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Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 2:16 AM
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Postcards: Boom or Bust

Postcards:  Boom or Bust

The mythology of the Old West is filled with ghosts and ghost towns.  Towns sprang up, literally overnight, as gold veins were discovered close by, then were deserted as the ore dwindled or richer veins beckoned settlers onward to a more promising horizon.  Fallon, too, seemingly sprang up overnight, and nearby mining strikes kept the town hopping in the early years, but rather than fade from view, the town persisted and grew, thanks in part to the Newlands Project, but also thanks to an almost inexplicable business growth, even during rough times, and a local optimism and hardiness that still characterizes our community.

To unpack this thought, I turned to an article that I wrote for the 1995-96 edition of In Focus, titled “1906: The Way We Were.”  If you have read any of my previous “Postcards” you know that I like to pour through old newspapers, and for the 1906 article, I did just that in hopes of gaining insight into what made the town successfully tick at such an early time in its history. All the makings of a bust economy were in place, yet the town boomed.  Why?

What do I call markings a bust economy?  For one, there was a heavy reliance on a mining economy.  New mines were discovered in Churchill County at Fairview, Wonder, Eastgate, Sand Springs and a myriad of other locations with names like Shady Run, Conte Cristo, and Hercules.  Tent cities arose from the barren ground, soon to become ghost towns when hopes were exhausted. Yet, Fallon businessmen were savvy enough to promote Fallon as the stable source of goods.  Burchell Brothers Hardware store in Fallon advertised in bold letters: “MR, PROSPECTOR: before going to Sand Springs or Fairview call and see us.  We sell picks, shovels and all kinds of camp equipment for your trip.”   Another hallmark of a bust economy is the proliferation of saloons, profitable in the exhilaration of gold or silver fever, but subject to sudden bankruptcy when the fever abated.   Early Fallon, indeed, experienced that phenomenon.  In 1906, seven Saloons advertised in the Standard: The Barrel House, The River Saloon, the Palm Saloon, the Richelieu Saloon, the Reception Saloon, the Palace Saloon and Club Rooms, and the Assembly.   That number never decreased although the names were changed, indicating that the barroom clientele was more diversified than it was in the typical boom/bust scenario. 

The real clue to why Fallon didn’t “bust” can be found in a comment made by W.C. Black, the editor of the Standard, in March 1906.  He had personally undertaken a door-to-door survey to ascertain the population of the community (within the town limits) and while his unofficial head count was 398, he maintained that the town seemed much livelier than the numbers would suggest. “…our little town liberally supports two newspapers, five doctors, two dentists, three lawyers, two banks, three general merchandisers, one dry goods store, and other business attributes that usually go to make up a town several times our size.” It seems that Fallon had taken on a sustainable life of its own before it could fail due to temporary booms.  In addition, many of the establishments mentioned by Black invested early on in permanent structures, which fly in the face of any overnight abandonment.   In 1906, stone buildings were under construction to house a commercial bank, a lodging house, and a brewing company. Bids went out for a brick-and-mortar high school and a stone Baptist Church.  Maine Street was surveyed for the installation of cement sidewalks. Electricity and water were put in place. 

The ghosts would have to find a different town. 

Please send your stories, suggestions, and comments to mackedon@phonewave,net


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July 4, 2025 -Fallon Gears Up for a “Bee-autiful”  - page 1
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COMMENTS
Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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