Author Archives: nebraskaprairiemuseum

Gustaf John Johansson was born December 26th, 1829 in Tryggrop, Rydaholm Socken, Smaland, Sweden. After service in the compulsory Swedish military, Gustaf was married on March 25th, 1855 to Stina. Between the years 1858 and 1866 they had four children together Emma Maria, Anders Johan, Anna Mathilda, and Jonas. In their journals it was evidentContinue reading “Gustaf John Johansson”

Swedish emigration got underway in the early 1840s, and had the third-highest rate in all of Europe. Phelps County Nebraska, similar to many counties across Nebraska, was settled by a tight-knit Swedish population. Many of the population were farmers who found themselves without means, spurned by the modernization of agriculture. In 1844 the first stagesContinue reading “Swedish Emigration”

From the Stereoscope – January 2010 The GREAT Depression by Susan Perry As we gather stories about the Great Depression of the 1930s, I have wondered what the conditions were in Holdrege during that time. Many of us have heard dust bowl stories with tons of dirt blowing and no crops and I have heardContinue reading “The Great Depression in Phelps County”

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Stereoscope – Jan 2010 Three Gun Wilson Swoops Down As Church Bells Ring Holdrege Progress October 31, 1932. Five Simultaneous Raidsby Twenty Officers With Federal WarrantsLand Four Holdrege Peoplein Federal Jail at HastingsWhile Other Are Held HereA few minutes before the last church bells rang in Holdrege Sunday morning, a series of simultaneous raids onContinue reading “Three Gun Wilson During Prohibition”

June 2010 Phelps Helps Newsletter Congregational Churches in Phelps County Darlene Samuelson, a volunteer at our library has just completed an index of Congregational church members in Phelps County, Nebraska. The communities include Holdrege, Loomis and Bertrand. We do not have the records for the Urbana Congregational, a country church that was located in theContinue reading “Congregational Church Update”

Stereoscope – April 2010 Excerpts from early Holdrege Daily Citizen In the 1890’s, the Hampton Hotel was one of Holdrege’s showplaces. The building was razed in 1938. Memories of the big times within its walls lingered with many of the Holdrege residents of the time. The hotel was built with brick manufactured in Holdrege. ItContinue reading “Hampton Hotel”

From the April 2010 Stereoscope 1936 Terrorists In Holdrege! It was about 9:30 on the evening of July 24, 1936. H. E. Nelson, a brakeman from McCook, had just gotten off a freight train which had pulled into Holdrege and was now on a siding. Nelson began walking along the tracks near the coal chutesContinue reading “1936 Terrorists in Holdrege”

From the April 2010 Stereoscope The 1935 Republican Flood Written by Sandra Salter Plans are being made to honor those who lost their life in the Republican Valley Flood by marking each known person’s grave with a special marker on Memorial Day 2010. It is believed that 113 people lost their lives and some familyContinue reading “The 1935 Republican River Flood”

Published in the November 2008 Stereoscope The Tower Motel written by Patti Simpson In 1935 the first paved road in the county was between Funk and Holdrege. By 1938 the old Detroit-Lincoln-Denver (DLD) Highway, now known as US 6, was hard surfaced across the entire state of Nebraska.Dale, the son of Lee and Myrtle (Stephenson)Continue reading “The Tower Motel”