ELLSWORTH - One hundred years ago, John George Leisy homesteaded north of Ellsworth. On Aug. 15, his descendants will be honored by Ak-Sar-Ben for having developed that small beginning into a large ranch that still operates today.

Leisy was a farmhand in Missouri when he heard about a trip to western Nebraska that was sponsored by the Burlington Railroad. He rode an excursion train from Lincoln to Lakeside in September 1906, where he found his future. According to an old newspaper clipping, the Burlington Railroad conducted the tours as a means of bringing settlers to the area.

Leisy began with a team of horses, a wagon and a plow, which he used to work his way west. At Ellsworth, he filed on land that had been surveyed by "Old Jules" Sandoz, an early settler in the area.

Eventually, Leisy married Martha Kicken, and they raised seven children on the ranch. The homesteader expanded his operation by buying neighboring land as it became available.

A school house was located on the ranch, and Sunday School was also held in it for many years. A church was later built north on Highway 27, and the school eventually closed and the children were sent to Ellsworth for their education.

Leisy passed away in 1973 at age 86. In 1966, his son Raymond had acquired some of the land, including the homestead, from the family. He and his son, Chuck, ranched until 1979 when Raymond's other son, Larry, took over. Larry continues to manage the ranch, but Raymond, at 86, still runs some cattle there and helps out, even though he and his wife, Betty, now live in Scottsbluff.

Raymond says the property truly is a family ranch because through the generations, at least 20 children have been born and raised on the place, beginning with him and his six brothers and sisters.
The Leisy family will receive the Ak-Sar-Ben 100 Year Award during the rodeo at the Sheridan County Fair on Aug. 15.

Other Panhandle winners are:

Box Butte: LaVerne and Steven Keane, Hemingford; Dawes: Alan and Sandra Ferrel, Hay Springs; John Gasseling, Rapid City, S.D.; Kimball: Howard and Peggy Atkins, Dix; David and Mary Evertson, Kimball; Morrill: Juelfs Ranch, Inc., Bridgeport; Joyce and Lew Russell, Bayard; Sioux: Illa Mae Bannan and children, Harrison; Jack Buckley, Rowen Emerson, and Hazel Buckley, Harrison.

For more than 50 years, this program has honored farm families in Nebraska whose land has been owned by the same family for 100 years or more. Nearly 5,200 families in 91 counties have been honored since inception. Plaques and gatepost markers are presented at the annual county fair in which the land is owned. This program is co-sponsored by the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers.