This retaining wall is located on State Route 341, heading into Virginia City. It was built approximately 50 years ago by Randall, Johnny and Raymond Wungnema and (nephew/cousin) Darryl Crawford.
Ever thrifty, these stonemason used the stones left behind after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad blasted its way through the Virginia Range.
Next time you’re cruising to VC, slow down and admire the workmanship that went into this wall.
On Carson City’s Westside, there are six pink-stone pillars built by Randall Wungnema, a master stone mason if there ever was one! Randall was a Native American stonemason who trained at the Stewart Indian School. Randall’s father, Ernest Wungnema, was an masonry instructor at the school.
The pillars are located at Washington and Richmond Streets, Robinson and Richmond Streets and Musser and Richmond Streets. They are located at the entrances to the Winters Development.
Growing up, Randall’s children – and some of the locals – thought the “W” on the pillars stood for Wungnema. Others thought the “W” stood for Westside. The “W” actually stands for JohnD Winters for whom the Winters Development is named.
While that may be true, we like to think that the “W” is a homage to Randall and his creativity. You be the judge. Drive by the magnificent creations and let us know what you think the “W” means!
Construction of the Greil Ranch was slated to begin in the early 1940s. However, that construction project – and many others – was delayed due to WW II.
It is our understanding that the original owners of the ranch, Jim and Emily Greil, wanted the Wungnemas – and only the Wungnemas – to build the ranch house and outbuildings and were willing to wait until such time as the Wungnemas could begin work on their dream home.
Construction finally began in 1946. Master stonemasons Ernest, Randall and Burton Wungnema were the creators of the stone buildings on the property.
Emily and Jim Greil, purchased the ranch in 1937 for the back taxes owing in the amount of $2,400.00. The ranch was then known as the Quarter Circle JP. The ranch was water rich and its spring once provided water to the area’s Native Americans.
The ranch is still owned by members of the Greil Family and continues to be a productive, working ranch.
In August of 2017, Randall’s children were invited to visit the ranch by Muffy Greil Vhay. The children were frequent visitors to the ranch during the construction process. They all have fond memories of playing in and around the construction site as their grandfather, father and uncle worked to create this masterpiece. The 2017 visit marked the first visit by the children in 70+ years!
The photographs of the Wungnemas plying their craft are important pieces of Nevada’s history – we know of no other other photographs documenting Native American stonemasons at work on a specific project or interacting with their customers.
As we look through these photographs, we are struck by the vibrancy of color. The stones have not faded since they were laid in 1946. We also counted at least three chimneys! Imagine how cozy the ranch house was during the long Nevada winters, with the fireplaces keeping everyone warm and toasty – the family safe from the Washoe Zephyrs blowing across Washoe Lake and past the house!
This stone cutie is located on Carson City’s historic Westside and was built in 1939 by Ernest Wungnema.
Ernest was a master stonemason and his creations are a testament to his creativity and ingenuity. Ernest was also an masonry instructor at the Stewart Indian School (SIS) south of Carson City. The house reminds us of the buildings on the SIS campus which were created in the Stewart Vernacular Style of Masonry.
The house features two fireplaces – one in the front room and one in the bedroom. There was a fire in the chimney of the bedroom fireplace resulting in the fireplace being covered with sheet rock. The chimney was repaired with brick. Why? Good question. Nobody seems to know the reason for this repair especially as members of the Wungnema Family continue the family tradition of stone masonry.
The house was totally refurbished in 2016. Thankfully, the fireplace in the front room was retained by the homeowner during the renovation.
Pratt Street – This street has an additional stone house, a house that used to have a stone facade and a house that used to feature a pink stone fireplace. Let’s take a look at them!
According to the Carson City Assessor’s office, this house was built in 1910 and was constructed in the Stewart Vernacular Style of Architecture as were many of the stone homes of that era.
So cute and so tiny. Imagine raising a family in this wee house – it was done, back in the day! This is one of the earliest examples of a pink stone house we could find.
Uncle Jimmy’s house on Pratt Avenue and featured a stone fireplace constructed by the stonemasons from the Stewart Indian School in in 1920. This house caught fire in December 2016. During the rebuilding process, the fireplace was removed.
It’s not known whether or not the fireplace will be rebuilt as Uncle Jimmy wanted to sell/return the pink stones back to the Wungnema Family. The family refused. After all, who refunds a purchase 100 years after the purchase was made?
This last house on Pratt was built in 1963 and featured a stone facade in the front. The stone, Wonder Stone, was quarried in Fallon, Nevada. The facade is the work of Don Talas, a Native American master stone mason.
During the Lockdown of 2020 – 2021, the house underwent renovation and in the process, the stone facade was removed. This made us sad as that was a piece of Nevada history lost forever. Hopefully, the stone was repurposed for a walkway or patio in the backyard.
