Sept. 9, 1897 —
If you want the most perfect light extant, call at Billerbeck’s and see the Angler Lamp. It is simply perfection and does not use as much fluid as the ordinary lamp, and besides, the light is much more preferable than that of the best kerosene lamp.
On Tuesday evening, a gang of hoodlums were caught in the act of robbing the melon patch of H. Van Horn. The team and one of the boys were caught. The theft of a melon is thought to be nothing, but the fact of destroying the vines, is just a little more than is necessary. The boys should be arrested.
100 Years Ago. . .
Carl Wolters was in an auto wreck near the E. T. Chindvall farm. In some manner his car ran off the grade and Carl was badly bruised and cut. Frank Pochop Sr. found him by the road. He was taken to town and Dr. Rodgers attended to his injuries, and he was getting along all right.
On Oct. 28, it registered zero at the Osmond ranch, according to Fritz Eggert, who had charge of weather records there. He said that this broke the record for early cold weather in all his long experience. In the following week’s newspaper, it was reported that, during the past week, Osmond had experienced an unusual variety of weather, even for Nebraska. On Wednesday, the thermometer registered zero and Osmond had about four inches of snow covering the ground. Six days later, the snow was all gone, the rumble of the thunder could be heard, the darkened sky was lightened by the flash of the lightning and a good rain fell. In fact, Osmond had been having a taste of summer showers and good old-fashioned summer right in November that week.
The Black Hills- Sioux Train association was reorganized at Norfolk, and the important matter for Osmond which was decided was whether the trail should pass through Osmond, Plainview and Breslau and connect with Highway 12. Spencer Butterfield was present as a delegate from Osmond, with delegates from Plainview and Breslau, who deserved a large share of the credit for getting this trail through Osmond, Breslau and Plainview. It meant a big thing to Osmond and neighboring towns as this trail would probably be graveled in the near future.
The November meeting of the Legion Auxiliary was held at the home of Mrs. E. W. Weeces. A business meeting was held and work was begun on bedside bags to be sent to soldiers in hospitals.
75 Years Ago. . .
It was 48 years earlier that Mrs. Hugo Wecker last saw her sister, now Mrs. William Watkins of Peoria, IL, also sister of Mrs. Emil Wortman. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins were visiting here after some time spent with Omaha relatives.
An Osmond post office window emerged as a display place for abnormally large vegetables raised by persons in the Osmond area. Included in the display had been a huge squash raised by Reinhold Klutman, a 4½lb. turnip by Mrs. Tom Alford, and a 3-lb. carrot by Henry Bahr.
Take a guess! How many cars do you think were parked in the business district of Osmond on Saturday evenings? According to a report, one Saturday evening, nearly 200 cars lined the streets.
Work was completed at the Van Ackeren Pharmacy here of installing a new fountain and other equipment. A stainless steel self-cooled dispensing unit and a new ice cream cabinet were placed behind a new padded-front fountain designed and built by Jewell Furniture of Osmond.
Arnim (Red) Schultze, employee of Osmond Oil Co., walked into the filling station's rest room one day and picked up a billfold. He opened it and found $11,000 in checks together with name and address of the owner. The owner, Stanley Baker of Dennison, IA, was called by telephone a few hours later, shortly after his arrival home. He hadn’t yet missed the billfold, was elated to be informed of its safekeeping. He mailed a $10 bill for the courtesy extended.
Osmond people, especially the youth of the community, celebrated Halloween in a normal manner. Many carloads drove to Norfolk to participate in the Hallowesta Festival in progress there. At home, the “treats or treatment” ultimatum was carried out effectively by groups of masquerading small children. Comparatively small damage resulted from pranks of older youths. Benches, machinery, outbuildings, in short most anything movable, were deposited in streets.
65 Years Ago. . .
Golter’s Store had the following items on sale: My-T-Fine pudding, 3 packages for 25¢; Jolly Time popcorn, 2-lb. package for 25¢; Vet’s dog food, 10 cans for $1; Real Gold orange base, 17¢; Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, 13-oz. package for 33¢.
A meeting of all OHS letter men and student managers was held for the purpose of organizing an “O” Club for boys. Officers elected were: president, Dale Hagelstein; vice president, Darrell Steckelberg; secretary, Rick Adkins, and treasurer, Marvin Kumm. Another meeting was to be held to further the organization and to draw up a constitution for the newly-organized club. A letterman’s club had never before been organized in the history of OHS.
Halloween opinions were expressed on many store and office windows as goblins patrolled the streets in search of fun. Said a message on the drug store window: “Good Drug Store,” and at Jahde Produce, “Fine Business.” The comment was not so complimentary a little farther south on the street. On an Osmond Republican window pane, which also was at the entrance to the Dr. E. D.
Boice veterinary office, the longhand went like this: “You charge too damn much.” Sanctioning the opinion, a second writer wrote in another color, “I think so too.” Both Dr. Boice and the newspaper insisted the comment was meant for the other. Both agreed, however, that “in this day and age,” a duel would be out of place and the matter should be decided by the flip of a coin. The big flip had not come off yet when the paper was published.
It was a full day’s job for a crew of workmen to haul 16 long steel beams from the Burlington unloading docks here to the north edge of Osmond where they would go into the construction of a new consolidated school which was well under way. The 78-foot lengths of fabricated steel were known as long span bar joists. Each joist weighed 2,800 pounds. Two were hauled on each of eight trips between the depot and the school site.
50 Years Ago. . .
The concern of many residents after the previous spring’s tornado and other severe weather in the area might have dulled somewhat, but a group of persons who volunteered to work on civil defense efforts in the community hadn’t forgotten. They had continued the gradual task of providing the residents of the community with a coordinated warning system and immediate help in the event a disaster struck. In addition to tornado or flood, the group also was concerned with other disaster types: fire, school bus accident or similar vehicle involving many persons, explosion (such as ammonia tank) or plane crash. The group provided, and the paper printed, a list of the various fire signals and what they meant, for people to clip out.
Thomsen’s Corner had live music for their Halloween Party, with $20 in silver dollars , one to each winner, for the persons joining the party and having the best costumes.
Bob Uhri reported in early one morning with his five point buck.
Uhri downed the buck with one arrow in the left side while hunting in the Foster area, he reported. Uhri was a science teacher at Osmond Community School and an avid hunter and fisherman.
An organizational meeting for high school students interested in forming a bowling league was held at the Town bowl. Youths joining received free pizza and a free line of bowling that day. League bowling was to start Nov. 16, but later news showed that heavy snowfall at that time caused the date to be pushed back to Dec. 7. Team names were Alley Cats, Rotten Eggs, Foul Ups, Blunck’s Bunch, T. B. A. and Marvin’s Fairies.
25 Years Ago. . .
Costume contest winners at Osmond General Care Center, in order of first, second and third, were: age 3 and younger — Margaret Kruse, Seth Gutz, Abbey Stogdill; age 4 through kindergarten — Cody Kralicek, Sydney Pavlik, Randee Kruse; grades 1-3 —Aaron Stech, Faith Schultze,Austin Rutherford; grades 4-6 — Brandon Koehler, Lacy Johnson, Sara Huwaldt.
10 Years Ago. . .
The City of Osmond received a grant in the amount of $956.29 toward establishment of a fruit orchard by the Osmond Tree Board. It is located just northwest of the junction of Highway 20 and Main Street.
First-place winners in the Halloween costume contest at Osmond General Care Center were: Age 2 and younger, Axyl Rice; ages 3-4, Kendra Gardner; K-1st grade, Avery Brunckhorst; grades 2-3, Carson Bolz; grades 4-6, Kiera Moes.
