BASSETT, NATHAN E. AND SADIE C. (SAGER)

by Thelma Bassett Pearman

Entry F21 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Nate and Sadie Bassett July 1965, Golden Wedding Anniversary

Nathan "Nate", as he was known was born
to John and Elsie Bassett December 1890 in
Grant County Nebraska. No school records
are available but he did attend where and
when there was a school available. Nate
began working on area ranches at an early age
and filed on a homestead receiving his patent
in 1914. It was located 3 miles east of
`Running Water Bridge' and included a
portion of the North Dismal River and to the
south cornering on the Ray Ireton Section on
the northeast corner. I was a square section
and not too many were fortunate enough to
receive such a gool location. He later sold it
to Jubal Wright and it became part of the
Boyce estate.

Nate married Sadie Sager at Maysville,
Missouri in July 1915 returning to Hooker
County where they worked on many area
ranches.

Their family consisted of 5 daughters,
Nona Elsie who married Herschel Moore,
Blanch Carrie, who married Leo Miller and
who passed away October 1939, after the
birth of their 2nd child; Eva Frances married
Henry Railsback; Ruby Alice married How-
ard Prentice and later Mike Hunt; Rita
Harriett, married Robert O'Neill.

The girls attended school wherever they
worked until they were ready for high school
at which time they resided in Tryon, Nebras-
ka and the three older girls graduated from
McPherson County High School. Nate
carried the daily mail from Tryon north from
1934 to 1938. Nate began working for Vin-
ton's during the summer months so the
family moved to `Vinton's Camp' on the
North Dismal River. Nate and the older girls
rode horseback daily checking the cattle,
windmills and scattering salt. During the
haying season, nate went to the main ranch
to help hay and the girls looked after the
cattle.

Ruby and Rita both graduated from Mul-
len High School. Sadie and the girls would
spend their winters in Mullen then go back
to the country during the summer. Nate built
a sod house into a hillside at `Running Water
Bridge' in about 1930 or '40 when Rita was
still small.

In 1949, the snow completely covered
Nate's house and he had to scoop the snow
back into the house until he could get a
pathway cut through it to get out and get to
his livestock. He continued to scatter salt and
check wells for Vintons for many years while
living there. He pastured his cattle with
Vintons during the summer.

Nate and Sadie continued to live there
after the children were all gone until ill health
forced them to move back to Tryon where
they purchased a home to be near Nona. Nate
passed away in January 1975 and was buried
at at Miller Cemetery near Tryon. Sadie sold
the property and moved to the Pawnee
Retirement Hotel in North Platte, Nebraska
where she lived until she fell and had to be
placed in linden Manor Nursing Home. She
is now confined to a wheel chair with failing
eyesight at age 84.

Father Mike adopted them as his family
and spent much time with them picking fruit
along the river for Sadie. He checked on them
after each storm while they lived at the
"Soddy on the Dismal." He visits Sadie in
North Platte regularly.