When I was in grade school, I often went for rides with my grandfathers. This time of year Grandfather Wrench was scouting for wild plums ripe for the picking. I think he had homemade plum butter at every meal. For breakfast he spread plum butter and Real Roast smooth peanut butter on the toast he ate with his oatmeal and coffee.
For dinner and supper, he spread the plum butter on fresh white bread so thick it dripped off. If pancakes were on the menu, he spread plumb butter on the cakes. I don’t remember if he liked Grandmother’s plum butter on soda crackers but that was a favorite of mine.
With Grandfather Blauvelt, rides through the country were coupled with hunting buildings he could move, repair a bit and resell at a hoped for profit.
One of those trips took us to Nelson and the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds where we looked a building that had been part of the Nuckolls County Civilian Conservation Corps camp. As I remember it was the last of the CCC buildings located on the fairgrounds and may have been used as the camp’s mess hall. Built in haste, it wasn’t much. I don’t remember if Grandfather submitted a bid but I do remember it never become one of his projects.
Eighty years ago this month the residents of Jewell and Nuckolls counties were eagerly awaiting the opening of the camps.
Jewell County’s camp was located at Burr Oak. The Aug. 30, 1934, issue of The Express reported Burr Oak’s population would be increasing by 250 men as soon as CCC Company 1179 completed its move to the corporate limits of that community. Though construction was just starting, it was expected to be finished by Sept. 1.
Captain Morse, the commanding officer, sent an advance detachment to Burr Oak on Aug. 17 and camped them on the lower shelf of the White Rock Creek on the Coynet property which had been bought by the City of Burr Oak for the camp site. The next day the staking of the box car sites were underway. Moving the box cars was to follow in a day or so. Several buildings were to be constructed for the camp.
There was similar excitement at Nelson where on Aug. 23 it was reported construction of a CCC camp on the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds was just beginning. The work had been delayed as before it could begin the water had to be tested. When the water passed the test, work began in earnest.
Plans were to have the buildings constructed and the camp ready for occupancy by Sept. 15. Fifteen buildings were to be erected northwest of the grandstand. The buildings were to include nine barracks, one mess hall, one recreation building, a hospital, officer’s quarters, bath house and official headquarters sufficient to accommodate 235 men.
The work was to be done mostly by unemployed and a quota system was to be used to make sure unemployed men from all parts of the county were employed.
Six cars of lumber, two cars of tile and a car of cement and other materials were on the way to Nelson. A crew of 40 to 50 men were to be put to work building the camp during the last week of August.
The term of the lease for the grounds was for one year with the privilege of extending the time two years longer.
But there was some contention over the location of the camp.
The Superior Express reported credit for originating the movement for a CCC camp in Nuckolls County belonged to a group of Superior farmers and businessmen who hatched out the idea in the wake of a Kiwanis Club farmers’ dinner nearly a year earlier. Clayton Watkins, state forester, was brought to Nuckolls County at the Kiwanis Club’s expense in order that he might see the great need for erosion control measures. His advice was sought in regard to the correct procedure to follow in securing a camp for the county.
Mr. Watkins explained that Gov. Bryan made the designations of camp locations so C. O. Olson, president of the Superior club, interviewed the governor at Lincoln and secured from him a promise that Nuckolls County would be allotted a camp. The Superior men were disappointed when Superior wasn’t selected as the camp location.
However, the camp was designated to do work for the whole the county and it would be made up of young men under the age of 25.
No doubt it was needed. The soil was in a pulverized condition following a long drought and erosion was expected to be a serious menance when the rains returned.
I find it amazing than an untrained work force Could have constructed 15 buildings in 15 days. I suspect I was less than 10 years old when I “helped” my grandfather inspect the building. After reading about hasty construction with many men who were probably not experienced builders, I’m not suprised I concluded the buiding was poorly built.
Thus I’m not surprised the buildings no longer exist on the fair grounds.
Some, however, may still exist. I’m not sure where the buildings came from the housed the original Superior Church of Christ building and a storage building now located northeast of the Nuckolls County Courthouse. They look to be of the desgin that may have been used for the camp buildings. The former Nelson VFW Hall that was located where the Nelson Library is now, was also of the design and may have been built for the camp. Or they may have been moved in from another government housing project.
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