With the economy struggling, now’s a good time to help community

By Cathy Cressler, Publicist

For the majority of us, this recession has been unlike anything we have ever experienced before. We’ve seen revenues decrease, well-established companies fold, and good employees let go as cost-saving measures. In the private-sector, employees have seen their wages frozen or cut, and have had their hours and/or benefits slashed. Those with jobs are grateful for the continued paycheck.

Although it’s been tough out there for us all, it has been even harder for those dependent on the goodwill of others. Families that found it tough to survive in a good economy are now desperately hanging on. Social agencies have had their budgets cut as their clients have significantly increased.

The school year has begun. Struggling families are finding it hard to buy needed school supplies. Teachers who typically have purchased classroom supplies from their own pockets are finding it even harder to do so, given the salary cuts. Here’s a suggestion: next time you’re shopping at Walmart or one of the local drug stores, pick up a couple of packages of paper, a few notebooks, or a few packages of pencils to donate. Drop the supplies off at the school of your choice, or check with a local charity to see if they are collecting school supplies (No to Abuse; Nye Communities Coalition; Salvation Army; a local church; etc.) Better yet, make your business a drop-off location; then advertise your location in a “Brief.” Both Pahrump newspapers – the Pahrump Valley Mirror and the Pahrump Valley Times – accept Briefs and will print them free of charge. The community of Pahrump will remember your generosity when they drop off their contribution at your location.

Another suggestion: the food bank at Nevada Outreach Training Organization is overwhelmed with new clients. The parking lot is always full at 621 North Blagg Road, and in their waiting room there is standing room only. The non-profit group accepts non-perishable food (and monetary gifts) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Again, consider offering your business as a drop-off location for non-perishable foods.

With the December Holidays fast approaching, find a favorite program and participate. Currently, both Allstate Insurance locations are accepting “gently used” or new jackets for children. Or, choose an “Angel” from an Angel Tree at a participating retail location around town and buy a gift for a child this Christmas. Another program is The Toys for Tots campaign. Boxes have been distributed at various retail locations around town where you can drop off a new unwrapped toy.

If you haven’t signed up as a volunteer to help Pahrump kids, consider doing so; many need your help. The Nye County School District has developed a very professional volunteer program. Contact the coordinator’s office at 775-727-7743 (8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday). You may be needed to read to a class or child; help a child with homework or a difficult subject; assist in the office at one of the schools; or one of the schools may need your assistance in their library. There are plenty of choices.

The Pahrump Community Library is looking for volunteers to assist with their “adults learning to read” program. Or you may want to read a favorite book to a group of children. Give them a call at 775-727-5930.

Now is the time to put your own self-interests and problems aside and help those in greater need. Surprisingly, the world will look a little brighter, and you’ll be amazed at how great it makes you feel!

When the going gets tough,
small businesses spring into survival mode (Part 4)

Making business personal again

Courtesy of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Charles Massie is the first to admit that he and business partner Stan Yagi had become lazy owing to the success of their Italian restaurant, Antonio’s Cucine Italiana, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They stopped reviewing their bills, approved invoices without a second glance, and relied on their regulars to keep their restaurant going. But by early 2008, they knew they couldn’t afford to be complacent any longer.

At first, Massie and Yagi notices dwindling numbers at lunch. Then, they noticed that while they had the same number of patrons at dinner, the sales per ticket numbers were down. Customers were ordering a glass of wine instead of a bottle and were drinking water instead of tea. Massie says that business is down 30% on a month-to-month basis compared with the previous year.

So Massie and Yagi came up with a game plan. They began with community marketing, putting in face time at local networking events and getting involved with their local chamber. “We didn’t get more business just by passing out our cards, but rather by talking to people and letting them know we’re open on Sundays and until 10 p.m. most nights,” says Massie.

Massie and Yagi rebuilt their catering business and made sure that hotel desk staff and visiting businesspeople – such as medical equipment sales reps – knew that food delivery was an option. They also paid more attention to customers who came into the restaurant, and if they didn’t know them, wait-staff asked how they found out about the restaurant. “Restaurants are a one-on-one business, and customers like to be invited,” Massie explains.

On the cost-cutting side, the partners switched their checking account and saved $50 a month. “That’s not a lot, but that’s an extra shift for one of our employees,” says Massie. They raised their insurance deductible to lower the premium and scaled back their liquor liability policy because they had a larger policy than what the state required. “We hadn’t reviewed our policy in two to three years,” Massie notes.

Yagi also reviewed food costs and switched to local and regional vendors rather than national vendors for some items, bringing down costs by 10%. “We had been paying incremental increases and fuel surcharges without realizing it,” says Massie. For now, the decline in business had stopped, and Antonio’s Cucine Italiana is slowly coming back.

When the going gets tough,
small businesses spring into survival mode (Part 3)

Finding success in numbers

Courtesy of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

When Paula King and her business partner Carmen Greiner financed their company, Ocala Traditions, with personal credit cards two years ago, they fully expected their fine gift and bridal registry boutique to grow and serve their small town of 54,000 just 64 miles from Orlando, Florida. They have a prime location in Ocala’s quaint and historic downtown business district-complete with a gazebo in the park and horse-drawn carriages. Ocala Traditions has a large, street-front window with displays of elegant table settings and goods from leading designer names, including Longchamp and Pickard. Most important, King and Greiner offer a service unique to the area-a bridal registry.

Two years later, King says, sales are flat. In response, the business partners have cut back on their stock orders by 25%. “We only had a short time to get established before the recession hit,: King says. She and Greiner are using “any type of guerilla marketing strategy” they can think of to increase business. That includes holding special in-store events such as truck shows to highlight new products.

Ocala Traditions has partnered with other downtown retailers to spur business. It is one of 19 businesses that participate in Girls’ Night Out. Every third Thursday of the month, businesses keep their doors open until 8:30 p.m. and offer special deals, hoping to attract women out for an evening of dining and shopping.

Through the Downtown Business Alliance, King and Greiner have banded together with 25 to 30 other stores to buy advertising in local publications, including the Ocala Style magazine. The Ocala/Marion Chamber of Commerce has helped by promoting a Buy Local initiative featuring billboard and newspaper ads.

A positive outlook, King says, has sustained Ocala Traditions. “You don’t want to buy into the recession mentality because then your customers will. It’s important to make your store attractive and to maintain customer service.”

When the going gets tough,
small businesses spring into survival mode (part 1)

Using state resources

Courtesy of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Fred Howe of Utility Professional Services, Inc., in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is using a state program to help him hold on to his employees. Fred Howe is willing to do whatever he can to make sure that he doesn’t lose any of his highly specialized staff. Utility Professional Services, Inc., a utility engineering and consulting firm, has 28 full – and part-time employees, most of whom Howe lured away from large national utility companies. “I wanted to create a family environment. I told them all when I hired them, ‘I want this to be the last job you ever have.’”

Three years ago, Howe started to see a slowdown in the residential sector and moved toward commercial building consulting. But business in that sector soon began trialing off as well. “When the recession kicked in hard around us in late 2008, we had enough funds put aside for a rainy day,” says Howe. “We just didn’t know it was going to become a monsoon.”

Faced with having to lay off employees, Howe had to come up with another solution. He moved his salaried employees to hourly pay based on client billings. Howe continued providing benefits, including medical, dental, and a group life insurance plan. These two moves allowed him to cut his monthly payroll in half, and so far he has not had to lay off anyone.

Recently, an employee told Howe about a “reduced wages” program run by the Virginia Employment Commission that enables employees to draw partial unemployment benefits while staying on the job. For of Howe’s employees participate in the program, which “bridges some of their pay to prevent them from becoming a complete burden on the Virginia unemployment system,” Howe explains. “It’s not gaining us any money; it just keeps our team together.”

For now, Howe says that things “have not gotten any worse, but they aren’t getting any better.” If the situation doesn’t improve in the next three to four months, he may have to revisit the decision on whether to lay off employees.

When the going gets tough,
small businesses spring into survival mode (part 2)

Embracing social media

Courtesy of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Web developer and videographer Milan Shah uses social networking services for marketing. “My clients take care of the distribution,” he says. It took his own nuptials for wedding videographer Milan Shah of Chicago to recognize the business benefits of social networking. “After I got married in August, my wife put our wedding video on her Facebook page, and it just went from there.” Now, instead of using DVDs, Shah creates two-hour, password-protected wedding videos that can be shared over the Web, including on social networking sites like Facebook.

Before moving to social networks, Shah’s main marketing effort was going to bridal shows. He and his three business partners would collect the names of between 200 and 300 brides who were planning to get married in the next 12 to 18 months. To obtain their business, Shah would have to stay in touch with them for that extended time period. In contrast, marketing himself through social media produces more immediate jobs. “The ramp-up process involved with bridal shows takes a long time, but online, things move much faster,” Shah says. And attending bridal shows is expensive, costing about $1,000 per show. Shah expects to go to 30 bridal shows this year, but with his growing online exposure, he figures he probably won’t need to go to any next year.

“I don’t have to do any marketing. I sell the video to the bride and groom, who then post it on their Facebook account and share it with friends. It creates an echo for what you create … uncles, aunts, grandmothers, grandfathers, they’re all on Facebook,” Shah adds. “It’s not uncommon to get thousands of views of a wedding online, while a DVD only gets viewed a handful of times.” That had led to a deluge of referrals and requests.

Recently Shah began using Twitter to reach even more people. When a new video is completed, Shah sends out a “tweet,” giving everyone who searches for “wedding videographer” a three-minute video sample. “For a long time, businesses didn’t want to share their products. They had a fear of it, especially videographers. But with more people going online, you have to do it. Just give a little bit away for free,” says Shah. The important thin he adds, is to know your market. Twitter may not be for everyone, but the target client he’s going for, in their 20s and 30s, embraces social networking and is comfortable with technology.

Pahrump Valley Museum


Pahrump Valley Museum/Historical Society
401 E. Basin Ave., Pahrump, NV 89048
775-751-1970

The Pahrump Valley Museum was established in 1991 by Harry “Button” ford and Charles Gallivan. See what life was like in early Pahrump. Exhibits include early farming and mining equipment; early man (exploration and the Spanish Trail – 1776 to 1848); items from the cowboy and pioneer family lifestyles; Pahrump historical and political items; and Native American artifacts. The museum has acquired several historic buildings from early Pahrump and is in the process of assembling them on the museum grounds. These include the Raycraft and Bowman Tie Houses – constructed entirely of railroad ties, the old Pahrump Store, and the Early Pahrump Schoolhouse.

One of the premier exhibits featured at the museum is the Kariel and Jean Huff President Lincoln Collection, one of the finest in the country. Lincoln was in office the year Nevada became a state. Be sure to visit the regional landscape garden, a popular display maintained by the Pahrump Valley Garden Club. The museum is currently in the remodeling stage, adding 4,500 square feet to the existing 5,000 square feet of exhibit area.

Visit the museum today, but return often to see how they have grown! The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

The value of a business mentor

By Larry Kesslin
Courtesy of SCORE
(Counselors to America’s Small Business)

We begin our life with no experiences, just an innocent child with the world as our teacher. We are immediately introduced to our parents, our first teachers in this world. As we grow, others enter our lives and make an impact, guide us on our journey to ultimately find out what our true meaning and purpose is in life. If we are persistent and aware of our surroundings, we will find these treasured guides along our journey.

Over my career I have met many “guides,” or mentors. These individuals have had a major impact on my life and my career. I must say that I did not always want to listen, but I am glad that I have traveled this road, and met the mentors that have impacted my life. For me, there have been a few key mentors; first, of course, was my father. A semi-pro athlete and entrepreneur himself, my father taught me that if I didn’t enjoy what I was doing to change and find something that thrills me.

As I started my business career after college, I met numerous individuals that I learned from, but it wasn’t until I went to work for the General Electric Company, and met Vince Tullo, did I discover the possibilities of what a mentor/mentee relationship can look like. Vince was more of a guide than a boss. He taught me how to work within the corporation, and what really mattered. I excelled in the corporate world, but deep down I wasn’t very happy, and when the time came for me to follow my entrepreneurial journey, Vince was behind me 100 percent.

This relationship had a profound effect on my career and me. So, as I started my entrepreneurial journey I knew that finding a mentor for this trip would be crucial. I didn’t have to wait very long, as I met one of my current mentors, and one of my business partners, Mitch Schlimer, on a train shortly after resigning from GE. I had still not had my last day with the world’s 2nd largest company, and my newest mentor had already appeared. Mitch is the founder and host of the syndicated radio talk show, Let’s Talk Business.

Mitch has gone through his own journey since we have met, and I believe that in some ways, other than building a business, I have been his mentor as well. But the entrepreneurial journey would not have been as successful as it has been if it weren’t for this individual in my life. I tell everyone that I meet that I would have a job by now if it weren’t for Mitch. Our relationship is special. We are able to talk on a level that I can with very few people. When you find someone who has the knowledge and experience to help you get to where you want to go, make it happen.

Our business, Let’s Talk Business Network, is focused on helping entrepreneurs along their journey. I meet entrepreneurs on a regular basis, and the ones that seem to be the most successful are the ones that have learned from those before them. So how do you find your mentor? I don’t believe that finding a mentor can be considered a science, but you want to look for a number of key characteristics.

Find someone who has accomplished goals that might be similar to yours. Find someone who is open to providing time and energy to help you achieve these goals. Find someone who you are willing to listen to, even when you might not want to. And, find someone who has similar values to you. One of the strongest bonds between my mentors and me has been a shared value system.

So, if you are on the entrepreneurial journey and you don’t currently have a mentor, find one and see your entrepreneurial dreams come true!

Larry Kesslin is the President of the Let’s Talk Business Network, and entrepreneurial support community focused on increasing the success rate of small businesses. Having built a corporate career and started a business from scratch, Larry can give the prospective from both sides of the track. You can visit LTBN’s Web site www.itbn.com and listen to their excerpts from the Let’s Talk Business Radio broadcasts.

Slave trade on the Old Spanish Trail

By Clifford J. Walker
Gone the Way of the Earth: Indian Slave Trade in the old Southwest*

Every fall from 1830 to 1848, New Mexican traders transported thousands of pounds of woolen goods from New Mexico in long mule caravans over the Old Spanish Trail (neither old nor Spanish) to California to trade for hundreds of horses and the coveted California mules. When spring grasses came up in the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin, these caravans returned to New Mexico with their horses and mules. But sometimes traders also conveyed stolen horses and mules – and more distasteful, stolen or purchased Indian women and children to sell in New Mexico and Los Angeles.

So during the years 1830 to 1848, both legitimate and contraband horses, mules, and slaves went through the beautiful Amargosa Canyon, through present Tecopa, Resting Springs, Immigrant Pass, and Stump Springs on their way through Utah and back to New Mexico. There are accounts of Paiutes selling their own children for a horse or an old mule to kill and eat, or for a weapon, which they used to obtain more food. Often the Paiute mothers followed caravans for several days in hopes of stealing their children back. Detailed mission records and census records exits documenting that Paiute children and women were taken into the church or into the ranch system in Los Angeles.

Since we have access to a few documents of the past and know the route these traders traveled, we now can visit these areas, close our eyes, and create the vision of New Mexican travelers with their slaves and horses, or picture their camps with the slaves tethered to bushes so they would not escape. With a little imagination we can become closer to the past.

Cliff Walker, now retired, has taught English and History at both San Bernardino State University and Barstow College. He has authored many books about the history of the West and the Mojave Desert. His most recent book is about a little known aspect of the history of the Old Spanish Trail.

*Copies of Cliff Walker’s book may be purchased from the Shoshone Museum and the Charles Brown General Store in Shoshone, or from China Ranch Date Farm in Tecopa, CA.

Rural Nevada Development Corporation

Overview

The Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC) is a non-profit development corporation formed in January 1992 to serve the fifteen (15) rural counties, rural Clark and Washoe counties, and the twenty-seven (27) Native American tribes of Nevada. Their home office is located in Ely, Nevada. RNDC has been responsible for the needs of rural communities by addressing critical issues such as affordable housing, down payment assistance, homeowner rehabilitation, and small business alternative lending practices, and has received certification from the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

Small Business Technical Assistance

RNDC has made an extensive effort to address the technical assistance needs of small businesses. It has joined forces with the Nevada Small Business Development Center (NSBDC) and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED). Their satellite offices cover White Pine, Southern Lander, Eureka, Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda, and rural Clark counties. Both the Ely and Pahrump offices offer free and confidential one-on-one counseling services. These services include business plan development, capital acquisition, bookkeeping and records management, marketing, strategic planning, geographic information, business environment assistance, training, and additional assistance as required. For more information regarding additional programs or other NSBDC offices available throughout the State, visit the websites: www.rndenv.org or www.nsbdc.org. RNDC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Small Business Lending

Known as a non-traditional lender, or lender of last resort, RNDC has established significant loan capital, which it lends to small businesses in need of expansion or start-up financing. The Board of Directors has targeted the use of these funds for businesses in need of expansion or retention financing, fixed assets, inventory purchases, working capital, acquiring an existing business, as well as starting a business. The minimum size of any loan is $5,000 and the maximum is set at $250,000.

