Nevada Appeal at 150: Golfing in Mills Park

Carson City’s first golf course was at present-day Mills Park until 1977. A committee of four lobbied railroad magnate Ogden Mills for the park property. In 1951, the committee was deeded 72 acres, provided that they would be used as a people’s park. Committee members included city resident Naomi Bernard, grocery store owner Nick Carter, former state Sen. Bill Dial and highway department engineer Wayne Yates. The man getting ready to swing at the golf ball (2nd from left) is longtime Nevada Sen. Kenneth Johnson. Johnson was a bar/restaurant owner in Carson City and Yerington to name a couple of places (Senator Club and Log Cabin). Just over his left shoulder (third from the left) is Herbert “Tuffy” Buchanan (step-father to Elinor Berger of Carson City). The duo played as a team in many golf events all over Nevada and California, and won a goodly number of times, Berger said.

This continues the Appeal’s review of news stories and headlines during its Sesquicentennial year.