Myron C. Lake
Myron Charles Lake (Feb. 1828-June 20, 1884), merchant/entrepreneur, was the hot-tempered, tight-fisted founder of Reno, Nevada. Between 1861 and 1873, Lake lorded over the town through his vast real estate holdings and control of a vitally important toll bridge and road. He quickly assumed the posture of a stereotypical “avaricious” robber baron, and in an unhappy marriage, often resorted to domestic violence. But he also wielded a keen business acumen and in so doing, ensured that the Central Pacific Railroad during the building of the great transcontinental project would run through Reno, thereby securing the future growth and prosperity of western Nevada.[1]
Early life
Very little is known about Lake’s early years and much of what is known remains unclear. He was born in Union County, New York state, the oldest of 7 children (5 boys, 2 girls) born to Catherine Van Tassell (1803-1874) of New York state and John Lake (Aug. 24, 1799-Jan. 15, 1877), of Maine.[2]
About 1839, the family moved to Sandwich, Dekalb County, Illinois, about 70 miles west of Chicago. Lake saw service during 1848 in the Mexican-American War as an infantry private in Illinois’ volunteer Company D, First Regiment. Following the war, he returned home to establish a farm of 320 acres, comprised of a 160-acre government land grant and his personal acquistion of the rest.[3]
By 1852, he had moved on to Rabbit Creek, Calif. near Sacramento to try his hand at mining;[4] Five years later, he moved to Honey Lake Valley, Calif. where he built a modest ranch. Evidence indicates that, in October 1857, Lake played prominently in the vigilante apprehension and near lynching of the notorious Lowery Gang. As such, Lake may well have participated in "the tradition of vigilance committees in California."[5] It was here that he met Charles W. "Bill" Fuller from whom Lake would, in September 1861, acquire Fuller's Crossing, a small station, road, and bridge over the Truckee River in exchange for Lake's California ranch and $1500.[6]
Lake’s Crossing
Where Fuller experienced nothing but failure, Lake saw flashing dollar signs. His deal with Fuller would mark the beginning of a rocky path to astounding financial success
Dark Side
Legacy
Notes
- ↑ Townley, p. 146-47; Rocha, p. 28; Cafferata, pp. 25-32.
- ↑ John Lake was a Baptist farmer and is buried next to his son in Reno's Mountain View Cemetery. In 1876, John and Catherine relocated to Reno from DeKalb County, Illinois; they moved in with Myron and Jane at their Junction House ranch (now, corner of S. Virginia Street and Peckham Lane). Townley, pp. 148, 166.
- ↑ For the Illinois relocation date: J. Lake obituary, Reno Evening Gazette, Jan. 16, 1877, p. 2; Illinois State Archives, Springfield, Ill.,
Illinois Mexican War Veterans Database, accessed Nov. 30, 2008; Cafferata, p. 28. - ↑ Lake's obituary in the Nevada State Journal (June 21, 1884, p. 3) gives the year as 1851.
- ↑ Zanjani, p. 99; Townley, p. 53.
- ↑ At least two bridge washouts, two bankruptcies, and competition from existing fords convinced Fuller that it was time to move on. Fuller's idea, ahead of Lake, was to serve miners trudging to and from the Comstock. His station made for a considerably shorter and easier crossing than the previously established Stone & Gates bridge, about four miles east of his. Townley, pp. 52-53, 57, 63; Cafferata, p. 29.
References
There is no single biography and even now much information remains to be collected, especially with regard to Lake's pre-Nevada life. He left no diaries or journals. And amazingly, absolutely no information exists on Lake's first marriage. A collection of Myron C. Lake Papers (MS RNC 128) can be found at the Nevada Historical Society in Reno. The works below were explicitly consulted during the composition of this article.
- Cafferata, Patricia D. Lake Mansion: Home to Reno's Founding Families (Reno: Eastern Slope Publisher, 2006).
- Land, Barbara and Myrick. A Short History of Reno (Reno: Univ. of Nevada Press, 1995).
- Rocha, Guy Louis. “Reno’s First Robber Baron,” Nevada Magazine 40,2(March-April, 1980), pp. 28-29, 62.
- Rowley, William D. Reno: Hub of the Washoe Country (Woodland Hills, Calif.: Windsor Publications, 1984).
- Townley, John M. Tough Little Town on the Truckee: Reno, 1868-1900 (Reno: Great Basin Studies Center, 1983).
- Zanjani, Sally. Devils Will Reign: How Nevada Began (Reno: Univ. of Nevada Press, 2006).
- Zimmer, Ethel. "In a Housewife's Life--a City's History," Nevada State Journal (Sept. 7, 1958), p. 8.
- ___________. "Myron Lake Made a Trade and Founded a City," Nevada State Journal (Nov. 2, 1958), p. 52.