June 24, 2022
Perhaps you think jackalopes are just the stuff of legends—curio items you might spot on the wall of a novelty taxidermist. Well, there’s more to this cottontail than meets the eye, as Michael P. Branch explores in his new book, On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped […]
June 17, 2022
The last ten years has brought significant changes in our understanding of how people lived in the Great Basin. People have been here longer and doing different things than previously thought. We now know that people were making complex textiles more than 9,000 years ago. These textiles highlight women’s contributions to economic and social life, […]
June 16, 2022
Come join us for a brief discussion on one of Nevada’s most athletic critters and our state mammal the bighorn sheep! We will discuss the different types of sheep you can find in Nevada, their preferred habitat and biology as well as what the Nevada Department of Wildlife does to help manage our sheep populations […]
May 20, 2022
You Can’t Do 30-Meter Transects in a Pit Lake: The Archaeological Study of a Mid-Twentieth Century Mine Mid-twentieth-century federal investment in infrastructure projects transformed the American West. Two conspicuous projects impacting the West include the Glen Canyon Dam (1956-1964) and the Interstate Highway System (beginning 1956). Federal investment also found its way into mining in […]
April 29, 2022
This presentation will give the historical overview the group of Mormons, known as the Mormon Battalion, that President Polk recruited in 1846, and Brigham Young released, to assist in the conquest of California by General Kearny with the army of the west. Why was it formed, what was its purpose and what happened? Why is […]
February 25, 2022
The dude ranch is the original western vacation, and has many connections to the history and culture of the West and the nation. Historian Lynn Downey unearthed these stories for her new book, American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West. Downey’s illustrated talk will follow the dude ranch […]
January 21, 2022
This talk will focus on the author’s research and conclusions about Western Victorian theater during the mid-1800s. The book focuses on the American West drawing on San Francisco’s prominence and its relationship with the smaller theaters. The talk will use many examples from Nevada’s prominent theaters including Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, as well […]
January 13, 2022
In partnership with the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada we will be celebrating Chinese New Year on Saturday, February 5th. We will be featuring crafts, objects from the museum’s collection, and performances by the Carson Valley Chinese Culture Group. At 10:00am we will start making crafts which include a hand drum to help celebrate the […]
November 29, 2021
Stan Paher will explore the 49er emigrant trails through western Nevada, from near Lovelock westward through the Truckee Meadows-Reno area up to Donner Summit. The alternate Carson River Route begins at a point 30 miles north of Fallon and traverses the dreaded Forty-mile Desert to reach the Carson River at a point near Fort Churchill. […]
November 5, 2021
While free masonry started a long time ago in Europe it has spread across the United States and has deep roots in Nevada and Carson City. The Carson City Lodge No. 1 was founded before Nevada was a state in 1863. This presentation will briefly describe the history of masonry in general and in America […]
