High Noon – Monumental Lies – Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West (Virtual)

High Noon 

A Nevada Day Program
October 16, 2025
Noon

Register for this Lecture:  https://events.washoecountylibrary.us/event/14620307

Ron James, historian and author

Title:  Monumental Lies – Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West

Speaker: Ron James, historian, author, and folklorist

Talk Summary: Folklore is embedded into the mystique of the Wild West. The region’s stories of its early founders, accounts of remarkable events,

Monumental Lies Book

and legends about its ghosts frame the West and its history. As Nevada’s earliest traditions took shape, there was a celebration of deceit — tall tales, practical jokes, journalistic hoaxes, and burlesque lies. These were not intended in any evil way; humor was essential, giving us a folkloric legacy built on laughter. In this presentation, historian and author Ron James explores how all this first took shape as Nevada transformed from territory to state.

Speaker Bio: James is a retired Nevada state historic preservation officer who has administered the agency for three decades. He served on the

National Park System’s Advisory Board and as chair of its National Historic Landmarks Committee. Ron was the national I.T.T. Fellow to Ireland, 1981– 82, studying at the Irish Folklore Archive. He was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and received the Rodman Paul Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mining History.

In 2016, James was elected to the Gorsedh Kernow, the bardic council of Cornwall, taking the name Carer Henwethlow, “Lover of Legends.” His many books include the recent Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West. He is currently working on a sequel to his book The Folklore of Cornwall: The Oral Tradition of a Celtic Nation, which was a finalist for the prestigious Katharine Briggs Award of the Folklore Society.