A sign at the Lyon County Museum in Yerington, recognizing the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad, which served the area in the first part of the 20th century, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013.
Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023 | 2 a.m.
• Sixth in a series
Nevada is a sprawling state with most of its people in two population centers. But beyond the reaches of Las Vegas and Reno is a land filled with attractions and history. Some of them, of course, might not be familiar to most Nevadans. The Sun has reached out to mayors and representatives of the Silver State’s 19 cities, giving them a platform in our pages to talk about their area’s history and attractions and to describe what makes them special and what challenges they face.
Today, we present a Q+A with Mayor John Garry of Yerington.
Give us a history lesson. What makes your jurisdiction unique?
Yerington does have an interesting history born of its ranching and farming background. Yerington was known as Pizenswitch and Greenfield before becoming Yerington. I find the first name amusing because it was a warning to travelers that the whiskey may have been tainted or poisoned at the “switch.” The local western gibberish of the time made poison become “pizen” and the switch shortened to Pizenswitch. In time, the locals did not care to have their township known as Pizenswitch and changed the name to Greenfield. The enterprising citizens of the early 1900s saw that commerce of their township could be greatly improved if the railroad would move a line into their community. In an effort to entice Mr. Henry Yerington, the railroad baron, to bring a railroad line into their community, they would name their township after him. Regrettably, the ploy did not work, but the name Yerington stuck. As a point of local pride, there is only one city in the entire United States named Yerington.
What kind of attractions and events do you have that people may be interested in visiting?
We have many natural, man-made sights and events to attract people to Yerington. We have beautiful Wilson Canyon that the Walker River runs alongside and State Route 208. The views are breathtaking and there are fishing and hunting opportunities in the immediate area. The Lyon County Museum has many unique exhibits featuring prehistoric finds, local history and artifacts that will charm visitors, including the first fire engine still serviceable and housed within its own fire station. The original Walker River Schoolhouse sits on the property and provides insights into the days of the one-room school.
Yerington has become known for its “Night In the Country” event that features many country music artists, a rodeo, unique vendors and copious amounts of wine and beer. There are many more events that the city closes Main Street to bring the community and visitors alike to visit. In recent years, the city has helped host a Parade of Lights for the Christmas season that has grown with many floats. Thanks to a dedicated city hall staff, the council chambers are transformed into a Santa Winter Wonderland for the delight of local children. There is much more: Our Jeanne Dini Center hosts events throughout the year featuring stage plays, musicals and civic events. The building itself is worthy of view with its unique architecture built in 1912 as a schoolhouse.
What new development opening in 2024 has you excited? Why?
We have some new businesses that are opening on Main Street. The newest is Just Not Candles and features homemade products and items from a host of women-owned businesses creating their own products, making this a singular place to shop to find items that can not be found elsewhere. We have several antique stores in the immediate area. I hope to find that the introduction of new businesses, entertainment venues and perhaps new eateries will bring visitors to our community, creating greater commerce and prosperity for all.
What is the biggest challenge facing your jurisdiction?
There are always challenges, but creating new and managing growth to create an environment to have our local children want to raise their own children here is a strong goal. Many parents will tell you raising your children in Yerington is the best possible environment, but many times when those children grow up, they move to establish themselves elsewhere. If more diverse opportunities can be developed than a return to their cherished childhood memories of their community, then that would be ideal.
What industry is most important to your town’s economy? What about diversifying?
The imprint of Yerington economy has been — and I suspect always will be — our farming, ranching and mining.
Peri & Sons Farm is the supplier to the five western states for onions. Snyder Ranch features an annual bull sale that brings in ranchers from across the country. We have several mining operations either in Yerington or nearby. Hudbay Minerals is engaged in exploratory drilling and may prove to be a major employer, as they have a local office in Yerington. We have three casino-type operations: Dini’s Lucky Club, Casino and Cafe; Pioneer West Casino and Restaurant; and Dotty’s Casino. Dini’s Lucky Club just celebrated its 90th year of operation as perhaps the oldest continuously owned family business of its type. Pioneer has had a makeover. Dotty’s has created a new casino to double its operation.
