Two Historic Carson Valley Ranches listed in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Today, the Nevada Board of Museums and History gave final approval to list both the Wilhelm and William Lampe Ranch and the Louis and Elmer Stodieck Ranch in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places. The Nevada State Register is the State’s official list of places worthy of preservation.
Both historic ranches reflect the tradition of agriculture and ranching in Carson Valley, and the strong connection the Valley has to German immigration, since the mid-1800s. These traditions are largely reflected in Carson Valley today, and part of what makes both ranch properties worthy of recognition in the State Register.
The Lampe Ranch was first established by Lorens Christensen in 1872, but was eventually acquired by Wilhelm and Maria Lampe, newly arrived German immigrants who began growing hay and raising cattle on the ranch in 1887. Wilhelm Lampe’s son William continued to operate the ranch until 1965, expanding the operation to 300 acres. It also became one of the only ranches in Carson Valley to have its own functioning creamery, as most area ranchers used the cooperative facility in Minden, constructed by the Dangberg family. After 1965, the Lampe family sold most of the land associated with the ranch for development which now comprises most of southern and eastern Gardnerville. The ranch complex, including the main house, barn, creamery, and remaining farmland, are currently operated as the Jacobs Family Berry Farm.
The Louis and Elmer Stodieck Ranch was initially homesteaded by Peter Lightle in 1860. The ranch passed through several owners before Louis (or Ludwig) Stodieck acquired the ranch in 1904 and constructed a new complex. Louis Stodieck was one of the three sons of Frederick Stodieck, Sr., all of whom established abutting ranches on lands south of Minden and Gardnerville, with Louis’ being the farthest west off present-day Waterloo Lane. Marrying Helene Frieda Bartels, in 1904, the couple built up the ranch into a sizeable hay and cattle operation that remained in the Stodieck family until 2014, when it was sold to the P&K Ranch LLC, which continues to operate it for hay production. The ranch is also protected under a conservation easement program intended to preserve agricultural land in Carson Valley.
Both nominations are available from the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office on request, or on the web at http://shpo.nv.gov/historicplaces.
Property owners with questions about the program or how to list their property in the State Register are encouraged to contact the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. The State Register of Historic Places, with its companion program the National Register of Historic Places, is managed by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office and reviewed by Nevada’s Board of Museums and History.
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The Nevada State Register of Historic Places was established in 1979 to recognize historic resources that exemplify the characteristics that Nevadan’s believe to be important. For a resource to be eligible it should be 50 years of age and should not only ‘tell a story’ important to Nevada history but should retain physical evidence of that story.