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SPRING
STREET
The
Richardson Brother's Office:
This
building was originally constructed in 1894 as a lumber office following a
rectangular plan with a single medium gable roof and may have also served
as a residence for George Richardson.
In the 1920s, after the collapse of the local lumber industry, the
building was converted to a residence. The Richardson Brother's sign is
still visible on the western facade.
The building has been in the process of being remodeled for many
years.
JIBBOOM STREET
Jibboom Street
is the most historic street in Truckee. Even more so than Commercial row because it was once part of the Dutch Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road and it was the street on which Gray's Cabin, the town's first building, was located. Originally it was the only road through the Truckee Basin.
Truckee used to be a wide-open town in the spring, summer and fall but was isolated during the winter. The only way in and out was by train. Survival meant that people had to make their own rules. There isolation fostered a very deep sense of community and individualism, which many believe, still exists today.
Due to the large number of loggers and railroad men who worked so hard during the day looked for excitement at night, most of the buildings on Front Street (Commercial Row) became saloons, providing recreation at night.
Jibboom Street, originally called Main Street, boasted the largest red light district of any small town in the west. It became the place where most of the fistfights, knife fights and gunfights occurred. In short, it was one rooten-tooten, anything goes, kind of place and its reputation became widely known. It attracted gamblers, pimps and ruffians of all types but also a rugged breed of lawmen, such as Jake Teeter and James Reed and a citizen militia, known as the "601."
10142 JIBBOOM STREET - THE OLD TRUCKEE JAIL:
The structure was built in 1875 out of native stone. Brick was added about the turn of the century. This is one of the west's oldest jails, in use until May 1964. During the early decades of the twentieth century, the jail held its most notable offenders. Ma Spinelli, the first woman in California to die in the gas chamber, and Baby Face Nelson, both spent a night or two in Truckee's Jail. For many years, the jail was tended by Truckee's famous Constable, Jacob Teeter, against vigilante groups, such as the "601" which sought to remove prisoners and take the law into their own hands.
The building is one of the oldest jails in California, and one of the few remaining original buildings in Truckee. Being built of stone on the first floor and brick on the second, it was able to withstand the many fires that swept the town in its early days.
The building currently houses the Tahoe-Truckee Historical Society’s museum.
10134 JIBBOOM STREET:
This rectangular wood framed metal covered warehouse was built between 1907 and 1933 By Dick Joseph. During these twenty-six years, numerous such buildings were erected in this area behind Commercial Row. At one time this section of town was part of a flamboyant "red light" district and these metal warehouses were built at a time when these lascivious activities were coming to a close. At one time the buildings were used for storing illegal slot machines and may have been used to hide bootleg whiskey whenever the "pro-hi's" came to town.
10144 JIBBOOM STREET:
This series of collapsing utilitarian structures are centrally located on the alley behind Commercial Row. The building fronting on Jibboom Street was an old time saloon with dwelling units behind. They are survivors of the red light era and witness to the illicit activities of this infamous avenue in its heyday.
10116 JIBBOOM STREET: THE TIN CAN
This two-story wood-frame residential building was once called a "blind pig" (a bootlegger place) commonly known as the " Tin Can." A man named Richardson who lived in Hobart Mills and operated by Cecil Celburn built it. At the time it was covered with sheet metal before being purchased by Judge Fosten Wilson who put siding on it. During the 1940's it served as a brothel.
10102 JIBBOOM STREET: DOT'S PLACE
This building was once known as "Dot's Place," and was the last working brothel on Jibboom Street. Nobody knows Dot's last name. Judge Fosten Wilson says she died in Nevada City during the 1930's of cirrhosis of the liver. However, the house continued to operate as a house of ill repute into the 1950's.
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