Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties, Part 90

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 820

USA > Nebraska > Adams County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 90
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 90
USA > Nebraska > Hall County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 90
USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 90

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

in that county until the spring of 1885, then emi- grated to Holt County, Neb., and took up a tree claim, but at the end of one year disposed of this property and accepted a position on the North- western Railroad, which was at the time it was being built a branch from Chadron, Neb., to the Black Hills. He remained thus employed for fifteen months, then returned to Holt County, and on June 30, 1887, was united in marriage to Miss Lena Barnhill, a daughter of William T. and Mary (Potter) Barnhill, who were born in the "Blue Grass State," in 1847, and in New Jersey in 1853, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have one child named Cary. After being engaged in farming in Holt County with his father-in-law until 1887, Mr. Wolf removed with his family to Ayr, then came to his present location. Upon first coming here he was engaged in husking corn for the different farmers until February 20, 1888, when he entered the service of his present employer, J. H. Gregg, and has since been engaged in buying grain. He is a wide awake young man, and by his upright dealing and energy has acquired a handsome com- petency, and gives every promise of becoming a wealthy citizen. He believes in enjoying life as he goes along, but is also a believer in putting by some money for a rainy day, and has already made an excellent start in this direction. He has always been a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and he and wife are members of the Evangelical Church.

Thomas Woods is a prominent farmer and stock- feeder of Linn Precinct, Clay County, Neb., and was born in County Monahan, Ireland, in 1852, his parents, Moses and Margaret (Boyce) Woods, being also born there in 1810 and 1818, respect- ively. In 1868 they left the land of their birth to come to America and located in Iowa, where they resided until 1874, since which time they have re- sided in Nebraska. They own a fine tract of land comprising 320 acres, well improved, with a fine young orchard, a vast number of forest trees, ex- cellent buildings, fences, etc. This farm is one of the neatest and best-improved in the township, and shows in a marked degree the energy, perse- verance and determination which characterize its

owner. He was married in 1878 to Miss Henrietta Harden, a daughter of John A. and Sarah (Engle) Harden, natives of Maryland, in which State Mrs. Woods was born. Mr. Woods is the only son in a family of seven children born to his parents, his sisters all being married and residing in different parts of the United States. His parents are still living and make their home with him.

Joseph S. Yeast is a man of sterling principles and progressive views, and he belongs to that hon- est, sturdy and independent class, the farmers of Nebraska. Although he was born in Fayette County, Pa., January 12, 1855, he was taken to Fulton County, Ill., by his parents, Adam and Susan (Morley) Yeast, when two years of age, and ten years later removed with them to McDonough County, where he was reared to mature years. Here he also received his early education, and at the age of twenty years he began the battle of life for himself and successfully conducted a restau- rant for three years. After selling out he came West in 1877 and settled in Saline County, Neb., where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, but be- coming dissatisfied, he returned to his former home and for some time worked in the dry goods establishment belonging to his brother-in-law, A. J. Minor. The latter then sold out and moved west and Mr. Yeast soon followed and settled in Clay County, where he has owned some fine pieces of land. In the fall of 1888 he purchased his present property, containing eighty acres, all im- proved land, and on this he has an excellent and commodious dwelling house, etc. In the fall of 1876 he was married to Miss Mary Ryan, a daugh- ter of Isaac and Mary (Bair) Ryan, natives of the "Keystone State." Mrs. Yeast was born March 3, 1854, and her union with Mr. Yeast has been blessed by the birth of five children: L. Earl, Carl B., Ethel G., Ana Ruth and Jessie Ward. Mr. Yeast has always voted the Republican ticket, and, like the majority of farmers of his neighbor- hood, is a member of the Farmers' Alliance and is treasurer of Fairfield Lodge. He and wife are members of the Baptist Church, and he is ever found ready to aid liberally, with both purse and influence, all worthy public enterprises.

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HALL COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXIII.

TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY-BEGINNING - LIMITS DEFINED-POPULATION-ABOVE SEA LEVEL-WATER COURSES-THE PLATTE RIVER-CLIMATIC FEATURES-DISTURBING ELEMENTS-INDIANS AND PIONEERS-

FIRST EXPLORERS -INDIAN MASSACRES-FORTS FOR PROTECTION-EARLY WHITE SETTLE MENTS AND SETTLERS-REMINISCENCES -- PRIMITIVE EXPERIENCES-ESTABLISII -

MENT OF GRAND ISLAND - SOME FIRST THINGS, ETC.

