This is the last installment of “The Sagebrushers.” This series was written to profile the lives and careers and credit some of Nevada’s early newspapermen. The men named in this story were some of the more prominent Sagebrushers. There were many others, but space here did not allow us to name those who also deserved recognition.
Thankfully, much of their work remains today and can be found by those willing to spend some time tracking down the treasures they left behind. The best place to start is at the Nevada State Library and Archives building located on North Stewart Street in Carson City. The Nevada section is on the main floor at the north end of the complex. The number of volumes there are staggering, so be prepared to spend some time in your search.
The “Alf Doten Journals” are there along with Sam Davis’ “History of Nevada,” and many volumes relating to Mark Twain. The library also has a microfilm section on Nevada newspapers. All the newspapers mentioned in this story and many more you probably never heard of can be found here. Viewing microfilm can sometimes be laborious, but this is where you’ll discover those buried nuggets the Sagebrushers left behind more than a century ago.
A brief bibliography follows: Dan DeQuille The Washoe Giant-A Biography and Anthology,” by Richard Dwyer and Richard Lingenfelter, University of Nevada Press, 1990 - 452 pgs.
This volume is highly recommended for the first time reader of DeQuille. It contains a short bio of DeQuille, and a portion of his work taken from the files of the Territorial Enterprise and other publications. DeQuille’s birth name was William Wright, but wrote under the pen name of Dan DeQuille. He was also known as the Washoe Giant.
“The Newspapers of Nevada - A History & Bibliography 1854-1979” by Richard Lingenfelter and Karen Rix Gash, University of Nevada Press, 1984 - 337 pgs.
The authors of this book claim more than 800 listings of newspapers that existed in Nevada at the time of this book’s publication. I didn’t count them, but I can tell you the research that went into this book was exhaustive. This volume is more than a comprehensive listing of newspapers; it contains a brief bio of the paper, its owners, publishers, location of the paper and the years it was in operation. You’ll find a good number of Sagebrushers here that worked for these publications as writers and editors, and in some cases became owners of the newspapers where they worked.
“Sam Knew Them Well” by Sylvia Crowell Stoddard. Great Basin Press, Reno, Nv 1996 - 187 pgs.
The author of this book was the granddaughter of Samuel Post Davis, a Sagebrusher we profiled in part 2 of this series. The book is her remembrance of Davis and his association with all the men named in the Sagebrusher series. It is nostalgic in nature, and informative, but lacks dates throughout the narrative. You’re treated to Davis’ most famous poem, “The Lure of the Sagebrush” on the first page, a good start to set the tone for a good read.
“An Editor On The Comstock Lode”, by Wells Drury, University of Nevada Press, Reno. 1984 - 343 pgs.
This book is a reprint of the original that was first published in 1936. Drury collected the material for this book but died in 1932 before completing a manuscript. It was through the efforts of his wife and son who organized the material and readied it for publication, that the book finally came to fruition. Drury began his Sagebrush career at the age of 25 when Alf Doten hired him to write for the Gold Hill Daily News. On his first day at the paper Drury learned his pay was to be $7.50 a day, plus an allowance of $2.50 per day for “whiskey money.” The book just gets a lot better from there. Drury arrived in Virginia City in the mid-1870’s when the town was in full bloom, and captures the excitement that gripped the Comstock during the bonanza years. Drury, like McEwen later worked for Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner.
“The Sagebrush Anthology”, by Lawrence I. Berkove, University of Missouri Press, 2006 - 393 pgs.
Berkove is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Michigan and is the author or editor of eleven other books. He has written extensively on 19th century American western authors and is considered an authority on Sagebrush Journalism. This book needs no further embellishment as the title speaks for itself.
“Mark Twain Himself”, by Milton Meltzer, Bonanza Books, 1960 - 303 pgs.
And now we come to the man himself. Much has been written by or about Mark Twain over the years. Some Twain scholars have spent the better part of their lives researching and teaching about the works of this one man alone. There’s a term for those who can’t get enough of Twain, it’s called “Twainian”, I call it “Twain Mania.” One thing for sure, Twain had a remarkable life and left us a treasure trove of unforgettable work, and rightly deserves to be called the: “The Lincoln of Our Literature.”
Ok, let’s cut to the chase and get to the book. The above volume is recommended for those who want an easy read about the man, without wadding through thousands of pages to get the same information this book provides in 300. This book has more than 600 photos and illustrations, documenting Twain’s life from his birth in 1835 until his death in 1910. The captions are concise and informative and the narrative flows smoothly. This book is over 50 years old and is still readily available for under $10.00, making it an excellent choice for your home library.
This is but a brief listing to get you started. There are many more volumes out there awaiting your discovery. Good hunting and reading ahead.
Go here for Part 1 of the series.
Go here for Part 2 of the series.
Go here for Part 3 of the series.
— Chic DiFrancia is a long-time Virginia City resident, freelance writer, historian and letterpress printer. In his youth he once was a typesetter at the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City.