History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 52

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742

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PUBLIC UTILITIES AND BUSINESS INTERESTS.

In the way of public improvements Humboldt is in the first rank of towns in its class. It has one of the best waterworks systems of any town of its size in the state, supplying plenty of pure water, obtained from cool fresh springs two miles east of the town, which has at a considerable expense been brought by pipe lines into town. The large standpipe on the hill north of town furnishes adequate pressure and gives the best of fire protection. A telephone system is in operation and the net work of wires show that the convenience of the telephone is generally appreciated by the people of Hum- holdt.

Mr. O. A. Cooper, who is one of the most progressive citizens the town has ever had and who operated the large flouring mill. became convinced that Humboldt needed an electric light plant, so he purchased the necessary

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machinery and installed it in a building adjacent to his mill. In recent years he has added to the capacity of the same and extended his lines, furnishing light and power for many industries of the city, including the large and well-known brick plant at the edge of town, the creamery, the bottling works, newspaper offices and automobile garages. Besides the lines have been run to other villages at a distance, where the light and power are furnished. The system is well patronized in the city, where the street, business houses and residences are thus lighted.

On the four sides of the square are the business houses, many of them modern structures of brick and stone, that are a credit to the town. All branches of business are well represented and the stores are large and well kept. The business men are enterprising and up-to-date and have very mate- rially aided in the up-building of the town.

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES OF HUMBOLDT.

The public schools are a source of great pride to the people of Hum- boldt. A commodious brick building in the north part of the city accom- modates the children of school age. This building, in very recent years, has been found inadequate and a large addition has been built to the same. An excellent teaching force has always been maintained and the standard of the work done is very high. There are a half dozen or more churches, all of them neat houses of worship, where large congregations assemble regu- larly.

CITY GOVERNMENT AND NEWSPAPERS.

The newly elected mayor, Herbert V. Dorland, was born and reared in the city and his long, active business experience fits him well to administer to the needs of his people, He is surrounded by an able city council, who are pledged to numerous and necessary reforms for the coming year.

The newspaper field in Humboldt is well covered, two papers being pub- lished there. The Humboldt Standard is edited and published by the proprietor. William C. Norton, who has spent his entire working years in that business and has few peers. The Humboldt Leader, published by J. J. Haydon and wife, also takes first rank among the weekly papers of the county.

The country adjacent to Humboldt is covered with six rural mail routes. which thoroughly cover the farming districts for a distance of from ten to fifteen miles in all directions. Thus this section enjoys a very complete and efficient mail service.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

EARLY HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT.

Humboldt is located near the junction of a stream called Long Branch with the Nemaha river, and is beautifully situated on a gentle slope reaching back from both streams. It is ten and three-quarters miles from the north line of Kansas and about thirty miles west from the Missouri river. It was incorporated on December 3, 1873, as follows: "Commencing at a point on the north bank of the Nemaha river, where the east line of section 10, township 2, north of range 13, east of sixth principal meridian, Richardson county, Nebraska, crosses the said Nemalia river and running thence north to the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 3: thence west one mile to the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 3; thence south to the north bank of the Nemaha river; thence along the north bank of the said Nemaha river to the place of beginning." S. L. Green, A. R. Nims, E. P. Tinker, William M. Patton and J. E. Crow were at the same time designated as the first board of trustees.

EARLY SETTLERS IN THE VICINITY.

The early pioneers of this section, like all others in this country, settled first along the living streams. Those coming took up land along the Nemaha river, Long Branch and its twin stream, Kirkum Branch. In the vicinity of the south fork, Thomas F. Brown located in 1854 and was the first settler. Later settlers in that vicinity, Speiser precinct, were David Speiser, Sr., the Lionbergers, Uhries, Riechers and a number of ot hers. To the north of Humboldt on Long Branch and Kirkum Branch. the first settlers

were John Scott, John Corlett, B. Furrows,

Kirkum and

others. In 1856 came Benjamin F. Ferguson, John W. Davis, Benjamin Ball. - Smalley and Joshua Babcock, and in 1857, a number of others. These pioneers located near the Brownville freight road, possibly with the expectation that at some future time a town might be founded on the road in their neighborhood. At an early date a town was laid out by Benjamin F. Ferguson and a warehouse was built, and this projected city was called "Franklin" in honor of its founder, but it never got above the importance of a freight station.

