Seven

TWO VILLAGES,
RICHLAND AND ROGERS

A very old Richland plat map is shown with “Benton Sta.” as the railroad station house in 1866. John Stibal was one of the first homesteaders, settling in 1869; he built a lumberyard business there in 1878, the year Richland was established. In 1879, Stibal bought out a general merchandise store with living quarters. He built a new brick store in 1888. (Courtesy of Schuyler Historical Museum.)

Bernice Hansen, Ella Wachal, and Iola Ketchmark are identified as the young ladies standing by the car. The ladies in the car are not identified, but the group is headed to a picnic outing by McAllister Lake in Richland, Nebraska, in 1917. (Courtesy of LaVerna Brichacek.)

Wachal family members gather at McAllister Lake in Richland, Nebraska, for a picnic in 1935. The tablecloth is covered with food containers. There is a large cream can sitting on the right side of the photograph, possibly filled with a beverage for the gathering. Next to it is a brown and tan crockery jug filled, perhaps, with a different kind of beverage. (Courtesy of LaVerna Brichacek.)

Though there is not a date on this aerial photograph of Rogers, it was noted that the photographer was in E. Olson’s airplane to take the picture. Rogers, Nebraska, was platted in 1886, though the water tower and a single-line railroad track were on site in 1874. The proposed plat of Rogers was actually approved by ordinance in 1894. (Courtesy of Jim and JoAnn Rowland.)

Anton Kracl established his business in 1912 in Rogers and built this new garage along Highway 30 in 1924. He and his son, Ron, did vehicle repairs and were on call for towing anything and everything, including wrecks, buildings, metal for the war effort, and even a railroad car. Anton worked as a mechanic for over 70 years. (Courtesy of Jim and JoAnn Rowland.)

The water tower in Rogers is shown here after it sprung a leak one wintery day. The water dripped down and froze in long icicles on the tower frame. The icy tower bars would have been treacherous to climb for repairs in the cold Nebraska weather. (Courtesy of Jim and JoAnn Rowland.)

In June 1990, torrential rains and tornados cut a 600 mile swath of devastation from southwest Nebraska to eastern Iowa. Eight to ten inches of rain overflowed creeks and rivers and caused Rogers and neighboring areas to be evacuated. The 2010 census showed that 95 people still live in Rogers. (Courtesy of Darlene Divis.)