Charles W. Friend House & Observatory
Carson City, Carson City, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Charles W. Friend House, Observatory & Weather Station. This is the site of the house and observatory of Nevada’s first weatherman, astronomer, and seismologist, Charles William Friend. Born in Prussia in 1835, Friend immigrated by way of South America to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. In 1867, he moved from Folsom to Carson City where he set up his own jewelery and optical store.Friend built Nevada’s first observatory located southwest of his house and east of the Nevada State Capitol. Nevada’s U.S. Senator William Stewart helped him obtain the use of a six-inch equatorial mount telescope and other instruments from the federal government.Charles Friend also established Nevada’s first weather service. In 1887, the Nevada Legislature passed authorization for a weather service station in Carson City. Friend became its director and created volunteer weather stations throughout the state. He compiled the data into reports that are still referenced today. Charles W. Friend died in 1907. Since his death, the Association of Weather Services has recognized him as a pioneer in weather service west of the Rockies.
Erected by Nevada State Museum
The Story
This was the home and observatory of Charles William Friend, Nevada's first weatherman, astronomer, and seismologist. Born in Prussia in 1835 and drawn to California by the 1849 Gold Rush, Friend settled in Carson City in 1867 and opened a jewelry and optical store. He built Nevada's first observatory here, equipped through the help of U.S. Senator William Stewart, and in 1887 founded the state's first weather service, directing a network of volunteer stations whose data is still cited today.
Why it matters
It honors a self-made frontier scientist who brought systematic astronomy and weather observation to Nevada, laying groundwork for meteorology across the interior West.
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Related people
- · Charles William Friend
- · William Stewart
Themes & tags
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