1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. And this topic came 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: to my attention while I was working on research for 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: our recent Harrison Dyer episode. In that episode, we talked 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: about how Dyer's paramore, Wileska Allen, moved to Reno, Nevada 7 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen twenties to establish residency so that 8 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: she could divorce her imaginary husband, Wilfred P. Allen. That's 9 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: a whole story. If you don't know it, you can 10 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: go listen to that episode because it's too much to 11 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: explain it an intro. It's a hall journey. And another 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: podcast subject head a hopper start in a movie in 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty seven called a Reno Divorce, And all of 14 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: this has kind of been playing in the background of 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: my brain and going we should talk about Reno and divorces. 16 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: Reno and Nevada have long been wrecked as divorce friendly, 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: so I got to think about how that happened. And 18 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: the topic that we're talking about today specifically sort of 19 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: we're talking about a lot of it is divorce ranches, 20 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: which didn't really come about until after Wilesca's time. There 21 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: there were things like it going on, but they weren't 22 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: really like pitched as this is a divorce ranch. Divorce 23 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: ranches sprung up in the nineteen thirties when the state 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: relaxed its laws even further regarding divorce and residency. So 25 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: today we will talk about the state's relationship with divorce, 26 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: how it became the divorce capital of the country, and 27 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: why this unique and controversial style of resort, the divorce 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: ranch was so popular for several decades and then became obsolete. So, 29 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: as Holly just mentioned, divorce was part of Nevada's identity 30 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: well before the nineteen thirties, but it was definitely not 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: the first place in North America to allow or even 32 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: be known for the availability of divorce. And like a 33 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: legal system context, there was divorce in the colonies. The 34 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: first was a bigamy case in the Massachusetts Colony in 35 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: sixteen forty three, and as the United States was formed 36 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: and people moved west from the Atlantic coast, the places 37 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: at the edges of westward expansion tended to be the 38 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: most hospitable for a legal breakup of a marriage. It's 39 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: kind of a pattern in social expectations and moving west. Yeah, 40 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 1: in some cases that was far away from established communities, 41 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: so it was easy for someone to start a new life. 42 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: In other ways, it was just a place that was inhospitable, 43 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: so people were worried about other stuff. You want to 44 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: get divorced, go crazy. We really need to make sure 45 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: that everyone eats enough. It was it was just not 46 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: a priority to really be particular and clamped down regarding divorce. 47 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,839 Speaker 1: So when Nevada became a territory in eighteen sixty one, 48 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: it quickly became a divorce haven. Virginia City, which sits 49 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: to the east of Lake Tahose northern Sure, became known 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: as the City of Divorces. When Nevada gained statehood in 51 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: the eighteen sixty four the state constitution included the same 52 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: relatively liberal laws regarding divorce that the territory had. It 53 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: also included the same requirement for residency that the territory 54 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: had had, which was six months. Because Nevada's legislature was 55 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: amenable to relatively quick and easy divorces, it, like other 56 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: territories and states with similar laws, became very attractive to 57 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: legal firms from the East Coast. Those firms would set 58 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: up outpost offices in these places so that they could 59 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: enjoy the steady business of divorce cases. This helped establish 60 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: the idea of divorce mills. In addition to the legislation 61 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: that was in place, lawyers and places like New York 62 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: or Chicago or other big cities would often encourage their 63 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: clients who were seeking divorce to go to one of 64 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: the places where it was easier to get one. They'd 65 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,279 Speaker 1: spend the required amount of time there to declare themselves 66 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: a resident, and then get their divorce. Even with this 67 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: wait time to establish residency, this often was a much 68 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: faster process than it would have been back home, as 69 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: many states had really long waiting periods after filing. When 70 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: we say it was easier to obtain the divorce, it 71 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: was a lot easier, and a lot of states, including 72 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,840 Speaker 1: New York, to get a divorce you had to have 73 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 1: proof that your spouse had committed adultery, things like cruelty 74 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 1: or abuse. They were not enough. Nevada had a lot 75 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: more ways that you could claim that a divorce was 76 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: a necessity. Yeah, we'll talk about some of those in 77 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: just a bit, but this all quickly led to high 78 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: profile people hoping to rapidly move on from unwanted marriages 79 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,599 Speaker 1: in the state. We'll talk about several of these today, 80 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: but one of the first was Bertrand Russell's older brother, 81 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: John Francis Stanley Russell, who was the second Earl Russell. 