Reno's history is colorful and a bit on the wild side. It's always fun to learn about where you live and how it got to be the way it is, and these free lectures from the Historic Reno Preservation Society (HRPS) will help you do just that.
All HRPS program lectures are on the fourth Wednesday of the month and start at 7 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, programs are held at the Mt. Rose Elementary School, 915 Lander Street in Reno (between W. Taylor Street and LaRue Avenue).
Historic Reno Preservation Society Lectures for Winter / Spring 2012
The Evolution of Reno's Historic Wells Avenue Neighborhood - Wednesday, January 25. Photographer Emily Rogers and researcher Barrie Schuster will present the unique and colorful history of the eclectic Wells Avenue neighborhood. The area has been in a period of decline that began over 40 years ago, but revitalization is slowly taking hold. Learn what happened and where the neighborhood is headed today.
Center Street Heyday - Wednesday, February 22. Center Street was the core of downtown when legal gambling was new in Reno in the early 1930s. This was the time when divorcees arrived on the train, were met by their Reno lawyer, and spent the required residency time gambling and drinking in the finest of formal attire. Thanks to those running establishments like the Bank Club, Reno had a deserved reputation for being wide open, wild and wicked. Presented by Dr. Michael Fischer.
Early Reno in Pictures, 1868-1920 - Wednesday, March 28. HRPS FootPrints Editor and Nevada Historical Society docent Carol Coleman uses images from her Early Reno book to describe Reno as a tough railroad town in 1868. Then came the boom and bust years of the Comstock in Virginia City and, around the turn of the century, the Tonopah/Goldfield era. Following the big mining strikes, Reno become Nevada's financial and industrial center by the early 1920s.
Reno History and the "Heydays" of Moana Hot Springs - Wednesday, April 25. Today's Moana Pool sits closed and slowly decaying, but it wasn't always so. Native Nevadan Bill Berrum will reminisce about the growth of Reno from the Moana Lane and family perspective from the early 1900s up to the 1950s. He is uniquely qualified to inform us on this subject as he and his father, Louis W. Berrum, grew up and worked in the three swimming pools that have occupied the same location for more than 100 years.
About the Historic Reno Preservation Society
The Historic Reno Preservation Society is, by the organization's own statement, "dedicated to preserving and promoting historic resources in the Truckee Meadows through education, advocacy, and leadership." HRPS is operated by a board of directors and volunteers. The organization helps educate both local residents and visitors through walking tours, bus tours, and bike rides through Reno's historic districts and other areas of historic interest around the Truckee Meadows and northern Nevada.
Membership in the Historic Reno Preservation Society
HRPS membership includes free admission to tours and the quarterly FootPrints newsletter. You can download and print the membership form if you are interesting in joining. Here are the annual dues...
- Student: $15.00
- Individual: $25.00
- Family: $40.00
- Business Contribution: $50.00
- Supporting: $100.00
- HRPS Angel: $250.00
Source: Historic Reno Preservation Society.
Books About Reno History
Early Reno - A book of historic Reno photographs compiled by the Nevada Historical Society Docent Council.
Historic Photos of Reno - A coffee table-sized book on Reno with pictures and commentary covering Reno from around 1868 to the end of the 1970s. Author Donnelyn Curtis is a librarian at the University of Nevada, Reno, Director of Research Collections & Services, and head of Special Collections.
Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps: Illustrated Atlas - Author Stanley W. Paher brings us an excellent book about exploring northern Nevada ghost towns (there is a companion book covering southern Nevada). Together with a little history of the sites, the book has maps and photos to help you find these historic sites.
