4 Jan 1912

11 Jan 1912

Big fire at Quenemo

18 Jan 1912

Big train wreck on Mo Pac north of Lyndon. 3 killed (another train ran into first wreck).

Baldwin flour mill burned

Smash up in Santa Fe RR yards.

25 Jan 1912

"The city has been offered a couple of tracts of land for a public park. Let us take hold of the matter at once and get to work. While we are about it why not make some moves toward securing an electric light plant and city water works. There is not a city in the state that is better situated than Pomona for a municipal water plant and not one that needs it more as a fire protection."

Good roads.

Melluish Jewelry store in Ottawa burned.

01 Feb 1912

Restaurant at Lomax burned to ground.

Oyster supper at Greenwood school Friday February 2nd.

08 Feb 1912

School accreditation.

15 Feb 1912

Chicago woman burned on Santa Fe train here.

Five cars on Mo Pac train derailed here.

Greenwood community to have big wolf drive.

Man loses hand in corn shredder.

Unidentified man found dead in vacant house south of town.

22 Feb 1912

29 Feb 1912

"The attempt to wipe Pomona out of existence by fire came near to being successful last Friday night. The fire was discovered in what is known as the old Topping building on the south side of East Franklin street at about 8:30 o'clock last Friday night and had got such a start that it and the adjoining two buildings known as the Hensley buildings could not be saved.

The entire north side of the street was threatened and in danger of destruction as the wind was in the south and the sparks and burning shingles were showered upon the roofs and against the fronts of the buildings, but men and boys soon got upon the roofs with buckets of water and brooms and fought the sparks down while other men and several women pumped and carried water to those on the roofs and by heroic fighting the fire was confined to the three buildings where it first originated.

There is no doubt but that the fire was delibertly (sic) set for the purpose of burning the town. The buildings where it originated had been vacated but a few days before and had been swept and cleaned out during the day to be ready for the next tenant; and there was no chance for spontaneous combustion, and the flames spread throughout the building as if it had been thoroughly saturated with coal oil or gasoline.

The building where the fire originated was owned by A. Hensley and was insured for $600, loss about $1,200. The other two buildings were owned by J.N. Henry and Harry Pierce of Tribune. Their loss was about $3000 with $1500 insurance. The west building was occupied by John Crocker's second hand store and S.V. Rice's real estate office. Mr. Rice got his goods out but Mr. Crocker lost everything, about $400 with no insurance. The upper rooms of the middle building was occupied by Benton Bradley and two small sons. They escaped but lost their clothing and other goods. Sam Spangler had about $1000 worth of clothing stored in the upper rooms with no insurance. The Rush & Co. meat market and Frank Crow general merchandise buildings, both stone buildings, were considerably damaged but were fully covered by insurance.

Big wolf drive here.

7 Mar 1912

14 Mar 1912

Three wolves caught in roundup north of town.

Pomona Alumni Asso. President elected, E.E. Vickers.

Decided to have a banquet in April at the school.

Bankruptcy of Bateson and Hayford store here.

Greenwood BYPU had an old fashioned taffy pull.

21 Mar 1912

"The Ushers moved in from Lawrence the first of the week."

Big snow storm, two feet. **

04 Apr 1912

Pomona High Commencement April 22

Dog chases wolf.

11 Apr 1912

"Richard R. Price, president of the University Extension Dept. of State University will deliver the address at commencement."

Alumni Banquet article. *

18 Apr 1912

Commencement 22 April at Presbyterian church.

Gang of gypsies in town, marshall ordered them to leave.

25 Apr 1912

"The Usher brothers are going to build a new house on their ranch

1 1/2 miles west of town. The house will be stucco work two stories high with basement and entirely modern."

Alumni Banquet last night at Odd Fellows Hall. All the classes except 1890 were represented.

Trying to organize a Commercial club.

Pomona schools closed last Friday.

02 May 1912

Found den of five young wolves, he killed them.

