Spearman Reporter

100 Years Ago - 3-/28/1924

Looks Like Two New Brick Buildings

J.G.B. Sparks, who owned the building occupied by the Blake Dry Goods Company, destroyed by fire last week, informs us that he has already had a settlement with the insurance companies and that he is now "cipherin'' out the cost of a 25x80 foot brick, with elegant show windows, and in every way a first-class business house.

Lyman J. Hillhouse returned from a business trip to Guymon Tuesday, where he was in consultation with his partner, Dr. L.G. Blackmer, and informs the Reporter that they have decided to erect a substantial brick store building on their Main Street lot. This building will be fitted up especially for a drug business and will be equipped with modern conveniences and fixtures. They will put in a good stock of drugs, druggist sundries and will serve soft drinks. We are glad to know that this brick building will be built. Soon the old wooden shacks will have all disappeared from Main Street, and in their place will be modem, fireproof buildings. Lord hasten the day.

A Good Time to Plant Trees

Every home in Spearman should have shade trees after this year. There never was a better time to plant trees than the present affords. The ground is wetter than it ever was before, and the trees will get a good start the first year. This is the main thing with shade trees. If they get away to a good start the first year, there is very little trouble in keeping them growing. Spearman now has plenty of water, which will be piped to all parts of the city. The milk cows will not be allowed to run at large, to hook down the trees and eat the shrubbery. Surely Spearman can now have shade trees. The cost is a mere trifle. Sam Archer informs us that he recently purchased some one- and two-year-old sprouts from the Sanderegger Nursery at Beatrice, Nebraska, which cost him only $1.00 to $1.25 per hundred. These are small, of course, but they will grow rapidly and make thrifty trees. Larger ones can be secured at a very small increased price. Or, as some have already done, you can go down on the Canadian or over on the Palo Duro or Frisco and get young cottonwoods or willows. Get them from six to twelve feet high and cut the tap root at least one foot under the ground. Set them out and give them ordinary care and you will soon have as nice a shade tree as if you had paid $10 for it. The native trees are really more thrifty than the imported ones, and are not bothered as badly by insects and horses. By all means set out a few trees. The Lord will bless you for it.

Vocational Agriculture

The plant production class of the Spearman High School is getting ready to do some real work this year. Some of the class propose to plant a crop of cotton, in order to improve the cotton of the Spearman country. The class is now making seed testers for the purpose of testing cotton seed to find what percent will germinate. Farmers who wish to have their cotton seed tested may bring in a small package of them and we will be glad to test them at any time. As it is a little early for the projects, the class is now engaged in manual training and has made some equipment for the training room.

Volunteer Firemen

A meeting of the volunteer fire company of Spearman will be held at the power room of the city light and water plant on Friday night, March 28. At this meeting men will be assigned to their respective places and a complete organization will be perfected. All young men of the town who wish to belong to the fire company will report on Friday night at the light plant. Drilling will begin as soon as the weather will permit.

H.E. JAMES, Mayor.

Telephone News

Bill Bradford of the Independent Telephone Company has been busy as a cat on a tin roof the past week, repairing the damage to his telephone lines done by the recent sleet, snow and rains. He has about all the lines straightened out again now, but it has been a big job. And with the coming of spring, maybe Bill can be persuaded to connect us up with Plemons.

Cow Arithmetic

"I am not strong on arithmetic," said the cow, "but I can add to the bank account of the man who owns me; I can subtract from the principal of his mortgage; I can multiply his chances for success; I can divide his cares and worries; I can give more interest to his work; and I can discount his chances for loss."

75 Years Ago - 3/31/1949

City Will Help Re-Top Pavement in Spearman

The City Commission met with the board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night March 29, to discuss a re-topping program for the streets of Spearman. The following members were present at the meeting. Clay Gibner, Roy Wilmeth, Dude Hart, Norris Meek, Leo Dacus, Jim Neely, Joe Smith, Bill Pattison, Freeman Barkley, Tom Etter, and Pat Ryan.

The City Commission, in order to aid the public in the campaign to re-top the streets, voted to re-top all of the intersections, and all of the CITY PROPERTY. This is a big item to the property owners. It will mean a great burden off the property owners' shoulders, not having to pay for the intersection. As a matter of fact, there are approximately 90,000 yards of paving put in, and the City has 20,000 yards of their own to re-top.

The cost of the re-topping for a 50 ft. lot, with curb and gutter already in the lot will be $40. The cost for property owners who do not have curb and cutter, will be $31.20 per 50 ft. lot.

