View from the Past

100 Years Ago

The Liquor Question: The Board of County Commissioners held its regular meeting Monday, the full board being present. There was a large crowd present due to this being the time for the hearing of the petition to the County Liquor Board asking that no further licenses be granted after July 1. Therefore, the Liquor Board, which, under the law is composed of the three commissioners, C.L Benadum, W.H. Williums and W.E. Bowler, and District Attorney G.J. Kenny and Sheriff Mark Wildes, met for the above purpose. There was quite a number present from various parts of the county representing the Anti-Saloon League, and Dr. F. E. Nichols presented the cause before the board. He stated their petition contained more than 1,200 names, which represented more than 80 percent of the vote cast at the last election. Mayor Berney and council members Jones and Austin were present, but Jarvis was absent. The subject was discussed until about 11 o’clock, but no action was taken by the council though Councilman Jones stated he was willing to interview farmers as to how they believed the closing of the saloons July 1 would improve labor conditions, as contended by the petitioners.

–Churchill County Eagle, Saturday May 11, 1918

75 Years Ago

Local Man Seeds Tonopah Airport to a Crop of Rye: A 500-acre crop of cereal rye has been seeded at the Tonopah Airport by Garth Patterson of Fallon, who, returning Thursday from Tonopah, said the grain had rain and was coming along fine. Mr. Patterson does not contemplate harvesting a crop from the seeding, but planted it under contract for the U.S. Army to provide a dust palliative for the landing field, headquarters for the Tonopah Bombing Range. An oil covering proved inadequate to hold the soil near the runaways, it was said, and seeding of rye was decided upon as a method of holding the ground under planes that leave the runways. Mr. Patterson is head of the Patterson Farm Equipment Co. here.

–The Fallon Eagle, Saturday May 8, 1943

50 Years Ago

The Churchill County Board of Commissioners: The commissioners were faced with an immediate decision for increasing the record storage facilities in the courthouse. Upon investigation of the problem, the commissioners reached the conclusion that to add to the record vaults now in use was not the solution for two obvious reasons: First, fireproof construction would have to be done, which would entail a substantial expenditure; and second, the addition would only temporarily solve the problem. The County Commissioners are charged by statute to protect certain county records. For the first time in the history of Churchill County, a dual record system of microfilmed copies will be established, thus providing dual protection and solving the space problem at the same time. The original microfilmed copies will be stored in a separate special vault provided for this purpose for the courthouse. The copy will be stored in the courthouse for easy access when needed, together with the microfilm reader.

–Fallon Eagle Standard, Tuesday May 14, 1968

A view from the past ... Stories from the Churchill County Museum and Archives, researched and compiled by Brianna Silver, Churchill County Museum Assistant.