DOCENTS NEWSLETTER Historical Society of Dayton Valley

http://daytonnvhistory.org November 2015

PRESERVING DAYTON’S HISTORY

Compiled by Mabel Masterman

Sometime in the very late 1960s Afton Frederick and her husband Cliff opened Dayton’s first

Museum and visitor center (in conjunction with an antique shop) in the Odeon Hall and Saloon located on Pike Street. In 1975 Afton established a production company to produce Nevada, and Dayton history in an audio-visual format. Afton (an artist) and Cliff are credited with putting together Dayton’s first walking tour map. Thanks to the Fredericks the idea of preserving Dayton history got deep-rooted.

In the 1980s, when one of the communities’ first preservation projects took hold, Dayton Historic Society (DHS) was formed by townsfolk. The “Dayton Historic Society” was registered with the State of Nevada in November 1987. The society’s goal was to protect, preserve and promote Dayton-area history, historic integrity, heritage and culture for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. At that time Nevada State Historic preservationists and Lyon County were renovating the antiquated hand-hewn stone building, known as “Old Stone”(also called “Bluestone Building” since bluestone, used in the milling process of gold and silver, had been manufactured there) to use as a public safety complex. Today, this building, originally built in 1862, still houses the Dayton Justice Court.

Subsequently, to preserve its history, the community and Dayton Historic Society entertained establishing a Museum. Initially the 1875 Firehouse/Jail building on Pike Street was considered. However, in the early 1990s when the Dayton Senior Center moved from the 1865 schoolhouse on Shady Lane to its new quarters a Museum was established in the schoolhouse. In order to highlight that we had now established a museum our name was changed to Dayton Museum Historical Society (DMHS).

Without dedicated long time residents and newer-comers all working together over the years much of our town history would have been lost by now. In 2005 we started the process of changing our name to Historical Society of Dayton Valley (HSDV) to more accurately reflect our mission statement.

In addition to the 1865 schoolhouse housing our Museum on Shady Lane, the old 1875 Firehouse/Jail building on Pike Street, 5 years ago we were fortunate to also acquire stewardship of the 1881 Carson & Colorado 1881 Depot, corner of Main St. and Highway 50. Our 128 members… plus 3 local Dayton business members are diligently working on funding in order for the Depot to be restored to its original footprint.

Byron Gates created a family legacy in Dayton By Laura Tennant

Gates and Silver Streets in Old Town Dayton are two of the oldest roadways in Nevada, dating to at least the 1880s. Today, a few old, old houses remain on the streets. Most of these places are not pretty any more. I try to think of them as the homes of Dayton’s earliest settlers, where people were born and lived their lives to the fullest. Today’s ancestors of people who lived on Gates or Silver streets in the mid1800s to mid1900s can usually find their relatives’ gravesites at the Dayton Cemetery.

When I was a teen-ager in high school in 1954, I visited Belle Gates, the youngest member of the Gates family, when she lived alone in the family home that is still on the corner of Gates and Silver streets. Belle sat in a chair in a spotless kitchen in front of a well-kept blue enameled wood stove. She had never married but cherished her family history and had preserved dozens of family heirlooms, some of which are now displayed at the Dayton Museum. I did not visit Belle again and I do not recall my conversation with her then; yet, forty years later, I interviewed Polly Wilson Burke in 1996 for a story I was writing in Lyon County Reflections. Polly was Belle’s great aunt and she revealed the family history. Ahl family suffers hardships Of German heritage, emigrants John Ahl and his wife, Elizabeth, of Switzerland, arrived in a wagon in the bustling Comstock milling and trade center of Dayton in 1865. “They began in Ellis Island. John was a carpenter and followed the mining strikes,” said Polly Burke about her great-grandparents. She noted that four of the family’s five children were born on their way West. The last one was born in Dayton. “It had to have been the hardest kind of life, being on the move all the time. Elizabeth was only 39 when she died in Dayton, leaving five children. She had suffered a bout of scarlet fever and had to have her leg amputated.” Soon after his wife’s death, John abandoned the family and left his young teen-age sons, Charles and William, to raise their three sisters, Emma, Charlotte and Nellie. More tragedy struck the young family when Nellie, Elizabeth’s last child, 2-1/2 years old, passed away only nine months after their mother had died. The boys got jobs in the mines and did hard labor to support their siblings. When the girls were old enough to make it on their own, Charles and William moved away, married and had children. Their lives had been so rough that they never wanted to visit Dayton again. Ahl and Gates families unite Charlotte Ahl was nine years old when her mother Elizabeth died; however, she had survived to womanhood under her brothers’ care and married Byron Gates in 1884. Gates had arrived in Dayton from Maine in 1876. He was a shingle maker and first worked at Crockett’s lumberyard and was later employed by a local milling company. An energetic entrepreneur, Byron soon began a honeybee and poultry business in Dayton on the west side of River Street, where he and Charlotte raised their family. The business flourished and Byron’s honey, eggs and chickens brought the highest prices around. He was known around town as a man who operated a neat, clean and thrifty business. The Gates raised three daughters, Hazel, Belle and Lottie, who lived their lives in Dayton. Byron was a Mason, a lifelong Democrat who was active in Lyon County politics and was elected a county commissioner in 1898, where he remained for 18 years. In 1916, Byron was appointed Dayton Township justice of the peace after Judge Robert Cooke died. Byron was re-elected four times and served until his unexpected death in 1924. After Bryon died, Charlotte sold the River Street farm to the Della Santa family and bought the house on Gates and Silver Street, where she died at the age of 75 in 1942. Dayton’s first woman JP Byron’s daughter Belle took over the Dayton Township Justice of the Peace position after he died. She was 36 years old then; however, she did not seek re-election that year. The Ahl-Gates Dayton Museum collection includes a variety of exquisite needlework and assorted handicrafts created by Belle and other family members. Read more about the Gates family next month! Stop by the Museum at 135 Shady Lane on Saturday, 10 to 4 or Sunday, 1 to 4 or call 775-246-3256 to make an appointment for a private tour.

