Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 1915)
Sketches of the Men Who Make Loup City a Better Town JOHN W. LONG. The subject of this sketch was born in Clarinda, Iowa, where he received what education the city schools could afford and then was thrust upon his own resources. While a young man he had the struggles of the ordinary young man who makes good. He be gan with a small salary as a clerk but realized that he would not be con tented to spend his days behind the counter of another man's store and, having a brother in this town, who was one of the leading attorneys of the place, John W. Long came west about twenty-eight years ago and was so taken with the country and the people that he at once decided to make Loup City his future home. At that time he was not an attorney but he at once began to study law, for he saw the future of this country, and that to succeed, a legal education was necessary and in a very short time was admitted to the bar of Sherman county and often has Mr. Long told the writer of this sketch of the in cidents of his early residence in Sher man county and of the early friend JOHN W. LONG ships and attachments formed when Sherman county was a frontier coun ty and when the present court house was a model for the construction of the then famous sod house. But times have changed, and with them those hardy pioneers have ceased to travel as in those olden times and now appear in every modern con veyance according to their thrift and energy. The same with the subject of this sketch. He is no longer the clerk behind the counter. No longer the beginner in strivings and com radships in a new county, but through effort and industry and good habits he enjoys the patronage and respect of all the older residents of the coun ty and is generally loved by all who know him. Mr. Long has sold more lands than most any other man in Nebraska and those who have dealt with him once are ready and pleased to deal with him again. His business consists in looking after the matters of those who have once lived in Sherman coun ty and who are now non-residents but who have interests here to be looked after as well as in the old lines undertaken years ago and pushed to such a successful issue. Mr. Long is interested in the best interprises in the county and state and is always found supporting every forward movement that has for its ob ject the future happiness of our citi zens. When interested in an enter prise he knows no bounds to the ef forts that he puts into it but pushes to the accomplishment of his object with all the energy that he possesses. Many are the men who now own com fortable homes, who but for the in sistence of Mr. Long, would be rent ing today. He saw the future of this country and urged all of his friends to buy, when to buy was great gain and these men are not slow nor spar ing of their thanks and praise of his judgment. Mr. Long has had an expression of the favor by which he is held in the offices he has been permitted to serve the people but he was not willing to spare from his business the time necessary to make politics his aim and he has passed by several requests to accept nomination for office, when nominations meant election, to posi tions that would have been the acme of many a capable man’s political areer. Mr. Long is a forceful and convincing speaker with a remarkable memory and is often called to differ ent parts of this state and to other states to deliver addresses before educational and patriotic meetings and gatherings and before K. of P. lodge meetings and convention, of which organization he is Past Grand Chancellor of the Domain of Nebras ka. S. E. GALLAWAY. S. E. Gallaway, business manager of the Hayhurst & Gallaway hard ware company, is an old time citizen. He came here in July 1883. His ex perience in the hardware and im plement line dates back to 1885 when he first represented P. J. Jones of York. Nebraska, selling implements on the northwest corner of the Gas teyer block. In 1897 he associated himself with E. S. Hayhurst, one of the leading hardware merchants of the city and together they built up an excellent business. The brick hard ware store in which this business is carried on is one of the largest and best that can be found in the west. After Mr. Hayhurst’s death Mr. Gall away assumed the business, Mrs. R. L. ARTHUR HENRY M. ELSNER GUS LORENTZ Hayhurst, however, retaining some financial interest in the business. The large building is well filled, ail the available floor space being oc cupied with stoves, implements,! wagons, buggies and a complete line-1 of heavy and light harness. Added to these the mammoth string of shelves and cabinets are heavily loaded with all kinds of shelf goods. I including a full line of builder’s hard S. E. GALLAWAY ware, and the large warehouse to the rear is full of windmills, steel tanks and the celebrated American steel fencing. Going back to the date of Mr. Gal laway's advent to this country we note that he was here before the rail road came and that he experienced some of the difficulties during the pioneer days. In fact Sam says that, he got a piece of “that air ox" at the ' barbecue and witnessed the incom ing of the first train. As a public service man, Mr. Gal iaway has been much in demand. He served as mayor, as president of: the sehool board and now is chief of the fire department and president of tlie Commercial club. JAMES BARTUNEK. James Bartunek, proprietor of the leading harness and repair shop in Loup City, carries a large stock of harness and has a complete supply 1 of leather and repairs for the trade. He has also recently added a full line of shelf and neavy hardware. Mr. Bartunek located in St. Paul in 1S!H' | t.