82 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: He may be an episode topic in the future. He's 83 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: quite a t to me. His divorce saga is long 84 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: and kind of intense. Both he and his wife Mabel 85 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: wanted out of the marriage and they found it impossible 86 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: within the British legal system. For a long time, the 87 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 1: two of them pretty much lived separately and they kept 88 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: trying through the British courts to gain a divorce without success. 89 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: But then when Francis fell in love with Molly Somerville, 90 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: who was also married at the time, he decided that 91 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: he wanted to hasten a dissolution of his marriage and Molly's, 92 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: so he and his mistress went to Nevada. After spending 93 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: six months at Lake Tahoe, Molly and Francis each got 94 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: divorces from their spouses who were back in England, and 95 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: then the two of them got married in Reno the 96 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: next day. These divorces were not going to be recognized 97 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: as legal in Britain, and both Francis and Molly knew that, 98 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: But in Francis's case, he was hoping this would create 99 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: a scenario where his wife, Mabel, could and show clear 100 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: evidence that she had been abandoned by her husband, so 101 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,840 Speaker 1: their divorce would finally be granted. He even set aside 102 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: a sum of money for Mabel to keep the whole 103 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: thing as smooth and simple as possible. That did not 104 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: work out as planned, though, While Molly's husband had also 105 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: filed for divorce and they were able to settle this 106 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: matter uncontested, and while Mabel wanted a divorce as well, 107 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,840 Speaker 1: Russell was arrested and tried for bigamy. That is its 108 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: own whole story about why he was arrested. It was 109 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: not very common to prosecute bigamy in Britain at the time, 110 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: but that's a different story for another day. Reno really 111 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: did become a big destination for would be divorcees after 112 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: a woman named Laura Corey spent time there before receiving 113 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: her divorce from William Ellis Corey, who was president of 114 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: US Steel Corporation. This was a divorce that William wanted 115 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: he had started an affair with an actress named Mabel 116 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: Gilman and he wanted to be free to start a 117 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,040 Speaker 1: life with her. And Corey paid his wife Laura one 118 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: million dollars for a divorce. This was in the early 119 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: nineteen hundred, so that was a lot of money, and 120 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: he asked her to travel to Nevada to live for 121 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: the requisite six months at the time to declare residency 122 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: and file, which she did. And this was another high 123 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: profile case that was covered in papers across the country 124 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: and it ended up with Laura getting full custody of 125 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: their son and a whole lot more money. And because 126 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: this was a very wealthy, stylish family from the United States, 127 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: it helped create this sort of halo effect around Reno 128 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: in particular as the place where wealthy and important people 129 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: would go to get their divorces. Soon, Reno and Nevada 130 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: overall were the preferred destinations among the options for relatively 131 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: expedient divorces in the United States. Divorce tourism grew so 132 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: rapidly in Reno in the first decade of the night 133 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: teen hundreds that much of the city was built to 134 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: accommodate it. What had been a relatively small town of 135 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: several thousand residents suddenly had a need for housing for 136 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: this constant influx of not quite permanent residents. This included apartments, hotels, 137 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: boarding houses, and in some cases private homes that were 138 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: rented out by the room or in their entirety. There 139 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: was also a boom and entertainment venues and restaurants to 140 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: keep all these newcomers fed and occupied. In the nineteen twenties, 141 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: dude ranches started to dot the suburban landscape. They would 142 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: offer a variety of amenities alongside outdoorsy activities like horseback 143 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: riding and shooting. Most of their visitors were women waiting 144 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: out this residency rule. All of this led to Reno 145 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: taking over the nickname of divorce capital of the country. 