Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 39–Senators Raggio, Amodei, Care, Carlton, Coffin, Jacobsen, James, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, O’Connell, O’Donnell, Porter, Rawson, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer, Titus, Townsend, Washington and Wiener
Joint Sponsors: Assemblymen Dini, Anderson, Angle, Arberry, Bache, Beers, Berman, Brower, Brown, Buckley, Carpenter, Cegavske, Chowning, Claborn, Collins, de Braga, Freeman, Gibbons, Giunchigliani, Goldwater, Gustavson, Hettrick, Humke, Koivisto, Lee, Leslie, Manendo, Marvel, McClain, Mortenson, Neighbors, Nolan, Oceguera, Ohrenschall, Parks, Parnell, Perkins, Price, Smith, Tiffany, Von Tobel and Williams
Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Recognizing the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of permanent, non-Indian settlements in Dayton, Genoa and Carson City, Nevada.
Whereas, In 1851, the western portion of the Utah Territory that now
encompasses Carson City and Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties saw the
beginnings of the first settlements by courageous pioneers adventuring
west to explore the frontiers of America and find new places to make their
fortunes or raise their families; and
Whereas, This area of the present State of Nevada has a history rich
with the stories of prospectors, traders and settlers who came in search of
their dreams and stayed to brave the cold winters and arid summers to
make Nevada their home; and
Whereas, The Town of Dayton traces its history to 1849 with the
discovery of gold at the mouth of Gold Canyon by Abner Blackburn, who
was forced to leave when provisions ran low but whose discovery brought
other fortune seekers who would stay in the area and build their lives on
the Comstock; and
Whereas, During the winter of 1850, James “Old Virginny” Finney
lived in his make-shift shelter at the mouth of Gold Canyon and by the
spring of 1851 was joined by as many as 200 miners who settled in the area
which became known as Hall’s Station because the residents were supplied
by the trading post built by Spafford Hall of Indiana; and
Whereas, Hall’s Station, grew and prospered, became known as
Chinatown because of the many Chinese who lived there and worked the
placer claims in the canyon, and in 1861, it became the first county seat of
Lyon County and was renamed Dayton in honor of John Day who laid out
the town and later became Surveyor General of Nevada; and
Whereas, The Town of Genoa traces its history back to 1848 when it
was an early campsite on the Emigrant Trail to California and 1850 when
its first permanent structures, a roofless log enclosure and corral, were
built; and
Whereas, In 1851, John Reese and 16 other men arrived in present-day
Genoa with 13 wagons to build a permanent trading post, known first as
Reese’s Station and later as Mormon Station, that led to the settlement of
the town which became the nucleus of a small farming population; and
Whereas, In 1854, this settlement, renamed Genoa in 1855, was
proclaimed the seat of Carson County, Utah Territory, and, with the
organization of the Nevada Territory in 1861, was established as the county
seat of Douglas County, a position it retained until 1916; and
Whereas, Carson City was first established in 1851 as Eagle Station, a
trading post and small ranch on the Carson Branch of the Emigrant Trail,
and was settled over the next few years by Mormon colonizers who were
called back to Salt Lake City by Brigham Young in 1857; and
Whereas, In 1858, Abraham Curry and several business partners
bought Eagle Station, laid out the town and named it in honor of John C.
Fremont’s most celebrated frontier scout, Kit Carson; and
Whereas, With the discovery of the Comstock Lode the following
year, Carson City was brought to life as a freight and transportation center
and, true to the prediction of Abraham Curry albeit with some shrewd
political maneuvering on his part, was selected as the territorial capital in
1861 and was confirmed as the state capital when Nevada was granted
statehood in 1864; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly
Concurring, That the members of the 71st session of the Nevada
Legislature do hereby recognize the 150th anniversary of the establishment
of permanent, non-Indian settlements in Dayton, Genoa and Carson City
and applaud the efforts of those who are working to honor the memory of
the traders, explorers and prospectors who led the way, and the men and
women who followed, to work the mines, plant crops, raise livestock and
raise families in what is now the great State of Nevada; and be it further
Resolved, That the residents of Nevada are urged to join in the
celebrations as our history is remembered and relived during Dayton
Founder’s Day: Dayton’s 150th Birthday Party, honoring pioneer women,
to be held May 26 and 27, 2001, the events leading up to and the grand
finale of Genoa’s Sesquicentennial Celebration to be held on June 3 and 4,
2001, and the many events held annually in Carson City that recognize its
unique history; and be it further
Resolved, That these celebrations renew our pride in the state we call
home and rekindle in each of us the spirit of adventure and courage that is
the legacy left to us by these first settlers; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy
of this resolution to the Genoa Sesquicentennial Committee, the Dayton
Historic Society and the Carson City Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
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