History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 132

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co.
Number of Pages: 1056

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In May, 1875, Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb reached Cheyenne, Wyoming, and he began his life as a cowboy, riding range for Hi Kel- ly, who was a well known cattleman and freighter between Omaha and Laramie City, Wyoming. His work on the Cross-T ranch kept him from home much of the time, and

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had Mrs. Newcomb realized the danger at- tending her, with predatory and savage Indians wandering alone and in groups through the country near her dwelling, she would not have felt safe and contented as she did at that time. Fortunately no harm ever came to her from this source. Late in the fall of 1877, Mr. Newcomb managed to put up a two-room cabin, but the lateness of the season prevented "chinking" on the outside. They spent the winter in comparative comfort but in March the worst blizzard that Mr. Newcomb ever encountered in his whole western experience, came upon them, lasting for seven days and nights. The furious wind drove snow to the depth of seven inches through the unchinked crevices of the back room of the cabin. When the storm ceased Mr. Newcomb remembered that he had loaned his shovel to his nearest neighbor, a mile distant, and in order to dig a tunnel to where he had left his horses, he had to secure the shovel. In looking after his own affairs as best he could under the circum- stances, he found a small herd of cattle all bunched together, only their backs showing above the snow. . Thousands of cattle perished on the ranges during that storm and a dread- ful condition came about when the rangers, with no wells of water available, had to risk typhoid fever by drinking water from the streams infected by the dead cattle, this being particularly the case along Bear creek.

During 1884-5-6, Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb operated the hotel at Fort Laramie, and for three years following he served as deputy sher- iff. These were real wild west days and De- puty Newcomb witnessed many exciting en- counters and took official part in many dan- gerous adventures. In 1889, he and wife moved to Crawford and went into business and continued unil 1891, when he sold out and joined a party going to the Klondike in Alas- ka. While in the gold fields there he found ore but not in quantity to pay for the labor and desperate hardship involved. The party of four remained in the far north through June, July and August, putting in most of their time in hunting and trapping caribou, moose, bear, foxes and martins. In 1892, Mr. New- comb came back to Crawford and re-engaged in the saloon business, in which he continued until 1917, when he retired.

Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have two children, a son and daughter : Jay, who was born July 20, 1876, on the Cross-T ranch, resides at Grass Creek, Wyoming; and Jessie, who was born December 25, 1880, is the wife of Lieu- tenant Randolph, an officer in the United States

army, stationed at Denver. Mr. Newcomb has always voted with the Democratic party. He has never been anxious to serve in political office but there have been times when a man of his personal courage and known resoluteness would have been deeply appreciated by his fel- low citizens and he has been induced to accept responsibility. During 1909, he served as town marshal of Crawford. He belongs to the fra- ternal order of Eagles, and was treasurer of the local lodge for three years, and to the Knights of Pythias, serving this organization three years as vice chancellor.

EDWIN C. McDOWELL. - Extensively interested in the production of cattle and grow- ing of alfalfa, in Dawes county, Edwin C. Mc- Dowell devotes his three ranches situated near Crawford to these industries, and is probably one of the most progressive and enterprising agriculturists in this part of the state. Mr. McDowell is widely known and his acquaint- ances are generally also his friends.

Edwin C. McDowell was born in Holmes county, Ohio, November 12, 1861, one of a family of five children born to Robert and Elizabeth (Thompson) McDowell. Both par- ents were born in Ohio, where the mother died in 1873. In 1874, the father moved to Iowa, in which state he lives retired, owning proper- ty at Ames and Des Moines. Of the family, Edwin C. and a half brother, Earl, live at Crawford, the latter being an attorney.

