2121 Long Meadow Dr, Reno, NV 89521

Cyan Park

Park Description:

Cyan Park is a 14-acre Reno park with restrooms (opened seasonally: late April-Early October weather permitting).

Park Amenities:

Playground, picnic shelter, barbeque area, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

Bella Vista Ranch

Cyan Park is located on a portion of the former Bella Vista Ranch. At one point, the ranch comprised 1,700-acres including the land roughly south of Hidden Valley at Short Lane to the Damonte Ranch area, including much of Alexander Lake.

The Caesar A. Ramelli family owned a dairy farm on Bella Vista Ranch in the early days of the Truckee Meadows. Caesar was born in 1891 and purchased the land in the early 1920s. He was an active member of the Nevada Star Grange of Reno, and was married to his wife Jennie for 29 years when he passed away in 1948.

The land was put up for sale in 1934, listed as a “sacrifice account of illness.” But meetings of the Nevada Star Grange Home Economics Group still took place on the ranch into the 1940s, with Jennie Ramelli as the host.

The Flying Yank

Dr. J. J. Sieler stayed at Bella Vista Ranch in 1935 training for a 100-mile ultra-running race. Known as the “Flying Yank,” Sieler held many distance running race records and was training for his run from Lovelock to Reno. Around this time there were a number of ultrarunners, including Sieler, who tried to claim world records by running the “fastest known time” between two cities.

By 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Flick owned the Bella Vista Ranch. Mr. Flick was a prominent resident of Reno from his arrival in 1940 until his death in 1956. At that time, the ranch consisted of 1,500-acres and was improved for use as a cattle ranch. There are some references to the property being called Rancho del Tierra Feliz, or “Happy Land Ranch”, around this time. Besides cattle, thoroughbred horses also were raised on the ranch.

Image:
The Flying Yank. Source: ultrarunninghistory.com/flying-yank.

Brush Ele

In 1948, Mr. A. R. Culver and Gordon MacLean announced the purchase of the Bella Vista ranch. They had six Arabian horses and six thoroughbreds at the ranch. Brush Ele, one of the thoroughbreds, was a record holder at the now-closed Tanforan Racetrack near San Francisco until an accident ended his career and he was retired to stud at the ranch. In 1950, the horse Tanglewood Cherokee from Bella Vista Ranch won the Grand Champion Arabian gelding prize in a horse show.

Also in the 1950s, a Mrs. Helen Bullock Chappellet was listed as leasing Bella Vista Ranch. Mrs. Chappellet was one of the daughters of the founder of Bullock’s, Inc. department store. Bullock’s was founded in 1907. Over time, it became part of Federated Department Stores and in 1996 was merged into Macy’s department store. Ironically, Double Diamond Ranch - the neighbor to Bella Vista Ranch - was at one time owned by Wilbur May, the son of the founder of May Company department stores, which also was absorbed into Federated and Macy’s.

Image:
Advertisement for Brush Ele. Source: Reno Gazette-Journal

Leveling the Fields

Big changes came in 1954 when a wealthy businessman from Seattle purchased Bella Vista Ranch. Paul Butler worked for the Dennison Food Company, served as Chairman of the Board of IXL Food Co., and was a principal stockholder in General Tire and Rubber Co. Butler paid $400,000 for the 1,700-acre ranch, which included 500 head of cattle. He and his Reno-born wife, Ruth, also remodeled the $85,000 home on the ranch.

Butler lost no time in leveling 350-acres of the ranch’s fields to prepare for planting barley, in what was called “the largest job of land development in the northern Truckee Meadows.” Butler’s goal was to make the land suitable for pasture. Prior to this, only native saltgrass grew in the fields. Fertilizing such a large area required massive labor and plenty of irrigation.

Over the next couple years, barley gave way to rye, wheat grass and hay, which grew better in the type of soil on the ranch. It was reported that prior to Butler's improvements, the land had been neglected for many years. The pasture supported the ranch’s 250 head of steer and 50 heifers.

Image:
Saltgrass. Source: Judy Baxter, Flickr.

