Living Here Summer 2020

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SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA

Jackson, Nebraska Windmills ~ Page 6

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LIVING HERE

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VOLUME 16, ISSUE 2 Jackson, NE Windmills By: Tim Trudell A trip out west finds you a collection of windmills worth the trip.

Farming with Horses By: Loretta Sorensen A family tradition that continues today.

Farmers Store - Page, NE By: Kerry Hoffschneider There is a lot of history behind this little store.

Hotel Hartington By: Loretta Sorensen A hobby that brings life back to a historic hotel.

Yesteryear By: Brad Kellogg A great story about Native Americans and “The Arts” Lynn Theatre Lynch, NE By: Marita Placek Keeping a Theatre alive and showing movies.

Dreaming of Horses By: Alexandra McClanahan How a dream turns into a life’s work Look for the next issue Fall 2020 in October Here’s a peek at 2 stories for Fall Hoot Gibson by Tim Trudell That Damned Corn by Alexandra McClanahan

dear reader

Summer. This word still means to me “break time” from way back when - my school days I mean. With daughters in school, I guess it still does, but they get the break now, and I get some extra help from them for the Summer. I hope all of you are well and have enjoyed the last issue.

Things are loosening up from COVID-19. I encourage you to be safe but get out and go see the things written about here. Connecting to the words are just the beginning. Let the stories inspire you to take a drive.

The writers are hard at work for the Fall 2020 issue, and we/them have some great ideas. We will continue to try to keep you inspired and take you back in time by exposing living history.

As publisher, I want to hear from you. Please send me your notes, comments, concerns or story ideas via email at publisher@livingheremidwest.com . Also I am in need of historic photos for the back cover with caption or description.

Sincerely, Wade Pitzer, Publisher

4 • LIVING HERE

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SPRING 2020 • 5 To order, call toll free 888-673-1081 or use the form inside the back cover.

Jackson,

6 • LIVING HERE

NE Windmills

BY TIM TRUDELL PHOTOS BY TIM TRUDELL

Today, giant wind turbines dot

the landscape, along hilltops and open fields. They’re designed to create clean, renewable energy. Farmers throughout the plains rent spaces of land to energy companies, while still being able to farm their fields.

In the mid-1800s, wooden windmills were found on farms, used to help lift water from wells. Later, they became common in industry to help power lumber saws and grain mills.

The first windmill was likely used by Persians and Chinese as long ago as 900 AD, according to Third World Planet. The first windmill in the United States was built in 1854.

All that didn’t play a role in Leonard Gill’s decision to start collecting windmills and showcasing them near L.P. Landfill, about two miles west of Jackson, Nebraska, on US Highway 20. Instead, he was looking for something to help spruce up the entrance to the landfill, which he has owned for nearly 40 years.

He went to an auction in 1998 and decided to place a bid on an old railroad caboose. While he left with the caboose – prominently displayed to this day alongside the windmills and other decorations – Gill met a Nebraska farmer who would change his life.

“He was approached by a guy with a collection of old windmills on his property,” said Anthony Gill, Leonard’s grandson, who manages the landfill today. “They were in pieces in different buildings, near Pender.”

Today, more than two dozen windmills, some still functional and others missing the rotor and blades, make up the “Sentinels of the Prairie,” as the elder Gill named them.

Ranging in age from the 1880s through the 1930s, the windmills consist of different varieties.

As you approach the landfill,

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The Caboose, one on the first things to decorate the entrance to the landfill.

you’ll see about 20 windmills near the road and a few more inside a wooden fence, along with the caboose. Vintage wagons – and even a modern wind turbine – are also located near the entrance gate. The gate, itself, is decorated with cartoon characters.

The collection’s original owners - Howard and Barvetta McClain – farmed near Carroll, about a 45-minute drive from Pender.

The McClains traveled around the Midwest, collecting the vintage windmills. After agreeing to purchase the windmill collection, Leonard Gill realized some of the windmills needed work done and engaged Marvin Baker from Pender to restore them. Baker, a craftsman with a passion for restoring antique windmills, also built wooden towers for some of the windmills. Gill start-

8 • LIVING HERE

ed his collection with 10-12 windmills, Anthony Gill said.

Each windmill has a story, Gill said. And placards next to them help tell those stories. Coming from several Midwestern states, such as Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois, the windmills vary in age as well as design.

Some wooden windmills date back to the 1870s.

The Bob Tailed Raymond was a vaneless windmill commonly used from the 1870s through the 1890s.

Built by Althouse Wheeler Company in Waupon, Wisconsin, the Jackson windmill was discovered by a previous owner in 1995 along with other farm equipment near Milford, Iowa. The Bob Tailed Raymond had wooden slats in a hexagon design (six sides), giving it a boxlike appearance.

Vaneless windmills didn’t have a

rudder to control direction. Rather, the Bob Tailed Raymond windmill would face downwind, allowing the wind to blow in from behind to power it. As the wind’s speed increased, the wooden slats on the inner side would fold in, balanced by a cast-iron weight, according to Hiawatha World. As winds decreased, the weight would lighten and the blades opened.

A rare windmill, because the Marcy Company built only a few of them, the Red Cross on display had most of its iron parts located across a pasture near Red Oak, Iowa. The windmill, likely built between the late 1890s and early 1900s, changed hands several times before finding its permanent home in Jackson. The windmill’s blades are wooden.

The Red Cross windmill has a unique history, according to “A

Field Guide to American Windmills.” Its founder, R.G. Marcy, left Flint and Walling Manufacturing Company to become a partner in a new company, Ashland Manufacturing Company. Later renamed R. G. Marcy Manufacturing, the Bluffton, Indiana, company apparently made windmills almost identical to the ones from Flint and Walling Manufacturing. Calling his mills Red Star Mills, he basically ripped off Flint and Walling’s Star mills. Following a successful lawsuit by Flint and Walling, Marcy changed his mills’ name to Red Cross, thus creating only a few of the windmills before shutting down his business.

L.P. Landfill also has a more modern windmill. Common on Midwestern farms, metal windmills can be found in pastures near water tanks. An Aermotor windmill is

displayed, along with a water pump and cow tank, representing today’s farms.

Having windmills and a train caboose in front of a landfill isn’t a common site. People have asked why there are windmills near a landfill, Gill said.

“They’re like ‘What’s going on here?” Gill said. “My grandfather’s hobby.”

Initially popular with locals and passers-by, photos of the Jackson windmills started appearing in newspapers, magazines, and, eventually, on the internet. Gaining fans from around the world, people from countries such as Ireland and Japan have traveled to Jackson, about a 15-minute drive from Sioux City, Iowa, just to see the windmills.

“They are definitely a unique item,” Gill said.

Red Cross Windmill

Even the younger Gill enjoys seeing the windmills when he least expects it.

“I was watching a TV show about people hauling things and they showed a scene where they drive past the windmills,” he said.

As the collection gained in popularity, people started approaching his grandfather about their windmills, Gill said. They added a few more through donations, as well as buying them at auction, he said.

Vintage windmills are popular, Gill said. A Texas windmill museum had its sights set on a rare green and white windmill. One of only a few produced and still in existence in the United States, Leonard Gill was determined to buy it. Refusing to let the museum score the winning bid, the elder Gill kept at it, eventually winning the duel. The windmill prominently stands near the highway entrance.

While windmill collections and museums can be found in places such as Kendallville, Indiana, Lubbock Texas, and even Comstock, Nebraska, the “Sentinels on the Prairie” may be the best vintage collection in the United States.

Unless something special jumps out at them, the Gills are likely done collecting windmills.

“We still have one or two that need to be restored and put on the towers,” Anthony Gill said. “But, we’re pretty much done looking for more.”

And like the vintage windmills, Leonard Gill, in his mid-80s, may be “retired,” he still pops in to the office to help out.

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10 • LIVING HERE

Farming with Horses

BY LORETTA SORENSEN

PHOTOS BY LORETTA SORENSEN

Belgian team Babe and Bob are full brother and sister, and were bred and raised by Amish in north central Iowa. Alan and Loretta began hitching them when they were 1 and 2 years old, using them around the farm for chores like planting corn.

There is no rhyme or reason For the dream that we hold dear.

It’s a hope that keeps us going, A vision that grows clear As each day we draw closer To live a life that’s all but gone; The day we farm with horses, We’ll finally be home.

Farming with horses was a

common practice until the 1940s, when tractors began taking over the work teams once handled.

But Alan and Loretta Sorensen have used their Belgian draft horse teams to drill oats, plant corn, thresh, plow, cultivate, haul

manure, mow, etc. for the past 47 years outside Yankton. The practice has given their horses some work and produced some feed.

The two have also helped preserve an element of America’s farming history that is quickly becoming a faint memory.

As he grew up near Wakonda, South Dakota, Alan Sorensen’s experience with horses on the farm included his father’s big sorrel team, Pat and Mike. The awe they inspired in his young heart was as strong as ever as he married and started a family. In 1973, when he purchased his first team of draft horses, he couldn’t have envi-

sioned where his love for horses and curiosity about working them in the field would eventually lead.

Alan’s love of horses has always been part of who he is. His parents (Walter and Wilma) captured photos of him as early as age 4 while he rode his first horse, Shorty. At age 9 his birthday present was a horse named Silver. Other horses on his family’s farm were a spot named Mary; a paint trained to rope, Dolly; a gray horse named Gracie; and a riding and driving horse called Prince. His dad’s stud, Billy, produced two colts, Beauty and Dolly.

“I couldn’t begin to name all the SPRING 2020 • 11

horses we had,” Alan says. “There were a lot of them.”

In their first years of marriage, the Sorensens enjoyed their own riding horses and Alan raised and trained colts bred by Clancy, an Apaloosa stallion they owned.

Their barn, which was originally built as a milking barn, was remodeled to feature horse stalls and a foaling pen. A tack room held saddles and bridles, curry combs, leather repair tools, etc. While the couple enjoyed riding their mares, a long-held longing tugged at Alan’s heart. He couldn’t stop thinking about driving horses.

