McCook buildings

My bucket list includes strange items! One such item involves getting placards on the business buildings listing who built the building and the main businesses that resided in it. I like complicated goals apparently, but when people start wandering through memories, asking what was in this building seems to be a number one question.

In 1948, McCook was 66 years old. Listed in the advertising area of the City Directory were “Buildings”. The Red Willow County Courthouse is listed at its present location, but the interesting note is that the McCook City Water Department, the Red Willow County Fair office, the Army and Navy recruiting office and the county Agricultural Agent office were in the courthouse then also. The Temple building had the Fox Temple Theater (not to be mixed with the Fox Theater up the block) but also contained Horton Typewriter Co., Acme Printing, Equity Union Grain, Jack Kidd Pharmacy and the US Soil Conservation Service.

The First National Bank building (302 Main) held not only the bank but also Dr. Donaldson and Dr. Schoeni’s offices. The Federal building that we remember as the U.S. Post office had an IRS office and the Nebraska Department of Roads & Irrigation. (My mother worked for them.) The Elk’s building, directly south of Norris Park (a beautifully maintained building still today) was the home of McCook Elks Lodge 1434 prior to the building on East 7th being erected.

On West B Street, 101 (now a landscaping area) contained the Police Department, police court & justice court, Wendall P. Cheney, Judge. The Pringle building at 104 (South side of B Street) had Geiger & Graham Grain and McCook Natl. Farm Loan Assn., on the second floor, Vogue Clothing was on the first floor. “Big Bill” had quite the operations going with Big Bill’s Smoke House, Big Bill’s Bar and Big Bill’s Liquor Store taking up 116, 118, and 120 West B with the American Legion Hall above the bar. The Rutt building housed Rutt’s Sheet Metal Works on the main floor and 8 apartments above.

Going down East C Street, the Willis Building (114 E C) was a clinic for Dr.’s Willis and Dickinson with Dr. Dickinson living on the second floor. On West C Street, you had the J. C. Penny Building at 106 home of four dentists, Dr.’s Dennis, Colgan, Langfeldt, and Green, lawyer and realtor, Lafayette Hurley, office of Wendell P. Cheney, lawyer, Blanche Jones, Justice of the Peace, Walter Caine, chiropractor, McCook Beauty Shop and Beautequest Studio Beauty Shop. Next came the Marsh Building at 112 with Fred Marsh Insurance and Carl Marsh Real Estate. Finishing out the block on the south side were Dr. Leininger, Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Nielsen and Moore’s Food Store while across the street to the north was Brown-McDonald’s and Hesteds. Today’s site of Ace Hardware was essentially an empty block except for the Clinton Roger’s home and Whitten Hatchery which would undoubtedly raise some eyebrows today if people had a chicken hatchery next door to their home. Of course, Ravenswood Dairy was right across the street to the west, so who’s to say anyone complained about either.

SWNGS web site is www.swngs.org and we are located in the Temple Building 322 Norris Ave, rooms 2-7. There is an elevator for accessibility.