Nevada Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

Looking for Nevada trivia? Try our list Nevada little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

One of the earliest homes in Genoa—the state’s first permanent settlement, near Carson City (pop. 52,457)—is known as the Pink House. Its formal name is the Reese-Johnson-Virgin House after Col. John Reese, who built the house in 1855; J.R. Johnson, who is reported to have painted it pink in 1870; and Judge D.W. Virgin, whose family owned it until 1938.

first appeared: 9/8/2006

Developed on a dry lake bed in the 1950s, the all-clay Sandy Bottom Golf Course in Gabbs (pop. 318) is located on the community's rodeo grounds. Visitors can play the nine-hole, par-35, 3,010-yard course free of charge. Gabbs was established after the mineral brucite was discovered nearby in the late 1920s.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

The Clark County coroner's office in Las Vegas has expanded its community services to include a gift shop, featuring merchandise such as a business card holder shaped like a jawbone; a T-shirt that says "cashed out in Las Vegas"; coroner's scrubs; and a coffee mug with the motto "playing for keeps." Proceeds from sales primarily support a youth education program administered by the coroner's office.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

Built in the early 1870s at a projected cost of $16,400, the two-story stone courthouse in Pioche, north of Caliente (pop. 1,123), earned the nickname "the million-dollar courthouse" due to cost overruns, contract difficulties and interest costs. The eventual cost of about $1 million was paid off in the mid-1930s, just as a new courthouse was being built.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Opened in 1995 as the world's only facility of its kind, the National Bowling Stadium in Reno is nicknamed "the Taj Mahal of Tenpins" and "Pin Palace." The stadium features 78 championship bowling lanes, a high-tech return system that speeds back balls at around 30 mph and one of the world's longest video screens, spanning 440 feet in length.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

On March 25, 1994, Peter Rosendahl set a world record in Las Vegas for riding the fastest 100 meters (328 feet) on a unicycle. He covered the distance from a standing start in just 12.11 seconds.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

About 225,000 gallons of beer were sold by saloons in the Virginia City mining area in Storey County (pop. 3,399) in 1880, amounting to some 15 gallons per resident.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

Visitors to the Border Inn, which straddles the state line with Utah along U.S. Highway 50, can dine in its restaurant and play its slot machines in Nevada—and then sleep in their rooms in Utah.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

A solar-powered telephone located along U.S. Highway 50, near Sand Mountain Recreation Area southeast of Fallon (pop. 7,536), is billed as the "loneliest phone on the loneliest road in America."

first appeared: 7/2/2006

"Doc" Sherman mounted glove sculptures on fence posts around Baker in White Pine County (pop. 9,181) in the 1990s, creating a roadside artwork known as "The Permanent Wave Society." Sherman and others also decorated local fences with everything from a green garden hose snake to a cowboy-hatted mannequin head. They titled their efforts "Post-Impression Art."

first appeared: 6/25/2006

Opened in the early 1960s as the Dainty Cone ice cream shop in Fernley (pop. 8,543), Mary & Moe's Wigwam today combines a restaurant, casino and museum. Founders Mary and Moe Royels collected more than 500 pieces of American Indian artifacts and artwork, which are displayed throughout the building.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

One of the most recognizable casinos in Laughlin (pop. 7,076) is the Colorado Belle, a replica of a 19th-century paddlewheel riverboat that's located on the Colorado River. More than 600 feet long and six decks high, the Colorado Belle features more than 1,170 hotel rooms on board, along with restaurants that include the Boiler Room microbrewery pub and the Mississippi Lounge seafood bar.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Twenty athletes from across the country, working in 10 coed teams, compete this month in the Nevada Passage, a made-for-television outdoor adventure competition. Its six events include a reclining bicycle speed challenge near Battle Mountain (pop. 2,871), a ranch hand rodeo near Winnemucca (pop. 7,174) and a Jet Ski slalom near Laughlin (pop. 7,076).

first appeared: 5/14/2006

Boxing promoter Tex Rickard staged the 1906 lightweight championship match between Joe Gans and Oscar "Battling" Nelson in Goldfield, a mining town south of Tonopah (pop. 2,627). The fight, which brought in a record $76,000 in admissions, finished in the 42nd round when Nelson hit Gans with a low blow and was disqualified. The referee awarded the match to Gans.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

An estimated 7,000 stars, including those forming the cloud-like Milky Way galaxy, reportedly are visible in the skies above Tonopah (pop. 2,627). Satellite photos reveal that central Nevada has little "light pollution" to obscure the stars, making it one of the darkest areas in the nation to observe the nighttime sky.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

Architect Frederic DeLongchamps was one of the state’s foremost architects in the first half of the 20th century, designing more than 500 buildings including the 1914 Oats Park School in Fallon (pop. 7,536). In the 1990s, the Churchill Arts Council began renovating the school, which is now the Oats Park Arts Center. The building demonstrates the architect’s mix of beaux-arts and neo-classical styles.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

The Grand Sumo tournament held last October at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas marked the first time in two decades that an official sumo tournament—approved by the sport’s governing body, the Japan Sumo Association—was held in the United States. A special crew built an authentic dohyo (ring) for the wrestling tournament, which attracted top sumo athletes.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

The McKeen Motor Car is being restored at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City (pop. 52,457) and has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. The self-propelled, gasoline-engine railroad car, which features porthole-style windows, entered passenger service on the Virginia & Truckee line between Carson City and Minden (pop. 2,836) in 1910, after being purchased for $22,000.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

Las Vegas police recently recovered almost all items stolen in March 2004 from the Elvis-A-Rama museum, including a $77,000 ring, a $65,000 medallion and a gold-plated pistol. (A scarf is the only item still missing.) Retired Elvis Presley impersonator Duke Adams tipped off authorities after a man offered to sell him authentic Presley memorabilia.

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Alcohol and gambling were prohibited in Boulder City (pop. 14,966) when it was founded in the early 1930s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to provide housing for workers building nearby Hoover Dam. In fact, alcohol sales weren’t allowed until the late 1960s, and gaming still is illegal, making it the only city in Nevada where gambling isn’t permitted.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.