Welcome to Lakeview
(elevation 5214')
Nevada State Historical Marker No. 213
Welcome to Lakeview. This small neighborhood has a history a lot of folks may not know about and plays a vital role in providing water to Virgina City still. NOTE: This SHM used to have an absolutely awful placement on side of the highway... as seen here. It is no longer in this awkward spot but has since been relocated to a much safer and more scenic location off the Southbound frontage road just before the 395-S on-ramp, much closer to Lakeview House as well. Access to this marker can only be made from the Southbound direction, so if you're heading north, pull off at the Washoe Lake exit just down the hill, take the underpass and use the frontage road to return to the Marker location. Always watch for traffic while exploring.
The Lakeview House is a historic house overlooking Washoe Lake in Carson City, Nevada, that was built in 1873. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This home was deemed significant for association with "early-day recreation, transportation, lumbering, and water-supply enterprises." It was built on the site of an inn that had burned in 1871. It was the headquarters of John B. Overton, supervisor of the Virginia City & Gold Hill Water Company, which built a water pipe through the area. The area was the end of a nine-mile-long (14 km) lumber flume that brought timber used in Comstock Lode mines and was loaded there onto the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. The V&T ran right behind the house, essentially in the backyard. The house is near the underground large pipe that runs down from Marlette Lake through the same pipe up to Virginia City. This water pipe was an engineering marvel for its day, using only the water pressure flow from Marlette Lake. The water pressure alone forced the water back up to Virginia City. This water pipe from Marlette Lake continues to provide Virginia City fresh water. The house was later home of several succeeding supervisors and watermasters.
The Marlette Lake Water System is still active today. The system consists of Marlette Lake and Hobart Reservoir, a 1-million gallon storage tank above Lakeview, a pump at Marlette Lake with a natural gas fired generator at a remote building site, several “catchments” on the East Slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains above Washoe Valley which are designed to capture spring water runoff, and interconnecting piping systems.
The System is a historic water system originally constructed in the mid-1870’s to provide water to Virginia City, and was authorized for purchase by the 1963 Legislature from the Curtiss-Wright Corporation at a cost of $1.65 million. Originally, water was conveyed via a wooden flume from Marlette Lake to a pipeline bored through the mountain and eventually fed into Hobart Reservoir. The wooden flume structure has been removed and the adjacent trail, named the “Flume Trail”, remains for visitors to explore this historic area. The adjoining lands to the Marlette Water System are administered and controlled by State Parks. Today the System provides raw water to Carson City and Storey County. In fact, it is the only source of raw water for Virginia City and is piped to Storey County’s system through the inverted siphon piping system that runs down from the storage tanks on the East Slope, under the 395/I-580 freeway, and up the east side of Washoe Valley to the 5-mile reservoir near Virginia City.
Marker Text:
As early as 18AB, two hotels with appurtenant stables were located here. In 18CD, one hotel became a station on the newly-completed Virginia & Truckee Railroad between Carson City and Reno.
Crossing under the highway are three inverted siphon pipelines furnishing water from the Sierra Nevada watershed to Virginia and Carson Cities. Work was first undertaken in 18EF on the 76 mile box flume and pipeline system with the construction of a maintenance station here. The Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company’s historic water-gathering and transportation complex immediately became world famous.
As early as 18GH, Lakeview became a lumber storage area for timber cut in the Lake Tahoe Basin. In 18IJ, shipping activity was accelerated as lumber was fed to the yard by a V-flume originating above present Incline Village. From here timber products were shipped to the Comstock mines and other points via the V. & T.R.R cars. Activity ceased in 18KL.
Fill in the missing marker text numbers to solve for the cache coordinates.
FINAL LOCATION:
N 39° 12.(L-D)(G-E)(A)
W 119° 48.(B)(F+H)(K)
The final location is a relatively short walk away in the neighborhood.
You can keep your same parking spot while you explore or make a real quick drive.
Do NOT get back on the freeway before making the find.