16th ANNUAL CARAVAN TOUR of
HARROP - OVITT - BOILING SPRING
JUNE 3, 2002

    CARAVAN TOUR 2002 BEGAN AT 8 AM SHARP!

    STOP 1. Upstream Ranch Sale Barn.  This is the Alexander W. Draver Homestead.  It was bought by Dr. J.E.M. Thomson in the 1940s and by Alfred and Mildred Meeks in 1955.  Houses: blue, vacant; north, brick house, Brent & Robin Meeks; south, brick house, Mildred Meeks; yellow house behind Brent's, Jack and Sue Simpson's; gray house, Shawn Simpson family; south of Shawn's, bunk house.
    STOP 2.  Kim Klotz Ranch Headquarters.  Mr. Klotz lives in Seward.  The ranch foreman and family, the Scott Hurley's, live here.

    DRIVE-BY 3.  Morgan Yards - - eastside of Highway 183.  A part of the former Lou Bohy Ranch.

    DRIVE-BY 4.  Harrop Townsite - - near mile marker 141 (east side).

    STOP 5.  Harrop Sandhills Park - - mile marker 142.  See photo below.

    DRIVE BY 6.  Klotz Ranch Tenant House - - Old headquarters for the Satterfield Ranch.  this was the home of Bob Howard's (foreman for Satterfield) for many years.

    STOP 7.  Klotz Ranch Feedyard - -  Clinton Bell's live in the tenant house.

    STOP 8.  Louis & Hannah Goochy Homesite.  The Louis Goochey Homestead in 2-1/2 miles east of where Highway 18 enters Rock County.  The Goochey's  were active in the Ovitt community and Lou was the last Ovitt Postmaster when the office closed in 1941.  See photo below.

     DRIVE-

    STOP 10.  Chad & Tricia Buell home - - part of the South Shovel Dot.  former home of Don and Jan (Buell) Lear.  Tricia Buell teaches English/Speech at the Rock County High School at Bassett.

   STOP 11.  Fox Bridge - - Discuss Ovitt Post Office and Haskin Brothers Store, the Ovitt School District #18 (previously known as the Fox or Butka School), the Dewey Wroth's, Bob Parkin family, the Ray & Lester Birch families, and the Brocks.
See photo below.

    DRIVE-BY 12.  Buell Lake - -The lake was developed by Homer L. Buell. The Benjamin Buell homestead is 4-1/2 miles north in Rock County.

   REST STOP 13.  Homer & Darla Buell Home - - headquarters of the South Shovel Dot Ranch.  The Buell's have lived here about 25 years.  Widow Laura Ovitt, for whom the Ovitt Post Office and School are named, homesteaded near here.

    DRIVE-BY 14.    Bloody Creek.

    DRIVE-BY 15.  Skull Creek.

    STOP 16.  Dr. Jeffrey & Gayle Wieman Ranch - - former Dunne Homestead & Ranch until the 1960s.  Home of the ranch foreman - - the Willard Boyers.

    STOP 17.  Boiling Spring or Dunne School District 36 Site - - South of road.  North of the road in Rock County - - the home of the Duffy family for many years.  Last occupied by Jack & Margaret (Dunne) Johnson.

    DRIVE-BY 18.  Vacation home of Burt D. & Becky (Allen) Whedon or the Big Bend Ranch.  This was the homestead of Louis M. Goodwill.  Mary (Mamie) Goodwill taught the Boiling Spring School in her home in later years.  Becky Whedon is Mrs. Goodwill's granddaughter.  The Whedons are LCHS members.

    STOP 19.  Boiling Spring.  It used to rumble and "boil" but, alas! - - no more.  This is where the Boiling Spring School received its name.

    STOP 20.  North Shovel Dot Ranch - - the home of the Larry Buell's.  This is the 1883 homestead of Benjamin Buell.    

   STOP 21.  Upstream Ranch - - back here to eat supper!    

Many thanks to the Shovel Dot Ranch and the Upstream Ranch for their gracious hospitality on the 2002 tour.

     The Spring Caravan Tour booklet was prepared by Melvin L. Hyde and ". . . Melvin did another outstanding job, we think!" . . . Kevin Brown, LCHS President. 

This was the eighth booklet that Melvin has made for the tour and he has extended his thanks to the following: Loup County Court House officers and staff, to the Union Bank & Trust, Taylor Branch for the use of the copy machine.  Many thanks to L. D. Dunbar for the use of his color copier to work with the photos.  And special gratitude to the following for pictures: Maxine Scherzberg Brown, Mildred Meeks, Irene Sears Garska, Dorothy Parkin Sweley, Becky (Allen) and Burt Whedon, 
Ivan Goochey, Pat Collier Ash,  Roger Goos,  Homer Buell, and Ila Britton Dunne
                         

Tour Photos
Click on thumbnail for larger photo.

For those of us who missed the tour . . .

June 8, 2002 letter from Kevin Brown, President, Loup County Historical Society

    "We had sixty-two out for the tour (a record!!!) and absolutely perfect weather.  We had people there from Grand Island and Loup City who came just because they read about it in the Grand Island paper.  We also had representatives here visiting from New Mexico, and Minnesota, plus people from Ainsworth, Brewster, Burwell, Sargent, Kearny, Wakefield, Milburn, Almeria, and Taylor.  The Buells' rest stop was at their cabin and lake and how lovely it was there!!  The supper at Upstream Ranch was  really something else, too.  I think everyone truly enjoyed themselves.  Most people, I think, probably enjoyed the old Boiling Spring most, even if it isn't like it used to be!  . . . We surely heard some great stories from the participants." 

Loup County Historical Society, Taylor, NE 68879-0102