Books: Reno

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The social affairs of this organization take a very prominent part in
the life of Reno. One sojourning in this city would be well advised to
have a card to the Elks, should he or she have relatives or friends
who are members. The Elks are a splendid organization: I have found
them always ready with a helping hand extended.

There are no less than ten churches in this charming little Reno town.
The different denominations, their pastors and location are:

1. Baptist Church, Second corner Chestnut; Rev. Brewster Adams.

2. Catholic (St. Thomas), Second corner Chestnut; Rev. T. M. Tubman.

3. Congregational, Virginia corner 5th; Rev. W. D. Trout.

4. Episcopal, Second corner Sierra; Rev. Samuel Unsworth. 5. First
Church of Christ, Scientist, Masonic Temple.

[Illustration: Reno National Bank Building]

6. Lutheran (St. Luke's), Bell corner Second; Rev. F. E. Martens.

7. Methodist Episcopal, Sierra corner 1st; Rev. W. E. Lowther.

8. Presbyterian, Ridge corner Hill; Rev. W. E. Howe.

9. Salvation Army, Sierra Street; Capt. Boyd in charge.

10. Seventh Day Adventist, West 5th; Rev. W. S. Holbrook.

The banks of Reno also do it credit; there are four in number:

1. The Farmers & Merchants Bank, Virginia corner Second Street.

2. The Reno National Bank, Virginia corner Second Street.

3. The Scheeline Banking and Trust Co., N. Virginia Street.

4. The Washoe County Bank, N. Virginia Street corner Second.

In speaking of the banks, I want to comment especially upon the Reno
National Bank. This bank a few years ago moved into its new building,
a most beautiful and artistic structure, which in my opinion would do
credit to Wall Street. Its lobby is artistically and beautifully
equipped, as well as all parts of the bank. It is finished entirely in
white marble, with blue velvet hangings, and no luxury or comfort
known to a modern bank building has been forgotten in its
construction.

This bank was built in 1915 by Mr. George Wingfield at a cost of
approximately $200,000.

"From the North corner comes the light" .... can it be that sometimes
its emerges from the West!

Last but not least is the beautiful Court House. It was rebuilt in
1909 at an approximate cost of $150,000. It is located in a very
prominent part of the city, and faces a beautiful little park; a very
imposing building with its big golden dome, numerous marble pillars
and broad steps. These steps might truly be called the "great divide,"
as many thousands have tripped up united and returned divided; which
incidentally does not mean "united we stand, divided we fall."

Perhaps much more so: "united we fall, divided we stand!"

[Illustration: Interior of Reno National Bank]

As one looks at this palace of Justice one cannot help conjuring up
mental pictures of famous beauties and prominent men, whose stories
have furnished headlines for the leading newspapers of our big cities
in years gone by; they seem to pass in review; a continuous procession
ascending the steps in search of freedom and new happiness....

Through this little city flows the Truckee River, which I think is one
of its chief beauties. This river is one hundred miles long; flowing
out of Lake Tahoe, it empties into Lake Pyramid, a desert lake with no
apparent outlet. The waters of the Truckee are as clear as crystal,
except when they reflect the rose color of the sunset, or the thousand
hues from the mountain peaks when they turn green and gold, rose and
purple: I have seen them look as though covered with heliotrope
velvet, just at the hour between sunset and moonrise.

One can follow the Truckee River from Reno to Lake Tahoe,--a motor run
of about three hours, through scenery of indescribable beauty. The
course of the river, tortuous and quickly changing from side to side,
offers to the enchanted eye a kaleidoscopic review of towering rocks,
foaming waterfalls, pine-clad mountains, snow-capped peaks, emerald
lakes and moss-green valleys.

I shall never forget my first trip from Reno to Lake Tahoe over what
is known as the "Dog Valley Grade." We stopped at the summit, at the
edge of the mountain. Down we peered into the misty shadows of the
deep valleys, six hundred feet below. It was a strange sensation to be
hanging thus between earth and sky: to feel that the only thing
between life and death was about three feet of roadbed, and four "non-
skid" tires. It was wonderful to drink in the beauty of it all. I felt
like a disembodied spirit, traveling back:.... back over centuries
into forgotten ages, trying to realize what this wonderful country
must have been like when it was still hidden by the foaming waters of
a great inland sea.....

