RENO AND DO I FEEL LUCKY

We are at a huge resort, The Grand Sierra Resort RV Park and we have full use of the hotel and facilities, fitness, pool, they have 5-6 nice eating places, a pizza joint and burger places and a movie theatre and bowling alley.  Can you stand it.  We gambled the 1st day, I went through my $15 pretty quick, Jim broke even.  We had a lovely late lunch out, they just finished a huge car show and gun show and dog show in town.  We came at the right time.  Monday we knocked around, did some shopping, went to another large casino The Peppermill.  Had lunch there and came home to relax, I went to the huge pool.  At 92 degrees it felt wonderful.  We have opted for late lunch and skipping dinner.  On our third day here it turned out kind of funny.  We drove specifically to Carson City, Nevada's State Capitol just to go through the state's oldest mansion, turns out it is only open on weekends and I missed out but it was fun to read the story about the woman who was the wife of the owner of the largest silver strike in Nevada.  We had a good time driving around Carson City and going through the State Capital.  On our drive we saw The Bliss Mansion 



and The Governor's Mansion.  What a beautiful home.
The stately Bowers Mansion is located in the center of the park and offers a rare glimpse into Nevadan life of the 1860's. L.S. "Sandy" Bowers and his psychic wife, Eilley Oram, earned a fortune in their silver mine near Gold Hill, Nevada. They were .Nevada's first Comstock Lode millionaires. With their wealth they built a mansion in 1864 and then traveled the world to furnish it. It is now one of the most impressive restored homes in Nevada.

Nevada was proclaimed a territory in 1861, and a state in 1864, but the Governor's Mansion was not built until more than 40 years later between 1908 and 1909. Until that time, Nevada's governors and their families found lodging where they could. State Assembly Bill 10, the "Mansion Bill," was .passed in 1907 to secure a permanent site and residence for Nevada's First Families. The land where the mansion stands was generously offered by Mrs. T.B. Rickey for the sum of $10. Reno architect George A. Ferris designed the mansion and the construction bid was awarded at $22,700. The mansion was first occupied in July 1909 by Acting Governor Denver Dickerson and his family, and first opened to the public during an open house on New Years' Day, 1910. The governor's daughter, June Dickerson, was born in the mansion in September 1909, and was the only child ever born in the home.

The Governor's Mansion was designed by Reno architect George A. Ferris, and incorporated Classical Revival building features Photo by Terri McBride, courtesy of Nevada State Historic Preservation Office

The commanding Classical Revival building features Georgian and Jeffersonian motifs, first seen in the central placement of the main entry. The elegant two-story pedimented portico is supported by fluted Ionic columns, as is the second-story porch that wraps around the building's front façade. The window moldings employ Greek Revival motifs. On the interior, the first floor contains the grand entry hall, the reception room, a formal dining room, the governor's study, luncheon room and the kitchen. The upstairs contains the private living quarters for the governor's family. The mansion was structurally rehabilitated and redecorated from 1967 to 1968. The circular pergola and curved front stairs and metal balustrades were added in 1969. Additional buildings were added to the grounds in 1998.