This man with Gardner under the name of Gering & Gardner put in the pioneer store of the town. It confined its mercantile activities to implements and hardware.

F. A. Garlock (now of Harrison) and T. S. Franklin put in the second store, which was a general merchandise establishment.

The third business enterprise in the town was a newspaper started and still conducted by A. B. Wood. Volume one, number one, of the Gering Courier was issued April 27, 1887. Mr. Wood brought the first chair to Gering. He

Gering Courier, 1887

bought it of C. D. Essig of Sidney, and brought it in with his printing outfit. Up to that time, tables and chairs were improvised of cracker boxes and other boxes used in the hauling in of merchandise.

The fourth store in Gering was a drug store started by Dr. W. H. Cbarlesworth, who was also the first doctor. Dr. C. W. Mercereau was there soon after.

The Mail Route

After the establishment of the post-office the next thing was how to get the mail. Old Camp Clarke wanted it to come that way, but Gardner planned to have it brought from Redington, then considered a better and quicker way. The carrier from Sidney to Camp Clarke frequently carried it on to the river post-office, nnd at least once lost it on the prairie where it lay until his return trip. Kimball put in a bid to get a route established across country from there, and occasionally a pouch of mail was brought in from that point by a freighter. This confusion and often delays continued until October.