If you ever wondered if miracles still happen, well, here’s proof: Three wonderful artifacts from the very earliest days of Alpine County recently made their way home again, some 150 years later! William A. Johnson and Bridget Clark made history in 1864 by becoming the very first couple to […]
Three Bullets, Two Julias (Part 2)
When we left off last time, Julia Savier had tracked her philandering husband all the way from Carson City to Stockton. Finding her husband’s mistress ensconced at the Grand Hotel, Julia knocked at the door, pulled the trigger three times, and watched her rival fall. “There,” she declared with satisfaction. […]
A Stabbing Affair at Genoa NV
It was a quiet Sunday evening in Genoa. Or at least, it started out that way. The date was April 16, 1882. The place: Al Livingston’s “first class” saloon on Main Street, Genoa. Jerry Raycraft was enjoying a companionable game of billiards with a friend. A barkeep […]
Three Bullets, Two Julias, & One Philandering Husband
A Family Affair . . . . Like all good mysteries, this one began with a tiny clue. An old newspaper from August, 1880 happened to mention a man who’d breathed his last at Walley’s Hot Springs. His name, we discovered, was Benjamin F. Seely. But who was Seely? Ah, and that’s where the twisting […]
Try a Virtual Family Reunion!
Used to be, family reunions were a great way to reconnect with folks you hadn’t seen in a while. And reunions were a fun way to collect some great family history, too! Sadly, “social distancing” has changed all that. For now, at least, cruise ship get-togethers and globe-trotting gatherings […]
History Clues in Monitor Canyon
Locals know the secret of wild hops growing in Monitor Canyon – modern-day left-overs from an old brewery that quenched the thirst of silver miners in the 1870s. But how did those hops plants find their way here in the first place? Ah, meet brewer Nicholas Piequet! Piequet arrived […]
Falling Down & Getting Up Again: More Memoir Tips
We’ve all had a few hard landings. Usually, those seem to arrive just when we thought we had things alllll figured out. You know. Just when we were absolutely, positive certain this was the right direction, or the right person, or the right job. That’s when Life steps in to slap us upside the head […]
Memoir Tips Just for Labor Day: What Did Your Ancestors Do?
Did you know that Labor Day got its start in 1894? It was a “workingman’s holiday,” back when a typical job meant 12-hour days, 7 days a week. Ugh. Just think of that. But jobs or occupations can make a great entry point for a memoir! So, […]
One Bad Man & Two Tough Ladies: The Saga of Sam Brown
Everyone in Carson Valley knew “Bad Man” Sam Brown back in 1861. He was, after all, a pretty hard guy to miss. Heavy-set and quarrelsome, Sam walked with a swagger. Besides his handy pistol, he kept a nasty-looking Bowie knife strapped to his belt. Sam didn’t hesitate to use that knife, either. He reportedly “carved […]
Roots a Mile Deep: The Story of the Adams Family
They weren’t trucking cattle up to summer pasture when Wally Adams was a kid. Nah. For over 30 years, Wally helped drive cattle the hard way, saddling up at 2 a.m. to get the herd to the top of Old Kingsbury Grade before nightfall. That meant long, dusty days on horseback. But it’s what you […]
Brother, Brother – A Memoir Journey
Some American soldiers in Vietnam never came home. Some came home, but were never the same. Rich Duffy joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1964 at the age of 18, and was sent to the front as a Forward Observer – one of the most traumatizing and dangerous posts imaginable. Then while deep in the jungles, […]
Capturing Oral History
Oral history is a rich source of family and local information. But it’s an incredibly fragile source. Memories fade. Old-timers move on to whatever the next life brings. Does your local museum or historical society already have an oral history program capturing those elusive memories? If not, consider launching one! […]