The Marysville Advocate from Marysville, Kansas • 49

mnli.i. by Pctercen with a small amount of equipment. Drainage and ditch work was the chief operations of the company. In the early years while the company was doing drainage work, the Pappilion Creefl was swollen by flood stage and the company practically went out of business because of loss and damage of equipment. In the meantime the company secured a contract with the Union Pacilic railroad for a shouldering Job with teams.

This afforded Pet The Famous Pony Express Galloped Through Here In Sixties To Carry Mail From St. Joseph To Sacramento record their noble part In our social and industrial progress. The Pony Express riders are now all dead. The last four living were Charles Higginbotham of Dillon. Montana: he died February 22, 11)27.

Samuel Jobe of Old River, 1933. Wm. Campbell of Stockton, California, he died in December he died May 23. 1934. I wrote to Mr.

Campbell in 1931 and received a courteous reply. He received a courteous reply. He was since offered $300 for his Pony Express Bible and Wm. C. Van Blaricon, who died at Genoa, Nevada, July 3.

1934. All these men lived to be over 90 years old. 1854-1954 Petersen Heady-Mix Established In 1952 By Norman Petersen Petersen Ready-Mix company was established In Marysvllle In 1952 by Norman Petersen who also heads Grosshans and Petersen. Wilmar Company Was Started Here In 1951 Uy McGrade The Wilmar Manufacturing company in northeast Marysville was originally established ns the E. W.

McGrade Manufacturing company in 1943. The company operated as a manufacturer of radio, radar and farm radios until it was purchased May 1. 1951, bv Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wilcox.

Since then the firm has continued to make radio and communications equipment for the armed forces and farm radio and signal-max for TV antennaes. On an average 65 persons are employed in the plant, the peak running around 130. Employees are from Marysville and vicinity, and the engineering staff moved in from other places to make Marysville their home. The local factory Is the only one operated bv Wilmar. and all products are made in Marysville.

Raw material is purchased and fabricated, through all stages here, or in the laymen's language row material is turned Into the finished product. 1 Century ot rrofTTfrs r.tse 3 Thursday. August 12, and the letter in his pocket, was all that was known of him. Watervillo did not have a cemetery at that time. The body of the German was brought to town and buried on the prairie until an association was formed and in-corporal ed in March.

1870. when the association purchased a it) acre tract one nnd one-hnlf miles north of town. The German's body was removed to the cemetery. 1834-1954 Baseball Thrives In Marysville Marysville hits always been a pood baseball town and st 111 is, with some fine teams representing the city, ami in years past, the high school. The best high school teams ever fielded here were In the era of 1905-06-07.

with the 1907 team designated ns state champions, a heavy-hitting and fast fielding club which lost only one giime, and that to Highland college in the days when the diamond sport wns supreme in school athletics. There nre nt least three Marysville men who will remember the 1907 team very well indeed. They played on it. The men nre Cliff Webber, Streeter Trnvelute and state officials extolled the dawning of a new era. In front of this stand was Harry Roff.

a modest lad, upon a snow white pony, almost hidden by flowers. This was the rider who was to start with the east-going mail at five o'clock p. m. A general invitation had been sent out to the people far and near to come and join tile festivities, and they were there. The streets were filled as never before.

Sweet music from bands filled the vernal air. and made still merrier the gay throng. Everywhere flags fluttered in the breeze. On an eminence a short distance from the city, cannons were planted, and when the program was concluded they boomed loud and often. This was also the signal fff I The following glamorous history on the Pony Express, its route nnd connection with Marysville, is set out in this article written by John The hicts were gathered by years effort through correspondence and travel.

Editor's note. The Pony Express undertaking Was organized in 1859 by Russell Majors and Waddell of Atchison, Kansas. The.se men had many years of experience in freight over the plains, were successful and had a paying- business. They traversed the old Oregon Trail to Utah and had their stations established along this reute. These three ingenious were ably assisted by five of their em-Ployed men: Fllcklin, Scudder.

