Celebrating Carson Valley’s business heritage

Carson Valley has been fairly mercantile throughout its history in the Silver State.

Genoa was founded as a trading post to serve 49ers on their way to the gold fields and then on their way back to the Comstock Lode to mine for silver.

With neat frame houses early on, Nevada’s oldest settlement was a welcome island of civilization for travelers who’d just suffered their way across the Nevada desert.

Commercial development shifted to the new town of Gardnerville correlating with the big strikes at Bodie. The Ritchford Stables still stand as a testament to the days when big freight wagons would roll through town.

This week we celebrate Carson Valley’s commercial interests at the annual Business Showcase. The showcase has offered residents an opportunity to visit with business and nonprofits and learn what’s available here.

That’s more important now than ever as Main Street through Gardnerville is undergoing much needed construction work.

We’ve been dodging construction on Highway 395 between Waterloo Lane and 1st Street in Minden for months now. On Saturday a big chunk of the middle of the highway was dug up as a deputy and construction worker directed traffic through the intersection with Waterloo.

There is going to be a lot happening with Highway 395 over the next four months, and we’re all going to need a lot of patience traveling through Gardnerville.

Getting around the work has required some willingness to detour and to use back streets where residents aren’t used to the traffic.

Just as we hope that residents brave the construction to attend the Business Showcase on Thursday, we ask that motorists are equally kind as they use back streets getting there.