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Charles Hanson – Builder of the Women's Club House
(House is located in the Ashland
Addition of Kearney Junction at 723 W 22nd St.)
1855 – Born in Sweden on November 19
1869 – Came to America, arrived in
Chicago, Ill. on May 25 (age 13)
The Illinois Years
1869-1874 – 5 years - Farmed
in Illinois (age 19)
1875-1876 – 2 years – “followed
teaming” [drove a team, aka modern day trucking??]
1877-78 – Spent the winter in
Chicago, Ill. (age 22)
The Nebraska Years
1878(spring) – 4 years –
Phelps Center, Phelps County, Neb.
1878-1881 - Postmaster until
December, 1881
married in Phelps Co. in spring 1880, to young lady from Sweden
1882, spring – Opened hardware
business
Dealer in all kinds of agricultural implements and broom corn seed, etc.
Sometime in next 3-4 years – Went into real estate business
1885 – construction began on the
[Women’s Club] house
1886 – completed house – had
financial problems
1887 – Sold house to Wallace Downing
for $10,000
1888 – Constructed house at 1322 9th
Avenue
South across street from Bartlett house where Marc & Bert Loescher live now
Called the Steeple House
large tower raising above the second floor on the northeast corner.
1889 – Kearney’s Boom in full swing
Office in Room 8, Midway Hotel
"Go see C E
Hanson for five to ten acre lots for gardening"
Law Suit
July 24 –
Buffalo County National Bank in county court
Sued Hanson to recover rent for the building north of the bank
He had leased it “several years ago” and opened a hardware store.
Then he sold the stock and turned over the building, including the lease, to
the purchasers.
They did not pay the rent.
July 25 – The
jury found in favor of the plaintiff [the bank]
Awarded a judgment of $310.
August 21 –
ad for two houses, one in Kenwood, one in East Lawn, for sale at less than
value for next 10 days.
“Reason for selling: must have money.”
Hanson traveled often – frequently to Illinois
1890
March 24 – The Midway Hotel burned.
Hanson was
one of six businessmen who had offices there who had no insurance.
Aug 18 – Hanson had returned from a
trip to Chicago and would soon move his family there.
Aug 19 – C E Hanson and family have
gone to Chicago to reside.
[When he came
from Sweden, he came to the Chicago area.]
A Fish Story
Dec. 7, 1889 – while traveling on
business in Illinois a week ago,
Hanson met a
man (O’Brien) from the NE Fish Commission
Had a
railroad car adapted for the transportation of live fish ($2,000)
He had black
bass he was bringing back to stock lakes and streams in NE.
O’Brien said
they could bring fish free to any town who asked for them.
Hanson told
of Kearney’s resources and the beauty of its lakes which could be fish
resorts.
As a result
Hanson received a letter from O’Brien
He would be arriving in Kearney on Dec. 11 at 2:52 a.m. with 7,000 black
bass, 2-3 years old
would deliver them if someone would meet him at the station
Hanson said he would do it but he would be out of town.
Hub
and Chamber of Commerce were looking for someone who could bring containers
to the station to receive the fish.
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[live fish to stock Kearney’s lakes in December??!!]
My local fishing expert, Ken, says black
bass are either large mouth or small mouth
These might have been large mouth bass which are more adaptable to
Nebraska waters.
Ken also says in winter water gets warmer
deeper down.
Kearney Lake would have been 20+ feet deep in 1889 so the bass could
have survived there in Dec.
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Response after reading the article from Daryl Bauer, Fisheries Outreach Program Manager, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
In 1889 the Fish Commission purchased
a rail car solely for the purpose of transporting fish for stocking
across the state. The Fish Commission invested $2000 in that rail
car. The rail car had the words “Nebraska Fish Commission” scrawled
across the side and was called “Angler”.
He also says these were probably large mouth bass but could have possibly
have been small mouth.
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