Nebraska Newspapers

    "The Voice of the Beef Empire"
O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, August 27, 1959 Seven Cenift^
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. iMe‘ - ImBKm ' — . *
Photo and Engraving by The Frontier
Intricate, sensitive, call it what you wish. The quarter horse
of Zoe Ann Huffman of Ewing like the 90 other entries provided
Holt county fair goers with some of the finest entertainment of the
week.
Quarter Horse Spirit
'Catches' Fair Goers
Some of the finest horseflesh ever assembled at one time in this
county provided what was, perhaps, the best entertainment of the
Holt county fair.
Ninety horse entries and 125 class entries put together for the
first time in Holt county fair history made it apparent that:
- The quarter horse is every bit as popular here as was antici
pated ;
- Any future plans for quarter horse shows will be successful
and well accepted.
Short Spark, owned by a stuari
rancher, Willis Peterson, tied with
River Stardy, owned by Frances
Johnston of Ree Heights, S. D. for
all-around championship honors at
the show.
Despite the 95 to 100 degree
heat, the horses, riders and the
audience obviously enjoyed the
presentation. Some of the most
beautiful and well behaved and
bred quarter horses this writer has
ever seen gave it everything they
had.
Individual horse honors were
given as follow's:
Grand champion aged stallion,
Spade's Ace owned by Neil Fry
of Burwell; grand champion aged
mare, River Stardy owned by
Frances Johnston of Ree Heights,
S. D. The reserve champions w-ere
Georgea Star owned by Howard
Pitzer of Ericson and Short Spark
owned by Willis Peterson of
Stuart.
The crowd that stayed for the
quarter horse show was treated
by the appearance of Lowell O.
Ferril, one of the mid-west s most
well-known and accomplished rid
ers and horse trainers. Ferril sat
astride Peterson’s horse, Short
Spark.
In addition to the quality of en
tertainment provided by the first
quarter horse show’, some of the
finest cattle ever assembled for
a Holt fair was enjoyed
Fair officials report record
crowds this year. “It was a suc
cess in every way,” a spokesman
said. , ,
The largest entry of cattle for
the fair was also recorded with
240 head.
For a complete list of results
of the first quarter horse show see
the inside pages.
. . . flute player
Flute Recital For
O'Neill Women
Miss Mardelle Johnson, daugh
ter of Mrs. Robert Evans, form
er resident of O’Neill, will pre
sent a flute recital for the open
ing program of the O’Neill Wo
mans Club Thursday. Sept. 3 at
8:00 pm. at the O’Neill Public
School Auditorium.
She is now studying at the
Eastman School of Music at Ro
chester. N. Y. She spent three
summer sessions with study at
the Interlochen Music Camp in
Michigan and one year of study
with the Oberlin Conservatory of
She will lie accompanied by Mr.
Amie Sorensen of Tilden, who is
known as a music teacher in this
area. _ , ..
This will lie a reception for tht
teachers and their husbands and
wives and will be open to the
public.
Following the program there
will be a tea and social hour.
There will lie no charge but a
silver offering will be taken, the
proceeds of which will go to the
Woman’s Club Library Fund for
their year's project to our local
Library.
MRS. SWAN PEARSON
. . . dies Saturday
Mrs. S. Pearson
Dies In Lynch;
Funeral Tuesday
Funeral services were conduct
ed Tuesday, August 25, at 10
a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran
church at Bristow for Mrs. Swan
Pearson, 86, of Bristow, who died
Saturday, August 22 at the Sacred
Heart hospital in Lynch. Rev.
Benard Nelson, pastor, conducted
the services. Burial was in the
Trinity Lutheran cemetery north
of Bristow. Jones Funeral home
of Spencer had charge of funeral
arrangements.
Annette Sophia Danielson was
born in Smaland, Sweden on Sep
tember 13, 1872 She came from
Sweden to Omaha in 1894. She was
married on September 6, 1900 to
Swan Pearson at Omaha. They
came to Boyd county in April 1907
and farmed near Bristow until
1943 when they retired and moved
to Bristow.
