Many of the Danes in northeastern Montana arrived there only after significant temporary settlement in other states.
As the Danes arrived at Ellis Island in significant numbers in the 1890s, they enjoyed temporary welcome in Brooklyn and then went on to Iowa and Nebraska and Wisconsin.
For some, that second landing point became their lifelong home. For others, it was the place where they worked for years to put together cash to move on and buy land elsewhere, and during that time most of them started families, built churches and schools,  and became American citizens. When the calling to greener grass and adequate cash met up, they packed their saws, their smithing tools, their few household goods, and their children and moved on.
My maternal grandparents’ interim landing point was Racine, Wisconsin, where their first five children were born before moving on to greener pastures in Montana (now that’s an allegorical phrase if there ever was one–if you know anything about the nature of northeastern Montana).  My paternal grandparents’ interim landing point was a little village about five miles from Aurora, Nebraska.
In the case of both sets of grandparents, they moved on to Montana around 1908.
A few years ago, I spent three amazing hours going through the astounding museum that the good folks of Aurora, Nebraska have established within which to preserve and present the pioneer history of that great open grassland area, intersected everywhere by the Platte River which works its way across vast prairie.  We only had three hours because our departure from Minnesota had been delayed by a great tree falling on our garage, smashing things, and breaking stuff, and requiring time-consuming paperwork.  But what a three hours it was.
I had a new treasure as we left Aurora that day: The Way Was Long, by Denny Enderle & Diann Jensen.  It’s a compilation of historical newspaper accounts of Hamilton County, Nebraska, beginning with records around from around 1842, when the old Pawnee trail was first put on a mat by Lt. John C. Fremont.

Today’s MBOB is just one of the mailboxes identified by Denny and Diann in their documentary endeavors. It’s one of the old barns that lives in memory in Nebraska, in the county where my father was born in 1898 and where his parents became American citizens in 1906.

In 1910, a couple of years after they headed north and began farming in Montana, there was a mighty conflict back in little Aurora, Nebraska, the community they left behind.
The conflict had deep roots and implications for local commerce and potential growth. It involved the strong feelings of the business men and the farmers, and it called for resolutions, mass meetings, the County Attorney’s services, and the writing and debating skills of a sizable percentage of farmers and townspeople alike.

The problem:

The hitching chain serving downtown Aurora had been removed in order to beautify the public square.  As a result, the farmers — who were the lifeblood of the county and the prairie — had nowhere to park when they hitched up their teams and came to town to participate in commerce. These Nebraskans — had a situation.  We begin midstream.

The scene as we join them:

The hitching chain has been removed.

But the despised curbs and grassy areas have not yet been installed.

And the farmers are intending to be heard on the matter.

 The Hitching Posts

Farmers Meet to Protest

January 7, 1910

Nearly 300 farmers attended a meeting for the purpose of discussing the matter of how best to proceed to induce the board of county commissioners and city council to replace the hitching chain around the public square.

Resolutions were drafted; those in attendance elected a chairman and secretary.  Many prominent farmers participated.

Mr. Hammond said that the chain should be replaced; he believed it to be a far better advertisement for the thrift of Aurora to have the public square lined with the teams of the farmers who had come to trade.  He thought this showed definite rural support of the business men.

J. A. Moses could see no reason why this great convenience to the farmers should be sacrificed because a few preferred to see cement curbing and grass rather than fine horses and carriages.  He earnestly and honestly contended that the removal of the chain was a great mistake–a mistake which should be righted.

R. L. Mabon contended that the chain should be replaced; that it seemed to him the city of Aurora did not appreciate the business of the farmers, and if such was the case, he would favor the establishment of a department store to be owned and operated by the farmers.  He cited the farmers’ elevator as an instance where the farmers were operating a successful business enterprise and was sure they would be successful with a co-operative store.

At this juncture of the proceedings, it was suggested that the mayor of Aurora and the county commissioners be invited to come before the meeting and give their reasons for the removal of the chain.

Mayor Sharp began his remarks by saying, “It is a nice thing to be ‘yanked’ from a desk to address a meeting in the court room without any intimation of what it is about.  He said that he represented 3500 people with a property valuation of more than $597,000; that the chain was removed for the purpose of beautifying the public square and to protect the public health of the city; that the chain had been removed only after the consent of the county commissioners and the unanimous vote, save one, of the city council; that he was not in sympathy with this insurrection which had been stirred up by a few; that it had been told to him that the farmers were going to come to town and replace the chain without the aid or consent of anyone, and in his opinion such talk was the talk of a mob of rioters, not American citizens; he believed that if the people would be patient until the city could finish the work, everyone would be glad the chain was gone.  Mr. Sharp contended…that he himself would be willing to make ten thousand sacrifices for the benefit of the county, but he could not consent to the re-establishment of the disease germinating and unsightly hitching rack around the public square.  When asked if he would submit to any proposition  for replacing the chain, Mr. Sharp stated that the matter was no longer a question of submission, that the chain was removed, a contract had been signed for curbing, the whole matter definitely settled…so far as the mayor and the city council were concerned.

The report is lengthy–so I skip to the concluding paragraphs:

At this time, the resolutions were read.  In substance, the resolutions sated that the chains should be immediately replaced, and unless this would be done, they favored some method of doing business for themselves.  Mr. Sharp objected to the content of the resolutions.  The resolutions were adoped as read.
Mr. Farley addressed the group….As far as beautification was concerned, he contended nothing is more beautiful than the fine horses and turnouts driven to Aurora by Hamilton County farmers.
Another meeting date was set.  The Republican continues, “The meeting was a harmonious and an orderly one.  No harsh nor unkind language was used, and while the farmers seem to be determined in their contentions, a spirit of good feelings prevailed throughout the meeting.”

