80 Years Ago – Following announcement that the county commissioners had closed sage hen hunting season on Mt. Grant, the Naval Depot announced that no hunting would be permitted in any part of the reservation including Mt. Grant.

10 Years Ago

• El Capitan hosted there “Fun in the Sun” slot tournament over the weekend of July 20 thru the 22 over $10,500 in cash and prizes were given away to lucky winners in the tournament. Jack Wass was the one who achieved the highest score to win first place and a cash award of $4,000. Coming in second was Don Coons who took home $2,000 and third place winner was Spencer Swift with $1,250.

• Teenage drinking meeting held in Hawthorne on August 3. Debra Loesch-Griffin, a field representative of the Community Council on Youth, Lyon County Healthy Community Coalition, was in attendance to speak to the members of the Mineral County Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, sponsored by UNR Cooperative Extension. She expressed the importance of the program by initiating “Stopping Teenage Drinking”. The main purpose of the meeting was to get a program going in the county to help young people to cope with the drinking problems they face. The main focus of the program deals with youths and young adults from the ages 15-24 years of age.

• Democrats held a “mock caucus” in Hawthorne. Many successful mock caucuses have been recently held in other rural areas around the state including: Carson City; Fernley; Zephyr Cove; Pahrump; Ely; Eureka; Winnemucca; Elko and Alamo.

20 Years Ago

• The annual Mineral County Horseman’s Association Junior Rodeo was held Saturday, Aug. 2 with a large number of participants. There were participants coming from points all over northern Nevada and from California and Oklahoma. The age group ranged from 3 to 17 years. The stock was furnished by the Buffington family in Luning and the Quintero family in Schurz.

• Pamela Sue Hopkins of Valley Village, Calif. was injured in a single car accident that occurred about 12 miles east of Hawthorne on U.S. Highway 95. A six year old female who was a passenger in the vehicle was not injured in the accident. Both were wearing seatbelts.

30 Years Ago

• The Candelaria Mine in Mineral County poured its 10 millionth ounce of silver. The operation was under the Nerco Minerals Company.

• Change of Command ceremonies were held at the U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Engineering Detachment in Hawthorne. LCDR Gary Grosz replaced LCDR John Glynn as commander of the unit.

• Winning drivers at the stock car races over the weekend at the Hawthorne Speedway were: Butch Babb, Brian Sears, Flying “Floyd” Griffin, Stan Pumpkin and Joe Trela.

• Echo Bay Mine employees and their families enjoyed a picnic and day of games at Lions Park in Hawthorne.

40 Years Ago

• The annual Water Ski Meet sponsored by the Walker Lake Boat and Ski Club was set for Aug. 7, to decide the 1977 Club Champions in ten events. Marion Roark was the favorite to retain her third consecutive year as champion in the girls slalom race.

• Robert Wilson of Schurz died of gunshot wounds and Randy Varain, the law enforcement officer at Schurz was wounded in an exchange of gun-fire by the two men. Varain was answering a disturbance call when he was fired upon by Wilson and was wounded in the neck and shoulder. Varain returned fire and Wilson was fatally wounded in the exchange.

• Cal C. Holland was appointed by the Mineral County Commissioners to be the County Executive Assistant to the Board of Commissioners.

• The El Capitan Softball Team won the Central Nevada Zone Championship in a tournament that was played in Ely.

50 Years Ago

• A Hawthorne woman was sentenced to the state prison after pleading guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. Her husband, who had previously pleaded guilty to a similar charge, was sentenced to prison also. The couple was apprehended in Tonopah after having allegedly stolen a pickup truck in Hawthorne. While being transferred back to Hawthorne the couple attacked Sheriff E. T. “Hefty” Sanderson and chief matron, Elaine Sarnowski with parts of barber scissors. The woman inflicted a minor wound on the chief matron before the couple was subdued.

• The Hawthorne and Babbitt Little League All-Stars lost a game to Reno at the state tournament in Yerington, losing their bid for the state bids.

60 Years Ago

• Two brush fires broke out in this county. One is Cottonwood Canyon on the Naval Reservation and the other on Mt. Hicks, a few miles southeast of Aurora.

• New PTA officers elected were: A. P. Minkler, president; Mrs. Joe Clendenen, 1st vice president; Wells Smith, 2nd vice president; Mrs. Wallace Smith, secretary; Mrs. Wallis Reed, treasurer; Mr. V. T. Robertson, member and Jack Selbig, legislation.

• Hawthorne’s Intermediate Baseball Team won the consolation trophy in the Western Nevada Pony League Tournament played in Fallon.

70 Years Ago

• Mrs. Floyd Crabtree of Hawthorne was elected as President of the Nevada State Department of the American Legion. Mrs. Edna Puffer of Hawthorne was appointed as secretary.

• The Fallon Greenheads Baseball team defeated the Hawthorne Merchants 14-9 in a game played on the local field, that was located where the present Lakeview Tract is today.(Corner of West Fifth and A Street).

• Following the resignation of Al Jensen as Hawthorne Chief of Police, the city appointed Joe Collins to fill the vacancy. Other applicants who applied were A. J. Bates and Donald Moore.

80 Years Ago

• Troop 44 Boy Scout activities were reported in a column written by Richard Elmore, Scribe.

• Old Age Assistance enacted by the Nevada Legislature was being implemented throughout the state. Velma Shotwell, director of the program for the state board and Cornela Holbrook, field worker, came to Hawthorne to process 74 applications filed by citizens seeking to qualify for the new pension plan, not to exceed $30 a month. Successful applicants were those approved by the state board of welfare and given final approval by the county commissioners.

• An editorial in the Independent-News expressed concern that “Politics may wreck the new Social Security program.”