Yerington Monday: A Little Wellington History

Yerington Monday:  A Little Wellington History

About five miles from the town of Smith is the little town of Wellington.  They are both in Smith Valley.  I remember Wellington best for its indoor swimming pool. As kids of the fifties, we would beg our parents to drive us the 26 miles so we could swim.  It was the only action back then.  I also remember lots of cattle and sheep interrupting our drive as they crossed the road.  I alway found Wellington to be a picturesque little town in this agricultural valley.  It, like Smith, has a very interesting history. (click on the pictures to discover more).

Wellington Post Office/ Wells Fargo Ticket Office

Date: 1865-1911

Location: The original site was near the Iron Bridge on the east side of the river in Wellington. It is presently located in a field on Day Lane on the property of Mr. Ben Harrison.

History: The 12 by 16 foot building served as a post office and a Wells Fargo ticket office. The Wells Fargo Official Directory first shows an agency in Wellington in 1872. There was an agent at this site from 1872 to 1890.

Wellington Brick Building

Date: 1873

Location: Highway 208 adjacent to the CG Bar

History: Sidney Sweetman worked for Cyrus Smith before 1889 and was a stonemason and farmer by trade. Sweetman formed and fired the bricks and built this building as his home. Mrs. Mary Hoye later used it as a private school for her niece and nephew, with Miss White as their teacher. In the 1920's the building became a butcher shop run by Joe Azneraz. The building is now restored and is used as a wine cellar and office.

Heyday Inn

Date: Circa 1875

Location: 3 Wellington Cutoff, Wellington

History: The Heyday Inn is a two-story wood structure that is currently operated as a restaurant and bar. The ground floor contains a dining room, bar, restrooms, private meeting room, and the kitchen facilities. The top story is an apartment where the current owners reside. The private meeting room is the weekly location for the Smith Valley Rotary Club and Soroptimist International of Smith Valley. The Heyday Inn was built around 1875 by Zadok Pierce. It was called Pierce Station, which was a grocery store, hotel and feed store. Travelers came by stagecoach from the V&T train station in Minden, crossing the West Walker River and down Hoye Canyon to Pierce Station where the stage line ended. Passengers on their way to Sweetwater, Bridgeport, Bodie and Aurora would spend the night. The next day a spring wagon would take the passengers and mail on the rest of the journey. In 1903 W. E. Reading and Gould Reading from Bodie bought Pierce Station. They changed the name to W. E. Reading General Merchandise. They served the Valley ranchers and mining towns in the area. Around 1945 Perry and Gerri Aikins bought the store and called it the Heyday Inn. They opened it as a bar and restaurant until the early sixties when they sold it. In 1980 Bill and Sherri Carlson and J.P. and Marilyn Ithurburu purchased it from Ernest Groso. They did all the remodeling themselves and opened in January of 1983, roughly 100 years since it was built. The outside of the building is original but the inside has been completely remodeled. On July 1, 2001, Bill and Ellie Bohlin took over operation of the Heyday and continue to operate it as a restaurant and bar.

Hoye Mansion

Date: 1878

Location: The Hoye Mansion is in Wellington, on Highway 208.

History: John and Mary Hoye came from Ireland and settled on the Walker River, south of Wellington, where they had a river crossing and station. In 1878 they moved their buildings north up the river canyon to Wellington and opened the Wellington Mercantile. They built the Hoye Mansion, which took five years to complete, a barn, a blacksmith shop, gardens and an orchard. The building materials for the house included square nails, white pine beams, framing 2x4s, 2x12s and 2x11s, provided by the Truckee Lumber Company. The house has four fireplaces, twenty double-hung windows, a lofty stairway, 11’6” ceilings, and screened in porches on both the first and second floor. The attic was filled with beds for travelers to rent. The mansion was a cheery, cozy, and elegant hotel home. In the 1880s, Mrs.Hoye had quite a reputation for setting a fine table. In 1915 at age 80, Mary Hoye passed on, leaving an elegant home and legacy.

