Past Pages for Wednesday, April 1, 2015

140 years ago

And now dawns the day when the bigger fool a man shows himself, the more in season he is. Not to be within the reach of foolishing today, is to be isolated and out of the sweet, derisive influences of human nature. None so wise as those who with good grace can be fools on this first day of April. The custom of fooling dates back to Bible times, as one may see in the 34th verse of the 34th chapter of Joshua.

130 years ago

Farmer Sweeney’s mishap. The other morning, about 2 a.m., farmer Sweeny had finished stacking up his faro chips and taking inventory on his old Rye, when he went out to his ranch to find someone had made off with Baldy, his pet horse, who he had left blanketed in the stable. Returning to the saloon to tell his woes, he was certain temperance cranks had made off with him. When he returned, he found Baldy there with his blanket on, and everything was all right. The intelligent old horse was giving his owner a hint not to stay out so late.

100 years ago

In accompaniment with the new verdure assumed by nature at this time of year and in accordance with that custom of many of our states in establishing a clean up week to promote civic pride and wholesome sanitary conditions in communities, I, Emmet D. Boyle, governor of the state of Nevada, by virtue of the authority in me vested by statute, hereby declare the week beginning April 5th and April 10th, Clean Up Week.

70 years ago

Robert Laxalt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dominique Laxalt, who has spent the past year in the Belgian Congo in Africa, is visiting his father and many friends here. He is connected with the American Consular Service and was returned to the states to recuperate from an attack of malaria.

60 years ago

Best Nevada oats. Tests conducted by county extension agents working with the University of Nevada have shown that Overland and Bannock oat varieties are the best producers in the state.

50 years ago

A $3.5 million Carson City shopping center with Gray Reid’s asa major store will start construction April 30, announced by Francis Carrinngton and Courtney J. Catron, president of Gray Reid’s.

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