Mrs Pearson was very active
in community and church affairs
and would have observed her 8ith
birthday and her 59th wedding an
niversary in September.
Survivors include her husband.
Swan of Bristow; two sons, Carl
of Fairfax, S. D., and Lester of
Spencer; three daughters. Mrs.
Merle (Arlene) Roach of May
wood, Nebr.; Mrs. Louis (Elsie)
Campliell of Omaha and Mrs.
Byron (Inez i Salem of Des Moines
la.; two brothers. Gottfrid of
Bristow, and Joseph of Sweden;
8 grandchildren.
Pallbearers were: Marvin I e
terson. Lawrence Nygren, Thomas
Bowers, Edgar Danielson, Algot
Sandberg and John Bowman.
Farewell Picnic For
Clarence Schmit Family
A farewell picnic was given Sun
day at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Osborne, jr at Atkinson
in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Clar
ence Schmit and daughter. Debra
Mr. Schmit is in the Air Force
and will be stationed at Cutbank.
Mont Mrs. Schmit and Debra will
remain in Atkinson.
Those attending the picnic were
Mr- and Mrs. Milo Meyer. Terry
and Steven of Wayne, Mr. and
Mrs. Leonard Troshynski of
Guthrie Center. Ia., Mr. and Mrs.
R S Osborne, A'kinson. Nick
Schmit, George. Catherine and
: Eleanor all of Atkinson and Jim
i steinhauser of Stuart.
HEREFORD ASSN. MEET
There will be a meeting of the
| Holt County Hereford Association
i at the L and R cafe 8 p.m, Aug
ust 31.
WFATHER
1 Date hi low prec.
Thurs. Aug. 20 _ 101 69
Fri.. Aug- 21 _ 98 69 09
Sat.. Aug. 22 _ 92 66 3.11
Sun.. Aug. 23 _ 94 66
Mon., Aug. 24 _ 93 66
Tues , Aug. 25 _ 92 TO
Wed., Aug. 26 _ 82 61 .42
Volume 79—Number 18
How Sufficient
Are Holt County's
State Roads?
Turn to the editorial page for
the third in a series of articles
on Holt county’s roads.
Ground Water
System Studied
By Nebraska U
Increased interest has been
shown by the University of Ne
braska in the water bearing rock
formations in the Holt county
area.
Two geological survey teams
have been drilling test holes near
the Holt-Antelope county line in
an attempt to determine the thick
ness and quantity of the under
ground water system.
For the past week the teams
have been located near Ewing
and have been sinking holes every
three miles as they creep north.
The test holes, when completed
this year, will stretch from Kansas
to the Dakota border across the
state.
The depth to water varys con
siderably. One rig, two miles south
of U. S. 275 on the county line,
had reached 365 feet and was
still digging. Most of the holes
in this area go to about 500 feet.
The crews drill nearly one test
hole per day. The project is head
ed by C. F. Keech of Lincoln of
the U. S. Geological Service and
state geologist of the University
of Nebraska, E. C. Reed, also
the conservation survey director.
Receives Burned Eye
James Gallagher received a
burn on the eye this week while
sanding the top of a car at the
Lohaus Motor Co.
A spark flew up and struck him
in the eye. The burn was not in
the pupil and the retina was not
believed to be damaged. He was
at work as usual the following day.
Knights' Annual Picnic
The O’Neill Council of the
Knights of Columbus will hold its
Annual Picnic beginning at 12:30
p.m., Sunday, August 30, at the
Pat Corrigan farm west of Em
met. Directions for reaching the
picnic area are as follows: 4Vfe
miles west of Emmet on Hi-way
20, Wa miles south, turn west
into the grove at first gate after
you cross the Elkhorn River.
All members and their families
are invited Bring food enough for
your family. Refreshments will be
available.