We welcome and encourage new businesses to settle here. We have land to support light- to medium-level manufacturers. We have historic buildings on our Main Street that an imaginative entrepreneur could transform into specialty retail stores that would bring visitors in. We are developing our existing airport to cater to the aviation community more extensively. The city is engaged in a program with local schools to create a fledgling school to train future pilots that are desperately needed.
What opportunity does your community provide for public education? What challenges does it face?
Yerington has a well-established elementary, middle school and high school to support local children. They are our source of pride, having won national contests in poetry, music, speech and academic achievement. Yerington High School has fielded championship teams in football, basketball and baseball. Our young ladies have won a championship in volleyball.
For higher learning, our students seek out other schools. The advent of broadband should provide more opportunities for satellite schools. We hope to establish an aviation school and an industrial arts program. We will form more partnerships for the benefit of our children with our schools, Lyon County and the state of Nevada.
What challenges do your residents face with health care availability and cost?
We are fortunate to have Lyon County Medical Hospital in our city. However, the hospital is limited in the services it can provide. If there is a major medical issue, then help must be sought in Carson City or Reno. If it is an emergency requiring immediate attention, then that person may find themselves flown to a hospital. We do have the Mason Valley Fire Department to help stabilize a patient prior to arrival at LCMC. We recommend that our residents buy extra insurance to cover the cost of a life flight. There is also the Lahontan Medical Center, and visiting physician programs to assist with the medical needs of our community.
Nevadans have lived with historic drought for the past two decades. What initiatives are in place to save the valuable commodity of water?
We are fortunate to have a good and ample supply of water to allow for future growth. However, we do see our water tables rise and fall during the heavily demanding summer months. We have plans in place to moderate the use of water as necessary such as controlling days of the week one can water.
What issues are facing your community regarding roads and transportation?
We have several state highways that crisscross our town, namely state Routes 208, 339 and 95A. These are all pretty much two-lane roads shared with farm equipment. We have no bus lines or Uber service in the area. There are service organizations that help provide transportation to our elderly who need transportation into Carson City and Reno. The cost for future infrastructure to provide greater opportunities for accessible transportation will require a coalition of state and federal partners but given the tight fiscal times we face, it will be years into the future. In the meantime, we have great people who help each other.
How can public safety be enhanced in your community?
Yerington does have its own police department. We have done much to support the organization with training and the newest possible equipment. We are recruiting new police officers to fill our ranks. We have incentive programs and hiring bonuses to attract applicants. We have established a community watch program. We need a new police station and we are working toward goals to add positions to our existing department. We are seeking out grants and other funding to support us. The challenges are numerous but we meet those challenges.
What is one thing you wish the rest of the state knew about your jurisdiction?
I am a California transplant. The one thing that made me love this community is the people here. I had an addition of a front porch built and had a local contractor give me his estimate, I agreed to his price. I asked for his contract. “Contract? We don’t need a contract!” In California, I would have to sign in 18 places and provide a blood sample. I told him to give me two weeks notice before starting so I could have funds in my account to pay him. He started the job without notifying me. When he finished the job, I reminded him that he failed to notify me two weeks early as promised. His response was priceless, “You do not have the money now, pay me when you can.” Unheard of, I joyfully paid him and gave him a bonus for an exceptional craftsmanship job well done.
I wish you could know the local Rotary members who work tirelessly on community projects and raise $30,000 each year for scholarships for our high school students. A dirt lot that became a dump site was cleaned, remodeled into a beautiful park with two gazebos and a water feature with concrete sidewalks that allowed handicap access to the area.
I wish I could have you know the farmers of this community who stepped up during our recent flood to provide much of their equipment and labor to help save this community. I wish you could know the many people from our local churches who help and provide charity to those in need. I wish you could know the many volunteers who make the Mason Valley Fire Department operational. I wish you could know the many senior citizens who still find the ability to volunteer their time at the Lyon County Museum and make it a source of joy.
I wish you could know all these people and the ones out of necessity I overlooked because if you did, you would love them as much as I do.