After completing the common school course at Ames, Iowa, Edwin C. McDowell became a clerk and was in the mercantile business until he came to Nebraska. On April 1, 1886, he filed on a homestead on Little Cottonwood creek, in Sioux county, which he later sold and filed on a tree claim in the same county not far distant from Ardmore, South Dakota, subsequently selling that also. He came to Crawford before the first tent was raised in which the earliest merchants disposed of their wares. The first general merchandise store was owned and operated by H. F. Cluff and was located about one mile northeast of the present city, to which it was moved when the railroad reached here. Mr. McDowell recalls those days well. He worked for a Mr. East- man during the winter of 1886-7. His em- ployer had a tent business house and a ware- house, the latter being a small frame affair with earthen floor. Mr. Eastman slept in the board building while Mr. McDowell had his nightly rest in the tent. Both of them barri- caded themselves in at night, a sense of pru- dence urging them because of friction existing at the time between soldiers at the fort and

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cowboys that made promiscuous shooting a not unusual occurrence at night. At the best of times the ground was not altogether a couch to be enjoyed peacefully, as the shelter af- forded by the walls of the warehouse and tent seemed to attract rattlesnakes. They were dangerous as well as unwelcome visitors and Mr. McDowell tells of occasions when but for great ingenuity and quick action with his gun, he would have probably lost his life in the en- counter.

Before leaving Iowa Mr. McDowell had learned something of the barbering trade, and while yet with Mr. Eastman some of his friends prevailed upon him to open a shop to accommodate them. He bought an old bar- ber's chair that he found at Chadron, brought it to Crawford and made barbering a side line. In this connection Mr. McDowell tells an amusing story which has for its foundation the fact that he was busiest as a barber on Sunday. Every business man worked through Sunday just as any other day. On one Sunday as he was busy with a customer in one end of the tent, a preacher of his· acquaintance came in and announced that by invitation of Mr. East- man, a meeting was about to be held in the tent, the church people beginning to crowd in. He evidently was a man wise in his day and generation. Seeing how Mr. McDowell was engaged he hastened to say, "You just go ahead, I'll not interfere with you or you with me." Not at all indifferent to the religious services, the young barber found himself get- ting very nervous during the prayers, singing and preaching, and to such an extent, that one of the customers under the razor whispered. "Brace up, that's what Gladstone said to Bis- mark"

At one time Mr. McDowell was in a general mercantile and hardware business with the early merchant, H. F. Cluff, and later, operated a branch hardware store along the railroad as partner with Ellis E. Camp. As the building continued west, Mr. McDowell moved his store to keep up with it. In those days freight- ing was done by team, and he recalls when "Arkansas John," a noted character, passed many times over the trail with his freighting outfit of a hundred and eighty mules, some- times ten mule teams to a wagon. In contrast- ing transportation facilities of that day with the present, Mr. McDowell was led to speak of his first automobile ride, when he was the guest of Mr. Dick Richards. He thinks that apart from the honor, he carned the ride, as at every hill he had to climb out and assist the owner of the machine to push it up to level. It may

be added that Mr. McDowell travels in a very different kind of car at the present time.

At Staplehurst, Nebraska, April 11, 1899, Mr. McDowell was married to Miss Effie Gor- ton, a daughter of Edward and Jane Gorton, the former of whom is deceased. The mother of Mrs. McDowell resides at Crawford. Four children, two sons and two daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. McDowell: Robert, who went as a soldier with the American Expedi- tionary Forces to France and served there nine months, is now at home assisting his father; Esther, who is a college student at University Place, Nebraska; Catherine, who died when aged eleven years, and Charles, who is at home. Mrs. McDowell is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mr. McDowell is now devoting his entire attention to his three ranches, all of them sit- uated within six miles of Crawford. For some of this land, which he bought at from a dollar and a quarter to a hundred dollars an acre, he has refused to sell for a hundred and fifty dollars an acre. Formerly he raised many sheep and horses, but sold all that stock some years ago and now breeds Durham cattle and raises alfalfa, in 1919 producing eight tons an acre for which he received twenty-five dollars a ton in the stack. He operates according to modern methods and has introduced some un- usual features, and has his own private irri- gation system, which is fed by seven artificial lakes, as an example of modern agricultural progressiveness.

All his life Mr. McDowell has been more or less interested in Democratic politics, and for many years has served in public capacities at Crawford. He served on the school board for nine years, on the city council and its chairman for a protracted period, and, in 1917, was elected mayor of the city. The only fraternal organization with which he has united is the Knights of Pythias and he is one of the ac- tive members of this body, according to its foundation principles and benevolent aims, at Crawford.

