10 Years Ago – Traveling through Hawthorne a couple of weeks ago was an interesting woman, Finisia Medrano of Arco, Idaho on her way to Schurz where she will attend a gathering known as “Naraya”, a round dance or dance of renewal. What was unique was the mode of travel she was experiencing, the covered wagon pulled by three horses. Medrano lives in the wagon and travels approximately 20 miles per day. Thus far on this trip she has traveled about 700 miles. As she is traveling along the highway she has been planting seeds, the type of seeds that were grown as a native food. One thousand pounds of seeds, onion, sego, biscuit root, bitter root and canas that have been donated by her ranching friends. Medrano’s thought was to plant seeds so others coming later can harvest the product, the same way the pioneers did coming west. Medrano plans to winter in the Schurz area.
10 Years Ago
• Jeff Barrow was hired as new community coordinator for the “Communities for Mobilizing for a Change in Alcohol” (CMCA) program. The CMCA program is funded through the State of Nevada Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment agency and is geared toward limiting the access of alcohol to youth 13 to 20 years of age.
• Tara (Grulli) Larramendy, a former resident of Hawthorne, finished the NYC Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 4, clocking in at 4 hours and 27 minutes. She is the daughter of Ace and Sharon Grulli of Reno, formerly of Hawthorne. Tara graduated in 1994 from Mineral County High School and is currently a nurse at Quail Surgical Center.
20 Years Ago
• The Mineral County High School Lady Serpents Volleyball Team finished first in the zone championships for the fifth straight year. The Lady Serpents set new records for the season in all team and individual stats except aces and saves. They finished their season 4-1 overall and 11-1 in league play.
• Two Hawthorne youths were congratulated for being chosen to be on the Youth Forum sponsored by Soroptimist International. Honored were Matthew Prosenski and Matthew West.
• State Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa was honored guest and speaker at the annual Mineral County Peace Officers Appreciation Dinner held at the Hawthorne Elks Hall.
30 Years Ago
• The brother and sister cross-country racing team John and Yolanda Lockwood of Schurz, who represented Mineral County High School, made a great showing at the Nevada State Track Meet held in Reno. John came in second in his race, only 15 seconds behind the winner and Yolanda came in sixth place in a race that had 24 other girls running.
• Five outstanding high school musicians at Mineral County High School were named in the 1987 edition of Who’s Who in Music. These honored were Neal Jones, Mary Montoya, David Noble, Jennifer Rinaldi and Glenn Rutan.
40 Years Ago
• The Walker Lake Auto Racing Association named the top ten drivers of the year at an awards banquet held at Joe’s Tavern. Named were: Stock Class—Steve Jones; Frank Berrier; John Bertrand; Butch Babb; Richard Hughes; Myron Mills; Ron Going; Gary Milks and Ray Abrams. In the Super Stock Class—Ricky Isom; Gene Christensen; Shelby Reynolds and Steve Moody (tie); Monte Lininger; Dwayne Everett; Floyd Griffin and Ron Going. Top Powder Puff drivers were—Sheila Reynolds, Melinda Potter, and Lois Tomlinson.
• The Board of Trustees of Mineral Television District No. 1 planned action to collect from a number of residents of the county who were delinquent in the payment of their television service charges.
50 Years Ago
• A 29-year old Marine Reserve pilot from Miliptas, Calif., lost his life when a plane crashed into Mono Lake. Capt. James L. Admire, a pilot for Pan American Airways in civilian life, was the victim.
• Construction of the Pacific Northwest/Pacific Southwest Intertie power project was moving on schedule and work was being performed in the southwestern part of Mineral County.
• Nevada Day Parade awards were presented at the Administration Building at the Naval Ammunition Depot by Bob Robertson, Executive Assistant to Governor Paul Laxalt. Gerald Lusk, high school band director, accepted the award won by the Mineral County High School Band, County Commissioner Don Anderson accepted the award for Hawthorne as the “Best Community Entry” in the parade and Capitan W. W. Schweer, CO at NAD, accepted the special award on behalf of “Cecil” the Walker Lake Sea Serpent.
60 Years Ago
• Miss Loralee Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay Smith of Gabbs, was one of five co-eds at the University of Nevada chosen as finalists in the annual contest for queen of the military ball.
• “Sierra Way” was designated as the name of Hawthorne’s main business thoroughfare from First to Tenth Street. Winners were Florence Lutz, Mrs. W. F. Felts, and Theodore Madrid. The $500 prize money offered by Joby and Helen Lewis, owners of the Monte Carlo in Hawthorne, was divided among the three winners.
70 Years Ago
• Abe Arnott, an employee of the Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot living in Babbitt, caught a 25-pound Cutthroat trout at the north end of Walker Lake. The big fish measured 20 inches in girth.
• The NAD Hawthorne Marine Barracks float displaying the famous flag raising on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima won statewide acclaim when they won first place in the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City.
• Presentation of the official charted marked the completion of the organization of the Mineral County Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans.
• Urpo Kyto died from injuries received from an automobile accident near Duluth, Minn. where he lived. Kyto was president of Champion City Mines, Inc., owners of the Lucky Boy Mine and Mill near Hawthorne.
80 Years Ago
• Described as an experiment to learn whether pheasants would survive locally, the state fish and game commission released 30 Chinese Pheasants in the old orchard area of the naval depot. Warnings were issued that any hunting in the area would be deemed a law violation.
• A special audit of all offices and departments in Mineral County was ordered by the county commissioners. C. F. DeArmond, a certified public accountant in Elko, was named to conduct the audit and would be assisted by Grant Robinson of Carson City, deputy state auditor. Commission Chairman Henry Boerlin said the audit would cover the period commencing with the year 1931 for the purpose of answering complaints included in the recent audit made by state auditors.
• Martin Fitting, well-known mining man in Mineral County for more than 30 years, died at age 72. A native of Denmark, Fitting was one of the discoverers of the Mabel Mine southeast of Hawthorne. Prior to moving to Mineral County, Fitting had served in the U.S. Navy for several years, enlisting one year after coming to this country.
