Colfax County

This is a postcard from Schuyler, which is the largest town in Colfax County. Schuyler was designated the county seat by the legislature in 1856. The county land was taken out of Platte County and called Colfax County in honor of Schuyler Colfax, vice president under Pres. Ulysses S. Grant. The county seat was name Schuyler, also in honor of the vice president. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

In 1894, this Schuyler High School, with room for different grades, was built to replace a six-room frame building destroyed by fire in 1893. The view is different from the postcard. This school later became the junior high and then an elementary school. East Ward and Third Ward Schools were built in 1912 and 1923–1924, respectively. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

An early photograph of Montana Street looks toward the south. It is now “B” Street and passes the Top Notch building on the west side. This was a main thoroughfare. The drugstore can be seen on the left corner, and Sam Furman’s sign can be read further south on the side of a building. On the right is the Snowflake Bakery sign. (Courtesy of Jim Krzycki.)

In 1869, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. The congregants built this church, and in 1883, the church moved to Eleventh and Adam Streets. It was rebuilt in 1896 at a value of $4,564. The north addition was constructed later. On June 28, 1970, a new Methodist church was dedicated on Colfax Street in Schuyler. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

The Wells-Abbott-Neiman Mill first started production on Shell Creek. The mill moved into Schuyler in 1882 to have access to the railroad transportation for its product, Puritan Flour. It became the largest plant west of the Missouri River and sold its product worldwide. The mill burned to the ground on October 7, 1933. It was one of the greatest fires in Schuyler’s history. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The IOOF, or International Order of Odd Fellows, building, was erected in 1913. Schuyler Colfax started the IOOF. This building had a second-story conference room for social events and meetings. The first Schuyler Post Office and George McKenzie’s newsstand were located on the ground floor. It is called the Top Notch building. In 1946, Leona and Adolph Pokorny operated a coffee shop here. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

The original East Ward School was built in 1869 and consisted of a two-room frame building. A third room was added later. The wooden school operated until it was destroyed by fire in 1912. This large, two-story brick building was constructed in 1912 as a fine, new East Ward School in Schuyler. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

St. Augustine’s Catholic parish formed in 1879 and built this church for $700. It was located near the site of the present-day courthouse in downtown Schuyler. On June 19, 1889, a parsonage was purchased, and the church moved to the southwest side. In 1913, two land purchases gave the entire block to the church. A different parsonage was built in 1925. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Schuyler City Hall was erected in 1908 close to downtown Schuyler. It is located on Eleventh Street and sports a tall clock tower that can be seen from every direction. It occupies the former site of the first Catholic church in Schuyler, St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

In this photograph, the stone and redbrick courthouse has been painted white. The pine tree seen on the right became the infamous “Hanging Tree” due to an escaping horse thief–murderer being hung by an unknown person in 1884. Another hanging of a horse thief–arsonist occurred in 1888. The jailhouse is to the far right. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The present-day three-story courthouse was built at a new site on Eleventh Street to be closer to businesses and the railroad. It has space for all county officers, support offices, and an auditorium. On the third floor, there are two jury rooms, jailer and bailiff rooms, and separate jail rooms for men and women. It has been in use since 1922. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

In 1882, N.W. Wells moved his mill into Schuyler. Henry W. Neiman joined the firm that year. The mill was called the Platte Valley Roller Mills. Chauncey Abbott joined the firm after Neiman’s death, and the mill’s name changed to Wells-Abbott-Neiman Co. On October 7, 1933, Schuyler experienced one of the worst fires in its history; the Wells-Abbott-Neiman Co. milling plant was completely destroyed by it. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The aftermath of the devastating mill fire left a pile of smoldering rubble. The only structures left standing were some of the concrete and steel portions of the mill. Like the mythical phoenix, out of the rubble grew new construction from the brick and stone, which were retrieved and still found to be useable. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

William Haliday Williams returned as a hero from the Civil War. He took his new wife and moved to Colfax County in 1869. There, they homesteaded near his brother John, about a mile from Schuyler. He worked as a bricklayer, police officer, and rural mail carrier. In 1913, Williams appeared with his horse-drawn cart on a 4¢ postage stamp. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