Miller, Bramley and dure. These lieutenants were also experienced freighters over the "American Desert" for years. They were honest, brave, discreet, and energetic, and no doubt they deserved part of the credit for the success which the Pony Express attained. fPrt" Marysville was a hnme station of the Pony Express and it was this structure which now houses Swim's I.ocker plant. Other stations such as that at Hollenberg were relay stations.

ersen time nnd a chance to make money with which to salvage his equipment from the flood nnd get back into business. In 1932 H. Grosshans became associated with the firm having been engaged in the sales service for Allls-Chalmers company. Under the merger the company continued to expand securing numerous contracts with the Union Pa- cific. Rock Island and Burlington railroads for grading and structural work.

Hie company also did a large amount of work on Nebraska high- I ways. I The company has grown to the extent today that there are few firms in the contracting business which have the equipment as does Grosshans and Petersen. The com- 1 pany has taken contracts from under $1,000 to more than lVi million dollars. On an average the company has five to six large jobs underway in some part of the country the year around. The company has a large Job in Omaha at present and com- pleted a job of erecting government 1 elevators for Kansas a few weeks ago.

The firm owns shovels that cost $60,000 each, and some of the earth moving machines represent an ex- i penditure of $35,000 each. The Marysville firm does rock crushing, nnd produces tons of agricultural lime. As high as 400 employees are on the company payroll at times. Grosshans sold out his interest in the firm in 1949. Norman Petersen was born August 1.

1903, in Paxton, Nebr. He attend ed school in Laramie. Wyo and Fremont, and also attended Midland college, at Fremont. He wus employed by the Union Pacific at various times and was roadmaster's clerk one season. For some time he was railway supply house representative for the western half of the United States selling track tools, also spent some time representing life insurance company, and was with the Schleu-ter Construction company, Fremont, until 1929.

It was in 1929 that he went into the construction business for himself calling his company the Corn-husker Construction company with headquarters at Fremont. He was married September 7. 1925. tc Nell Hilliker, nnd they have one son, Neil. ill! 'j hJ ern California the Indians burned all the stations for over 200 miles, and either killed or ran off the tenders; but the mail was never lost, nor stopped.

Daring riders rode these bleak and barren beats In spite of danger and exposure, making the stages with fewer ponies as best they could until the stations were rebuilt. It was on this despoiled portion of the trail that Bob Haslan performed a feat never excelled. During this time of Indian depredations he once rode 380 miles over the desert to keep the mail mov ing. He was called the "iron man." He feared no danger and scoffed at rest. Location of Route as aireaay siaiea me route ex- tended from the Missouri river at St.

Joseph to the Pacific coast at; San Francisco. From St. Joseph the trail extended nearly due west till it crossed the Big Blue at Marysvllle; then slightly towards the northwest to Hollenberg; then, 1 one of the largest contracting firms in this Dart of Kansas. I The cement plant was located at the company office lot in northeast Marvsville with a daily capacity of 80 cubic yards. Last April the plant was moved to the Union Pacific railroad yards here at which time NORMAN L.

PETERSEN the capacity was increased to 223 yards. Equipment of the plant is the latest known to the industry, and is located so that the company ships in bulk cement by the carload and places it in bins until used in the plant. The product is sold over a 30-mile radius from Marysvllle, and the company in its short time of operation has supplied cement to such large Jobs as the Herkimer Cooperative elevator. Three trucks are operated by the company of which Maurice Wassenberg Is foreman, W. F.

Kipper, engineer. The firm of Grosshans nnd Petersen, was formed in 1932 at Ne- The operation in the local plant includes a complete machine shop. sheet metal shop, carpenter shop, as well ns nn assembly line. The factory lias an output capaci- ty of 3.000 radios per month, and lias made thousands of radios for Western Auto, and nlso turned out thousands of Magicall inter-com- munication sets. I Mary Wilcox.

Kansas City, is president of the company; Ray Martin. Marvsville, is vice-president; Robert Gilmore. Marysville, is assistant vice-president; Madison R. Jones. Kansas City, vice-presi- dent nnd general manager; and Dnvld Hickman, vice-president and comptroller.

i 1854-1954 A Younc: German Kills Himself Over Lover Affair In '88 One of the most tragic deaths of a rfioneer occurred in the vicinity of Wnlervillc in ISfiil when a despondent young Herman shot himself to death with a pistol because his sweetheart would not come to this country to live with him. He homestended nn 80 -acre tract one mile south of Wnterville. He bought tools to work It nnd the latter part of March, he got a letter from Cerniany from his financee, who refused to come to America. He took his sythe out to his homestead, mowed nnd bound several bundles of tall grass, made bed, laid some bundles lengthwise lit his side, then covered himself with the hay nnd shot himself in the head. When found, the pistol still in his hand It took some time to purchase the material necessary and to distribute it along the route.

