Donors fund landscaping improvements at Dangberg Historic Park

MINDEN, Nev.— A major landscaping restoration project was recently completed at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park. A portion of the project was funded by Douglas County, and the balance was made possible by donations from a variety of sources, including foundation and government grants, business support, and large and small donations from individuals.

The member-supported non-profit, Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch, operates the park in cooperation with its owner, Douglas County. After several years of fundraising, the Friends of Dangberg raised sufficient funds and contracted with Elkhorn Landscape to regrade the area immediately surrounding the historic Dangberg ranch house, install a sprinkler system and lay new sod.

“Everyone involved with the Friends of Dangberg is very excited that this project has been finished,” said Mark Jensen, the park’s curator. “Many people contributed to the effort, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Everyone’s invited to come enjoy the park, perhaps for one of our events, or even just to picnic or fly kites.”

As part of the project, Douglas County removed three aging cottonwood trees that, if they fell, put the ranch house at risk. It their place, four chanticleer pear trees were planted by the Friends of Dangberg to provide shade in the future. These trees join eight other maple and elm trees planted by the Friends in recent years.

Douglas County also funded the replacement of the sidewalks surrounding the house. The sidewalks were originally installed more than 100 years ago and were deteriorating.

Funding for the sod and sprinkler portion of the project was provided in part by Douglas County from annual grants given over the last two years. A grant from the Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation was also essential to the project’s success.

Additional funding was given by those who donated in memory of Aldo Biaggi, a well-known Carson Valley resident who passed away in 2017, and from additional large and small donations made by Friends of Dangberg members and other citizens.

Business support included discounted or donated services and materials from project partners Elkhorn Landscape, Full Circle Soils and Compost, Bing Materials, Ewing Irrigation, and Mountain View Tree Farm. Western Turf and Hardscapes provided significant support, donating the entire 7,750 square feet of sod needed for the project.

The project is part of the Friends of Dangberg’s ongoing work to restore the park’s grounds and buildings. In 2012, new turf and a sprinkler system were installed on the west side of the ranch house. In 2014, three Frontier elm trees were planted on the park’s west side, and in 2017 five Autumn Blaze maples were planted in the park’s east event field.

The organization’s priorities now focus on restoration work, including repairs to the house’s brick walls, restoration of the grand entrance columns, and rebuilding the white wood fence that once surrounded the Dangberg home.

The public can support these projects by becoming contributing members of the Friends of Dangberg. Donations can be made at dangberghomeranch.org, or by sending a check or money order to Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch, PO Box 1158, Minden, NV 89423. Questions about membership can be directed to Mark Jensen, the park’s curator, at 775-783-9417 or curator@dangberghomeranch.org.

The Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is located at 1450 Highway 88. The site preserves the home of Heinrich F. Dangberg and his descendants, a prominent ranching family in Carson Valley history that founded Minden in 1905. The site includes eight historic structures built between 1857 and 1917, along with a collection of 39,000 artifacts, documents and photographs acquired and used by the Dangberg family. Programs include tours, exhibits, wedding rentals, and other public events.