publications

Cornhuskers in Demand

Cornhusking was once an annual autumn activity on many Nebraska farms. Before the advent of the mechanical corn picker, the corn crop was harvested by hand and “shucked” in the field. This activity usually called for extra hired men, whose only tools were pegs or hooks strapped to their palms.

A labor shortage in the fall of 1906 hampered the corn harvest in some parts of Nebraska. “Northern Nebraska farmers are crying for cornhuskers,” said the Norfolk Weekly News-Journal on November 2, 1906. “The man who can husk the golden ears and is willing to do it, can earn $2.50 a day and his board and lodging at any farm in this part of the country right [now]. Four cents a bushel is being paid, besides board and lodging, and an average cornhusker can handle sixty bushels of the kernel-laden cobs in eight hours of time. . . . Farmers living around Norfolk say that they are anxious to get men and the wages offered are tempting. Idle men anywhere are invited to join the husking bee and to get busy.”

The News-Journal on November 23 said: “The scarcity of laboring men in northern Nebraska still continues . . . . Some farmers in this section are paying as high as five cents per bushel and board, for corn husking, although the general rate being offered is four cents per bushel. At this wage the cornhuskers are making from $3 to $4.50 and $5 per day in the field.

“Not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant has so high a wage for cornhusking been known anywhere as is being paid right here in Nebraska this fall. And the work promises to continue until well after the holidays. Some who had been anxious to get help, had counted on securing men as soon as the cement walk season had ended but laborers are just as scarce now apparently as they were in the middle of the summer.

“There promises to be plenty of work for all who are willing to work in Norfolk during the coming winter. With the cornhusking season late in starting and late in ending, together with the sewer work and the putting up of ice, there will be little time to waste by the man who is in earnest about finding a job.”

Apparently not all farmers were willing to hire cornhuskers at such a high wage. On November 30 the Journal-News acknowledged that some farmers in northern Nebraska “take exception to the statement quoted in these columns . . . that men are commanding wages of five cents per bushel, with board, for husking corn. Three cents is declared to be the average price being paid in this section, with plenty of men at that figure.”

 

Photographer Solomon D. Butcher depicted the corn harvest near Lexington in Dawson County in 1905. NSHS RG2608-2332

 

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...
About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast.

Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.