Subdivisions Arrive

In the late 1970s, the Regional Planning Commission took initial steps to transition the entire area, including Double Diamond Ranch, into a housing development. The plans at that time included homes, fairgrounds, shopping centers, golf courses, regional parks, schools, freeway access, and considerations for the airport noise problems. At the same time, the potential sale of Bella Vista Ranch to the owner of the Dallas Cowboys fell through; this was due to disagreements with the Butler family over water rights and sewage, and uncertainty over a proposed highway to link the Pyramid Highway in Sparks to the Mt. Rose Highway (which became the Veterans Highway in 2018). Disappointed, the potential buyer said he still considered the ranch “one of the finest developable pieces of property” in America.

It wasn’t until 2005 that the Reno City Council approved the development of 1,700 new homes between Double Diamond and the Virginia Range. The master plan included land for a school and 15-acres for a park. Work began on the subdivision a couple years later.

Cyan Park Through Time

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Cyan Park on iNaturalist

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

City of Reno Parks & Facilities Directory - Cyan Park
(1883, March 24). Weekly State Journal , p. 2.
(1956, May 5). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 10.
Advertisement: We have four new trucks and trailers. (1944, July 5). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 14.
Advertisement: Brush Ele. (1948, March 15). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 4.
Alexander Lake may be used for storage. (1930, December 12). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 14.
Bella Vista Ranch east of Reno bought by Seattle resident. (1954, July 20). Nevada State Journal , p. 7.
Bella Vista Ranch is sold. (1948, March 24). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 22.
Bullock's. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2020, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock%27s
Classified Ad: Bella Vista Ranch. (1934, August 8). Nevada State Journal , p. 11.
Commission doubles community support funds. (1976, June 7). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 22.
Fires off pistal and is arrested. (1933, July 4). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 8.
Flying Yank will conduct hiking tour. (1935, October 12). Nevada State Journal , p. 5.
Foo, L. P. (1979, March 29). Second Washoe ranch sold for development. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 25.
Foo, R. (1980, February 22). Developers back out of Bella Vista sale; cite water problems. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 20.
Foo, R. (1981, March 25). Green light for Double Diamond. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 15.
Foo, R. (1979, July 3). New fairgrounds location eyed. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 16.
Haley, A. (1978, November 30). Planners approve 'mini-city' concept. REno Evening Gazette , p. 1.
Henry, B. (1975, November 21). The shockers: Highway design work stopped by controversy, too. Nevada State Journal , p. 14.
Keickhefer, B. (2005, September 1). Reno OKs homes at Bella Vista. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 2.
Largest land development job under way. (1955, November 5). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 16.
Leading Nevada cattleman dead. (1948, May 10). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 18.
Lease default charged; owners seeking $60,00. (1953, September 30). Nevada State Journal , p. 10.
Leveling. (1958, July 10). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 34.
Obituariy: Ruth M. Butler. (1988, October 5). Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 2C.
O'Driscoll, P. (1976, August 6). Washoe Governments may solve gravel pit issues. Reno Evening Gazette , p. 14.
Preparing for spring. (1957, April 5). Nevada State Journal , p. 2.
Ranches here may be sold. (1946, April 11). Nevada State Journal , p. 9.
Renoites share in large estate. (1952, May 31). Nevada State Journal , p. 12.
Robert J. Flick dies at Reno ranch home. (1956, August 18). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 9.
Seattle man buys ranch. (1954, July 23). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 5.
Soil conservationist group tour in area. (1958, July 9). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 11.
Varied activities of Nevadans shown in pictures. (1959, December 14). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 18.
Voyles, S. (1989, July 24). Development would flatten natural ride in northwest. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. C1.
Voyles, S. (1991, January 2). Huffaker Hills seen as anchor of proposed regional park. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 2B.
Voyles, S. (1992, October 24). Plants linked to cattle herd's problems. Reno Gazette-Journal , p. 1C.
Who was Kendyl Depoali. (2018). Retrieved from Community Foundation of Western Nevada: https://nevadafund.org/depoali-kendyl-memorial-scholarship-2/
Youth in hospital. (1933, June 22). Reno Evening Gazette , p. 12.

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:31:53 PM

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