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1005 Holcomb Ave, Reno, NV 89502
Holcomb Historic Site
Park Description:
Holcomb Historic Site is a 0.7-acre Reno park without restrooms.
Park Amenities:
Grassy area and historic marker.
Park Contact Information:
City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417
Park Highlights
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Park History
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The Park
Sitting on a sliver of land between Holcomb Avenue and Center Street in Midtown, Holcomb Historic Site at first seems like nothing special with a few trees and a pretty flower bed. However, when you do some digging the park has a rich history that takes one back to the days of the Old West when ranches spanned across the Truckee Meadows and the V&T Railroad stretched from Reno to Virginia City via Carson City.
Rise of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad
The story of the V&T Railroad starts in 1869 when the line first connected Virginia City to Carson City, but work to run the railroad northward moved quickly after. A number of Chinese laborers graded this northward section during the summer of 1871. Track gangs commenced, laying rail south, reaching Steamboat Springs by late October. Nine months later, Superintendent Henry M. Yerington drove the last spike a mile west of Carson City on August 24, 1872, connecting Virginia City with Reno by rail. Although regularly scheduled passenger service didn’t begin until October 1, the first through train traversed the 52 mile route on September 1, 1872 with the last trains coming in on May 31, 1950.
The reason for the railroad to run from Virginia city to Reno started in 1868, when the Central Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad went from the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Truckee Meadows at Lake's Crossing, the future site of Reno (specifically the location of the Virginia Street Bridge). An additional rail connection from Virginia City to the Central Pacific, many thought would drastically cut the cost of hauling freight to the booming mining town. Thus, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company was incorporated, with a route running from Virginia City, north along Lousetown road to the present site of Lockwood, 10 miles east of Reno, where it would connect with the Central Pacific.
Factions in Storey and Ormsby (known today as Carson City) counties paid $500,000 to run the railroad through Carson City and Washoe Valley to connect to the Central Pacific at Lake's Crossing. Henry M. Yerington was appointed superintendent of the V & T. The timing of this route change couldn’t be more perfect. In May of 1868 the Central Pacific laid the transcontinental track into Lakes Crossing, just 30 miles north of Carson City. For the next 78 years the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company serviced Reno and Virginia City as well as the communities in between.
The reason for the railroad to run from Virginia city to Reno started in 1868, when the Central Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad went from the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Truckee Meadows at Lake's Crossing, the future site of Reno (specifically the location of the Virginia Street Bridge). An additional rail connection from Virginia City to the Central Pacific, many thought would drastically cut the cost of hauling freight to the booming mining town. Thus, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company was incorporated, with a route running from Virginia City, north along Lousetown road to the present site of Lockwood, 10 miles east of Reno, where it would connect with the Central Pacific.
Factions in Storey and Ormsby (known today as Carson City) counties paid $500,000 to run the railroad through Carson City and Washoe Valley to connect to the Central Pacific at Lake's Crossing. Henry M. Yerington was appointed superintendent of the V & T. The timing of this route change couldn’t be more perfect. In May of 1868 the Central Pacific laid the transcontinental track into Lakes Crossing, just 30 miles north of Carson City. For the next 78 years the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company serviced Reno and Virginia City as well as the communities in between.