Though sparsely populated by East Coast and Western European standards, American Indians had lived along the coast and in the mountainous interior for at least 3,000 years. Before Crescent City was established in 1853, a trail existed down the coast from Pebble Beach to the mouth of the Klamath. It was used primarily by the…

Summertime is here, although one would not know it with the way the weather has been the last few months. Several years ago I had the job of doing the weekend weather forecast at a station in Eureka, California. I’ve never received so much hate mail in all of my life. It seemed that everything…

The Yurok Tribe had long lived along the banks of the Klamath River by the time European and American explorers found the waterway. Those included a group of miners aboard the Cameo on its second voyage exploring the North coast in 1850. The vessel docked and the group sought the mouth of the Klamath River.…

Just over a year ago, I bit down hard on my faith. I became a true and hardened believer in Christ Jesus. To this end, I have made it a practice to study my bible daily, pray as often as I can, attend church regularly, and work on my spiritual habits. That also means I…

Time once again to start that annual outing to your family’s favorite vacation spot. If your family is anything like mine, then that spot is a campground. And like every year we have to be careful about the use of fire. Here are some simple – rules to follow: use the regulation burn areas for…

While working at John Asquaga’s Nugget in Sparks, one of my keno writing supervisors was an ancient and long-time cowboy named Kenny, bowed legs and a big rodeo belt buckle. I cannot remember his last name. He had grown up in Nevada and one day told me this tale he had heard from his Dad…

Right before he committed suicide, he said, “They are not telling the truth about what is going on down there.” One year after the Oklahoma City bombings, the officer who saved eight lives was found dead under strange circumstances. On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, Sergeant Terrence Yeakey responded to calls that a bomb had gone…

Thank goodness for my note-taking skills as I share a tale that seems straight out of a Spaghetti Western comedy as we go back to the 70s when the Comstock became an unlikely battleground for the Silver City Guard’s wild antics during the Bicentennial Wagon Train’s stopover. Captain “Clicker” Slocum led the charge, and the…

1989, I think, is when I first met Silver City’s David Toll. Initial impressions were scarce, but as time wove its divine course, his tales proved a rare solace in a world bereft of narrative grace. Toll, I discovered, was a man of genuine merit. That year, just before the snows laid claim to the…

Seeing a poster for the 1988 Super Bowl XXII in a room of Carol Ann in the movie Poltergeist is unusual, considering the film’s release in 1982. Furthermore, on the headboard, above the bed, is a Los Angeles Ram football helmet. Los Angeles translates to “The Angels,” while the ram represents the sacrifice. Six years…