History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 11

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > Nebraska > Custer County > History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time > Part 11

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).

The first permanent settler was Ira D. Spen- cer, with his family. in whose honor the park was named. They came from Jefferson county in the usual way, with prairie schooner, driv- ing their cattle with them and having some thirty head. The family consisted of wife and three sons. On reaching Seneca, which is now called Westerville, on Clear creek, Mr. Spen- cer made his first stop and began looking around for a location. When he viewed Spen-

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

cer's Park he said, "This is good enough for me." and in the summer of 1880 he staked out a claim which was nearly in the center of the park. on the southeast quarter of section 10. He began to break the same and put up hay for the winter. The family lived on Clear creek during the winter, until the necessary preparations were made for their new home, which was a large sod house, the latch string of which was always on the outside for weary travelers who chanced to come that way.

I. E. Spencer, son of the above, entered the west half of the northeast quarter and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 10, in May, 1881. Later he built a sod house. furnished it with a stove, bed. table. and a couple of soap-boxes for chairs, and began a bachelor's life in his sod shanty on his claim.

In the fall of 1880 an old man by the name of Gaskell entered the northwest quarter of section 14 as a timber claim, and his son-in- law. H. Dornen, entered the northeast quarter of section 15 as a homestead. They moved their families on their claims. But being un- prepared for the hard winter that followed, after losing all their stock, they abandoned their claims and soll their relinquishments. for twenty-five dollars apiece, to W. H. Mauk.

MAUK WAS A GAY BACHELOR

Mauk entered the northeast quarter of sec- tion 15 as a homestead, the other as a timber claim. in May, 1881. In the following fall he made a dugout about eight by ten feet, covered with poles, brush, and sod, and began house- keeping in earnest, as a bachelor. His fur- niture consisted of a stove, bed and bedding. one dishpan, one skillet. one breadpan, one coffeepot, two plates, two knives and forks, and one spoon. The sheet was spread over the bed in a slanting position to run the water and mud off when it rained. His time was about evenly divided between farming, going to the canyons for wood. and thinking which neighbor he would call on next to get a square meal. But the place to-day does not look like it did then. It has increased in value at least one hundred fold and a frame house has taken the place of the old sod. This was

erected in the spring of 1888 and was the first frame house in the park.

In the summer of 1881 H. J. Dupes settled on the northwest quarter. On December 15, with his wife and six children, he came from Jefferson county, Nebraska, and began improv- ing his farm, which is a very good one. He also entered the southeast quarter of section 9, as a timber claim, which he sold in 1887, to Charles Kemp.

Miss Julietta Wellman moved from Lincoln in 1881 and located on the east half of north- east quarter of section 9 and the west half of northwest quarter of section 10, as a home- stead. Later she built a sod house on it, made other improvements, and lived on it until she perfected her title. She went through all the hardships of frontier life, a great deal of the time living alone, which shows the grit and determination of the ladies who were among the first settlers of the park. She also filed on the southwest quarter of section 2 as a timber claim and improved both claims.

Clark Wellman bought of George Early the relinquishment on the southwest quarter of section 10 and entered the same as a timber claim, in 1883, and later sold it to G. B. Green- wood.

In the summer of 1882 Nathan Davidson came here from Tama county, lowa. with his wife, three sons, and two daughters, and lo- cated on the southwest quarter of section 14. His oldest son. James, who also had a family. entered the southeast quarter of section 15 which is to-day well improved and valuable land. His second son. Henry, homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 14, in the summer of 1883 and began "batching" on his claim. which added another settler.

In the summer of 1883 R. W. Barton settled on the northwest quarter of section 4. He brought his family from Hamilton county, Nebraska. and settled on the northwest ex- tremity of the park, which is mostly table land. Overlooking the park. it commanded a beanti- ful view of the surrounding country. Barton was a veteran of the Grand Army of the Re- public and later was elected justice of the peace. He was among the foremost in or-

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

ganizing schools, laying out roads, and im- proving and building up the country.

In the spring of 1884 Peter Rapp moved with his family from near Lincoln. Nebraska, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 4, as a timber claim. He came with horses, machinery, and a herd of cattle and has made very rapid improvements. His first residence was a dugout. The stables were built of sod ..

In the spring of 1884 C. Coswell located on the northwest quarter of section 3 and led a bachelor's life, made some improvements and then sold out. in 1889. The place has changed hands a good many times.

