2400 Lakeshore Dr, New Washoe City, NV 89704

New Washoe City Park

Park Description:

New Washoe City Park is a 9-acre Washoe County park without restrooms.

Park Amenities:

Playground, tennis court, basketball court, baseball/softball field, horseshoe area, barbecue area, picnic area, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

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

Park Highlights

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Park History

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

Washoe Valley's Early Days

New Washoe City is a relatively new community at the north end of Washoe Valley. The valley has played an important part in Nevada history. Before the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans were already thriving in the area. Three main tribes called this area home and still do today, the Numa or Numu (Northern Paiute), the Washeshu (Washoe), and the Newe (Shoshone). Each of these names translates as: "the People." To learn more about the three tribes, go to the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony website, https://www.rsic.org/.

Mormons from the Utah Territory were some of the first settlers in the valley. After silver was discovered in the Comstock, they were joined by prospectors and farmers from California who raised cattle. According to a historian from 1886, the Mormons who settled in the valley were “good citizens and their efforts to uphold the law and preserve order when the wild rush came in 1860 will ever be recorded in their favor.”

Image:
Washoe Indians – The Chief’s Family. Source: Lawrence & Houseworth Publisher. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Flumes in Washoe Valley

Flumes were an interesting part of the history of the Comstock and Washoe Valley. They carried timber down from the mountains to the west side of Washoe Lake. The logs were then transported to Virginia City and Gold Hill via Carson City.

In 1879, John Mackay took a New York reporter for a 15-mile ride in a flume from the top of Mt. Rose down to Washoe Valley. “I shall never make the trip again,” the reporter exclaimed! Since the descending timber can reach speeds of up to 60mph, this was not like the flume ride at an amusement park. “The terrors of that ride can never be blotted from the memory of one of that party. A flume has no element of safety. You cannot stop; you can not lessen your speed; you have nothing to hold to; you have only to sit still, shut your eyes, say your prayers—and wait for eternity.”

Image:
V-Flume from 1893. This flume in Clear Creek Canyon carried logs from Spooner Summit to the wood yard at Carson City. Source: The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.

The Railroad and Ranches in Washoe Valley

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad caused the western side of Washoe Valley to be an important supplier of lumber and farm produce to the Comstock. But after Reno became a depot for the Central Pacific and the new county seat, much of the milling and mining business went to Carson City, significantly reducing the lifeblood of Washoe Valley. The population of Washoe City declined to 260 residents in 1873 from 2,500 people a decade earlier. The quartz mills were mostly torn down, although some stone remnants remain alongside Hwy 395.

Despite the loss of other businesses, Washoe Valley continued to have large farms and ranches. Herds of cattle, large fields of hay and grain, fruit orchards with apples, pears, and peaches supplied residents along the eastern side of the Carson Range. Farmers introduced tame grasses such as alfalfa, which is a nutritious feed for livestock. The farms in the valley irrigated their crops with water from Washoe Lake.

Image:
The Virginia & Truckee train arrives in Washoe City in 1938.

Source: Stanley G. Palmer. The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection.

The Arrival of New Washoe City

The unincorporated community of New Washoe City started to be built up in early 1960. Advertisements for one-acre lots and estates were printed in the area newspapers for years.

The benefits of living in this planned community included: location midway between Carson City and Reno, views of Washoe Lake and Mt. Rose, roads paid for and paved with decomposed granite, and land dedicated for schools, parks, and business. The County Planning Commission estimated that the future population of Washoe County would reach 17,000…“so act now,” real estate professionals advised. As of 2010, the census puts the population of Washoe Valley at just over 3,000 residents.

Image:
Arial photo of New Washoe City in 1966. Source: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, UNR.

A Park for New Washoe City

The Washoe Valley Landowners Association petitioned for the creation of a New Washoe City Community Park in June 1977. County Commissioners agreed and provided $27,000 in development funds to build a 20-acre park on the east side of the lake. The money was to come from a tax on new constructions, which of course was challenged in court by several developers.

By 1982, the park still hadn’t been built, yet the Washoe County Commission was able to include the project in their very tight 1982-83 fiscal budget. The park property was generally flat and the only vegetation was sagebrush and other Nevada native grasses and plants. The park design was completed with input from the local citizens and included typical neighborhood park features such as a restroom, picnic tables, benches, playground, picnic shelter and landscaping. Finally, the commissioners authorized phase one of the park project for $210,000, and it was built in 1985. Later improvements included a tennis courts and sports field. The county authorized the purchase of new playground equipment in 2015.

Image:
New Washoe City Park. Source: Jay Kolbet-Clausell.

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iNaturalist:

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New Washoe City Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

Have a question about our parks or the Parks Project? Email us at parksproject@tmparksfoundation.org!

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space - New Washoe City Park
(Untitled). (1877, September 5). The Daily Appeal, p. 3.
B. (1895, June 8). Flush times in Washoe. Weekly Nevada State Journal, p. 4.
Carlson, H. S. (1974). Nevada Place Names. Reno: University of Nevada Press.
Gooseberries. (1881, August 2). Reno Evening Gazette, p. 3.
Manning, H. (1982, April 5). Recreation, swim programs escape cuts. Reno Gazette-Journal, p. 20.
McMillan, D. (1977, June 22). County area subdivisions, mini-warehouses approved. Reno Evening Gazette, p. 9.
O.B. (1886, March 30). Early days of Wahsoe. p. 3.
Old V flumes that once flourished here. (1940, October 6). Nevada State Journal, p. 18.
Plan new church site. (1960, November 20). Reno Evening Gazette, p. 20.
Steamboat and vicinity. (1878, May 23). Reno Evening Gazette, p. 3.
Washoe County - No. 6. (1873, February 1). Nevada State Journal, p. 2.

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:24:21 PM

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