09 May 1912

Teachers for next year:

W.A. Vickers Principal

Miss Madge Sprainger

Miss Anna Kraus

Miss Gertrude Kraus

Miss Gertrude Likes

assistant principal not yet employed

"The Kraus Hotel property and several lots on East A St. were sold at sheriffs sale under partition proceedings Monday. It was bought by Miss Kate Kraus one of the heirs for $1,667."

16 May 1912

"Hero the largest performing elephant in America with Lucky Bill Shows Thursday May 23."

"The County Commissioners of Franklin and Osage Counties will meet on Monday May 20 to survey the new road around Rattlesnake Hill."

River flooded.

23 May 1912

Commercial club to meet this evening.

"The Franklin and Osage county surveyors surveyed the proposed new road around Rattlesnake Hill on the Usher Ranch Monday and Tuesday. There is much more work to be done than at first thought. The 110 Bridge will have to be raised four feet and a grade of four feet above the level made across the bottom land to the bridge. This will make the cost of the road considerable more than supposed at first."

Article; new bridge west of town over Lost creek.

30 May 1912

"The worst wind and rain storm ever known here struck this city and surrounding country last Friday afternoon about 2 o'clock. A great deal of damage was done by the wind, barns were blown down, houses were unroofed and shade and orchard trees ruined. In the city some of the streets were completely blocked with fallen trees. Mrs. Yount's barn on West A and first street was completely demolished and the house badly damaged. A 2 X 4 scaffeling from the barn was driven end foremost clear through the kitchen and an inside door blown off the hinges. C.R. Figgins barn was ruined, J.H. Bean's, S. V. Rice's, John Dodder's and John Hill's barns were also badly damaged. The tin roof was blown off of F.E. Dyer's residence and his household goods was badly damaged by water and the front of Dr. Johnson's drug store was blown off. Hudelson & Sons barn was unroofed and their large corn crib badly damaged. A flue on J.W. Hudelson's fine new house was blown down and some of the tyles torn off.

The country south of the river seemed to fare rather worse than the city. John Hales big barn and silo was blown down and a calf killed. Earnest Chambers barn and out buildings were demolished and 2 horses killed. In fact nearly every barn, silo, and windmill was blown down or damaged.

C.A. Hardy, R.F.D. Carrier on route 3 was caught in the storm his buggy blown over and broken up his mules were not recovered until the next day. O. Kissinger and wife were coming to town and were caught between the two railroads their spring wagon blown over with them underneath but fortunately neither of them were hurt. Verge Brubaker was working in the elevator at the Santa Fe railroad was struck on the head by a piece of 4x4 timber and knocked down but not badly injured. So far he is the only person here that we have heard of being hurt.

The wind did not seem to be of exactly a cyclonic nature but rather a straight wind and there was but little hail, but a very heavy rain fall. Had there been hail such as we have had here the damage to property would have been considerable greater.

Notes of the Storm

The storm of last Friday afternoon was hard on the telephone lines. The lines running north and south especially was put out of commission for a while by trees falling across them. One peculiar feature of the storm is noticeable on the Connolly wind mill. The tail of the mill was twisted around and thrust through the fans of the wheel. Otherwise the mill appeared uninjured.

County Commissioner W.B. Hutchinson says that when the storm struck he was in his barn and that when the cupola went off he concluded the house was the place for him, but when the summer kitchen came to meet him he ran back to the barn."

BYPU at Greenwood ice cream social 31 May.

6 June 1912

Buggy Wreck

13 June 1912

Commercial club to hold July 4 celebration here.

Clean up day declared in Pomona by order of State Board of Health.

Trip along new Santa Fe cutoff. *

"The viewers appointed to view the proposed new road one mile south of town from the Greenwood road to the Santa Fe Depot met Saturday and turned the proposition down as being impractical and too expensive."

20 Jun 1912

4th of July celebration. *

W. A. Vickers building large new barn on his place northeast of town.

J.W. Timberlake of Greenwood bad luck with barn. *

27 Jun 1912

Letting of bids for bridge abutments across Lost creek where creek crosses section line between section 25 and 36 T16 R17.

