Clark J. Guild

Clark Joseph Guild was born in Nevada in 1887. He is best known for his long career as a district judge and as the founder of the Nevada State Museum. Clark Guild’s life was a long, distinguished one. In his oral interview, he recounts in rich detail his boyhood days in Dayton, his experience as a young man in mining and railroading, his attendance at the University of Nevada for a short period, his becoming a lawyer and district attorney of Lyon County, and his years on the District Court bench.

Guild’s years of service as district judge are the most interesting to scholars. Especially valuable and fascinating is the material dealing with the George Wingfield bank receivership hearings, where Guild served as the presiding judge at Carson City. Judge Guild was also particularly interested in and nostalgic about railroad abandonment cases, since he had worked on the Colorado and Carson Railroad.

Perhaps the most illuminating part of the interview is the valuable information Judge Guild provides concerning his role in organizing and funding the Nevada State Museum in 1939, the beginnings of the various exhibits, and the relationship he cultivated with Major Max C. Fleischmann.

Clark Guild represents a decent part of Nevada history, with his work in helping to combat juvenile delinquency and his rich friendships and associations. This document will be of interest and value to scholars who are interested in many segments of Nevada life, particularly to those interested in the Nevada State Museum, railroad abandonment cases, and the Wingfield Bank receiverships. It provides information concerning an unusually rich and varied life.

Interviewee: Clark J. Guild
Interviewed: 1967
Published: 1971
Interviewer: Mary Ellen Glass
UNOHP Catalog #043

This introduction is reprinted with permission from the University of Nevada Oral History Archive, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Nevada, Reno. The full oral history transcript was created for the Nevada Legal Oral History Project. Click here for the full oral history transcript.

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