And then we reached beautiful Lake Tahoe, set in the midst of the
Sierra Nevadas, surrounded by a dozen snow-capped peaks, the staunch,
unflinching satellites of one of God's wondrous treasures. It reflects
a picture to be surpassed nowhere else in the world. The great depth
of the lake accounts for its glorious color of waters, which,
turquoise blue in one place twenty feet away will change to emerald
green; the colors do not fade into one another: they are distinctly
separated. In some places the depth of the lake is even unknown. Lake
Tahoe is twenty-three miles long: its maximum width thirteen. Its
altitude is six thousand two hundred and twenty-five feet above sea
level: the highest body of water in the United States. On one side its
undulating waves kiss the shores of California: on the other those of
Nevada, so that exiles of the "Divorce Colony" may take advantage of
this delightful summer resort and still remain within the State to
which one day they hope to owe their happiness.....

The midsummer air is cool and invigorating; hunting and fishing
excellent; motor rides perfect; boating and bathing the finest in the
land. Hotel and camping accommodations are splendid; the landscape is
picturesque and a never-ending delight to the eye. This is one of the
great many splendid advantages of the beautiful city tucked away in
the shadow of the Sierras; so cheer-up, you prospective exiles, the
wilds have their untold fascinations.

In writing of Reno one feels a compelling desire to describe the
principal points of interest around and near the city, as in these
days of motor cars and good roads it is a never-ending joy to spend a
day among the famous gold mining districts, visit the Indian homes and
reservations, and other beautiful and interesting places. I will
endeavor to describe these further:

Near Reno, on the Truckee, is the famous Carson Dam: the first
reclamation project undertaken by the government under the National
Reclamation Project Act. I went out to look it over and found it
tremendously interesting. It was built in 1903 at a cost of
$7,000,000. The dam is constructed of earth and concrete, eight
hundred feet long, one hundred ten feet high, four hundred feet wide
at the base and twenty feet wide at the top. The main unit of this
project was completed in 1913. It was the means of reclaiming a total
of 2,000,000 acres of what was once known as the "Forty Mile Desert."
The dam produces many thousand hydroelectric horse-power, and it is
wonderful to see this stretch of desert waste turned like magic into
rich productive agricultural soil. Perhaps some day the entire desert
will flourish likewise.... Who knows?

Carson City, the capital of Nevada, is situated in the Eagle Valley
and was originally laid out in 1858. The valley was first visited in
1833 by Kit Carson, the famous scout and frontiersman. The south end
of Eagle Valley was settled by Mormons in 1849-1850. Carson City
itself is 33 miles from Reno, 22 miles from Virginia City and 14 miles
from Lake Tahoe.

The principal points of interest in Carson are the Mint, the State
Capitol, the Orphans' Home; the Federal Building and the Post Office;
the Indian School; Shaw's Springs. And many other interesting things
will well repay a visit. The Virginia and Truckee Railroad, over which
the trip to Virginia City is made, is one of the grandest successes of
railroading and engineering. It was constructed between Carson City
and Virginia City in 1869, and from Carson City to Reno in 1872. The
entire cost of the road was $5,200,000, or not less than $100,000 per
mile.

The enormous business transacted by the road may be surmised when it
is stated that for a long time it paid the Central Pacific Railway $
1,000 per day for freight on goods received there from, and collected
for freight at the Virginia City office from $60,000 to $90,000 per
month, and at Gold Hill but little less.

East of Carson City on the road to Virginia City we pass the State
Prison, known for its historic relics. Some years ago, during
quarrying in the prison yard, immense footprints of pre-historic
animals and birds were discovered at a depth of twenty feet below the
surface of the ground. They cover an area of two acres, and were made
by mastodons: they are over four inches deep. Many man-like tracks
were found, 18 to 20 inches long and 8 inches wide, with a stride of
30 inches and a distance between right and left tracks of 19 inches.

[Illustration: Elk's Home]

A few miles east of Carson is the town of Empire, once an important
trading post and distributing point for lumber, cordwood, etc.

After leaving Empire the road enters the canons of the Carson River,
passing in rapid succession the sites of numerous mills which were
erected to. crush the rich ore of the world-famous Comstock Lode.
Principal among these were the Morgan, Brunswick and Santiago mills
which turned out hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of bullion.
The grade of the road rises rapidly, the track leaves the canon and
soon reaches the Mound House, the junction point with the Southern
Pacific. Railroad trains leave Mound House for Dayton, Fort Churchill,
Tonopah, Goldfield and all points south.

