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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (March 14, 1957)
Mr. Distiller, former mayor . . . eame to O’Neill in 1903.— The Frontier Photo. C of C Rejects Plan to Rename Streets $88.4 Million Road Plan Told O’Neill-Emmet Route on Schedule A record-breaking 88.4-mii lion-dollar road building plan for the 1957-’59 biennium was announced Monday, including considerable federal aid primary and secondary highway con struction in the O’Neill area. Plans include: U. S. highway 20, Holt county, new location from O’Neill west to Emmet, 7.5 miles, $360,000 to tal cost, new bituminous. U S. highway 281, Boyd, .6 of a mile gap, west from highway 12 junction, $33,000, new bitu minous. US. highway 281, Greeley, Greeley north, 11.9 miles, $445, 000, new bituminous. US. highway 281, Holt-Whel er, from highway 95 junction south 9 8 miles, $374,000, new bitumnious. U S. highway 20, Cherry-Sher idan, 5.9 miles, $100,000, bitu minous, second stage. US. highway 20, Brown, in Ainsworth. .9 of mile, $31,000, widening. Nebraska highway 12, Boyd, Bristow east and west 8.2 mites, $340,000, new bituminous. Nebraska highway 18, Boyd, South Dakota line south, 7.0 miles, $122,000, new and im . proved gravel. Nebraska highway 12, Keva Paha, accross Keya Paha river, .6 miles, $120,000, new and im proved gravel. Nebraska highway 12, Keya Paha, from half-mile east of Burton west, 4.5 miles, $110,000, new and improved gravel. Nebraskah ighway 59, Knox Creighton east, 7.0 miles, $175, 000, new and improved gravel. Nebraska highway 84, Knox, Bloomfield to Center, 13.7 miles, $390,000, new and improved gravel. U. S. highway 281, Boyd-Holt, Niobrara river south of Spencer, $45,000, bridge protection and construction. Nebraska highway 7, Brown Key a Paha. Niobrara river south of Spt ingview, $40,000, bru ge nrotection and construction. Motorists Hurt in 2-Car Accident Seven persons were hurt about 10:15 p.tn., Monday evening when a southbound car driven by Mrs. Lois Hartman of O’Neill figured in an accident with a northbound machine driven by Glenn Ridgeway, 70, of O’Neill. Passengers 'n Mrs. Hartman’s car were Mrs. Edna Huebcrt, Mrs. Juanita Closson, Sharon j Hartman, Marlene and Marjorie Colfack. Ridgeway was alone in his machine. The Hartman car, a 1956 Pontiac, was damaged to the extent of about $800; the Ridgeway car was a 1947 Chev rolet. Ridgeway suffered facial lacer ations and a hip injury and was taken to St. Anthony’s hospital. Also hospitlized were Mrs. Hart man. Mrs. Closson and Mrs. Hue bert. The accident occurred one mile north of the drive-in theater cor ner on U. S. highway 28. Mrs. Closson suffered from shock and bruises, Mrs. Huebcrt, an injured ankle and lacerations;: Mrs. Hartman, bruise®. The Misses Hartman and Col- j fack were taken to th* St An thony’s hospital but released that rnght. Mrs. Hartman was re lea! td Wednesday. Mr.®. Edward T. Verzal will be hostess tonight (Thursday) to the 9FF club. * ■ A movement to redesignate the O'Neill streets appears to have been shortlived. On Tuesday, March 5, two officials of the Chamber of Com merce asked the city council to rename the streets under a plan that would change the main inter section of Fourth and Douglas streets to the corner of 20th avenue and 20th street. The proposal, filed by President Rob ert LaRue and Dale Wilson, chairman of a committee ap pointed to study the matter, provided that east-west streets would become numerical aven- j ues and north-south streets, | presently numbered, would ac quire new numerical designa tions. The council indicated it would go along with the idea provided the proposal met with the ap proval of the Chamber member ship. At Monday’s Chamber meeting a motion by James W. Rooney to refer the matter back to the council overwhelmingly carried. Most observers predict the matter now will die a natural death. Opposition Appears “The Voice of The Frontier” j (WJAG, 780 k.c.) Monday morn-! ing broadcast street interviews with 10 persons selected at ran-; dom near the M & M cafe. Eight i were against the proposal; two— one from Inman and one from O’Neill—said they were disin terested. One of the persons interview ed was Postmaster Ira Moss, who contended “the benefits would not compensate for the confusion” that would result. Mayor D. C. Schaffer, speak- j ing at the council meeting, j “roughly estimated" such a change would cost at least sev- j eral thousand dollars. Several speakers voiced strong objections because of complications in mail deliveries. Several agreed the present system should be ex panded and most were in favor of complete house numbering. City mail routes at present cov er only a portion of the city. Mrs. H. D. Gildersleeve spoke in behalf of the Women’s club and told of a forthcoming library benefit style show. Surplus candy leftover from | llltr Ociiiui u cai win ut luui'-u over to the youth center. To Study Chest Idea J. B. Grady asked that a com mittee be appointed to organize a community chest drive, which, henceforth, would include all fund-raising. Joe Stutz and Ar thur J. Noeeker were named to a committee to investigate. Thirty persons attended the meeting at Slat’s Supper club. Merriman Pulls Out; VanVleck Enters Deadline for filing of petitions of candidates in connection with the April 2 municipal election passed Tuesday. City Clerk O. D. French said the following names will appear on the ballot provided the peti tions are valid: For board of education: Dale Fetrow and Harold E. Weier, candidates for seats now held by Ira H. Moss and Francis N, Cronin, who are not seeking re election. For city council: First ward— M. J. Golden and Allan Van Vleck; Second—Dr. EdwaM M. Gleeson and C. R. (“Russ”)! Foree; Third—Fred Heerman and Ray Lawrence. Golden and Heerman are in cumbants. John Turner, Second ward councilman, is not a candi date for reelection. A petition in behalf of L M. Merriman for First ward council man was withdrawn. Meriiman retired from the council a year ago. "Voice of The Frontier" 9 30-10 AM — 780 k.c FOURTEEN w pr Mon _ Wed. - 8.1 TWO SECTIONS North-Central Nebraska’s BIGGEST Newspaper Vol. 76.—Number 46. O Neill, Holt County, Nebraska. Thursday- March 14. 1957. Seven Cents F.J.Dishner, Formerly Mayor, Dies Stricken Late Monday at His Home Here; Funeral Rites Today (Photo at left). F. J. (“Frank”) Dishner, 82. wf'° served two terms as mayor of O’Neill and for many years was active in business, civic and political circles, was stricken with a heart attack Monday eve n ing, March 11, at his home, G25 Fast Douglas st. He died about 15 minutes later. Nine years ago he was critical ly ill and submitted to major surgery. After being inactive and confined to his home foi about two years, he recovered and enjoyed good health until the past two weeks, during which he admitted he was “not feeling well". Funeral services will be con ducted at 9 a.m., today (Thurs day) at St. Patrick’s Catholic church with Very Rev. Timothy O’Sullivan, church pastor, offi citaing. Burial will be in Cal vary cemetciy. Pallbearers will be H. E. Coyne, James W. Roon ey, J. Leo Moore, P. C. Done hoe, Carroll W. Stewart. .1. J. Berigan, C. J. Gatz and Ed Wil son. A rosary service was held Wednesday evening at Biglin’s Mayor D. C. Schaffer has re quested that O’Neill business firms close during the funeral hour today in memory of the former mayor. The late Francis Joseph Dish ner was born September 10, »874. at Kentland, Ind. His parents, John J. and Margaret Dishner, natives of Germany, moved the family to Platte county, near Co lumbus, when Frank was a boy. He was reared there, attended St. Bonaventure school, farmed for a time, and later attended Omaha Business college. To O’Neill in 1902 He was a salesman whe he first came to O’Neill in 1902, became fond of the town and settled here. Later, he purchas ed the real estate agency