The Sisters Behind Hooper Laundry: Margaret Finegan and Minnie Martinsen
A 1901 opening notice, a horse-and-wagon photograph and preparations for a steam plant recover the story of two sisters and their Hooper laundry.
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61 published stories · 20 tour stops · 748 source references · Growing with every discovery
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When Hooper Had a Silver Cornet Band: Musicians, Parades and Summer Concerts
Meet the musicians in Hooper’s early band photographs, read an original 1901 concert program, and follow the tradition into summer evenings at Memorial Park.
When Hooper Stored Winter for Summer: The Ice Company and Its Delivery Teams
Elkhorn River ice, horse teams, coupon books and even street sprinkling: photographs and newspaper accounts recover the work of keeping Hooper cool before mechanical refrigeration.
When Hooper Took to the Road: Monnich, Tunberg & Reetz and Smida Garage
Car parades, Buick shipments and a workshop that survived fire, theft and flood: the photographs and newspaper accounts behind Hooper’s early automobile businesses.
When Hooper Went to the Show: Tilson’s Opera House and the Amusu Theatre
From an 1886 opera house to silent films, talkies, and a community effort to keep the movies going: explore Hooper’s entertainment history through a rare photograph and original newspaper programs.
1887 house at 301 East Elk Street
The tour assigns an 1887 construction date to this house and illustrates it with a photograph. No builder, original owner or additional chronology appears in the short entry. Notes: The 1887 date is attributed to the tour. Similar dates on property-listing websites do not substitute for an original building or tax record. Still to establish: Who commissioned or constructed the house? Do the earliest parcel records or photographs identify its original appearance and occupants?
1890 house at 109 South Myrtle Street
The booklet identifies the house at 109 South Myrtle Street as an 1890 building and supplies a photograph. It does not name an original owner or provide a longer history for this stop. Notes: The construction year is the tour’s date; it has not yet been checked against an original property or building record. Still to establish: Who built and first occupied this house? Can older photographs establish which porch and gable details are original?
1890 house at 405 West Howard Street
The tour dates this house to 1890 and reports a 1949 sale price of $3,750. It also describes the underlying land as first platted in 1870 and changing hands more than 20 times during the next three decades. Notes: The land history, construction date and 1949 price are the tour’s account; the underlying deed chain has not yet been examined. The 1870 land date is not a construction date for the present house. Still to establish: What legal parcel and original plat does the 1870 reference describe? Who owned and built the house in 1890? What do the original 1949 deed and earlier transfers establish?
1900 house at 610 West Grant Street
This stop pairs a photograph of the house at 610 West Grant Street with a construction date of 1900. The booklet does not provide additional building history, an architect or a named original owner. Notes: The date is attributed to the tour; no independently verified construction document has been located. Still to establish: Who built or commissioned the house? Does an early photograph or assessment record establish the original porch and exterior appearance?
1920 house at 204 North Myrtle Street
The self-guided tour dates this house to 1920 and illustrates the stop with an older photograph and a later view. Its short entry does not name a builder or explain subsequent alterations. Notes: The construction date comes from the tour; an original building or assessment record has not yet been verified. Still to establish: Who commissioned or built the house? Can an original print identify the date and people in the older photograph?
Across the Frozen Missouri: The Journey Behind Elim’s Church
Luella Sampson preserved her father’s memory of a winter lumber trip for Elim—a story of a frozen river, a long day and a church built by its people.
After Hours at Hooper’s Iron Horse
A named interview and an investigation account preserve the Iron Horse’s ghost stories against the documented history of Hooper’s Main Street.
Alfred Stroh house and locally made blocks
According to the tour, Alfred Stroh built this home in 1910 with blocks made at his masonry business across the street to the east. The account names the firm Stroh and Son, connecting the house’s building material with a nearby Hooper enterprise. Notes: The 1910 house date and its specific connection to the works come from the tour. The map identifies a factory, not its owner. The separate Alfred Stroh business listing must not be treated as an ownership label printed on the map. Still to establish: Can a construction notice or deed confirm the 1910 house date? Can a business advertisement or property record connect Alfred Stroh with the exact factory parcel shown in 1916? What records establish the partnership’s members and operating dates?
Before Barnard Park: The Cemetery Behind Fremont’s Ghost Stories
An 1884 newspaper resolution reveals the cemetery beneath Barnard Park’s history—and helps separate the record from later ghost stories.
Bowling Nights and Roller Skates: How Hooper Played
Duck-pin leagues in 1941, a named Farmers Union bowling team in 1949, roller skating and the places Hooper gathered to play.