January Programming 2026, don’t miss
Bulkeley Wells and the United Comstock Mines
Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, doors open at 5 pm, Writers’ Wednesday – On The GO!
Author Richard E. Lippoth will talk about his book, Bulkeley Wells and the Uncertain Luck of the Mining Game. This book is a biography about an important but forgotten U.S. mining industry leader of the early 20th century. During the 1920s, Bulkeley Wells played a pivotal role in the unfortunate events surrounding the United Comstock Mines and various other mining and hydroelectric ventures across Colorado, Nevada, and California.
Richard has been employed in the mining industry for more than forty years, holding degrees in both geology and mining engineering. He is the descendant of immigrants who worked in the mines of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains during the early twentieth century.
Thanks to our community partner, Knights of Pythias, for hosting this free program at 980 Nevada Street, Reno, NV 89503.
Rhyolite: The Life and Death of a Boom Town
Thursday, January 15, 2026, at Noon, High Noon virtual series on Zoom
Howard Goldbaum, Emeritus, UNR Reynolds Journalism, will be our guest speaker as he will talk about Rhyolite: The Life and Death of a Boom Town. In 1903, there were no buildings, no roads, and no people in what was to become Rhyolite. Only five years later, some 6,000 optimists lived in an area that was served by three different railroads and was the fourth-largest town in Nevada. But less than a decade afterwards, silence returned to this remote desert valley, as only a handful of people remained.
Howard Goldbaum is an Emeritus Professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. He taught courses in media (photography, audio, video, web design, and virtual-reality imaging) there for 17 years. He also served as director of the school’s graduate program. Before that, he was a professor and director of the Multimedia Program at Bradley University (Illinois). His long career in media included years working as a photojournalist and multimedia producer.
Make sure to register for this free, virtual Zoom lecture. Here is the link: https://events.washoecountylibrary.us/event/15493116