Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper

Good Old Days – 03-28-14

Compiled By The Sidney Sun-Telegraph Staff

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

100 YEARS AGO

'Lecture Course Finished'

March 21, 1914

The last number given on the lecture course was given at the High School assembly room on last Wednesday and was highly satisfactory.

The lecturer billed for that night was seriously ill but the man substituted by the bureau proved equal to appeasing a severely critical audience.

The lecturer was Bill Bone( and the name was no joke) and his subject was "wrinkles". He was thorough humorist and afforded a happy evening.

75 YEARS AGO

'Jail Is Empty, First Time In Many Weeks'

March 28,1939

The Cheyenne county Jail was empty and forlorn the first time in many weeks after Sheriff W. W. Shultz removed his only two occupants to the state penitentiary last week.

Lee Braird, under 25 year sentence, and James Reeves, sentenced to a five year term, were taken to Lincoln, and four youths held for the theft of blanket completed their ten day term.

50 YEARS AGO

'Lions Postpone Easter Egg Hunt'

March 27, 1964

Snow on the ground at Legion Park and a brisk squall today blasted the planned Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt----Temporally. Vince Maliszewski, chairman, said today that the hunt is being postponed until next Saturday morning ---- weather permitting.

25 YEARS AGO

'Fishing Big Business In Nebraska'

March 29, 1989

LINCOLN – Nebraskans over the age of 18 spent an estimated $166 million on fishing in 1987, a survey on outdoor recreation within our boarders has found.

The Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey, was conducted by The Bureau of Sociological research at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in Cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and The Central Platte NRD.

The survey revealed more than 391,000 Nebraskans. or about one-third of citizens the age of 18 said they spent an average of 14 days during 1987 participating in fishing activity. Spending an average of $28.83 each day they were out, those anglers spent an estimated total of $166 million for equipment, bait, lodging, food and fuel.

The figures in the survey were derived from a telephone survey of 1,800 residents. The results were adjusted proportionally to correlate with the total population of Nebraskans.

TEN YEARS AGO

'Severe Weather Season Could Be Repeat of Last Year'

March 27, 2004

The 2003 severe weather season was an active one. Although drought continued across the state, severe weather was plentiful. There was a total of 81 tornadoes in Nebraska, compared to 28 in 2002.

June was by far the busiest month for tornadoes with 43. The month of May had 16 tornadoes followed closely by July with 13. There were eight tornadoes in April and one reported in November.

The strongest tornado was an F4, with winds between 207 and 260 miles per hour, which occurred June 23 near Coleridge in Cedar County.

The 2003 severe weather season got off to an early start in western Nebraska. A freak isolated thunderstorm moved through the southwest corner of Cheyenne County April 30, leaving marble sized hail stacked up to ten inches deep in the town of Lorenzo. The hail fell in a narrow diagonal band to the northwest and southeast of Lorenzo. Accumulation was so intense some residents cleared the roof of buildings with snow blowers and shovels.

A strong low pressure system moved into the area the evening of May 3 spawning a severe storm that produced a brief tornado in north east Garden County. Strong winds and large hail broke windows and produced minor roof damage in northern Garden, southern Sheridan and western Grant Counties.

Tornadoes developed again on June 20 with two touching down in open range land in Garden and Deuel Counties with no damage reported. In addition, a strong tornado hit a farmstead northwest of Lewellen destroying buildings and grain bins, overturning center-pivot irrigation systems, snapping off trees and power poles, destroying wind mills and tossing hay bales.

Another weak tornado touched down briefly in a nearby corn field. This tornado shifted a building off its foundation and damaged the deck of a nearby home. Finally, the last tornado touched down two miles east of Lewellen near Highway 92. Debris from a destroyed grain bin and a broken power pole combined with hay bales picked up by the tornado to push over and derail 22 empty cars on a passing Union Pacific coal train.

A line of thunderstorms with very strong winds, known as a derecho, traveled from Deuel to Custer County on July 7. Although many thought tornadoes had touched down, it was the storm's 100 mph wind gusts that did all the damage. The winds toppled 150 feet of a 247-foot tower for KOGA radio in Ogallala. In addition, the wind snapped off trees and power poles, destroyed campers and damaged roofs and outbuildings.

The Union Pacific Railroad reported that a track side weather station east of Big Springs recorded winds of 105 mph.

The National Weather Service reported the event as one huge straight line storm that stretched from approximately Scottsbluff into Colorado. Although large, it was broken up into several different violent cells.

That same evening, a storm dumped several inches of rain and spawned one confirmed tornado east of Lorenzo. The tornado was on the ground for one to one and a half minutes and caused minimal damage to a wheat field in the area of County Road 105.

On July 29 an afternoon storm spawned at least five funnel clouds and two tornadoes. Severe weather spotters reported funnels from Kimball to northwest of Sidney. One tornado touched down five miles north of Kimball.

With abnormally high temperatures already accompanying the first days of spring, conditions look favorable for another round of extreme weather in the Nebraska Panhandle.

 

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