Frances Humphrey Lecture Series Online
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “No Exit Necessary” by J Butler Kyle
Cruise down US Highway 395 with local author J. Butler Kyle. Imagine your journey begins with the rugged scenery of Reno on the north end of the eastern Sierra Nevada, over mountain passes such as Deadman Summit, through unique towns along the route like Lone Pine, and down amongst the barren beauty of the […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “The Historic Virginia & Truckee Trail: From Old Railroad to Future Rail Trail” by Donna Inversin
Donna Inversin, President of The Historic Virginia & Truckee Trail, will speak on this nonprofit’s effort to find those remaining sections of old rail bed routes and stitch them together to build a multi-use path of between 60 and 80 miles that will be an echo of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad for the […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “Historic Archaeology at Fort Churchill, Nevada” by Gene Hattori
The Nevada State Museum and University of Nevada, Reno conducted archaeological excavations at Fort Churchill State Park in the mid-1970s. Museum staff and research associates are re-examining these collections reflecting U.S. Army and other military units’ occupation of the fort between 1860 and 1869. Dr. Gene Hattori discusses the research. (Map of old Fort […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “Nevada’s First Ladies Ball Gowns” by Jan Loverin
While the Smithsonian Institution has collected and exhibited the United States First Ladies Inaugural Ball gown collection, Nevada also has a similar collection. Learn about our early day First Ladies, their gowns, their stories and their lives. This lecture starts chronologically with Nevada’s first governor and his wife, continuing through the decades up to […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “Going for the Gold: Lake Tahoe-Reno’s Olympic Heritage” by David and Gayle Woodruff
Local authors and historians David and Gayle Woodruff take a reflective look back at Lake Tahoe and Reno’s involvement in the Olympics over the years. Reno boosters first conceptualized the idea of a Winter Olympiad in Western Nevada… but Alex Cushing and the State of California brought the 1960 Winter Olympics to the Lake […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “The Loneliest Road” by Stephen Provost
U.S. Highway 50 through Nevada has become celebrated as “America’s Loneliest Road.” How did it get this way, and why does it hold such fascination for today’s travelers? The story of U.S. 50 begins with the Overland Trail and the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road. Conceived in 1913, the Lincoln followed the trail […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “John A ‘Snowshoe’ Thompson, ‘Mailman of the Sierra’ and Father of Snow Skiing in California” Chautauqua by Steve Hale
The story of John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson is not one of simply the extraordinary physical endurance needed to carry the mail on “snow-shoes” (now “skis”) over the desolate high Sierra, but one of compassion and earning the respect of his fellow man through integrity and honesty. Between 1856 and 1876, the “Mailman of the […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “Wood for the Comstock” by Wendell Huffman
Join retired curator Wendell Huffman for a presentation about the industries that developed in the late 19th century providing the Comstock with mining timbers, lumber and wood fuel. This lecture covers the sawmills, flumes and river drives that served this demand, as well as the Virginia & Truckee and big Lake Tahoe companies that […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “The Flying Wolves Invade Southern California” by Bob Nylen
Prior to Sept. 2, 2023, Nevada Wolf Pack football had last played USC 94 years ago on November 9, 1929 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The University of Nevada had captured national attention before the game by announcing that the football team would fly in airplanes to southern California. The team’s novel method of […]
Frances Humphrey Lecture Series “Lake Tahoe’s Eccentric George Whittell and his wife Elia” Chautauqua by David and Gayle Woodruff
Local authors and historians David and Gayle Woodruff re-enact the characters of one of the wealthiest couples on the West Coast during the 1920s through 1950s. They kept an African Lion for a pet, owned over 25 miles of Lake Tahoe waterfront, built one of the most beautiful estates on Lake Tahoe’s shore, hosted […]
