Reno at the Crossroads - Reno, NV - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Visitors to either the National Automobile Museum or the famous original Reno Arch will see this historical placard that highlights the history of this particular area. This placard reads:

A City Built on Trains and Automobiles
Nevada's alliance with the Union during the Civil War was important not only for the mineral resources of the Comstock Lode but because the state held portion of the transcontinental transportation and communication lines, the California Trail and the newly constructed telegraph.

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the transcontinental railroad work began. From Sacramento the Central Pacific Railroad was extended eastward over Sierra Nevada range and along the Truckee River Canyon to approach Lake's crossing (near here). By offering land in exchange for the placement of a depot station, Myron Lake convinced railroad officials to build the main station for the Truckee Meadows near his bridge crossing. In 1868, the railroad auctioned 400 town lots and within a month more than 100 horries and businesses were established - the city of Reno was born.

In 1869, construction started on a regional railroad, called the Virginia and Truckee (V&T); that would connect the Comstock to Reno and eventually extend its lines south to Carson City to transport products from the dairy trade from Carson Valley to Reno and on to San Francisco.

America Goes Mobile
During the 1910s and 1920s, highways were built so people could drive in their new automobiles across the country. At the same time, Reno became famous for quick divorces and easy marriages. In 1913, a private consortium led by Carl G. Fisher decided to build the transcontinental Lincoln Highway from New York to San Francsisco. Reno and Carson City became important junctions along the highway which would become (U.S. 50).

Constructed 1925, the Victory Highway (U.S. 40) ran from Reno through the Truckee Canyon over the Sierra Nevada range and into Sacramento.

Reno has served as a commercial redistribution point for Western manufacturers and distributors for the past 120 years. Today, Reno's convenient location and transportation routes have spurred the warehousing and logistic industries, which continue to be the underlying current of economic development in the region.

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There is much history to be found throughout Reno, one only has to look around and they will see a marker here or there, much like this placard. If you're not the gambling type, tour the city instead and appreciate the history there is to offer here.

Group that erected the marker: Nevada Historical Society Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: South Lake Street URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   03/15/2017 FolsomNatural visited it