The Arthurs

Joseph and Zau B Arthur - 1956 to 1960

The Authur's purchased our house from the Porter's on or around July 17, 1956. Mr. Arthur, known as Joe Arthur, was a well known mining figure in Nevada. He was born in Cornwall, England in 1875. He didn't meet his father until he came to America at nine years old as his father, like many English men of that era, came to America for work. His father worked in the Comstock Mine in Virginia City, Nevada. When Joe and his family came to America, they settled in Ruby Hill, Nevada. By the time he was seventeen Joe had already worked in the mines, been a cowpuncher (a cowboy) and had a small gold strike of $150. In 1901, at age 26, he was appointed to the Methodist Church Nevada Mission for Ruby Hill.

After his father died in 1901, he took his mother to Butte, Montana where he set her up in a boarding home. From there he went to Tonopah, Nevada, via Salt Lake City, Utah and Reno, Nevada. In Reno he hooked up with his boyhood friend from Ruby Hill, Harry Fray. Harry accompanied him to Tonopah. In Tonopah he took charge of a mining property for a Salt Lake City based company. When the company shut down the mine, he took it over on a lease.

After working the mine in Tonopah, he spent the next several years working his claims, prospecting and having several exciting adventures, many of which are chronicled in his biography, “Broken Hills.” “Broken Hills” was written by his wife, Zua, and is a must read for anyone interested in Nevada history.

Around 1913, he and his partner, Jim Stratford, made their biggest strike in what would become known as Broken Hills, Nevada. While the strike yielded $68,000 in ore, a minuscule amount compared to the Comstock Lode, that equates to $1,090,810 in today's dollars. Between that and the money he made selling his mine in 1917, he was able to retire to Reno, Nevada at forty three years old.

Joe never really retired though, he continued to prospect around Nevada and work his remaining claims for the next forty years. When not prospecting he spent his time hunting, fishing and entertaining people with stories of his life in Nevada.

Zau Arthur (née Bearss) grew up in Marshall County and Bourbon, Indiana where she attended high school. She studied at the Chicago Art Institute. Mrs. Arthur was an artist. While in Reno she created and sold many of her paintings. One of her paintings hung in our front room, even after the Zonnevelds purchased the home from the Arthurs. You can catch a glimpse of that painting in the movie “Sworn to Vengeance” (see more in section on the Zonnevelds).

A Joseph Arthur was listed as an honorary Pallbearer at William Machabee's funeral, but I have not been able to confirm he is the same Joseph Arthur who owned our house. However, as Harry Fray, his boyhood friend from Ruby Hill was related, by marriage, to the Machabees and Harry also worked at the Verdi Lumber Company with William Machabee, it is possible that Joe and Mr. Machabee were friends.

Mr. Arthur died on December 17, 1959. He and Mrs. Arthur had two sons; Kirk and George

The Porters

John N and Ruth Porter - 1954 to 1956

There are very few references to the Porter's though I have been able to put together a few items. Mr. Porter born in Missouri on September 25, 1891. He was an member of the local Elks lodge, No. 597. There is a newspaper article referring to Mrs. Porter's Lilac bushes and one about a police report on Ruth's car blocking a neighbor's garage door. Both articles cite she lived in our home at the time.

We have a reference of the Porter's selling the house to the next residents on or around July 17, 1956. In addition, I found an obituary for Mr. Porter. He died in Sacramento , CA on November 27, 1957. His funeral was here in Reno and he was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery

Mrs. Porter's son (John's stepson) Arley T McCrary, was married here in Reno on January 29. 1959 while he was attending the University of Nevada. He died in Oklahoma on January 27, 1955.

Important Links

We've added a Links section to our blog. The West of Wells Neighborhood Group will link you to the site for our neighborhood group. There you can find out about us, what we are doing and more articles about the Wells avenue area.

I have also added one for the Nevada Historical Society. While much of our research for this blog has been done on the Internet, none of it would have been possible without the Nevada Historical Society. It's where we started to learn about Full Circle House and the Wells Neighborhood and where we still go for help. Mike, Heidi and the rest of the staff are always willing to assist anyone with a desire to learn about Nevada's history. Check them out, become a member or leave a donation.

The Fants

John and June Fant - 1944 to 1954

John Fant was born on July 2, 1910 in Lovelock, NV. He grew up on the Riverside Ranch which was owned by his parents, John and Hilma, and Nevada Senator George Nixon. He graduated from Lovelock High School and went on to earn a degree in Electrical Engineering and a Teaching certificate from the University of Nevada in Reno.

John Fant was a school teacher in Lovelock and Wells, NV before coming to Reno to teach. He taught junior high here in Reno. Eventually he held the position of Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction for Washoe County and later as it's Business Administrator and Finance Director. He was an avid tennis player and also enjoyed gardening, square dancing, and cribbage. Like William Machabee, he was also a Mason. After his retirement, he lived in Susanville, CA, where he volunteered at the Susanville Library until he was almost 90.

As far as I have been able to discern, while he owned our home, Mr. Fant was a school teacher. He and Mrs. Fant were both active in the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Many AAUW meetings were held here at our house. It wasn't until later, after he had moved from our home, that Mr. Fant held more administrative positions in the School district.

Mr. Fant worked for the school district at a time not unlike today. The Reno/Sparks area was growing and so was the school district. Just like today, there wasn't enough money to cover the expansion required to accommodate the growth. Many of the articles I've read about him have him working to increase the budget for education or to add new schools, classrooms and teachers.

June Fant was an Education Assistant at the University of Nevada, Reno. She also held the position of Instructor of Business Administration,

They were married on June, 1943. They honeymooned at Lake Tahoe and were to spend that summer at Mrs. Fant’s sister’s house in Cupertino, Calif. Unfortunately, that trip was cut short when John's father became ill. They sold their home to John and Ruth Porter on or around August 11, 1954.

Mrs. Fant died in 1971. Mr Fant died on May 11, 2004. They had two daughters, Jane and Lynne.