125 Years Ago

April 15, 1899: You can go fishing now if you want to, but the chances are you won’t get a bite. The river is too high and muddy.

April 15, 1899: Altube Bros. will start 600 head of beef cattle to the railroad Wednesday. They are consigned to the Western Meat Market at San Francisco. Some trouble is anticipated in reaching the railroad on account of the deep snow.

April 15, 1899: Monday night Editor Booher was given a genuine surprise party by a number of Rebekahs, and a jolly time was had. Major Dennis of the Reno Journal, who has been in the same fix many times, dishes it up as follows: “A crowd of twenty Rebekahs broke into the Elko Independent office the other night, captured the bachelor editor and held him prisoner until midnight. They stuffed him so full of good eating truck that he didn’t tackle a free lunch counter for forty-eight hours.”

April 15, 1899: Remember that next Friday, April 21st, will be Arbor Day. See that you plant some kind of a tree or a shrub.

100 Years Ago

April 14, 1924: The familiar figure of “Dad” Reynolds, for years crossing watchman for the Southern Pacific on the Fifth Street crossing in Elko, will be seen no more emerging from his familiar dog house to warn the people of this city of approaching trains, following an edict from the general offices of the railroad company at San Francisco to remove both of Elko’s crossing watchmen immediately. It is understood that this is following out an agreement made between the city council and railroad officials some time ago. The watchmen were put on the crossings originally at the request of the old city council, and an agreement was made for the removal of the watchmen as soon as the automatic signals were installed. The installation of the signals was made last summer, and the edict for the removal of the watchmen arrived here Saturday.

April 14, 1924: H.J. McSherry, of the state police who is the nemesis of the would be evaders of the state license law, which suggests to motorists that they contribute to the running expenses of the state by paying a certain license fee on their cars, arrived in town last Saturday, and immediately proceeded to make life rather uncomfortable for those who thought this particular law does not apply to them. Mr. McSherry proceeded to correct this impression in the minds of Bill Gardner, Italio Quilici, Joe Tognini, and John Higginbotham, with the result that in a short time all four will soon be sporting nice new license plates, with the warning to “go and sin no more,” lest they be fined $1000 and incarcerated in jail for a few months, the penalty for second offense.

April 16, 1924: Spring! This week witnessed a complete transformation in the school’s appearance. In place of heavy winter dresses and sweaters, bright-colored ginghams, voiles and spring sport togs dot the campus. Among the groups that stand in front of the building waiting for the doors to open we see here and there a new spring hat. The boys have discarded their caps and coats, and everywhere the masculine element of the school is personified in rolled-up shirt sleeves which reveal arms freshly sunburned. The tennis courts are in use most of the time by the enthusiastic “wielders of the racket”, and between school hours groups of boys play baseball. When school is out groups of students walk around town without coats or other wraps and every one indulges in ice cream sodas, lemonades and Coca Colas to show that he is aware of the fact that spring is here at last.

75 Years Ago

April 15, 1949: “Elko County” is featured in this week’s issue of Life in an illustrated article written by Roger Butterfield, who spent considerable time in this community gathering data for the story. He says: “Elko County, the leading cattle country of the west imports orchids and lobsters, sneers at paper money and hopes the price of beef will remain high.” The oldest buckaroo in the county is featured in a full page picture at the opening of the article. He is Isado “Lolo” Munos, who came to Elko County in 1877, and who works in Squaw Valley. Lolo is pictured in a colorful western outfit, which he wears often and the caption says of him: “A fancy dresser, Lolo smokes cigars, downs whiskey and goes to town regularly.” There are surprising statements in the story such as: “In the winter hitchhikers are frequently frozen to death along U.S. Route 40 … ” Perhaps we have been missing some stories. Complimenting this community, Butterfield says: “Elko is probably the most pleasantly sophisticated town of its size in the United States.” He refers to the recent election of Bing Crosby as “honorary mayor” of Elko.

April 16, 1949: If you’ve lost something, the Elko Daily Free Press may be just the place to look for it! For more than a year now, articles found on the streets have been turned into the newspaper office by the finders with the thought that perhaps the rightful owner would pick it up there. However, many things still are unclaimed. Articles range from a whole host of keys — every size and shape imaginable — to a 1949 license plate for a truck. If any of the paper’s readers have lost something, regardless of what it is, try the office of the Daily Free Press. It just might be there.

50 Years Ago

April 17, 1974: Wind blowing at velocities estimated between 70 and 100 miles an hour, which struck Ruby Valley last week, inflicted approximately $15,000 worth of damage to structures in the valley and damaged 70 per cent of the residences at Shanty Town. He reported that at least three trailer houses were overturned and one small storage shed was blown a distance of about 400 feet from its concrete foundation. The strong wind also upset 85 feet of cinder block wall in an unfinished building on the Steve Wright Ranch at the north end of the valley as well as inflicting damage at the Sharp Ranch and the Lynn Rose Ranch. At Shanty Town, near the south end of the valley, a boat was carried into the air and dashed against a house owned by Barney Nelson of Elko. Damage resulted to the window, a well and the roof of the cabin — and parts of the boat ended up inside the house.

April 18, 1974: Elko was less than six months old, the country barely three when the community’s first newspaper appeared on the streets. Since June 19, 1869, when the Elko Independent issued volume one, number one, the county has collected and bound various tabloids and kept them in the recorder’s office. This week by decision of the county commissioners, the 234 books of journals were placed in Elko’s Northeastern Nevada Museum in specially constructed cabinets for the use of researchers. In 1870, the short-lived Elko Chronicle, founded by W.B. Taylor and T.I. Butler, published for seven months. E.A. Littlefield and C.C. Powning started the Elko Weekly Post on September 11, 1875. Its final day of publication was April 30, 1881. C.H. Sproule, newly appointed university regent, moved to Elko from Battle Mountain and brought his newspaper with him. On January 5, 1883, he printed the first issue of the Elko Free Press. Since then it has been a weekly, daily and weekly at the same time and now published daily. The move to the museum now makes the material available seven days a week.

25 Years Ago

April 15, 1999: The Spring Creek Ranch Hand Rodeo, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, at the Spring Creek Horse Palace, has more than doubled in size compared with previous years, according to rodeo secretary Mari Jean Bellander. “This is the largest number of participants that have entered in nearly 15 years, and we are really excited about it,” she said. “We’re not just talking about quantity either. Some of the Elko County teams have placed in World Championship finals.” The Kelly Ranch Team of Owyhee, comprised of Nathan Kelly, Dirk Jim, Ira Walker and Sam Marvel, in January won the WRCA Winter Classic invitational rodeo, which featured eight of the best teams in the country. The Spring Creek Ranch Hand Rodeo is sanctioned by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA) and the winning team from Spring Creek may qualify to go on to National Finals in Amarillo, Texas.

April 16, 1999: The Elko Gunslingers, a semi-pro football team, kick off their second season tomorrow when they play the Wasatch Demons at Granger Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. A season of change begins with tomorrow’s 11 a.m. contest, which is a conference game in the Utah Football League. For one thing the Gunslingers have moved their home games to Elko High School’s Warrior Field, where they’ll play 7 p.m. games under the lights. And local fans will have plenty of chances to see them as the Gunslingers have six home games slated. With one season under their belts, players also expect to have a more competitive team with 14 returning starters from last year’s squad. The team won its opening game last year then dropped the rest to finish 1-7, although inexperience and turnovers played a major factor. “We’re going to be a lot better than last year,” said Elko wide receiver Robert Stewart, who is one of several former Elko or Spring Creek High School players on the team.