Early Business

Early Businesses
With the influx of settlers to this newly opened community came the need for goods and services to be provided. Due to distance and difficulty in travel, almost all goods and services were offered within the town. Settlers from the surrounding area came to Springview to do their “trading”. Springview gained the reputation of being the “Busiest Inland Town in Nebraska”.

There were four hotels in Springview—the Tarket House, the Commercial House and the Tremont Hotel. In 1914, Mary E. Carr Roberts opened the Springview House, designed and built by her former husband, Andrew Carr and their sons. This is the only hotel that survives to this day. It is the present day Koyote Lodge.

Early banks in Springview were the Ballard Bank owned by Harry and Fred Ballard, the Crosley Bank which later became the Nebraska (or Springview) State Bank run by Sam Deitrick and T. G. Weddel, the Farmers Merchants Bank built by G. H. Thorley and the Stockman’s Bank. Eventually these banks closed and one bank served the needs of the community, the First National Bank of Springview. It was sold to the Commercial National Bank of Ainsworth during the 1990’s and it is now the only bank in Springview.

The “Keya Paha Press” was the first newspaper established in the county. The town of Burton published “The Burton Independent” and the “Burton News”, but neither paper is in publication today. In the west end of the county, “The Norden Borealis” was published. Today the only paper in Keya Paha County is “The Springview Herald”, a weekly publication that covers the news from all of Keya Paha County.

Springview has never had a hospital but several doctors provided medical services to the people of Springview through the years. The first doctors to set up a practice were Dr. Lambley and Dr. Bridgeman. In later years there was Dr. Lear and Dr. Hoops. Most people were treated at home and sent to a hospital for treatment only as a last resort. Dr. Dana was an early dentist in Springview.

Other businesses that prospered in early Springview are the Springview Flour and Grain Company, the Nichol and Ditto Blacksmith Shop, Millay’s Hardware, C. W. Brown’s Law Office. Jones Drug Store, Millay Butcher Shop, Grant Fox’s Barber Shop, the Red Front Livery Stable, Rowland’s Store, Burnham and Kenaston Law and Real Estate Office, Tom Stalcup Blacksmith Shop, and a variety of other businesses that provided the needs of the residents of the young town of Springview. In later years, W. E. Ripley sold Chevrolet cars and S & A Implement was a dealer in John Deere equipment.

Goods were freighted to Springview from neighboring towns, mostly from Ainsworth and Bassett where goods arrived via railroad. This provided steady employment for several area gentlemen.

Through the years, with declining population and better travel conditions to other towns, Springview has experienced a decline in the number of local businesses. Today only basic services are offered in Springview making it necessary to travel to neighboring towns for major items.

Information submitted by Sandi McCoy, co-coordinator

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