Chronicler: Mary Aguirre
Interviewer: Gretchen Holbert
Subject: Nevada Hotel
Location: Elko, NV
Date: 7/17/86
0:04 bought the ranch in 1948 or 49
0:18 wasn’t reluctant to get into the Nevada Hotel because some of the best times of her life had been in the Star Hotel
0:36 Silver Spoon Award
1:16 got into Nevada Hotel in 1951
1:35 in addition to boarders weren’t that many extra diners
2:04 there was no menu, but on Sunday they had roasted chicken
2:49 rice with clams; fixed it in big roaster, minced garlic in olive oil, add minced parsley, water, rice, clams, salt and pepper.
3:58 Linda was born in 1952
4:35 only had one bathroom
4:55 Got live clams from Reno
5:36 11 room in the Nevada in the 19590’s
5:49 Star Hotel; Pete Jauregui, Old man Liparelli
6:31 the West Hotel, Liparelli’s owned it; Vanderzuzen wanted to buy it
7:33 Julio Aroztegui (?) told Mary’s dad that Domingo Osabas, Joe Jauristi wanted to buy land between the Nevada Hotel and Julio’s
8:37 Bernardo Yanci and Joe Jauristi finally bought the land
8:51 Stephanie Yanci lived with Mary Aguirre at the Nevada Hotel when she got to this country. She told Bernardo that if he fenced that lot in, not to come see her anymore.
9:24 Yanci and Jauristi asked for rent for parking from speaker’s family
9:38 Sam Richter (?) bought lot from them and speaker’s family bought it from Richter
10:22 speaker thought they could make a good living with the restaurant
10:46 the Star got too commercialized, food and atmosphere changed
11:15 home cooking, longer hours, separate tables
11:46 in 50s and 60s clientele changed people are more particular
12:35 herders took care of her kids, took them for walks, played cards, etc.
13:00 daughter Linda worked for her for awhile, but in junior high started goofing off so Mary fired her and she went to work at the Star Hotel
13:19 Roseta
13:36 her son Billy cooked at the Nevada, Micky tended bar
13:52 at first they were open 7 days a week; then they closed Sundays and later Mondays, too
14:35 need to know all the departments
15:14 the only thing she didn’t learn was to run the dishwasher
15:49 Ana Mari
16:40 people got more particular over the 34 years that she was there
17:20 got into steak and fries because you can cook that as it’s ordered; people didn’t want tripe, pigs’ feet
18:21 menu wasn’t the proprietor’s idea, it was a necessity of the customers; it’s the Basque seasoning they like not the pigs’ feet…
19:05 Ana Mari won’t fix stuff like pigs’ feet, tongue, tripe anymore, serves fish now, leg of lamb roast, etc.
20:01 her mom never served pork chops without apple sauce although it’s not Basque
20:20 no boarders anymore
20:50 when they moved from the hotel to Cedar Street, the boarders that were left used to go down to the kitchen and fix their own breakfast
21:09 at the Star hotel breakfast used to be eggs or eggs and chorizos
21:24 making chorizos; difference between Spanish Basque and French Basque
22:36 cooking sheep head, her dad cooked it, her mom refused
23:20 Rocky Mountain oysters
23:52 bacalao
24:23 choriceros in bacalao; or salsa verde; different ways of preparing
25:27 Ana Mari (Osamaz) was 26 when she married Manuel, has been here 34 years; her aunt from California brought her over.
26:55 END SIDE 1
SIDE 2
0:43 Mother’s last name was Arambarri, (can’t understand first name) born Oct. 12 1892 died April 26, 1975, married December 7, 1922. Married in Elko. She worked for the McBride family before she was married
1:56 dad came in 1917
2:08 Dad overshot Elko and ended up in Winnemucca; Pete Jauregi in Elko was supposes to give him a job. Took the train back to Elko, but it stopped in Battle Mountain and he heard that Jenkins was looking to hire somebody, so he stayed in Battle Mountain and worked for Jenkins as cooks helper
2:45 all the western US was California to those guys
3:08 his nickname was panadero he was a baker in the Basque Country
3:42 Martin Canyon; sheep
4:17 was in Battle Mountain for a few years; before he married he had sheep with partners Johnny
Aguirre’s dad and Isidro Iriola (?)