146 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: People started referring to the act of going to Nevada 147 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: for a fresh start as the Reno cure. That title 148 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: of dev capital was not one that everyone who lived 149 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 1: in Reno appreciated, and because of ongoing complaints and campaigning 150 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,559 Speaker 1: from various groups, including churches and women's groups, the length 151 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: of time required for residency was lengthened in the nineteen 152 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: teens from six months to one year. This, of course, 153 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: resulted in fewer divorces, which was the goal of those 154 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: groups that had been lobbying for this change, But it 155 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: also meant that the city that had built an economy 156 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: on wealthy divorce seekers over the prior decade was suddenly 157 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: left struggling financially because people were not willing to go 158 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: somewhere for a year the way they would for six months. 159 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: That law was changed back to the six month wait 160 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: period for the economic needs of the state. The next 161 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: divorce of the rich and famous to put Reno in 162 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: national headlines was that of Silent film star Mary Pickford. 163 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: We talked about Pickford in one of our eponymous food 164 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: episodes when we talked about Fetccini Alfredo. We mentioned that 165 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: she and Douglas Fairbanks fell in love with the dish 166 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 1: on their honeymoon. That marriage happened after Pickford got a 167 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: quickie Nevada divorce from her first husband, Owen Moore, which 168 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: she did in nineteen twenty. Nevada also gained a revenue 169 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: stream from quickie weddings around this time. That started in 170 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: the late nineteen twenties because while other states were tightening 171 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: their laws and establishing things like waiting periods and blood 172 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: tests before a couple could be married. Nevada required none 173 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: of that. Still, after the nineteen twenty nine stock market crash, 174 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: the revenue from those dropped off, along with everything else. 175 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: That crash and the depression that followed ushered in the 176 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: time of the divorce ranch. We will talk about that 177 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: right after we pause for a sponsor break. Nevada economics 178 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: once again led to a shift in residency laws with 179 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: the hopes that divorce tourism would bring in more cash flow. 180 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty one, the Great Depression was in full 181 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: swing and the state's finances were really hurting. It was 182 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: harder and harder for people to come up with the 183 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 1: money for an extended stay in Reno or elsewhere in 184 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: the state just to get a divorce. In nineteen twenty seven, 185 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: the state legislature had already dropped the residency requirement to 186 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: just three months, so it was not as expensive as 187 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: it had been at six months, of course, but there 188 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: were still far fewer temporary residents patronizing their hotels, their 189 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: du branches, their restaurants, and their speakeasies. That year, Nevada 190 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: made two important changes to state law, which were intended 191 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: to improve the state's finances and lore tourists. The first 192 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: was the Wide Open Gambling Act, which, as its name suggests, 193 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: made gambling legal in the state, and the second was 194 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: that in March of nineteen thirty one, Nevada opted to 195 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 1: shift to a six week waiting period for residency, much 196 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 1: shorter than the prior three month period and way shorter, 197 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: way way shorter than the one year that most other 198 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: states required. It also added wording that a person could 199 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 1: ask for a divorce based on what was described as 200 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: extreme cruelty entirely mental in nature, but that was way 201 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: easier to claim than adultery or abandonment, which was what 202 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: was required in other places, and also other places required 203 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: proof of those claims. Yeah, that extreme cruelty clause gets 204 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: discussed a lot in anyone writing about this history, because 205 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: in some cases it was like not maybe what you 206 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 1: would think of as something extremely cruel, but like things 207 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: like my husband won't let me play the radio in 208 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 1: the house, or like, in some cases there was obviously 209 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: genuine cruelty, I don't want to downplay that, but in 210 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: some cases they didn't have to really come up with 211 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: anything heavy to get the divorce moved right through this 212 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: shift in divorce laws was recorded in the Nevada lature 213 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: as follows. Section twenty two. Divorced from the bonds of 214 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 1: matrimony may be obtained by complaint under oath to the 215 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 1: district Court of any county in which the cause therefore 216 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: shall have accrued, or in which the defendant shall reside 217 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: or be found, or in which the plaintiff shall reside, 218 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: or in which the parties last cohabitated, or if plaintiffs 219 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: shall have resided six weeks in the state before suit 220 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: be brought for the following causes, or any other causes 221 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 1: provided by law so First impotency at the time of 222 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: marriage continuing to the time of divorce. Second adultery since 223 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: the marriage remaining unforgiven. Third willful desertion at any time 224 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: of either party by the other for the period of 225 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: one year. Fourth conviction of a felony or infamous crime. 