A brief history of the Nevada State Prison

Retired Supervising Criminal Investigator Rod Moore with the Nevada State Prison spoke at the Feb. 22 Minden Rotary meeting.

Moore’s career spanned 30 years starting five years after graduating from Douglas High School. One of the questions in his hiring interview was “Are you willing to sit on a Death Squad?” This was an eye-opener for young Moore. In his tenure he sat on three. He held several positions and drew on his personal knowledge to give us a brief history of the Nevada State Prison.

Nevada State Prison is located in Carson City. The prison was in continuous operation from its establishment in 1862 until its closure in 2012, a period of 150 years. Abraham Curry, an early settler of Eagle Valley (the site of Carson City), built a hotel and started a rock quarry. In 1861, the first Territorial Legislature created the Board of Prison Commissioners. They leased 20 acres from Curry and gave him $80,000 in interest-bearing bonds for the property. Curry was also appointed as the first territorial warden of the prison on that date.

In 1871 a prison break occurred. Twenty-seven prisoners escaped, acquired guns and shot Lt. Governor Denver and several guards. Most were recaptured and two were hung by a posse at Convict Lake in Mono County.

In the 1920s Assembly Bill 98 passed legalizing gambling. The legislature allowed prisoners to gamble. The prisoners developed their own coins, security and rules around the gambling. This was stopped when Gov. Laxalt took office. By the way, those coins are collector’s items.

By 2012, housing prisoners in the aging facility had become cost prohibitive. Most of the 700 inmates were transferred to the High Desert State Prison, located in Indian Springs.

Part of this essay was researched on the NSP website where you can purchase tickets to tour the State Prison.

Minden Rotary meets noon Thursdays at COD Casino in Minden.