Swimming Ends Sunday
O’NeiU’s municipal swimming
pool will officially close 8:30 p.m.
Sunday according to Don Temple
meyer, pool manager.
The pool will be drained and
repair work on the walks sur
rounding the pool will begin this
fall.
Templemeyer said this was a
“better than average” year for
swimming and that repair work
on the pool itself will probably
begin next spring.
Rain Still Wet -
But Old Timers
Thought 'Wetter'
Rains totaling 5 to 6 inches this
week end in extreme northeast
Holt county had a considerably
different effect than similar rains
would have had 20 years ago.
Bill Derickson said he can re
member the time when such a
rain would have had him and all
of his neighbors fixing fence for
days, to say nothing of the wash
ed out roads and bridges.
In general, throughout the area,
a number of fields are terraced,
there is a considerable amount of
cropland that has been seeded to
either native grass or grass and
legume rotations and there have
been scores of dams built since
soil conservation work was start
ed in the County some 15 or more
years ago.
Elmer Juracek, Secretary of the
Holt Soil and Water Conservation
District Board of Supervisors,
pointed out that this conservation
work accomplished by the farmers
and ranchers in the Steel Creek
and the north branch of the Ver
digre creek area has saved the
county many thousands of dollars
in road and bridge repair alone.
Spills and Thrills
i STUART — Considerable excite
| ment was caused here Sunday as
more than the average number of
stock car spills occurred at the
races.
Jim Brotsky of Atkinson rolled
his vehicle in front of the stands,
Claire Ford of Atkinson flipped
his car on the east curve. Several
other cars hit guard rails during
the races. No one was injured.
—
MARCHING BAND MEET
The first meeting of the march
ing bands for the O'Neill public
school and St. Mary’s Academy
will be held 8 a.m. Monday at the
public school auditorium.
TEACHERS TO MEET
A meeting for the O'Neill public
school teachers has been called
by Superintendent Baack for 10
a’m. Monday, August 31.
Tornado Chills' Inman Residents
The Frontier Photo and Engraving.
Just minutes before the downpour of 3 to 4 inches of rain the
O’Neill sides looked like this. The photo was taken ut the southern
edge of O’Neill as the low, rain and hall laden clouds moved In.
Deluge and Drouth
Plague Prairieland
While tornadoes, hail and very
heavy rain was reported in isolat
ed areas in and near O’Neill, In
man, Ewing and points south, a
few drouth conditions were re
ported along the Missouri river
north and west.
A few ranchers north of the At
kinson irrigation project said the
first rain that has fallen this sum
mer was the .42 inch that fell
here Tuesday. A few reported
that some of fheir grassland had
received no rain at all this year.
Dewey Schaffer, who vuw In
specting his ranch land In the
northern areas said precipitation
was spotty and that heavy
downpours were being exper
ienced in places only a “stone’s
throw” from where nothing at
all fell. An area south of Lynch,
for example, was reported to
be drenched with four Inches
during the week and yet directly
west of that area there was rc
I>ortcd several hundred acres
where nothing at all has fallen.
Mr. Schaffer said grasses in
some of these northern areas
looked very bad.
While spotty rains fell in the
north or no rain at all, prairies
south of O’Neill have been soaked.
O’Neill received an official 3.60
inches during the Friday rain.
Orchard, Creighton, Inman,
Royal and Plainview all report
ed very heavy rain showers.
Here is a sum total of official
and unofficial weekly precipita
tion figures gathered by Frontier
reporters:
O’Neill_410
Inman_3-80
Ewing _ 2.54
Lynch area-4.30
Orchard area —-- 4.30
Burwell - 1-18
Valentine - MW
During most of the showers over
the weekend and during the early
part of the week, temperatures
dropped suddenly during the
storm. The temperature dropped
in O’Neill, for example, from 95
to 60 degrees during Friday’s rain
and then the following morning
promptly climbed back up to over
90 degrees.