226 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: Fifth habitual gross drunkenness contracted since marriage of either party, 227 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: which shall incapacitate such party from contributing his or her 228 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: share to the support of the family. Sixth extreme crew 229 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: cruelty in either party. Seventh neglect of the husband for 230 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: the period of one year. To provide the common necessaries 231 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: of life when such neglect is not the result of 232 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: poverty on the part of the husband, which he could 233 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 1: not avoid by ordinary industry. Eighth, insanity existing for two 234 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: years prior to the commencement of the action. That last 235 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: one had additional language as well, requiring corroborative evidence. We've 236 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: talked about instances in history on the show where a 237 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: husband has declared that his wife was insane to try 238 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: to get a divorce without needing any other verification or 239 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 1: examination of that claim. This additional language was there to 240 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: prevent that kind of situation. The new version of the 241 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: Divorce Act went into effect on May first, nineteen thirty one. 242 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: A reported three hundred new divorce cases were filed that morning, 243 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: But the new law also kicked off a lot of 244 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: controversy around the United States. There were a number of states, 245 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: at least prominent judges within a number of states that 246 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: did not want to recognize Nevada divorces as legal because 247 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 1: of the looser regulations. Almost immediately, newspapers around the nation 248 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: included coverage of this issue and featured opinions and statements 249 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:20,359 Speaker 1: given by various judges on the matter. Illinois, in particular, 250 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: was the first to challenge the validity of Nevada divorces. 251 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: Maryland also would not recognize Nevada divorces initially, and Tennessee 252 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: was not happy about it, but had not had any 253 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: cases come up for them to really examine. And then 254 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: when Georgia authorities were question on the matter, they just 255 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: were not sure if Nevada divorces would stand in their state. 256 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: Just a month after the Nevada six week residency law 257 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:48,040 Speaker 1: went into effect, the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News ran 258 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: a lengthy editorial on Quickie divorces. It read quote, lawyers 259 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: generally throughout the country know that citizens of one state 260 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: cannot legally escape the divorce laws of their own state 261 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: by taking temporary sojourn in another state. Nevada divorces are 262 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: good only as long as they are accepted by both parties. 263 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: But let one party to the marriage raise objection in 264 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: the state in which both parties are residents, and the 265 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:19,359 Speaker 1: law will support the objection. Nevada divorces are founded on perjury. 266 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: Parties to divorce cases in Nevada are asked not only 267 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: if they are residents of the state, but if they 268 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: intend to be residents thereof. They always answer in the affirmative, 269 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: although at the time of the answer they have their 270 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: tickets purchased to go back home. The Nevada divorce mill 271 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: may lead to a national uniform divorce law. Protection of 272 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: the rights of women and children may require such a step. 273 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: Nevada's easy divorce laws may be all right in many cases, 274 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 1: but perjury is not to be approved, and neglect of 275 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: the rights of children are not to be approved. Ultimately, 276 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: Nevada divorces were deemed legal and were upheld by all 277 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: the other states by December of nineteen thirty one. So 278 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 1: the same year this law went into effect, divorce ranches 279 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: were hitting the papers. Many papers ran a story with 280 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: the headline divorce ranch established at Reno by Vanderbilt for 281 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: freedom seekers, decree and grand time, all for five hundred dollars, 282 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:21,360 Speaker 1: So this literally was like syndicated in all of the papers, 283 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,680 Speaker 1: and many instances of this article opened with what amounted 284 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: to kind of an advertisement for Vanderbilt's new business, which read, 285 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:32,360 Speaker 1: in part quote, no longer need the ordeal of interviewing lawyers, 286 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: attending courts, and such tiring details prevent the freedom seeking 287 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: husband or wife from cutting loose from the unwanted partner. 