Dramatic Group Plays to Packed Houses
Stage Talent Marked in
O’Neill from
Beginning
As a people sing so are they.
As they play so they would like
to be.
Music and dramatic talent,
with a liberal sprinkling of stage
nonsense, have been more or
Jess marked in O’Neill, to put it
modestly. Maybe it should be
said these three elements of the
"fine arts” have had some out
standing exponents from earl
iest days, when Will Markey
fascinated bystanders with his
Shakespearean recitals of "Par
don me, thou bleeding piece of
earth, that I am meek and gen
tle with these butchers,” until
the present. Hattie Potter thril
led her hearers with her sweet
soprano voice. Rose Fallon rose
to the very height of the peaks
of song, and Kitty Dwyer sang
the thrilling melodies of old Ire
land.
Church groups have had mu
sical talent, song and instrumen
tal, and those so talented re
sponded on any and all occasions
with choruses, soloists and quar
tets. Among these were Mrs. O.
F. Biglin, Mrs. M. M. Sullivan,
Nicholas Martin, Grant Smith,
Oscar Snyder, John Smoot, Ed
Campbell, Miss Wilcox and her
brother, Oscar, Mattie Mann,
Jess O’Sullivan, Ross and Nel
lie Fallon, Catherine and Ilene
Donlin, Elizabeth Donohoe, Mary
Fitzsimmons and Mae Campbell,
Mrs. W. T. Evans, Mrs. Hazelett,
Anna Lowrie, Jennie and Ten
nie Norvell and many others
to mention only those of some
years ago.
In the realm of entertain
ment scarcely a week passed
without musicians giving a
concert or the local Richard j
Keens and Sarah Bernhardts
putting on a show. John Smoot
and Sliver Triggs did the
blackface stuff. Denny Cronin
took on the role of Robert Em
met. Miss O'Donnell, the her
oine and Bob Marsh the tun
ny man.
In the year 1897 a Black face
Minstrel was originated with O.
M. Collins as the leader and it
was called Kollins Komical
Koons. Taking part was about
everyone in town who thought
he could sing or was willing to
try. Wes Evans and Maylon
Price were the end men and Mr.
Collins the interlocutor. Miss
Maud Gillespie played the score
for every song or dance. C. E.
Stout and Ralph Evans each sang
a song, followed with a duet.
Harry Dowling, Maylon Price,
Wes Evans and many more
sang. Miss Leone Skirving went
through the motions of playing
a cornet solo with Oscar Wilcox
doing the playing back of the
wings.
Stout’s song was "Pansy, Does
You Love Your Baby.” The duet
was “The New Bully.” Ralph
Evans sang “Bill Bailey.”
The Academy Dramatic
company shown elsewhere in
this issue in picture, gave a
series of dramatic perform
ances beginning with “Robert
Smmet” and always played to
a packed house.
With the introduction of the
moving picture theater much lo
cal musical and dramatic talent
has gone to seed. Of those who
performed with the grace and
natural bearing of the profes
sional dramatist now living, only
two are remaining in O'Neill:
Mrs. C. E. Stout and M. R. Hor
isky.
When Mail Came Once
a Week —
J. C. Santee, postmaster at
Niobrara, received a telegram
from Hon. E. K. Valentine in
structing him to have Charles
Witte, the present contractor on
the route fiom Niobrara to
Yankton, S. D., put on special
service from Niobrara to O’
Neill once a week leaving the
latter place on Friday and re
turning on Saturday. — Holt
Record, June 16, 1879.
SKATING RINK THEIR THEATRE . . .
The Academy Dramatic company periodically
played to a crowded house in the old skating
rink, which was transformed into a theatre on
occasions. In this old photograph (left-to-right)
are: Top row—O. F. Biglin, M. R. Sullivan, Den
nis H. Cronin, M. F. Cronin, Romaine Saun
ders, Clarence Campbell; seated—Alice Cron
in, Tess O’Sullivan (Mrs. P. J. Flynn), Kittie
Dwyer (Mrs. C. E. Stout), Robert Marsh, J. A.
Donohoe and Doctor Flynn.
Montana Jack Left Town with Elastic I
Gaiter Shoes, Rail Ticket, and a Left Hook
•
By MONTANA JACK
SULLIVAN
of Butte. Mont.
