HARDING, LESTER L. AND PEARL CRAIN

by Frank Harding

Entry F183 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

1916 Wedding Picture of Lester L. Harding and Pearl Crain Harding

1984 Pearl Crain Harding

Lester L. Harding, son of Lloyd E. and
Minnie Brown Harding was born Dec. 4, 1891
in Osborne County, Kansas.

In 1898 the Hardings moved to Thayer
County, Nebr., near Hebron. Lester graduat-
ed from Hebron High School and attended 2
years Business College at York, Ne. After
college he served as an apprentice meat cutter
in his father's packing plant in Hebron. The
plant processed cattle and hogs for the local
markets and also made sausages and cold
cuts. For a time he handled the delivery
wagons that hauled their meat products to
surrounding communities in southeast Nebr.
and northeast Kansas.

In early 1913 Lester came to Mullen to run
a meat market and grocery that his father had
purchased. That year on March 13, 1913 a
severe blizzard hit the Sandhills and cattle
were killed by the hundreds. Since there was
a good price for cow hides, most ranchers
skinned the dead animals, Lester started
buying hides and shipped a train car load of
hides out of Mullen from that storm. The
following summer a cattle train wrecked
about a mile west of Mullen, killing over 100
cattle. Lester contracted with the railroad to
dispose of the dead cattle for the hides. He
skinned the legs and heads of the animals and
hired a man with a team of horses to pull the
hides off. They removed all the hides in 2
days, then hired 2 men with teams and
scrapers to dig a trench along the railroad
right of way and buried the carcasses in the
pit according to railroad and health regula-
tions.

Pearl M. Crain, daughter of Esquire and
Martha Duke Crain, was born in a sod house
5 miles southwest of Mullen, Nov. 12, 1894.

At the time the Crain children attended
school, the nearest school was in district #4,
6 miles west. When the oldest Crain girl,
Clara, was past the eighth grade, she was sent
to the nearest High school which was in
Broken Bow. The next girl, Lillie, attended
the newly built High school in Thedford. As
there was no high school in Hooker County
at this time, District #4 added the 9th and
10th grades to their system in lieu of high
school. Pearl graduated from District #4 in
1909.

One of the great dangers in the early days
was prairie fires. The settlers usually plowed
fire guards around their farmsteads and also
had plowed a fire guard around the Dist. #4
school yard.

In 1906 Pearl's brother, Walter, was past
school age and the older Crain girls were away
to High school, Pearl was the only one of the
Crain children still going to Dist #4 school.
Also attending this school were some of the
W.H. Garrot children and the Jesse Kemp
children.

That fall a prairie fire started west of Hecla
and with a strong wind, was soon bearing
down on the school. A rider rode in and
warned the teacher, Alma Walter, to turn the
horses loose and get the children in the school
house and stay until the fire had past. They
did and were safe.

The fire burned out of control until it
jumped the Dismal river west of Dunning and
was stopped in the Anselmo area. After the
fire was past the school, the teacher kept the
children till late evening and they all had to
walk to their homes. Pearl accompanied the
Kemp kids 3 miles to their home then walked
the remaining 3 miles after dark to her home.
She was 12 years old at the time. The Crain
men and neighbors did not get home til late
the next day. Two of the Kemp girls were
twins, June and Julia. June Kemp later
married Carl Simonson.

Lester L. Harding and Pearl M. Crain were
married Sept. 27, 1916 in Broken Bow, Nebr.

In 1916 Lester sold his store in Mullen,
purchased some cows and went in partner-
ship with Louis and Lillie Crain Lowe on a
ranch 27 miles north east of Mullen. The
ranch is now owned and operated by the
Wilbert Ericksen family.

In 1919 Pearl's parents, the Squire Crains,
retired and moved into Mullen and Lester
and Pearl moved to the Crain ranch 5 miles
southwest of Mullen, where they lived for the
next 37 years. They bought the ranch in 1935.

There they had two sons; Forrest L. born
August 26, 1919 and Frank E. born
1922.

Forrest married Jean Simonson, daughter
of Nels and Margurite Stewart Simonson, on
July 29, 1941.

Frank married Iva Tucker Malony, daugh-
ter of Placer and Lenora Morrow Tucker, on
March 17, 1956. Iva passed away June 16,

1975 and Frank married Beth Simonson
Anders on Feb. 24, 1979.

Pearl and lester retired and moved into
Mullen in Feb. 1956.

Lester L. Harding died at his home in
Mullen June 13, 1960 and is buried in
Cederveiw Cemetery.

Pearl has lived in the Mullen Community
93 years and still owns an interest in the
ranch her parents started in 1887.