Glasgow's Nickels Celebrates 100

When Glasgow resident Jack Nickels Sr. turned 85 years old, he told his daughters he thought he could make it to 100. Fifteen years later, Nickels can say he has reached that goal as he will be celebrating his birthday on Sept. 24.

Born in Glasgow to Herman J. Nickels and Lydia (Meyers) Nickels, he had two brothers, Russell "Rusty" and Lester "Swede," of Nashua, along with three sisters, Thelma, Vera and Doris. The family ranch was located along the Missouri River in McCone County, and Jack would later ranch and farm his own land several miles down the Missouri River from the original ranch.

A lot has changed in 100 years from modes of transportation, the accessibility of water and electricity in homes to technological advancements that some may say have made life easier. Growing up, Jack saw these advancements first hand.

In the 1920s, he worked with his father on the family ranch where all the work was done with teams of horses and a large number of hired men. His father had one of the first tractors in the area and since that time, Jack has seen ranching and farming technology change to the point where the same work can now be done with one or two people.

The new advancements in technology also allowed him to build a successful ranch, which he inherited and purchased, allowing him to improve not only the farmland but his Hereford cattle as well. He built many of the reservoirs on his ranch, improved his herd with Artificial Insemination and designed the irrigation system. He received several awards honoring him for these accomplishments including Commercial Cattleman of The Year in 1990 and Soil Conservationist of the Year in 1987.

He also personally saw the introduction of electricity and radio to the area as his family were some of the first to have these technologies.

In addition to building his ranch, Jack served in World War II as a U.S. Marine stationed in the South Pacific with the 3rd Amphibious Division. He utilized his skills of welding as an operator/driver of amphibious landing craft as well as led a crew in maintaining those landing craft. Upon returning from the war, he continued to ranch with his father and brothers until his marriage to Sharol Lynn (Peggy Johnson) Nickels on June 13, 1950.

Sharol and Jack would go on to start their own ranch and family, welcoming four children. The Nickels Ranch raised Line 1 Herford cattle and registered quarter horses. Following Peggy's death in 1991, Jack married Pearl Oschner in 1997.

When asked his secrets for longevity and any words of wisdom, he stated, work hard, set goals and keeping learning all that you can. He also attributed his longevity to eating beef and having good genes.