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August 8, 2015, By Donnelyn Curtis
When the divorce colony began, Reno had a small population of merely 5,000 people and few housing options for the divorce-seeker besides private homes and a few hotels catering mostly to cattlemen and miners. This void was quickly filled by property owners who made accommodations in their private homes or converted them into boardinghouses. A […]
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July 13, 2015, By kps3admin
The Reno divorce played a role in American cinema from the earliest years of both. The first known production of this genre was the 1910 silent film, A Reno Romance, which featured a couple going to Reno for a divorce and then changing their minds. From that moment through 1985, more than 60 feature films […]
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, By kps3admin
Reno Fever. Whirlpool of Reno. Temporary Address: Reno. In the divorce era, simply including the word “Reno” in the title of a work of fiction conjured up a world already familiar to the American public. The divorce center provided a perfect backdrop and cast of characters for storytelling in a range of formats. Literature inspired […]
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, By kps3admin
It didn’t take long for Reno to enter the popular culture of its day, not only as a place to divorce, but also for its colorful mystique. Munsey’s Magazine dubbed Reno “the nation’s new divorce headquarters” in 1909, and in 1910, a popular song “I’m on my way to Reno” hit the music charts. Soon, […]
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, By kps3admin
Postcards invoking the Reno divorce, and the diversity of the pictures and messages they contained, helped to disseminate and solidify images of the Reno divorce in American popular culture. Whether kept as a personal souvenir or mailed to a relative or friend, postcards literally brought the divorce trade home. Photographic cards provided accurate depictions of […]
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, By kps3admin
Journalism was the earliest and most constant purveyor of Reno divorce stories. Coverage ranged from factual reports about changes in the law and accounts of prominent divorces to exposés and serialized accounts of the colorful goings on in Reno. Carried by newspapers, national magazines, and tabloids alike, these tasty tidbits were devoured by an insatiable […]
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, By kps3admin
Also out of the public eye were certain court cases for which the plaintiff filed a request for a private trial and to have the record of the trial sealed. The names of the parties were public record, but the details, such as agreements, Reno addresses, and testimonies were separated from the public records. Such […]
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, By kps3admin
Insanity was added as a grounds for divorce by the Nevada legislature in 1931. Nevada courts required a higher level of substantiation for insanity cases than for other grounds, including evidence that the defendant had been hospitalized in a mental institution for at least two years with no hope of recovery. The divorce documents provide […]
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, By kps3admin
A remarkable number of children accompanied a parent on the divorce trip to Reno. For some, it was their first experience away from home and their first exposure to wide-open spaces, cattle and horses, and possibly a one-room schoolhouse near a rustic guest ranch. Children who grew up in Reno experienced the effects of the […]
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, By kps3admin
During the divorce period, Reno had a small minority population that was generally restricted to the east side of town, and it wasn’t until 1959 that Nevada repealed its antimiscegenation laws. Blacks in particular faced de facto segregation in white establishments and neighborhoods. As a result, African-American divorce-seekers were limited in the places where they […]
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