The quarter horses in their barn in the early 1970s were Dolly and Beauty. They were 10 and 11 years old, well broke to ride. Alan decided it was time to see how they responded to a driving harness.

He had some old harness he had

picked up at a farm auction. With some good advice from his Dad, Alan fitted the harness as best he could, rigged up a stone boat (a square platform with no wheels, typically used to haul rocks) and hitched the mares. In a very short time, all three learned a lot about driving. It didn’t take Alan long to recognize that his riding horses worked better under saddles than in the harness. They should have been introduced to a harness earlier. It was time to consider purchasing a draft horse team, an idea he had held for many years.

“Dad had a big team when I was pretty small,” Alan says. “Pat and Mike. He used them to feed cattle, haul hay on a hay rack, haul bundles to the threshing machine and many other chores around the farm. As a kid I always thought it would be fun to have a big team

like that.”

Horse traders, those who bought and sold horses on a regular basis, generally have a reputation and are well known in their own community. Praben Lee, the Irene, South Dakota, horseman who sold Alan his first team, had a reputation for being both a shrewd businessman and a great hand with horses. It took several trips to the Lee farm before the right team, a pair of black Shires with white blazes and hairy white feet, came along. In 1973, they became Alan’s Pat and Mike.

The horses, Shire-cross geldings raised at Fort Pierre, South Dakota, weighed about 1,500 pounds each.

“They had some mustang in them,” Alan recalls. “They had run loose in a pasture and their owner had never handled them till they

Left: Pat and Mike were Alan’s first draft team, a pair of black and white Shires that came from South Dakota’s Fort Pierre area. Until Alan bought them in 1973, they had been running in a pasture, never haltered or tied in a stall. They proved to be a willing, gentle team who accomplished a lot of “firsts” along with Alan.

Right: In 1976, when America celebrated its Bicentennial, Alan, Loretta and their daughter Michele dressed in pioneer garb and rode in several area parades. Pat and Mike and the Sorensens are shown here with their triple box wagon.

12 • LIVING HERE

Left: The milk barn Alan Sorensen and his father Walter remodeled to house their horses has at times been nearly too short for the talllegged Belgians they have owned.

Right: The reel of a binder can often startle horses as they turn at the end of the field. To the horse, the rotating binder reel seems to be coming right at them.

were sold at the Fort Pierre sale barn. Breaking them was quite a challenge.”

After hours of working to gain Pat and Mike’s trust, Alan began introducing them to the harness and driving them for short periods of time until everyone was comfortable with working together.

Then it was time to try hitching the geldings to some of the farm equipment Alan had started collecting while he was still in his teens.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, horse-drawn farm equipment was being sold at area farm auctions for as little as $2 per implement.

Many bidders had little or no interest in the vintage equipment which had filled groves and languished inside deteriorating farm sheds for several decades. At the time, iron prices were very low.

“A lot of times only the auctioneer and I knew what he was selling,” Alan says. “The only bidder I had to outdo was the iron buyer. When I bought the first pieces of equipment, I sometimes didn’t know till I got it home if it was complete or something I could restore. As time went on, there were other guys like me who started bringing the implements home. Many times, when someone bought a planter or cultivator, they intended to use it for a lawn ornament. I was always curious to see if I could restore the implements and actually make them work.”

Among the items Alan brought home were plows, a planter, discs, drags, a grain drill, an elevator, a feed grinder, and a two-horse horse-power which was used to power equipment. At one auction, he purchased several pickup loads

of machinery and horse equipment for a total of $23. That buy included a two-row horse cultivator ($4), 10-foot horse-drawn disc ($5), Emerson sulky plow, single-row cultivator, eveners, tongues and other miscellaneous items.

Once he had a draft team, he was eager to see how they worked in the field.

“Growing up I’d hear my dad, uncles and other aging farmers talk about working with horses in the field,” Alan says. “I was always curious to see how the equipment and the horses worked. I wondered, too, if it was something I could do.”

By working in the field, Alan believed his horses would learn how to pull a load, patiently stand, be sensitive to how he directed them to walk in a straight line, etc.

“Draft horses can pull an empty wagon all day,” he says. “When they’re walking on soft ground pulling an implement, they’re usually ready to stop when you say ‘Whoa!’ Raising our own corn and oats is also a way to produce some of the feed they need.”

One unique piece in his collection is a three-bottom plow. Using it requires at least nine horses hitched in three rows of three. This size plow was fairly rare as they were typically used in large fields often found in states like Montana and Wyoming. The plow has a power lift, much like what’s used on tractor plows. It was sitting under a tree in a pasture outside DeSmet, South Dakota. The owner mentioned that his father had parked the plow in that spot in 1920.

The wooden grain drill Alan has used for about 40 years, a Van

SPRING 2020 • 13

Brunt made around 1907, was sitting in an apple orchard, covered with tin. The owner stood on it every year when he picked apples but was happy to part with it for $20.

“When I got it home all the gears and mechanisms were rusted tight,” Alan says. “It took a lot of time and heating to get everything loosened up. I still use it today.”

With some help from his father and some other experienced horse-farming mentors, Alan learned all he could before hitching his Shire draft horses for their debut in working the fields.

“Between 1973 and 1976, I used Pat and Mike and Belgians Duke and Daisy to disc, plow, plant corn, drill oats, cultivate, drag, mow and rake hay, haul manure and walk through some local parades,” Alan says. “In August 1976 we had them at Prairie Village (Madison, South Dakota) where we used them to haul bundles up to the threshing machine.”

Some of the earliest horses Alan used on the farm included Babe and Beauty and Tony and Goldie.

Goldie was a registered mare with Curtiss Candy bloodlines that came from the Ponca, Nebraska area.

The Sorensens greatly enjoyed the threshing experience, enough to entice Alan to purchase a Wood Brothers “Hummingbird” threshing machine in 1979. That same summer he acquired two McCormick-Deering binders he intended to use to cut his oats crop. In July that year, Alan and Loretta and Alan’s parents hosted their first threshing bee on their acreage.

A good stand of oats became a field full of bundles as their four-horse hitch drew the binder across the field of grain. The

14 • LIVING HERE

bundles were shocked and left to dry for several days. The original threshing machine owner came to the farm to help Alan “set” the machine and a couple days later their family and friends gathered to share in the work and fun of threshing oats.

Driving horses meant Alan needed harness. While in his late teens, Alan had purchased three sets of harness at an auction sale for $1.25. His father had long since dispersed the harness he once used on his own teams. However, he learned that the harness one farmer had purchased from Walter when he sold his last team, Pat and Mike, was probably still hanging in a rapidly declining hay loft. The farmer told Walter that if he could identify the harness, he could have it back for $5.

“We didn’t know what condition the harness might be in if it had been hanging in an old barn all those years,” Alan says. “When we got up in that hayloft, there were quite a few harnesses hanging on the walls. But Dad’s harness had been a Jim Dandy brand. One other identifying mark was a cut on the lines that happened when the lines were accidentally entangled in the open gears of a mower.”

As they sorted through the harness, Walter spotted the Jim Dandy decoration on the harness he had purchased new. When he examined the lines hanging with the harness, he quickly found the cut mark.

“We oiled it up and put it to work. I still use that harness on my geldings, Pat and Mike, who look a lot like the team Dad had,” Alan says. “It’s always been great to have that personal connection with my Dad and the horses that he worked

in the field when he was a young man.”

Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, Alan began working with multi-horse hitches, moving from three-horse to four-horse and then six-horse hitches. At one point, he hitched six Belgian horses he had bred, raised and trained for spring plowing. They were sisters, brothers and sons and daughters.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Alan bought and sold, bred and worked a multitude of draft horses. Most have been Belgians.

They were bred to do heavy work in fields and their pleasing sorrel color has always drawn Alan in.

His equipment line includes a collection of both plows and cultivators, a corn binder, grain drill, horsepower, feed grinder, grain binders, fanning mill, triple box wagon and more.

In the early 1980s Alan met bachelor brothers Don and Ted Lembcke from Newcastle, Nebraska, who built wooden wheels and wagons. Before long, Alan got the urge to build his own parade wagon. His search led him to bring home the remains of an ice wagon.

The wood was pretty well rotted, but the steel fifth-wheel running gear just needed some basic maintenance. It took about two years, but he completed the red and white hitch wagon he still owns.

“I had a good idea of how I wanted it to look,” Alan says. “I drew up some plans and started working on it. I estimate that I have about 500 hours of labor in it. For some parts of it, I learned as I went along. Some things were done twice. What I really enjoyed about the project was working with those bachelor brothers to build the wheels.”

Belgians Bob and Babe seemed to enjoy their first cultivating chores when this photo was taken in spring 2017.

Over the years Alan has learned a great deal about the body language of horses and how to read each horse’s personality. Whether they’re trained to ride or drive, horses exhibit many similar signs of stress and distress.

“Watch for how they hold their head, the look in their eye, what they’re doing with their ears, if they’re licking their lips,” Alan says. “These are all indicators of what’s going on inside the horse.”

He has also learned some things about himself as he encountered situations where equipment or horses weren’t working as expected. He has learned to plan ahead for what could happen so he has an idea how he can resolve a problem before it becomes a tragedy.

“When you’re out in the field by yourself, if you have trouble, you’re probably going to have resolve it on your own,” Alan says. “I’ve learned to think ahead and have

an idea of what my options are.

Above all, you have to stay calm because if you start shouting or indicate that you’re nervous or scared, the horses pick up on that and it makes them more nervous and afraid.”

The year 2023 will mark 50 years since Alan started farming with horses. His goal is to reach that mark, then see what comes beyond it. After winning a battle with cancer in 2017, he knows that only time will tell whether or not he has the opportunity to reach his goal.

“I worked in heavy construction for much of my life,” Alan says.

