Valley barns in the spotlight in historic barn tour Saturday

CARSON VALLEY, Nev.

Staff Reports

The Douglas County Historical Society's Great Barns of Carson Valley tour is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $25 for nonmembers and $20 for Douglas County Historical Society members. Ticket price includes tours of historic timber-framed barns and free admission to the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville and Genoa Courthouse Museum. Complimentary ice cream sundaes are served after the tour until 4 p.m. at the Gardnerville museum. Ice cream has been donated by Tahoe Creamery.

Tickets for tours of the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park are available for $5 per person and must purchased in advance. One-hour tours of the Dangberg Home Ranch begin at 12:45 p.m. Advance tickets must be purchased by Saturday. Purchase tickets on the day of the tour at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville, which will be open at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The winner of the barn photography contest receives $50 and the photo will be featured on the cover of the DCHS newsletter. Information at the Gardnerville museum.

Raffle tickets sold at the Gardnerville museum to win a photo of the Trimmer barn on Ranch No. 1 in Genoa framed with a poem by cowboy poet Ken Gardner. Tickets are $1 or 6 for $5.

Tickets may be purchased by calling Douglas County Historical Society at 782-2555.

The Douglas County Historical Society features the Great Barns of Carson Valley tour to show the importance of preserving historic structures as part of National Historic Preservation Month in May. Funds from the barn tour benefit the Genoa Courthouse Museum and the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.

The Douglas County Historical Society is self-supporting and raises operating funds from events like the barn tour with the goal to preserve local history and make it accessible to residents and visitors.

Historic barns featured on the Great Barns of Carson Valley Tour:

The Douglas County Historical Society's Great Barns of Carson Valley tour is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 23. Ticket information at 782-2555.

These are working ranches and spring is a busy time for ranchers. The Douglas County Historical Society is grateful for the opportunity to visit these historic properties.

Mack Land & Cattle barn in Minden. Open for viewing 9-10 a.m.

This barn was built in the 1860s by H. H. Springmeyer to stable his horses. It has been in same family for several generations. Today the barn is used to store ranch equipment. Fifth-generation family member Brian Park guides the tour.

Dangberg Home Ranch barn. Open for viewing 9-10 a.m.

This barn is in excellent condition and one of the best examples of timber-framed construction in Carson Valley. Located at the ranch headquarters. The Dangberg Ranch consisted of thousands of acres in Nevada and California. Today the barn is owned by Park Land & Cattle Co. Mike Fischer, director of Cultural Affairs and former Douglas County Historical Society president, worked as a cowboy on the Dangberg Ranch and will be guiding the tour.

Stodieck barn. Open for viewing 9:30-11 a.m.

The dairy barn was built by Peter Jensen and Herb Dressler in 1923 and is the only one of its kind in Carson Valley. It was designed to accommodate James Way equipment. Current owner Fred Stodieck has the original building plans and will guide the tour.

Henningsen barn. Open for viewing 9:30-11 a.m.

No nails were used in the interior construction when this barn was built in 1890. Square nails were used on the outside planks. The original wood shingles were replaced with tin in the 1950s. After four generations, the barn remains in the Henningsen family. John Henningsen will tell the story about this barn, built by his grandfather Carsten Henningsen in 1890.

Hietman-Brunelle barn. Open for viewing 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The barn was built in the late 1800s and was later moved to this location. The barn was built by a Scandinavian and his seven sons who constructed a barn a week. The large frame timbers in the barn still have bark on them. The exterior and roof were restored in 1992. This barn has passed through the Jacobsen, Heitman, Stodieck and Sorensen families. Today it's owned by Paul and Sue Brunelle, who will talk about the barn's restoration. Linda Reid will give a short history of the Hietman family.

Lampe-Jacobs barn. Open for viewing 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This historic barn was built by a Dane in 1901 and features two granaries, two lofts, four bays and three aisles. Ticket holders have the opportunity to view the bunkhouse and dairy on the property. Timber-frame barn expert Paul Oatman will be onsite to talk about the barns of Carson Valley. Bruce and Diane Theriot will be at the bunkhouse and dairy with a few stories. Jack and Diane Jacobs will talk about the restored pig barn and garden.

The Douglas County Historical Society's Great Barns of Carson Valley tour is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets must be purchased in advance to attend tours. Information, 782-2555.

Mack Land & Cattle barn in Minden. Open for viewing 9-10 a.m. This barn was built in the 1860s by H. H. Springmeyer to stable his horses and has been in same family for several generations. Today the barn is used to store ranch equipment. Fifth-generation family member Brian Park guides the tour.

Dangberg Home Ranch barn. Open for viewing 9-10 a.m. This barn is in excellent condition and one of the best examples of timber-framed construction in Carson Valley. Today the barn is owned by Park Land & Cattle Co. Mike Fischer, director of Cultural Affairs and former Douglas County Historical Society president, worked as a cowboy on the Dangberg Ranch and will be guiding the tour.

Stodieck barn. Open for viewing 9:30-11 a.m. The dairy barn was built by Peter Jensen and Herb Dressler in 1923 and was designed to accommodate James Way equipment. Current owner Fred Stodieck has the original building plans and guides the tour.

Henningsen barn. Open 9:30-11 a.m. No nails were used in the interior construction when this barn was built in 1890. Square nails were used on the outside planks. The original wood shingles were replaced with tin in the 1950s. After four generations, the barn remains in the Henningsen family. John Henningsen will tell the story about this barn, built by his grandfather Carsten Henningsen in 1890.

Hietman-Brunelle barn. Open 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The barn was built in the late 1800s and moved to this location. The barn was built by a Scandinavian and his seven sons who constructed a barn a week. The large frame timbers still have bark on them. This barn has passed through the Jacobsen, Heitman, Stodieck and Sorensen families. Today it's owned by Paul and Sue Brunelle, who will talk about the barn's restoration. Linda Reid will give a short history of the Hietman family.

Lampe-Jacobs barn. Open 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This barn was built by a Dane in 1901 and features two granaries, two lofts, four bays and three aisles. Timber-frame barn expert Paul Oatman will speak about Carson Valley barns, Bruce and Diane Theriot speak at the bunkhouse and dairy and Jack and Diane Jacobs will talk about the restored pig barn and garden.