Digging into Hayes County news from the 1890s

Whenever I have a free moment, I have been working on the Hayes county papers gifted to the genealogy library by Sharon Lytle. I have found myself straying from the job at hand and reading selections of news articles, this last group from 1999. One of the columns, the Swan Lake News, has tweaked my curiosity as to the location and reason behind the “Swan Lake” personals. More research to be done! Since Hayes County is on my mind, I thought I’d see what the McCook Tribune covered on our neighbors.

McCook Tribune, October 5, 1894: “The people of the west side of this county are talking of an irrigation ditch to tap the underflow at the north line of county and run south to the Stinkingwater. There are great possibilities for Hayes county in this question of the underflow if the people will only go about it intelligently. It is a well-known fact that the bed of the Platte river is higher than any portions of Hayes county, and the water from the underflow can be spread nearly all over Hayes county at much less cost than the Culbertson ditch. We talked this matter up during the drouth of 1890, but no one thought it could be done, just because no one had seen it with his eyes. The big spring on the north fork of Stinkingwater is nothing more than a place where nature has tapped the underflow..that is plain. Hayes County Republican”

“The State Bank of Hayes Center went into voluntary liquidation, September 1st. This leaves Hayes Center without a bank, a condition that will greatly inconvenience business people of that burg.” McCook Tribune, September 11, 1896

“C. F. Babcock and H.W. Cole of McCook, with Rev. D. L. McBride of Frontier county, explained the benefits of the Star of Jupiter to a select audience at the church on Friday evening. Our people were favorably impressed with the plans of the order, and a lodge will no doubt be organized here at an early day. The lodge at McCook is said to have a membership of nearly five hundred, including all the leading men and women of that city. Hayes Center Republican” McCook Tribune, May 8, 1896.

McCook Tribune, January 15, 1897: “The somewhat famous litigation of John H. Christner, ex-county clerk, vs The County of Hayes had a hearing Monday, before Harlow W. Keyes as referee. The plaintiff’s case was presented by J. W. Cole of Culbertson and R. C. Orr of Hayes Center, while W. S. Morlan of our city defended the county with his well-known ability. County Attorney John Wilson of Hayes was also in the case. The suit involves fees in the sum of two hundred odd dollars claimed to be due the ex-county clerk. While on the other hand the county claims a shortage of some eight hundred dollars. Court Reporter George E. Eisenhart is now making a transcript of the evidence for the attorneys, who will then present their arguments to the referee for due consideration and declaration. The case has hung fire for a long while, and to many of the people of Hayes county is one of large importance, and especially so in view of the county finances. Mixed up in the case are some of the exciting and not highly credible chapters of Hayes county history, which from its dawn has been rather stormy. All persons involved will draw a long breath of welcome relief when the curtain is rung down for the last time.”

Our library is now open at the new location, the Temple Building, 322 Norris Ave., Room 207. There is an elevator available. We hope you can join us and see how well organized all of our precious records are now or take advantage of our designation as a Family Search library in our computer room. Tuesdays and Thursday from 1-4 PM are our open library hours.