The Colfax County Press publishes a weekly column entitled Peeking into the Past, which is comprised of articles taken from earlier Colfax County Press files, written by Helen C. Evans. A special thank you to the Colfax County Press for allowing me to reprint those articles and Claudia Schuster for transcribing them! The following are selections from that column:
May 4, 1909 - reprinted December 2, 1987John F. Swoboda has retired fmm the saloon business yesterday having been his last day. His successors are Vaclav and Anton Prazak. The saloon is closed for the present but will be open for business some time the coming week. Mr. Swoboda will devote his time to looking after the milling and grain business in which he recently purchased an interest.
Joseph Blecha returned home last week from Lincoln where he has been attending the agricultural school connected with our state university.
John F. Swoboda proposes to give his friends and the people of Clarkson and vicinity in general a free dance and good time at his old hall on Saturday evening, May 15.
Bohumil Bukacek, Joseph Fillipi, Will Karel, Louis Roether, Vlasta Telecky and Ida Dusatko constitute the graduating class of the Clarkson schools this year.
Yesterday George Anderson sold a lot owned by him in the west part of town to Frank Benes and also entered into a contract with him to put up a residence on the same at once.
Miss Theresa Tooher returned fmm Schuyler last Tuesday evening and on the following day resumed her work in the school room after an absence of almost a week. Although still unable to use her left arm, the injured member is getting along as well as could be expected.
Jos. R. Vitek went to Tripp county, S.D., last Thursday to file on a claim there, having drawn one in the rent opening. He saw nothing that looked good to him and like hundreds of others, returned home without filing. When asked his opinion of the country he handed us the following clippng from the Arlington, South Dakota, Sun, which he said expressed it: "One of the biggest grafts ever permitted in this country is now being run by the government down in Tripp County.
The government is running a holdup game and is wringing money out of prospective settlers in a way that would land a private individual in the penitentiary if he attempted it for a minute. The lottery system of allottng lands is probably necessary, but the mulcting of all who come to try to file on land is not. Before a man can even go out and search for a quarter section he must deposit $260. If he fails to find a piece of land that he thinks worth having his $260 is gone.
The system is wrong and is not in accordance with the principles of American fairness.
May 11, 1909 - reprinted December 30, 1987Yesterday Joseph Baumert sold the old Louis Sutter place of 80 acres, two and a half miles northeast of town, to Vaclav Rehak for an even $100 per acre. The land adjoins Mr. Rehaks home place. Mr. Baumert had owned the farm for two years and sold it for $12.50 per acre more than he paid. The sale was made through J.M. Mundil of this place and Henry Wragge of Howells.
At a meeting of the village board held on last Friday evening a saloon was granted to Prazak Bros., and on the following morning the boys commenced business in the building formerly occupied by John F. Swoboda. Prior to the day of opening they had the interior of the building repapered and repainted.
At eleven o’clock this morning fire was discovered in a chicken house in the rear of the Frank Wolf residene. A heavy gale was blowing at the time and nothing but the prompt arrival of the fire department and the efficiency of our water system saved our town from a disastrous conflagration. As it was, the fire boys were on the spot in less than two minutes after the alarm had been sounded and soon put out the flames. The fire is supposed to have been started by children playing with matches.
A little son was born to Frank Indra and wife, living southeast of town, on Tuesday of last week.
Today Emil Slama takes possession of the restaurant business which he recently purchased of Jos. F. Jirovec. For the present Mr. Jirovec will work with the Anderson carpenter gang.
Our friend Jacob Vogel says that while the oats have been damaged to some extent by the windstorms blowing dirt away from the roots of the grain, that little damage has been done to that part of the crop that had been drilled as the roots are too deep in the ground to be disturbed. In his opinion it pays to drill grain of all kinds.
They are over their siege of scarlet fever at the Chas. Novotny home where three children were very sick for some time, and all danger of contagion being past the quarantine was raised yesterday.
May 18, 1909 - reprinted March 9, 1988A little daughter came on Tuesday of last week to make her home with Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kunhart.
A new little son came to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lacina on Tuesday of last week.
The Clarkson public schools rank second in point of attendance among the schools of the county, Schuyler, the county seat, being first. In order to keep up the present standard of its work and attain the best results it has been found necessary to add a seventh teacher to the corps of instructors, and at a meeting of the board of education last week the entire list of teachers were elected. Of the old staff there remains Principal Fred Jelinek, Misses Mary Platz, Theresa Tooher and Stella Folda, and the three new ones selected are Misses Mamie Shonka, Lena Platz and Elenor Cech, all of Schulyer.
Last Friday, Vaclav Kudera of Midland precinct had four head of cattle killed by lightning. The animals were found lying along a pasture fence and it is thought that all were killed by the same stroke. There was no insurance on the stock, making it quite a loss for Mr. Kudera.
Yesterday Jos. Krikac sold the Will Noh farm of 120 acres in Wilson precinct to Anton Dusatko and Jos. Cibulka who got it for $77.50 per acre.
If you have not paid your dog tax it stands you in hand to get busy, otherwise you are apt to be left dogless at any moment. Marshal Kroeger has started the slaughter of all unlicensed dogs, and up to this writing four have paid the penalty and he promises to keep up the good work until every unlicensed dog has bit the dust. If that dog of yours, my friend, is worth saving, better get a tag and attach it to his collar. If you neglect to do so, do not blame the marshal when you are called upon to bury your pet.
Emil Kopac arrived Saturday from Oakton, S.D., for a short stay. He and his brothers, Ed and Jim, have each proved up on a South Dakota homestead. They are farming some of the land and have in several acres of small grain and some corn.