Nevada Historical Society
Wednesday
150 Years Ago
New potato: A potato called “No. 5” from the J.E. Wood ranch in King’s Canyon beats them all. It is a new species imported from the East and is well adapted to this country. It is on display at Moore & Parkers – weighs three pounds, one ounce, has smooth white skin and peculiar shape and is grown without a drop of water.
140 Years Ago
Brutus: Miss Clapp informs us that her dog, Brutus, who had such a picnic with several other dogs is getting better but has one paw in a sling. Jewett Adams hunting dog and Dague’s and O’Hara’s dog didn’t fare as well.
130 Years Ago
Bicycle races: The following bicycle races will commence at 11 in the morning: One-mile safety and ordinary, flying start. Prizes are: 1st prize opera glasses, value $16; 2nd, match box value $5.00…
100 Years Ago
Milling begins at Candelaria: A shortage of skilled workmen, as well as of common labor, coupled with delays in the delivery resulting from the railroad strike, has caused an unexpected postponement in the starting date of the new cyanide mill of the Candelaria Mines.
70 Years Ago
“Nixon fever:” Nixon fever hits Carson. Senator Ken Johnson reported 110 calls within two hours after GOP vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon made his dramatic radio-TV plea to remain in the race. Nevada’s Gov. Charles Russell telegraphed the Republican national committee stating empathetically that he is backing candidate Nixon.
30 Years Ago
Audrey Hepburn: U.S. sailors and marines heard that actress Audrey Hepburn was making a surprise visit to the USS Tarawa off the Somali coast, they decided to surprise her. In 90 minutes, they raised $4,000 for the hungry children of Somalia. She burst into tears when U.S. Naval officers presented her with the donation.
Thursday
150 Years Ago
Flume repaired: The large flume running down Third street between Carson and Ormsby has become dangerous for man or beast to travel. The county commissioners have repaired the municipal blemish. It was found that the timbers and planking were very much decayed and had only lasted two years.
140 Years Ago
From the roof: There was a Bourbon caucus held in Colonel Ellis office. A resolution was passed requiring every man assessed to put up or get off the ticket. Mr. Farrell made a speech “from the roof.”
130 Years Ago
A preacher robbed: Ah Sing the pastor of the Chinese joss house had $145 collected for his parishioners to build an addition to the joss house. A thief broke into his room and swiped the sack of money. The Chinese of the city will worship in their old church for a while longer. The pastor has been swearing like a house of fire ever since he discovered the loss.
100 Years Ago
Hid money: A miner at Virginia City had saved $300 which he intended to send his family in California. He found the money missing when he went to get it out of a can. He had hidden it – loss is $300.
70 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Carson Theater, Randolph Scott and Joan Leslie, ‘Man in the Saddle’ in Technicolor – one of Randy’s best. Cartoon – News.”
30 Years Ago
Photo caption: Some of the 150 youth leaders from around the world wave as they embark on a tour of seven U.S. cities aboard the “Earth Train” at Union Station in Los Angeles. The teenagers are on a trip from California to Washington D.C.
Friday
150 Years Ago
Ranches around Carson: The ranches in King’s Canyon have been unusually productive. The soil of the whole valley only requires water to make it productive. It can produce any of the cereals or vegetables. Messrs. Phillips, Wood, Treadway, Nevers, and Thorne have raised fine crops and had good prices. There have been no watering restrictions.
140 Years Ago
Carson River water: The Empire mills have been running to near their full capacity during the past six weeks. It has been the custom of the ranchers in Carson Valley to use more water than necessary on their ranches and allow a good deal of it to run off. Evan Williams, superintendent of the Mexican Mill, and E.B. Rail had a talk with the farmers, and they promised that they would be more careful with the water during the summer months. The farmers have kept their word thus enabling the mills to run.
130 Years Ago
Practical joke: Jake Muller was seriously injured on Hot Springs Road after being shot in the face by a blank cartridge. Three young men tried to play a practical joke on him by robbing him. It is said that Muller will be disfigured for life. The practical joke demonstrated that he would shoot when he fell in with road agents.
Dr. Lee has extracted most all the powder from Joe Muller’s face, and in a few days, he will be good looking as ever.
100 Years Ago
Mackay wedding-high society: The New York papers contain an account of the marriage, Sept. 21 in St. Mary’s church of Miss Katherine Mackay, daughter of Clarence H. Mackay, and Kenneth O’Brien, son of former Justice Morgan J. O’Brien of New York. Two hundred people were in attendance. The Pope sent his blessing through Cardinal Gasparri, papal secretary of state.
70 Years Ago
20-30 Club participants: The “Safety Sallies” from the 20-30 Club have been turned over to the Rotary club, sponsor this year of the junior traffic patrol program.
30 Years Ago
Merit scholarships: Matt Hanna and Amelie Welden qualified as semifinalists by scoring well on the 1991 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. They were among 15,000 students nationwide selected as semi-finalists for the 1993 National Merit Scholarship program. They can now compete for more than $26 million in scholarships.
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.
