HISTORY OF HECLA, NEBRASKA

by Pauline Gottlob Thurston

Entry T15 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Gottlob Family 1918. Back row - Becky, Bill
Alma; Front - Janet, "Kick", Pauline.

Home on the range, prove up shack of Gottlobs -
1913. House where Janet was born April 15, 1914.

My father William Tecumseh Gottlob was
born August 11, 1868 at Lyons, Iowa. My
mother was born January 3, 1880 at Des
Moines, Iowa and moved to Omaha when she
was seven. (See detailed family history under
Gottlob, Wm.) Dad developed Malaria and
was advised to seek a different climate. He
and his brother-in-law, L.E. Fay acquired
some land which was to be developed into the
Hecla, Nebraska townsite. He purchased a
home formerly occupied by the UBI Cattle
Company, known as the 101 (the cattle brand
used) .

Dad and mother on arriving in Hecla,
stayed with Al and Lena Raues at the Section
House until they could get moved in their
home. Mother was frightened beyond words
of the desolate country, the coyotes, the furry
chaps and the jingling spurs of the cowboys
- a big change from the city millinery shop
of which she was accustomed.

Dad and L.E. Fay built the store and
carried a full line of merchandise, grossing
$49,000 one year. They also sold lumber, salt,
grain and coal. After the 1913 blizzard, they
shipped hundreds of cattle hides. The Post
Office was housed in the store and Dad was
Postmaster. There were a hundred patrons in
the community at that time. The store, barn
and Pool Hall had extra rooms to house the
freighters when they came to town and had
to remain overnight. One baby girl was born
in the room in the barn.

In 1914, Dad had a chance to file on a
homestead, 3 miles north of Hecla, Carl Fay
(his nephew and wife Edith) came out to tend
the store. Dad acquired some livestock and
secured the brand IV. Mother went to Omaha
to visit her parents, to shop, have baby photos
taken. In 1917, after the folks had proved up
on their claim, they sold out to John Revere,
who was married to mother's sister, Elizabeth
Osborn. Clarence Revere was the folks'
closest neighbor. Mother and Dad moved
back to Hecla and again took over the store
and other holdings, as the Fays did not like
it at Hecla. I was ready to go to school
anyway. Mother cooked for all the cowboys
and freighters and also helped in the store
and Post Office.

When WW I was declared, Dad was called
into service and was stationed at Portland,
Oregon. It was then the CB&Q RR brought
in a large contingent of negroes to work on the
railroad and to replace our boys who were
called into service. A colored lady named
"Mandy" was in the group and helped
Mother. There were also many Mexicans
moved into Hecla and Mother was often
called when a baby died or one was born to
these people. Now and then we would
experience some excitement. Two old gent-
lemen got into an argument one time and the
bullet holes were in evidence in one of the
counters. Another time, two young boys were
visiting in the store when Sheriff Ridenour
appeared, they attempted a quick exit, but
weren't successful in getting away. Gypsys
would come through town once in awhile and
weren't too welcome. However one time, one
man in their group asked Dad for some asprin
for his wife, upon further investigating the
situation, Dad found she was delivering a
baby in the old covered wagon.

We had a nice school in Hecla, always had
six to fifteen pupils. The school was used for
election and sometimes for church services.
It was at one time, badly damaged by a bolt
of lightning.

One Saturday, a hot July day, our livery
barn caught fire and it was full of horses
belonging to the freighters, luckily the horses
were all rescued, but the barn was a total loss.
It was always thought a spark from a
Passenger train 44 caused it.

One summer a group of the Mexican RR
men organized a dance orchestra and we held
dances in our Pool Hall which generated a
very pleasant summer for our friends and
neighbors.