ALL COUNTY is the name given to one of the fairest political divisions of Nebraska. When the spring sun of 1857 rose over this prairie there was not a white man with- in the boundaries of Hall. In May of that year a little band of thirty-five persons located in the great solitude - the rich soil and genial climate of which soon won additions to the pioneer circle. A year later the Legislature gave to the locality a name and local gov- ernment, and the people realize how well the ill-paid author of The Co- Inmbian, poor Joel Barlow, prophesied the devel- opment of the West:

From Mohawk's mouth far westing with the sun, Through all the woodlands recent channels run, Tap the redundant lakes, the broad hills brave- Aud marry Hudson with Missouri's wave. From dim Superior, whose unfathomed sea Drinks the mild splendor of the setting day, New paths unfolding, lead their watery pride, And towns and empires rise along their side, To Mississippi's source the passes bend, And to the broad Pacific main extend.

Years before the Civil War came to establish the Republic on a firm basis, the trails to California and to Colorado led travelers through this district, and before the echoes of civil strife had died away in the South the first locomotive of the Union Pa- cific signaled the great era of progress.

The area is sixteen congressional districts. The population in 1860 was 116; in 1870, 1,057; in 1880, 8,572; while, in 1890, it is estimated at 18,000.

The measured elevations above sea level, in Hall County and adjoining territory, are as fol- lows: Grand Island, 1,860 feet; Kearney, 2, 146; North Platte, 2,796; Columbus, 1,442; Central City, 1,697; St. Paul, 1,796; Scotia Junction, 1,905; Ord, 2,047; Hastings, 1,934; Clay Center, 1,687; Fairfield, 1,782; Wood River, 1,963; Alda. 1,913; Shelton, 2,060; Paddock, 1, 760; Chapman, 1,763: Doniphan, 1,948; Hansen, 1,949; Glenville, 1,842; Alma Junction, 794; Edgar, 1,728; Verona. 1,776; Sutton, 1,680; Lyman, 1,645; Lushton, 1,678; McCool, 1,557; Spring Ranche, 1,717, and Holstein, 2,011.

Prairie Creek's two branches afford drainage to the entire northern half of the county. Wood River, which enters the Platte at Alda, waters the west center: while the north and south channels

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HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

of the Platte drain the southern townships and the east center. The waters of the Platte percolating through the sandy strata may be obtained in almost every section, at depths varying from five to sixty feet. In 1863 this river was completely dry on the surface for fifty or one hundred miles above and below Grand Island. The Platte has its sources in the mountains of Colorado and Wyom- ing; the south branch rising in the first-named State joins the north branch at North Platte, and flows into the Missouri at Plattsmouth. Its course through Nebraska is marked by a broad shallow channel, the waters flowing at random over a heavy deposit of sand, aud sometimes, during the sum- mer months, disappearing in the sand, to water north and south under the prairie, giving moisture to the thirsty soil. The water flowing from the snows of the Rocky Mountains is as pure as water may be, and even after its absorption and diffusion it may be obtained almost in its original purity in comparatively shallow wells, far north and a few miles south of the river's course. Floods in the Platte are contemporary with floods in the Mis- souri. In the days of the fur-traders flood time was looked forward to for shipping to the Missouri the product of the season's hunt; but the primitive navigators were not always fortunate enough to escape the thousands of sand-bars, and on more than one occasion saw the flood waters leave them forever. Grand Island, extending across Hall County, creates the south and north channels.

The first reference to the Missouri and Platte country was written in 1673 by Father Marquette during his voyage down the Mississippi. When below the present town of Alton, Ill., he had his first glimpse of the Missouri, and described the river thus: "We heard a great mushing and bub- bling of waters, and saw small islands of floating trees coming from the mouth of the Pekitanoni. The water of this river is so muddy we could not drink it. It so discolors the Mississippi as to make navigation dangerous. * *

* The Indians told us that by ascending the Pekitanoni about six days' journey from its mouth we would find a beautiful prairie country twenty or thirty leagues broad, at the end of which, to the northwest, is a

small river, which is not difficult to navigate, and which, they said, leads to a deep river flowing into the sea !" This river can not be the Yellowstone. The description points out the Platte and head- waters of the Columbia.

For healthfulness this portion of the State is unsurpassed. Its ready adaptation to the various products which contribute to life and its comforts, fertility of soil and abundant yield, are material features which are well known to the people who live here and enjoy them. The fall seasons of Central Nebraska are similar to those of sunny France. Up to Christmas of 1889 the August cos- tumes of Illinois were sufficient here, and the people enjoyed more sunshine than did those of any State east of the Missouri River. This is not an excep- tional case ; such beautiful falls are common to Nebraska. Winter sets in about January 1, but the name only terrorizes the stranger; it is a dry, cold winter, bringing with it health. It is a season of social intercourse, bringing peace to all circles.

