Looking back on 2016
By: Stan Jordan
As I sit here at my desk and look out across Main Street here in Antwerp, with all of the snow laying around and the mercury plunging down to zero, this is the first bitterly cold snap of the winter, and I am already tired of winter. We had such a nice fall, I guess I got accustomed to that kind of weather and I sure do miss it.
Lets look back over the year 2016 and reflect on it a little.
We had that disastrous fire at Bragg’s River Street Market. Thank goodness no one was hurt that night. All that area has been cleaned up and maybe some other business will start there.
We had all the usual action and fun days like the Rib Fest, the Big Boy$ Toy$, the Day in the Park, all the yard sales and the like.
All the repairs and the remodeling at the high school and football field, lights, bleachers and other changes.
We suffered through the ruckus called an election, but we returned our sheriff and voted to have our county jail. I’m sure that was the way right way to go.
The tennis court was repaired by the Rotary Club. The A.C.D.C. made us a marina on the Maumee east of the park.
Our local eagle’s nest was blown down by a nasty wind storm. We all feel badly about that.
The kids had fine weather for the Halloween celebration, the parade and all.
Our folks had the usual frenzy of Christmas shopping and buying and what not to buy.
Here at the West Bend News we had our own type of excitement and care. Our graphic designer, Sarah, had a fine baby boy and all is fine. Our machine operator, Jarrison, and Kim were married. Our delivery man, Jerry Grimes, had a bad accident but he is doing okay now.
See ya!
O.S. Applegate 1844 to 1910
By: Stan Jordan
In reading about the history of Antwerp, I have found the name of O.S. Applegate a few times in the records and I thought I would check up a little on that name.
Well his name is Oliver S. Applegate and he lived northwest of town mostly. I knew that Kenny Donat was a direct descendant, so I talked to Kenny and Mary.
Oliver Applegate, I think was a great, great grandpa to Kenny. Oliver’s daughter married a Donat and they named a son Oliver S. Donat, after her father. Well, this Oliver S. Donat, I knew him and he was a fine fellow and very active in the area northwest of Antwerp, but maybe more on him later. Right now, we are talking about Mr. Applegate.
Kenny told me that at sometime Mr. Applegate was a town constable.
During the 1800’s, Oliver owned and operated a grocery store, where the Antwerp Hardware is now. In 1890 the post office was where the VFW now stands. It was moved over to where Oley’s pizza now is and Mr. Applegate was the postmaster at that time.
Mr. Applegate and Worden Sperry used the two men in charge of blowing the Six Mile Reservoir in 1886. I understand that the total number of men who worked that night was over 200.
In looking over the list of men who helped blow the reservoir, I knew and remembered four of them. E.M. Sunday, Nick Harmann, Frank Lamb and H. Overmeyer.
Mr. Applegate was in charge of blowing the locks at junction. They warned all the people between Hutchins lock and junction to get out of the way of the high water as they were going to blow the Six Mile Reservoir at midnight and they did.
There must have been some terrible explosion of fifty and a one hundred pounds of dynamite. Then they blew Tate’s Landing, then the banks and locks and some of the walls that held the water in.
Their battle cry was “The reservoir has to go” and it did.
See ya!
Stan’s Ramblings
By: Stan Jordan
The weekend of December 16th, 17th and 18th, we had snow, freezing rain, rain and anything that was bad. I stayed in the house from Friday afternoon until Monday around 8:00 a.m. I’m sure that the biggest share of people living in this area fared about the same.
I spent a lot of my idle time sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and looking out the window at the weather and highway SR 49, and not much traffic and they were going slow, a good safe speed.
Then I got to thinking about the state of Ohio employees who drive those snow plows, then the Paulding County boys who done a good job on the county road, and the township fellowS also do a fine job keeping our roads clean.
I made another pot of coffee and I got to thinking about other people who help us so much, sometimes we sort of take them for granted.
