Ken Dalton will never forget the day he was hired by the Reno Fire Department in 1985.
It was January, and he was joining a small group of other new hires. But the freshly-minted firefighters stood out from their predecessors — they were the first paid Black firefighters in Northern Nevada
“I thought that was kind of astonishing … we were the first ones,” Dalton said of his groundbreaking hiring.
His story as a pioneer stood out to him — he heard it over and over in the region, of Black residents who’d quietly broken the color barrier, their accomplishments largely unrecognized.
“I started hearing the history that was here and wondered, ‘How come we can’t celebrate historians that live right here in this area?’” he wondered.
Those stories of everyday people paving the way for Northern Nevadans of color are what prompted him to start Our Story, a nonprofit focused on preserving the region’s unsung histories.
For the past three decades, Dalton, 65, has been preserving history by amassing writings, oral histories and artifacts honoring and remembering the accomplishments of underrepresented community members across the region.
People like Jim Beckwourth, a Black explorer, fur trader and speculator who blazed a low-elevation trail across the Sierra Nevada that ran from present-day Sparks to Marysville, California. The small community of Beckwourth in Plumas County is named in his honor.
Or Alice Smith, who was instrumental in establishing the Reno chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and served on multiple local and state boards. In Golden Valley, Alice L. Smith School sits not far from the old path of the Beckwourth Trail.
There’s Ben Palmer, a prominent Black rancher in the 1870s around the Genoa area who was one of the wealthiest men of his time in Northern Nevada. Or Ollie and Helen Westbrook, who helped establish the community of Black Springs, one of the few places where Black families could purchase homes near Reno due to restrictive racial covenants.
It’s stories like those that Dalton wants to preserve.
“Those things to me are just fascinating,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to have Our Story.”
Demetrice, Dalton’s wife of 16 years, helped spur Our Story’s growth.
A Northern Nevada native, Demetrice’s mom had published a magazine of events, activities and history of the Black community. Demetrice, an artist, took what she learned from her mom decades ago and applied it to Our Story.
Together, the Daltons have produced calendars, coloring books, historical books and other printed material all focusing on contributions of underrepresented community members.
Last year, Our Story helped open the Northern Nevada African American Firefighter Museum in the historic Black Springs Volunteer Fire Department building, honoring local firefighters including William Lobster, who, as chief of the Black Springs Volunteer Fire Department, was likely the first Black fire chief in Nevada.
“African American families that have been here a while feel seen now. For example, the families of the men who served here at the volunteer fire department here in Black Springs, they feel validated. They’re a little prouder of the community and what their parents and grandparents accomplished,” Demetrice said. “Just having that validation and knowing about your community helps you feel better about the community and yourself. It’s harder to be something unless you’ve seen it.”
And preserving histories through Our Story is a way to make sure future generations can see, and learn, from those who came before them.
“If I share it, you share it, hopefully someone else shares it,” Ken Dalton said. “I’ve gotta keep telling the story. That’s the only way.”
Amy Alonzo covers the outdoors, recreation and environment for Nevada and Lake Tahoe. Reach her at[email protected].