Prairieland Talk—
’57 ‘ Worst Blizzard* a Misnomer
By HO .MAINE SAI'NDEKA, 4110 South 51st St., Uncoln 6, N>br.
LINOOl-N A popular little monthly publi
cation came out with a story in its last month's
issue telling of "the worst blizzard in the plains
states in the memory of anyone now living." The
story said the storm struck us during the final
week of March last. Many praineland dwellers
hadn't heard of it.
But how many now living heard of it, ex
perienced it, survived it,
while others they knew or
heard atxxit froze to death
in "the worst blizzard in
the memory of those now
living the blizzard which
swept the plains states on
January 12, 1888, leaving
prairieland strewn with
dead cattle, here-and-there
a man, a woman, a country
school teacher found frozen
to death.
There was the grand- Saunders
mother of the Dustin com
munity on her way to Stuart with her little
granddaughter found frozen, the school teacher in
a haystack less than 10 miles out from O’Neill,
a homesteader northwest of town, two others on
the open prairie of Wheeler county, from other
localities came stories of those found frozen.
That was the one "plains states" weather
event that is memorialized by the January Bliz
zard club which meets annually on January 12 in
Lincoln.
What the weatherman did on the “plains
states” last March was a summer afternoon com
pared to that day in January 69 years ago.
» m t
It Is said to be an Invasion from Asia.
Probably the kids flows at Albion are glad tor
the invasion that has closed up the town
schools. A number of cases of flu Impelled the
authorities In the Boone county town to pro
hibit public gatherings and close the schools.
• • •
Two and a half miles east of the northeast
limits of O'Neill a homesteader in the long ago
wanted to sell his claim and take to the open
road. So he painted on a lx>ard and put it on a
stake out in front where a stray passerby might
see it. This was the notice: "For Sail.” Wits of the
time when winds blew and dust from the field on ;
that homesteader's land filled the air observed
that his claim was sailing. Whether the wrong
sale banner was floated through ignorance or
spelled that way to attract attention, the home
steader got a buyer in the person of Frank Hunt
ley. The Huntley family lived there some years
and then went to a little town in Colfax county,
later moving to Stanton. Maybe Den Murphy, a
mile east and a mile north of O'Neill, is one sur
vivior of the "Michigan settlement" who may j
remember the "sail" notice and the Huntleys
who fell for it.
• • •
An unorthodox religious group says "all per
sons of goodwill are welcome.” Probably mean
ing if you will he good. I had the impression
that a church was the place to teach you to be
good. Hut here is one devotional center where
you qualify either as a spectator or worshiper ■
only if you have "goodwill".
• • •
Striped in fancy colors, with neither feet
nor hands, snakes move noiselessly through the
grass to nab their prey. Beware of the false
teachers with a “msesage”.
Strolling the streets during my last visit to
the countyseat of the empire of Holt, I ventured
into an office in the Golden hotel building to find
Miss Florence Ponton seated at a desk. She arose
from her seat and greeted me cordially. Her of
fice is well appointed, orderly and inviting. Af
flicted as Miss Ponton has been, she may well
have become a charge on others, but rather has
faced life with a smile of determination to be
come an able business woman and take a place
in the affairs of the community in which fate or
fortune has found her. Miss Ponton has taken
on a large order of insurance, real estate, loans j
and bonds and puts tier name and seal to docu
mets as a qualified notary. She told me business
keeps her occupied on the job and she appears
happy, along with her friends, to have it so.
• * *
F>ed Zimmer of Hartiglon, Jack Lough of Al
bion, Ralph Cox of Arapahoe and Bob Bogue of
Oakland composed a party of Nebraska newspaper
editors that took to the air to witness the North
Atlantic war games. . . Processed, bottled and
some put into fancy cartons, taken around in j
tlu'ee-thousand-dollar trucks with a $10 a day
driver at the steering wheel—that’s why you pay
24 cents for a nickel's worth of milk. . . A threat
ened strike of workers at a Lincoln plant employ
ing many workers wras averted by an hourly in
crease of a few cents in pay. The company pas
ses it on to those buying their product. . . James
Lawrence, for many years editor of the Lincoln
Star and a member of the executive board of the
Nebraska State Historical society, died Septem
ber 17 at the age of 68.
• • •
Apples, peaches, pears, tomatoes in glass jars,
row-upon-row on shelves, prepared by toiling
, hands of wives and mothers looking well to the
needs of households. Another "canning season"
has put in store the fruits of tree and vine and
will disappear through open mouths as winter
days come and go. I do not wish for many
fancy things, only to be there when the dinner
bell rings and reach for the pear and peach
those toiling hands had prepared for each and all
of the household group lining up for their dish
of flavored soup.
• • •
Sunlight spreads in radiance across the land
scape as morning comes again and prairieland
lies in calm autumn charm under a canopy of
blue spread across the heavens. Morning passes,
noonday has come and gone, evening and the
glow of sunset, after that the dark; and the sheer
delight of the starlit night when Northern Lights
go out. Summer has passed, flowers faded and
down the highway comes a day when we crawl
into overcoats, cap and mittens.