Loan requirements include a business plan, an adequate repayment source, difficulty in obtaining traditional bank financing, and the business must contribute to economic development and diversification through either job creation or job retention. RNDC offers flexible terms and rates. The terms of its loans generally vary from one to five years, although certain loans can be amortized for longer periods of time.

For more information on RNDC programs and services, contact the Business Consultant for Pahrump, Allan Parker, at 775-751-1947 or email him at alparker@rndcnv.org

IRS’s Top Seven Tips for Small Business Owners

Anyone starting or thinking of starting a new business should be aware of their federal tax responsibilities. Here are the top seven things the IRS wants you to know if you plan on opening a new business this year.

1. First, you must decide what type of business entity you are going to establish. The type your business takes will determine which tax form you have to file. The most common types of business are the sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and S corporation.

2. The type of business you operate determines what taxes you must pay and how you pay them. The four general types of business taxes are income tax, self-employment tax, employment tax and excise tax.

3. An Employer Identification Number is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. Visit IRS.gov for more information about whether you will need an EIN. You can also apply for an EIN online at IRS.gov.

4. Good records will help you ensure successful operation of your new business. You may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses. Except in a few cases, the law does not require any special kind of records. However, the business you are in affects the type of records you need to keep for federal tax purposes.

5. Every business taxpayer must figure taxable income on an annual accounting period called a tax year. The calendar year and the fiscal year are the most common tax years used.

6. Each taxpayer must also use a consistent accounting method, which is a set of rules for determining when to report income and expenses. The most commonly used accounting methods are the cash method and an accrual method. Under the cash method, you generally report income in the tax year you receive it and deduct expenses in the tax year you pay them. Under an accrual method, you generally report income in the tax year you earn it and deduct expenses in the tax year you incur them.

7. Visit the Business section of IRS.gov for resources to assist entrepreneurs with starting and operating a new business.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife Calendar of Events

This calendar is meant to provide visitors with a general guide to seasonal events on Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, including observation of resident and migratory birds (waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds), native fish, reptiles, plants, and weather patterns.

JANUARY

One or two bald eagles are often seen roosting in large treetops or hunting waterfowl around Crystal Reservoir. Weather is typically sunny, breezy and 50 – 65 degrees F. During wet years, one inch of rain is possible with muddy road conditions.

FEBRUARY

Bald eagles are occasionally observed until month’s end. Small side-blotched and long-tailed brush lizards can be observed sunning on rocks or along the Crystal Spring boardwalk. Wintering waterfowl are starting to leave.

MARCH

Spring waterfowl migration is occurring with good numbers at Crystal and Peterson Reservoirs and Lower Crystal Marsh. Warmer 70 degree temperatures are starting cottonwood and willow trees to leaf and bud. Early blooming flowers include blue-eyed grass, milkvetch, and popcorn flower. Resident songbirds such as the Crissal thrasher, verdin, and Bewick’s wren begin early breeding activity. The first Neotropical migratory birds return to breed: Lucy’s warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and the common yellowthroat.

APRIL

Ash Meadows pupfish and speckled dace begin breeding activity; male pupfish take on a bluish color. Leather leaf ash begins to leaf. Numerous flowers blooming include the Ash Meadows sunray, milkvetch, Merriam’s bearpaw poppy, and most cactus species. Some snakes and larger lizards begin emerging from hibernation including the gopher snake, common kingsnake, desert spiny, western whiptail, and zebra-tailed lizards. More songbirds arrive to breed, including the western kingbird, Bullock’s oriole, and the yellow-breasted chat. During April the highest numbers and diversity of migrating shorebirds occurs. Baby cottontail rabbits are commonly observed along the Crystal Spring boardwalk.

MAY

Songbird migration typically peaks at mid to late month. Screwbean mesquite, the most common tree on the refuge, waits for the onset of late spring warm weather before it begins to green up. Waterfowl migration has passed with only a few hundred ducks and coots remaining to breed on the refuge. On years with average to above average precipitation, over 100 species of flowers and shrubs are blooming during the month. May is the peak breeding period for Ash Meadows pupfish and speckled dace. International Migratory Bird Day is celebrated during the month.

JUNE

Unusual late eastern migrant birds such as the indigo bunting and American redstart can be observed. Songbird and waterfowl breeding is in full swing. Songbirds are heard singing all morning and a few coot, mallard, and ruddy duck broods appear on the reservoirs and marshes. Lizards are everywhere. Spring flowers are fading as temperatures start to reach into the low 100s. Summer flowers such as the threatened Ash Meadows blazing star begin to bloom.

JULY

This month is the hottest part of the summer with temperatures from 105 to 115 degrees. July is the peak blooming period for the threatened spring-loving centaury plant, the Ash Meadows gumplant, and the ivasia. Breeding birds are busy feeding nestlings and fledged young or starting second or third nests. Early morning and late evening is the best time to observe wildlife.

AUGUST

Fall migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds are starting to move through the refuge. Wildlife observation is generally slow during this month. Spring-loving centaury plant and the Ash Meadows gumplant will continue to flower into late September. Occasional monsoon thunderstorms provide a temporary respite from otherwise continued extreme summer heat.

SEPTEMBER

Waterfowl are returning to winter at the refuge. Fall songbird migration peaks mid-month. Hot weather finally breaks with temperatures dropping into the 90s by mid-month.

OCTOBER

Larger lizards begin to hibernate as night time temperatures drop into the 40s. Wintering songbirds return including northern flicker, ruby-crowned kinglet, white-crowned sparrow, and Lincoln’s sparrow. National Wildlife Refuge week is celebrated during the second week of the month.

NOVEMBER

Night time temperatures are dropping into the 30s. Ash and cottonwood trees are turning yellow and red. All the wintering birds have arrived and are settling in. Snakes and larger lizards have gone into hibernation for the winter. Watch for tarantulas crossing the roads; males are actively seeking females this time of the year. This month is a good time of the year to observe mammals, such as coyotes which are now more active during daylight hours.

DECEMBER

The leaves are falling from the trees and below freezing nights are common. Mornings are cool and afternoons pleasant with temperatures in the 60s. This is the start of what little rainy season there is with up to one inch of rain and occasional muddy roads. Bald eagles return during the end of the month. The Ash Meadows Christmas Bird Count takes place toward the end of the month.

About the Service Corps of Retired Executives
SCORE Pahrump Chapter

The SCORE Pahrump Chapter serves Amargosa Valley, Beatty and Pahrump. They offer a unique form of team counseling to provide clients with a broad range of expertise and experience. Each session follows a proven methodology which makes clients feel at ease, determine relevant problems, opportunities or questions, and then leverages many years of successful business experience to craft a plan of action.

For the aspiring entrepreneur, SCORE provides a full range of services for developing new business ideas from concept into focused business plans ready for funding and implementation. Those services are concept testing; business plan; financial modeling; marketing and sales; presentations; and funding methods.

For the existing business owner, SCORE can help with free business counseling. Like your physician does for you personally, SCORE counselors can provide you with a health check of your business. We can help you handle a specific problem or just act like a board of advisors on the next steps in growing your business. Topics include: top to bottom business review; sales and marketing planning; new customer development; problem solving; organizations development; inventory management; mergers; acquisitions, and sales; and, training.

The SCORE Pahrump Chapter office is located on the second floor of the Nevada State Bank building at 1301 S. Highway 160. Ed Maznicki is the SCORE counselor and may be reached at 775-727-9471.

When home is where the office is

By Jeff Zbar
From the SCORE.org website

The modern home office is not the land of cubicle farms and staid corporate landscapes. Home-based workers – entrepreneurs and teleworkers alike – can turn a bedroom or other residential space into a functional, comfortable and inviting workspace.

But first, you have to put some thought into the space, your existing furniture and your plans – both immediate and future. Nothing’s worse than buying an expensive desk that can’t grow with your business. Here are some rules of thumb to follow when designing your space.

Think ahead. What will you need – today and in the future? A desk with writing and computer area, some filing cabinets and shelves are common features of a desk or workstation. But how will your needs change as your business changes?
Scope it out. Can you fit your equipment and furnishings into the space you’ve chosen in the home? Will new equipment fit there as well (with prices of scanners, copiers, and other hardware dropping, equipment once reserved for large companies today is finding a home in the home office)? Will you need to use a closet or another room for storage or another workstation? Might your home business eventually take on employees, meaning you’ll need additional space?
Establish boundaries. This is a place of business, not a hobby shop (also a key point for potential tax deductibility of the home office). Decide where in the home a home office would provide the greatest functionality away from the hustle of family life, and establish rules about respecting its space and function.
Stay focused. If the office shares space in another room, design the desk so it faces a wall and inhibits the distractions of household activity or the television. Place a Japanese Shoju screen between the workspace and the room to create a barrier (this also helps “close” the office when the workday’s done).
See the light. When choosing an office and designing or placing your desk, integrate plenty of light, either from windows or lamps. Place the computer station where glare from windows or lamps doesn’t inhibit the view of the screen.
Stay stimulated. Is there a window nearby? Integrate it into the design to provide outside views that stimulate the mind – and allow you to keep a watchful eye on your children while they’re at play.

Marketing in a weak economy: a dozen ideas

By Daniel Obregon and Joyce L. Bosc
from the SCORE.org website

Always think Marketing
Keep a file of good ideas, direct mail samples, and great ads for future use or brainstorming.

Target your Market
Read up on industry trends, developments, etc. Know your competition and keep a competitive intelligence file.

Develop your Brands
Create new services or products. Update them. Trademark protect them. Try to always keep things fresh so your customers see progress.

Build a Team
Establish a marketing/public relations advisory team composed of key personnel in or outside of your organization. Attend seminars, read marketing publications, join listserves. Consult outside marketing professionals to get unbiased opinions.

Establish a Budget
How much are you currently spending on marketing? How much do you want to spend? Determine a percentage of gross income that can be spent on marketing. Try to establish a market presence monthly whether through advertising or public relations.

Stay top of Mind
Publish a newsletter. Create a survey. Develop a Web site. Use uniformed signatures denoting contact information/Web site address, and slogan at the bottom of every email you send out. Send postcards or electronic briefs to stay connected and offer value-add to clients.

Meet the Press
Create a press kit. Be sure to include an online version with executive bios and high-resolution photographs.

Service is Job #1
Return calls promptly. Refer callers to others when you’re not available. Send out email tips or dedicate a part of your Web site specifically to client needs. Make sure it is easy for people to contact you. Always follow up on calls or messages.

Word of Mouth
Hold an open house. Join community organizations and network! Contact speakers at conferences you attend.

Advertise
Develop a new or improved logo. Get a memorable phone number, such as “1-800-GOT-DEBT.” Include your Web address, email, and slogan consistently on all marketing materials.

Reach Out
Sponsor a booth at a tradeshow, hold an event at your office, or give a speech at a community gathering.

Put it in Writing
Write a column for the local newspaper, local business journal, or trade publication. Publish an article and circulate reprints.

If you are waiting for recovery … don’t! Part III

Here is the third and final thing that can help you and your business weather the current economic crisis storm.

Focus on Marketing

Get out the word. Network at every opportunity. Join the Chamber of Commerce if you are not already a member, and get involved. Attend business related society meetings as well as things like Rotary, Knights of Columbus and other organizations where your customers spend time. Get involved in your town and its activities. Find out who at the local paper you can talk with to get articles about you and your business in the local newspaper and magazines. Attend trade shows and any mixers they may offer. Spread the word, and keep your business in their minds.

If your competitor is closing, move in to his markets. Buy his customer lists and if he has good people, make the tough call, and trade up by hiring them and letting your less qualified people go. Go to his customers and ask how you can help them, and work hard at gaining their business.

Review your market and customers. Is your market down because of the general economy or a shift in purchasing power or needs? Will your market recover or do you need to find new markets by repositioning your operations to healthier opportunities? Can you diversify? If you sell left handed widgets, how about right handed ones?

The Bottom Line

Waiting for the recovery won’t cut it. We are facing a prolonged downturn, and those who survive and prosper will do it by being proactive. Change is difficult, but not changing is not an option. Get busy today, and fight for every customer and every dollar.

The SCORE Pahrump Chapter office is located on the second floor of the Nevada State Bank building at 1301 S. Highway 160. Ed Maznicki is the SCORE counselor and may be reached at 775-727-9471.

If you are waiting for recovery … don’t! (Part II)

Here is the second thing that can help you and your business weather the current economic crisis storm.

Focus on Customers

Depending on your business, the exact methods of focusing on customers may vary, but the basics are pretty much the same. Make contact early and often. Develop reasons why the customer will benefit from coming into the store, or talking with you. Clearly sales and discounts are appealing, but we have become a jaded society on sales. Some stores seem to be permanently having a sale, and pretty soon people just expect it. Think about the value proposition you can offer. Why would the customer be better off buying from you rather than someone else, and why buy know rather than later? It is not an easy question to answer, but if you can, you have the most powerful weapon to build your business.

You will need to do more for your customer than in the past to earn their business, and more than your competitors who are trying to steal your customers. Helping people to carry their purchases to their cars or offering samples are some of the ways to do this. Give out next visit coupons (with an expiration date), so the customers you do have come back more often. Create events like an After-Hours Wine & Cheese Party to shop the store in a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. Deliver small gifts to your key customers as a way of saying thanks for your business, and reminding them of your interest in their business.

Ask your customers if they find everything they are looking for. What would they like to see next time they visit? Here is a personal example: I was in a store in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I finished my shopping but not my shopping list. As I was going to pay, one staff person asked if I found everything I wanted. I replied “yes, but I am still missing a couple of items.” Then, she took my shopping list and walked me to the shelves. They were all there; I just had not seen them. One simple question made my life easier and put sales in her pocket!

The SCORE Pahrump Chapter office is located on the second floor of the Nevada State Bank building at 1301 S. Highway 160. Ed Maznicki is the SCORE counselor and may be reached at 775-727-9471.

If you are waiting for recovery … don’t! (Part I)

Many people when faced with rapid change, like an ostrich, put their head in the sand and wait for the change to go away. In business, that is a sure way to disaster. You need to adjust to the change and find ways to benefit from it. We are currently going through one of the biggest changes in economic conditions in decades and sitting by and wringing our hands just won’t cut it. In the next few months, we’ll discuss some things that can help you weather the storm that you should start to implement.

Focus on Cash

Although we hear a lot about the credit crunch and how our banking system is frozen, for the small business it is always tough to raise cash, so managing it wisely is critical and never more so than today.

First, look to reduce spending in every way possible. Some actions seem simple to put in place, such as reducing heating in the store; since most customers are dressed for the outside temperature, your customers won’t mind and your employees will have to add some sweaters. Look at lighting, store hours, or factory hours; if you can shrink them, you reduce the operating costs. Can you reduce some of the staff expenses – no free coffee, etc.? Can you redistribute the work to avoid overtime or reduce staffing to fit the current volume levels?

Second, generate cash or preserve it by reducing inventory. Return inventory you don’t need to your vendors and get cash refunds. Sell off inventory at reduced prices to raise cash for other expenses. You might lose future profit, but you get cash to pay your bills. Order less. With factories having less business, lead times are shrinking, and you can reorder if you need to and get merchandise quickly. Cut back on supplies, and share suppliers between departments. Collect fiercely. If you sell on terms, start your collection process before they are due to make sure you get paid. (The squeaky wheel does get the grease!) If your vendors give you terms, take them if you have the cash to spare, but for all others, stretch your payments out as long as your vendor will tolerate.

Third, talk to your bank. If you have a loan, see if you can renegotiate for better terms, or a longer period. If you have a line of credit, can you get a larger line or better terms? Work with your banker, and think about what the SBA can do to guarantee your loan if that will help. Ask your SCORE counselor for assistance in finding other banks interested in loaning to small businesses like yours.

Fourth, talk to your landlord if you rent your space. Landlords don’t want empty space, so you may be able to get a temporary roll back in rent, or at least put off any escalations that may be coming in your lease. It never hurts to ask.

Fifth, prepare a six to eight month cash projection. Ask, “How healthy is the cash flow?” Write down the assumptions. Play the “what if” game to build contingencies, so if any of the assumptions do not happen, you know what to do.

