ORAL HISTORIES

Delmar Jones's love of Nevada and a move to Copper Canyon, then to Gabbs; early days in the mining camp of Gabbs; a new baby; working for the housing authority in Gabbs, then in Tonopah; life in Gabbs during World War II and the spirit of belonging in those days. Further discussion of Gabbs during World War II; the Gabbs Women's Club and the beginnings and growth of the Gabbs Public Library; further contributions of the women's club; the Smith brothers; life in Tonopah during World War II; living in various western towns; a return to Gabbs to work for Basic Magnesium; the Gabbs siren system; a community working together.

Some information on John S. and Lena Bell Weeks; homes in Cloverdale Canyon and rear Carver's Station; four years at Stewart Indian School; work as a cowboy; building a house at Cloverdale; the mining camp at Golden; a "mountain man"; traditional Indian foods; a school in Cloverdale Canyon; work on the ranches in the Reese River Valley; Grandfather Crowell. A discussion of the ranches in the Reese River Valley in the 1920s and 1930s; buckarooing for the Keoughs; further discussion of valley ranches; creating the Yomba Shoshone Reservation; more discussion of ranches in the valley; the town of Ione in the early days; old-time cars and a sad death; cattle and fanning in Reese River; cattle drives in the 1930s; handling aggressive cattle; the problem of locoweed. The Shoshone people of Reese River and Duckwater, and remarks on the Paiutes; the top of Arc Dome; Shoshone native remedies; work at the Tonopah courthouse and memories of some of the judges there; Jim Butler's marriage to an Indian woman; Tom Fisherman and the discovery of the gold in Goldfield; the gold in Round Mountain; training mustangs.

Ben and Grace Anderson Rogers; growing up on the R.O. Ranch and trips to Tonopah as a child; helping out on the ranch; searching for cattle on the summer range; different breeds of cattle on the R.O.; sagebrush and wild hay; a discussion of ranch food. Further discussion of ranch food; cattle drives, and selling cattle; structures on the R.O. Ranch; moving to the Wine Glass Ranch; schooling on the R.O.; Indians who lived on the ranch. Memories of a mine in South Twin Canyon; the Wine Glass Ranch; selling the Wine Glass and working at various civil service positions; further memories of the Wine Glass; the merits of trucking, rather than driving, cattle; working horses; memories of Round Mountain; work for various government agencies.

This remarkable document chronicles ten years in the life of a man who often lived alone and was frequently lonesome but was loved by, and loved, his adopted family. In his later years, Little Kelsay moved from the Bergs' ranch and lived across the valley on his own ranch at Barker meek, though he continued to live with the Bergs in the wintertime. He died in April 1945 and was buried in Round Mountain.

Duckwater pioneer Ike Irwin; Martha's parents and their children; Duckwater Valley ranches; Indians in Duckwater before the Duck-water Reservation was established; sheep, cattle and hay. Childhood on a Duckwater ranch; the orchard on the Irwin ranch; a trip to Ely in a wagon; shops and social life in Duckwater in the early days; celebrating holidays; school and teachers on the Irwin ranch. Marriage to Bill Hawkins; raising and educating a family in rural Nevada; health care in Martha's childhood; recollections of Sheriff Bill Thomas; the control of water in the Duckwater Valley; wild hay; raising children in the valley

A move to Nevada; meeting and marrying Gerald Carver and starting a family; highway construction and the opening of Carver's Station; Smoky Valley in the mid-1940s; Gerald and Jean Carver's ranch; Round Mountain and Manhattan during the mid-1940s; the early telephone line; a popular Smoky Valley mailman. Further memories of the mail system in Smoky Valley; taking care of livestock and raising trout; self-sufficient ranch life; social life in Smoky Valley; deciding to build Carver's Station and making the bar and restaurant a reality; the grand opening. The fun of creating a gathering place; a new highway cutoff creates a truck route and diesel business for Carver's Station; some of the employees at Carver's; losing Gerald Carver. Tales of some of the old-timers in the Smoky Valley area; the highway department names a maintenance station to Carver's Station; present-day growth in the Carver's Station area, including trailer parks, fire and ambulance services.

Andy's parents, and early days in the Beatty area; living in Pine Creek; Tom Adams becomes Andy's stepfather; living in the Sharp area of Railroad Valley; wrangling for 0. K. Reed encounters with horses and a mule; some of the Indians in the Reveille Valley in the early days; early ranchers - O. K. Reed and the Fallinis; on being a wrangler; trapping in the Sharp area. Further discussion of trapping in the 1930s; moving to the Duckwater Reservation; the beginning of the reservation; ranching with Tom Adams at Sharp, then at Duckwater; the Florio ranch before it became the Duckwater Reservation; rabbitskin blankets, and quilts; living in tents. Further thoughts on aboriginal rights; changes on the reservation; traditional Indian foods; witch doctors and Indian doctors

Family beginnings; J.I. and J. Irving early on in area; growing up in mining. Schooldays in Beatty in 1930s; social life centered in the bars; miners' lifestyle. Miners: their trade, travels, personal qualities. Schooling goes on; Beatty, then Hollywood, then Las Vegas. Stories and more stories of the "Yankee Trader" spirit of the old-timers. Early days, slower days in Vegas; college in Reno. Hotels and other buildings in Beatty. A professional miner; into the Navy and back to Beatty all in four years. Burro races; service clubs. Community service; the volunteer spirit and pride in one's community. Wanted: a swimming pool for the town - done!; more athletics; indoor sports; the brothels: close one and two open. Rural electrification changes life in Beatty; changes in water, sewer and telephone services. Town politics; the advent of the Citizens' Advisory Council; local economy. The Test Site; the Nye County suit to collect taxes from the Site; problems of nuclear waste disposal.