USA > Nevada > Washoe County > General History and Resources of Washoe County, Nevada, Published Under the Auspices of the Nevada Educational Association > Part 8
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The town of Reno was laid out in 1868, and grew rapidly, following the completion of the Central Pacific railroad. The first public school was opened in September, of the same year, in the building until recently occupied by the San Francisco Soap Company. One teacher, Miss Lucy A. Scott, now Mrs. L. A. Richardson, of Reno, being employed. The number of scholars rapidly increasing, the school accommodations were found to be inadequate, and a building was erected for the purpose on Front street, at a cost of $3,000. This building now forms the rear of the one known as the "Old School House," standing in its original position, on the lot adjoin- ing the one occupied by the M. E. Church. Two teachers were employed here, the school now being too large to be taught-by one. In Septem- ber, 1871, Orvis Ring, who had taught the schools of Ophir in its. palmy days, and afterward those ot Washoe City, became Principal of the Reno schools, a position he has since held with the ex- ception of an interval of three years, from 1882 to 1885, during which time he filled a similar posi- tion in Winnemucca ; the schools of Reno being presided over by four different principals in rapid uccession.
In 1873 the number of pupils had so increased that still further accommodations were found to be necessary, and a room on Virginia street was fitted up and another teacher employed. This building was destroyed, with most of the books of the scholars, by the great fire which occurred in October of that year, after which the M. E. Church was rented, until measures for enlarging the school house could be carried out. A special tax was levied for this purpose, the old building was moved back and the present front added at a cost of $5,450.
The population of Reno steadily increasing, the number of pupils increased in proportion; from time to time a new teacher was added to the force, until by the end of 1877 the number had increased to six, and the school-rooms had be- come so crowded that the wide hall between the rooms had to be utilized as a recitation room. Owing to these circumstances it was found neces- sary to still further increase the school buildings. With this end in view the trustees had already purchased the fine lots whereon the brick school house now stands, and proceeded to the erection of the building which has ever since been an ornament to the town, being second to no schoolhouse in the State. The schools were opened here in September, 1880, seven teachers being employed under Superintendent Ring.
During these years quite a town had grown up on the south side of the Truckee River. Parents here tound it inconvenient to send their children so tar to the school, and urgently demanded a schoolhouse on this side of the river. To meet this demand the building known since as the "South-side School " was constructed and opened in March, 1881.
Since the opening of the school in 1868 to the present twenty school years have passed. How the town has grown in that time may be seen from this brief history of its schools. Beginning in that year in one small room, with but one teacher, . with less than 80 children enrolled on the census returns, they now number twelve departments, taught by an efficient corps of teachers, under the able guidance of Superintendent Ring, and an excellent board of Trustees, consisting of the fol- lowing gentlemen: Chairman, W. H. Gould; Clerk, George H. Taylor; Long Term Trustee,
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OF WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA.
S. M. Jamison. These gentlemen are active in the discharge of their duties, doing everything in their power to advance the best interests of the schools. These were never more prosperous as to attendance and progress than at the present time. By the census of 1887, 777 children were enrolled, but their number has largely increased during the year, the unfinished returns of 1888 showing up to this present date (May 21) over 900 children of school age. The number in actual attendance in the schools during April was 509, a marked increase over any previous month of the year, at least twenty new pupils having en- tered in the course of the month. The schools are now well-graded, the course of study being much the same as that followed in other places in the State, and one that will compare favorably with those of older and longer established schools. As arranged, it will require eight years to com- plete the Primary, Intermediate and Grammar Grades, the High School course requiring three additional years. From the High School a class is prepared for graduating yearly. Written ex- aminations are held at the close of each year, no scholar being allowed to pass from one grade to another without a certificate of promotion.
The total cost of the schools since their com- mencement in 1868 to their closing in June, 1888, amounts to $173,687, of which sum the teachers have received $97,200. Three school buildings have been erected, at a cost of about $30,000. Fifty-eight different teachers have been employed, of whom the following have acted as Principals: Rev. R. A. Ricker, Mr. Carson, Rev. W. C. Gray, R. P. M. Greeley, Nelson Carr, Miss E. J. Brown, Granville F. Foster, F. M. Alexander and Orvis Ring.
