A Letter for Lockwood

What began as a simple idea now overlooks Lockwood from the hillside above town, where a newly painted white “L” has brought a years-long promise into view.

The project is adding Lockwood to a tradition of hillside letters that mark towns and cities across Nevada. From Virginia City’s “V” to Carson City’s “C,” these landmarks have long served as quiet declarations of identity etched into the mountains.

For Storey County Director of Health & Community Services Stacy York, the idea carries a deeply personal weight.

York said Charlotte “Char,” a senior citizen she worked closely with who has since passed away, had long dreamed of seeing an “L” above Lockwood.

“She always wanted to see an 'L' on the hillside, and I told her I would make it happen,” York said.

That promise, and the idea of a Lockwood hillside letter, gained new momentum when two Virginia City High School students, senior Luke Branson and junior Derek McCoy, chose it as their National Honor Society project.

“When I found out Luke (Branson) wanted to do it, I knew I had to be a part of it for my senior, Char,” York said.

Branson said he was drawn to the project for both practical and personal reasons.

“I wanted to be a part of this project because I needed a project for my senior year for NHS, and I thought it was a cool and unique idea,” he said.

But for Branson, the effort also connects directly to where he grew up.

“Putting an 'L' on the hill actually means a lot to me,” Branson said. “I grew up in Lockwood and went to school at Hillside (Elementary School), so to go back and give something back to the community at the end of my senior year is super cool.”

McCoy said he was drawn in by the tradition of hillside letters across Nevada.

“When I was growing up, I was fascinated with the ‘V’ in Virginia City and the ‘C’ in Carson and the letters everywhere else,” McCoy said.

While the idea is simple in concept, the work behind it has proven anything but.

The students have spent months coordinating with county commissioners, fire officials, local residents, and contractors to move the project through approvals and planning stages before any paint is applied.

“What surprised me most is how complex and difficult it has been to get everything in place,” Branson said. “It’s been tough, but definitely a great experience.”

McCoy said the process has changed how he sees community projects.

“There’s so much planning and trial and error it takes to finalize and manage a community project like this,” he said.

Support has also come from Pittsburgh Paints, whose manufacturing operations are located at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center. The company donated 50 gallons of paint to help make the project possible.

Bill Davis, plant manager for Pittsburgh Paints, said the decision to support the effort reflected the company’s ties to the region.

“Our team not only works in this community, but many of us also live here and raise our families here,” Davis said. “Supporting projects that bring pride and unity to the area is important to us.”

Davis said employees who travel the Interstate 80 corridor daily are already looking forward to seeing the finished “L” on the hillside.

“It means a great deal to us to contribute to a project that will be seen and appreciated by the entire community. We take pride in knowing that The Pittsburgh Paints Company products will help create something meaningful and lasting for the town of Lockwood,” Davis said.

York said the hillside letter represents more than a landmark. It reflects what she hopes Lockwood will continue to become.

“I think it shows the unity this small community needs,” York said. “Instead of being two separate neighborhoods, it is a physical representation that they are one big community, Lockwood.”

She hopes the message carries through when the project is complete.

“I hope they will remember that they are one community and all the little irritations of small-town living exist, but they can come together as one community and be neighborly to one another,” York said. “I also hope that people who know how badly Char wanted this remember her and her thick Philadelphia accent.”

For Branson, that sense of connection is already part of what he’ll take with him.

Years from now, when he looks up at the hillside above Lockwood, he said he expects to remember both the work it took to bring the idea forward and where it came from.

“I’ll remember growing up in Lockwood,” Branson said, “and being proud that I was able to give something back to the community that gave so much to me.”