'Stub' Miller
Has Attack
Orville “Stub” Miller, former
O’Neill policeman, suffered a
heart attack in South Sioux City
Tuesday evening.
He had resigned the police force
a week ago to go to work for the
New Outlaw store in O’Neill.
Physicians at the Lutheran hos
pital in Sioux City said his con
dition is not as yet known. This
was a first attack for Mr. Miller
according to the doctors.
He had gone to South Sioux City
in a truck to get supplies for the
O’Neill store and was in the east
ern store when the attack occur
red.
Clearwater Farmer
Dies Tuesday
Arthur Jaeke, 63, a farmer liv
ing east of Clearwater died sud
denly Tuesday night at the An
telope Memorial hospital in Ne
ligh of a heart attack.
Funeral arrangements are pend
ing. Snyder Funeral home in Clear
water will be in charge.
He is survived by his wife. Inez,
son, Wayne of Clearwater; three
daughters. Norma Michael of Cor
ona, Calif., Verla Caves of Madi
son, Wise., and Leniee Savidge of
Luverne, Minn.; brother. Hugo of
Omaha; half-brother, Walter Jae
ke of Stanton; 11 grandchildren
and one great-grandson.
MERTON H. DIERKS
. . . remembered blizzard
Ewing Saddened
With Death of
Merton Dierks, 87
The community of Ewing was
saddened last week with the death
of Mr. Merton H. Dierks, 87, an
early pioneer of the community.
Mr. Dierks, one of the last sur
viving pioneers here who could
remember the blizzard of 1888
and the drouth of 1894 died Satur
day, August 27 at an Ogallala
hospital.
Mr. Dierks will be remember
ed as a participant in a his
toric cattle drive during the
year of the great blizzard when
he and two others drove 300
head of cattle to western Ne
braska and cared for the herd
for a year.
Ranching and the raising of cat
tle was his entire life’s work.
Services were held 2 p.m. Tues
day at the First Methodist church
in Ewing, the Rev. Woodrow El
liot officiating.
He was the son of the late Mr.
and Mrs. John Dierks and was
born July 10, 1872 at Joliet, 111.
At the age of 2, he came with his
parents to Madison and then later
to Holt and Wheeler counties
where his father homesteaded.
He was married to Letha Glass
burn of the Deloit community in
June of 1887. In 1914 he moved
with his family to Ewing where
he resided until the time of his
death.
He was preceded in death by
his wife and two daughters, Bes
sie Maud in infancy and Mrs.
Laura Adrian, in 1958.
Survivors include three sons,
Lyle of Ewing, John of Neb
bra* La City and Robert C. of
the U. S. Navy, three daugh
ters, Mrs. Viola Maupin of
North Platte, Mrs. Gennleve
Tressler of Ogallala, Mrs. Wllda
Carr of Holdrege; 21 grand
children and 19 great-grandchil
dren.
Pallbearers were Frank Krunt
orad, Elmer Bergstrom, Leland
Welke, Gail Boies, Kermit Jef
feries and Max Wanser. Burial
was in the Ewing cemetery.
Aubry Wood was organist; Mrs.
Harriet Welke and Ed Hoag were
singers and Mrs. Gail Boies and
Mrs. Max Wanser were in charge
of flower tributes.
GUARD HOME
O'Neill’s 45 National Guards- j
men arrived home late last week
after their training at Camp Rip
ley.
Lieut. Don Bunkers, one of the
outfit’s officers, said the men
spent two very busy weeks in
Minnesota.
All companies in the battle
group were awarded excellent
I ratings.
INMAN—A small tornado danc
ed haphazardly down Highway 21)
I just missing this town late Fri
day afternoon and although no
one was injured it threw a scare
into the entire community.
The tornado cloud, was sighted
by many residents in the southern (
and eastern sections of town and ,
they described it as moving west
erly near the highway with its
tail dipping and weaving.
