Prairieland Talk . . .
Neglected to Arrange for Water
Bj ROMA1NE SAUNDERS. Retired, Former Editor The Frontier
LINCOLmN—A lady up at Bassett, writing a
thesis entitled "The Settlement and Development
rif the Northeast Sandhills", has asked us what
information I could give her relating to early day
irrigation proposals in this territory.
Many schemes sprouted In the active brains
of energetic gents in O’Neill. Irrigation, sugar
beet growing, a chicory fac
tory that functioned for a
time grinding up the
chicory plants into "coffee",
a meat packing plant, a cream
ery, a brickyard, railroads,
artesian wells, rainmakers and
race horses.
In the early 1890’s the
Elk bom Irrigation Canal, a
ditch from Cherry county
across Brown, Rock and Holt,
sprung into life on paper
to be financed by bonding the Romaine
precincts in these counties Saunders
through which the ditch was to pass and all adja
cent territory benefitted thereby. It was never
quite clear where the water was to come from.
Another and later irrigation proposal that
the lady at Bassett mentioned at the Golden irriga
tion ditch which culminated in Ditch Company
cattle ranch layout in the Dry creek country and
ended up as a little lake out there that became
a resort for O’Neill bloods. Irrigation and the
various other pioneer projects passed out of the
picture for nature to take over and convince
promoters that praineland is the grass, hay and
corw rountrv of America
The first herds bore the brand of the Spade
Outfit, the first bale of hay was the work of the
capable hands of Tremaine VanValkenberg of
Inman and the first prairi eland song came from a
homestead pioneer south of Inman who wrote the
“Little Old Sod Shanty on My Claim”—My ears
are tough as leather and they flop in windy wea
ther, but I'm happy as a clam in this land of
Uncle Sam while holding down my claim!
• * •
It will be Governor McNichols for Lieut.
Gov. Steve McNichols of Colorado, a cousin of
the late Billy McNichols. The recently elected
governor of Colorado is a son of William Mc
Nichols of a pioneer O’Neill family. His father
left O’Neill many years ago for Colorado and for
some years past has been a city official of Den
ver. His son now becomes chief executive of that
Rocky Mountain State.
* * *
"Vanishing Prairie” is the title of a group of
pictures now being shown on the screen. Seventy
years ago there were pioneer patriots on nearly
every quarter section where now none remain.
Settlors have vanished but the prairie remains as
it was a hundred years ago. As recently as 40
years back, 25 miles south of O’Neill, in the ad
joining county of Wheeler there was a homestead
family on every section. Today there are none,
the open prairie remains, human habitation has |
vanished. Where the compiler of Prairieland j
Talk was a homestead lad in the long ago there
were lights in the windows at night. Today there
is neither window nor light. The virgin prairie
remains stretching to distant horizons robed in
velvet green in summer, now this November cloth
ed in a robe of autumn colors, the feeding
grounds of beef herds where buffalo once roam
ed. Vanishing Prairie—generations are born, live
their little day and pass on; the prairie stays with
us.
Mid-November on prairieland Stately trees
stripped of summer’s silken foliage reach nude
arms high above our heads and those silken robes
turned to emblems of the dead spread a llanket
at our feet. Walk abroad in the fresh invigorating
autumn air, the blue heavens above from which
glows unclouled sunAine. Flowers have faded,
days early merge into night and high in the
southern heavens a bright moon looks down upon
peaceful prairieland, far removed from troubled
lands. The summer bloom of red and blue and
yellow is but a memory, bright tints of autumn
adorn the scene. Surrounded with plenty, dwell
ing in peace and comfort on prairieland I think
of the many thousands of careworn men and wo
men and homeless little ones in other lands the
urge comes to help again in the raising of funds
to bring a measure of help to those in need in
lands afar.
• * *
They had been over In Canada and headed
for home with a cargo of game birds stored in
the "deep freeze.’’ At the North Dakota en
trance to the home land border patrols held
them up, counted the storage of wild winged
creatures and confiscated the lot. In other words
stole the catch of the Yankee lads. Somebody
Is always taking the joy out of life.