From left, Dayton native, Nancy Sbragia, and Rita Quilici Selmi, pose with Rita's brother-in-law, Bruno Selmi, the owner of Bruno's cafe and saloon in Gerlach. Rita invited Stony and me to go to Gerlach with them because Bruno is a Nevada legend and we had never met him. After owning and operating Bruno's for 60 years, the 93-year old is retiring. For many years, Bruno's famous homemade ravioli's brought customers over a hundred miles from Reno to have dinner. Rita's husband Domenic has passed on, but she remains close to the family. (Photo by Laura Tennant.)

This recent photograph of J.C. "Charlie" Gruber's gravesite is mindful of the man who built the present Union Hotel in 1870. He migrated from Missouri to California in 1852.The lure of gold and silver mining brought Gruber to the Comstock in 1860. Charlie died unexpectedly in March of 1886. He and his wife, Caroline, had seven children and I believe most of them are buried at the large family plot at the cemetery. The Grubers lived in the Union Hotel until sometime in the 1940s. A tour of the Dayton Cemetery provides a lot of Dayton history. (Photo by Laura Tennant)

This insignia on the wrought iron gate's lock at the Gruber family plot at the Dayton notes it was built by "The Stewart Iron Works" in Cincinnati, Ohio. Incidentally, the old elegant iron work could use some tender loving care as could some other grave sites at the cemetery. (Photo by Laura Tennant)

THE MUSEUM By Pat Neylan

I can’t believe it, but the year is winding down again, and the museum will soon be closed for the season!! I cannot thank enough all the steady regulars that helped us get through the season, especially Sheila Hodach, who carried the ball and kept all the scheduling straight week in and week out. The museum is the single most important asset the Society has at the moment and is the most common draw for people to come to the town, or the center of many of our activities throughout the season. Next season, however, some changes are going to have to be made. We will definitely need additional volunteers to help cover the weekends. All that is required is a 3hr a month commitment to come and greet visitors and, if wanted, show them around the various displays. We have many new members, and sitting the museum is the perfect way to get acquainted with other members, visitors from all over the world, and most importantly, learn the history of Dayton yourself. The 2016 season will open in March so signups will be sought at the January and February general meetings. Prior to opening we will have a couple of meetings at the museum to familiarize new tour guides with the layout and simple procedures: turning on the light, turning off the alarm, adjusting the heat and the like. Also if anyone feels more comfortable, “trial” tours of the museum can be conducted with some of the current docents. Think about it during the winter and maybe give it a try next season. The worst that can happen is that you will become a Dayton expert!! If you have any questions, want more specifics or a personal walk through during the winter, just give me a call: 246-3527 or send a note virginiacitypat@sbcglobal.net. Thanks for giving it some thought!!!

Docent Letter By Ruby McFarland

There’s more to life than meets the eye

Anonymous With my eyesight dimming rapidly I’ll try to write a monthly letter. I think it’s time to say something about our great state of Nevada. If you have a couple of days to explore it should include all of the wonderful sights Nevada has to offer. After all it is Dayton, NEVADA. I’ve tried to visit all of the great get-a-ways around Nevada. One trip I enjoyed was to Great Basin National Park. There were so many things to see and do along the way. Just the trip along highway 50 was wonderous and would be a good three-day weekend trip. Once in Ely, Nevada, the sites to see include a railroad museum and an historic old town. I saw Ely and Great Basin on a three-day visit. I’ve been back since and spent more time, but if time is important, you can see a lot in three days and I think Nevada is worth it. I used to say I had access to 52 vacations a year on weekends from my job. I took advantage of as much of them as I could and am grateful that I did. From Ely on the way to Great Basin, one side trip is the charcoal ovens. Most charcoal ovens still intact now have fences around them. Cattle and wild animals were knocking them down seeking shelter from the heat or cold. Next stop has to be the tiny town of Baker, where you turn off to Great Basin National Park. One of our Lyon County Sheriffs came from Baker, Sheriff Sid Smith. The ride up the side of the mountain to the Visitors Center gives you a small view of the Great Basin Park. There are a lot of things to do in the Park. The Lehman Caves will take up some of your time. There are hiking trails, campgrounds, lakes, and the most beautiful views you have ever seen. You can drive up above the timber line and I can assure you it’s a trip you will never forget. Plan on seeing Nevada; you won’t regret it.

Nancy Haight Sawyer and Lynne Ballatore Pam Abecrombie, Johnye Saylor, Carol McKim, Laura Tennant

Laura Tennant narrating on the hayride Sheila Hodach and Marty Lewis