Verdi Lumber Company
During the 1860’s, this area was used by the Verdi Lumber Company for harvesting and processing timber collected from the surrounding mountainsides. The lumber produced was used for the construction of the mines in Virginia City as well as for railroad ties. Some of the timber was even shipped as far away as Arizona.
The area that is now Crystal Peak Park, hosted the Verdi Lumber Companies’ saw mill, barns for draft animals, dorms for lumber workers, engine rooms, and more. The ponds at Crystal Peak were then used as storage for the logs before being processed in the Verdi Sawmill that was located adjacent to the ponds.
The ponds were also used during this time for ice harvesting as well as for timber storage. The only remaining structure fully in-tact today, is small concrete building which was thought to be an icehouse storage shed during the time of the timber industry.
The Verdi Lumber Co. sawmill burnt down several times over the years until the last fire in 1926 after which time the sawmill was never rebuilt.