* * *
His name is Daniel. Not such a Daniel who
faced the lions in their den, who stood before
Babylonian monarchs, interpeted visions and
looked down the centuries to our time and saw
“many running to and fro.” The modern Daniel
is from Texas. He annouces that he will be
there January 3 to “guarantee Democratic con
trol of the senate.” He goes to our federal law
making body not as a patriotic American to sup
port laws for the good of all but to jockey for
partisan advantage. . . Let us look at another,
a native of Kearney, Neb. His name is Halliwell
known as the Medicine Man of the Amazon. He
has neither medical degree nor druggist certi
ficate, but for 25 years has been ministering to
the needs of natives of the jungles of the Amazon
going up and down that river healing the sick,
saving the lives of victims of deadly jungle ser
pents.
* * *
Mr. Stevenson, rising up out of the aval
anche that overwhelmed him on November 6,
and wellnigh chocked by despair, said “Our
cause will ultimately prevail.” The “cause”
he refers to was a longing eye on federal job at
the disposal of the chief executive.
* * *
Fern Hubbard Orme was defeated by a few
votes as a candidate for the legislature in the
20th district. There had been a half dozen on the
primary ballot seeking the nomination and among
them legal action was begun to keep Mrs. Orme’s
name off the ballot, taking it to the supreme
court. The court order went against them, and
this aroused resentment on the part of other
primary candidates which resulted in a concerted
effort to defeat her at the November election. Her
friends in O’Neill, where Mrs Orme’s girlhood was
spent, no doubt regreted to learn of her defeat.
• * *
Sen. Frank Nelson ranks among the best of
Holt county vote-getters and can well feel a
thrill of pride that his legislative record has the
approval of the majority of voters of the district.
Mr. Nelson had the majority vote in three coun
ties and no doubt approves Boyd county voters
supporting their home man.
Editorial . .
K-12 Move Is Tempered
Proponents of the K-12 school redistricting
proposal, including the state board of education,
state education commissioner, school groups and
other enthusiasts, have had a change of heart
lately. Whether or not the election results have
influenced the softening attitude, we cannot say.
The K-12 plan is a device under which each
district in Nebraska would HAVE to offer school- ,
ing from kindergarten through high school. If
made into law, this would have the effect of
forcing “shotgun" mergers of school districts and
and bringing numerous rural districts under a
single administrative head.
Of course, the basis for the K-12 movement
Is to insure that all property in the county pro
portionately pays for the maintenance of the high
school; whereas, it is contended, some people
virtually escape school taxes under Nebraska’s
horse-and-buggy school system.”
K-12 enthusiasts point out that Nebraska
has many more school districts than Texas. How
ever, they fail to state that some of the Texas dis
tricts have from five to a dozen schools within
the district.
The Nebraska legislative council, meeting in
Lincoln last week, rejected the K-12 redistrict
ing proposal on the theory the final word should
be left with the local people. And, in post-elec
tion decisions, some farm groups and education
groups see the light and now recommend the re
districting technique should be a matter of “ed
ucating” the people.
State Senator Frank Nelson of O’Neill sted
fastly has argued both on the floor and before
civic, teacher and parent groups that the volun
tary redistncting is the only way.
“We will have lost something of far more
value if the forced redistricting is Imposed. For
ced redistricting is not democratic,’’ he contends.
And Senator Nelson is correct.
Thus the K-12 movement has been tempered
somewhat.
It is reassuring to us tnai a rar-sigmeu, stu
dious and seasoned man like Frank Nelson has
been returned to the legislature.
Senator Nelson’s wisdom has helped short
stop other rare notions for legislation and, by
virtue of his overwhelming reelection earlier this
month, he can be depended upon to continue.
Usually his “shortstopping” is not dramatic,
but he plays the game cautionsly, and to our
knowledge, has never fumbled the ball.
Meanwhile, The Frontier feels that redistrict
ing needs a shot-in-the-arm, all right, but the
"shotgun” approach is the incorrect way to go
about it.
Redistricting in Holt, Boyd and Rock coun
ties, for example, is attended by certain problems
that do not exist in Burt, Washington and Dodge
counties. Well-graded and graveled roads at
every section line and denser population make re
districting simple, even on a voluntary basis,
compared to vast distances and sparse population
such as we have to deal with in Holt.
Not Good Ambassadors
American soldiers generally prove to be sorry
ambassadors in times of peace. Whether we like
to admit it or not, the average American is flam
bouyant, boisterous and prone to brag a bit about
his country.
