Chautauquas of Two Northern Nevada Women Close Out the 2023 Summer Festival Season at Dangberg Historic Park
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Mon, 09/04/2023 - 7:50am
Event Date:
September 8, 2023 - 10:00am A Chautauqua of journalist, Nellie Mighels Davis, and a Chautauqua of Home Ranch matriarch, Gertrude Hironymous Dangberg, end the 2023 summer event season at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.
On Friday, September 8, from 10 – 11 am, Chautauquan DebiLynn Smith will perform as Nellie Mighels Davis, early Nevada journalist and civic leader.
Nellie Mighels Davis was born in Maine and travelled across oceans and dirt roads to arrive in Carson City, Nevada to be with her newspaper editor husband. She took on the rigors of the travel, and the wildness of the country and the ocean, and became a prominent businesswoman, community leader and beloved citizen of Carson City.
DebiLynn Smith was born in Bishop California and raised in Bridgeport California. Smith lived her entire young life on the slopes of the Eastern Sierras, including attending her first two years of college in Susanville, California. She did her first Chautauqua at the age of thirteen in eighth grade when she portrayed Laura Ingalls Wilder. DebiLynn Smith has portrayed several ladies of prominence who were pioneers on the Eastern Slopes of the Sierras.
On Friday, September 15, from 10 – 11 am, Chautauquan Kim Harris will perform as Gertrude Hironymous Dangberg, wife of Fred Dangberg, Jr., who also served on several local and Nevada educational boards.
Gertrude Hironymous was one of the first women to graduate from Nevada State University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1896. She then went on to earn a state High School teaching certificate and taught school in both Alpine and Douglas counties. Gertrude retired from teaching in1898, when she met and married Fred Dangberg, Jr. of Carson Valley.
Gertrude Dangberg served her community well and was socially active. She became a member of the Tri Delta Sorority, one of the first in the state. She was also co-founder of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women in 1923. Gertrude was an important figure in the early days of Minden. She used her education and teaching skills to help improve the local, state, and national education systems.
Kim Harris is an accomplished Chautauquan who has portrayed living history characters at various venues including Genoa Cowboy Festival, Genoa Western Heritage Days, Pipers Opera House, the Gold Hill Hotel, Granlibakken, The Odeon Saloon, Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, and The Lake Tahoe Chautauqua Festival.
Harris currently serves as the events manager at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park and is the owner and operator of Western History ALIVE! where she portrays several Chautauqua characters including Eilley Bowers, Libbie Bacon Custer, Lizzie Borden, and Calamity Jane.
This season’s Chautauqua programs are all funded in part by a generous grant from Nevada Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.
These events are both free for all to attend. Visitors should bring their own lawn chair or other seating for all events, and only genuine service animals are allowed. Guests are welcome to bring snacks and libations, as no food or beverages will be available. All events take place outdoors under a large tent. For more information about visiting the park, including guided tours, please visit Dangberg.org.
