May is an anniversary month for this editor for on May 21, 1970, it was announced I had succeeded Howard Crilly as editor of The Express. The day was also my 24th birthday.
On my first Memorial Day as The Express editor. I had gone to Superior’s City Park to cover the dedication of the Buel Anderson Vietnam War Memorial. Buel was a member of my high school graduating class and the first Superior resident to die serving his country in the Vietnamese War. As the Nebraska governor was delivering the dedication address, members of the Superior rescue squad were called to a two-vehicle automobile accident near Lovewell Lake. Don Smalley, the Superior Fire Chief, called for me to follow the ambulance and off we sped to the lake. Fatality accidents are always difficult to cover but this one was even more so for two older friends lost their lives that day. One of those, Helen Snyder, lived on the 80 acres adjoining the 80 on which I had been raised.
When I was contemplating writing a column for this newspaper, an older and wiser mentor advised I write about what I was doing. I didn’t think I lived a particular interesting life but he said the readers would enjoy my perspective.
In the early years, my life was more exciting and interesting. This time of year I could write about gardening, canoeing and riding my Windsurfer on Lovewell Lake. At my current age, I am more likely to be riding a rocking chair than a Windsurfer. Since I don’t know how to make an interesting story about a rocking chair adventure, I often revert to writing about history.
Saturday afternoon I went to the Nuckolls County Museum to hear the presentation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the launch of Nebraska’s first rural shortline railroad. I remember photographing the first Great Plains train to leave the Superior yard.
Like many people along the line from Seward to Superior, I hoped the launch was the start of great things. In the first month of operation, the Great Plains moved 80 cars of stored grain from the Cadams elevator to Superior for transfer to the Santa Fe. Optimism was running high.
I received a rousing welcome when I entered the museum on Saturday afternoon. It was time for the program to begin and the guest speakers had not yet arrived from David City and Lincoln. Museum officials wasted no time in suggesting I could be the substitute speaker.
That idea didn’t strike my fancy for I had included most of what I knew about the railroad in last week’s newspaper. Thankfully, the guest speakers entered the building and I was saved.
But how do I fill this space this week? The most exciting thing I did on the weekend was to attend my 60th year class reunion and I had to leave it early on both Friday and Saturday because of newspaper commitments.
Thankfully on Friday Sophia Fullerton, Jason and Brendon Jensen helped clean and move the trolley from it’s storage space to downtown Superior for the parade. I could never have done it without their assistance. And once again the Jensen guys got it put away before it was damaged by a spring storm. If I had to squeeze that trolley into the shed, I’d still be trying. Jason makes it looks easy. Saturday night I had to leave the Class of 64 reunion early to take pictures at other class reunions.
I’ll spare my readers and only tell one story from the Class of 64 reunion. Friday evening I was asked to share the story about the tin man that hangs on the back of the Glass Connection building at Third and Central. The tin man was a mass produced sign blank marketed nationally more than 100 years ago. Locally, the Superior tin man was used to advertise a real estate agency. They didn’t ask for a second story—perhaps because my first one was boring.
My classmates had more exciting tin man stories one said he was a burglar attempting to break into a second story apartment. The burglar was killed when he fell to the street and the tin man was hung on the side of the building as a memorial. Another said it commemorated a window peeker caught in the act and hung from the building to warn others of the consequences of such an act.
Not true but interesting stories.
So I shall fill the remaining space I have been allotted for this week with historical stories dating from the time when Lady Vestey lived in Superior.
In late May of 1894, the Superior Journal reported “A very pretty marriage ceremony took place at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Adams, when Miss Lena Adams was united in marriage to Mr. A. C. Felt. The Rev. S. E. Martin performed the ceremony, Only immediate friends and relatives were present at the impressive ceremony. Both of the contracting parties have numerous friends whose best wishes for the their future happiness will be with the happy couple in their new relationship.”
The marriage may have started on a happy note but 20 years later, Mr. Felt was blamed for the failure of two Superior banks and sent to prison. Some think he took a fall for his illustrious father-in-law, C. E. Adams.
The same week as the wedding, the Journal reported “15 arc lights have been spoken for by the Superior merchants making a total of 30 which will take all the power the dynamo can produce.” (The paper didn’t state the location of the dynamo but I suspect it was located in a frame building where the Ideal Market deli is now.)
Twenty-four thousand feet of wire was needed to furnish the main line circuit for the arc lights. The lights were put into the stores of Douglas & Ebert, M. L Pierce, J. A. Miller, C.S. Johnston and Brother, Hunter Brothers and Kimbel’s restaurant. When the 30 lamps were installed, everything worked smoothly. The dynamo was used exclusively for the arc lights. Another one had been ordered for incandescent lights.
And henceforth Superior would be illuminated by electricity but the Journal editor warned the “Event may not take place until after 9 o’clock.”
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