April 15, 1897 —
Chas. Scott has about 200 acres of small grain already in. When asked how he did it, his reply was that he used a flat boat and a shotgun.
We wish to call the attention of the village authorities to the nearly impassable condition of the roads leading into town from all directions.
The boarders at the Commercial [Hotel] complain because Tom is so infernally cranky this week. We investigated the matter and learned that Mrs. Powell was visiting her parents in Sioux City. Tom has promised to behave if his wife returns on the next train.
100 Years Ago. . .
August Blunck, one of our successful retired farmers, said he did not always have things as easy as he did now. In the early days, he worked on the railroad in Iowa for $1.25 per day, at the same time farming 10 acres and walking three miles to his work. At those small wages he and his wife saved $10 per month, and shortly started up farming first in Iowa, and after in this community where Mr. Blunck became one of the big landowners.
Henry Pfanstiel had a public sale and also a dispersion shorthorn sale on Jan. 15, 1925, as he was going to quit farming. It included 28 cows and calves and 10 bulls. The cows were of such families as Blinkbonny, Claret and Lavender 32nd. Females sired by Diamond Royalist and Imp. Beauty 31st Bull were re-bred to King’s Model and Imp. Dorothy Bull. Also selling four head of horses, one 20 motor Ford truck, one John Deere wagon, one Shallens corn planter,, one disc, one spade disc, and other items.
The county road gangs finished clearing the roads Tuesday. The light snow of Sunday filled the cuts in the roads and made them impassable until shoveled out. W. F. Schroeder, who was in charge of the Osmond county road gang, said that the roads around here were the worst in years and another snow would make it almost impossible to clear them until the snow thawed.
75 Years Ago. . .
Osmond was going to have a new implement, parts and repair business.
The new agency was a Minneapolis-Moline franchise. It was going to be operated by Harold Bryngelson and Donald Magdanz of Pierce. The new business would be located in the Don Button building across the street south from the Theisen building.
According to one item in the Osmond Republican News and Views by the Editor: What will life be like in the year 2000? A cross section of scientific opinion believes medicine's most difficult problem will be the maintenance of old people in increasing numbers free from chronic disease and pain. Cancer will be controlled as will the common cold. There’ll be wrist watch radios with television in your pocket. The atom and sun’s rays will provide energy. Chas. F. Brannan, Secretary of Agriculture, says that even our present methods of growing food might become obsolete. He foresees this if man can unlock the secrets of nature by which plants make food from water and carbon dioxide.
Members of the Coffee Shop bowling team here bowled three games with Meadow Gold of Norfolk at the Norfolk Recreational Bowling Parlor. The Coffee Shop won the series with 2,319 pins while Meadow Gold got only 2,275. Members of the Osmond team included Ed Bruckner, Kenneth Schultze, Bud Burt, Ted Tunink and Bud Schuttler.
Ever try to stuff a good-sized envelope into that after-hours letter box hole in the front of the Osmond post office? Well, anyhow, it would soon be replaced with a larger one. That was the word of acting postmaster Norman Windeshausen.
65 Years Ago. . .
Dwaine Francis, Osmond High senior, was a winner of the University of Nebraska Regents Scholarship. Dwaine, an honor student all four years at Osmond High, participated in track and basketball, lettering in both sports. He served as president of his class and had parts in both the junior and senior plays.
Osmond toppled Emerson in the finals of the Corntassel Conference basketball tournament at Wayne to win the conference title. Osmond led at every period and came through for 20 points in the final quarter to post a decisive 58-43 win. Charles Timmer, who sparked the Tigers through the tourney, accounted for 34 points in the championship game.
Federal aid to education? We got it. It was limited to be sure, but nevertheless quite real, as checks by the local school treasurer in the amount of $450 showed. The $450 of school District 42R tax money was matched by $450 in federal money.
With the $900 Superintendent S. N.
Westergard told the newspaper was purchased such items as an electric microscope, an electric duplicating machine (that was in the mathematics department), biology charts, and other items.
Probably the latest to shoot a red fox in this area was Earl Thomsen.
The predator was killed on the Ervin Kratochvil farm a mile west of Osmond. Thomsen used a high- powered rifle with a scope. Several others of the species had been sighted in the area.
50 Years Ago. . .
The 1975 Snowflake king and queen were named during the annual snow- flake dance sponsored by the Osmond High School student council. King Randy Rasmussen and Queen Jann Stueckrath were crowned by junior attendants Donna Kudera and Craig Padgett. They were presented gifts by sophomore attendants Rose Clayton and Doug Stratton. The king received an engraved key chain and the queen, a silver charm bracelet. Freshman attendants Pat Hoffman and Gail Krohn presented single long-stemmed roses to the queen candidates and boutonnieres to the king candidates.
Bruce Buchanan, who operated Buchanan Well Co., began work the previous fall to provide an ice skating area in Osmond. It was located on the southeast corner of Main and Sixth Streets. The area was graded and subsequently flooded several times. When the pond would be in use depended on temperature range.
Michael John Koenig, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. John Koenig of Randolph, arrived in the world at 4:17 a.m. on Jan. 3 to claim gifts for the first baby of the year born at Osmond General Hospital. He would receive numerous gifts provided by organizations and businesses for the first baby and for the first boy of the year. The first girl born here was Judy Ann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Petersen of Osmond. She was born at 7:22 p.m. on Jan. 3. She would receive those prizes designated for the first girl.
Football contest winners at Chick’s Grocery were Mrs. John Kuker and Lorenz Fuelberth. The actual score was Nebraska 13, Florida 10. Their guesses were Nebraska 14, Florida 10.
25 Years Ago. . .
Osmond Community School Superintendent Bill Mowinkel wrote in his column, Mow’s Minute: I’m sure glad that the scare of 2000 didn’t deter people from looking forward to this new year. I was glad to see everything turned over fairly normal, although we have experienced a little boiler problem in the old part of the building. I don’t think it has anything to do with Y2K, rather just 30-plus years of service.
McLean’s Centennial was to be celebrated July 8, 2000. A big part of the preparation for the festivities was the centennial logo, created by Donna Bell Galvin of McLean. It featured a train with the slogan “Memories Along the Rails.”
10 Years Ago. . .
An adventure for 99-year-old Clara Gutz was enjoyed on Christmas night.
Santa’s sleigh couldn’t accommodate her return to Osmond General Care Center, so she had a pickup ride in- stead. Jim Gutz served as taxi driver.
Grandma Gutz shared Christmas Day and evening with 101 family members at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Clara said her trip in the pickup reminded her of days long gone by when family members bundled up in wagons pulled by horses for Christmas gatherings.