The present corps of teachers consist of the following: Orvis Ring, Superintendent; Miss F. A. Farmer, Mrs. M. S. Doten, High School; Miss S. A. Harris, Mrs. E. J. Knowlton, First and Second Grammar; Mrs. H. M. Atwood, Miss Flora Northrop, Miss Ada F. Lackey, First, Sec- ond and Third Intermediate; Miss Emily Cutting, mixed grade; Miss M. E. McIntosh, Miss L. Unruh, First and Second Primary; Miss Frank L. Grippen, South-side School. Janitor, N. J. Roff.
Many of the teachers have been pupils in these
schools, laying the foundation for future useful- ness in the rooms where they afterwards acted as teachers.
Nowhere does the sun shine on brighter-eyed, more intelligent, capable, or better behaved chil- dren than are to be found in Reno. Too much cannot be done in the way of fitting them to be- come the citizens and legislators, the fathers and mothers of the future. All, therefore, are inter- ested in the institutions of learning that are in our midst, and one and all should do whatever lies in their power to encourage and advance the pro- gress and prosperity of our public schools.
BISHOP WHITAKER'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS.
Bishop Whitaker's School for Girls has now been in successful operation for twelve years. It has attained a wide reputation for the wisdom of its management and the thoroughness of its work. From the start it has been characterized by the paternal nature of its government, and its social training in womanly qualities. While diligent at- tention has been given to that part of education which can be attained from books, still greater stress has been laid upon the formation of an up- right, pure character. Its influence is felt in hundreds of homes, and it has become one of the most important factors in determining the future character of Nevada. During these years Bishop Whitaker has given to the school a large portion of his time and strength, and the benefit of years of previous experience in teaching and the man- agement of schools.
But this institution, to which the people of this State owe so much, could not have been founded but for the generous gift of Miss Catharine L. Wolte, of New York, a noble Christian woman, whose liberal endowments have aided many simi- lar undertakings, and whose benefactions have been widely bestowed for the furtherance of edu- cation and religion, not only throughout the United States, but in foreign lands.
In 1875. Miss Wolte offered to give $10,000 for establishing a School for Girls in Nevada, pro- vided the Bishop would raise an equal amount. In considering the most desirable place for the location of the school, there seemed to be no question that Reno offered the greatest advant- ages. It was the most easily reached, its climate was healthful, its future growth and permanence
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
were certain, and there was, moreover, an earnest desire on the part of the people to have the school located here.
This desire found practical expression in the giving, by individual subscriptions, of $4,000 in money, and the offering of several desirable sites for the erection of buildings.
Mr. Hatch offered a part of his improved grounds; Mr. Leete offered fifteen acres if the school was located on his property ; General
ing all things into consideration, the most suitable for the use desired, assurance being given that if this site should be taken the other half of the block would be donated. There were some who thought that the place chosen was too far from town, and, indeed it might well seem so. There were but a tew houses in the space between the school block and the railroad. The walk from the depot to the school was nearly half the way through sagebrush, and north and west was an
Bishop Whitaker's School for Girls, Reno, Nevada.
Evans, with his brothers, offered the site which the State University now occupies; Mr. Lake offered land on the bluff south of the river, and the Central Pacific Company offered half a block, to be selected from their lands in Reno.
At a public meeting held in May, 1876, a com- mittee of citizens was elected to serve as a Coun- cil of Advice to the Bishop in selecting a site. The committee, consisting of Messrs. C.T. Bender, B. F. Leete, W. R Chamberlain, A. J. Hatch and A. H. Manning, visited the places that had been offered, and unanimously decided that the block upon which the school now stands was, tak-
unbroken waste of sage as far as the eye could see. Now the space in front is occupied with neat dwellings, and the sagebrush on the west and north has given way to waving fields of wheat and grass. In the meantime, by diligent solicitation, the Bishop had raised the $6,000 needed, in addi- tion to the $4,000 given by the citizens of Reno, to secure Miss Wolfe's gift, and in June the erection of the school building was begun. It was prose- cuted vigorously, and the 12th of October the first session of the school began, with fifty pupils and five teachers, Miss Kate A. Sill being the Princi- pal. Since that time there have been changes in
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OF WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA.
