High Noon – Bohos, Hucksters, and Hippies-Oh My! A Quick Dash through 20th Century Virginia City (Virtual)

Bohos, Hucksters, and Hippies-Oh My! A Quick Dash through 20th Century Virginia City

Michael A. “Bert” Bedeau, Architectural and general historian
March 20, 2024 – Noon

Virtual Program: Register for Program: https://events.washoecountylibrary.us/event/13535886

Nevada Historical Society presents High Noon with Neal Cobb, a wonderful history series that delves into fascinating Nevada topics with local experts. Neal Cobb is a passionate historian and honorary curator for the Nevada Historical Society. He loves all things Nevada. Join Neal Cobb and our monthly speakers as we explore interesting topics and join in the audience conversations.

Guest Speaker: Michael A. “Bert” Bedeau, Architectural and general historian

Title of Program: Bohos, Hucksters, and Hippies-Oh My! A Quick Dash through 20th Century Virginia City

Summary of Program: This power point presentation will examine how Virginia City and the Comstock evolved in the 20th century from a dying mining town into a booming tourist mecca. What wider social and cultural trends and characters effected this evolution? How can we recognize and preserve this fascinating aspect of our Nevada history?

Speaker Bio:
Bert recently retired after serving for 23 years as District Administrator for the Comstock Historic District Commission and the Comstock History Center Museum in Virginis City. As a member of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office staff, he often worked as both an architectural historian and historian in a wide variety of areas. He gained museum experience from the time the Comstock History Center opened in 2005. He is proud to have been a founding board member of Preserve Nevada and served in that capacity for 15 years. He served on the board of the Society for Commercial Archaeology, holding several positions including being a co-editor for the journal

Prior to coming to Nevada, Bert worked for the Idaho State Historical Society and before that the South Dakota State Historical Society. He received a Master of Arts degree in Historic Preservation Studies from Boston University in 1989. He also holds a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law, American University in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA.

Bert was born in Salt Lake City and grew up in that state on the other side of the Sierra Nevada where his father’s people have been since the Gold Rush.