Leaving Mound House the road soon traverses the famous mineral belt of
the Comstock Lode. This belt is 7,000 feet wide and 6 miles long, and
produced nearly a billion dollars. The first mine to be seen is the
Haywood, lying to the west side of the road. This mine produced over
$1,000,000 and is still active.

To the east can be seen Silver City. The mines in this vicinity
produced over $12,000,000. None of them has attained any great depth.

The road next enters the Gold Hill district. The country in this
vicinity is gashed and scarred by hundreds of cuts, shafts and tunnels
dug by the early prospectors in their search for wealth. Every one of
these marks represents a hope, and in many cases the hope was
realized; the same spirit animates their successors and the search
still goes on.

The principal mines in Gold Hill are the Ophir, Caledonia, Overman,
Seg, Belcher, Yellow Jacket, Kentuck, Crown Point, Imperial and
Bullion. The Yellow Jacket was the first mine located, taking its name
from the fact that its locators were warmly opposed by a swarm of
yellow jackets. This was in 1859. The yield of the Gold Hill mines and
the dividends paid were enormous.

The Ophir Mining Co. in 1859 sent 45 tons of their croppings to San
Francisco for reduction, the cost for transportation being 25 cents
per pound, or $500 per ton. They paid $450 per ton for smelting, a
total cost of $42,750, yet they made a profit of $128,250 on the
transaction, the rock giving over $3,800 per ton.

High above the town of Gold Hill and clinging to the side of the
mountain can be seen the flumes of the Virginia & Gold Hill Water Co.,
which supplies the camps of Virginia City, Gold Hill and Silver with
the finest water in the world. The water is conducted 3 I miles
through pipes and flumes from springs and snow-fed streams in the
Sierras 1,500 feet above the city. The capacity of the flumes is
10,800,000 gallons per day. From Gold Hill the road runs through
tunnels, twists and turns along the side of Mt. Davidson until it
reaches Virginia City, the end of the line.

Virginia City was first settled in 1859. It obtained its name from an
old prospector, James Finney, nicknamed "Old Virginny." Its elevation
is 6,205 feet above sea level.

In 1861 the population of Virginia City was 3,284, of Gold Hill 1,294
and of Silver City 1,022; in 1878 it was 40,000.

The first international hotel was built in 1860. It was a single story
building. The first day's receipts were $700. The present structure
was built in 1877; it cost $210,000.

The honor of discovering the "Comstock Lode" belongs to the two
brothers, Allen and Hosea Grosch. The majority of the miners on the
Comstock in the first days of its activity lived in tents and dug-outs
called "holes in the wall."

I never realized the vastness of our country, nor the wonderful
opportunities which the West affords those in search of wealth, until
I lived there six months. There are untold undeveloped resources, the
like of which does not exist in the over-crowded East. May this little
book, in a way, serve to introduce the West to the East.

Reno and her people cannot be spoken of as typical of other Western
towns and people, as the residents of this much-talked-of "big little
city" are subject to conditions which do not exist in any other town
in the country. They are democratic and whole-hearted Westerners, but
find themselves confronted with social conditions which change their
attitude toward things. However, I was very much impressed at the
comparatively few divorces one finds among the older, permanent
residents. I think this proves that it is the "unattainable that is
most desired."

[Illustration: Y.M.C.A.]

The women of Nevada have enjoyed equal suffrage for some time; they
are wide awake and interested in all public affairs. Besides being
domesticated, they are intellectual and energetic. There are very few
"prudes" among them, and a great many diplomats. Nowhere more than in
Reno is developed among men and women a sense of being individual. I
attended many of the Women's Clubs, and was always agreeably surprised
to find them up-to-date in every respect: a company of women banded
together to study and plan for the betterment of humanity, and social
conditions in general. The Mothers' Club and the Century Club are
doing splendid work in aiding the development of "Home Economics,"
"Better Babies," helping with all kinds of charities, civic
improvements and much other commendable work.

It was at these clubs that I met the real wife and mother, with real
sweetness of soul: the woman who even under difficulties knew how to
live a simple, pure and gentle life. Never have I come in contact with
so much human feeling--even the ministers and their families are
human, and full of understanding! The officials and people of
prominence are all natural and unassuming.

I attended a "Ladies' Aid" meeting at which there were about forty
ladies present, and among other good traits of these fine, earnest
women I noticed particularly the absence of gossip and prudishness.