CHARLES A. MINICK. - Among the thousands of careful business men and con- servative concerns that have found it profitable to maintain commercial relations with so solid and reliable a banking institution as the First National Bank at Crawford, Nebraska, there are many having a personal as well as business acquaintance with the men who serve as the bank's officials. Perhaps none of these officials in Dawes county is better known or more universally esteemed than is Charles A. Min-

MR. AND MRS. GILBERT FRITCHER

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ick, a former mayor of Crawford, who is the bank's cashier, who has been connected with this institution since 1899.

Charles A. Minick was born December 21, 1871, at Orrstown, Franklin county, Pennsyl- vania, the eldest of three sons born to Peter D. and Anna L. (Hollar) Minick. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania and the mother died in Jowa, in 1907. The father has been a prominent citizen of Villisca, fowa, for a num- ber of years, serving on the school board for a long time and for four years, during the ad- ministration of President Cleveland, as post- master of Villisca. He is a very successful dealer in real estate all through Montgomery county. Of his three sons, the two younger, Harry M. and Austin A., are in the insurance business at Des Moines.

By the time he was sixteen years old, Charles A. Minick had completed his course in the Vill- isca High school, after which he gave his father assistance for a time, then spent some years working for the Wells-Fargo and the American express companies, the last two years in this work being at Chadron, Nebraska. When Bartlett Richards organized the Bank of Crawford, in August, 1899, Charles A. Minick came to Crawford to assume the duties of cash- ier and has been identified with the institution ever since, it now being the First National. The bank has had a prosperous career. Its last statement gives authority for quoting its resources as $700,000 ; capital and profits over $80,000; deposits $560,000. The present of- ficers are : O. R. Irins, president, and Charles A. Minick, cashier.

Mr. Minick was married at Des Moines, Iowa, June 28, 1898, to Miss Emma Welsh, who is a daughter of William and Sarah (Boomer) Welsh, well known residents of Des Moines. Mr. and Mrs. Minick have chil- dren as follows: Charles A., who is attending the Nebraska State University since his return home from military service, having been in army camps and in France for eighteen months ; Clifford W., who is connected with the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad at Crawford, and Robert G., John W., R. Quen- tin and Helen A., all of whom are attending school. Mr. Minick and his family are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he gives a generous support, being lib- eral minded however and equally generous to all denominations. He takes a deep interest in the Young Men's Christian Association and in fact, encourages every moral enterprise that is practical in its management. A thirty- second degree Mason, he has filled all the of-

fices in the Blue lodge. Earnest and con- scientious in his political sentiments, Mr. Min- ick has long been identified with the Repub- lican party at Crawford, where he served ten years on the school board and fourteen as city treasurer, resigning the latter office in 1915, when elected mayor of the city.

GILBERT FRITCHER, who was one of the early homesteaders and highly respected citizens of Dawes county, was born in Otsego county, New York, January 14, 1832, a son of Adam and Sallie (Lowell) Fritcher, both of whom were born near Albany, New York. The father was a farmer all his life and also was a grower of hops, which he mainly sold to brewers.

Gilbert Fritcher grew up on his father's farm and obtained his education in the coun- try schools. When the Civil War came on he enlisted for service in the Ninety-third New York Volunteer Infantry, in which he served two years, or until severely wounded in the arm. He was a corporal in rank.

At Northampton, New York, on April 3, 1866, Gilbert Fritcher was married to Miss Sarah A. Wallin. Her parents were John and Sarah (Howgate) Wallin, both of whom were born in England and came to the United States when young, the father when a boy of eleven years and the mother at the age of nine. Their subsequent marriage took place in the city of Brooklyn. Mr. and Mrs. Fritcher continued to live in the state of New York until the spring of 1885, when they came to Nebraska, stopping for several months at Lincoln. Mr. Fritcher and their son William drove over the country to Dawes county and took possession of the homestead already secured. It was situated east of Whitney and Mr. Fritcher also had a tree claim located six miles north of Whitney. In the fall of the year Mrs. Frit- cher joined the family, but when cold weather came on they went to Chadron, where Mr. Fritcher conducted a livery stable during the winter and the next summer. The first few years on the homestead were disappointing, un- usual heavy winds sweeping over the freshly cultivated fields, with such force as to blow the seed out of the ground and scatter it, long drouths following, in which everything dried up. In the earlier years it was almost impos- sible to get a sufficiency of water in the wells, its transportation from the rivers adding great- ly to the drudgery of the farm. In later years, from some cause probably easily explained by scientists, the wells filled with water and there- by the almost barren farm land became fertile.

