Beelden uit Amerika: NevadaReeks

Verken het rijke en gevarieerde verleden van de Zilverstaat door middel van deze visuele kroniek. Elk deel onthult de unieke culturen, tradities en transformaties van Nevadas steden en regio's. Van vergeten spookstadjes tot bruisende entertainmentcentra, deze serie biedt een kijkje in de mensen, plaatsen en gebeurtenissen die de geschiedenis van deze iconische Amerikaanse staat hebben gevormd. Het is een boeiende tijdreis voor geschiedenisliefhebbers en de gewoon nieuwsgierigen.

Aanbevolen leesvolgorde

Lake Tahoe's Rustic Architecture
Peter Mires
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Lake Tahoe is the gem of the Sierra Nevada. Those who visit this beautiful "Lake of the Sky" may share Mark Twain's impression of the place as he camped on its shore in 1861: "As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords." Twain's quote, from Roughing It, includes the trinity of Tahoe's landscape--sky, mountains, and lake--that people still find inspiring. This explains, in large part, why the man-made environment around the lake is predominantly rustic, a style of architecture noted for its compatibility with its surroundings through the use of natural materials in construction--logs, stone, and wooden shingle--along with muted shades of green and brown. Through its homes, resorts, and other assorted buildings, Lake Tahoe remains "the fairest picture."
Black Rock Desert
Christopher Brooks
130bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Focusing on the rich art history of the Black Rock Desert up to 1990, the book explores various human activities in the region, from ancient hunting to modern art festivals. It highlights significant events, including early art from the Lassen Trail, the 1926 film "The Winning of Barbara Worth," and unique art installations like Doobie Lane. Historical photographs showcase local towns, ranches, and the Empire gypsum mine, providing a comprehensive view of the desert's cultural evolution and its influence on contemporary participatory art.
Mills Along the Carson River
Daniel Dan D. Webster
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Nestled along the picturesque Carson River in the state of Nevada were the quartz mills that crushed and extracted the values from the Comstock ore. These mills were built starting in 1859, when gold and silver were discovered on the Comstock, with the last mill being demolished around the 1920s. Mills were huge plants, in many cases crushing tons of ore a day, sometimes seven days a week. To support these mills, the towns of Empire and Dayton were established to house workers and provide needed supplies. Remnants of these mills have all but disappeared, and in a few more years, there will be nothing to remind people of the wealth these establishments created for individuals, the state of Nevada, and the United States.
Building Nevada's Highways
Jennifer E. Riddle
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Roads are rarely given a second thought yet are indispensable to life. Admittedly, a book dedicated to roadways sounds a bit dry. But behind every double-diamond interchange, every pork chop island, and every type of asphalt is a fascinating history of the traveling public. This book reveals the hidden history of building the Silver State's highways since 1917. The next time you take a road trip across Nevada on the Lincoln Highway (US 50) or the Victory Highway (US 40) or follow a rutted road to a once-booming ghost town think of the ingenious and industrious men and women, surveyors, engineers, chemists, and yes, even the teams of mules that built the roads we still travel today.
Nevada Test Site
Peter W Merlin
130bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Since Pres. Harry Truman established the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in December 1950, it has played a vital role in the security of the United States. For four decades, the test site s primary purpose was developmental testing of nuclear explosives. Atmospheric tests conducted over Yucca Flat and Frenchman Flat between 1951 and 1962 involved thousands of Army troops and Marines simulating nuclear battlefield conditions. Civil defense planners studied blast and radiation effects and evaluated bomb shelter designs. Testing moved underground in 1963 to eliminate radioactive fallout. Other projects at the NTS included nuclear rocket engine development for space travel, training for NASA s Apollo astronauts, excavation experiments, radioactive waste storage studies, and aircraft testing. Since the last underground nuclear test in 1992, this geographically diverse testing and training complex north of Las Vegas known since 2010 as the Nevada National Security Site has been used to support nuclear stockpile stewardship and as a unique outdoor laboratory for government and industry research and development efforts."
