History lecture on Nevada State Prison is Aug. 15

Jennifer E. Riddle, Sena M. Loyd and Stacy L. Branham, co-authors of the recently published book “Nevada State Prison,” will present a lecture about the history of the prison 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Business Resource Innovation Center.

Founded in 1862, the prison is the oldest continuously operated penal facility in the state. It has been home to some of Nevada’s most notorious criminals as well as some of the state’s stranger events. Fossilized footprints of a “giant race of man” were found buried within the prison quarry, giving rise to the infamous “Homo Nevadensis,” a supposed lost branch of the human evolutionary tree. The prison also hosted the nation’s first state-sanctioned execution by lethal gas.

The lecture will include unpublished images and history and stories not included in the book. Admission is free.

The Business Resource Innovation Center at 108 E. Proctor St. is a partnership of the Carson City Library, Office of Business Development, Building, Engineering, Planning, and Business Licensing. The lecture is part of a series of “Third Thursday” lectures by the Carson City Historical Society and is presented in cooperation with the Carson City Library. For more information, call David Bugli at 775-883-4154.