Damage was limihHl to the
| rooting up ot trees, the destroy
ing of haystacks and at least
one windmill. One resident said
he saw a door sailing through
the black cloud.
A windmill on the Jennie Cross
er place near town was totally
destroyed by high winds and the
three-fourths inch of rain accom
panying the funnel cloud.
Three Inman farmers escaped
serious injury if not death when
the funnel cloud passed within
100 feet near the George Coleman,
jr. place, one-half mile northeast
of Inman.
Coleman and another farmer,
Raymond C. Taylor were stand
ing near Highway 20 when a pick
up driven by Hap Cadwalder came
on the scene.
High winds (or possibly the fun
nel cloud itself) snapped off a
500 to 600 pound Cottonwood tree
limb. The limb shattered when
it struck the ground inches away
from the pick-up and a few feet
from where Coleman and Taylor
were standing.
Coleman said he saw the tail
then dip and weave away from
them striking several haystacks.
He said Shortly after the funnel
cloud passed, lightening struck
another haystack and burned it
to the ground.
*‘I really didn’t think too
much of it when 1 wont to bod
that night, but when I woke up
In the morning 1 started to
realize just how close a call
it was,” he said.
Earlier in the day (the Inman
tornado passed at approximately
5 p.m.) another funnel cloud was
sited near Clearwater. Damage
was limited to trees, roofs and
power lines.
The Clearwater storm came out
of the southwest and traveled to
the northeast, accompanied by 1.80
inches of rain. Very little hail
fell. The Inman tornado appeared
to come from the east but was
believed to have been traveling
northeasterly also.
Inman recorded three-fourths
of an inch of rain immediately
after the twister, and then three
inches more within the following
five hours.
General O'Neill Is
Subject of Thesis
Just what was General O’Neill,
the generally accepted founder
of our city, really like?
Just how was he associated with
the Finian movement and was he
really responsible for founding
this community?
These are just a few of the ques
tions that a young university stu
dent, Jerry Noonan of 4920, Happy
Hollow Blvd., Omaha, would like
to find out.
He is working for his master s
degree in history and has had a
thesis on the life of General O’
Neill approved.
Noonan, said much less infor
mation was available on General
O’Neill than he had hoped and
that church records, the records of
old newspapers and a previous
scholastic article was just a
"jumping off place.”
'Hot, Hot, Hot*
O’Neill and Holt county can ex
pect more hot weather, and what’s
more, hotter weather than we’ve
already been having.
The U. S. Weather Bureau re
ports a heat wave that could bring
temperatures up to the 100 mark
during the next two days.
The five-day forecast calls for
partly cloudy skies in the sand
hills with increasing humidity and
temperatures as far west as the
state line to the Great Lakes.
Last week’s high reading was
on Thursday with 101 degrees.
Wednesday (yesterday) night’s
low was 61.
Officers Re-Elected
For City Bowlers
George McCarthy was re-elect
ed president of the city bowling
association at a Sunday meeting.
Bob Miles and Sam Fuhrer were
re-elected secrteary and vice
president respectively, at the
meeting also.
There will be 7 leagues for men
and 3 for women this year. Eve
ning meetings at the alleys will
he held for the following teams:
Shamrock, Beef, Champs all on
Thursday, Classic and Roundup on
Friday.
Instruments Available
A music company representa
tive will be in the O’Neill public
school auditorium the afternoon
and evening of Friday, Sept. 4
with a display of instruments.
Parents of children wishing to
start playing a musical instru
ment this term are asked to
make arrangements for an instru
ment at that .time.
The Frontier Photo and Engr
Sections of the 500 pound Cottonwood tree limb splintered mm
these two Inman farmers, Raymond Taylor, left, and (Seerge Coin
man jr. during the twister storm Friday afternoon.