NOW THEY COME TO LILLIAN

Probably the first men who ever looked upon this valley with a serious idea of pos- session were J. M. and H. A. Goheen and William H. Gwinn. They located their claims, made a "dugout," cut some hay, and prepared for winter. Some time during that fall John W. Goheen, a brother of the first arrivals, came with their parents, quite old people, who had been pioneers in the settlement of western Pennsylvania. The aged couple, full of the fire of youth, were delighted with the new- found earthly paradise and soon filed on a homestead. which they occupied until the death of the aged James Goheen, which occurred in August, 1887.

The greatest obstacle to the settlement of these table-lands as yet, was the great depth to good water. Many of the first settlers along the streams had seen and admired this valley, but they did not dare venture too far from the running water. The Goheen boys were fortunate enough to secure the services of two settlers north of the Middle Loup river, Charles Bishop and Burton Gates, who owned a rig for putting down tubular wells. They were successful in obtaining a bountiful supply of good water at a depth of eighty to one hundred feet, piercing a soft manganese rock and finding water in gravel just beneath. Dur- ing the summer of 1881 the Goheen boys built comfortable sod houses, preparatory to moving their families to their new homes.

The next settler to make his appearance

was J. E. Gwinn. William Gwinn had re- turned to Nemaha county to remove his cattle to the rich grazing grounds of the west, and, uniting their little herds these two, accom- panied by D. H. Gwinn, on his tenderfoot ex- ploring expedition, started April 17, 1882, with forty head of cattle, an emigrant wagon and a herd of ponies. They were twenty-two days making the journey.

Some idea of the seclusion of this valley at this time may be gained from the fact that while J. E. Gwinn was engaged in breaking fifty acres on his claim in the summer of 1882 he saw only two travelers, and one of these had lost his way.

In October, 1882, came J. O. Bates with his son, J. M., and daughter, Susie, all prospect- ing for land that they found to their liking adjoining the new settlement. The next spring J. M. Bates removed from Omaha with all his effects, to his future home. A. G. Page and wife, from Vermont, also the parents of Mrs. J. M. Bates, arrived with the Bates family, and settled in section 19. Mr. Bates provided him- self with a large tent, sufficient to shelter the whole party. On their arrival it was pitched on the claim of Susie Bates and became the temporary home of the party, while more per- manent buildings were being erected on their respective claims. All went merrily enough in their Arab-like mode of existence until the latter part of May, when one day there came the most furious rain and wind storm ever yet seen in this locality, and when the storm was at its height the tent was lifted from over their heads and left them to the mercy of the raging elements. Bedding, pans of milk, wearing apparel, and sundry other un- mentionables suddenly sought wonderful af- finity for each other, and uniting, attempted to form a new compound. Bedrenched. be- draggled, and almost drowned, the occupants thus suddenly rendered homeless, dodged and cowered, and grasped at straws in the way of shelter until the brief deluge was over. Then, with more haste than grace, they sought shel- ter. bag and baggage. in the bachelor quarters of William Gwinn, a single room, about ten by twelve feet. One end of the room was

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

devoted to a range of trunks, boxes, and bed- ding from the ceiling to the floor, a stove in one corner, a table and some chairs,- and where could the eleven animated beings find a resting place for their wet feet ? Picture the inter-family dinner according to your imagina- tion. As for sleeping arrangements, they con- sisted of the airy apartments on wheels, in which the men folks sought nightly repose.

C. E. Bates, a young son, reached his ma- jority some time later, and filed on a pre-emp- tion in section 27.

Two young Englishmen. E. E. Bird and Arthur Clark, built their sod houses in the autunm of 1882. Clark soon tired of home- steading and returned to England. Bird also sold his claim and removed to another part of the neighborhood, a few miles distant. The purchaser of the claim was T. A. Leisure, who resided there for years, and if Clark should return he would hardly recognize the farm which has taken the place of the raw prairie he bartered away.

Clark had, also, a tree claim which was pur- chased from Jabez Bowman, from Cass county, Nebraska, and Bird had one which was bought by A. G. Bowman, Jabez's father. Clark re- ceived a horse from this quarter, which is now valued at eight thousand dollars. Charles Bowman purchased E. E. Bird's homestead and converted it into a fine farm.

Some of the settlers who did not prove to be permanent ones were Charles and Amos Meeker, David Daniels, and E. B. Bartlett. During 1884 came also Joseph Pickner.

