Painting No. 149
The Corner of Pike and Main
Dayton, Nevada
20"x 30", oil on canvas
December 10, 2011
The finished studio painting.
Dayton, Nevada is a small town east of Carson City. It was a stop over for wagons heading to the California gold rush in the 1800's. Then gold was discovered in the local creek bed, which led to more gold being discovered a few miles northwest of here near the town of Silver City. The town has a lot of history.
There's an old restaurant/bar/playhouse just north of here that was used by Teddy Roosevelt to give a speech from the balcony. In the 1960, The Misfits starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe was filmed here.
I first came to this town in 1975, when my Grandmother Louise Goddard decided to bring surplus stationary supplies to the flea market on Sundays. At the time, the country side was nearly desolate. Very few houses were built east of here. No schools or stores except for a hamburger stand on the corner of Main and Hwy 395. Today the old section of Dayton remains in a state of suspended animation. The feel of the 1970's is still here, with the addition of good food can be found in the local businesses.
