Silver City Wildlife

Silver City, Nevada – Sometimes after returning to McCormick House from a long day in Reno or some other city, I’m startled by Silver City’s quiet. The town is blessed with a beautiful lack of noise. During the day there’s often nothing but the occasional cry of a red tailed hawk, and at night, only the sound of the great horned owl who favors a tree near the house as a hunting perch.

I grew up in Midwest, and after nearly three decades in Silver City, I’ve never stopped being awed and delighted by the wildlife that the town’s quiet hills contain.

For instance, each October there’s a slow moving westerly migration of tarantulas through town. Over the years a few have crept through the house on their Autumn journey, and I gently return them outdoors, hoping they don’t fall victim to tarantula hawks. The big wasps are common here – they prey on tarantulas and have one of the most painful stings of any insect in the world.

Many of my other outdoor neighbors have wandered inside as well over the decades. I’ve found scorpions and black widows in my shoes, Western fence lizards under the bed, and lovely hummingbird moths buzzing around the chandeliers. It’s all part of the challenge and beauty of rural Nevada living.

The town is full of Gambel's Quails that sometimes break out into comical hooting and hollering at some real or imagined danger. And wild horses have peered in the windows of McCormick House, startling and running away when they saw movement inside. I love seeing mares napping under the neighbor’s fruit trees with their newborn foals.

Bright-eyed scrub jays come to beg for treats, no matter which human is staying at McCormick House (the housing for visiting artists with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City). New Zealand-born photographer Frances Melhop photographed them at the bird bath, and London-based artist Claire Scully sketched them as they eyed her expectantly from the deck railing. Conversation artists from Oakland (marksearch.org) appeased them with offerings of suet.

This Fall while I was giving a fresh coat of paint to the south side of McCormick House, a Cooper’s Hawk swooped by, just inches from my face, burdened with the weight of a freshly killed rabbit. It made it to a nearby tree to enjoy its meal, and I continued painting once my heart stopped pounding.

Hiking the hills surrounding Silver City includes sightings of shy rattlesnakes, the occasional golden eagle, turkey vulture or deer, and enormous jackrabbits. I’ve even spotted mountain lion tracks a few times.

Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet David Lee captured the almost spiritual joy that being in the town’s quiet outback inspires when he wrote about a 2016 Fall hike above Silver City. He wrote that he saw “three jackrabbits almost within spitting distance of me, staring at me, all, and I could hear them wondering Who and what in the world is this? and two hawks directly overhead screeing, and I came back and then walked away, down, and the jackrabbits did not move, and the hawks, for a short way, lead the way, singing. Glory."

Unique Homes of Silver City, Nevada

Silver City, Nevada- Silver City is a showcase for unique and diverse architecture, from historic to modern. Beginning in the mid-1960s, a new wave of residents settled in the community, rehabilitating, restoring, and adding to the town’s historic homes. Other newcomers invested in the town by building architecturally unique, visually-striking residences. Today the town is a checkerboard of irreplaceable historic buildings and homes perched on hillsides in order to take advantage of the views of the snow-capped Sierras and the historic Comstock region. Within a space of a few miles, you can see octagon, Swiss Chalet and earth-sheltered designs; a whimsical abode reminiscent of a pagoda; a traincar that Western artist Buckeye Blake re-purposed as housing; strawbale and A-frame homes; geodesic domes; and restored historic houses of the 19th and early 20th century, as well as recently built homes. This year, watch for features in a number of publications on some of the town's unusual houses. Following are some examples.

SILVER CITY HOME AN EXAMPLE OF TOWN'S UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE - Mason Valley News, Nov. 15th 2017

Joe and Ann McCarthy’s two bedroom home, perched high on a 20 acre property, is one example of the town’s modern, energy-efficient structures. The passive solar house is designed to take advantage of the incredible views of the Comstock and the Sierras, with a wrap around deck and large windows throughout the south-facing living room and dining room.

Lots of sky lights, concrete and glass, coupled with soaring ceilings, give the home the feeling of a wide open New York loft, but many exterior design elements, such as a courtyard gate made from a wagon wheel and the use of silver corrugated metal siding, reference the region’s rich history and nearby remnants of the Comstock’s historic mills.
In the early 2000s, Joe and Ann worked with their friend Art Hannafin, an acclaimed architect who was responsible for some remarkable residential and commercial developments throughout the Tahoe, Comstock, and Carson City regions, to create a uniquely beautiful and comfortable home. Hannafin designed the home keeping in mind that the couple wanted to “bring the outside in, because it’s so beautiful here.”

Explaining why he and his wife Ann decided to build their dream home in Silver City, which is located within a National Historic Landmark, Joe describes the town as “one of the most unusual and friendly communities in the West. It's a mixture of artists and entrepreneurs, families, home owners and renters, but a community that works together. It is the epitome of the definition of a good community with really fine folks in it. It's got a lovely, progressive artistic bent to it.”

