When the Land Trust set its sights on a lone parcel along Jack Creek, a Nevada widower's wishes were finally fulfilled. The result was a double gift for the high desert and the town of Winnemucca.
A parting gift for a love lost.
Long ago, a romance bloomed in the dry northern Nevada desert— a romance between Rodger “Andy” Anderson and Dora De, a young woman of Paiute Indian heritage. Dora De’s roots were in Winnemucca, a small town seemingly in the middle of nowhere but also at the center of it all. Named after a famous local Paiute leader, Winnemucca began as a stop along the California and Oregon Trails, and later served as a supply center for the Trans-Continental Railroad. Still a small town today, Winnemucca has a single high school, a history museum, and a tight-knit community.
Andy lost his wife far too young, but he carried his love for Dora De for the rest of his life. In 2006, Andy made a bequest to honor her memory. He gifted a large chunk of his estate to the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada, expressing his wishes to support the town’s museum and local students of Paiute descent.
Andy’s bequest had one wrinkle—it also included a parcel of land Andy had acquired in Lake County, Oregon. Teeming with wildlife, rock formations and petroglyphs, this parcel along Jack Creek in the Hart Mountain area was a critical piece of high desert. Selling it would prove complicated; the sheer remoteness of the property made it difficult to market to prospective buyers.
Roger "Andy" Anderson and his wife, Dora De.
Some of the West's last untouched lands are found in the Hart Mountain area. Photo by Jim Davis.
A surprise proposal.
For more than a decade, the Community Foundation served as the steward for Andy’s property at Jack Creek and looked for a buyer. The foundation paid the modest yearly property taxes and received the occasional low-ball offer, but no serious buyers emerged.
Oregon Desert Land Trust became aware of Andy’s parcel in April of 2019. Having just acquired a 163-acre parcel in the Hart Mountain area, Executive Director Brent Fenty learned of an adjoining privately-held parcel on Jack Creek. The parcel was gathering dust—both literally and figuratively. A little research revealed the parcel’s connection to the Community Foundation. Brent recognized an opportunity to prevent further development in a critical wildlife corridor linking two national antelope refuges: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and Sheldon National Antelope Refuge. This area near the Oregon-Nevada border also has unique cultural value, containing some of the oldest rock art and cultural sites in North America.
Brent reached out to the Community Foundation with an offer to purchase Andy’s parcel for conservation purposes. The foundation’s CEO, Chris Askin, embraced the offer, which he described as “a double win.” The Land Trust secured funding from the Resilient Landscapes Initiative and the deal was quickly sealed. Askin reflected, “The desert that Rodger “Andy” Anderson loved so much will now be forever preserved for others to enjoy.” And the proceeds could advance Andy’s wishes back home in Winnemucca.
The Humboldt Museum is a cultural and educational resource in Winnemucca, Nevada. The museum's campus features several historic buildings, including this Episcopal church built in 1
Tending the future and the past.
Proceeds from the sale of Andy’s land continue to support the community of Winnemucca. A portion of funds were dedicated to a new scholarship endowment for local students. Named in honor of Andy’s wife, the Dora De Anderson Memorial Scholarship creates opportunity for deserving seniors of tribal descent graduating Lowry High School. This year, the first Winnemucca student received a Dora De scholarship to attend college.
Remaining funds were directed to Humboldt Museum, a cultural fixture in Winnemucca with an assortment of modern and 19th Century buildings sited on a historic wagon trail. The museum gives residents and visitors a link to a long and storied past. Its collections include mammoth bones from the last Ice Age, Native American regalia and artifacts, mining tools, and turn-of-the-century automobiles.
Askin is gratified to know that Andy’s gift is being used “exactly as he intended it.” And the Land Trust is happy to have played a part.