Dayton
Laura Tennant
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Dayton's history begins with Nevada's first gold discovery in July 1849. It started with a California-bound pack train, led by trail guide Abner Blackburn, setting up camp at the mouth of a canyon that drained into the Carson River. While waiting for the snow to melt in the Sierra, Blackburn went prospecting and dug gold from the creek bed. The news of his discovery spread, and prospectors rushed to the site they called Gold Canon--today's Dayton. In May 1851, diarist Lucena Pfuffer Parsons, traveling with a wagon train, camped at the site and reported about 200 miners living in the canyon. She noted that they were finding enough gold to trade for supplies. In 1859, after working their way up the canyon, miners discovered a large silver and gold deposit known as the Comstock Lode. This discovery led Nevada to statehood in 1864."
Fallon
Michon Mackedon
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
In the mid-to late 19th century, nonnative populations first settled Fallon, Nevada, and the surrounding areas in Churchill County. Fallon can be seen as a palimpsest, having once exclusively been home to Native Americans and then becoming an overland crossroads. In the mid-1890s, Jim Richards established a store at the crossing and Mike Fallon opened a small post office nearby. Now referred to as the "Oasis of Nevada", it is home to thousands.
Early Carson City
Susan J. Ballew
128bladzijden
5 uur lezen
5,0(3)Tarief
Located at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in a high-desert valley of northeastern Nevada, a lone trading post known as Eagle Station formed the early settlement of Carson City. In 1858, Abraham Curry purchased the property named for famous frontiersman and scout Christopher Kit Carson and set aside 10 acres for the predicted future territorial capital, which flourished after the discovery of gold and silver at the nearby Comstock Lode in Virginia City. In 1864, at the dawn of the Civil War, a 16,000-word telegram was sent to President Lincoln in Washington, D.C., declaring Nevada a state and Carson City as the permanent capital. Once known as Americas smallest capital, Carson City has persisted through a long, complicated, and mysterious history, which was celebrated during the citys 150th birthday in 2008. Many wonderful reports and never-before-seen photographs came to light during the celebration and are shared here in Early Carson City.
Hoover Dam
Renee Corona Kolvet
130bladzijden
5 uur lezen
Hoover Dam was America's shining light during the dark days of the Great Depression. This monumental structure was the largest federal works project of its time, constructed after years of scientific study and political maneuvering by California boosters. This thirsty state looked to the untapped Colorado River to supply reliable water for Imperial Valley farms and the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolitan area. Harnessing the unruly Colorado River would be no easy task. Only the federal government could fulfill the dream. An unprecedented high dam, over 700 feet tall, was designed to store two years of river flow, trap tons of silt, and gain control of the river. The project was financed by the sale of hydroelectric power to southern California, Arizona, and southern Nevada. Today, Imperial Valley is an American garden spot, and Los Angeles is one of the nation's most influential cities. The Las Vegas Valley also witnessed tremendous growth beginning with the dam and followed by legalized gambling, defense industries, and tourism. Meanwhile, the small town of Boulder City, born during the dam's construction, still thrives in the shadow of Hoover Dam.
Boulder City Nevada
Mimi Garat Rodden
130bladzijden
5 uur lezen
The Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorized by Congress in 1928, designated funds for the construction of the Hoover Dam. This monumental undertaking affected the interests of seven states and is considered by many to be the most significant American public works project of the 20th century. A project of this scope required thousands of workers, and to meet their needs, the Bureau of Reclamation planned the town of Boulder City, Nevada. Today, the planning of Boulder City is recognized as a significant influence on modern city planning. To a country shaken to its roots by the tumultuous effects of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam project provided two essentials that were in short supply: work and housing. With the planned community of Boulder City, there was yet another benefit--an oasis in the desert, a city with character and charm. From the hot, barren, cactus-covered land rose green lawns and gardens, workers and their families created a new sense of community, culled from their hard work and the massive dam that was rising before their eyes.