PagePedia™
History
Segments Presented by Lyle Harvey
HOW DO YOU START A TOWN?
(Read at the Page Methodist Church on May 25, 2008)
Last week I told of the railroad coming
to Pleasant Valley and this lead to the beginning of a new town called
“Page”, Nebraska. Now, how does a community of settlers
who have been struggling to survive and make a living on this barren
ground, begin to build a town? Who leads the organization? Who makes
the decisions? How do you build a town in 1890?
In all reality, it probably began with
volunteers and donations. The Page Family, the Gray Family and the Hunter
Family donated the land where this new town would begin. We know that
a Mr. Brown built a harness shop and this shop probably repaired harnesses
for the any horses and mules used by the railroad. Harness shops and
blacksmith shops were a necessity at this time in history.
If other new businesses were to be built,
where would the owners get funding? Susie Haynes wrote that one of the
first businesses was a bank built by Edward Adams. This week, I spoke
with Larry Adams, the great grandson of Edward Adams. Larry told me
that Edward had been a Texas Ranger. When he came to Page he still had
his 45 caliber Colt service revolver which Larry still has. Larry said
his family has no idea why or how Edward left Texas to come to Page.
Edward built his small bank where the old Page Oil service station sits
today. It is probably an understatement to say that Edward brought both
protection and respect to the settlers. Who would have thought a Texas
Ranger would start the first business in Page?
Jake Skelton came to Page and built
a house east of the Adams Bank and began a grocery business in a small
building behind his house. Salesmen, or runners as they were called
then, came to Page on the new railroad and probably urged local people
to start businesses. More than likely, they also probably furnished
some assistance and credit from their companies in Sioux City where
this rail line originated.
E. C. Coon began a business west of
Ed Adam’s Bank but according to Susie Haynes, Coon was inexperienced
in business and stocked his store with goods that were too expensive
for the settlers. This business was sold to Hunter and Gray and continued
to serve Page for decades into the future. Jim Patterson saw a need
for a hotel and built one north of the Adam’s Bank and called
it the “Patterson House”.
The sod school house had to be replaced
and a new wood-frame school house was built in Page and opened in January
1891 with 93 students.
So, you can see that Page is and always has been a community of donating
volunteers that made things happen. One hundred and twenty five years
later, that has still not changed. One has to always ask, “What
is best for the community”?
Lyle Harvey
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