During the Civil War, on June 20, 1864, Williams volunteered to scout behind enemy lines and, there, aided a wounded Union soldier to safety. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor 30 years later in 1894. In 1904, he received a newer version of the medal by mail without explanation. He wore both with pride until his death in 1916. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Schuyler Dance Pavilion was built in the 1920s. It was an open-air dance hall with sides that could be opened up. Lawrence Welk and his renowned dance band played here. The city sold the land for $100 for the Schuyler Memorial Hospital to be built on this site after the dance hall had outlived its days of musical glory. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Oak Ballroom was built in 1937, partially with brick and stone from the fire-ravaged Wells-Abbott-Neiman Co. milling plant. The oak flooring was taken out of the Schuyler Dance Pavilion and used in this ballroom. Lawrence Welk’s band played for the inaugural dance when the ballroom was finished. He returned several times in later years to conduct dances at this Schuyler ballroom. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Schuyler Bathhouse was built by the WPA, as was the Oak Ballroom. Some materials and supplies retrieved from the Wells-Abbott-Neiman Mill rubble again found new life in the bathhouse and the pool. The bathhouse was completed in 1938. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

John Janecek built the Janecek Opera House during 1893–1895. The two-story brick building was a gathering site for all social occasions and had a large room on the second floor for meetings and celebrations. The bottom floor held several business enterprises. It was traded in 1920 to an out-of-town businessman. The building was razed in 1963 for a Jack and Jill Grocery. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The first municipal power and water plant for the state of Nebraska was built in Schuyler in 1891. The water plant was completed in 1891, and the electrical plant was finished in 1892. Steady improvements were made; wooden water mains were replaced with cast-iron mains, and turbo generators increased in size and efficiency. A modern plant exists today. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Department of Public Utilities building was once the Kopac building in Schuyler. The employees and managers of the utilities in this photograph (probably taken in the 1930s or 1940s) stand in front of the entry. From left to right are Emil Marek, Jack Hovorka, Don Johnk, George F. McKenzie, E.B. Schmid, and M.E. Wright. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

This photograph, taken in 1876, shows one of the main Schuyler streets. A large sign points out a “Meat Market”; beneath that, a man in the doorway can be seen. Down the boardwalk, a lady and boy are close to the drugstore. Further down is a liquor store, and eight more people, barely visible, stand in the street for the photographer. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The top notation identifies the street in view as Vine Street. This street was nicknamed “Battle Street,” as it was a strip known for having altercations in the street. There were saloons and rooming houses where drovers went after delivering their herds to the railroad stockyards. The street is now Twelfth Street and runs east and west. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

An aerial view of the early 1900s town of Schuyler shows the new courthouse in the upper left. The railroad water tank is in front. In the middle is the corner of Eleventh Street, where the Schuyler State Bank and the Top Notch building are across from each other on the intersection. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

In the northeast part of Schuyler, north of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, was a subdivision called Goose Town. Most of the residents raised their flocks of geese here. The fenced yards had two gates: one gate was near the house to feed and tend the flock, and the other went to the alley, where people shared their daily news and gossip. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

John Janecek owned this building next to the Janecek Opera House, which was known as Janecek’s Cesky Hostinka, a saloon. Later, it was also operated as a hotel called the Schuyler House. The building was moved to the north to make room for the Janecek Opera House in the early 1890s. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

These gentlemen gathered at a park or in a field to enjoy a relaxing brew while smoking their pipes. This photograph is from the 1890s, and a few of the men are identified from left to right as ? Bergman, unidentified, Ed Vrzak, two unidentified men, ? Williams, ? Rathsack, Frank Dudek, and Charlie Smith. The liquor keg sits on top of a cream can. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Around 1900, Vaclav Maly owned this general merchandise, dry goods, and grocery store in Schuyler. In later years, it became the Wacha Store. Easily identifiable are the bolts of material, most likely wallpaper; on the right wall are stacks of canned goods. More cans are stacked along the floor by the counter. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

H.C. Wright operated this business until 1919, when M.J. Higgins and E.L. Coufal purchased it for a building materials and fuel company in Schuyler known as Higgins and Coufal. The Wells-Abbott-Neiman Co. mill is visible in the back of the office building and lumberyard. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The volunteer fire department members have decorated the hose cart for a parade or celebration. The department was formed in 1875, but it was not until 1891 that two hose carts were purchased. These carts were pulled by a team of trained volunteers. These teams would enter competition with neighboring towns’ hose-cart teams to see who had the best time in a staged run. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

In 1890, the Prokes family owned and operated the Prokes Meat Market in Schuyler. Although all the persons in this photograph are not identified, amongst the group are John Prokes, John Dolezal, Frank Noha, and Frank Prokes. There are rings of sausage on the back wall, and hanging around are quarters and halves, from which to select meat for the table. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Dick Ralston owned and operated a business of cement works in 1910 in Schuyler. The men are not identified. There are different shapes, sizes, and lengths of concrete blocks in stacks and against the building, from which customers chose to suit their needs. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