5:05 parents met in Elko; married in 1922, her brother Pete was born 9 months later; her parents raised two of her cousins, the Onaindias; their dad died in a fire; Joe was 7, his brother was 6; Pete was 2 and she was 3 months old ; lived out on a ranch in Lamoile (Stachet’s(?))
7:12 now says their dad died of pneumonia; the mother worked at a hotel, Anita Onaindia sister of boys who lived with Mary’s family
8:31 1937
8:37 Jack Creek was the first place her parents lived, then was partners with Stachet, Stachet’s wife was her aunt
9:39 her dad leased the Star Hotel; was in a court case with the Stachets, uncle John gave him the money to buy the Star hotel 1937-43, but later bought a ranch in Lamoile
10:43 Mary started waiting on tables in the 8th grade; there was no menu or anything, worked with cousin Anita
11:07 dad tended the bar. Mom did some cooking, but had hired cooks- Castor Elordieta, Prudencio, but they called him Louis, Elordieta lives in Reno now
11:53 women are better cooks- take more pride
12:17 every Thursday night had chicken with Spanish rice, fresh fish every Friday. Wing had Chinese grocery store; halibut, cod bought from Meredith’s fish market in Sacramento;
13:32 Star hotel, keeping meat; didn’t have refrigeration
14:20 more work for the woman; wax hardwood floors on Saturdays, polish floors everyday, used cloth tablecloths every Sunday, washed and ironed
15:49 didn’t hire anybody to wait on tables, she and Anita did it or mother did it
16:12 hotel rooms
16:32 family lived on main floor
16:47 brother didn’t work at hotel
17:06 Jack Creek; brother got 40 some stitches in head from a fall, appendix ruptures, heat stroke
18:05 when dad bought ranch in Lamoile when Pete was about 15, he helped in the summer
18:15 school and grades
18:50 played at Maizcorena’s
19:26 language spoken at home, English- parents spoke Basque to each other; Mary loved the lifestyle, made 8 dollars a day in tips
20:49 Mary picked up some Basque in the last 15 years with Ana Mari
21:20 was busy as a teenager, working, didn’t hang around
21:43 Anita, Candida, Josie, Felisa Maizcorena
22:28 same herders always came back, gave good tips; spent it all, candy, clothes; bought at Beardsley’s and Bruce’s the high tone places
27:07 Raymond Gartiz had gas station
24:30 parents had the Star from 1936 to 1941
25:05 boarded at the Star when family was at the ranch to finish high school. Anita worked at Anacabe’s too
26:02 Pio Achabal
26:10 Pierre Escada (?) was dad’s partner at Star and then Pete Brusa (?) married Adele Hasquet whose parents owned the Nevada Hotel. Ernie Hasquet.
27:04 Aldazabal
27:50 Mary worked at Dupont’s at 33 ½ cents per hour
28:24 big New Year’s Eve dances. Hernandez played.
29:00 Flora Hasquet’s husband (Manuel?) was killed.
30:09 live band, sandwiches at midnight, didn’t charge for the dances, made money on drinks
30:59 Mary and friends didn’t dance
31:22 her dad didn’t want her hanging around the bar with drunks
31:15 in the winter when it was slow the herders would hang around and play cards
32:21 local people, regular customers came to dances, Joe Mack, Gallaghers, etc.
32:57 in 1937 dinner cost 35 cents; went up to 50 cents and 65 on Sunday, when they left it was 90 on Sunday, 75 during the week
33:21 had pie on Sundays and raviolis and fried chicken; fish on Friday
33:53 didn’t have steaks in those days, stews, soup, salad, vegetable, meatloaf, meatballs
34:20 bread from French bakery 10 cents a loaf
34:51 burgundy wine
36:26 parents gave credit to sheepherders down on their luck
37:10 10 cents to go to the movie
37:28 some Basque women stayed there
37:58 Jauregui
38:00 hotel safe
38:30 sheepherders stayed there in the winter
39:05 Lamoile sold ranch in 1948, Aunt Mary Jauregui came back from Spain with uncle Tony, the Nevada Hotel was for sale, but it had to be moved, aunt convinved Mary’s dad to buy it and go in partners
39:39 bought it from Red Ellis; her dad really wanted to retire
40:19 partnership didn’t work out well
40:38 END SIDE 2