HITCHCOCK COUNTY – HOMETOWN HISTORY – WEEK OF JULY 31, 2025
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News of 1905
The Trenton Register
120 Years Ago
Trenton News Notes
L.L. Felker purchased the lunch room and confectionary business of Wilbur Dillman, Monday of this week and assumed charge of the same at once. Wilbur expects to go to Indiana in a short time where he will go to school the coming year. We are glad to welcome Mr. Felker again to our business circles and bespeak for him a liberal patronage.
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The new gasoline engine and pump for our water works system arrived, last Friday morning, and work was begun immediately on the house in which to place the same. The house will be located in the street immediately over the wells just east of the Thomson elevator. When everything is in working order we will have a first class system of water works and good fire protection. We understand the Village Board contemplates the building of a large concrete cistern on the hill, which will be kept full of water at all times.
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A man by the name of Cunningham drifted into this county a short time ago in search of work and was employed by J.I. Pierce south of Stratton. He had only worked a couple of days for Mr. Pierce and some time in the night Thursday, they heard him groaning and went to ascertain the cause. They found him unconscious and a few minutes later he died. On Friday, Sheriff Brown and Dr. A.H. Thomas went to the home of Mr. Pierce and immediately impanelled a jury, whose verdict was that he came to his death from some unknown cause. A letter from his mother, whose home is at Stockville, was found on his person. A telegram was sent to her and she, accompanied by her daughter and another son, arrived here, Sunday night, the unfortunate corpse having been brought here by the sheriff. He was buried in the Trenton Cemetery, Monday, and the intention is to exhume him some time this fall and take the remains to Stockville.
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During the storm, Tuesday night, the rear end of the Blue Front Restaurant building, occupied by Mrs. A. Major, was struck by lightning, but very little damage was done. No one was in the building at the time.
Stratton News Notes
Dr. W.E. Stewart reports the arrival of a fine young son at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Parsons, northwest of town, Monday, July 24.
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Born to Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Beliel, Sunday, July 23, a fine baby boy. Dr. W.E. Stewart was the attending physician.
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A young son of March DeGarmo had the misfortune to be shot in the left leg with a rifle the latter part of last week.
News of 1935
The Republican Leader
90 Years Ago
Leg Badly Burned
Ed Hidy had an unfortunate experience Tuesday. After spilling gasoline on the leg of his overalls, he scratched a match, with which to light a cigarette, on the same leg. Right now there was a blaze and it was fierce while it lasted. The result is Mr. Hidy has a badly burned leg between his knee and ankle. The burns are of second and third degree and are yielding satisfactorily to treatment.
Objects to Electric Milker
Mainard Wertz, proprietor of the Wertz Dairy, got into a tight squeeze Wednesday evening while doing his milking. In introducing the electric milking machine to one of the cows, he met with considerable opposition. The cow proposed to be milked by hand or not at all and to accomplish this, she stampeded around, knocking Mainard down and around until he willingly gave up. In the skirmish, Mainard received a bad gash on his chest, which required several stitches to close. The wound is not seriously inconveniencing Mainard and we understand the milking lessons will continue until bossie learns to behave.
Heat Wave Hurting Corn
The heat wave of the past week has seriously hurt the corn, not only in this locality, but the entire state. Most of the corn here stood the heat and dry weather very well up until Monday this week. Since then the leaves have curled and a are burning badly. Not much of the corn has reached the tassel stage yet and if rain should come within a week there may still be a fair crop. On account of too much rain early in the season which prevented good cultivating, much of the corn is very weedy, in fact, the weeds hide the corn in many fields we have seen. Temperatures for the past ten days have hit 100 or over. The highest has been 106. There has been a very noticable absence of hot winds with the heat wave. Thursday morning decidedly cooler temperatures prevailed. Harvest is about completed in this county. The only standing grain being that which is to be combined. The small grain yield in general was disappointing, though some exceptionally good yields have been reported. In every case, the good yields came from early planted seed. In these fields the grain got through the blossom stage before the hot weather struck and filled out normally.
