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ISTORY
OF OMAHA
Gc 978.202 Omls 1134139
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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Alfred C. Rrmuri.
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01066 6409
Howard Kennedy, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OMAHA, - NEBRASKA
HISTORY OF OMAHA
FROM THE
PIONEER DAYS TO THE PRESENT TIME.
BY ALFRED SORENSON.
ILLUSTRATED.
OMAHA: GIBSON, MILLER & RICHARDSON, PRINTERS. 1889.
1134139
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
1. Old Trading Post-Bellevue in 1854. 34
2. Colonel Peter A. Sarpy 36
3. The Old State House . 14
1. The Old Territorial Capitol. 98
5. The Obstinate Irishman Ducked in the River by the Claim Club 109
00.00/ -- 1
6. 7. 8.
Two Horse Thieves Publicly Whipped. 116 118
Hanging of Braden and Daley for Horse Stealing. Omaha in 1866. 159 198
9. 10. 11. .12. Lyman Richardson.
Hon. James E. Boyd
Dr. George L. Miller
201 207 209 211
13. Hon. E. Rosewater
14. The Bee Building
15. 16.
Thomas L. Kimball
17. Hon. John M. Thurston
18. Dr. Enos Lowe.
19. Jesse Lowe
20. Hon. A. J. Poppleton
21. Hon. Origen D. Richardson
22. Hon. J. W. Paddock
23. Hon. J. M. Woolworth
24. Hon. Ezra Millard.
25. Judge Eleazer Wakeley
26. Senator A. S. Paddock
27. Hon. Charles H. Brown .
28. Hon. Alvin Saunders.
29. Old Western Exchange.
285
30. United States National Bank 286
31. First National Bank of 1863 288
32. The New First National Bank 290
33. Omaha National Bank . 293
34. Merchants' National Bank. 295
256 260 262 264 266 268 269 273 277 279 281
George Francis Train
214 245 248 249
Boyd's Opera House.
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
PAGE.
35. Nebraska National Bank. 298
36. Commercial National Bank 300
31. Senator Charles F. Manderson. 303
38. Chamber of Commerce ..
306
39. Douglas County Court House 307
40. The Paxton Building
308
41. New York Life Insurance Company's Building 309
42. Y. M. C. A. Building 310 311
43. Omaha High School
44. Water Works Pump House
313
45. Union Stock Yards and Packing Houses. 320
46. Hon. W. A. Paxton. 323
47. Hon. John A. McShane 325
48. John F. Boyd . 326
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER.
PAGE.
I. The Discovery of Nebraska.
9
II. The Indians 15
III. The Mormons. 21
IV. Florence.
30
V. Bellevue.
33
VI. The Pioneers of Omaha
40
VII. The Birth of Nebraska and Omaha
45
VIII. First Incidents.
54 60
IX. The Arrow.
X. Omaha's Progress.
64
XI. Omaha Wins the Capital Prize
71
XII. The First Murder Case
84
XIII. Capital Removal Schemes.
88
XIV. The Last Round in the Capital Removal Fight.
93
XV. The Doings of the Claim Club
101
XVI. Pioneer Justice.
115
XVII.
The First Legal Executions
125
XVIII. XIX.
Old-Time Political Campaigns 138
149
Military History.
161
XXI. XXII.
The First Churches
186
XXIII.
Early Amusements
193
XXXIV.
The Omaha Press
203
XXVI. Transportation 221
XXVII.
Old Settlers. 251
XXVIII.
Financial Institutions. 283
XXIX.
The Omaha of To Day 305
XXX.
South Omaha 316
The Question of Slavery
133
XX. Omaha from 1856 to 1866.
HISTORY OF OMAHA.
CHAPTER I.
THE DISCOVERY OF NEBRASKA.
THE EXPEDITION OF CORONADO FROM MEXICO-JUDGE SAV- AGE'S RESEARCHES-THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE-LEWIS AND CLARK'S EXPEDITION-EXTRACTS FROM THEIR JOUR- NAL-THE OMAHA PLATEAU-OLD FORTIFICATIONS-SOME HISTORICAL INQUIRIES.
