Wm. Plourd, Indianola's man on the move

Monday, October 14, 2002
Walt Sehnert

William Plourd was born in Minona, Iowa, on Nov. 2, 1866, the son of a French-Canadian emigrant. He spent his youth around his father's blacksmith shop, where he learned to work with iron, and developed a love and respect for animals, primarily horses, that determined his way of life.

William graduated from a veterinary college in Kansas City in the early 1890s. But instead of setting up a veterinary practice immediately, he joined a wild-west show and toured the United States, as "Professor Plourd," specializing in trick riding, which included a four-horse hippodrome act.

In 1895 Plourd moved to Indianola with a wife, Elizabeth, and two small boys, Wilbur and Alfred. (Two daughters, Gertrude and Nell, and son, Bernard, were born in Indianola) They were followed shortly to lndianola by William's mother, Emily, father, Michael, and a brother, Walter.

The two families rented land northeast of Indianola and spent that first winter in a tent. Fortunately the winter proved exceedingly mild. In the spring the two families set up housekeeping in one, rather large, house in Indianola.

Large as it was, it was not large enough for the two women, who could not get along. To solve the problem, father, Michael, simply cut the house in half. Michael, his wife and son fixed up their half into a single dwelling and William and Elizabeth moved their half house two blocks away. Peace in the Plourd extended family was restored.

The elder Plourd soon established a blacksmith shop in Indianola, under the name of M.W. Plourd and sons. William was active in the blacksmith shop, but in addition established his veterinary practice, which continued for the next 50 years.

William and his brother, Walter, shared a strong interest in horses and soon established a racing stable. This proved to be a very successful enterprise. Over a number of years the brothers owned and successfully raced some 35 horses.

Walter was responsible for the manufacture of horseshoes, jockey saddles and practically every piece of equipment that was needed for racing horses. Walter not only practiced the usual blacksmith work, but he studied the business for better answers to problems. He noticed that racehorses required specialized shoes for the track. He invented a unique type of molded horseshoe that gave the Plourd Stable horses a certain advantage on the tracks. Other owners soon noticed the difference and began to inquire about these new shoes. It wasn't long before stables around the world, from Canada to Australia were ordering this type of horseshoe from the plant in Indianola.

While Walter took care of the blacksmith shop and the manufacture of the new horseshoes at home, William was in charge of the care and racing of the horses. For a number of years he took advantage of the rail lines passing through Indianola and traveled to races in almost every state in the union, plus Canada and Mexico, with the Plourd racehorses and jockeys. Though there were many jockeys over the years, William considered that his son, Alfred (until he grew too large to ride competitively) was the best jockey that ever wore the Plourd colors.

Among the many fine horses that raced out of the Plourd stables, there was one horse that stood out from the rest. That horse was named Indianola, after the Plourds' hometown. Indianola had an unusually long racing career, spanning some 14 years. He raced frequently during this period, and at the time of his death it was said that he had won more races than any other thoroughbred foaled in Nebraska. In his last race, in 1926, at Don Morez, Mexico, Indianola was severely injured and had to be destroyed.

His stature was such that he was buried in the infield of the Mexican track. William was devastated by the death of his favorite horse and upon his return to Indianola he arranged for the sale of their remaining horses and closed the Plourd Stables forever.

About this time silent motion pictures were becoming very popular in the United States. William wanted very much to be in the motion picture business, and built the Star Theater in Indianola, and for a number of years also owned a theater at Chadron, which his son, Alfred, operated.

But with the Indianola theater, he had to have electricity. So he obtained a franchise for an electrical plant, which his sons, Alfred and Wilbur built. The boys took over the operation of the light plant, then wired the theater, as well as many of the homes and businesses in Indianola.

McCook later obtained the franchise for a much larger plant, after which Indianola obtained her electricity from that source. Alfred and Wilbur helped build the electrical line between McCook and Indianola.

The Star Theater in Indianola proved to be a successful enterprise, and one in which William took great pride. In the entrance lobby there was a large star embedded in the concrete floor. On one wall of the lobby was a large mural, painted by William's son, Bernard Plourd. Though Lords of Indianola have used the theater building for furniture display for many years now, they have taken great pains to preserve the mural, a striking example of local art.

Ever the entrepreneur, and apparently also the athlete, for a period of time William also practiced barbering, not only in Indianola, but during wheat harvest season he would ride a bicycle to the wheat fields in Kansas, where he found many tonsorial customers among the threshers.

Over many years William was instrumental in establishing and operating a number of clubrooms and recreation parlors in Indianola. Some of these clubs were open to the public, but some were private "Gentlemen Clubs," with strict rules and guidelines for membership.

One of these clubs, "The Farmers' Club" was housed in the red bank building (later post office), across the street from Lord's Store. There were refreshrnents and tables for cards, billiard tables, and a small Bowling Alley housed in the basement.

Though William Plourd officially retired from racing horses in 1926, he never did get horse racing, and other forms of gambling, out of his blood. For many yeas he set up a booth at the area fairs, and enjoyed the banter with friends and customers at these fairs. He was said to have a very amusing patter and very quick hands, and offered games of chance at his booths -- shell games and card games, games in which the odds were decidedly in his favor.

Even in his latter years Doc Plourd delighted in traveling to fairs throughout the area, often taking one or more of his grand children, reveling in the sights, talking with the people, and always enjoying the experience. It seemed that he never tired of being with people, traveling, and providing entertainment for others. From his obituary in the Indianola News, "He was never content to allow life to pass by without living it to the fullest."

William Plourd died in 1953 and was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery at Indianola, after "a colorful and exciting life and many years of service to the community of Indianola. Dr. William Plourd, a man of many talents and boundless energy, who never stopped enjoying life. Sources: Wm. Plourd's grandson, Michael Plourd "Trails West to RW County, Neb., by Robert T. Ray and Lois Rutledge.

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