After 155 years in private hands, Nevada divorce ranch becomes a state park
The Lower Carson Ranch in Nevada, historically known as a 'divorce ranch' during the 1940s, has been transferred to the state to become its 28th state park. The 1,627-acre property will now be protected for public use and wildlife conservation.
Why it matters
This transition preserves a unique piece of American cultural history while expanding public access to natural landscapes.
For decades, a sprawling stretch of land along Nevada’s Carson River had a rather unusual place in the state’s history. In the 1940s and 1950s, part of the property operated as a “divorce ranch”, offering a temporary refuge for people seeking to end their marriages under Nevada’s famously lenient divorce laws.Now, more than 70 years later, the same 1,627-acre landscape is beginning a completely different chapter. After more than 155 years in private ownership, the Lower Carson Ranch has been transferred to Nevada State Parks and is becoming the state’s 28th state park.The property, located near Dayton in Lyon County, stretches along approximately 4.5 miles of the lower Carson River.
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