Spade Ranch Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Spade Ranch Store
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 Location in Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Location | W Side of SHWY 27/ Lot 5 of Ellsworth Ellsworth, Nebraska |
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| Built | 1898 |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000629 |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 2010 |
The Spade Ranch Store, also known as Morgan's Store, is a historic shop in Ellsworth, Nebraska. It has served as a general store for local ranchers and travelers for a long time. Built in 1898, it was first a company store and the main office for the huge Spade Ranch. Because of its important history, the store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
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A Look Back at the Spade Ranch Store
The Spade Ranch Store has a long and interesting past. It started as a key part of a large ranching operation.
Early Days in Ellsworth
In the early 1890s, the town of Ellsworth was quite small. It had a train station, a school, and a house for railroad workers. Around 1898, the big Spade Ranch decided to build more. They added a store, a hotel, and places for livestock.
The Store's First Purpose
The store building was built by W.T. Merrit. It was very important to the Spade Ranch. It served as the ranch's main office and a general store. It even held the local post office! When the Spade Ranch was at its busiest, a large wagon pulled by 10 horses would travel. This wagon carried supplies from the Ellsworth Store to the ranch's main office 23 miles away. It made this trip every three days.
New Owners and Changes
In 1927, the ranch changed hands. The store building was sold to a company called Abbott Interest. They hired Lawrence Graham to manage the store. From 1928 to 1950, Lawrence and his wife, Hazel, ran the store. They even lived in an apartment right above it! During this time, they added gasoline pumps, which was a big help for people traveling by car.
In 1950, Lawrence and Hazel Graham bought the store themselves. After Lawrence passed away in 1960, Hazel and her son, Roy, kept the store running until 1967.
Morgan's Store Era
The store was empty for a few years, from 1967 to 1971. Then, it was sold to Veldon Morgan and his son Wade Morgan. Veldon used to be a cowboy at the Spade Ranch. They added two large warehouses to the original store. They turned it into a factory that made western tack and saddles. This factory was very successful in the 1970s and 1980s. It even had over 100 employees!
However, in the early 1990s, the factory started to get smaller. By 2000, all the factory work stopped because the market for their products changed. Today, Wade Morgan still runs the store. It serves as a ranch supply and general store for Ellsworth and the nearby areas.
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Spade Ranch Store (around 1900)
