Mormon Station observes Genoa fire centennial

One hundred years ago Monday, Douglas County experienced one of its most devastating fires.

Set by a vagrant fumigating his bedding in the county poor house, half of Genoa burned to the ground on June 28, 1910, including the church, the courthouse and the town's original building.

On Saturday, Mormon Station State Historic Park is sponsoring a fire prevention program in recognition of the centennial of the fire.

Park Director Suzanne Sturtevant said representatives from the East Fork Fire & Paramedic Districts, the U.S. Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry will be in Genoa 10 a.m. to noon.

"We'll have fire officials from a couple of agencies focusing on fire prevention to commemorate that big fire," she said. "There will be a table set up with articles about fire prevention and a book on choosing the right plants for fire prevention."

An NDF brush truck and tender will be there, along with Smokey Bear and free fire prevention materials.

The park stands on the site of the historic location of the old Mormon fort, considered the first permanent settlement in the state.

Constructed in 1947, the park houses a museum and events that examine Nevada's pioneer past.

Sturtevant said history has been a big draw for the park this summer, with about 200 people turning out last weekend for the Mormon pioneers and another 250-300 gathering to greet the Pony Express, which came through on June 8.

"We've been getting a lot of group use," she said. "We're quite happy, we've had quite a few people come through."

The park also benefited from the work of 162 high school students from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who volunteered to work at the park.

"The kids did a big service project for the park and town," she said.