JOHNSON, SAMUEL R. AND CRISTINE E. (GEISE)

by Sam johnson

Entry F227 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Christmas 1982. Back: Sam, L to R children: Cory, Shane and Christine

Samuel Reed Johnson was born
1946 to Richard A. Johnson and Lessie
Belle (Boyer) at the home of my grand-
parents; Fielden Samuel and Mary Enice
(James) Boyer. This home is still in my
family. My Aunt Luceil Boyer and Uncle Roy
Boyer live there while my mother lives next
door.

With the exception of part of the 1st grade
at Wenatchee, Washington, all of the 6th
grade at Alliance, Nebr., and part of the 8th
grade at Broken Bow, Nebr., all of my school
years were spent at the Mullen Public
Schools. In May, 1964, I graduated from
Mullen High School and started college that
fall at Chadron State College, Chadron, Nebr.
In May 1968, I received a Bachelor of Science
degree in Business Education with a minor
in Drivers Education. After a refusal of a
request for deferment by the Selective Ser-
vice Board in Alliance, Neb., I declined a
teaching position and was inducted into the
Army on January 15, 1969 at Denver, Colo-
rado. The Army sent me to Ft. Lewis,
Washington for basic training and then
assigned me to Ft. Carson, just outside of
Colorado Springs, Colorado. On-the-job
training as a computer analyst in the Person-
nel Section of Headquarters Company was
the training received at Ft. Carson. Except
for monthly 2-3 day TDY trips to Ft.
Sheridan north of Chicago, Ill, I spent the
remainder of my time working in this section
at Ft. Carson. My discharge came through
October 14, 1970. While in Colorado I enjoyed
snow skiing and spent part of the winter of
1970-71 in Snowmass at Aspen ski resort
skiing and working. After returning to Neb-
raska, I was employed as a coast-to-coast
truck driver hauling a wide variety of pro-
ducts including cattle, horse meat bound for
Europe, dog food and chunk horse meat for
zoos.

The daughter of John and Joan Geise,
Christine E. Geise became my wife on March
18, 1972 and I became the Assistant Manager
at Welty's TV and Appliance in April that
same year. Chris continued her work with the
retarded children at the North Platte Oppor-
tunity Center. We purchased our first home
located on the North Platte River in Decem-
ber of 1972. I became a representative for
American Mutual Life Insurance Co., in late
1973 and an area manager for western
Nebraska representing the Hartford Life
Insurance Co. in early 1975. Our first son,
Shane Reed, was born 1975 and
our second son Cory Joe was born
1977.

In June, 1978, we sold our home on the
river, and purchased a home in town and Sam
became a real estate sales associate with
Town and Country Realty of North Platte.
In addition to real estate, Sam started an
independent insurance agency. Upon earning
his Broker's license, Sam became an Asso-
ciate Broker at the realty in early 1979. Due
to economic conditions and a slowdown in
real estate sales, a job working nights on the
Union Pacific Railroad became a necessity in
the spring of 1979.

In March 1980, Chris and I sold our home
and rental property in North Platte and
purchased the Longbranch Saloon and
Supper Club in Ennis, Montana. This busi-
ness had been closed for six months and we
reopened the bar in April and the supper club
in May and have been in operation since then.
In the summer of 1983, I started working with
a friend who is a contractor specializing in
building log homes. We sold our home in
Ennis and started construction on a new log
home six miles north of town in the spring
1985. After doing most of the work ourselves
we moved into our new home three days
before Thanksgiving in 1985, although there
were finishing touches and outside improv-
ements still being completed.

             A Personal Note

Our community is similar in the size to
Mullen with about 700 people. The town is
located in the Madison River Valley about 73
miles northwest of Yellowstone Park. The
Madison River is one of the best "Blue
Ribbon" trout streams in the country and
attracts many fisherman, tourists, and reti-
rees to our valley, in addition to the hunters
who come in the fall. It is a great place to live
and raise a family just as Mullen and Hooker
County is.

Our family enjoys all outdoor activities and
sports; especially hunting, fishing, skiing,
snow-mobiling, camping and backpacking.
Chris and I both play slow-pitch softball
while the boys enjoy Little League baseball.
The beautiful mountains on all sides add a
special touch, but the best thing is the great
people we have met and gotten close to since
we came to Ennis. These people remind me
of the special people who live in Mullen and
Hooker County and it just goes to show you
that "nice people live everywhere".