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Reno, 1950, Where Dreams Meet
Reno, Washoe, Nevada Cover Date: May 31, 1950 What could make a better story than an historic train, a little boy, and a dream! |
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Cover as History:
End of an Era: 1949 saw an end of an era. An era in which the most famous (probably) and richest (definitely) short line ran from Virginia City to Reno. In Reno the train ran down present-day Holcomb Avenue. It squeezed between Virginia Street and Wells Avenue where they met and then followed Virginia Street out to the Truckee Meadows. After decades of making more money than is almost imaginable bringing silver down from the Comstock, the V&T was no longer profitable. In January 1949 the railroad applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for an order that would allow them to abandon the road. The train continued to run through the hearings. Despite pleas from local ranchers and farmers, the V&T had shown a yearly loss since 1932 and was granted the right to abandon the track. May 31, 1950 was the last run of this incredible short line railroad. |
History of Cover:
Beginning of a Dream: Reno was a sleepy town in 1949. The war was over and things were getting back to normal. Young men and women met and fell in love. Two such lovers were Joe Elcano Jr. and Dorothy Mae Ward. They soon moved into a house on the edge of town on Casazza Drive. The house was not a palace. It had two small bedrooms. A pot belly stove in the living room provided what heat there was. The only redeeming qualities were (1) it was a home and (2) it was a block from the V&T tracks where Wells and Virginia came together. In 1949 a young boy was growing up in that house. Joseph Furman Elcano III was the first born son of Joe and Dorothy. He didn't know it, but he was a boy with a sense of history. He would hear the V&T whistle blow from down the tracks. His parents would walk him down Casazza and they would watch the train pass by waving to the conductor, engineer, and fireman. |
Where Dreams Meet History
The V&T was ending its life and Joe Elcano was beginning his. But the two stories do not end here. The railroad the young boy would walk down to see when he was one, would be revived by historians and train lovers. Forty years later, Joe would start collecting covers. One of his first was this last day cancel of the V&T. That sent him to the V&T Museum in Carson City with his son, Joey, to relive the past, celebrate the present, and ponder what the future may hold.
Post Office Dates: May, 13, 1868 - present
The V&T was ending its life and Joe Elcano was beginning his. But the two stories do not end here. The railroad the young boy would walk down to see when he was one, would be revived by historians and train lovers. Forty years later, Joe would start collecting covers. One of his first was this last day cancel of the V&T. That sent him to the V&T Museum in Carson City with his son, Joey, to relive the past, celebrate the present, and ponder what the future may hold.
Post Office Dates: May, 13, 1868 - present
