Yerington Monday: The Nordyke House

Yerington Monday: The Nordyke House

I have passed this house on Highway Nevada 339 many times over the years on my way to Wilson Canyon.  I never knew much about it, but always admired its architecture. Upon research I discovered it is a historical treasure in Mason Valley and has recently been listed as a Nevada State Register of Historic Places.  Click on the pictures to learn more about this house.

The Nordyke House in Mason Valley as it looked in the 1960s, published in the Carson Chronicle on Aug. 26, 1971.

J.W. Wilson

The house sits on the west side of State Route 339 at the old Nordyke town site in Mason Valley.  The Nordyke House was built at its present location by J.W. Wilson between 1903 and 1906.

The Wilson family, for whom Wilson Canyon is named, had come to Mason Valley from Missouri and was the first family to settle in Mason Valley, according to History of Nevada 1881 by Thompson and West. The canyon was named after "Uncle Billy Wilson" who was a miner and rancher, and for whom the Wilson Mining District is also named.  At the time, Mason Valley was part of Esmeralda County and the deed to the property, recorded in August 1863, was the county's first.

The Wilson family, for whom Wilson Canyon is named, had come to Mason Valley from Missouri and was the first family to settle in Mason Valley, according to "History of Nevada 1881," by Thompson and West. At the time, Mason Valley was part of Esmeralda County and the deed to the property, recorded in August 1863, was the county's first.

Wilson bought the house off a lot in Virginia City and had it shipped to Lyon County well after the last of the mining had peaked at the Comstock Lode.

A story published in the March 7, 1903, Lyon County Times states that J.W. Wilson had begun construction of the home.  A newspaper article in 1906 about an adjacent flour mill refers to J.W. living in a "modern palatial house." The house was dubbed the Nordyke House in honor of A. H. Nordyke, a businessman from Indiana who was in Mason Valley to help the Wilson's design the mill and sell them equipment.

The first residents of the house, James W. and Mary Ellis Wilson, were part of Mason Valley’s renowned Wilson family. Members of the Wilson family established ranching and mining operations in Mason Valley, served in the state legislature, and helped develop the Walker River Irrigation District to aid agriculture in the region. The Wilsons sold the property to Alfrid Bohm, who continued to ranch at the site and made several additions to the home until he too moved on in 1950.

Nordyke Ranch House joins 151 other resources throughout Nevada listed in the State Register of Historic Places.  Nordyke Ranch House in Lyon County, south of Yerington, was listed in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places on September 12, 2014. As one of the few remaining buildings of the small ranching community of Nordyke, the ranch house stands as a visible reminder of Mason Valley’s agricultural development in the early 20th century

Tom and Judy Price the current owners are both are former educators, Tom as a university math professor who also worked as computer consultant, and Judy in special education administration and testing. They moved to Mason Valley specifically to buy the Nordyke House, coming from Santa Fe, N.M., where Judy had been working.

Through their research, Tom and Judy discovered that Wilson built the house with used lumber from a building that had been demolished in Virginia City. While remodeling the house, Tom came across sections of wood that was stamped "J.W. Wilson Wabuska," indicating it had been shipped from somewhere else to Wabuska by rail. "It was made with lumber from somewhere, but it was not moved, not even in sections,"

Tom and Judy Price of Yerington bought the home 16 years ago with plans to restore to its original condition. They said they think the Wilson's would approve of “the transformation of the house from a tired utilitarian ranch house, back to a house that reflects their status as early, influential settlers.”