The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Riches in the American West by Gregory Crouch
The library offers a variety of IT related classes to the community. Microsoft Word Basics will be offered on Aug. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. Excel Basics is on Aug. 21 from 9 to 11 a.m. Smartphone Basics is on Aug. 28 from 9 to 11 a.m. If there is a class you’d like to see, just let us know and we’ll consider it. Every Thursday is Open Computer Lab from 9 to 11 a.m. which offers an opportunity to practice your skills or to get hands-on help.
Books of Interest
“The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle Over the Greatest Riches in the American West” by Gregory Crouch — Traces the rags-to-riches frontier story of Irish immigrant John Mackay, describing how in mid-nineteenth-century Nevada he outmaneuvered the pernicious “Bank Ring” monopoly and thousands of rivals to take control of the history-making Comstock Lode.
“The Promise of the Grand Canyon: John Wesley Powell’s Perilous Journey and His Vision for the American West” by John Ross — When John Wesley Powell became the first person to navigate the entire Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon, he completed what Lewis and Clark had begun nearly 70 years earlier — the final exploration of continental America. The son of an abolitionist preacher, a Civil War hero (who lost an arm at Shiloh), and a passionate naturalist and geologist, in 1869 Powell tackled the vast and dangerous gorge carved by the Colorado River and known today (thanks to Powell) as the Grand Canyon. Powell was a scientist, bureaucrat, and land-management pioneer who began a national conversation about sustainable development when most everyone else still looked upon land as an inexhaustible resource. Though he supported irrigation and dams, his prescient warnings forecast the 1930s dust bowl and the growing water scarcities of today. Nevada Senator William Stewart plays a role in this story. Practical, yet visionary, Powell didn’t have all the answers, but was first to ask the right questions.
Library Location
The library is located at 553 South Maine and www.churchillcountylibrary.org.
Carol Lloyd is the Director of the Churchill County Library. She is available at the library or by email at celloyd@churchillcountylibrary.org, or by calling 423-7581, ext. 6.