Douglas County

Birthplace of Nevada

The Markers Statistics

Let us head west onto the foot of the mighty mountains and set the stage a few miles west of Minden. Rather than fortunes found from gold, it was farming that kickstarted this old girl named "Nevada," Mormon farmers who migrated a long way west from Salt Lake City. During 1850, Mormon followers, once seeking the guidance of a determined Brigham Young sought a refuge away from the Mormon Temple and with it, a new beginning in an undiscovered region of Utah. In 1851 they founded "Mormon's Station," a true haven nestled at the foot of the Carson Range and seemingly worlds away from Mormon doctrine. The community soon became a trading post for passers-by when a hotel was built just south of town far from the confines of Mormon rule. The settlers chose the name Genoa, in honor of a city in Italy -- a location that could have very well been the envy of Utah itself thanks to the runoff from the well-watered Carson Range.

Genoa has refused to change much in the past 160 years. Although Genoa claims to be "Nevada's Oldest Settlement," the debate for the "oldest community" sparks some notoriety with nearby Dayton, some thirty miles to the east. Many historians believe Dayton is Nevada's earliest settlement. The earliest permanent residents settled at the mouth of Gold Canyon from the spring of 1851 at least two weeks earlier than Mormon Station, even though "Day-Town" was more or less a conglomeration of tents and makeshift shelters. This competes with Genoa's brick and wooden structures along its well-defined main street. The debate is so touch-and-go that even life-long Nevadans cannot quite settle on an answer. So then the question should not lie in which town is older, but rather ... "What should define a true community?" Should a community be based solely as structures built from wood or stone, or can the definition be loosened by adding in a town comprised of pitched canvas tents? Heads: a green, bucolic farming community or tails: a dusty, gold mining outpost along the Carson River? Whatever the case, why not battle it inside Nevada's oldest watering hole. The Genoa Bar has been serving drinks since 1851. Why waste any more time? Bottoms up.

The Markers
Prepare for some great hunting here in Douglas County. Although most of the markers here are found in Carson Valley, we invite you to begin your journey in Genoa, "Nevada's Oldest Community." Although the Preservation Office failed to erect a single historic marker here history is nevertheless interwoven into the town's fabric. Start at the Genoa Park and take an hour's stroll past the Masonic Lodge, the Genoa Bar, the original county courthouse, or even a pleasant walk through the cemetery for sweet reminders of days not quite past. By tackling Genoa first, you can work south along SR 206 to conquer the half-dozen or so historic markers along the base of the mountains. From here, consider circling back to Gardnerville for the main Carson Valley markers, or turn west up (SR 207) - the Kingsbury Grade for conquering of Douglas's mountain markers. After stopping in Stateline for a break or two three more markers await conquering along the east shore of Lake Tahoe. US 50 makes a swift turn eastward at Glenbrook to head over the summit and back down onto the valley floor in Carson City. Here's to decision making!