WANDER GENOA TO FIND NEVADA’S ROOTS
The historic Genoa Saloon
Nevada’s earliest years are recorded in the streets of Genoa.
This picturesque hamlet, located about an hour south of Reno via U.S. 395, played an essential role in the state’s development. It was Nevada’s first formal town as well as home of the state’s first printed newspaper and site of the first territorial government meetings.
Today, you can wander the narrow streets of the town to find that nearly every house and building has a story.
The Mormon Station State Historical Monument in the center of Genoa is the most prominent reminder of Genoa’s place in Nevada history. Here, you can find a replica of the original Mormon trading post and fort, which was built in 1851 to provide goods to travelers on the Emigrant Trail.
The Mormon Station is generally recognized as the first permanent building in Nevada. The replica fort, constructed in 1947 on the site of the original, which burned in 1910, contains interpretive historic displays about the area and includes a beautiful, shaded picnic area.
Despite fire and the raves of time, plenty of pieces of the old town have survived, including the Genoa Bar, located in a building that is said to have been built in the 1850s. The bar, which boasts uneven wooden floors and a hodgepodge of historic political posters on its walls, claims to be the “oldest thirst parlor” in the state.
At the corner of Carson and Main streets is a brick Victorian home built in the mid-1850s by William J. “Lucky Bill” Thorington, a gambler, shrewd businessman and, allegedly, a polygamist.
The Raycroft/Depot House, located near the Thorington home, can trace its pedigree to the 1850s. The original building, which has been covered-up by later additions, served as the law offices for Senator William Stewart, one of Nevada’s first U.S. Senators, and was later a newspaper printing plant, a butcher shop, and a stagecoach depot.
The Pratt House, located on Nixon Street adjacent to the Genoa Community Church, was built in 1872 by local newspaper publishers A.C. and Alice Pratt. Now known as the Genoa House Inn, a bed and breakfast, the two-story Victorian is one of the most photogenic homes in Genoa.
The Genoa Courthouse Museum at Main and 5th streets, is a two-story, brick structure that was built in 1865 and served as the Douglas County Courthouse until 1916, when the county seat was moved.
For the next four decades, the building was used as a school. After 1969, it has been a museum. The courthouse, which has been restored, contains dozens of exhibits describing the community’s rich history.
For more information about Genoa, contact the Genoa Genoa Courthouse Museum, 775-782-4325.—-Richard Moreno