How About a Model T Tractor?

The Sutton Pullford Co. advertised in 1917 issues of The Sutton News describing their tractor-conversion of a Model T Ford. The dealer was not listed but the company was at the Ford garage.

 

Ummo Luebben of Sutton Invented the Round Baler

 Ummo Luebben, Sutton Inventor

Ummo Luebben of Sutton invented the round baler. The initial purpose was to wrap straw into tight bundles useful to burn in stoves where wood was scarce. When the design was used on hay, the stems were parallel to the ground repelling water better than square bales (actually rectangular but we called ‘em square). 

Ummo and his brother Melchior began working on the machine in the 1890’s. Ummo was the engineer, and Melchior was the businessman (also president of a Sutton bank). After differences in opinion about the design, Ummo continued on his own and is generally given credit for the invention. Ummo sold the rights to the baler to Allis-Chalmers in 1943. Allis built about 77,700 Roto-Balers in production runs from 1947-1964 and 1972-1974. 

In a 2017 article at agupdate.com, Melchior’s great-grandson Eric Luebben of Fullerton, California said he had found six Luebben balers in the U.S. and Canada, in museums and fields. He managed to buy two of them and wanted to get one working and find a vintage tractor to pull it.

 

Ummo Luebben, inventor of the round baler, was born August 15, 1867, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and died April 19, 1953, in Omaha. He manufactured his baler in Beatrice where he continued modifying it, eventually selling the rights to the patent to Allis-Chalmers in 1943.

Ummo Luebben of Sutton used this drawing for his patent of the round baler issued on Oct. 18, 1910. (Personal note: my memory crutch to remember the date of Luebben’s patent is that it was issued on the day my father was born.)

Sutton's Early Cottage School

 

The Cottage School was located north of School Creek and west of Saunders Avenue. The school served elementary pupils who lived in the north portion of town.

The Ong Methodist Church Centennial was in November 1972

The Ong Methodist Church celebrated its centennial 50 years ago. 

The article about the occasion included a brief history of the church.

This article appeared in The Clay County News on November 2, 1972, page 2.

Arlene (Kessler) Reighter WWII Red Cross Volunteer - 1946

Arlene Kessler, Sutton High Class of 1936, came home in May 1946 from Red Cross service in Europe during WWII.

Her parents were Arthur Sr. (1887-1975) and Zella (Lamb) (1896-1974) Kessler. Arlene was born 25 Nov 1919 and died 23 Sep 2009 in Lincoln at the age of 89. She is buried in the Reighter plot in the Sutton cemetery.

Arlene Kessler was listed in the 1940 census at age 20 living with her parents in Sutton and teaching grade school in "public school" - likely Sutton Schools (or in a rural school?)

This article appeared in The Sutton News on May 23, 1946.

Sarah (Brening) Everett - Founder of Runza Restaurants

Sarah Edna (Sally) Brening was born on 12 Aug 1912 near Sutton. In 1920 her parents Alex and Katherina Sophia (Sophie) (Leur) Brening were farming in Momence Township in Fillmore County east of Sutton. Sarah Brening married Wilbert T. Everett on 1 June 1938 in Lincoln.

She started the Runza business with her brother Alex (b. 1 Jan 1916).

Alex Brening (Sr.) arrived in New York on 18 Nov 1907 on the ship Caronia with his brother David. Ship records identify Sutton, Nebraska as their destination and Hy Reifschneider as their contact person. Alex Brening listed his home as the village of Popofka, Saratof (Saratov), Russia. The Saratov origins survive on the Runza Restaurant Wikipedia entry where the recipe is attributed to German Volga immigrants.

Sarah Everett died 23 Jan 1989 at the age of 76 and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park.

Hosea Gray & Party arrived May 4, 1871

Hosea Wilson Gray

Colonel Hosea Wilson Gray, his son John M. Gray, his son-in-law George W. Bemis, and W. Cunning and his wife arrived at the Luther French dugout on May 4, 1871. 

The Gray party's arrival marked the beginning of the 1871 growth spurt that took Sutton from one farmer on the banks of School Creek to a bustling community on the Burlington Railroad by the end of the year.

Hosea Gray was born in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, spent some time in Indiana and came to Marion, Iowa in 1837. He practiced law in Marion for several years, was the first sheriff of Linn County and served for four terms.

He left Iowa for Nebraska in 1871 arriving in Clay County along the expected route of the Burlington Railroad. His wife Nancy, daughter-in-law Emma, and daughter Ada shortly joined their husbands in their new home.

W. Cunning's wife Kate has been credited with being the first married woman onto the land that became Sutton. I'm unsure why there is the distinction that she was married. Does that imply there may have been a single woman here? Where? Unaccompanied? The only inhabitant was Luther French. Surely not.

Hosea Gray was active in politics helping to form the Republican Party in Iowa. He served in Iowa's Constitutional Convention in 1856 and his portrait hangs in the state capitol.

 

When the Civil War broke out, Hosea Gray organized Company A of the 6th Iowa Volunteer Infantry and was commissioned a Captain serving nearly three years before sickness forced him to leave the army as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was promoted to brevet Colonel at the end of the war.

Hosea Gray practiced law in Sutton with his partner A.A. McCoy engaging in land deals in the new community. He was the senior partner with son John in the Gray lumber company located to the northwest of the intersection of Maple Street and Way Avenue on the Hunzeker property and on the grounds of the Sutton Museum. Two houses built by John Gray house the museum. 

Hosea Wilson Gray died on April 28, 1885 and is buried in the Sutton cemetery.

Oakland Hotel - Destroyed by fire 1902

The Oakland Hotel was Sutton's largest hotel, built about 1885, it was destroyed by fire in March 1902.

The article below appeared in the Nebraska Signal newspaper in Geneva on March 14 quoting The Sutton Register's story about the fire.

This map from Library of Congress is from Sanborn Map and Publishing Company and is dated August 1889. Sanborn developed these maps to assist insurance companies to understand risks of individual buildings.

The 1955-56 Sutton Mustang Newspaper

The Sutton Mustang was the monthly newspaper published by the Sutton High Journalism Class.

Miss Stella Softly was the faculty advisor for the newspaper. The 1955-56 staff was Wilbert Roemmich, managing editor; Janet Ochsner, Delores Detwiler, Jacquie Leininger, Marilyn Ochsner, Joan Hunzeker, Carol Nuss, Ronald Ochsner, Barbara Griess, Janis Peter, Paula Lorenzen, John Klein, and Marilyn Smith.

The September 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The October 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The November 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The December 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The January 1956 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The February 1956 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The March 1956 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The April 1956 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The May 1956 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

1954-55 Sutton Mustang Newspaper

The Sutton Mustang was the monthly newspaper published by the journalism class.

Miss Stella Softly was the faculty advisor. The 1954-1955 Mustang staff was Carl Schneller; Jerry Pearson, editor; Alvin Misener; Tom Schwab, co-editor; Marlys French; Kay Mankamyer; Marcia Savage; and Kay Figi.

The September 1954 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

 

The Mustang was a four-page monthy paper throughout its existence, as far as I know.

The October 1954 Issue, The Sutton Mustang

The November 1954 issue of The Sutton Mustang

The December 1954 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The January 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The Febuary 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The March 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The April 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang

The May 1955 Issue of The Sutton Mustang