THE HISTORY of WINSIDE
WAYNE COUNTY

Our town of Winside, incorporated in 1880, 
actually began in another place and under a different 
name. "Northside" three miles west, was an established 
settlement in 1881. In 1885, because of "problems with 
the land owners," or perhaps an inducement by a competing 
town site company, the railroad moved it's section house 
and siding. It is said to have been done on a Sunday "to 
avoid injunction proceedings." McDerby's store and day's 
blacksmith shop also moved to the new location that fall.

In June 1886 the plat was registered and lots were 
auctioned off. Dr. R.B.Crawford who had owned the land, 
chose the name "Winside," touting that it would "win" 
over Northside. It did. Soon after the depot was in place 
and a house built on the corner of Main and Allen Street, 
the move was on. In a few years Northside was no more.

A fire in 1889 that originated in McDerby's store, 
destroyed Miller and Cherry's Drug Store, plus Matthew's 
Furniture Store. They were immediately replaced, further 
indication that Winside was here to stay. 

A city park was donated by J.T. Bressler in 1889 and 
by 1890, Winside had a population of 130 and over 20 
businesses. Building continued during the 1890's despite 
the money panic felt in many areas. A hardware, grocery, 
and clothing stores, two elevators, a blacksmith shop, 
newspaper, saloons, professional offices and many other 
businesses took shape. 

A roller mill, built in 1891, was destroyed by fire 
in 1902. It did not rebuild. Frank Weible's brickyard, 
established on his land for a short time, closed in 1903.
In 1894 an opera house was built on the west end of 
Main Street by Al Woodward. In 1903 Martin Redmeer bought 
the building and had it moved to lots he owned next to 
his saloon. Later, when the building burned, it left 
Winside with no meeting place, until a city auditorium 
was built by the WPA (works progress administration) in 
1939.This building is still used for many activities, as 
well as housing the library.

By 1900 the population of Winside had grown to 400 
people. A privately owned water system, used until the 
fire of 1889, was replaced by a municipal system which 
was completed in 1908.

Gasoline lamps were used to light the streets in 
the early days, with candles or oil lamps in homes and 
businesses. In 1909 a natural gas lighting and heating 
system was installed. The first electric lights were 
turned on in 1912, using a privately owned generator. 
The light company, purchased by the town in 1917, served 
until 1967, when Wayne County Public Power contracted to 
supply power.

A sewer system was installed in Winside in 1921. 
Storm sewers and pavement were put in on Main Street in 
1925. More paving was done in 1927 from Main Street 
north to old highway 35. The rest of the towns streets 
were "oiled" and remained that way until 1975, when all 
of the streets in town were paved and storm sewers improved.
A waste water treatment facility was completed in 1966. 
During the 1930s many businesses closed their doors, 
including the bank for a time, and the town experienced a 
decline in population. 

Winside had one of the Federal government's CCC units
(Civilian Conservation Camps) in 
1939, which provided jobs and homes for many young men, 
and improved the economy somewhat. It closed in the fall 
of 1941, when every able-bodied man went to the service. 
After the war, from 1950 to 1970 Winside experienced 
a number of major changes. Many businesses changed hands 
and some closed altogether. The railroad was removed and 
the old depot torn down in 1967. Winside still has a K-12 
school, a Methodist and two Lutheran churches, and 25 
businesses.

In 1987 the ophilus Church, a 90-year-old structure, 
was moved from its location five miles east and north of 
town to a lot south of the city park. It is to be 
preserved as a county church with a museum in the basement. 
The current population of 439 is not far from it's 
peak of 479 in 1930. Winside began hosting the Wayne 
County Old Settlers Reunion in 1915. Started elsewhere 
in 1901, it continues to be an annual event. Plans are 
now underway to celebrate Winside's centennial in 1990.

As written for Nebraska our towns project. Jane Graff,
1997, 280th st., Seward, NE.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: A centennial edition Winside History is 
to be completed early in 1990. Contact Veryl Jackson, 
Box 128, Winside, NE 68790.

ABOUT GRASSHOPPERS (Material from several historians.)
Grasshoppers invaded the Plains states on numerous occasions, 
but hit Nebraska hardest from 1873-79. Millions of hoppers 
swarmed aloft, forming huge clouds that darkened the sky. 
They made a loud clicking, whirring noise while in flight. 
As they arrived on hot southern winds, the hoppers flew 
with such blinding force into the faces of people and 
horses that it was difficult to move about. Even trains 
were unable to go up long grades, as the juicy critters 
blanketed the ground, rails and wheels. Dropping to the 
ground, the voracious insects ate day and night, devouring 
everything in sight. 

When they finished the crops and 
gardens, they ate the leaves on the trees, or the clothing 
left on the line. Then they would strip the bark from 
the trees, and work on the fence posts or the handles 
of tools. During their stay, every able-bodied man from 
16 to 60 was required to work from 2 to 12 days, digging 
trenches around fields, 12 to 14 inches deep, with deeper 
holes every few rods. Hoppers too fat to jump or fly were 
swept into the pits where there was a mixture of water 
and kerosene, or they were trampled and covered with 
packed dirt. Before dying, however, the insects deposited 
millions of eggs in the soil. Many felt helpless in the 
face of such overwhelming odds. Fearing that even more 
grasshoppers would emerge from the ground the following 
year, some left their homesteads, giving up their dreams 
of "a good life on the Prairies." Other farmers, 
determined to recoup their losses, planted even more 
acres to crops.

Counties organized relief societies, train loads of 
supplies arrived from the East, and the Legislature 
appropriated $50,000 to assist those in need, some facing 
starvation. Nebraska's weather, however, provided the most 
relief. Sudden changes, or cold and rainy conditions could 
break the cycle. By the 1880s the plague had passed, and 
grasshoppers were only a nuisance or fish bait until the 
1930s when a slightly more effective means of eradication 
were available.
===
Copyright © 2006
Donna Shufelt
Kathie Harrison
Wayne Co., NEGenWeb Project