Downtown Carson during the Nevada Day Parade in about 1950.
Wednesday
150 Years Ago
Runaway: The town was enlivened when a team of horses hitched to a wagon was running around town at a rapid rate. Part of the rig got loose in front of Torreysons’ blacksmith shop and the balance of the turnout collided.
140 Years Ago
Alf Chartz: Cornelius Russell testified that he saw the shooting and that Rickar pulled and presented a pistol, but before he had time to fire, he was shot by Chartz. There were no bullets in Rickar’s gun. Pardoned – at half past 4 o’clock the door opened and there was an announcement with hurried people gathering to the spot. The Governor was smiling, and the crowd knew that Chartz had been pardoned.
130 Years Ago
Who knows Mr. Bump: He is a well-known mining man of Nevada and came to town to see his sister, the Countless Magri, formerly Mrs. Thomas Thumb. Bump was an engineer of the standard mine at Bodie and is a typical mining man – 5’ 9” in height.
The countess is 51 years of age, and Mr. Bump is 56. Count and countess Magri started eastward overland, and Mr. Bump accompanied them for a ways. (Post)
100 Years Ago
Swimming awards: Prizes were awarded to the town kids, and the orphans’ home boys and girls who were winners in the last swimming contest held at Carson Hot Springs. Those receiving prizes were Dorothy Sullivan, Lone Fothergill, Gertrude Sauer, Edme Peterson, Bessie James, Esther Blumstrom, Floyd Jackson, Jimmy Henrichs, Franklin Riley, Walter Wilson, Alec Wilson, and Walter Hunting.
70 Years Ago
Carson Lions: More than 70 Lions, ladies and guests were gathered at Leisure Hour Hall to celebrate the club’s 20th anniversary. Judge Clark J. Guild provided a brief history of Reno. Dr. James Thom showed movies of early Lion’s parties and of the first two Nevada Day celebrations here. A quintet of high school students entertained with vocal selections – Virgil Bucchianeri, Robert Cahill, Dudley Kline, Donald Rochon and Larry Wright.
30 Years Ago
Cowboy poets: The Fifth Annual Cowboy Poets “Rhymers Rodeo” is playing at the Carson Valley Inn. Cowboy poetry was enjoyed around the campfire, in bunkhouses and remote camps. Seven cowboys’ poets will present their works at two dinner shows – featuring Ernie Fanning, Tony Hardi, Rod McQueary, and Sunny Handcock…
Thursday
150 Years Ago
Arrivals at Warm Springs: Henry Lang, C.A. Mardson, A.O. Friend, T.A. Campbell, S.H. Marlette.
140 Years Ago
Horse training: Prof Ihle, the famous horse trainer from Oregon is in Carson. He will give an exhibition of his powers over horses. A couple years ago he was in Carson Valley to show what he could do. He tamed “Wild Snoddy,” a horse kept at Dangberg’s ranch. The horse was the most untamed steed of the animal kingdom… equal to a grizzly bear defending its cubs. Inside a half an hour he had the horse following him around the place like a sheep.
130 Years Ago
All sorts: The Chinese have superstition that stray dogs bring luck.
The people of the interior of California are falling back into the ways of the savages by painting their houses in stripes of various colors and shades. In some towns it almost drives a stranger wild trying to find a barber shop.
100 Years Ago
Grand Theater: Gladys Walton in “The Wise Kid” with David Butler. The merry comedy of a smart little flapper who knew just what she wanted… A Universal special comedy. Century comedy, “Sec ‘Em Brownie,” featuring Brownie, the wonder dog. Two shows, 10 and 30 cents.
70 Years Ago
News about people you know: Many paintings of local artists – Mesdames Virginia Harsh, Ethel Johnson, Clementine Westover and Mr. Harry Mighels and others are now on display in the Cutts Gallery in Reno.
30 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Radio Shack – Tandy 1000 RSX-HD-VGA color monitor, DeskMate and DeskMate Home Organizer software and has 24 easy to use programs, 52 MB hard drive with 1 MB RAM, MS-DOS 5.0 – 3 1/2” 1.44 MB Floppy-Super VGA capability, Digital audio – Mouse, $799.”
Friday
150 Years Ago
Thanksgiving Ball: If Carson City is to have a ball on Thanksgiving, it is high time the people thereof should know it, so the ball goers have time to “fix it up” for it. The fashion changes constantly – ladies require a little time to prepare themselves and so do our young Lotharios.
140 Years Ago
Ghoulish (The Graveyard Vote): In the California election all the old graveyards were torn up in the terrible political strife. Our own Lone Mountain Cemetery was devastated by the San Francisco municipal election that to an extent heretofore unknown in the annals of party struggles. In Carson Sam Wright, overseer of Lone Mountain Cemetery, kept a guard over his graveyard all day to see that none of the inmates were run in at the polls. In Virginia City men went through all the cemeteries taking the names of the dead off the tombstones to transfer them to the great register…
130 Years Ago
A Chinese burial: The Chinese funeral passed up Main Street with a tract distributor mounted on the hearse and an irregular assortment of gong-beaters lingering up in the rear. Two of them were smoking cigarettes and blowing smoke in the direction of the corpse.
Behind the remains was a buckboard loaded with rice, baked pig, and pickled fish to place upon the grave, that the soul in taking its unearthly flight might dine on the brink of the grave before attempting to jump across the chasm of hell.
Thirteen Indians were seen making a break for the graveyard in advance of the procession. These Chinese funerals are great for the Indians, and the death list is watched very closely by them.
100 Years Ago
Early snow: Winter sports will commence at Truckee on Thanksgiving because of the unusually early fall of snow – twenty inches. Skis, sleds, and toboggans with special cushion seats have been shipped in for what is expected to be an unusual season for tourists. Sleighs have already made their appearance in the streets of Truckee.
70 Years Ago
No leaf burning: City officials have issued a plea that burning on paved streets to be halted. They asked cooperation of residents to help protect the $110,000 investment in new streets as well as the older streets in the city. The damage to the paving is very expensive according to Mayor Wilbur Stodieck.
30 Years Ago
Photo caption: Tractor operator Mike Diands pushes rock and dirt into the entrance of an abandoned mine near the Ormsby Landfill. Q and D Construction Co. of Reno donates time and equipment to close hazardous mines.
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.