Look at this beautiful house! Complete with a pump house! Located in what was once rural Carson City, it was built in 1953 for the Crawford Family by Uncle Karl Crawford, Daryl Crawford, Randall and Burton Wungnema.
Heating is provided by two wood stoves. Note the keystone surrounding the larger stove. It is characteristic of keystones we see displayed in other Wungnema-created fireplaces.
Perhaps what makes this house so special is that it gives us a glimpse into the craftsmanship these men chose for themselves. The same careful stonework, distinctive details and pride of workmanship that Randall and Burton Wungnema, Karl and Daryl Crawford brought to the homes they built for others can be found here in their own family’s home.
Nearly 75 years later, the house still stands, still belongs to the Crawford Family and still tells their story. It is more than a beautiful stone house. It is a lasting example of a remarkable Native American stonemasonry tradition—one passed from one generation to the next and preserved in stone throughout Carson City and Northern Nevada.
And perhaps the little pump house says it best: even when they were building something ordinary, the Wungnemas and Crawfords made it extraordinary.
