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
Snow: The mountains west of Carson have snow which is visible in only one place. Away up on the rugged sides of the mountain lies a little patch of pure white snow forming a striking contrast to the gray sides of the mountain above and below and the green fields in the valley near town. N.B. We are not the author of “Beautiful Snow.”
140 Years Ago
The circus: The grandest aggregation of animals, acrobats, handsome women, brass bands, painted chariots and superb horses known to the earth will visit Carson. Every man, woman and child who can scrape up a dollar or a pass in will attend, and every Piute and Chinese person will be there.
The parade will take place, and we advise everybody to be on the street with their families. The procession will be headed by a brass band of sixty pieces and closed up on the rear by several hundred Carson raised boys.
130 Years Ago
All sorts: A full moon, a clear sky, a gentle night wind and the balmy scents of new mown hay mingled with the snapping of growing corn are a few of the delights of life in Nevada now.
70 Years Ago
Classified ads: For sale real estate — Modern one bedroom home, fireplace, garage $4,000. $2,500 down or $3,800 cash. Everett Chapin. New Empire.”
60 Years Ago
Photo caption: First sale — Dean Millman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Millman of Carson City, relaxes on the Capitol lawn during today’s Nevada Artist Association outdoor art show. Fifteen-year-old Millman sold the watercolor painting he holds less than an hour after the exhibit opened.
Sunday
150 Years Ago
Pestilence: The building adjoining the Exchange Chop House had the floor taken up, and they found a “cesspool” underneath. We don’t know how deep the water was, but we do know that one look and one short sniff of the foul air from it was all that we could endure. The slops and water from the adjoining premises is thrown so that it passes under the floor from which there is no outlet to the sewer. It should be attended to.
140 Years Ago
Magic Mining Rod: “All the fools are not dead yet.” There is one left in this neighborhood, and he is fumbling around the west side of Mount Davidson with a contrivance which he claims will denote the location and extent of ore bodies, no matter how deep. Mr. Kirman was induced to give Nora (the man) a trial. He took Nora, blindfolded, over a ledge that had been discovered. In each instance Nora did not fail. The mine has been developed and, in the pockets, the ore has been found -- even in the Harris mine, $30,000 was taken. The apparatus is not a “rod,” but a battery charged with electricity, which Mr. Nora wears in his hat. The parties are perfectly satisfied with the results, and Mr. Kirman will put up his coin on the proposition every time. (Chronicle)
130 Years Ago
Narrow escape: Little Ollie Collins had a narrow escape from drowning. He went fishing and fell into the river near the bridge in Boyd Lane. A man employed by Dr. Porter happened along just in time to save the boy’s life. Ollie had 15 fish when he fell into the river. He lost all of them which caused him considerable grief. (Genoa Courier)
70 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Sky-Vue Drive-in Theatre ‘Shark River’ in vivid color and ‘Kansas City Confidential’ with John Payne and Colleen Gray.”
60 Years Ago
Photo caption: Local artists prepare for exhibit. The Capitol lawn will be the setting for an outdoor art show sponsored by the Nevada Artists Association. The exhibit is open to the public. Some of the artists plan to work at the scene of the exhibit, thereby enabling the public to see them in action. Pictured with samples of their work are Mmes. Rhoda Shed, Thelma Calhoun, Muriel Long, Marion Perrin and Adele Harbeson of Carson City.
Monday
150 Years Ago
Pains and aches: The “Toothache man” made his appearance here and delivered his lecture. He had the candor to acknowledge that the almighty dollar was his object. All he lacked was the “stereopticon,” to cause him to announce himself as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, for he had the hook nose, the little twinkling eyes, was fully as eloquent as Sutro and appeared to have a plentiful supply of cheek.
140 Years Ago
Shooting: Before the Virginia (City) train left from the circus, a shot was fired and wounded John Cupps, a blacksmith in one of the mills from Empire, in the leg. It also entered the stomach of William Brennan of Virginia City. John Cupps went behind the bar and poured out some bitters. Just then a pistol went off and Cupps said that he was shot and would give $100 to anybody who would show him the man who fired.
Curly Hogan’s pistol had fallen out of his pocket and discharged. When the train was near Empire, Wm. Brennan remarked to some of the passengers that he thought he had been shot because he had terrible pains in his stomach, but he was still alive. By the time he got off the train, he was suffering terribly. The physicians who were called from Virginia City, pronounced the case hopeless. The accidental shooter, Hogan, could not be found.
130 Years Ago
Carson River water rights: Billy Wood, the San Francisco attorney was in the city in connection with the water litigation between the mills and the ranchers on the Carson River — 500 pages of typewritten paper.
70 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Telephone Seattle for only $1.35 plus tax. Other rates from Carson City:
New York City $2.50 plus tax; Dallas $1.90 plus tax; Portland $1.25 plus tax; Los Angeles $1.05 plus tax for the first three minutes of a day “station” call. Bell of Nevada works to make your telephone a bigger value every day.
60 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Carson Theater — ‘Dead Ringer’ with Betty Davis, Karl Malden and Peter Lawford.”
Tuesday
150 Years Ago
Home again: George Tufly, Esq., the genial landlord of the St. Charles Hotel, came home from the Bay and reports that the country around San Jose appears like a perfect paradise. The quantity of grain is surprising. Immense trains are loaded with grain that pass at all hours on either side of the track with stacks of grain in sacks. Tufly was glad to get back to Carson though — the gem of the sagebrush state.
140 Years Ago
Wayside notes: Mrs. Bowers will arrive at the Arlington House.
George Sedan employed at Benton’s livery stable fell off the sidewalk and broke his ankle.
130 Years Ago
All sorts: A young Frenchwoman has been arrested in Brussels for the singular offense of kissing all men she met on the street.
Compressed tea is being offered the tea drinkers of England. It is in the form of tablets, and one will make a cup of tea in a minute.
70 Years Ago
Stateline parking: Any car parked on the highway right of way in the posted area at Stateline will be towed off, according to Robert Clark, superintendent of Highway Department. Extra patrolmen will go on duty equipped with loudspeakers to warn parkers, and a tow truck will be at the site.
60 Years Ago
Collections hit ½ million: The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles topped the half-million-dollar mark in revenue collected from license and fees for July. Income for the DMV for the initial month of the 1963-64 fiscal year was $562,500.
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.