38 years ago this month

Pahrump with its own high school?

A concentrated drive to have one up and ready for students by fall 1971 was under way. One outfit suggested a complete high school, with room for grades 7 through 12, was possible for $775,000.

Over the previous four years, enrollment in the Pahrump Valley grade school had increased by 340 percent.

Preparations for mining by Standard-Slagg Mining Co. were under way in the Kingston Range miles southeast of Tecopa.

Sales in Calvada had achieved more than $4,000, and realty offices were to be opened in the summer in Reno and Lake Tahoe.

At the same time, Ron Floyd had almost completed the road work for a 120-acre subdivision, Caparral Ranchos, in the heart of the Pahrump Valley.

30 years ago

Death Valley Junction -- all of Death Valley Junction -- was for sale at a cool $450,000.

That was from owner Peter Simon, who also owned the town of Jean. The place included 240 acres, an airstrip, a 46-unit hotel (20 in rentable condition) and nine houses.

A 4,000-square-foot post office was recommended for Pahrump after a survey by postal officials earlier in the year.

The new post office might be located away from any bars because of problems "caused by persons who have drank too much."

The Nye County Commission was preparing to receive a petition for incorporating Lathrop Wells. The idea appeared to be an effort to avoid the county's effort to outlaw all brothels that were not inside a town's limits.

Saddle West reported the theft of around $2,000 from the cage between 5 and 7 a.m. one morning. the thief apparently crawled through the barred cage window and took nothing but twenties; about $3,000 in bills of smaller amounts were left behind.

20 years ago

The Pahrump Town Board refused to lend its support to an effort to build a senior and low-income housing development, but California developers Dean Greenwalt, Bucky Fong and Carl W. Eatough pledged to move ahead anyway.

Nye County was credited with 6,457 registered voters.

Former Horseshoe Operating Co. official Ted Binion said the outfit had closed on the site of the definct cotton gin operation at the corner of what became Highways 372 and 160, today home of the Pahrump Nugget.

Chuck Connely, noted in a PVT headline as "Connely 'The Modest,'" took over as the town board chairman.

A temporary TV outage was caused by a cut in a power line on Mt. Potosi.

Ace Hardware was offering tune-up kits for $2.99. The kits were for lawn mowers.

Residents of Crystal were expected to petition to be annexed to the unincorporated town of Amargosa Valley.

Betty's Feedbag, on Highway 372, was offering a breakfast special (biscuit, sausage patty, side of gravy) for $2.50. "We'll spoil you so bad you can't resist coming back!"

10 years ago

Valley Electric Association became the sole supplier of juice to the Nevada Test Site. The contract ensured power rates would stay where they were for at least the next 18 months.

About two-dozen burros were rounded up in an emergency collection meant to end a rash of accidents between burros and vehicles in northern Pahrump.

The collected animals were taken down to the Oliver Ranch BLM adoption center near Red Rock Canyon.

The county commissioners allocated more than $1 million to the Nye Regional Medical Center in Tonopah to pay its outstanding bills through Feb. 1.

A decision on the medical center and who would operate it was expected in April.

Ed Bishop worried that a proposed town adult entertainment ordinance, designed to limit the number of such businesses, was so defined that it "would mean everything adults do" instead of topless dancing and suchlike.

The town board was asked to rewrite the draft.

Town Manager Michael Cosgrove was directed to consider Pahrump's future. One suggestion was it would need more employees because "those in the town office cannot perform their regular duties because of heavy walk-in traffic."

Cosgrove also noted that the fairground project in southern Pahrump "could begin as early as next month."

Yup, that's what he said.