Over 400 horses were bought. Part of these were Missouri and Iowa bred and the others Utah and California mustangs. All these were selected for strength, speed and endurance. They could all easily outrun the poorly fed horses of the Indians and never was an Express rider caught. There had to be provided 40 "Home Stations." These were places from which an Express rider started and rode to the next home station.

These were from 40 to 50 miles apart. The company utilizing army posts, trading posts, farms and ranches for these stations. East of Salt Lake they already had those places but west of Salt Lake 16 home stations had to be built. Then between every two home stations were maintained from two to three "relay stations" where several ponies and a stock tender had to be kept. Of course, each home station also had ponies and stock tenders.

There were in nil 190 stations where pontes were kept. These were from 10 to 15 miles apart. West of Salt Ji.ake were about 45. Now the freight hauling organization had to be extended from Utah to the coast, for all those stations hnd Sereck Barnes. The team members had played together through most of their high school days and under their coach.

Butler, developed into a powerful, well drilled outfit. Webber was second baseman for the team nnd Sereck Barnes plnycd centerfield. Streeter Travelute was a catcher. "A-No. 1, too," Webber fays.

Other team members were Butler Shepard, now of Humboldt, shortstop; Clarence Barnes, pitcher nnd first baseman, who Is now a druggist at Lewis, "Moggs" Cottrell, St. Joseph, pitcher; Arthur Johnson, pitcher, now deceased; Frank Moser, pitcher, now a cartoonist In New York City; Russell Allen of Arcadia, centerfleld-cr; Scott Brubakcr, third baseman, who now lives at Payette, Idaho; and Coach Butler, also deceased, who formerly lived at Seneca. Arthur Johnson wns a topnotch pitcher who once hurled a no-hitter against Wnterville. Having beaten nil the competition hereabouts the 1907 team scheduled (Continued on page 6) 7 up the Little Blue to the mouth evening sun was tinting the Kan-of Thirty-two Mile creek; then sas sky. he rode up the winding over the divide to the Platte at creek road to the west and into The WILMAR to have food and supplies for the men and feed for the horses.

There were 24 home stations from the Missouri river to Salt Lake, and 145 relay stations where also horses nnd stock tenders were kept. Of course, the freight haulers would ulso stop at the relay stations, generally driving from one to the next in a day. In 1858 the government paid J. M. Hockaday $190,000 per annum to haul mail weekly from St.

Joseph to Salt Lake. A like sum was paid to haul the mail by stage from Salt Lake to Sacramento. Russell, Majors te Waddell were bidding for this contract. But this firm, after operating the Pony Express eighteen months, sustained a loss of at least $100,000, for they operated the Express as a private venture. Though financially a failure, this firm did secure the general mall contract later on.

The Riders and Mull There were nearly 100 Express i for Roff nnd his white charger to start, and away they leaped with the first west mail. In Instant he was out of sight, galloping up valleys and over hills, changing norses at Folsom and Placerville In two hours he rode 55 miles and handed the mall packets over to Boston Manville who ere midnight crossed the Sierras and reached Fort Chtrrchill having ridden 72 umc. mm uius in iour aays me mail was carried to Salt Lake, a distance of 700 miles. At the same time that the festivities were going on at Sacra mento, a similar celebration was 'going on at St. Joseph, but not so elaborate.

Here the Pony Express rider was Johnnie Frey, a iboy scarcely tipping the scale at 120 pounds, on a jet black At 6 clock p. he was readv ith the mail packets in his saddle bags, waiting for the signal to start. When the cannon on the hills boomed forth that signal, he dashed down the street to the river landing, crossed on the ferry boat to Ell wood, nnd Just as the the darkness of night, past Cold Springs, Trop, Lancaster, Kenne-kuk to Granada, having changed mounts four times. There is some deninl of Johnnie Frey being the first Pony Express rider out of St. Joseph.

Some name Wm. J. Richardson, some Alex Carlyle, some J. H. Keetley and some Gus Cliff.

