Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 49–Senators Jacobsen, Amodei, Care, Carlton, Coffin, James, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, O’Connell, O’Donnell, Porter, Raggio, Rawson, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer, Titus, Townsend, Washington and Wiener
Joint Sponsors: Assemblymen Hettrick, Anderson, Angle, Arberry, Bache, Beers, Berman, Brower, Brown, Buckley, Carpenter, Cegavske, Chowning, Claborn, Collins, de Braga, Dini, Freeman, Gibbons, Giunchigliani, Goldwater, Gustavson, 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—Commemorating the contributions of legendary mail carrier John A.“Snowshoe” Thompson in anticipation of the memorial to be dedicated in his honor in Genoa on June 23, 2001.
Whereas, Jon Torsteinson-Rue, more widely known as John A.
“Snowshoe” Thompson, was born in Norway in 1827 and arrived in
California in 1851 with high hopes of staking a claim and realizing his
fortune; and
Whereas, Finding that mining did not suit his temperament, John
Thompson abandoned the miner’s life and bought a ranch in the
Sacramento Valley, but the mountains to the East beckoned him and he
looked for a reason to spend his life in the Sierras; and
Whereas, In 1856, John responded to an ad in the Sacramento Union
which read “People Lost to the World: Uncle Sam Needs a Mail Carrier”
and was offered the position which required him to carry mail across the
Sierras over snowdrifts as high as 50 feet on a 90-mile route that served
isolated mining communities of the California foothills which until that
time had been cut off from the rest of the world during the winter months;
and
Whereas, All attempts by previous postmen to cross the Sierra on
woven snowshoes had failed until John Thompson carved a pair of “ski-
skates” fashioned after the ski-shaped snowshoes he remembered from his
childhood days in Norway, and his skill in using them quickly earned him
the nickname “Snowshoe”; and
Whereas, Twice a month every winter from 1856 to 1876, Snowshoe
Thompson made the daunting and danger-filled 3-day trek from
Placerville, California, to Mormon Station, later renamed Genoa, and, upon
delivery of his precious cargo and preparation of his load for the return
journey, would reverse his course and return to Placerville; and
Whereas, Dressed in his Mackinaw jacket and wide-rimmed hat with
his face covered in charcoal to prevent snow blindness, Snowshoe
Thompson carried no gun, heavy coat or blankets in order to focus his
strength on the important sack that often weighed more than 100 pounds
and contained the mail as well as life-saving medicines and other items
needed by the early pioneers; and
Whereas, Despite a constantly changing, snow-covered landscape
where landmarks were often obliterated and only the stars were available to
guide him when he traveled at night, Snowshoe Thompson did not use a
compass because, as he once said, “There is no danger of getting lost in a
narrow range of mountains like the Sierra, if a man has his wits about
him”; and
Whereas, Never thinking of the cost to himself, Snowshoe Thompson
often rescued prospectors caught in the snow, and in one instance, his
heroic efforts saved the life of a starving, half-frozen trapper; and
Whereas, In the 1860s, Snowshoe Thompson homesteaded in
Diamond Valley and married Agnes Singleton with whom he had a son,
Arthur Thomas, who is buried next to his father in the Genoa cemetery;
and
Whereas, Although Snowshoe was never fully compensated for his
efforts as a lifeline between Nevada and California, he continued his
“Snowshoe Express” until his death in 1876 just for the look on the faces
of the people living in isolation; and
Whereas, To honor his 20 years of courageous service, a monument in
Mormon Station State Park in Genoa will be dedicated on June 23, 2001,
during the Snowshoe Thompson Festival; 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 commemorate the contributions and the heroic deeds
of the legendary mail carrier John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson during his
years of service to the early pioneers of Western Nevada; and be it further
Resolved, That this body congratulates the Snowshoe Thompson
Committee of the Greater Genoa Business Association for their unceasing
efforts to honor this great man with a fitting memorial in Genoa; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy
of this resolution to the Snowshoe Thompson Committee.
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