288 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: Thanks to Cornelius Vanderbilt Junior, everything is now plain sailing 289 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: for the one who desires to be rid of the 290 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: marital shackles. Neely, as he is affectionately called, has opened 291 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,880 Speaker 1: up a divorce ranch at Indian Springs Oasis near Reno, 292 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: where all one has to do is check in and 293 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: spend six weeks of entertainment while the manager attends to 294 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: all troublesome details of severing the tie that binds. It 295 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: goes on to explain that the small charge of five 296 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 1: hundred dollars covers quote, room and board for six weeks 297 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: plus entertainment horseback riding, tennis, swimming, and so forth. It 298 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: also mentions that Vanderbilt has hired a manager named Mary 299 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: Gratchy to handle all of the business, including talking to 300 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: lawyers for the guests, and that if this venture succeeds, 301 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: the business will expand into a chain quote within a 302 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: convenient radius of the divorce mills at Reno. It touts 303 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,680 Speaker 1: that manager Gratcy will quote do one hundred and one 304 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: of those annoying little jobs that take all the fun 305 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: out of divorce. This article was likely the first introduction 306 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: a lot of readers around the country had to the 307 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: concept of a resort for getting divorced, and it describes 308 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,320 Speaker 1: how easy and pleasurable it will be for guests to 309 00:18:52,359 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: go on vacation and do all the things they would 310 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: enjoy and a regular ranch stay with the added legal 311 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 1: benefit of handling the divorce when this day is over. 312 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: Vanderbilt is quoted in the article saying, quote, give the 313 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: public what it wants, do it cheaply and with the 314 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: minimum amount of trouble to the customer. This first ranch 315 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,919 Speaker 1: was called lazy Me, and it developed a reputation as 316 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: a place where not only could a person wait for 317 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: their divorce, but they could also potentially enjoy and no 318 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: strings attached dalliance with somebody from the staff. Vanderbilt, who 319 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 1: was an outcast from high society, got a book out 320 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: of the business. But it does not appear that he 321 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: stayed in there. No. I kept trying to hunt down, 322 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: like did he ever open up his chain? He just 323 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: kind of vanishes from this whole project after a while. 324 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: After he wrote his book. I think he was like done. 325 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: Most of the divorce ranches in the nineteen thirties were 326 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: in or around Reno, but that changed at the end 327 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:53,919 Speaker 1: of the decade, and we'll talk about why after we 328 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: hear from the sponsors that keeps stuff you missed in 329 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:09,680 Speaker 1: history class. Going prior to nineteen thirty nine, most hopeful 330 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: divorcees went to Reno. That was where the divorce ranches 331 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: were mostly clustered. But that year nineteen thirty nine, Clark 332 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: Gable's second wife, Maria Franklin Prentiss Lucas Langham, who went 333 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 1: by Riha, had a lengthy stay in Las Vegas to 334 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 1: establish residency so she could divorce her movie star husband. 335 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,880 Speaker 1: The couple had gotten married in nineteen thirty one, when 336 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: Gable's career in film was just beginning. Ria was seventeen 337 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 1: years older than Gable and had just gotten divorced from 338 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,880 Speaker 1: her third husband when the two met in nineteen twenty eight. 339 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: Their courtship was one in which the wealthy socialite Ria 340 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: took care of the younger Gable financially, helping him develop 341 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: his stylish image. But as Gable had become a movie star, 342 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: he had also been seen around Los Angeles with many 343 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: women who were not Ria and many of his cos 344 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: and it was apparent that this marriage was not a 345 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 1: happy one, so Ria moved to Nevada. But she went, 346 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: as we said, not to Reno, but to Las Vegas. 347 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: She asked only that she be given privacy, and in 348 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: exchange she gave an interview to the Las Vegas Review Journal. 349 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: This was a deal she arranged with the Las Vegas 350 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: Chamber of Commerce. That interview was accompanied by photos of 351 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: Langham having a wonderful time enjoying a variety of leisure activities, 352 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: including visiting the casinos of Vegas, and it put Vegas 353 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: on the map as a divorce resort. Soon the city 354 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 1: had its fair share of divorce ranches. The year after 355 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 1: Rea lanham stay an endorsement of Las Vegas, the Vegas 356 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,200 Speaker 1: Strip was added to the city's offerings, and it cemented 357 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 1: its place as a destinations for weddings, divorces, and gambling. 