Maika Drug Store

With a tip of the hat to Chris Fankhauser at KCSR, we're able to add a bit of information to our earlier posting about H. F. Maika, who operated a drug store in the early days of Chadron.

Chris recently sent me the following note:

...Henry F. Maika operated HF Maika Drug Store at 117 W. 2nd Street in Chadron beginning in 1912. Mr. Maika passed away in April of 1934, and his wife, Minerva, operated the drug store after that. She passed away in March of 1955. Sometime prior to her death, she allowed someone else to operate the drug store, and it was called Olsen Drug, and then in 1946, Henry Freed purchased the property, and added it to his existing furniture store, which was in operation in Chadron for many years. Hope this helps fill in the gaps. Also, the Maikas came from Rock Falls, IL.

Brother John recently sent me a few old issues of the Chadron Record, and that's where I found a January 9, 1964 story about Dennis Armstrong, pastor of the Church of Christ (Christian) Church in Chadron in the early 1960s.

Although I didn't remember it at the time, I subsequently recalled that Dennis had married Mabelle Maika. The 1964 story in the Record indicated that the Armstrongs were off to Norfolk, Nebraska where he intended to enroll at Nebraska Christian College. I suspect Mabelle Armstrong could provide much information about the old Maika Drug Store in Chadron.

H.F. Maika - Early Chadron Druggist

It's always fun to stumble upon unexpected treasures while scavengering through data in search of genealogical gems.

Such was the case this week, when I was searching on-line at USGenWeb and decided to take a peek at an unidentified Dawes County Nebraska file. For those of you unfamiliar with GenWeb, it consists of volunteers working together to provide Internet web sites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. The Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free access for everyone. If you've never visited their web site, check it out at http://www.usgenweb.org/

My latest serendipitous discovery was a collection of letters pertaining to one of the pioneer families of Dawes County: the Maika clan. Although I'm not certain of the relationships, I vividly remember a pair of Maika children who resided on east 2nd street in Chadron during the 1950s. I also recall my mom and dad occasionally referring to the Maika name, and I somehow learned that an earlier Maika family member had run a drugstore. Alas, where in Chadron that drugstore might have been situated, I don't know; perhaps one of our readers knows and can share that information with us at galey@rushmore.com.

The Chadron Centennial History 1885-1985, published by the Chadron Narrative History Project Committee in 1985, offers little information about the Maika family. However, it does refer to an early day (ca. 1906) Chadron druggist named H.F. Maika, whose establishment apparently carried some of the drugs that were the subject of questionable advertising. Cited was the example: "Easy Labor and Painless Childbirth guaranteed by the use of OSAGE PILLS. Purely vegetable and Perfectly Harmless -- Being compounded from numerous herbs and roots which have been in use among the Osage Indians for years."

If you're researching the Maika family or have an interest in early Dawes County Nebraska, you're sure to enjoy poring through the letters and information contained in this bit of research.