November 2010

The Storey County Courthouse was built in the high Italianate style that embodies 19th-century ideals of decorative opulence as well as law and order. The first county courthouse was destroyed in the Great Fire of October 1875. Reconstruction began in 1876 and the present building, designed by the San Francisco architectural firm of Kenitzer and Raun and built by contractor Peter Burke, was completed in February 1877. The total cost of construction, including fixtures and the jail, was $117,000, a remarkable sum even for the Comstock boom years. A life-sized figure of Justice stands as sentry at the entrance, but she is not blindfolded, a rare occurrence in our national symbology. The façade of the building was decorated with elaborate ironwork, painted contrasting colors, and a pediment that included the date of construction, 1876, also the national centennial.

The stunning art deco facility is a perfect setting to display this priceless collection of rare vintage aircraft. Housed in three huge hangars are over 40 airplanes, many of which are restored to original flying condition. Visitors can actually board our Short Sunderland, the last airworthy flying boat and have a close encounter with the only B-26 Marauder still flying in the world. Other notable aircraft include a B-24 Liberator, a Curtiss TP40 and twoP51 Mustangs.

The fleet of vintage aircraft displayed at Fantasy of Flight features aircraft whose accomplishments have earned the admiration of knowledgeable aviators and inspired the imagination of those who have always dreamed of soaring above the clouds. The vintage aircraft, painstakingly acquired by lifelong aviation enthusiast and founder of Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks, represents all eras of aviation from early flight to the 1950s.

Some aircraft have been carefully restored to represent the same dignity they possessed when they ruled the skies. Others, shown in the immersion experiences, look exactly the same as when Weeks acquired them.

The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center offers visitors a chance to step back in time and journey to the gold fields as thousands did in 1897. Interactive exhibits highlight Seattle's role in this international event. Touch screen computers allow visitors to experience the gold rush through the eyes of actual stampeders using their journals and personal accounts.

The May 2, 1972 Sunshine Mine Fire was the worst mining disaster in recent history. A fire of unknown origin began and 83 miners were successfully evacuated while 91 died. This monument to those miners, a twelve-foot-tall sculpture of a miner raising his drill, is surrounded by plaques listing the names of the miners involved in the accident.

It served as a saloon, dance hall, post office, polling place, and supply post for emigrants traveling west. Today, travelers can visit the log store, two stone cellars, a cemetery and the 1901 Stricker home.

Beginning in the 1860s, a wide variety of fraternal, civic and religious groups established burial yards on the hillside including the Masons, Pacific Coast Pioneers, and Knights of Pythias.

The Silver Terrace Cemeteries are a series of terraces dramatically located on the steep, windswept hillside of Virginia City. As this booming mining camp became a more permanent settlement, the need arose to establish a cemetery. Nearly every plot is fenced or bordered, a typical practice of the Victorian period. The characteristic features of this burial place reflect the breadth of styles and designs popular during its long history.

Opened on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island became the nation's premier federal immigration station. In operation until 1954, the station processed over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers. The main building was restored after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum on September 10, 1990.

Today, over 40 percent of America's population can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island.

Located at the northwestern edge of the University of Nevada-Reno campus, the Fleischmann Atmospherium Planetarium was built in 1963 as the first atmospherium of its kind in the world. The first planetarium, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, opened in 1930. But it wasn't until the 1960s that widespread public interest in space exploration and science, coupled with improved technology led to an increase in the number of planetaria, as they spread to mid-size American cities such as Reno. Designed by Reno architect Raymond Hellman and constructed by McKenzie Construction, the atmospherium is an excellent example of the Populuxe style of architecture, characterized by space-age designs that depict motion, such as boomerangs, flying saucers, atoms, and parabola. Building such as this reflect American society's emphasis on futuristic designs and fascination with space-age themes during the 1960s.

This first mission for the Nez Perce Indians was built in 1874 near Mission Creek on land donated by Chief Slickpoo. It was restored in 1960 and is open to the public as part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. The Nez Perce National Historical Park is the only national park that celebrates a people instead of a place and consists of 38 sites in four states. The park headquarters is located in Spalding, near Lewiston on Hwy 12.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and to learn about the birth, growth, development and the preservation of our country. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown in fame as a symbol of America-a symbol of freedom and a hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds.

All the cultures that make up the fabric of this country are represented by the memorial and surrounding Black Hills. One of the most important gifts we can give our visitors at Mount Rushmore National Memorial is an understanding and love for our nation's history and cultures and an appreciation of the importance of caring for that legacy.