BUTTE, MONT.—Editor Fron
tier Diamond Jubilee Special
Edition: My earliest recollection
of our prairie home near O’Neill
was a wilderness of wild flow
ers and the habitation of song
birds. Those early impressions
through contact with bird life
and floral bloom gave to me a
love of nature. The song of the
birds brought daily inspiration
and if I felt any preference for
the notes of one above another it
was the sweet song of the bobo
link.
When we were growing up
! O’Neill had no industries, so
from that standpoint it was vir
tually standing still The na
tional field trials for top rank
ing upland bird dogs were held
there annually. This event had
all the earmarks of a present day
world series in baseball. The
fact that prairie chickens were
abundant and the lay of the
country was ideal for this event
were the principal reasons for
holding the trials in the O’Neill
territory. The country being
about as level as a billard table <
and the bunch grass ideal cover
for the birds were deciding fac
tors in bringing men and dogs
to O’Neill.
When I decided to embark
on the uncertain tide of in
dustry commercial activities J
were at a low ebb at home, so i
the golden West caught my ]
fancy and subsequently my i
person.
When I shoved off from O’- '
Neill my worldly possessions
consisted of a pair of elastic
gaiter shoes, a suit of clothes
which would never make the '
ads in Esquire, a railroad ticket
to Butte, Mont., and a fairly j i
snappy left hook. This latter I
found of inestimable value on i
the journey through life, where j;
the going is rough and steep
Since those days, the people of
O’Neill have achieved a place
for their community which
makes it the outstanding center
of educational advantages and
trade opportunities of a large
section of North Nebraska.
But ihe past Winter’s storms
demonstrated that nature still
holds dominion over man.
•OPENING ROSEBUD . . . From all sections of the country men
c; me to O’Neill to register for land drawings during the open
ng of the Rosebud. Many special trains brought hopefuls to
O’Neill. This photograph was taken in 1908.—Photo couitesy
Felix Sullivan. _
REUNITE HERE . . . These three Sullivan
brothers (left-to-right)—Daniel, Jack and Philip
reunited in O’Neill in October, 1947, with Dr.
J. Milton Murphy. The Sullivans are located
■■■■■■■■■■■■■MR# mihih !■
in Butte, Mont.; Doctor Murphy in Portland,
Ore. (Montana Jack’s first-person contribution
appears above.)—The Frontier Photo by John
H. McCarville.
.ONE SURVIVOR
ON 4th’s WEST SIDE
>tannard Firm Once a
Monument Works —
Other Street History
A woman’s scream cut the
Summer night air and froze in
heir tracks a few stragglers on
i’ourth street, then galvenized
hem into action.
At the alley on the East side
)f the street stood a frame build
ng with rooms on the second
floor. A lone occupant of the
apstairs, gained by an outside
fntrance, was a lady who made
ter home there. The scream
ante from her apartment. The
hree or four men still about
ushed up those steps with long
ind gallant strides to rescue the
fair one from any loul intruder
apon night slumbers. It was dis
covered that a harmless town
character, deep in his cups, had
uanaged to climb the stairs and,
lot knowing where he was or
vhat he was doing, was fumbl
ng at the door of the frightened
lady’s room.
He was led away by the gal
lant gentry, given in custody of
the town’s night watch and
tow'eri away where he could
not molest lone women.
This building, built in the
early 1880s, was the place of
business which still survives and
now occupies a modern build
ing erected on the same ground.
Joining it on the South is The
Frontier building, also a late
structure, taking the place of an
old frame building. The two had
been built about the same time
in the year ’83, and expired to
gether a quarter of a century
ago.
The building next to the al
ley originally was the John
McCann furniture store where
coffins also were sold. Mr. Mc
Cann was succeeded in the
business by his brother-in
law, O. F. Biglin, a good na
tured Irishman from Scran
ton, Pa., who enlarged the
business to include wagons,
farm machinery and buggies.
Biglin's two sons, Frank and
William, continue the furni
ture and undertaking busi
ness.
This institution together wit!
The Frontier have been funct
’omng amicably side-by-side •
longer period of time than al
other business concerns in O’
Neill.
The woman’s scream, gui
fights of the liquor inflamec
cowboys, the great fire that de
stroyed the buildings but no
the business of the two oldcs
institutions in the city, the stop
ping place of covered wagon;
and the cow ponies, the busi
ness place and home of the mar
who introduced the first auto
mobile to the street, and hecti<
life at times wrote a history al
its own along two blocks or
lower Fourth street.
