Looking west from William Street at the Dutch Mill restaurant, corner of William and Carson streets in the 1950s or '60s.
Saturday
150 Years Ago
Green turtle soup: Today at Frisbie’s the special is Green Turtle Soup. He has an ancient turtle in a pot with the barnacles of the deep blue sea on his back like coral reefs, which weigh eighty odd pounds. What your epicurean palate may crave after soup, you may order from his outside shop window. If you should crave a hundred-pound pumpkin by the way of dessert, he has that for you too.
140 Years Ago
In brief: Sheriff Swift is repairing the sewers on King Street.
There are rumors of improvement in the north end at Hale and Norcross Mine.
Yellow fever has appeared in San Francisco. Their filthy sewers will give it a warm welcome.
130 Years Ago
Fire in Chinatown: The alarm was sounded, and the hose companies and the V&T switch engine arrived as soon as possible. The Wardens got on first water. After an hour’s battle the fire was extinguished. Several small houses, owned by Chinese people were ruined. There was no insurance.
70 Years Ago
William Brougher obituary: William H. Brougher, resident of Carson City for 30 years, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Curt Atwater in Oakland. Mr. Brougher came to Carson at the age of 12 and lived here until his retirement 10 years ago. He owned and operated both the Arlington Hotel and Carson Hot Springs.
Sunday
150 Years Ago
Fire in Eureka: A fire broke out in one of those incendiary institutions, a Chinese wash house, a few doors south of the Sentinel building, and in three minutes the whole block was in flames. The newspaper office, furniture, clothing, printing office, including presses and material of every kind went with the rest. Even though friends tried hard to assist us, little of value was saved. A brand-new office is enroute from San Francisco and the same will be put in shape on its arrival.
Our thanks are also due to many of our contemporaries for offers of assistance. Among those helping was the offer from the Appeal who provided… “presses, cases, and stands. Robinson and Mighels.”
140 Years Ago
Spiritualism: George Frederick Parsons and his wife have seen on as many as sixty different times the materialized spirit of their daughter who conversed with them, sat in their laps and talked about matters known to them alone. It is alleged that they were imposed upon by a young lady who personated Miss Parsons.
Professor Blake of the San Francisco Academy of Sciences told the Appeal that he had visited the same medium and had seen his wife and several children long since dead. To all of his physical senses they were alive.
130 Years Ago
Velocipedes: The Southern Pacific now has trackwalkers patrolling the entire line of tracks from Ashland to Roseburg. The men use velocipedes, and each covers a distance of from fifteen to twenty-five miles, arriving at the end of his run about ten minutes ahead of each passenger train.
110 Years Ago
Buying mansions: Wm. Gray purchased a mansion in Virginia City that originally cost $65,000. It has 30,000 feet of good lumber and was purchased for a few hundred dollars. It will be torn down and moved to Mr. Gray’s ranch in this valley.
70 Years Ago
Scholarship: (Chicago) Earl Boice of Carson City was awarded a $300 scholarship for skill in recreation and rural arts programming. The scholarship was announced at the 32nd National 4-H Congress.
Monday
150 Years Ago
Jake Klein made complaint of an inundation of wash-house and stable water that flows from the carriage washhouse. It runs down past the rear of the olde Mason & Huff store house and out and over some lots of land-back of Sam Wright’s coffin shop. It’s stinking up and miring down said lots.
140 Years Ago
Spiritualism: No statement is made which cannot be corroborated as to what took place at these seances. There are at least a dozen people who can corroborate what took place, among them General Clarke, Trenmor Coffin, Major Garrard, C.P. Mason now of Salt Lake, Lieutenant Governor Laughton, Chas. Wilson, George McLaughlin of the U.S. Mint and others.
The first séance was attended by the young George Roberts at his house (Foreman-Roberts House, 1207 N. Carson). Nothing transpired which might not be accounted for by natural causes. The séance was a failure. On the next occasion the boy was tied with about sixty feet of rope in such a way that to extricate himself inside of an hour was seemingly impossible. (continued)
130 Years Ago
News from Empire: The present storm has brought ducks and geese to the river in immense quantities, but boys in Empire and Brunswick boys have shotguns enough to make it uncomfortable for them. The school will be closed this week. Some boys are training for Wiggins’ shooting match and are practicing throwing at decoy ducks.
110 Years Ago
Whose goat was it? Austin Jackson, private secretary to Governor Oddie, made his way to the gubernatorial offices leading a goat. Whose goat it was that Jackson was toting has not been discovered but judging by the latter’s spirits, it must have been that of someone he and Governor have been tommyhawking [sic] for a long time.
70 Years Ago
Thanksgiving dinner costs: A breakdown of the average cost of items going into the shopper’s basket, according to chain stores – dinner this year will cost 71 cents less than last year, a 10- pound turkey in 1952 cost $6.10 but in 1953 cost $5.03; 1 pound of cranberries in 1952 costs 29 cents and in 1953, 24 cents; 8-inch pumpkin pie in 1952 was 51 cents and in 1953, 46 cents…
Tuesday
150 Years Ago
Stolen dress: An Italian from a camp in the mountains has been arrested. He is the burglar who entered the rooms of Tom Carson and took the trunk and clothing that was found in Sweeney’s field west of town. On Tuesday night the Italian referred to was in town wearing a pair of pantaloons that were stolen from Mr. Carson. The investigation continues.
140 Years Ago
Spiritualism: To prove whether the séance was real George Roberts (of Foreman-Roberts House) was tied with sixty feet of rope and placed in a small room with the window rolled down and a blanket hung to the height of about four feet and a half before the door… (continued)
130 Years Ago
Remembering the Orphan’s Home: As has been the custom for a number of years, Frank Boskowitz remembered the children of the state Orphans’ Home and sent up for their Thanksgiving fifty pounds of candy and a sack of nuts. Frank has a heart as big as a bay window, and he never forgets the orphans.
110 Years Ago
Indian land: Special Indian Agent Asbury of Reno returned from Gardnerville where he has been in conference with ranchers about signing leases on 50,000 acres of Indian land in the Pinenut range.
70 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Sky-Vue drive-in theatre, admission 65 cents, children under 12 free. Now playing ‘The Great Sioux Uprising’ with Jeff Chandler and Faith Domergue and ‘All I Desire.’ The Skyview Drive-in Theatre will be closed for the remainder of the winter season. We wish to thank the people of this community for their past patronage. SEE YOU NEXT SPRING!”
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.