of the late Albert B. Newell. Mr. Dishner was an avid stu dent of real estate matters and credited his legal and contract ual knowledge in that field to the late M. F. Harrington, a col orful O’Neill attorney. On January 23, 1918, at St. Patrick’s church he married Miss Martina Golden, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. T. V. Golden. He was elected mayor in 1916 and served one term. Later, in 1946 he was again elected mayor and served one term, being forc ed to withdraw from leadership because of illness. However, during that term he founded a city planning commission which aided in making extensive im- J provements on the municipal' water and sewer system. Appointed by Roosevelt In 1933 he was appointed U. j S. commissioner for the O’Neill I federal district by President I Roosevelt. (The district in cludes most of north-Nebraska [ (Norfolk-to-Chadron) and por tions of southern South Dakota. He was a lifelong democrat. Mr. Dishner was an original member of Charles Carroll of Carrollton council 701 of the Knights of Columbus and took an active part in establishing KC chapters elsewhere in this area. Mr. Dishner’s hobbies were fishing, hunting and golf. When\ a young man he purchased one of the early automobiles placed in service here. . He was the sole remaining member of the original Dishner famiily of Columbus, having hem preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters (two of whom were nuns). At the time of his death Mr. Dishner owned two farm tracts near here in addition to city nrnnprtv. Survivors include: Widow— Martina; several nephews and nieces. New Flower & Gift Shop Opening Set (Photo at right). Formal opening of Helen’s Flower and Gift Shop at the new, enlarged location, first door east of the Golden hotel, has been set for Saturday, March 16, ac cording to Mrs. Helen Sullivan, awner. Fiee carnations will be pre sented to the ladies between 2 j and 4 p.m., and free coffee and cookies will be served. The firm, formerly located in the Weingartner building on the apposite side of Douglas st., or iginally was known as the F.lk riorn Flower Shop. Mrs. Sullivan said the shop vill specialize in floral arrange nents for all occasions and will carry a complete gift line. A arge new custom-built freezing compartment is a feature of the lew store, which has been com aletely remodeled. (Details r.n aage 8.) Frontier want ads don’t cost . . . they pay! l • , Pastor Gedwallo and family. Front row— n 1 th, 7. and Gloria .lean, 5: back row—Victoria, IS. Pastor Gedwello, .lanine Beth. 11-months. Mrs. Gedwello, and Linda .loyce, 10.—The Frontier Photo. Story of John Kee, Wife— Pawnee, Holt Farms Swapped One hundred and fifteen per sons Sunday, March 10, signed the guestbook at the golden wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Kee of O’Neill. A reception in their honor was held in the parlors of First Meth odist church between 2 and 4 p. m., arranged by members of the family. Mr. Kee, 76, was born March 20, 1880, in a log cabin near .Jacksonville, 111., a son of John and Malinda Johnson Kee. He was the sixth child in the family, which incduled six girls and three bo^s. Loading all of their belongings into two horsedrawn covered wagons, the elder Mr. Kee headed across Iowa for Richardson coun ty. Nebraska. Young John then was six-years-old, , The family set out on the over land trip June 1, 1886. Trip Marred Several incidents marred the trip. One mare decided to have a noli • ihni eanuirnrl q cton TVm mare eventually kicked and killed the colt. Another mare (there were two teams in the caravan) was frightened by a binder and cut her forearm in a wire fence. The horse trouble delayed the family reaching Richardson coun ty until August 1. The Kees final ly settled on a Pawnee county farm (across Richardson line), about three miles west of Hum boldt. John and his brothers and sis- | ters attended a nearby rural school. He farmed with his father and