“Every day was noisy and people were always pushing you to get things done. When you work with horses, they only have one speed.

If you’re in the field, you have to stop and let them rest every so often. It’s quiet and peaceful.

You hear the sound of the equipment working, like a plow going

through the soil. Harness is jingling, the birds are singing.

“It takes me to a different place for a while and gives me something constructive to think about,” he says. “That’s what a hobby is about, I guess. It would have been great if we could have made a living farming with our horses in years gone by. However, we have appreciated, greatly enjoyed and love to reminisce about all our experiences with our horses.”

To watch videos of Alan working horses in the field and around the farm, go to YouTube and search for “Our Dakota Horse Tales.”

You’ll find videos of planting corn, drilling oats, plowing and more.

l

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Farmers Store - Page, NE

BY KERRY HOFFSCHNEIDER

Left: Arnold Steward and Leona Smith, longtime employees of the Farmers Store.

Center: Farmers Store in 1960 showing cream cans.

Right: Back from left: Lloyd Fusselman, Harold Banta and Keith Waring. Front from left: Effie Stevens, Fontelle Harvey and June Fusselman.

Backgrround: A 1942 Christmas Calendar given to customers from the Farmers Store.

Courtesy photos shared by Lyle and Vicki Harvey

16 • LIVING HERE

The Farmers Union Coop

Store began in Page in 1915 and it has been in business ever since.

Throughout the years, the Farmers Store, with its aisles of various provisions offered, has changed much and in some ways stayed the same. Some of the previous owners of the Farmers Store took time to talk about the store – what has changed and what should never change too.

The Farmers Store tale starts with Vicki (Fusselman) Harvey.

Her father, Lloyd Fusselman began managing the Farmers Store for the Farmers Union Coop in 1941. When the Farmers Union Coop wanted to sell it in 1948, Lloyd and his wife purchased it along with the 1948 International delivery truck and ran it until 1976. In September of 1976, Vicki and her husband Lyle came back to Page and purchased the store from Vicki’s parents.

We will get to the rest of that story, but first, some early memories of the Farmers Store from Vicki.

“Awe, we carried about everything,” Vicki recalled. “We had cream and eggs. Dad would test the cream for butter fat, and he would pay the farmers based on the amount. Dad would take this cream in 10-gallon cans in the old delivery truck to the depot at Inman for delivery to Fremont.

Dad and I would go to Chudamelka’s bar there and he would have a pop, or a beer and I would have a soda and a Slim Jim or something like that and we would return to Page well after midnight. When I was in school, I could only go on Saturday nights.”

“I remember candling the eggs

too. We had a wooden box with a light inside and a hole smaller than the egg. We would place the egg in the hole and turn several times looking for spots. If the eggs had spots, you got rid of them.

Then we would package them a dozen at a time and sold them,” she recalled, adding that her mother June, could “candle” eggs faster than any other employees.

“We also used to get a half or quarter of beef in and dad would cut and package it up on the old butcher block. We also got a lot of meat products from Wimmers’s out of West Point, like lunch meat and ground beef that we sold out of a cold case. The produce (fruits and vegetables) we got off the route trucks, like Freshway Fruit out of Sioux City and we would clean up and put in the coolers,” Vicki added.

“We had everything else – from hardware to produce and feed.

Much of our hardware at that time

came from Wright and Wilhelmy out of Omaha. We probably had more than 30 different salesmen who would call on the store on a weekly or monthly basis at that time and Dad knew all of them and enjoyed hearing their stories,” she said.

“Dad sold and delivered Nutrena feed to farms all over the countryside,” she went on. “He owned a feed building across the street and would get in 50-pound bags of feed that he would stack up and deliver to the farmers for their cattle, horses, pigs, or chickens. He also carried bulk salt that was stored in a corner of the feed building.”

“Every spring we also had ‘Chicken Days’ and we would get in dozens of cases of baby chicks and the farmers would come in and either buy them or pick up the ones they ordered. Farmers regularly ordered up to 300 baby chicks at a time. On that day, we

The original charter for Farmers Union Coop Store at Page.

Courtesy photo shared by Lyle and Vicki Harvey

SPRING 2020 • 17

would have free ice cream bars,” Vicki remembered.

“Page used to have what they called a ‘Free Day,’ our town’s annual celebration. That was a community day every year on Labor Day weekend,” Vicki fondly recalled. “All the businesses would go together to hire a local trucker, usually Jerome Allen or Richard Heiss, and they would go to Norfolk and get a load of watermelons and bring them back and unload them in tanks.”

“Arnold Tikalsky, who operated the other grocery store in town, would deliver ice to melon tanks from Verdigre to cool them down.

Everyone ate watermelon and cantaloupe for free,” she said. “The community also operated a B-IN-G-O stand, a large parade, cake walks and a free movie.”

While Vicki was being raised with her sisters, Diana and Charlene and brother Lloyd around grocery store life, Lyle Harvey was growing up two miles east of Page on a farm with his brother Gene and parents Calvin and Fontelle.

It turns out Fontelle worked at the Farmers Store in 1942 when she graduated from high school and sometimes throughout WWII. Throughout the years, the Harveys said many people were employed by the Farmers Store.

Lyle and Vicki started dating in 1967. Lyle attended Midland College at Fremont where he majored in English and minored in Natural Sciences. Vicki attended Bryan Memorial Nursing School in Lincoln and became a Registered Nurse. The couple married in 1969 and lived in Beaver Crossing, Neb. Lyle was hired as a teacher at the public school in Henderson, Neb. 18 • LIVING HERE

1986 – Mike Mahood, Nancy Buxton, Vicki Harvey, Lyle Harvey at the opening of Farmers Store gas station.

Courtesy photo shared by Lyle and Vicki Harvey

After teaching four years in Henderson, Lyle quit teaching and took a job as assistant manager with Pamida Gibson and the couple moved to York, Neb. Lyle later became the store manager at Norton, Kan. and Chillicothe, Mo. Their two boys – Cameron and Jason, were getting to be two and four years old and the Harveys decided they wanted to raise them in Page.

“My dad did not want us to come back and buy the grocery store. He was afraid we would not do well in Page,” Lyle said. “But, we came back and bought it anyway from Lloyd and June.”

With experience managing retail stores and a hearty work ethic between the two of them, the couple took over the Farmers Store and not only ran it, but brought it to life. Lyle recalled, “When we bought the grocery store in Page in 1976, grocery stores in small towns were starting to phase out.

We still sold seed potatoes every

spring and would get them in 100-pound bags because people were still raising some gardens.

But many of the wives were also starting to work full time and did not want to mess with gardens.

“Vicki continued to work as a nurse also. We sold wood stoves, CB radios, York grain bins and whatever we could sell that made us profitable. In 1980, we bought a fuel business from Jerome and Helen Allen – Page Oil Company.

So, we were running the Farmers Store and Page Oil Company at the same time. We delivered fuel to 110 irrigation systems in the summer. During this time, we had Glenda Mudloff manage the store for us with Joie Rosner, Karen Cronk, Nancy Buxton and Gayle Mahood serving as our main employees,” Lyle said.

In 1979, on Saturday mornings – much to the delight of local customers – the Harveys made the decision to sell fresh donuts, rolls, and bread products too. “We

purchased them from the M&M Bakery in O’Neill. I would go get them every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. It was a big hit for the store that continues there today,” he added.

“One of the hardest decisions was deciding to put in the gas pumps. We knew that would cause problems with the local station.

That was a case when one decision in one business affected another.

The other station did manage to stay in business a few years after that,” Lyle admitted. “Still, I felt that if we put gas in, we stood a chance to keep the Farmers Store open at least 20 more years and it has already exceeded that by 20 years.”

“The store changed as agriculture changed,” he went on. “All small towns are dependent upon agriculture in Nebraska. Agriculture changed, so we had to change

through the years too. The story of the Farmers Store in Page is no different than any grocery store in Nebraska, you either adapt and change, or close. We basically made the store a convenience store and that turned out to be a good decision,” Lyle said.

“We could have never survived and succeeded without the community,” Lyle adamantly said. “I cannot stress that enough. One must earn a community’s trust, respect, and support. It does not happen automatically. That is as true today as it was a hundred years ago. That will never change.”

Fast forward to today and the current owner of the Farmers Store, Jo (VanEvery) Leichleiter.

She too had a relationship with the store early on, “I grew up in the country, but my Grandmother Edith Grubbs was a sort of grand-

ma to the kids in Page and she lived caddy-corner to the store.

She would send us over there to get bananas and would tell us, ‘And, while you’re there, get an ice cream bar for yourself and me.’ I remember the ice cream bars were right across from the cash register – I don’t remember where many of the other items were because all I was worried about was the ice cream.”

Leichleiter graduated from O’Neill High School, a community about 20 minutes away from Page, and then went to college briefly at Metro Tech in Omaha.

She worked in the Lincoln area and eventually made her way back to Page – it will be eight years this fall.

“My son Travis graduated from college and the owner of the store before me, Diane Heiss, wanted to get out of the business to spend

Vicki Harvey; her granddaughter, Jillian; Lyle Harvey, former store owner – DianeHeiss and most recent owner, Jo (VanEvery) Leichleiter.

Photo by Kerry Hoffschneider

SPRING 2020 • 19

Jo (VanEvery) Leichleiter inside the Farmers Store.

Photo by Kerry Hoffschneider

more time with her grandkids. It seemed like a good time for me to take over,” she said.

You can find Leichleiter at the store Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. They still carry groceries, some housewares and hardware as well as a collection of antiques and other collectibles along with crafts designed by local citizens.

A local farmer, Summer’s Eggs, provides eggs to sell at the store and they also carry a simple supply of hamburger, bacon and chicken, but no steaks unless someone asks for them because she said, “Around here, most people still have their own beef.”

“A group of ladies that call themselves, ‘The Ruggers,’ from the Methodist Church in town make the rugs that are also for sale 20 • LIVING HERE

here at the store,” she added.

