Nevada Historical Society
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Celebrating Nevada 1864–2023
Brooke Santina tells us about the history of the Nevada Day Parade and shows old parade program covers and black-and-white photos of the floats from the days when showgirls from the casinos rode on them.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Eilley Orrum: Riches to Rags at Bowers Mansion
Sandie La Nae tells the story of Eilley Orrum’s life. Orrum was the epitome of a pioneer in the mid-1800s. Her life was filled with adventure, travel, riches, poverty, happiness, and disappointment.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Our Journey Through Time at the Newlands Mansion
Neal Cobb is joined by historic preservationists Melinda and Dan Gustin, who discuss their work on the Newlands Mansion, a national historic landmark that they purchased in 1984.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The History of a Historical Society
Dennis Little from the Douglas County Historical Society presents a tour of the Courthouse Museum in Genoa and the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville. Little, locally known as “Dennis at the Museum,” is a long-time resident of Douglas County, Nevada. With a passion for history, he’s actively involved with the Douglas County Historical Society, where he oversees Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville, and the Courthouse Museum in Genoa.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Sparks Then & Now Revisited
In 2005, the City of Sparks celebrated its 100th birthday. To show how the city had changed over its first hundred years, a Sparks Then and Now presentation was developed by Neal Cobb, Jerry Fenwick, Karen Dolan, and Scott Carey. This presentation revisits that program and takes a look at how things have changed in this past decade-and-a-half.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The Great Fire
Joe L. Curtis discusses the 1875 Virginia City fire, which destroyed most of the city at the very apex of its mining boom.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Rocketdyne Nevada Field Laboaratory
Dick Dreiling shares the little-known story of how the Reno-Sparks area contributed to the space race and the landing on the moon.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Camels in the Comstock
Guest Eric Moody examines the use of camels in early Nevada freighting, focusing chiefly on their involvement in the commerce that sprang up between Virginia City and Austin, Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
When Hollywood Came to Reno: Behind the Scenes & Seams
Karen Burns was a professional dancer who appeared in many shows, most notably Hello, Hollywood, Hello! Since then, she has purchased more than 1,250 of the original costumes from that spectactular show.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Vintage Fake News
Frank Mullen Jr. discusses vintage fake news.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Promoting the Significance of North Central Nevada History
Dana Toth, executive director of Humboldt Museum in Winnemucca, Nevada, discusses history, community, and the efforts to unite the two.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Jack Dempsey in Nevada
Long-time Nevada journalist Guy Clifton talks about Jack Dempsey's time spent in the Silver State.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Nevada Northern's Hebrew Cemeteries
Sharon Honig-Bear looks at the early days of the Jewish presence in Northern Nevada and the establishment of cemeteries for their population.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Nevada Northern Railway National Historic Landmark: Steamin' 35 years
Railroads once connected just about every town in Nevada. Today the Nevada Northern Railway is the sole survivor from this period of Nevada's history. Join the railroad's president Mark Bassett as he explains the ups and downs of operating a 19th century railroad in the 21st century.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Verdi History Center and the Verdi Public School Restoration Project
Nancy Benson and Bud Mosconi from the Verdi History Center join Neal to talk about their organzation's work.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Where to Hear About Nevada History
Carol Coleman introduce us to a variety of historic resources and places in Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The Donovan Mill
Established in 1860, the Donovan Mill in Silver City, Nevada, was the longest running stamp mill on the Comstock and is the largest historic stamp mill in the nation.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Erin's Isle and Beyond
Erin Breen tells us about her decades working in broadcast and print media.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Baby Face Nelson in Nevada
Michael Fischer discusses the bank robber Baby Face Nelson and his time spent here in Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Nevada Mining from Silver and Gold to Copper and Lithium
Guest Paul Franklin talks about 170 years of mining development in Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Reno '50s and '60s
Neal Cobb shares photos and stories depicting what life was like in Reno during the 1950s and 1960s.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Friends of the Nevada Wilderness and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Pat Bruce, steardship program director for the Friends of Nevada Wilderness, gives a short history of his organization and the work it does for Nevada, with a focus on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
History of the Word War II USO Canteen Ladies of North Platte, Nebraska
Larry Kirk shares the story of the volunteers in North Platte, Nebraska, who served more than six million service men and women during World War II. The North Platte Canteen remains the single biggest movement of volunteerism in the United States to date.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Nevada's Times in Rhymes
Neal is joined by Jerry Aaron, whose book Nevada’s Times in Rhymes helps young people gain an understanding of Nevada’s past and present.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Finding and Restoring Part of the Reno Fire Department's Past
Retired firefighter Jon D. Wagner tells how a 1917 American LaFrance ladder truck formerly owned by the Reno Fire Department was returned to Reno and restored over the course of 15 years.