teachers, and a varying attendance of pupils. But the system of management which Miss Sill inaugurated, and the high ideal which she set be- fore all who came in contact with her, have been present as a power in the life and worth of the school. At the end of the second year she re- turned to her home in the East, but after a year's absence she resumed her position, and continued in the efficient performance of her duties until she died, in November, 1880, loved and honored by all who knew her. The following season an ex- quisite stained glass window was placed in the school-room in memory of her, which serves not only to make the place more beautiful, but as a perpetual reminder of a consecrated Christian life. Her place has since been successively filled by Miss C. H. Sanford and Miss Annie M. Reed, each of whom possessed admirable qualifications for the position, and it is now occupied by Miss Amy Pease, who combines in a large degree the best qualities of those who preceded her. But to no one who has been connected with the school is it more indebted than to Miss Eva Quaiffe, who, from its beginning, has been at the head of the Department of Music. It is to her rare ability as a teacher, her skill in music, and her hearty de- votion to the school that the great success of this department is due. There are few schools, East or West, where the standard of musical attainment is so high, and where the work done is so satis- factory.
To the visitor the greatest apparent improve- ment has been in the appearance of the grounds surrounding the school. These comprise about seven acres, all of which ten years ago were cov- ered with sagebrush. From 1876 to 1881 but little could be done to improve the grounds for the want of water, the only available supply being the Orr ditch, from which water was pumped for house purposes by a steam pump. But since the completion of the Highland ditch and the con- struction of the new reservoir, the water supply has been abundant, and a wonderful transforma- tion has taken place. The grounds have been laid out with pleasant walks, the buildings are surrounded with beautiful flower gardens, more than five hundred trees have been planted, a fine orchard has been set out with eighty fruit trees, one-half the block is covered with grass, and the
lawns in front rival in neatness and beauty those of Oakland. The place has become beautiful, and as time goes on the natural growth of the trees and foliage will rapidly increase its beauty and attractiveness from year to year.
The school has a small but valuable cabinet of minerals, and a library of about four hundred volumes, to which additions are constantly being made, and which already requires more room. There is need of philosophical and chemical ap- paratus, but there is a prospect of this being sup- plied during the coming year. Continual im- provement has been the order of the school from the beginning. The aim of the management has been to secure the best teachers, to employ the best methods, to maintain a gentle but firm disci- pline, to train the pupils in habits of industry and neatness, and to surround them with all the influ- ences of a refined and happy home. The result has been apparent in the lives and conduct of the girls . who have been connected with it. As the home and its surroundings have grown more beautiful trom year to year, the standard of schol- arship has grown higher, and the general character of the school has been marked by constant ad- vancement. Bishop Whitaker's School for Girls is an institution of which every citizen of Nevada may well be proud, and there is every reason for congratulation that we have within our own State a school which furnishes every advantage for ac- quiring an education which can be found in any sister State.
THE PRESS.
RENO DEMOCRAT.
This newspaper saw the light for a short time in 1883.
THE PLAINDEALER.
The " Plaindealer " was first issued in March, 1881, with M. H. Hogan as editor and proprietor. It advocated the principles of the National Green- back party, and its career was short. Its columns were marked by many brilliant editorials from a gifted pen.
WASHOE TIMES.
In October, 1862, the first newspaper published in Washoe County was issued at Washoe City. It was called the "Washoe Weekly Times,"
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
George Derrickson proprietor, and General James Allen editor. In January, 1863, Derrickson was killed, and the paper was continued under the same name by General Allen as editor and pro- prietor. In October, 1863, General Allen sud- denly fell dead. After that the paper was pub- lished by J. K. Lovejoy as editor and proprietor, and was called "The Old Piute." In 1864 the paper changed hands, and was afterwards pub- lished as the Washoe "Weekly Star," by E. B. Wilson as editor and proprietor. On January 28, 1865, the paper again changed hands, and was thereafter published as the Washoe "Weekly Times," by DeLashmut & Co., proprietors, and Charles Spencer Clarke, editor. On August 26, 1865, the paper again changed hands, and was thereafter published by Prentice & Co., proprie- tors, with John C. Lewis as editor. On Decem- ber 9, 1865, the paper again changed hands, and was thereafter published as the " Eastern Slope," every Saturday, by J. C. Lewis as editor and proprietor, until July 4, 1868, when the paper was removed to Reno, and issued every Saturday as the Reno "Crescent," J. C. Lewis, editor and proprietor, until the 31st day of March, 1874, when it was issued as a daily by the same pro- prietor, until May 10, 1875, after which it changed hands and was published as the " Democrat," by Col. J. C. Dow, editor and proprietor. It only lived a couple of months, and that was the end of the first newspaper published in Washoe County.
