GLIMPSES OF FARNAM
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PIONEER DAYS
nee Alice Phillips  In the year of 1884 on the first day of May my father, Hannibal Phillips with the two Whitney families and Frank Hawkenberry started from Nemaha county, Nebr., to seek a new home. After three weeks we arrived at a spot near where Farnam now stands. We camped two weeks on the creek that run through what was the Geno Wood homestead. After locating some satisfactory land the men went to Cambridge to file on it. My father filed on a homestead and timber claim, and we moved our camping equipment and milk cows that we had brought with us on to our new home. The others got land near, but the Whitneys went back to Nemaha county and made several trips back and forth before they finally settled down for good.
Just a few families were there that year mostly bachelors came in and took up the land. In those days the creeks were full of water and that made plenty of water for stock. There were but a few wells then and we hauled drinking water several miles. We got our drinking water from a neighbor's well by the name of Jack Ridge. It was what is called the old S. F. Parker place. I think Harry McNickle owns it now. The Ridges were about the only neighbors we had the first summer and when fall came we went back east.
We lived that summer in our tent and a one room dugout. We got a two room sod house built in the fall. As there was no bridge across the river at Gothenburg my father went to Lexington to do our trading and get our mail. It took two days for the trip. It was called Plum Creek at that time and the name was changed to Lexington later.
The second year we had a store and could get our mail at Keystone. The building that was used for the store and postoffice was later moved to Farnam and made in a dwelling house and is still in use, but I don't know who lives in it now. After the second year the railroad came through and little towns along the road sprang up.
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The first building in Farnam was made for the DeClow Bros. Land Office. My father, Lou Tonne and H. B. Fitch made the first buildings in Farnam. There might also have been other workmen, I don't remember any others. This building after being used for several years as a business house, was moved south of town on the Chas. Jackson farm and was later moved back and used for the Seven Day Advents parsonage and stands just south of the Methodist church. My father helped to build the first store building, which was later run by Mr. Wrin. Castile and Anderson were the first owners. The building at a much later date was burned. A drug store was also built by these men for E. B. Dunham. It was on the east side of main street and later was a dry good and grocery store run by E. Buss and M. C. Divoll, it was also burned. E. B. Dunham had another drug store built on the other side of the street. I don't remember what buildings were made next, but the brick hotel soon was erected. It was run first by the Thompsons and later by Mr. and Mrs. Wood, and soon the Commercial Hotel was built, I believe a Mr. Homes run it first.
The end of the railroad was at Farnam for sometime and then at Moorefield and at Curtis. The railroad camps were interesting to we children, I remember after they would move to another location, we could always find something to pick up. One camp was in what is (or was) the Stilley pasture.
I surely had some good times in Farnam when the town was in its infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were among the pioneers to celebrate their Golden wedding anniversary, and for two more years were privileged to journey through life together, this companship was broken by the death of Mrs. Phillips Sept. 4, 1924. They were married Nov. 4, 1878. To this union eight children were born, seven of whom are living: Freeland Phillips, North Platte; (Alice) Mrs. Jess Fitch, Hershey; Jessie Phillips, Dickens; (Goldie) Mrs. Chas. Decker, Haxtun, Colo; Chester Phillips; Haxtun, Colo; (Lily) Mrs. McIntyre, Denver and (Bernice) Mrs. Jones. Mr. Phillips has for several years made his home at Haxtun, Colo.
1886
1936
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