Genoa is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. Founded in 1851, it was the first settlement in what became the Nevada Territory. It is situated within Carson River Valley and is approximately south of Reno. The population was 939 at the 2010 census. It is home to the oldest

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in the state of Nevada which opened in 1853.

History

Located within the Utah Territory before the Nevada Territory was created in 1861, Genoa was first settled by

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

. The settlement originated as a trading post called Mormon Station, which served as a respite for travelers on the Carson Route of the

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

. In June 1850, H.S. Beatie and fellow Mormons built a roofless log enclosure and corral as a trading post near a small stream. Emigrants could obtain clothing, tobacco, meat, canned goods, coffee, beans, sugar, flour and bacon. The post was abandoned later that year. In 1851, John Reese arrived in the area with horses, cattle and a dozen wagons loaded with supplies to establish a permanent trading post. By 1852, emigrant traffic thru the area was heavy and the settlement expanded. A post office opened, a blacksmith shop was built, and sawmills were built. In 1856,

Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...

changed the name of the community to Genoa, after the Italian city. The original Mormon settlers withdrew in 1857 when they were recalled by Brigham Young due to the Utah War. Genoa served as the first capital of the Nevada Territory in 1861, until it was moved that year to

Carson City Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...

Nevada's first newspaper, the '' Territorial Enterprise'', was founded in Genoa in 1858, but moved to Virginia City in 1860. It was the site of the first ranch in Nevada. Much of Genoa, including the original fort, station, and hotel, was destroyed in a fire in 1910, but a replica of the fort was built in 1947. Every year since 1919, Genoa has held a festival called the Candy Dance, where candy, food, and crafts are sold to support its town government. The Candy Dance is usually held during the final weekend of September. Many pioneers rest in the Genoa graveyard, including

Snowshoe Thompson John Albert Thompson (born Jon Torsteinsson Rue; April 30, 1827 – May 15, 1876), nicknamed Snowshoe Thompson, an early resident of the Sierra Nevada of Nevada and California, was a Norwegian-American considered to be the father of California s ...

, his wife and his son. A mile south of Genoa is David Walley's Resort, a famous natural hot springs and

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

. It was first built in 1862 and known as Walley's Hot Springs. On October 1, 1934, Baby Face Nelson and members of his gang arrived at Walley's Hot Springs, hiding out for a month before returning to Chicago, where Nelson was shot by FBI agents. Scenes from the 1973 movie '' Charley Varrick'' were filmed in Genoa, and the village was the set for the 1990 movie '' Misery'', starring Kathy Bates, when the village doubled in size with buildings added and then removed after the filming. Food writer

M. F. K. Fisher Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (July 3, 1908 – June 22, 1992) was an American food writer. She was a founder of the Napa Valley Wine Library. Over her lifetime she wrote 27 books, including a translation of ''The Physiology of Taste'' by Brillat-S ...

wrote a series of cookbook reviews for '' The New Yorker'' from her sister's home in Genoa during the 1960s.

Genoa Historic District

The Genoa Historic District, seven miles north of

Minden, Nevada Minden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,001 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Douglas County and is adjacent to the town of Gardnerville. The Douglas campus of the Wes ...

, is a portion of the community of Genoa which, as a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Historically known as Mormon Station, the historic area includes

Late Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

; it includes a courthouse and city hall among 29

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. and

Geography

Genoa is located on the western edge of the Carson Valley, northwest of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

, the Douglas County seat. Nevada State Route 206 enters Genoa from the south as Foothill Road, then turns east in the center of town onto Genoa Lane. According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place of Genoa has a total area of , all land. File:Lincoln Highway Marker - Genoa.jpg, Road Marker on the main road in Genoa, Nevada

Climate

The area has a Köppen Climate Classification of '' Csb'', which is a dry-summer subtropical climate often referred to as "Mediterranean".Climate Summary for Genoa, Nevada
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Demographics

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Census-designated places in Douglas County, Nevada Unincorporated towns in Nevada Pony Express stations Populated places established in 1850 Nevada State Register of Historic Places 1851 establishments in Utah Territory Victorian architecture in Nevada Historic American Buildings Survey in Nevada