On the Nemaha, near Humboldt, several families located in 1855, among whom was John Rothenberger, the first settler, locating three miles east, and later came O. J. Tinker, his brother and sons, to whom more than any

CITY

EAST SIDE PUBLIC SQUARE. LOOKING SOUTH. HUMBOLDT.

EAST SIDE PUBLIC SQUARE. LOOKING NORTH. HUMBOLDT.

LOOKING EAST ON NORTH SIDE PUBLIC SQUARE, HUMBOLDT.

LOOKING EAST ON SOUTH SIDE PUBLIC SQUARE. HUMBOLDT.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

one Humboldt owes its existence. O. J. Tinker arrived in 1857 and entered as a farm most of the land which now comprises the townsite. His expecta- tion was to homestead the land, but the homestead law being vetoed by President Buchanan, he was obliged to purchase it, paying two hundred dollars for the quarter-section of land, upon which now is found the public square, which was donated to the city by O. J. Tinker as a park, and a greater number of the business houses of the town. His brother and his son, E. P. Tinker, owned the land which is now occupied by the north portion of the town, while the Nims brothers. William, Charles and Luther, settled upon the quarter section which now includes the east end, where are now located some of the finest residences of the city.

BEGINNINGS OF HUMBOLDT.

When O. J. Tinker arrived here, John Scott, now deceased, who until a few years ago resided on his old farm a mile away to the north, brought the newcomer down the Long branch to the later townsite, showed him the farmı and accepted a dollar for his services. This has led to the remark that "the discovery of Humboldt only cost a dollar." Mr. Tinker was anxious to make his place the nucelus for a new settlement, and soon had a postoffice located there ( 1867). with his daughter as postmistress and himself as mail-carrier from Brownville on the Missouri river in Nemaha county. At that time the duties of looking after the mail were few and they were obliged to donate their services to hold the postoffice.

THE STONE STORE.

In 1867 a store of stone, which still stands, was built on the banks of the Long Branch, and was conducted by the Nims brothers. It was called the "Stone Store." In 1868 Mr. Tinker offered Ruel Nims a deed to twenty acres of land, a part of the then established townsite, if he would build a store fronting the public square. The conditions were accepted and the second stone store, which was erected on the south side of the square, still stands, and has been occupied during all the years as a place of business, and is yet one of the really substantial business buildings of the town. The Ninis brothers went out of business in 1869 and rented the building to W. H. Sterns for a year at the rate of fifty dollars per month. During that same year, Mr. Sterns erected a large frame store building, also on the south side of the square, but west across South Central avenue. It was

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occupied for years by the Williamson-Patrick drug store, Fellers & Segrist furniture dealers, and at this time by John Klossner for a harness shop. The cellar for this building was excavated by William Williamson and the lumber for the same was hauled from the yards at Brownville by Captain Enoch. The building material, of course, had been brought to Brownville, by the Missouri river steamboats. The ever-recurring talk about the ex- tension of the railroad up the valley of the Nemaha caused at this time the coming in of many newcomers. From 1871 to 1873 the growth of the village was quite rapid, and its future was assured. The Atchison & Nebraska railroad was built in 1871 and the expectations of the in- habitants were realized, Humboldt becoming at once one of the most import- tant trading and shipping points for farm produce west of the Missouri river.

11ON. O. J. TINKER, THE FOUNDER OF HUMBOLDT.

The father of Humboldt, as it was he who founded the town, came here in 1857. During the early days he farmed, kept postoffice, carried the mail from Brownville, was captain of the home guards during the war, kept a hotel after the town started, then went into the furniture business, and finally retired from active trade, living in a convenient part of town near the public square. Mr. Tinker led an active life and was spared to see the town he had founded grow to the proportions of a city of the second class, with its business section entirely built up and firmly established. He was territorial representative, county commissioner, county superintendent, assessor, city clerk, justice of the peace, and was revered by all who knew him.

THE NAMING OF HUMBOLDT.

