Fun times: What was really going on at those Nevada divorce ranches?

Reno News & Review

Center

Fun times: What was really going on at those Nevada divorce ranches?

Imagine you’ve had enough of your cheating spouse. You’re ready to leave. But it’s 1947. And that means unless your spouse “gives” you a divorce, you’re stuck. Or you could go to Reno! From 1931 to the 1960s, divorce seekers by the thousands were running to Reno for a six-week, no-fault divorce. If they had the money and the need for privacy, they stayed on one of the dude ranches around town. Someone called those dude ranches “divorce ranches,”…