July 2, 2005 Looking Back is a regular feature of the Modoc County Record, a weekly newspaper, published in Alturas, CA. The following is transcribed from the June 23, 2005 issue. Looking Back 111 Years Ago 1894 OUR CROPS are suffering and the puny rain that fell the first of the week did little to eliminate the suffering . A match game of baseball for $200 a side bet between the picked nines of Alturas and Cedarville is now talked of for the 24th of June . Vern Arbogast took a drummer to Cedarville last week and had quite a smash up. Going down a pitch into the canyon about three miles from Cedarville, the neck yoke leather broke and the team ran away. The pole stuck in the bank and the wagon went over smashing the top all to pieces and breaking the tongue off . Two men staked out in the Alturas Hotel this week in a card game with some local fellows and began a game of boasting how tough they were. One of the boys said he would draw his .38 pistol and walk over to the bank and relieve it of its contents. Phil Ostrom said to the guy that he didnt have enough fiber to do it and when the tough leveled at him, Mr. Ostrom smashed him a good lick in the nose and that ended the bank robbery threat in Alturas. 71 Years Ago - 1934 IT HAS been 50 years since rains heavy as those that fell on Alturas have been deposited. This is good because it has been more than 50 years since a drought as bad as ours has visited the Alturas area . The Alturas Tigers finally won a baseball game this season when they defeated Willow Ranch, 7-5, Sunday . New Chevrolet prices have been drastically reduced in Alturas, George Pearce announced. The sport roadster is now $465 and the highest priced Chevy, is the luxury sedan. The drought that was being spoken about was really bad. Goose Lake nearly dried up. The Lake level dropped so much that old wagon tracks from the days of 49 could be seen in the mud. Also there were oxen shoes, yokes and other debris from the pioneers found along those tracks. It appears that when this trail was made, a large drought was in progress then, as it was in those early days of the 30s. The little piece mentioning George Pierce brought to mind a great band that he was a member that played nearly every dance in Modoc County in the mid 30s early 40s, came to mind. There was Ed Elliott on the drums, George Pierce on the trombone, the two Smith brothers one on the clarinet, and I cannot remember the instrument of the other, Mrs. Smith on the Piano and Georgia Troy on the accordion. The guys and gals of Modoc could really do the Modoc Trot with that band playing. The daughter of George Pierce married Rob Flournoy. She was named Lizzette but was better known as Lizzie or Liz. I believe that both are still residing on the old Flournoy ranch in Likely. See you again next week Ron Morgan .