650 Riverside Dr, Reno, NV 89503

Riverside Drive Park

Park Description:

Riverside Drive Park is a 3-acre Reno park without restrooms. The park is located along the Truckee River and offers access to the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.

Park Amenities:

Pathways, bike path, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

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Riverside Drive Park

Laying not far from Downtown Reno, right alongside the Truckee River, Riverside Drive Park is a green strip of land some seven blocks long. Cut by the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway and dotted with trees and greenery along the river, this peaceful patch of Parkland doesn’t seem like anything else with its beautiful scenery being out in the open. But its history is not as well known as it should be. Riverside Drive Park’s history stretches back to the first European Explorers in this corner of Nevada as well as being tied to some of the Native American Tribes that called the Truckee Meadows home long before the California gold rush and start of the Emigrant Trail.

Photo Credit: Michael Misanik

Chief Truckee and John C. Fremont

Chief Truckee also known as Old Winnemucca Wuna Mucca was a medicine chief of the Northern Paiute people and an influential prophet. How he gained the name Truckee is not quite clear, with many different ideas and reasons being tossed out there. However he gained his name, Chief Truckee truly left his mark on history as he led his people through a rapidly changing time in California history. He was a greatly respected chief both by his people and to an extent by the American explorers and settlers who he often aided.

Chief Truckee guided John C. Frémont and Kit Carson as they ascended the Truckee River in January 1844. They had originally called the river they passed the Salmon Trout River, after the huge Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) that ran up the river from Pyramid Lake to spawn. However, the river was ultimately named after a Paiute chief known as Truckee, who later that same year guided an emigrant party from the headwaters of the Humboldt River to California via the Truckee River, Donner Lake, and Donner Pass. Appreciative of their Native American's guide's services, the party named the river after him.

Image Credit: Truckee-Donner Historical Society

Emigrant Trail Through the Meadows

Out of the whole of the route to California, the crossing of the Forty-Mile Desert (today known as Lahontan Valley and Fallon Nevada) was the most dreaded portion of the continent-wide journey. Surrounded by mountains and covering an area of about 200,000 square miles, it formed a massive playa coated in white salt sands and baked clay, the region acted like a massive mirror as it reflected the sun's heat. The viscous Humboldt River, trickled into the depression with it eventually disappeared into a thick sponge of alkali dust.

These harsh desert conditions made the land of the Truckee Meadows appear like a paradise. Back then much of what is today, the vibrant cities of Reno and Sparks, was a mix of lush green meadows, groves of cottonwood trees along the Truckee River and open sagebrush shrubland that stretched to the Sierra in the west. While still in the Forty-Mile Desert many pioneers would unyoke their teams of oxen and mules and leave their wagons along the trail to drive their livestock to the Truckee River for water and feed. After the animals had regained some of their strength, they would return for their wagons. Those that were unfortunate enough to lose their livestock prior to reaching this point were forced to abandon their wagons along the trail.

After getting through the challenge of the Forty-Mile Desert the Truckee Meadows acted as a rest stop for the many trailblazers making their way to California. The lush meadows and cool clear waters seemed like paradise with some ranches, and farms being set up by some of the emigrants moving through the area.

In 1869, part of the old route across Nevada was used for the Central Pacific portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. In the 20th century, the route was used for modern highways, in particular U.S. Highway 40 and later Interstate 80.

Image Credit: California Interpretive Center

Rise of a City

Riverside Avenue, as it was earlier known as, first started out in the 1880s, as a simple road where riders of horse-drawn buggies, and later automobiles, could view the Truckee River in all its stages across the year. In 1888, the avenue served as the southern boundary of the new Powning’s Addition, where home lots had just been platted and announced for sale. The parcels along what founder Christopher Columbus Powning called “the most fashionable driveway in the county” were quickly snatched up by many of the newcomers of the fledgling town.

At this time the road retained a rural feel, with moderately-sized Victorians homes on spacious lots with room for gardens and even chickens, as well as other small animals. The avenue was plowed and improved in the 1890s, and in an effort to retain its scenic beauty, the County Commission purchased two sites for public parks. In 1902, one of those sites became McKinley Park, named after the country’s 25th president William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901. In 1908, the city agreed to deed McKinley Park to the School Board to construct McKinley Park School.

Recognizing its value as a scenic drive, Reno citizens petitioned the City Council in 1909 to widen the avenue to 60 feet, and in 1912, both the Fulton and Barber families deeded portions of the front of their lots to the city, to be used as park space. The nearby triangular Lunsford Park, east of Washington Street, was formalized around 1914. As the decades of the 20th century rolled by new changes and additions were made around Riverside with brick Craftsman Bungalows style homes being built, many of which style around today, The Art Moderne Loomis Manor Apartments and Neoclassical Revival First Church of Christ, Scientist (today the Lear Theater) added to the beauty of the drive in 1939. With even today new small businesses and apartments being constructed further adding to this part of Reno’s rich history and cityscape.

Image Credit: Reno Historical

The Lear Theater

In 1957, distinguished African American architect Paul Revere Williams became the first African American to be voted a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 1939, sometime before his exceptants to the institute, Williams was commissioned to design the First Church of Christ, Scientist on Riverside Dr., just a few minutes walk from downtown Reno. The resulting building was Neoclassical in design and would serve the congregation for the next 5 decades.
In 1998 Moya Lear, widow of famed pioneering aviation inventor Bill Lear Jr., had an idea for the old riverside church. She would pledge a million dollars toward the purchase of the building if the community would match her million. The community did so with the building being turned over to the Reno Sparks theater community. The original plan was for the church to be renovated and repurposed for use as a theater. Because of Moya Lear’s generosity, the theater would be named the Lear Theater.

In 2011, after several million dollars was spent on the building with it then being given to Artown. For the next few years performances took place in the Lear Theater. Fast forward to the present day and the Lear Theater is in trouble. Vandals have badly damaged the theater. This damage as well as the age of the building and its need of costly repairs have put the building in jeopardy. Some groups would like the property to be sold and developed into premium downtown apartments. Preservationists are hopeful that this fate won’t ever come to pass. The Lear Theater is significant both historically and culturally. It is a fine example of Paul Revere Williams’s work with few of his designs still remaining today in Reno.

Image Credit: Michael Misanik

Get Involved!

Donate:

Make a donation to support the Parks Project or your favorite Parks Foundation program, project, or wherever its needed! Click here to donate today.

Volunteer:

Support our parks by volunteering with the Parks Foundation! Attend a volunteer event or choose an ongoing role. Click here to explore opportunities.

iNaturalist:

Out in our parks or open spaces? Try cataloguing the biodiversity around you with iNaturalist! All it takes is downloading the iNaturalist app onto your phone to get started.

Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Riverside Drive 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:

City of Reno Parks & Facilities Directory - Riverside Drive Park
Narrative of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in 1843 https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9-ZKAAAAMAAJ
Chief Truckee History https://www.truckeehistory.org/chief-truckee.html
Truckee River Chronology https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.148.147/wx5.e4c.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Truckee-River-Chronology-1997.pdf
Truckee River Route - California Emigrant Trail https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2VBH_Truckee_River_Route_California_Emigrant_Trail
Riverside Drive https://www.renohistorical.org/items/show/211
Truckee California History, From Emigrant Trail to World-Class Adventure Destination https://downtowntruckee.com/truckee-history/
The Future of Lear and Riverside Drive http://historicreno.org/index.php/history-preservation/lear
Lear Theatre - Paul Revere Williams https://artown.org/lear-theater/

Contributor(s):

Michael Misanik (Research & Content)

Erin Larsen (Editor)

Last Updated:

September 13, 2022 at 11:24:47 PM

Back to All Parks

Biodiversity

650 Riverside Dr, Reno, NV 89503

Riverside Drive Park

Park Description:

Riverside Drive Park is a 3-acre Reno park without restrooms. The park is located along the Truckee River and offers access to the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.

Park Amenities:

Pathways, bike path, and tables/benches.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

Park History

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

Get Involved!

Donate:

Make a donation to support the Parks Project or your favorite Parks Foundation program, project, or wherever its needed! Click here to donate today.

Volunteer:

Support our parks by volunteering with the Parks Foundation! Attend a volunteer event or choose an ongoing role. Click here to explore opportunities.

iNaturalist:

Out in our parks or open spaces? Try cataloguing the biodiversity around you with iNaturalist! All it takes is downloading the iNaturalist app onto your phone to get started.

​

Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Contact:

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

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Contributor(s):

Last Updated:

September 13, 2022 at 11:24:47 PM