New Pastor Here Sunday
Rev. Horace Mann of Rifle, Colo., will fill the pulpit of the Congregational Church next Sunday morning, August 4. Rev. and Mrs. Mann are coming to the Trenton church for the month of August and if satisfactory arrangements can be made they will remain here indefinitely. The Congregational people have had no pastor or church services since the last of May, when Rev. E.C. Grice, who served both the Church of God and the Congregational Church as pastor, died very suddenly. The flood disaster followed in a few days and from then until the present time everything has been so unsettled, nothing was done about getting another pastor. Rev. Mann comes to Trenton highly recommended and it is hoped that a large congregation will be on hand to greet him next Sunday morning.
News of 1945
The Republican Leader
80 Years Ago
Break in Heat Wave Comes
First “weather break” in more than a week came Thursday morning for residents of Southwest Nebraska, when cloudy skies and a cool breeze from the north brought welcome relief from the sizzling temperatures of the last few days. Press reports indicate that Southwest Nebraska was the “hot spot” of the state both Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures ranging up to 106 degrees – and there is general agreement among the natives that, to put it mildly, Tuesday night was “too durned hot” for comfortable sleeping. And the hot, dry weather, while not pleasant for “us humans” is really made to order for the late corn crop, which has been growing by “leaps and bounds” – with prospects that the corn will develop into a record breaking crop – barring an early freeze.
Burns Claim Life of Former Trenton Man
Stuart Clark, former Trenton resident, and son of the late Mrs. E.L. Clark, passed away at a Denver hospital Saturday night. According to a press dispatch in the Denver Post, Stuart set fire to his clothing at his home in Englewood on Saturday morning and was so badly burned that death came within a few hours. It is known by friends here that Stuart had been employed at the Remington Arms plant, but whether or not he had been working recently is undetermined. He is survived by his wife and two sons, Burton, who lives in Denver, and Stuart Jr., with the armed forces on Tinian in the South Pacific; and one sister, Mrs. Henry Mixer of National City, Calif. His mother passed away only a few weeks ago. Stuart and his family were residents of Trenton for a number of years, he being associated with his father, the late E.L. Clark, in the operation and management of the Trenton Motor Co.
News of 1955
The Republican Leader
70 Years Ago
Burned in Oil Fire
Mrs. Reginald Roose was painfully burned in an oil fire which started in her home on Monday afternoon. Mrs. Roose was making an effort to light the water heater when the fire occurred. She was able to get away and notify Mr. and Mrs. John Houlahan, living on the front part of the lot and was painfully burned on the right hand and arm clear to the shoulder. Besides the third degree burns to the right arm, she was also burned rather badly on the left hand. She was taken to the Stratton Hospital and her condition is described as very painful and she is also suffering from shock. Mr. Houlahan called the Fire Department and the doctor and he succeeded to stamp out the fire. When members of the Trenton Volunteer Fire Department arrived, there was only a little smoke and sparks. A hole was burned in the linoleum in the kitchen. The cause of the fire could not be determined – no explosion occurred.
Stubble Fire at Keeney Farm Wednesday
The Trenton Rural Fire Truck was called to the farm home of Jim and Marie Keeney on Wednesday morning to extinguish a fire in a stubble field near their home southwest of Trenton. When the blaze was extinguished, damage was determined to include a straw pile in the field and part of the stubble. The cause of the fire could not be determined. Not much of the stubble was burned.
New Arrival
Dennis Joseph Vrbas was born Tuesday, July 26, at the Rawlins County Hospital at Atwood to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vrbas. he weighed seven pounds two ounces and has two older brothers, Thomas, three; and Lawrence, five. Dennis’ grandparents are Mrs. Mary Vrbas of Atwood and Mrs. Frances Keeney, Trenton. Frank Janousek of Stratton is his great-grandfather.