W.J. Schuldt’s Flour & Feed store shared a building space with Gaeth Produce, as evident in the signs painted on the windows. Above the entryway, the sign reads, “Herbert H. Gaeth, Cash Buyer of Eggs –Poultry–Cream–Hides.” An advertisement in 1935 placed by Gaeth and Yonkie Produce Buyers shows that a form of the business still prospered at that time. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

A second meat market operated in Schuyler in 1894. James Pavlicek’s Meat Market interior shows slabs of beef hanging along the right side. An unusual decoration hangs from the ceiling. There are three different sized scales visible. The man behind the counter in the hat and apron could be James Pavlicek with two employees. The name of the market was changed to Pavlicek and Kracl by 1935. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

The Schuyler State Bank is the oldest bank in Schuyler, starting operation March 2, 1874, with the name of Sumner Smith and Company, which later became Sumner Banking House and then the Schuyler National Bank in 1884. A new bank building was erected in 1885 in its present location. In June 1916, a state charter changed it to Schuyler State Bank. This photograph was taken in 1924. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Harry and Julia Folken owned this home near Schuyler. This family portrait shows a young daughter and son, even the family dog, posing in front of this home in the late 1800s or early 1900s. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Harry and Julia Folken became business owners in Schuyler when they opened this café on the main thoroughfare, now known as Eleventh Street. The café was located east of the Schuyler State Bank. The four ladies wait to welcome customers to enjoy their service and food. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Harry and Julia Folken took this photograph of the “Largest Farm Wagon in the World,” shown on display. The “New Moline Wagon” weighs 9,654 pounds and is 42 feet long. The measured width of the wagon is 12 feet, and the height is also 12 feet. Several interested onlookers stand behind the wagon on the platform, which appears to be located in front of a John Deere Plow Co. sign. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

On the bottom floor of the Janecek Opera House in 1902, Schuyler residents could enjoy the bowling alley and billiard hall. The Big 5 team of bowlers stands behind the manager, A.J. Janecek, seated with bowling balls and pins. Standing from left to right are Earl Webster, William Pruyn, R.W. Becker, Joseph Salak, and A.C. Godenschwager. (Courtesy Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Dr. F.G. Kolouch, a longtime physician and surgeon, is pictured with two of his Arabian horses, Julifa (left) and Zaleban, one of only four black Arabians in the United States. Dr. Kolouch and his wife operated the Kolouch Hospital from 1922 to 1939. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 70 after 40 years of service in Schuyler. He left an estate worth $450,000. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

A carload of horses, brought in from a Hoops and Blain feeding barn, are lined up in front of the Schuyler Hoops Barn in 1908. The Hoops Barn has a sign that advertises, “Horses & Mules Bought & Sold,” and was located where the courthouse stands today. On the right, Ezra Blain, uncle of Don Gaeth, watches the herd. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

One of the dirt streets in Schuyler is being prepared for improvements. Several men drive their horses and wagons alongside the men who are using shovels to dig a trench. The last wagon appears to have some lengths of pipe, possibly for water lines or sewer lines in early Schuyler. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

This postcard has a notation saying, “Scientific Road Building.” A brace of 10 mules pull a machine, which seems to be scraping the roadbed for leveling, and the dirt is shuttled by an elevator into waiting wagons. In the background, teams of mules pull dirt-filled wagons back down the road for disposal. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Kmoch and Vrba family enjoys a pleasure outing in the family automobile. The driver is identified as Mayme Vrba. Julie Krzycki, mother to coauthor Jim Krzycki, is in the shadow in the backseat of the car. The rest of the family member’s names are not noted. (Courtesy of Jim Krzycki.)

A crowd gathers near a Union Pacific train derailment. This may be the derailment scene of a train loaded with returning troops after World War I in 1920, which was caused by the engine running out of water. It was scheduled to refill from the water tank in Schuyler, but the engine exploded when it ran dry only a short way from Schuyler. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

Schuyler had another feather in its cap when one of its youths made it to the big screen. JoAnn Mares, daughter of Ed Mares, became a child star in Hollywood. She starred in movies in the 1940s under the stage name of JoAnn Marlowe. This is a movie poster of a jail cell scene in the movie Little Iodine. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Schuyler House, a hotel owned by John Janecek, was moved from its original site to make room for the erection of the Janecek Opera House in the 1890s. Someone must have miscalculated the placement of the building too close to the tracks. Unfortunately, the hotel was severely damaged when it was hit by an Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company railcar. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

The Bootery, or Boot Shop, in the 1920s was owned and operated by Vaclav “Jim” Prokupek, on the left, and his partner, Frank Kopecky. Young Jim Prokupek is up on the balcony, where shoe repairs were made. Stacks of shoeboxes fill both walls of the shop. Jim Prokupek was a very wealthy man until he lost everything during the Great Depression. (Courtesy of Charles and Delva Prokupek.)

