MILL CITY, Nev. - As a kid driving down old Highway 40, I saw the long stone walls and asked my parents what sort of building it was. By the time I saw it the roof had caved in and some of the walls had slumped down. When told it had been a store building, I shook my head. There wasn't one window in those long stone walls. Not one.
I'm not sure why Mr. Organ built it that way, but in its long existence it did not have windows.
He started his store in 1862. It stayed in operation for another 60 years or so. It lasted through mining booms in the surrounding mountains and still survived when those mines, and the towns founded by them, disappeared. Considering the longevity of his business, and his success, the lack of windows didn't seem to affect his bottom line.
Come to think of it, many modern stores operate successfully without windows. Mr. Organ was ahead of his time!
- Compiled by Barbara Powell
nevadasdesertlegends.com.
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