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Pages of History
The month of October 1946 was marred by more car accidents.
A potentially serious accident occurred the same week on the Highway 15 curve south of Coleridge.
A 1938 Dodge driven by Otto Dewey of Hartington was going north around the curve when it drifted over the center line into the path of a 1938 Ford driven by Ben Rath.
The two cars collided almost head on. Fortunately, both vehicles were traveling at a low rate of speed. Mrs. Rath suffered a deep cut on her chin and Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Benjamin, who were riding in the back seat, suffered bruises.
Neither Rath nor Dewey were seriously injured. Dewey, however, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. The charge was later dismissed.
At 8:45 on the morning of Friday, Oct. 18, Clarence Ericson, 47, was killed on Cedar Street between Mittelstadt’s Hardware and the Home Oil Co.
The brick pavement is still there but the buildings have been replaced by the Laurel Medical Clinic and the Laurel Community Center.
Ericson, who carried mail on Rural Route 1, was putting chains on his car prior to starting his morning deliveries when a car driven by 24-year-old Bill Fahnestock turned north off of Main Street onto Cedar.
As Fahnestock rounded the corner, his car slid on the damp pavement and slammed into Ericson crushing him between the two vehicles. Ericson was carried into Mittelstadt’s store where he died about 15 minutes later. Dr. R.P. Carroll, who was called to the scene, said Ericson sustained a broken neck, broken ribs, and other internal injuries.
Fahnestock told Sheriff Ralph Clements and Patolman James Kontos he was blinded by the sun and did not see Ericson‘s car until he struck it.
Ericson’s funeral was held from the Presbyterian Church the following Monday. Approximately 1200 people attended making it one of the largest funerals ever held in Laurel. The flowers alone required several cars to transport them from the church to the cemetery where Military and Masonic rites were held. Clarence Ericson came to Laurel in 1913 with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Victor Ericson.
After serving in the Marines during World War I, he married Famy Bruggeman. They had two children, Joan and Jon. Famy died in 1998. Daughter Joan (Mrs. Pat Mallatt) died in 2020. All but Jon are buried in the Laurel cemetery. He and his wife Mary are living in Coronado, Calif..
Following his retirement from the Security National Bank in 1974, the Fahnestocks moved to Colorado Springs where Bill died in 2012.
W.H. O’Gara, a former resident of Laurel and a former state legislator, published a book about the blizzard which swept over much of Nebraska on Jan. 12, 1888.
Entitled “In All It’s Fury,” O’Gara’s book contained 300 stories contributed by survivors of the deadly storm.
October marked the 50th anniversary of the Rural Free Delivery mail service. The first route was established in West Virginia on Oct. 1, 1896.
A few years later, horse-drawn mail wagons were used.
The project of improving Laurel’s dirt streets, which began with five blocks of concrete paving in June, was so popular that more petitions were submitted and approved.
By October twelve additional blocks had been paved and six more were ready for concrete. When completed Laurel would have 30 blocks of paving as compared to only seven before the project started. Several other streets were slated for gravel.
The Cedar County News noted that Laurel’s paving project had recently slowed down due to workers striking for higher pay. Workers complained they could not afford the high cost of room and board in Laurel. Like many other cities and towns, Laurel had a serious housing shortage.
Laurel native Roger Tryon has written a history column for the Cedar County News and Laurel Advocate for over 30 years. Tryon, a retired teacher, now lives in Sioux City, Iowa.
