Reflections on Pyramid Lake exhibit opens at the UNR’s Knowledge Center

The new exhibit at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center opened last night to a packed house in the Wells Fargo Auditorium.

Attendees enjoyed the stories by native-language specialist Ben Aleck and presentation of cultural and environmental issues by Ralph Burns.  Both are members of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.  Bernard Mergen, who grew up on the shores of Pyramid Lake and is a professor emeritus at George Washington University, offered an historical perspective on Pyramid Lake’s people, the Truckee River, and Pyramid Lake as an icon of western expansion.

Bernard Mergen (Emeritus Professor George Washington University), and Ralph Burns and Ben Aleck of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe offer unique perspectives and stories about fabled Pyramid Lake.

Bernard Mergen (Emeritus Professor George Washington University), and Ralph Burns and Ben Aleck of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe offer unique perspectives and stories about fabled Pyramid Lake.

The exhibit features “paintings, photographs and other artifacts such as cradleboards, baskets, pelican eggs and a rattlesnake from Anaho Island,” according to a press release from UNR.

Reflections on Pyramid Lake Exhibit at UNR Knowledge Center: Tim O'Sullivan photo of Pyramid Lake's Pyramid in 1867

Reflections on Pyramid Lake Exhibit at UNR Knowledge Center: Tim O’Sullivan photo of Pyramid Lake’s Pyramid in 1867

Derby Dam (1905) diverts Truckee River Water away from Pyramid Lake

Derby Dam (1905) diverts Truckee River Water away from Pyramid Lake

Reflections on Pyramid Lake Exhibit at UNR Knowledge Center: Pyramid Lake's Pyramid in 1967

Reflections on Pyramid Lake Exhibit at UNR Knowledge Center: Pyramid Lake’s Pyramid in 1967

The exhibit is open now through September 2015.  It is well worth a visit to UNR’s Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.  Paid parking is available on the top floor parking garage on N. Virginia Street.  More information: contact Donnelyn Curtis at Special Collections & University Archives, 775-682-5668 or [email protected]

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About Dennis Ghiglieri

My concern for the Truckee River grew over the years. It started with picking up trash and supporting better water quality. I helped create the "living river"plan with other citizens on the Community Flood Coalition; a plan to reduce flood impacts to infrastructure through river restoration and protection of the floodplain. I understand how critical the Truckee River is to the environment – and economy – of our entire region. I'm hoping that through these pages we can all understand our connection to the Truckee River and why we need to protect it.