4 Jul 1912

"The headless body of an unknown man was found by three boys Sunday forenoon on the banks of 110 Creek east of K.N. & D. Railroad bridge and about three miles west of this city. The body was badly decomposed and very black from exposure but was evidently that of a white man. The appearances are that might have lain on the creek bank for several weeks. The head was about ten feet from the body entirely devoid of flesh or hair. The body was dressed in a good set of khaki pants and shirt and union suit of underwear and shoes with tan tops and patent leather tips but was without hat or coat. A pocketbook in one of the pockets contained Seven dollars and 25 cents, a silver Waltham watch and a Ditman Dairy Co. lead pencil and a Garwood State Bank of Garwood, Texas blank bank note. There was no writing or other marks of identification about the body. There are several theories as to the cause of his death but there is no evdience of foul play. The general idea is that he was killed in the windstorm of May 24 as the trees were all blown around him.

Marshal Wilson of this city and county commissioners W.B. Hutchison were notified and thinking that it was in Franklin County went out to take charge of the body but finding it was just over the line in Osage county they notified the authorities there who thought an inquest was unnecessary and ordered undertaker Dyer to take charge of the body and have it buried at Quenemo at Osage County's expense. The body was brought here and kept over night when it was taken to Quenemo and buried there Monday afternoon."

"Boyd News-While hunting frogs along the banks of 110 Creek Sunday Perry and Henry Wilson and Perry Cox found the headless body of a man. They ran up the creek to where Mr. Cox was and he went to the nearest telephone and summoned the officers who made an investigation. Quite a number of people visited the scene during the day."

11 Jul 1912

18 Jul 1912

Ordinance #112; tax levy.

25 July 1912

Initiated a new passenger train between K.C. and Emporia.

BAGGAGE OF DEAD MAN FOUND. The hat and coat and a small leather grip belonging to the man whose dismembered body was found west of town on 110 creek several weeks ago, were found hanging in a tree in the same vicinity by city marshall Frank Wilson and F.B. Staib, a brother of the dead man, late Thursday night.

The articles were found about 200 yards from the place where the body was discovered. In the pockets of the coat were several articles familiar to the brother and in the grip was a small notebook bearing Staib's name and positively declaring his identity as T.W. Staib of Carwood, Texas. Near the tree on which the things were hanging had been built a large camp fire which apparently had burned for some time.

The brother F.B. Staib who is a locomotive engineer for the Frisco Railway and lives at Pittsburg, Kansas said 'My brother left Garwood, Texas about June 10 intending to go to Great Bend to work in the harvest fields. He was a single man about 50 years old.'

The body of T.W. Staib was found June 30 by two small boys who were fishing on 110 creek. In the pockets was found $7.25 in change, a watch and a bank note issued by the Citizens State Bank of Garwood, Texas which was responsible for the identification of the body.

Need a word to mean either he or she "thon."

1 Aug 1912

8 Aug 1912

"The new Usher home is being built under good head way."

15 Aug 1912

Santa Fe Cutoff meeting to be held next Tuesday.

Largest barn in the county burns, Albert Heidegger farm 7 miles northeast of town spontaneous combustion green hay, 50 feet by 100 feet and 25 feet to the eaves.

22 Aug 1912

29 Aug 1912

"The postponed good roads meeting that was to have been held here on Tuesday night August 20 was held Tuesday night of this week. It was the largest meeting of the kind ever held and there was a good deal of talk as to what should be done.

The meeting was called for the express purpose of devising ways and means of disposing of the Rattle Snake Hill proposition but a good many seemed to get off the track and take up propositions entirely foreign to the main question.

Mr. Logan president of the "Santa Fe Trail Cut Off" association reported that the county engineer of Osage county had made a rough estimate as to the cost of cutting down the hill and he thought that it could be cut down to a six per cent grade for $1,000 and Mr. Torrence said that the association would willingly donate half that amount if Franklin county would do the rest.