The first white man to set foot upon the territory now included within the boundaries of Nebraska was in all probability a Spanish cavalier named Coronado. His ro- mantic and adventurous career is related in an interesting manner by Judge J. W. Savage, of Omaha, in a sketch read before the Nebraska State Historical Society April 16, 1880. It is from this chapter of history, so carefully pre- pared by Judge Savage, that we learn that Coronado was born in the city of Salamanca. He belonged to an eminent and wealthy Spanish family, and was given a good educa- tion. In his early manhood Coronado crossed the ocean to Mexico in quest of adventure. Early in the spring of 1540, he organized an expedition composed of 300 Spanish and 800 natives, for the purpose of exploring the vast extent of country to the north. With this expedition Coronado marched from the City of Mexico to the valley of the Platte in Nebraska, then an unknown region. In his essay Judge Savage presents in detail his reasons-supported by historical documentary evidence-for believing that "four- score years before the Pilgrims landed on the venerable shores of Massachusetts : sixty-eight years before Hudson
2
1
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HISTORY CF OMAHA.
discovered the ancient and beautiful river which still bears his name: sixty-six years before John Smith, with his cockney colonists. sailed up a summer stream which they named after James the First of England, and commenced the settlement of what was afterwards to be Virginia ; twenty-three years before Shakespeare was born ; when Queen Elizabeth was a little girl, and Charles the Fifth sat upon the united throne of Germany and Spain, Nebraska was discovered : the peculiarities of her soil and climate noted. her fruits and productions described, and her inhab- itants and animals depicted" by Coronado.
"There is hardly any expedition of modern times," says Judge Savage, in referring to Coronado's expedition, "around which hangs so much of the glamour of romantic mystery as that undertaken about the middle of the six- teenth century for the purpose of discovering the seven cities of the buffalo and the land of Quivera." It is main- tained by Judge Savage, who is borne out by his researches, that the land of Quivera was situated in what is now the state of Nebraska. It was in the month of July, 1541, that Coronado crossed the southern boundary of Nebraska, at a point doubtless between Gage county on the east and Fur- nas county on the west. In that vicinity he remained for twenty-five days engaged in observations and explorations. This is supposed to be the northernmost limit of Coronado's explorations.
A few years ago an antique stirrup, of the shape and character of those used for centuries by the Moorish horse- men, was found seven miles north of Riverton, in Franklin county. It is believed that it was a relic of the Coronado expedition of over three centuries ago.
Judge Savage incidentally refers to Father Marquette's map of his voyage down the Mississippi. This map, which was found a few years ago in the archives of St. Mary's college in Montreal, was drawn by Father Marquette in 1763. It gives with remarkable accuracy the outlines of the territory which now forms the state of Nebraska. "The general course of the Missouri," says Judge Savage, "is given to a point far north of this latitude; the Platte river is laid down in almost its exact position, and among the Indian tribes which he enumerates as scattered about this region, we find such names as Panas, Mahas, Otontantes,
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
which it is not difficult to translate into Pawnees, Omahas, and perhaps Otoes. It is not without a thrill of interest that a Nebraskan can look upon the frail and discolored parchment upon which, for the first time in the history of the world, these words were written. So full and accurate is this new-found map that, had we not the word of Father Marquette to the contrary, it would not be difficult to be- lieve that during his journey he personally visited the Platte river. It was a dream of his. which, had his young life been spared, would probably have been realized."
The only North American province remaining in the possession of France, after the British conquest of Canada in 1760, was Louisiana. In November, 1762, France ceded that possession to Spain, and for thirty-seven years thereafter Louisiana, which included Nebraska, was under Spanish dominion. Under a treaty, October 1st, 1800, Louisiana was receded to France, and on April 30, 1803, by virtue of a treaty, Louisiana was ceded by France to the United States. This was known as the Louisiana purchase. It covered a vast extent of territory known as the great Northwest, and was included in the term "In- dian Territory." It was an unexplored country, and im- mediately upon its acquisition the attention of the government was directed to it. Accordingly, in the sum- mer of 1803, an expedition was organized under the direction of Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark, both officers of the army, for the purpose of explor- ing the country along the Missouri river and its tributaries. The party consisted of about thirty-five men, well armed and equipped, and supplied with three boats.
By reference to the journal of Lewis and Clark, pub- lished in 1814, we find that they arrived at the. mouth of the Platte river in the latter part of July, 1804, where they laid up two or three days for repairs. The following extract from their journal, showing their approach and arrival at the spot where Omaha was afterwards located. will be found of interest to the reader :
"JULY 27 .- Having completed the object of our stay, we set sail with a pleasant breeze from the North West. The two horses swam over to the Southern [Western] shore, along which we went, passing by an island, at three and a half miles, formed by a pond, fed by springs : three-
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
miles further is a large sand island in the middle of the river, the land on the South [West] being high and covered with timber : that on the North [East] a prairie. At ten and a half miles from our encampment, we saw and exam- ined a curious collection of graves or mounds, on the South [West] side of the river. Not far from a low piece of land and a pond, is a tract of about two hundred acres in extent, which is covered with mounds of different heights, shapes and sizes ; some of sand, and some of both earth and sand ; the largest being near the river. These mounds indicate the position of the ancient village of the Ottoes, before they retired to the protection of the Pawnees. After making fifteen miles, we camped on the South [East] on the bank of a high, handsome prairie, with lofty cotton-wood in groves, near the river."
