The Colfax County Press publishes a weekly column entitled Peeking into the Past, which is comprised of articles taken from earlier Colfax County Press files, written by Helen C. Evans. A special thank you to the Colfax County Press for allowing me to reprint those articles! The following are selections from that column:
November 8, 1923 - reprinted December 27, 1995Saturday evening, the popular Jirovec orchestra was at Morse Bluffs, where they furnished music for a big dance. A large gathering was present and our orchestra was greatly complimented for the class of music they furnish. When it comes to music that is music the Jirovec orchestra has them all following.
Frank Suchan of Leigh is making daily trips to Clarkson and is helping with the rush at the Humlicek tailor shop.
The sale of land near Howells, belonging to the estate of Mike Kaspar, drew several bidders but none of them were interested enough to offer a satisfactory price. The highest outside bid was $145 and Mrs. Kaspar retained the land at $150 per acre.
We have word at hand from Frank L. Tichota that he and his family reached California safely and are now located at Corcoran, near which place Mr. Tichota is employed on a large ranch. It took them over fifteen days to cover the territory in their Ford during which time they also went through considerable hardship such as the majority of tourists encounter.
Mrs. Frank G. Wolf was a passenger to Lindsay where she is spending a few days with relatives.
Jerome J. Brazda sold his farm of 80 acres between Wisner and Beemer to J. R. Kafka of Dodge, who will take possession March 1st. Consideration was $18,000--two years ago, Mr. Brazda purchased the farm at $185 per acre.
Louis Simunek has resigned his position as bookkeeper for the Leigh Independent Telephone Co. and will go to Omaha to enter Boyles College where he will take a course in auditing and accounting. Mr. Simunek has been with the telephone company for a little over two years and during that time has proven himself a most valuable man to that concern. While his friends here regret to see him leave, yet they feel that he will make a success of whatever he undertakes. His place has been taken by Harry Hahn.
Fairfax (So. Dak.) Advertiser:
J. R. Kosta, than whom no man in Gregory county is better or more widely known has been called to a supervisory position with the Howells State Bank, at Howells, Nebraska, as an assistant to the president of the bank.
While everyone is glad and highly pleased to see Mr. Kosta honored with such a position. Both, as a matter of business as well as of honor, yet they regret deeply to lose so valuable a man and family from the community. Mr. Kosta goes to his new position and the family as soon after as a suitable residence can be obtained. This is the same bank in which Jos. A. Stanek was employed before coming to Fairfax.
Mr. Kosta has been constantly before the public here in Fairfax since 1902 when he was employed with his father, later in 1903 going into the court house as deputy under County Treasurer Ellerman, later serving a term as county treasurer. From there he was chosen as assistant cashier and later cashier of the Gregory County State Bank, which position he held for fifteen years. He has always been identified with the upbuilding and improving of the community, a member of the school board and official of the city. He was prominently connected with different fraternal organizations in Fairfax and the Rosebud.
J. R. was a consistent and efficient booster for Fairfax and community, and as such the Advertiser as well as his many friends regret to learn that he will leave.Leigh again shows signs of becoming a public sale center and nearly every Saturday a sale of some kind is held here. Wiegert Bros. and Faiman sold nearly forty used cars at fair prices.
Drahota Bros. have traded their 320 acre farm, located north of Cornlea for 1600 acres of land located 6 miles south of Emmett, Nebraska.
Chas. Weigert has purchased the building formerly occupied by the Schlueter shoe store at Leigh and has already moved his electrical equipment into the same. Mr. Schlueter recently moved to the building just south of the McKinley drug store. -- The Hanford cream station has been moved to the Hahn building recently occupied by Miss Alvena Wiebold. Miss Wiebold will move her restaurant to the Busse building vacated by Chas. Weigert.
