13401 Rim Rock Dr, Reno, NV 89521

Virginia Foothills Park

Park Description:

Virginia Foothills Park is a 15-acre Washoe County park with portable restrooms open seasonally as well as drinking fountains.

Park Amenities:

Playground, tennis court, volleyball court, baseball/soccer field, horseshoes, exercise area, fitness trail, and picnic area.

Park Contact Information:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space (775) 828-6612

Park Highlights

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Park History

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

The Park

Virginia Foothills Park was completed and dedicated in August of 1993. The park boasts many amenities -- tennis and volleyball courts, a group picnic shelter, horseshoe pits, children’s play areas, exercise facilities, a fitness trail, and a multi-purpose playing area. Another bonus is that it is located next to Brown Elementary School, which was built around the same time.

While the park was not officially dedicated until 1993, it had been in the works by the Washoe County Board of Commissioners for many years. As early as 1979 the board discussed the acquisition of 15-acres of land for the park. A few years later the Board approved the first phase of the park. Then in 1993, they awarded a contract for the construction of phase two, culminating in the dedication ceremony later that year.

Image:
Playground at Virginia Foothills Park. Source: Jill Richardson.

The Park is located next to Brown Elementary, which opened for classes in the fall of 1989. This is the second Brown School, the first was built in 1877 by Peleg Brown on an acre of his ranch land. The ranch was eventually sold to Louis Damonte in 1939. Over the years, the school was enlarged to the brick building which now houses the Washoe County School District offices on the Old Virginia Road.

The old school building accommodated about 200 students, but the new school building next to Virginia Foothills Park was designed for 497 students. It cost around $4 million to build, plus acquisition of land and the cost of equipment.

In addition to the need to accommodate more students, the school moved from Old Virginia Road to Spelling Court because at that time the new Hwy 395, from Reno to Carson City, was being built and the old school would have been right beside the busy highway.

Image:
The Old Brown Elementary School. Source: Jill Richardson.

The Quarry and Ditches

Just north of the park is the Rilite Aggregate quarry. Rilite was founded in 1965 and provides construction materials for roads, parking lots, trenches, and fill materials for building pads. The company boasts that their materials were used in construction of the Peppermill, Eldorado, Silver Legacy, John Asquaga’s Nugget and the Federal Courthouse.

Reno has many irrigation ditches that were built in the late 1800s. Two of them are just west of the park, although they have been covered in many areas. The Crane Ditch runs along the west side Western Skies Drive and existed as early as 1889 when it was claimed by E. Crane and B.G. Clow. Sources state it had formerly been known as the Bullock and Crane Ditch.

The Chandler Ditch runs along Veteran’s Parkway and empties into “Lake Damonte” behind the current fire station on Steamboat Parkway. Sources indicate in 1899 it belonged to W. H. Chandler and his wife. While most of the ditches in Reno draw water from the Truckee River, the Chandler and the Crane Ditches draw water from Steamboat Creek and have been used for irrigation, watering stock, and domestic purposes.

Image:
Rilite Aggregate Quarry. Source: Jill Richardson.

The Ranches

While the Virginia Foothills subdivisions have been around since the 1960s, the rest of the land to the north and west of the park was ranch land from the earliest days of Reno. These farms belonged to families with names that should sound familiar—Curti, Caramella, and Damonte.

The Caramellas ranched in the Truckee Meadows from the 1870s. The large, extended family had several ranches around the area, including the land on which the Atlantis Hotel is now located. Besides ranching, brothers Jack and Ben Caramella began a waste disposal business in 1940, eventually selling it to Waste Management in 1998. Ben Caramella was one of four founders of Pioneer Citizens Bank of Nevada, which merged with Nevada State Bank in 1999.

In the late early 1900s, the Curti family arrived in the area. The family often hosted students from Brown Elementary to visit their dairy farm, tour the facilities, and learn about the livestock.

Louis Caesar Damonte was a pioneer rancher in the area for 63 years. He purchased the Brown Ranch in 1939. When he died in 1975, he left the farm to his heirs.

Image:
Subdivision at Curti Ranch. Source: Jill Richardson.

The Subdivisions

The community of Virginia Foothills came about in the early 1960s. Nevada Land and Sales

Development Corp. enticed buyers to “Buy land and keep it. Later it will keep you.”

By the late 1970s, it was clear to Reno planners that there was a need for more homes. The Damonte Ranch and surrounding ranches were eyed by developers. Ben Damonte, son of the late pioneer Louis Damonte, was in discussions to sell the family’s 2,200-acre ranch.

Gene Curti was proclaimed as the “last dairy farmer of the Truckee Meadows.” When asked how much longer his dairy farm could survive, he said, “I think we’ve got maybe 10 or 15 years before we get forced out.”

In 1993, after three years of work, plans to build $1 billion in homes and businesses--on the Curti, Damonte, and Caramella ranches were announced. Lewis Homes was first to build a community on Curti Ranch. A public hearing on plans for Caramella Ranch Estates took place in 2004.

Image:
New Homes at Caramella Ranch. Source: Jill Richardson.

Virginia Foothills Through Time

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iNaturalist:

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Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Virginia Foothills Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:25:37 PM

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