Nevada Military Women
Learn about women from Nevada who have served in the military, from the very first ones to those who serve today. Presenter Anne Davis graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1982 and served on active duty in the Army for 29 years, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
American Mountain Men
Larry Walker discusses the beaver trappers of the fur trade era (1800-1840) and explains how an organization he works with, American Mountain Men, researches and teaches the skills and history of these important pathfinders.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
19th and 20th Century Painters of Nevada
Gallery owner, appraiser, and publisher Jack Bacon presents this overview of the major 19th and 20th century painters of Nevada. Based on the first comprehensive biographical dictionary on the subject ever published, this presentation covers artists from the early days of western exploration and the Latimer School of the early 20th century.
Nevada Barn Heritage
Jack Hursh tells us about his photographs of historic, Northern Nevada barns.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Ballooning in the Truckee Meadows
Ramon Seelback tells us all about ballooning in and around the Truckee Meadows.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Preserving One of the UNR Gateway Homes
Loren Jahn discusses his efforts to relocate and restore a Queen Anne cottage that was threatened by the UNR Gateway District expansion.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The Origin and Evolution of the Basque Hotel
Dr. Michael E. Fischer discusses the origin and evolution of Basque hotels in Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Model Dairy
Neal is joined by Neil Brooks, whose grandfather started Model Dairy in Reno more than a century ago.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
Behind the Arch
Joyce Cox discusses how Reno and Northern Nevada were advertised and promoted in the 1920s through the 1970s.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The Pony Express
Neal is joined by historian, educator, and native Nevadan Sam Macaluso, who discusses the Pony Express. Established just over 160 years ago, the horseback delivery service ran from Missouri to California and included 29 relay stations across Nevada.
High Noon with Neal Cobb
The Blackrock Desert
Neal Cobb is joined by Jim Bonar, who discusses the history of the Black Rock Desert: who lived there, who were the first non-native settlers, what is happening there today?
High Noon with Neal Cobb
My Lives as a Chautauqua Performer
Frank Mullen Jr. discusses his life as a Chautauqua performer. Mullen has depicted historical figures including Henry VIII, Babe Ruth, Benedict Arnold, Edward R. Murrow, and Albert Einstein.
Early Reno
Based on the Images of America book, Early Reno, this presentation makes use of Nevada Historical Society archived photos of Reno businesses, schools, churches, hospitals, and other significant elements of life in Reno starting in 1868. Presented by Linda Burke, who has been a docent at the Nevada Historical Society for 23 years.
Nevada's First Senator
Starting in 1859, William M. Stewart led the battle for Nevada statehood. Known as the Father of American Mining Law and author of the 15th Constitutional Amendment, Stewart brought international recognition to our young state, and his death was noted throughout the United States and in foreign nations. Presented by Nevada Historical Society docent Lorraine Petersen.
Washoe County
Joyce Cox discusses early Washoe County history and images included in her book Washoe County, part of the Images of America series. Joyce is a docent of the Nevada Historical Society, a member of the Nevada Women’s History Project, writing and researching the lives of the First Ladies of Nevada, and she has served as treasurer, finance chair, and membership chair in the Nevada Library Association.
Early Reno
Based on the Images of America book Early Reno, this presentation by Nevada Historical Society docent Pam Walker makes use of Nevada Historical Society archived photos of Reno businesses, schools, churches, hospitals and other significant elements of life in Reno starting in 1868.
Gaming as a Microcosm of American History
Marc Ullom discusses the history of gaming and shows us some of the historical artifacts in the Nevada Historical Society archives.
Mining: Then & Now
Historian and storyteller Sam Macaluso tells the story of mining in Nevada: from the deposits of obsidian, opalite, chalcedony, agate, jasper, and quartz that were utilized by the early inhabitants of Nevada to fashion arrowheads, spear points, and various tools, to gold mining in the 1850s, to the open-pit mining of today.
Gambling: It's Older Than You Think
Marc Ullom discusses the background and history of gambling across cultures and continents. Ullom is currently a docent and the treasurer of the Docent Council at the Nevada Historical Society. He works on the American Gaming Archives at the Nevada Historical Society.
Before Reno & Sparks
Early settlers in the Truckee Meadows knew nothing of Reno or Sparks. Instead, they lived in communities like Eastman Mill and Brown's Crossing -- villages whose names no longer appear on modern maps. This talk offers a quick look at some of these forgotten places.
