NevadaGram #231 — Johnny Skae's Fish Fry

Johnny Skae's Fish Fry by David Toll This glimpse of the good life on the Comstock, was derived from "My Memories of the Comstock: an eye witness account of The Richest Place on Earth" by Harry Gorham, my great-grandfather. As he wrote — I had the good fortune to know both John Skae and W.S. Hobart [both Directors of the Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company] through my uncle A.C. "Lon" Hamilton who was a particular and lifelong frend of both. Through that acquaintance I gained a friendship during the lives of both the Skae and Hobart families. . . . I cannot refrain from saying that W.S. Hobart was one of the most charming personalities I have known. He made his way from poverty —even ill health in his youth — through sheer ability. And he was an extremely handsome man. On this particular morning I happened to meet Skae as he was on his way to the reservoir.Read more

Comstock Mining Update — March 18, 2020

During the time Comstock Mining Inc. was actively mining in Storey County, it escaped shutdown when the county allowed it to run haul trucks on the highway. The resulting damage to the pavement — never mind the danger to other traffic — resulted in 48 separate patches to the asphalt which still remain. They will outlast the company. On March 3 2020, with its stock at 57 cents and falling following the 5-1 reverse split on November 25 2019, CMI issued a press release emphasizing that after ten years of unprofitably extracting precious metals from Gold Canyon it is now seeking its fortune elsewhere. To its investors past and present who have put nearly a quarter-billion dollars into the hole in the ground called the Lucerne Pit, this might sound like coming a little late to the party.Read more

NevadaGram #230 A Visit to Tonopah and Berlin

Bound for the Belvada by Bob Naugle We just had to get out of Vegas for President’s Weekend. These days dealing with COVID, and the stress of school, required a break. Besides if I stayed home, I would have remodeled something else in the house. Skiing is our normal trek this time of year, but it was obvious with room rates and crowds that it needed to be avoided this weekend. Wed been saving a trip up to the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park for warmer months, but after seeing last month’s NevadaGram, we decided to set up our basecamp at the new Belvada Hotel in Tonopah and visit Berlin-Ichthyosaur from there. With Tonopah so close to Vegas, we drove up Thursday night so we could get to the State Park the next morning. We checked into the Belvada getting two rooms, a Queen with kitchenet for us and a double Queen for the kids.

Edna Purviance: Nevada's Forgotten Movie Star

1 of 12 Charlie was the victor and Edna was the spoils in “The Champion”. Wholesome . . . Delectable . . . Enchanting Watch Her Movies Here by David Toll You might think that a state with so few celebrities to brag about would make a big deal about a movie star who called Nevada home. But Edna Purviance, who starred with Charlie Chaplin in the pictures that elevated him into the first rank among movie stars, is now almost forgotten here. It seems especially strange because she was not only a famous movie star and for ten years Chaplin's leading lady, and his lover, she was his best and most loyal friend until the day she died. Born in Paradise Valley October 21, 1895, Edna moved as a youngster to Lovelock where she and her sisters Bessie and Myrtle helped their mother keep a boarding house after their parents divorced.