for himself (four years) in Richardson county. Mrs. Kee’s maiden name was Della Elizabeth Harshbarger. She was born April 25, 1885 near Stella, a daughter of Henry and Alice Legg Harshbarger. She was one of a family of nine children. Married in Farm Home Mr. Kee and Miss Harshbarger were married March 10, 1907, at the farm home of her parents, lo cated five miles west of Stella. They began housekeeping on a farm three miles northwest of Humboldt, where they resided one | year, later moving to the Pawnee City community, where they lived on a farm eight years. Three children—Wilma, Elva and Mervin—were born there. In February, 1916, the Kees moved to Holt county, nine miles i northwest of O’Neill. Mr. Kee managed to trade an 80-acre tract in Pawnee county for a 240-acre j farm in Holt. The trade was made with Henry Borcher. “The Pawnee Tand was valued j at $125 per acre; the Holt land j at $60. I had to go into debt for the balance and had a hard time a-makin’ it,” recalls Mr. Kee. The couple added quite a few improvements to the place. Four more children were born 7 £ , Mrs. Sullivan . . . her shop is a showplace. — The Frontier Photo. ■S' 11 • ~m '' — V , :* v*>^_ ** »*: ■:&*■:.: *•».,•■ > "*«• *. Zm, Doctor Da . . . helped bring two thousand babies into the world.—The Frontier Photo. here; two sons dying in infancy. Mr. Kee was treasurer of the district 157 board of education 30 years. The Kees resided on the farm 39 years, and retired two years ago, buying a residence at 705 j East Clay st. Their children, all present for Sunday’s observance, were: Mrs. i T. H. (Wilma) Hering of Omaha; j Mrs. Ralph (Elva) Leidy of Ben tonville, Ark.; Mervin of Crofton; j Mrs. Wayne (Aladene_) Bates of, Emmet; and Mrs. Rodney (Iona) Livings of Sioux City. There are 12 grandchildren. Six girls and j six boys. Mr. Kee has two sisters living: ' Mrs. Nettie Hodapp of Sebastopol, I Calif., and Mrs. W. J. (Dora) j Bever of Hot Springs, Ark. Mrs. Kee has three brothers and two | sisters living: William H. Harsh i barger of- Eagleville, Mo.; Mrs. AUCTION CALENDAR Saturday, March 16: Mrs. Mary Bazelman of O’Neill; 150 acres north of O’Neill; Col. Ed Thorin of O’Neill, auctioneer-real estate broker. Tuesday, March 26: Vemie Johnson, eight miles northeast of O’Neill; Angus stock cows and' milk cows; two tractors and other hay machinery; some household) goods; Col. Wallace O’Connell of O’Neill, auctioneer; First National Bank of O’Neill, clerk. (Details in next issue). Wednesday, March 27: Ray mond Kenny of Amelia; closeout of livestock, machinery, house hold goods; Col. Ed Thorin of O’ Neill, auctioneer. (Details on; page 9.) Friday, March 29: Mrs. Eva Backhaus of Amelia: residence an dlots in Amelia. Col. Ed Thorin of O’Neill, auctioneer, j (Watch for sale bills.) — Little Tommy Davidson cele- ■■ brated his first birthday anniver- 1 sary Wednesday,'March 7 at a party. He is the son of Mr. and | Mrs. O. E. Davidson. I Josie Bodle of Humboldt; Clifton Harshbarger of Stella; Mrs. Miloi Hynek of Humboldt; Earl Harsh barger of Ft. Pierre, S. D. Mrs. Hering had charge of the i guestbook; Mrs. Louis W. Reimer ’ and Mrs. J. Lavcrn Jay poured. ' Mrs. Claude Bates had charge of j the punchbowl. Miss Karen Bates, |: a granddaughter, assisted. Mrs. Homer Ernst baked the J 1 anniversary cake. Mrs. Kee appeared in a navy , blue dress trimmed in white with j a yellow carnation corsage. .Mr. | ] Kee wore a dark suit. All of the children were present j < Sunday also all of Mrs. Kee’s \ j brothers and sisters with the ex- j ception of Earl Harshbarger of Ft. ■ Pierre, S. D. 1 Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Bates were t hosts at a buffet supper for the group Sunday evening at their farm home south of Emmet. JC’s Name McKay as New President < The Junior Chamber of Com merce held a reorganizational meeting Tuesday evening and elected Duane McKay as presi- ^ dent. He succeeds Allan Van I ^ Vleck. o Other officers chosen: Ted Ky- ,. ster, vice-president; Elroy Lieb secretary; Bud Godel, treasurer; £ Frank McKenney and Ed Tharn- Yi ish, directors. r Thirty members attended the s, session and mapped plans for the new year. n State Vice-President James r Borland of Omaha was in attend- y ance and gave a talk on “the pur- k nose of a aycee organization.’’ tl -- j Shelhamer Equipment has this weekend scheduled a three-day n open house event, including eve- a nings. Featured will be the RCA- g Whirlpool home appliance line u and Jess Blodgett, a magician. Movies also will be shown. f< Pastor Installed at 1 wo Churches (Photo at left). Rev. A. S. Gedwello, a native of Sioux City and recently as signed to a Missouri synod Lu theran church parish at Poplar Bluffs, Mo., Sunday, March 10, was installed as pastor at Ch: st Lutheran church at O’Neill and Emmanuel Lutheran church in Atkinson. Pastor Gedwello, his wife and their five daughters are residing in the Lutheran manse here on East Douglas st. The rite of installation was conducted by Rev. John Rath of Spencer, who has been interim pastor. Rev. D. E. Sallach of Fairfax, S. D., preached at the Atkinson installation in the af ternoon; Rev. W. Hartmann of Ainsworth, circuit visitor, preach ed at the O’Neill service. « Also present was Rev. W. See feldt of Orchard. Lutherans from Stuart, Atkin son, Chambers, Orchard and Spencer participated in the even ing rite here. Former Atkinson Woman, 47, Dies Bonenberger Rites Held Tuesday ATKINSON—Mrs. Peter Hon Atkinson to Staples, Minn., about three months ago, died unexpec tedly Friday, March 8, at Staples. Funeral services were conduct ed at 2 p. m., Tuesday, March 12, at the Seger funeral home here with Rev. A. S. Gedwello, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran church, officiating. Burial was io Wood lawn cemetery. Pallbearers were Edward Al brecht, Alex Frickel, Blaine Gar wood, George Albrecht, Herman Frickel and Arthur Harley. The Emmanuel choir furnished music. The late Mrs. Boenberger, whose maiden name was Freda Viola Johnson, daughter of Frank and Stella Johnson, was born February 2, 1910, at Malmo. Lives on Farm She married Mr. Bonenberger April 10, 1925, at Burke, S. D. They spent most of their married life on a farm near Atkinson. Last fall they held a public sale at the place, four miles southeast of town, and moved the family to Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include; Widower; sons—Bernard of Bassett, Rich ard, Peter, jr\, Ronald, Lawrence and Roger, all of Staples; daugh— ters Mrs. Lawrence (Dorothy) Brau of Omaha, Mrs. J. (Jean ene) DeGroff of Utah, and Mary Ann of Staples; 12 grandchildren; brothers—Harry Johnson of Stap les, Mervin Johason of Amelia, and Emil Johnson of Atkinson ! sisters—Mrs. G. A. Wedgreen of Arvada, Colo., and Mrs. Jack j Banks of Chadron. X-Ray Reveals Nine TB Cases in Holt The nominating committee of the Holt County Tuberculosis as sociation met last Thursday af ternoon at the home of Mrs. M. J. Baaek, who is president of the Holt association. Mrs. Bennett Gillespie is chairman of the nominating com mittee. The slate will be pie rented at the annual meeting in April, exact date will be an nounced. Mrs. Baack reported 43 per cent of the county was X-rayed, an increase of 8 percent over the last time the mobile unit was There were 4,995 chest X-rays taken in the county. A report from these X-rays reveals nine possible cases of tuberculosis and 114 other conditions, such as heart ailments, etc., needing at tention. Stuart 580 Atkinson 980 O’Neill 1,814 Chambers _ 545 Inman 210 I Page _ 293 Ewing _ 573 Coloradoan Will Produce ’57 Rodeo CHAMBERS—At a meeting >f the Holt county fair board on Sunday, March 10, officers made irrangements with Hoss Inman >f Lamar, Colo., to produce the odeo for the fair this year. Walter Plugge, producer from Jartlett, is quitting the rodeo >usiness, having produced the odeos for the fair for the past