Old Wellington Schoolhouse

Date: 1898

Location: Presently located at 2855 Highway 208, at the Wellington Station Resort, Wellington

Description: The Wellington School House was built in 1898 in the heart of Wellington. In 1971, James and Marion Compston obtained the schoolhouse from Mr. Verl Fell and Joe Acciari Moving moved it from its original site to its present site at the Wellington Station Resort. The Compton's restored the school building with a new roof, paint, and power for electric lighting. The Cupola on the top of the building was from the old Smith Valley  Grammar School on Smith Gage Road, donated by Pauline and Basil Quilici. Jim and  Marion purchased the bell from Mr. Gus Neese of Carson City. Jim Compston had the idea of making the building a museum, using artifacts from the Smith Valley area and from Nevada, in general. He used old boards and hinges from his ranch, and gradually put the museum together. The Schoolhouse/Museum is open to all upon appointment.

The Hoye Blacksmith Shop

Date: 1878

Location: The blacksmith shop is located in Wellington, Nevada on the property of Dr. Robin Titus.

History: John and Mary Hoye moved to Wellington from their toll bridge crossing on the Walker River south of the canyon in 1878. One of the buildings they erected was a blacksmith shop. In 1991, Frank Parsons and John Hara put a new foundation under the shop and added a half second floor. This half floor has served as an art studio, a doll studio, an exercise room, and a bedroom. Currently, the blacksmith shop is used as a barn and carriage house. The forge is still in the building.

Hoye, Groso Barn

Date: Circa 1879

Location: The Hoye /Groso Barn is located on Hoye Canyon Road just west of Highway 9 208 in Wellington.

History: John and Mary Hoye moved to Wellington from their previous location at the  south end of what is known today as Hoye Canyon. They needed a very large barn to  service the many mule and horse teams that carried supplies to the mines. The barn  was built about the same time as the Hoye Mansion and blacksmith shop. Maxine Groso now owns the barn and still uses it in caring for her sheep.

Hobart/Rogers/Fulstone Barn

Date: Circa late 1880’s

Location: Off of Highway 208 in Wellington

History: Since 1863 official records show that three families (Hobart, Rogers, Fulstone) have owned the land where this barn is constructed. It is not clear, who actually built the barn. Richard Fulstone, grandson of Annie and George Fulstone, purchased the ranch in the late 1980’s. He put a new roof on the barn and repaired some of the inside posts to keep the barn from deteriorating any further.

Sayre House

Date: Circa 1900

Location: Highway 208 Wellington, Nevada

History: The Sayre house was built by the Shreck brothers on the west corner of Rivers Road and Smith Gage Road. Sophia Shreck married Andrew Phleming in 1889 and raised their family in this house while it was at the Rivers Road location. When the children were grown, Sophia Shreck Sayre and her unmarried daughter converted it into a boarding house. In about 1919, the house was moved to Wellington with the aid of three large caterpillar tractors, skids, and large rolling logs. The present owner is Steve Bohler of Carson Valley.

"Old Iron Bridge"

Date: Circa 1918

Location: The bridge is located in Wellington, just off of Smith Gage Road and Hwy. 208. It traverses the West Walker River on the James Compston Jr. Ranch.

History: The iron bridge, a Delaware/Lacawana train bridge, was erected about 1918, to replace a wooden bridge that crossed the West Walker River. All travelers coming into Smith Valley by way of Jack Wright Pass used the Iron Bridge. The original road came through what is presently the James Compston Jr. Ranch and then crossed the West Walker River. The Nevada State Highway Dept. built a new highway and a new cement bridge (Hwy 17 208). Today the Old Iron Bridge is an entrance to the Compston Ranch.

Wellington

Following the mining boom in the Aurora District in 1860, Jack Wright and Leonard Hamilton put up a bridge across the West Walker River and established a stage station at this location. Wagons and stages were repaired, horses shod and the station became a trading center for nearby ranches and farms.

In 1863, Daniel Wellington bought out the interests of Wright and Hamilton and the station became known as "Wellington's." The Wellington Hotel, located about a half mile south of the station, was constructed by wagonmaster Zadok Pierce in 1875. Over the years it has served as a livery stable, freight station, general store and post office.