Welcome to Minden
History
It was founded in 1906 by Heinrich Friedrich Dangberg Jr., who named it after the town of Minden, in the German state
of North Rhine-Westphalia, which was near his father’s birthplace. A large share of the first settlers were Germans. Minden was founded on company land of the Dangberg Home Ranch and Dangberg commissioned most of the town’s early buildings. Minden has had a post office since 1906.
Minden sounds a “sundown siren” at 6pm almost every evening since 1917, originally signifying that members of the Washoe Indian tribe were required to leave town by 6:30pm or face jail or fine. Douglas County fully repealed its sundown ordinance in the mid-1970s. A Minden ordinance meant to clarify the siren’s intent went on the books in 2007, but Minden continues to sound a siren every evening.
In June 2021, the State of Nevada passed a law that prohibits communities from sounding signals associated with a past law “which required persons of a particular race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin or color to leave the town by a certain time.” Minden Town Manager J. D. Frisbee claimed the law doesn’t apply to them stating, “There’s a (Minden) ordinance in place right now that says that the siren sounds every day in commemoration of our first responders. … It never went off at 6:30, when the county had an ordinance to get Native Americans out of town.
Early Transportation
History tells us that the Virginia and Truckee Railway, by terminating where it did in 1906, was the catalyst for the new village of Minden. Track laying from Carson City to somewhere in the Carson Valley began in late 1905. Even at this time, there existed in the mind of the public the thought that the railroad would not only reach Gardnerville, but would extend as far as Bodie with perhaps a branch reaching Alpine County.
Name Origin
The town was named after Minden, Germany, near the birthplace of H.F. Dangberg. There is no question that the Dangbergs made the town. The Dangberg Company presented a plan of the town of Minden to the Douglas County Commissioners in July of 1906.
The nucleus of the town developed from 1906 until around 1940.
Growth
During that time, the Minden Inn was a getaway destination for some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. In the late 1950s, some small subdivisions appeared, and the business strip along Highway 395 accommodated some new commercial ventures. By the mid-1970s the explosion happened, and from that point on major subdivisions and exciting new businesses created a growth pattern that rolled into the 1980s and right up to this date. No let up appears in sight.
Minden has come a long way since 1906, and even further since 1992. Come with us and take a journey from the past into the present, and see what the future holds for Minden, Nevada. mapped and defined on the ground before a building was erected. As a result, its’ neatly laid out streets served as the guide for growth during the first fifty or so years. Since the 1920s new subdivisions have altered the symmetrical pattern of the town, but quality and pride remain.
Name Origin The town was named after Minden, Germany, near the birthplace of H.F. Dangberg. There is no question that the Dangbergs made the town. The Dangberg Company presented a plan of the town of Minden to the Douglas County Commissioners in July of 1906.
The nucleus of the town developed from 1906 until around 1940.