Past Pages for Saturday, May 31, 2014

140 Years Ago

The frame and some of the outer walls of the extension to the Methodist Parsonage are in place. Bottsford (of Bottsford & Anderson) was doing some of his handiest strokes. Brother Fisher will have a very cozy snuggery when the new front is all done. Without tireless and very earnest friend, Rev. Warren Nims, to found the Methodist sanctuary and parsonage, and a no less go-ahead successor than Mr. Fisher to urge on the needed repairs. The frontier is the place to bring out the stuff that makes parsons as well as God-fearing men, self-reliant and successful. The steeple has been painted a becoming sand-stone drab, the down tumbled minarets have been replaced, walls have been painted, windows modestly stained, pews and choir gallery newly remodeled and grained, new Brussels carpet bought and the pew cushions finished.

130 Years Ago

Five women in Stockton stripped themselves and took a bath in a horse trough in front of the town pump. The affair caused excitement in the local papers. Most people would object to having ladies bathe in the horse trough for no man who loves the noble animal, the horse, would care to ride up to a drinking place for his steed and be compelled to wait there until the women had finished their bath. ...

110 Years Ago

The Carson River was higher now and grown in volume. Today it is nearly out of its banks. At Empire the frontage of the seaport town is about three feet under water.

70 Years Ago

Advertisement: “Carson Theater — ‘Adventures of a Rookie’ with Wally Brown and Alan Carney; companion feature ‘The Ghost Ship’ with Richard Dix and Edith Barrett.

50 Years Ago

Lt. Gov. Paul Laxalt recalls early political history of Nevada was still a territory. One of the early day Nevada lawyers, transplanted from the east, was Orien Clemens. Laxalt told that in some of Mr. Clemens papers he had found the following description of his office in Nevada, “The sand blows in through the cracks in the walls and windows and gets dust over everything. In the winter the snow blows in and settles on the ceiling. Then it melts dripping all over my papers.”

Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.