Taking a walk on the Wild side

The streets of Carson City got a little wilder than anticipated Saturday morning because of a late addition to the program. Intermittent snow flurries provided a cool backdrop to the gunfights and business dealings taking place downtown.

Downtown was transformed back to the way it was 150 years ago, complete with townsfolk and armed gunslingers for the Wild West Tour.

The annual event is put on by the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Carson City Redevelopment Agency.

The tour began at the St. Charles Hotel with a chance for visitors to dress in period costumes and have their picture taken by Revelations Costume Rentals.

"We like to be here for the tours. We have costumes from the dawn of time to present, but a lot of our costumes are from the Victorian era," Monica Coleman, Revelations co-owner, said.

Joel Lippert of Reno, portraying Mr. Proctor, said performing on the tour has become a tradition.

"It's fun and we enjoy doing it," he said. "Each time I do this I learn something new about Carson City and Nevada."

Up the street from where Proctor, Curry and Musser were conducting business, the soiled doves were recruiting new members at the Brougher- Bath House. Their first recruit was Debbie Reitz of Merced, Calif.

Reitz said she came up to stay with friends and tour the homes while her husband was on a dirt bike ride.

"I think it's just wonderful with all the Victorian homes," she said. "That's the reason I came up was to see them."

Along the tour, armed gunmen attempted to rob the stagecoach, only to be confronted by deputies.

Tour guide Eileen Hannah got involved with the event three years ago as a way to further her own knowledge.

"I've lived here my whole life and loved the history of the city. So I started doing the tours so I could learn more about the houses downtown," Hannah said.

To escape from the chilly temperatures, the tour headed inside to hear a sermon by singing preacher Tom Plunkett and his assistant Austin Scott. Plunkett tells visitors how Scott wanted to be a Pony Express rider and would have, had he known how to ride a horse.

Next door at the Brewery Arts Center, Chris Bayer, playing Lucky Bill, expounded on the life, death, and resurrection of his character. Bill was hanged by a mob, and his body was donated to the local doctor. The doctor hooked Bill up to an electrical current, and he came back to life.

All of the money generated from the tour is used to fund the event the following year.

Annual themed walks include the Ghost Walk in late October and the Victorian Home Christmas Tour in early December.

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.