From the MCIN archives

10 Years Ago

  • Residents flocked to Lions Park for the 12th annual 5th of July celebration, a tradition since 2001.

20 Years Ago

  • Family members and friends were invited to attend an open house at the Kennecott Rawhide Mine on June 29 to witness a huge explosion blast at the bottom of the pit at 12 noon.
  • Max and Betty Hughes celebrated their 50th anniversary at the LDS church in Hawthorne.
  • A Reno couple arrested on burglary charges in Schurz after Vicky Varain noticed a pick up parked behind her store and two adults loading items into their vehicle. Subjects were taken into custody by the Schurz please and booked in the Mineral County Jail.

30 Years Ago

  • A large methamphetamine lab was seized by members of the Central Nevada Tri- County Drug Task Force in conjunction with Mineral County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The raid on residents was in the 900 block of I Street and mill site located about 8 miles east of Hawthorne on US 95 south at Garfield Road.
  • A dispute that ended in the exchange of gunfire at Schurz ended with one man dead, one man and one woman injured. Bernard Rambeau was fatally wounded, while Thomas McKnight and Patrick Evelyn Hatch both sustained gunshot wounds but were not seriously injured.
  • Change of command ceremonies were held at the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant when Lt. Col. Dave Hafele relieved Lt. Col. O. B. McCrane as Coof the local facility.

40 Years Ago

  • A young man armed with a knife held up the desk clerk at the El Capitan Lodge. The barefoot robber was wearing a stocking mask and a cap, fled on foot and officers received information that the robber might be a local resident.
  • First place winners of the second annual amateur open at the Walker Lake Golf Course were: Mike Fessmire, Bill Rucker, Mary L. Hines, Don Seevers, and W. Wiesenburger.

50 Years Ago

  • Change of command took place at the Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot. The evening ceremonies included an evening parade of Hawthorne Marine Barracks troops with music from Marine Corps band from Twenty-nine Palms, California. The formal outdoor ceremonies were followed by an informal reception.
  • A freak accident caused extensive damage to the front of the Schurz Trading Post when a U-Haul trailer broke loose from the truck at the railroad crossing and crashed into the front of the store.
  • Forty housing units were approved for the Walker River Reservation with the cost of the units coming to $893,760.

60 Years Ago

  • Hawthorne Library received donations from the Nevada Heritage Fund.
  • Hawthorne Junior Chamber of Commerce began distributing 50,000 colorful brochures advertising the attractions of Mineral County.

70 Years Ago

  • Hawthorne Post Office advanced first class ratings because of the increased volume at the post office during the past year.
  • Herbert Sarnowski, State Highway officer, announced that the department would be checking cars to verify that they had safety stickers on them. The stickers were being issued by service stations and car dealers.
  • Elaine Sarnowski was appointed as City Clerk to succeed Thelma Kunde.
  • J. K. Thayne of Salt Lake City was low bidder ($1.431,599) on a contract for railroad and road construction at NAD.

80 Years Ago

  • In an editorial in the Wednesday, July 1, 1942 issue of the IndependentNews, the headline appeared: Following Progress Appears to have been achieved in Providing Needed Post Office Facilities in Hawthorne followed by more than six inches of blank space.
  • A meeting was held to organize the local chapter of American Association of University Women.

90 Years Ago

  • Jim Hicks and Bob Tillotsen invited the entire community of Hawthorne to enjoy a free barbecue at Fletcher Station on July 4. Also available would be some in Nevada’s home brew but this was not mentioned in the advertisement for reasons associated with the Volstead Act.
  • With the addition of a one-cent-a-gallon federal tax on July 1, Major Station in Reno announced an increase in price up to 2 1/2 cents a gallon. In Hawthorne two of the three local stations absorb the new tax putting the price at $.25 a gallon well one cent $.26 a gallon price in Reno range from 21 1/2 cents for competitive grade to 24 cents for standard grade and 26 cents for “premium.
  • Many businesses blocks in the old mining camp were leveled by a devastating fire. Twenty large buildings and numerous cabins and shacks were destroyed in the fire that started at the rear of the sawdust saloon where a four-year-old boy had been playing with matches. Rocks and mud clogged the fire hydrants and little water were available to fight the flames. In addition to the sawdust some of the famous old landmarks were destroyed where the Masonic Hall, Masonic Bank, Post Office, Marks, Saloon, Fire House, Occidental Hotel, U. S. Hotel, The Odd Fellows Hall and Miners Union Hall were saved, J. S. C. waited two days until the vault in what was once the bank building cooled enough so it was safe to open it mini fable records were found intact.