Through the years mining towns boomed,then disappeared;cattlemen grew rich,then lost it all when harsh winters destroyed their herds;bootleggers and prositutes had their day;and the town sent its share of men to the war. Today, Winnemucca is as much a crossroads as it was a century ago,and continues to draw travelers,ranchers,miners,and visitors.
Old town Winnemucca sits on the corner of First and Bridge Streets,near the Humboldt River. The Winnemucca Hotel,where Basque meals are served on the river tie in with the origin of the town. The hostelry,which dates back to the 1860s,was built by Louis Lay & Co.,who were early pioneer Frenchmen after whom Lay,Baud and Malarkey Streets were named. The hotel was a stage terminal in those days and the bar is a magnificent example of western heritage.
ABOUT SARAH WINNEMUCCA ( INDO - CHICANO )
It is a credit to the native Indian people in Nevada that the most outstanding woman leader in the state's history was Sarah Winnemucca,daughter of Chief Winnemucca of the Northern Paiutes. Born in the 1840s,Sarah received only a few weeks of formal schooling.In spite of that handicap,and in spite of constantly moving abo;ut with her people,she mastered the English language,learned to reand and write, and became the major spokesperson for the Indians of Nevada.
Because of her ability in English and because of her native intelligence,Sarah was relied upon by government personnel(particularly military authorities) to interpet their policies to the Northern Paiutes. Unlike many interpreters,however,Sarah Winnemucca wa not a mere "mouthpiece" or "government India." She soon became aware of abuses being carried out by Indian Bureau officials and by other whites,and she began to fight against these wrongs.
As early as 1871, Sarah began writing letters to government officials protesting her people's condition,and in that same year,she made several journeys to San Francisco,Washington,D.C,and Fort Vancouver,Washington in order to obtain justice. She met with Secretary of the Interior,Carl Schurs,and the President Rutherford B. Hayes,all in no avail,as the promises made in these meetings were seldom carried out. For exampl, she sought adequate land for her people and this was promised,but the promise was not kept.
In the late 1870s, Sarah Winnemucca became a lecturer,speaking at meetings ib Nevada and California and pleading for the decent treatment of indians. Finally,in the early 1880s,she went on the lecture tour in the New Englane and wrote her book,Life Among the Paiutes(1882). Her in fluence was great and another book, sarah Winnemucca's Solution of the Indian Problems,resulted.
In 1884,she returned to Nevada and founded an Indian school at Loveloc; however,white hostility,illness and lack of funds forced her to take a job as a domestic servant. Finally, Sarah left Nevada and went to Montana, where she died in 1891.
It is a shame indeed that this courageous woman,of who all Nevadans should be proud,has never had a suitable memorial erected in her honor. It would be fitting if Nevada Indians would lead a campaign to have a major building or school named after Sarah Winnemucca. That would be a fine tribute to Nevada's outstanding woman; and it would be a tribute to all of the First Nevadans as well.
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