Past pages 12/27

By Sue Ballew

120 Years Ago

All sorts: The V. & T. Co. is distributing free Christmas firewood this year, as usual. Married in Carson City, December 24, 1887, by the Rev. G. R. Davis Ð Will U. Mackey and Miss Frankie M. Rinckel.

100 Years Ago

Henry Burlington, who is confined at his home with a light attack of smallpox, is getting along nicely.

70 Years Ago

Charles W. Mapes, one of Nevada's foremost citizens, has passed away. His death ended a career which brought him recognition as one of the state's leading ranchers, bankers and business men. Mapes held such offices as president of Washoe county bank, vice president of Gray, Reid, Wright company and president of Washoe county conservation district.

50 Years Ago

Indianapolis Ð Evidence turned up so far to link cigarette smoking to lung cancer is "inconclusive." Sir Ronald Fisher, professor of genetics at Cambridge University, told a session of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that claim that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, is not supported by conclusive evidence.

20 Years Ago

Photo caption: These children more or less took their personal session with old St. Nick in stride ... well kind of. Mr. S. Claus (Ken Cox), listened to dozens of gift-list wishes during the Christmas season at the Carson Mall. Pictured are Rebecca Hall, 4, Gardnerville; Ian Knight, 3 1Ú2, of Carson, and Katie Sharp, 3 of Carson City.

10 Years Ago

The Christmas of 1997 will mark the 140th year of recorded Christmas celebrations in the Silver State. According to Guy Rocha, the earliest documentation describing the holiday was in 1857. Rocha referenced a series of letters written by Genoa attorney, Richard Allen, who wrote under the pseudonym "Tennessee."

• Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.