One of the ways that a city uses to honor an illustrious citizen is to name a park after him or her. In McCook such parks range from small parks such as at the high school, honoring beloved Principal, LeRoy Hoehner, Bolles Canyon, honoring McCook's tree-planter extraordinaire, Steve Bolles, and McCook's newest park, Russell Park, honoring attorney Carson Russell, to the major parks, honoring Senator Norris, A. Barnett -- and John E. Kelley.

Though not an original settler in McCook, John Kelley came to McCook very early and is usually thought of in connection with The Lincoln Land Company. In 1882 The Lincoln Land Co. was the only owner of land in the new town of McCook. The company was formed by officials of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, who, using inside information, acquired land along the Republican River, which would soon become a Division Point for the railroad. Much of this property came through the purchase of land granted to Veterans of the Civil War, who were granted "Entries" (additional land associated with Government Homestead Claims).

John Elmer Kelley was born in Birmingham, Iowa, in 1862, the son of a merchant. In 1879 he began a four-year study of law in a law office in Kirwin, Kan.

During this four year period he was appointed Law Clerk in a Government Land Office in Kirwin. By 1885 he had taken a wife, Nora, and was transferred to the Land Office in McCook. John and Nora took their honeymoon trip from Phillipsburg, Kan., to McCook via horse and buggy. Evidently Kelley liked what he found in McCook. He traded his horse and buggy for his first land holdings (the first of many such holdings) in the new town.

In 1885 the McCook Land Company office was one of the busiest businesses in town. Working there gave Kelley a chance to "keep his finger on the pulse" of the bustling new city. He soon opened his own office -- law, abstracting, land titles -- first in a building just south of the Land Office, and later in his own building just a block south. When Land Office Manager, Thomas Colfer, died in 1889 Kelley was appointed "Agent for The Lincoln Land Company."

By 1919 The Lincoln Land Company felt that its work was done in McCook, and it was time to move on to develop town sites at other locations along the railroad's right of way. It was only natural that they would choose to sell their remaining land holdings in McCook and Red Willow County to the fellow who had been such an important cog in their successful McCook operation -- John E. Kelley. These land properties, along with those already acquired by Mr. Kelley, made him the largest landholder or any firm or individual in McCook and Red Willow County.

From the very beginning of his time in McCook, John Kelley was a very busy man. He was interested in everything -- technology, community development -- politics.

In 1897, while on a business trip to Omaha, Kelley saw a demonstration of the telephone, then just a few years after Alexander Graham Bell's invention.

He was intrigued by the gadget and arranged to rent two telephones for use in McCook. He became the first user of the telephone in McCook when he hooked up the phones -- one in his office, the other in his home. He encouraged the formation of McCook's first Telephone Company (and McCook's first Telephone Exchange) in 1899, and a few months later the first toll line, which connected McCook with Oxford.

John E. Kelley was eulogized at his funeral, in 1942, by Bishop George Allen Beecher as "the Greatest Community Benefactor to have lived in this city."

He served as McCook's first city clerk, and as the first secretary of McCook's first Chamber of Commerce. He held the office of Mayor of McCook for seven terms. He was President of his firm, J.E. Kelley and Son, was President of the First Trust Company of McCook, and President of the McCook Co-operative Building and Savings Association.

Kelley was also very much interested in state and national politics. For many years he served as Chairman of the Red Willow County Republican Central Com-mittee. In 1922 he was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention, which nominated Calvin Coolidge for President.

Later, during a campaign stop in Omaha, J.E. Kelley welcomed the future President, as one of Coolidge's official hosts.

In McCook Mr. Kelley was active in the Catholic Church, The Knights of Columbus and other church related organizations. He was one of the first Exalted Rulers of the Elks' Club and attended at least one International meeting of the Elks in Boston. Though John Kelley was not a member of the Rotary Club, his son, Charles was, and the McCook Club frequently held summer outings at the Kelley Ranch, near McCook.

The Kelleys, father and son, were among the early explorers for oil in the area. However, though their belief in the presence of oil in our area was correct, none of their "oil wells" resulted in successful, measurable oil.

However, it was not Mr. Kelley's accomplishments in business and politics that caused Bishop Beecher to praise him so lavishly in his eulogy. It was rather recognition of Kelley's generous nature toward the city that Bishop Beecher referred.

For many years there was scarcely a community project that J.E. Kelley was not involved, and many of these projects involved land belonging to Kelley. When McCook Junior College decided to build its own campus north and east of the city in 1934, it was J.E. Kelley who donated the land, which at one time had been a part of the spread where Buffalo Jones had nurtured his herd of buffalo.

More land was donated for the construction of Weiland Field, and the land to the north of Weiland Field and the college -- for the present Kelley Park, with swimming pool, tennis courts, Frisbee golf course, and Bolles' Canyon.

When the city needed a location for a new hospital (1930) Kelley donated the land (the old St. Catherine's Hospital). He also donated the land for the City Auditorium (1938), and for the Country Club Golf Course (the old Elks golf course).

It goes without saying that Kelley's donations of land to the city for various purposes also expanded the boundaries of the city, and at the same time made Kelley's remaining land holdings more valuable, but the importance of Mr. Kelley to the growth and well-being of the McCook can scarcely be over emphasized.

Source: Trails West, by Rutledge and Ray, Gazette Centennial -- 1882-1982

Note: The Columbian Souvenir -- 1893 was published by Charles Barnes, McCook Times Democrat