John Tyson’s Journal: Midas, 1994
In the Spring of 1994, rural Nevada chronicler John Tyson traveled to Midas and produced this video, which aired on Reno’s Channel 8.
Below the link is a list of the people who appear in this delightful video.
The video is teed up by long-time, and very popular, KOLO-News anchor, Tad Dunbar. His intro contains one small blip: Midas is located in northern Nevada but in southwestern Elko County.
The video is hosted by John Tyson who traveled Nevada for many years and produced wonderful stories such as this one about Midas.
The first person to appear in the clip is Edna Wilkerson Timmons. John mentions that she was born in Midas, but she was actually born in Tuscarora. The Wilkerson family were some of the earliest folks to arrive in Midas but kept their connection with Tuscarora. Edna grew up in Midas and graduated from the Midas School in 1928. She and her husband Tim retired to Midas in the 1970s, and her stories about the town’s early years entertained many newcomers.
The featured saloon is Edythe’s Kountry Store, which Sam and Edythe Seals operated from 1983 to 1997. They built the two-story building onto a much smaller and much older house, using discarded beams and lumber from a 1910 railroad building in Winnemucca. The Midas Saloon and Dinner House (now known as the Midas Bighorn Saloon) had been closed indefinitely at the time of John’s visit. Edythe was always a little embarrassed that she had used the word “fatality” when she meant to say “catastrophe.”
Sitting at the bar and facing the camera is Buck Tulley. He lived in the little cabin directly across the street.
The parking meter was installed by Dan Bennett. It came from Grand Island, Nebraska.
After they moved to Midas full-time in 1993, Joan (in the visor) and Dan (in red suspenders) Bennett planted 150 tulip bulbs that were blooming beautifully when John Tyson arrived. The tulips never bloomed again!
At the end, John refers to the queen of the Fourth of July parade. Formally known as “Ms. Midas,” the first parade queen was Paula Scheuller in 1985. Edna was Ms. Midas in 1987. And yes, dancing was the highlight of nearly every Midas party in the early years and again in the 1970s/1980s! It was so popular that the maple hardwood floor from the dance hall (also known as the town hall) was moved to Edythe’s.
