14th Annual Tour Includes Visits and Past Tales of Homes from the 1800s

(Carson City, Nev.) – This year, Carson City is celebrating its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) and the city’s rich historic past is coming to life during the Wild West Tour Spring Ghost Walk, Saturday, May 24, 2008.

The guided walking tour along the historic Kit Carson Trail features 1800s Victorian-style homes and costumed docents. Stops along tour include:

• Ferris Mansion, home of George Ferris, Jr., inventor of the Ferris Wheel for the Chicago World Columbian Exposition in 1893.
• Orion Clemens House, home Mark Twain’s older brother who served as secretary to Territorial Governor William Nye, was built in 1863 and was called “the Governor's Mansion,” though the real Governor’s Mansion wouldn’t be built until 1909.
• Rinckel Mansion, built by the fortune of Mathias Rinckel, a forward-looking meat magnate who struck it rich supplying Gold Rushers and Lake Tahoe lumbermen.
• Lee House, also known as Judge Clark J. Guild home, Lee, a prominent doctor and surgeon for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, built the home from the lumber of the razed school on the same sites.
• St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, the first in Carson City, which was built in 1871.

Tour guides will tell colorful stories about the buildings and its owners inside the humble, and not-so-humble abodes, of yesteryear.

Other notable characters including Kit Carson, Margaret Ormsby and a Pony Express Rider, will make special appearances from the past. Kit Carson will be at Eagle Station, the site of the first outpost which sold pans and supplies to miners.

There are 12 stops along the specially designed 1.5-mile route with five historic homes welcoming guests inside. Seven of Carson City’s “original” residents will greet tour-goers along the way to tell their semi-fictional stories.

The tours begin at 3rd and South Carson Streets, departing every half hour from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

With the popularity of this annual event, advance reservations are recommended by calling 775-687-7410 or 1-800-NEVADA-1. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children six to 12, and free for those under six. The route is a flat, easy walk, accessible to strollers, which can be left outside the houses open for viewing.

The 2.5-mile Kit Carson Trail, follows a sidewalk route marked by a blue line and inlaid bronze medallions signifying historical points of interest. Annual themed walks along the Trail include the Ghost Walk in late October and the Victorian Home Christmas Tour in early December. Those who prefer a self-guided tour can hear the stories of featured houses and points of interest at any time by downloading the podcasts at www.visitcarsoncity.com/ attractions/kitcarson_talkinghouses.php, by getting the RSS, or by purchasing a refundable $5 CD at the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. Complimentary maps of the route are available at the CCCVB.