The honor for suggesting a name suitable for this city properly belongs to Edward P'. Tinker. He followed his father, O. J. Tinker, who was the founder of the town, from Iowa in 1858 and assisted the latter in farming in the new country until the Civil War broke out, when he at once offered his services to the government, serving in Company C, Fifth Iowa Cavalry. He was wounded at Pulaski, Tennessee, by a pistol shot in the arm and shoulder, in a hand-to-hand encounter while trying, with a small detachment, to cut off Hood's rear guard. On his discharge papers his colonel gave him special mention for gallant conduct in many engagements. It was . while in the service that his regiment, for a time, was quartered at Hum- boldt, Tennessee, and while there took a great liking to the name. On

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one occasion, while visiting his parents on furlough, his father expressed a desire for a name for the new town and the son promptly suggested the name of the southern town of Humboldt as a suitable one. It met with instant approval by the father, who at that time was handling the mail as postmaster and, upon this recommendation, the name was adopted and ' serves to this day as the name for one of the most enterprising towns in southeast Nebraska.

Mr. Edward P. Tinker, now a resident of Coldwater, Kansas, being requested by mail, recently to give his version of the incident, replied as follows :

"In 1861-5 I was in Uncle Sam's army, and had considerable scouting to do, and on one occasion we rode into the town of Humboldt, Tennessee. just about sunrise. We quickly noticed that there was a rebel flag floating over a large hotel. The flag was set at the extreme corner of the building on a pole twenty feet long and was nailed to the post. Our major called for a volunteer to take down the flag and I offered my services for the job. I went up on the roof of the hotel, then climbed the flag pole and tore off the rebel flag, which I threw down to the ground, where it was soon torn into small strips and divided among our command.

"There was a detachment of rebel cavalry in the suburbs of the town, but they got wind of us before we found them, so they got away with small loss. We remained at Humboldt for several days and got acquainted with some of the Humboldt people, so that afterwards, when the question of a name for our town in Richardson county came up, I proposed the name of Humboldt. Father was satisfied with the name. so we named it Hum- boldt, and we still think of Humboldt as home, though we have many friends in our more Western home."

EARLY EVENTS.

The first mayor of Humboldt was William M. Patton.

The first city clerk was Albert Sherwood.

The first child born in the vicinity of Humboldt was Adela Beck- with.

The first marriage solemnized was that of E. P. Tinker to Ellen Hol- bert in 1864.

The first death in the settlement was that of A. J. Tinker, a brother of O. J. Tinker, the founder of the town.

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FIRST MILL.

The first attempt at grinding corn and milling flour was made by . Wilhite & Columbia, who commenced the erection of a mill in 1871. Since. a man by the name of W. M. Sopher had commenced the erection of a mill further up the stream, the former abandoned their project and Mir. Soper went ahead and completed his mill in 1875.

The first blacksmith shop was established by S. M. Hillebert, later to be postmaster of Humboldt.

The first lumber yard opened for business in the village was owned by E. P. Tinker.

FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY OBSERVANCE.

The first public observance of this day was held in 1875. The occa- sion was memorable from the fact that in the previous year the grass- hopper plague came upon the land and, after destroying utterly the growing crops, had left their eggs like a set of dragons teeth to spread further de- struction the following year. Spring came and with it the hatching season, hence the farmers despaired of getting any crops. Luckily, conditions were against the hoppers that year and they soon left. The farmers were able to seed the land for the second time and reaped a bountiful harvest. So when the day set apart for public service in thanksgiving came, they were present in large numbers and were truly thankful. Business houses were closed and the people attended the service at the Methodist Episcopal church en masse.

AN EARLY GLIMPSE OF HUMBOLDT. From the Nemaha Valley Journal of May 1. 1873.

Humboldt is located in the western part of Richardson county, within four miles of the Pawnee county line. It is eleven miles north of the Kansas line, and seven miles south of the north line of Richardson county. The town is located on the east bank of Long Branch, one of the prin- cipal tributaries of the north fork of the Nemaha river, and one-half a mile north of the Nemaha river. It was laid out in the spring of 1868. The land was entered and the town laid out by O. J. and E. P. Tinker. The first building was erected in the summer of 1869 by R. Nims, who started the first store in the town. The village grew very slowly, not more than a half dozen houses being erected before the railroad was extended

BAND STAND AND FOUNTAIN IN CITY PARK, HUMBOLDT.

EAST SIDE OF PUBLIC SQUARE, HUMBOLDT.