Lastly, use your cash smartly; if you have cash, and have needs, maybe this is the time to negotiate deals. For example, if you need a truck, it may be the time to buy it. If your cash flow looks poor and your projections do not look to make it sustainable, you may have to close the doors. Before you take that step, come into SCORE with your analysis, and let’s see if we can give you ideas to make it better.

The SCORE Pahrump Chapter office is located on the second floor of the Nevada State Bank building at 1301 S. Highway 160. Ed Maznicki is the SCORE counselor and may be reached at 775-727-9471.

Is your company leaking cash?


By Max Gregorich, CEO of CEO1Stop
From Nevada Business, Jan 2010

Many small and mid-sized business owners believe that their accountant, or accounting software, tells them everything they need to know about their financials. Not true. Accounting tells how much profit was made. However, what a business owner really needs to know is how much profit they should have made. How is that accomplished? The answer is to consistently measure business performance. More commonly called, financial analysis, measuring business performance will open the right door for discovering why a company didn’t earn the profits it should have and provide the “big picture” data enabling a business owner to take control and make the informed business decisions that will drive the company forward.

Even if numbers aren’t a strength, a business owner will still need to understand what they mean in order to operate a business. Without this analysis an owner might very well proceed never knowing where, or even that, the company is leaking tremendous amounts of cash. Consider the following: on average, small to mid-sized companies often fail to capture between 10 to 30% of their revenues as profit. The math is simple; say a company does $1,000,000 in sales with a profit of 10 percent or $100,000. Add 15% of the sales to the profit and you have $250,000. Without making one additional sale, the company has increased its profit line 250 percent by knowing where to look for the cash leakage and then taking corrective action.

Business owners who understand these metrics have a tremendous advantage over those who do not. It’s here, however, that most small or mid-sized business owners get stuck. The perception is that financial analysis is a “foreign” language that can only be deciphered by a trained financial expert. In fact, financial analysis can be translated into easy-to-understand “English.” When this is done, any business owner can immediately identify areas in which their company is experiencing minor to serious financial distress which causes hard earned revenues to escape before reaching the bottom line profits. Demystifying the language of financial statements and not depending on others to interpret numbers is the key to taking control.

So let’s begin with a few definitions. In-depth explanations of each can be found with a little research. The most important financial statements are the balance sheet, the profit and loss income statement and the cash-flow statement.

Simply put, the balance sheet is a list of the accumulated assets and liabilities incurred by the business. The difference between the two represents the net worth of the business. The profit and loss answers the question, ”How did the company do?” The cash-flow statement answers the question, ”Where was the cash used?”

Understanding these statements is essential. They tell what’s happened in the past and can serve as a predictor for the future. Yet, just understanding still doesn’t tell how to interpret the numbers in the context of the overall operation and profitability. Enter the CFO who, among his/her backward and forward looking analysis, is the most likely person to identify and track upward or downward trends so that an owner can take immediate corrective action when needed.

What if a company can’t afford to hire a CFO? How can owners successfully analyze their financials without mis-interpreting the data or spending excessive amounts of time?

Fortunately there are affordable business performance software packages that are written for the non-financial professional. A cautionary note however, carefully research the software before purchasing, because many promote themselves as easy-to-use, but would challenge even an MBA in finance.

Look for software that:

Within a few hours, from start to finish, indicates specific areas where the company is losing money and where corrections need to be made.
Encourages scheduling a demo prior to purchasing.
Provides a built-in tutorial.
Produces easy to read and understandable components among which are: current and optimized income statements; labor efficiency; break-even analysis; bankruptcy potential (Z-Score); ROI by line item; all major indicators and business potential.
Is simplistic enough to use habitually so that it becomes a tool for continuous improvement.
Does not need a financial professional to interpret the data.

No matter how it is achieved, measuring a company’s performance and making operational, organizational, and strategic corrections is top management’s most important responsibility.

Summer Wildlife Watching

From Ash Meadows Currents Third Quarter 2009 Issue
(Quarterly Newsletter from Ash Meadows NWR)

When temperatures reach into the 100s, not too many visitors make the trek out to their local National Wildlife Refuge for a little wildlife watching. But if timed right wildlife watching in the summer can be just as rewarding as any other season, even in the hot Mojave Desert environment.

The best way to see wildlife in the summer is to be at the refuge at sunrise, when the refuge has officially opened to the public for the day. With binoculars in hand, start at Bradford Springs, just across Spring Meadows Road from the Point of Rocks area. Here you can enjoy the cool start of the day with a little bird watching.

If you find yourself looking for new views, saddle up and head north to Peterson Reservoir for your next stop. This small body of water is a great place to see waterfowl, lizards, kangaroo rats, other birds, and the occasional coyote. You can almost hike the entire shore of the reservoir without getting your feet wet so this site is also a great place for those looking to burn a few calories before lunch.

Rogers Spring, further to the north, offers more off-the-beaten-path wildlife watching and a beautiful warm spring with Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish, to boot. Walking along the old two-track paths offers great wildlife viewing and solitude.

Pick a day this summer and start your day a little differently by visiting Ash Meadows.

Boardwalk Construction Humming Along

From Ash Meadows Currents Third Quarter 2009 Issue
(Quarterly Newsletter at Ash Meadows NWR)

Visitors who have been to the refuge over the last month or so may have noticed the signs near the Point of Rocks (POR) and Longstreet Spring areas, indicating that the popular destinations are closed to the public.

Construction of a boardwalk trail system began at Longstreet Spring in April and in the POR area in May. For the safety of visitors, the areas are closed to entry until construction is complete.

With the heat of summer now upon us, we don’t have quite as many disappointed visitors asking when they will be able to visit the sites again but the heat hasn’t slowed down the work.

“The construction company has been working very closely with our staff to ensure that we are getting the best product for our visitors and for our environment,” said Christina Nalen, Visitor Services Manager for Ash Meadows.

The new boardwalks will be accompanied by signs along the way that give more information about the area. These interpretive signs are being custom designed by Ivie Interpretive, which has done work for Death Valley National Park in the Salt Creek area.

Instead of small map boxes at POR and Longstreet, both sites will have informational kiosks at the start of each boardwalk where brochures, a map, and seasonal information can be found. The kiosks will also introduce visitors to the stories highlighted at each site.

The boardwalk projects were funded in 2004 through a proposal written by refuge staff for Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act funds, but once the project hit the ground in April of this year, the flood of activity seemed non-stop.

Work started at Longstreet Spring. The boardwalk was the first built. After consulting with Fish and Wildlife Service archaeologists, we determined that the look of the area immediately next to the historic cabin on site would be better served by using a soil hardening material that looks much more like the natural soil. So, a product called Natural Pave will be used near the recently restored cabin once owned by Andrew Jackson “Jack” Longstreet.

The goal for these boardwalks is to guide visitors toward viewing opportunities and to give them more information about the area through the interpretive signs along the way. The design of the boardwalks also makes for better experiences for our visitors who would have a harder time navigating a natural trail.

Currently, the boardwalks are scheduled to be finished by this autumn. The refuge will keep both POR and Longstreet closed to public access until all construction is complete. An announcement will be made when the areas reopen.

Ash Meadows, one of four refuges in southern Nevada

From Ash Meadows Currents Third Quarter 2009 Issue
(Quarterly Newsletter from Ash Meadows NWR)

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is part of a family of refuges in southern Nevada called the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Each of the four refuges are open to the public and are worth exploring.

Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the largest of the four refuges at more than 1.5 million acres, is headquartered at Corn Creek, just 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas on U.S. Highway 95 North. A new visitor center and trail system is in the works for the Corn Creek area, but there is a lot to see if you travel deeper into the refuge on one of the handful of primitive dirt roads that cross half of the refuge. The other half of the refuge is not open to the public, as it is included as part of the military’s Nevada Test and Training Range.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is a small wetland refuge whose name means “valley of shining waters.” This resting spot for migrating waterfowl makes for a wonderful desert oasis that allows camping, fishing, hunting, and hiking. Pahranagat is about an hour and a half north of Las Vegas on U.S. Highway 93.

Moapa National Wildlife Refuge is the smallest of the four in the complex. This once showgirl playground is home to springs that make up the headwaters of the Muddy River. These warm water springs give life to the Moapa Valley. Restoration of the natural habitat within the refuge has begun, in an effort to restore habitat for the endangered Moapa dace. Visitors are allowed in the refuge for day use on Saturdays between Labor Day and Memorial Day.

For more information about these and other National Wildlife Refuges, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov.

Wild and scenic designation for the Amargosa River

By David Lamfrom and Brian Brown
From the Amargosa Conservancy Fall 2009 Newsletter

This March, after years of trial and tribulation, a 22-mile eligible segment of the Amargosa River was designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River as part of the public lands omnibus bill passed by congress and signed by the president. The portion of the river starting two miles south of Shoshone to 100 yards upstream of the entrance to Dumont Dunes now carries this title.

This section of river largely flows above ground year-round and supports a suite of important and uniquely adapted flora and fauna. This newly protected riparian corridor supports rare and vulnerable species such as the Amargosa Vole, Amargosa Pupfish, Speckled Dace, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Least Bell’s Vireo, and Amargosa Niterwort, which is located in isolated areas of the Amargosa drainage. This rare desert river provides habitat, food, and water for all species that rely on or utilize this corridor and hosts an impressive assemblage of birds during spring and fall migrations.

The designation recognizes the remarkable historical, biological, geological, and visual resources of the river. It applies only to federal public land and does not infringe upon the rights of adjacent private landowners. It mandates that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protect the river’s surface water levels and protects against additional large-scale diversion or building projects upstream.

The Wild and Scenic section of the river is divided into three subsections. The “scenic” segment, from Shoshone to Tecopa, allows hiking, mountain biking, and improved trials. The “wild” segment, from Tecopa to Sperry Wash, allows this area to retain its pristine state and provides access for hiking, horseback riding, and simple trail improvements. The “recreational” portion, from Sperry Wash to Dumont Dunes, allows continued motorized use over the existing off-road-vehicle river crossings and trials.

The BLM must determine the final boundaries of the designation within one year and must develop a management plan within three years. The Amargosa Conservancy will work with the BLM to offer constructive input on this management plan. We believe that the designation will also provide a much-needed boost to the local business community as word of this desert river on the edge of Death Valley spreads. We believe this will be a great opportunity for a public/private partnership that will protect the river’s natural resources and gain recognition and economic benefit for our region.

Back to Business
By Rieva Lesonsky, the SCORE.org Web site

As the year winds down, now is the time to get back to business – to ensure you finish 2009 on a positive note.

Take a look at your business plan, which you should consult and update at least quarterly. Assess whether you’ve gone off track. If you have, figure out what you can do now to get back on course. If you need help doing this, get advice online or make an appointment to meet with the local SCORE representative in person.

Many believe The Great Recession is ending. So channel your high-school self and start prepping now for the upcoming big tests – in this case, the coming recovery. Here are four things you can do:

Manage your inventory. A lot of entrepreneurs have (smartly) trimmed inventories. But make sure you’re not caught with outdated products or empty shelves when consumer spending picks up. Find the happy medium between spending smart and offering current stock.
Focus on customer care. Customer loyalty may end up being a casualty of the recession. Value-conscious customers have left their brand and business loyalties behind in search of a better deal. Are you offering your loyal customers what they’re looking for, at a price they’re currently willing to pay?
Staff up. I’m not saying hire now, but think about the staffing levels you’ll need when business starts to rebound. Can you bring on interns you can train now and possibly hire later? Did you lay anyone off in the past few months? Check in with those you’d consider rehiring, just to get a status update. Or tap into the millions of unemployed Americans, many of whom are looking to be retrained in new industries or willing to work for far less than their usual salaries.
Renegotiate. If you haven’t done so already, this is a great time to talk to your landlord, your banker, your suppliers and your vendors. So much is negotiable these days. The better the terms you get now, the better poised you’ll be for recovery.
BizSuccessTips Editor Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company that provides information, products, and services to help marketers connect with small businesses and to help small-business owners start and grow their companies. Prior to co-founding GrowBiz Media, Lesonsky was SVP/Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. A nationally recognized speaker who regularly addresses audiences across the country, Lesonsky has appeared on hundreds of radio shows and numerous local and national television programs, including CNN, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Fox Business News, The Martha Stewart show and Oprah and can regularly be seen on MSNBC’s Your Business. To find out more about GrowBiz Media or to contact Rieva, visit www.growbizmedia.com.

Your Pahrump SCORE representative is Ed Maznicki. Call him at 775-727-9471 to arrange an appointment.

Explain how employees can do their best and they’re likelier to do so

Courtesy of Business Press August 17, 2009
By Karen Durkin, Business Coach
Houldsworth, Russo & Co.

There was a story about a college professor who was given three classes to teach. He was told that two of the classes were with average students and one was with higher-achieving students. As the semester progressed, he found a big difference with the attitude and performance of the better students. He told his colleague that he preferred teaching students who all earned A’s and B’s and that he hoped to get more classes of that caliber in the future.

Then his colleague told him that the college had stopped separating students by ability and that the professor had been given three mixed classes. The difference in the three groups was the expectation of the professor; the result was that he expected success with one class and expected less with the other two. Expectations do drive perception and performance.

Setting expectations with your employees is a valuable exercise and gives managers and employees a roadmap for success. If you expect an employee to excel and contribute to the organization, there is a better chance that you will see self-directed performance and good results.

Who should set the goals for each employee? In many instances, businesses set performance standards with key measures for optimal operations. Some of these standards may be number of customers served, percentage of sales closed, number of objects produced, billable hours completed, or number of complaints addressed and resolved. Assessing and reporting employee records for these key measures lets managers and employees measure performance.

In most professional positions, workers establish goals for the year and are assessed on the completion of those goals.

Goals should include opportunities to:
Use your talents more.
Train or develop new skills.
Improve skills.
Find new ways to contribute to the organization.

Goals should not be day-to-day activities that must be completed with the employee’s position; they should be new activities that allow the employee’s performance to increase and improve.

After goals are set and expectations are clarified, it is important for managers to monitor progress and to give feedback. All employees want to know how they are doing and whether they need to do something different. During times of higher unemployment and underemployment, these evaluations are more critical. We should expect outstanding performance and will have a better chance of getting that if we offer feedback regularly.

Feedback comes in many forms. It can come in quick conversations to express gratitude for a job well done or to offer insight when problems, poor performance, or mistakes arise. Feedback can also come in weekly or monthly reports on employees’ performance on key measures.

More formal feedback could occur quarterly or semiannually with a conversation about expectations versus performance so adjustments can be made. Every employee deserves (and should demand) formal feedback at least once per year with a performance appraisal.

A performance appraisal is not just an annual document for the personnel file. It should be a two-way conversation about the past year’s accomplishments and challenges and what lies ahead. These appraisals offer great opportunities to discuss employees’ career growth and development and to design a path for future success.

Everyone should know the answer to the question, “How am I doing?” If your staff members don’t know the answer, you haven’t given them the expectations and assessments they need to understand their jobs and strive for excellence.

Southern Nevada chapter scores first

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – July 29, 2009 – The Southern Nevada Chapter of SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” just learned it had the highest Local Services Index (LSI) among all Chapters in the United States serving areas with 100,000 – 150,000 small businesses population.

The four counties of Southern Nevada are served by SCORE, a resource partner of the Small Business Administration’s Nevada District Office in Las Vegas.

The LSI is an indicator of how well a Chapter is reaching small business entrepreneurs in their territory with free and confidential counseling and low cost seminars.

Ross Lagattuta, SCORE Chairman, said “The new loan programs of the SBA have increased the amount of information SCORE can give to clients and our consulting is up 16% over last year.”

About SCORE

SCORE is one of the oldest and largest business consulting organizations in Nevada; the Las Vegas office was founded in 1977. As a part of the national SCORE Association Chapter 243 has been designing and presenting numerous seminars to over 700 attendees each year. The SCORE counselors also provide free and confidential advice to 2,000 plus entrepreneurs in Southern Nevada through a network of six offices and an extensive e-mail system.

The Southern Nevada Chapter maintains offices in Las Vegas, Henderson, Mesquite, and Pahrump.

The Palocal SCORE office is located in the Nevada State Bank Building 2nd Floor (1301 S. Hwy 160). For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Ed Maznicki, SCORE Business Counselor, at 775-727-9471.

Josiah I. Crowell takes his turn on the frontier

Courtesy of the Tonopah Times-Bonanza
& Goldfield News
(July 16, 2009)
By Bob McCracken
(Nye County Historian)

Nye County is huge, larger than many states – 18,294 square miles to be exact. And every mountaintop and valley has stories to tell.

Six miles south of Beatty on Highway 95, look to the east toward Bare Mountain. Near the base, about two miles north of Carrara, you can see the workings of an old gold mine, the Gold Ace. Originally known as the Bull Moose, it was taken over in 1928 by a fellow named G. Ray Boggs. He had big plans for the mine, but by March 1929, the Gold Ace was looking more like a pair of deuces.

