Early McCook photographer, W. B. Fearn

Courtesy photos Are these two buildings still standing in McCook? The photographs were taken by W.B Fearn, a prolific photographer the early 1900s.

If you are a fan of old photography from the McCook area, you have no doubt seen the name Fearn with a notation of copyright on a picture or two. William Brooks Fearn was apparently the go to photographer in McCook during the early 1900s and according to his advertisements in the McCook Tribune, he had a studio at 110 Main Avenue (Norris) from which he operated. That building would today be the south door into Fuller’s Family Restaurant and also housed the Olympia during my childhood.

W.B. Fearn’s studio was well known apparently because in the 1907, A. G. Bump advertised his real estate and insurance business as being “first door south of Fearn’s gallery.” Additionally on May 4, 1911, the McCook Tribune noted the new “Greek Shine Parlor. A small cement block building being built on the north side of the Fearn photo gallery, which when completed, will shelter a Greek shine parlor of modest dimensions. Which is mildly metropolitan, at all events.” (I’m going out a limb here assuming that this was a shoe-shine parlor.)

In the March 8, 1901 McCook Tribune came the following wanted ad-“To trade for McCook real estate, forty acres of fine second-bottom land on Republican River. For full particulars, see Fearn, the Photographer, McCook, Nebraska.” Apparently the ad was successful because in the July 31, 1903 Tribune it was announced that “W. B. Fearn has commenced work on his new residence corner of McFarland and Dodge Streets.” (One of the corners of East D and East 3rd streets)

Mr. Fearn was still in McCook when the 1910 census was taken, he was married and 52 years old. However, he moved to Denver sometime between that and 1922, when he passed away. He is buried in a Wheatridge, Colorado cemetery.

His photos, however, live on in several publications about McCook’s early days and the following are two that I thought I would spark some conversation with. So here are the two questions: Why are these two photographs related? Do these buildings still stand in McCook today?

Our genealogy library is back on regular schedule now with the following hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 1-4 PM. Please join us for help with your research questions at 110 West C Street, Suite M-3. There is an elevator for those who need assistance.