Sparks, Nevada was named after "Honest" John Sparks, Nevada's tenth governor of Nevada . He was a native of Mississippi, born August 30, 1843, son of Samuel Sparks, a native of Maryland, and Mary Deal of South Carolina. His grandfather, Milton Sparks, was a Maryland planter. Elected Governor in 1902, he died in office May 22, 1908.

He enlisted December 15, 1862 at Camp Colorado as a Private in Co. I, McCord's Mounted Regiment,Texas State Volunteers, later incorporated into Confederate service,

At one time he owned a cattle ranch in NE Nevada, 150 X 150 miles with a herd of some 75,000 registered Hereford and Durham cattle. During the severe winter of 1889-90, 35,000 of his cattle perished. In 1890 he moved to the Reno area.

I have collected a small amount of information which I obtained when we first formed a SCV Camp here in
Sparks. I can share with you if he is kin and you are interested.

A bronze bust of him sits atop a 10/12 foot monument in the Mountain View Cemetery here in Reno.