No. 218 - Geiger Station (Magnolia House) - Washoe County, NV
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
N 39° 22.549 W 119° 42.956
11S E 266054 N 4362001
This official Nevada historic marker is located within the the Truckee River Basin, Washoe County, South Truckee Meadows and stands at the end of the pavement of the Toll Road at Ravazza Road.
Waymark Code: WMJQF6
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 12/18/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Team GeoDuo
Views: 12
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The picture above is of the marker looking SE towards the historical site, .7 miles from here.

I came across this historical marker by accident, while trying to seek out a nearby survey mark. This marker sits at the end of a paved road called 'Toll Road', which obviously ties in with the historical context of this marker. Unfortunately, the historical site that is mentioned in the marker text now lies on private property. I know this because I have topography software on my smartphone that I utilize in seeking out survey marks (benchmarks) and the map layer shows the survey mark I wanted to search for, along with the historical site, on private property but surrounded by public land. There's a ranch house that now sits on this historical site, next to Bailey Creek and within Bailey Canyon.

If you're wondering what the Comstock Lode was, I found a nice writeup on the history behind it on Wikipedia here.

I also found another website, nevada-landmarks.com, that contains a page devoted to this historical marker. In addition, I located a book on Google Books website titled Nevada Trails that highlights the Toll Road/Geiger Trail and reads:

Davison M. Geiger and John H. Tilton constructed this toll road in 1862. At the time, this was the most direct route from the Comstock Lode to the Truckee Meadows. Thousands of passengers and millions of dollars worth of Comstoc k ore was transported over this road across the mountains of Virginia Range in the ten-mule freight teams, mud wagons and concord stages.

The rugged ride was fraught with the man-made dangers of robberies by highwaymen as well as mother nature's winds, snows, and land slides.

Marker Title (required): GEIGER STATION (MAGNOLIA HOUSE)

Marker Number (If official State Marker from NV SHPO website above, otherwise leave blank): 218

Marker Text (required):
GEIGER STATION (MAGNOLIA HOUSE) Seven-tenths of a mile east of this marker was Geiger’s Station, the largest station on the Geiger Grade Toll Road, the main thoroughfare between the Comstock Lode and the ranches of the Truckee Meadows. Located at the site were a toll house, three blacksmith shops, three barns, several corrals and an inn, magnolia house. During the boom years of the Comstock Lode, the sixties and the seventies, the station was crowded with freight outfits, stagecoaches, and weary teamsters. Passing travelers could stop off at the inn for a drink or a quick meal. Following the extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad to Reno in August 1872, the toll road fell into disuse and a few years late became a public highway. Magnolia house continued operating until 1915. Social activity at the inn included dances which attracted residents from Virginia City, nearby valleys, and the Truckee Meadows. STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 218 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

County (required): Washoe (Reno)

Marker Type (required): Full Size (with blue painted mesh)

Is Marker Damaged? (required): No

URL - Website (optional): [Web Link]

Other Marker Type (optional): Not listed

Other Damage Type (optional): Not listed
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Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
ZebraRose visited No. 218 - Geiger Station (Magnolia House) - Washoe County, NV 12/16/2020 ZebraRose visited it
CharlyBaltimore visited No. 218 - Geiger Station (Magnolia House) - Washoe County, NV 12/19/2014 CharlyBaltimore visited it
morgyvr visited No. 218 - Geiger Station (Magnolia House) - Washoe County, NV 08/02/2014 morgyvr visited it

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