Properly Subversive/Sherman R. Frederick
For as long as I’ve bumped about Nevada, I’ve never heard of the town Pickhandle Gulch.
Sherman Frederick
But, while reading about the fascinating history of Nevada’s blow-and-go mining years of the 19th century, I landed on the Candelaria silver strike. That led me to the ephemeral mining camp of Pickhandle Gulch and that, purely by accident, led me to a person I think may be a long lost famous native Nevadan – James E. Casey.
Mr. Casey was born in Pickhandle Gulch in 1888 to fresh-off-the-boat Irish immigrants, who later migrated to Seattle. At the age of 19, using $100 seed money and neighborhood kids on bikes, he founded the American Messenger Company.
Today you know the company as UPS. When we think about business success stories, we think of Apple, Google, etc. The story of Jim Casey and UPS belongs in the same category. And, he was a legit Nevadan.
The town of Pickhandle Gulch didn’t last long. It sprung up as part of the silver boom near the current town of Hawthorne. But, when the Mount Diablo silver mine played out, the town disappeared in the 1890s. I am told little remains of the Pickhandle Gulch site today, but back in the day it actually had its own post office.
So, now you know to add Mr. Casey to the list of names of famous people born in Nevada. Here’s my personal, and admittedly eclectic, list of others:
– Dawn Wells, actor who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island. Born in Reno.
– Pat Nixon, First Lady to Richard Nixon. Born in Ely.
– Matthew Gray Gubler, played Dr. Spencer Reid on “Criminal Minds.” Born in Las Vegas.
– Andre Agassi, World No 1 tennis player. Born in Las Vegas.
– Bryce Harper, baseball player. Born in Las Vegas.
– Kyle Busch, stock car racer. Born in Las Vegas.
– Barry Zito, baseball pitcher. Born in Las Vegas.
– Harry Reid, senate majority leader. Born in Searchlight.
James Casey born in Pickhandle Gulch in 1888.
NO TIPS ON TAXES
The excellent idea of exempting tips from taxable income picked up steam last week when both U.S. senators for Nevada issued a press release announcing they have signed on to the “No Tax on Tips Act.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both Democrats, said: “Nevada has the highest concentration of tipped workers in the nation, and all cash and non-cash tips are currently subject to federal taxes. This bipartisan legislation will allow workers to keep their tips without paying federal income tax on them.”
I’m glad the senators have finally seen the light. But it must be noted that the idea was first touted in Nevada by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In mid-June I wrote about it in this column, noting that at a rally in Sunset Park, Mr. Trump “pledged that, if elected, he will work to exempt tips from being seen as taxable income.”
Because of stupid partisanship, both senators maintained political silence and the Culinary Union actually dismissed the idea initially because it was associated with Trump. They’ll deny that, of course, but I assure you that is the unvarnished truth.
Well, now they are fully on board. And, that’s a good thing because if you really want to do something for real people – young people – something that lifts their station in life, stop counting tips as income. Gratuities are a gift, as I see it, from one person to another. A small, voluntary token of appreciation.
It’s none of the IRS’s business.
ONE MORE THING
Thanks for reading. Remember to laugh a little, avoid soreheads and always question authority. You can see more Properly Subversive columns at Shermanfrederick.substack.com and you can also follow Mr. Frederick on Facebook and X.