Leichleiter said she most enjoys when the kids come in to visit, much like she did for ice cream bars and bananas years ago, “We used to get donuts from Casey’s on Saturday morning, the Harveys started the donut deal back when the M&M Bakery was in existence in O’Neill. A lot of people like to come in and talk and the donuts are another reason to do that.”

She admitted the COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed community gatherings around donuts and such at the store, but she says people are still coming in, “I think people are still coming in here because no one wants to go to the bigger places where more people are going in and out. We don’t have a case of COVID in Page yet – that I know of. I have always tried to have some toilet paper

on hand – even if it is the ‘cheap kind,’ we have it. And, if someone comes in and asks for something specifically, I’ll do my best to get it in here, even before this virus crisis happened.”

“The coronavirus has limited our orders. We can order things, but that does not mean we will get them. We piggyback our orders with other businesses in the area because we don’t order enough to place an order ourselves,” she explained. “I have flour, and some people have started to make bread again.”

In closing, Leichleiter said she looks forward to things getting back to normal, “We aren’t hugging a lot of people right now. But that will pick up again once the virus has lifted. The donuts will start back up too.” l

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SPRING 2020 • 21

Hotel

BY LORETTA SORENSEN

Rustic allure abounds in

Vintage photo of Hartington Hotel well before it was closed.

22 • LIVING HERE

Nebraska’s rural communities.

However, since its restoration was completed in Fall 2018, Hotel Hartington has become a precious gem alongside other area historic sites, seizing the imaginations of more than just the local couple responsible for reviving this icon.

“Erin and I feel this building features extraordinary charm and beauty that you don’t find anywhere else,” Hartington veterinarian Ben Schroeder says.

“We’ve visited luxurious hotels in cities like New York and Los Angeles. But there’s an elegance and appeal about Hartington Hotel that keeps bringing people back.”

Renovation and restoration aren’t the Schroeder’s regular occupation. They met and married while attending Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and came back to Ben’s hometown of Coleridge, Nebraska, to practice veterinary medicine. When Ben’s father, John, retired from his own veterinary practice, Ben and Erin took over John’s business.

Before establishing their veterinary office headquarters in Hartington, the couple remodeled

Hartington

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARTINGTON HOTEL

several buildings, including three office buildings, a farmhouse and a small home. They found renovation to be a constructive, productive activity they could do together outside their veterinary practice.

In 2015, they purchased a two-story building that formerly housed Hartington’s Globe clothing. They gutted it and turned the top floor into their home. The main floor became an event space for small parties and gathering. Once that project was completed, they hoped to find another similar project. Their search led them to the thendilapidated Hartington Hotel.

The 25,000 square foot building, with more than 100 windows, was originally constructed in 1917 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

However, following a fire in 1995, the building had been empty for 23 years, steadily declining to a greater and greater degree.

While the Schroeders weren’t immediately struck with a vision for the building, they knew they wanted to preserve its historic character and create a landmark that would interest and draw visitors to their community. Once their work was completed, their hopes for outside interest quickly

When first built, the Hotel was one of the anchors of Hartington’s downtown. After the Schroeders restored it, the Hotel is once again a key piece of the local business district.

SPRING 2020 • 23

The stairwell leading to the second and third floor hotel rooms is just one of the vintage features of this grand building. Here it’s shown during renovation.

became reality.

The hotel is a three-story, rectangular shaped, brick veneer building. The main part of the building faces east, resting on a corner of Broadway and State Street, Hartington’s Main street.

Historic features of the building include decorative rectangular columns flanking the main entrance. A large stone panel embellishes the exterior of the main floor, carved to read, “Hartington Hotel.”

In entering the Broadway Street door, marble stairs lead to the main lobby area. The main lobby floor has been embellished with small decorative square tiles. A twelve-light cherry wood door with a brass push-plate is located at the entrance to the lobby, a 24 • LIVING HERE

wide-open space that takes up approximately one-fourth of the first floor.

The Schroeders mortgaged their home to help raise the nearly $600,000 needed to complete the renovation project. A city grant, donations of equipment and supplies and a GoFundMe account helped raise about $50,000.

During renovation, a tenmonth project, Ben did the major part of the demolition.

He and Erin worked alongside local contractor Dave Orwig, preserving as much original material as possible, including salvaging trim and woodwork.

The Schroeders set up a coffee shop and small gift shop in the lobby. Beyond this, is the stairs

leading to renovated rooms on the second and third floor as well as a ballroom area where they have regularly served meals and hosted special events.

The hotel includes a total of 40 rooms divided into four different wings. Of those, 17 have been restored and are decorated to reflect the aura of the Roaring Twenties, with what Erin describes as a “Great Gatsby-ish” flavor. Some rooms have private baths, with a total of nine bathrooms on the upper two floors.

Four suites in the hotel feature multiple bedrooms and gathering rooms that contain dining and living areas. With the large “get ready” area in the hotel bridal suite, families are finding

Hartington Hotel to be a great place to gather for these kinds of family events.

In the hotel basement, the Schroeders renovated an area to serve as a bar. A new back patio on the west side of the building makes it ADA (American Disabilities Act) accessible and adds an “al fresco” option the Schroeders appreciate.

Among the historic elements the Schroeders saved during the remodel are the “R. G. Dun Quality Cigars” advertisement integrated into the lobby counter and the lobby solarium, which adds to the building’s nostalgic atmosphere. New additions

during the renovation include a new plumbing system, windows, floors, air conditioning and “much, much more.”

As time goes on, the Schroeders learn more and more about the hotel’s history. Locals say that, during prohibition in the 1920s, the basement housed a “speakeasy,” an illicit liquor store or nightclub.

The exterior of Hotel Hartington is significant to the community for its architectural merit as well as its historical value. The building’s exterior looks much the same as it did when it was built in 1917. It is said to exemplify the ideals of

America’s standard commercial hotels in the 1910s era. Viewing the building from outside, one would not grasp the beauty of the interior that’s captured in elements such as the spacious lobby, elegant dining room and services housed in the basement.

THE NORTH AMERICAN HOTEL COMPANY Hotel Hartington was built in 1917 to replace a first generation inn, the Grand Hotel, which was lost in a 1916 fire. The January 6, 1916 Cedar County News reported that “the question of a modern new hotel is already

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SPRING 2020 • 25

The ballroom, large enough to accommodate several hundred people and has been used for a wide variety of purposes.

agitating the minds of the town’s best boosters, and will no doubt be given considerable attention during the next few months.”

In the face of numerous obstacles to constructing a new hotel, including funding issues, the April 1916 proposal

by Omaha’s Bankers Realty Investment Company (BRIC) to build a $35,000 hotel if the City of Hartington would supply the land at no cost. That led to formation of a committee to arrange for acquisition of the land. By the end of May 1916, John Krause, owner of the land where the Grand Hotel had stood, sold the land to the stockholder company which had been formed.

According to historic documents, Hotel Hartington 26 • LIVING HERE

played a role in the origin of a new hotel investment company, the North American Hotel Company, a subsidiary of BRIC, the group was established in 1912, modeled after larger, successful eastern firms. BRIC brought together in one company many aspects of construction, “embodying the ideals of efficiency and thrift into a company maxim.”

In 1916, BRIC, comprised of architects, construction engineers, purchasing agents, etc., built Omaha’s Blackstone Hotel.

By July 1916 excavation of the hotel basement was underway.

The plan was to complete the hotel’s exterior by winter so interior work could take place during winter. The building’s

foundation and concrete footings were laid during the week of August 17 and plans were to have 25 bricklayers on site by the following week.

An unexpected strike by the bricklayers, who were promised 80-cents per hour by a foreman but received only 75-cents per hour, threw a wrench into the plan. As the construction company negotiated with bricklayers, local men worked on the hotel walls for several days.

The company quickly agreed to pay the extra 5 cents per hour, however the foreman involved in the dispute lost his job.

Mr. and Mrs. Gansko, who managed the Grand Hotel, were appointed in February 1917 as managers of Hotel Hartington.

Before the Ganskos could arrive to take up their new responsibilities, Hotel Hartington had to open to accommodate guests from the suddenly closed Mid-West Hotel, Hartington’s only other hotel. When Hotel Hartington sponsors learned that businessmen traveling to Hartington were sleeping at the railroad depot or staying late at local restaurants, they made arrangements to open the newly built Hotel Hartington. By March 1917, with the interior only half completed, the hotel set a record with 41 guests. Mr. Gansko also leased the old Mid-West Hotel building, using it for overflow guests.

For some locals who had speculated that Hotel Hartington was much larger than necessary, the large guest numbers quelled any further doubt about the community’s need for the new hotel.

On May 29, 1917, Hotel Hartington formally opened for business, hosting a reception that drew over 1,000 people.

Following the reception, the Ganskos invited everyone back for an evening dance. During that event, Mr. Gansko indicated to guests his desire to make the hotel dining room a traditional Sunday dinner stop for local families. He also hoped to attract those participating in the auto parties that were beginning to

hold summer tours of Cedar County at the time. Before long, his vision became reality.

With the success of Hotel Hartington, the North American Hotel Company began developing a system of hotels in 1917 in the central west. This was a relatively new idea in Nebraska at the time.

Few hotel chains had existed at all prior to 1900.

Over time, the innovative Gansko’s made improvements to the hotel’s design, setting aside two rooms as sample rooms traveling business salesmen could use to meet with customers. A stairway from the outside was constructed into the basement to allow easy access for trunks and travel cases. The basement also housed a billiards room and barbershop, both accessible from the outside.

The kitchen, deemed inadequate for food storage by the Gansko’s, was redesigned with a small addition on the rear of the building to provide for food storage and preparation.

