Brick buildings in the early days of McCook

Well the mid-term elections are over, and it seems that finally people decided that voting was an important thing. Personally, I would like to see our voter turn out nearer the 90 per centile, but that is probably an illogical dream. In case you are still operating in the dark ages, as I do sometimes, I will tell you that names are no longer removed from the registered voters list because you didn’t vote in the last general election. You can rest assured that in Red Willow County, if you vote, your vote is counted, even those who cast the ridiculous Mickey Mouse write-ins. While it is counted, Mickey doesn’t get to hold office, so why waste the time and your precious vote!

So those who notice things like historic brick walkways and the like, the following news item caught my eye: “The company has the vitrified brick on hand for completing the brick walk in front of the depot and eating house.” (McCook Tribune, September 4, 1903) The company of course was the B & M Railroad. The eating house burned to the ground and the original wooden depot was replaced with the current building. There are pictures of both the eating house and the depot available, one especially good one of the insides of the depot with a pot belly stove heating the office was on the Facebook, “Remember When in McCook Nebraska” page.

In another article I mentioned a certain Doctor’s take on how poorly built some of the brick buildings going up in McCook were in the early days. Here’s an example: “McNeeley’s brick block in McCook, which was the finest one in town, took a tumble one night last week and is now a mass of debris. The building was receiving the finishing touches, the outside work having been finished. The cause of the wreck was the giving away of the basement wall which was built of local stone, a steady rain the day previous had soaked the stone until it crumbled away.” (Lincoln County Tribune, January 9, 1886) This is from the North Platte paper at the time. Limestone or some other type of local soft stone can be seen in many home foundations around town, most of which have been reinforced over the years or replaced where possible to the extent that only exposed interior cellar walls reflect their condition.

It is still a mystery to me how the Stockville Faber got its name. Faber must have been a surname because when you search Stockville, you find a street named Faber also. Anyway, the Faber’s years were early ones and apparently there aren’t many papers to search through left today, but both the McCook Tribune and the Lincoln County Tribune carried parts of the news printed in the Faber. The May 12, 1888 issue of the Lincoln County Tribune covers the new courthouse being designed for Stockville: “The courthouse plan that is most likely to be adopted is a two-story frame building, 50’ square with six good office rooms, a brick vault, a spacious hall on the ground floor. The second floor will be divided into two jury rooms and a large court room, 38 x 50 feet in size. The roof will be of the hip nomenclature and the balusters of the stairway will be of such character as to enable the boys to slide down without unnecessary wear and tear on the seat of the pants.”

Finally, for you Indianola buffs, the Lincoln County Tribune carried these two news items, the first on May 5, 1888 and the second on May 12, 1888: “Indianola people are very much excited over the probability that the town has secured the location of a watch factory which will employ from 400 to 500 people constantly. Already a town lot boom has begun, and no one knows where the “critter” will stop. This is all the work of a little advertising and the work of men who have enough confidence in the town to risk something for her.” In the next weeks’ issue: “The Great Western Watch company, of Indianola, capital stock $350,000, have filed their articles of incorporation with the county clerk.” I’ve never heard of this before, but it will be fun trying to substantiate it!

We have several members in Salt Lake City doing research this week and unfortunately the library was not open due to that fact. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will back on schedule next week for Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-4 PM, 110 West C Street, Suite M-3.