Chapter 19, pages 148-155
In 1895 the Burlington railway's engineering corps had moved into offices in the Paddock building in Malvern to start surveys on reducing grades and shortening mileage for its line across Mills County which had been built in 1869 and was considered somewhat inefficient. This, of course, caused much concern in the towns along the railway for in those days, when there was scarcely a foot of paving or other all-weather surfacing even in the towns of the county, much less on the rural roads, a railroad was considered an absolute necessity to the life of the village and the loss of such a facility would mean the end of the community.
So in 1902 the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad began work on its new line through Mills County, moving it nearly three miles north of Hillsdale. It was generally expected that a new town would be founded to replace the facilities and services of Hillsdale. On August 27, 1904, the first special on the new route (termed the "high line" because its grade was higher and eliminated a grade crossing of the Wabash railway at Malvern with a viaduct) ran from Glenwood to locate, as one newspaper account indicated, a new town as yet unnamed. The town was soon named Balfour.
The new line meant the eventual death of Hillsdale and brought a number of other changes. Finally the time for full service on the new tracks was set - October 30, 1904. Agent McCollum of Hillsdale received notice of this about a week before the time. He was directed to have wagons ready to transfer the office necessaries upon that date. There was a flurry of shipping from Hillsdale before the change. On October 27th Agent McCollum bought (from B. E. Bayes) and shipped out seven or eight cars of baled hay. Several farmers of the area sent out livestock.
Other changes were made, too. The Tabor & Northern trains, which pulled on to the Burlington sidetrack at a "Y" in south Malvern, were directed to go a mile east on the old tracks, switch on to the Burlington passing track which then would bring it into the new station for Malvern, a half mile north of the old. On his first visit to the new station after trains started on the high line The Leader editor commented: "The charge of extravagance in the erection of buildings (there) is wholly without foundation and must have had its origin in the evil mind of some campaign prevaricator." He then described the depot, freight house, etc., as being old box cars temporarily parked for such service and said he had been promised that a new brick station would be built and ready by Christmas.
The first community news section for the new town - which had been named Balfour although we have found no reference in news accounts why this was selected - appeared in the November 10, 1904, issue of The Malvern Leader with the initial item: "We ain't much yet but we're coming some," and soon took on the style and zest of a Chamber of Commerce promoter. New visits and dreams were included in the various items.
By Nov. 10th he reported that "The depot reached here from Hillsdale and is now in use." He observed that Don Anderson was serving as general carrier from Hillsdale and making daily trips with freight, mail, etc. Further, wrote the newsman, "Some beautiful lots are opened up in the west part of town." The town plat showed two east-west streets (First and Second Streets) and three north-south streets (Washington, Main and Jefferson). Since neither restaurant nor hotel had been acquired he said that "Night Operator Berard is boarding at Ben Dunnagan's and Agent McCollum at R. F. Jone's south of town." And "I. C. Anderson and workers finished the stockyards and began on a store building. C. N. Schultz is the first business man on the ground. The railroad will erect two or three dwelling houses in the near future."
Changes started rather soon. By November 17th it was announced that Agent McCollum had been released and Mr. Whipp took his place. Soon there was a petition for a post office but the Hillsdale office continued to serve the new community and T.R. Potts followed Mr. Anderson as mail carrier to Hillsdale but soon resigned because of the low pay. The railway soon developed business at this point. Dan Barbee shipped "a fine car of fat hogs" to South Omaha December 1st and a car of cattle went out from there December 6th so freight business was good. By January 26, 1905, the new elevator must have been ready for business as E.L. Donner, a dealer, shipped three cars of corn from Balfour, the first to go from this station.
Kenneth Graves of Glenwood, who lived in the Balfour vicinity as a boy, recalls some of the town: "Balfour was started when the C.B.& Q. was routed north of the old tracks at Hillsdale in 1904. A general store and post office was built, run by Aaron Burson. Later a large two-story building from Hillsdale was moved to the north of the first store. The upper floor of this building (which had housed the IOOF lodge at Hillsdale) was used by the Silver Grange No. 1702. The Grange formerly met in the homes of members. The Grange was a secret organization of farmers and friends and was abandoned (in Mills County) when the Farm Bureau became strong.
"Mr. A.B. Judson had a grain elevator there and bought and shipped corn, wheat and oats. He also had coal sheds and sold both hard and soft coal. Mr. Judson also owned the general store (in the lower floor of the building brought from Hillsdale) and later sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Jim Sawyers who ran it for many years until they retired to California. The store was a focal point for the community. Sunday mornings horse-shoe pitching was very competitive there. The community had a baseball diamond and team, and a brass band which played at various places.
"There were three railroad houses across the street from the store, for the section boss and other helpers. The railroad station was a busy place for supplies and passengers. A stockyard was built and owned by an association of farmers, and was very well used. The last secretary of this association was Fred Thieschafer. There were several houses in the town. In my recollection the people living there were Bill Robb, Sam Winger, John Muldowney and his mother, John Stacy, Aaron Burson, Jim Sawyers and others.
"With the coming of big trucks, cars and the paving of U.S. Highway 34, the town slowly faded away. Now one house and a mobile home mark the spot where Balfour flourished for more than fifty years. All else is gone."
Mr. Graves noted that the town was never incorporated as a municipality so had no local government. It flourished briefly in that period when nearness to all-weather, all-season transportation which could then be provided only by a railroad, was of prime importance to farmers as they needed to market their grain and livestock and obtain supplies.
The Grange chapter in Balfour was the only one in Mills County and much of its vigor and influence stemmed from Mr. Judson who served as Master (or president) of the State Grange for several terms. Those initiated into the Grange became Patrons of Husbandry and were encouraged to take an interest in the development of better farm practices as well as public affairs. The example of Mr. Judson was influential in this way too, and he exercised a strong and beneficial influence in Mills County for many years.
The building moved from Hillsdale for the Grange Hall had been built by the IOOF lodge there where it had also housed a store. It was dedicated at Balfour December 12, 1912. A number of houses and store buildings were moved from Hillsdale after its railroad service stopped, some to nearby farms to serve for dwellings or farm buildings or other purposes, some to Balfour and other towns. Not all moves were satisfactory and it was recorded that Sam Winger moved back to Hillsdale after trying life at Balfour for a period.
The first store in Balfour was named the Red Store and newspapers of the area carried its advertisements showing it quite competitive. The Judson store handled farm supplies, feeds, equipment, etc. and was an important service for farmers in the trade territory. The baseball teams mentioned by Mr. Graves, played other clubs in central Mills County and the Balfour news writer, who sent letters to the county newspapers, once reported that they had played "McCurdy's Colts down on the bottom.
Balfour's facilities continued to serve farmers throughout the 1930's. Fay McManigal, who owns and operates a farm near the community, recalls that he shipped the last load of stock into Balfour before the stockyards unit was discontinued, bringing in a car of mules from Nebraska in 1939. When the Balfour elevator was finally torn down, Mr. McManigal used some of the lumber for his farm buildings. The railway station, which at one time had been a signal point on the line and the place where the Burlington started double tracks again after having only a single track line from Hawthorne in Montgomery County, was torn down in the 1940's leaving no vestige of a once-active business community. Today the home of the Larry Bachman family is the only dwelling left in the confines of the original Balfour plat.
