The Nevada 'N'

Yesterday was Homecoming at UNR and, as they do every year, the Sigma Nu fraternity constructed a large sigma next to the Nevada "N" (although I thought they used to do this earlier in the year closer to the beginning of the school year in August). Ephemeral as ever, the sigma was gone this morning, but I thought it a good excuse to post a few random facts about this particular hillside letter.

Hillside letters are primarily a phenomenon of the American west (although I have seen letters in Canada and a hillside clock in Alexandra, New Zealand). The first hillside letter, a C, was built at the University of California, Berkeley in 1905. Located on the lower slopes of Peavine (and within walking distance of the R), the N was constructed in 1913 and is the first hillside letter to be built in Nevada. According to the 1913 Artemisia (UNR's yearbook), the N was constructed to measure 150 feet in height and 140 feet in breadth. Each leg has a thickness of 20 feet. It was the largest hillside letter until 1925.

Interested in further reading? Here's a collection of references gleaned from a research paper proposal I wrote many, many, many years ago for one of my classes:

Graham, A. (1987, October). If it's 'T' it must be Tonopah. Nevada, 47, 69-72.
Melton, R. (2001, July 2). The story behind the 'Block R.' Reno Gazette-Journal, pp 7A, 7D.
Parsons, J. (1988). Hillside letters in the western landscape. Landscape, 1, 15-23.
Somers, L. (Ed.). (1914). Artemisia. Junior Class of the University of Nevada.


....and a few web pages as well...

Hillside Letters: In Plain Sight but Not Intended for Planes
List of hillside letters in Nevada (Wikipedia)
Nevada's Hillside Letters (Google Maps)
Denied...Not! (the N could still use a new coat of paint)