National Register of Historic Places plaque between the Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and the Rocking Stone Tower.
(Above) Top photo courtesy of Greg Zirbel; bottom, courtesy of Ed Czerwinski.
More about Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and Rocking Stone Tower Application for National Register of Historic Places
By Heidi Sproat and Dr. Barbara Czerwinski
If you live in Truckee, or visit our lovely town, you will eventually wander up Spring Street to the most famous western town overlook, sometimes referred to as McGlashan Hill. This is not to be confused with Hilltop, which is directly opposite the Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and Rocking Stone Tower, and southeast, over the railroad tracks and on the south side of the Truckee River. Once you visit this western hill overlooking Truckee, you will be awestruck by the view. What initially caught our eyes was this unusual architectural structure built adjacent to another unusual structure - especially for mountain "architecture". Clearly there had to be a story behind this site. The investigation began.
Back in 2015, the Friends of Veterans Hall (FOVH) tasked one of its members and one of the authors of the eventual NPS 10-900 Application for National Register of Historic Places application to find out more. Dr. Barbara Czerwinski, retired registered nurse, started gathering materials and prepared a timeline to better understand HOW and WHEN this building got to be there, why, and by whom. That's when it started to get really interesting.
Somehow, FOVH and Barbara cajoled half time Truckee resident Heidi Sproat to help unearth the mystery. Both Barbara and Heidi are active volunteer researchers with the Truckee-Donner Historical Society, so it made sense to have both women start digging. And digging. And digging. Mind you, neither one of us has a degree in architecture, nor are we architectural historians. We just got way involved in the history behind the building and site. Mind you, when you want to learn the history of a building, you learn as much about the rest of what the town was doing at the time. You learn about gathering data and websites that you can find again, tracking down obscure materials in inter-library loan requests, filling out online forms, digging up books and online journals going back 100 + years, dealing with the State Historic Resources Commission, and in general, how to organize the volumes of material we unearthed.
Back in 2015, the Friends of Veterans Hall (FOVH) tasked one of its members and one of the authors of the eventual NPS 10-900 Application for National Register of Historic Places application to find out more. Dr. Barbara Czerwinski, retired registered nurse, started gathering materials and prepared a timeline to better understand HOW and WHEN this building got to be there, why, and by whom. That's when it started to get really interesting.
Somehow, FOVH and Barbara cajoled half time Truckee resident Heidi Sproat to help unearth the mystery. Both Barbara and Heidi are active volunteer researchers with the Truckee-Donner Historical Society, so it made sense to have both women start digging. And digging. And digging. Mind you, neither one of us has a degree in architecture, nor are we architectural historians. We just got way involved in the history behind the building and site. Mind you, when you want to learn the history of a building, you learn as much about the rest of what the town was doing at the time. You learn about gathering data and websites that you can find again, tracking down obscure materials in inter-library loan requests, filling out online forms, digging up books and online journals going back 100 + years, dealing with the State Historic Resources Commission, and in general, how to organize the volumes of material we unearthed.
So, without boring you with the minutiae, suffice it to say that this is NOT the building that was originally built on that site. It was this one:
HIGH0007. The McGlashan home is on the left; the Rocking Stone Tower on the right. Note the original tower was enclosed. Note too the walkway between the house and the tower.
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HIGH0001. This is what the Rocking Stone looked like before anything was erected on it. This image is from H.K. Gage, noted Truckee photographer who took this image in 1890.
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Starting in early 2017, TDHS submitted the application to The National Park Service seeking approval to place the Truckee Veterans Memorial Building and the Rocking Stone Tower site on the National Register of Historic Places - seven times. Each submission we thought we had it "in the bag", but truth be told, each submittal we made was better than its predecessor. Here is a link to the FINAL approved NPS 10-900 Application. If you want to learn more history about Truckee, its place in the west, this original McGlashan home and what was actually IN the Rocking Stone Tower, we urge you to connect to the application. You will learn so much about the history of the area.
For example, did you know:
* The current Veterans Hall was constructed in 1939 and dedicated in 1941 - before the US entered WWII.
* No one knew the architect of the building until one of our volunteer colleague map specialists - thank you Karl - noticed the architect's name and started doing some research of his own. He discovered that George Clinton Sellon was the architect. Sellon also served as California's first state architect from 1907-1909. First TDHS article, pp. 4-5, about that discovery.
* Even without Public Works Administration monies, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors nonetheless decided to move forward with the construction of the Veterans Building in order to honor its veterans, and in fact levied a tax to do so.
* Constructing Vets Hall was our community’s way of memorializing and honoring United States Armed Services of World War I and subsequent foreign wars by constructing and dedicating a prominent building (monument) in the center of Truckee.
