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Centennial History Book
Every community has cherished REMINISCENCES
REMEMBRANCES OF PANSY DUTTON MENKE
In 1884 our family of five left Chicago to take up a homestead in Lincoln County, three miles west of the Dawson County line. Later, the Burlington "High Line" went past our farm and Farnam was founded. Ours was the only windmill that I knew and neighbors for as far as seven miles came with barrels in their wagons. The only drawback was the mill, a large challenge, with, I think, five fans that folded in to close it, and it took a good wind to turn it. A colony had come from an Erie, Pennsylvania Oil Company, and they had a drilling outfit such as that used in Erie. Two men pushed a bar and the head of the drill, walking one on each side, round and round, until the drill was full. A windlass pulled it up, rod by rod was screwed off, set to one side, drill emptied, rods replaced for the next round. It took some time, as I remember to drill to 280 feet and good water. The lumber for the tall tower and the windmill had to come out from Plum Creek (Lexington) by team and wagon. We had a sod house for eight years, then moved to Farnam. I taught school (country and town) for twelve years at $25 to $35 a month. I married at thirty years and came to a new house, eight miles east of Cozad. Pansy Dutton Menke is remembered by the older citizens of Farnam as a teacher and as a resident of Farnam. She passed away a few years ago in Cozad.
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