358 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: While divorce ranches appealed to people with enough money to 359 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,359 Speaker 1: spend five hundred dollars to while away their residency requirement, 360 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: there were also much less glamorous places popping up to 361 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: serve the needs of the less affluent in Reno in Vegas. 362 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: These were sometimes dormitory style boarding houses for women, where 363 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 1: they would share a room and a bathroom with you know, 364 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: anywhere from four to eight people. They were not really 365 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 1: having the time of their lives, but they were still 366 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: getting their divorces, and they were still boosting the area's economy. 367 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: By the end of the nineteen thirties, Nevada was home 368 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: to five percent of the divorces in the United States. 369 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: That may not sound like all that much, but its 370 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: population made up less than one tenth of a percent 371 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: of the country's total. There were still plenty of famous 372 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 1: and glitzy visitors to the divorce hub of the country 373 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: over the years. In nineteen fifty one, Rita Hayworth famously 374 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: went to Lake Tahoe for six weeks to file for 375 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: divorce from her third husband, Prince Ali Khan. The couple 376 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: had been together for two years when Hayworth left with 377 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: their toddler daughter to petition for divorce on the rounds 378 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: of extreme cruelty entirely mental in nature. When Kroner Eddie 379 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: Fisher decided to divorce Debbie Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor 380 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: in a huge scandal that eventually cost him professional opportunities, 381 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:15,920 Speaker 1: he went to Vegas to wait out the six week 382 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: waiting period. Fisher combined his Nevada residency accrual with work, 383 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,399 Speaker 1: and he got a job singing on the Las Vegas 384 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: Strip at the Tropicana. Elizabeth Taylor was said to have 385 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,399 Speaker 1: often been at his shows as the pair waited for 386 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: his divorce. The culture of these divorce ranches, at whatever 387 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 1: economic level a person could afford to stay, was really fascinating. 388 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: The six week stay afforded a variety of experiences for people, 389 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,439 Speaker 1: and for many of the women who went there, it 390 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: was a taste of freedom that they really weren't accustomed to. 391 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 1: In some cases, divorce branches offered a sense of community. 392 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: People were all going through the exact same experience, and 393 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: there are a number of accounts that mentioned close friendships 394 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: that people formed there. For someone who wanted to experience 395 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: the freedom of a life unhindered by attachment, there were 396 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 1: plenty of diversions and places to visit. Some ranches and 397 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 1: boarding houses even assisted with childcare for mothers who had 398 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,359 Speaker 1: arrived with their little ones, enabling mom to have a 399 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 1: night on the town whenever she desired. In twenty ten, 400 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 1: two sisters, Beth Ward and Robbie McBride shared their story 401 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,400 Speaker 1: of growing up on a divorce ranch run by their 402 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 1: parents for NPR Story Corps. One of the things that 403 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: the sisters mentioned was the fact that their mother would 404 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: go to court with the women who stayed at their 405 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: family's ranch, which was Whitney Ranch, and she would testify 406 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: that that woman had indeed been living with them for 407 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: the preceding six weeks. They were both very adamant that 408 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 1: their mother was very adamant that she would never lie, 409 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: so if a guest asked her to vouch for having 410 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,679 Speaker 1: seen them, and she had, she would not do it. 411 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: This practice, though, of an owner, a manager, or employee 412 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: of a ranch being the person to vouch for person's 413 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: resident status, was very common practice. Ward and McBride shared 414 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: stories of guests who were in some cases truly heartbroken 415 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,959 Speaker 1: and cried throughout their stay, as well as people who 416 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: sometimes brought someone else with them, who they frequently called 417 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,640 Speaker 1: their cousins. These were usually men that the women involved 418 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: were intending to be with once their divorce was final, 419 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 1: so they would book two rooms essentially, one for them 420 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: one for their cousin. Probably had some time for romance 421 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: in the six weeks they were there, and then at 422 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,320 Speaker 1: the end they could get married. Although some of these 423 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: guests were unhappy to be leaving their marriages behind. Ward 424 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: told story core quote as a whole most of the 425 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: people who came there they wanted a divorce, so it 426 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: wasn't an unhappy time for them. They just thought it 427 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: was great that there was some place they could come 428 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 1: to get one. Beth Ward was married herself, and she 429 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: met her second husband when his wife was at the 430 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: ranch for a divorce. I love that little detail though. 