More news from spring 1884

McCook Visitor, George Westinghouse Inventor of airbrakes for trains.

From H.P. Waite's collection of early McCook Tribune Stories

Immigrants: May 15, 1884: Seventy-five families of Hungarians have settled on Beaver Creek in the vicinity of Herndon this Spring.

Ugh! May 15, 1883: the alleys of McCook are encumbered with the carcasses of dead animals, tin cans, waste water, and other stench-emitting and disease producing offal.

Owner of LaTourette's Hardware Store, which Was destroyed by fire in June 1884

A Bit of Culture: May 16, 1884: Menard's Opera House was opened tonight. This was an occasion to which all had looked forward with pleasurable anticipation, and a crowded house greeted the Plunket Sisters Dramatic Company, whose pleasure it was to give the first entertainment in the hall, in which our citizens take such a conscious pride, and for providing that, for which Mr. Menard has the hearty thanks of the community. "Ticket of Leave Man" was on this evening's program, and met with the approval it merited. This was the first dramatic performance in McCook by professional actors.

May 17, 1884: Tonight the Plunkett Sisters Dramatic Company presented "Flirtation," a play in which the principal character is a Yankee lawyer. The part is brim full, bubbling over with humor, and the audience was convulsed with laughter whenever he appeared on the stage.

We have the best arranged and most thoroughly appointed Opera House in the Republican Valley. The scenery is new, bright, and pretty; the hall is well lighted and of good proportions, the stage is large. The dressing rooms, ticket offices, etc., fill the bill completely.

May 19, 1884: The Plunkett Sisters Dramatic Company tendered a complimentary benefit for the management of the Opera House. The play produced was the well-known drama "Milk White," which was favorably received by those present.

May 20, 1884: Quite a number of our citizens congregated at the depot this afternoon to see the through freight from Chicago to Denver, which passed through this place. The train consisted of 32 box cars and 3 coaches, loaded with officials. The train was the first one equipped with air brakes and automatic couplers that have been operated on the B. & M. Mr. Westinghouse, the inventor of the air brakes, which were on trial, was on the train.

Menard's Opera House's versatility: June 1, 1884: A Methodist Sunday School was organized today. Its first session was held in Menard's Hall (now known as Armory Hall) at 3 P.M. Mountain Time.

Settlers learn settlement laws the hard way. May 28, 1884: A number of settlers have found, when they came to live on their claims, that they had been "located" on entirely different tracts of land than they had been shown. An instance of this sort recently came to light. A woman paid a locator $50 for locating her upon a fine, level quarter section, which he showed her. When she was ready to build her house and establish her residence, she found the description of the land she had entered was in the Devil's Gap neighborhood, some 20 miles southwest of McCook, at least 10 miles from the land she thought she was entering, and a tract that was so rough and crossed by ravines as to be practically worthless. Public sentiment required the locator to return most of the fee he had charged her. In fact, if he had not done so it is doubtful whether he would have been permitted to remain in the community.

The man or woman who comes west with the intention of becoming a homesteader usually knows nothing about the country and very little about the laws. He learns on visiting the land office that he can acquire government land in this region under the Timber Culture, the Preemption, and the Homestead laws. He discovers that he is not required to live on a tree claim, but that only one quarter in each section is available for entry under that law, and that no lands are open for entry under the Timber Culture Law within 30 or 40 miles of McCook.

He learns that if he owns no land at all, he can enter a 160 acre tract under the Preemption Law, but that he must build his house and establish his residence upon his claim with 30 days from the date of his entry. After living upon his preemption for six months, and offering proof at the land office that he has complied with the requirements, he can, on paying $1.25 per acre, secure title, evidence of which is in the form of a patent, bearing the name, but not the signature of the President of the United States.

If he is already the owner of not more than 160 acres of land, he may take a homestead. He is required to build a house and establish his residence under the Homestead Laws within six months after his entry is made at the land office. If he does not do so, his right to hold the land may be contested and his entry cancelled.

After the prospective homesteader has learned at the land office the numbers of the lands subject to entry, he seldom knows how to find them, so he seeks out a locator, a man whose occupation it is to show claim-hunters lands still open to entry. The locator's equipment consists of a team of broncos and a buck board. For a consideration he conveys the person who is looking for a claim to the land, of which he is in search, or for a larger consideration he will show him other lands , of which the new-comer may have no knowledge. The locator is usually honest, but there are those in the business who have no scruples and will locate a tenderfoot on a claim that does not fit the legal description upon which the entry was made.

Tragedy Strikes: June 19, 1884: McCook suffered tonight its first fire disaster of consequence. LaTourette's store and the restaurant next door north were completely destroyed. The Post Office and Hayden's Store were threatened. They were cleared of their goods, but the fire did not reach them. Hayden's Store's only loss was from theft. After some delay, the hose was finally coupled and attached to the hydrant at the corner of the Citizens Bank (what is now B Street and Norris Avenue). The village has no fire department and as there was no leader among those who came to help, it was some time before the blaze was even checked.

A great diversity of opinion prevailed as to where the water should be thrown. Some of those who were present, claiming they had been members of fire departments elsewhere, insisted they knew what should be done.

Others were equally vociferous in asserting their plans were better. The dispute threatened to end in a free-for-all fight. Much valuable time was lost in dragging the hose from one place to another. More effective work would have been done had there been unanimity of view. During the battle of words the fire gained rapid headway. While the two buildings were the only ones destroyed, the adjoining structures were damaged. Every male inhabitant of the village and many women were on hand to witness the event.

Fortunately, there was no wind. Had there been any wind the greater part of the town would have been destroyed. The flames shot straight into the air. It was a weird and beautiful, yet terrifying, sight. After the controversy as to the best method of combating the fire had been settled, scarcely a word was spoken. The only sounds were whose made by the crackling of the flames and the occasional falling of timbers. Those who were not engaged in handling the hose assisted in removing the stocks from the Post Office and Hayden's Store, but this did not take long, and when the job had been finished, everyone stood around watching the fire, which illuminated the surrounding buildings.

(LaTourette's Hardware Store stood on the east side of Norris Avenue, midway between A and B streets. Hayden's Store was on the north lot, occupied for most of the next 100 years by DeGroff's Store.)