Black Springs: Building a Black Community near Reno

by Fernando Melendez February 16, 2024

Black Springs, a community northwest of Reno and located near Lemmon Drive, began developing in the 1950s. The community was named for the color of the water in the springs, not for the race of its inhabitants. At the time, racist covenants kept African Americans on the outskirts of Reno and Sparks. As the Black population grew significantly in the Reno area, African American newcomers would first stay with relatives or rent a room until they had the chance to find their own place.

African American people, restricted by racial covenants from owning property across Reno, were able to live in Black Springs because a Reno realtor, J.E. Sweatt, purchased land in the Black Springs area and began selling lots to black people. Source: The_biggest_little_struggle_B.pdf)  Sweatt, after purchasing Black Springs land, sold portions to African Americans and, when questioned about it, he explained that his belief was that they were “entitled to have their own homes.” Sweatt invested into the community through installation of a water system and placing gravel on the roads of the area. However, basic services were inadequate: the septic tanks and cesspools overflow when it rained. (Source: Black Springs Blighted Area Stirs Concern.docx)

The area saw issues with sewage and street paving. Into the late 1960s, residents had to haul their own water as they did not have running water. (Source: Special Collections on Black Springs (from d'Azevedo papers).docx)

The general area of Black Springs has been populated for a while, in the late nineteenth century by sheep herders. Today, the Black Springs community is Grand View Terrace, as it was renamed in the early 1990s. Hannah Bathurst adopted orphans in the area in the mid 1920s, and though she dealt with legal issues and crime, she served a large role in the Black Springs community early on. She helped others at her dance hall, Black Springs Resort, offered returning veterans free lots, and contributed significantly to the community. Today, there are no signs of her existence, but it must not be forgotten. (Source: Debbie Hinman Black Springs History.pdf)

Black men who worked at the nearby Stead Air Force Base were among those living in the community. (Source: Black Springs Blighted Area Stirs Concern.docx)

 

Black Springs in the Media

The newspaper reports of Black Springs by Cheri Cross in the Nevada State Journal in 1967 brought attention to the situation at the community, leading to the League of Women Voters taking a tour of the area and then determining that improvements needed to be made. This began in 1971 when Washoe County built a water system, community center, and paved roads, thanks to donations and grants from organizations and government. Eventually a new fire station replaced the abandoned one in the area. Helen Westbrook contributed to several of the improvements in the area. She is remembered by her last name as the street name, Westbrook Lane. (Source: Debbie Hinman Black Springs History.pdf)

The conditions at Black Springs in the mid-to-late 1900s are depicted by Helen Townsell Parker in her book, A Cry for Help. Helen has been interviewed by Kingkini Sengupta: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UuWX42UpHk48GXSlwLA-XoOui7PAhD7n?usp=sharing 

The Black Springs community had a lack of quality water services, and it impacted their defense against fires. They were not permitted to have City of Reno water as it was marginalized and not considered to be a part of Reno. A home on Eugene Street had burned down, and the fire hydrant valves had been “tampered with,” so firemen from Stead and Lemmon Valley could not save the burning home. Water was provided by Eugene Street Water Co., owned by J.E. Sweatt, but getting service from Sierra Pacific Power Co. was not approved.  Sierra Pacific was approved to service water to Stead, but Black Springs was denied because the used water wouldn’t return to the basin (though the same would happen in Stead). On this topic, Mrs. Helen Westbrook is quoted saying “The water in my faucet comes out in a dribble - even when I turn it on all the way… We can’t get a straight answer, I don’t think the 50 homes at Black Springs would make that much difference in Reno’s water supply... They treat cattle better than they treat us. At least cattle get plenty of water.” (Source: Reno Evening Gazette, December 27 1968 - Black Springs Water Problems Noted. December_27,_1968_(Page_7_of_3.pdf)

