“Bowers Mansion, Nevada” by Ken Lund, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped from original
Located approximately 20 miles south of Reno on the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, the historic Bowers Mansion offers a glimpse into what life was like for Nevada’s first Comstock millionaires, Lemuel “Sandy” Bowers and his wife, Eilley Orrum Bowers.
Before Eilley and Sandy met, Eilley lived in Gold Hill where she ran a boarding house and operated a washing/laundry service. Some miners were unable to pay Eilley with cash, so she accepted pieces of their mining claims as payment. As she bought and sold claims, she ultimately connected with Sandy, who had an adjoining claim. Eilley and Sandy married on August 9, 1859 and the Bowers claim ended up making the couple incredibly wealthy in a short period of time.
Soon after their marriage, the Bowers began plans to build an extravagant mansion in Washoe Valley. Designed by J. Neely Johnson, the former governor of California, the two-story Bowers Mansion was one of the most expensive homes built in the western United States at the time (1864). It featured 16 rooms constructed with Jeffrey pine and Douglas fir along with a library, reception room, formal parlor, adjoining smoking room, carrara marble fireplaces, granite and stone accents throughout, as well as other expensive building materials. While the house was under construction, the Bowers visited Eilley’s family in Scotland and traveled through Europe, purchasing furnishings for their new home.
Unfortunately, the Bowers’ fortune didn’t last and their mining operation ceased to bring them continued wealth. In 1868, Sandy passed away from lung disease and Eilley struggled to maintain ownership of their mansion. Eilley eventually lost the property to foreclosure in 1878, but not before investing another $8,000 to expand the mansion and add a third floor.
Currently owned and operated by the Washoe County Parks Department, the mansion was restored in 1967. Several hundred Nevada families have donated period furniture to the historic mansion as well. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bowers Mansion is considered to be a prime example of the kind of mansion homes built by the millionaire beneficiaries of the Comstock Lode mining boom.
Learn more about Bowers Mansion below:
“Washoe Way Back: Bowers Mansion” by Washoe County, Nevada
Filmography
Bowers Mansion has been featured in a few television episodes.
- Bonanza – “The Saga of Annie O’Toole” (Season 1, Episode 7)
Aired on October 24, 1959, the mansion is shown at the end of the show as the home constructed by Annie O’Toole after striking it rich. - Bonanza – “The Greedy Ones” (Season 8, Episode 34)
Aired on May 14, 1967, the footage of the mansion was reused as mining tycoon C.J. Shasta’s estate. - Bonanza: Under Attack
This TV movie aired on January 15, 1995. - Mysteries at the Castle – “Good King Wenceslas; Prison Painter; Butlers’s Secret” (Season 3, Episode 3)
This episode aired on January 22, 2016.
Learn more about the Bowers Mansion’s appearances on Bonanza here.
If you are looking for a film-friendly, Victorian-era style home, be sure to check out Bowers Mansion! For more information and pictures, you can view the full Bowers Mansion filming location details here. You can also take a tour of the mansion starting May 19th!