Past Pages for Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015

150 years ago

Indians as rabbit hunters. From D.E. Hunter, who came across a party of Indians hunting rabbits; and from his description of the aboriginal mode of hunting these fleet-footed little animals: The Indians were about 50 in number, and the hunting ground in the southeastern edge of sagebrush plain in Carson Valley. Deployed as skirmishers, the Indians advanced across the plain, keeping up a galling fire. Two of the party had each a net several hundred feet long, which they attached little poles well advance of the skirmish party. Hunter says some of the natives showed themselves as excellent marksmen with guns and bows and arrows.

130 years ago

Child killed by whiskey. Prescott, Dec. 24. A 5-year-old son of Coroner Patrick Ford died yesterday from the effects of whiskey. The coroner went yesterday to hold an inquest on the remains of Deputy Sheriff Murphy, taking a bottle of whiskey and the boy along. He stopped at a ranch leaving the boy alone in the buggy and while gone the latter drank nearly a pint, dying from the effects.

100 years ago

Word came from Bullion that two boys of that place killed a big mountain lion yesterday. They were out hunting coyotes when they spied the animal in a cleft of rocks. One of the lads had a .22 and the other had a .30-30. The boy with the .30-30 wounded the animal and it took some 17 shots before the animal was killed.

70 years ago

A move to “paint out” Carmel, Calif., as the art center of the west developed today as Louis J. Hughes, former brush artist from San Francisco, disclosed plans to establish a “long-hair and modern” colony at Virginia City.

50 years ago

(Photo caption) Superintendant Don F. Brown of the Nevada Highway Patrol discusses the new Highway Patrol automobile markings with Director Louis P. Spitz. The new markings include “Highway Patrol” in four-inch scotch lite lettering which is thought to have a psychological effect on driver behavior.

30 years ago

So much bad air has hovered over Las Vegas and Reno in recent weeks that the two cities eventually may miss a federal deadline to clean their air, a key pollution official said.

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