* Veterans Hall was the site for the 1946 commemorative 100th Donner Party Anniversary events, as well as other celebratory memorial events.
* Veterans Hall was NOT designed as a 'quonset hut' as that term had not been used until mid-June 1941. Vets Hall was designed on a Gothic arched steel frame in the design of numerous Nissen and Emkay (aka M-K for Morrison-Knudsen, p. 149) Huts, and is, of course, now reminiscent of the more recognizable influence of military aircraft hangars, like the Tillamook Air Museum (watch the short and impressive YouTube video).
* Sellon also designed the footprint of the current Tahoe Forest Hospital and his successor firm has designed many schools and even part of Sierra College as well.
* The Rocking Stone Tower was one of the venues for the 1960 Olympic Torch to be displayed and eventually transported to Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe in 2021).
* When it was originally built, the Rocking Stone Tower housed McGlashan's collection of Donner Party artifacts AND a collection of some 20,000 butterfly specimens that he and his daughter Ximena assembled. What remains of the McGlashan Butterfly Collection now resides at the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District. The Collection has also been designated Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission (NCHLC) NEV 20-05 as a Cultural Resource!! For specific details, see the NCHLC Resolution documents.
* Applicants had to prove these elements were present in EACH site - location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
... and the list goes on. If you want to know more, please read the Application. Your volunteer researchers want to share that information with you too. Spread the knowledge.
HCS 10/30/2021
For example, did you know:
* The current Veterans Hall was constructed in 1939 and dedicated in 1941 - before the US entered WWII.
* No one knew the architect of the building until one of our volunteer colleague map specialists - thank you Karl - noticed the architect's name and started doing some research of his own. He discovered that George Clinton Sellon was the architect. Sellon also served as California's first state architect from 1907-1909. First TDHS article, pp. 4-5, about that discovery.
* Even without Public Works Administration monies, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors nonetheless decided to move forward with the construction of the Veterans Building in order to honor its veterans, and in fact levied a tax to do so.
* Constructing Vets Hall was our community’s way of memorializing and honoring United States Armed Services of World War I and subsequent foreign wars by constructing and dedicating a prominent building (monument) in the center of Truckee.
* Veterans Hall was the site for the 1946 commemorative 100th Donner Party Anniversary events, as well as other celebratory memorial events.
* Veterans Hall was NOT designed as a 'quonset hut' as that term had not been used until mid-June 1941. Vets Hall was designed on a Gothic arched steel frame in the design of numerous Nissen and Emkay (aka M-K for Morrison-Knudsen, p. 149) Huts, and is, of course, now reminiscent of the more recognizable influence of military aircraft hangars, like the Tillamook Air Museum (watch the short and impressive YouTube video).
* Sellon also designed the footprint of the current Tahoe Forest Hospital and his successor firm has designed many schools and even part of Sierra College as well.
* The Rocking Stone Tower was one of the venues for the 1960 Olympic Torch to be displayed and eventually transported to Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe in 2021).
* When it was originally built, the Rocking Stone Tower housed McGlashan's collection of Donner Party artifacts AND a collection of some 20,000 butterfly specimens that he and his daughter Ximena assembled. What remains of the McGlashan Butterfly Collection now resides at the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District. The Collection has also been designated Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission (NCHLC) NEV 20-05 as a Cultural Resource!! For specific details, see the NCHLC Resolution documents.
* Applicants had to prove these elements were present in EACH site - location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
... and the list goes on. If you want to know more, please read the Application. Your volunteer researchers want to share that information with you too. Spread the knowledge.
HCS 10/30/2021
Additional information about the National Register of Historic Places listing:
* Final NPS 10-900 Application submitted (note it says DRAFT, but it is the FINAL)
* Notification of Nomination of Truckee Veterans Memorial Building (TVMB) and Rocking Stone Tower (RST), Federal Register nomination notice, June 17, 2021
* TVMB and RST placed on National Register of Historic Places, letter confirming same, July 16, 2021, # 10006720
* Federal Register link and Approval letter.
* For more details about the National Register recognition, see these two articles: Tahoe Weekly, Oct. 27, 2021, and Moonshine Ink, Oct. 15, 2021.
* Final NPS 10-900 Application submitted (note it says DRAFT, but it is the FINAL)
* Notification of Nomination of Truckee Veterans Memorial Building (TVMB) and Rocking Stone Tower (RST), Federal Register nomination notice, June 17, 2021
* TVMB and RST placed on National Register of Historic Places, letter confirming same, July 16, 2021, # 10006720
* Federal Register link and Approval letter.
* For more details about the National Register recognition, see these two articles: Tahoe Weekly, Oct. 27, 2021, and Moonshine Ink, Oct. 15, 2021.
HCS updated 11/12/2021; updated 1/4/2023
