Gold Silver Gambling Divorce Ski Resorts and Water Sports
History pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows where the Truckee
River flows from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. These mid-19th century
farmers also provided services for travelers on the California Trail. Mining
became the foremost local activity with the discovery of gold in nearby
Virginia City and especially silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 when Virginia
City and the California Trail were connected by a a log toll bridge across the
Truckee River. Lake Crossing, a small community that serviced travelers near
the bridge, became the site of a depot on the First Transcontinental Railroad
where the town of Reno came into being in May, 1868.
Nevada is the World’s Third Largest Gold Producer
Reno
named for Civil War Major General Jesse Lee Reno, continued to grow as a business and agricultural center and
became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between
Sacramento and Salt Lake City. The Reno
Arch was erected on Virginia Street in 1926 to promote the Transcontinental
Highways Exposition of 1927.
Legalized Gambling Reno took a leap when the
state of Nevada legalized open-gambling and liberal divorce laws in 1931. The
war years of the 1940s cemented Reno as the place to play for two decades.
Also, the
presence of a main east-west rail line, the interstate highway system,
favorable state tax climate, and relatively inexpensive land created good
conditions for warehousing and distribution of goods. Reno also is an outdoor
recreation destination, due to its close proximity to the Sierra Nevada, Lake
Tahoe and 18 ski resorts. Winter activities include snowshoeing, ice skating,
and snowmobiling; international bike competitions are held in Lake Tahoe during
the summer.