| Our mission | The organization’s mission is to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Sparks and the Truckee Meadows for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. |
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Sparks Museum & Cultural Center
| Ways to help | Front Desk HostGreet and interact with Museum visitors, handle money, and process the Museum stores daily sales. Lobby Hosts may also be called upon to help the Museum staff with daily office duties. |
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| How you help | Volunteers have been the primary support system for the Sparks Museum and Cultural Center since its establishment in 1985. Strong volunteer partnerships are essential for the Museum to succeed. |
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| About us | With over 4000 square feet of exhibits as well as an outdoor Train exhibit, the Sparks Museum has something to appeal to everyone in the family from Railroads to Rockets. |
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Today (August 15th) marks the 75th Anniversary of the Victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. Here is a great story from the local celebration on V-J day from our deal friend, the late great Bill Farr. William Francis Farr served in the US Army during the war and fought in the European Theater. This oral history was captured by the University of Nevada Oral History Program in 1995 and was published in "War Stories: Veterans Remember WWII". #VJDay
Last month in conjunction with Artown and our friends at the Historic Reno Preservation Society we held a virtual walking tour that covered the unique history of downtown. The program is now available if you’d like to learn more about Sparks’ historic downtown.
historicreno.org
Great! Anything to promote and preserve history is well worth the effort. Thanks.
An automobile accident is being investigated with plenty of onlookers near the Block "S" and Crystal Bar at the northwest corner of 10th Street and B Street. #SpiritofSparks
Frank Boughman owned the Sparks Bootery. With 6 growing kids in our family, we shopped there a lot.
I recognize that corner from when I was a kid in the 1970’s.
Block S hotdogs were the best!
The Southern Pacific No. 1857 caboose sits idle and on display in James Lillard Railroad Park in downtown Sparks. The caboose or "crummie" used to serve the end-of-train and conductor's office until the crews were moved into the locomotive about 1991. Today, a red flashing device called F.R.E.D. signals the end-of-train. #SpiritofSparks
I think the E.T.D./End-of-Train-Device transmits to the locomotive the air pressure reaching the end of the air-brake system, and blinks a red warning when the emergency brakes have been applied. I think.
The red light on the end of train device blinks continually if I remember correctly... was a UP Apprentice Carman very briefly in 2007.
Ted Morrill opened the Vista Airport on October 26, 1937 on the east side of Sparks. The airport's runway ran from east to west with the Truckee River to the south and the Pah Rah Range to the north. The airport became a Civil Air Patrol base during the Second World War as well as a training facility for army pilots. #spiritofsparks
A favored user/pilot of Vista was the Nugget's Dick Graves in his Navion
My folks kept their planes out there, first an Aeronca 2-seater, then a Cessna 4-seater. Sis and I drank a lot of orange sodas while we waited for Dad to quit talking planes with other pilots.