EXPERIENCE EARLY RANCH LIFE IN THE CARSON VALLEY
Have you ever wanted to experience early ranch life in the Carson Valley? The Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is a treasure trove of artifacts and stories they are ready to share with you!
Kim Harris, Events and Education Manager at the Dangberg Historic Park, shared with the Minden Rotary Club some of the Dangberg Family history as well as education opportunities for kids at the ranch and in the classroom.
Heinrich Freidrich Dangberg came from Prussia in 1849 with stops in New Orleans and Illinois. The “Call of the West” brought him and 200 cattle first to the Gold Hill and then to the Carson Valley where 300-600 acres of land were being offered for very little with the promise of staying for 5 years. The original property acquired was stolen, so the ranch was moved up the Carson River (which resulted in control of the water flow from there on). H.F. met Margaret Ferris in 1865 and was smitten. They married shortly thereafter. Incidentally, Margaret’s little brother George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. invented the Ferris Wheel!
H.F. and Margaret had 4 sons (Fred, John, George and Clarence) and a daughter (Eva). Fred, John and George were all integral parts of the Dangberg Land & Live Stock Company founded by H.F. in 1902. On a side note, they were also Presidents of the Minden Rotary Club in 1929, 1935, and 1938, respectively! Clarence was more interested in opening the first automobile garage in the area at the location for the current Rotary meetings - C.O.D. (Clarence Oliver Dangberg) Casino. The Dangbergs are credited with the development of the town of Minden - believed to be the first planned community in Nevada.
The Dangberg Land & Live Stock Company sold much of their property in 1978, and eventually the Park and Bently families purchased some of that property over the years with the last 5 1/2 acres forming the park in 2005 when the last of the Dangbergs passed away ten years prior. The park has been restored to what the Dangberg Home Ranch would have looked like in 1917 and became a state park in 2005. All of the artifacts are owned by Douglas County and the park is run by the nonprofit Friends of Dangberg organization. The Washoe, immigrants and Basque people are featured stories at the park.
The park offers a 90-minute program for youth to take a field trip to or for docents to visit the classroom, Youth and Family Events (Dare to be a Cowboy, Agricultural Heritage Day and Kite Flying Weekend) as well as Chautauqua performance programs.
The park is located off Highway 88 south of the swim center. The park is open year-round, and tours can be booked by appointment. For more information, check their website at Dangberg.org.
.png)
