OLD LANDMARK GONE

ONE OF BLAIR’S FOUNDERS ANSWERS LAST CALL

George Sutherland, one of the early pioneers of this city and for about forty years, a resident of Blair, died at his home in Tekamah at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, December 21, 1919.

Mr. Sutherland was of the good old Scotch nationality and like his progenitors had the same sterling traits. His ideals of manhood were always of the highest; his creed was based on “The Golden Rule” and those how knew him knew that his word was good without a contract or bond and men always spoke of him as a man of irreproachable character. With his friends he was known as steadfast and idle gossip was a thing unknown to him. He was clean in thought, in action, and in speech, traits which marked him as a distinct type of manhood.

Mr. Sutherland always was interested in the political and social welfare of Blair and Washington County, and his opinions were sought in many questions relative to the welfare of this county.

In early years he farmed west of Blair, but later moved to Blair, building the house now owned by John Aye, on the corner of Grant street and Walker avenue, which was at the time, considered the best house in the town. After leaving the farm he engaged in the contracting business and built the bridges and did the ditching work of the county for a number of years. He opened more new roads and bridged more creeks than any man in the county and his name goes down in the annals of the county history as a man of action.

A few years back, he took the contract for the opening of a drainage ditch in Burt County and in order to be near his work, moved his family to Tekamah, but always claimed Blair as his home and was always here to cast his ballot at election time at which time we were always glad to be honored with a visit with him.

With his passing goes another of the builders of our little city, another of those who have made themselves dear to the community and who we all deeply regret to lose from our midst.

He leaves to mourn him an aged wife; two children, Earl and Mrs. Edith Curtis, both of Canada. Two other children, a son, Robert, and a daughter, Mrs. May Latta, having preceded him to the Great Beyond.

Funeral services were held in Tekamah at 10 a.m. on last Tuesday and the body was brought to Blair and interred in the family lot in the cemetery which he saw first started.