On January 14, a “mass meeting of Aurora business men” was held, and the majority of them went on record as favoring suitable hitching facilities around the public square…and a resolution was passed in favor of the installation of good substantial hitching facilities around the public square.”  The paper goes into some detail about attendance:

The second mass meeting of farmers was more largely attended than the first.  The district court room was completely filled and many were unable to gain admittance.  A large number of business men were also present.
J. R. Davidson, the chosen representative of the business men,…believed the city would commit commercial suicide by refusing to replace the hitching facilities…
….At the close of the meeting, a committee of five was appointed, composed of two farmers and three business men.  It would be their duty to draft a resolution to replace suitable hitching facilities around the public square.  They would go before the city council and the board of county commissioners and ask its passage.  They would present, in both instances, the petition of more than five hundred farmers and the thirty business men.  After this committee has performed its duties, another meeting of farmers will be called.
If anyone believes our farmer friends are not in real earnest in their contentions that the hitching convenience should be replaced, he should be at once undeceived.  Knowing the determination of the average Hamilton County farmer, we say the boys are very much in earnets.  Also it seems that a majority of the business men are of the same mind.  The indications are at this time that Aurora’s alleged overofficious mayor has started something he will be unable to finish.

The reports are lengthy and the meetings are many.  May I take the short cut of providing dates of meetings and excerpted quotations from the newspaper reports of these meetings to give you an outline of how things turned out in Nebraska and how The Matter of The Hitching Posts was concluded by April 29 in 1910.
March 11, 1910    The mass meeting…was a hummer — Mr. Vorhees substantiated…the unkind, the unfair and unjust treatment received by the committee at the hands of the mayor and the chairman of the street and alley committee. He told of the refusal to consider the petitions signed by nearly five hundred farmers and forty-one business men because it was not [according to the mayor] a representative petition
A. P. Moberg said that [if there had not been a petition asking for removal of the chain or declaration that it was a public nuisance, then the removal of the chain] was…a confiscation of the people’s property without due process of law.  “Law,” he said, “is nothing more than common sense–anything else is rascality.”
A. M. Glover [said] He believed…[it] was the time and place to raise a fund to fight the matter through the courts
…Hon. John A. Whitmore had been retained as counsel and would file an injunction…as soon as work….should begin
…within fifteen minutes…pledges and cash amounting to almost three hundred dollars [were obtained]
…the fight will be on just as soon as the city administration or the county commissioners begin work…
…Mr. Huenefeld suggested that an executive committee be elected with power to act in any emergency.  This was done and the committee selected consisted of twelve men.
March 19, 1910  An open letter to the community written by the executive committee, was published by The Republican:
“With your kind permission, we will endeavor to explain…As Aurora is depending almost entirely for its subsistence on the farmers of Hamilton County, either directly or indirectly, we believe our request merits your consideration.”
…”after necessary space for your walks…trees and curb stone….it leaves it so narrow….it is impossible to turn with a carriage, let alone a wagon, when teams are tied on one side.  And, too, it is dangerous, for if one should meet an auto in this narrow space, with an easily frightened team, someone might be killed.
…”The only thing we ask of the citizens of Aurora is to duly consider this question in shaping the policy of your city government at your coming spring election by defeating the candidate who has caused all this trouble.
“We farmers have restrained from taking radical action against Aurora, such as boycotting her business men…
“It has been suggested that the hitching chain controversey will be decided by the courts and does not enter into the city campaign.  Such is not the case.”
March 25, 1910 Regarding Mayor Sharp’s letter to The Hamilton County Register as reprinted by The Republican
(My note: The bolding is in the original newspaper article , published on March 25, 1910)

Sharp Brothers are bringing themselves into considerable notoriety.  The other day, they took pains to announce upon the streets that they would not give the calamity howling anarchistic newspaper a line of advertisement even if the farmers demanded it.  Well, brethren, you have not given us any patronage for some time, and we will get out a paper every Saturday.  We will try to survive your displeasure…

 April 11, 1910  Ignoring the prayer of the petition of more than four hundred farmers and forty-one business men…county commissioners began operations upon the installation of a curb set out from the lot line twenty feet into the street around the public square…
…on the eve of the advent of a new city administration which the people of Aurora had chosen to right the wrong done our farmer friends by the Sharp combination, is conclusive proof of the subserviency of the board to the “Uncle Joke” (Mayor Sharp-) of the present city council.
…If the commissioners proceed with the work, they will, no doubt, involve the county in the further waste of money by being compelled to remove the curbing.
April 29, 1910  There is wonderful activity upon the streets of Aurora this week.  The much talked of curb is being built around the public square and the lighting system is being installed on the court house grounds.  The work began last Saturday morning with a large number of men upon the job.  All the rush work now in progress is because of the fact that it must be completed Saturday night, for that is the time when a new city administration will come upon the scene.
Mr. Sharp will take his place among the ex-mayors of our city.  His career as chief executive was short and full of errors.  The people would tolerate him no longer.  He will go out of office the most unpopular mayor the city ever elected….he has made for himself a record that no man who possesses the spirit of a square deal in the slightest degree would think of emulating.  He has won his point, but he is a discredited man.  
The satisfaction may be worth it to him, but the price is high.

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