner’s Meadow. Mr. Spooner, along with his partners, established a wood and lumber company here.

NHM 221 – Sand Harbor, across from the Sand Harbor boat ramp
The steam boat “Niagara” towed log rafts from the South end of Lake Tahoe to Sand Harbor. The logs were loaded onto narrow gauge rail cars and transported 2 miles north to the Mill Creek sawmill.

NHM 246 – Incline Village, Highway 28
Site of the “Great Incline of the Sierra Nevada”, constructed by the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company.

NHM 1 – On the South side of U. S. 50 between milepost 14 and 15.
The site of Empire City, once considered the “Seaport of Nevada”. Near the marker is Deer Run Road which runs south to the river.

You don’t have to go anywhere else for a history lesson – it’s here right under your nose.