Because the GI has lived on the highest
standard of any peoples in the world, and because
he usually is better paid, job-for-job, than his
counterpart, wherever he is stationed, the agres
sive front is not very appealing to local inhabit
ants in many cases.
In Europe, for example, the people live to
gether closely and the result is they are quieter
and are forced to guard their privacy.
Reports from the Far East indicate that
American conduct has been so bad, in places such
as South Indochina and Thailand, that widespread
antagonism has been caused. This has been the
case in many other countries in recent years since
the end of World War II, and it is a problem the
state department and our foreign policy strate
gists must somehow solve.
Of course, many of the GI’s are conscripts
and their presence in remote parts of the world
is not their own doing. Resentment of their pre
dicament might be responsible for some of the
conduct.
The braintrusters in the state department
should have taken all into consideration when they
started planting young Americans around the
globe in what we consider a futile, pointless and
endless policy.
As a nation, we Americans are prone to rid
icule anything we do not understand or which is
different from the American way. This was true
during World War II, but when U. S. troops were
liberating captive peoples, such conduct was con
doned in a spirit of thankfulness and appreciation.
However, U. S. troops, foreign missions and
training staffs in the various countries of the Far
Eat today have not entered these countries as
liberating saviors, but as representative of the
United States. Their conduct is closely watched,
and it reflects o nthe country they represen.
Few politicians have sense enough to retire
when they are still on top and still able to retire
undefeated.
If you have somethig to sell worthwhile, let
people know about it through advertising.
It’s strange but the less one knows, the easier
it is to form an opinion on any given subject.
Question: Name the second largest Italian
city. Answer New York, U.S.A.
We suspect that Gamel Abdul Nasser is about
as tricky as the name sounds.
, he Frontier
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
ARTHUR J NOECKER and ESTHER M. ASHER,
Associate Publishers
Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt coun
ty, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Associa
tion, National Editorial Association and the Audit
Bureau of Circulations.
Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per
year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per year;
rates abroad provided on request. All subscriptions
are paid in advance.
Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,559 (Mar. 31, 195$)
When You and I Were Young . . .
E. E. Babcock Shows
Speed in Picking
But Paper Doesn’t
Tell Full Story
50 Year* Ago
The Page reporter contains
this item: "E. Babcock picked 48
rows, 50 rods long, which made
100 bu., in nine hours. How is
that for a pick in Holt county?”
That is pretty good picking, no
doubt, but a better estimate of
Mr. Babcock's speed might be
made if the reporter would tell
us what he picked. . . Frank
Damero of Pheonix expects to
have a phone put in his house
this week. . . Mrs. J. Twyford
was quite sick last week but is
feeling better. . . Helen C. Boyd
and Floyd J. Kelly were united
in marriage.
20 Y'ears Ago
Mrs. Eliza Graves, 80, died in
her sleep at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Iva Dixon. . .
Thelma L. Aim. nine - year - old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Aim, died after an operation for
acute appendicitis. . Harvey
.Allen of Page has a mule which
1 he raised himself that is 30
years-old, fat and in condition to
work. Another mule, a full sister
| of the 30-year-old, died a little
over a year ago at 29.
10 Year* Ago
The distinguished service cross
j was awarded to Bernard F. Co
| day of Atkinson, who served as a
first lieutenant in the Seventh
infantry regiment in France dur
ing World War II. . . Weddings
recently were Miss Beatrice Jar
dee of ’ Stuart and Charles Siegel
of Columbus, Miss Dorothy Mae
Brandt of Atkinson and Law
rence Schneider of near Stuart;
and in Beverly Hiils, Calif., in a
double-ring ceremony, John J.
Stein and Frances Louise Myers
and Richard R. Stein and Betty
Jo Hamilton. The bridegrooms
are the sons of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Stein, formerly of O’Neill.
In 1907 Zeffa Ziemer and Walter
Stein and Zella Ziemer and Os
car Marcotte were also married
in a double-ring ceremony.
One Year Ago
Rodney Elkins of Chambers
ate the ' most flapjacks during
the veteran’s day celebration. . .
Mr. and Mrs. Rex Chapman and
five chlidren of Ewing, were hurt
when their car hit a patch of ice.
