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6 — September 17, 2020
For the
News Letterjournal
CS
design@newslj. com
Thieves break into A.M. Nichols Supply Co.
\
i History
. W
Main
C
From the Leonard Cash
Collection
Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent
With Leonard Cash
In this week’s installment
of “History on Main,” historian
Leonard Cash picks up where
he left off last week in news—
paper records from 1916 on
the A.M. Nichols Supply Co.,
located on lots 4 through on
Block 10 (the current Perkins’
Tavern building).
An article from the Nov.
30, 1916, News Journal reports
that the supply company was
busy “unloading a car of
canned goods and a carload
of sugar.”
“Owing to the advance
in food prices, this shipment
amounts to over $2,000 more
than it would have cost thirty
(years) ago,” the article says.
According to Cash, these
carloads were only about half
the size of the carloads today.
A carload of apples from
Yakima, Washington, arrived at
the store, around Dec. 15, 1916,
and on Jan. 4, 1917, the paper
reported that the store received
a shipment of seven carloads of
building material and one car of
building paper.
“This goes to show
that Weston County is fast
becoming populated and that
times are prosperous here,” the
article says.
Because of a 640-acre
homestead law, the Feb. 8,
1917, issue reported that
Nichols’ store was busy sup-
plying the orders and demands
of building material for the new
homesteaders coming in.
A few months later, the
company rearranged its
Window display to a spring
theme, according to the Feb.
22, 1917, edition of the paper.
“The A.M Nichols Supply
Co. have their windows artisti-
cally arranged with a display
of garden and flower seeds.
It .won’t be long now before
everybody will commence to
make gardens,” the article says.
Later, the paper reported
on March 15, 1917, that the
company had the spring garden
and field seeds on display, so
the farmers were instructed to
come when they could to buy
while supplies lasted.
The following issue of
March 22, 1917, announced
Photos courtesy of NLJ file photos
The Nichols Block is still an impressive structure on Newcastle’s Main
Street. The view from inside Perkin’s Tavern shows the original tin tiles
on the ceil-
ing, above. Below, the current owner of the building, Bruce Perkins, shows
the counterweights in the antique freight elevator in 2012.
that one car each of wire,
lumber andsugar, as well as
two carloads of implements,
were delivered to the store.
During this time, Nichols
was excavating his house
on Wentworth Street, and
according to the March 29,
1917, paper, he bought the
former Presbyterian church
“more recently occupied by J .F.
Hart as a garage.” Cash said
Nichols used the building to
store his hearse for some time.
Later, Cash said, a man by the
name of Dixon bought it and
remodeled it into an apartment
until it burned down in 1945.
The April 26, 1917, issue
reported that the supply
company was under construc-
tion because an addition on the
shedding in the lumber yard
was built due to the increase in
stock supplies.
“It will be several thousand
feet of lumber and some of the
new farming machinery that
company is receiving daily,”
the article says.
According to records
from June 28, 1917, and
July 19, 1917, the Newcastle
Commercial Club rented a suite
of rooms on the Nichols block
to create a clubroom.
“Several hundred dollars’
worth of new furniture have
been purchased, and the rooms
when entirely decorated will
be a very nice place for the
members to hold their meeting
or to entertain out of town Visi-
tors,” the article says.
On Aug. 2, 1917, the paper
reported that thieves had broken
into the store.
“Monday night while town
folks and visitors were enjoying
the revels of the evening
thieves cut both screens of the
business office of the A.M.
Nichols Supply Co. stores,”
the article says.
They ransacked everything
they could, taking all the loose
change in the drawer (including
pennies), as well as knives,
watches and hardware. The
amount of property and money
stolen totaled $200.
“That it was not the game
of boys, who had been reading
wild novels, but the deliberate
work of one or more men, was
made manifest by the fact that
one of the party had changed
his socks in the official pre-
cincts. It is thought the burglars
were tramps passing through
Newcastle and who would sell
their loot in distant towns,” the
article says.
Fortunately, the thieves
were caught in Sheridan, and
J .B. Hoss Smith, who plead
guilty, was sentenced by Judge
Raymond to 13—14 years in
the Rawlins penitentiary,
according to a news report
from Aug. 9, 1917.
Nichols, who had been
building a home on Wentworth
Street, had finally moved in by
Aug. 30, 1917 (for more infor-
mation on this house, check out
Cash’s previous “History on
Main” series on lots 1 through 3
of block 10). The article added
that Nichols was serving as the
town’s mayor at this time.
In the December 1917 issues
of the paper, it was announced
that Roy Means was to become
the new meat cutter, effective
in January, at the meat depart-
ment of the supply company
because John Walter had
vacated the position.
The Nichols building was
home to several business
offices, and according to an
article from Jan. 10, 1918,
Wykota Oil and Refining Co.
and Union Oil Co. established
offices at the Nichols building.
Nichols, who was a busi-
nessman, contractor, rancher,
mayor and state legislator, was
also a real estate agent. The
Feb. 18, 1918, paper reported
that Nichols was informed by
his Casper agent that one of
his city lots had sold for $300.
Cash said Nichols had several
properties for sale in Casper.
The lot cost him only $20,
the article said, so “it is easy
to see what be worth in
Newcastle when oil is found.”
An article from Feb. 28,
1918, announced that B.D.
Emily, who was representing
the Beatrice Creamery Co. out
of Upton, made arrangements
to set up a cream station at
Nichols Supply Co.
“Farmers can now send
their cream to Newcastle and
receive the highest cash price
for the same,” the article says.
Another article from the
same issue reported on a carload
each of roofing paper, coal
and a variety of feed. But the
workers were busy unloading
because the store could only
keep the cars for a limited time.
According to the March 21,
1918, paper, Harold Schauer
arrived from Denver to accept
a position in the butcher shop.
Ray Means, who used to work
at the meat market, said he
would remain in Newcastle and
might decide to start his own
business. The article added
that the supply company was
starting “something new in our
city and will be of interest to
all.” The company was dis-
playing a chart each week in
the window with “fiill and com-
plete details of the latest event
of the week.”
On July 4, 1918, in an article
titled “Big Crash in Crockery,”
the paper announced that $300
worth of fine German crockery
(imported before the start of
World War 1), which sat on the
shelves for a couple of years in
Nichols’ store, was donated to
the Red Cross picnic at Boyd,
where shooters could purchase
shots. All the money was to be
given to Red Cross.
“The only stipulation Mr.
Nichols makes is that every
piece must be broken, and none
can be taken away from the
grounds in condition for use.
This will be a lesson to all
who are at the picnic in what
treatment should be accorded
German made goods now and
hereafier,” the article says.
Additionally, Cash said that
the German books at the school
were burned.
Over a month later, the
paper reported on Aug. 29,
1918, that L.W. Parker and
his wife were moving into
Nichols’ building.
An article from Oct. 10,
1918, said that due to the scar-
city of help during the war,
Nichols’ wife accepted a posi-
tion in the China department
as all-around clerk, so the
men could “assist in licking
the Kaiser.” Lloyd Nichols, her
son, was transferred from Utah
to Prescott, Arizona, where he
worked at the hospital in the
Whipple Barracks.
Next week, Cash will
continue going through his
records on the life of
Nichols.
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