12875 Thomas Creek Rd, Reno, NV 89511

Thomas Creek Park

Park Description:

Thomas Creek Park is a 6-acre Washoe County park without restrooms. The park offers beautiful views of the Truckee Meadows and the Carson Range.

Park Amenities:

Playground, tennis court, basketball court, volleyball court, picnic area, walking paths, and benches.

Park Contact Information:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space (775) 828-6612

Park Highlights

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Park History

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Thomas Creek History

Going back hundreds of years before the development of this area, Washoe and Paiute tribes would travel from the Truckee Meadows to Lake Tahoe along the area of Thomas Creek. During the early days after settlers arrived for the Comstock Lode, Thomas’ canyons provided timber for use in the mines, both as square-set timbering to keep the mines from collapsing, and for use as firewood to power the steam engines. Trees were more prevalent on the south side of the canyon than the north side. The mills that cut the timber where built in 1862 by John M. Thomas (whom the canyon and creek are named after) and Mr. Welch. The mills were bought by T.K. Hymers in 1868 and closed around 1869. During that time, Frank Bricker owned another mill a couple miles above Thomas’ mill in the canyon.

Image:
19th Century Sawmill from the Cascade Mountains.

Vegetation and Water

The vegetation in Thomas’ and White’s canyons included yellow pine and large red fir, with white fir and sugar pines found at higher elevations. Mountain mahogany grew on the south side of the canyon, as it still does today. The milling operations stripped the canyon of most of the lumber by 1876, but some trees still survived in the less accessible areas. Plans at that time were underway to remove the rest of the wood by El Dorado Wood and Flume Co. via a V-flume that would take the wood down to the V&T Railroad at Brown’s station.

The water in Thomas’ canyon belonged to Granville W. Huffaker and Mr. Peter Dalton. In 1893, Peter Dalton advertised in the newspaper that someone had torn up the dam on his property at Thomas Creek, and he’d pay a $100 reward for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of the crime.

Image:
Photo of Granville W. Huffaker.

In the News

The earliest reference to Thomas Creek in the Reno Gazette Journal was from 1876 when it was reported that a rancher named Barney Clow had a serious accident when he was looking for stray stock while on horseback. The horse lost balance, and both fell into Thomas Creek with the horse falling on top of Clow and the saddle striking his chest.

In 1877 there was a lawsuit where the plaintiff accused the defendant of false and fraudulent representation concerning water rights belonging to the Geller ranch. The defendant said that all the waters of Thomas Creek below the Bowker ranch belonged to Geller ranch, and there was enough water to flood the ranch within two hours. As the plaintiff and defendant traveled throughout the area to look at the land and the creeks, the defendant failed to point out which creek was Thomas Creek and which was Dry Creek and whether the land sold to the plaintiff had water rights or privileges. The jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff for $800.

Fishing was good on Thomas Creek in the old days. It was reported in 1894 that two men left one afternoon from Reno to “flirt with the finny tribe” (i.e. go fishing) in Thomas Creek and would be back the next day. More recently in 2018, an old timer to the area, Thomasson, recalls that before all the homes were built in the area, blue herons and a beaver colony were a common site along Thomas Creek.

Image:
2001 Google Earth Image of Thomas Creek.

Thomas Creek Estates

Thomas Creek Park is part of Thomas Creek Estates which began in 1977. In October 1977, the subdivision was being advertised as Reno’s Newest Country Community. Confidence must have been high, as a public meeting to consider the issuance of a permit to Leonard J. Wykoff to develop 200 homes wasn’t held until the next month in November 1977.

The permit was approved by Washoe County Commissioners, and by October 1978 the area was advertised by Gamboni Construction Company as “Reno’s most exclusive area” with custom 3-,4-, and 5-bedroom “Manors” on ½ acre lots. However, proposals to contractors to build the park weren’t called for until 1987 for phase I, and in 1991 for phase II.

Image:

Thomas Creek Estates
Thomas Creek Park is part of Thomas Creek Estates which began in 1977. In October 1977, the subdivision was being advertised as Reno’s Newest Country Community. Confidence must have been high, as a public meeting to consider the issuance of a permit to Leonard J. Wykoff to develop 200 homes wasn’t held until the next month in November 1977.

The permit was approved by Washoe County Commissioners, and by October 1978 the area was advertised by Gamboni Construction Company as “Reno’s most exclusive area” with custom 3-,4-, and 5-bedroom “Manors” on ½ acre lots. However, proposals to contractors to build the park weren’t called for until 1987 for phase I, and in 1991 for phase II.

Image:
1994 Google Earth Image of Thomas Creek Park.

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Thomas Creek Park on iNaturalist

Contact:

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Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Washoe County Parks and Open Space - Thomas Creek Park
Truckee River and Watershed Information at One Truckee River.
Reno Gazette Journal Article: “Accident” June 16, 1876.
Reno Gazette Journal Article: “Thomas’ Canyon: A Ride Through the Oldest Part of Nevada.” July 22, 1879. (pg. 3).
Reno Gazette Journal Article: November 23, 1977.
Reno Gazette Journal Article: “Advertisement” October 6, 1978.
Reno Gazette Journal Article: June 4, 1987.
Reno Gazette Journal Article: “Notice to Contractors.” January 24, 1991. (pg. 22).
Nevada State Journal Article: “Abraham Banta, Respondent, vs L.C. Savage, Appellant.” June 29, 1877 (pg. 3).
Nevada State Journal Article: “One Hundred Dollars Reward.” Dalton, P. November 3, 1893. (p. 2).
NextDoor App. Local History. “Mt Ranch area of Reno, Nevada.” Thomasson, B. November 3, 2018.
Interview of Brown, A. Park Ranger II. September 25, 2018. (J. Richardson, Interviewer).

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:25:27 PM

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