Reno - History
The discovery of silver and gold in 1859 at the Comstock Lode in Virginia City led to a mining rush, and thousands of emigrants left their homes, bound for the West, hoping to find a fortune.
In the following decades, Reno continued to grow and prosper as a business and agricultural center and became the principal settlement on the transcontinental railroad between Sacramento and Salt Lake City.
In September of 1913 the Lincoln Highway Association announced their chosen route for an improved coast-to-coast highway, the privately-funded Lincoln Highway. The inclusion of Reno on the transcontinental route was a coveted prize as America entered the Automobile Age. Reno would become more than a rail stop on the route as auto-related businesses began to populate the thoroughfares.
West Fourth Street
The area experienced its first major surge of traffic along the highway in 1915, as hundreds of motor tourists passed through on their way to attend the Panama Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco.
The popular new mode of travel generated new types of accommodations. Cross-country auto travelers required affordable facilities with ample space for parking, as well as gasoline, food, and other services.
Many know 4th Street and Prater Way as the historic route of the Lincoln Highway. This is true, in part. Through the years, the highway followed a number of different paths through the Reno-Sparks area, with the stretch of East 4th Street from Virginia Street to Galletti Way serving as the one consistent portion.
East Fourth Street
Local business leaders decided to capitalize on national enthusiasm for auto travel by staging a giant Transcontinental Highways Exposition in Reno. Held in the summer of 1927, the event attracted many tourists from across the country. The Reno Arch was erected on Virginia Street to promote the Exposition. Afterwards, the Reno City Council decided to keep the arch as a permanent downtown gateway with the new slogan "Reno, the Biggest Little City in the World".
Reno took a leap forward when the state of Nevada legalized open gambling on March 19, 1931. The statewide push for legal Nevada gaming was led by Reno entrepreneur Bill Graham, who owned the Bank Club Casino in Reno. The state legislature’s reduction of the required divorce residency period from six months to three months in 1931 further increased demand for temporary housing options in Reno.
South Virginia Street
Midtown is an eclectic mix of restaurants, shopping, motels, and various small businesses. Just south of downtown Reno, Midtown has recently been revitalized and has become a diverse neighborhood.
South Virginia Street Motels
Downtown - South of 4th Street
Lauren Bain, in her KUNR news page Reno’s Mid-century Motels: Then And Now
describes how "Following the transportation boom of the mid-century, complex interstate highway systems were put in place with the Interstate Highway Act, redirecting traffic away from many of Reno’s smaller in-town roads. Interstate 80, which was built in the 1970s, bypassed U.S. 40, diverting a major source of business away from the motels and auto courts built along the Lincoln Highway (present-day Fourth Street). The interstate made travel faster and more convenient, but travelers sped past the motels for their final destination."
Downtown - South of 4th St Motels
Downtown - North of 4th Street
Lauren states that more recently "As traffic dwindled toward the end of the 20th century, motels found a new purpose fulfilling a need for affordable housing. Motels have maintained that reputation, oftentimes providing shelter for people who would otherwise be on the street. Today, mid-century motels are at the center of conversations around revitalization, affordable housing and historic preservation."
Downtown - North of 4th St Motels
Sparks, NV
Reno may have been a natural choice for a stopover on the Lincoln Highway, but Sparks was not. In fact, the initial route bypassed Sparks entirely. The most enduring route ran along B Street (Victorian Avenue), veered north at 15th Street, and then headed west to Reno. Sparks remained a small town until the 1950s, when economic growth in Reno triggered a housing boom north of the railroad in the area of Sparks. During the 1970s, the area south of the railroad started to fill up with warehouses and light industry.
