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The small Nevada town of Sparks is located so close to the edge of Reno that the two appear to be one city.
In 1904 the Central Pacific Railroad built a large switching yard in what is now known as Sparks, Nevada.
Employees of the railroad were offered 50' x 140' lots on which to build their homes for $1 per lot. The land sold fast, and in only one day the town of Sparks arrived.
The original town name was Harriman, named after the railroad tycoon. The town lost its name during an anti-railroad rebellion in the government. It was named Sparks after John D. Sparks, Nevada's governor at the time.
From 1907 until the early 1950s there were no bars or casinos in Sparks. The town was family oriented and had small-town values. This began to change in 1955 when Dick Graves opened the Sparks Nugget restaurant chain.
John Ascuaga bought the Nugget and a gaming license in 1958. Ascuaga then built Sparks' first skyscraper and Sparks began to experience the long-avoided elements of casinos and bars.
© Miel A. Elustondo