A Chase Co. pioneer family’s journey; Heim homestead established in 1886

Shona Heim is a well-known face in the community who lives on and operates the original family farm near Champion where the original house (though added onto over the decades), barn and other outbuildings still exist.
“All the original buildings that were built on the homestead are still there, and I use them all,” Heim said.
She said she uses the north barn for the donkey and horses as needed as well as equipment storage; the chicken house for her small flock of chickens; and the garages for feed storage, vehicles and housing for dogs and cats.
Heim has operated the farm since her father Joe’s death in 1985, and continued to farm wheat and raise Hereford cattle.
Following her mother Freda’s death in 1998, Heim moved into the farmhouse where she still lives.
“In the late 1990s, I made the decision to place much of two quarters of the Heim homestead into the Conservation Reserve Program, and in the early 2000s, I sold out of the cattle business,” she said.
Heim now rents the barn and pasture to her cousins, Dan and Janie Mullanix, as part of their cattle operation.
Homesteading in Nebraska
As told by Shona Heim:
In 1879, at the age of 17, Sebastian Heim, immigrated to America from a town called Badladingen in the Province of Hohenzollern in Prussia, which is now Germany.
Before leaving his home, Sebastian had completed his education in agriculture but was wanting to leave the political unrest that existed in the area.
Once he arrived in America, he traveled to Nebraska to his Uncle Theodore Heim’s farm in Louisville, 26 miles from Omaha.
Sebastian got a job working in the Omaha Stockyards where he learned to read, write and speak English.
He was also diligent in saving his money.
In 1885, he took the train west to Benkelman, and with his soon to be neighbor, Billie Bauerle, they walked from Benkelman north to claim homesteads in Chase County.
Uncle Theodore’s daughter and husband, Alice and Henry Wehrle, had homesteaded nearby where Henry had a blacksmith shop in Hamilton, which is now Champion.
Sebastian filed for a free claim and built a shanty to live in about 300 yards west of where the yard and main house stands today, said Heim.
In 1886, he established the Heim Homestead and moved his shanty to where the farmyard is now.
He worked his own farm raising cattle, hogs, chickens, wheat and corn.
He also hired out to neighbors to be able to buy lumber to build a barn, corn crib, chicken house and grainery.
Sebastian had a good team of horses and was known to have hauled loads of lumber from McCook to build the original Catholic Church in Imperial, said Heim.
“One of the stained glass windows in the newer Catholic Church today was given in memory of Sebastian,” she added.
Another generation begins
Sebastian married Winifred Fitzgerald in 1906. Her parents immigrated from Ireland and homesteaded nearby.
Winifred was the telephone operator in Imperial.
With Sebastian marrying and starting a family, he built a three room house, and used the wood from his shanty for a corral and windbreak still in use today, Heim said.
Sebastian and Winifred had two children, Ellen and Joseph.
Tragically, Winifred died several weeks after giving birth to Joe.
Sebastian eventually took his children to live with relatives in Littleton, Colorado while he remained on the farm—visiting them whenever he could.
During his visits to the children, Sebastian met Julia Stein who worked as a cook and head housekeeper for the Bishop of Denver and for the Governor of Colorado.
He and Julia were married in 1919, and he reunited his family.
With the help of a neighbor, Sebastian built six more rooms onto the existing three plus some large porches.
The house was not finished until they had finished building a new barn with old lumber from the old barn. Two chicken houses and a “car shed” were also built and both are still being used today.
Joe Heim grew up farming with his father and attended school in Champion.
Ellen attended school there until age seven when she got an infection in a leg injury which required amputation.
She was then sent to St. Mary’s School in Hastings through high school and two years of college, receiving a teaching certificate.
Ellen taught in area schools including teaching music in Imperial.
She would go on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Denver, move to Sterling, Colorado, and earned her Master’s degree in special education.
After 44 years, Ellen received a citation from President Nixon before returning to Champion.
Times were changing
Joe joined the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, followed by enlistment in the U.S Army Air Corps in WWII.
Sebastian passed away on May 6, 1945, and Joe was flown home on compassionate leave on VE Day (Victory in Europe; Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945).
Joe finished his service stateside in Maine, then returned to take over the farm.
He built a small house in Imperial for Julia a block away from the Catholic Church so his mother could walk to Mass whenever she wanted.
Julia passed away in 1964.
After the war, Joe met Freda Smith, whose family also homesteaded near Champion.
She was an English teacher and during the summer, she worked at Adam’s Grocery Store in Champion.
Their first date was to the Chase County Fair, Heim laughed.
They were married in 1947, and updated the farmhouse with electricity and indoor plumbing.
Joe rented ground and hired out to neighbors, and supplemented his farm income as a substitute rural mail carrier and school bus driver.
Joe and Freda raised three children on the homestead— Janis, Daniel and Shona.
Shona and her siblings grew up helping on the farm.
Joe was very active in the area communities as a Boy Scout leader, member of the Selective Service Board, VFW, Catholic Parish board member, Soil and Water Conservation board, 4-H leader, Methodist Church board member, extension clubs and served several terms as County Commissioner, Heim said.
Janis earned two Master’s degrees, one in Library Science and the other in Educational Psychology, retiring after 34 years and now living in Lincoln.
Daniel and his wife Suzanne taught special education in the North Platte area. Both are retired after 30 years and living in Denver.
The couple raised two children, Sara and Tyler.             Tragically, Tyler passed away in a hunting accident in 1999.
Shona earned a Bachelor’s degree in social work and a Master’s degree in counselor education.
She worked for Region II Human Services for 34 years as a mental health therapist.
Heim is now semi-retired and has a part-time private counseling practice called Shona Heim’s Consulting, LLC, and she also teaches psychology classes part-time for Mid-Plains Community College.
“The Heim Homestead is loved by all and serves as a gathering place­—especially the 5th generation of children who enjoy the animals, picking fruit, bonfires and farm life,” Heim added.