In the meantime, a piece of high-grade float had been found on the property, and Boggs’ wife, Leila May, held a “kind of séance” under the stars to determine the source of the rich specimen. Almost as a last resort, Boggs dug on the spot Leila May had divined and, sure enough, after a few feet Boggs hit a pocket of gold that ran up to $23,692 per ton.

Where there’s gold, there’s heat. That summer, there were more than 100 men working at the Gold Ace and its nearby diggings.

Roland Wiley was a young Las Vegas attorney at the time. In March 1929, he and a friend, Bill Elliot, a tailor who had owned shops in Tonopah and Goldfield in those cities’ heydays, were on their way to Reno, where Elliot planned to establish a tailor shop. They stopped at Carrara just prior to the discovery of the high-grade and were advised things were not going well at the Gold Ace.

Elliot opened his shop in Reno. Not long after that, he traded Harry Stimler, co-discoverer of the gold at Goldfield, two suits for 5,000 shared of Gold Ace stock. The stock was selling at 3 cents per share at the time, amounting to $75 per suit.

Not long after that, Boggs hit the high-grade at the Gold Ace and the stock’s value shot through the roof. (I’m told that pocket or another one like it produced millions.)

Bill Elliot soon sold the 5,000 shares he’d received from Stimler for $1 each. That amounted to $2,500 per suit – more than $25,000 in today’s economy – perhaps making those suits the most expensive ever sold on the Western Frontier. Yes, the frontier, or at least a good remnant of it, still existed in Nye County at the time.

Still at the six-mile point south of Beatty, focus your attention directly across the Amargosa Valley from the Gold Ace to the Funeral Mountains (my map calls it the Amargosa Range). Follow the crest of the range, looking for a flat-topped mountain midway along the ridge line. That’s where the Chloride Cliff Mine is located, right on top of the mountain.

In 1871, three prospectors from San Bernardino – August Franklin, Eugene Lander and a man named Hanson – discovered promising float high up in the Funeral Mountains south of Daylight Pass. They followed the specimens up the hill and found a big belt of quartz laced with what they thought was silver chloride. As Richard Lingenfelter notes in his wonderful book “Death Valley and the Amargosa” (1986), samples assayed in San Bernardino ran from $200 to $1,000 per ton in silver.

The three men formed the Chloride Cliff Mining Co. and sold interests in the claim to friends, including William Stockton. Interestingly, Lander went on to establish a ranch in Oasis Valley not far from the present site of Beatty. When Lander quit the ranch after a few years, Stockton, whom Lingenfelter referred to as “that ubiquitous ‘Old Man of the Desert’” with an “all-consuming quest for the [Lost] Gunsight silver and Breyfogle’s gold,” took it over.

The partners worked the Chloride Cliff for two years.

They sank a 150-foot shaft and took out 100 tons of what they thought was good ore. Much to their disappointment, they discovered their hard work had produced not silver chloride but lead chloride worth less than $28 per ton. All the men except Franklin left in disgust. Franklin, however, held on, maintaining his rights to the claim until he died in 1904.

Ironically, as Lingenfelter points out, while the partners at Chloride Cliff labored futilely, down the mountain on the west side of the Funerals sat $1 million in gold at the site of what became famous as the Keane Wonder Mine.

“So close, but so far away,” as they say in the mining game.

The Keane Wonder gold was discovered in April 1904, and it generated a lot of heat. By July, 500 men were there. Shorty Harris and Ed Cross didn’t get there until August, too late to locate a good claim. But Shorty and Ed had their own rendezvous with history. They headed north out of the Funerals and soon discovered gold in the green rock at Bullfrog, which set off the amazing Rhyolite gold rush.

Along about this time, George Franklin, the original owner’s son, sold his interest in the Chloride Cliff Mine for $110,000 to a promoter – today he would be known as an entrepreneur – by the name of J. Irving Crowell.

Crowell was an Easterner from Cape Cod. His wife, Annie L. Crowell, was a native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the couple had a home in Los Angeles.

Crowell purchased the Chloride Cliff property with the intention of promoting it – that is, attracting investors for its development, making a profit in the process. Crowell maintained ownership and resided at Chloride Cliff from about 1905 until around 1917, at which time he moved to Beatty. I interviewed his son J. Irving Crowell Jr. in 1987; he told me his father never made money on the property, but the lessees who worked there did.

In the meantime, Crowell Sr. acquired a fluorspar mine about five miles east of Beatty named the Daisy Group. The Daisy was a good steady producer and sustained the Crowell family in Beatty for the next two generations.

During Crowell’s tenure at the Chloride Cliff, Rhyolite came and went. In the summer, young Irving Jr. would go to Chloride Cliff from Los Angeles to be with his father.

It was 18 miles from Rhyolite to Chloride Cliff over a rough dirt road. The trip took five hours one way by horse and buggy. Irving told me he had his first glass of champagne at the Southern Hotel in Rhyolite, located across the street from the Overbury Building.

Sometimes he and his dad or one of the miners went into Rhyolite and picked up needed supplies. On other occasions, supplies were delivered directly to the mine by merchants in Rhyolite. Desert delivery involved somebody walking down to the Keane Wonder Mine, which had a telephone, and calling in an order to Rhyolite that would then be delivered to Chloride Cliff.

In about 1923, bad luck struck the Crowells.

Young Irving Jr. was in his fourth year of college when his father took a Pullman car from Beatty to Los Angeles. Irving Sr. boarded the Pullman in Beatty and the T&T Railroad pulled it to Ludlow, California, where the car was dropped off. In Ludlow it was picked up by the Santa Fe Railroad, which then headed for Los Angeles. Somehow, on the way to Los Angeles, Crowell’s Pullman came loose from the train. When the engineer realized what had happened he stopped and then backed the train up in order to reconnect with the Pullman.

In backing up, however, he misjudged the distance and hit the Pullman while going 35 miles per hour. Crowell was seriously injured in the collision and was never able to work again. His Nevada days were over. As a result, young Irving Jr. was forced to drop out of college and ended up taking over his dad’s fluorspar mine east of Beatty.

Mining the fluorspar was hard work. At one point, the mine had one level at the bottom of a 134-foot shaft. Irving Jr. would work eight hours during the day, digging fluorspar, go home for supper and then return to the mine. He would climb down the shaft, load a bucket, then climb to the surface and hoist the bucket out. He repeated the effort until 10 p.m. each night.

A trip by automobile from Beatty to Los Angeles was no picnic in those days. It took three days. There were two routes – you could drive to Las Vegas, then to Searchlight and Goffs, on to Santa Fe, then to Needles, then west through Ludlow and Barstow. Alternately, you could go north up Oasis Valley, across Sarcobatus Flat, then turn west over Westgard Pass to Big Pine, California. Then it was down the Owens Valley to Los Angeles by way of Mojave.

Irving told me that flat tires were a constant source of problems on those trips. Flats were repaired on the spot. On one trip to Los Angeles by way of Westgard, he said they had 27 flat tires.

Welcome to Costco Business Delivery

I am excited to announce the opening of the new Costco Business Center in Las Vegas, Nevada! We look forward to assisting Pahrump businesses.

Costco Business Centers were created to meet the special needs of our Business Members. We offer an expanded selection of products, beyond the offering of a traditional Costco Wholesale location, for key industries, including Food Service, Hospitality, Convenience Store and Office. Order the supplies you need online at Costco.com, or by phone, or by fax.

Our primary focus is helping businesses like yours save time and money purchasing supplies. As the Warehouse Manager of your local Costco Business Delivery, I am responsible for maintaining our business focus every day, including:

Product Selection – Costco Business Delivery carries an expanded business product selection compared to Costco Wholesale locations. You will find products for all types of businesses, from professional offices to food service operations. We offer an expanded selection in key categories including Restaurant Supplies, Tobacco, Candy, Beverages and Office Supplies.

Low Prices – Even with the added convenience of delivery, our traditional commitment to value remains: Offer the best possible price on high-quality items. Up-to-date product pricing and availability can be obtained on our Web site at Costco.com or by calling a Member Service Representative at 1-800-788-9968.

Corporate Citizenship – We strive to be a valuable asset in every community where we do business. This means providing good jobs with good pay, being involved in community activities and charities, contributing to local tax revenues, offering a profitable business opportunity to our suppliers and, most importantly, taking care of you, our member.

I am confident you will find everything you need for your business – An expanded selection of high-quality, brand-name business products with Costco’s everyday best possible pricing, all available for delivery to your business.

Sincerely,
Scott Sims
Warehouse Manager

NOTE: The 2009 Business Products catalog is available at the Chamber office. Costco Business Center delivers to Pahrump on Mondays only; order no later than 3 p.m. on Friday.

Local chambers: a best resource

Tap assets to gain competitive edge

Courtesy of U.S. Chamber of Commerce

In these tough economic times, small businesses need to tap the resources that are available in their communities to weather the storm. They need to look no further than their local chambers for help.

Local chambers advocate for small businesses at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Every day, they work to keep government at bay so that you can focus on running your business. They also introduce you to potential customers through business referral programs, market your business online and in their directories, and offer special discounts through various affinity programs such as insurance, shipping, and office supplies.

Local chambers are a one-stop shop for business information, including market access information for small businesses thinking about expanding, economic profiles of the community, workforce statistics, contact information for government officials, and regional trend studies.

Small business tool kits, which are found on your local chamber’s Web site, can help with developing business, marketing, and communications plans as well as finding capital. If you’re thinking about expanding your business, the local chamber should be your first call.

Local chambers are one of the best places to make business connections. After-hour networking programs and networking luncheons on topics relevant to business help you stay in the game and gain a competitive edge.

In addition, membership in your local chamber can greatly enhance your company’s brand. A national study titled The Real Value of Joining a Local Chamber of Commerce, conducted by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based marketing research firm, suggests the following:

When consumers know that a business is a member of the local chamber, they are 44% more likely to think favorably of it.
Consumers who are told that a business is a chamber member are 51% more likely to be highly aware of that business; 57% are more likely to think positively of that business’s local reputation.
Consumers are 63% more likely to buy good and services in the future from a company that they believe is a member of the local chamber of commerce.

In addition, when business decision makers believe that a business is a chamber member, they are 37% more likely to think favorably of the business; 51% more likely to be highly aware of that business; 58% more likely to think positively of that business’s local reputation; and 59% more likely to buy goods and services from that business.

With numbers like this, run - - don’t walk - - to your local chamber and get engaged with its program of work. A strong chamber symbolizes a strong community - - both benefit from each other.

Don’t chase your tail: Three surefire tips to help your business grow

By Susan Wilson Solovic, CEO, SBTV.com
From the SCORE Web Site

We have a new team member at SBTV.com. His name is Maxwell Solovic and he is the Chairman of the Bone. Yes, I got the title right. Maxwell is a five pound Shih Tzu puppy who comes to the office with me when I’m not traveling.

Because he’s only about three months old, everything is a new adventure for him – sights, sounds, smells, and people. He has more toys and treats than you can imagine, (he’s an only child – I mean puppy) but one of his favorite things to do is chase his tail. He’ll run in a circle at manic speeds until he ultimately collapses having never achieved his goal, if he even knows what his goal is. That doesn’t stop him, however, from trying again later.

It’s perfectly acceptable for a young puppy such as Maxwell to chase his tail. After all, he’s a dog and it’s cute. When you are trying to build a successful business, it’s not so cute to spend your energy chasing your tail. You’ll find yourself frustrated and burned out without ever achieving your business goals.

So if your business isn’t growing as you’d hoped, ask yourself: Are you simply chasing your tail? Think about it. How many days do you work at manic speeds until you’re exhausted, but if you’re honest with yourself, you didn’t really accomplish a thing? I see it all the time. People “make busy.” They create lots of commotion and they talk a good game, but their business is going nowhere. Here are a few surefire tips to help you grow your business so you don’t wind up chasing your tail.

Keep your eye on the ball. When you start a business money is always tight. Opportunities will present themselves that are attractive because you see them as a quick way to bring in cash. Before you eagerly accept, stop yourself and think about whether or not it fits with your business goals. One of the biggest reasons many small businesses fail is because they take on projects or products that are completely unrelated to their business strategy and before you know it, not only have they lost the original business concept, but they’re not doing anything well.

Set Milestones. Create a growth strategy and set milestones and/or deadlines for yourself. Without established measurements, days, weeks and months can pass by while you talk, talk, talk about what you’re going to do, but you never get around to doing it. You may not meet every one of your goals in your estimated timeframe, but at least you’ll be continually focused forward.

Take Action every day. Never let a day go by in your business where you haven’t done at least one activity to help you reach your business goals. Business success requires discipline – the discipline to practice those things that are instrumental for your success. Occasionally making a sales call or attending a networking event won’t help you generate new business opportunities. You know better than anyone what actions are necessary to grow your business. Practice them every day.

Starting and growing a small business isn’t easy. Make sure you work smart so you don’t wind up chasing your tail.

Joseph Yount came to stay



Courtesy of Pahrump Valley Times
April 08, 2009
By Bob McCracken

Southern Nye County Founding Father


One of the benefits of studying history is the people you meet. You come upon the rich and the poor, the fools and the brilliant; those who did all they could to tear down society and those who strove to make the world a better place.

In my study of Western American history, I have found few who are as worthy of our respect and admiration as Joseph Yount, and none who deserve it more.

For me, Joseph Yount was a true Man of the West, embodying to an uncommon degree many of the values we most admire about our American civilization, including hard work, a can-do attitude, an openness to new opportunity, and a dedication to family and the building of community.

Joseph Yount, I believe, should be viewed as the founding father of Euro-American society in southern Nye County and what constitutes present-day Clark County. Though Yount and his family were not the first non-Native Americans to settle in the area, they were the first to make a sustained commitment to develop the area's potential.

Yount was born March 2, 1818, in Howard County, Missouri, where he spent his youth. On June 16, 1846, he was mustered into the U.S. Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and became a member of the 1st Regiment, Missouri Volunteers. He served under Gen. Alexander W. Doniphan in the Mexican War in operations from El Paso, Texas, to Monterrey, Mexico, with his outfit sometimes defeating much larger forces. He was discharged in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 21, 1847. Following his release from the army, Yount went to California.

He was in San Francisco just months prior to James W. Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Fort in January 1848. While in San Francisco, he is reported to have "suffered many privations, being forced to wrap his feet in gunny sacks to protect them from the cobblestone-paved streets." He is said to have returned to Missouri by way of Cape Horn.

After word of Marshall's discovery of gold got out, Joseph Yount returned to California. Don Hendricks, an associate at the Pahrump Valley Museum, reports that Yount is listed on the U.S. Census records for 1850 in Trinity, California, in the Gold Country. He returned to Missouri in 1852, after acquiring a "respectable stake" in gold mining.

In 1853, Joseph Yount married Margaret Parent, 16 years his junior. Over the next 23 years the couple had 10 children, including a set of twins, all of whom lived to be adults.

Beginning in 1856, Joseph, Margaret, and the two children they had at that time moved to southeast Nebraska. In 1858, Joseph spent eight months serving as a guide and participated in the Colorado gold rush.

In 1862 Yount was chosen to captain a train of 100 covered wagons bound for the La Grande area in southeast Oregon. By then, there would have been five young Yount children. The Younts are thought to have helped found the town of Sommerville in the La Grande area. The Younts remained in Oregon for 14 years.

A traveler returning to the area in the late 1870s told of "wonderful stories of the wealth and opportunities" in Tombstone, Arizona, where a big silver strike had been made. A number of people in the valley pulled up stakes and headed for the new boomtown, the Yount family among them.

With two wagons, at least 100 head of cattle, eight children ranging in age from newborn to 18 years; a married daughter and her husband and their small child (Maude, Harsha and Della White); and another family and their wagons and cattle, the Yount family headed for Arizona. Upon reaching Pahranagat Valley, Maude and Harsha White decided to spend the winter there. Joseph and Margaret and the kids pushed on. Further along, the family accompanying the Younts gave up on Arizona and purchased a ranch at Indian Springs.

When Joseph and Margaret got as far as Ash Meadows, they decided to rest their horses and cattle there, turning their draft horses into the mountains east of Johnnie to graze. A week or so later, much to their horror, they found that the Indians had killed all their draft horses.

Knowing it was impossible to go on without the draft horses, Yount sized up the family's predicament -- a 58-year-old man with a wife and eight children stranded in the middle of nowhere. Yount did what he had to do and traded for squatter's rights to the Manse Springs and adjoining ground in Pahrump Valley. The only improvement on the property was a 12-by-15-foot dirt-floored structure made of brush and mud.