News of 1965
The Trenton Register
60 Years Ago
Local Teachers Receive Degrees from Kearney
Three local teachers graduating from Kearney State Teachers College and receiving a degree in elementary education are Mrs. Arlene Nealeigh of Trenton and Mrs. Dorothy Dailey and Mrs. Donna Jean Martin of Stratton. Graduation exercises will be held Sunday morning, and Mrs. Nealeigh’s family will attend.
Freshman and Their Parents Visit Univ. of Neb. Campus
Several families from this area have been taking part in a special orientation program for freshmen and their parents on the University of Nebraska campus. They include Mrs. Clayton Ailes and son Gary; Richard Ward and son Phillip; and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hendrix and daughter, Susan, all of Trenton; and Mr. and Mrs. Junior Kitt and their daughters Karroll and Jerolyn of Stratton. Since its inception in June, 2,000 parents and freshmen from all parts of Nebraska have participated in the program which provides a preview of educational opportunities and life at the University. The program includes tours of the campus and meetings with student leaders and faculty members. Students meet with college representatives to simplify registration next fall and attend group seminars on campus government and student activities.
News of 1995
The Hitchcock County News
30 Years Ago
New Name Is K and B Liquor: Purchase Former R & C Liquor in Culbertson
Kyle Clapp (left) and Bob Henthorn (right) at the newly purchased liquor store in Culbertson.
When “opportunity came knocking” a few months ago Bob Henthorn and Kyle Clapp were ready to answer the door. Bob was looking to diversify his business interests. For Kyle, it was an opportunity to return to his hometown and work among friends. As a result, Bob and Kyle have purchased R and C Liquor from Corky and Rosie Griffing, renaming it K and B Liquor. Bob had owned a local sand and gravel pit for a number of years and had just recently sold it. Three years ago he opened Henthorn’s Truck Sales and Service and was looking around for another enterprise to offer some diversification. For some time he had been “giving Cork a bad time” about retiring and selling him the business. When the Griffings made the decision to retire they gave Bob a call. Knowing that the management of two full time businesses would be a major undertaking, Bob called Kyle to sound him out on the subject. Kyle was preparing to graduate from Chadron State College in May with a degree in Justice Studies and Journalism and was ready to make a change. Perfect timing for all. The liquor store offers a full range of off-sale beer, wine, and liquor, as well as video rentals, lake supplies, hunting permits, pickle cards, snack items, and eggs, milk, and ice cream. With limited space available the men only see minor changes being made in the store’s inventory. K and B is open Monday through Sunday from 7:30 am to 11:00 pm. Kyle is the store’s manager, including handling all the ordering decisions. He’s enjoying the work in the store now that things are up and going. Says Kyle, “I like being around people. I like the interaction with the customers and it’s nice to be home.” Bob splits his time between his truck sales and service and the liquor store. The two businesses adjoin each other, which makes it quite handy when both places are buzzing. “We have very good locations for both businesses – and good exposure.” says Bob. Both men are happy with the support customers and the community businesses have given them.
Plans Expansion Project
Barb Ostrum, Community Services Coordinator at the Nebraska Community Services has announced that the Hitchcock County Food Pantry will soon be experiencing an expansion. Because of the desperate need for more space in the pantry, the building will be expanded to double its current size by means of an addition to the rear of the building. The extra room will allow for a waiting area (at present there is none) and more food storage room. Fund-raising for the expansion will begin soon, although definite projects have not yet been decided on. All funds raised will be matched by AAL matching funds. This offers the pantry a fantastic opportunity. Receive “Yard-of-the-Month” Honors This week’s Culbertson Community Improvement Club’s pick for “Yard-of-the-Month” honors go to Mike and Judea Loible at 706 Kleven. The Loibl’s landscaping includes a lily pond, bird bath, and window boxes overflowing with bright flowers. This award is given each month, May through October, by the Community Improvement Club with judging done by the Culbertson Garden Club.
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