The Bachelor Bros. Ranch, Whitewater
Ranch and the Carver Ranch shipped many
thousand head of cattle in and out of Hecla.
The Bachelor Bros. always staged quite a
rodeo and `party' when they came to town as
they had their own chuck-wagon and cook.
Lots of starved and drought stricken cattle
were shipped in and the Gottlob kids always
got an orphan or two to raise. Dad also had
a hobby of raising Shetland ponies, so we had
the buggy, ponies, harness, etc., but we much
preferred an old cart and an old flea-specked
horse to drive around. Mother never adjusted
to horseback riding or milking cows, so we
kids learned these chores early in life, as Dad
used to take cattle in on store accounts.

Claud Thurmond was our depot agent -
he was also an Evangelist - so we had church
in the depot at one time. My cousin, Dick
Munchhoff, came out from Omaha to learn
country life and as he was an accomplished
musician, he organized an orchestra known
as Dick's Vagabonds and toured the commu-
nity playing for dances, driving in my Moth-
er's Model T.

March of 1919 after a blizzard, Dad sold
7200 cattle hides, using several car loads of
salt on them. That same year, some of our
neighbors went to Texas and paid $2.50 a
head for Longhorns. About 1919, the homes-
teaders were selling out to the bigger ranchers
and the homesteads were turned into summer
range. The Post Office patrons dwindled
from over a hundred to three or four.

One early morning about 3 A.M. the Hecla
citizens were awakened to gun fire and smoke
- on further investigation they found our
store was on fire and it was the ammunition
exploding that they'd heard. Everyone was
virtually helpless in the situation and Dad
was home alone.

Highway #2 was soon to be built and Dean
Schufeldt of Hyannis moved in with horses,
fresnos and camping gear to start grading the
road. Later another construction crew moved
in and finished the project. They rented the
old Pool Hall for headquarters and a dining
room. By this time there wasn't much left at
Hecla, the depot, two section houses and a
few box cars and a water tower. The few
homes were torn down or vacated.

In closing, I marvel at the courage, faith,
and endurance those dear people maintained
to endure the hardships and experiences so
different from their early life style. They
didn't remain here nearly as long as some of
the pioneers, but their hard work and
experiences were unique and added a great
deal to Hooker County History. In my
seventy years of living, my childhood at Hecla
stands out so vivid in my mind with many
happy memories and experiences.

HECLA OLD TIMERS: The Smith family
- Jim and Rolla, Marjorie, Mary, Jack,
Barbara & Irene; Harry Holmes; Toby An-
derson - Ralph, Mae Anderson Pearson;
Sagers and three children; Harry Browns and
three sons; Frank Lakes and three sons;
Boyers; Ellisons; Ed Catron; Harvey Jasper-
son; J.G. Cooley Family; Clarence & Bertha
Revere - Ralph, Evelyn, Berniece, & Mary;
Vince Wrobliskes; Malcolm Harcourt; Far-
issa Morrow; `Deafy' Irwin (killed by the
train); Charles Taylors - Orville, `Tuck'
Floyd, & Ernest; Canidas - Ralph, Neil,
Nina, Nida, George & John; Herncalls - Joe
& Lilly, Julian, Anna, & Agnes; Frank
Palmer; Brennans, Bill, Jim, Mart, Charlie,
Joe, & Lizzie; Bill and Maude Schooler,
Kenneth; Bob Gergens and Celia; Straights;
`Smokey' Combs; Evans - Clark, Dean, and
Annie; Woadruff (Homer); Charlie Ernys;
Yoheys, Jim and George; Steve Ham; Andy
and Katie Fellentreter; Guy and Anna Drake.

DEPOT AGENTS: Ray Spradling and
Edna, Frances, and Harriet; Gover Davis and
Son; B.F. Nutten, Irene, Frank, Virginia, and
Madeline; Claud Thurmonds, Vanita, Del-
bert, Frank and Ruthie.

SECTION BOSSES: George Steel, Wiley
and Homer; Art Olsons, Ronald; Al Ravers
and Louis; Kelleys.

TEACHERS: Tedie Montgomery Wright;
Beulah Garrett Carpenter; Nellie Harrington
Taylor; Dick Moller; Dwight Long; Helen
Andrews Fitzgerald; Lousie Kinnison.

COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT: J.H.
Garrett.