DUTTON, STUART LUTHER BUSINESS

by Myrtle Dutton Wood

Entry B29 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Stuart L. Dutton Livery Barn - 1914. L to R John
Hall, S. L. Dutton, Thomas "Tall Tom" Boyer, boy
with GRIT News Bag - Charlie Bowers

S.L. Dutton was born May 20, 1876. (refer
to Dutton, Stuart Luther Family for details)
His first business was selling men's suits. He
had large sample books with swatches of wool
cloth in them. He would measure the men and
send for their suits. We used to help tear the
samples out of the old books and Mother
would make comforters out of them. The last
time I visited Clarence in Alliance, he still
had one of those tied comforters.

Stuart bought a cream tester and neighbors
would bring five gallon cans of cream to him
to be tested. He would grade it then take it
into Mullen to the depot and send it on the
train to Omaha. He also took everyone's
crates of eggs and butter into Mullen to the
store and then bring back groceries and
everyone's mail to our place, where the
neighbors could then pick it all up. His
business got so big he built on a room and put
in a store. I remember helping put boxes of
crackers and cans on the shelves.

He got the franchise to carry the mail out
three times a week. At first, it was brought
to our house, then a post office was estab-
lished at Uncle Tom Carr's place and called
Curlew, Nebraska. Stuart got an enclosed
mail buggy painted yellow. He went into
Mullen three times a week, rain or shine. One
time, he started into town with his load of
butter, eggs and cream cans, driving a pair of
young colts. They got frightened at some-
thing and ran away with him up over the hills
until they came to a fence that stopped them.
He came back home with a sprained ankle
and I remember seeing frozen eggs all over
the inside of the mail buggy.

Papa sold our place to Uncle Charlie Boyer
and we moved into Mullen on Decoration
Day 1911. I was six years old. He had bought
a six room house, a livery barn business,
another house next to the livery barn, and
other property as well as a big barn from
Cudahay. He had that barn moved onto some
property east of the livery barn. He had two
or three men working for him and Mother did
the cooking and washing for them. She never
went any place, just stayed home and worked.
She would give me a list and I would take the
little red wagon and go down to Lowes Store
and get the groceries.

After we moved into town, Stuart joined
the Woodmens Lodge and the Masons. He
was chosen Deputy Sheriff and spent all his
time at the Livery barn or making trips to
Omaha, Nebraska with a load of cattle.

In July 10, 1913 my brother Lewis Harrison
was born. Mother's and Papa's interests were
so different that they were not happy, so the
marriage ended in divorce in the spring of
1915. We four children stayed with Mother,
while she took in washing and cleaning
houses. I was nine years old and took care of
Lewis. She went to work in a restaurant
owned by Callie Smith. She had a difficult
time because, at that time, it was almost a
crime to get a divorce. We moved to Craw-
ford, Nebraska where she did housework and
worked in a cafe and took care of us children.

Stuart was on the Board of Education and
later married Anna Hibbens. She came to
Mullen from Fremont, Nebraska to teach
school. Stuart met her at the train and took
her to her school. I visited with him when I
was 12 years old. I worked in the beet fields
crawling on my hands and knees ten hours a
day at 10 cents an hour to get enough money to
go visit them. I helped Anna move from the
house to the house we used to live in, next to
the livery barn. I visited them again in 1923
when I graduated from high school. Papa sent
me $50 for graduation. I spent it to take Lewis
with me and go visit them. At that time
Stuart and Anna had two children: Marvin
Earl, eight months old , b. 11/6/1922 and Neal
Jesse, 9/28/1920 three years old.

From information I have gathered, I
learned that Stuart and another man (I think
his name was Al Smith) went into business
together buying and selling hogs. They were
doing real well until the crash came in 1929.
Papa told me that the last load of hogs he
took to Omaha, Nebraska gave him only 50
cents a head.

I do not know when he sold the livery barn
and opened up the store. He was in the store
when we were there in 1947. Clarence and I
went back to see if we could help when he had
his stroke in 1958. He passed away three
months later, 12 December, 1958.

I have tried to jot down some of the things
I remember about my father, S.L. Dutton. I
was ten years old when we moved from
Mullen.

All except one of Stuart Luther Dutton's
children are living today: Robert T. Dutton
- living in Union City, California (Masonic
Home); Clarence W. Dutton - living in
Alliance, Nebraska (Good Samaritan Vil-
lage); Myrtle Dutton Hood - living. in Stan-
ton, California (Quaker Gardens); Lewis H.
Dutton - living in Wofford Heights, Califor-
nia; Neal J. Dutton - passed away 3 April,
1964; Marvin E. Dutton - living in Pacifica,
California.