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The Magic of Nevada by Celia S. Hecht published January 2002 Courier Magazine
Former mayor Jan Jones once named Las Vegas The Magic Capital of The World. While world famous magicians such as Siegfried & Roy, Lance Burton, and David Copperfield perform their astonishing tricks on-stage, there is a vast world of magic to be enjoyed in attractions all over the fastest growing state in the nation.
Hidden beyond the bright lights, glitz and glamour of the Strip, is a versatile blend of old west mining towns, awe-inspiring scenery, and charming cultural diversity. Any trip to Nevada would not be complete without an experience of cowboy poetry, Native American traditional ceremonies, panning for gold and silver in them thar hills, or hobnobbing with wildlife.
Wild West
During the Gold Rush, thousands of gold and silver miners came to Nevada seeking their fame and fortune. This same pioneer spirit still thrives. The Silver State continues to attract record numbers of tourists (50 million in 2000), ranking sixth in the nation for travel spending ($18.7 billion) according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).
A gem of a place, Virginia City is a lively historic town that provides a few hours back in the Old West with underground mining tours, old-time western saloons, museums, rock and gem shops, and a restored opera house. One infamous settler, Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain, arrived in Carson City in 1861, and established a newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, whose offices can still be seen here.
The cities of Genoa and Dayton often duel about who is the oldest settlement in the west. Genoa became a town in the 1850’s and features attractions such as the Mormon Station Historic State Monument and Museum and the Courthouse Museum. The Courthouse Museum’s reconstructed courtroom, school, and kitchen are filled with lifelike characters such as the legendary Snowshoe Thompson. Snowshoe delivered the mail on skies 90 miles, between Genoa and Placerville, California through the Sierra Mountains during 1856-76.
Old town Dayton, reputed to be the place where gold was originally discovered in the Comstock, contains the Dayton Historical Society Museum, the second oldest schoolhouse in the west.
The capital city has its own frontier stories to tell. “The city of Carson City has one of the largest intact historic districts in the west,†said Candy Duncan, Carson City Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Landmark buildings such as the Capitol Building, State Supreme Court, the Nevada Legislative Building, Nevada State Railroad Museum, the Children's Museum, the State Library and Archives, the Brewery Arts Center, "talking" historical homes, and a century-old four-story Victorian that houses Nevada's Commission on Tourism and Nevada Magazine, all within easy walking distance of one another.
Blazing saddles
Speaking of cowboys, ranch hands have been home on the range in Nevada for about 150 years. Gather round the fire in Elko at the yearly Cowboy Poetry Gathering and you will hear the sounds of snap, crackle and odes to the spirit of the west.
Bet you’ve always wanted to meet the Cartwright family from the television show Bonanza. Don’t be surprised, when you run into surprise characters while taking the popular Haywagon Breakfast Ride at the Ponderosa Ranch, in Incline Village. Comedy stunt shows, magicians, a silversmith, antique cars, and petting zoo are only some of the treats in this authentic western town.
Is it any wonder why movie and television production companies are now flocking to Nevada to film?
According to Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, Chairman of the Commission on Economic Development, which oversees the Nevada Film Office, "Producers know they get what they need here, from experienced crews to spectacular locations that are exciting to see on the big screen as well as the small. Millions of people see our state regularl
