Carson Valley

Carson Valley History

Carson Valley is the birthplace of the state of Nevada. John Reese, a Mormon living in Salt Lake City, established the first settlement in Nevada in the spring of 1851 at Mormon Station near the Carson River and the eastern flanks of the Sierra Nevada—now a state historic site you can tour today. The town was renamed Genoa in 1856 and became part of Douglas County 1861, three years before Nevada became a U.S. state.

Early Carson Valley settlers Lawrence Gilman and Rufus Adams constructed a courthouse in Genoa in 1865 that is now a fascinating museum full of area artifacts. Carson Valley saw its first real growth when Gilman founded the town of Gardnerville in 1879. H.F. Dangberg established the town of Minden in 1905, and the two towns have essentially become one, though they retain their distinct identities.

Fed by the Carson River, the fertile Carson Valley became the agricultural breadbasket for the region. The newly established town of Gardnerville was a crucial feed and resupply stop for countless miners headed to the Bodie Mining District in eastern Mono County and the Comstock Lode in Virginia City. The town of Minden, founded in 1905 by German immigrant Heinrich Friedrich Dangberg, was among the state’s first fully mapped and planned communities. Minden was named after Dangberg’s hometown in Germany.

Visitors often stop into Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville, as well as at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, to dive deeper into the rich history of this region—and the state itself

Carson Valley Restaurants

In 1851, the Mormon traders who built Genoa—Nevada’s first permanent pioneer settlement—probably never guessed that, nearly 170 years later, a major reason locals and tourists flock here is to visit “Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor”—1853-built Genoa Bar & Saloon, where half the fun is the 19th-century decor and literal history you can “drink in”. Or chow down on panini and other deli delights from the Genoa Country Store across the street

Just up US-395, Minden Meat & Deli serves up tri-tip sandwiches, homemade potato salad, and 31 local and nationally acclaimed beers.

Gardnerville’s most famous (and most belly-filling) joint is the J.T. Basque Bar & Dining Room, offering hearty Basque delicacies like huge steaks and oxtail soup—not to mention a mean Picon Punch—in a building that moved here from Virginia City in the 19th century. The Overland Restaurant & Pub also pays homage to the region’s Basque heritage, albeit with a modern, farm-to-fork flair. Caf-fiends rejoice at DST Coffee, while sweet-tooths go nuts at the Chocolate Shoppe. And for a personally recommended bottle of vino, fine spirits, or carefully selected beer, pop into sommelier-owned-and-run Battle Born Wine—one of the most exquisite bottle shops in the Silver State.

If you’re cruising south to fish or boat around Topaz Lake, stop at Holbrook Junction, a blip on the map home to one of our favorite Sagebrush Saloons, Iggy & Squiggy’s Junction Bar, where burgers, humongous steak sandwiches, and Fish Taco Friday pair perfectly with a “Nevada Martini”—basically, an ice-cold American “lager” served with your choice of several varieties of stuffed olives (don’t underestimate those habañeros). 

Carson Valley Events

Time your Carson Valley visit right and join the party at events honoring the region’s past and present. The region’s agrarian spirit and heritage is the name of the game at June’s 1910-established Carson Valley Days, when Gardnerville turns out for music, parades, old-fashioned contests, and more. As well as in Genoa during April’s Genoa Western Heritage Days, a celebration of cowboy poetry and music, and September’s century-plus-running Genoa Candy Dance, one of the West’s biggest and best craft fairs with more than 300+ vendor booths.

Celebrate Carson Valley forefathers at Minden’s Dangberg Summer Festival at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, a June-through-September series of events honoring local history with live music, chautauqua reenactors, literary and historical presenters, and more.

You can also wing it at Eagles & Agriculture, a January event celebrating the region’s bald eagles and other birds of prey with birdwatching tours and evening locally sourced food feasts, and Aviation Roundup, a bi-annual October event held at Minden-Tahoe Regional Airport featuring airshow performers and military jet demonstration teams such as the Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds.