Past Pages Sept. 16

130 YEARS AGO

The pioneer religion (from the Virginia Enterprise): "An itinerant preacher one Sunday surprised the heathen population on the Comstock with a praise service and a sermon delivered from the top of a dry goods box. The rough congregation equally surprised the preacher by filling his hat with coin. The Rev. S. B. Rooney was the first Methodist minister assigned to Virginia City. He built the first Methodist church in the Territory. A church was built a few years later in Carson by the Rev. Warren Nims, who carted the stone from the quarry and did much of the rough work himself."

120 YEARS AGO

All sorts: The new pavilion will be lighted by three electric lights and the numerous windows admitting lights will make it the most lighted hall in the State.

Vags, hobos, bums, deadbeats, thieves are warned to keep away from Carson during Fair week. The jail has many vacant cells in it and officers will provide lodging for the characters mentioned above.

70 YEARS AGO

Blondes are preferred: Retail merchants started helping Uncle Sam sell Defense Savings Stamps, but preferred blondes instead of 1776 minutemen. "Give us enough pictures of pretty girls and we'll sell these stamps faster than the treasury can print them."

50 YEARS AGO

Nevada Day: The theme for 1961 is "Pioneers Through the Years" - plans for the celebration are scheduled according to Chairman G. W. Russell and will include a variety of entertainment - The past two years 50,000 visitors have been attracted to the event.

20 YEARS AGO

Minden citizens oppose a 40-acre, 100-bed detention center proposed by District Judge Gamble. The proposed site is on the border of the Bentley Science Park in Minden.

10 YEARS AGO

More than a dozen hijackers of Middle Eastern descent evidence linking them to Osama bin Laden and other terrorists networks have been identified.

• Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.