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| Wella Mae Platt |
| Contributed by Richard Bradley and Arlie Nixon |
| Wella Mae Platt Nixon was the third daughter and fifth child born to Papa and Mama, arriving on May 7, 1895. She was the first child born on the new homestead near Crystal.
Papa was the Treasurer of the Bethel School District, helped to build the Bethel School and was instrumental in the hiring of Jim Gordan Nixon as it's Principal and teacher. As a student at Bethel School in 1912, Wella had Jim Nixon as her teacher. After that year he moved to northwest of Pawnee and taught at the Masham school. He must have been very taken by Wella, because he would walk to Pawnee, take the train to Casey and then walk to the homestead to court Wella. They were married on June 12, 1913, in Stillwater. Wella was eighteen and Jim, ten years her senior. Jim was teaching in Ralston when son Arlie James was born May 22, 1914. Two years later, they were in Stillwater when Iola Faye was born, April 14, 1916. |
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| Wella and Jim Nixon |
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| The Nixon farm, one half mile north of the Homestead. |
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| Arlie in the Service |
| The Platt family Shetland Pony, Nellie, with Arlie, Iola and their 2 dogs. |
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| Jim bought 80 acres from Papa
only a mile from the Homestead, moved a one room house on to the land and, after adding two rooms to it, farmed through the Depression years. He died of cancer on October 5, 1948 and was buried in the Pawnee cemetery. Wella left the farm immediately, leasing it out. Wella moved to Denver in the early 1950's and worked for sister Elizabeth as a real estate saleslady. She bought a house there and lived in it only a short time when she suffered a fatal stroke on February 12, 1953. She is buried with Jim in the Pawnee Cemetery. When Bethel school was no longer being used and came up for sell, Arlie bought it and helped tear it down, transporting the rocks to his parent's farm. He had their house moved and rotated over their old well, added a room with a fireplace and covered the outside of the house with those wonderful Bethel school rocks. The hearth in the fireplace contains the "nameplate" of the school stating that it was built in 1900. Arlie lived there for 50 years, selling it in 2001 with the understanding he could continue to live there until he died. |
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| Max and Iola Harrell, with Kenny |
| Iola |
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| Vi and Mama, Jim and Wella |