Nevada Historical Society's History on the Go: Our Public Lands
The Nevada Historical Society's building may be closed for an exciting remodel, but you can still enjoy their fascinating lectures at the Sierra View Library during their closure. NHS Nevada History - On The GO! Series is combining their three history programs that delve into Nevada History, Lake Tahoe, and the American Gaming Archives gambling and gaming history. Make sure to visit Sierra View Library on the first Saturday of every month to learn more about Nevada’s history through these engaging talks that are geared towards audiences of all ages.
January 3, 2026
Title of Talk: Our Public Lands
Speaker: Dr. William Rowley, Grace A. Griffen Endowed Chair; Professor Emeritus UNR
Summary of Talk: “Our Public Lands” are a fact of everyday life in most far western states. How did the words “our” and “public” come to identify lands now largely under the administration of the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, National Parks, and various wildlife reserves? Why not simply say, “federal government lands?” That’s an option, but “our lands” can be applied too. In a republic, the people are ultimately the owners and directors of the government nation.
Notice the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins with, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union.” Even before the writing of the Constitution in 1787, the American revolutionary government under the Articles of Confederation claimed ownership of the western lands to the Mississippi River, as recognized by Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris that ended the successful American Revolution in 1783.
From that point on, and in the prior colonial period, Western lands have played a significant role in the history of the American people. Let’s see how this story unfolds in a time span of over 250 years as we attempt to understand how Western lands became “Our Public Lands.”
Speaker Bio:
His research and writings include both book-length histories as well as articles, government publications, and professional presentations. M. L. Wilson and the Campaign for the Domestic Allotment Plan (University of Nebraska Press, 1970), Reno: Hub of the Washoe Country (Woodland Hills, California: Windsor Publications, 1984.
Rowley also worked for the larger history profession. He served seventeen years as Executive Secretary of the Western History Association (1974-1990) and local arrangements chair for three conferences of the Western History Association in Reno and Lake Tahoe (1970, 1990, 2010). He also brought other historical organizations to Reno for their academic conferences, especially the Agricultural History Society. He served as an expert witness on several cases concerning water rights and grazing questions in the American West for the U.S. Department of Justice. Most prominent was the in-stream water rights case in Colorado State District Court, Greeley, Colorado (1992), and the Wayne Hage cases over grazing issues with the Bureau of Land Management tried in Reno, Nevada, in 2011-2012.
American250 – Nevada: America250 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. During this milestone year, we have an opportunity to reflect on our heritage, celebrate our accomplishments, and dream of the future we want. America250 Nevada honors our state’s role in making this great nation with a 6-month-long celebration.