When spring came, the family joined forces to produce a crop of corn and watermelon they sold to miners in the area. That gave them enough to survive the following winter. Over the ensuing years, Joseph, Margaret, and their children, joined by Maude and Harsha White and Della, turned the Manse Ranch into a southern Nevada showplace offering lodging for travelers. With hard work and a can-do attitude, they made the desert bloom.

In June 1890, the following appeared in the Belmont Courier: At the Manse Ranch, "sugar beets, blood beets, cabbage, rutabagas, carrots, parsnips, onions, peas, pie-plant, corn, etc., are being successfully cultivated in Nye County ... The wine made in Southern Nye is said, by experts, to be superior to wine made in California, and Nye County raisins contain 2 percent more sugar than California raisins."

The Las Vegas Age wrote in September 1905: "Manse has become a resort for travelers, where water, feed, shade, rest and table luxuries abound ... watered by the springs and ditches, willows, cottonwood, poplars, and other shade trees have grown to maturity. Around the old ranch home are clustered umbrella trees, apples, walnuts, peaches, pears, plums and the smaller fruits and vegetables in abundance."

One observer wrote, "I, personally, did not see the Manse Ranch until October 1905, but I will never forget my first view of it. I had traveled horseback for 50 miles, lain out overnight at Stump Springs, and had come in sight of the ranch at about 10 a.m. When I looked down from a slight elevation and saw the big leafy cottonwood trees, the acres and acres of shining green fields, orchard, and vineyards, the word that came to my mind was Oasis, and surely the Manse Ranch qualified as that ... the Manse Ranch was a sight for sore eyes."

In addition to operating the ranch, Yount and his family had interests in mining and timber. They were an economic and social force -- the first Euro-Americans to make a sustained commitment to the area and to developing its potential.

In 1898, at the age of 80 and with failing eyesight, Yount retired from the ranch and moved to San Bernardino, Calif., where Margaret and several of their children had previously moved. Harsha White sold the ranch in 1910, ending the Yount family's 33-year ownership.

Joseph Yount died January 3, 1907, just short of his 89th birthday. His obituary in the Beatty Bullfrog Miner contained the following passage: "After a life spent on the frontier pushing civilization into the remote corners of the land and aiding in building up many communities in the West, the aged man departed on the soil he had help wrest from Mexico in the early days. The end came peacefully, and with one exception all his children were at his bedside when death came and gently led the old man across the Great Divide."

SYNLawn

SYNLawn joined the Chamber in January. They are located in Las Vegas at 5130 South Fort Apache, Suite 270. They can be reached by telephone at 702-812-8864.

SYNLawn manufactures over 50 synthetic grass products for landscape, golf, sports, and playground applications. Each is designed and engineered for unequalled aesthetics and performance. SYNLawn is widely used for: residential and commercial landscaping, putting greens, Bocce Ball courts, athletic sporting fields, playgrounds and schoolyards, and rooftops.

There are many benefits to utilizing synthetic grass for a commercial project. For your consideration, benefits include:
· It provides realistic alternative to the look and feel of grass.
· It’s easy to maintain.
· It drains well at a rate of 40 gallons/hour.
· It’s durable with an 8 to 12 year warranty.
· It offers significant utility and maintenance bill savings.
· It qualifies for water rebates and LEED credits.
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· It meets and exceeds all safely standards.
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SYNLawn is guided by one single motivation: creating a truly breathtaking synthetic landscape grass and synthetic putting green installation. They understand customer needs do vary, and they are committed to finding the perfect fit for their clients’ needs. SYNLawn appreciates the trust their clients have put in their company and look forward to showing you why they are the number one synthetic grass company in the nation.

Bob Owens

(BURRO STEAKS, A-BOMBS, CAROLE LOMBARD AND CLARK GABLE)

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
December 12, 2008
By Bob McCracken

Longtime Pahrump resident Bob Owens was born in Searchlight in 1910. When he was seven, his family moved to Las Vegas, where they built a house on 40 acres about three miles northwest of downtown that his mother had purchased for $1.25 per acre.

In 1934, Owens went to work for the police department in Las Vegas. Officers took turns walking a beat or riding in a car.

Construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam, as it was then known) began in March 1931, and the last concrete was poured in May 1935.

Owens said the biggest law enforcement problem associated with the dam was that workers "would come in at nights and get drunk and have fights. Unless the fight was really hurting somebody, we didn't even pay attention to them because there was one on every corner. But if they got serious about it and would fight with broken bottles and somebody had to be taken and be sewed up at the hospital, then we had to intervene and take care of it."

In 1942 he transferred to the Clark County Sheriff's Department and was eventually promoted to undersheriff. While working for the sheriff, Owens got to know Ben "Bugsy" Siegel, who had taken over construction of the Flamingo Hotel in 1945. Siegel, of course, had deep mob connections and was gunned down by the mob in his mansion in Beverly Hills just six months after the Flamingo's opening the day after Christmas in 1946. Owens's description of Siegel is somewhat at odds with Bugsy's popular image.

"He wasn't a real big man," Owens said. "He was about 5'9" or 10" and had dark hair and slim. He was a real jovial guy; he would ride around with us in the sheriff's car and tell us stories and stuff, you know, about things that had happened. He was just a nice guy to be around ... He didn't have any bodyguards. ... I know he had a bunch of partners in with him to build the Flamingo Hotel. But as to who they were, I didn't know."

First Trip to Pahrump

Owens first set foot in the Pahrump Valley in 1924. He and a man named Track had come to Amargosa Valley to retrieve railroad ties from the old Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, which had been discontinued in 1918.

They collected 600 ties and stacked them behind the little mountain near present-day Crystal. Later, they discovered that someone had stolen the ties.

On that trip, Track and young Owens drove over to Pahrump, stopping at Johnnie on the way. An old prospector named Matt Cusick lived at Johnnie. He had a house but had constructed a screened-in, cage-like structure alongside the road. He had a bed in it and when a car came by, he would flag it down just to talk to somebody and get the latest news.

On that first trip, Cusick stopped Track and Owens, chatted a bit, and then invited them to stay for dinner. Being a town boy, Owens was enthralled to see many burros wandering about the site. He followed them around and tried to talk to them.

At one point when he was standing near the house, he could hear Cusick and Track talking. Cusick said he would be serving burro steaks for dinner and wondered what the kid would think when he found out. Owens didn't let on what he had heard. In his oral history, conducted by Harry Ford, Owens said, "After we ate the steaks and had a big dinner, I turned loose and brayed like a burro. The man's eyes like to [have] popped out of his head."

In the 1930s, a couple of men brought some unbroken horses from the Pahrump Ranch. Owens helped drive the bunch to Las Vegas. The horses had gotten fat in Pahrump feeding on good grass and mesquite. The owners had pastured hogs with the horses and occasionally would shoot a horse and let the hogs feed on the carcass.

In 1944 Owens bought the old Bill Beck property headquartered at Crystal Spring several miles east of Johnnie on Mount Sterling at the north end of the Spring Mountains above Pahrump.

He began running cattle and horses on the property, which included a 196,000-acre lease of Bureau of Land Management land. Part of the lease included portions of what is now the Nevada Test Site, which he re-leased back to the government when the test site was established.

He continued to work in law enforcement in Las Vegas, spending weekends and vacations on the ranch.

On April 22, 1952, Owens and his wife Esther were working cattle near Gold Spring on the other side of the mountain overlooking the test site when an artist appeared on the scene. He told them he had climbed up the mountains to watch a scheduled test of an atomic bomb. It wasn't long before a bomb went off and the artist began to paint the moment the mushroom cloud rose above the flat in the distance.

In 1966, Owens retired from law enforcement in Las Vegas and moved onto 40 acres in the Pahrump Valley he purchased from Chuck Connelly. He divided his time between his place in the valley and the ranch until after 1986, when Esther died.

Perhaps the biggest thing to happen in Las Vegas while Owens was involved in law enforcement there was a plane crash that made headlines everywhere.

In the late 1930s, Carole Lombard was one of the most famous and admired film stars in the world. She had a long list of movie hits to her credit and was the highest-paid female movie star in the world, earning $465,000 per year.

In 1939, she married Clark Gable (the King, as he was sometimes called), then the most popular actor in America. Her marriage to Gable only enhanced both stars' images. Lombard and Gable were the perfect pair, beautiful and madly in love.

Carole Lombard was a true patriot. In the late 1930s, she paid out more than 80 percent of her income in taxes and, far from resenting it, declared she was proud to do so for her country.

Little more than a month after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Lombard was asked to help raise money for the war effort. Accompanied by her mother, she traveled from Los Angeles to Indiana on a war-bond promotion drive. Though the effort was a huge success, she dreaded the long train ride back to Southern California.

Against the advice of her mother, who was a numerologist and warned of an impending accident or death, she decided to fly home.

The trip from Indiana went smoothly and the DC-3 made several refueling stops; the last one at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. The plane took on 225 gallons of fuel and was airborne at 7:07 p.m., Jan. 16, 1942, bound for the Burbank Airfield, where Clark Gable awaited his beautiful wife.

In his oral history, Owens says people heard the plane fly "real low and going real slow" over Las Vegas. Newspapers reported that a tremendous explosion was heard at 7:23. In good flying weather, the plane had failed to clear the top of Mount Potosi in the Spring Mountains by less than 60 feet and slammed into a giant cliff at the peak's summit.

There were no survivors among the 22 passengers and crew. Both Carole Lombard and her mother died instantly.

Owens was part of the crew that was sent to retrieve the bodies the next day. There was snow on the mountain and it was cold. He said four or five bodies were found relatively intact. The remainder of the victims existed only in pieces that had to be carried off in blankets.

One report said a body with blonde hair was removed; it may have been Lombard.

One of the horses and one of the mules carrying bodies and blankets filled with body parts fell over cliffs while trying to get down the mountain.

Meanwhile, Clark Gable was notified of the accident and flew to Las Vegas. He stayed in a bungalow at the El Rancho Vegas. Owens said, "I saw Clark Gable. He came to the police station and later went up there. He was in bad shape. He was so broken up." His good friend Spencer Tracy rushed to his side in Las Vegas.

In the wreckage, a soldier found a damaged diamond and ruby clip that Gable had given Lombard, and friends said Gable carried it in a small box worn on a chain around his neck until he remarried years later.

Following the accident, Gable, the King of Hollywood, volunteered for duty as an enlisted man in the Air Force and asked for the most dangerous assignments.

When driving west on Highway 160 from Las Vegas toward Mountain Springs, once you pass Fort Apache, look to the southwest and the big mountain there. That's Potosi.

Toward the south end of the mountain's summit, you'll see a big cliff right on top. That is where the accident occurred.

The Nevada Test Site: past and future

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
(October 31, 2008)
By Bob McCracken

"A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it." -- Francis Bacon, father of modern science, 1561-1626.

The discovery of the Comstock Lode, an enormous deposit of silver and gold 20 miles south of present-day Reno, was probably the most important event in Nevada history. It led to the creation of the state and set off the ongoing 150-year effort to develop its economic resources.

Following the Comstock discovery, the next 70 years of Nevada's history focused on mining, ranching, and transportation. The discovery of silver at Tonopah in 1900 and gold at Goldfield in 1902, and the railroads built to service the twin boom cities, are examples of this trend.

I would suggest the Tonopah/Goldfield discoveries comprise the third most important event in state history. Although the two towns were phenomenal in their time and helped keep the state alive for several decades, like the Comstock they didn't last; or as they say in Hollywood, "They didn't have legs."

Perhaps the second most important thing to happen in Nevada history was the legalization of gambling by the state legislature in 1931. You only need drive down the Las Vegas Strip to see where that led. Gaming and the tourism it has fostered obviously lie at the heart of Nevada's present-day economy. And who can say what the future holds for that industry?

This brings me to my choice of the fourth most important event in Nevada history. I believe that the creation of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), located in Nye County, has had an enormous impact on state history.

NTS employment played a big but sometimes underappreciated role in the development of Las Vegas in the 1950s and 1960s. It also had a large positive influence on the economies of the rural counties in southern Nevada.

Although the NTS currently operates at much-reduced levels compared to years past, its future need not be "all used up," as Marlene Dietrich said of Orson Welles's future in the classic film "Touch of Evil." One thing seems clear -- the NTS is a unique, even precious, resource. Such resources nearly always present big opportunities -- thus, the words of Francis Bacon above.

NTS History

The first atomic bomb was detonated at the Alamogordo Bombing Range near White Sands, N.M., at 5:29 a.m. July 16, 1945. Its yield was equivalent to 19,000 tons (19 kilotons) of TNT. Three weeks later, on Aug. 6, 1945, a nuclear weapon with a 13-kiloton yield was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, a second bomb with a yield of 23 kilotons was dropped on Nagasaki.

Following the end of World War II, the United States chose to continue the development of nuclear weapons (and energy). But officials faced the problem of where to do future testing.

Several American-controlled sites in the South Pacific Ocean were used. On July 1, 1946, the world's fourth atomic bomb was exploded over the lagoon of Bikini Atoll. Between 1946 and 1962, 106 nuclear weapons, including the hydrogen bomb, were detonated in the South Pacific.

As late as 1949, an official of the United States said it would take a national emergency to justify testing nuclear weapons within the U.S. borders.

Such an emergency was perceived to exist when the United States became involved in the Korean War. A search was undertaken for a testing site within the country's borders. Among the candidates were Alamogordo/White Sands, New Mexico; Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah; Pamlico Sound/Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and a 50-mile-wide strip between Fallon and Eureka, Nevada.

On Dec. 18, 1950, President Truman approved establishment of a facility on the Las Vegas-Tonopah Bombing and Gunnery Range in Nye County.

At first the site encompassed 350 square miles. Subsequent expansions led to its present size of 1,375 square miles.

Dina Titus suggests in her book, "Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics," that the Nye County location was selected for several reasons: It was the largest of the proposed sites; it was under the jurisdiction of the federal government, meaning less conflict with local governments; it was supported by Nevada's powerful Sen. Pat McCarran; it was a sparsely populated area, with the nearest residents 25 miles away; and it had low rainfall and predictable winds.

The first atomic weapon was detonated on the NTS at Frenchman Flat Jan. 27, 1951. Between 1951 and 1958, 100 nuclear devices were exploded in the atmosphere at the facility. After the Limited Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union was signed August 5, 1963, all testing was moved underground; in total, 828 such tests were conducted.

On Oct. 2, 1992, President George Bush signed a nine-month moratorium on nuclear weapons testing and no nuclear devices are known to have been detonated by the United States since that date.

In all there were 928 atomic tests at the NTS.

The impact of the NTS on southern Nevada can be seen in its impact on employment. In the mid-1980s, 9 percent of the workforce in southern Nevada was either directly or indirectly dependent on the NTS. According to Dina Titus, in 1985, total employment there was 18,640, including 240 federal employees, 7,100 private contractors, and 11,300 support workers.

I have interviewed men who worked at the NTS in the 1950s and 1960s who strongly believed that the good-paying union jobs at the NTS helped launch Las Vegas into its emerging modern era. Without the NTS, the city's future could have been quite different.

In addition to providing housing and services to NTS workers, their checks helped underwrite the construction and contribute to the balance sheets of the Sahara, Sands and other Las Vegas casinos in those years. NTS jobs were a vital source of employment for towns throughout Nye County and many families owed their livelihood to work there.

The Future

The question is, what lies ahead for the NTS?

Computer simulation of nuclear explosions has eliminated the need for their real testing for the foreseeable future. The NTS is being used for homeland security research and training as well as teaching military forces to fight in desert areas. For me, this suggests under-use of a remarkable resource.

Given the fact that the public will not be allowed free access to the NTS for the indefinite future, how can the NTS best be used by the nation and by Nevada?

A shift in thinking is needed. I suggest we focus on energy production big time.

The NTS is a good place to build conventional nuclear power plants; it's an even better place to reprocess, transmute and re-burn spent nuclear fuel. The idea that spent nuclear fuel -- "waste," as it is incorrectly called -- must be buried for 10,000 years, is a canard, phony -- old-fashioned thinking.

Spent nuclear fuel is a unique and valuable resource and can become the basis of a huge new industry, ushering in a renaissance in science and technology and green energy production.

What is needed is the wisdom, the will, and the leadership to grasp the future.

Far from being "all used up," the Nevada Test Site's future may be just beginning. Imagine a facility such as the NTS moving from weapons of war to helping to save the earth.

Branch-Hernandez & Associates, Insurance Services

Branch-Hernandez & Associates, Insurance Services joined the Chamber in January of this year. Their offices are located in Las Vegas at 2480 North Decatur. They can be reached at 702-648-6887.

