A spoon from Odebolt

From a Facebook post by Shelby Scott

My dad found this spoon in an antique store in Estes Park, Colorado. It was made by Mechanics Sterling Company. out of Massachusetts, which was the flatware subdivision for the Watson Company. The only spoons I have found close to that design are from 1903.

It may have been an "Iowa" spoon and someone customized it for Odebolt. 

Beth Blum posted:

Patricia Applegate moved to Estes Park from Odebolt. Her dad George Hillburn used to polish rocks and make jewelry and doll houses. He was mayor of Odebolt. Maybe he did it?

 

Whatever the story behind it, here it is.

 

 

 

New things - a look back

While searching the Odebolt Newspaper Archive and other area newspapers I've run across some interesting articles chronicling the excitement of new things happening around town. Hope you enjoy this look back in time!

In 1883, the Denison Review had an article about the "largest and most elaborate farm barn in Iowa" on the Cook Ranch.

The first is a March 22, 1917 listing of who in Odebolt were buying cars!

The July 28, 1949 Odebolt Chronicle had an article on "Another Television Set in Operation Here in Odebolt!

An ad in the May 30, 1946 Chronicle announced the opening of the Ida Grove Airport.

And in the next edition of The Chronicle (June 6, 1946), an article about Dennis Peterson flying a plane during the opening.

Finally, the opening of the Odebolt swimming poot on August 7, 1953, was a long awaited event and many community members spent hours and hours of volunteer time to get the pool and pool house up and going. A real Odebolt milestone! And it is still operating in 2020!

Stockyard location

There has been some discussion about exactly where the Odebolt stockyard was located. The below image, taken from an 1899 Fire Map of Odebolt, shows its location. You can see Main Street on the upper right, and Walnut at the bottom. The stock Yards are just below middle on the left side. You may click the image to enlarge it slightly.

If you wish to look at historic maps, go to "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps" at
https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn02781_005/

Odebolt Stockyards

Click the photo to enlarge it.

This photo was found on an online auction site and is one that neither of the editors had seen before. It appears to be looking toward the northwest, and I believe you can see North Main houses on the far upper right.The photographer was James Traver (see bio below). Traver must have climbed up an elevator to get the shot!

Before graveled roads and stock trucks, farmers had to herd their livestock to the stockyards in Odebolt where they would be fenced in while waiting to load onto train cars bound for Sioux City, Chicago, or other destinations.  In the early days farmers shipping to Chicago rode along with the cattle to make sure they were watered, fed, and not left on a side track to freeze or overheat.  There are lots of news bits in the old papers about shipping by train.

EXAMPLES:

The Chronicle, Thursday, February 26th, 1903
The railroad figures show that more grain and stock are shipped from Odebolt than from any town in Iowa of 2,000 population. 

The Chronicle, Thursday, April 8, 1915.
W.H. Horan shipped a car load of horses, containing twenty-two head to Sioux City Tuesday. The horses were bought for war purposes in Europe.

A number of cars of stock were shipped out the past week. F.J. Gilbert shipped one car of cattle and one mixed car, cattle and hogs; J.C. Gosch, one car of hogs; Allie Paul, one car of hogs; John and Henry Meyer one car of cattle; S. V. Buehler, one car of sheep - all to Chicago. Herman Reis shipped one car of cattle to Pilger, Nebr.; W.H. McWilliams shipped in one car of feeders from Sioux City.

The Odebolt News, Thursday, February 14, 1918
Dave Huston and James Scotthorn and John Luft each shipped a car of cattle to Chicago Saturday. Huston and Luft accompanied the shipment to the city

About the photographer:

James Traver was born at Logansville, Wisconsin, March 2, 1864. In 1883 he came to Sac County where he married a cousin, Miss Harriet Traver of Odebolt. The young couple moved to the Dakotas, and in 1887 returned to Odebolt, They had one son, James Traver, Jr.  Mrs. Traver died in 1898.  Later in 1898 James Traver married Miss Etta Ballard of Odebolt. Mr. Traver conducted a barber shop in Odebolt for some time and was also night watchman. About 1911 the Travers moved to Webster City where James opened a photography studio and became one of  the town's leading photographers. He passed away suddenly on August 31, 1925 and is buried in Odebolt Cemetery.

Also see:
The Odebolt Chronicle, Volume 64, Number 6, February 7, 1952

Landmark Razed--Old Water Tower Is Torn Down in Railroad Yards 

The Odebolt train depot off Main Street between 1st Street and Highway 175.

New Museum Tour

Please visit this new photo tour of the Odebolt Historical Museum!

Click for the tour!

Odebolt Historical Museum Roof Replacement

The museum building is in dire need of a new roof; the Board has received an estimate of $35,000 from Elevate Roofing.  The museum board has been busy researching and applying for grants and fundraising for the project.  

In order to apply for grants the museum needs to raise matching funds, so the museum is asking for your help by contributing to this worthwhile project.  The museum houses a wealth of Odebolt history and is a wonderful asset to those that do family research and to the community.  