Historic records note that Hotel Hartington is “an excellent example of a small rural community’s commercial hotel, but is even more significant for what it represented, an object of civic pride. A lively economy requires an attractive and imposing hotel for visiting businessmen to patronize, and even a slightly lagging economy

could be bolstered by a new commercial hotel that would draw businessmen into the community.”

It would seem this iconic building, and the history of perseverance, transformation and resiliency it represents in the Hartington community, is still an object of civil pride and drawing card to the surrounding region.

THE REST OF THE STORY As if the story of Hotel Hartington’s resurrection hasn’t been enough, the project brought the Schroeder family – Ben, Erin, and their sons, Charlie and Chase –to the attention of National Geographic and Glass Entertainment Company. This relationship led to development of “Heartland Docs,” a National Geographic Wild series documenting the Schroeder family’s veterinary work.

“Heartland Docs” first episodes began airing January 25, 2020.

The show’s second season will begin on National Geographic Wild on Saturday, May 30, 2020, and season three is in production.

The show has been picked up by the Disney Channel.

Follow Hotel Hartington and “Heartland Docs” on Facebook at Hotel Hartington and Docs Ben and Erin.

The Hotel will reopen soon, however food will no longer be served. l

SPRING 2020 • 27

Yesteryear

BY BRAD KELLOGG

28 • LIVING HERE

The rolling hills and river valleys of Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa are rich with history.

At a time in a distant past that we can no longer see, the great prairies of the Midwest held 170 million acres of lush prairie grass.

Native grass that had never seen a plow grew tall and waved in the breezes. It provided a home for birds, butterflies, rabbits, and grazing for elk and bison. The prairie also provided all the shelter and sustenance required for the indigenous people to live and thrive.

As is the timeless story, explorers from the east came in increasing numbers, the buffalo became few and far between.

The interlopers came faster and faster, bringing railroads, firearms, and more and more people. The newcomers also brought with them diseases that the Native Americans had never dealt with, afflictions that neither traditional herbal remedies nor the sweet smoke of white sage in the sweat lodges had any effect on. Years of strife with both other tribes and the advancing white man had an impact on the native residents.

Various wars came and went. The Winnebago or Ho-Chunk Tribe grew smaller, eventually eroding from a population high of 25,000 to about 1,370 in 1870 and their lives were changed forever.

Out of these times of both prosperity and adversity grew Winnebago tribal legends like Little Chief and Little Priest.

Warriors with names like Bad Earth, Green Thunder and Southwind.

History mostly records the exploits of the men. There were

however Winnebago women who would become as notable in their own right. They would be as strong as the men, but in different ways.

Two of these women were born on the reservation in Winnebago, Nebraska. Angel De Cora would grow up to become a well- known and respected artist and illustrator.

Lillian St. Cyr would become one of the first Native American women to star in silent movies.

De Cora was born in a traditional lodge in either 1870 or 1871 to David “Tall” Decora and Elizabeth Le Mire. Her father was the son of Chief Little Decora, one of the last great chiefs of the Winnebago Tribe. Over time the spelling of the name gradually changed to De Cora. Her childhood was typical of the times, although being the granddaughter of a chief, and daughter of a future chief allowed her certain levels of training in tribal customs.

She listened every evening to her father and grandfather talk to her about Winnebago history and customs as well as what was expected of a woman of heritage within the tribe. She listened well, and acquired the manners of a respectful young lady.

Her parents heard the counsel of a cousin, Julia St. Cyr, on behalf of the Hampton Institute in Virginia. St. Cyr had been educated at Hampton and convinced them that the tribe’s way of life was changing, and that a child of Angel’s intelligence needed to be taught in an eastern school and come back an educated woman who would help lead the Winnebago into the future.

Strangely, her parents didn’t tell

De Cora of the plans but simply told her she was going on a train ride with several other children.

Angel spent the next three years at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The Institute enrolled small groups of Indian children, both boys and girls, as they believed that that “without educated women there can be no civilization.” The first thing taught was English, as most of the children did not speak it.

Hampton constantly emphasized training for leadership and service, inspiring the humblest of its children to go back and “help their people toward the light.”

The Native American children from Nebraska were at first an oddity to the rest of the students, a subject of curiosity. They had many questions about what the “west” was like, if everyone wore war paint or, did they bring their bows and arrows with them?

She was asked how they got to Hampton, and Angel would

Angel DeCora relaxing at home and reading a book. Undated photo, with permission of the Delaware Art Museum.

SPRING 2020 • 29

Angel DeCora working at her easel in this undated photo. Photo with permission of the Delaware Art Museum

half-jokingly tell them that they had been “caught wild on the reservation”. She was asked repeatedly why she was called “Angel” and did she think she was one? She patiently explained that no, she didn’t think she was an angel, but her Winnebago name was Hinook-Mahiwi-Kilinaka, which roughly translated into “Woman in the Clouds of Glory,” or “Angel.”

It was here Angel De Cora lived and learned with no contact with her family as they had no way to communicate. The Bureau of Indian Affairs regulations of that era mandated that all children were to be returned to their homes after three years. She and her friends that had made the trip east were put back on a train and returned to Sioux City.

She looked forward to seeing her 30 • LIVING HERE

family again, but found that tribal fortunes were vastly different than when she left. The Winnebago were decimated by tuberculosis and other disease, alcoholism was rampant, and there was a general malaise. Angel’s mother said to her, “at least one of my children had a chance to get off the reservation.” The home was full of family so Angel went to live with her grandmother. In a few months Hampton invited her to return to the school, and she gladly accepted.

Angel received her diploma from Hampton. During her time there she was befriended by New England born nurse and teacher Cora Folsom. Folsom recognized that her pupil had a lot of talent and named her one of three students who best represented Hampton’s principles and became

her benefactor. With Folsom’s recommendation and financial assistance Angel enrolled at Miss Mary Burnham’s Preparatory School for Girls in Northampton, Massachusetts. Angel discovered she did not like it there and described the people as cold and aloof. She did very much like her host family, William and Gertrude Clapp. They were childless, and Angel started to think of them as her second family, and they were quite fond of her. In a few months she left for the School of Art at nearby Smith College. Here she studied under well-known artist, Dwight William Tryon, who taught her not only the basics, but also to find her own way of expression, and “paint what you see in your heart.”

In her heart was her childhood.

She painted memories. Memories of Indian girls dancing in blurred effects of smoke and fire, illuminated by the moon, and rising and setting suns over mystical teepees. One of her paintings “Dancing Girls” appeared in an 1899 issue of Harpers New Monthly titled “Gray Wolf ’s Daughter”. At the same time, she continued to study landscapes, still life and portraits.

Smith College honored two students a year, recognizing those designated as “most likely to be an important artist.” Angel De Cora was one of those students.

Harpers selected Angel’s painting “Sick Child” as a full-page illustration in a feature article.

Her desire was to learn more about making illustrations. It was expensive to put photographs in magazines so the demand for illustrators was strong. She

already knew how to paint, and was learning to use contrasts and color in illustrations. Her natural talent and instincts, made that come easily.

De Cora would continue on to study at two more schools in Boston, perfecting her skills at each, and in 1902 opened her own studio in New York City.

Her talents were in demand; the magazines wanted her work in their publications. In the following years she illustrated for periodicals such as Wigwam Stories, Harpers and the Indian Books, as well as many other magazines and newspapers. It was here she met William Henry Dietz. They would stay in touch, but didn’t spend any significant time together until 1906 when she was hired to become the instructor of Native American art at the Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Carlisle would become the most famous Native American school in the world, with over 12,000 students from 140 tribes receiving their education there. De Cora and Dietz found each other again there and started their courtship and eventual marriage.

They started illustrating together and collaborated on several publications including a book called “The Little Buffalo Robe” written by Lyons, Nebraska author Ruth Everett Beck. De Cora created the cover and flyleaf artwork for the acclaimed “The Middle Five” written by Francis La Flesche of Macy, Nebraska.

De Cora wanted to concentrate on her artistic career, while Dietz wanted to peruse his football dream. He had played football at

Angel DeCora undated.

Photo with permission of the Delaware Art Museum.

Carlisle alongside the legendary Jim Thorp, and believed he could have a spectacular career in coaching.

Their paths took them in different directions around the country, and the strain of being apart for long periods of time took its toll. They divorced in 1918.

Partially due to that stress, De Cora developed a cold and then pneumonia. She died from that infection on February 6, 1919 at the age of 48. Her immediate family in Nebraska predeceased

her and there was no one to claim her remains.

Her long-time friend Gertrude Clapp had her buried in the Clapp family plot, Northampton, Massachusetts. Her grave is unmarked.

De Cora’s life and works are honored in Winnebago, Nebraska in the Angel De Cora Museum, on the grounds of the Little Priest Tribal College.

Lillian St. Cyr was Angel De Cora’s cousin and younger by fourteen years. St. Cyr’s parents SPRING 2020 • 31

Red Wing & Young Deer on the set of an un-named movie in 1910. Photo with permission of the MARCWANAMAKERBISON FILM ARCHIVES.

were well respected within the tribe but both died and left her orphaned at the age of four. Julia St. Cyr, her elder sister who had sponsored their cousin De Cora to Hampton, made arrangements for her little sister to attend boarding school. When Lillian was old enough, she was granted a spot at Hampton, as her older sibling was an admired Hampton graduate.

During an excursion into New York, St. Cyr met and became friends with Anna Long, the daughter of Chester Long, U.S. Senator from Kansas and was invited to summer with them in Washington D.C. and act as their housekeeper. They showed her a world far different from what she knew, took her to plays and concerts and even gave her music lessons. With her natural smile and vivacious personality, she was liked by all and soon 32 • LIVING HERE

started participating in the theater.

She was acting in a four-part play called “The Squaw Man” under the pseudonym of “Red Wing”, which happened to be attended by soon to be legendary producer Cecil B. DeMille and a man named Samuel Goldwyn.

Goldwyn would eventually become one of the founders of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, (M.G.M.) the movie production company and Casino Empire. DeMille and Goldwyn wanted to get into the fledgling silent movie business and decided to start with a production based on the play they had seen St. Cyr perform in. They shot it in an authentic location in the California and kept the title “The Squaw Man” with St. Cyr in what would become the first silent movie with a Native American woman in a starring role.

With the success of that first

movie, Red Wing was cast in several others, including costarring with Tom Mix in “The Days of the Thundering Herd”.

Red Wing would perform in over 70 films in the next several years such as “Silver Moon’s Rescue”, “The Bear Hunters” and “An Indian’s Honor.” She met and married a young man named James Johnson, who preferred to be known as Young Deer. They played together in several movies and then formed a production company of their own they named West Coast Studios. Their studio churned out any number of low budget and unremarkable films until it was hired by a larger company to produce a hit serial called “The Perils of Pauline.”

The future looked bright for the couple. In time however, St. Cyr came to see that her husband had a darker side. In the course of

Red Wing & Young Deer with the cast of an un-named movie. Undated. Photo with permission of the MARCWANAMAKERBISON FILM ARCHIVES.

making films, he always insisted on scenes being as realistic as possible. During the making of “General Scott’s PROTÉGÉ” a rider was supposed to fall off a horse just before the horse fell over a cliff. With no regard for the horse, Young Deer had the animal hobbled and forced over the edge of cliff to its death for the camera.

The Humane Society forced charges and fines were paid. He had also developed a taste for the night life and young actresses. The pair grew apart and separated in 1915 although it is unclear if they ever divorced.

St. Cyr continued to make silent movies with other producers for a couple of years, but was unable to make the transition to “talkies.” She moved back to Winnebago in 1917 and performed briefly in vaudeville acts. In whatever form acting

took, it was in her blood. She traveled across the country appearing in wild west shows, plays, and giving lectures about Native American culture until she retired in New York City.

There she lived a quiet life making native dresses, war bonnets and beadwork, much of which was sent back to Winnebago to be sold to tourists. St. Cyr did make one trip back to California in 1951.

She stood between two elderly gentlemen, Cecil B. DeMille and Samuel Goldwyn, and proudly watched as a plaque was installed near her old studio. It marked the “Birthplace of Motion Pictures,” and read “Where Princess Redwing performed her part with exquisite fidelity and great depth of feeling.”

St. Cyr died in 1974 at the age of 90. Her remains were cremated and returned to Winnebago,

where she is interred at St. Augustine Cemetery.

Angel DeCora and Lillian St. Cyr were only two of the women of the Winnebago tribe who were able to shake off the chains of the reservation. DeCora became a champion of the Native American culture, a creative teacher and artist. Lillian St. Cyr, from an orphan the age of four, to a star of the silver screen. Efforts are currently underway for a star in her honor on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Author’s note: If you should happen to research Lillian St. Cyr, you may also find Lili St. Cyr, who was a topless burlesque dancer.

They are not the same person. l

SPRING 2020 • 33

The people of Lynch are a

special breed --- they look out for each other. Over the years their motto has been Nebraska Strong/ Community Strong. The Lynn Theatre is truly a community affair and an excellent example of a community banding together to keep their theater. In a small town, it’s reassuring to know that the next movie will not be its last, thanks to the generosity and 34 • LIVING HERE

devotion of the townspeople.

Lynch has a long history of being involved with movies before the digital movies arrived on the scene. The Lynch business district has been associated with movie theatres almost since the inception of the motion picture industry. It’s estimated that movies began in Lynch about 1911. Lost in history is the name of the first owner and business. Lynch’s oral history reveals the first movies

were projected on the outside wall of Rysavy’s “Big Store”, reputed to carry all the merchandise and food that any one could want or need. It is known that silent movies were shown in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I. O. O. F) hall sometime after 1911 by Floyd Woolf with musician Ray Keeler playing the piano during the silent movies.

Throughout the years, ownership of the theatre

Lynn Theatre Lynch, NE

BY MARITA PLACEK

Cars are Chevys models 1955, 1956 and 1957, Picture was taken in June of 2017 by Joe Micanek, Lynch continued to change. A news item in the Lynch Herald dated July 6, 1917 informed the public that L. F. Bailey had purchased the movie equipment from Anton Wasatko and leased the IOOF lodge hall to show the movies. Bailey also named the theatre the “Velda”. In 1920 Richard Keller became the new owner of the Velda Theatre.

Developments in the theatre continue to reflect changes in the movie industry as they

shifted from silent movies to sound movies. Harold Micanek remembered watching the first sound movie, “Wings”, at the Velda Theatre in 1927. The only sound in the movie was from the flying airplanes.

A news item in the July 21,1932 Lynch paper invited Lynch residents to attend the free picture shows on Wednesday nights at the Velda Theatre for the next ten weeks, compliments of the

Lynch businessmen who had an agreedment with Floyd Wolfe to purchase and show interesting silent movies to the public on Wednesday nights.

As the theatre business advanced through the years, talking movies slowly and gradually took over the movie industry. Some of the more popular silent movies being shown during the late 1920s into the late 1930’s included: Moon of Israel by Sir. H. Rider Haggard; SPRING 2020 • 35

Omaha. Carroll continues “ He set up the movie equipment and built living quarters for us in the back of the hall. The bedrooms were behind the movie screen and the living quarters were below the bedrooms and closer to the furnace. Once the work was all done, dad and Eddie came to Glenwood and moved the family to Lynch.”

The Fleming’s daughter, Dollie Burgin, of Harlan, Iowa, also shared many memories of how her family participated in the theatre and how her father made improvements. “Dad was real creative, When the hot days of summer were upon us, he devised an air conditioning system with Lynch Theatre owned and operated by Gerald and Pearle Fleming running water over cinders to cool 1947 – 1950 Photo from Dolly Burgin the theatre.”

Broadway Melody, The Bohemian equipment could be a dangerous Two Guys From Milwaukee was Girl, Wife vs. Secretary, Boys endeavor like the night he had the movie shown the night of the Town and Never Say Died starring the misfortunate of catching and grand opening of the Flemings Martha Raye and Bob Hope. losing the tip of his finger in the Lynch Theatre on March 13, 1947, Changes in the ownership of movie reel. Despite this very a few days after Dolly’s birthday. the theatre continued through the painful experience, the wound Movies were a family affair, years. The May 21, 1936, edition eventually healed. It is not known everyone had a job. Everyone, of the Lynch Herald Enterprise whether this painful experience except Dolly who was too young, reported that the Velda theatre helped influence his decision or learned to run the projector, was now being managed by J. W. not, to sell the Lynch Theatre to Siblings Ellen and Colleen, ran the Blair and his son, an arrangement Gerald and Pearle Fleming of projector, Carroll and Dolly made that apparently did not last very Glenwood, Iowa. and sold the popcorn for a dime long, as the June 4th , 1937, The couple’s son, Carroll, now and candy bars for a nickel, Pearl issue, offering no explanation, living in Kansas City, has many sold tickets, which Dolly collected. announced that Don Stewart and fond memories of the years they Three different movies were Gerry Keller were now partners lived in Lynch and operated the shown every week, a musical on of the Velda. Headlines in April, theatre. He says, “Dad came to Sunday and Monday, a comedy showed that Floyd Wolfe was Lynch by himself in January 1947 on Tuesday and Wednesday and a now the new and sole owner of with all new equipment - chairs, western on Thursday, Friday and the Velda theatre and had also movie screen, projector, and other Saturday. The movie was shown renamed the name of the theatre things needed for the theatre – all twice each night, preceded by a to the Lynch Theatre. purchased in Omaha. He hired cartoon and news reel. Childrens For the next eight years Wolfe Eddie Mulhair, a trucker from tickets were 10 cents and adults 25 owned and operated the Lynch Lynch, to deliver all the equipment cents.

Theatre and at times discovering to the IOOF hall on his return trip Wednesday night was ‘buck that operating the movie to Lynch from the stockyards in night’. People dropped their names 36 • LIVING HERE

into a glass container and if their name was drawn, they received a silver dollar, but you had to be there to get the prize.

Gerald and Pearl made weekly trips to Omaha to book movies for the next week. During the 1948-1949 blizzards, roads were blocked, which made it impossible for the Flemings to go to Omaha.

However, the blocked roads did not stopped Sid Woolf, a pilot from Lynch, who loved flying and didn’t need much of an excuse to fly, bravely made the trips to Omaha to pick up the new movies and return the ones already shown.

The Flemings sold the Lynch Theatre to Don and Ardith Johnson and bought a theatre in Dunlap, Iowa, in August, 1950.

The Johnsons continued showing movies in the I. O. O. F. hall, while starting construction of the present Quonset that is still in operation today across the street from the old theatre.

This new building also received a new name -the Lynn Theatre.

The completion of the new Lynn theatre signaled an end to a thirtyseven year span of memorable movies shown in the Lynch Theatre at the I. O. O. F. Hall and the beginning of a new movie era.

The interior of the new building held an 11 ½ by 20 foot movie screen, a sloping floor, padded seats for 224 patrons, a completely stocked snack bar, including the popcorn popper that is still in use today, a fountain pop machine, and an modern ladies’ rest room.

Johnson also added a sound proof “cry room” with plate glass window and a separate speaker as a solution to the problem of

Lynn Theatre 1967 Note the glass block doors, later replaced.

Photo by Joe Micanek

crying youngsters.

Everything was ready for the grand opening of the Lynn Theatre, which was set for Sunday, June 13, 1954. Janice Crawford Kjesbo, Geri Courtney Frahm, Veronia McDonald, and Katie McDonald Stickles, all young ladies from Lynch were hired.

Wearing their new uniforms made for the occasion, consisting of a gold top and skirt, trimmed with brown braid and a brown sash with the words, “Lynn Theatre”, they were ready to greet the public! On the nights the employees worked, they were entitled to a soda pop and popcorn or a candy bar.