It will be noticed that the chroniclers used the word South, when it should have been west, and north when it should have been east. with reference to the river as it runs past Omaha. This is easily accounted for by the fact that in those days the Missouri river was generally sup- posed to run east and west, or nearly so.
The curious collection of graves or mounds, and the tract of two hundred acres covered with mounds of differ- ent heights, shapes and sizes, were undoubtedly included in that portion of the city bounded on the south by Farnam street, west by Eleventh street, and on the north and east by the river bottoms. At different periods in the history of the city, while excavating cellars or grading streets in this vicinity, Indian graves have been discovered, and bones and trinkets and relics have been exhumed. Numerous mounds, which have long ago disappeared, were found here in early days. In 1873, while lower Douglas street was being graded, an Indian's skeleton was unearthed at the southeast corner of Eleventh and Douglas streets. While workmen were engaged in 1876 in excavating for the foundation of the Third Ward school house, at the south- east corner of Dodge and Eleventh streets, they dug up two Indian skeletons, with a lot of relics, among which were numerous scalp rings, to which the hair still clung. Skele- tons have also been found outside of the limit above de- scribed, but the evidence is sufficient to convince us that this is the spot mentioned by Lewis and Clark.
13
HISTORY OF OMAHA.
Lewis and Clark proceeded up stream, and on August 3rd, in the morning, they held a council with fourteen Ottoe (now spelled Otoe) and Missouri Indians, who had come to the spot at sunset of the day before. They were accompanied by a Frenchman, who resided among them, and who acted as interpreter for the council, which had previously been arranged by runners sent out for the purpose.
At the appointed hour the Indians with their six chiefs, assembled under an awning, formed with the mainsail of one of the boats, in the presence of the exploring party, who were paraded for the occasion. The change in the government, from France to the United States, was an- nounced to them, and they were promised protection. The six chiefs replied. each in his turn, according to rank, ex- pressing joy and satisfaction at the change. They wished to be recommended to the great father, the president, that they might obtain supplies and facilities for trading. They wanted arms for defense, and asked mediation between themselves and the Mahas,* with whom they were at war.
Lewis and Clark promised to fulfill the requests of the Indians, and wanted some of them to accompany the ex- pedition to the next nation, but they declined to do so for fear of being killed. Numerous presents were distributed among the Indians, and on account of the incidents just related the explorers were induced to give the place the name of the Council Bluff, the situation of which, as they record it, was exceedingly favorable for a fort or a trading post.
Here we take leave of Lewis and Clark. The place of their council-the Council Bluff --- was about sixteen or eighteen miles in a straight line north of Omaha, and about forty miles by the river-the site of old Fort Cal- houn, and now the location of the village of that name. It has been conclusively settled that this point was the his- torical Council Bluffs. Father de Smet, the well-known Jesuit missionary, who was considered good authority concerning any question about the Missouri river country, over which he had often traveled, and who lived where Council Bluffs is now located, opposite Omaha, in 1838 and
*The Omahas are called the Mahas throughout the entire journal of Lewis and Clark, as well as in all other early records. The "O" is a prefix of comparatively recent date.
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
1839, in a letter to Mr. A. D. Jones, dated St. Louis, Decem- ber 9, 1862, said in answer to some historical interrogatories, that Fort Calhoun took the name of Fort Atkinson, which was built on the very spot where the council was held by Lewis and Clark, and was the highest and first military post above the mouth of the Nebraska or Platte river. +
In answer to the inquiry of Mr. Jones as to where old Fort Croghan was located, Father de Smet replied: "After the evacuation of Fort Atkinson or Calhoun, either in 1827 or '28. or thereabouts, the troops came down and made win- ter quarters on Cow island-Captain Labarge states it was called Camp Croghan. The next spring the flood disturbed the soldiers and they moved down the river and established Fort Leavenworth. Col. Leavenworth was commandant at the breaking up of Fort Atkinson."
Mr. Jones also asked Father de Smet if he knew who built or occupied the fortification, the remains of which were (in 1868) on the east bank of the river at Omaha. Father de Smet replied : "The remains alluded to must be the site of the old trading post of Mr. Heart. When it was in existence the Missouri river ran up to the trading post. In 1832 the river left it, and since that time it goes by the name of 'Heart's Cut-off,' having [leaving] a large lake above Council Bluff city."