Please consider making a donation to protect this resource. 
Donations may be sent to ...
Odebolt Historical Museum
P.O. Box 362
Odebolt Iowa 51458.

The First Appearance of Blarney Stones in Odebolt?

from the Digital Archives of the Odebolt Public Library and the Odebolt Historical Museum:

Page 2 of the June 12, 1930 issue of The Odebolt Chronicle

In January 1930 The Odebolt Chronicle sponsored a free cooking school.  It was held in the basement of First Presbyterian Church, and was so successful that the May 29, 1930 issue of The Odebolt Chronicle announced another cooking school to be held June 10 to 13.  One of the sessions would include a meat cutting demonstration, local merchants would "co-operate to a far greater extent than they did before," and planners hoped that this cooking school would be bigger and better than the January session.  Sac County Electric Co. would provide Hot Point electric cooking ranges and a General Electric refrigerator for the classes.

Odebolt merchants placed many ads in the June 5 and June 12, 1930 issues of The Odebolt Chronicle.  These ads assured readers that the lady conducting the classes, Miss Gladys Looney, recommended what the merchants were selling.  Business owners set up display booths at the cooking school.  They also provided ingredients for the cooking demonstrations and donated prizes to be given away at the close of the cooking school.

The June classes were attended by 200 to 250 people each day, and must have provided a welcome diversion during those grim days of the Great Depression.

Among the many recipes demonstrated on Wednesday, June 11, was the above recipe for Blarney Stones.  Could this have been the first appearance of these Blarney Stone cakes in Odebolt?  For some Odeboltians, they've become a St. Patrick's Day tradition.

Lemonade Recipe for July 4 Celebrations

THE CHRONICLE. VOL. XXVI. NO. 15. AUGUST 8, 1912.

The next time you make lemonade try the following recipe: Take two lemons, divide them, and put each half into a lemon squeezer; when all of the juice is extracted put the remainder of the lemons into a pitcher and pour boiling water on them; after they have stood a little while, squeeze all the goodness out of them; add the juice to some loaf sugar to sweeten pleasantly; then pour on enough cold water to make the desired strength. By following this recipe the oil of the lemon is extracted from the rind and imparts the lemon flavor to the lemonade that you cannot get if only the juice is used.

Arthur Methodist holds last service

Courtesy of the 6-17-15 and 6-24-15 editions of Ida County Courier (www.idacountrycourier.com)

Arthur Methodist to hold last service on Sunday

The Arthur United Methodist Church will hold its last service Sunday, June 28, at 11 a. m., with Pastor Chad Lierman of Ida Grove preaching.

Declining enrollment led to the decision to close the doors. “We have 10 to 12 active members who attend services every Sunday, with a total roll of 34 members,” said Pastor Lierman.

Loyal church members include Russell and Glenda Paulson, Tagg Kitterman, Gordon and Jeanette Haefner and Bill and Donna Carlson. According to Lierman, Gordon has been attending the Arthur Methodist Church since he was three years old and Donna serves as the church organist.

“Glenda has been lining up the sale of items out of the building. The pews and other interior items have been locally purchased. Next month, we will figure out what to do with the rest of the stuff.”

Paulson reported items remaining for sale include: the organ, chimes, pulpit, lectern, altar, two crosses (one walnut and one brass), seven large tables, kitchen items and Sunday School area items.

Lierman said the local church board gives its recommendation on the fate of the building to the Methodist Church Conference who makes the final disposition.

The first religious services for early Arthur settlers were held at the Mitts Schoolhouse near Odebolt. Later, services were held in schoolhouses in Hayes and Blaine Townships. According to the history of the Arthur Methodist Church, the church proper was organized in 1886 and, through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Enoch Churchill, a church building fund was started.

In March 1888, the first two cars of stone for the foundation were received. The main part of the building was dedicated in May 1888, and the church was remodeled in 1914. The congregation celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2013.

1915 Memorial Day

From 1868 through 1970, Memorial Day was observed on May 30.  In 1915, however, May 30 fell on Sunday, and the G. A. R. (Grand Army of the Republic) had opted to hold their Memorial Day services in Odebolt on Saturday, May 29.

The original article in the June 3, 1915 Chronicle was in the left margin, and some of it is illegible in the digital image.  We've taken the liberty of supplying some of our own best guesses for missing text.  Nevertheless, we've left some blanks.
 
Below is our transcription:

Upon the advice of the committee for the G. A. R. the Memorial Day exercises planned to be given here Saturday were called off.  A fine program had been arranged, to be given in the park, but as the weather was about as abominable as it could be and the roads almost impassable, it was thought best to call the program and exercises off.  Rev. C. G. Butler of Sac City was to have been in town to deliver the address of the day.  There was to have been music by the band and other numbers by local talent  The company was then to march to the cemetery to decorate the graves and hold appropriate services.  As the roads were a sea of mud, and rain fell steadily throughout the day the planners thought it best to abandon the services.  The heroic dead were not to be forgotten, however.  On ______ afternoon a considerable company of people went to the cemetery, and in a private way decorated the graves of those who are sleeping the __________.  Had the local committees been fortunate enough to have chosen ______ as the day of celebration the program could have been carried out as advertised, as the weather was appropriate.  The general orders, however, called for an observance of the day on Saturday, if possible, and it was the wish of the local G. A. R. that the program be held that day.