This writer gives honor to Johnnie Frey and from good authorities. At Granada Billy Boulton stood ready, waiting with his pony, and receiving the mail packets, shot forth Into the darkness on his way to Log Chain. Seneca, and Guit-tard Station to Marysville, reaching there about midnight. Here everybody of that little hamlet was still awake and on hand to hear the pony boy silver horn on the clear night air ond to cheer the luds with the overland mail. Among the revelers were our genial friends Lee Holloway and John Brandenburgcr, sr.

I At Marysvllle, Jack Keetley was I ready waiting for the mail In I front of the old Cqttrell livery barn, and ns soon ns he got the 1'irciuus wancis across nis snoaie, dashed westward across the Blue I nnd prnirics to Hollenberg and to Rock Creek and arrived there two hours later. Here Henry Wallace got the mail and galloped up the Little Blue and so the mail was hurried on night and day to Julesberg, Ft. Laramie, over the Rockies, past Ft. Bridger, across the desert to the City of Saints, having been rushed over those 1.300 miles in six days. The first packet of mall started by Harry Roff required 11 lk days to reach St.

Joseph. The first parcel of mall started from the east by Johnnie Frey required one hour less than ten days to reach Sacramento. This was longer than the average time, for several times the mail carried by the Pony Express went the whole distance of 2.000 miles In eight days. This is an average of one mile for every five minutes. But as this Includes the time lost in changing ponies and riders, when the mail moved It made a mile In less than four minutes.

The first two mail packets passed each other at Ft. Laramie on April 8. 18B0. The Pony Express was discontinued piece meal, operating longest in Wyoming and Utah. Its abandonment corresponded to the degrees in which the transcontinental telegraph was built from Omaha west and from San Fran cisco east.

From the New York but some of the California papers state that the last rider handed his mail to the steamboat at Sacramento on November 20, 1861. When finally those metalic nerves of social communication were spliced somewhere in Utah, the Pony Express had outlived Its mis- sion and the ponies were sold and the daring Express riders scattered to other fields of usefulness. But they remained industrious and patriotic. Many took part in the Civil war. Johnnie Frey enlisted In a company under General Blunt, friend Levi Hensel, who was In the Second Kansas was near when Johnnie Frey fell, facing- the foe, in the battle of Baxter Springs in 1863.

None of that Interesting enterprise the Pony Express are now living, but history shall ever lion to the next home station. The Express rider was bound to ride till he could deliver the mail bags over to another able rider. It happened sometimes that the relief rider was sick, not arrived, or dead. In such cases the pony boy hid to ride on to the next home station for the mail had to be kept flying onward. When a pony boy was sworn in, he placed his right hand on a small Bible.

This Bible was then presented to him. It is a remarkable fact that none of the.e riders ever betrayed trust. Not a single packet of mall was stolen or lost during the two years that the Pony Express was In operation. Once a rider was shot from ambush by Indians but the pony bore the mall on to the next station. Examples of Endurance One time james Moore was awaiting the east mail at Midway station on the Platte when it came it contained a government message, with orders to be rushed.

He sprang Into the saddle and raced to Julesburg. 140 miles to the west. When he arrived there a government message was waiting to go east at full speed. The extra rider having been accidentally killed, Moore without food or rest, mounted a fresh pony and raced back to Midway. He had been in the saddle 14 hours, had ridden 12 different ponies and traveled 280 miles.

Buffalo Bill (Wm. Cody) had a beat of 75 miles along the Sweetwater and among the foothills east of the Rockies. This was one of This Is a likeness of a rider Kenneth Met lain, cartoonist for the most dangerous and mast desolate stretches on the whole route. Once as he came in from his long ride, the man who was to take his mall had been killed by the Indians, so Cody carried the mail 85 miles further on to the next home station. Reaching there he at once turned round and rode bnek over the 180 miles.

He thus rode continuously 320 miles and made It at an average of 15 miles per hour. Another game lad was Jack Keetley, the Marysville boy. He was the Joyous Jockey of the Pony Express, having ridden every mile between St. Joseph nnd Ft. Laramie, although generally riding east of Marysvllle.

Once on a wager he rode from Rock Creek on the Little Blue then east to St. Joseph then back to Rock Creek; and then back to Seneca. Thus he rode 340 miles, and was in the saddle for 31 hours without sleep or rest. Who thinks those boys had a snap must guess again. They swam swollen streams; they often rode while their clothes were 1 drenched by rain; with their ponies roae in unzaaras curing every hour of the day and night; over deserts, through forests, through ihuuihuius.

