When was McCook incorporated?

Here’s the story of my life-about the time I think I know something, I find out I really don’t know anything at all! For as long as I remember, McCook’s beginning has been counted as 1882. Strangely though, we might just have two dates to celebrate and this is the rest of the story.

As early as September of 1883, the McCook Tribune was touting the incorporation of McCook: “A disposition to incorporate McCook has been growing among our business men for some months, and the time has now come for them to act. The advantages of incorporation are many, and we shall not attempt to enter into particulars. The County Commissioners meet in Indianola on the 6th of October, and if McCook is to be incorporated this fall, the petition should be presented at that time. Let some one interested in the prosperity of our city prepare a petition, and in half a day he can have the requisite number of signatures. Act at once.” Sept. 27, 1883

Well, act at once is not exactly how life flows in McCook. “Senator Dolan has introduced a bill designed to change the present law as to the population required by villages to incorporate as a city of the second class. His amendment to the present law makes the required number 1,000 instead of 1,500. Shall this bill pass, McCook can incorporate as a city of the second class, which will give us a much better organization. Village organization is a nonentity.” McCook Tribune January 15, 1885

Same paper on February 26, 1885. “Senator Dolan spent Monday in town on business connected with his banking interests. The Senator informs us that the bill introduced by him, making the requisite number of inhabitants necessary to incorporate as a city of the second class 1,000, has been passed by the Senate and amended in the house; but thinks the bill will ultimately become a law, before this session closes.”

Rolling right along, the McCook Tribune comments with this. “To be, or not to be: that is, the question: whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the stings and arrows of outrageous fortune, --as a village,--or to incorporate as a city, and by this incorporating end them, our citizens should determine.” February 18, 1886 ( In case you didn’t catch it, this is over two and a half years later.)

Perseverance prevailed and on March 4, 1886, the McCook Weekly Tribune posted this notice: “Election notice. Pursuant to an Ordinance passed by the Board of Trustees of the Village of McCook, Neb., on the 1st day of March, 1886, incorporating the said Village as a city of the second class, notice is hereby given that on Tuesday, April 6th, A.D., 1886, the first annual election of said city will be held for the election of the following officers: One city mayor, One city clerk, One police judge, One city treasurer, One city engineer, One city marshal, Two councilmen in the first ward, Two councilmen in the second ward. The office of Cooley & Colvin on East Dennison street in said ward is hereby designated as the polling place of the first ward. The voting place of the second ward shall be at the Hocknell Hose Cart building on West Dennison street in said ward. Polls will open at 8 o’clock, A.M. mountain time, and close at 6 o’clock, P.M., mountain time, in both wards. W.C. LaTourette, Chairman. Attest: F. M. Kimmell, Village Clerk. Dated, March 4th, 1886”

“Our first municipal election of McCook, as a city of the second class, occurred on Tuesday and passed off quietly, although considerable drunkenness prevailed during the day.” McCook Tribune April 8, 1886.

Elected as mayor was L.J. Starbuck; clerk, J.E. Kelly; treasurer, F.L McCracken; police judge, Squire W.W. Fisher; city engineer, W. E. Capps; councilmen first ward, F.D. Hess and W. W. Palmer; councilmen second ward, S.W. Huddleston and James McEntee.

So McCook’s second “birthday” is the day we became a city of the second class and began a governance of Mayor/City Council form, March 1, 1886. Act at once aside, it was a good decision.