Background There were only a few settlers in the Reno area after 1850, until the discovery of silver in the
Comstock Lode which led to a silver rush in the area and resulted in more settlers in Reno. By January 1863, the
Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) had begun laying tracks east from
Sacramento, California, in order to connect with the
Union Pacific Railroad at
Promontory, Utah, and form the
first transcontinental railroad. Once the railroad station was established, the town of Reno officially came into being on May 9, 1868. In 1871, Reno became the county seat of the newly expanded Washoe County, replacing the previous county seat, located at Washoe City. After the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, branch railroads began to connect with the first Transcontinental Railroad. For example, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was extended to Reno in 1872, which provided a boost to the new city's economy. These railroads hauled lumber from Carson City to the mines, and ore from the mines out to the main Transcontinental Railroad. In 1885, the
University of Nevada (then called Nevada State University) moved from Elko to Reno. Franchises were granted to various business groups for street railways in Reno during the late 1800s, though these and other less-serious schemes to bring streetcar service to the city at that time went unrealized.
Reno's streetcar system By the early 1900s,
Sparks, Nevada was being developed after the Central Pacific moved their shops there from
Wadsworth. A group of local businessmen organized and would go on to win a franchise
to build an electric streetcar line connecting Reno and the new town. Minimal construction began in February 1904, though the franchise and companies organized to build the line (as well as their related real estate development interests) were purchased by a businessman based in
Fresno. As this scheme stagnated, local business leaders called for a special election to award a new franchise to a local entity, which was granted. The Nevada Traction Company was organized to build and operate the line, with their construction beginning in late September. The first service ran from Fourth and Lake in Reno to the Southern Pacific roundhouse in Sparks, opening with a celebration on
Thanksgiving Day 1904. 's Sparks Railroad Shops were the eastern terminus of the Reno-Sparks line – a streetcar can be seen cut off at the bottom right of frame with tracks crossing at the front of the field (bottom) and suddenly ending with a rudimentary
stopblock at bottom left.
Postcard from 1906 This initial streetcar line, in length, ran from Reno's downtown railway node eastward to Sparks, turning south just before Deer Park, then east to run to the Southern Pacific roundhouse and railroad yards. The portion of the line in Reno proper traveled west along Fourth Street to Sierra Street, then south to Second Street, east to Virginia Street, and south again to the Truckee River. The route was extended over the Truckee River on the
Virginia Street Bridge on New Years Day 1905, narrowly avoiding violating the terms of the franchise when the first car ran over the line as fireworks were going off in celebration near midnight. The car barn for the streetcar company stood at 911 E.4th Street, near Morrill Avenue. The line up Sierra Street and Ninth Street to the
University of Nevada, Reno opened on September2, 1907. Two further extensions followed around the end of the decade: a new line to a subdivision on Wells Street via Moran and the Ralston Street line both opened in early 1910. One additional temporary streetcar line was operated during the summers along Alameda Street (later Wells) from Fourth Street to the
racing grounds— rails were laid at the beginning of the season and taken up several months later with a streetcar temporarily shoo-flied in for service. Streetcars were used heavily by commuting workers, shoppers, and pleasure-seekers headed to Wieland’s Park (later known as Coney Island), with the Reno-Sparks line being by far the most popular and generating 80% of all ridership. With an initial fare of ten cents, the journey from Reno to Sparks took approximately thirty minutes, with the streetcar traveling at just . This was the end of Reno's over two decade experiment with a streetcar system. Neither the streetcar ventures or the interurban line were ever confirmed to have paid
dividends to investors. == Potential streetcar revival discussions ==