36 years ago this month

Chuck Overfield of the Crown Point Globe in the Johnnie District, has enlisted the enthusiasm and strong backs of a handful of leathery friends in a serious plan that will see the men working on a share basis, cleaning out the Crown Point Globe's main shaft in January and then "shooting" new rock at the 100-foot level come this spring.

No starry-eyed expectations are sounded by Overfield, who has been in and out of gold mining all of his life. He expects to produce ore worth $50 to $80 per ton at a cost of $5 to $8 per ton, not counting the shared labor.

The entire operation -- mining, milling (by Overfield's hand-built 10-ton-daily-capacity ball mill) and treatment through a centrifuge, amalgam slate and concentration -- will be conducted at the Crown Point Globe. You start with rock and end up with, eureka! gold -- all right there at the far end of the Pahrump Valley.

It must be kept in mind that the Overfield mine is the same one Ed Overfield, Chuck's father, worked in 1907-08, producing a remarkable 14,000 ounces of gold in just seven months. He struck a vein that ran over $3,000 per ton.

That same hill also contains the best known mine in the area, the Johnnie Mine, which produced good ore from the turn of the century to around 1914. Johnnie then housed 300 people, a post office and three bars.

30 years ago this week

Digger and Imogene Anderson, 30-year residents of Pahrump, donated five acres of land on Homestead Road, between Gamebird and Manse, to Clyde E. Newman Jr., VFW Post 10054.

Digger, a charter and life member of Post 10054 notified Commander Chuck Cosner of the land donation this week. Cosner said the VFW plans to break ground in April and construct a VFW center.

April starts the seventh year of the growing VFW in Pahrump, and the land couldn't have come at a better time. It will take money and man hours but, when completed, it will be something the members will be proud of, Cosner said.

In April VFW Post 10054 will receive a life charter, meaning the post has more than 25 life members and there will always be a Pahrump VFW to serve the community.

For the first time in Pahrump history, a $100,000 town budget is nearing completion as board members discussed budgets for the library, fire department and town board. A $9,000 fire department budget, $10,000 library budget and $84,000 general budget total are included in the figures to be submitted to the county commission March 15.

Visits to Death Valley National Monument set an all-time high of 646,000 during 1977. This increase in visitors is the first since the energy crisis of 1973 and 1974, according to Superintendent Donald M. Spalding. This is a 6.5 percent increase over 1976. December travel to Death Valley was up 2.5 percent.

20 years ago this week

Snowbirds are pumping more than $1 million into the Pahrump Valley economy each winter and long-term growth prospects appear bright. Pahrump Valley now has 309 full-service RV spaces with more on the way. Nearby Tecopa boasts another 552 with full service and 145 more without service. Tecopa operators report many visitors have switched to Pahrump "where the action is" but return to Tecopa for the hot baths several times a week.

Nye County's population grew a slight 3.7 percent in 1987, according to figures released by the Nevada Department of Taxation. The figures show Nye with a population of 15,520 last year, compared to 14,970 for 1986. The population of the county's only incorporated town, Gabbs, increased nearly 10.5 percent, from 860 in 1986 to 950 in 1987.

The department doesn't keep statistics on population increases in unincorporated towns, but Pahrump officials estimate the community has 7,640 residents.

More than $4,000 has been raised recently for a permanent facility for the Pahrump Community Medical Center. The Republican Women's group donated more than $1,000 from proceeds of the Harvest Festival raffles and bake sales. That money was supplemented by $3,000 donated by brothel owner Joe Richards.

10 years ago this week

A suggestion by Red Copass that the commissioners set aside $2 million of future Payments Equal to Taxes for road work met with tentative approval during the county commission meeting. Although the item was not on the agenda and no formal action could be taken, the commissioners appeared to agree with Copass' assessment that roads should be the top priority.

The first commission meeting of 1998 started with a debate over a job no one apparently really wanted. When it was over, Dick Carver was elected to his second year as chairman, while Cameron McRae took over as vice chairman when Bobby Revert declined the nomination.

Revert prompted the debate. Referring to Nevada Revised Statutes, he said the commissioners shouldn't legally be choosing a chairman because there were no new board members.

Reapportionment will once again be the topic of conversation at the Pahrump Town Board meeting in the community center.

Board members will decide what they want to do in response to the commission's rejection of the board's request for it to reapportion the voting districts and give Pahrump a third seat on the commission.

Town Attorney Len Smith wrote a letter to the commission on behalf of the town board which not only asked the commissioners to reapportion, but also made mention of possible legal action on behalf of the town which could force the issue.

The Pahrump Valley High School wrestling team will compete in the first of three all-important division duals at Moapa Valley. Under a new format put in place this season, all of the 16 Class 3-A wrestling teams will square off against each other in the regular season. Results from the duals will determine the seeds for the state tournament, in which all of the schools will participate.