By Pauline Masson –
Over time, the bluff at the north edge of town that acquired the descriptive name Sand Mountain, had guided pilots to the erstwhile Pacific Airport that sat the south edge of town, attracted the first tourists to this city to see the Nativity Scene in the bluff, featured in news articles across the region and – under the hand of local artist Joe McHugh – was depicted on dinner napkins, velum drawing paper, canvas oil paintings, and impromptu sketches far too many to count.
But for three days in August 1933 the white bluff face was a beacon to the city and the surrounding neighbors that grand things were happening.
The Federal Highway Department had cut the face of Sand Mountain back fifteen feet to make way for the new interstate highway Route 66, had completed paving the new road to the eastern Pacific city limit, and planned to open it to through traffic on Monday, August 14.
For three days, August 9,10,11, residents watched as Nick Olmstead, Union Electric Light and Power (UE) lineman, climbed the face of the newly exposed white sand bluff stringing power lines and installing receptacles for incandescent bulbs. The popular lineman convinced Union Electric to donate the equipment and the power for the project.
No record of the pattern of wires and lights has surfaced, but Charles Calkins, owner and editor of the Pacific Transcript, left an eye witness account of the spectacle.
When the switch was thrown on Saturday evening August 12, to welcome celebrants to dance in the roadway of the new Route 66, the sight was spectacular, editor Calkins said. And the credit for the light spectacle went to Nick Olmstead.
“Citizens from miles around, who were unable to attend the celebration, viewed the spectacle from their homes, with favorable comments, saying that this huge silica deposit is now, and will be in years to come, one of the show places on Highway 66.”
“Without the help of Nick Olmsted, it would have been impossible to show this wonderful mountain of sand in his massive splendor.,” Mr. Calkins said. “Nick Olmsted spent several days installing and arranging the lighting system.”
The sparkling bulbs on the newly exposed white bluff face spurred editor Calkin to enthuse: “If this Sand Mountain could be illuminated each night as it was on August 12, 1933 Pacific soon would be advertised from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.”
Charles A. “Nick” Olmstead came to Pacific in 1929 from Festus to work as a lineman for the Union Electric Light and Power Company ( UE). He arrived at a time when everyone took electric lights for granted and UE was offering a astonishing array of electric appliances to make home keeping easier.
Kitchen ranges, food mixers, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, irons, toasters, clocks, and the new wonder air-conditioning were all sold by UE and buyers could charge their purchases on their electric bills. UE conducted a cooking school, held demonstrations in residents’ homes to show how to use the appliances, ran ads urging citizens to “Modernize.”
But for Nick Olmstead, the electric business was lights and power lines. It was a time of growth in all directions and Nick Olmstead was a dynamo of energy who lavished the same energy on his personal life as he did the electric business. His name showed up on the work list of every project of the Lions Club, the Boy Scouts, the Chamber of Commerce, the Khoury League and the Methodist Church. As a volunteer he strung power lines for lighting the town Christmas Tree at First and St. Louis streets and later on the bluff and the Khoury League ball field.
He also had hobbies that relied on his boundless energy, seining for fish at Fox Creek, catcher on the men’s baseball team, and caving. Nick served on the City Water Board and the City Ways and Means Committee, was a member of the Lions Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Khoury League, Modern Woodmen, and was a catcher on the town men’s baseball team.
Young Lineman, circa 1930 Baseball 1930s – 1940s 25th Wedding Anniversary
Nick had married a hometown girl from DeSoto, Mary Hague. They had two daughters, Jo Alvi and Pat Thornton. He had visited all the caves in this part of Missouri, where he was frequently accompanied by Mary and the girls. But his favorite was Onondaga.
I heard about this last week when his daughter Pat Thornton came to see me and brought the photos that accompany this article. The entire family went there frequently.
“We went into the cave in a boat then got out of the boat and walked through the cave,” she said.
Nick was such a frequent visitor at Onondaga and so knowledgable about the cave that on one extremely high visitor day he was asked to lead one of the tour groups through the cave.
U.E. sub-station, Columbus and E Walnut
Everything was powered from a sub-station, aka electric plant, that still stands on the corner of North Columbus and East Walnut streets. Electric power for the cities of Washington, Union and St. Clair was fed through the Pacific substation. A large number of electrical workers kept busy maintaining and expanding the electric service as candlepower for Pacific homes and offices was doubled and re-doubled. Nick Olmstead and his crew were seen extending lines to Gray Summit, St. Albans, and Calvey Township.
At the Olmstead home Nick’s job as a lineman dominated family life, his daughter said. He was paid to work nine to five with no overtime pay, but he responded any time of night if someone had a problem. Mary Thornton never went to sleep during a storm. She sat by the phone to answer any calls, which she relayed to Nick and he went out to fix the problem.
During an especially severe windstorm on June 21, 1957 the whole north end of Pacific was lighted up in a blinding flash when some of the electrical equipment at the sub-station would burn out.
“We wondered how many of our citizens realize how our friend Nick Olmsted and other electrical workers risk their lives so that we can have service,” editor Calkins reported. “These men worked right through the worst of it at a time when electricity is the most dangerous. Their courage and devotion to duty deserves the respect of the whole community.”.
In 1956, the ever popular Nick Olmstead, whose job put him in contact with every citizen, was elected Mayor as write-in candidate. It was the first and only time anyone ever was elected mayor as a write-in candidate. He ran for re-election in 1958 and 1960.
But in 1962 he had an epiphany of sorts. He had made some misjudgments as mayor and he thought the citizens needed to know that. He wrote a lengthy self-assessment of how he saw his years as mayor and asked Mr. Calkins to print it in the Transcript. It filled half of the second page.
He added that rumors of another write-in campaign were circulating and he did not want to be a write-in candidate for mayor. When the votes were counted, Nick Olmstead received 39 write-in votes, anyway, 13 in each ward.
Another home town hero that did good because “that’s what you do”