405 Surrey Dr, Reno, NV 89521

Pleasant Valley Park

Park Description:

Pleasant Valley Park is a 6-acre Washoe County park without restrooms.

Park Amenities:

Playground, multi-purpose field, picnic area, tables/benches.

Park Highlights

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Park History

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

Settlers in Pleasant Valley

The history of this area goes back to the days before Nevada was a state. With its proximity to the gold rush in California and the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, the entire Washoe Valley was one of the earliest settlements in the state. During the late 1800s, the valley was home to many quartz mills. Lumber was harvested in the mountains and brought down to the valley in flumes, then transported to the Comstock mines. The valley was also home to many ranches, raising cattle and growing crops to supply the growing population.

One of the first European settlers in Pleasant Valley was George Smith. Smith and his family were Mormons from the Utah Territory who came to the area around 1858 and settled on 160-acres of land. Smith named the area Pleasant Valley. The family farmed the land with alfalfa, wheat and barley for many years. As one visitor reported, “Looking around in Pleasant Valley are waving grass and green orchards and happy homes with families named Smith.”

Prior to the influx of European settlers to Nevada, this area was home to many Native American groups including the Northern Paiute, the Washoe, and the Shoshone. To learn more about these three tribes today, visit the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony website, http://www.rsic.org/.

Image:
1850 Wagon Train in Mountains. Source: NDOT.

Ranching in Pleasant Valley

Farms and ranches were important to Pleasant Valley. One old timer described his impression of Pleasant Valley, “Passing through a rugged canyon at the north end of the [Washoe] valley, cutting a channel through a low range of hills, Pleasant Valley is entered, containing an area of a thousand acres of fertile and well-watered lands. Here are several good farms as the same character as those in the [Washoe] valley below.”

The farmers got water for their crops from Washoe Lake and from the creeks coming off of Mt. Rose. Water was such an important commodity. One newspaper observed, “This is the lake which the Comstock papers thought of no value and recommended its drainage. The man or set of men, who attempt to drain Washoe Lake, will have more injunctions and lawsuits on his hands than generally sought by the law abiding citizens.”

Image:
The Winters Ranch House in nearby Washoe Valley from the 1860s. Source: Kelly O’Keefe, The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.

The V&T Railroad

In 1872, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad (V&TRR) was extended from Carson City to Reno and came through Pleasant Valley with a stop at Smith’s place, plus a side track to the Stevenson and Douglas mill. The side track allowed machinery to be installed at a mill, including five stamps.

The newspapers in the late 1800s have numerous mentions of accidents or near accidents involving livestock and wagons crossing the train tracks. The V&TRR declined in the late 1920s and by 1950, it stopped running and the tracks were removed.

Image:

The V&T Railroad:
In 1872, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad (V&TRR) was extended from Carson City to Reno and came through Pleasant Valley with a stop at Smith’s place, plus a side track to the Stevenson and Douglas mill. The side track allowed machinery to be installed at a mill, including five stamps.

The newspapers in the late 1800s have numerous mentions of accidents or near accidents involving livestock and wagons crossing the train tracks. The V&TRR declined in the late 1920s and by 1950, it stopped running and the tracks were removed.

Image:
Ticket for the V&T Railroad. Source: Wikipedia Commons

Mining in Pleasant Valley

Pleasant Valley was not extensively investigated during the height of the silver rush, but there was some activity over the years. In 1876, miners from Virginia City decided to try a quicksilver mine and in 1885 several prospectors came to try their luck because there were rumors that gold had been found in a ravine coming off the mountain some twenty years prior.

Rancher George S. Smith owned the Smith Mine and in 1887 found gold ore that was assayed between $70 and $80 per ton. The mine had been quiet for a number of years when in 1906, the Rocky Hill Company took a deeper interest in the mine. The company had a cyanide plant and a mill equipped with ten stamps. Eventually in 1914, the mortgages for Rocky Hill Mining Company were foreclosed by Washoe County Bank; they said the property contained low-grade gold.

Image:
Close up image of galena. Source: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com.

Relocation of the Highway

After the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was removed, the Reno-Carson highway brought people through Pleasant Valley—people going back and forth between Reno and Carson City. As early as 1959 there was interest in moving the highway to a better, safer location.

Many years later in August of 2012, the new 8.5-mile stretch of Interstate 580 was opened. The Galena Creek Bridge, visible from Pleasant Valley Park, took five years to build and cost about $555 million because of challenges due to geologic conditions, severe winter conditions, concerns over the heavy winds in the area, cracks found on the bridge before it opened, and even a 2012 wildfire in Pleasant Valley that jumped the highway. At 300-feet high, 1700-feet long, and with a 700-foot supporting arch, it was the largest cathedral arch bridge in the world as of 2012.

Image:
Galena Creek Bridge moonset. Source: NDOT.

Subdivisions and the Park Arrive

The Pleasant Valley Rancho residential homes development began in 1960. This subdivision was built on the old Smith ranch and consisted of 145 acres that were divided into home sites of 1 and 2-acre parcels. The western-styled homes were conceived by an award-winning designer to appeal to families with horses and those who enjoy country living. The models were open to the public in 1961.

The Pleasant Valley Park opened in 2002 at a cost of $239,000. The park offers spectacular views of the Carson Range, including Slide Mountain. The Galena Creek Bridge on Highway 580 and Ormat Steamboat Geothermal Power Plant are also visible from the park, and all these have interesting stories of their own.

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Pleasant Valley Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space - Pleasant Valley Park
Newspapers.com: Reno Gazette-Journal
Newspapers.com: Nevada State Journal

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

April 20, 2021, 4:31:32 AM

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