Walter Sylvester Hufford was born September 7, 1853, in Charleston, Lee County, Iowa  and passed away May 19, 1931, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.  He was elected as Corvallis County Recorder  and later as a Corvallis County Judge. Prior to becoming a judge he was also Corvallis County District Attorney

Walter Sylvester is the son of David Hufford and Mary Morris. He married Martha M. Graham in 1876 and together had four children: Edwin Joseph, Walter Graham, Jessie, and Bessie K.

Martha died sometime before 1920, and Walter remarried Mary H. However, I have been unable so far  to find a maiden name for Mary.

Walter was my Great grandpa George Washington Hufford’s older brother. I think that would make him my great-uncle — but I get all that family relationship stuff confused — so I could be wrong.

Anyway, I located an article about Walter in Republican League Register of Oregon, 1896, on page 158: 

“Walter S. Hufford, of Corvallis, was born at Charleston, Lee County, Iowa, September 7, 1853, and came to Oregon in 1873, locating near Albany. He studied law in Corvallis, and was admitted to the bar in December 16, 1875.

He engaged in farming five years, and has been in active practice of his profession sixteen years. He has been a delegate to nearly all county conventions since 1874, to the state conventions of 1890 and 1892, and the league in 1896.

He was elected City Recorder of Corvallis in 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885; was nominated District Attorney in 1888, and was elected County Judge in 1892 and 1894.

Then there is this notice of death from The Oregonian published May 22, 1931:

“Masonic Lodge No. 114, A.F. and A.M. — Special communication today (Friday) at 1:45 P.M. to conduct the funeral services of our late Brother Walter S. Hufford. Services at 2:30 P.M. at Finley’s Chapel, Fifth and Montgomery, with Masonic services at Riverview Cemetery, Visiting brethren welcome. Please bring autos.”

Have you ever wondered about the history of the nail in America? I didn’t think so, but I thought it polite to ask jus’ in case.

This subject comes up after I found an old envelope with a handful of cut nails my Grandpa Bill gave to me when I was in my early teens. I didn’t even know I still had them until I started going through my large tool box.

As I recall, Grandpa recovered them from an old shack that had eventually fallen down on some property he purchased shortly after World War I. I remember him saying the building was in disrepair and took several years to finally collapse.

I started to throw them away but set them aside instead.

They got me to thinking – why are those old nails shaped different from the one’s we use today?

Doing a little research, I found out nails have four distinct styles in U.S. history. These include hand-forged nails, before circa 1800; type-A cut nails, circa 1790-1830; Type-B cut nails, circa 1820-1900; and the Wire nail, circa 1890 to present.

The cut nail made its appearance in the mid-1700s. For instance, Thomas Jefferson built a nail factory on his plantation at Monticello as a way to make extra money. His nail factory made both hand-forged and cut nails.

It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that cut nails began dominating the marketplace. Cut nails are not actually “cut,” they’re sliced from steel plate the thickness of the nail shank.

Generally referred to as “square nails”, because of the head, the cutting machine tapers the nail shank as it is sheared from the steel plate, while a second machine forms the head of a cut nail. With the hand-forged nail, all four sides are tapered.

I’m pretty sure this is what a regular  horseshoe nail is, since it has a “square” head.

In the mid-1800s Daniel Dodge, Silas Putnam, and George Capewell patented a nail-making machine to mass-produce horseshoe nails. With mass-produced horseshoes invented about the same time, the need for blacksmithing skills diminished – but I’m getting sideways here.

As for the cut nail, two sides are parallel because they represent the thickness of the plate they were sheared from. Cut nails had their heyday from about 1820 to 1910, the advent of the wire nail.

Wire nails have replaced the cut nail, except in the of refinishing antiques or hardwood floors. Steel wire is fed into a machine that grips the wire, cuts it, makes the head, and chisels the point, all in one operation.

The process is completely mechanized, requiring only one person to turn the machine on and off. Plus wire nail machines can make thousands of nails a minute.

As for the nails in the old envelope – they’re “cut” or “square nails.” And while they don’t hold much in the way of sentimental value – I think I’ll keep them as I’m a sucker for anything considered “old-fashioned.”

Yeah, I’ll probably catch hell for being a bleeding heart — but I jus’ have to share my feelings and thoughts about this situation. Forgive me for wearing my heart on my sleeve.

A 13-year-old Reno boy is being charged as an adult in a shooting that left a man dead. Jose’ Cruz and three others have been charged with murder in the killing of a local musician who tried to stop a robbery on the southwest edge of downtown.

