60 Nebraskaland • January-February 2019
PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
Pictured is my father, Madison (Matt) Freeman on the far left, my grandfather Jesse Freeman in the
middle and my uncle Douglas Freeman on the far right. All were from Neligh and have since passed
away. The man in the uniform (game warden?) behind them is unidentified.
The year was 1945 and my father Matt was a soldier enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The war was
over but he was still under enlistment and stationed on the East Coast. My grandfather Jesse Freeman
applied for a permit to hunt deer in Nebraska. This was the first deer season since 1907 and Grandfather
was lucky enough to win one of the 500 permits issued. My father was granted temporary leave from
base, and he returned to Nebraska for a chance at a mule deer in the Bessey National Forest near Halsey.
The photograph is testament to his success! Father used a Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle in
30-30 caliber. Later he had the head mounted and now, 73 years later, it hangs on my wall in Dallas.
– Mark Freeman, Dallas, Texas