* * *
Julius D. Cronin is now a bank president.
I had hoped some day to see J. D. dispensing
justice from one of our honorable judicial thrones.
The passing of time has caught him in filthy
lucre s grip and exhalted him to the presidency
of one of the three or four banking houses, but
he still stands at the top of the list of North Ne
braska’s legal lights.
• * •
A gentleman from Havanna, Cuba, in Lin
coln, I chanced to visit, having known him when
he was a Nebraskan. He said the political sit
uation on the island is tense—much the same as
the situation the world around. He had come to
Lincoln to see his son started in college and was
Raveling by automobile and by ocean-going con
veyance when reaching land’s end.
“Can you imagine anybody craiy enough to get up thii early
in the m©rwir>p *o qe fishing?"
When You & I Were Young . . .
Speed On Continues
to Win At Tracks
Dave Stannard’s Fast
Pacer Clicks
’ 50 Years Ago
Mrs. A. L. Cowperthwaite’s
mother, Mrs. Ida Peterson of Bea
rer Crossing, caught a 10-pound
pickerel at South Fork The head
c ai r: « l ■ • a i _ a /s _ l
Oars Smack
Trail’s End—
A highway accident occured a
bout 3:40 p.m., Friday, Septem
ber 20, east of O’Neill near the
Elkhom bridge.
Ivan Couch of Inman was dri
ver of a lead car. Following in
another car was Louis Stallbaum
of Ponca. They had been travel
ing together eastbound, since
leaving Alliance.
Couch stated that his trans
mission locked, causing his bar
to slide sideways down the
road. Stallbaum could not stop in
time and smacked into Couch's
car. No one was hurt.
Bake Sale Planned
Saturday at Inman
INMAN The Womens depart
ment of the RLDS church held
its regular meeting Tuesday,
afternoon, September 19, with
Mrs. William C. Kelley. Plans
were completed for the bake
sale to ho held at the fall fest
ival October 5.
Mr. and Mrs. H. W. (“Pete")
Hertford went to Fremont Mon
day, September J3, to visit Mr.
and Mrs C. W. Roberts for a few
days.
Dr. Donald E. David
OPTOMETRIST
Eyes Examined
Glasses rttted
Phone 2101 Spencer
ST. PETER S CHURCH
TURKEY DINNER
Ewing, Nebr.
Sunday, October 6
SERVING FROM 5:00 TO 8:00 l». M.
Adults — $1.25 Children under 12 50c
GAMES FOR ALL
DANCE
IN NEW ST. DOMINIC HALL
With Don Shaw Orchestra
9:00 P. M. to I :00 A. M. Admission $1.00
Editorial—
Bayonets Not the Answer
In a peculiarly unfortuate manner the Little
Rock incident (perhaps we should call it a trag
edy) has caused a degree of disintegration of
national unity and has given comfort to America's
foes across the sea.
Neither side in the struggle has been fairly
represented. The supreme court edict of 1954,
pressed for political reasons, resulted in an un
precedented use of force, ie: escorting of colored
students into a previously all-white school. On
the other hand, the shouting mobs of Little Rock,
which appeared only after a Northern federal judge
had ordered Governor Faubus to remove state
troops, did not represent the intelligent Southern
people whose deep feelings in the matter date
back for generations.
It would be folly for any one to say the Negro
of the South has not been abused and restrained.
It would be unfair to say that the black race
has not been making big strides—particularly
since World War n.
President Eisenhower made a horrible mis
take in throwing federal troops into the arena—
an abuse of the states' rights principle that might
have far-reaching and unending effect. The
Omaha World-Herald goes so far as to say the
bayonet etablishes the principle; the atom bomb
for Little Rock could be next because from now
on it's a matter of degree.
The New York Daily News points out that
the U.S. supreme court jurists of 1954 and 1957
arrange to send their sons and daughters to all
white schools. Governor Faubus, on the other
hand, sends his son to an integrated college in Ar
kansas—a state college—which became integrated
UIILC r ttUUUS UCVOUK’ ^UVtT UD1 . 1UC XII naiiooc
governor has appointed Negroes to boards and
commissions, elevating them to highest positions
the race has ever known in that state.
Hie Christian Science Monitor, which usually
beats the drums for Ike, says: "Those who
dream that federal forces are a final answer (to
Integration) face a sharp awakening.”
Two weeks ago in these columns (the day be
fore the Newport. R_I., conference between Ike
and Faubus) we proclaimed the states’ rights
principle to be the most serious aspect of the Lit
tle Rock picture, and we proclaimed support of
that principle. In the light of what has happened
we reaffirm our position
Little Rock was bound to happen some
where as the South prepares for "massive re
sistance” to integration. It is probably better
the showdown should take place there rather than
In the deep, deep South.