And out of the ’80s and ’90;
came other business concern
still a part of the commercia
life of Fourth street, the Spelts
Ray Lumber company, formerly
the Galena, the Gallagher stor<
antidating all other grocer;
dealers in O’Neill, the McManu
store, the "O’Neill National an<
First National banks, the Nobh
lumber yard, originally estab
lished by Barnett & Frees.
On the opposite side of the
street but one name survives
that took root there in the early
1880s, Stannards in the begin
ning was the monument works
that supplied a large territory,
now a food center and news
stand under the direction of the
widow and daughters of the
founder of the original enter
prise, Dave Stannard.
.I !.
Church and Cobbler
Ads in Early Issues
The first issue of The Fron
tier became the medium of pub
licity for business, lodges and
the one church, St. Patrick’s,
that has continued through the
years. It was at first called St.
Joseph’s with Rev. J. T. Smith
as pastor.
The Ancient Order of Hiber
nian Division No. 1 carried a
card in the paper. Frank Too
hill was president; B. McGrcevy,
secretary; John Dwyer, treas
urer; M. Sullivan, county dele
gate, and M. D. Long the finan
cial secretary.
Elkhorn Valley lodge IOOF,
still in existence, was function
ing as early as 1880. Sanford
Parker’s name appears as the
noble grand and M. H. Daggett,
the secretary.
The professional cards of
Cleveland & Uttley and O’Neill
and Williams advertised the
four early day lawyers.
Sam Wolfe and John McBride
advertised their business as
carpenters. Wm. Dahling was
equipped to supply harness and
saddles for the ponies. N. A.
Hagenstein was a boot and
shoe maker. C. C. Millard had a
livery stable, B. S. Gillespie was
surveying and locating claims.
James O. Katthoffer, holding
down a claim a mile West of the
postoffice, advertised himself
to be a “Practical tailor and all
kinds of cleaning and repair
ing.”
Patrick Hagerty spread it on
with a two-column ad and D.
L. Darr and Barrett Scott, as
Darr & Scott, were doing a big
business out at Red Bird. There
was about two columns of ads
of Niobrara concerns.
• _
Organize Village Later —
In 1880 O’Neill .was still a
community of colonists, not un
til two years' later was the or
ganization of a village effect
ed. In 1880 the community
was officially looked after by
the county officers. These were:
Sanford Parker, clerk; John J.
Kelley, treasurer; M. D. Long,
deputy; Bernard Kearns, sher
if; Wm. Malley, judge; D. P.
O’Sullivan, superintendent of
schools; John Nightengale, sur
veyor; I. R. Smith, coroner. Pa
trick Hagerty was postmaster,
and besides two column adver
tisement in The Frontier calling
attention to his stock of "Groc
eries, Hats, Caps, Boots and
Shoes.”
Tobacco, Strychnine,
Tarantula Juice Staples
on Niobrara Expedition
Over the simple signature of
May, under the title of Red
Bird Ripples, this information
was promulgated in September
1880, through the medium of
The Frontier:
Last week the lime-honor
ed veteran trapping party
left this place for the upper
Niobrara, fully equipped to
be absent eight months. The
party consisted of Col. Frank
Jones, O. F. and C. A. Bike,
and W. Biddle, accompanied
by Barrett Scott, who took
along a load of supplies.
Besides this they have one
team and wagon and one sad
dle horse. Among the numerous
articles and immense piles of
supplies we observed the fol
lowing: 70 pounds tobacco; 120
pounds coffee, one barrel of
beans, 100 steel traps, 50 bot
les of strychnine and four gol
lons diluted tarantula juice.
6 Loads of Beer —
An even thousgnd head of
fat cattle passed down the val
ley to Neligh on Tuesday for
shipment over the Sioux City
and Pacific East, reported The
Frontier of September 30, 1880.
They were from Carpenter’s
ranch near Ft. Niobrara. In the
same issue, D. L. Pond, under
his Fort Flashes, tells of an ex
citing horse race, distance 500
yards and money involved $3,
000. Six loads of beer passed
through O’Neill one week en
route to the fort.
BE ,. MUNI . 19k.
O’Neill
on Your 75th Anniversary
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