Duane Leroy Bliss

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Duane Leroy Bliss
Born November 30, 1833(1833-11-30)
Savoy, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States
Died April 21, 1907 (aged 73)
Carson City, Nevada
Nationality American
Occupation Industrialist

Duane Leroy Bliss (November 30, 1835April 21, 1910) 19th-century Nevada timber and mining magnate. He founded the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company from Gold Hill, Nevada. He eventually controlled every facet of the business from the land to the timber, ships and barges to move the timber, flumes and the railroad system he built[1].

Originally from Massachusetts, in 1849 he was lured west at age 16 with the promise of gold. Became partner in the local bank.

Wife Elizabeth Tobey of South Wareham, Massachusetts.

Contents

[edit] Biography


[edit] Early life

After completing his formal schooling, Duane Bliss left his birth home in Savoy, Massachusetts at the age of 13 and found work as a cabin boy sailing to South America.

[edit] Later life and death

Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe around the barge line and terminus of the flume
Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe around the barge line and terminus of the flume

Duane Bliss founded the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company from Gold Hill, Nevada. He eventually controlled every facet of the business from the land to the timber, ships and barges to move the timber, flumes and the railroad system he built[1]. In 1907 he completed the renowned Glenbrook Inn which became a tourist destination for the elite families of San Francisco[2].

Bliss's daughter Hope says that he initiated a form of medical insurance for his employees. For fifty cents per month, an employee could insure that medical needs were paid for. A well-paid laborer received $4 per day. For one hour's pay the employees received essential medical coverage through Bliss's business[3].

After the end of the logging era in 1893, Bliss anticipated the tourism potential of Lake Tahoe. He moved his logging trains from Glenbrook to Tahoe City on the northwest shore of the lake and converted them to passenger service. Bliss's Lake Tahoe Transportation Co. was later connected to Southern Pacific's international rail service to Truckee, California[4].

[edit] Life as an Industrialist


[edit] Bibliography


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b House Wish A History - KNPB.org, Reno, Nevada
  2. ^ Tahoe Heritage, The Bliss Family of Glenbrook, Nevada by Sessions S. Wheeler, William W. Bliss
  3. ^ House With A History - script (PDF)
  4. ^ Tahoe Tales of Bygone Days and Memorable Pioneers by Don Lane, p.239, Google Books

[edit] Further reading

  • Tahoe Heritage, The Bliss Family of Glenbrook, Nevada by Sessions S. Wheeler, William W. Bliss

[edit] External links