Nevada Historical Society
Wednesday
150 Years Ago
Orphans Home: Thanksgiving was served, and the occasion made a delightful one to resident children at that institution. On behalf of the orphan’s superintendent Webb desires mention of thank you for the turkeys from L.D. Minor and A.N. Fisher, and a supply of apples from J.H. Chandler.
140 Years Ago
Spiritualism: Young George Roberts was placed and hung in a way that to extricate him was impossible. The boy was in the chair with his head hanging down and his body held up by the ropes which were crossed and knotted over his body in every direction. Presently an undulatory vapor appeared in the air and floated about the room. It took no tangible slope and turned away from the blanket. It was a moving human figure and naked to the waist. It stretched its hands out into the light, reached its arms out into the room and moved pictures hanging upon the wall… The figure breathed, lived, and moved and disappeared and in its place a naked arm was thrust above the blanket. (To be continued)
130 Years Ago
Kelly’s German boy: Charles Kelly’s only son reached the city from Germany. He only speaks in the tongue of the Iron Chancellor. Kelly held his boy in his arms and began to call him pet names and the kid merely answered, “Spricken si Dutch.”
110 Years Ago
Sprained ankle: After seventy hours of painful walking from Rochester to his camp at Copper Kettle, Barney Hage, a former resident of Goldfield, was alone on the desert with a badly sprained ankle.
The searchers, deputy sheriff Otis Storm and Clarence Kirk, left Thanksgiving morning and reached Copper Kettle. They found Hage alone and almost unable to care for himself. Although painful in the extreme, Hage’s injury is not so serious as to raise any doubt of recovery.
70 Years Ago
Photo caption: Mercury cleaners bowling team is one of the leaders in the current season at Sunny Acres Lanes (children’s home). Pictured are Dan Murphy, John Glover, Barney Peterson, Maurice Adams, and Geno Lencioni. (Dondero photo)
Thursday
150 Years Ago
All sorts: St. Peter’s Church has received one hundred dollars from senator John P. Jones to aid in the improvements in progress on the church building.
140 Years Ago
Missing: A Carson lady heard a noise at her back door and heard someone ask if he could use the wheelbarrow. “Yes, deary,” she said and a few minutes later looked out of the window in time to see a man leaving the neighborhood wheeling the machine home with a very self-satisfied look.
130 Years Ago
All sorts: The Sutro people propose to have the first mule that ever pulled a car of dirt in the Sutro Tunnel on exhibition at the ’49er camp at the Midwinter fair. It is over 30 years old.
110 Years Ago
Hunting men: The Union Ice Co., at Boca, is looking into the labor situation to secure men to cut ice this coming season. Sixty men will be employed at wages of $3 per day.
70 Years Ago
Slide Mountain sightseers stranded: One hundred persons were rescued after being stranded for more than two hours in freezing weather on the upper stage chair lift of the new Reno Ski Bowl. They were caught between the 8,000 and 9,650-foot level when one of the lift cables jumped a tower pulley. Rescue crews lowered all sightseers to a different level by ropes.
Friday
150 Years Ago
New school law: The new law requires the attendance at school of all children between the ages of eight and fourteen years, at least sixteen weeks during each school year, eight must be consecutive. Noncompliance with the law in this respect will result in a fine of not less than fifty dollars.
140 Years Ago
Shot himself: Eddie DeAhna accidentally shot himself in the left leg. The pistol in his overcoat pocket discharged. The ball was extracted, and the boy is doing well.
130 Years Ago
The Greeley State Hank Monk drive: One of the exhibits of the Mining Camp, will probably be the stage that Hank Monk drove Horace Greeley, the Tribune philosopher, to Placerville. It is in Douglas County, that is, the bed-top and axel. The wheels are in Genoa, and it is proposed to get the old historic relic and send it to the ’49 camp at the Midwinter Fair.
Doc Benton has the gold watch presented to Monk after the Greeley memorable ride. The stagecoach made Hank Monk’s name famous all over the world, and it made Greeley temporarily ridiculous. Greeley never forgave Hank for his joke and years afterwards when Joe Goodman met Greeley in New York and pleasantly gave him Monk’s regards, the great editor broke forth in a torrent of profanity.
110 Years Ago
Ab Ambrose: During the old amalgamation process not over seventy-five per cent of the values of gold was recovered, the tailings and slime going into the Carson river. The recovery of this rich deposit is what the new people are working on. Parties at the Mexican Mill have erected a small boat suitable for a dredge pump which is to be placed in operation at the old mill. A vast amount of gold and silver amalgam has slipped into the river, and it is believed that it rests in the deep pool formed by the action of the water. Ab Ambrose has been working on this ground for several years and has managed to take considerable bullion and quicksilver.
70 Years Ago
Children at Sunny Acres children’s home: After Thanksgiving Day dinner children and staff members began Christmas planning—sending Christmas gifts to needy children in other lands, letters to Santa Claus, lists of who the children wish to send presents to, group gifts to ministers of the churches the children attend, and preparation of a beautiful manger scene placed on the lawn, carols at mealtime, story of the nativity…
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.