In pioneer days (1840s-50s), this place was known as Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley. Gold was discovered in the area (in Virginia City) and thus began the transition of this place from agriculture to commerce.



The town actually came into being in 1868 when the new, intercontinental railroad opened a train station there. The town was named by the Central Pacific Railroad superintendent, Charles Crocker. He named the town after a Major General Jesse Lee ______, a Union officer killed in the American Civil War.