B-H & A strives to meet and exceed its client’s insurance needs through attention to customer service and access to quality insurance products, with a focus on building strong strategic partnerships and serving a diverse and growing business community.
B-H & A has a clear and strong vision for success and a focus on how to accomplish their goals. The Principals of the agency have effectively communicated to their associates this vision. The unique agency culture has been embraced by the entire staff, creating a working environment that promotes success.

The agency is positioned to market and service commercial insurance to a broad and diverse base of businesses on both a local and national level. We are seeking to form strategic alliances that will be mutually beneficial to ourselves and our clients. Our plan is to initially expand our presence and services to the western region.

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Pahrump's Beginnings
(Land ownership and economics in Pahrump in the 1940s)

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
April 02, 2008
By Bob McCracken

Background

Human beings are thought to have first entered the Pahrump Valley about 12,000 years ago. Native Americans have maintained a presence here more or less continuously since then.

The first people of European ancestry showed up in the valley in the first half of the 19th century, perhaps as early as 1828 in the person of Canadian trapper and explorer Peter Skene Ogden. Another explorer, man of the West extraordinaire Colonel John C. Fremont, and his men crossed the Pahrump Valley in the spring of 1844 on their way east from California.

The beginnings of the development of the Pahrump Valley as we know it today can be traced to the mid-1870s.

In 1875, Charles Bennett and his family established what would eventually become the Pahrump Ranch at Pahrump Springs, next to a ranch owned by Chief Tecopa, a Southern Paiute. In 1882, Bennett sold out to Aaron and Rosie Winters for $20,000, the new owners having made money selling their borax claims in Death Valley.

In 1877, Joseph Yount and his family purchased the undeveloped ranch at Manse Spring from the Jordan brothers, who had bought it a year earlier from a Southern Paiute man named Mormon Charlie. The Younts subsequently developed what became the Manse Ranch into a southern Nevada showplace. Perhaps it's a bit unfair to the Bennetts, but I consider the real beginning of the community of Pahrump to be the Younts moving to Manse Spring.

Pahrump in the mid-1940s

In 1944 Harry Ford, who was then seven years old, moved to Pahrump with his family. Luckily for those interested in Pahrump history, he is blessed with a good memory. Not long ago, we talked about land ownership and economics in Pahrump in the mid-1940s. In what follows, I will draw from his recollections.

Easy availability of water, of course, has always been the basis of Pahrump's development. There are two distinct watersheds in Pahrump. On the south is the big alluvial fan that comes out of Carpenter Canyon; the big spring at the Manse Ranch is located on the Manse fan. (An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped pile of sediment left by a stream coming out of a narrow canyon into a relatively flat valley.)

To the north is the Wheeler fan, which comes out of Wheeler Canyon and is the basis of the two big springs located about 400 or 500 feet apart on the old Pahrump Ranch. Ford thought the two Pahrump Ranch springs combined probably produced about 3,500 gallons per minute, whereas Manse Spring yielded less than that. Interestingly, the water from the Pahrump springs was warmer (76 degrees) than the water at Manse.

Water still flows at the Manse Spring but the Pahrump Springs dried up and were bulldozed over.

In 1944, the first big ranch on the approach from the south belonged to Lois Kellogg, who had purchased a large block of land adjoining the Manse Ranch in 1939.

The property, acquired mostly from the state, was located partly in Nye County and partly in Clark County. There was only one small spring on Kellogg's place; she drilled several fine artesian wells. She grew grain and hay. Lois Kellogg died in 1944, reportedly of tularemia. Her property, which consisted of several sections of land, was soon purchased by H.D. Cornell, a Southern California physician, who also owned the adjoining Manse Ranch, having acquired it in the late 1930s.

Today, the old Kellogg Ranch would be bordered on the south near Turner Road and on the north by Manse Road.

Adjoining Kellogg's place on the north was the Manse Ranch. "It was the largest cattle ranch in the area -- at least in terms of cows. They also did some farming," Ford said.

The Manse Ranch itself was about 2,000 acres, but had been expanded to 6,700 acres by Cornell, mostly through purchase of the Kellogg Ranch. The old Manse Ranch would have been bordered on the south by Manse Road and on the north by Gamebird Road. Homestead Road comes off State Highway 160 and runs due south, adjacent for two miles to the western ends of the old Manse and Kellogg ranches.

The Manse Ranch ran cattle in the Charleston Mountains. Ford said, "They would move the cattle into mountain pasture every spring ... it was a big thing. Everybody that was here -- which wasn't a whole lot of people -- would join in ... They would drive the cattle up Wheeler Wash. Its sides are very steep, so they had a drift fence up there and they would close the gate. Of course, in those days everybody left a gate like they found it. They would run their cattle all through the spring and summer months up there.

"About September or October, they would open the drift fence. They didn't have to go up and get them. After years of doing this, the cattle would come down on their own. They would come straight to the ranch. They would then push the cattle west out toward the California line. By this time, grass would have grown and dried out and there were lots of mesquite beans. And mesquite beans are like feeding the best grain in the country."

Elmer Bowman purchased the Manse Ranch in 1946 and turned it into "one of the most modern, profitable ranches in the country," according to Ford. In 1951, Bowman sold part of what had been the Kellogg Ranch to Tim Hafen.

The Pahrump Ranch was huge, perhaps 12,000 acres. In the mid-1940s, about 1,000 acres were being farmed. "Their cattle operation was a dandy," Ford said. "They had nice working corrals; they had a big barn, they had their horses; they had everything. But it was all enclosed within a fence -- they had the whole area fenced." All the cattle from both the Pahrump and Manse ranches were shipped to California.

The school that Ford and the other children in the valley attended was located on the Pahrump Ranch and is now on display at the Pahrump Museum. The southern boundary of the old Pahrump Ranch is at Gamebird Road, and parts of its northern boundary would be at Highway 372.

There were several other properties in the Pahrump Valley in the mid-1940s. One was the Raycraft Ranch, which adjoined the Pahrump Ranch on the north and extended north to Wilson Road. It consisted of 640 acres and had several small springs and artesian wells on it. Ford's family moved onto the Raycraft Ranch not long after moving to Pahrump and lived there for a number of years.

Frank "Pop" Buol had 160 acres adjoining the Raycraft place on the north where he operated a country store. He farmed about 40 acres, having a lovely orchard where he produced such delectables as apples, peaches, plums, apricots, and almonds. Pop's trees still produce.

He also raised grapes and made a good-quality wine.

Just prior to the Fords' arrival in Pahrump, Ray Van Horn from the Bakersfield, Calif., area inherited $10,000 from his father. Ford said, "The County had somehow ended up with thousands and thousands of acres on the northwest side of the valley. [Van Horn] purchased thousands of acres for $1.25 an acre."

But Van Horn wasn't making a dime on the property. Finally, however, he sold several large parcels for $5 an acre. In 1949, he went to Las Vegas and purchased James Cashman's wife's Cadillac. He also purchased a little duplex and is said to have done very well for the remainder of his life.

Many of the big farming operations in the northern part of the valley, beginning in the early 1950s, were carved out of Van Horn's holdings, including the Dorothy, Simkins, Basin, and Brady ranches. Van Horn's land extended as far south as Basin Road.

That's how it was in Pahrump in the mid-1940s.

Promoting a can-do attitude

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
(December 21, 2007)
By Bob McCracken

A close look at the histories of the major communities in Nye County shows that each can trace its origin to one or two individuals strongly infused with a can-do attitude.
The can-do attitude says: The future is filled with possibility. I can do that. There's no good reason why my dreams can't come true.

The can-do spirit was at the core of our frontier value system, and in no place on earth did it develop as strongly as it did in the United States, especially in the West.

This attitude is strikingly evident in Joseph and Margaret Yount's development of their ranch in Pahrump Valley. Their 1876 acquisition of a property in the middle of nowhere that became the giant Manse Ranch is the seed from which the town of Pahrump has grown over the past 130 years.

It was the irrepressible optimism of prospectors Frank "Shorty" Harris and Ed Cross that led to the discovery of gold in the Bullfrog Hills and the subsequent founding of the towns of Rhyolite and Beatty.

Jim Butler's can-do attitude led to his discovery of silver and the founding of Tonopah in 1900. Five years later, John C. Humphrey's chance discovery of gold on the west side of the Toquima Range 40 miles north of Tonopah, and his and his associates' efforts to take advantage of the discovery, led to the founding of the town of Manhattan.

And Louis Gordon saw opportunity when gold was discovered some dozen miles north of Manhattan in 1906 and became the founding father of both mining and community development at Round Mountain.

No sign of a "no can do" attitude anywhere among these people. They didn't know they couldn't construct the future.

And what about the history of Amargosa Valley? We find plenty of the can-do attitude there.

If ever there was a can-do man, it was Ralph Jacobus "Dad" Fairbanks. He was born in 1857 in Payson, Utah, and in 1883 the Mormon Church called on him to help establish a new colony on the Sevier River not far from Richfield, Utah.

Later, Dad went on to purchase the Ash Meadows spring and nearby property in the Amargosa Valley that now bears the Fairbanks name. Dad established a mercantile and freighting business at Ash Meadows.

In 1908, he moved to the boomtown of Greenwater and in 1910 moved his business to Shoshone, Calif., which up to then had been little more than an Indian camp. In 1920, when he was past 70, Dad picked up and moved south and founded yet another town: Baker, Calif.

In 1905, U.S. Sen. William A. Clark, for sure a can-do fellow, had completed his San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (SP, LA, & SL), which linked Los Angeles and Salt Lake City by way of what became Las Vegas. He then constructed the Las Vegas and Tonopah (LV&T) Railroad, which crossed the Amargosa Valley.
Beginning in 1872 another can-do person, F. M. "Borax" Smith, made a big discovery of borax at Teal's Marsh in Esmeralda County, and went on to be a huge force in area borax production.

In 1905, Smith began construction of his Tonopah and Tidewater (T&T) Railroad, which ran from Ludlow, Calif., where it connected with the Santa Fe Railroad tracks, to Gold Center in the Amargosa Valley, five miles south of Beatty. It reached Gold Center in 1907.

The T&T Railroad's first stop inside the Nevada border was at Leeland, just south of Big Dune. The next stop was Carrara, then Gold Center.

The presence of the T&T, however, did not attract settlers to the valley. In 1915, the railroad established an experimental farm at Leeland in an effort to prove the valley's agricultural potential, but still few, if any, settlers came.

In 1919, Nevada Sen. Key Pittman, who had been at Tonopah and Round Mountain in their boomtown days, pushed through a change in federal law that made it easier to homestead Nevada's desert land.

Several officials of the Pacific Coast Borax Co., which owned the T&T, took advantage of the changes and filed on land in the Amargosa Valley. The claims were patented in 1927 and passed to the borax company, and the claims became the T&T Ranch. There was modest activity at the ranch until the T&T operations ceased in mid-1940. Hopes for future valley development were temporarily derailed.

In about 1947, Gordon and Billie Bettles obtained an option to purchase the T&T Ranch from the Pacific Coast Borax Co., which still owned the property. In the late 1940s, the Bettles were the only residents of the Amargosa farm area. Both Gordon and Billie, of course, had the pioneering spirit.

And then there was Hank Records. Born in Folsom, N.M., in 1918, he grew up in the New Mexico-Colorado border area and took a degree in metallurgical engineering from Penn State University.

During World War II he was an officer with the 1884th Aviation Engineering Battalion and helped build runways at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and on Palau, Guam, and Okinawa. After the war, Hank said he and his brother Robert "were still dreaming about mining ... I was going to hit the proverbial deal."

In 1950 Hank helped develop a mine at Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley. That year, he and Robert had occasion to be in Beatty and drove through the Amargosa Valley.
Both of the pioneering men were enchanted by the economic potential of the valley. Soon, both filed on land under Pittman's Desert Land Act. In 1953, they began drilling wells and then putting up buildings.

The Records brothers figured large in the subsequent development of the Amargosa Valley. Always strong community boosters, they were sparkplugs in the creation of the Valley Electric Cooperative. Power was turned on in the valley in 1963.

I had the honor of getting to know Hank fairly well for an extended period of time beginning about 20 years ago. I considered Hank a very good friend and he remains an inspiration to me. He was what I call a true Nevadan -- and really, you don't have to be from Nevada to be a true Nevadan; it's a state of mind, the best of the frontier way of looking at things.

I have never met anyone with a more indomitable spirit than Hank's. He expressed an infectious enthusiasm for life and the joy of the chase of life's opportunities. Hank was an optimist, the quintessential can-do man.

He was a stranger to the "no can do" view of the world. Failure was not a word in his vocabulary. He had his failures, of course, but he shrugged them off like water from an Ash Meadows duck's back.

Hank was a pioneer -- one who, by example, leads others to the bright future. He understood that civilization rises on the efforts of those who seize opportunity and stagnates or falls with those who tremble and hesitate.

Hank looked forward to and relished the huge opportunities he believed Yucca Mountain presented. At the time of his death he was passionately involved in developing a large cement production capacity in the Amargosa Valley to supply the cement needs of Yucca Mountain. No whining about spent nuclear fuel from this man of the West.

Hank Records was cast from the same mold as John C. Fremont, the Younts, Jim Butler and Dad Fairbanks. These can-do people are our heroes; we are derived from them and in that sense, we are descended from good stock.
And the dream lives on.

Right now there is the potential for Nye County to move to a new era in its history. Humankind faces two huge problems: energy and water. Nye County has the potential to become a major producer of both -- yes, water.

The potential also exists for Nye County to become a major research center, focusing on the solution of humanity's energy and water problems. Imagine Science City, a city in Amargosa Valley, devoted to solving the world's most pressing problems -- the 21st century equivalent to Los Alamos, New Mexico. Much is possible with a can-do attitude.

Chance . . .

By Bob McCracken, Nye County Historian
(Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times)
December 05, 2007 Issue

Twenty years ago, I used to hang out at a cozy little piano bar at the Frontier Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. A beautiful songbird named Tiffany sang and played piano there. She was a dream come true and there hasn't been anyone like her in Vegas since.

One night, a guy came in, took a seat at the bar, and ordered a drink. Pretty soon he said, "Boy, did I have a wild day."

"What happened?" someone asked.

"I rolled my van on I-15. I didn't have my seat belt on and I walked away."

"Wow," Tiffany and a couple of others exclaimed.

Then he added, "That's when I knew that God had a plan for me."

I thought about what he said for a moment, and then replied, "I'll tell you what. Go roll your van on I-15 again with no seat belt on and see if God's plan has changed."

I wasn't really trying to insult the man's belief in his god. My intention was to sensitize him to the big part that chance, or randomness, plays in our lives. I believe that life is very much a crap shoot. You walk away from an accident today, and next time, under the same circumstances, it's a one-way trip to the morgue. It's like playing the Big Wheel in a casino.

We human beings have a tough time with the idea of chance. I don't know of a culture in the world that places such a high value on the role of chance in their view of things. The Pueblo Indians, for example, will not allow that chance plays any part in accounting for what happens. For them, everything is orderly and determined.

People typically take comfort in believing we are in some manner masters of our fate. The outcome of our lives, we like to think, is determined either by our own thoughts and actions or by some sort of divine plan or by a combination of the two.

We see very little room for randomness. Even Einstein could never accept the idea of randomness in quantum mechanics, the science of subatomic matter. "God does not play dice with the universe," he famously said.

But Einstein was wrong. God does play dice. He does it everywhere, all the time.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the Western frontier. Chance played a huge role in determining "Who did what, where, and when," and "Who made it big and who failed."

In no activity on the frontier did chance play a bigger role in determining winners and losers than in prospecting for gold and silver. Nature didn't put much precious metal in her mountains and valleys; and where she did, she often did a pretty good job of concealing its presence. Most discoveries on the frontier were made on the basis of chance as opposed to real prediction.

Moreover, when it came to prospectors looking for the golden glitter, it was a case of "many are called, but few are chosen."

Many searched for the door to Easy Street, but the opportunities for even modest success were limited by the nature of the game. Real success in prospecting came only to a select few. Most prospectors were not lucky. And, of course, it was the winners who got the accolades and all the press and on whom history later focused. History cares nothing for losers -- there are too many of them. Who wants to hear all the sad stories and bad news?

Yet, losers have a story to tell. In the rare cases when the loser's version has been preserved, it is often more interesting, richer and more human than the winner's tale. Take the case of the old man who lived in a cabin in Troy Canyon on the east side of Railroad Valley in Nye County in 1908.

In that year an automobile race, dubbed the Great Race, was run from New York to Paris. Teams from the United States, Italy, Germany, and France pitted their cars against each other in a grueling road race across the U.S., Siberia, and Europe.

