Museum begins lecture series on industry shaping Nevada

Churchill County Museum begins its 2019 Fall Lecture Series on Sept. 17 by exploring “Industrious Minds: How Industry Shaped Nevada.”

The first lecture looks into the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. Dan Thielen, director of the Nevada State Railroad Museum on Carson City will discuss the importance of the anniversary that occurred in 1869.

Each lecture begins at 6 p.m.

Since its beginnings as a territory, a series of cycles of booms and busts have defined Nevada’s heritage. From the discovery of gold and silver at the Comstock Lode to its thriving tourism and casino culture, Nevada’s economy continues to flourish. Industrious minds of the past used technological advances influencing not only our economy but also our state’s public image. “Industrious Minds: How Industry Shaped Nevada” will examine the ability of Nevada’s industry to adapt and survive throughout the decades.

The next lecture on Sept. 24 looks at “Mining and Living on the Comstock,” presented by Garrett Barmore, curator of the W.M. Keck Museum.

On Oct. 1, the lecture moves to the 1919 Transcontinental Military Motor Convoy that crossed the United States on the Lincoln Highway, which runs through Fallon.

A recreation of the convoy arrived in Fallon on Monday and will remain in the Lahontan Valley until Thursday when it heads west to Carson City and then Placerville, Calif.

Jim Bonar, director of the Nevada chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association is the presenter.

The last two lectures delve into Nevada’ heritage of ranching and gaming. “How Ranches Created the New State of Nevada” is Oct. 8 and is presented by educator and author Holly Walton Buchannan. The final lecture is Oct. 15 and flashes back to “Harold’s Club: Nevada’s Oldest Casino Remembers.” Author and historian Neal Cobb.