This notable landmark in one of Nevada’s premiere mining towns has a connection to Honey Lake Valley. It should be duly noted Virginia City’s existence no longer has nothing has much ado about mining for gold and silver, but what is does best these days is mine the pocketbooks of tourists.

For those not familiar with Myron Lake, he is considered the founder of Reno. In 1859, C.William Fuller located along the Truckee River in the Truckee Meadows and built a toll bridge and small hotel there being nothing else. (Today, that location is known as the Virginia Street bridge). Business would soon be brisk with the discovery of the Comstock and the establishment of Virginia City. In June 1861, Fuller traded his enterprise for land in the Honey Lake Valley to Myron Lake. Lake continued acquiring more property in the Truckee Meadows and timing can mean so much. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad was approaching the Truckee Meadows as part of the nation’s first transcontinental line.Lake sold the railroad 160 acres for  depot and town and Reno was born.

In 1862, the widowed Jane Conkey Bryant with her three children—Florence, Seymour and Lillian—came to the Honey Lake Valley upon the urging of her parents—Sylvester & Betsy—along with various siblings.   (The Conkeys resided on present day Wingfield Road known as Nagel’s Happy Valley Ranch). It should be noted Lake, prior to  his move to theTruckee Meadows was a neighbor to the Conkeys. It is unclear how Lake courted Jane, but the two were married in Janesville in 1864. To make a long story short, Jane’s daughter, Florence married William Thompson. The Thompson’s daughter, Ethel married Ed Simmer owner of Piper’s Opera House in Virginia. City. The property remained in the family for years, though for a time in a neglected state. In the 1960s, Louise Zimmer Driggs restored the Opera House in the 1960s and eventually donated ti to the non-profit organization that operates it today.

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