The racers departed New York Feb. 12, 1908, on a route that took them across Nevada. The Italian team, driving a Züst automobile whose back seat had been removed in Ogden, Utah, to make room for a large gas tank, reached Ely March 26. From Ely they drove to Current, traveled south down Railroad Valley, and then west to Tonopah and Goldfield.

Reluctant to camp on the open plain for fear of coyotes -- yes, coyotes -- they spent the night in Railroad Valley as guests of an unnamed old Frenchman who lived in a stone cabin in Troy Canyon on the west side of the Grant Range.

A member of the Italian team, Antonio Scarfoglio, wrote a book on his team's adventures in the Great Race titled Round the World in a Motor Car. He provides a lengthy account of the old Frenchman. I will quote from Scarfoglio's wonderful description of this man whose dreams never came true.

"A fine old man with a flowing beard, dressed in leather, with a felt cap on his head . . . He took us inside, to a large, well-lighted room. On the walls were bunches, wreathes, and garlands of paper flowers, red, blue, and violet . . . There was an iron bedstead in a corner, a glowing hearth, a table, some books . . . In another corner was a photograph of a lady with two little children beside her . . . The grand old man towered amidst his household goods, and his Herculean body seemed to increase in size on contact with the little delicate things among which he lived.

"Then, simply and calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed, he began to tell his story. He told us of his beautiful country far away, of a poor but serene and happy life, of an adored wife and two children, and of the great longing that seized him. Toiling beside his wife and children in his distant home, he was seized with despair because he could not give to the objects of his affection everything they desired . . . With eager eyes he would read in newspapers reports of an El Dorado somewhere across the sea, to the west. So he went, alone, leaving everybody. He arrived, suffered, but found nothing.

"He endured the pangs of hunger, perished with cold, wandered over sea and land in search of fortune, for 30 years without cessation. Spring and summer passed over his head and winter whitened his hair. He heard nothing from his wife and she heard nothing from him . . . He traveled breathlessly on the track of fortune, from Alaska to the Transvaal, from Canada to Australia, with his pack, and bundle, and rifle, and tin of corned beef.

"But he never found fortune . . . He had squandered his life, cast it to the four winds. He had thrust far behind him all affection and all joy; cut every bond, and untied every knot which united him to humanity. And now, after 30 years, he is hopeless, weakened, and exhausted . . . His hopes of happiness have passed . . . He will never see his country or his family again; he will never leave this spot . . . He will last until his eyelids are tired, and then he will stretch himself on his bed in the midst of his paper flowers and smiling photographs, and will die, quietly, like a man who, having no more strength for climbing, allows himself to roll gently down an incline . . ."

The Italian team spent the night at the old man's cabin and left for Tonopah the next morning. Scarfoglio wrote, ". . . the hermit accompanied us as far as the mouth of the gorge, and remained standing on the edge of a rock with his hands shading his eyes until we disappeared from sight."

There were winners and losers in the big casino that was the Western frontier, and, as with the casinos on the Strip in Las Vegas today, the percentage of big winners was vanishingly small.

Note: The American and German teams reached Paris in July 1908; the Italians, in September. The French dropped out and sold their car to a Chinese merchant in Peking.

Son of Pahrump pioneer recalls old cotton fields

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
(November 30, 2007)
By Mark Waite

Many Pahrump residents are now living on property that was once owned by the late Walt Williams. Williams owned the Pahrump Ranch, 10,000 acres of fee simple land in the heart of Pahrump, until he sold it to Preferred Equities Corporation (PEC) in 1970. PEC then subdivided it into tens of thousands of parcels as part of the Calvada project and the development of Pahrump began.

Walt Williams never had a street named after him until Tuesday, November 27, 2007 when Nye County Commissioners voted to name a short drive leading into the Calvada Eye "Walt Williams Drive."

Philip Mark Williams, 60, Walt's only remaining son, was on hand for the renaming, clutching a black and white photograph of his dad standing next to the airstrip once located near the Calvada Eye.

Nye County historical author Bob McCracken calls Walt Williams, "the king of cotton" in Pahrump Valley.

Philip Williams recalled how his father was farming cotton and alfalfa around Pecos, Texas when he spotted an ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about property in Nevada. "The water situation in West Texas where we were living was becoming dire. The water table was dropping and he knew that there were going to be problems," Williams said.

Walt Williams flew to Las Vegas with his wife and another couple, visited Pahrump Valley, took some water and soil samples back to West Texas and were impressed by what they saw.

Philip Williams recalls his father stating he bought the fee simple title to 10,000 acres for $400,000 which included a lease for another 12,000 acres of property owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. That's less than some single parcels of land are now selling for on Highway 160. But Philip Williams notes those were 1958 dollars, when gas was 20 cents per gallon and a new car sold for $2,000.

The Pahrump Ranch extended from the intersection of Highway 372 and 160 down to Homestead Road. Philip Williams said his father farmed 2,000 acres of cotton and alfalfa. He had 10 deep irrigation wells pumping out 1,200 to 2,500 gallons of water per minute.

The Williams family lived in Las Vegas, but Walt Williams commuted to Pahrump every day, purchasing supplies for his farm before making the commute.

"When we came here 50 years ago there was no power and no telephone, except the households that had generators of their own had their own power and there was a telephone booth up by the corner (of Highway 160 and 372), by the Union 76 station and the cafe," Philip Williams said. The Union 76 station and cafe were owned by Mary and Leroy Vaughn, he said. Only 300 people lived in Pahrump in 1958, Philip Williams said. His father donated 40 acres where the Pahrump Nugget Casino now sits, to build the Nevada Ginning Company. Previously the cotton was baled in Pahrump and carted at great expense to Bakersfield, California for ginning.

The young Philip enjoyed accompanying his dad on trips from Las Vegas to Pahrump and liked being around the farm machinery. Philip said he learned to drive at age 11 on the street that will now bear his father's name.

Walt Williams lived in Las Vegas until his death on New Years Eve, 1993.

"Back then the valley was very isolated and remote. So until Preferred Equities came in here and invested the money and started building infrastructure, really nothing else could happen. It was kind of waiting for that giant step to start the whole thing in motion," Philip Williams said.

Philip Williams lives on land his father purchased in Oregon, but still commutes to southern Nevada where he owns property in Pahrump, Amargosa Valley, and Sandy Valley. He expressed his appreciation for the county commission action remembering his father.

Beware the ogre, beware the tommyknocker

Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times
(October 31, 2007)
By Bob McCracken, Nye County Historian

Halloween is a good time to talk about goblins, ghosts, and other fearsome entities.
More than 400 years' study of the peoples of the world has demonstrated the universal belief in the existence of what are called "ogres."

In 1955 Stith Thompson, an amazingly dedicated scholar, published a six-volume work on the literature of the peoples of the world titled "The Types of Folk-Tale: A Classification and Bibliography." In it, he attempted to classify the elements that make up the folk tales, myths, ballads, and fables recorded throughout the world.

These entities, of course, never existed in the real world.

Throughout the world, ogres serve an important social function. As a former professor of mine, John Greenway, said in his book on world folklore, "Fear is the universal emotion evoked by ogre tales and since fear is a powerful source of psychic energy, ogres are used to coerce people into proper conduct."

Two Native American groups occupied what is now Nye County at the time of the first entry of Euro-Americans in 1827 -- the Shoshone, who resided in that part of Nye County north of Ash Meadows; and the Southern Paiute, who lived in the area from Ash Meadows south. Near neighbors included the Northern Paiute, who occupied western Nevada from about Mono Lake north, west of the Reese River; and the Panamint, who were found in the Owens Valley and a portion of southern Nevada.

All of these groups are speakers of Numic languages. Numic is a language family whose separate languages are fairly similar -- much like Spanish, French, and Italian, all members of the Romance language family. The Numic-speakers in Nye County, along with the Ute Indians (who also speak a Numic language), who occupied most of Utah east of the Virgin River and western Colorado to the Continental Divide, share many cultural traits in addition to the similarity of their languages. They tend to have the same ogres.

Storytelling was an important activity for the Numic people, as it is with all human beings. One researcher, Sven Liljeblad, described the Numic-speaking people's storytelling this way: "In the flickering light of the tiny fire in the center of the flimsy winter dwelling, people huddled in their rabbit skin blankets; listening to stories they had known since childhood but never tired of hearing again."

One of the most important ogres for people living in the Great Basin was "a water spirit of evil disposition, a creature still observed today by old and young."

The literal translation of the Shoshone name for this creature is Water Baby. Water Baby typically is a solitary spirit dwelling in streams, lakes, or springs and makes visits nightly to people's camps and steals babies left unguarded by their mothers; it also pulls people into rivers. Tales are even told of Water Babies dragging man-eating giants down into the water to be drowned.

Another ogre of the Numic-speaking people, including Nye County's Southern Paiute and Shoshone people, is a terrifying and harmful dwarf known as Mountain Man. He can also be translated as the bogeyman and used as a warning when disciplining children.

This entity leaves footprints as long as a person's finger and sometimes travels at timberline armed with a bow and arrow. Sometimes he shows himself as a pygmy less than five inches tall. He may be seen as a bright green miniature. He shoots invisible arrows from his quiver that can cause sickness in man and animals.

People were reluctant to utter his name.

There are also legends of man-eating ogres of superhuman size. The Shoshones envision such a supernatural being as a sort of ghost, sometimes depicted as a one-legged monster. Giants may appear with only one eye or with large, glowing eyes. The song a giant sings, or his whistling, can be heard from a distance. This giant, man-eating creature can paralyze people with a glance, and tales center around his abduction of people.

Experts suggest that in pre-European contact times, area residents told ogre stories more frequently than any other type of lore. It is important to remember that tales of ogres and other supernatural entities are always placed in the context of the local environment and social structure.

When people visualize such beings in their local situation – their local reality – the stories carry more meaning and emotional potency.

Miners in the American West had their own cast of supernatural characters. For example, belief in tommyknockers was common. A tommyknocker is a mischievous, sometimes malevolent, entity believed to dwell in mines. They are thought to be capable of interacting with miners in both helpful and frightening ways, sometimes in the same act.

When I got out of high school, I worked with my father in a mine in New Mexico. One of my tasks was to carry large bundles of fuse attached to blasting caps down a long, poorly lit tunnel. I did not enjoy doing this. On occasion, I thought I heard strange sounds emanating from the rock walls. I happened to mention these sounds to my father and he quizzed me closely on what exactly I had heard. I asked him why he was so interested and he answered, "Well, it could be tommyknockers and you've got to pay attention."

On a more frightening note, I have interviewed miners who, some 40 years ago, worked at the Wellington Mine in Breckenridge, Colo. Some of the workings at the Wellington date back to the early 1900s. The men I spoke to told of a ghost, an ogre who was believed to inhabit the old section of the mine. The entity was described as a headless miner who endlessly pushed a ghostly tram car full of ore through the old diggings.

Belief in the headless trammer among miners at the Wellington varied, but no one was completely dismissive. There were some who would go into the old section of the mine if they had to, but were never completely comfortable doing so. Other miners absolutely refused under any conditions to enter the old part of the mine out of fear of encountering the headless trammer.

Halloween is almost here -- watch out.

Founding Father
Meet Elmer Bowman


By Bob McCracken, Nye County Historian
(Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times)
September 28, 2007

Think about all the people who have lived in the Pahrump Valley since Joseph and Margaret Yount founded the Manse Ranch in 1877.

Among them, who would you select as the founding father or mother of modern Pahrump? In other words, what individual contributed the most to the development of the modern community?

The Younts and their son-in-law, Harsha White, are logical choices. Lois Kellogg is also a contender – the Younts, White, and Kellogg all belonging to an older era in Pahrump history.

More recently there was Walt Williams, who was the valley's cotton king from 1958 to 1970, and Leonard Rosen, whose Preferred Equities kicked off the present boom beginning in the early 1970s. And there is Tim Hafen, who moved to the valley at age 19 in 1951 and has been a leader in the community ever since.

All are key figures in modern Pahrump history, no doubt about it.

But my candidate for modern Pahrump's founding father is Elmer Bowman.

I once asked Tim Hafen what he thought of the idea, and he said he strongly agreed. Recently, I asked Harry Ford if he agreed with Tim Hafen, and he replied, "Yes, 200 percent." Both knew Bowman well.

Elmer Squire Bowman was born in Minersville, Utah, in 1893 and was raised in the Bunkerville and Logandale area of northeastern Clark County, Nevada. His family was of the Mormon faith and he served his mission in New Zealand.

He married Elizabeth Rebecca Leavitt, born in 1892, who was from the Virgin Valley. The couple had eight children who survived to adulthood: five girls and three boys.

The Bowmans lived in the Moapa Valley-Logandale area, where Elmer was a rancher and operated a store and trucking business. He was also heavily involved in community affairs there, including education, helping to bring electric power to Logandale, and was active in the local irrigation company.

Once the construction of Hoover Dam began, the increased population in the Las Vegas area led to a growth in the dairy business in northeastern Clark County. Bowman started a dairy in Logandale, milking about 30 cows.

In 1942, he began hauling hay from the Pahrump Valley – mostly grown on the Pahrump Ranch – to the stockyard in Las Vegas. At that time, livestock transported on the train was unloaded in Las Vegas and fed and watered there before being shipped on to other destinations.

During those years there was pressure on the agricultural land in northeastern Clark County. As agricultural properties were passed down through several generations, parcels grew smaller and smaller.

There was also a problem with different types of soil on the same parcel. It became increasingly difficult to make a living in agriculture there. Ever the entrepreneur, Bowman was on the lookout for a new opportunity, and he saw his chance in the Pahrump Valley.

In about 1944, he purchased a large parcel of land at the north end of the valley from one of the Van Horn brothers. His plan was to build a large dairy. He was drilling a well on the property when fate intervened.

The 6,700-acre Manse Ranch was owned by a physician in California named H.D. Cornell. The story goes that there was a banker in Las Vegas by the name of Minetti whom Bowman knew. One day in 1946, Cornell was in the bank talking to Minetti about selling the ranch. Minetti said, "I know a man who could run that. He'd make a deal for it." Bowman liked what he saw, large flowing springs and plenty of land. He could see that the Pahrump Valley was the new frontier.

Bowman bought the Manse Ranch from Cornell in 1946, and he and Elizabeth, along with several of their grown children and their spouses, moved to Pahrump. Among the children who made the move were son Perry and his wife Norma and daughter Imogene with her husband, Lenford "Digger" Anderson.

From the beginning, the huge ranch was run as a family operation, with Perry splitting off his own effort early on. Bowman's move to Pahrump influenced Max Hafen and his son Tim to purchase 840 acres from Bowman and young Tim and his wife moved onto their property in 1951.

From the beginning, Bowman's intention was to build a community in Pahrump. Essentially, he transferred his entrepreneurial and community-building skills honed in the Moapa Valley to the frontier in Pahrump. At 50 years of age, he was not doing it for himself; it was for future generations of both his family and the community. He was deeply concerned with the welfare and future of all of the residents of the valley.

According to his son Perry, when Bowman got to Pahrump, making a living there was a tough proposition. "There was nothing here that was solid, or that was paying for itself. The money was coming out of California to run it."

Perry Bowman described Pahrump's isolation to me. People had to go to Las Vegas for doctors and to Shoshone for fuel. There was no power, no telephone, and no oiled roads. If you wanted electricity, you had to generate it yourself.

Bowman involved himself in a myriad of activities to elevate the quality of life for all Pahrump. He became deeply involved with education in the valley and was a strong advocate for improving the area's roads. In 1954, the paved road over Mountain Springs to Las Vegas was opened; eventually (in 1966), the road connecting with Highway 95 via Johnnie was completed. Bowman, along with Tim Hafen and Hank Records, played a vital role in bringing power to the Pahrump and Amargosa valleys. He was also heavily involved in bringing telephone service to the valley. And he was a leader in helping to provide religious services to members of his faith living in Pahrump.

In effect, Elmer Bowman used his Manse Ranch farming operation as a demonstration of the valley's agricultural potential.

In 1952 he began what Harry Ford described as an "assembly line dairy farm," where four cows could be milked at the same time using milking machines. Ford estimates there were perhaps 150 cows in his operation.

Always open to trying something new, in 1948 he made a deal with Leon Hughes to put acreage on the big ranch in cotton, proving once and for all that cotton could be successfully grown in the valley, setting the stage for the "King Cotton" era of Pahrump history.

In the mid-1960s, Bowman divided the Manse Ranch among family members and moved to St. George, Utah. He died in 1970.

Bill Turner, who moved to Pahrump in 1947, summed up Elmer Bowman's role in Pahrump's development: "Elmer Bowman was a far-thinking man. He was really pushing education all the time. And he lived and breathed getting power in the valley. He said, 'We won't have a valley here until we have power.' And, 'We need roads in here' ... Anywhere there was a meeting, Elmer was there day or night. I don't know how the man ever kept up, but he really went."

