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Charles W. Friend House Observatory & Weather Station

Charles W. Friend House Observatory & Weather Station

Charles W. Friend House Observatory & Weather Station Overview

This is the site of the house and observatory of Nevada’s first weatherman, astronomer, and seismologist, Charles William Friend.

Category

  1. Event
  2. Person

Marker Type

Concrete marker

Nevada Historical Marker Number

Charles W. Friend House Observatory & Weather Station is Nevada Historical Marker #258.

Carson City is home to 26 Nevada State Historical Markers and the links to each are below for you to research to see if you want to add to your exploration list.

  1. #1 Empire and the Carson River Mills
  2. #25 Nevada’s Capitol
  3. #44 Carson City
  4. #70 Bliss Mansion
  5. #71 Methodist Church of Carson City
  6. #72 Nevada State Children’s Home
  7. #75 Federal Government Building (1888- 1970)
  8. #76 Eagle Valley
  9. #77 Dat-So-La-Lee
  10. #78 Orion Clemens Home
  11. #91 Stewart Indian School
  12. #134 Trans-Sierran Pioneer Flight
  13. #175 Stewart – Nye Residence
  14. #179 First Air Flight Over Nevada
  15. #180 The Warm Springs Hotel and Nevada State Prison
  16. #181 Washoe Indians
  17. #193 Historic Flume and Lumberyard
  18. #194 Gardner’s Ranch
  19. #196 The United States Mint Carson City, Nevada
  20. #213 Lakeview
  21. #235 Camp Nye
  22. #243 Corbett-Fitzsimmon Fight
  23. #250 State Printing Building
  24. #252 Rinckel Mansion
  25. #258 Charles W. Friend House, Observatory & Weather Station
  26. #259 The Governor’s Mansion

Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.

County

Carson City, Nevada

GPS Coordinates

Nevada Historical Marker Transcription

This is the site of the house and observatory of Nevada’s first weatherman, astronomer, and seismologist, Charles William Friend. Born in Prussia in 1835, Friend immigrated by way of South America to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. In 1867, he moved from Folsom to Carson City where he set up his own jewelery and optical store.

Friend built Nevada’s first observatory located southwest of his house and east of the Nevada State Capitol. Nevada’s U.S. Senator William Stewart helped him obtain the use of a six-inch equatorial mount telescope and other instruments from the federal government.

Charles Friend also established Nevada’s first weather service. In 1887, the Nevada Legislature passed authorization for a weather service station in Carson City. Friend became its director and created volunteer weather stations throughout the state. He compiled the data into reports that are still referenced today.

Charles W. Friend died in 1907. Since his death, the Association of Weather Services has recognized him as a pioneer in weather service west of the Rockies.

STATE HISTORIC MARKER No. 258

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE, NEVADA STATE MUSEUM, THE BRETZLAFF FOUNDATION,

NEVADA STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES, THE CARSON CITY HERITAGE COALITION

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

References Used

Charles W. Friend House Observatory & Weather Station