FAMILIES
EDUCATORS
BRIDES
PARTY PLANNERS
The Old Pump House, which sits just adjacent to the residence’s front door, behind you to the south, was built in the early 1900s. It used to have a third story that supported a 1,500-gallon water tank that pumped about 30-40 gallons per minute, by gravity pressure only. It serviced the house, as well as the corrals.
Around 1947, more water capacity was needed for the thriving Farm, so Bill Lattin (Rick Lattin’s father) built the ”new” Pump House, right behind you. Today’s pump house, affectionately known as ”Area 51,” supplies all domestic water to the Farm at 100 gallons/minute.
In the 1860s, the Farm actually sat on the southfork of the Carson River. In fact, the river ran within a few hundred yards southwest of where the Produce Stand now sits, underneath the neighbor’s house. The Wagon Trail came right by this property in the mid-1800s. And in the 1860s, the property was the starting point of the Smith-Toll Road that led southeast to Grimes Point. And as the name suggests, there was a toll stop along the route. In 1879, what’s now known as Lattin Farms was sold to a former owner, Thomas Toomey, for $1,500, payable only in U.S. Gold Coin.
The house was built sometime between 1890 and 1917, with rooms added through the years. The Towle Family purchased this property in 1917 after moving over from Buckland Station in Weeks, Nevada, where they toiled weekly hauling produce up the canyon to Virginia City. Many of the antiques on the Tour are pieces that the Towles brought with them from Buckland Station.
George W. and Sarah (Van Patten) Lattin came from South Dakota to Nevada around 1909. George’s ancestors came to New York in the mid-1700s from England. In his lifetime, George served in the Spanish-American War, was an educated lawyer, newspaper publisher, county judge and a farmer. About a year after his and Sarah’s 50th wedding anniversary, George died at 74, from wounds sustained by an agitated bull. His 1932 obituary told that he was survived by eight children, one of which was Ralph. George lived on some 80 acres south of town. He owned multiple parcels throughout the Valley.
After returning from WWII, two of George’s grandsons, Bill and Richard (Dick), who were Ralph’s sons, bought these 240 acres that sit adjacent to their father’s land down Sheckler Road a few miles.
Bill and Edna (Brite) Lattin lived on this Farm from 1946 –1964. In addition to farming, Bill was a teacher and an educational advisor to the Air Force. Then, beginning in 1964, he worked at the Carson City prison until he retired in 1985.
Rick (Bill’s son) and B.Ann (Crook) Lattin moved onto the Farm in 1977. The Lattin Family has been farming the Lahontan Valley for five generations.
The profile of the American Farm, and certainly one in the middle of the desert, has changed dramatically since George Lattin settled in the Lahontan Valley 90 years ago. His legacy has invested time, sweat, heart and soul into cultivating the earth and preserving some traditions of American Farming. Today, George’s great grandson, Rick, along with his wife, B.Ann, and their family, are still very much involved in growing food to live—for their family and others. But, they believe their purpose has extended—that is, to share the respect they have, and the pleasure they receive, from experiences on the Farm--challenges, accomplishments, education, enrichment, and most of all, fun. The Lattin Family has enjoyed all this for years, and now wants to share it with you through programs such as the Nevada Maze, the Old-Fashioned Roadside Produce Stand and B.Ann’s Flower and Herb Garden. We hope you enjoy your visit with us!