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through the place in 1871, since which time it has built up faster than any town along the line of the road. It now has between four and five hundred inhabitants. It has one church belonging to the Methodist denomination, which edifice is also occupied by the Presbyterians and Christians.

EARLY BUSINESS INTERESTS OF HUMBOLDT.

The Humboldt school house is a large two-story building, forty by forty-four feet, with three rooms. The town has three general stores, three drug stores, one hardware store, one harness shop, one shoe store, two agricultural depots, two millinery shops, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, one carpenter shop, onc barber shop, one furniture store, one billiard hall, one flouring mill, one livery stable, one photograph gallery, two hotels, two lawyers, three ministers and five physicians. The country is settled thickly in every direction around Humboldt with a thrifty, intelligent class of farmers, and Humboldt is the principal shipping point on the Atchi- son & Nebraska railroad. The town is the center of the finest wheat and barley growing region in Nebraska. More than four times as much wheat. oats, barley and hogs have been shipped from Humboldt than any other point on the line. Falls City is the only point that in any way equals it as a corn shipping point. Large quantities of corn are grown in this vicinity. but the farmers find it more profitable to feed it to hogs and cattle than to ship the raw product.

AN EARLY PRODUCE BUYER OF HUMBOLDT.

The principal grain, produce and stock shipper at this point is J. M. Norton, whose books show that he has shipped since last August, two hun- dred and twenty-four carloads of grain, one hundred and seventy-five of which was wheat and the balance of oats and barley. He does not handle corn. In that time he had also shipped seventy-four carloads of hogs, and between forty and fifty tons of produce, such as butter, eggs, bacon, hides and the like. Mr. Norton is an old Wisconsin grain dealer, and thoroughly understands the business. He has done business on the Central branch and at Seneca on the Denver road. He is very popular with the farmers and is now drawing business to within a short distance of Seneca. He is supplying the millers at a number of points in central and southern Kansas with wheat, for which he is able to pay a little more than it is worth to

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

ship to St. Louis, and he still supplies it to the millers at an advantage to them. Mr. Norton makes his headquarters at the large store of W. H. Sterns.

AN IMPORTANT MERCHANT AT HUMBOLDT.

Mr. Sterns has the largest and finest store building on the line of the Atchison & Nebraska railroad. It is forty-four by sixty feet and three stories high, with a cellar under the whole structure. What is of more importance, he keeps it crammed full of goods. The cellar is used for general storage purposes ; and on the first floor can be found everything usually sold in a country store, such as dry goods, groceries, hats, caps, boots, shoes and queensware. The second story is used mostly for furniture, of which Mr. Sterns keeps a fine stock, and the upper story is used as a hall for the Masons and Odd Fellows, which organizations are in a flourishing condi- tion at Humboldt. Mr. Sterns is the oldest dealer in the town and is immensely popular with the people of the surrounding country. He is one of the most affable gentlemen we have met with for a long time, and it is no wonder his store is thronged with customers. He purchases dry goods from McDonald & Company, in St. Joe, and while we were in his store he received a large invoice from Nave, McCord & Company. His yearly sales are as large as those of any merchant on the line of the road. Mr. Sterns is postmaster of Humboldt, and his head clerk, Mr. E. S. Norton, an old soldier comrade of ours, is deputy postmaster. The latter is an excellent business man and one of the best boys who ever ate hard tack in the old Twentieth Wisconsin Infantry.

OTHER EARLY BUSINESS MEN OF HUMBOLDT.

Morrisson & Griffin is an excellent firm of merchants. They have a handsome store building and keep it filled to its utmost capacity. They are honorable dealers and public-spirited citizens, and have a very large trade with the surrounding country. They keep everything usually kept in a general stock, and the "stone store" is a very popular resort.

Another one of the live firms of young business men is Cain & Cald- well. They have a very full stock of general merchandise and, as they sell strictly for cash, they are enabled to let their customers have goods at bottom prices. They are enterprising and shrewd and, withal, very clever fellows to deal with.

W. M. Patton keeps a general stock of hardware, stoves and tinware

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

-the latter of his own manufacture. He has a handsome stock and a fine trade, and is one of the best business men in town. His father-in-law, Mr. R. C. Schofield, attends to the store. The old gentleman is an uncle of Major-General Schofield, of the United States Army.