The Leigh gridsters took the “Fighting Irish” from O’Neill into camp last Friday afternoon and pushed them around the lot to the tune of 42 to 7. The locals started out in whirl wind style and began piling up the score in the early stages of the game, but in the second half, with 29 scores to their credit they relaxed their efforts and allowed the visitors to make a touchdown.
Jos. Wostoupal, proprietor ot the West Point Monument Works, West Point, Nebraska, who has made occasional visits to Clarkson for many years, was in Howells in the interest of his business. He informed us that he returned just recently from a week’s business trip to the granite quarries at Wausa, Wisconsin, where he placed large orders for stone. He says that he was well pleased with his trip and the additions he has made to his large stock of monuments. His work may be found on all cemeteries in this neighborhood where it speaks for itself.
The sale of the Pimpar land at Leigh, which was offered for sale by referee, E. M. Nelson, brought out a half a dozen active buyers and bidding was quite spirited. The land was finally knocked down to Emil Wurdeman on his bid of $173.00 per acre. This is considered a very fair price for this property.
November 8, 1923 - reprinted January 3, 1996Efforts are being revived to have the railroad company install electric lights at the depot in Leigh. This matter was agitated several years ago, but when the change in the passenger schedule was made, and then there was but little need of them and the matter was dropped. Since the passenger schedule has been changed again and the evening passenger gets in here at about six o’clock and the lights are needed and the matter will be taken up with the railway commission if they are not forthcoming. E. M. Nelson has written Railway Commissioner Chas. Randal, who has promised to take the matter up with the railroad officials. The other day the division superintendent was over from Norfolk, but from what he said the company is not willing to put in the lights. If this is the true attitude of the railroad company then, of course, our people will be forced to file a formal complaint with the railway cornmission.
This is the time of the year when our good readers and friends stay at home more than they do during the summer on account of bad roads and cold weather. There is no place quite as inviting as a home on a cold day near a good fire and a comfortable chair. It especially appeals to the better class of people when they have something good to read and there is nothing that we can recommend that would quite take the place of the Colfax County Press. Our aim is to publish good wholesome news free of any partisian favors and such as the entire family can read and depend on the truth of the articles and those who read The Press will agree with us that these are facts. We, therefore, ask our many friends to loan their paper to their friends who do not take The Press or send their name to us and we will gladly send them a sample copy, because we feel sure that if they read a few copies they will become regular subscribers. Let’s all help a good thing along.
Corn husking season opened in Stanton county last week. Naturally the question which was mostly in the lime light at the opening of the season was the price per bushel. We have made quite a thorough investigation and find that in most cases, pickers are being paid 7 to 8 cents per bushel, depending somewhat on the condition of the corn, as to yield and whether or not the corn stands up well or is badly blown down. In some cases, however, the extra heavy yield, with the large ears, makes up for the corn being down. At this rate the average picker can make from $7.00 to $8.00 a day besides being given his board and room.
In the hailed out districts the price has been almost mutually agreed upon at 13 cents per bushel or one-half of all the corn picked. This price is somewhat higher than in other nearby counties but we have been informed that Stanton county’s corn crop sustained more hail damage than the other counties, some fields scarcely being worth picking.
In Wayne county, pickers are being paid 6 and 7 cents per bushel. In Platte county we understand that 10 cents will be paid in hailed out districts but in good corn fields the wage will be 5 and 6 cents. At a meeting of the farmers in Knox county it was arranged to pay huskers 5 to 6 cents per bushel. Stanton Register.An operation to relieve reocurring attacks of appendicitis on Milton Muller, five-year-old son of Adolph Muller of this city, revealed the appendix on the left side. The appendix had burst. It is reported as the first case in Dodge county of an appendix being on the left side. The patient is resting well. --Scribner Rustler.
Colfax County NEGenWeb Project Page
This is a free site. © 2008 slb. This page may not be copied or distributed or accessed for profit
without the written permission of the copyright holder or the owner of this site. Please notify the site owner if you have come to this site as a result of a paid subscription to another site.