Part 1: The Back Story
Part 1 of our series on the History of Hidden Valley
In the coming months, the story of Hidden Valley will once again be revealed. The story begins with its founders, Link Piazzo and his business friends, who had a vision of what the foothills above southeast Reno could become. The original story was written by Link Piazzo who passed away on November 14, 2014 at age 95. Link left a wonderful legacy that we current residents enjoy.
GEM OF THE TRUCKEE MEADOWS: The Genesis Story of Hidden Valley
by Marge Frandsen from the story as told by Link Piazzo
Reno, Nevada, widely known as “The Biggest Little City in the World,” sometimes referred to as “The Divorce Capital of the World,” has always been gifted with visionary leadership. When these talented and dedicated people undertake a community project, they do not just roll with the punches, they make good things happen. That is what this brief history of Hidden Valley is all about and it can be somewhat paraphrased from the book authored by Irving Stone, Men to Match My Mountains.
Hidden Valley’s founding entrepreneurs envisioned a beautiful eighteen-hole golf course, complemented by an exclusive clubhouse, swimming pool and tennis courts. The dream was completed by including an exclusive residential community, surrounding and overlooking the entire golf course with panoramic views of the city and the Sierras as the backdrop.
In 1956, four hard-working young business executives met for a social cup of coffee each weekday morning, telling World War II stories and discussing the needs of a fast-growing community. The members of this foursome were very close friends and avid golfers, who maintained spirited competition among themselves when on the golf course.
William B. Kottinger, Sr., Delbert Machabee, Link Piazzo and Emmett Saviers dreamed of building an exclusive private golf course surrounded by attractive homes and void of any commercial business permits. In pursuit of this dream, they signed their names on the original documents as founders of the new country club. The proposed project required a land use and feasibility study, which would accommodate an eighteen-hole golf course with a minimum of two thousand surrounding homes.
A huge project indeed for the four young men with limited funds. If this was a megabucks dream, it did not stop the determined foursome! They immediately retained the services of Raymond M. Smith, a Planning Engineer with a degree from Harvard University. Mr. Smith’s job was to assist in locating a suitable raw land site, adjacent to the city of Reno, that would accommodate the scope of their plan.
Proposed Plan Layout:
To be continued…