50 Years Ago – Two Hawthorne families enjoyed air travel popularity. Flying the Cessna 182 Skylane, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Kichenmaster returned home recently from a three-week tour of the East Coast, visiting many friends and relatives in the central and New England states. Dr. and Mrs. John Denser and their children, April, age 2 years and Mike, age 4 year, traveled on two trips this summer in the 1964 Bellanca airplane owned by Denser and Don Tippin. The first trip to Cadillac, Mich. The second trip was for two weeks to Dallas, Texas.

10 Years Ago

• A fresh layer of snow fell on Mt. Grant in the afternoon and the night of Friday, Oct. 5. This was the first significant snowfall for the upcoming winter season.

• A new roof was added to the Civil Air Patrol building at the airport. The new green metal roof matches the roof on the terminal building which now gives an approved appearance.

• Army Pvt. Quincy L. Johnson has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training. Drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises. Private Johnson is the son of Doreena Johnson and grandson of Nenfa Johnson, both of Schurz. He is a 2006 graduate of Lyon County High School, Yerington.

20 Years Ago

• Action in Hawthorne was centered at the entrances of the industrial and ordnance areas of the Hawthorne Ammunition Depot where members of the Operating Engineers Local Union #3 were on strike. This was the first time that the union went on strike at the depot since a private contractor took over the operation of the base in December 1980.

• Wayne Miller, Personnel Manager of Day & Zimmermann Hawthorne Corporation, was elected Chairman of the Northern Nevada Private Industry Council. Miller had represented the Mineral County private sector businesses on the Council since 1988. He served two terms as vice-chairman and was a member of the Executive Committee.

30 Years Ago

• The MCHS Girls Volleyball Team beat Whittell 9-15, 15-3, 15-11. They traveled to Battle Mountain where they won the matches there, 16-18, 15-9 and 15-7.

• John and Yolanda Lockwood represented Mineral County High School as a cross-country running team at the Nevada Union High School Invitational meets.

• The Mineral County High School Serpents lost a football game to Battle Mountain 48-6 in a game played in Battle Mountain.

40 Years Ago

• Col. Royce M. Powell, USA, accepts the Army colors from Maj. Gen. William E. Eicher, commander of the Army Armament Material Command. This gesture officially established the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant Hawthorne. Commander W. F. Kimzey, USN, who served as the last Navy commander at the Hawthorne depot, and who is continuing as deputy commander, read the orders disestablishing Naval Ammunition Depot, Hawthorne, spoke briefly of the proud record of the depot’s history under Navy Command, then ordered the Navy’s colors cased and retired.

• A supplemental grant of $111,000 for construction of a new library for Mineral County in Hawthorne was announced by the federal Economic Development Agency.

• Federal funds for more than $4,750 was received to help Mineral County organize an agency to establish more local control in seeking federal dollars to help the needy.

• The Serpents lost a close football game 21-19 to Incline Village in a game played at Incline.

• The Hawthorne girls basketball team was victorious over the Smith Valley girls 38-30, but lost to the Fernley team 43-24.

50 Years Ago

• U.S. Army Captain George McKenna and his wife Linda, were in Hawthorne visiting his parents, Jim and Catherine McKenna. Capitan McKenna was to leave for a tour of duty in Vietnam with the Army. His wife and daughter remained in Hawthorne until he returned from Vietnam.

• An action sale of approximately 83 acres of land located on the west side of Walker Lake was schedule. A similar auction scheduled in August of 1966 was halted when the state attorney general’s office and the state real estate division obtained a court injunction to stop the scale.

• The Mineral County Serpents played their fifth conference game of the season and beat Winnemucca 31-13.

60 Years Ago

• Forty-two years after Tioga Pass road was officially opened as the Eastern Gateway to Yosemite Valley and as part of the Midland Trail to San Francisco – the last remaining interstate highway link on this historic route will be officially opened this Saturday when officials of the states of Nevada and California gather at the state line to participate in ribbon cutting ceremonies on the Pole Line Road.

• The 54 mile sector of highway from Hawthorne to U.S. 359 at Mono Lake, was constructed at a cost of more than a million dollars.

• W.D. Jeffers, Mineral County probation officer, was elected first vice president of the Nevada Probation and Parole Association at the organization’s meeting held in Las Vegas last week.

• Henry W. Trujillo, apprentice petty officer second class, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. David M. Trujillo of Babbitt, graduated Sept. 21 from recruit training at the naval training center, San Diego, Calif. Apprentice petty officers are chosen from the ranks of the seaman recruits to assist company commanders. This selection is based on individual aptitude and leadership qualities.

70 Years Ago

• Rhodes Marsh, located 8 miles south of Mina, again is a scene of activity after a thirteen year period of being just another “dry lake.” The huge marsh at the foot of Pilot Mountain contains an indetermable quantity of sodium sulfate which is used largely in the draft paper industry.

Operations are being carried on by the Florida Pulp and Paper Company, which is erecting buildings and installing equipment necessary to produce and ship four to five carloads of the soda product daily. In the early ‘30’s the marsh was worked by the Rhodes Alkali & Chemical Co. which shipped the sodium sulfate to Louisiana for use in the production of kraft paper.

• On Saturday, October 25, the Naval Ammunition Depot at Hawthorne extends a cordial invitation to everyone to visit one of the largest ammunition depots in operation, and to join with naval personnel in the celebration of Navy Day. Representative units of all types of ammunition used by both the army and navy will be displayed at the ordnance exhibit building. These will include bombs, rockets, fixed and semi-fixed ammunition.

80 Years Ago

• A shipment of about 45 tons of ore representing production from two shafts at Camp Ashby, sixteen miles southeast of Hawthorne, was made Sunday. Expected to average more than $100 a ton, the ore was produced from the shaft of Ashby Gold Mines Inc., and from the W.B. Worlock lease on what is known as the old company shaft.

• Through the Works Progress Administration, announcement has been made that enrollments are getting accepted for service in CCC camps located in Nevada for the six months period beginning this month. Nevada has an allotment of seventeen enrollees for the new period Oct. 1 and will continue until the end of the month. The Hawthorne camp at the present time is considerably below normal strength in enrolled personnel number because of many young men departing at the completion of the enrollment period ended Sept. 30. However, new enrollees are to be assigned to the Hawthorne camp for duty during the current enrollment period.