The four face several charges in connection with a string of armed robberies in Carson City and Reno that police say ended in the shooting death of Steve Gale. The Reno resident was walking home and was shot in the back as he struggled with the robbers trying to steal a friend’s purse.

Generally, I’m a hard-ass when it comes to crime and punishment, but this one has me doubting my belief system. Honestly, I know very little about the case, other than what I’ve heard or seen in the press, so I’m in no position to judge what is happening.

Not only is he baby-faced — he looks absolutely terrified and as a father, that breaks my heart. I want to reach out and wrap my arms around him, protect him and calm his fear.

Other than that, I’d love to know why this teen was running around with a bunch of adults. I’d also like to know where Jose’ Cruz’ his parents were and why he wasn’t home in bed at the time they were out killing a defenseless man.

Lastly — what is his relationship to the three adults, who took this child along with them? As far as I’m concerned — those three can rot in hell for what they’ve done — but can’t Jose’ somehow be turned around?

The teen was being held in the Jan Evans Juvenile Detention Center, but ended up transferred to the Washoe County Jail since being charged as an adult. He spent one night in the adult jail before a judge returned him to the detention center.

It was deemed necessary to protect him, as the adult facility isn’t designed to keep children locked up. I’m cool with this as I believe the “state” has a duty to protect those it has incarcerated.

Jacob Sanchez, 21-years-old, is accused of firing the fatal shot. His 19-year-old brother Luis Sanchez and 23-year-old Aurora Rodriguez-Perez also face murder charges along with Jose’.

Ultimately, he’s going to have to pay for his criminal activity and there must be justice for Steve Gale. So I’m okay with whatever punishment is meted out by the system.

I jus’ wish I had never seen his prepubescent face.

The Nevada Senate has approved a bill to include gender identity and expression in employment anti-discrimination protections. Democrat Senator David Parks of Las Vegas told the chamber the bill is a continuation of Nevada’s history of extending personal liberty to its citizens.  Senator Ben Kieckhefer of Reno was the sole Republican to support the bill.

File under: How to put jus’ a few people back to work  — if at all.

It was Mr. Costello, a Del Norte High coach and history teacher who asked: Why is there a statue of President William McKinley in the town plaza of Arcata? And why is it “McKinleyville” if it doesn’t have the statue or any relation to the 25th president?

At the time I recall thinking, “Who gives a shit?”

As it turns out – his asking led me becoming interested in the seemingly obscure points of history often forgotten about. I learned the answer to both questions that day and to keep an open mind when it came to what some may deem insignificant.

The statue was presented to the City of Arcata by George Zehndner, July 4, 1906. It cost him $15,000 to have it shipped up from the bay area and erected on the 25 ton granite base is still rests on.

Whose George Zehndner?  And why the hell such a weird gift?

Zehndner  was a native of Bavaria, born in 1824 and had come to America in 1849. He worked his way to California, chopped wood in Sacramento, invested in a pack train in Weaverville.

While in Trinity County he traded some mules for some cows and drove them to Angel’s Ranch, east of Arcata proper. He started ranching, only to be burned out by Indians in 1862

But by 1866, he was back in business at the ranch. Four years later he sold his share in the ranching business and bought a home in Arcata.

Zehndner was an admirer of McKinley and a Republican, through-and-through. The 81-year-old man took the 1901 assassination of McKinley to heart and decided to create a monument to the “first modern president.”

As for the nine-foot statue – it was sculpted by Armenian-born artist Haig Patigian in San Francisco, and whose credits include a statue of Abraham Lincoln in San Francisco and a bust of Herbert Hoover in the White House. The statue’s unveiling was postponed because of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.

Patigian found the statue had been toppled by the quake; however a large plaster model had braced its fall, but he had to leave it because it was too large to move. A week later, the foundry owner told him the statue had been destroyed.

But the foundry owner was wrong and Patigian soon learn the statue had been saved from the burning foundry. It was then moved by steamship to Humboldt Bay in May 1906 – later to be presented to the city.

Now – what about the town of McKinleyville, which is named for the late president but lacks the statue which Arcata owns?

Prior to the turn of the twentieth century,  McKinleyville was known as Minorville. It was named by Isaac Minor, who had a number of businesses there including the Minor Store, A & L Feed Store and a lumber company.