All the towns in this area are included here. We all have volunteer fire departments, we have fine EMS people, we have fine police departments and how about the people who do the Meals on Wheels? Or the town council and the other city officials.
Remember Pudge and the city employees when a water main breaks or the temperature is 4 below zero. The State Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Department are all there when you need them.
And on that day when you don’t care to cook supper and you go to your favorite restaurant and that little waitress is always glad to see you, even though she has been on her feet all day.
How about a little diversion? It has been suggested to me to tell everyone to go and look at the decorated house at the end of Stone Street, that is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin. As I understand, it is well decorated inside and out. They have worked many hours and you are invited to come and see it.
See Ya!
Sam Rivers, Indian Agent Chapter 13: Yellow Flower Comes to the Agency
By: Stan Jordan
We got back to the agency and everything is alright. We all rested the rest of the day out in the cook out area. We had fine deer steaks and biscuits. That really hit the spot.
This morning was Thursday and we were a little slow getting around. The soldier boys cleaned up all their gear and loaded the wagons for the trip back to Fort Kearney. They would have rather stayed and worked for us rather than going back to soldiering and I am glad for the help.
I wrote a letter to General Kearney and told him all that we did back here and at the Lakota Camp. I know that the tribe trusts us and are learning the white man’s way and language.
I also asked the General if in the fall when cold weather comes could these four boys help with killing some buffalo and deer for the winter meat. Farmer would like to take that new plow and plow out all of the potato crop, ours and the Indians.
Callie made the boys some biscuits and deer meat for their supper along the road back to camp. It’s going to be lonesome here for awhile.
Callie and I sat outdoors a lot and waited for the garden to grow. We made a lot of plans and talked about what we have already accomplished.
We love it here at the agency. Things are slow right now, Callie even had me carry her rocking chair out under the shade trees.
The garden is up pretty good now and we spend a lot of mornings working there. This is June 1852 and the days get pretty warm.
One of those times that Limping Buffalo and I talked around the fire, he liked to tell me about another Lakota Tribe off to the northeast. He said about the same size as his tribe was. He said he knew they were farmers and hunters and loved to live in peace. But he said some Lakota tribes to the west liked the armed conflict and he hoped they would stay away.
He said his tribe didn’t even have rifles, I guess I already knew that.
Boy, it ain’t lonesome here anymore. A couple days ago a team and wagon came in from Lakota County. It contained four men and Limping Buffalo and three squaws to help work in the garden. Callie and I were sure glad for the help. We have plenty of tools and the Indians are a working bunch. They do know gardening.
Limping Buffalo and his squaw, Yellow Flower, spent a lot of time with us in the shade. This is the first time she ever visited the agency or was ever around us much.
But she wants to learn the language and our ways and anything else we can teach her. She laughs and says she wants to be smart like her husband, the Shaman. Yellow Flower said they had planned on staying a few days so maybe she could learn the language and figures.
Well, Callie said, “We will have class right after supper while the men talk and smoke.”
One of the men wanted to attend these classes. He is Little Beaver, the son of Limping Buffalo and Yellow Flower. Little Beaver wants to learn all he can on all subjects because he wants to follow his father’s footsteps and become a tribal Shaman.
Boy, this tickles all of us and we will help all we can. He is a bright young warrior and he will make a good Shaman, but it will take time and effort. He knows that and is ready to start. So, I started him right in on the Little Jim Dandy one burner oil stove. I showed him how it works and how to make coffee. He was excited right away on using the white man’s tools.
One of the other natives was Half Moon, the main gardener from the Lakota Camp. He gave a pretty good report on the garden and what else he expected to do while he was here.
It was a warm night with a touch of rain in the air. We all talked until way late in the night. The natives all like the new coffee drink, but most put in a bit of sugar.
The school classes stopped at dark, but we all kept repeating the other fellow’s work. I want to learn their language as much as they do mine.
See ya!
