Beemer straddles U.S. Highway 275 as it cuts through the heart of the county. Beemer, in the heart of Cuming County, is located in the southeastern portion of Elkhorn Township.
Mr. Beemer was an enterprising real estate man in Beemer working hard to build up the town in addition to the depot and the post office, he also built a hotel, a newspaper office, a bank building, and a livery stable. In July of the same year, the small settlement known as Rock Creek became officially incorporated as the village of Beemer. Upon this incorporation, Beemer began to transact a great deal of business and became very industrious.
One of the earliest recorded business dealings in the village was the sale of a lot to John Reike upon which a livery stable and a frame house were erected. Other early merchants in the village were:
Henry Clark - blacksmith shop opening in 1884,
Herb Richmond, who became the first harness maker, sold his business to
Fred Schultz, who proceeded to build a brick building for the business,
William Lehmann started a shoe repair shop in 1886,
Daniel Murray became a saloon proprietor in 1886,
Crowell Lumber and Grain Co. handled the first grain selling out to J.L.
Baker in 1886,
Gardanier and Ayers built an elevator in 1886, which was later sold to
Mr. Bloomer and Charles Albright,
William Carter was a stock buyer,
F.J. Wisner owned the first meat market,
Carsten Brandt established a hardware store,
Dr. W.D. Gibbon was the first druggist,
S.R. Briggs ran the first hotel, the Elkhorn Valley House, in 1886,
John Keller began stocking furniture in 1886,
John Barber began brick making in 1886, and he was succeeded by N.W. Servoss,
Julius Schroeder opened a hall for dancing and special activities, known
as Schroeder Hall,
D.L. Murray was the first barber,
Emma Lauth opened a millinery in 1888,
Potter Jewelry opened in 1889,
M. Fraiser operated a livery stable in 1886,
The Dillman Bros. were proprietors of the first agriculture implement,
Mr. Potter operated a canning factory from 1891-1892, and
Henry Moeller ran a plow factory from 1906-1908.
By 1891 Henry Lambrecht moved his lumber and grain mill from the south side of the Elkhorn River to the north side. It was located where Beemer Lumber Co. now stands and was powered by a steam generator. When electricity came to Beemer, the mill that began using water power now used electricity for its power source.
An early edition of the Beemer Times expressed the sentiment of
the day concerning the prospects of Beemer and its permanence:
"O, ye of little faith: hold not up your
hands to bar our progress, nor shape your tongues to speak against us,
lest ye are forced to acknowledge yourselves as pigmies struggling against
the giants . Beemer has gone to stay, and its growth will be rapid and
permanent and why should it not thrive? Will its success in any way work
injury to the people at large? Cuming County is old and large and rich
enough to give all a place.
"And give all a place it did! Beemer progressed
rapidly and has continued to be a vital part of Cuming County for a full
century."
Since the writing of the above article, Beemer has experienced a loss of its high school as it has merged with West Point High and a few of the businesses on Main Street are empty, but the town as a whole is alive and its citizens very active and proud of the village in which they live.
The Beemer community cares for its citizens of all ages with the Elementary School providing an education for children form the pre-school age through sixth grade. A first class care center for the elderly, low-income housing and an assisted-living center all provide help when needed for the aging and/or handicapped in some manner.
Within the community and its environs, we find the spiritual needs being met with five churches in town and one in a rural setting. These serve folks of the Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist denominations as well as a Hispanic and a non-denominational Community congregation.
Social and recreational needs are supplied for the residents of Beemer by the Senior Citizen's Center, two parks within the city's confines and a lovely country club just outside of town.
A long-standing landmark, the tall water standpipe, at the top of Main Street was replaced this year with a new huge balloon type water tower on the east edge of the village with a metered water supply being supplied to each home. . .and so Beemer continues to be a vital center in the heart Cuming County.