Minorville, believe it-or-not, was at one time home to a large number of die-hard Republicans. So after McKinley was assassinated September 6, 1901, they changed the town’s name to McKinleyville.

Isaac Minor was also a big name the in Arcata area, with his name appearing on a “Minor Alley,” and the “Minor Theater.”  As a kid, I thought it was named the “Minor” Theater because the other one was the “major” theater in town.

One more thing about McKinleyville: It reportedly is home to “The largest totem pole in the world,” at 160 feet tall. Go figure.

UPDATE: On February 21st, 2018 the Arcata City Council voted 4-1 to remove the statue of William McKinley. The next step in the process is for the city to hold a meeting to initiate the Environmental Impact Report.

Reno 2011 — Senator Harry Reid looks like he got his butt kicked in a bar room brawl, but an Aide to the 71-year-old Nevada native says he fell while exercising in the rain. The fall caused him to dislocate his right shoulder and left him with a black eye.

Another report says the fall occurred when Reid leaned against a wet car, slipped then fell to the ground. And still a third claims he slipped in a puddle of water while jogging.

Almost sounds like the number of changes made to the story of how Osama bin Laden died. Whatever really happened — it must be hard for the old pugilist to admit he took an ass-whipping from himself.

Meanwhile, the hapless Harry continues to “Dream,” which is another subject altogether…

This is where I learned how difficult being a sprinter could be — as I had yet to be beaten. But then like that — big Mike McMillian from Eureka High slammed my big-ego into the ground.

Worse yet — he did it by setting a new regional record. I learned this day that losing in a one-on-one contest can be a good thing — as it caused me to refocus my God-given talent as a sprinter.

It would take me another two-years to run as quickly as Mike did that day — he smoked me with a 10.3 second 100-yard dash. His continued rivalry made me a better person.

I finally broke under 10 seconds in 1978 — and I’ve never been better in my life.

The national media is littered with jumbled up stories regarding the death Osama bin Laden. Much of the confusion has been caused by the Obama administration and the ever changing narrative they’ve been dishing out over the week.

Original report: Bin Laden died in a firefight.
Changed: Bin Laden did not engage in a firefight.
Change 2.0: Bin Laden had an AK-47 “nearby.”

Original report: Bin Laden was shot once in head.
Changed: Bin Laden shot once in head, one in chest.
Change 2.0: Bin Laden shot twice in head, once in chest.

Original report: Bin Laden used his wife as a human shield, was shot in chest and killed.
Changed: Bin Laden’s wife did not die, wasn’t used as a human shield and was only shot in the leg.
Change 2.0: Someone else’s wife was shot and killed, someplace else in the house.

Original report: Four helicopters used in raid.
Change: Four helicopters used during raid.
Change 2.0: Secret stealth helicopters used in raid.

Original report: Bin Laden’s compound had no television, computers or electricity.
Changed: Compound had TV’s, DVDs, multiple computers and satellite dish.

Original report: President Obama acted with “calm” and “steeled-nerves,” making the decision on his own.
Changed: Obama was listening to Advisor Valerie Jarred, who told him not to “proceed with the raid.
Change 2.0: Obama waited for 16 hours or more before deciding and CIA Chief Leon Panetta made the final call.

Original report: Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and close advisers watched raid unfold in real-time and a photo showing this was posted on the White House website.
Changed: They weren’t watching real-time video because there was 20 minute time frame that they “didn’t know just exactly what was going on,” as stated by Panetta.
Change 2.0: Photograph may have been staged according to the UK Guardian.

Original report: Obama’s order was to kill, not capture, bin Laden.
Changed: Obama’s order was to kill or capture bin Laden.

It’s certain that more changes will be forthcoming. It is also possible that we will never really know the truth as to what occurred in those hours between the time the Navy SEAL’s launched and when they returned to their staging point.

As for hope – there is none.

A coalition of Nevada businesses is launching a $50,000 ad campaign for a change in tax laws to force Amazon and other e-commerce firms to collect state sales taxes when they sell goods to Nevadans. The Retail Association of Nevada and the Nevada Resort Association says that’s costing Nevada about $16 million a year.

Talk about economy killing!

A Virginia and Truckee Railroad train has a starring role in the movie, “Water for Elephants.” The 90-ton steam engine No. 18 was shipped to Los Angeles to be used in the film about a circus train. No. 18 has been in 15 movies including “Young Tom Edison,” “The Last Stagecoach West,” and “Frontier Badmen.”

It might be worth the price of a ticket jus’ to see the train on screen…