September 22, 2021
Ten years ago we were following a walking tour of historic properties in Carson City, Nevada and came upon the Ferris Mansion, built in 1863.
Dave’s great-great-grandfather (his father’s mother’s mother’s father) was Asa Ferris Cogswell. Asa’s daughter (and Dave’s great aunt), Helen Cogswell Trostel, wrote a book of Cogswell genealogy and in it described how her father was related to George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., the inventor of the Ferris wheel. The book is in Casa Grande and neither our memories nor internet searches can provide the specifics of the relationship of Asa and George, but we can figure that out later.
The wheel was 300 feet tall and 825 feet in circumference. It weighed 4000 tons and held 36 cars seating 40 people each. It carried 1.5 million people and made over 10,000 revolutions in the 19 weeks it graced the fair. Each ride cost 50ยข and lasted 20 minutes.
Our wanderings in Carson City took us to a school designed in 1909 by George Ashmead Ferris, probably no relation to either senior or junior George Washington Gale Ferris. Interesting, though. George Ashmead Ferris also designed the governor’s mansion in Carson City.
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