I bet Mr. McKee has the best shot of helping find the info they need. I tried
on my own to check on employment about both of my grandfathers who worked at
the Havelock shops. I live here in Lincoln and was given the cold shoulder
treatment by the receptionist and another worker in the office. I never got
past them to talk to anyone else and frankly after those two attempts I don't
care to try again.
I will suggest that the lady who still runs the "California cafe" across the
street from the Havelock shops is a wealth of information about Havelock and
the Havelock shops. Her name escapes me right now but her father ran the cafe
and she grew up and took over the business after his death. She talked not
only about the railroad workers during the steam era but also Charles
Lindbergh (the pilot who flew the Spirit of St. Louis) who learned to fly in
Lincoln and would stop in all the time for a meal. The cafe is basically the
same as it was 60 years ago. There are old photographs inside too.
I wish I could find info about my grandfather who in 1922 felt lucky to land
a job at the shops only to go on strike 6 months later. My dad said Grandpa
thought he had finally got a steady job....wrong! The railroad busted that
Union and strike big time. I don't think that strike was ever settled. His
luck with picking the right job did not improve. He along with several other
fellow workers went to Wyoming to work in the coal mines only to be trapped
in a cave in out there.
Scott Arnold
Lincoln NE
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