However, there is a spirit of contradiction prevailing in Reno which
is very difficult to understand. All traces of the "wild and woolly"
Western town have disappeared. The people of Reno are very docile
indeed .... there are no cowboy yells nor Indian whoops, which some of
our Eastern and Southern friends imagine still to exist. And the click
of the roulette-wheel has passed with the years that have departed.
Reno has developed into a cosmopolitan city with a cosmopolitan
population. The cafes have cabarets with excellent talent, and there
is dancing every evening in several of the hotels, where amid the
bright lights, gay music, beautifully gowned women and well groomed
men, one might easily imagine oneself in one of the swell cafes on
Broadway: until one catches a glimpse of the moonlight on the Truckee,
through an open window.... Here the people of Reno rub shoulders with
those who constitute the "Divorce Colony," and to a new-comer, it is
difficult to distinguish the one from the other.

The people of Reno keep their city clean, and maintain a very high
standard of law and order. A lady may walk out unescorted at any hour
of the day or night, and will never be molested or insulted in any
way. The absence of public drunkenness and profanity is very
noticeable, and I was not surprised to read the following note clipped
from one of the local newspapers on Sunday morning:

"DEAD CALM IN POLICE COURTS ON SATURDAY"

"Police court was absolutely deserted yesterday morning, not a single
case appearing on the docket to mar the serenity of the day. Reno's
night police found the citizens unusually well behaved all night long
and were not required to make even one arrest during the twelve hours
they were on duty."

The fact that the people do not show much hospitality to undesirables,
not even the hospitality of their jails, may explain why the little
city is so calm and peaceful, and its police not overworked. The
following clipping will indicate what happened to undesirables:

"THREE MEN ARE TOLD TO GET OUT OF CITY"

"Population of Reno Dwindles, Following Session of Judge Bryson's
Court"

"Charles C. Stewart, James Joyce and John Burke were picked up by the
police on Commercial Row Wednesday for disorderly conduct. Judge
Bryson's police court was still in session and the men were arraigned
immediately. All three pleaded guilty to the charge and for the best
interests of the community were given until 10 o'clock Thursday
morning to get out of town."

[Illustration: View of Nevada University Campus]

I had the pleasure of being a guest at the "Military Ball" in the
University of Nevada, at which the Governor, his staff and many state
officials were present, and was very much impressed by the fact that
Nevada's statesmen, like the State, are comparatively young. The
Governor did not look a day over thirty. They were a fine looking lot
of earnest, unassuming, democratic Westerners. I do not know when I
have seen a prettier picture than the one I saw when I looked down
from the balcony upon that splendid assembly of glittering uniforms,
beautifully gowned women, and handsome young students, amid fluttering
flags and gay music. As I looked on, I could not help thinking of the
pioneer ancestors of some of these illustrious sons and daughters of
Nevada, who had crossed the plains in the early days, and I wondered
what they would have to say of this brilliant array, and of the magic,
modern little city of Reno and its people, if they could peep from
behind the curtains of yesterday! I am sure they would be more than
proud of both!

I fully expected to find living in Reno unusually expensive, but was
agreeably surprised to find that one can live there even more
reasonably than in the East. The prices are not extortionate at all,
there being no specially made rates for "visitors," and the people are
neither grasping nor selfish.

I have found the people of Reno charming and interesting and it has
been a pleasure indeed to get a peep behind the scenes of this
romantic little city, and above all, I have found everyone fair and
courteous in every way to those who are to become citizens of their
town.

PART 6

NEVADA DIVORCE LAWS

"The History of Nevada," published in 1913, Sam P. Davis writes as
follows:

"The unenviable reputation, throughout the length and breadth of the
land, in regard to the divorce law, has heaped ignominy on the State
of Nevada. A few unscrupulous members of the legal fraternity, little
better than outcasts at home, have come to Reno and besmirched the
good name of a great State by their activity in converting into
pernicious channels a law originally intended to give relief to
mismated couples who could not travel the matrimonial highway in peace
and harmony.

"The divorce law of Nevada was enacted by the first territorial
legislative assembly in 1861. The law was good enough for Nevada and
gave general satisfaction until its exploitation for purely mercenary
motives began.

"Twenty-two States have practically the same divorce laws in force on
their statute books, with the exception of the provision regarding
residence. Until this year, Nevada required only six months'
residence, but that had to be clearly established before action for
dissolution of marriage could have any standing in the courts of the
state. The residence had to be absolute, without the lapse of a single
day except where good and sufficient reason could be shown, and to the
entire satisfaction of the trial court.