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Mr. Fritcher and his family remained on the homestead for nineteen years, then sold and lived near Chadron for a year and a half, af- terward renting a farm on Bordeaux creek, and there, several years later, on July 16, 1907. Mr. Fritcher passed away. His widow and two children survive, the latter being: William and Edith, the daughter being the wife of Walter Reed of Clay Center, Nebraska.

The family spent the year 1901, in Mor- rill county. Wherever they lived, Mr. Frit- cher was looked on as a trustworthy, honest man. He was a Republican in his political views and always interested in public matters, in younger years in New York serving in pub- lic office. He belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic and was a credit to the organiza- tion. In public enterprise in Dawes county, such as organizing the school district, he readi- ly donated his share and helped put up the first school building in District No. 16. It was made of slabs, with a dirt roof, and Mrs. Fritcher remembers when as many as thirty- five children attended, but attendance in later years dwindled to a half dozen. Her first home in the county was a two-room shack, in which the family lived for six years, when it was replaced by a frame house which is yet standing. Mrs. Fritcher and son William reside at Chadron, where he operated a draying line for four years and is now a railroad man.

C. L. LEITHOFF, who is president and general manager of the Midwest Monument Company, is not only prominent in business affairs in Dawes county, but, as mayor of the city of Crawford, occupies a position that fairly indicates the confidence placed in him by his fellow citizens as a leader in civic wel- fare.

Mr. Leithoff was born on a farm in Gearly county, Kansas, in 1871, the son of Louis and Henriette ( Walter) Leithoff, being the young- est of four brothers, though he had two younger sisters. His father settled in Gear- ly county, Kansas, in 1863, and Charles spent his boyhood there. He attended the public school but spent more time riding as a cow boy on the range and says that is where he gained the greatest part of his education. He earned money early gathering scrap iron and bones which he sold to a Jew, and traded the junk for a violin, and his parents often had to send him to the barn when he was learning to play it. He became a musician and played for dances in the country, bought a lamb with the money and in time had quite a sheep busi- ness of thirty head, but they got into the gar-

den and he sold them to buy calves, which started him in the cattle business, in which he was engaged until 1904. He then engaged in a hardware and implement business for four years at Junction City, meeting with success. In 1908, Mr. Leithoff disposed of his inter- ests there and came to Dawes county where he has since lived. In 1912 he built the Gate City Hotel of Crawford, became its success- ful manager and ran the hotel eight years, but he liked the life in the country and traded the hotel for a large ranch and a bunch of cattle which he still owns. R. N. Leithoff, his oldest son, is manager of the varied inter- ests.

Mr. and Mrs Leithoff are the parents of five children, two boys and three girls, the oldest and youngest being deceased. The sec- ond daughter, Marie, is the wife of C. C. Cropp, of Los Angeles, California, who is connected with the Western Pacific Railroad ; the youngest son, Carl, is at home.

Mr. Leithoff is a practical business man. In July, 1917, he organized the Midwest Mon- ument Company at Crawford, purchasing one small plant at Gordon and another at Chad- ron. Crawford offers better business loca- tion in the way of shipping facilities and freight rates. Mr. Leithoff located at first on a side street but the business soon outgrew the quarters there and removal was made to West Main street. His trade territory covers Nebraska and reaches into Wyoming and South Dakota. Steady employment is af- forded nine men and the quality of work and material is under guarantee.

MILBERNE G. EASTMAN, cashier of the Commercial State Bank of Crawford. Nebraska, is well known in the banking field in Dawes county and equally well known and esteemed in commercial life in other sections of the United States and even in the Orient. It has been his good fortune to see many parts of the world, in which he has honorably and adequately represented a department of the national government.

Milberne G. Eastman was born at Clarion, Iowa, July 3, 1868, the eldest of five children born to Oliver K. and Henrietta (Graham) Eastman. His mother was born in Michigan and now resides at Crawford. His father. a native of New York, died at Lincoln, Ne- braska, in 1913. For fifty years he was in the banking business. In 1886, he engaged in the mercantile business at Crawford, in partnership with E. F. Doerr, some years later moving to Ardmore, South Dakota, where he

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established a bank, in later years returning to Crawford. The brothers and sister of Mil- berne G. Eastman are as follows: H. O., who is vice-president of the Corn Exchange Na- tional Bank of Omaha; L. M., who is mana- ger of the Handcraft Furniture Company of Lincoln; G. S., who is state bank examiner, lives at Crawford, and Bessie E. Chapman, who is assistant cashier of the Commercial State Bank of Crawford.

