Volume 041-1 - January 1987 (10 pages)

would be found to profitably extract the gold from that are a’s rebellious ores. In 1887 the town that had once flourished there was deserted and some of the buildings had been flattened by deep snows. A quartz mil! had been built that summer on the old Excelsior Company ground near Meadow Lake, but before it got a chance to prove itself, it had to be shut down for winter. In October of 1887 a new dream began when the Nevada County Land and Improvement Association was granted a franchise by the supervisors to build an electric railway between Nevada City and Grass Valley. FIRES There were no major fires in Nevada City or Grass Valley that year, but neighboring communities were not so fortunate. A fire in Camptonville in July started in McLellan’s tin shop, destroying most of the business district, including several brick structures believed to be fireproof. Only the school was left standing. Two barrels of whiskey were saved from a building and before nightfall the owner had set up a crude bar. Colfax had suffered a disastrous fire on August 7 that spread from the old May Hotel on Depot Street and consumed the entire business district. yom A fire that started in a lumber yard in Marysville in September wiped out the business block between C and D streets, Third and Fourth. A November fire that originated in the store of O'Connor and Morrison in North Bloomfield leveled Mrs. Edward’s Hotel, the saloon . of Blivens and Silvester, and Mariott’s variety store. It was believed to be incendiary, but a rumor spread that a miner had upset a can of coaloil on a big dog, set it afire and it had run into the building. This was declared to be false. NEWS NOTES When all the bells in Nevada City rang at midnight on New Years Eve, someone gave the rope on the Congregational Church bell too vigorous a yank. It had to be readjusted before it could ring for Sunday services. A Grass Valley man turned his cow into the yard of an absent neighbor where the beast devoured flowering shrubs, including oleanders. “‘There was consequently a cow funeral,” the Nevada Transcript reported. President of the NCNGRR, John Kidder, and his wife Sarah, moved into their comer™ pleted mansion near the Grass Valley depot in April. A dance was held at the Selby Flat home of John Hall in March. It had been planned for the school, but the Nevada City Board of Education would not allow it. The people delcared that they paid for the building and it stood on private land. Some wanted to use it anyway and one person wanted to blow it up with giant powder, but cooler heads prevailed. Shortly thereafter attendance at the Selby Flat School dipped so low trustees threatened closure at the end of the term. WEATHER Balmy temperatures in December and early January ran as high as 90 degrees in midafternoon. Only six days had been rainy and no snow had fallen. Then, on Jan. 30, by order of Archbishop Riordan, prayers for rain were offered in Catholic churches. Two days later the storm hit. Telegraph and telephone lines were down, schools closed and underground work in the Idaho and Empire mines was suspended due to a shutdown of water power. Near Scott’s Flat the flume broke and canals were blocked with snow. Dennis Scanlon and helper were clearing the NCNG tunnel at Town Talk when a hand car loaded with snow and mud rushed downgrade with Scanlon aboard. Luckily he jumped off near Gold Run Trestle, for at the Nevada City Station the car ran into a locomotive and disintegrated. By Feb. 15 the Central Pacific? was blocked between Truckee and Colfax. Members of the state legislature had gone to Truckee to investigate pollution of the river by sawdust and couldn't get back to Sacramento. The Downieville stage crossed the Yuba River at Purdon’s Crossing on runners for the first time in 17 years. Snow began falling again on Feb. 18, again blocking mining ditches and causing the railroads new problems. Penn Valley had over a foot of snow. Company B of the Sacramento National Guard attended the Nevada Light Guard’s Washington Birthday Ball. Local men prepared Broad Street, from the Methodist Church to the Plaza, so the valley visitors could enjoy coasting. All 60 had taken out three-day accident politices before leaving Sacramento. They enjoyed both the ball and coasting. Captain John Rapp’s company served them breakfast before seeing them to the NCNG station.

would be found to profitably extract the gold from that are a’s rebellious ores. In 1887 the town that had once flourished there was deserted and some of the buildings had been flattened by deep snows. A quartz mil! had been built that summer on the old Excelsior Company ground near Meadow Lake, but before it got a chance to prove itself, it had to be shut down for winter. In October of 1887 a new dream began when the Nevada County Land and Improvement Association was granted a franchise by the supervisors to build an electric railway between Nevada City and Grass Valley. FIRES There were no major fires in Nevada City or Grass Valley that year, but neighboring communities were not so fortunate. A fire in Camptonville in July started in McLellan’s tin shop, destroying most of the business district, including several brick structures believed to be fireproof. Only the school was left standing. Two barrels of whiskey were saved from a building and before nightfall the owner had set up a crude bar. Colfax had suffered a disastrous fire on August 7 that spread from the old May Hotel on Depot Street and consumed the entire business district. yom A fire that started in a lumber yard in Marysville in September wiped out the business block between C and D streets, Third and Fourth. A November fire that originated in the store of O'Connor and Morrison in North Bloomfield leveled Mrs. Edward’s Hotel, the saloon . of Blivens and Silvester, and Mariott’s variety store. It was believed to be incendiary, but a rumor spread that a miner had upset a can of coaloil on a big dog, set it afire and it had run into the building. This was declared to be false. NEWS NOTES When all the bells in Nevada City rang at midnight on New Years Eve, someone gave the rope on the Congregational Church bell too vigorous a yank. It had to be readjusted before it could ring for Sunday services. A Grass Valley man turned his cow into the yard of an absent neighbor where the beast devoured flowering shrubs, including oleanders. “‘There was consequently a cow funeral,” the Nevada Transcript reported. President of the NCNGRR, John Kidder, and his wife Sarah, moved into their comer™ pleted mansion near the Grass Valley depot

in April. A dance was held at the Selby Flat home of John Hall in March. It had been planned for the school, but the Nevada City Board of Education would not allow it. The people delcared that they paid for the building and it stood on private land. Some wanted to use it anyway and one person wanted to blow it up with giant powder, but cooler heads prevailed. Shortly thereafter attendance at the Selby Flat School dipped so low trustees threatened closure at the end of the term. WEATHER Balmy temperatures in December and early January ran as high as 90 degrees in midafternoon. Only six days had been rainy and no snow had fallen. Then, on Jan. 30, by order of Archbishop Riordan, prayers for rain were offered in Catholic churches. Two days later the storm hit. Telegraph and telephone lines were down, schools closed and underground work in the Idaho and Empire mines was suspended due to a shutdown of water power. Near Scott’s Flat the flume broke and canals were blocked with snow. Dennis Scanlon and helper were clearing the NCNG tunnel at Town Talk when a hand car loaded with snow and mud rushed downgrade with Scanlon aboard. Luckily he jumped off near Gold Run Trestle, for at the Nevada City Station the car ran into a locomotive and disintegrated. By Feb. 15 the Central Pacific? was blocked between Truckee and Colfax. Members of the state legislature had gone to Truckee to investigate pollution of the river by sawdust and couldn't get back to Sacramento. The Downieville stage crossed the Yuba River at Purdon’s Crossing on runners for the first time in 17 years. Snow began falling again on Feb. 18, again blocking mining ditches and causing the railroads new problems. Penn Valley had over a foot of snow. Company B of the Sacramento National Guard attended the Nevada Light Guard’s Washington Birthday Ball. Local men prepared Broad Street, from the Methodist Church to the Plaza, so the valley visitors could enjoy coasting. All 60 had taken out three-day accident politices before leaving Sacramento. They enjoyed both the ball and coasting. Captain John Rapp’s company served them breakfast before seeing them to the NCNG station.