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William Hemme, of Danville, Calif., has been here the past week or ten days, visiting former chums and associates that are left in and about the Corning section, and also to look after what landed interests there may be left that he once owned. The river from time to time has confiscated much of the land, and at times it has been made back, and after having been away some 48 years since he first left here, the last time he was back, some 20 years ago, he finds he has no title to any land; he claims he has been a regular tax-payer, having ever kept the taxes paid on the lands he supposed still existed in that section. He is related to the Henstorf people of Lincoln township, and was accompanied here by Len Walter, of Corning.

He is the son of Henry Hemme, who in 1844 founded or located at a point then about two miles west of Corning, and the place was given the name of Hemme's Landing and at one time it was a great steamboat point between St Joseph and Council Bluffs. Here boats were supplied with wood and much corn and salt pork were shipped, principally to St Louis.

The land is now over on the other side, and forms a part of the state of Nebraska. His father helped to clear the wilderness and became the chief supplier of wood for the steamboats in those days, and in 1845 he took over the stock of goods of David Greer, the first to sell merchandise at Hemme's Landing.

William stayed until 1873, when he went West, but not until he witnessed the complete wiping off the map of Hemme's Landing by the encroachments of the old Missouri river, and saw the moving of the old Conrad Grabb store building from the landing to Corning in 1867. In 1920 the Walter heirs razed this building to the ground.

Among those who did business at Corning, when our visitor was a young man, hunting deer and other wild game in that section were: David Greer, Robert Hawke, Vernile Thompson, a Mr Dillon, Roland & Co., Thomas & Lowell, J.F. Taylor, F.W. Holly, Adrain Hoblitzell, Conrad Grabb and his father, who died in 1848. His mother died in 1901 at the age of 90 years.

We wonder if William remembers the excitement caused by the sinking of the steamer, "St Mary," at Hemme's Landing, Sept 4, 1858?

The "Dells" just north of Arago, by being snagged and exploded her boiler, Oct 26, 1878?

The sinking of "General Custer," near Rulo, Oct 24, 1869?

This was Williams first visit in twenty years, and he doubtless saw many changes, but the world of changes that have come since he left here in 1878--and his chums of those years are men passed their three-score and ten. THE HOLT COUNTY SENTINEL, Oregon, Missouri, 02 Sep 1921 Fri page 1