McCook’s sister town to the south

I don’t write much about Lebanon, that lays along Highway 89 in Red Willow County and was in the early 1900’s petitioning to become an incorporated town. Their first attempt, according to the McCook Tribune, encompassed so much land proposed to be within their city limits, that 7 bridges would become the responsibility of the town. They quickly withdrew their petition for reconsideration.

The first Lebanon news item that caught my eye came from the November 4, 1904 McCook Tribune: “The girls played ball again, Saturday. This is the second game that the Lebanon girls have played with the Sunflower girls of Kansas. This game brought out the largest crowd seen in Lebanon this summer. We saw Ollie Collings and friend from Indianola, James Finnegan and friends from Bartley, Bud Dooley from Oberlin: Mr. Dooley used to live south of Lebanon but has not been down for 7 years and there were also many familiar and unfamiliar faces from Danbury and other towns. The Lebanon girls had almost a new nine and had practiced hard. They played good but the Kansas girls played better: every time they came to bat they would draw back as if they were going to knock the ball out of sight and they did knock several home runs. The last half of the game, Hattie Weatherwax pitched for Lebanon. She scared the batters some, as she was able to curve the ball. The Kansas girls played the same or very near the same as in the first game. The Lebanon players were Hannah Kaiser, Hattie Horton, Martha Halsey, Flora Waugh, Lottie Horton, Hallie Horton, Hattie Weatherwax, Bessie Slutts, Alta McCarty. Hannah Kaiser pitched and Hattie Horton caught the first half of the game. Score 15 to 38 in favor of Kansas. Gar Weatherwax umpired the game.”

A baseball team of girls in Lebanon? How wonderful and wouldn’t you love to have seen them in their skirts and knickers playing on the dirt ball field? If anyone happens to have a photo, please share it with me!

Other news items from Lebanon taken from McCook Tribune issues from 1904 and 1904: “Pearl West has gone to South Africa as a missionary. She writes that she is teaching the seventh, eighth and ninth grades; is president of a missionary society; has to nurse her scholars when they become sick, etc. She also states that she is pleased with the work. She goes in the interest of the Seventh Day Adventists.”

“Bennie Thomas was kicked by a colt, last week. The kick while not fatal, was very painful.”

“There will be school, Thanksgiving Day, at Lebanon. The school board holds that $8.00 is too much to pay for nothing. The pupils, we presume, will forget all about roast turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie in their gladness to save that $8.00.”

“William Halsey has just completed an addition on the north of his residence, about the size of the first house and runs the long way east and west.”

“Donald Bennett will put down a new well on the farm bought of Mr. Daffer, last spring, known as the Kincaid farm.”

“The foundation is laid for Paris Smith’s new house. The building will be 24 x 28 with an addition 12 x 40 and will have porch running clear round.”

Our little society is working so hard to record all the hand-written court cases from Red Willow County district court records among many other items. Preserving the past for the future is our goal and we take a pleasure in providing these records digitally so that they are never lost.