Who was Jack? Find out at museum lecture

GARDNERVILLE, Nev.

by Sharlene Irete

sirete@recordcourier.com

Jacks Valley was named after a guy named Jack, but who was Jack? Carson Valley historian Bob Ellison tells the story of how Jacks Valley was named, 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.

"He's the mystery man," Ellison said. "Over the years his story has been forgotten and very few have remembered it. Once he moved out, people forgot him."

Ellison found that Jack was born on the frontier, was a pioneer, scout, hunter, a bodyguard and justice of the peace. The valley still bears his name yet almost no one knows why.

Ellison said the story about Jack is a detective story he's been working on for 20 years. He will present details of his research for the first time in Thursday's lecture.

Carson Valley resident Ellison has been a teacher, deputy sheriff and was head of security at Bently Nevada. His books on the history of Carson Valley include "Long Beard," the biography of Warren Wasson, an early Genoa pioneer and Nevada's first U.S. marshal and "First Impressions," a history of the Emigrant Trail through Carson Valley.

So what's Jack's last name?

"You'll have to come to the lecture to find out," said Ellison.

The Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center is at 1477 Highway 395, Gardnerville. 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 are open before and after the lecture.