Past Pages for Tuesday, May 12, 2015

140 Years Ago

Springy. India rubber sidewalks are coming into fashion in Danville, Iowa. Three hundred yards were put down on one of the main streets. All the boys in the place ran over it, and there was no noise. A merchant stepped in front of his house, then jumped on his heels. The elastic forces hidden in the rubber threw him over the gate onto the roof of the piazza. Its principal advantage is that it can be stretched as the town grows. Two yoke of cattle can lengthen it three miles a day.

130 Years Ago

All sorts. Dan de Quille says that quartz ledges are growing and the Comstock has not stopped its work ... if he could only sprout a few more dividends in like spots it would be very thankfully acknowledged.

110 Years Ago

A square deal. Chinese men invented cards and card playing. They use a deck with 104 cards instead of 52, and each card is four inches long and one inch wide. When the Chinese man shuffles the cards, he lays them down in the deck and cuts the deal with a piece of money. There is no chance to work a card up the sleeve.

70 Years Ago

Candlelight ceremony. Boy Scout Troop 35 of the Children’s Home held an impressive candlelight investiture ceremony for George Johnson. A court of honor was also held and Bob Christensen, Donald Davis and Donald Smelzer were presented their second class badges.

50 Years Ago

School lunch menus. Monday — spaghetti with meat sauce, five bean salad, cheese sticks, bread and butter, plums, milk.

15 Years Ago

Photo caption. Executive Director of Carson City’s Library Sally Edwards displays some of the Wizard of Oz items obtained through a $350 memorial fund given to the library. The donation came just days before the 100th anniversary of the writing of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” written by L Frank Baum.

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