130 YEARS AGO
Mark Twain and Dan DeQuille - Their Great Indian Fight in Mendocino County: Their journey over the mountains was uneventful until they reached Simpson's Station where they met a pack of emigrants, and the latter had with them a small mountain howitzer.
Twain bought the Howitzer: Offered $50 for it with two kegs of powder. Said Twain, "When we start our paper we must fire a salute.
A newspaper office with artillery has a big bulge on the business. If a man comes in for a retraction we can blow him into the next county."
A night attack: The horses wakened them and the two journalists were led to the conclusion that Indians were making arrangements for a night attack. Twain remarked, "The howitzer." The piece was loaded and the men felt certain that once the Indians heard the roar of the gun, they would beat an unconditional retreat." (to be continued Thursday)
120 YEARS AGO
A friend of women suffrage: Miss Susan B. Anthony is ready for the fray. She does not expect to get the necessary two-thirds majority in Congress for the adoption of the sixteenth amendment ... but is confident the favorable reports will be made in both houses and carry weight in South Dakota where the question is to be submitted to a vote of the people.
70 YEARS AGO
Burns: The towering and picturesque old Gold Hill School, erected in 1873, burned to the ground despite the volunteer efforts of hundreds of volunteer firemen. Blaze started by a defective chimney.
50 YEARS AGO
Squaw Valley, January 12: Advance ticket sales for the 1960 Olympic Winter Games Feb. 18-28 have reached 112,646.
20 YEARS AGO
Photo caption: Carson Junior High's 8th grade basketball champions - Montie Green, manager, Grey Sigafoos, Joe Tierney, Ross Miller, Beau Bennett, Matt Morgan, Desi Navarro, Matt Griffin, Phil Hodges, Dan Davis, Todd Matorian, Jon Van Hoose, Kyle Schellin.
10 YEARS AGO
Gas prices fell more than a half-cent per gallon as crude oil prices dipped and Y2K panic failed to materialize.
• Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.