431 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: One popular image of the divorce ranch is that it 432 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: was kind of a place where wealthy people played and 433 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: got into all manner of frivolity, of what you might 434 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 1: think of as a less than wholesome nature. There were 435 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: also ranch owners who spoke against that image. In an 436 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: article in the Nevada State Journal in July nineteen sixty five, 437 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: several ranch owners tried to correct some of the information 438 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,919 Speaker 1: that had become part of the popular lore of divorce ranches. 439 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: This was actually in direct response to a prior article 440 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 1: that was written by journalist Robert Warnick, but this piece 441 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,119 Speaker 1: overall also sought to dispel a lot of widely held 442 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: myths about the industry in statements from ranch owners. Those 443 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: owners were Missus L. M. Whitney, Harry Dracart, Missus Bertha Winnie, 444 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: and hughes Porter. Drakart incidentally was happy with Warnick's piece, 445 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,160 Speaker 1: but that's probably because that original article named Drackart's Donner 446 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: Trail Ranch as the last divorce ranch in the state 447 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,400 Speaker 1: at the time, which it absolutely was not. But one 448 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: point of contention was the insinuation that ranch hand routinely 449 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: had sexual relationships with guests. Hughes Porter told the paper, quote, 450 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:09,160 Speaker 1: we don't allow them, meaning the wranglers, to flirt. We've 451 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 1: had the other type of ranch hand. We had to 452 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: get rid of them. The divorce ranches continued for decades, 453 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: although they did wane over time. In nineteen sixty nine, 454 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: an article ran in the Nevada State Journal under the 455 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,880 Speaker 1: headline two Divorce Ranches Still Thriving. It calls out specifically 456 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: the Donner Trail Ranch and Whitney's Guest Ranch and talks 457 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 1: about the many ways that these two ranches continue to 458 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: keep guests happy, busy, and well cared for during their 459 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,360 Speaker 1: six weeks of living in the state. The article notes, quote, 460 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: with Reno's reputation as a divorce mill still going full 461 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: speed ahead at the ranch, the only cloud on the 462 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 1: horizon is the proposed dam across the Trucky Stream downriver 463 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 1: from the ranch house. That take probably seemed a little 464 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 1: quaint just a few months later, and that's because in 465 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty nine, California divorce law shifted in a way 466 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: that spelled out the end of the divorce ranch. The 467 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,199 Speaker 1: first no fault divorce bill, the Family Law Act of 468 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty nine, was signed by California Governor Ronald Reagan 469 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:15,679 Speaker 1: and went into effect on January first, nineteen seventy and 470 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 1: that signaled the end of the need for divorce ranches. 471 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,880 Speaker 1: Though there were people getting divorces well before this, this 472 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 1: piece of legislation is often considered a big step in 473 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:31,000 Speaker 1: destigmatizing it. Kansas and Texas followed with their own no 474 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:36,400 Speaker 1: fault divorce legislation in nineteen seventy, and in nineteen seventy one, Alabama, Florida, 475 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:40,160 Speaker 1: New Hampshire, and North Dakota accepted no fault divorce many 476 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 1: other states in the time since then. In the space 477 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: of just a few months, divorce ranches were kind of 478 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: relegated to the role of an unnecessary relic from a 479 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: previous legislative age. Almost overnight, Nevada's image seemed to reconfigure 480 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: itself to be about easy weddings and gambling alone. You 481 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 1: can still visit to divorce ranches, sort of. Two of 482 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: the places that catered to the divorce set are now 483 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 1: inside parks in the Las Vegas area that are open 484 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: to visitors. Floyd Lamb Park at Tooley Springs includes remnants 485 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: of the Tooley Springs Ranch, and Loreensey Park is home 486 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: to Twin Lakes Lodge that used to be a regular 487 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:25,040 Speaker 1: extended stay stop for divorce seekers. I am so fascinated 488 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 1: by this whole concept for so many reasons, and I 489 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 1: have so much stuff to stay behind the scenes on 490 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: Friday divorce Ranches. In the meantime, I have an email 491 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: that made me squinky a little bit, but also delayed. 