Bowers was a highway man in more ways than one
Whether he was constructing roads or transporting people or goods, Harold Bowers of Marion spent his working lifetime on the road.
"I was a pretty good finish man," he said of his many years as a heavy-equipment operator.
The 90-year-old man has many experiences to share. He grew up along Middle Creek in the Elk community. His first experience operating heavy equipment involved clearing snow from country roads in Grant Township.
Harold married a neighbor girl, Jessie Higgins, in September 1931, following graduation from Marion High School. He worked for a few years for his farmer uncle at Miller, a community near Admire.
In 1934, Harold and another man bought a truck with a sleeper cab and hauled freight for Adams Transfer & Storage of Kansas City.
The two men made many trips between Kansas City and New York City and had occasion to go up into the torch of the Statue of Liberty and attend shows on 42nd Street. Their wives each went along once to see the sights.
The men took turns driving four hours, then sleeping four. No log book was required.
One time, they hauled a load of fresh oysters to Wichita. Another time, they hauled a load of turkeys from Emporia to Harlem.
Harold said he didn't like being away from home so much of the time, and it was difficult to stay clean on the road. There were no truck stops with showers, as there are today.
After a year or two, the men sold their truck. Harold and his family moved to a farm east of Youngtown, where he got the job pushing snow with a 60 Caterpillar for Grant Township.
At that time, the late 1930s, present day U.S.-56 was known as U.S.-50 North, and U.S.-50 was known as U.S.-50 South.
When the state decided to build a highway from U.S.-50 South (at Elmdale) east to U.S.-50 North, Harold was hired by a contractor named Peter Kewit.
The first mile at the eastern end of K-150 was built-up using wheelbarrows. Bowers pulled a blade and earned 40 cents an hour for 40 hours a week, a total wage of $16 per week.
When the federal government instituted Social Security, one and one-half cents were taken out of Harold's hourly pay. He said it seemed like a big deal in those days when a penny was worth a lot.
Kewit Construction now is the fourth largest contractor in the world, according to Harold, but at one time during the K-150 project, Kewit couldn't pay the fuel bill and had to suspend operations for a brief time until the bill could be paid.
When Kewit acquired a new 65 dozer, he offered Harold the job of operating it for 50 cents an hour.
"You're a nice young fellow," Kewit said in making the offer, "and you're always to work on time." Harold accepted.
The contract completed the highway to the Marion County line. The rest of the highway was built later in sections, west to the "Higgins corner," then one mile south, then west to U.S.-77.
Harold said he had to get to the job site one-half hour before his work day began in order to get the equipment up and running. Then, after the work day ended, he had to clean and maintain his machine.
This extra time was spent without pay but workers knew that if they didn't do it, someone else would be willing to and could take their job away from them.
"Times were tough, and workers had families to provide for," Harold explained.
He also built roads and railroad beds at the ammunition plant at Parsons.
From 1942 to 1948, Harold was a Santa Fe Trailways bus driver. Oftentimes, train tickets included bus fare from the train depot to another location, such as from Newton to Wichita.
The family lived in Wichita while Harold operated many different routes. Sometimes he transported young draftees for World War II. Another route was from Garden City to Trinidad, Colo.
Harold also operated a mail route between Newton and Emporia. The route provided mail service to the little towns along the way — Walton, Peabody, Florence, Clements, Cedar Point, Cottonwood Falls. Mail was carried in the back half of the bus. There was room for 12 passengers up front.
Bowers again wearied of being away from his family so much. He quit driving buses and went back to road building.
"At least I could be home in the evening," he said.
Harold worked on U.S.-50 between Peabody and Florence. He operated a Euclid, an earth-moving machine with a belly dump. He also worked on the segment of U.S.-77 from east of Marion to Florence.
"I was a pretty independent operator. I was sought after," he said.
He was employed by List and Clark Construction (now Clarkson Construction) for about 15 years. His first assignment was to help take out curves on railroad tracks between Cedar Point and Elmdale.
At that time, two trains ran on the tracks and always came through 30 minutes apart. The El Capitan carried freight and the Super Chief was a passenger train. Harold said short segments of the track were relocated without disrupting train schedules.
He worked on U.S.-77 east of Augusta and also built roads around Ellis, Leoti, and Russell.
