Dentist brings Sparks to museum lecture

by Sharlene Irete

R-C People Editor

The past governor of Nevada will be portrayed by a man who was a dentist for 31 years, served as county commissioner and who has been a resident of Carson Valley since 1975.

Michael Fischer will portray Gov. John Sparks, 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center, 1477 Highway 395, Gardnerville.

"They say John Sparks did everything you could do in the West," said Fischer, who retired from his Gardnerville dentist practice when he was appointed director of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs in January 2007.

Some of what Fischer has done in the West includes being a past president of the Douglas County Historical Society, serving as a Douglas County commissioner for eight years, being a volunteer fireman and participating in the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko.

"I'm doing all the things I did for hobbies," Fischer said about his job as cultural director.

He said he's been doing Chautauqua performances as Sparks, who was governor of Nevada from 1902 until his death in 1908, for about five years.

"During the Civil War, Sparks was in the precursor of the Texas Rangers. He dealt with Comanches and moved cattle to Wyoming," said Fischer. "He came to Nevada in 1881 and had a big ranch that went from Wells to Twin Falls, Idaho. It was as big as Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and half of New Jersey.

"Having done that, Sparks started a ranch in Nevada where the Atlantis Casino is now. It was 325 acres and was known as the best purebred Hereford ranch in the U.S."

Fischer will perform for 30-45 minutes and answer audience questions in and out of character. He said one thing that may seem out of character is that he recently shaved off his mustache.

"There's a photo of him without a mustache and most of the time he had one, but Sparks will be performed sans mustache," he said.

The free lecture series is sponsored by the Douglas County Historical Society the second Thursday of the month. The museum and the Main Street Book Store will be open before and following the lecture. Information, 782-2555.