Cleaning the Files – Miscellaneous Subjects

It's a new year – Time to clean out closets, garage shelves -- and computer files.  These are some odds and ends which were not used or we did not have time for on past rograms.

A. Miscellaneous Files
 

1. Found on Library of Congress website when looking at Butcher pictures of the Industrial School
Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1871-1872 -

Saturday, May 11, 1872.
Several bills from the Senate were taken from the Speaker's table, read a first and second time and then referred to the Committee on Military Affairs

Included was an act granting the Fort Kearney military reservation to the State of Nebraska for the use and benefit of the Nebraska State Deaf and Dumb and Insane Asylum

 

Considering the use of that land today, we can presume this bill was never passed.

2. Hub – Nov. 1, 1877 – Probably unused because it’s not in Buffalo County

Train robbery at Big Springs by a gang of some 15-20 men.

Two men came into the depot and held guns on the agent, tore out his telegraph key and threw it out and then made him put out the red signal for the next train to stop.

When the train stopped, more men appeared and took control of the train.

The engineer and fireman had to put out the fire in the boiler of the steam engine.

Some of the men went through the passenger cars and collected all the gold watches, money and other valuables.

Others went to the freight car where the safe was located.

They tried to get the messenger who rode in that car to open the safe but he could not because he did not have the combination.

They were not happy about that.

There were, however, some cash drawers which they broke open. These contained some $20,000 in $20 gold pieces.

They did not disturb the mail car – because the postal service is Federal and that would be unlawful (??)

 

[Even robbers have standards??]

3. Kearney Daily Hub, June, 1916

        1733 Ranch was planning to raise ostriches

        Jan 1917 – Ostriches live on green alfalfa in summer & grain & dry alfalfa in winter.

        [No further information, apparently ostriches did not come to Kearney at that time.]

4. Some 1928 Highlights

        January – Gravel surfacing of Elmcreek to Miller road completed.

        February – Adjoining counties voice objections to five cent crow bounty in Buffalo county.

                March 1923 – Nebr. legislature had passed a crow bounty bill

                Dec 1927 – A group of Miller hunters killed 1400 crows “ate their last grain”
                    A few days later they came to a farm near Kearney and shot 900 more.
                    Several petitions from Buffalo County townships had requested placing a bounty on crows

                        but all had been tabled by the Board of Supervisors.
                    A bounty would cost taxpayers but now farmers are paying the price -- in grain.
                1928 – The bounty of 5¢ for each head and pair of feet.
                    Shotgun shells cost 5¢ each [so don’t quit day job]
                    Crow hunters in Gage County could collect the bounty twice.
                        Go across the state boarder to Marysville, KS and collect using the head.
                        Come back to Nebraska, turn in the legs in Beatrice for the bounty here.
                    When the bounty was first established the crows “were knocked down by the hundreds and thousands”

                        but very few were turned in by the end of the year.
                Jan 1929 – Board thought about renewing bounties but there were not many requests
                    Farm Bureau members felt the bounty was not helping reduce the huge flocks of crows.
                Feb 1930 – Went on record favoring continuing the bounty [but I don’t believe it was].

        March 18 – Churches hold mass meetings as protest against Sunday movies.
                Twelve years earlier in December 1916 – a few musical concerts were held on Sunday afternoons

                     so it was suggested that maybe movies would be acceptable
                Dec 1917 – Pastors were all opposed and devoted entire sermons to the topic.

                [Issue died for 11 years until 1928]

                Feb 21, 1928 – Because there were enough signatures petitions presented to the city council, the issue of allowing entertainment on Sundays will be on the April 10 ballot. It would allow forms of entertainment which charge admission such as movies and baseball games.

                [no report of election returns on movie issue on April 10 ballot]

                April 14 – ad for melodrama showing at the 1733 Park on Sunday, Apr. 15
                April 21 – ads by movie theaters for shows Sunday

        April 11 – Amherst vote $20,000 school bonds, with only four votes against it.
                April 13 – 3 men plead guilty to Amherst bank robbery, get twenty year sentences.
                [Bank robbery & school burning had been on March 17]

        May 6 – Kearney population over 13,000

        May 18 – J. G. Lowe bought the Fort Kearney acreage

                then he re-sold it to the Fort Kearney Memorial Association at purchase price.

        Oct. 5 – New high enrollment at college – 602

        Oct 15 – La France pumper fire truck purchased

                [Has been restored by Lamoine Fern and now on display at the Firefighter's Museum.]

        Oct 18 – Lots acquired to connect Harmon Field with Third Ward Park

B. First broadcast with notes – Nov. 2000
(May have been one or two monthly broadcast before the but these are the first notes saved.)

Kearney Daily Hub, March 6, 1906

The enrollment at the Normal School at Kearney passed 500

The State Industrial School [now known as the YRTC] had seed potatoes for sale.

Ravenna had a measles epidemic.

Gibbon girls basketball team challenged the Shelton girls.

[Think about the bride’s outfit at the last wedding you attended. Also keep in mind that the delicate little mini-carnations we see today were developed probably 10 years ago or so]

At Sartoria Ethel Fauss married Chester Loy of Mason City. The bride was “becomingly attired in brown silk, trimmed with white, with white carnations in her hair, and carrying a bouquet of the same.”