Ruel Nims & Company is a large grain and stock dealing firm of Humboldt. They have one of the best warehouses on the railroad and are excellent men to deal with. They started the first store on the town site, and are large owners of real estate in the town and vicinity. A brother of Ruel is the other member of the firm. They rank first-class among Nebraska's business men.

Captain Enoch keeps an agricultural depot and he deals in all kinds of fariner's tools, making a specialty of plows made by the Briggs & Enoch Company, of Rockford, Illinois. The captain served four years in the Civil War, and is a hearty, bluff, hale follow, and is just the kind of a business man we like to deal with.

A. P. Smith is a live Yankee, and has more "irons in the fire" than any other Smith we know of, black or white. He keeps an agricultural depot, well stocked with all kinds of farm machinery; a grocery, a nursery and a restaurant. He is a large property owner, and has, perhaps, done as much to build up the town as any other man in it. His wife keeps a millinery store and a very handsome stock of goods in that line.

S. L. Umstead runs a blacksmith shop. He is a good workman, and a well-read, intelligent man.

One of the city fathers of Humboldt is MIr. O. J. Tinker, who keeps the only livery stable in the place and is the landlord of the Humboldt House. He is one of the old-fashioned sort of landlords, such as Dickens loved to write about. He has a large and commodious house and furnishes excellent facilities for taking care of man and beast.

Edward P. Tinker is another of the original Jacob Townsends, of Humboldt. He is an extensive dealer in real estate and keeps a large lumber yard, stocked with everything usually found in such a place. He is a wide-awake, active, and enterprising man, and has an unbounding faith in the future of Humboldt which, by the way, hopes to be a point on a northi and south railroad from Nebraska City, Seneca and Topeka before many years.

H. T. Hull is an active, live, energetic young man recently from the Keystone state. He is opening up a furniture store in that wide-awake, go-ahead town, Falls City. He is a single man and will be a prize for some Falls City helle.

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John Orr and J. R. Shawhan are blacksmiths working under the firm name of Orr & Shawhan. They are intelligent citizens and excellent me- chanics, and their shop is over-run with business.

W. W. Turk is building a new store. He is an experienced druggist and will shortly open up one of the best drug stocks in town. He is a good and reliable business man and will soon have his share of the trade. His place is on the east side of the square.

Dr. C. E. Rice has a handsome drug store on the north side of the square. He keeps everything in the drug line.

Mrs. M. E. Gandy keeps a drug store on the west side of the square. and has a fine trade. Her husband. Dr. J. L. Gandy, is a practicing physician, and is one of the best known men in the county.

Dr. P. F. Patrick is one of the leading physicians of Humboklt. He is one of the liberal, progressive kind of doctors, and is willing to adopt any good thing regardless of what school sanctions it. We found the doctor congenial and companiable. He enjoys life, has a handsome practice, a pretty baby and a handsome wife.

S. W. Tanner runs the "Island Lilly" photograph gallery. We saw some specimens of his work, which are equal to the best we have seen in any Western city. Mr. Tanner is a gentleman to deal with and his gallery was crowded with belles and beaux and mother's pets, all anxious to "secure the shadow ere the substance fades." He makes shadow pictures, mezzotint and porcelain, as well as common photos and gems.

J. K. Fretz is a house, sign and carriage painter. He is also a car- penter and joiner, and one of the best mechanics in town. The handsome graining on the Hilbert house was done by Mr. Fretz, and speaks for itself.

One of the best fellows in Humboldt is S. M. Hilbert, Esq., who keeps the Hilbert House in tip-top style. He takes a pride in keeping the best of everything for his guests and, if there is a better-kept hotel on the Atchi- son & Nebraska road, we have not yet found it. At the house we made the acquaintance of those jolly good fellows, George Ferguson, the railroad agent and telegraph operator, and Will Hershey, who keeps the only billiard hall and saloon in town. They are lively boys, and when not otherwise engaged can always be found at their room, "Keno No. 4."

W. H. Catlin, not the inventor of Catlin's fine cut, is the jolly barkeep. who sets them up in Hershey's saloon. He is big and good-natured, though he has a beard that makes him look as fierce as a grand turk.

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 52

Author: Edwards, Lewis C Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1742

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742