In the above paragraph we are made aware of the in- teresting fact that the ever-shifting Missouri river at that time ran close up to the bluffs on the west side. It has since changed its channel several times opposite Omaha.
The fortfications referred to were near the junction of Capitol avenue and Ninth street, and Dodge and Tenth streets. The well-defined outlines of a fort, or some other kind of defensive works, were plainly visible until obliter- ated by the goverment corral built there during the war. This fort, as has been well maintained by A. D. Jones in opposition to different opinions, was built by the Otoes for protection against hostile tribes. Some have held that these now extinct fortifications were none other than old Fort Croghan, indicated upon the early maps, but Mr. Jones, who is the best authority in our opinion, and he is sustained by numerous other old settlers, is certain that Fort Croghan was upon the east side of the river between
+Fort Atkinson was built in 1821, and was evacuated in 1827 or '28.
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
Council Bluffs and Trader's point, the latter place having been long since washed away by the Missouri.
Another inquiry which was propounded by Mr. Jones, who, while secretary of the Omaha Old Settlers' association in 1867-68, evidently faithfully performed his duty and was frequently engaged in hunting up the records of the past, was : "Do you know of either soldiers or Indians ever having resided on the Omaha plateau?" Father de Smet's answer was : "I do not know. A noted trader, by the name of T. B. Roye. had a trading post from 1825 till 1828, established on the Omaha plateau, and may be the first white man, who built the first cabin, on the beautiful plateau, where now stands the flourishing city of Omaha."
CHAPTER II.
THE INDIANS.
EXTINGUISHMENT OF THE INDIAN TITLE TO THE LAND-THE FONTENELLE FAMILY-LOGAN FONTENELLE, CHIEF OF THE OMAHAS-HIS DEATH AND BURIAL-A MAN SKINNED ALIVE BY THE INDIANS.
During the month of February, 1854, Major Gatewood, Indian agent for the tribes in this vicinity, called them together at Bellevue, which had been for a long time an Indian mission, and there discussed the subject of making a treaty by which they would yield up the title to their land. Treaties were made with the different tribes in March and April, which resulted in the passage of the ena- bling act of Nebraska territory in 1854. Franklin Pierce was then president, and George W. Manypenny, commis- sioner of Indian affairs.
The tribes who signed the treaties were the Otoes, the Missouris, and the Omahas. The terms of the treaty with each were liberal and satisfactory, and little or no trouble was experienced in their removal to the reservations pro- vided for them, the removal being effected gradually within a year or two.
The Omahas early in the eighteenth century were located on the north side of the Missouri, near the mouth
16
HISTORY OF OMAHA.
of the Sioux river. Crossing over to the country along the Niobrara river, they were from time to time driven down the Missouri by the hostile Sioux. The country claimed by them, when the Omaha treaty was made with them in March, 1854, included a vast territory west and south of the Missouri and north of the Platte. The treaty was pro- claimed and went into effect June 21, 1854. The Omahas remain upon their reservation in this state, and now number only about 1,000 persons, the remnant of a once large and powerful tribe. They have become semi-civilized and partly self-sustaining by means of agriculture. The Otoes and Missouris, who are located upon a small reservation in Gage county, Nebraska, and Marshall and Washington counties, Kansas, have also greatly diminished in numbers, there being only about 500 persons in both tribes.
Shon-ga-ska, or Logan Fontenelle, who was the chief of the Omahas at the time the treaty was made with them, was a very intelligent man, and the history of the Fonte- nelle family, in this connection, will prove an interesting chapter to the reader.
Lucien Fontenelle, born in New Orleans about the year 1800, of French parents, was a gentleman of good education, and one that possessed every indication of hav- ing been well raised. He came to this western country about the year 1824, in the employ of Major Joshua Pilcher, and took an Omaha squaw-a high-toned belle of the tribe -for his wife. He was engaged in the Indian trade in 1835 in the vicinity of Fort Laramie with a Mr. Drips. The building was standing at Bellevue until a few years ago, in which they stored their goods for the mountain trade.
Fontenelle treated his Indian wife very kindly, and gave his children a good education in St. Louis. The children left St. Louis in 1836 or 1837, and resided at Belle- vue with their mother. There were four boys and one girl.