O'Neill lions To Hold
Kids Fish Day Sunday
______ "
40-Year Old
Mother of Two
Dies Tuesday
A 40-year old O’Neill mother
of two children died in St. An
thony’s hospital Tuesday, August
25
Funeral services will be con
ducted at 10 a m. Friday (tomor
row) for Mrs. LaVern D. Stevens,
a lifetime resi
dent of Holt
county.
The Rev. Tim
othy O'Sullivan
will officiate at
the requiem high
mass. A rosary
will be said at 8
p.m Thursday
(tonight) at Big
lin’s chapel. Bur
ial will Ik? in Cal
vary cemetery.
Agnes Clara was born March 6,
1919 to C. E. and Mary Boyle Cav
anaugh at O’Neill. She was mar
ried June 16, 1941 to LaVern D.
Stevens at Emmet.
She is survived by her husband,
a son, Gale Francis, a daughter,
Marcia Elena, both at home; par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Cava
naugh of Chambers; three sisters,
Helen Cavanaugh of Chambers,
Margaret Gallioan of Omaha and
Evelyn Cavanaugh of Chambers;
three brothers, Edward of Cham
bers, William of Philadelphia, Pa.,
and Maurice of Omaha.
Pallbearers are Jerome Gallag
her, Ted Kyster, Don McKamy,
Lowell Neshitt, George Janousek
and Dean Jeffrey.
St. Francis Sisters'
Head Dress Changed
The Sisters of St. Francis, the
order teaching at St. Mary’s Acad
emy, have changed their head
dress according to Mother Agnes
ine, the sisters’ superior.
Mother Agnesine said the change
was order-wide throughout the
world in compliance with the
wishes of the late Pope Pius XII.
She said the change made the
habit more practical and easier
to care for.
lley Kids! Let's go fishing Su»
day.
That’s right. The Lions club
O’Neill is sponsoring a kids ft4b
day for all the kids of O Neil
from the eighth grade down. 11 ym
can hold a pole, come on.
Final plans were made ycstcr
day at the Lion’s club regular
meeting held in O’Neill. Jm
Champion, chairman for the futb
day, said that prizes will lie of
fered for the biggest fish, longest
fish, most fish and so on.
Two trucks will leave from the
corner of Fourth and Dougtar
Sunday afternoon at 1 to haul a®
the kids that wish to ride to the
pond. The trucks will return at
4 p.m.
Every kid in town is invited tr
go fishing. There will be free m
freshments and the worms wilf
be furnished, but you’ll have tr
bring your own pole.
Here’s a list of the prizes da
nated by O'Neill merchants:
A Zebco "Junior” Spin casting
outfit complete with reel, rod, and
line from Coyne Hardware; as
Ocean City spinning reel from
Wilson’s Coast-to-Coast; a double
tray tackle box from the Gamble
store; a 55 rod or 55 worth td
fishing equipment from Scovie’*
Western Auto; a tackle box from
Patton's Ben Franklin and a rod
from the Lee Store.
This is the first year for the
event and if enough children show
an interest in the fishing, it will
become an annual affair.
The parents may accompany the
children to the pond. It is located
at the Prouty place 1 mile south
and 1 mile east of the Spencer
dam. The pond is on the right side
of the road, and is formed who
the road turns south and crosaea
a creek.
Local Lions will be on hand to
watch the children and assist with
baiting and removing fish. The
trucks will return at 4 p.m. and
will arrive back in O’Neill about
4:30.
Good Defense Play
The underdog north team at
the All-Star Shrine game in Oma
ha last Sunday lost a hearti>reafc
er 7 to 6 at the hands of the faster
and heavier southern eleven.
Larry Tomlinson, a former St
Mary’s Academy football star
played end the second half wltt
the losers, and was reported
his coach with doing an excellent
job on defense.
■ * *.
The Frontier Photo and Engraving.
O’Neill’s new water pump will go into action as soon as health
authorities clear the water for public use. Several days of contin
uous pumping are sometimes needed for lower level pipes to become
disinfected according to state health authorities.