In the Reno Evening Gazette published on April 25th, 1970, a piece on fires in Black Springs is included. The Black Springs community, being marginalized, had inadequate access to firefighting services. The Faith Temple Church in the community had burned down a few weeks prior, and in the 10 prior years had seen 10 homes burn. This is because they do not have a close enough fire department, the closest one was 6 miles away at the time and would not arrive on time to the no-foundation structures, which would burn quickly. While they had a fire department until 1961, it was abandoned because the community could not afford the payments for the property and firetruck. They decided to build their own fire station out of donations, with a volunteer fire department, and they were loaned a fire truck. Into the 1970s, Black Springs was disregarded and marginalized from Reno, and the references to many burned structures due to the distance affecting the arrival time of the Reno fire department. (Source: Reno Evening Gazette, April 25 1970 - Black Springs has just ‘watched fires burn,’ now its people are taking action. April_25,_1970_(Page_11_of_20).pdf)

Reno Evening Gazette, July 10 1970. As Black Springs was marginalized, members of the community often found a need to independently improve their community. Like with getting the fire department and fire station, Helen Westbrook made similar efforts in building a community center. Donations for the home to be remodeled, the land, swings, asphalt, windows, and fence were made, and the center would be a library, recreational, educational, and a place for the youth group POWER (People Organized to Work for Equal Recognition) to meet. A photo is included of Helen Westbrook with a check in her hand from a Reno Kiwanis Club donation. (Source: Reno Evening Gazette, July 10 1970 - Black Springs center is nearing completion. July_10,_1970_(Page_32_of_32).pdf)

Reno Evening Gazette, July 27 1970. Several issues of the conditions in Black Springs are mentioned. A home with no toilet, an open hole, junk cars, other junk equipment, and half-burned homes are complaints that were included. This brings attention to the conditions in a marginalized community like Black Springs where, as the title of the piece mentions, there is a lack of enforcement of the law. (Source: Reno Evening Gazette, July 27 1970 - More law enforcement asked for Black Springs. July_27,_1970_(Page_11_of_20).pdf)

Reno Evening Gazette, March 20 1972. The library in the Black Springs Community Center received donated books. A photo is included of several Black Springs residents and the Club Scout representing the Cub Scout Pack that donated, surrounding the books. (Source: Reno Evening Gazette, March 20 1972 - Books for Black Springs. March_20,_1972_(Page_11_of_22).pdf) 

Reno Gazette Journal, January 21 1985. Even into the mid-1980s, Black Springs continued receiving worse services, specifically water, than other surrounding areas. This results from the marginalization that led Black Springs residents to settle there in the first place. The area is described as having fallen fences, homes, and a lack of water. Though a study determined Black Springs residents used less water than other surrounding residents, a state cap on adding water consumers prevented them from receiving adequate water. They faced other challenges related to needing a sewer system and the complications from individual wells. (Source: Reno Gazette Journal, January 21 1985 - Black Springs waiting for steady water supply. January 21 1985 Reno Gazette Journal)

Reno Gazette Journal, April 29 1990. Notably, many of the newspaper references to Black Springs created a distasteful image. Because the community had worked to improve the conditions of the neighborhood, a petition began to change the name of the area to Grand View Terrace, which is what the original land developer J.E. Sweat had planned to name the town. (Source: Reno Gazette Journal, April 29 1990 - Black Springs residents hope to clean up image. April_29,_1990_(Page_15_of_499.pdf)

Reno Gazette Journal, October 7 2006. Westbrook Community Center opened in Black Springs in remembrance of Helen and Ollie Westbrook, who were prominent figures in the neighborhood. A street in the area was also renamed to Westbrook Ln in honor of them. They would not have needed to write grants, apply for funding, nutrition programs, and more, had they not been disregarded and neglected by Reno for so many years. (Source: Reno Gazette Journal, October 7 2006 - Dedication honors community activists. October_7,_2006_(Page_2_of_162.pdf) 

 

 

Sources for this piece: