Opinion

Scrapbooks offer glimpse into the past

Monday, March 31, 2008

Families have always saved photos and clippings concerning family members. Sometimes this consists of tossing these prized mementoes into a box, to be organized "sometime." Usually someone in the family takes on this collection as a project and organizes the pictures and keepsakes into books and albums. In our own family my wife makes a book (mostly pictures) for each child and grand child, which is presented at the time of the person's high school graduation. These books, while important to the family, have limited broader historical value.

Some individuals have developed scrapbooks of a much broader scope. Flora Dutcher, one of McCook's Centenarians, has been a devoted maker of scrapbooks for many years. While Flora's scrapbooks certainly lean to subjects of special interest to Flora, she is interested in such a wide variety of subjects that her scrapbooks will prove to be valuable to future historians. Flora's books cover subjects from church activities, McCook College, where she was one of the first graduates, people and events of McCook, where she has spent her life, to race horse winners, especially of the Kentucky Derby. Flora has not bet on horse races---she just loves horses and has kept track of times of the Derby winners for more years than she cares to remember.

Another scrapbook historian was McCook citizen, was Josephine (Mrs. Robert) Allen, mother of Wayne and grandmother of Ron. Mrs. Allen was a 1906 graduate of McCook High, and later served as a nurse at the old McCook Reid Hospital on Norris Avenue. Her scrapbooks cover the period of her early married years through World War II.

During World War II, Mrs. Allen's son, Wayne B. was serving in England as an officer in the U.S. Air Corps. At the same time another Wayne B. Allen was also an officer in the Army.

The two men received promotions at about the same time. McCook's Wayne B. Allen was promoted to captain, the other Wayne B. was promoted to general. Somehow the two notices got mixed up, and Mrs. Allen saved the McCook Gazette clipping announcing that her Wayne B. had been promoted to general. Presumably, newspapers in the other Wayne B.'s home town received the news that their Wayne B. had received his promotion to Captain -- imagine how the real Gen. Allen received that news!

From a Gazette clipping in Mrs. Allen's scrapbook: "Interesting Relic Found"

"A few days ago, while Joseph Allen was hoeing corn on his farm about 10 miles north of the city, he recovered a silver medal about an inch and a half in diameter, to which was attached a ring, by which it could be suspended.

"It is an old Spanish medal of merit and thought to be over 350 years old and undoubtedly lost when the Spanish expedition passed through here. It is of almost pure silver, and well worn around the edges, as is also the ring by which it was hung, as it is broken at the top, which is probably the cause of its being lost.

"The inscription on the medal is quite plain, and it is in good condition.

"On the head: It is the head and bust of a man, presumably Carlo III. Surrounding it, in capital letters in a circle, "Carlo III Rex De Esp. Emo De Las Indies."

"Reverse side: A large wreath with the words in large capital letters, "A Merito." There is no date on the medal. It was brought to town the first of the week by Ramev Allen and taken to L.C. Stoll who cleaned it and it is now on exhibition in his store window." (The Stoll Jewelry Store was in the 300 block where Country Floral is now.)

 There is no date on the clipping, but it would seem that the discovery of this medal gave rise to the theory that there had been Spanish expeditions in our area, probably leading to the naming of our northwest ball park as Cibola Field. In asking about this with the NU Anthropology Department we were given the opinion that more probably, area Indians, through warfare or trade, had brought the medal to our area.

 Two other clippings in Mrs. Allen's scrapbook concern the exploits and ironic fate of Corp/ Hugh A. Carmichael of Indianola, in Italy in 1943, during World War  II.

"Indianola GI Whips 50 Nazis And Goes Back For More

"Army records action of Corporal Hugh Carmichael

"Cpl. Hugh A. Carmichael, of Indianola, an infantry machine-gunner, matched himself against 50 attacking Germans in a blazing bit of action in Italy --Carmichael won.

"The story of how one lone Doughboy, sole survivor of his crew, battled 50 Nazis is contained in a War Department Bureau of Public Relations bulletin mailed to the Gazette. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Carmichael, learned some of the facts about the incident some time ago, but the bulletin reveals more details about the incident.

"Carmichael disposed of the Germans, the bulletin said, as follows:

"Firing his machine gun until his supply of ammunition was exhausted; he killed 10 enemy soldiers and wounded 25.

"Rushed by the remaining Germans, he stood his ground, armed only with a .45-caliber pistol, and held his fire until the nearest Nazi was only five yards from him. Then he killed five more of the enemy.

"The remaining enemy soldiers, reported 1st Lt. Dennis J. Stack, Carmichael's company commander, then lost all desire to fight in the face of such fierce resistance, and surrendered to the corporal. He took the remaining 10 enemy soldiers prisoner and turned them in to the Company Command Post, where he reported the situation. Then, after obtaining more ammunition, he returned to his post.

"Lt. Stack added that Corp. Carmichael's gallant stand prevented an enemy break-through, which would have jeopardized his company's position.

"The action took place in mountainous country near Poggioli, Italy, last October 13th, when Carmichael's company, a unit of the 85th Infantry Division, was subjected to a savage counter-attack. German mortar bursts caused casualties, which left the Nebraska Doughboy alone at his light machinegun to face the onrushing Nazis.

"Carmichael, the bulletin says, wears the Combat Infantryman's Badge, awarded for exemplary conduct in action against the enemy.

Then in another of Mrs. Allen's clippings, from 1945:

"One of Red Willow County's most outstanding heroes of World War II, an infantryman who whipped an entire 50-man German patrol, single-handedly and who emerged unscathed from months of combat in Europe, was instantly killed in an automobile-truck collision two miles east of McCook last night.

"Today the body of former Sgt. Hugh A. Carmichael, 28, of Indianola, is at the Herrmann Funeral Home in McCook to await funeral arrangements." A passenger in Carmichael's car and two people in the truck were injured, but survived the crash.

"Carmichael … attended school at Red Willow. He is survived by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Wm. Carmichael of Indianola, and three brothers, James … ,Vern, in the Navy, and Ardell, also in the Navy in Japan, and three sisters …"

Hugh Carmichael was the Uncle of Hoagy Carmichael, formerly of McCook, and the Great Uncle of Doris Eisenhart, of Culbertson.

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  • My 93 yr young father, Vernon Maynard, on of Rev. E.H. Maynard, has wonderful recollections of McCook. After all, it was where he met and fell in love with my mother, Virgina Ridnour, daughter of Earl H Ridnour of the Ridnour Piano Company.

    I think this story is an inspiration to all who have connections and a history with McCook, to dig up the old photos and dust off the memories. Thank you, the story was wonderful.

    -- Posted by lkhironimus on Mon, Mar 31, 2008, at 3:31 PM
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