"Six months' residence was also necessary for citizenship in Nevada
and enabled a man to exercise all the rights of a citizen. Therefore,
it naturally follows, that he could prosecute a divorce, or any other
kind of a suit, in the State of which he was a citizen.

"In order that the reader may reach an intelligent understanding of
this much mooted question, the statute on divorce is quoted in full:

"Divorce from the bonds of matrimony may be obtained * * * for the
following causes:

"First--Impotency at the time of marriage, continuing to the time of
divorce.

"Second--Adultery, since marriage, remaining unforgiven.

"Third--Wilful desertion at any time; of either party by the other,
for a period of one year.

"Fourth--Conviction of a felony or infamous crime.

"Fifth--Habitual gross drunkenness since marriage, of either party,
which shall incapacitate him from contributing his or her share to the
support of the family.

"Sixth--Extreme cruelty in either of the parties.

"Seventh--Neglect of the husband for the period of one year, to
provide the common necessaries of life, when such neglect is not the
result of poverty on the part of the husband, which he could have
avoided in ordinary industry."

"As the law governing the term of residence, to acquire citizenship,
which obtained in Nevada for half a century without causing even
passing comment, has been taken advantage of for mere mercenary
motives, the unanimous verdict of a righteously indignant people went
forth that the law should be amended, in some way, to correct the
evil. Thus at the last session of the Legislature the time required to
obtain a residence before obtaining a divorce was changed from six
months to one year.

"If some sister States are stricken with remorse or find themselves in
a sudden paroxysm of virtuous indignation, let them pass a law and
enforce it, correcting the evils complained of at home, which will
keep their divorces from coming to Reno-Nevada does not want them. If
they persist in coming, let their home State enact a law which will
make a divorce decree obtained in Nevada, void and of no effect
whenever and wherever said divorcee sets foot within the borders of
the home State. When other States enact and rigidly enforce some such
drastic measure, the West will begin to have some regard for their
particular brand of virtue. Until then, the West may be pardoned for
believing that cant and hypocrisy often join hands with the lawless
element and make a grandstand play for political effect.

"Economic conditions in the West are vastly different from those in
the East. Nevada is a sparsely populated country, and it is not
considered to the interest of the State to hedge about too closely the
road which leads to citizenship. Anything which may have a tendency to
obstruct immigration or turn it in another direction, is conceded, in
this neck of the woods, to be unwise statesmanship. The State has a
vital interest in securing and holding as large a population as is
consistent with her rapidly increasing resources; always keeping
steadily in view the fact that none but desirable citizens are wanted.
If, however, the other kind come, as they sometime do, Nevada is ready
to cope with the situation, as many of that class can testify from
personal experience.

"Nevada is a veteran of the Civil War, having been organized as a
territory in 1861, and admitted as a State of this glorious Union in
1864. No soldier on the field of battle ever made a more gallant
defense of his country than did this "Battle Born" State during the
trying times of the war. What she lacked in men was made up in money.
Nevada was baptised in the blood of the nation and paid for her
baptismal rite in a flood of gold and silver. With this flood of gold
and silver, she saved the commercial honor of the country. This gold
and silver paid the armies of the Civil War, averted national
bankruptcy, and enabled the Government to resume specie payment in
1873.

"Those were dark days in the financial and political history of the
United States, and Nevada, maligned and despised as she is today in
some quarters, was the savior of her country in that most critical
period of her history. The State that furnished the sinews of war
should have some standing in the hearts and minds of the American
people, even if Republics are ungrateful.

"From the best information at hand, it would appear that the mines of
Nevada have yielded the enormous sum of two billion dollars during the
past fifty years. Of this amount it is conceded that the Comstock
alone produced fully one-half. The figures are given in round numbers,
but are considered by mining men who are posted in such matters to be
conservative. Thousands of discoveries, many of them marvelously rich,
are still being made all over the state, in hitherto unknown and
undeveloped territory. Besides gold, silver and copper, immense
deposits of salt, borax, lime, platinum, sulphur, soda, potash-salts,
cinnabar, arsenical ores, zinc, coal, antimony, cobalt, nickel, nitre,
isinglass, manganese, alum, kaolin, iron, gypsum, mica and graphite
exist in large quantities.

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