One will have to travel a long way to find more beautiful driveways than are afforded by the several lanes that lead into this place, the abundance of shade being furnished by the cottonwood trees planted many years ago by the old settlers. Now that Fallon is commencing to assume the proportions of a respectable town, the sweethearts are increasing accordingly and many now avail themselves of these driveways, which in lieu of other cognomens, we will dub ‘Lover’s Lane.’ As proof of the town’s growing business area, and with a nod toward the advancing technology of the new century, a 1907 city ordinance was approved to regulate the speed of horses, carriages, autos and vehicles in the town. It stated: "It is unlawful to ride or drive any horse or vehicle faster than six miles an hour. Autos are also limited to six miles an hour." Horses, vehicles and autos found that the six mile an hour speed limit was not necessary when a flood engulfed most of Maine Street that same year. The waters did not do much damage and soon merchants were busy tending to their customers along the quickly-drying street. In those early years, each store and office along Maine Street had its own awning that protected shoppers from the hot desert sun. While they provided protection from the elements, some of the men in town complained about problems encountered while strolling along these blocks. An editorial in the 1910 newspaper answers the concerns of one of its readers: Some of the tall men in town have been heard to complain that a man of "ordinary" height cannot walk along Maine Street without bumping his head into at least one of the several low-hanging awnings which shade the walk. It is suggested [by this writer] that the tall ones take to the street, or if they insist on using the sidewalk, let them walk on their hands and knees. Fallon’s business street escaped serious damage from the 1907 flood, but it was not so lucky when fire swept through many blocks in 1908 and again on May 14, 1910. That same year Fallon had formed an official fire department, but the fire was more than they could contain with primitive fire fighting equipment. The 1910 fire reportedly started when a cigarette was dropped through the boardwalk in front of Bess Allen Fortune’s People’s Cafe. The blaze destroyed the wooden buildings that housed the bars, restaurants and shops on the blocks south of today’s Nugget parking lot. In 1915, the formation of the volunteer fire department, that still serves Churchill County today, had begun. "Old Betsy," the city’s new fire engine now housed at the museum, traveled all the way from New York to Fallon in 1916 to be of service to our citizenry.
By 1911 the reconstruction of Maine Street was well underway and the effects of the 1910 fire were becoming a memory. Maine Street took on a character of its own. It was used for patriotic parades of all descriptions. Freight teams hauling supplies to the nearby mining camps were a daily sight. Old timers recall that each teamster had a unique set of bells on his harness and residents could recognize which team was entering town, long before they could see them, just by the sound of the bells. In 1914, the Draper Self-Culture Club, a ladies literary organization, erected a concrete water fountain in the center of Maine and Williams. The structure provided liquid refreshment for humans and animals alike. As many as six horses could drink from the fountain at one time. Even the constant banging of the heavy wagon tongues against its sides did not dent the cement. The structure also provided radiator water for many a weary traveler’s horseless carriage. It was a sad day in 1930 when the fountain was removed because the street was paved from curb to curb. |