This re-topping is a double-seal coat. With the original base now on the streets, this re-topping should last from 8 to 10 years, with the normal street traffic we now have.

The contractor on the re-topping job will raise some of the intersections so that they will drain. Although most of the intersections are draining satisfactorily, some of them will be raised to facilitate better draining.

For the many new homeowners who have built their homes since the last paving campaign, and they do not have any type of paving, but they do want new paving, the cost to them will approximately $125.00 per lot for the paving, and the curb and gutter will cost $75.00. The City Commission expressed their opinion that all new paving should have curb and gutter. New paving will be double topping.

The city emphasized the fact that the main effort was to have the original paving re-topped. Of course, all consideration and cooperation will be given to those who want new paving.

More Families Moving Here

Pat Ryan, Secretary of the Spearman Chamber of Commerce is the most popular man in town as result of the influx of families who are to work on the four New Gulf Oil Wells in Hansford and Ochiltree counties. Mr. Ryan has tried manfully to locate room and furnished apartments for the large number of people who are anxious to make Spearman their home for the next year at least, as result of the expansion campaign for oil. Mr. Ryan is anxious to locate someone who can provide furnished apts. Perhaps there can be some solution of the problem, but to date it is more or less a headache for Mr. Ryan who delights in locating new families in Spearman but is unable to locate places for the people to live. It is estimated that the average crew working on the large Gulf wildcat wells will be in the neighborhood of 15 families with perhaps as many single members of the crews. This places quite a responsibility on the Secretary of our Chamber of Commerce.

Crews for two wells near Morse and one well in Ochiltree County near Waka would like to locate in Spearman. It would add just about a hundred population to our city if all the people connected with these three wells could be located in Spearman. These people are high salaried folk who want to live with the kind of people that make up the population of Spearman.

Give Mr. Ryan a ring if you can come to the aid of your countrymen. The increased activities in connection with the industrial work of this section entails the necessity for more caution in driving. The heavy traffic of heavy trucks thru Spearman daily means that one and all should practice care in their driving within the city limits and on the highways of our county.

New Church

A half a dozen lots in the proposed M. Glover addition to Spearman just south of the Hansford Hospital have been purchased by the Catholic Church of Spearman, and the building of a home for Father Benversie, who now lives at Borger will begin soon. Father Benversie (called Father Bennie) for short visited in Spearman this week and is anxious to get moved to Spearman and begin his work. The lots purchased for the home and church are on the extreme West end of the new addition to Spearman and will be next to the paved Highway 117. We are not informed whether the church and home will face West or North, but likely the two buildings will face west on the highway. Father Benversie stated that as soon as possible work would begin on the church building. At the present time the Catholic Mass services are held at 9:00 a.m. in the courthouse.

Spearman Athlete Wins Scholarship

Forty High school athletes chosen from a number of West Texas schools gathered in West Texas State Teacher's College at Canyon last week to compete in basketball for an athletic scholarship offered to the ten best athletes each year by the "college. Of these forty, four had been invited for Spearman. They were Kiff White, Jr., P. K. Banister, Wally Cayton, and Sonny Windom. Among the ten selected, was Sonny Windom.

Around Gruver

There are still too many cases of measles around. We need someone to promote a vigorous health program in the county to prevent outbreaks like these. With a little care and quarantine, these cases might have been controlled.

The Margaret Marchman Society of the Gruver Baptist Church last week entertained the W. M. S. with a banquet. The main dish consisted of Glazed Baked Ham with Candied sweet potatoes and all the other trimmings. Each lady was presented with a corsage. Mrs. Mary Fletcher was presented with a large bouquet as the oldest mother present, and another was presented to Mrs. Herbert Hughes, the pastor's wife. It was a very fine affair from start to finish.

The new Gruver Park is beginning to take shape. A load of trees and shrubs have been placed around the park ready for planting. The work will be done sometime this week.

A large number of Gruver people were in Amarillo last week for two musical events. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Rafferty, and Mrs. Jim Cator went earlier in the week to see "The Barber of Seville." On Sunday evening a large delegation attended the Wayne King concert. Among those attending were; Mr. and Mrs. Elmo McClellan, Mr. and Mrs. Snedeger, Miss Dorothy McClellan, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander with their friend Miss Lunn of Olney, Mrs. Vic Ogle, Mrs. Homer Cluck, Mr. and Mrs. Harley Alexander and David, Mr. and Mrs. Don Hart, Jimmy Van Sant, Mr. and Mrs. Taber, Mrs. Gwen Lackey and Mrs. Willard Shapley.