James Russell KEELER

  General Notes:

Note from file: James Russell Keeler and his elder brother Elmer purchased the Chapen Livery Stable in Alliance, Nebraska in 1900. Two years later James bought his brother's interest. The stable was located one-half block east of Box Butte Avenue on what was then Wyoming Ave., now East Third. The front of the stable was painted to resemble a giant checkerboard and was called the Checkered Front Livery Stable. The best of single and double-seated buggies, teams, and saddle horses were available for hire. A driver was provided if needed. Horses and mules were sheltered and fed for the public. The settler driving to town could have his horses fed and watered for twenty-five cents. It does not sound like much, but a farmer's wife brought in a forty-eight pound flour sack full of peas in the pod which she had grown in her garden and was delighted to get twenty-five cents from a grocer for the entire sack. Then she paid the same amount to have her team fed. Such was the economy of pioneer days. "When the automobile first came to Alliance in 1906, Mr. Keeler had the first automobile agency selling Reo cars. In 1914 he tore down the stable and built a brick buidling on the same location and in 1915 took in Harry P. Coursey as a partner. They had the Ford agency selling the cars, parts, and tires, oil, and gasoline. An ad in the 1915 newspaper states that the Ford could be driven at less than horse and buggy rates and that a carload of Fords were sold by the firm each month. Mr. Keeler retired in 1919.

James married Phoebe Elizabeth (Lizzie) CRANE on 5 Oct 1899. (Phoebe Elizabeth (Lizzie) CRANE was born about 1878 in IN and died on 16 Aug 1936 in Alliance, Box Butte Co, NE.)