Student Activity for the Map of the
Truckee-Carson-Walker River Systems

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Educational Series E-29

Locations of Towns

Collette Craig
Reed High School
2 January 1999

Investigative question: Why did the towns of Reno and Sparks grow where they did?

Objective:

Investigate and describe the landforms of the Truckee Meadows area and the local school. Compare the landforms of the Truckee Meadows to other locations on the map and describe the places that might be good for a town or city to form.

Grade Level: Middle School to High School (7 - 12)

Student product:

Watershed map marked with places that might be good for farming, grazing, hunting, sources of water and transportation as determined only from consideration of the landforms.

Materials for each student:

Truckee-Carson-Walker River Systems map
Colored pencils or markers.

Procedure:

  1. In order to acquaint the students with the landforms they can see form their schoolyard, go outside with the map. Have the students look around at the land and locate the high points (mountains and hills), the flat places, and rivers or streams that they can see. Have the students look at the map. On the map, have the students locate the school and the places the students can see. For the Truckee Meadows, some visible landmarks might be Peavine Mountain, Mt. Rose, Truckee River, or Silver Lake. What do these landmarks look like on the shaded relief map? How do mountains and hills look different on the map? What do rivers look like on the map? Where are rivers, in high places or in canyons or valleys?
  2. Return to classroom. Ask the class to brainstorm, as a class or in small groups, about the things people need to live. What did the original settlers in the Truckee Meadows need to make a living? Some answers might include water, food or place to grow food, livestock and a place to graze livestock, a way to travel easily to other places, and industry or ability to trade.
  3. Now discuss what kind of land might be good for farming, grazing, hunting, or for producing water. Students should discuss the appropriateness of types of landscapes for the possible uses. For example, we can farm in flat places, but we can graze animals in the flats or on gentle hills, and we can hunt almost anywhere there is game.
  4. Have students examine maps and identify places that might be good for farming, grazing, and water. Examine the Truckee Meadows' land forms. Do we have all the things that are needed for people to live?
  5. Look for other places on the map that might be good places to build a town. Put a yellow dot an places that may good for farming, a red dot on places that could be used for livestock, a blue dot where you might build a factory, a green dot where there is a lot of water. Discuss as a class: Are there other places that would be good town sites on this map? Are there towns there already? Would you build a town in the Reno-Sparks area? Why or why not?

Extensions

  1. Using a topographic or historic map, locate ghost towns and mining districts. Put these locations on your watershed map using a purple dot. Are these towns located where inhabitants might have all the resources needed to live? Why could these towns be located in these spots?
  2. If the school is in another town, merely substitute that town and nearby features and follow the activities as above.