What were some of the ordinances back in the day....

 I decided to have some fun. In 1910 a booklet was created that contained the Villages Ordinances for Springville, lets learn about some of them.

Part of Ordinances 1,read that… No person shall within the limits of said

Village keep or maintain any disorderly or gambling house or house of ill fame. No

Person shall take part in or join, aid, or abet any riotous or tumultuous assemblage

upon the streets on in doorways or stairways adjacent thereto or loiter about such

places. (Geez, you need a dictionary to figure out some of these don’t you) And, no

person shall use or engage in any profane, vulgar or obscene language or conduct in

upon the street or public places. (guess you got to keep your swearing to you own

home!) No person shall, on Sunday, nor upon any other day, between the setting and

rising of the sun, make or contribute to the making of any loud noises, or fires, or

discharging of guns, or be guilty of any loud hallooing, or yelling or blowing

trumpets, beating on fences boards, buildings or rattling any sticks or bones, oh and

no ball playing or any other games on Sunday. WOW, can you believe that. If you

violated this ordinance, you shall for each offence forfeit and pay the sum of $10 for

the use of the Village.

To give you and idea you could by a nice coat or a suit for $10, a dress was

from $2 to $10, a pair of shoes, $4 and up, a kitchen cupboard was $7.50 – $16.00,

Coffee was 25 cents a pound, Bread 10 to 15 cents a loaf, so we are not talking a

small sum they had to pay.

The Ordinances regarding sidewalk usages read in part as follows …No

person shall ride, drive or lead any horse, team, cow or other animal on sidewalk

except a dog. No person shall slide upon any sidewalk on a sleigh, sled board or

other contrivance. No person shall by selling or advertising goods upon the streets,

attract a crowd and obstruct the sidewalk. No person shall construct any sidewalk,

except under the supervision, and on accordance with the direction of the street

commissioner. Again, if these are violated you shall be pay the sum of ten dollars for

the use of the Village.

Now this next group of Ordinance (#3) is the best … ready, Every person

operating a motor vehicle on any of the public streets or alleys of the Village shall

drive in a careful and prudent manner and at a rate of speed not to exceed 15 miles

per hour. The Model T during this time frame could go up to 45 miles per hour, got

20 to 30 miles per gallon, and started with a crank, just to give you an idea. No

person shall race or run any horse or team or engage in fast driving or trial of speed

in or upon any street, lane or alley in Village. No car, engines, or trains shall stand

upon any street crossing longer than five minutes at one time. No person shall

cause, authorize or permit any horse, cattle, sheep, swine or other animals to run a

large upon the streets or alleys or public ground. The same fine would apply as the

others if violated… a sum of ten dollars for the use of the Village.

Ordinances 5 reads in part, no person shall swim or bathe in open water,

exposed to the public, within the bounding of the Village. Now we laugh at some of

these, but if you think about it, for there to be an Ordnances, these thing must have

happened. No person shall willfully or maliciously break, tear, injure, remove or

deface any building, fence, awning, sign board, tree etc, in the Village, including

inciting or inducing dogs to fight, anywhere on the streets or public places. If these

were violated a sum of ten dollars was charged for the use of the Village.

 

Ordinance 7 was for the licensing occupation and read , no person shall

pursue or exercise any of the following trades or occupations within the Village,

without first obtaining a license, for Auctioneering, except sales by executors,

administrators, or by residents in good faith disposing of their goods, three to ten

dollars a day for license. Hawking and Peddling was two dollars a day, Circuses,

theatres, exhibition or performances, amusement devices, was fifteen dollars a day.

 

Guy K Protector, no, he is not a famous person from our little town, but rather a famous racehorse owned by the Dewey Dygert’s farm here in Springville.  His name is derived from a combination of his owners Dr. Guy Kane and the colt’s sire “Protector.

Guy K Protector traveled all around this country and into Canada, breaking racing records and making headlines.  In 1952, at four years old, he made his debut an amazing one, when he swept the dashes of the $3,000 Buffalo Athletic Club Trot, featuring of the harness card at Buffalo Raceway.  According to Dewey Dygert, He is more than just a good bargain to me, he was a close friend.  Together they traveled through the Country creating a scrapbook that reads, like a who’s who’s of the horse racing world. The Official racing colors were green and white and Dewey Dygert drove Guy in every race except one.  Dewey even rode all the way to California in a boxcar with Guy just to keep him company, when they were to race at the Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood.  Celia Haven, Guy’s favorite mare, went along as well to keep this famous racehorse Guy Happy.  It was a long journey, that took several days, but both horses and Dewey arrived in good shape. 

So many stories are told regarding this horse during his racing career, once Dewey did not like how Guy K was trotting and thought it best if he took him out of the race. But before he did that, he thought maybe he would change his shoes, so off to Curly’s Blacksmith shop, and Guy got a new set of shoes. When Dewey raced him that night he won the race and, he set  a new personal best record.  Dewey would walk him around to cool him down after a race, an in doing so would put the lead shank over Guy’s back, then Dewey would run and hide in one of the empty stalls, and Guy would search each stall until he found Dewey.  Others in the area learned of this little game and soon they would gather to watch the game between the horse and his owner.

 It was in 1962 the Guy K retired from racing after earning over $100,000 and establishing a trotting mark of 2;01 on the half mile track.  The horse and owner Dewey Dygert enjoyed the distinction that only a few have had, that being invited to race in one of the earliest invitational Trots at the World of Roosevelt Raceway in 1952 and in the American Trotting Champions at Hollywood Park in California in 1956. Retirement from racing came easy for both man and horse. It meant spending more time on the beautiful farm they both called home. After retirement guy sired several outstanding horses.

Guy K Protector did not care much for the adults that wanted to see him, but he loved kids.  When the kids would come to see him, Guy would talk to them by shaking his head… at least they all thought he did, and maybe he did. In 1956 D C Dygert was the Horseman of the Year, along with Guy K Protector ( he was the horse of the year) Guy K died in February 1973 at the age of 25, ending a quarter of a century partnership with his owner, trainer and friend Dewey Dygert.

The Farm that both man and horse loved was built in 1812 by Dewey Dygert’s grandfather. The farmhouse still stands strong on the corner where the Cattaraugus meets with Elk Street. Dewey’s father, Robert and Robert’s three son were born there. Erwin (Dewey’s brother) became the Race Secretary at Chicago, and his other brother Leon was Race Secretary at Hamburg.  Raising and racing fine horses has been something all the Dygert men were weaned on.

From 1832 this farm has been the scene of training, driving and racing. On the farm is the oldest known half mile track in the U S known as the Springville Driving Park. Like his father before him, Dewey had three sons.  His wife, Virginia Utrich Dygert died in 1945.  David Dygert was one of the finest Village Veterinarians, William Dygert was a Vet in Hamburg and Pete Dygert was a principal of Franklinville High School.