Tickets on sale for historic barn tour

MINDEN, Nev.

Staff Reports

The Douglas County Historical Society's Great Barns of Carson Valley tour is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 23. Tickets are $25 for non-members and $20 for Douglas County Historical Society members.

Ticket price includes tours of historic timber-framed barns and free admission to the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville and Genoa Courthouse Museum. Complimentary ice cream sundaes are served after the tour until 4 p.m. at the Gardnerville museum.

Tickets for tours of the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park will also be available for $5 per person and must purchased in advance. One-hour tours of the Dangberg Home Ranch begin at 12:45 p.m. Tours are limited to 8 to 10 per tour group.

The winner of the barn photography contest receives $50 and the photo will be featured on the cover of the DCHS newsletter. Photos must be 5-by-7 inches or larger and be on CD to quality. Application and required release form available at the Gardnerville museum.

Raffle tickets available at the Gardnerville museum to win a photo of the Trimmer barn on Ranch No. 1 in Genoa framed with a poem by cowboy poet Ken Gardner. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.

Tickets may be purchased by credit card by calling Douglas County Historical Society at 782-2555. An additional charge of $1 will be charged for postage and handling.

The Douglas County Historical Society features the Great Barns of Carson Valley tour to show the importance of preserving historic structures as part of National Historic Preservation Month in May. Funds from the barn tour benefit the Genoa Courthouse Museum and the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville.

The Douglas County Historical Society is self-supporting and raises operating funds from events like the barn tour. The goal is to preserve local history and make it accessible to residents and visitors.

The Douglas County Historical Society's Great Barns of Carson Valley tour is 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 23. Ticket information at 782-2555.

These are working ranches and spring is a busy time for ranchers. The Douglas County Historical Society is grateful for the opportunity to visit these historic properties.

Mack Land & Cattle barn in Minden

This barn was built in the 1860s by H. H. Springmeyer to stable his horses. It has been in same family for several generations. Today the barn is used to store ranch equipment.

Dangberg Home Ranch barn

This barn is in excellent condition and one of the best examples of timber-framed construction in Carson Valley. Located at the ranch headquarters. The Dangberg Ranch consisted of thousands of acres in Nevada and California. Today the barn is owned by Park Land & Cattle Co.

Stodieck barn

The dairy barn was built by Peter Jensen and Herb Dressler in 1923 and is the only one of its kind in Carson Valley. It was designed to accommodate James Way equipment. Current owner Fred Stodieck has the original building plans.

Henningsen barn

No nails were used in the interior construction when this barn was built in 1890. Square nails were used on the outside planks. The original wood shingles were replaced with tin in the 1950s. After four generations, the barn remains in the Henningsen family.

Hietman-Brunelle barn

The barn was built in the late 1800s and was later moved to this location. The barn was built by a Scandinavian and his seven sons who constructed a barn a week. The large frame timbers in the barn still have bark on them. The exterior and roof were restored in 1992. This barn has passed through the Jacobsen, Heitman, Stodieck and Sorensen families and is today owned by Paul and Sue Brunelle.

Lampe-Jacobs barn

This historic barn was built by a Dane in 1901 and features two granaries, two lofts, four bays and three aisles. Ticket holders have the opportunity to view the bunkhouse and dairy on the property. Timber-frame barn expert Paul Oatman will be onsite to talk about the barns of Carson Valley.