In 1839 Lucien Fontenelle abandoned his mountain trade, and lived with his family till his death, which oc- curred in the spring of 1840, and was caused by the too exces- sive use of liquor, which brought on delirium tremens. For the following interesting facts concerning the Fontenelle family we are indebted to an "Old Pawnee," who has writ- ten several chapters of the early history of Nebraska for
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
the Omaha Herald, at various times, and it is from one of these sketches that we quote :
" Logan, the oldest son, was a remarkable boy ; active, with quick perception, and beloved by all who knew him, but he imbibed something of the habit of his father, and was finally killed by the Sioux, but not till he had fought bravely to the last. Albert was a fine boy, of good disposition, had partially learned the blacksmith's trade, and at his death, was Pawnee government smith, with John Snuffen. He was thrown from a mule, which caused his death. Tecum- seh was killed by Louis Neal (brother-in-law) in a drunken frolic. He was an intelligent man, but not naturally as agreeable as the other children. Henry and Susan (Mrs. Neal) were still living in 1870, or 1871, when this sketch was written. Henry served as an apprentice to the wagon bus- iness in St. Louis, and is very handy with tools; in fact, they were a remarkable family, had been well raised and were gentle in their manners. The mother was a remark- able woman, and in 1834 performed a brave act.
"There was an Iowa Indian who headed a party of Iowas to pay the Omahas a friendly visit, who were then living at or near the present site of Omaha City. After being well received and kindly treated by the Omahas they left the village to return home, and near Bellevue met a small party of Omahas and killed some four of Mrs. Fonte- nelle's relatives, and stuck a spear through a half-breed Omaha boy (after killing his mother) by the name of Kar-
sener. They stuck the spear through the left breast, and pinned him to the ground. Some of the Indians said 'Don't kill that boy; he is a white boy.' The Iowa Indians replied, 'A white man's blood is the same to us as an Omaha's,' and left the boy pinned to the ground.
"Mrs. Fontenelle from that time sought revenge on that Iowa. and made some two or three attempts to kill him, but did not succeed. At length the time came. At the Bellevue landing stood an old trading post, in which there were several buildings, with the Otoe, Omaha and Pawnee smith-shops and the houses of the employes, and Rev. Moses Merrill and family. This same Iowa, with others, was there, and one of the assistant smiths, by the name of Shaw, had procured a keg of whisky, of which he was so extremely fond that he took too much of the article.
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
and the Iowas broke open the shop and stole his keg. They imbibed so freely that they were getting up a jubilee, when Hannibal Dougherty, the agent's brother, took an axe, and broke the keg and spilled the whisky. There was an old Frenchman, by the name of Sharlo Malice, who got dead drunk sucking up the dirt. The Iowa Indian above mentioned, lay drunk in one of the buildings of the fort that stood endwise to the river, when Mrs. Fontenelle de- liberately took an axe and knocked his brains out, then jumped some ten feet out of a four-light window. down the bank and ran home. That night war was expected. but the Iowas showed no fight, cowardly returning home after burying him who received his just fate.
" Mr. Fontenelle was then up at his fort, in the moun- tains, and Major Pilcher had her taken to the village of the Omahas, who were then living at the Black Bird hills, near where they now dwell. Some two months after Mr. Fon- tenelle came to Bellevue and sent an escort of Omahas for his wife, to whom he paid about $1,000 worth of presents for bringing her down."
Logan Fontenelle, the son of Lucien Fontenelle, became chief of the Omahas. He was of medium height, of swarthy complexion, black hair and dark piercing eyes. At the time of his death, which occured while bravely battling against the Sioux, he was thirty years of age. Concerning his death and burial S. D. Bangs' Centennial History of Sarpy County contains the following account:
" In the middle of the summer of 1855 a procession might have been seen wending its way towards the old home of Logan Fontenelle on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri river and above the stone quarries of Bellevue. It moved slowly along, led by Louis San-so-see, who was driving a team with a wagon in which, wrapped in blankets and buffalo robes, was all that was mortal of Logan Fontenelle, the chief of the Omahas. On either side the Indian chiefs and braves mounted on ponies, with the squaws and rela- tives of the deceased, expressed their grief in mournful outcries. His remains were taken to the house which he had left a short time before, and now, desolate and afflicted .. they related the incidents of his death. He had been killed by the Sioux on the Loup Fork thirteen days before, while on a hunt with the Omahas. Having left the main body
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HISTORY OF OMAHA.
with San-so-see in pursuit of game, and while in a ravine that hid them from the sight of the Omahas, they came in contact with a band of Sioux on the war-path, who attacked them. San-so-see escaped in some thick underbrush while Fontenelle stood his ground, fighting desperately and killing three of his adversaries, when he fell, pierced with fourteen arrows. and the prized scalp-lock was taken by his enemies. The Omahas did not recover his body until the next day.
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