Minden
In 1906, the Virginia & Truckee Railway began laying track from their depot at Carson City southward toward the California state line, with supposed plans to later extend to the mines at Aurora and Masonic. In order to cross Carson Valley, a right-of-way needed to be secured from H.F. Dangberg, Jr. As part of the agreement, the railroad terminal was required to be built on Dangberg land. The Dangberg Land & Livestock Company, led by Dangberg and his brothers, laid out a new town at the planned terminus, first named 'Halle' after their father's German birthplace; after it was determined to be too close to 'Hell', Dangberg settled on the name Minden after another German town in that region. The Minden townsite plat was approved by Douglas County on July 2, 1906, and less than a month later on August 1, the tracks reached the new town.
The town of Minden was neatly laid out in blocks surrounding around a central park. Its position on the new railroad gave it an advantage over other Carson Valley communities, and soon a flour mill and creamery opened on the line. Through the 1910s and 20s, businesses moved in and Minden became a modern commerce center for Douglas County; in 1916 it even took the county seat from Genoa after the courthouse there was damaged by fire.
Despite its importance as the county seat and position on Highway 395, Minden has remained a small, quaint town for the entirety of its life, even today only hosting a population of around 3000. The railroad ceased operation in 1950, but a few large handsome brick buildings harken back to days of its industrial days, recently renovated and restored to serve as a distillery. Across the highway, downtown Minden has a quiet downtown with several original buildings. In the blocks surrounding Minden Park, numerous attractive homes from the early days line streets shaded by large trees.
