965 Victorian Ave, Sparks, NV 89431

Lillard Park

Park Description:

Sitting on just 2-acres of land in one of the busiest parts of Sparks, with Pyramid Way and Victoria Avenue encircling it, Lillard Park is often overlooked. However, the park has plenty of stories to tell, stretching back through the pages of history to the very founding of the city that surrounds it. The park opened in 1976 as a city project to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States. The park’s trains, historic school house, and other historic markers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sparks’ rich history.

Park Amenities:

Historical railway displays, pathways, picnic area, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

City of Sparks - Parks & Recreation (775) 353-2376

Park Highlights

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Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

Bicentennial Project and James C. Lillard

Lillard Park also known as Railroad Park was officially dedicated on July 4, 1976, in commemoration of our nation's 200th birthday. It was officially named James C. Lillard Railroad Park, by the City of Sparks City Council on July 12, 1976, in honor of Mayor James C. Lillard, who duly appointed the City of Sparks Bicentennial Commission. Many towns citizens and groups in Sparks worked together on the Bicentennial project which earned the City of Sparks the honor of being one of the top three bicentennial cities in the United States.
James C. Lillard was born August 27, 1927, in the state of Missouri, and moved to Sparks in 1935. He was educated at Robert Mitchell School, Sparks Junior High School, Sparks High School and obtained a B.A. in Business Administration at Reno Business College. He served in the United States Navy during World War Il. James C. Lillard was also very active in many community service programs and was elected to office as Mayor of the City of Sparks in June 1971 and again in June 1975 and served until 1979.

All Aboard to Spark Nevada

Lillard Park is rich with local history that shaped what we have in the Truckee Meadows starting when the City of Sparks was founded in the early 20th Century. Around 1900, railway laborers reworked a stretch of 373 miles of the original Central Pacific (today the Southern Pacific) line between Reno, Nevada and Ogden, Utah. The reworking aimed to improve the line in different areas. One of the terminals was originally in Wadsworth Nevada, but in the summer of 1904 was moved to the Truckee Meadows where Sparks now sits today.
On July 4th 1904 the Southern Pacific moved the entire town of Wadsworth (houses, livestock, and townsfolk etc…) to the new site, by way of flatbed train cars. Over time the terminal developed with modern shops and a roundhouse (a building with a circular or semicircular shape used by railways for servicing and storing locomotives) that became the largest west of Chicago. The railroad dismantled a massive roundhouse in 1959. The area later became today’s Victorian Square and the Nugget Casino. Had it not been for the railroad yards being moved here, the City of Sparks would not exist.

Chinese Immigrants in Nevada

As with many other parts of the Western United States, Nevada has a rich history of Chinese immigrants coming here, working on the Transcontinental railroad and making a new life in America.
One monument that tells part of their history is the NEVADA CENTENNIAL MARKER No. 29 aka Chinese in Nevada Marker, in Lillard Park. The marker says the following.
“This honors the heroism and hardihood of the thousands of Chinese Americans who played a major role in the history of Nevada. From across the Pacific, the Chinese came to California during the Gold Rush of ′49 and on to the mountains and deserts of this state where they built railroads, cut timber, and performed countless other tasks. Sizable Chinese communities grew up in Virginia City and other towns. Their contribution to the progress of the state in its first century will be forever remembered by all Nevadans.”
Additional stories about the Chinese immigrants in the Truckee Meadows can be found at the Sparks Heritage Museum just across the street from the Historical Marker at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Pyramid Highway.

Glendale School The Last of its Kind

A small settlement in the Truckee Meadows in the mid 1800s, Glendale, was a precursor to Reno and was thought to be destined to become the metropolis on the Truckee River until the Central Pacific Railroad was induced to bypass the community for a station at Lake’s Crossing (today not far from the Virginia Street Bridge in Reno). However the settlement of Glendale continued on.
E. C. Sessions, the first teacher at Glendale School, organized the school and taught local kids in his home until the school house was opened in 1864. Archie Bryant built the structure at a cost of just $1,446 (roughly $27,300 in today's money) and it has remained a testament of his craftsmanship. The original School Board of Trustees consisted of John F. Stone, William Steele, and N. C. Haslund. Over the years, many Nevadans attended the Glendale School. Perhaps the most notable student was U.S. Senator Patrick A. McCarran. The historic school remained in operation until 1958. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The school building moved from its original site in 1976 and finally came to rest at this location in 1993.

Spark Heritage Museum, History inside and Out

Aside from covering the history of Lillard Park, Across the stress is another local history site, the Spark Heritage Museum.The building that the museum is in was once part of the Washoe County Library System and home to Last Chance Joe, a old miner icon that many locals have seen more then once. The Spark Heritage Museum cover much of the cities history from the mining that took place in Sparks, the Space Engine Test Facility out in Spanish Springs, and the police that protect and serve in our community, to the artifacts and stories of Bertha, Tina and Angel, the three Asian elephants that lived and preformed at the Nugget from the 1960s to the 90s. If one has a spare half hour it is well worth a look through this little history museum.

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Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

City of Sparks - Parks & Community Facilities

Chinese in Nevada. Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from http://shpo.nv.gov/nevadas-historical-markers/historical-markers/chinese-in-nevada

Exhibits; FUELING THE BOOM: CHINESE WOODCUTTERS IN THE GREAT BASIN 1870-1920. Nevada State Museum | Carson City. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://www.carsonnvmuseum.org/exhibits/fueling-the-boom-chinese-woodcutters-in-the-great-basin-1870-1920/

Philip I. Earl and Robert Fink (May 19, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Glendale School". National Park Service. and accompanying photo from 1975

Southern Pacific Railroad yards. Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from http://shpo.nv.gov/nevadas-historical-markers/historical-markers/southern-pacific-railroad-yards

Sparks museum exhibits. Sparks Museum and Cultural Center. (2021, November 3). Retrieved July 20, 2022, from https://sparksmuseum.org/exhibits/

Contributor(s):

Michael Misanik (research)

Caroline Stillitano (editor)

Last Updated:

September 15, 2023 at 4:27:49 PM

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