April 14, 1898 —
Thompson [Precinct] people are getting ready to put in their walks.
When the walk is completed this will afford one of the most pleasant promenades in the village.
Elmer Booth and Bert Southwick returned from Iowa on Tuesday, where they went to get an imported horse which will be kept in the Booth livery barn for the present season.
On Monday there was a big prairie fire north of town. The house on the old Hansen farm formerly occupied by Herman Plagge was burned down together with a quantity of grain stored therein.
100 Years Ago. . .
Michael Korth and son Raymond dug out nine young coyotes on the farm north of town. They took them to Center and got $18 bounty on them. The old wolves were with their young, and Mr. Korth and son had quite a time with them while taking the young wolves, but having no gun with them and nothing but a spade, could not get close enough to kill the old ones. However, pups and mamma wolf showed their temper by killing Korth’s little dog, who to pass away the time started chasing a rabbit. The old ones took after the little dog and before Mr. Korth or Raymond could come to its assistance, killed it and got away.
Sylvia Mohr, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Mohr, was badly burned.
She and her little cousin were lighting some candles upstairs when their clothing caught fire. Sylvia ran downstairs and before her mother could extinguish the blaze, she was badly burned. She was taken to the Plainview hospital and was getting along all right. The burns of her cousin were slight.
Fritz Eggert, who measured the rainfall at the Osmond ranch, reported as follows, which included the snow: On Nov. 4, we received .35 of an inch of rain, and from then until May 1, there was only .67 of an inch of moisture. May 1, we got a rain which measured .37 of an inch.
It started raining here again May 7 and kept it up for three more days. .
. . The long drouth was broken when it started to rain, and kept it up for three days, with better than a 2-inch rainfall. The ground was now well soaked and oats and pastures were looking fine, with the ground in good shape for corn planting.
75 Years Ago. . .
Cpl. Robert Wortman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Wortman of Osmond, was wounded somewhere on the Korean front. The wounds were not serious according to the version given by the wounded soldier in a letter to his parents. The letter said in part: “I still have a little metal in my head and shoulder. They said they were going to take it out one of these days. It doesn’t bother me much, but they said it was a little too large to leave in.” Cpl. Wortman did not state when or where he was wounded. The Osmond soldier the previous winter had been officially reported "missing in action” by Army telegram, but his parents had later received letters from him written after the “missing” date.
Investigation later disclosed that he had become lost from his original outfit and had found his way back to his base with another Army group.
Mrs. Otto Schumacher, chairman of Poppy Day sales, announced that local auxiliary members had received $84.36 as they sold the little red poppies on Poppy Day. A house-tohouse canvass was made in Osmond.
Poppies were also sold on the streets during the afternoon and evening.
Of the $84.36, $7.90 was received from McLean residents by Mrs. Walt Bruckner. The 1951 sales were within one dollar of the sales in 1950.
Rehearsals were progressing rapidly under the direction of Miss Elvira Norman for the senior class play, “Off the Track,” which would be presented publicly on May 8 at the Osmond city hall. The play was a three-act comedy. The Osmond band was to play and other musical numbers would highlight betweenact entertainment. Seniors involved in the play were Norman Nierman, Eugene Schmit, Marian Broekemeier, Elaine Kumm, Lois Schumacher, Barbara Burt, Barbara Swanda, Bill Hixson, George Swanda, Junior Schmer, Vernice Wiese, Arleath Stratton and Dorothy Bilau.
Gary “Red” Schuttler, Osmond High senior, copped first place in the District Class C half mile at Norfolk.
Schuettler turned in the time of 2:19.5 on a muddy track in the run. The Osmond runner would enter state Class C competition in Lincoln.
The annual firemen's ball at the city hall went off in good order with 250 persons purchasing or showing tickets at the door. Department members announced that the net profit from the dance was near $175.
65 Years Ago. . .
Gary Rodgers of Osmond was elected National Committeeman of the University of Nebraska Young Republicans at the annual election in April 1961. The Young Republicans club boasted more than 300 members and was selected as one of the six outstanding political organizations in the nation in 1960 by the voting federation of Young Republicans.
Paul Golter of Orchard, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Golter who operated Golter’s Store in Osmond, narrowly escaped serious injuries when a 1958 pickup truck which he was driving crashed against a narrow bridge west of Plainview on U.S. 20 and rolled over several times. Mr. Golter suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
[Paul’s older brother, Werner, an Osmond veteran reported on a few week ago, had died in a car crash in 1950, in which speed was also a factor.] Nearly 75 ladies journeyed to Laurel for the bowlers banquet.
Chick’s Meadow Gold team was the winner of the Friday night league.
Each member of the team received sleeve patches to wear on their bowling blouses. The Osmond State Bank team placed second among the Tuesday night bowlers and “Adkins Insurance team placed second among Friday night leagues. In third place was Walt’s Mobile Team and the Paper Dolls, Tuesday and Friday night leagues, respectively. Verna Mae Folkers bowled the high game of the season on both leagues. Luetta Clayton bowled the high three-game series during Tuesday night league play.
Several members of the Osmond track squad participated in the Wayne State Invitational track meet. Osmond placed first in the 880 run. Darrell Steckelberg set a new Class B record of 2:05.5.
50 Years Ago. . .
The consensus of individuals involved with Osmond’s civil defense drill which included a mock tornado was that everything went very well.
The siren sounding the warning of an approaching tornado was given at 1:15 p.m. and the all clear at 1:30 p.m.
Fifteen children in the public school and St. Mary’s School were made up to simulate injured persons and were transported to Osmond General Hospital by means of Stanosheck ambulance and station wagons pressed into duty.
The Tigerette track squad brought home a second-place tie in the C4 district track meet in Plainview. Rose Clayton showed her speed, becom- ing the first Tigerette to be district champ in three events. Rose swept the 80-yard hurdles, 100-yard dash and 220-yard dash, qualifying for the state track meet in all three events. Anita Gloe, qualifying for the state meet in the shot put — district champ — and the discus, held the fourth best throw in the state of Nebraska with the shot put with a heave of 40 ft., 7.5 in.
“What we are is God’s gift to us; what we become is our gift to God.”
The 43 member Osmond High Class of 1976 chose that phrase as its motto for contemplation as it took a giant stride into adult life during commencement ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, May 16. Valedictorian of the class was Miriam Stengel, and salutatorian was David Fuelberth.
Songs during the ceremony included “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “The Spirit Of ’76.” The rose was chosen as the class flower while the colors selected were red, white and blue.
25 Years Ago. . .
Prom king and queen candidates for 2001 were Justin Sandoz, Chad Moes, Ross Petersen, Brad Ekberg, Ryan Friedrich, Andrea Taylor, Amanda Mowinkel, Sara Meyer, Beth McLaughlin and Jennifer Stech. Chosen as the OHS prom king and queen were Ryan Friedrich and Elizabeth McLaughlin.
Osmond collected three medals at the Norfolk Classic track meet. Maggie Schultze took the silver medal on her last throw in the shot put. Franziska Theilig also collected a silver medal in the 800 meters. Medaling for the boys was Andrew Ortmeier in the high jump.
10 Years Ago. . .
Members of the OHS boys’ track team contributed to take the championship at the Winch Invitational track meet in Laurel. Placing first in their respective events were Brock Johnson, high jump; Kyle Swallow, triple jump; Dylan Wieneke, discus; Curtis Kralicek, 300 hurdles; 1,500-meter relay team of Kralicek, Moes, Simmons and Krohn.
The Osmond High School golf team closed the season by taking runner-up honors at the Niobrara-Verdigre invi- tational and won first-place honors at the Wakefield invitational.
