Sarah Laney: What’s the story behind cross on Goni Road?

My name is Sarah; I’m 15 years old and from Carson City. I’m curious about the cross on the top of the hill off of Goni Road. Growing up I’ve always wondered about that cross. How big is it? How did it get there? Who put it up there and for what reason?

Toward the end of the school year I started thinking more about summer just as every other teen and child would do. Instead of wasting half of the summer thinking of what I should do, I wanted to really do something this summer. So, I started a summer bucket list with kind of a twist. I asked all of my friends to put as many things as they wanted on the list and everything that went on this list I would have to do over the summer (within reason). One of these things happens to be “Hike up to the cross.”

This month, my Grandpa and I got up early and completed the task. When we got to the top I finally had an answer to one of my questions. How big is it? This cross is huge, monumental, and substantial. The length being about as tall as a house, and the width, about the same as a telephone poll. And being this feature has been here for so long, with all of the weather, winds, and sun damage this has been through it doesn’t seem to have as much damage as it should. As a matter of a fact the cross stands perfectly straight and stable, with a few movements from the stronger pushes of the winds.

Like I said, I was always wondering about the cross and asking everyone about the story to it so as you can imagine, actually seeing the cross brought back these same questions, but with more ambition to find the answers. My Grandma had always told me one man’s son had passed away and in remembrance to him, he had put the cross up there and every winter, lit up Christmas lights on the cross.

On my bus, a friend had told me a man and his wife got married up there and when they passed away, they were both buried up there together. When we went up to the cross, my Grandpa told me there had been a man who was wanted and on the run. He had stayed up there and when he was found he was shot and killed. Later his friends and relatives had the cross put up there for him.

Both my parents and my grandparents say that cross has been up there since they can remember. But what’s strange is the fact that something so significant is also so, mysterious. So, my question I have asked many people for many years now comes to you, what’s the story behind the cross on Goni Road. How did it get up there? Who put it up there? And for what reason?