CCHS Remembers Last Founding Member, Ron Machado
Posted: June 16, 2020

The CCHS Board is sad to report the death of Ronald George Machado (Aug. 2, 1939 - May 27, 2020), the last founding member the Nevada Landmarks Society, which later became the Carson City Historical Society. The following is from the obituary published in the Nevada Appeal on June 13, 2020.

Ron was born in San Francisco, California and was adopted by Manuel and Beatrice Machado. Because of Ron's poor health, his family moved to Los Gatos, California, where he later attended grammar school. When he was in the 3rd grade his teacher's name was Miss Wesson and she took him "Under her wings" because he was shy. She is now Dr. Betty Peck, living in Campbell, California. They always stayed in touch, and Ron visited her as often as possible.

Ron is survived by longtime friend Doug Schuster of Reno, Nevada. Early in Ron's life he traveled with a female evangelist and played piano at her meetings. In more recent years he played piano in a couple of establishments in Virginia City. Ron first came to Carson City with his parents in 1946 and stayed at the Arlington Hotel for $5 a night. He was thrilled to see the V&T Railroad traveling through Washoe Valley on its way to Reno.

At the age of 14 he became interested in the history of old houses, particularly those in Carson City. In 1962 he became curator of the Rinckle Mansion and gave tours of the home at 50 cents per person. The home was still completely furnished with all the original furniture, paintings, etc. He loved telling stories of its history until the family sold the mansion. He knew most of the people living in Carson City and talked to all he could when he was a dishwasher at night at the Dutch Mill Restaurant, the local gathering place (now Heidi's). Ron ran a gentleman's boarding house in the Chartz House in the '70s and owned the building that is currently the Purple Avocado.

He was a local historian with so many facts and stories to tell. He was also the last remaining founder of the former Landmark Society which is now the Carson City Historical Society whose charter is the preservation of the Foreman-Roberts House.

He will be missed, and a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Pictured: Ron, at right, at 50th anniversary event for CCHS on Sept. 21, 2019.

Message from Pres. Jeff Loflin
Late April 2020

Happy Spring, CCHS Members,

Well wishes coming to you from all of us! As we hunker down, I would like to encourage everyone to take this as an opportunity to brush up on your Carson City History. "Lost Carson City" by Peter Mires brings some of the lesser known stories of people, buildings, and events back to life. "Haunted Carson City" by Janet Jones visits the macabre side of Carson. For more in depth local history, Bonnie Boice Nishikawa's, "My Life as an Orphan, Nevada State Children's Home" (see photo at right) is a personal account of life in Carson City with some great photos. A must have for every Carson resident is the photo essay of Carson City, "Images of America - Early Carson City" by our 1st VP Sue Ballew and L. Trent Dolan. I love looking at these images and the history behind them.

If you need to get out and stretch your legs while practicing social distancing, avoid the busy parks and trails by visiting some of our lesser known cemeteries. There are some prominent, famous people buried in Lone Mountain but what about Empire City, Pioneer, Nevada State Prison, Stewart Indian School, and the Ormsby County Poor Farm cemeteries. They all have great stories behind them and our history within them. "Images of America - Cemeteries of Carson City and Carson Valley" by Cindy Southerland is a great resource to take along with you.

We don't have any idea of when we will get back to normal operations. Keep checking the website and our Facebook for information.

Hope to see you soon!
Jeff Loflin
President – Carson City

April 2020 Newsletter is Available Online

The April CCHS Newsletter is available online. Perhaps you have already received it in your email inbox. If you are not on our email list, please email your request to be added to carsoncityhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

To download the February Newsletter, please CLICK HERE.

March 29 and April 26, 2020, Open Houses Canceled

Because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Open Houses scheduled for March 29 and April 26 have been cancelled. However, the Carson City Historical Society may schedule other Open Houses once restrictions, due to the coronavirus situation, have been lifted. Prior to the situation, tours of the Foreman-Roberts House and the opportunity to check out the historical displays in the adjoining Carriage House were planned for the last Sunday of several months from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

No future Open House are scheduled at this time.
(Notice posted 5/10/2020.)

A Message from CCHS Pres. Jeff Loflin
Saturday, March 7, 2020

Fellow Carsonites!

There was some misinformation in an unofficial communication that went out. My apologies.

After coming together as a community and raising over $20,000, Jackson Foods Inc., who now owns the property and the building, was not able to find an interested party to remove the building. Jackson's Food Inc. was fully supportive of the preservation efforts. They extended the demolition deadline 30 days and worked diligently with a potential candidate and the Society but they were not able to address all the issues in a timely manner.

I'd like to sincerely thank everyone that supported this project including: Jackson's Foods, local businesses, Community Leaders, and most importantly, the residents of Carson City.

The donated funds will be kept in a separate account and used by the Carson City Historical Society for the preservation of historic buildings in Carson City. If you have questions regarding donations, please contact us at Carsoncityhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Thank you again for all of the Community Support!

Sincerely,
Jeff Loflin
President - Carson City Historical Society

Mailing Address for CCHS

The mailing address for the Carson City Historical Society (CCHS) is:

The physical address for the Foreman-Roberts House Museum is 1207 North Carson St., but that address is not our official mailing address.

CCHS board meetings are generally held the second Monday of each month at 3:45 p.m. in the Carriage House of the Foreman-Roberts House Museum.

If you are interested in being put on the CCHS e-mail list, please send an e-mail to carsoncityhistoricalsociety@gmail.com and put "CCHS Membership Addition" in the subject line. We will inform you about upcoming events of the Society via e-mail.