Sutton's 1943 Roller Skating Rink - Outdoor model.

Sutton's Open-Air roller rink opened for business 75 years ago in 1943...

From The Sutton News:

1918 State Fair Circus shortly after a disastrous train wreck

The Sutton paper in 1918 had this article about the upcoming Nebraska State Fair with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The article mentions a disastrous wreck. 

There are several references to the wreck which occurred on June 22, 1918, just a few weeks prior to this item in the paper.

One of the stories about the wreck is at this IndyStar article.  

There are many more.

Seaman Henry Lohmeier killed in South Pacific - 1943

The July 29, 1943 issue of The Sutton News carried the story of the loss of Seaman Henry F. Lohmeier of Sutton. 

A further account of his loss is found at the link at the end of this post.

We found further information about the incident that cost Seaman Lohmeier his life in a book titled “The Search That Never Was: The Untold Truth about the 1948-49 Search for World War II American Personnel Missing in Action in the South Pacific” written by J. L. Wright.

We quote that book in another post on our blog at:

Lohmeier in Les Bauer post

Publication of "Along the County Line" was 50 years ago.

One of out two important books about the history of Sutton (the other being Jim Griess' book) was published 50 years ago. The publication was announced in The Clay County News on August 1, 1968.

The cover of "Along the County Line" is simplicity itself

The Sutton Museum's copy of "Along the County Line" is autographed by the authors.

Howard (HCK) King wrote the newspaper item in 1968 and the Preface the prior October.

Many of the poems in the book were by Anne Sheridan. The book also has a Bibliography. 

U. S. O. for Colored Service Men - Harvard Air Base - 1943

75 Years Ago at the Harvard Air Base

From the Harvard Courier newspaper.

"Executive Order 9981 was an executive order issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and eventually led to the end of segregation in the services."

- Wikipedia

James Gray Visits the Home of His Ancestors - Our Museum

We were honored this month by a visit from a direct descendant of 

John and Emma Gray.

James and Donna Gray of Palm Desert, California made their first visit to Sutton to see the homes of their ancestors, now housing the Sutton Museum. We had an enjoyable visit sharing what we knew about the Gray family.

Les Bauer Began His WWII Hobby - Sutton News - 1943

The July 22, 1943 issue of The Sutton News had this item:

The Sutton Museum is proud to have the ensuing collection of Les Bauer in our collection as of a several months ago as a donation from the Gene Bauer family.

Read about the result of Les' hobby here:

Les Bauer WWII Autograph Books, etc.

EXPLORER! - The Story of Sutton's own Walter Wellman

We've had earlier posts about Walter Wellman, who, among other things, was the publisher of Sutton's first newspaper. Among those posts is:

Earlier Walter Wellman post: "Sutton's Arctic Explorer" 

A book about our local hero was published about two years ago. It is historical fiction, that is, the author used Wellman's incredible story as a basis for his book but took the liberty to tell the story with fictional dialogue and detail to give us a credible adventure story. And, as far as I can tell, stick to the historical basis of Wellman's story very well.

Recommended. Available at Amazon.com for $15 for the paperback or $2.99 for your Kindle. Amazon's blurb is copied below this image of the cover.

Enjoy

Explorer! is historical fiction. That is, the dialogue is fictional, but events and many of the people mentioned were real. 

Certainly, Walter Wellman was a real person who had vision, determination, and leadership—all traits needed during his attempts to be the first to reach the North Pole. When that goal could no longer be realized, he regrouped his forces and set his sights on being the first to fly across the Atlantic. He conceived this idea right after Beloit, in an aircraft that was little more than a kite with an engine, succeeded in being the first to fly from Calais, France, to Dover, England—a distance of about thirty-five miles. 

Explorer follows in the wake of The Ice Age Saga trilogy—The Shaman’s Song, The Sojourner’s Tale, and Crooked Foot. Similarities between The Ice Age trilogy and Explorer! are due to the fact that they are all written as action-adventure stories and are meant to entertain readers of all ages.