History of Clarks Nebraska, 1865-1976

Heritage of Clarks Nebraska

We begin our story in the year 1854 when the United States Congress organized the Nebraska Territory. Four years later, a law was passed defining the boundaries of its counties and locating their county seats. Merrick County now had a name and a county seat — Elvira. To the present day no one knows the exact location of Elvira, but many pioneers believed it was located two miles southeast of Clarks. The county received its name from the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Her maiden name was Elvira Merrick. The volume “History of Nebraska” tells us … Read more

History of Polk Nebraska, 1874-1974

Polk Memoirs: Where Corn is King 1874-1974

In 1974, sisters Mrs. Dwight Burney and Mrs. Irvin Anderson, edited a centennial celebration for the town of Polk Nebraska titled Polk Memoirs: Where Corn is King, 1874-1974. In this manuscript they and other townsfolks provide a look at the people and businesses that made up Polk in both the past and present. Genealogists should pay special attention to the families section.

1894 Hinckley Minnesota Forest Fire Deaths

1894 Hinckley Minnesota Forest Fire

The exact origin of the fire is somewhat indefinite; the one that visited Hinckley must have started in the region south of Mission Creek. Around this little village much of the pine had been cut. There was in the hamlet twenty-six houses, a schoolhouse, a small sawmill a general store, hotel and blacksmith shop. At the time of the fire there were seventy-three people living in, and adjacent to, this village; a great number of the population were away from home, having gone to Dakota for the harvest. The people had been fighting local fires for a month. At noon, … Read more