View from the Past

100 years ago

An Agent for Fernley — In a letter from Holbrook Working, farm help specialist, the following account of the establishment of a bureau in the Fernley district, how important the work of the newly organized bureau has been in the last hay harvest. It is important to anyone who wants help during the coming haying or at any time in the future see the nearest agent as early as is possible. No one should expect to be able to go to the agent and find the men already there waiting for him. If the men are not available locally, it will be necessary to send to Reno for them.

Churchill County Eagle — August 11, 1917.

Preparation for Fair — Preparations for the Nevada State Fair are well underway. The foundation for the new 4,000 concrete building, which is being erected at the fairground, is completed and the building will be in readiness for the fair.

Churchill County Eagle — August 11, 1917.

75 years ago

Lieut. Van Voorhis may be Prisoner — Lieut. Wayne Van Voorhis of Fallon may be a prisoner of the Japanese. This is the hope held by relatives and friends, who base it on the official communication received by his mother, Mrs. Leo Pinger, from the war department.

The Fallon Eagle — August 8, 1942.

Women Asked to Save all Fats — The Household Fats Salvage Campaign is now underway in Nevada. On the basis of initial returns from widely separated sections it is estimated that Nevada should contribute at least 5,000 pounds of this badly needed material each month.

The Fallon Eagle — August 8, 1942.

School Opening is Delayed Here — Other Schools of Western Nevada have deferred their opening dates in a number of cases, so that young men and boys on the ranches or in defense jobs can have

the additional week for work.

The Fallon Eagle — August 15, 1942.

50 years ago

Prize Money — A rodeo’s prize money payoff actually is a combination of the purse money put up by that rodeo’s committee and entry fees paid by each cowboy who is competing there. This total is divided in established percentages based on the number of go-rounds at that rodeo. (To define a go-round, this is when each contestant has competed on one head of stock, comparable to tournament golfers being paid after each eighteen holes.)

Fallon Eagle-Standard — August 11, 1967.

Bucking Horse Heart of Rodeo — The professional bucking horses of rodeo work less, live as well and last longer than any other ‘working’ horse in the world. Even more than the slick thoroughbreds cared for on racing farms, the shaggy ill-tempered bronc is the pampered prince of the equine kingdom. No one can train a horse to buck. Either he likes it or he does not. All his owners can do is to give him plenty of rest, feed and water and hope his moral stays high enough that he will go on trying to flatten every rider who crawls on his back.

Fallon Eagle-Standard — August 11, 1967.

Saddle Bronc Riding gets Fewest Entries in Rodeo — To qualify, rider must have spurs over the break of the shoulders and touching the horse when front feet hit the ground first jump out of the chute. Rider disqualified for being bucked off, changing hand on rein, losing stirrup, or touching the animal, saddle or rein with free hand. Oddly enough, rodeo’s classic event, saddle bronc riding, has the least amount of entries.

Fallon Eagle-Standard — August 11, 1967.

A View From the Past….Stories from the Churchill County Museum Archives, researched and compiled by Brianna Schwab, Churchill County Museum assistant.