There are times when the icy breezes of the North sweep over the prairies, chilling to death the unprotected. The blizzard, however, is not confined to Nebraska ; it belongs to the country at large, but strikes the prairie with Canadian rigor oftener and more suddenly than it does the hills and valleys of other States. The country is free from malaria, and, indeed, it may be said that dis- ease can not rest in the Platte valley.

. During the last thirty-three years only a few severe storms swept over the country, doing little damage to property when compared with the de- structive winds of other States.

On November 6, 1857, Lorenz Barnard and Henry Joebnk, of Grand Island, and William Roberts and Billy Painter, of Mendotte, went over to Prairie Creek antelope and duck hunting. When near the pond, due north of Grand Island, Lorenz Barnard and Roberts went up the creek, while the others hunted down the stream. In shooting ducks they crossed the creek several times, and when it began to rain that evening all started for the settlement. Soon not a vestige of dry clothes remained on them, the wind changed to the north, and a heavy storm set in ; it grew

533

HALL COUNTY.

colder and colder. Barnard and Roberts found their way home, but Joehnk and Painter became lost in the storm, and after dark stacked their guns for the purpose of building up a shelter with the high slough grass. The wind swept away each bunch of grass, and to keep from freez- ing they had to walk round and round all night. Painter, becoming hungry, ate half a duck un- cooked, but Joehuk would not touch the unsav. ory meal. At daylight they found the snow eight een inches in depth and still falling heavily. So they set out for the settlement, whence some men went forth to search for them, only to be driven back by the storm. Early that morning Joehnk arrived, but so worn out that he could signify only by signs where Painter was. Men went forth in search, found the hunter, brought him in, but the hardships of that night proved too much for him, and November 7, 1857, the first death in Hall County was recorded.

On April 13, 1873, the blizzard was introduced. It was preceded by heavy thunder and rain at 4 P. M. This changed to a terrific snow storm, which raged for three days withont abating. In the groves snow drifted to from fifteen to twenty feet in height, orchards and groves were damaged, many trees de- stroyed, farmers lost nearly all their stock-some losing from ten to fifteen head, another seventy- five, and a third 100 head of cattle. Deer were found lying dead after the storm, and dead birds were seen everywhere. The winter of 1875-76 was mild and free from snow, and plowing was done in December and January.

In May, 1878, three houses near Wood River were damaged by lightning. Rupert Schwaiger and Elias E. Boodry were killed by lightning, while en route to the city.

The hail-storm of July 8, 1878, originated in Sherman County. Forty-two Hall County farm- ers who were insured reported $20,000 loss, while the uninsured lost about $30,000. The hail-stones were not large; but owing to the velocity of the wind, their destructive power was terrible. The frame of the Lutheran Church. just raised in the southeast part of town, and the old building on Front Street (P. Dunphy's) were leveled; several

sinall buildings were blown down and the gardens of Grand Island destroyed. The quantity of water which fell in a few minutes was beyond the experience of every one, and the torrent which swept the main street of the town was two feet in depth.

The hail-storm of July, 1884, destroyed some buildings and damaged the crops in parts of Hall County. The eastern wall of the Union Pacific car shop was blown in, destroying property valned at $10,000, a new building near the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad depot was moved three feet, and from a point north of Grand Island southeast to Doniphan, and beyond that village growing crops, trees and small buildings, were pounded into the ground, broken or removed.

The storm of June, 1885, destroyed $1,500 worth of window panes-the window-glass in the court-house, Koenig's block and Schaupp's mills being almost all broken. The new agricultural hall was twisted, so as to require rebuilding, the front of Hake's harness shop was blown in, and a strip about two miles in width, from the northwest to the southwest corner of the county, devastated.

The blizzard of January 7, 1886, was very severe, eclipsing that of the first days of the year.

The storm of November, 1886, is said to have been the most severe since the terrible blizzard of April, 1873. Men returning to their homes against the wind became dazed and almost breathless. David Alexander became lost and was nearly frozen before he found shelter. Judge Wilson also lost his way; a herd of cattle drifted before the storm, the telegraph wires were torn from the poles, and several unfinished buildings were dam- aged by the terrific icy wind.

On January 12, 1888, snow fell steadily but quietly from early morning until about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Then black clouds suddenly dark- ened the sky, the wind began to blow furiously, and through the evening and long night the ther- mometer dropped lower and lower as the gate continued to beat against the houses and howl through the prairies.