A hand painted sign above one of the French doors that open onto the deck proclaims, “This is Where We Want to Be.”

CULTIVATING INSPIRATION AT THE MCCORMICK DOMES - The Record Courier, October 2017, by Lisa Gavon Excerpts below. Read the entire article here: https://www.recordcourier.com/news/local/cultivating-inspiration-at-the-mccormick-domes/#

Jim McCormick's "quatrefoil design was his own unique invention, perhaps based on the ancient design popular in Gothic architecture...The home consists of four domes meeting into one common area. The interior is nothing like a regular house: the organic nature of the large spheres reverberate the shape of our planet. Being inside is like walking in a giant sculpture: unexpected and aesthetically compelling. The light reverberates with a lyrical elegance across the triangular components, making the space continually magical. No corners to hide in, the domes arch above your head just like the sky."

Visiting places along the lines of Drop City in Colorado for inspiration, and rejecting traditional American materialism, the family used their own resourcefulness to return to a straightforward existence more connected to the natural world. Although eventually switching to power, they started out building with only hand tools. Jim had studied the writings and ideas of R. Buckminster Fuller, an American architect, engineer, poet, inventor, and philosopher who advocated and popularized the geodesic dome as an inexpensive way for conscious people to construct their own dwellings

The large separate dome on the east end of the house was originally built by UNR students and used at Reno events. There are many other sections of the complex that are also made of recycled materials, integrating yet another aspect of intentional living.

It was on Thanksgiving Day 1971 that Jim, Sandy, daughter, Kristin, and son, Theo, packed all their belongings and headed back-to-the-land. Jim wanted to separate himself from what he called "the glittering rudeness" of life in the city, and protect his family from prevailing political and social stresses.They had purchased 5 acres in Silver City. It was and is a unique town filled with rugged individuals. They may come from any walk of life... the one thing they share in common is a love of this particular mountainous section of Nevada. Although self-contained, they are people oriented, help their neighbors, and have a deep and abiding sense of community.

Looking out over the sage and pinion covered peaks from a perfect vantage point at the crest of the ridge, the town sprawls out below. The wide open spaces of Nevada offer an opportunity to look at the world with new eyes: to study, create, and innovate. No place can rival this one for being encouraged to march to the beat of your own drummer.

A Few Other Unusual Homes of Silver City, Nevada

This pagoda style home and adjacent guest house and art studio reflect decades of work by local artisan Doug Beverly Brown.

A rare round house, with an antique boxcar nearby that's been converted to a guest house. The boxcar was home to well known Western artist Buckeye Blake in the 1970s.

The Strawbale Houses - this home and guest house are energy efficient strawbale designs that also incorporate intricate stonework. A large, kinetic wolf sculpture nearby is forever trying to blow them down.

Swiss Chalet - This Swiss Chalet style home sits on one of the highest points in Silver City, taking advantages of the mountain views.

Many of the more recently built homes, such as this one, give a nod to the National Historic Landmark's legacy of underground mining in the 1800s with architectural features that are remiscent of the tin-roofed assay shacks of the 1800s. Today Silver City is a residential community with a largely "creative class" population of artists, musicians, writers, historians, archaeologists, etc.

Silver City in the News

Silver City, Nevada- For a community of under 200 souls, Silver City is in the news remarkably often. Below are links to some examples from the last few years.

SILVER CITY SHARING WORLD VIEW THROUGH CAMERA -Carol Godwin's press release on an upcoming photo show by Silver City photographers ran in the Nevada Appeal in November 2017. Read it at this link:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/entertainment/silver-city-artists-sharing-world-view-through-camera-lens/


COMSTOCK RESIDENTS ARGUE FOR ACCESS TO RECORDS - Barry Smith, executive director of the Nevada Press Association, writes in this November 2017 article that "Comstock residents made a strong argument to the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday for access to public records contained on officials’ private cell phones." Read more here: https://nevadapress.com/wabuskamangler/comstock-residents-argue-access-records/

OLD TOWN PORTRAITS- In September, Kris Vagner of Reno News and Review wrote about internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop's exhibition of life-sized photographs of Comstock residents. Melhop's Comstock Portrait Project is on view through December 1, 2017 at Lake Tahoe Community College’s Haldan Gallery at One College Drive, South Lake Tahoe. The show includes more than 40 large scale portraits of Silver City and other Comstock locals. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Private Saturday viewings can be arranged by contacting Amanda Bircher at (530) 305-4214. Read Vagner's article here:
https://www.newsreview.com/reno/old-town-10-portraits/content?oid=25071551

SHOW FEATURES PORTRAITS OF LYON AND STOREY RESIDENTS- Reno Gazette Journal also ran a feature on Melhop's Tahoe exhibition. Read it here:
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/local/leader-courier/2017/09/21/show-features-portraits-lyon-and-storey-residents/691824001/

