Carson City’s Gov. Roswell K. Colcord home listed on Nevada Register of Historic Places

The Gov. Roswell K. Colcord House in Carson City is the latest addition to the Nevada State Register of Historic Places, a list of properties in Nevada that reflect the history and traditions important to Nevadans.

The Colcord House served as the Carson City residence of Gov. Roswell K. Colcord from his election to the Governor’s Office in 1890 to his death in 1939. Colcord was one of Nevada’s prominent late-nineteenth century politicians, and its last Republican governor before the Silver Party’s rise to power in the state. He served as Nevada’s seventh governor, a silver advocate, and one of the state’s early Progressive Era reformers.

While in office, Colcord promoted what became the ideals of the Progressive movement, including women’s suffrage, limitations on the sale of alcohol and establishment of a secret ballot. He also pressed for modest protections against the relatively unregulated railroad and real estate markets in Nevada.

Colcord witnessed significant economic and social upheaval during his tenure as a result of the silver-based panic of 1893. During the Pullman Strikes that same year he oversaw the state’s response in support of President Grover Cleveland, which cost him support among Silver Party supporters. In response to these events, and the increasing power of the Silver Party in Nevada, he chose not to run for re-election in 1894. After leaving office, Colcord was appointed to serve as the superintendent of the federal mint in Carson City until 1911. He and his family continued to reside at the Colcord House until the former governor passed away in 1939.

The Colcord House joins 152 other resources throughout Nevada listed in the State Register. It has also been a contributing element in the West Side National Historic District since 2011.

The State Register of Historic Places, with its companion program the National Register of Historic Places, is managed by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office and reviewed by Nevada’s Board of Museums and History. For more information about the Nevada State Register of Historic Places or to get a property listed, call the State Historic Preservation Office.

For more on the house visit here: https://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20081130/NEWS/811299960