RENO JOURNAL.
On November 23, 1870, the first number of the "Nevada State Journal " was issued-a weekly, published and edited by E. A. Littlefield, W. H. H. Fellows and J. G. Law. On Saturday, June 15, 1872, Messrs. Fellows and Powning became the proprietors of the "Nevada State Journal," and it was continued as a weekly by them until February 19, 1873, when it was issued as a semi- weekly till March 31, 1874, when it was issued as a daily and weekly thereafter. On September 5, 1874, C. C. Powning became the sole owner, publisher and proprietor of the "Nevada State Journal," and it has been continued by Mr. Powning, as editor and proprietor, to the present time. Through the columns of the "Journal " C. C. Powning has established an enviable repu-
tation as a fluent writer of broad ideas, and a place in the foremost ranks of Nevada politics. May the "Journal " and its corps of faithful em- ployes flourish, especially George Mosher, the gentlemanly and courteous foreman of the insti- tution.
RENO EVENING GAZETTE.
The first number of the " Gazette" was printed on the 28th of March, 1876, in a little office on Commercial Row, opposite the Depot Hotel. John F. Alexander, now Attorney-General for the State of Nevada, and. at that time only twenty- three years of age, being joined by Mr. Hayden, started the enterprise, and achieved merited suc- cess from the commencement. In 1877 the establishment was moved into new quarters, west of the Plaza, and an eight-page weekly edition was started in April, of that year. The partner- ship between Alexander and Hayden finally ceased, the former becoming sole owner Septem- ber 2, 1878, and, after enlarging the paper, sold out to R. L. Fulton and W. F. Edwards, on the 19th of November that year. Later Mr. Fulton became sole owner and the office was moved to its present location on Virginia street. On the Ist of February, 1887, Mr. Fulton disposed of the paper to C. S. Young and C. S. Preble.
On September 8. 1886, the "Sagebrush Stock- man," the official organ of the Nevada Live Stock Association, was established at Reno, by Bloor, Sayre & Vance. On December 22, of the same year, Sayre dropped out, and the publica- tion was continued by Bloor & Vance. Later J. B. Bloor assumed entire control, and soon after the "Stockman" was merged into the "Weekly Gazette," and the firm title of the " Gazette" be- came Preble, Young & Bloor. In 1888 Mr. Bloor disposed of his interest to John M. Dormer, and the paper is now owned by Preble, Young & Dormer. With John M. Dormer, a newspaper man of large experience and marked ability at the helm, the "Gazette" will not be excelled by any paper in the State. J. B. Bloor, local editor and general business manager, is a young man of varied experience in his line of work, and from personal observation we know his duties are more numerous and harder than those of any man occupying a similar position in Nevada, yet none lead him.
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OF WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA.
.
The "Gazette" has always advocated those measures tending to improvement and advance- ment of community interests. Republican in politics, it has done more than its share to main- tain party power and dignity.
STATE FAIR.
The first State Fair was held at Reno in the Fall of 1873. For five years it proved so suc- cessful that a subscription list was started for the erection of suitable buildings, etc. The result was the Nevada State Agricultural, Mill and Mechan- ical Association.
PAVILION.
Later ground and appurtenances were obtained for a racetrack and buildings and accommoda- tions for live stock. The Legislature of 1885 enacted a law making the State Agricultural Association a State institution, and creating a State Board of Agriculture, and charging the members with the management and control of the State Agricultural Society as a State institu- tion, and directing them to hold annual fairs. Ten thousand dollars was appropriated for the two years following. In accordance with the above, said annual State Fairs are held at Reno. The grounds on the south side of the Truckee River, heretofore used for the State Fair exhibits, is private property, having been leased by the State for its use. Now and henceforth the State is the owner of its own grounds, having pur- chased, for $14,000, eighty acres adjacent to the University grounds. The plat is in a very beau- titul and commanding situation, and the work of extensive improvements goes merrily on.
