North E Street near the railroad depot in Virginia City, probably in the late 19th century.
Saturday
150 Years Ago
Newspaper thieves have lately been committing depreciations upon our patrons by stealing their Appeals. This is a kind of theft for which there is no mitigation; and in as much as there seems to be a regular system for these small robberies, we have taken some pains to prevent their recurrence or, if not that, the detection of the thieves. We will see what Judge Witherell can do toward the suppression of these thefts if we can catch one of their perpetrators.
140 Years Ago
Benton proposes to harvest 1,000 tons of ice this season on the Carson River. It will be used to put the “old ticket” on.
120 Years Ago
A few days ago, a Mexican named Frank, and another man, drove into Dayton from the Boyle mine and when near Round Mountain, on the return trip, Frank got and state to walk in order to keep warm. He took a cutoff and when he got into a canyon near Round Mountain, he ran into a band of coyotes. As soon as the animals saw him, they started after him. The hills about Como are now full of coyotes, attracted by the sheep feeding in that section, and experience shows it is not safe to travel on foot.
60 Years Ago
All members of the city council except one voted yesterday afternoon in favor of a proposal set forth for the consolidation of the Carson City and Ormsby County governments. Voting against consolidation was Robert Rigler. Rigler voiced his opposition as to distribution of taxes to “the man at large.”
40 Years Ago
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and the state’s top legal adviser has the documentation to prove it. In a “Santa Claus opinion” just released today, attorney general Brian McKay noted inquiries from young Nevadans about the existence of Santa Claus. He said he researched case law and concluded there is a legal basis for the belief in the red-suited jolly old man who delivers gifts on Christmas Eve.
Sunday
150 Years Ago
Christmas trees. Those who have had the principal responsibilities connected with the public Christmas trees have been decidedly lax about making their purposes known to us — all but Mr. Allen. He has taken special pains to have the children under his charge well informed regarding the proposed Episcopal Sunday School. We believe we are authorized to say there will be trees set up in all the churches.
140 Years Ago
The members of the Presbyterian Church have provided a handsome tree for Santa Claus to put his gifts on for the children of the Sunday School. The happy old gentleman will be there on Monday evening, in his traveling suit decorated with merry Christmas bells, to talk to them and wish them a Merry Christmas.
120 Years Ago
This evening at the Presbyterian Church there will be a Christmas tree, to which the public is invited. All parties desiring to present gifts on the occasion can do so by leaving the same at the church any time in the afternoon.
60 Years Ago
A lawyer defending an accused kidnapper of Frank Sinatra Jr., argued during a bail reduction hearing that a kidnapping really didn’t occur.
40 Years Ago
It’s supposed to simply rain on Christmas Day, the U.S. Weather Service says. Meanwhile, Carson City residents spent Christmas Eve enduring freezing rain, creating havoc for motorists.
Tuesday
150 Years Ago
The richest tree provided for the children by Santa Claus, in our neighborhood, was at Empire. Four hundred dollars and over, divided among about 40 children is a handsome sum. This amount was subscribed by the liberal spirited folk of Empire who love to see children happy.
140 Years Ago
The Christmas trees at the Methodist and Presbyterian churches last evening were gorgeous affairs and drew large crowds.
120 Years Ago
The new gypsum plant that has been completed at Emeryville, near Oakland, by Carson people, is about to begin the manufacture of the refined product at that city. Yesterday two carloads of the raw material was shipped from Mound House and passed through this city on the way to the factory.
60 Years Ago
Traffic deaths, the nation’s No. 1 accident killer, saddened the Christmas holiday period in hundreds of homes across the nation today. The traffic death toll during the two-day holiday period was nearly 301, a rate of one fatality every 10 minutes.
40 Years Ago
Protests against the postal hike have been coming into the docket section of the Postal Rate Commission, but most are coming not from individuals, but from businesses.
Trent Dolan is the son of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.