The Nevada Board of Museums and History this week gave final approval to list two Carson Valley properties on the state Register of Historic  Places.

The Wilhelm and William Lampe Ranch and the Louis and Elmer Stodieck Ranch reflect the tradition of agriculture and ranching in Carson Valley, and the strong connection the valley has had  to German immigration since the mid-1800s.

The Lampe Ranch was first established by Lorens Christensen in 1872, but was eventually acquired by Wilhelm and Maria Lampe, newly arrived German immigrants who began growing hay and raising cattle on the ranch in 1887. Wilhelm Lampe’s son William continued to operate the ranch until 1965, expanding the operation to 300 acres. It also became one of the only ranches in Carson Valley to have its own functioning creamery, as most area ranchers used the cooperative facility in Minden, constructed by the Dangberg family. After 1965, the Lampe family sold most of the land associated with the ranch for development which now comprises most of southern and eastern Gardnerville. The ranch complex, including the main house, barn, creamery, and remaining farmland, are currently operated as the Jacobs Family Berry Farm.

The Louis and Elmer Stodieck Ranch was initially homesteaded by Peter Lightle in 1860. The ranch passed through several owners before Louis (or Ludwig) Stodieck acquired the ranch in 1904 and constructed a new complex. Louis Stodieck was one of the three sons of Frederick Stodieck Sr., all of whom established abutting ranches on lands south of Minden and Gardnerville, with Louis’ being the farthest west off present-day Waterloo Lane. Marrying Helene Frieda Bartels in 1904, the couple built up the ranch into a sizable hay and cattle operation that remained in the Stodieck family until 2014 when it was sold to the P&K Ranch LLC, which continues to operate it for hay production. The ranch is also protected under a conservation easement program intended to preserve agricultural land in Carson Valley.