Research Papers

Research Papers

Today is:

                                        January 1920

Weather

January – some light snows, one day of very strong winds, -4 the night of Jan 23

        On Jan 30 – A heavy frost and light sleet storm that caused icy conditions with “skidding of autos, horses and pedestrians alike…”

And then there was the chicken thief. Snow was his downfall

        A Pleasanton man had been employed husking corn and planned to farm in the area in the spring

        He stole 40 chickens from one farmer and 8 from another. Put them in a wagon.
        Then he went to Kearney, sold them, and after cashing his $62 check, headed back to Pleasanton

        Meanwhile, the theft was discovered and his wagon tracks in the snow were followed to Kearney
        Police were contacted. They followed his tracks and caught up with him before he got back to Pleasanton.

        The thief pleaded guilty and because he could not pay the $1000 bail was in jail awaiting sentencing.
        Another farmer in the Pleasanton area said the harness on the horses the thief used to pull the wagon were stolen
            from him but no charges had been filed.

        The chicken thief admitted he had been in trouble before for stealing corn but had not served a sentence for that.

Roads
This week [the last week in January, 2020] the County Board was struggling with the expense of purchasing 2 bottom dump trucks and 3 motor graders as well as determining who is responsible for county subdivision roads.

Things haven’t changed much in 100 years.

In late December 1919 there had been some heavy snow followed by periods of thawing.
As a result in early January 1920 there were “great ruts in the hillside road and it is impossible for two vehicles to pass one another.” [that would be going north out of Kearney up 2nd Ave from 31st St.]

Farmers got in touch with the Commercial Club [chamber of commerce] secretary to complain. He contacted the mayor and commissioner [street commissioner?] who immediately got a work crew out to make temporary repairs.

Jan 17 – Jordan Starts His Work on Highways

        In mid-January the Buffalo County hired a highway commissioner. This was a first for the county.
        His office would be in the courthouse so he was moving to Kearney from Odessa.

        Jordon's first task was to buy some modern machinery to repair and build roads.
        He was to look after all road building matters that came before the county board and develop a program of work
         for the year [the first One Year Plan]
        He would also oversee the township road workers.

            (Each township was responsible for building and maintaining the county roads and bridges within their own township. Gradually over the years the townships contracted with the county to maintain more and more of their roads until finally a few years ago when the townships were dissolved, only 1½ miles in one township had not been turned over to the county.)

Speaking of townships and their road responsibilities – Odessa Township was the first to purchase a tractor and road maintainer

Sports – a main source of entertainment in January

Basketball –

First week in January – Kearney High played Kearney Normal. The Normal team won 19-13.

The following week – Kearney Normal opened their regular season against Grand Island college
        They won 30-26. The score at half-time was 16-2.
        Kearney got overconfident and G I came back to almost win the game.

        Kearney High played North Platte here. Boys lost 25-18.
        There were many fouls in first half, mostly by Kearney. Half ended 3-15
                There were fewer fouls in the second half but Kearney could not make up the difference.
        In the girls game Kearney won 22-21.

        While the boys played 5-member teams, the girls had 6-member teams with a rear center position.
        The teams had only 1 or 2 substitutes.

Toward the end of January – A League of Basket Ball Teams was organized in Kearney
        Promoters were representatives of Kearney normal, Kearney Military Academy, Kearney High, and the Kearney
             Athletic Association teams.
        Any other Kearney group or business could organize a team as well.
        The first game was between Kearney Normal and Kearney High which the Normal School won 27-26

Wrestling –

John Pesek was wrestling in Omaha. Several Kearneyites went to Omaha to watch.

Pesek and Mike Howard held a wrestling match here at the Opera House.
        Pesek won the first fall with a reinforced toe hold after 46 minutes and 50 seconds.
        Howard conceded the 2nd fall and the match when Pesek got that same toe hold on him after 5 minutes.

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Revised: 02/18/2020