John Sparks, the Texas Cowboy Who Became Nevada's Cattle Baron and Governor

Who Was John Sparks?

John Sparks went from the Texas range to the governor's office, with a Nevada cattle empire in between. According to Wikipedia, he was born August 30, 1843, in Louisville, Mississippi, and his family moved through Arkansas to Texas in 1857, where they ranched cattle and Sparks became a skilled cowboy.

He is known as Honest John Sparks. The Sparks Heritage Museum notes that history does not clearly support the nickname, but that his repeated climb from modest means to wealth suggests a hard-working entrepreneur.

Texas Rangers and Longhorn Drives

In 1861 Sparks joined the Texas Rangers, guarding settlers from Comanche raids. Wikipedia says he did not fight in the Civil War, while the Sparks Heritage Museum says he fought for the Confederacy, so the sources differ.

After the war he worked on Longhorn cattle drives. He married Rachel Knight in 1872. She died in 1879, and in 1880 he married her half-sister, Nancy Elnora Knight. He had six children in all.

Wyoming and the North Platte Ranches

In 1873 Sparks drove a herd to Wyoming and ranched near Cheyenne. He then set up a series of ranches along the North Platte River, selling each one to fund the next.

The museum page gives an earlier date for his arrival in Nevada, 1868, which conflicts with this Wyoming timeline, so that date is not repeated here.

Building a Nevada Cattle Empire

In 1881 Sparks and partner John Tinnin bought the H-D Ranch near Elko. In 1883 they bought Jasper Harrell's ranches. Their company, Sparks-Tinnin, was said to control about 6 percent of Nevada's land, largely by controlling water sources and using employees' homesteads.

The Sparks Heritage Museum describes a range that stretched from the Snake River in Idaho to Pilot Peak and the Salmon River range, an area roughly the size of several eastern states.

The Alamo Ranch and Hereford Breeding

In 1885 Sparks moved to the Alamo Ranch near Reno, where he built a Hereford herd and also raised bison and deer. The museum says he worked on improving his cattle, developing pure bloodlines at the Alamo Stock Farm in Reno, and imported stock from England.

The Winter of 1889-1890 and Financial Trouble

The harsh winter of 1889 and 1890 devastated the herds. Sparks later said only about 15,000 of his 45,000 cattle survived. Tinnin lost his share to Harrell, and the company was renamed Sparks-Harrell. Sparks sold his half back to Harrell in 1901 after financial trouble.

The museum page also notes a mining venture, the Wedekind Mines, bought for $155,000, which operated only briefly.

Governor of Nevada

Sparks, a Silver Party Democrat, lost an earlier run for the U.S. Senate, then won the governorship in 1902 and served from 1903. Wikipedia says he was re-elected in 1906, while the museum page says 1904, so sources differ. His administration created a state railroad commission, the Nevada State Police and a state engineering office, and it passed an eight-hour workday bill for miners.

In 1904 the Washoe County town of Harriman was renamed Sparks in his honor. He died in office on May 22, 1908, in Carson City, reportedly broke, and the Alamo Ranch was sold to settle his debts.

Legacy, Burial and Honors

Sparks was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1958. The Alamo Ranchhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sources differ on his burial place: Wikipedia gives Masonic Memorial Gardens in Reno and the museum gives Mountain View Cemetery. The National Governors Association profile lists his time in office.

For related ranch stories, see the ranching section of farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story about Nevada cattle barons.