Where Wm. James, Wm. Cody, and James Brink rode was Indian infested country, and white desperadoes even worse, like the notorious Slade. The latter was con tinually bent on robbing the mall. He robbed and plundered the traders and emigrants and Invited the Indians to all the crimes that he could.

It can easily be seen that the boys who rode there needed courage, bravery, and pluck. But everyone of them measured up to these requirements. In the fall of 1861 Julesberg was surrounded by Slade's Indians and burned to capture the mall, but the Express riders were too warry and their horses too fleet for any Indian pony. Once in western Utah and east- Ft. Kearney.

Then the road followed up the Platte to the fork; then along the North Fork to Fort Laramie. Then up along the Sweetwater, over South Pass, and down Big Sandy past Fort Bridger, and on to Salt Lake. From there the route wound over the alkali desert for 70 miles; this was to the south of Great Salt over the Simpson route to Ft. Churchill, over the Sierra Nevada mountains, past Placerville to Sacramento. of the Pony Express as drawn by The Advocate.

Here the mail was taken on board boats and transported to San Francisco In all a distance of over 2,000 miles. It was a long and tedious journey; not a mile but what had hindrances and hazards; not a bridge on the whole way; some stretches were soft and sandy; some dry and parching with alkali dust; some haunted by savages and criminals. Some stretches lay over the fastness of the Rockies and Sierras where often the winter snows biyracaded the road. But all those difficulties faded and dwindled before the courage and resourcefulness of the three geniuses and their able lieutenants and those intreped riders. The magnitude of this undertaking can probably be comprehended when we learn that it cost around $200,000 to put the scheme in operation, and although many people have never heard of the Pony Express, let It be remembered that It made a wonderful stride in the improvement in transporting mail.

It divided the time previously re quired by ten. It is now 94 years since the dnvs of the Ponv Ex. The truly universal farm radio for tractor and home use. Made in Marysville for all American farms. riders employed, although only 80 were needed to carry ordinary mail.

But often the government sent orders which had to be car-tied at extra speed by special car riers; then some riders might be sick. The regular corps of riders, It required 40 riding east and 40 riding west. Each Express rider was supposed to weigh around 135 pounds. He had to be brave, healthy and responsible. Each rider was furnished a saddle, bridle, and saddle bags to hold the mail which was securely wrapped In thin paper and then In oiled cloth.

The packets of mall were limited to 20 pounds. The postage charge was $2 per ounce. Pieces of mail were handled that carried nearly $30 In stamps. At first the mail was started from the east and W'est ends only a week and later twice a week. Mall was taken on ana given off at post offices and army posts only.

Marysvllle was a post-office then, having been organiz ed as post office in 1854 Each rider, besides his mall, and run carried a small norn wnicn he sounded on approaching a home or relay station, so that the OHt mount or rioer iiukiib hv ready to start without delay. The saddle bags were so made as to nicely fit over the saddle. Hence. It required seldom more than two minutes to change the mall from one horse to the other, and like-vise change riders. The saddle-bags were called the mochilla made of leather or heavy ducking.

There were four Dockets in the mochilla. and two openings that willed the pommel niid cantil of the saddle. When the mall had once started til it reached the end of the long It kept on going day and night un-route It required from 30 to 40 minutes to ride the 12 miles from one relay station to the next, and three to four hours to coyer the 50 from one home sta- press, and during all these years i office the Pony Express was of-of boasted progress, the time has ficially stopped October 26, 1861 WILMAR MANUFACTURING UVC. 17th AND MAY MARYSYIllE, KANSAS only been cut in two by the trains in taking the mail to the Pacific coast, still requiring four days. Starting the Mail When all was in readiness, horses distributed to the 190 stations, two riders at each home station with stock tenders at all; provisions for men and food for the ponies along the route, the mail was started from Sacramento and St.

Joseph at the same hour on April 3, 1860. There was great Joy and excitement all along the trail, and especially did the people of the Golden State rejoice. A fine celebration for the event was arranged and carried out at Sacramento. Floral arches bent over the principal streets. In front of the City Hall was a large platform from which the eloquent speakers and i.