Mason Valley News from Yerington, Nevada • 28

1 by -mil ii irr Fisher joy Manhattan is 40 miles north of Tonopah in the south end of the Toiyabe range of moun-. tains. At that time is was a typical mining town, a phenomenon, in. Mom's words, "you have to experience to understand." It was dirty, windblown and desolate. At first there were only tents and makeshift houses in the valley, but later; "permanent" homes were built.

There were no stores or. shops of any kind and food and clothing had to be hauled miles over trails. When a food shipment didn't get through, the miners and their famililes drew together, sharing what they had and praying. When the mines shut down-temporarily, everyone thought Mom started to take, in laundry to feed the growing family (by now a son, Richard, and a daughter, Esther, had been born). At first she did the work herself, then, when business increased, employed Indian squaws who lived in camp to work for her.

Noticing that the miners' socks were worn, she bought some in Oakland where she went to visit her mother, and brought them back to sell. Quickly she was all sold out, but soon-, too, she began noticing holes in the miner's socks again. "What had happened, you see," Mom recalls with a chuckle, "was that a sharp salesman had unloaded a whole order of "Mom" Ronzone in curls and a happy smile that lend an air of prosperity to the woman who dreamed of security for her family, and realized that dream in a way even she never expected. I 1 the few miners, his old friends, who were left. "It was wonderful how it worked out.

A woman who had run a store in the Elk's Club moved to San Francisco just as we came, and before long, the Elks came to us and asked us if we'd like to rent their hall. We did." The Ronzone empire was aborning. The family opened branches in Silver Peak and Beatty, and, in 1929, came to Las Vegas. Mom liked Las Vegas and wanted to become part of it. The family opened a store.

The store in Las Vegas moved to larger quarters to accommodate increasing business several times before occupying its present site at 419 Fremont St. in 1946. Later the family Bought the Grey-Reid store in Reno, and Amy and her husband, Al Adams took charge. When Mr. Ronzone died in 1938, son Dick quit college to help Mom with the operation of the Las Vegas store.

Younger daughter Esther also followed the merchandising business. She and her husband, Edmund Recanzone; are partners in the i department store in Yerington. Mom wanted security for her children. She has given them their lives' work as well. Even more than that, she has.

given them a set of values that seem to be fast disappearing in this country: she taught them that "God helps them as helps themselves." Mom Ronzone has heloed herself right into a legend in her own lifetime. -villi Alr I'k Ui i i.ir iimi liif if 1 1 1 1 hi ii i ii 1 iHin-i iit-1 iti i iHiih i 1 1 The following feature was written by Joy Fisher," Las Vegas Sun staff writer for a special supplement publica- tion. It is reprinted here with full permission of the publisher and "Mom" Ronzone who is the mother of Mrs. Esther Recanzone of Yerington. The Recanzones marked 20 years in the operation of The Emporium on April 1.

I guess there are three things that accounted for what success I've had," said Bertha (Mom) Ronzone in a recent interview. "First, there always seemed to be someone around just when I needed help; second, I had a wonderful family who were interested in the business; and, third well, I guess you might say, I didn't know enough to realize I wasn't supposed -to have a chance in 'he to ceed." With that, "Mom" Ronzone, the 81-year-old founder of Ron-zone's Department Store, summed up a tale of success that perhaps epitomizes the opportunities open to the pioneer of the Golden West in the early 20th century. Born in "Ioway" and bred in California, Mrs. Ronzone's adventures began when she fell in love with and married "an older man." At any rate, A. B.

Ronzone; fresh from prospecting adventures in Alaska, must have seemed very distinguished and worldly-wise to his bride of 17. Married in California, the couple spent their honeymoon on the S.S. Portland bound for Alaska. "It should have only been a couple week trip," Mom recalls, "but we got caught in an ice floe that swept the ship up into the Bering Straits, farther north than any ship we knew of had ever gone before. We spent two months on board before we set foot on solid ground again.

We had enough food to get by, and I wasn afraid, because my husband had told me before we left that the trip wasn't dangerous and in those days I believed everything he said." In 1904. the Ronzones traveled -with their first child. Amy, to the gold strike in Tonopah, and from there to Manhattan, Nevada. 111111,1 In this treasured family photo, Mom Ronzone, left, and daughter Amy, stand in front of their first home in" the mininq camp of Manhattan, Nev. With them are Mr.

and Mrs. Bulenne, neighbors and friends of the Ronzone family. The house stood on Erie Street. size nine and a half socks on me. Well, none of those miners took less than a ten and a half or eleven, but I didn't know anything about buying men's socks then.

Anyway, the only way the miners could wear the socks they brought from me was to cut the toes out and let their feet stick through. "They never told me, and chances are I would never have known if I hadn't seen the socks when they came -in to the laundry." That was the not-very-auspf-cious beginning of the Ronzone family's merchandise career. In a way. Mom feels it was a lucky beginning. I taught her to watch out for sharp salesmen, to examine the merchandise for size and quality, and to get more than a 10 per cent discount when she bought wholesale; valuable lesson best learned early in the game.

She borrowed $500, wrangled as much credit as possible, after being told by those in the "know" that she could "never get credit," and, in 1917, went into business. At first they used a room in the house, then rented a store that had holes in the roof and leaked when it rained. "We really had to' scramble when the roof started leaking to keep the merchandise from get-, ting ruined," Mom recalls. Unfortunately, by the time the Ronzones started their store Manhattan was on its way to becoming a ghost town, and, in 1920, Mom and Amy moved to Tonopah to start another store. Mr.

Ronzone stayed in Manhattan for a time, to take care of i The Ronzone family opened its first store, above, in The roof leaked when it rained, and the town was town, but the business was on its way. Manhattan, Nev. in 1917. soon to become a ghost.