everal years. “Inman comes highly reco n nended as one of the outstanding odeo producers of the south west with the best stock and :nowhow to put on a fast and hrilling show”, Fair Secretary j ames Gibson said. The fair board decided to build [ icw chutes and pens to bring 11 of the action up front of the randstand, which will be a big mprovement. The 1957 fair dates are now set or August 12, 13, 14 and 15. H. O. Parks Dies at 85; Rites Held Decendants Include 65 Grandchildren, 106 Great Grandchildren PAGE — Funeral services for ,c"!’y t>- Harks, 85, who count I, 1 j"•> living descendants, were conducted at 2 pm., Wednesday, M.iich 13. at the Methodist church here Rev. Byrl Hatv of Wesleyan Methodist church ‘offi ciated, and burial was m the l uge cemetery under the direc tion ot Biglin's. Mr Parks died at 3 p.m. Sun March it), at a rest home in (ttmoa where he was residing The late Mr. Parks was a re tired farmer. Members of the Mas nic lodge acted as pallbearers. The late Henry Oscar Parks was born November 15, 1871, in Mills county, Iowa. He lived in Pierce county before coming to Holt. 1 His parents were J. Alfred Parks and Sarah Simms Parks, both of whom were natives of England. Weds in 1891 He married Bertha Ogan Sep tember 6, 189i, at Creston. They became the parents of 15 chil dren—12 of whom are living. Mrs. Parks died April 5, 1940. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, one son, two daughters, five brothers and four sisters. Survivors include: Sons- Le roy of Garland, Wyo.; Marion of Page; Ralph of Dakpta City; Orville of Lincoln; Owen of Page; Harold of Eugene, Ore.; Alva of Ewing, and Earl of Page; daughters—Mrs. Elsie Naslund of Page: Mrs. Eva Long of Banks, Ore.; Mrs. Emma Larson of Kla I math Falls, Ore.; Mrs. Fern Boel ! ter of Orchard; 65 grandchildren | ana iuo gruai-granacmiarun. Holt Population Up 436 Persons Twenty-eight Nebraska coun ties showed a decrease in popu lation last year, compared with 1954, according to estimates by the University of Nebraska’s de partment of business research. But Holt county reveals an in crease of an estimated 436. Indicating the continued rural to urban population shift, estimates comparing 1956 with 1950 show that all Nebraska’s 23 principal cities bad population gains, most of them substantia). Dr. Edgar Z. Palmer, depart ment chairman, said the estima tes are based on the state pop ulation as released by the U. S. Census Bureau last July 1, or 1,444,000, compared with 1,359, 000 in 1954. O’Neill’s steady population growth offsets a depopulation of the rural areas and shrinkage in some of the towns. Estimated population of coun ties follows: 1954 1956 Antelope 11,024 10,958 Boyd 4,740 4,808 Brown 4,904 5,218 Cherry _ 9,016 8,413 HOLT 14,794 15,130 Keya Paha 2,145 2,192 Knox 14,543 14,778 Book 2,923 2,913 Wheeler . _ 1,489 1,442 Safeway Leases Lohaus Building Safeway Stores, Inc., have leased the Lohaus Motor company building at the corner of Fifth and Douglas streets, it was an nounced Wednesday by Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Lohaus, owners of the building. Under a 25-year pact, the 70 ft. by 140 ft. structure will undergo extensive remodeling. The Lohaus firm, Ford agency here, in turn has leased the Shrin er estate building near the comer of Fourth and Everett—the build ing recently vacated by the Harry R. Smith Implements. The Shriner building, likewise, will be reno vated and repaired to make room for the Lohaus firm. Mr. Lohaus said the garage equipment and stock will be moved during April. Possession, will be given to Safeway May 1. In addition to the building, Safeway also has leased the used ■•ar lot, which will be converted into parking space. The Lohaus lots, including building site, meas ure 180 ft. on Douglas and 140 feet deep. ' WEATHER SUMMARY hi lo pr. March 7 34 12 March 8 42 22 .08 March 9 47 26 March 10 _ 67 31 March 11 ... 54 29 .01 March 12 _ _ 74 18 March 13 ___ 54 27