David Wally's Resort

Considered by most historians to be the first settlement in Nevada, Genoa was established in 1851, by Mormon pioneers looking to expand their influence over an unclaimed frontier. Originally called Mormon Station, this small corner of the lush Carson Valley became a prominent stop along the emigrant trail to California.

One such emigrant was a New Yorker by the name of David Walley. Like many easterners, Walley hoped to find his fortune out west. And fortune he found. Not in the gold fields of California, or even in the Comstock Lode of Virginia City, but in of all things, water.

The year was 1862. David Walley, while employed in the Genoa area, was digging a tunnel directly across from the natural hot springs that sat just a mile and a half from town. After experiencing their therapeutic value, Walley, with the help of a partner, purchased the hot springs and the surrounding property. The team immediately erected a tent and began charging $.50 a bath. The enterprise was a huge success and it wasn't long before Walley bought his partner's interest in the springs.

Once in control of the property, David Walley sent for his wife and set about expanding his operation. The couple from New York wanted to build a luxurious spa and hotel, in the hopes of attracting the patronage of the wealthy silver barons and other socialites from nearby Virginia City.

The wealth of the Comstock Lode had made Virginia City the most glamorous city in the west.  Larger than San Francisco, it was home to some of the wealthiest men in the nation - men who could easily afford such luxuries. 

The couple's dream paid off, but to even greater success than they imagined, and Walley's Hot Springs was born.  Not only had the Walley's managed to attract Virginia City society, but word of the spa soon reached San Francisco, and it wasn't long before the couple had the west coast's elite coming to "Take the Cure."

With a 40-room hotel including 11 bathrooms, a ballroom and a heated swimming pool, Walley's Hot Springs attracted people from all over the country.  A prototype for the modern spa, Walley's had a physician-in-residence, masseuses, mud baths, steam rooms, piping hot mineral pools and a myriad of fitness regimes, including special diets and mineral water fasts.