On January 12, 1890, the mercury was very low; but it was only the second day since the end of

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HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

summer that the traveler feared to encounter the north wind. The last days of January, 1890, were days of sunshine-a speck of June introduced into this magnificent winter.

In former pages of this work, relating to the his- tory of Adams County, references are made to the exploration of prairie and mountain by the Span- iards and French. Lewis and Clarke, who, on July 21, 1804, invited the Indians to the camp on the Missouri, thus speak of the Otoes: They were once a powerful nation and lived about twenty miles above the Platte, on the southern bank of the Missouri. Being reduced, they emigrated to the neighborhood of the Pawnees, under whose pro- tection they are now living, on the south side of the Platte, thirty miles from its mouth. Their number is 200, including thirty families, or all left of the ancient Missouris. Five leagues above them resided the Pawnees. They consist of four bands, the first comprising 500 men, exclusive of the 250 Republican Pawnees, who joined the Band No. 1, on their removal from the Republican to the Platte; the third comprised the Pawnee Loups of the Wolf Fork of the Platte, 280 men; and the fourth, driven from Missouri and Arkansas by the Osages to the Red River, comprised 400 men. Westward, along the Platte, were the Padoncahs and other small tribes.

In 1819 Long's expedition arrived in Nebraska, and in May, 1820, is found on the Platte River, having moved from the Loup villages on May 13, to the valley on the north side of the Platte River, opposite Grand Island. In the Loup villages, the Pawnees had 6,000 horses and their settlements extended ten miles along Loup Fork or Wolf River.

In 1825 Benjamin O'Fallon, one of the princi- pal partners in the Missouri Fur Company, and the most polished, courageous and upright agent of Indian affairs ever employed by the United States, negotiated a treaty with the Kansas tribe affecting lands on this section. On April 12, 1834, the treaty was proclaimed with the Grand Pawnees, Pawnee Loups, Republican Pawnees and Pawnee Tappee, then residing on the Platte and Loup Fork. This treaty provided for the cession of all their lands south of the Platte. Two years before

this, small-pox reduced the strength of the Pawn- ees, and their village on the Republican was burned by the Delawares, and shortly after the Sioux fell upon them. On June 30, 1834, Nebraska was declared Indian Territory.

In 1854 Arkekeetah, the high chief of the Otoes, on their behalf, negotiated a treaty, ceding their reservation. In 1879 a new treaty was made. and in July, 1881, they were removed to the Indian Territory.

The short war between the Pawnees, under Peter Washarrow, and the Kiowas and Comanches under Yellow Buffalo, was carried on here in 1857, the last skirmish taking place in Saline County later. The Pawnees were driven back to their reservation with but little loss.

In September, 1860, a battle was fought on the Island between the Pawnees and Sioux, but so little did the settlers fear them that the work of hauling hay was not stopped. This feeling of security did not last long; for, when the troops were ordered east to participate in the Civil War, the officers advised the settlers to abandon their homes as the Indians would make a total clearance of the whites.

It was on February 5, 1862, when it became necessary to chronicle the first massacre of whites by Indians in Hall County. Joseph P. Smith and Anderson, his son-in-law, farmers on Wood River, about twelve miles west of Grand Island, went after some building logs to the north channel of the Platte, about two and one-half miles south of their claims. They were accompanied by William and Charles Smith, and Alexander Anderson, aged eleven, nine and fourteen years, respectively. An- derson, who had taken a load of logs home that morning returned to the woods, where he had left Smith and the boys and two teams, only to find all of them murdered. The old man Smith had seven arrows in his body, and was lying on the ice with his face down, holding each of his boys by one hand. His son, William, was living. He was shot by an arrow and one of his cheeks was cut open from the mouth to the ear. He soon bled to death after being carried home. The other son, Charles, had his skull crushed in and his neck broken, and

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HALL COUNTY.

young Anderson was found some distance off in the woods with his skull also broken; but the four horses were taken away. The Smith family came from Lake County, Ind., in the fall of 1861, and Mr. Smith had opened a small store in connection with his farm.

On the news spreading abroad, the settlers armed and, jumping into the saddle, scoured the country. Jesse Eldridge and seven other settlers on Wood River captured seventeen Sioux, all armed with bow and arrow. This capture was made eighteen miles east of Fort Kearney, in a dry channel of the Platte, where the red-skins hovered by the high bank, evidently trying to hide from pursiters. They were turned over to Capt. Johnson of Fort Kearney, who released the murderers, the captain remarking that he would rather see twenty settlers killed than have Fort Kearney attacked by the Sioux. The rescue was timely, for it was shown subsequently that those red men were not guilty, at least of the Smith massacre.

