It’s July, which means it’s almost August, which means less than a month until football. Can I get away with saying that? Personally, the Fourth of July is a great holiday that I spend with friends and family. Since this is my last countdown article before the 4th I wish everybody a safe and happy Independence Day.
Speaking of Independence Day, my amateur historian roommate ditched me and went back home for the rest of the week so I won’t have as much information this time around.
Sheridan County is the fourth-largest county in land area in the state of Nebraska. As of the census of 2010 there were 5,469 people registered in the county. There are only two cities in the county, Rushville which is the county seat and Gordon. There are also a couple of villages in Sheridan, Clinton and Hay Springs. There is also a census-designated area of Whiteclay. I won’t go into a lot of detail on Whiteclay, and I’m sure most of you know why, all around this is a sad situation.
One of the cool places in Sheridan County is Spade Ranch, and it also spans into Cherry County. Spade Ranch was founded in 1888 by Bartlett Richards. The ranch still operates today, and there has been some modernization done to it. Cattle is no longer transported by train, but by cattle truck.
Jon:
Sheridan County includes Rushville…. a good friend from college was from Rushville. He was the smartest SOB I ever knew. Engineer. I think he got a PHD. He was an incredibly nice guy. He was very successful, and also one of the most frugal people I’d ever met. Despite making good money as an engineer, he continued to drive an old, red, beat up Ford Pickup until it had about 23 million miles on it. He didn’t handle his alcohol well in college, and he didn’t talk much, but if those are the worst things you can say about a person you realize he’s lived a pretty damned good life.
I attended his wedding years ago. They were the only people I know to have a polka wedding dance.
He and his wife lost a child to brain cancer, if I remember right. She was only three.
His wife apparently never got over it. I got a call from a close friend who is a member on our site, one day, stating that my engineer friend and his family had died in a fire. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst of it.
His wife had murdered him and their nine year old daughter in the night, then started a fire to cover it up.
Sometimes the stories we have aren’t funny. Sometimes they just suck, and are filled with tragedies beyond measure. After you’ve been around for a while, you realize that life sometimes takes the best amongst you and destroys them completely. You come to understand that it doesn’t make sense because it was never meant to. Not everyone gets a fairy tale ending.
RIP, Tim. I still love you, man.
Husker Stuff:
- In 1961 Bill Jennings’ Huskers finished 7th in the Big 8 with a 3-6-1 overall record and a 2-5 conference record.
- Current Husker to wear number 61 is sophomore offensive lineman Bryan Brokop
- Who wore it best: Spencer Long was a walk-on center who played for Nebraska from 2009-2013. He was drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. He now joins former Husker offensive lineman Brent Qvale in New York as a member of the Jets
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments if I did.