492 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: So here we go. This is from our listener Whitney, 493 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 1: who writes, Hi, ladies, I've been listening to your show 494 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: for years, including going through most of the back catalog 495 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: when I first started listening five or six years ago. 496 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 1: I am a huge history nerd and always include your 497 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: podcast in my list of thank you. The episode, including 498 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: Sloppy Joe's, made me remember a dish my grandmother and 499 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: mother used to make moons Ago called spoon Burgers. It 500 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 1: seems to be even a step down from Sloppy Joe's 501 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,720 Speaker 1: in its money saving status. My grandmother was a child 502 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: during the Great Depression, and my mother was a child 503 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifties northeast Mississippi, which was definitely a place 504 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 1: where the prosperity after World War II arrived late. This 505 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: version of Sloppy Joe's includes ground beef, a can of 506 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:33,560 Speaker 1: Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable Alphabet soup with ketchup and mustard added 507 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: for some extra zing. Whitney added a little emoticon face 508 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,760 Speaker 1: that is exactly the replica of my face, because this 509 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:47,600 Speaker 1: does not sound yummy to be. I read this email 510 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: first thing in the morning, when I felt like I 511 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: was still trying to, you know, acclimate myself to being 512 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: awake for the day, and I was like, oh, no, 513 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: this is not a combination of things that I'm okay 514 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: with right now. No, Whitney continues. It is served on 515 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: a bun with yellow mustard. This is a comfort dish 516 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: from my childhood. However I can't quite convince my husband 517 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: to try it. Thank you so much for your wonderful show. 518 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: I look forward to Mondays and Wednesdays because I know 519 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 1: I will have a new episode. I'm attaching a photo 520 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 1: of our hound dog mix Louis for the Pet tax. 521 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 1: He is a sassy two year old rescue who is 522 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: the epitome of a talkative hound dog. I have included 523 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 1: a photo of him pretending that we don't feed him. Listen, 524 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 1: I don't know. This looks like this dog has never 525 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:35,600 Speaker 1: once been fed. He is clearly very very neglected. No, 526 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: Louie is gorgeous. I have a soft spot for hounds. 527 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: My parents used to breed hounds when I was a kid, 528 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: So like, show me a hounddog and I'm happy, and 529 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: he is beautiful and I want to kiss that snoot 530 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: so hard. I'm kind of with your husband, Whitney. I 531 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: don't want to eat that either. Yeah. I think it 532 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 1: was the mustard that really tipped me into the being 533 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: like mm mmmm, and I really like mustard. But something 534 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 1: about mustard in addition to all the other things why 535 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: I was like, ah, no, no, no, too much that 536 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: for me. It's the it's kind of the same problem. 537 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: I have a sloppy Joe. I'm sure I've talked about 538 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,720 Speaker 1: on the show before. I do not like stews. Generally me, 539 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,800 Speaker 1: I don't like gloopy food that combines a lot of 540 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: other food into some sort of conglomerate. It's just not 541 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: my thing, so for me, nay, But I'm sure you know, 542 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: with the right combo, maybe it is delicious. I might 543 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 1: need a couple of cocktails before I like to lower 544 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: my resistance. But I bet Louie would love these. Yeah, 545 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: because he's never been fed, he's desperate, he's so pretty. 546 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: I kind of can't get over it. I might have 547 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: a dog crush on Louie Whitney. Thank you for sharing 548 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: this story with us. You know, there are lots of 549 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,760 Speaker 1: foods that we all eat that, especially if they were 550 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: like a childhood thing, that is not for everybody, And 551 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,120 Speaker 1: I get it, so please don't think that I'm mocking 552 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 1: your childhood comfort food. It just does not sound like 553 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: something I would love. But there are lots of things 554 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: I eat that other people would be like. Girl, No, 555 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: thank you, no judgment, just not my jam. If you 556 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: would like to write to us and share your various 557 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:12,400 Speaker 1: family recipes that people may or may not enjoy, you 558 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: could do that. We are at History Podcasts at iHeartRadio 559 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 1: dot com. You can also find us on social media 560 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 1: as Missed in History and if you have not yet subscribed, 561 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 1: you can do that on the iHeartRadio app or wherever 562 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in 563 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 564 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:38,479 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 565 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.