Nevada Lore Series: Reno, the Biggest Little Divorce Capital of the World

Most people forget that divorce wasn’t an easy thing to achieve up until the last part of the 20th century. So how is it that Reno, a tiny little railroad town in the middle of nowhere, became known as the place to flock to if you wanted to untie that knot?

Beginning in the early 1900s, Reno picked up prominence in the world of unhappy couples for its “liberal” divorce laws. The reason behind it was, in many states, it was nearly impossible to be granted a divorce, even in situations of abuse, addiction, or general neglect.

In New York, for example, there was only one recognized reason a person could gain a divorce, which was adultery. Not only that, but it needed to be proven, without a doubt, in open court.

However, in Nevada, the grounds for divorce were boiled down to “fault,” and there were seven grounds for divorce:

— Impotency at the time of the marriage, continuing to the time of divorce.

— Adultery since the marriage, remaining unforgiven.

— Willful desertion by either party by the other, for the space of two years.

— Conviction of a felony or infamous crime.

— Habitual, gross drunkenness, contracted since marriage, of either party, which shall incapacitate such party from contributing his, or her share, to the support of the family.

— Extreme cruelty in either party (physical or mental).

— Neglect of the husband for the period of two years, to provide the common necessities of life when such neglect is not the result of poverty on the part of the husband, which he could avoid by ordinary industry.

In 1931, statutes were revised to lower the “period of neglect” to one year, and adding an additional two grounds for divorce, which were:

— Insanity existing for two years prior to commencement of the action.

— When the husband and wife have lived separate and apart for three consecutive years without cohabitation the court may, in its discretion, grant an absolute decree of divorce at the suit of either party.

In addition, residency requirements in Nevada were much, much shorter than in other states that may have similar lenient legal grounds for divorce.

In the beginning, residency requirements for Nevada were only six months; as the decades passed, and other states wanted to get in on the business of divorce, Nevada began fighting to lower its requirements, and at one point only six weeks were required to become a resident.

A spouse wanting a divorce only needed to come to the Silver State, find lodging, maybe a job, and wait out the six months. After six months, they could file their case, charging their partner with behaviors that were legally recognized as grounds for divorce.

In many cases, the spouse being charged would either decide not to come to Nevada for the hearing, or wouldn’t be able to for financial reasons, and the divorce would be granted.

This became an issue with other states recognizing the Reno-made divorces, claiming they couldn’t be considered lawful without both spouses in attendance.

Yet, people continued flooding into the Biggest Little City, which was definitely little at the time. In 1900, the population was only 4,500. In the 1930s, when divorces were at their height, the population was only 18,000. Yet, somehow, during the Thirties, 30,000 divorces were granted.

Residency requirements were a brilliant move on the part of the state. With tens of thousands of people coming to Nevada over the years to seek divorces, that meant a lot of funds generated for a state known mostly for mining and gambling at the time; and with the Comstock Lode trickling down to nearly nothing by the 1930s, money was becoming short.

Residency requirements by law meant that a person had to reside in Nevada for the full six months, and couldn’t leave the state for more than 24 hours. In addition, a person would need to find a “resident witness” to check in with each and every day, who could testify to that fact in court.

In 1900, the Second Earl Russell of England quietly arrived at Glenbrook for six months so he could divorce his wife and marry his mistress, Mollie Sommerfield. After being granted his divorce and marrying Sommerfield, he arrived back in England and was quickly arrested for bigamy after he stepped off the train in London.

Reno became the hotspot for divorces after the president of the U.S. Steel Corporation, William Corey and his wife, Laura, were granted a divorce in 1906.

Laura filed in Reno on the grounds that the magnate had deserted her and her son, Allan, the year before. Laura was granted the divorce, custody of their son, and a settlement of $3 million, which in today’s money would be nearly $84 million. Shortly after, he married actress Mabelle Gilman, who he divorced about fifteen years later.

After the stock market crash of 1929, Nevada knew it needed to do something to maintain its flow of divorcees, and in 1931 residency requirements went from six months to only six weeks.

Reno divorces often made it into the national headlines, as celebrities flocked to the city to receive their own divorces. Silent Screen actress Mary Pickford, known as America’s Sweetheart, divorced husband Owen Moore in 1920 in Reno and married actor Douglas Fairbanks only a month after.

Nevada’s Dude Ranches, safe havens for women waiting for their residencies, began popping up outside of Reno’s town, which afforded privacy and a bit of luxury to the wealthier divorce-seekers. These included the Flying ME, the Pyramid Lake Guest Ranch, and Washoe Pines, among others.

In addition, luxury hotels were branded to starlets, countesses, and wealthy wives in the form of the Riverside Hotel and the Mapes Hotel, which included luxurious accommodations, penthouse suites, and of course, casinos and showrooms just downstairs.

Fancy clubs began springing up after the end of Prohibition as well, which were exclusive to the wealthy in the form of expensive menus or membership requirements.

However, by the 1960s, Reno’s spotlight for divorces ground to a halt. Las Vegas had popped up in the southern desert, close to Los Angeles, where seekers from California could remain close to families, and other states began expanding their legal grounds for divorce.

In 1962, the number of divorces granted in Las Vegas superseded Reno’s numbers, and the first nail in Reno’s coffin as the title holder of the Divorce Capital of the World was placed.

— The Nevada Lore Series focuses on the legends of Nevada and the surrounding areas that help build our culture, from ancient Washoe stories, to Old West ghostly visions, to modern day urban legends.

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