A Stroll Through Nevada’s Yesterdays

Tall Tales and Tragedies

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Murder, Mischief, and Melancholy in the Silver State

155 Years Ago – The town of Empire found itself in the middle of a most uncivilized disagreement when one William A. Ducker found himself shot stone dead by a fellow known as George Price, who hailed from some Scandinavian persuasion. The dispute originated over a game of cards—proving once again that a bad hand is sometimes the least of a gambler’s troubles.

140 Years Ago – The solemnity of history called upon Carson City’s businesses to down their shutters and doff their hats in honor of fallen soldiers from Fort Churchill. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or thereabouts, the city was to be devoted to mourning, to convince the dearly departed that Nevada still held them in the highest regard.

120 Years Ago – The good Parson Davis, determined to save souls with a more melodious racket, introduced an instrumental quartet to accompany the organ at the prison chapel. The captive congregation, normally more acquainted with the rattling of chains than the harmonies of hymns, was said to have appreciated the effort. The warden has yet to say if anyone moved to salvation or closer to the door.

60 Years Ago – Governor Grant Sawyer found himself in hot water with southern Nevada’s Negro leaders, who accused him of selling them “down the river” with his civil rights bill. The Governor, we assume, did his best to assure them that the only river in question was the Colorado and that he had no intention of pushing anyone into it.

40 Years Ago – Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev., took it upon himself to remind the world that “chaos cannot be tolerated” at Lake Tahoe—though chaos, being notoriously hard of hearing, remained undeterred. Nevertheless, the Senator vowed to intervene in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, ensuring that, if there were disorder, it would at least be well-documented.

Sunday’s Dispatch: The Curious, the Macabre, and the Mystifying

155 Years Ago – Miss H.K. Clapp, a most enlightened instructor, took to teaching English to some thirty Chinese scholars. Miss Babcock assisted, along with a few more advanced students, hoping that linguistic proficiency might improve the Celestials’ fortunes—or at least their ability to read the contracts that so often found them in unexpected servitude.

140 Years Ago – The remains of Nevada’s forgotten soldiers were reinterred with the full solemnity of the occasion. Business houses were closed, flags lowered, and the entire population of Carson City, along with delegations from every town, made the ceremony a sight to remember. Even the Capitol took on a mournful air, though some suspect that was merely the usual disposition of those within.

120 Years Ago – A miner named Joe Ward suffered a most unfortunate accident involving a missed hole in the Goldfield district. Though he had clung to life, hopes of his recovery faded, and by last evening, efforts to save him were for naught. While some would call this the natural course of mining life, Joe Ward would have preferred a second opinion.

60 Years Ago – Fire Chief Les Groth tallied the past year’s infernos at a record-breaking $225,000, with the Copeland Lumber Yard alone accounting for $120,000. However, in a rare turn of justice, a person was apprehended on February 14. The man was convicted of 17 counts of arson, proving once again that while fire may be quick, it is not always faster than the law.

40 Years Ago – A Zephyr Cove man found himself in a manslaughter case, while a Carson City driver got arrested for a fatal DUI incident. Two persons perished, marking another day in which the laws of man and the laws of physics agreed that recklessness behind the wheel is a most unwise endeavor.

Tuesday’s Reflections on the Absurd and the Alarming

155 Years Ago – A lively debate on women’s suffrage drew an audience from the Adelphi and Nonpareil Clubs and the city’s leading ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Ellis argued in favor with vigor, while Mr. Davies countered with such wit that one could almost forget he was opposing the thing altogether. Mr. Waits followed, making a most reasoned case, though whether it reasoned anyone into agreement remains uncertain.

140 Years Ago – Virginia City was abuzz over the discovery of gold-bearing steer teeth. The unfortunate bovine took a drink from a gold-rich spring near Truckee, proving that even the livestock of Nevada had better luck than most of its miners.

120 Years Ago – A Golconda saloon brawl took a most serious turn when William Henderson got struck on the head with a bottle. His prognosis was grim, which should serve as a reminder that while whiskey is known to cause headaches, it is generally advisable to keep it inside the bottle rather than applied directly to the skull.

60 Years Ago – The Nevada Legislature opened its 53rd session under Democratic control for the first time in 28 years. William D. Swackhammer was named house leader, a title as formidable as the name itself, though whether he lived up to either remains a matter of legislative record.

40 Years Ago – The Assembly Government Affairs Committee gave tentative approval to a bill allowing governing bodies to hold closed meetings with legal counsel concerning lawsuits. The public, of course, was assured that this was entirely in their best interest and not at all an attempt to keep them blissfully uninformed.

And thus, dear reader, we close this chapter of Nevada’s curious history, where fortunes are made, lost, and occasionally found in the teeth of a steer.