Past Pages for Friday, May 24

140 Years Ago

Destroying Ants: David Walley who is proprietor of the famous hot spring near Genoa has been making some experiments in the culture of alfalfa. The fields had a few barren spots and upon investigation, Mr. Walley discovered that they were filled with ants ... To destroy them he was told to take a crowbar and make a clean square hole three-feet deep and then watch. The ants descended into the ground but never ascended — now consigned to the bowels of the earth. This method of getting rid of them is said to be effectual.

130 Years Ago

Remedy: John Vierra, the barber, tried to blast a corn out of one of his toes with gun powder ... temporarily injuring one of his eyes. This is a new and very unsafe corn remedy.

100 Years Ago

Launching: Al Clark, George Jones, and Al Murray have been constructing a boat for Washoe Lake ... Alf took along a bottle of sparking Budweiser, drank the wiser and then broke the bottle over the prow of the boat ... He contends this is the only modern method of christening a seaworthy boat.

70 Years Ago

Wartime names: Henry Everett Harris registered his third child giving the baby’s name as “Ration Point Harris.” The child’s older brother, born a week after Pearl Harbor was named “Victory.” He plans to christen the next child “Armistice.”

50 Years Ago

Tourism growing: Business has been good to excellent in tourism centers ... Some 18 million visitors have been lured by the excitement of wide-open gambling and big name entertainment.

30 Years Ago

Tax assessment changes were approved in AB232 which revises the method assessors revaluate property ... allowing them to take remodeling of homes into account when appraising properties.

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