Upon motion by J.R. Finely of Ottawa, President Logan appointed a committee of seven, three from Franklin, three from Osage and one from Coffey counties to meet the county commissioners of Franklin and Osage counties as soon as possible and make an estimate of the cost of making the necessary cut. The president appointed the following as said committee: Franklin county, Messrs Finley, Wallace, and Dyer; Osage county, Messrs M. Marshala. Craig and McGreggor; Coffee county, Austin A. Torrence. The committee organized with J.R. Finley as chairman and Marlin Marshal secretary and agreed to meet at Rattle Snake hill as soon as the proper arrangements could be made with the commissioners of the two counties.

Mr. John Hudelson made a proposition to the association to change the route by turning south at the corner of Main and Franklin streets and opening a new road on the north side of the Santa Fe railroad to the road one mile west of town and then through Quenemo by what is known as the "south route.' He offered to give the right of way through the Hudelson land and to build the road through this and the next eighty acres west. This route would also make an outlet for the farmers southwest of the river to Santa Fe Depot.

After the meeting adjourned all were given a banquet by the Pomona Commercial Club. There were about 60 visiting guests at the banquet. There were eleven auto loads from Ottawa, four from Quenemo, two from Lebo and one from Michigan Valley."

05 Sept 1912

Boyd School opened for seven months 2 Sep 1912. Miss Flora Morris teacher, enrollment 19.

Rear end train collision near Lomax on the Mo Pac.

12 Sep 1912

Ordinance #113; providing for a sidewalk.

46th annual county fair to be Sep 17. *

19 Sep 1912

Ex President Roosevelt to speak at Forest Park next Saturday afternoon.

26 Sep 1912

"The Usher brothers received a car load of furniture for their new residence."

Burglars broke into Dyer and Crow store. *

3 Oct 1912

10 Oct 1912

24 Oct 1912

"Rodney Hale is building a fine two story residence on his farm southeast of town. It looks rather suspicious when a bachelor like Rodney builds a house of that kind."

31 Oct 1912

7 Nov 1912

W. B. Hutchinson building new residence just west of town 27" X 40" one story with basement eight rooms.

14 Nov 1912

Man and horse falling into a well at Ottawa being dug out.

"The township board began putting the top on the Lost Creek Bridge west of town this morning."

21 Nov 1912

Pomona boy hero in holdup in Oregon

"The Usher brothers who have just completed their $20,000 residence on their 2,000 acre ranch west of town celebrated the occasion Sunday by giving a "camp fire" dinner to a number of invited guests. The festivities included a "Dutch Lunch" served at the table in the yard. A feature of the feast was a Mulligan stew prepared especially for the occasion.

The large number of the guests were men from Lawrence. The big house which is the finest and most costly country residence in Eastern Kansas is very expensively furnished and is equipped with all available modern mechanical luxuries."

{(this article taken from the 'Ottawa Daily Republic', 18 Nov. 1912)

"Usher Bros. of Pomona entertained a large number of invited guests at a formal house warming yesterday. It was the formal opening to the social world of the elegant new $20,000 house just completed on the two thousand acre ranch of the brothers. The larger number of the guests were gentlemen from Lawrence: it required thirty automobiles to convey this contingent. The festivities included an elaborate Dutch lunch, served at a table in the yard. A feature of the lunch was a feast of Mulligan stew especially prepared for the occasion by imported chefs.

The big house, which is the finest and most costly country residence in eastern Kansas, is very expensively furnished and is equipped with all available mechanical luxuries. The Usher brothers who are bachelors, have a force of exclusively male servants and are served in the kitchen by a Chinese cook.}

28 Nov 1912

Fire; G.S Ullom residence, burnt a hole in roof.

"The township board has finished the new bridge west of town and now everything can go straight through."

5 Dec 1912

Article promoting Pomona, "Don't find fault with her"

"The Ushers moved into their new home last Friday."

19 Dec 1912

26 Dec 1912