. . Mrs. Cora Tasler. 87, of At
kinson, who traveled by covered
wagon to Holt county with her
parents, died. . • The men of the
Riverside church staged a wood
cutting bee at the Don Larson
farm . . . “Grandma” Sarah Ev
ans of Venus, who does her own
housework, celebrated her 92d
birthday anniversary.
Leader Presented
Appreciation Gift—
Till? Grattan Flats 4-H club
held its final meeting for 1956
at the home of Clarence Ernst.
All members were present.
Members and parents staged
a program in honor of the lead
er, Mrs. Homer Ernst. S)%? was
presented a blanket in apprecia
tion for all she did for the club.
Grattan Flats club members
received 19 blue, 31 red and
eight white nbbons for exhibits,
demonstrations and judging at
the Holt county fair; also two
blue, one red, three white and
one pink at the state fair and
Ak-Sar-Ben. — By Connie Jean
Brockman, news reporter.
John Joe Uhl, a student at
Creighton University, arrived
Wednesday and his sister, Miss
Mary Lou, a student at the col
lege of St. Mary in Omaha arriv
ed the same day to spend the
holidays with their parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Norbert Uhl.
—
Carnival skating party, Thanks
giving night, November 22, at
Neligh Rink. 30p
i
Letters to Editor
Dear Editor:
Last week, you carried a guest
editorial captioned, "How' Ya
Gonna Keep Them Down on the
Farm”. And, at the end of the
article, the question was posed,
"Where are the farmers of 1970
coming from — what is your
gues^?”
We feel that they are going to
be the sons and daughters of the
present farmers and ranchers.
They may, or may not, have a
colleged degree but our bet is
that a larger percentage of them
will have. Probably an even larg
er percentage of them will have
,-ome college training.
Farming is no longer a busi
ness engaged in by people who
lan do no other job. If the farms
and ranches are to be main
tained . in high productivity
through the application of stand
ard conservation and manage
ment practices, we feel that the
standard of living will be suffic
iently high (comparatively) to
attract young people with college
educations.
At the present time, one of the
winners of the recent Sioux City
permanent agriculture contest,
Merwyn French, jr., has a col
lege degree and is farming and
doing a commendable job of it,
not because he has to but because
that is what he wants to do.
There are a number of other
young farmers and ranchers in
the county who have a college
degree and are back on the land
by their own choice.
We must keep in mind that
modern mechanization is reduc
ing the number of farm people
necessary to produce the needs of
the nation. For example, an acre
of wheat now requires three man
hours of labor to produce. Not
loo many years ago, inai same
acre of wheat (with probably
less yield) required 60 man hours
of labor. Although it may not re
quire as many farmers in the fu
ture, they will be compelled to
do a superb job of management,
must know about fertilizers and
insecticides, and must conserve
the soil to keep it productive.
Perhaps as your guest editor
ial expressed, farms are being
sold in Wisconsin because sons
and daughters of the present
generation, who have attended
college, are not returning to the
land.
We do not feel that that is the
present trend in this locality, and
don’t believe it will be the case
in the future.
Holt County Soil Conservation
District Board of Supervisors
* * *
Bonesteel, S. D
I heard you on WNAX Night
Call, Monday, November 12,
and it brought back childhood
memories.
I wonder if anyone in reach of
your voice had an experience
with Kid Wade such as my fath
er had.
My father had but two horses
and Kid Wade stole one of those.
As his captors were taking him
to the Bassett jail, he gave my
father a letter telling him where
to find the horse on a ranch in
Wyoming.
Always a soft spot in our
hearts, for a horse thief, who
had some good points.—Mrs. A.
D. Prettyman (Just an old lady
from Bonesteel, S. D.
Elkhorn Club
Plans Yule Party—
The Elkhorn Project club met
in the Mrs. Frank Grenier home
Tuesday, November 13, with 17
members and one visotor present.
The lesson “Finishes for Furni
i ture”, was given by Mrs. Bob
J Cook, assisted by Mrs. Ed Price.
Lunch was served by cahostesses,
Mrs. John Kersenbrock and Mrs.
I Clav Johnson Sr.
The Christmas party will be
held at the Mrs. Tess Protovinsky
home at 7 p.m., December 11.
