80 Years Ago – New Firehouse Being Erected – Volunteers plan dance to raise funds to complete job. Further improving the facilities of the Hawthorne Volunteer Fire Department, construction of a new fire house in this town is rapidly nearing completion. The new, on-story stucco building faces the town’s main street from the east. The building will be used to house the town’s first fire truck, acquired only a few months ago. Provisions are being made also for quarters for a man on night duty. Like the town’s first fire truck, the building will be the first real fire house in Hawthorne as heretofore the extent of building facilities have been three small sheds used to house hand carts which constituted the town’s main firefighting equipment prior to acquiring the truck last year.

10 Years Ago

  • University of Cooperative Extension Holds Workshop- The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension offered a marketing workshop for Nevada growers and farmers. Nevada agricultural producers attended the workshop to learn how to manage the legal, marketing and financial risks associated with direct marketing food and agricultural products. The program “Food Safety: A Tool for Managing Risk and Expanding Direct Marketing opportunities” was presented in Fallon with an interactive video. Several other locations across Northern Nevada held the same workshop.
  • Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Hawthorne Marine Corps Program Test Facility- Employees of the Hawthorne Army Depot and the Marine Corps Program Test Range and guests were witnesses to the ribbon cutting ceremonies of the newly constructed facility for the Marine corps Program office in Hawthorne. The new facility was constructed to provide a safe working environment for employees with a high tech filtering system to eliminate the vehicle exhaust fumes, welding smoke and fumes and other harmful substances that may affect personnel health who are working at the facility.

20 Years Ago

  • Hamburger Night at Legion HallThe American Legion Auxiliary Hall hosted a hamburger night, inviting guests and members to participate.
  • Business and Development Guide Discussed- The Regional Planning Commission had developed a “Business and Development Guide” for those who wished to start a business here in Mineral County. One commissioner stated he had marked his copy and after making suggestions had returned it to the planning commission. Another commissioner said the booklet as it is written now would discourage him from starting a business here. He went on to say the different parts needed to be better coordinated.

30 Years Ago

  • D.A.R.E. Program Graduation- On this week, thirty years ago, the D.A.R.E. program at the Hawthorne Elementary School became the first group in Mineral County to graduate from the nation-wide Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program. A special ceremony was held where parents, faculty and school board members could honor students for completing the 17-week program. Seventy-seven fifth graders graduated from the program and the deputies who instructed the program expressed their thanks to all the students and staff who had participated.
  • Square Dance Class Offered- A class for those who wished to learn to square dance was held in the convention center. No experience or ability was required. The class began with the fundamentals and moved on as the new dancers felt confident with the calls.

40 Years Ago

  • Local Schools Participated in Reading Week- Local schools planned activities for Nevada Reading Week, held this week, forty years ago. Each day of the week was special and emphasized a particular aspect of reading such as “writers day”, “I love to read day” and a few others. Special events and activities were planned by individual classrooms, grade levels and by schools. According to school sources, the major emphasis for this special week was to enhance reading for personal enjoyment and entertainment purposes.
  • Featured in Women Today- Wash full loads of clothes. It cost almost as much energy to run a lightly-loaded clothes washer as it did a fully-loaded machine. Avoid using hot water washers, except for very dirty clothes or baby diapers. Medium temperature or cold water washes were often adequate.

50 Years Ago

  • Fair to Good Fishing In four Nevada Lakes- Fair to good fishing is to be had in four of western Nevada’s lake at this time fifty years ago, reported agents of the Nevada Department of Fish and Game. Weather permitting, angling remained good in Walker Lake and Pyramid Lakes and fair in lakes Topaz and Tahoe. Trophy size cutthroat over ten pounds had been taken from Walker and Pyramid Lakes, with Pyramid reporting the largest numbers. Reports from Tahoe indicated fair results from both Mackinaw and Rainbow. Reports from Topaz were also good, however the fish were generally small.
  • Every Litter Hurts- Each month motorists were dumping an average of 1,304 pieces of litter on each mile of highway on the nation’s primary highways, reported Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the national litter prevention organization. Paper items accounted for 59 percent of the total, the rest was listed as 16 percent cans, 6 percent bottles and jars and 13 percent miscellaneous ranging from underwear to washing machines.

60 Years Ago

  • CB Reserve Units Train Here- Forty Sea Bee Reserves from California and Utah came to Hawthorne for training at the Naval Ammunition Depot. The training was on various construction projects for the station. They built a sprinkler system for fairways and greens No. 8 and 9 at the Walker Lake Country Club and built more bleachers and loved lights at the Little League ball diamond in Babbitt. The Sea Bees also constructed Camp Dixie, a recreational camp for enlisted men in Cottonwood Canyon.
  • The Stop and Shop had ground beef, 3 pounds for $1.29/package.

70 Years Ago

  • Residents of Babbitt, Depot Advised to buy Car and Dog Licenses- A recent depot order required all persons living in Babbitt and in the industrial area to obtain licenses for their automobiles and their dogs. The former could be obtained at the sheriff’s office in Hawthorne, while the latter were issued at city hall.
  • Expanded Program of TB Prevention Planned in Nevada- Since tuberculosis is a year round problem, the Nevada Tuberculosis Association had lost no time putting into effect its plans for an expanded 1950 program of Tuberculosis prevention and control.

80 Years Ago

  • Saturday Specials at the Hawthorne Mercantile included two dozen large fresh eggs for only $0.49.

90 Years Ago

  • Potato Crop- Of all staple crops listed, Nevada’s 1929 potato crop showed most decided increase in value over previous year’s yield, with a value of $1,275,000. Against $714,000 for 1928, according to the Nevada crop report issued by the Department of Agriculture.