Mr. Eastman attended the public schools of Webster City, Iowa, completing the high school course, and was nineteen years old when he came to Dawes county, Nebraska, and became manager of the post trader's store at Fort Robinson, a position he filled for sev- eral years. Upon being oppointed.a commis- sary agent under the United States govern- ment, he thoroughly prepared himself for such a responsible office, which took him to Alaska, Japan, China, and other far eastern countries. Before returning to the United States he spent several years in the Civil service in the Philippine Islands. In 1910, Mr. Eastman came back to his old home at Crawford, at the time becoming assistant cashier of the Com- mercial State Bank in which office he contin- ued until February, 1919, when he became cashier of this institution, his only sister suc- ceeding him as assistant cashier.

The Commercial State Bank of Crawford, Nebraska, was established in 1886, with a cap- ital of $15,000. The first home of the bank was in a lumber office. It is now housed in a magnificent building of its own, of pressed brick construction, situated in the business center of the city, and its resources exceed $1,000,000. Its first officers were: Leroy Hall, president, and Fred A. MaComber, cash- ier. Its present officers are: Leroy Hall, president ; Andrew Vetter, Frank L. Hall and Claire E. Hall, vice-presidents; M. G. East- man, cashier, and Bessie E. Chapman, assist- ant cashier. Practical business men control and manage this bank.

On April 25, 1911, Mr. Eastman was united in marriage to Miss Edith Primeaux, a daugh- ter of Antoine Primeaux, an early merchant of Crawford. Mrs. Eastman died August 6, 1918. Their only child died in 1915, aged three and a half years. In politics he has al- ways been a Republican, and from 1894 to 1898, while his father was serving as county cleark of Dawes county, he served as deputy county clerk. He is a Thirty-second degree Mason.

DAVID S. COCKRELL .- There are many residents of the city of Chadron who recall David S. Cockrell, once well known and much esteemed here, where many substantial struc- tures still stand testifying to his skill and thoroughness as a carpenter and builder. He was an early homesteader in this section of Dawes county, and because of sterning char- acter and sound judgment, was long looked upon as one of the most dependable and trust- worthy of men.

David S. Cockrell was born at Charlestown, West Virginia, January 8, 1851. His ances- try can be traced to emigrants who came to the American colonies on the Mayflower. His parents were David Harris and Cecelia ( Miles) Cockrell, of old Virginia stock, the former of whom died in 1887 and the latter in 1892. By trade the father was a carpenter but during the war between the states, he be- came prominent in military life and served as captain of a company in the Confederate army. He was wounded at one time through the bursting of a shell. Of his seven children, David S. was the only one to make his home in Nebraska. An uncle of the latter crossed the plains to California in 1849.

Mr. Cockrell was a man of natural intel- ligence and always a persistent reader. In youth he had some academic advantages at Charlestown, and under his competent father had thorough trade instruction. Both before and after coming to Nebraska, he worked as a carpenter and continued in this line as oppor- tunity offered even up to the time of his death, on January 19, 1900. On March 17, 1884, at Charlestown, West Virginia, David S. Cock- rell was married to Miss Regina Hilbert, who is a daughter of John E. and Elizabeth (Hil- bert) Hilbert, who were natives of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cockrell, the only sur- vivor being Ruth Manning Cockrell, an edu- cated and accomplished lady, who is an in- sructor in the schools of Malvern, Iowa.

In 1885, Mr. and Mrs. Cockrell came to Dawes county, and homesteaded east of he present city of Chadron. They lived on the homestead for seven years and it was during that time that Mrs. Cockrell had an experience with a prairie fire that she can never forget, not because of any real injury but because of her exposure to almost certain incineration and her alarm for the safety of Mr. Cockrell. At the time she happened to be in Chadron attending the wants of a sick sister. She heard the fire bells ringing, according to the usual

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 132

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co. Number of Pages: 1056

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co.
Number of Pages: 1056