SILVER CITY'S MUSIC SCENE SURGED IN THE MID-1960s- Mason Valley News ran a feature on Silver City's music scene circa 1965 to present in Oct 2017. An expanded version of the article can be found online here:
http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2017/10/silver-citys-music-scene-1965-2017.html

CULTIVATING INSPIRATION AT MCCORMICK DOMES- This feature about McCormick House, the housing for visiting artists with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, was written by Lisa Gavon for the Douglas Record Courier in Fall 2017, and will also run in the Nevada Appeal during Winter 2017. Follow this link to read the article:
http://www.recordcourier.com/news/local/cultivating-inspiration-at-the-mccormick-domes/

OAKLAND ARTISTS WORK WITH LOCALS TO CRAFT PODIUM AND POSTCARDS- Mason Valley News ran a feature on visiting artists Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch.org in September 2017. An expanded version of the article can be found online here:
http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2017/09/oakland-artists-work-with-locals-to.html

NEW ZEALAND ARTIST SOPHIE SCOTT'S EXHIBITION AT ST. MARY'S ART CENTER- The Mason Valley News ran this feature on Fall 2017 visiting artist Sophie Scott. A longer version of the press release appeared here:
http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2017/10/silver-city-welcomes-new-zealand-artist.html

SILVER CITY: MORE ARTISTS THAN TREES- This was a Mason Valley News feature in September 2017. A longer version of the essay appeared on the Silver City Reads blog in Sept 2017. Read it here:
http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2017/09/silver-city-nevada-more-artists-than.html

HAPPY TO BE QUEEN OF HER WORLD: OUTSIDER ARTIST MOLLY BRUNHILD- This article by artist Karen Kreyeski appeared in Carson NOW in summer 2017. Link:
http://carsonnow.org/reader-content/07/15/2017/paintings-molly-brunhild-display-saturday-july-22

PULITZER PRIZE-NOMINATED POET DAVID LEE VISITS SILVER CITY-This article appeared in the Nevada Appeal in spring 2017. Link:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/announcements/pulitzer-prize-nominated-poet-david-lee-visits-silver-city/

FAREWELL JIM MCCORMICK- This feature about artist Jim McCormick, a former denizen of Silver City, was in the Arts and Culture section of Reno News and Review. It was written by Kris Vagner in spring of 2017. Link:
https://www.newsreview.com/reno/farewell/content?oid=24132854

BRIAN SCHORN:RESIDENT ARTIST IN SILVER CITY NEVADA- Stamp School of Arts and Design included an article about Brian Schorn's residency in its spring 2016 publication. Reflections magazine also included a feature spread on Brian and his residency. Link:
https://stamps.umich.edu/alumni/news/brian_schorn_resident_artist_in_silver_city_nevada

THE ACCIDENTAL ACTIVIST:A MINING FIGHT IN SILVER CITY- 2016 Feature on Nevada Public Radio by Andrew Kiraly. Link:
https://knpr.org/dc-blog/accidental-activist-mining-fight-silver-city

NEW STAGE IN SILVER CITY- This feature about the first big event at Silver City's new outdoor performance stage appeared in the Nevada Appeal in 2016. Link:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/announcements/new-stage-in-silver-city-adds-to-comstocks-live-music-and-theater-venues/

SILVER CITY KIDS PROGRAM FILLED WITH HANDS-ON FUN-This was one of many articles in the Nevada Appeal and other newspapers about Silver City's annual STEAM program. Link:
https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/silver-citys-kids-program-filled-with-hands-on-fun/

MYLO MCCORMICK BLUES CONCERT IN SILVER CITY- This feature appeared in the Nevada Appeal in summer 2017. Link:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/mylo-mccormick-to-play-free-blues-concert-tuesday-in-silver-city/

ELSTON RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD- A feature on Dr. Elston's Silver Trowel award was in the Nevada Appeal in 2014. Elston continues to achieve in his field, receiving a National Science Foundation grant in 2016. Robert Elston (University of Nevada, Reno), Dave Zeanah (Sacramento State University), Brian Codding (University of Utah), and Craig Young (Far Western Anthropological Group) received a National Science Foundation grant for a multi-year archaeological project in Grass Valley, Nevada. They'll accomplish the field work by running a field school in 2017 and 2018 through Sacramento State, which will also administer the grant. Their research is focused on the Late Pleistocene between about 14,000 and 9,000 years ago after people first began to enter interior North America, and began to live in the Great Basin. Link to the Silver Trowel award article:
http://www.rgj.com/story/news/local/mason-valley/2014/05/21/elston-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/2331696/

SCOTT MACLEOD'S RESIDENCY IN SILVER CITY NEVADA- A number of articles on Oakland-based artist/writer Scott MacLeod's Residency with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City appeared in the Comstock Chronicle, Nevada Appeal and elsewhere in 2016. Link:

http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2016/08/following-is-scott-macleods-beautifully_77.html