58 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2017
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, NEBRASKAland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to
Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov. Photos should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have
been taken before 1980. We will give priority to unusual photos or activities. When possible, please include a story about the photograph and identify the
people, places and approximate date it was taken. Text may be edited and photos adjusted for reproduction. All photos will be returned.
I am an 85-year-old resident of Johnson, Nebraska, sending you
this 1940 picture of my classmate Jack Lintz (our graduation 1950) for
your request of Portraits from the Past.
Many years ago, our small rural town had a lake, called Johnson
Lake, located just south of the railroad tracks on the west side of
Highway 105. Each summer, local kids and other kids from miles
away enjoyed a fishing contest. Winners of the biggest fish in their
age bracket received a prize from the Johnson Sportsmen Club.
Jack Lintz is pictured with his fish and his grandfather, Don Parker.
Some years later nature took its course and with the help of a
dredge, the lake turned into farm ground.
I enjoy NEBRASKAland Magazine.
– Inez Gebers, Johnson, Nebraska.
▲
The two men in the photographs are
Daryl Calkins (Chadron) and Dan Kelly
(Alliance). They have been best friends
since childhood. Their time together has
revolved around hunting and walleye
fishing. Dan died of cancer last April. A
lot of great stories have been told the
last few months of all the hunting and
fishing adventures they have
been through together.
The picture to the right was taken on
their last hunt before both were
deployed to Vietnam in November 1966.
The picture above was taken after
they were out of the service, graduated
from CSC, and were married and busy
raising families in Chadron and Alliance.
Both have fished, hunted and trapped
in western Nebraska since the 1960s. It
was the hunting and fishing opportunities
that brought them both to Chadron to
attend college. Their love of the outdoors
has been passed to their children
and grandchildren.
– Eric Calkins, Chadron, Nebraska
▲