RURAL HOOKER COUNTY POST OFFICES

by Joellen Phillips

Entry T6 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Hecla Office Last Stamping

Several small rural post offices were orga-
nized in Hooker County when the area was
more thickly populated during the first score
of years in the twentieth century. When the
population declined these offices were closed,
and the area patrons received their mail on
routes. Very little information concerning
these small offices is available. The names
and dates were gathered from Perky's Neb-
raska Place Names by Elton A. Perkey; the
Nebraska State Gazetter & Business Direc-
tory 1913 supplied mileage to the locations
and the names of the 1913 postmasters; and
other information has been gathered from the
Hooker County Tribune and conversation
with early residents.

Abby was first established in Grant County
July 19, 1888 and moved to Hooker County
October 30, 1891. The office was discontin-
ued April 16, 1984. The exact location of
either site is not available.

Crescent was 35 miles southwest of Mullen.
Established January 5, 1911, this office was
discontinued October 31, 1911, and the mail
was sent to Eclipse.

Donald was 13 miles southeast of Mullen,
and established May 10, 1907 with Roderick
Donald as first postmaster. In 1913 Louis
Schmidt was postmaster, and Donald was
served with a mail stage semi-weekly from
Mullen with a fare of $1.00. The Hooker
County Tribune June 4, 1920 carried an
article which implied that the office may have
been closed for a short period of time. The
office had moved from the H.C. Averitt ranch
to the R.S. Fox home, and `the route has been
somewhat changed between Mullen and the
south terminal adding considerable to the
miles traveled and the patrons served'. The
Donald post office was closed August 15,
1922.

The Dunwell post office was 30 miles
southeast of Mullen, and was established
January 27, 1909. The name was coined from
the names of the two men who had estab-
lished the office - William Dunbar and
Frank Wells. In 1913, J.W. Wells was post-
master. The office discontinued in 1934.

Eclipse, founded February 27, 1905, was
located at the Chauncey Tucker ranch, and
his oldest daughter, Elvira Tucker, was the
first postmaster. Kelly Ireton, the first mail
carrier, drove a team of mules and delivered
mail, passengers and supplies when the
weather and road conditions permitted. He
carried the mail out on Monday and Friday
and made the return trip to Mullen on
Tuesday and Saturday. Following Elvira's
marriage in 1909, Lenora (Mrs. Placer)
Tucker became postmaster. In 1913 Sylvia
Rice was postmaster, and the mail stage ran
to Mullen semi-weekly with fare of $1.00. In
the September 27, 1918 issue of the Hooker
County Tribune Henry Creese advertised a
public auction - `Having disposed of my
place known as the Eclipse post office 30
miles southwest of Mullen, 20 miles south of
Hecla, 26 miles northwest of Tryon and 8
miles north of Huffman ranch ...' Marvin
Tucker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Placer Tucker
thought Henry Creese had the post office one
and maybe two years, at this time, then his
mother again was in charge of the office. The
Eclipse office closed September 25, 1923.

Hecla was located on the CB&Q Railroad
12 miles west of Mullen, and organized
November 30, 1887. On May 25, 1906, Roy
Garrett was appointed postmaster, and the
post office was in the new Garrett Store. On
September 13, 1907 the Hooker County
Tribune reported F.T. Morrison had received
his appointment as postmaster, ` ... and
once more our Hecla neighbors will be able
to get mail at home.' In 1913 Carl H. Fay was
postmaster with the office in the Hecla
Supply Co. General Store owned by Fay,
Detterman and Gottlob. Ray Sexton remem-
bers when the office was in the Gottlob store,
operated by Bill and Becky Gottlob, and later
the office moved to the home of Anna (Mrs.
Guy) Drake. Mr. Sexton thought Mrs. Drake
was the last postmaster. The Hecla office
closed April 14, 1941.

Moore was established August 6, 1924 and
was located 20 miles southwest of Mullen. It
was named in honor of C.T. Moore, an area
rancher, and discontinued in 1934.