Minden, Nebraska: ‘The Christmas City’

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

Minden, Neb., was the site of the first day of issue for the United States 3¢ commemorative stamp (Scott 970) issued Sept. 22, 1948, for the centennial of the founding of Fort Kearny.

A first-day cover for the issue is shown in Figure 1. It bears what seems to be a locally produced cachet for the event that provides essential information about Fort Kearny: “Only Fort between Missouri River and Mountains in early years. Meeting place of other Trails with the Oregon Trail. Central Point of the U.S. Army when Indian War of 1864 broke out. First Post Office in Nebraska Territory was established at Fort Kearny on July 7, 1849.”

The cachet also notes, “Mailed from Minden The Christmas City.” An internet search revealed that in 1915 Minden city light commissioner J.C. Haws sought to impress the state convention of the Grand Army of the Republic by stringing lights all over town from the railroad depot to the town square.

After accumulating the necessary lights, what was he to do with them? Haws settled on decorating the courthouse on the square with the lights for the entire month of December. The decorating of the courthouse with lights has now become an annual tradition, getting bigger and better each year.

The FDC contained a card with an illustration of the illuminated courthouse on the front, shown in Figure 2. On the reverse is a brief description of the meaning of the lights to the city and Fort Kearny. Today, its 12,000 light bulbs can be seen for miles around and are a source of pride for the community and the state.

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