DIED

REINKE--Carl Reinke one of the two last survivors of that company of brave pioneers who settled and laid out the city of Columbus, passed to his final rest last Sunday. He was buried this afternoon, Rev. Munro officiating at the funeral.
The death of Reinke removes one of the historical characters of Platte county, and Nebraska. The early history of the state would be incomplete without the story of his life. Fortunately, Mr. Reinke during his life, in 1899 gave Miss Martha Turner a brief sketch of his life which appears in the columns of the Journal and which is reproduced here as a permanent contribution to the early history of Platte county.
Jacob Lewis, who has been an invalid for several years is now the only survivor of that early party of pioneers.
Carl Reinke was born in Prussia, in 1828, coming to the United States in 1854, and to Columbus as one of the very first settlers in 1856. Mr. Reinke, helped erect the first building in Columbus which was called the company house, and which now stands just north of Kersenbrock's dwelling. When Mr. Reinke found the Shell Creek valley he thought he never saw anywhere so grand a country, and he still thinks there is no better anywhere. He bought (by hard work, for there was at that time no homestead law yet), a farm of 463 acres about six miles north and four miles east of Columbus, where for many years until he moved his family to Columbus in 1891, he made his home. Henry Ricket bought the old home several years ago. Mr. Reinke tells many interesting stories of pioneer life of the long snow storms lasting several days at a time, when it was dangerous to be out of doors at all. The last week of November, 1856, Mr. Reinke says the snow was four feet on the level; in ravines in many places the snow was twenty feet deep. The storm had continued so long that everybody thought the world was near the end. In these early storms, wild animals such as elk would often break through the snow, sinking to the body and then perish, unable to help themselves. The only person who perished in these dreadful storms in this neighborhood was John Kumpf, father of Mrs. William Bucher, Mrs. Lusche and Charles Kumpf. Mr. Kumpf lived near Mr. Reinke. In returning home from Columbus one day he lost his way in the storm and was found first by Mr. Reinke frozen stiff. This was about the 30th of December, 1863. Mr. Reinke is a friend of the Indians, and thinks they have been given a worse name than they deserve. The only trouble he ever had with them was in August, 1857. He and Henry Lusche were on top of his house shingling the roof, when some Omaha Indians came along and ordered them to give them food. They gave them what they thought sufficient, but they wanted more and finally Mr. Reinke put them out of the house bodily. This enraged one to shooting with his bow several arrows through the windows, but upon aiming a good gun at him the Indian with his companions left. Mr. Reinke was married to a most excellent woman, Margaret Pilling, September 20, 1861. They have had six children born to them, four of whom are living, Mrs. W.T. Ernst, Mrs. George Bradshaw, Mrs. Walter Butler and Mrs. Clint Sevenson. Mr. Reinke has a brother, Ferdinand Reinke, living at Ewing, Nebraska, a half sister, Mrs. August Ronge and another sister Mrs. Gabens, living near this city. Mr. Reinke is one of the directors of the Commercial bank.


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You can find the obit about Carl Reinke from the old newspapers located on the website of Platte County, Nebraska Researchers located HERE it's listed under 1906.