One person I interviewed for this column suggested that the next school built in Pahrump be named after Elmer Bowman. I second the motion.

I also respectfully suggest that town leaders set aside an acre or so. Build a beautiful fountain in the middle of the site and, around the fountain, place larger-than-life bronze statues paying tribute to honored figures in the valley's past.

I suggest the first statue be a likeness of Elmer Bowman. It would be an inspiration to all.

Bill Thomas: Last of the Great Frontier sheriffs

By Bob McCracken, Nye County Historian
(Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times)
August 03, 2007

I'm a great admirer of Nye County Sheriff William H. "Bill" Thomas. Among all the important figures in county history, none looms larger. I believe Thomas was the last of the great Western Frontier sheriffs.

Thomas was born in 1876 in Austin, the oldest of five children, and died in Tonopah in 1966. He was first elected sheriff of Nye County in 1916, and after a two-year hiatus between 1918 and 1920, was re-elected continuously until his retirement in 1959.

Upon Thomas's retirement, Robert A. Crandall, then editor of the Tonopah Times-Bonanza and Goldfield News, wrote:

"But to the people of Nye County, and especially the old-timers who have known Bill Thomas as a stout-hearted sheriff and a friend in time of need or peril, the old court house will never be quite the same without him."

At some point following his retirement, Bill Thomas was interviewed by longtime central Nevada resident Bertha Manhire Cline. The interview was recorded on reel-to-reel tape, with old-time Goldfield Sheriff Ed Kitchen present. The following are passages quoted verbatim from Sheriff Thomas.

"I was born in Austin, Nevada, ninth day of April, 1876. My father's name [was] Thomas Thomas Thomas and my mother's name was Thomasine Thomas. And after [my] being born in Austin, my mother moved out to Ione where my father was working in the mines out there. And we stayed there for a period of time, I don't know how long, and finally came back to Austin and [he] was employed in Austin. He worked at mining, blacksmithing, and hoist man at different times.

"I went to school in Austin till I was around 15, 16, and I got tired of school and wanted to go to work. So the old father said he didn't like it but I told him I didn't want to go back to school . . . so it was get out and go to work. So he got me a job down in the butcher shop run by an Englishman, Simon Braid . . . I just cleaned up around the shop . . . and kept the sawdust in place, and he took me to cutting some kind of piece of meat, you know. The first thing they do is make you trim meat for sausage and bologna . . . And then finally you get into cutting; so after a while I got to be a pretty fair meat cutter.

"I went to work for George Dixon. He used to live out in Ione. He had a market there, so I went to work for him and I got to be quite a butcher, slaughterhouse man, killed sheep, beef, hogs, everything. I worked for Dixon for quite a period of time -- two, three years, I guess."

From Ione, Thomas moved to Battle Mountain for a year or so, and then in about 1898 purchased a meat market in Salt Lake City, Utah. After about a year there, he moved to Idaho and ended up in the Coeur d'Alene mining region in northern Idaho, until his brother died and Thomas returned to Austin in 1901.

"I had a brother die in San Francisco and my sister was bringing him home up to Austin to bury him, and they asked me to come home. So I came home from Coeur d'Alene County, attended the funeral, and was going to go back up there. And the folks says why don't you go down to this new camp, what they call Tonopah?

"I'd heard some fellows up in Idaho talking about it, but I didn't pay no attention to it, didn't know where it was or anything. So they thought it'd be a good idea for me to come down here [Tonopah]. So there was two fellows up in Austin that come up for Christmas . . . And, I asked 'em if I could go back down with 'em and they said 'Yes.' They had one horse and a buckboard . . . They had four or five bottles of whiskey when they left Austin. They were pretty good drinkin' fellows. I never could drink much . . .

"So we was four days from Austin to here. The last day we walked from San Antonio [north of Tonopah] in. There was no road. You know that little buckboard, iron tires, cut down pretty deep with our luggage on it.

"So we left San Antonio. In them days everybody was up and had breakfast in [by] daylight -- we was eatin' breakfast by lamplight. So we left San Antonio at six o'clock and we arrived in here at eight o'clock that night. We walked all day.

"We came to a Montezuma well. That was the only water. And there was a big whiskey barrel there hooked onto a wire cable there. I believe the stage used to stop there . . . That was the road out in them days. And we tied the cable onto the axle of the buckboard and just snapped the barrel out of there like nobody's business. We all got a drink and struck out for Tonopah.

"[When] we was comin' up the road we met two buckaroos. We could see somebody comin' down the road for a long ways . . . And finally they got to gettin' closer. We was goin' towards them and them towards us and pretty soon we could see tops breaking on the horses, you know. It was a couple of buckaroos . . . Pretty soon we caught up to 'em. They tol' us, 'You ought to turn around and go back. Don't go up there. They're buryin' like sheep up there. They buried six yesterday [black plague]. Don't go up there at all. No, turn around and go back!'

"'No, we can't go back now. We got to go up there.'

"So we came on and landed here at eight o'clock at night.

"That was my trip to Tonopah. Next day I went to work in a meat market. I was with Isadore Sara. He had a meat market down there. He had a thousand head of sheep out here . . . So I went to work there and been here ever since. I worked for the Humphrey Supply Company for 18 years. Then I got elected to the office of sheriff and I stayed there for 40 years. . .

"I got tired of workin' in that butcher shop there. I says I'm gonna hunt a better job than this. I knew everybody in the county and had the biggest business in town. [I] know everybody, I says. I got a chance to get that, I think. So I ran and I got beat. And the next time I run again and I think I won for 29 or 30 votes.

"I ran for the sheriff's office in 1914 on the Socialist ticket and was defeated by Mr. Charles Slavin. I ran again -- it was a two-year term at that time -- and I run again in the 1916 election and ran on the Socialist ticket again. And I got elected to the office. And I was in the office for 40 years, until I retired on the thirty-first day of December 1959."

Sheriff Bill Thomas never carried a gun. One authority on central Nevada history who knew Thomas said, "He was a good talker. He was a diplomatic sheriff."

History and the first law of prospecting

By Bob McCracken, Nye County Historian
(Courtesy of the Pahrump Valley Times)
February 28, 2007 Issue

Scratch a historian deep enough and you'll probably find physics and chemistry envy. The so-called hard sciences enjoy the capacity to precisely summarize what they know in terms of laws, principles, and mathematical formulas.

Historians can't come close to doing that. The problem is that human beings and the communities they create are far too complex to be understood in terms of a few simple principles or laws. The town of Pahrump and its citizens, for example, are astonishingly more complex than all the planets orbiting all the stars located within half a million light years of Nye County. It is impossible to shoehorn human complexity, and therefore history, into a few simple, readily applied concepts.

That said, the siren call to find order in history is sometimes irresistible. For the last several years, I've been collecting data with the idea of writing a book titled "The Laws of Prospecting." The book's purpose will be to describe the principles or factors that seem to govern a prospector's success in finding valuable deposits of gold and silver and society's response to his or her discovery. Gold and silver, of course, are only stand-ins, or metaphors, for anything believed to be valuable.

One of the first principles I came up with (I have more than 100) I call the "First Law of Prospecting." It says, "The discovery of gold attracts a crowd" and recognizes that human beings are drawn to value and that we are, by nature, copy-cats. We look for gold where others have previously found it.

The question is, does the First Law of Prospecting hold up to scrutiny? The answer is a qualified "Yes."

Let's look at a few instances of the discovery of gold and silver in the American West, first in California and then in Nye County, to see where the law holds and where it doesn't. Perhaps we can gain some insight into why gold's discovery often attracts a crowd, but not in all cases.

Sir Francis Drake, the great English hero and explorer, spent five weeks in June and July 1579 at either Drake's Bay or nearby San Francisco Bay--we can't be sure which. In what was no doubt a major embellishment of the truth, gold was reported to have been found in abundance there. Mexicans found gold near the Colorado River on occasions between 1775 and 1828. In 1802, a vein containing gold was found near Monterey, Calif. None of these discoveries triggered a gold rush. – Why? – Because the required social conditions for a gold rush had not been met. There were insignificant numbers of individuals available who valued gold enough to be willing to look for it; then dig it out once they found it. Moreover, the Spanish government didn't encourage such activities. The Spanish, of course, loved gold, but they preferred to steal it or, if worse came to worst, get slaves to dig it out.

Placer gold, free gold found in gravel that is recovered by washing it out of the gravel, was found in 1838 45 miles northwest of the village of Los Angeles. The deposit was worked steadily for about 20 years. But again, the discovery produced no gold rush--the deposit was not rich and, again, there was no large population of potential gold-seekers willing to take up the quest. At that time, Los Angeles was a part of Mexico and the Mexican government was not what you would call enterprise-friendly.

Jan. 19, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold while digging a race for a sawmill at Coloma, about 35 miles east of Sutter's fort, east of San Francisco. Marshall's find turned out to be one of the most important events in American history--I'd place it in the top five. Ironically, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which transferred ownership of California and much of the Southwest from Mexico to the United States, was signed 10 days later. Though it took a couple of months for the reality and importance of Marshall's discovery to be appreciated, it led to the transformation of the American West. The discovery of gold east of Sutter's Fort triggered the greatest gold rush in human history. Talk about drawing a crowd. In 1848, the entire non-Indian population of California totaled 14,000. By the end of 1849, the non-Indian population was 85,000; by the end of 1852, less than five years later, the figure stood at 250,000.

Marshall's find was followed in 1859 by the discovery of the Comstock, a huge deposit of silver and gold on Mount Davidson in western Nevada, not far from present-day Carson City. Seekers of the precious metals rushed to the Comstock, then fanned out onto the Nevada desert where they made discoveries that led to the founding of such mining communities as Austin (1862), Belmont (1863), Eureka (1864), and Pioche (1869). By 1880, that boom had pretty much faded.

Then in 1900, Nye County District Attorney James L. Butler discovered the huge deposit of silver and gold that led to the founding of Tonopah. Butler was a true man of the West. He had been born in a California mining camp and had spent his teenage years in White Pine County when the Hamilton rush of the 1860s was under way. The rich ore Butler discovered stuck out of the ground, and travelers and prospectors had walked right over it for decades.

In his 1905 report on the geology of the Tonopah Mining District, Josiah Edward Spurr, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, said that Butler left Belmont in April 1900 on a prospecting trip. He was headed for Southern Klondike, a mining camp about 10 miles south of Tonopah. His trail lay over the present site of Tonopah. There, Butler picked up some specimens and gave them to the assayer at Southern Klondike. The assayer took one look and judged them to be of so little value that he threw them on the dump. On his return home, Butler obtained new specimens and had them assayed in Belmont.
Those specimens ran $50 to $600 per ton. Butler's discovery at Tonopah started a boom in central Nevada that I believe ushered in the last flowering of the Old West in America. Butler's find at Tonopah in 1900 was followed by the discovery of gold at Goldfield (1902), Rhyolite (1904), Manhattan (1905), and Round Mountain (1906). Details of the circumstances surrounding these discoveries are subjects for future columns.

The discovery of gold and silver in central Nevada beginning in 1900 drew big crowds. These wealth-seekers and adventurers had been conditioned by 50 years of success in the prospecting and mining game throughout the West. People understood that when gold and silver were discovered, the common man had a chance to get rich if he was very lucky and was willing to work. They all recognized that the odds were slim at best, especially if a seeker were to arrive at a boom site late; hence, the rush. But a gold rush was everyman's chance, however slim, for the good life.

One key to the gold rush boom town phenomenon was the willingness of governments, both local and national, to encourage the boomer process by opening the system up and not impeding it with a lot of rules and ideology. Government wanted the little fellow, the working stiff, to have the chance to make it big.

To return to our First Law of Prospecting, the idea that the discovery of gold or silver attracts a crowd needs two stipulations: first, you can't have a gold rush without a cooperating government and second, you need a large number of gold-seekers who are willing to go all out to find the gold and mine it. Since those two conditions were not met prior to James Marshall's discovery, no real gold rushes occurred in the American West prior to 1848.

So where does that leave us? What does this mean for Nye County? Believe it or not, we are on the threshold of another great gold rush, likely much larger than the first. All that is needed is for government to cooperate and the rest of us to get focused.

The world is on the threshold of a great energy divide. Our old ways of getting energy from fossil fuels will either rapidly fade into history or civilization as we know it will be history. We must change the way we obtain and use energy to maintain our way of life.
Therein lies the opportunity for Nye County. There, beckoning to us, are the golden glimmerings of the next gold rush.

Don't be late.

The death of Jim Dayton

By STANLEY W. PAHER
Author of Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps
(Originally published in the April 1971 edition of The Pahrump Valley Times)

REPORTER'S NOTE -- This article states Jim Dayton traveled to Los Angeles and married a woman he met there in 1899. It is reported and stated on his headstone that he perished in 1898; his monument sits at the spot on which he died. The same type of information is reflected in my search of Shorty Harris; many previous articles state he was born July 21, 1857; the monument states 1856 to 1934. (Stanley W. Paher's book "Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps," is available for purchase at the Pahrump Valley Times, 2160 E Calvada Blvd in Pahrump.)

On the west side of Death Valley, about 10 miles south of Furnace Creek Ranch, is the well-known grave of Jim Dayton. He originally arrived in the Death Valley country in the early 1880's and drove a 20-mule team. Later in the decade Dayton found employment at the Furnace Creek Ranch in tending livestock and caring for the grounds. In the 1890's he became the ranch foreman.

After about 1890 there was very little travel through the Valley of Death. The borax boom of 1883-1888 had ceased, and the owner of the ranch, F. M. "Borax" Smith, maintained the ranch only to hold the ground and protect his nearby mineral properties.

Dayton supplied occasional passers-by with horse feed and limited provisions. Because it was practically impossible to keep workers at the ranch, Jimmie Dayton spent much time alone.

Men sent out by the borax company soon became dissatisfied with the Valley's harshness and frequently left without notice. Some reached civilization but others perished along the way, often with their canteens nearly full. Excessive heat drove most of the workers away. Recording the temperature was one of Dayton's hobbies. In the summer of 1890 he noted an unofficial reading of 135 degrees.

To obtain supplies and catch up on the news, Dayton made occasional 140-mile round trips from the ranch to Daggett, located just east of Barstow. He would hitch up four horses to an empty wagon and return with enough supplies to last him at least a couple of months. Trips were usually taken in fall or spring.

In the summer of 1899, Dayton took a vacation trip to Los Angeles. He stayed at the United States Hotel where he impressed the girls with his importance as a desert rancher. In the winter of 1899 he married one of them.

His bride returned with him to Death Valley. She enjoyed the mild winter climate and the flowery spring. But the early summer heat proved to be unbearable, and she returned to the metropolis on the coast. Shortly afterward, Jim resigned his job and prepared to follow her.

After inducing a ranch visitor to take over the negligible summer ranch duties, Dayton wrote a letter to the borax company office in Daggett announcing his intention of leaving Furnace Creek Ranch immediately. His notice was sent by an Indian runner to the nearest post office, Ballarat, and from there delivered to Daggett by the U.S. mail. (Ballarat was an unofficial station).

Dayton was 62 when he started out in the August heat on that final trip to Daggett. His four-horse wagon was loaded with his possessions. Two other horses were tied to the rear of the wagon. A box held a cat, which was to be delivered to a friend at his destination, and a dog also followed.

By the time the letter arrived at the company offices in Daggett, the old rancher was already a week overdue. Immediately, two friends of Dayton hitched up a team and headed for Furnace Creek to see if something had happened to their friend. They wondered if Dayton had left the ranch at all -- perhaps he was comfortably resting in the shaded alfalfa bales at the ranch.

About a mile from the old Eagle Borax Works, the two men spotted Jimmie Dayton's abandoned wagon in the shimmering heat. In front of it appeared a dark blot which proved to be Dayton's horses tangled and heaped across the wagon tongue. They had died in their tracks. His other two horses also perished, unable to free themselves from the end-gate of the wagon.

Under a mesquite bush beside the road, the men found Dayton's rapidly decaying body. His dog sat beside as the only silent mourner. By drinking slimy water from a nearby pool, the dog managed to stay alive and keep vultures and coyotes from eating his master's body.

The men believed that their friend had become deranged from the heat. He had left his wagon and sought shelter under a mesquite bush and there he died.

Dayton was buried on the spot in a simple grave. For many years the bleached bones of his horses lay on the grave which was further marked by the broad end of an ironing board.

On it, his name was etched with a hot poker. A stone monument nearly obscured by recent heavy growth of bushes now marks the site of Jim Dayton's grave. Beside him is buried veteran prospector Shorty Harris.