-here he started i 1 business. lie j was not without his share of ill luck.' however. For two years he did a successful business, thru he lost near ly everything he Ha cl by fire. On July 2G, 1S‘J4, his shop with all its contents was burned to Mie ground. With a very small capital, the savings of the few years that followed, he started up in business in ISilo at Ashton where he did a successful business ! for three years when lie closed out on ] account of hard times and accepted ' a more lurative position with Har- i phan Brothers in their harness fac tory at Lincoln, which position he oc cupied for a few months and then at > a still better salary took the posi tion as foreman in the Farmer’s har- I ness shop at that place. Thus it was that Mr. Bartunek was able to amass a sufficient sum to start busi ness again, anil in 1902 he again started up at Ashton. In 1908 he came to Loup City, and bought the harness shop first established by Draper Brothers and has operated it ever since to the satisfaction of his many customers and with profit to himself. He is sole proprietor of the large harness and hardware store where he now is,, has purchased the lot and building and has also built a fine residence in the city. And this is not all that Mr. Bar tunek has done, or is doing. He has a family of nine children all of which he is giving the best educational ad vantages possible. Two of them are graduates and the others of school igo are attending the city schools. Mr. Bartunek is not unmindful of the liberal patronage and appreeia t on his customers have evinced foi f’.ie good work he has been turning out, and wishes us to say in this con JAMES BARTUNEK nection that he also very much ap preciates their support. We can say with a feeling of pride that he is giv ing Loup City one of the best har ness shops that can be found in the west. C. C. COOPER. C. C. Cooper came to Loup City, January 12, 1902 from St. Paul, Nebr. He first managed a branch general merchandise store here for the firm of Jensen & Christian of St. Paul. This position he occupied for one year when he bought out the busi ness and conducted it in his own name for several years. On August 15, 1908, he sold out and accepted a position with a firm in Council Bluffs. Iowa. About May 1, 1909, he en tered the employ as traveling sales man for the Loup City Mill & Light Progressive Citizens Main Factor in Building Up Town Company which position he held for ive years. In 1913 he re-established ■.imself in the general mercantile business in our city and carries a omplele line of goods.. Mr. Cooper has always been a oooster for Loup City and Sherman ounty. His services as salesman or the Loup City brand of flour is aid to have been of great value, not ally to the mill company but it has >een a boom to the best interest of he general public, which he repre ;ented. In fact, he has just recent ly been prevailed upon to leave his msiness to Mrs. Cooper and his force of clerks and make a flying trip over the old territory in the interest of the C. C. COOPER mill. He went, and as a consequence, several car loads of flour has been shipped out. Mr. Cooper's general stock of mer chandise is complete and he is now enjoying his full share of the public patronage. LOU SCHWANER. Lou Schwaner, jeweler and music dealer. Mr. Schwaner carries a full line of Jewelry, Pianos and Musical instruments. He is a Nebraska boy in the fullest sense of the term. His parents came to Nebraska and home steaded four and one-half miles northeast of Arcadia, in Valley coun ty in 1882, and on March 6, 1883, Lou was born in the “little old sod shanty on the claim.” It was a little one room soddy, was Lou’s birthplace, where for four years he lived, when he moved with his par ents to Ord. When old enough he entered the public schools at that place and continued climbing the ladder until he reached the top round. In 1905 he went to work in a jewelry store at Ord and a year later he bought out his employer and continued the business until 1909 when he sold out and moved to Idaho. His stay in Idaho was of short dura tion, however, and he soon returned to Ord. Mr. Schwaner came to Loup City in October 1910 and bought out the jewelry interest of W. T. Chase. Since that time he has built up an ex cellent trade as well as having identi fied himself with the best interests of the town. He is clever an active in all games of amusement as well as being one of the leading spirits in musical and entertaining programs. His clerical services has been recog nized by the people and he now holds the office of township clerk of Loup City township. Mr. Schwaner carries a large stock LOU SCHWANER ill his line. His shelves and cases are well loaded with goods for the holiday trade and all the available floor space is taken up with pianos and musical instruments. He handles nothing but the best make of goods and gives his customers value re ceived with every purchase. GUS LORENTZ. Gus Lorentz came to Loup City from Aurora, Neb., in 1902 and started an exclusively clothing estab lishment. He built the large brick building where the Mercantile Com pany operates and soon after as sociated himself with other parties from Aurora in the general mercan tile trade. After a time it became evident that the building was too small for such an immense stock, so he severed his connections with the company, taking over the clothing department and re-establishing him i self in that business again. He moved across the street to the old Nightingale building which he pur chased. That his business has flourished and prospered is attested by the fact that he has since put up another brick business house and a fine residence. These buildings were built in the fall of 1911. BUYING HERE MEANS HOLIDAY MAKING JL Appropriate (Sifts 3ffor f sung auii ©16 CJ Christmas shoppers will find at this store a complete line of toys and dolls for the children; dinner sets and fancy dishes; gloves, hosiery and fancy handkerchiefs. Em broideried novelties and many other useful and valuable articles. tj An endless assortment of fine candies and nuts. X JL JL M. LESCHINSKY Dealer in Reliable General Merchandise ORE and more every day Ford cars are becoming a necessary link in every aggressive commercial organization. Especially are Ford cars becoming the Salesman’s and Farmer’s utility. The city Salesman, the Traveling Salesman and the Farmer going through the coun try all find in the Ford car the shortest cut to largest results. Through its service time is doubled. For the salesmen, more customers can be seen; for the farmer, much less loss of time from his work, especially in times when every minute of work counts. The exhiliration of driving and fresh air gives “pep” to effort. Ford cars have proven more economical than any other method of transportation. Ford cars cost less to operate than any other motor car. Anyone with ordinary intelligence can drive a Ford car; can look after a Ford, because there is no intricate mechanism, nothing hard to understand, noth ing to confuse or mistify. A. C. OGLE, Local Agent LOUP CITY, NEBRASKA