Donald Schoenle, a student at
the seminary in Elkhorn, plans to
spend Thanksgiving at home
with his mother, Mrs. Francis
i Schoenle and daughters.
We’ve Turned
the Tables...
We are having a Pre-Christmas right up to Christmas !
Day, rather than the old customary “After The Holiday”
clean-up sales.
Buy your Christmas Gifts when you want them at the
prices you want to pay. On all gift and houseware items we
will bring you great savings right up to Christmas Day. Look
at these for a few samples. Anything we don’t have, we
will order for you at a reduced price and guarantee delivery
by Christmas if ordered within the next three weeks.
Regular Sale
NORELCO
Electric Razors $24.95 $19.95
HOOVER
“Lark Cleaners $89.95 $59.95
COLORFLYTE
Dish Sets $14.95 $12.50
SILEX
Coffee Server & Warmer 6.75 $ 5.75
REVERE-WARE
Cooking Ware 10% Off & Better on Sets
Sunbeam Appliances
IF WE QUOTED OUR PRICES IT WOULD START A WAR!
YOU CHECK THEM AND THEN COMPARE.
Many, Many More Items Too Numerous
To Mention
And With All of These Low-Low Prices We Are Still Giving
TOP-VALUE STAMPS With Each and Every Sale.
P.S. Don’t forget to look at our complete
line of Maytag Appliances.
REMEMBER IT PAYS TO GO WEST
WM. KROTTER CO.
THE COMPLETE FARM STORE IN WEST O’NEILL
Serving North-Central Nebraska Since 1891
KC’s from 4 Boyd
Towns Meet at Lynch
LYNCH — The Boyd county
Knights of Columbus council
held their November meeting at
the American Legion hall Thurs
day evening, November 15.
Members from Butte, Naper
and Spencer attended with the
Lynch men as hosts.
Other Lynch New*
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Barta
and Evie of Dorsey were Lynch
callers Saturday.
The junior class is busy prac.
ticing their play, “The Groom
Said No”, a three-act comedy be
ing directed by their sponsor. Joe
Peniska. Plans are to present the
play the first week in December.
Mrs. Violet Tweedy and daugh
ter of Verdel visited with Mrs.
Thirza Crawford Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Tuch of
Niobrara called at the John Hurd
home Tuesday.
Ernest Vomacka of Gregory,
S.D., was a business visitor at the
Martin Jehorek home on Mon
day.
The Raymond Havranek fam
ily spent the past week with re
latives in Sidney.
Joe Sextro of Butte was a
Lynch visitor Thursday.
Mrs. Thomas Muller entertain,
ed a group of ladies at her home
Monday afternoon.
Eldon Carver of Pierre, S.D.,
called on old time friends here
last weekend.
The Lynch fire department
sponsored a Thanksgiving dance
in the Lynch Ballroom with the
Mullen family furnishing the
music.
Georgie Courtney left this
week for his base in Othello air
force base, Washington having
spent 20 days here with his par
ent; and other relatives.
Henry Hulls of Verdel visited
relatives here last Sunday.
’ Mrs Joe Fredrickson of Gross
visited her sister. Mrs Nats
' Bjornsen last Monday.
Mr. and Mrs R M. Duckcr at
tended the Fred Kaplan funeral
at Verdel Monday.
Ike McDonald is home for a
.v day furlough his folks
here He is stationed in Massa
chusetts Mr. and Mrs. McDonald
met him at Grand Island Sunday
The First Methodist church la
dies sponsored their annual ba
zaar at the American Legion hall
Saturday. Chicken dinner was al
so served.
---k
..DANCE..
American Legion Ball Room
_ O’Neill —
3 Big Nights of Dancing
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
November 22, 23, 24
Music by
Star Teens
ADM: 50c
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ma&DBDHEDOQDH_
f or Doptndablt 9At Servlet
”{^oqetheR we thank the Powep
that made and pReseRved us. By the millions
we speak ppayeRS. we sinq hymns - and no
matteR what theiR woRds may Be, them spmit
is the same, in Qod is our tpust. Religion
nuRtuRes men of faith, men of hope, men of
love, such men ape needed in the Building
of a new woRld Reflecting the qloRy of Qod.
- pwiqht Oavid QisenhoweR
- - i —■ I I mil —mmMif I i II i I HMtM —MMi