Below is a description of planned ceremonies from The Odebolt News from May 27, 1915, a week before. Some of Odebolt's residents would have spent that Saturday afternoon at The Princess watching "The Heart of Lincoln," a "three reel Civil War Drama" noted in the same edition.  (Click to enlarge the article)

 

 

Comment about Odebolt Ground Observer Corp

This was left as a comment on the blog, but I am posting it for people who may not see it. - editor
-----------------
As I was looking for information on the United States Air Force Ground Observer Corp I was pleased to see so much about the Odebolt USAF-GOC.

I was Chief of the JN54B Post in LeMars, Iowa from 1953 to 1955 and can't find anything about that post. Our observation tower was at the top of the highest building on the Westmar College campus. Sometimes during drills the B-29s would fly at tree top level making the tower shake and we could see the rivets in their wings. We had a direct line to the Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska also.

There doesn't seem to be any recognition nor appreciation for those who served as volunteers in the Air Defense Command so I want to express my own thanks to the USAF-GOC members of Odebolt, Iowa, and wish for all who served to protect our freedoms to have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, A.D. 2015.
 - Arthur E. Angove, D.O., general surgeon, Ret., New Berlin, WI


My reply:  Thank you for your comment. Harvey Keller, who kept this historic information and passed it on to us, died November 29, 2014. He would have been so pleased to see your post.

For those readers that are interested, information on the Odebolt Ground Observer Corp is located at the Odebolt History Pages, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iaohms/1950s/goc_tower.html

- Barb Horak, editor

Odebolt newspapers now on the Internet

Have you ever wondered about something that happened in Odebolt years ago, but did not want to take the time to look it up on microfilm at our public library?  Well now you can do it from the comfort of your computer.

The Field Carnegie Library in Odebolt used memorial funds for the digitization of all Odebolt newspapers that had previously been microfilmed as well as some Sac City newspapers.

The Odebolt Historical Museum arranged to have Sac County Assessor books from 1877-1887,  the 1908 Standard Atlas of Sac County, the 1931 Sac County Farm Register and some of the Sac and Ida County plat books digitized.

Go go to https://saccounty.advantage-preservation.com run searches, and sit back to have some fun reading about the past.

When you see one of the Library Board or Museum Board members please show your appreciation to them for accomplishing this great project!

The Schmitz Building

Courtesy of the 1-29-14 on-line edition of the Ida County Courier, www.idacountycourier.com

======================

Note from editor: 

Below is what the building looked like soon after it was built in 1881 by Leonard Schmitz.

Click to enlarge

Read about the Schmitz Building in its early days.

Some of us remember that the building also housed Larson's Grocery Store.  When we were children we watched Wally Larson as he cranked down the awning to shade the store from the afternoon sun.   We were fascinated by the large ornate brass cash register on which Wally or his partner Harry Sellman rang up purchases.  This cash register had perhaps been used in Larson & Erickson, the store founded in 1893 by Wally's father, John Larson, and his partner John Erickson. 


Larson & Erickson was first located at the southeast corner of Second and Maple in Odebolt.  This building was called the Wright block, and the opera hall was on the second floor.  Both the Schmitz building and the Wright block were built in 1881.

The Schmitz Building demolished

Courtesy of the 1/23/14 edition of THE CHRONICLE.

Building Demolished
On January 17 an Odebolt building located on the east side of Main Street was demolished.  The building formerly housed Rumors bar, owned by Gail Wilwerding, and Jim's TV and Appliance, owned by Jim Wareham.  Demolition of the building was done by Chad Mohr, owner of Bedrock, out of Schleswig.

Note from editor:
Read about the Schmitz Building in its early days.

Some of us remember that the building also housed Larson's Grocery Store.  When we were children we watched Wally Larson as he cranked down the awning to shade the store from the afternoon sun.   We were fascinated by the large ornate brass cash register on which Wally or his partner Harry Sellman rang up purchases.  This cash register had perhaps been used in Larson & Erickson, the store founded in 1893 by Wally's father, John Larson, and his partner John Erickson.  

Larson & Erickson was first located at the southeast corner of Second and Maple in Odebolt.  This building was called the Wright block, and the opera hall was on the second floor.  Both the Schmitz building and the Wright block were built in 1881.

Arthur popcorn cribs

Courtesy of the Ida County Courier, www.idacountycourier.com

Class of 1966 45th Reunion

From the on-line edition of www.idacountycourier.com

Odebolt-Arthur HS Class of 1966 - 45th Reunion 
(click image to enlarge)