The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1921-09-13
HISTORY Of HUMBOLDT En-,
TOLD IN WATER HEARING
WILLIAM AND SAM BONNFIELD TWO OF COUNTYS LIVING
PIONEERS TELL OF THE DAYS OF v WHEN
FRENCHMEN ATTEMPTING IRRIGATION PROJECT AND
OTHER INCIDENTS OF HISTORICAL VALUE COUNTY

To those who have shown interest
recently in recording Of the history
of Humboldt county, notes taken dur
ing the testimony of William S. Bon
nifield at a hearing before Deputy
State Engineer MacFarland will prove
interesting. The testimony was
brought out during a portion of the
hearing of District Jurge J. A Cal
lahan's claim for water rights to his
ranch thirty eight miles southwest of
this city and five miles west of Inlay,
along the Humboldt.
The testimony Of Judge Bonnifield
followed that of his brother, S. ].
Bonnifield. at present United States
commissioner for this district.
SANS" testimony brought out that
he had gone to Unionville in 1862 but
aside from that his testimony was of
nature calculated onlyl to ascertain
facts necessary to the adjudication of
river water rights.
In private conversation with the
reporter, however, brought about by
a desire to learn something of the orr
gin of the Silver State, he stated he
had come to Winnemucca from
Unionville when the county seat was
moved from that town to this city in
1873, and has resided here ever since
He did not remember when The Sill
yer State was started, but it was be-
ing printed in Unionville when he
went there in 1868. then under the
name of the Humboldt Register. Sam
acknowledged to "A years and said his
brother viii is now rs years of age.
They We're Boys Then
1t so happened that the ranch be-
longing to Judge Callahan was origi-
nally the property of ]. F. Clark, and
after Mr.. Clark died his widow be-
came the owner, later marrying a
Mr.. Booth. The widow is known in
the adjudication record as Sarah A.
Booth. Knowing that the father of
w. w. Booth had once been connected
with The Silver State and had, in fact,
moved the printing plant from Union
vile to this city, Mr.. Bonnifleld was
asked If Sarah A. Booth was related.
Such was not the case, and to Mr..
Bonnifield's knowledge there was no
connection between the two families.
w. w. Booth is now publisher of the
Tonopah Bonanza, the leading news
paper of Nevadas greatest silver
camp, and at one time worked on
The Silver State with his father. The
interest In this instance was aroused
by the gact that the present owner
of this paper was employed a few
years ago on his Tonopah paper.
william Bonnifield's Testimony
In answer to a question as to when
he had first become familiar with
JuQRG Odildutu w iiAaih ~.
Bonnifield answered substantially as
follows
Here During 1858
"In the year 1868, in the Fall OF
that year. r saw the place 10 years
before that in the Fall of the year
1853. / did not remain in that locality
between these two dates, but in the
year 1853 1 should judge in the
month of September or October, my
fathers family moved from California
Red Bluff-by means of teams to
Unionville and for some time lived
there. The family rode in the car
riage and brought some horses and
teams there with them. My father
brought out some loose stock cattle
about so head, and drove the cattle
out.
Il was then about Is years Of age
lin 1859. We came through Honey