Debbie Hinman: "Harvest of Homes Tour Retrospective"

The year 2019 marks HRPS' 10th year of our annual Harvest of Homes Tour. This talk will be a retrospective of some of our featured homes, along with photos and histories of the properties and their owners through the years. Our tour has highlighted homes from the 1870s through the 1970s, simple to elaborate, cottages to mansions. All of these homes were significant in their own way, whether it be their architecture, neighborhood, decor or inhabitants. For those who have not attended the Tour, here is your chance to hear their wonderful stories and "meet" some of the early residents of Reno without crowds or parking woes. Debbie Hinman has been the researcher and writer for the Home Tour Program since its inception; she is also a HRPS tour guide and managing editor of FootPrints, HRPS' quarterly publication. She serves on the City of Reno Historical Resources Commission.

• Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno

Dr. Holly Walton-Buchanan: "Historic Ranches of Western Nevada"

How much do you really know about the first settlements in the Truckee Meadows and the Carson Valley? Have you heard about the mysterious cache of letters — written by early Reno pioneers in the 1860s to relatives in Rhode Island — found hidden behind a wall in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1980s? Do you know why ranches were so important during the Comstock mining boom, and how they managed to survive after the mines closed down? Can you identify the farm implements found at Bartley Ranch Regional Park and how they were used? Do you know what the prehistoric ancestor of our modern cattle was called, and where it lived? Finally, how did all those Spanish cows and horses get across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World? If you can't answer any of these questions, you need to come to Holly's presentation and learn about the ranching history of the Carson Valley and the Truckee Meadows. Holly Walton-Buchanan's family has been involved in ranching for over 100 years. She was an educator in the Washoe County School District and the Nevada Department of Education, is a long-time historic preservationist, and the author of four books about Reno's history.

• Date: Sunday, May 19, 2019
• Time: 12:00 PM
• Location: Reno Downtown Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno

Please Note: HRPS' Annual Meeting begins at noon.

Guy Clifton: "Reno Rodeo 100th Anniversary in June 2019"

From a cattle rustler turned author to a world famous saddle rider to a rodeo clown turned movie star to a rodeo queen fit for all America, the Reno Rodeo has never lacked for great stories. Nevada history buff and author Guy Clifton will share some of the lesser-known stories in the 100-year history of the Reno Rodeo. Clifton is perhaps most known in Nevada for his work at the Reno Gazette-Journal, where he served for 22 years as a reporter, columnist, and editor. He is now a public relations specialist for the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. He is the author of eight books on Nevada history.

• Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2019
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno

ZoAnn Campana: "Reno MoMo"

In the middle of the 20th century, Reno was experimenting with the architecture of the Modern Movement (MoMo). High-profile architects from around the country came to Reno to design some of our best known buildings during this time. Raymond Hellman arrived in town to become one of our most prolific and masterful modernist architects. Even preeminent local architect Frederic DeLongchamps, continually evolving throughout his career, contributed designs in the modernist mode. Come learn about the various hallmarks of the MoMo and how they manifested in our local built environment. ZoAnn Campana is a local Historic Preservation Consultant who serves as Vice President of the HRPS Board of Directors and is the architectural historian on the City of Reno's Historical Resources Commission.

• Date: Sunday, April 28, 2019
• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Reno Downtown Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno

Neil Brooks: "Model Dairy and the History of Ranching and the Dairy Industry"

Neil Brooks, a fifth generation Nevadan, offers a glance back into the history of Reno. His visual and comprehensive presentation shares the story of two pioneer families: the Peckhams and the Taylors, and how they helped establish the Ranch and Dairy industry in the Biggest Little City over a century ago. Brooks' presentation will focus on the development and operation of Rewana Farms, home to Model Dairy. Neil was born in Reno and grew up on Rewana Farms, located on Peckham Lane. He’s the Neil in Neil Road.

• Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno

Mark Demuth: "ReTRAC Railroad Trench Project Archaeology and Architecture"

Mark Demuth, environmental consultant and University of Nevada, Reno adjunct faculty member, presents ReTRAC Railroad Trench project archaeology and architecture. When the City of Reno decided in early 2000s to create a trench to lower the railroad tracks that ran through its center, archaeologists associated with the ReTRAC (Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor) project had a unique opportunity to explore the evidence of thousands of years of human history. The trench — 2 miles long, 54 feet wide, and 30 feet deep at its lowest point — created a cross-section through the oldest part of the city and gave investigators access to eighty-three archaeological sites, two prehistoric and eighty-one historical. The sites record continuous human habitation along the banks of the Truckee River for over 5,000 years, allowing investigators to learn how the earliest inhabitants responded to changing seasons and long-term climate change, and to study the creation of Reno's early and modern infrastructure.

• Date: Sunday, March 24, 2019
• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Reno Downtown Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno

Jim Bertolini: "Hooks, Hoses, and Houses: Nevada's Historic Fire Stations"

Firefighting and fire prevention have been at the center of Americans' definition of civil service since the early 1800s. Firefighting began as a volunteer effort, and remains a predominantly volunteer profession outside of the nation's larger communities that can afford professional fire departments. As firefighting progressed from the "bucket brigades" of the early 1800s to the engine companies of the Victorian age, the buildings that have housed firefighters and their equipment have evolved. This exploration of Nevada's historic fire stations will discuss the history of firefighting and firehouses in Nevada, and the ways these unique landmarks can be saved for future generations. Jim Bertolini is a Historian at the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (NVSHPO).

• Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2019
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno

Dr. Catherine Magee: "Washoe Tribes and Tourism"

Dr. Magee's research explores the reciprocal relationship between cultural heritage preservation and tourism. Dr. Magee received her MS in objects conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware, Program in Art Conservation and her Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Nevada, Reno. She worked in Asia, Central America, the Mediterranean Basin and North Africa as an Archaeological Conservator on both terrestrial and marine sites. For 15 years, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution and in her own conservation business. She is currently Director of the Nevada Historical Society.

• Date: Sunday, February 24, 2019
• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Reno Downtown Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno

Jeff Auer, American History and Humanities instructor and LGBTQ Scholar: History of LGBTQ Reno

Researchers of LGBTQ history in the United States have focused predominantly on major cities such as San Francisco and New York City. This focus has led researchers to overlook a rich tradition of LGBTQ communities and individuals in small to mid-sized American cities that date from at least the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century. Reno is one of many examples of a small but thriving LGBTQ community from this early period. As far back as 1882, Reno had an LGBTQ presence through the Great Recession, including the Reno Gay Rodeo and its effects on the world.

• Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2019
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno

Dr. Engrid Barnett presents "50th Anniversary of the Reno Philharmonic."

Engrid Barnett holds a Ph.D. in cultural geography from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). She teaches courses in cultural geography, humanities, and philosophy (including world religions) at UNR and Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). She received the Nevada Regents' Teaching Award for 2015-2016. She has presented at the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, the American Association of Geographers, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Fourth Ward School, and the Nevada Historical Society (NHS). She recently curated the Nevada Historical Society exhibit exploring history and culture in northern Nevada, namely the 50th anniversary of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Date: Sunday, January 27, 2019
• Time: 12:30 PM
• Location: Reno Downtown Library, 301 South Center Street, Reno