The young workers have vivid memories of the grand opening of the Lynn Theatre. Tours of the

theatre were given to the public from 1:00 to 4:00 and several movie shorts were shown. At 7:30 a packed crowd settled down to watch The Untamed Heiress, the first full length movie to be shown, and were soon disappointed.

Mother Nature had to add her two cents worth by whipping up a powerful storm causing a power failure. The audience returned the next night to see the rest of the movie.

The employees enjoyed sharing their memories of working with the Johnsons over the years, saying, “They were good to us.

Always doing things for us and when Don went to Omaha on business, he would take a couple of us along and leave us to our own devices while he took care of SPRING 2020 • 37

Left: Anna & the King of Siam show bill (no date) Right: Tarzan show bill April 1946

business.”

Janice Crawford Kjesbo also recalls her days of working at the Lynn. “I started by taking tickets when I was ten years old. My mom made my uniform. Later I became an usher and worked in the concession stand during my four years of high school. Don fired me because I would check out early on Saturday nights to go to the dance.” Then she added with a smile, “The next week he hired me back.”

Katie McDonald Stickles was in the 4th grade when she started taking tickets. “I learned to swim by watching the Esther Williams swimming and diving movies.”

Later, she took swimming classes at the University and passed 38 • LIVING HERE

the swimming and lifesaving tests without having to take any lessons. Geri Courtney also had memories about working at the theatre. “My sister, Glena, and I started working in the Lynn as ushers and worked our way up to ticket takers, selling popcorn, and selling tickets.”

On October 1, 1965, the theatre again changed hands when Leroy and Fern Nyquist, operators of the Boyd Theatre in nearby Spencer, purchased the Lynn Theatre from the Johnsons. The Nyquists operated both theatres until 1974.

Lost in the pages of time, for some unknown reason, it is a mystery why Nyquists closed the theatre and a bigger mystery as to why a local farmer bought the building

with no intentions of operating the theatre.

The theatre stood empty until Don Johnson repurchased the building a year later and resumed operation of the Lynn Theatre. In 1978, some repair and remodeling work, primarily to the lobby area and the doors was done. Completed in 1954, the architecture of the historic theatre was unique and in keeping with what became known as the “Populux Era”. The stucco Quonset building’s original “Lynn” pink neon sign was refurbished and the old time flavor was retained with padded seats, a concession stand selling popcorn from the original popcorn maker and fountain soda pop. The movie, Animal House,

was the first movie shown after remodeling and opening the theatre.

Don and Ardith continued to operate the Lynn through the 1970’s and 80’s. Through the many years of operation, the theatre has provided work for both youth and adults. Russell Moffett was perhaps the longest time projection operator.

The Johnson’s reluctantly closed the doors of the Lynn in 1991 when many of the “Small Town” theatres were being forced to close their doors due to a decreasing population and the coming of the new “Multiplex” theatres that were being built in larger cities.

Lynch residents were heartbroken to see their beloved Lynn Theatre looking so lonesome standing empty. It didn’t take long for the Lynch community to realize just how much the loss of the theatre’s entertainment and job opportunites was affecting the town. They agreed they had to find a way to once again open the theatre. A meeting between the townspeople, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and the North Central Resource and Conservation District to explore ways to reopen the theatre was held.

Two years later, the Lynn Theatre was opened by a group of volunteers on July 16, 1993. Initial funding for the reopening of the threatre was spearheaded by the Richard Nielsen family of Lynch, who then purchased the building.

Donations from the Lynch Centennial Committee, Modern Woodmen of America, and many individuals helped provide the

necessary funding for opening the theatre. The Lynch Community Theatre Organization was formed to oversee operation of the theatre.

Tami Heiser, Lynch, was and still is the person in charge of ordering the movies and managing the financial affairs.

In addition to raising funds to purchase the theatre, employees would be needed to operate the Lynn. Rather than hiring workers, it was decided that the theatre would be staffed by volunteers, many of them continue working at the theatre. Volunteers would sell tickets, operate the projector, work in the concession stand and clean the theatre. Their pay the night they work was watching the movie, a box of popcorn and paper cup of fountain pop.

By operating the theatre with all volunteer help the theatre has been able to keep prices low enough so entire families could afford going to the movies. The theatre’s purpose was not to make money, but to give something to the community. All money is used for improvements and repairs. In 1993, ticket prices were a steal $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for students and $1.00 for children. Popcorn,

candy and soft drinks ranged in price from a quarter to a dollar fifty.

The Last Action Hero was the first movie shown at the grand opening of the “new” Lynn Theatre on July 16, 1993.The theatre was in operation through the rest of the 1990’s. The Lynn celebrated its 5th anniversary on July 12, 1998, with the PG13 movie, The Horse Whisperer, starring Robert Redford, and its 10th anniversary the weekend of July 17, 2003, with the movie, Holes and giving everyone a chance to “Spin the Wheel” for a prize that night.

Many of the traditions started in 1993 continue to this day.

Movie goers get to help pick the movies they would like to see by selecting six movies on the list at the ticket counter. Tami collects and totals all the sheets and orders the top six movies. Many of the movies are fairly new releases.

The volunteer theatre has been so successful that many phone calls have been received from other communities in Nebraska and South Dakota asking for information on how they can open and operate their local theatres.

Enjoying the movie. Photo by Joe Micanek

SPRING 2020 • 39

Over the years when repairs or improvements were needed for the theatre, benefits, smograsbords, and suppers were held and often funds up to $2500. were matched by the Modern Woodmen Insurance Company.

At no time, has the theatre ever received government grants or money for improvements and updates. One of the outstanding benefits occurred on a Saturday night in March of 2007 to raise money for a badly needed furnace and ice machine. Although it was not a very nice night to be out, little five-year-old Logan, and his parents, Mark and Julie Reynolds, of Niobrara, arrived and Logan personally delivered a jar containing over $600 he had collected on his own for the theatre! Because he liked coming to the shows, he wanted to do something to help raise money.

He started by empting his piggy bank and then talked his parents into driving around Niobrara and Verdigre so he could collect more money to donate.

By the year 2011, it was getting harder and harder to book 35 mm movies. The movie companies were producing more digital movies and phasing out the 35mm films, which had been shown at the Lynch theatres over the past century. Digital movies were cheaper to make than 35 mm forcing theaters to install digital equipment or close their doors.

The Lynn Theatre Committee held a public meeting in midMarch 2012 to explore their options for the future of the Lynn Theatre. At that time Lynch’s population numbered 250. By an overwhelming show of hands the 40 • LIVING HERE

forty-eight people in attendance voted to raise the money and to purchase both digital and 3D equipment. Research showed a minimum amount of $70,000 would be needed, but to be on the safe side, it was decided to set the goal at $85,000 or more, in case of unforeseen expenses. That figure worried people, who feared that by the time that much money was raised, the theatre would be closed. What happened next is something that no one expected!

Shocked and excited, the audience

Photo by Joe Micanek

received a wonderful surprise – three individuals started the fundraiser by each presenting a check for $500.00!

What a beginning!! Word of the fundraising spread like wildfire and funds flowed in from movie supporters, individuals and organizations. Within the first 16

hours $14,000 dollars was raised which showed people just how obtainable the goal really was, especially when they worked together.

Once again Lynch’s long standing tradition of raising funds was called into play.

Residents, friends and neighbors from the surrounding area and towns turned out for the freewill donation spaghetti supper and silent auction at the Lynch Public school gym and cafeteria on Saturday, May 19, 2012 to raise needed funds. By the end of the evening, the amount of funds raised put the total to well over $100,000! Amazingly, they had more than accomplished their goal in TWO MONTHS and FOUR DAYS!! They were over the first big hurtle! The digital and 3D equipment was ordered immediately.

On Sunday, July 8, 2012, “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”, was the final 35mm film, ever to be shown in the Lynn theatre. Joe Micanek, Lynch, had the honor of winding the final 35mm reel off the platter. The very next day, all of the old equipment was removed from the projection room to make room for the brand new RealD 3D digital projector to be installed by Randy Haberthur from Midwest Cinema Service, Des Moines, Iowa. On Friday evening, July 13, 2012, Men In Black 3, in 3D was the first digital movie to be shown in Lynch.

Some of the extra funds were used inside the building for a new surround sound system, and remodeling the concession stand, which offers pop, candy, and popcorn from the original Model

Joe Micanek rolling up the last 35mm reel of film to be shown at the Lynn Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Joe Micanek

44 Aristocrat popcorn machine.

They also put in new carpeting, installed reclining, rocking seats with cup holders, and even left space for a wheelchair. Closed captioning and assistive listening systems for the hearing impaired were donated by the Bristow Lions Club.

Prices have not increased much over the years - adults are $5, students through 12th grade, $3, and children under 3 are free. A dollar is added to the ticket price when a 3D movie is shown. At the concession stand popcorn is still made in the old Model 44 Aristocrat popcorn machine, the kind used when movies were a quarter and popcorn actually tasted good. The popcorn is made the old-fashioned way with coconut oil and is served in boxes, not thin paper bags. Switching from fountain pop to bottled pop

Randy Haberthur of Midwest Cinema Services installing and the brand new RealD 3D digital projector. Photo courtesy of Joe Micanek

and water was the only major change made in the concession stand.

The Lynn Theatre is truly a community affair. It has been operated by volunteers from Lynch and surrounding communities since it reopened in July of 1993. One movie is shown at 8 o’clock on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings during the summer months and Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights with a 2 P. M. Sunday afternoon matinee during the winter months.

The Lynn theatre has endured good and bad times over the past hundred years. Through the hard times the theatre survived two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Korean Conflict, floods, tornadoes, Desert Storm, the Bomb Cyclone that hit in 2019, and the coronavirus. Good

times over the years have included joyful occasions of first dates, first kisses, and budding friendships, including a marriage proposal and a wedding ceremony. Nothing, including the corona19 virus will prevent The Lynn from celebrating its 66th anniversary in the summer of 2020.

