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Multimedia exhibit to feature Reno's divorce history

For much of the 20th century, Reno was a household name notorious for quickie divorces. Historians with the University of Nevada, Reno have just received a nearly $80,000 grant to preserve this part of local history.

For nearly six decades, Reno was known as the “divorce capital of the world” with people from all over the globe traveling to the Biggest Little City to end their marriages.

Several Nevada historians, including Mella Harmon, are seeking to document that time, which lasted from around 1910 through the end of the sixties.

“It was such an important part of Reno’s history and people don’t remember it,” Harmon says. “Is it a pleasant history? Well, not necessarily, but it’s still the history and a time when Reno was known throughout the world.”

The divorce trade itself played an important role in the cultural and economic development of the region. One example can be found in the separate living spaces, now commonly known as “mother-in-law quarters,” that still exist in some residential properties today. In the past, residents built the accommodations to gain extra income by housing divorce seekers, who had to stay in Reno to satisfy a residency requirement. By the end of the 1930s that requirement was six weeks.

Harmon is working with a team to launch an online multimedia exhibit with video and audio stories by the end of next summer.

“What we don’t have though are those personal stories, and so we’re hoping to be able to capture those personal stories as a way to really bring this topic to life,” Harmon says.

UNR's Special Collections will also have a physical exhibit on display.

Michelle Billman is a former news director at KUNR Public Radio.
Anh Gray is a former contributing editor at KUNR Public Radio.