Slavin-Reed Family Papers

The Slavin and Reed families, joined by the marriage of Helen Reed (1908-1982) and Edward Slavin (1906-2001) in 1928, were among the early colonists of in Nye County, Nevada. Over the decades, family members have been involved in mining and ranching, as well as local government and community services. Edward Slavin founded Nye County Search and Rescue and was a volunteer firefighter for most of his adult life, worked for the Nevada Highway Department, was Nye County Commissioner, and foreman of the Tonopah Mizpah mine as well as serving as spending 25 years as Tonopah's postmaster. His father, Charles Slavin, was Nye County Sheriff and recorder-treasurer.

Helen Reed's family was equally notable in Nye County history. Her father, Orval Knighton Reed, co-founded the United Cattle and Packing Company ranch with his brother Ed not long after the discovery of silver in Tonopah in the early years of the 20th century. In existence for 34 years, it encompassed more than three million acres, more than one hundred square miles across three counties. The Reed brothers purchased their initial acres with mining money, and the ranch became one of the largest in the world. The Reed family began selling off portions of the ranch in 1940.