If people think that going to one of those large multi-screen theatres is a real treat, they should take in a movie in Lynch instead.

They won’t just be seeing a movie, they’ll be witnessing a community in action.

l

SPRING 2020 • 41

Dreaming of Horses

BY ALEXANDRA MCCLANAHAN

Rudy Borntrager sits in his

family’s typically spacious Amish kitchen as his wife Lena shells pecans from Arkansas. One of his daughters uses a pattern to cut out material to make a shirt. Leaning back in his chair, wearing the handmade simple medium and dark blue clothing of his community topped with a dark knitted watchcap, he looks at his interviewer with his intense blue eyes and mentally returns to his childhood in Bowling Green, MO, where he grew up on a dairy farm.

Borntrager said he was born with horses. His earliest memories are of horses on the farm, horses his father used in farming and for transportation and horses brought on to the farm for training.

Borntrager said he loved horses so much he knew he would spend his life shoeing horses, raising horses, and training horses.

“When I was a little boy farming with my dad, he had draft horses,” he said. “But they were every size, shape, and color.” He noted that a team in the field might have a dark horse, a sorrel and maybe even a buckskin. Seeing those horses as a child, a dream formed in his young mind. “My dream was to plow with a team of all black horses.”

His father did carpentry work to earn extra money, and sometimes he insisted his son Rudy come along to assist him. The younger Borntrager hated going along to do any work that was not related to horses.

He was 15 when he finally achieved his dream of driving a

42 • LIVING HERE

team of all black horses. As a young man, he decided he wanted his work with horses to be from his home so that his family would always be together. The business he eventually developed as an adult is many faceted. His first horse training business was in his childhood home of Bowling Green, MO. He then moved to Pawnee City, NE, and in 2017 to Orchard, NE. He trains saddle horses for rodeos, working with cattle and pleasure riding. He also trains several different breeds of draft horses for driving as a team, field work and riding.

The family also travels annually to a Wyoming ranch every June.

Borntrager said it’s a wonderful working vacation where they are paid to help with calf branding. He said his three daughters and son still at home all rope and drag calves like the rest of the cowboys.

Borntrager’s clients are pleased with the training done by him and members of his family. They are also loyal. One woman who has been a client for 12 years drives 14 hours from Sainte Genevieve, MO, to bring her Brabant draft horses to Borntrager.

Rebecca Coburn, from O’Neill, is one of Borntrager’s newer clients.

Coburn, who with her husband operates Coburn Trucking, Springcreek Cattle and J&D Feeders north and west of O’Neill, said she has been around horses all her life.

She and her husband Joseph (Jake), who participates in rodeos, were at a horse sale in Corsica, S.D., when they first saw Borntrager and some of his children at work. They were

Borntrager’s young Percherons are curious and friendly.

Photo by Alexandra McClanahan

SPRING 2020 • 43

The Schoneberg family poses during the sale of a yearling quarterhorse at Legacy Sale in Aubrey, Texas.

Photo by John Schoneberg impressed. After asking friends getting a horse to the point where 40 times. With other trainers, the about him, she decided to take a it does not spook around cattle is number of times the horse is ridden 3-year-old colt named Hoot to him. challenging. in that timeframe is more like 15.

“I took my colt to him at the end John Schoneberg lives in Sutton Schoneberg said he recommends of February,” she said. “It took about in southcentral Nebraska. A retired Borntrager to anyone who asks. “It’s two months.” She is very happy educator, he raises quarter horses a good service that he provides. The with the training her colt received, for a special niche market of horses are taught what they need to especially compared to the results Hispanic buyers who appreciate the know,” he said. from other trainers they have bloodlines of his horses. Schoneberg And he noted the fact that he used in the past. “The colt is doing is originally from Lewellen and is willing to drive 140 miles from fantastic. I’ve never had a colt broke grew up around ranches and horses. Sutton to Orchard is an indication of this well. He doesn’t spook.”

At any given time, Schoneberg has his loyalty to Borntrager.

For Coburn, this is just the about 20 to 40 quarter horses.

Luann Miller is a nurse beginning. She and her husband The horses Schoneberg sells go practitioner from Sainte Genevieve, plan to get their five children, throughout the United States and MO, who raises Brabant draft horses ranging in age from 4 to 15, into Mexico. as a hobby and also as a part-time rodeo. The family has about 15 Schoneberg’s first association with business. Because her medical work horses and plans to use Borntrager Borntrager came when he hired is demanding, she does not have to train more of them in the future. him as a ferrier. He heard about time to train her horses. She has Since the couple are busy with him through word of mouth. Over been using Rudy for training for 12 their work of raising cattle, hauling time, he became impressed with years. Even though it’s a 14-hour ethanol byproducts and operating Borntrager’s operation. drive to get to him, for her, it’s worth a feedlot, they have little time to “You get your money’s worth, and it. train horses themselves. Coburn is that doesn’t always happen with She has Borntrager train her particularly happy with Borntrager’s trainers,” he said. He explained that horses for driving in a team and methods. “Rudy is gentle and good if he has a horse at Borntrager’s also for riding. Borntrager does with animals,” she said, noting that for 30 days, it is probably ridden such a good job that Miller felt safe

44 • LIVING HERE

allowing her 93-year-old uncle from Elgin to drive a team of 2-year-olds in a parade.

She got started with Borntrager back when he still lived in Bowling Green, MO. She had seen him at horse sales. After watching him with horses, she decided to give him a try.

Miller said when her horses return from Borntrager, “they come back fat and sassy.” She added that she is particularly happy that Borntrager’s children participate in the business so that the horses become familiar with children. “The whole family works at it. There are no whips. They train them with their voices.”

Miller also said she is impressed Borntrager does not train team horses with blinders. She explained Borntrager even uses the horses he is training to haul manure, which flies all over the place. Since the horses can see everything, they gradually realize they are still safe and eventually are less apt to spook.

Miller particularly liked

Borntrager’s son Jake, who did a lot of the training of quarter horses.

She joked that “he could train a cow horse to do backflips.”

Jake has since gotten married and moved to Colorado. Son Willie has taken over saddle horse training.

Miller, who began riding when she was 3 years old, is 63 today.

Her entire life has revolved around horses. Her medical career is also important to her. The work is demanding, and many people depend on her, so it is critical for her to stay safe.

“I would trust Rudy with my life, and I do because I hand him my horses and say train them so I don’t get hurt,” she said. “When the horses come back from Rudy they are confident. They know they are loved. They are not afraid of dogs or equipment.”

And then there is the raising of Percherons, black Percherons.

Borntrager’s great uncles raised Percherons, one of the four main

breeds of draft horses. The others are Clydesdales, Shires, and Belgians.

Borntrager has worked with all of them throughout his life, as well as many of the sub-types. But for him, the special horses are the Percherons, with their elegant racehorse looks, their strong spirit, their intelligence and their agility.

Percherons are believed to have originated in the Le Perce, a French province about 50 miles southwest of Paris, according to the Percheron Horse Association of America, which calls the horse “the do-all draft horse.”

To raise Percherons, Borntrager buys mostly stud colts. He says he and his family geld the colt, and after they are gelded, they are generally calm and even tempered. They are never moody the way mares can be, he said. He usually buys four or five a year from all over the country, as well as from as far away as Nova Scotia. He keeps them for three years, which incudes a lot of

The Borntragers designed and built their own calf roping dummy for training quarter horses.

Photo by Alexandra McClanahan

SPRING 2020 • 45

Elgin parade where her 93-year-old uncle drove her 2-year-old horses trained by Borntrager.

Photo by Luann Miller training. Then, they are sold.

But he noted that there is a lot of horses are now owned by a company Borntrager explained that there overhead cost that includes feed, called Young Living Essential Oils. are horse enthusiasts who want a maintaining the outbuildings, travel The $43,000 horse, East View Spirit, beautiful team of superbly trained costs and others. has won many honors since the horses to drive. One of the colts Borntrager’s partner in the company purchased him, including he raised and then sold brought Percheron side of the business is being named World Champion of in the most ever paid at public Dale Hochstetler of Middlebury, all draft horses in 2019 in Oklahoma auction for a draft gelding of any Ind. Hochstetler is also Amish. Like City. breed. The horse, Mapleview King, Borntrager, Hochstetler and his wife Both Borntrager and Hochstetler sold for $86,000 in 2018, $18,500 Sara and their six children work are happy with the partnership. more than the previous top horse, together in several different business Hochstetler is an expert in training which went for $67,500 two years endeavors. Hochstetler works in the horses for a sale. Borntrager, on the prior. (The record has since been Jayco Recreational Vehicle company, other hand, has more pasture land broken.) Another horse, Anderson’s raises ducks on the family’s 45-acre for raising the colts when they are Lennon had been named grand farm and also trains horses. younger. champion at the Ohio, Indiana and Three years ago, Hochstetler heard “We talk on the phone a couple Iowa State Fairs. He was also named about Borntrager’s Percherons from a times a week,” Hochstetler said. grand champion foal at the World friends. He called Borntrager and “We’re always thinking of good Percheron Show in Des Moines in offered to buy some, but he was prospects.”

2018. told none were for sale. But since Percherons are called gentle giants.

Borntrager calls Mapleview King Borntrager knew of Hochstetler’s The black gentle giants found a a once in a lifetime experience. reputation in getting horses place in Borntrager’s heart. They And while the amount of money ready for sale, he offered to work eventually led him to a way of life, a the horse brought seems stunning, together prior to the major national good living, and most importantly, Borntrager said what he does Percheron sale in Gordyville, Ill. the realization of a lifetime dream. keeps his family solvent and even That was the beginning of the comfortable, especially considering partnership. One of the colts l that as Amish people their purchases Borntrager sent was Mapleview are relatively modest compared King. Another of the colts that year to their non-Amish counterparts. brought in $43,000. Both of those

46 • LIVING HERE

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