Carson City looking north from the top of the Capitol building in 1871.
Saturday
150 Years Ago
Grayson Holyston was hauled up before Judge Witherell yesterday charged with being so disgustingly drowsy (d.d) as to be a public eyesore; and, in point in fact, it was shown that Mr. H. had been sleeping the sleep of the inebriated on the public highway. Lucky for him that he was arrested, for he would have frozen.
140 Years Ago
A gold catfish. At the Con. Virginia office, Virginia City, superintendent Patton has a catfish which is entirely of a golden color. The fish is about a foot long, says the Chronicle, and is one of a pair which were caught at Washoe Lake a few days ago. The “gold catfish” is quite a curiosity and it is said that it is the first time such a phenomenon has been seen on the Comstock.
120 Years Ago
The weather man has a snowstorm billed for today. While he is at it, he might have postponed the affair until after Christmas.
60 Years Ago
A Carson City woman is being cited for contempt of court for allegedly using obscene language immediately after the 40 foremen announced a “guilty” verdict in the Wilda Mae Frank trial.
40 Years Ago
The Jaycees Chapter in Carson City has taken over the franchise to organize this year’s Miss Carson City Pageant. Which will be March 24.
Sunday
150 Years Ago
Sheriff Atkinson of Storey County brought down and delivered at the state prison yesterday one triplet, convicted of horse-stealing and sentenced to one year in the penitentiary. This makes, we believe, 112 prisoners in that institution. This is a very decided crowding of the mourners.
140 Years Ago
On Saturday last a number of children who had dug a tunnel in the mountain side for sport, at Gold Hill, were caved on. One was killed outright; one will die, and several had their legs and arms broken.
120 Years Ago
The Springfield-Nevada Mining company are blocking out ore in the cabin No. 2. Their mill No. 2 is on an eight-hour run at full capacity at Olinghouse. Mill No. 1 is now in perfect running condition having made a trial run with J.D. Poole in charge. The Davis Calyx drill is now down 90 feet and has not encountered rock sufficiency hard to permit of core being saved.
60 Years Ago
A move was made today to incorporate the spot where Frank Sinatra Jr., was kidnapped Dec. 8 into a South Tahoe city of 10,000. An insurance broker, “Wink” Ames, filed a petition before the El Dorado County board of supervisors. It contained 1,875 signatures.
40 Years Ago
The Nevada Department of Transportation is aware of oil sprays covering vehicles traveling along U.S. Highway 50 west and state route 28, but still hasn’t decided what to do about it. The culprit is seal coating sprayed in September that never got a chance to cure.
Tuesday
150 Years Ago
Hamilton, Dec. 15 — Governor Bradley to-day commuted the sentence of Daniel Matheney, who was to have been hanged here next Friday for the murder of Green at Eureka, to imprisonment for life. Sheriff Patterson commenced erecting the scaffold to-day and is not a little pleased at having so disagreeable a duty taken off his hands.
140 Years Ago
McGuirk is satisfied with the cold snap. He says that pipes are bursting all over town.
120 Years Ago
A light fall of snow was among the happenings of last evening. It now looks like a white Christmas for Carson.
60 Years Ago
The Atomic Energy Commission indicated today that there will be a big jump in the power of underground blasts at the Nevada test site.
40 Years Ago
A coroner’s jury found criminal homicide in a case where a Lyon County deputy sheriff’s car slammed into another vehicle resulting in the death of a Dayton woman.
Trent Dolan is the son of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.