The Prokupek family had a showcase backyard in Schuyler. Visitors would often stop by to see the garden. Young Jim (behind) and Stan Prokupek, brothers, are having their photograph taken on an ornamental bridge in the well-tended garden. This photograph was taken in 1928. (Courtesy of Charles and Delva Prokupek.)

Carrie Vavra’s hat shop could be found on the north side, in the 300 block of what is now known as Eleventh Street. In 1910, her millinery creations were on display on a glass-sided case. Along the back wall and inside the glass counter are the flowers and colors for a fashionable new hat or bonnet that women could choose from. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Clara Jacobs had this fashionable portrait taken while sporting one of the latest styles in hats. Her dress and woven choker necklace were the height of societal fashion in the late 1800s and early 1900s. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

These three ladies have chosen identical, and quite unusually styled, hats to wear. The hats are virtually unadorned with the exception of a small bow on the side under the flat, dinner plate–like brim. Though the hats are quite somber in tone, the gowns are fancy with their flounced sleeves and ruffled bodices. Their names of the women are unknown. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Marie Herbrich, pictured here, with her husband, Frank G. Herbrich, owned and operated the Herbrich Jewelry Store for a number of years in Schuyler. Their daughter, Vivian Gless, continued the business, and it existed for 70 years. Frank was a former employee of Anton Kupka in the Kupka Jewelry Store before he ventured out to run his own business. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Despite most housewives doing their own baking, it was always a treat to go to a bakery and choose a fancy delectable to celebrate special occasions. C.H. Chase had his bakery and confectionery shop in Schuyler and provided sweets, along with the lunches and hot coffee, as advertised on the sign out front. He became mayor and was called the “Father of the Municipal Plant.” (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

This street scene in 1910 shows the canopy of Grassman & McCullough clothing store, next to C.H. Chase Bakery and Confectionery, which has added a fruit and ice cream parlor. Prokes Bros. (meat market) and a “Dentist” shingle hangs above the rest of the advertising. A long row of children is perched along the sidewalk, waiting for something, perhaps a parade, to happen. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

M.E. Fuller, age 90, poses with his second wife, Ann Heritage, at the ranch house on his 2,000-acre ranch. M.E. Fuller established this landmark ranch operation before 1876 and operated it until he died in 1919. Some of the ranch buildings and a portion of the original six sections were later owned by Gerald Ehrenberger. The Fuller mansion was torn down. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Early pioneers in Colfax County include the Ehrenberger family. Pictured here in 1897 are, from left to right, (first row) Katrina Andrlik Ehrenberger, Anna Teply Ehrenberger, and Jan Ehrenberger; (second row) Steven, John, Kate, Ed, and Gerald Ehrenberger. Jan and Katrina were born in Bohemia. The children were all born in Colfax County. Gerald became prominent in the business community. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Grain reapers, also called windrowers and bundlers, are harnessed to teams of horses and ready to roll in front of Sumption Implements. The improvements in these machines helped alleviate some harvest labor. Sumption Implements was a McCormick-Deering dealership around the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The Janecek Opera House is visible; the Moline Plow Co. Goods is left of Sumption Implements. (Courtesy of Dan Wisnieski.)

Automobiles became fancier and bigger as they also became a more popular mode of transportation. W.B. Sadileck was a driver for the Tichacek family from around 1910 to 1915. This automobile had a convertible top for inclement weather protection. The individual family members’ names are not listed. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Schuyler established the first telephone exchange in 1865. A lack of customers caused the exchange to close, though it reopened in 1898. A common battery switchboard was installed in 1908, and a conversion to dial phones was added in 1955. Callers were connected here by the three operators at a switchboard, who were under the watchful eye of a supervisor. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Anton Salak opened a café in early Schuyler. Mary Shavlik (McKenzie) stands by the glass-enclosed food counter on the left, and in the back is Harry McNally. Anton Salak is behind the counter on the right and ready to serve customers from the coffee machine behind him. There appears to be a Christmas wreath hanging in the middle of the photograph. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

In the 1920s and 1930s, George McKenzie had a newsstand in the IOOF Building. He stands behind the counter in this photograph. There are candies, tobacco products, pipes, and numerous other items for sale besides the Saturday Evening Post and Liberty papers seen at the bottom right. McKenzie was active in serving on the community boards and in civic organizations. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Spencer Packing Company of Spencer, Iowa, broke ground in 1967 for a meat processing plant in Schuyler. It is one of the largest employers in Colfax County at present. These employment opportunities brought a big change to the ethnic population in Schuyler, with more than half now of Hispanic or Latino descent. Today, it is called Cargill Meat Solutions and has over 2,000 employees. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)