Brooms .....

An article on brooms, how interesting. I am sitting here looking out at the snow and cold and thinking of brooms, I wonder why, well, I will tell you.

Lake Tahoe, late 50's, I was working at the lake at the Nevada Lodge. It was prior to the Olympics, the first Winter they had even opened, and we had the North Shore, all to ourselves. There were a few customers, but not many. Many of us "locals" congregated at the bar of the Crystal Bay Club, the first Winter months they had been opened. There were dealers and locals, sitting around and talking, often of the "old days," some interesting tidbits of "how it used to be."

Snow was always a big topic, how it used to be. There were photographs on walls in the various businesses  that were open. There was a drug store, casinos, and that was it. Not much up there then.

Brooms. Back to them. One evening, talking with "Red" ... do not remember his last name. He was an old timer, had owned a casino or two, in various town around the state. I had heard a lot of stories about him, he was a true Nevada "pioneer" in Nevada casino history. He had ended up at the Crystal as a dealer, worked just in the Winter, and like other "Northshore" dealers of the day, they drew unemployment during the Winter months.

Snow at Tahoe, a LOT of snow, I mean a lot of snow, many feet of snow, snow on top of snow, all Winter long. The locals told of when going out even during the day, shopping or for an evening, you took a broom, or a broom handle. If you got stranded in deep snow, you extended the handle as high as you could, and come hoped that someone would spot it sticking out of the snow and rescue you.

I have seen pictures to verify this .....