History of memories exist at old railroad station

Have you noticed how nice and clean the corner of Highway 50E and Main Street is - that's the north corner? That sort of green building we exposed is the Carson and Colorado passenger railroad station. The Historical Society of Dayton Valley is doing its best to get the building restored to its original footprint.

We are pretty lucky to have the building hidden behind that facade that exists now. The structure is larger than the original building, because when it was used as a residence, it had many "add-ons." The station is hidden under all those additions. That will all be stripped off and restored to look like the station in the 1880-1934 eras.

We have a few photos of the station as it looked when it was built so we will have it as it once was. If anyone has old family photos of the station, we would love to see them.

All of those old fences and shrubs that were around the building didn't enhance the looks so the members of the Historical Society of Dayton Valley decided it was time to clean it up. Now folks can see what it looks like now and follow the progress as it is restored.

It takes a lot of time and money to restore old buildings. We passed the first hurdle by acquiring the property. We can see the buildings as an asset to the original old town. It can act as a gateway to our historic town of Dayton and to the Comstock.

Our members - the Historical Society of Dayton Valley - are a great group of people who are able to work together, always step up when needed, and all have a wonderful sense of community. It's remarkable how we become good friends. It makes working together a pleasure. And there is plenty of room for you if you want to join us.

A few weeks ago, we all met at the museum and gave the grounds there a work over. The results are wonderful and the building and grounds stand out.

Our resident painter Ron Rowe, has made the building look well kept. He even painted the fences. The whole place looks wonderful, just waiting for your visit.

Dayton is a short trip and a great way to spend an afternoon. Come see us soon.

The Dayton Museum is located on Shady Lane and Logan in Old Town Dayton. Hours: Sat 10-4 & Sun 1-4. The web site is daytonnvhistory.org. Group tours are available. Call 246-5543, 246-246-8382 or 246-0441. The Historical Society of Dayton Valley meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 12 noon. Please call for location. Visitors are welcome.

• Ruby McFarland has lived in Dayton since October 1987, she serves as a board member of the Dayton historical society and a docent at the museum.