The family moved often, living in apartments while Harold worked on various road projects. Besides several places in Kansas, they lived in Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota.
They spent at least seven years in Colorado while Harold helped build roads and did landscape work at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs.
Harold's last job was with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, his employer for 13 years until he retired in 1977 at age 65.
He helped construct Marion Reservoir.
"I was the first operator to stick a blade in the ground and push the corn stalks out of the way for construction of the dam," he said.
He also did dirt work for construction of the Corps office.
During his time with the Corps, Bowers also worked at Redmond and Tuttle Creek Reservoirs and Oahe Dam in South Dakota. He became a crane operator.
Oahe Dam was on the Missouri River at Pierre, S.D., where a power generating plant was being built. The family moved to a home north of Pierre.
Lawrence Welk, a native of North Dakota, had a cousin who lived at Pierre and was a neighbor to the Bowers.
Harold met Welk and shook his hand when Welk came to visit his cousin, not knowing at the time that he would become a nationally-known entertainer.
"He was a good old Joe," Harold said. "We had a nice visit."
A history
Harold was born on Feb. 22, 1913, to Lee and Clara (Wolf) Bowers. His mother's parents came to America from Bavaria and settled along Mud Creek (now known as Luta Creek). His mother was a school teacher. Her last assignment was at Bethel School east of Lincolnville.
Harold remembers the flood of 1917. He was four years old at the time. He said his Grandpa David Bowers of Peabody was visiting, and the flood washed his Model T Ford into the creek.
Harold remembers seeing a horse looking out of the barn door with water up to the top of the half-door. When the water rose to the porch of the house, they decided to leave. Harold's father carried him out on his shoulders. When the water receded, the Model T was pulled out of the creek with a team of horses.
After the flood, Harold's parents purchased a grocery store in downtown Marion. Harold entered first grade in a classroom located in one of two small buildings south of the Hill School.
However, his father wasn't happy in town. Before Harold could finish out the year, he sold the store to Ed Buckley and moved to a farm in the Youngtown community.
There Harold walked two miles to Kleinhamer School (Dist. #104).
"It was up hill both ways," he said.
After coming home from school each day, he did farm chores, gathered wood, fetched and milked cows, and fed calves.
After supper, his father often played the guitar or harmonica and his mother played the pump organ and everybody sang. Harold clearly remembers and can still sing, "the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing."
Harold's mother insisted that he go to high school. During his first three years, he boarded in Marion during the week. He acquired an old car with which to travel to school during his senior year.
In those days, country roads were not rocked, but somehow he always managed to get through in all kinds of weather.
According to Harold, most farm boys who went to high school at that time attended for only two years because they were needed on the farm. Because of that, there usually were more girls at school than boys.
"That was nice," Harold said, smiling.
He and his wife Jessie were married for 60 years and had 10 children. Three of them died in infancy.
Jessie died in 1992. The oldest son, Harold Jr., died at age 42 from brain cancer.
Vernon, 66, is a retired preacher living in Marion. Kenneth, 62, lives in St. Louis, Mo. Norman, 55, lives at Olathe. Carol, 54, was born the day the tornado hit the Youngtown church, May 18, 1949. Gene, 52, lives in Marion, and Janice, 49, lives in Topeka.
Harold has been married to Virginia Richardson for 11 years. They live just off of Marion's Main Street on Santa Fe. Virginia has four children. Together, the couple have 26 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Camping has been a favorite activity all of Harold's life. He and his wife have spent many winters at Terlingua, Texas. Harold and Virginia were members of the Marionettes, a local camping group which has merged with the Newton Nomads. They continue in the group and go camping once a month.
Harold is a longtime member of Centre Masonic Lodge #147 and Eastern Star. He served as a Masonic officer and trustee for many years.
Harold enjoys walking downtown every weekday to meet with friends and enjoy two cups of coffee at McGillicuddy's Restaurant, Marion Health Mart, or Kraft Korner. He and Virginia always eat their noon meal at Marion Senior Center.
Harold has impaired eyesight due to macular degeneration but otherwise is in good health. He will be 91 years old in February.
His favorite saying is, "I'm a lucky man. I've been married more than 70 years and have had two wonderful wives."