The next fair begins September 17, 1888, and ends five days later. The purses and pre- miums amount to $10,000. Theo. Win- ters is the President of the Association and C. H. Stoddard is the Secretary. Read the ad- vertisement. Last year the Carson "Appeal" remarked: The Fair ought to mark an epoch in the history of this State. It has demonstrated to everybody that we have a bigger and better State than we had supposed, and resources to which we had heretofore paid but little attention. The display at the pavilion of art and manufacture, of fruit, soil products and women's needlework, must indeed have astonished those who have all along been accustomed to believe no good could come of Nevada.
GRIEVANCES.
A town, city, county, or State, becomes a suc- cess from the time its inhabitants learn to appre- ciate and use articles of home manufacture, of home produce, and of home market. People wishing to practice economy, frequently practice extravagance without intending to do so, when they send away for vegetables, merchandise or manufactured goods which are advertised at cheaper rates, but which are dearer than home prices, when to the first cost are added the ex- pense of carriage. The following is but one of the many cases in point: A citizen desiring to purchase a table approached a dealer for that pur- pose, and asked the price of the article. The dealer said $7. The would-be customer walked away and sent to Sacramento for a table similar to the other. It cost him there $6, and he paid freight and drayage to the amount of $1.70, and yet he was satisfied that he had saved $1. He is like the rancher, who, when asked what his hay cost him in the stack, answered, $1.50; tor- getting taxes, the wear and tear of horses, har- ness, machinery, and the value of his own time, labor, etc. People do a great wrong by con- demning without trying. How much did it cost Beck and Bole to demonstrate that Nevada flour of Reno manufacture is a world beater ?
There is a great empire on the shores of Salt Lake which considered itself powerful enough in 1857 to undertake to dictate to the United States Government. Comparatively young, the mar- velous growth and improvement of Mormondom is unprecedented, especially in this age of com- mon sense, reason, civilization and progress, when we take into consideration the doctrines of the polygamists, their uses and abuses of the laws of nature, and their opposition to refined senti- ment and feeling. The query of the why and wherefore of the richness and prosperity of the Mormon people naturally follows, and we answer: The Mormon laborer and the Mormon rancher gives his trade and custom to the home merchant, The merchants and butchers, as far as lies in their power, take the products of the home ranches. The Mormon takes the money he earns at home and circulates it at home among his friends. No Gentile or Jew can obtain a ten-cent piece of Mor- mon money in exchange for goods or other com-
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GENERAL HISTORY AND RESOURCES
modity if it can be helped. Rock by rock they build an arch, with a keystone of "home sup- port" and the more outside pressure brought to bear it down only serves to make it stronger. Now, friends, these facts contain "food for thought"' for business men and others. When you learn to take this lesson to heart and to prac- tice it in all its phases, associations and relations, to make its sentiments your own, we will all pros- per together and build an empire on the banks of the Truckee.
SUMMARY.
Reno, a place of 5,000 inhabitants and the county-seat of Washoe, is charmingly situated at the base of the snowy ranges, on the Truckee River, in the beautiful Truckee Meadows, at an altitude of 4,507 feet above the tide-water. It is a terminus of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, of the Nevada & California Railroad, and an im- portant station on the Central Pacific Railroad, being the base of supplies and the shipping point for the largest agricultural region in the State, and the principal forwarding point for Carson, Empire, Silver City, Gold Hill and Virginia; and, since the town site was established twenty years ago, the march has been onward and rapid. She has outgrown her limits once, and bids fair to do so again. Where but two decades ago were a few miserable shanties, there are to-day blocks of costly and substantial brick houses, rows of neat cottages, pleasant dwellings, with modern im- provements, and many superb residences. Her public men are honest, energetic and enterpris- ing; her people are well-to-do, pleasant, sociable and temperate; her children are precocious and the pictures of health; her driveways are good, and her resorts (Laughton's and Steamboat Springs) are sanitariums unexcelled. Furnished with an abundance of water, gas and a splendid electric light, she shines by night as well as by day. Private and public schools of all grades, churches of prominent religions, the best ap- pointed and prettiest inland theater on the coast, substantial iron and wooden bridges, established and growing manufactories, railroads draining rich tributary districts and extensive stock ranges, a valuable water power at the door, the seat of justice of a rich and prosperous county, blessed with an unequaled climate, State and county
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