The downtrodden Negro will be the loser;
may be set back a hundred years. Ike’s quest
for the Negro vote will backfire because, as David
Lawrence of U S. News & World Report says, for
every Negro vote that is gained the republicans
will lose 10 Northern votes out of distaste for mil
itary thinking that applies force to a social problem
and kisses off the statbs’ rights principle, which
is a basic in our American form of government.
One need not look too far in our own area to
find racial segregation. The federal government
maintains Indian reservations on a segregated
basis, and, in some communities, unruly Indians
are ordered out of town when the sun goes down.
Shades of the South!
Gov. Frank Gement of Tennessee estimates
90 to 95 percent of the whites and blacks in his
state are contented with thq status quo, which sees
the lot of the Negro improvingly slowly but stead
ily.
Water Is Treasure
So profligate have we been with our abundant
water supply, that water has become our most
precious natural resource. More precious than gold
or oil or gas or timber or even uranium.
For, like air, water is essential to life. You
can go without food longer than you can go with
out water. You can feed on yourself but only a
camel carries his own reservoir of water.
The experts who are paid to know such things
tell us that industry will soon be as careful to lo
cate plants where water supply is ample as once
it sought sites along railroad rights-of-way or near
markets. It is going back to the days when towns
located along rivers for navigation, only now it’s
not navigation, but water to drink and wash and
cure.
North Nebraska — particularly northeast Ne
braska is blessed with an abundance of streams.
The Conoco Touraide is authority for the fact that
the northeast sector of this state lias more river
mileage than any state in the union. Take our
own locale for example. Beginning near the
southern boundary of Holt and proceeding north
ward you encounter a host of man-sized streams
some of which are not seen from highways:
Cedar. Cache, South Fork, Elkhom, Eagle, Ked
bird, Eagle, Ponca, Verdigre, Missouri. Most of
our socalled creeks are rivers by standards in the
East or in England. The Niobrara is the swiftest
plains steam in the world.
A lxx)k might be written on the phenomena
of the flowing wells in southern Holt—where you
almost draw water by sticking an endgate rod in
the ground.
Water seems to be in abundance here.
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
Entered at the postoffice in O'Neill, Holt coun
ty, Nebraska, as second-class mall 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, 52.50
per year; elsewhere in the United States, 53 per
year; rates abroad provided upon request All sub
ui i-iit 11.ill w an CAiuuucvi ai viui
agher’s store. . . Dave Stannard’s
fast pacer, Speed On, is still win
ning the money. . . Ann Carroll
O’Neill, 82, mother of Hugh O’
Neill. died at her son’s home 30
miles north of here. . . Mr. and
Mrs. Jake Ernst, sr., returned
from a three weeks’ visit with rel
atives and friends in South Da
kota, Sioux City and LeMars, la.
20 Years Ago
Supervisor John A. Carson’s
auto was stolen in front of the
courthouse. . . Robert Earley and
Ernest Steskal, north of Emmet,
were injured in an auto accident.
. . . Deaths: Joseph Boyle, 56. . .
Omaha Bee-News was sold to
the World-Herald. . . Walter De
Vall ran a rusty nail in his foot.
. . . Rev. P. F. Burke, who has
been assistant at St. Patrick’s
church, was transferred to North
Omaha.
10 Years Ago
Michael (“Mike") O'Sullivan of!
Phoenix, Ariz., formerly of O’
Neill, was “snubbed” in a fash
ionable Boston restaurant because
he did not and would not wear a
coat to breakfast. He was asked
to leave He wrote a letter to the |
Boston Herald and was rebuked.
. . . Rosetta Bradley, 4, daughter
of Mrs. Alfred Bradley, returned
from a Lincoln hospital after be
ing treated for polio. . . Ivan
Pruss suffered a severe injury to
his right arm near the wrist in a
power saw accident.
One Year Ago
Ralph Tooker, an employee of
the Municipal airport, suffered a
broken leg when his car overturn
ed. . . Deaths: Homer E. Asher,
59; Mrs. May M. Landis, 68;
Mrs. Nora Henderson, 84, of
Page; Joseph Niezgoclri, 87, of
Atkinson.
Pamphlets, Recipes
Are Distributed
EWING—The Facts and Fun
Home extension club met last
Thursday afternoon at the home
Of Mrs. Harry Van Horn.
The lesson and demonstration I
on “Cookies”, presented by Mrs
Van Horn and Mrs. J. L. Prudent
included topics on kinds of cook
ies. decorating, storing and kinds
and best for mailing. A general
discussion brought out some in
teresting experiences of the
homemakers present. Pamphlets
and recipes were given each fol
lowing the demonstration.
Guests were Mrs. Mary Malone
from California, Mrs. Robert Van
Horn of Page and Mrs. Frank
Schmidt, who became a member.
Lunch was served by the hostess.
Next meeting of the club will
be held Thursday, October 8,
when the lesson to be given will
be "The Lady and the Law.”
DR. H. D. GILDERSLEEVK
OPTOMETRIST
Northeast Corner
of 4th & Douglas
O’NEILL, NEBR.
Phone 167
Office Hours: 9-5
Eyes Examined — Glasses Kitted
Monday Thru Saturday
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