White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-19
WHITE PINE "REMINISCENCES
CLEANED FROM OLD NEWSPAPER
(By AN OLD-TIMER.)

lily An OLD-IlMER.)
| The town of Ward once one of
Nevada's most lively mining camps
and the metropolis of White Pine
county during its balmy days, suf-
fered the fate so common to towns
the existence of which depend solely
upon the discovery of precious met
ais. When the decline began 1t rap
idly depopulated until not even a
watchman remained.
In 1877 newspaper was started,
which was called the Ward Semi
Weekly Reflex. Before the end of
the year the paper became a weekly.
The writer believes the following
items, culled more or less at random
from the Reflex, will be of general
interest:
March 30, 1878. the Ward resi-
derce of w. N. McGill was robbed
and articles of jewelry stolen.
The first mention of Ely was in the
issue of September 2S. 1878. in which
the following appeared: THE people
of Ely City, town laid out at Murry
Creek, have sent a petition to the
postoffice department praying that
postoffice be established at that
place The name Ely City" appar-
emily did not take. as the new town
continued to be known, as 1t had pre-
viously, as "Murry Creek"
The first voting precinct was estab-
lished in Ely City in 1880. The Re-
flex does not give the number of
votes cast here at the elections held
, in 1880 or 1882, but the population,
especially The democratic part of it,
must have been scarce during these
years, for in the November election,
1884. there were only nine votes cast,
two democratic and seven republican.
In the summer of 1884, Ward fast
becoming dead camp" the Reflex
was moved to Taylor and issued un-
der the name of the White Pine Re-
| flex. In the last issue of the Ward
Reflex we find the following edito-
rial: And now the time has come
when we must separate. We have
stuck to Ward like Lee in the defense
of Richmond; but there comes time
when even the most persistent must
give way. Like Israel of old, we pro-
pose to strike our tent and move over
into the promised land" which Is
Taylor. We don't propose to become
very lachymose. but will only go into
partial mourning over this announce
ment.'
At the November election in 1875
Ward polled more than one-half of
the entire vote of the county Every
person then elected an officer OF
White Pine county has since died
In 1889 an agitation was started
over the location of the county seat.
Hamilton insisted on retaining the
courthouse. Cherry Greek wanted it,
and the rest of the county wanted it
moved to hurry Creek Much fac
tional bitterness resulted. which kept
up until the courthouse fire in Hamil-
ton New Years Eve, 1885, and Ely
secured the plum.
In the issue of February ), 1881,
We find a recipe that some of the
modern cooks might well take heed
of. We read: THE prospective mil
/ lionaires of the Taylor district, w. N.
McGill. w. G. Lyons and Dave Briggs,
after giving Ii fair trial themselves,
tell US in the annexed how to make
! prospectors' soup: Take q pail of
water and wash 1t clean, then boil
till it is brown on both sides; pour
in one bean--when the bean begins
to worry, prepare to simmer II soup
won't simmer it's too rich-pour In
some more water. Dry the water
with a towel before you put 1t in.
/ The drier the water the sooner IL
browns Serve hot
Under Osceola items we read that
the three largest nuggets found up
to 1883 were worth $4,000. $3.50 and
SO, 074-named in order of the finds
In 1882 a movement was started
to annex the northern part of White
Pine county to Elko county. Cherry
Creek had been endeavoring for years
to have the county seat moved to that
place from Hamilton. We CLEAN from
49,. L.. of
l13. 1882, that the people of Cherry
Creek, having given up hopes of sex
curing the courthouse. became dis
gruntled and wanted to get out OF
White Pine.
April 27, 1888, NJ. B. Garaghan,
then in the mercantile business at
Ward, sold all his mining interests
at that place to Cornelius Aultman OF
Canton, Ohio. for $25, 900 cash. 1t
will be recalled that President Me-
KiHley's wife was sister OF Mr. Ault-
man. Ely's main street was named
after Mr.. Aultman. The Mckinley
group of mines near Lane City was
named otter the president. the prop
erty then being owned by President
Mckinley and Mr.. Aultman. Mr.
Garaghan had been elected to tho
Nevada legislature In 1878. He was
the author of our bullion tax law.
August IA, 1888. fire in Ward
wiped out twelve business houses. in
Guiding the schoolhouse and city hall
The entire assessed valuation, real
and personal. of White Pine county
for 1882 amounted to the sum of
1921 ,293; the total taxes collected
that year amounted to $29, ,2Sf.05.
THE valuation in 1921 was S14,073,-
93 and the taxes collected were $397,-
S33.97.l
During these years the White Pine
News was being published In Cherry
Creek by w. l.. Davis. In August,
1855, the Reflex sold out to Mr.. Da-
Wis. who moved his plant from Cherry
Creek to Taylor and took over the
plant OF the Reflex. In September,
1883, the White Pine News was
voovad from, Tavlor m EIy