36 years ago this month

At Mountain Springs Summit, about half way between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, a state historical marker notes that Antonio Armijo discovered this part of the Old Spanish Trail in 1830.

The Old Spanish Trail crossed both Las Vegas and Pahrump Valley; it was a well traveled artery because the supply of mules in New Mexico failed to keep pace with demand. The New Mexicans' desire to obtain some of California's surplus mules and horses led to the opening of the longest (1200 miles), crookedest and most difficult pack mule route in American history.

Search any corner of the world and you will find an Englishman, especially in Death Valley. One such man was "Lord" Richard Baker, for whom Baker, Calif. was named. Another, "Lord" Fred Corkhill, named Corkhill Hall at Death Valley Junction.

Two towns were named after John Ryan, although he refused any title. Many Britons were associated with the Borax Company in the Valley. John Ryan had been with Francis (Borax) Smith back in the 1870's. When the Lila C. mine at Ryan, one town named after John Ryan, became depleted in 1913, a new Ryan was built 2,000 feet above the floor of the Valley. Buildings from the old town were moved to the new town.

30 years ago this week

The front nine holes of the spectacular Calvada Valley golf course are now open. "The course is really in beautiful shape," said Calvada Pro Paul Bullock. Representatives of the Nevada State Golf Association toured the course and are expected to announce the official par for the nine holes.

Bullock said that players in the meantime can start recording their scores in order to establish a handicap. The course is open to all comers, with costs being $6 per person per golf cart for 18 holes.

For many years a persistent rumor has circulated throughout the West that famed outlaw Butch Cassidy lived out his final years in Pahrump Valley or Ash Meadows, and is buried on a hillside near the Johnnie Mine.

Historians Kerry Ross Boren of Salt Lake City and Art Davidson of Lyman, Wyoming were in Pahrump to investigate the legends and, hopefully, to substantiate their research which indicates that Robert LeRoy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, did live and die in this area.

Cassidy's sister Lulu Parker accompanied Davidson to Pahrump twenty years ago to seek information about her brother. It was then she learned that a man matching his description had lived here and was buried near the Johnnie Mine after his demise.

20 years ago this week

Pahrump Valley continues to increase its share of Nye County voters. It now has 43.7 percent of the total, up from 36.8 percent in 1980. Registered voters in the county total 5,605, Pahrump Valley has 2,391, Tonopah has 1,463, Round Mountain has 451, Beatty has 410, Amargosa has 240 and Gabbs has 199. The total registered voter count of 5,605 is down sharply from the 6,459 record high for the 1984 presidential election.

Two nuclear explosions were detonated simultaneously at the Nevada Test Site, marking the sixth and seventh tests set off this year at the site.

Code named Rhyolite and Nightingale, the tests carried a combined yield of less than 150 kilotons, according to the U.S Department of Energy. It was only the second time in the last 20 years that simultaneous nuclear tests have been conducted at the test site.

Nye County Commissioners voted to augment the sheriff's budget to the tune of $163,996 following a lengthy justification of all but $63,000 by Undersheriff Mark Zane.

Sheriff Stick Davis and Commissioner Bob Revert participated by phone; Davis from New Mexico, where he is on vacation and Revert from Beatty.

While requesting that the board approve the augmentation, Zane presented a report indicating that some $368,037 spent by his department this fiscal year either could have been reimbursed but wasn't or was a result of actions taken by the commission.

10 years ago this week

The proposed expansion of Highway 160 will take a step closer to completion when the Nevada Department of Transportation officially opens the half-dozen bids from construction companies seeking the multimillion dollar job.

The work is expected to take about a year to complete, after which Highway 160 will be a divided, four-lane road from just south of Pahrump to just west of Mountain Springs.

The project is being funded with a combination of state money and federal money from the Public Lands Highway fund.

In a decision county commissioner Cameron McRae likened to "tough love," the state tax commission agreed not to increase the county's tax rate, leaving five taxing districts in northern Nye County with little choice but to slash their budgets.

The towns of Tonopah and Round Mountain the city of Gabbs and the Tonopah and Smoky Valley library districts are all over the $3.64 cap on property taxes. During budget workshops, the county commission refused to use the general fund to buy down the tax rates in the communities.

Peggy Shaner's nightmare, courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service, is over, but it didn't come without a price that transcends money. In fact, Shaner has traded in a life she loved for some peace of mind.

The way of life was as the co-owner of Pahrump Valley Vineyards, known locally as "The Winery." The peace of mind comes from no longer drowning in a sea of IRS debt.

A group of investors loaned a large amount of money to the winery, part of which was used to buy out Shaner's stock in the company. Her shares constituted half of the business she has owned along with Jack Sanders since its inception in 1990.