During the summer of 1864 the Sionx pursued Nat and Robert Martin to the George Martin ranch, eighteen miles southwest of Grand Island. The boys were mounted on one fleet pony and were making good their escape, when an arrow pinned them together. They fell near the ranch, and were about to be scalped when an Indian inter- fered, saying: "Let the boys alone." The ranch- men defended the house, drove the savages to flight, killed or wounded one, took the boys in and had the arrow drawn from their bodies. Both boys recovered and are still living.

The attack on the Campbell ranch was made July 24, 1867. Peter, the Scotchman, lived ten miles south of Grand Island, on the south side of the Platte. No men being at home, the house was captured, a woman named Mrs. Thruston Warren killed by a gun shot, and her son by an arrow. The two nieces of Campbell, aged seventeen and nine- teen, were carried away with two twin boys fonr years old, and a German, named Henry Dose, was killed close by. The Indians robbed the house, killed some stock and escaped unmolested. Months afterward the government bought the two girls and the two boys from the Indians for $4,000, and, as

an extra compensation, released a Sioux squaw, captured by Ed. Arnold's Pawnee scouts, at Ehn Creek, the same season.

The stories of Sioux vengeance led to almost the total evacuation of the Platte valley. The Grand Island pioneers did not leave. A log house 24x24 feet, with twenty-five port-holes, had been erected previously by William Stolley, and named Fort Independence. Over this fort the first Amer- ican flag floated in July of that year. Friends gathered in this building to the number of thirty- five, sufficient fire-arms (seventy-two shots without re loading), about fifty pounds of powder and other ammunition, sufficient provisions and a well, gave courage to the defenders. An underground stable eighty-eight feet long was constructed for horses and cattle, the company was organized, and cart - ridge prepared to fit every gun in the rude armory.

This fortification could only afford protection to a few of all the settlers, and the O. K. store of H. A. Koenig and F. A. Weibe (established in August, 1862) was converted into a fort. This old store stood one and a half miles due sonth of the present conrt-house. Dr. A. Thorspecken was elected captain and William Thavenet (a resident of Missouri in 1876) appointed engineer. Soon a strong sod breastwork surrounded the building. At each corner was a tower built of green cotton- wood-logs, which projected out far enough to cover the line of works. Sixty-eight men and abont 100 women and children found a temporary home here; squads were sent out daily to reconnoiter, and piles of bush were gathered here and there over the prairie to be lighted by the outposts as warning of the Sioux advance, and to warn those absent from the fort. The State furnished only seventeen muskets on which the settlers had to pay freight. On August 22, 1864, the First Volunteer Cavalry under Gen. Curtis arrived with one six- pounder. He praised the action of the settlers and their fort, and left them the cannon, saying that such settlers could defend themselves against all odds. Soon after Capt. J. B. David and twenty men of Company E, Seventh Iowa Cavalry. took possession of this fort, but the wily Indians knew better than to attack it. The settlers suffered

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HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

considerably from depredations by David and his command, and when Company E was ordered to Fort Desolation on the Loup, the people breathed more freely.

Eight miles west of Grand Island, Squire Lamb, his son, Henry, and three other men held the stage station on Wood River and never feared the sav- ages, being, it is said, always ready to exchange a shot with them.

Elsewhere in these pages the story of the Cal- ifornia trail is told. Prior to the days of the ar- gonauts the prairies of Nebraska were little known, and Fremont's references to them contributed muchi to make a closer acquaintance with the land of the buffalo and Indian undesirable. The fur com- pany's men too, as it was their interest, decried the country. The hunters had some foundation for their tales of hardship and danger. On the even- ing of June 27, 1842, the Fremont expedition, halted in longitude 22°, 5', 4" west, and latitude 10°, 39', 32" north near the head of Grand Island. On the 28th they met a small party of fourteen men under John Lee, making their way, on foot, to the frontier. This party left Laramie's Fork sixty days before, in the American Fur Com- pany's barges, to come down with the annual flood. The flotilla made rapid progress to Scott's Bluff, after which they encountered sand-bars and shallows, and were compelled to discharge the principal part of their cargoes 130 miles below Fort Laramie. They ventured forth again with the balance, and after twenty days of struggle with 140 miles of the river, sunk their barges, made a cache of their remaining furs in the trees, and set out on foot for St. Louis.

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Author: Goodspeed Brothers Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co. Number of Pages: 820

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 820