4005 Bowers Mansion Road, New Washoe City, NV 89704

Bowers Mansion Regional Park

Park Description:

Bowers Mansion Regional Park is a 49-acre Washoe County park with restrooms. The park is home to the Historic Bowers Mansion, a landmark that offers tours and is part of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Park Amenities:

Playground, seasonal outdoor pool, hiking trails, reservable picnic areas, horseshoe area, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space (775) 828-6612

Park Highlights

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Park History

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History of Bowers Mansion

Bowers Mansion was built in 1863 by millionaires Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers and wife, Eilley Oram. The Bowers came upon their fortune through striking it rich through a silver mine investment in Gold Hill Nevada. Sandy and Eilley were the first millionaires from the Comstock Lode.

Eilley and Sandy filled their mansion with treasures from around the world. The outside of the mansion is constructed out of decorative granite cut by Scottish stone masons and put together without mortar. The home contains 16 rooms decorated in the luxurious victorian style. The cost of building this mansion totaled a whopping $400,000 (an incredible sum especially during the 1860's). This home is open for tours during summer weekends.

Sandy and Eilley Bowers

Eilley Oram and Sandy Bowers both had adjoining land claims in Gold Hill Nevada and upon marrying, combined their claims. It was through a mine on this shared claim in Gold Hill that the Bowers secured their wealth which they used to build the Bowers Mansion. They built the mansion on Eilley’s property in Washoe Valley that she had from a previous marriage.

Sandy and Eilley had two daughters during their marriage but both passed away in infancy. During their travels to Europe to furnish their mansion, they adopted a daughter named Margaret Persia. They lived together for many years at their mansion enjoying their wealth.

Eventually, the Bowers started losing their fortune and Sandy was unable to redeem their mine in Gold Hill before he passed away to a lung disease silicosis. After Sandy’s death, Eilley worked hard to re-establish the wealth needed to afford the mansion and turned the home into a resort/boarding house (Eilley had previous experience starting boarding houses earlier in her life in Gold Hill).

During the time that Eilley was using the mansion as a resort, her daughter, living in Reno at boarding school, died of a ruptured appendix. After the loss of two infants, her husband, and her daughter, Eilley turned to her crystal ball and became a seer to try to earn her fortune. In 1876 the mansion was sold at auction and Eilley procured a small home in Franktown nearby the mansion.

Eilley traveled between Reno and Virginia City earning money telling fortunes for a number of years. Eilley also traveled to San Francisco a few times to make a living there as a seer and ended up in Oakland California where she died at age 77. Henry Ritter, the new owner of Bowers Mansion, helped to bring Eilley’s ashes back to the estate to be buried by her husband and daughter behind Bowers Mansion.

Bowers' Pool

During the time when Eilley still owned the property, Bowers Mansion pool was advertised as having healing effects on swimmers for complaints such as kidney/bladder trouble and rheumatism. Doctors would even prescribe patients to take a dip in these pools.

Today, Bower’s pool is a heated outdoor pool that is opened seasonally. This pool is Z shaped and spans 44 meters. There is a 1 meter springboard and a wading pool for kids up to age six. More information about the pool can be found on Washoe County’s website.

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Bowers Mansion Regional Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Contributor(s):

Haley McGuire (history, ammenities, etc.)

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:22:36 PM

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