“The man with the donkey and his daughter Bertha are my family. This is my great-great Grandfather Henry Blake from Reqoi (Requa) in Klamath California,” writes Richard England, Sr., “This picture was taken at Turup, (Tarup Creek, Klamath Glen) California at their ranch and dairy across from Blake’s landing shortly before he was murdered on…

When I saw this — I thought blood was going to squirt from my eyeballs! It is proof of what I’ve said for a long time: both the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington D.C. are part of the ‘progressive movement.’ Now, I have something else to say: neither Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,…

It might seem strange to honor an Indian chief who not only didn’t particularly like the white man and who had claimed the Paiute’s ancestral lands but also was known to attack them on occasion. However, Frank Baud, considered one of the city’s founders, had a fondness for the old chief and wanted to honor…

As I rolled over — waking from a short nap — I heard these words rolling around in my noggin, like a bad dream. They’re from ‘Queen’ and their song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I see a little silhouetto of a man Scaramouch, scaramouch – will you do the fandango Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me Gallileo, gallileo, gallileo,…

It was 57 years ago, September 24th, that my parents, Margery Ann Olivera and Thomas Junior Darby married one another in a civil ceremony in Reno, Nevada. The newlyweds spend a honeymoon night at the Mapes Hotel, dining and dancing, before he had to report back for duty at Requa Air Force Station, Klamath, California. The…

The selection of grand marshal is typically an honor bestowed on community members who have participated in good deeds in Del Norte County. The grand marshal usually has a list of accomplishments and associations. One such grand marshal was Sam Lopez, a member of the How-on-quet Tribe of Smith River. He celebrated his 86th birthday in…

It was half-past midnight September 18th, 1891 when a group of 75 hooded and well armed men dropped Luis Ortiz to his death from Reno’s Virginia Street Bridge. By all accounts, he went to his Maker without a whimper. Before his death, Ortiz was run out-of-town. He was also not welcomed in parts of north-eastern California as…

“…the two miners who died trying to steal the payroll from the hotel vault in the basement by digging up into the vault from mines underneath the city. They were successful…to a point. They made off with the money, but their bodies were found in a tunnel nearby. The money was no where to be…

This is generally how I start, when it comes to writing a historical article about California or Nevada — research. I love tying where I live to where I grew up. For example, Bret Harte was a journalist who cut his ‘reporters teeth’ in the Comstock’s Virginia City, along with the likes of Mark Twain…

While on my morning walk I saw a $100 bill. Turns out it was one of those dime-store novelties with a picture of the Mona Lisa where Ben Franklin should have been. It triggered a memory that I had long forgotten about. This too involves a $100 bill. She was my first customer. I had…