10 Years Ago
• Local Hawthorne Postmaster Mary Mills has retired from the hectic government life of paperwork and forms and has decided to spend more time with her family while she is still young enough to enjoy life.
• In a joint effort between Esmeralda Sheriff’s Office, Mineral County Search and Search and Rescue, a hiker who had become disoriented in the hiking Boundary Peak was found Saturday, August 5 by members of the Mineral County SAR.
20 Years Ago
• Friends and family gathered with Frank St. Clair to celebrate his retirement from the Hawthorne Fire Department.
• Steve Ferguson was recently appointed president of the Hawthorne credit union on August 1. He took the position vacated by Jean Peterson who will step down and retire.
• Local LDS church celebrates July 24 as Pioneer Days. The theme was “Handcart Companies“. Events such as pitching buffalo “chips”, old-fashioned watermelon eating contest and square dancing were some of the highlights.
• Sheree Heinrich placed 1st in the Sierra Station Potato Salad contest..
30 Years Ago
• Hawthorne‘s first ever BMX state qualifying races were held at the National Bike League track located in the center field at the Hawthorne Centennial Speedway.
• Thelma May was named employee of the month by the Mineral County School District Board of Trustees.
• Plans were being finalized for the annual Walker River Paiute Indian Pinenut Festival to be held at Schurz.
40 Years Ago
• The El Capitan paid the largest nickel jackpot ever hit in Hawthorne to a local man. The $20,000 Dollar jackpot was the first award on the 10-machine nickel carousel installed at the club.
• During the early morning hours, the alarm at Sierra Pacific power company was triggered and upon the arrival of officer John Leonhardt of the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department, the man inside the building walked into the arms of the waiting deputy and was then placed under arrest.
• Petitions were being circulated in Hawthorne requesting the county commissioners not to eliminate three full-time paid firemen at the firehouse.
50 Years Ago
• The southern boundaries of the Walker Lake Indian Reservation was marked off. It resulted in the addition of 3,000 acres and it was estimated that the additional area included about 6 miles of Lake Frontage on the west side of Walker Lake.
• Pictured in the August 7, 1972 issue of the Independent-News with the following: Men who received 30 year service awards from the Hawthorne ammunition depot: William Glenzer, George Cunningham, Ernest Pereira, Hubert Utrecht, Aaron Copple, and George Boyles.
• Mrs Joyce Coombs, clerk at the Babbitt Post Office, was awarded a “pride of excellence” certificate by Postmaster Catherine McKenna.
60 Years Ago
• The fire department had three fire calls during the week, two of them which were suspected of having been the work of arsonists.
• Two Reno men being tried for swindling a jackpot from the El Capitan were found guilty in a trial which took four days. Both men were released on bond until they could be sentenced.
• Sierra Airways operating at the Hawthorne municipal airport offered a round-trip to Reno for $38, a trip to Las Vegas and return trip home could be purchased for $124.
• Nevada Economic Development Board gave support to Walker Lake Beach improvement projects as outlined by R.M. Aalbu, Mineral County board member.
70 Years Ago
• The Hawthorne-Babbitt All-Star baseball team defeated the Reno all-stars 6 to 2.
• AB 29 bomber from Travis Air Force Base was forced down at Coaldale. Although the huge 4-motored plane sustained extensive damage, only two members of the 14-man crew were injured.
• Chief of Police Joe Collins was commended for solving the murder of a Minnesota Man in Arizona following the rest of the suspect in Hawthorne. The case came in a letter from the murder man’s family and from the Arizona Sheriff.
80 Years Ago
• Mike Gallo, operator of Gallos bar café and saloon, won the right to a renewal of a liquor from Judge Clark J. Guild on an order directed to the Mineral County Liquor Board. The liquor board refused Gallo the license when he built a new building in a different location following a fire which destroyed the original building.
• The Hawthorne Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized.
• The Marines championship softball team was authorized to “invade” the Los Angeles area on a 10 day campaign to “recruit Marines and dollars.”
90 Years Ago
• A gold discovery was made about 2 miles west of Sapp’s Camp located 23 miles north of Hawthorne on the west shore of Walker Lake.
• Sixteen Marines recently returned from duty in China arrived in Hawthorne from Mare Island, California, while 10 left Hawthorne for duty in China. Three “horse“ Marines were detailed to ride the “range” on Mt. Grant. Purple Lauren Leslie was given duty as Stewart of the Post Exchange at NAD.
• John Baker, NAD ordinance man, gave a talk explaining why it rained inside the Goodyear Zeppelin Dock at Akron, Ohio, weather was clear outside explaining sudden temperature changes caused clouds. Al Hemlich, also an ordinance man, challenged Baker to explain why hot air in the U. S. Senate didn’t have the same effect.
• George Winfield announced the merger of John S. Cook Bank at Goldfield with his Tonopah Banking Corporation (both were founded in 1905) and also merger with Nevada First National Bank in Tonopah founded in 1907) all to continue under he name of Tonopah Banking Corporation.
