Past Pages for Friday, March 18, 2016

150 Years Ago

Party for a worthy purpose. A social party to be given at the Ormsby House will benefit the wife of a soldier who has been disabled in the service of his country. She is deserving of the greatest liberality on the part of our citizens. She is in distress and needs assistance.

130 Years Ago

Buffalo Bill. Small boys are beginning to steal old iron to sell so they may see Buffalo Bill in his great border drama. He has a lot of genuine Pawnee braves and sacred shaved head Sioux along to help the action of the play.

110 Years Ago

Fire at Reno. A fire wiped out a building on Virginia Street, opposite Grey Reid and Wrights store. The building was owned by P. Saturn. The lower floor was a saloon by Avanzino and Paganin. Loss is estimated at several thousands.

70 Years

Beautification. There will be a contract for the beautification of historic King Street from the rear of the Supreme Court building to the city limits of King Street. Hawthorne trees will be planted on both sides of the street.

50 Years Ago

Bowers Mansion. The Nevada Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution called on Washoe County officials to save historic Bowers Mansion from further deterioration. The Nevada Sagebrush Chapter said the mansion was “one the most elegant homes between St. Louis and San Francisco.” The mansion was built in the 1860s by Silver King Sandy Bowers for $400,000.

20 Years Ago

Inmate kept as maid. A maid at the Governor’s Mansion who worked during the day was kept in prison an extra two weeks until a replacement could be found to cook and clean. “I was not going to leave the Governor’s Mansion with no inmate workers,” said Prisons Director Bob Bayer.

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