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Freelance writer Lynn Ferrin
offers a vivid description of Carson City by quoting Mark Twain:
"By and by Carson City was pointed out to us," wrote Mark Twain
in Roughing It. "It nestled in the edge of a great plain and was
a sufficient number of miles away to look like an assemblage of
mere white spots." The mountain summits overlooking it, he
noted, "seemed lifted clear out of companionship and
consciousness of earthly things." Twain arrived in 1861, but
Nevada’s capital still looks the same way to a visitor driving
over from Lake Tahoe—a town dominated by its setting. The early
morning sun lights up the great eastern scarp of the Sierra
Nevada; the setting sun sets afire the Pine Nut Mountains out in
the Great Basin Desert. The nights are full of stars, the air
scented with sage. Prior to 1969, Carson City was a part of
Ormsby County. In 1969 Ormsby County was merged into Carson City
to consolidate government services. Carson City is a
consolidated municipality. There are now nine state capitals
with smaller populations than Carson City, and in fact, with its
area of 143.5 square miles, Carson City can now advertise itself
as one of the largest state capitals in America! Today, as in
1861, Nevada’s capital still looks the same way to a visitor
driving over from Lake Tahoe—a town dominated by its setting.
The early morning sun lights up the great eastern scarp of the
Sierra Nevada; the setting sun sets afire the Pine Nut Mountains
out in the Great Basin Desert. The nights are full of stars, the
air scented with sage. Nevada's capital offers more than
you might think. Carson City's rustic beginnings as a frontier
town shine bright with history, museums, events and more. The
Kit Carson Trail winds through one of the largest historic
residential districts in the west, passing turn-of-the-century
mansions, courthouses, a depot...even a brewery. The State
Capitol grounds are open to the public year-round and provide a
glimpse into the birth of Nevada. Divine Nine Golf. Several
world class golf courses provide options beyond compare. Just a
stones throw from Lake Tahoe, Carson City is central for skiing
and water sports too. Just up the hill the wild west lives on
with our Sister In History.. Witness re-enacted gunfights, catch
a camel race, or try your luck in an old time saloon in historic
Virginia City. The legacy of Kit Carson, the explorer
known for mapping the west and paving the way for Carson City's
foundation, is still alive along the a 2.5-mile path that bears
his name. The Kit Carson Trail is a walking path through Carson
City's residential homes district. A painted blue line and
bronze medallions along the sidewalk mark the route, which
features stops at landmarks, including 1800s-era Victorian-style
homes, museums and churches. Celebrated locals of yesteryear are
featured at historic stops through locally available AM radio
broadcasts. Some of the "celebrities" include Mark Twain, Carson
City founder Abe Curry, and Hannah Clapp, the town's original
feminist. Staying in one place for more than 100 years offers
the luxury of sometimes knowing too much. The houses featured
along Carson City's Kit Carson Trail have that problem and are
anxious to share their stories with everyone. The convenience of
radio broadcasts allows visitor's the luxury of going at their
own pace, and perhaps reveling a little longer local history.
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