Thomas Maupin, a worthy old gentleman from lowa, came with his family the same spring and filed on a part of sections 27 and 34. On the western extremity of the little settlement had happened a great event which must not be overlooked.

In the spring of 1883 F. M. DuPray and wife made their appearance with a large family of grown-up daughters. It seemed like the advent of full civilization to the wilds of Lillian Park. Lonely bachelors hung up their flapjack pans, scraped the dough from their pantaloons, and hastened to see if Mr. Du- Pray was, as reputed, a blacksmith, and to con-

sult him about breaking plows, other farming implements, etc. The result was that several of the bachelors were made happy and several new homes were founded instead of the mere staying places, as formerly. Among these were H. A. Goheen, on section 31, and Fred Frances, on section 30, where he began the task of redeeming 160 acres of land from the power of the "Great American Desert."

Joseph Chrisman, the patriarch of another large family of sons and daughters, and Abra- ham-like, a keeper of a large herd of cattle, with complete gypsy outfit, began in the spring of 1883 a gradual progress toward the "Loup country" from Nemaha county. He found a large, fine stock location about the headwaters of Lillian creek, section 3-18-20. It is not likely that he or his family will ever forget the trials of their first winter here, a severe one, and, being inexperienced in the usages of Custer county blizzards, the shelter and feed provided for their stock were insufficient and many head perished, though since then prosperity has smeared itself all over the old pioneer in great dabs, and a large increase has blessed his efforts.

Mary E. Howard, a widow lady, with her daughter, settled in section 32, and bravely went to work to make a home. She succeeded in bringing thirty acres under cultivation, mostly her own labor.

Rasmus Schritsmier located during 1884 and began industriously to conquer the prairie sod and fit the soil for crops.

SETTLING IN MERNA VALLEY

Some time in the year of 1882 a prairie schooner camped for the night on the site where afterward the town of Merna was built. The travelers attached to the one-wagon cara- van were a young lady by the name of Villa Ong and her cousin, a young man from some- where in the east. The next morning they hitched up the team and drove about six miles up the valley, where one of their horses lay down and died. This compelled the two travelers to proceed on foot to where Mr. Ira Ong. the young lady's father, had a cattle ranch, in what is now the Keota district.

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

WV. G. Brotherton, who was destined to be one of the pioneer spirits of Custer county, had settled in Merna valley early in 1882, and in his sod house on the night referred to in the paragraph above, Gilbert Hogue and Joseph A. Kellenbarger were all-night guests. Kellenbarger and Brotherton had been ac- quaintances in Iowa previously to the exodus to Nebraska. Kellenbarger and Hogue were in quest of land, and the next morning Broth- erton and his team were at their disposal. Both were young, with ambitious dreams of life, and the job of tackling raw prairie and transforming it into an improved farm and comfortable home meant little to them. They made their land se- lections and put back to lowa for their families and other friends.

A BUNCH OF IOWANS ARRIVE

On the ninth day of April, 1883, late in the afternoon, a small train of prai- rie schooners pulled up at the old town of Merna, where W. G. Brotherton was both postmaster and merchant. D. O. Luce, who was a proprietor of a wood yard, was the rest

[ Photo by S. D. Butcher] C. P. FOOTE'S OLD PIONEER HOUSE AT MERNA Mr. Foot, at this time, was sheriff of Custer county

of the town. The schooners were loaded with Iowa people who had come to stay. They were after land. and in that day there was land for everybody. The party consisted of O. G. Gordon, War- ren Gordon and his three small children,- Lelia, who is now Mrs. W. G. Brotherton, of Fora, Arthur county, where they are still pioneering and conducting a postoffice, and Lee and Arthur, who are now prominent citizens of the `new town of Merna,- John Cosner, wife and one small child, a Mr. Graham, wife and three small children, Gilbert and Edward Hogue, Ben Kellenbarger and family, Joseph Kellenbarger and his family of four small chil-

dren. They did not all hail from the same place, but they had arranged to come together, and when they reached Merna, which was to be their stopping place, they had been nine days on the trail. During that time they formed acquaintanceships that bind them to- gether still and will never be forgotten.

AN IMPROMPTU RECEPTION

As soon as the wagons were sighted by the few settlers of the vicinity of the little village they began to come in from all directions upon some pretext or other. The principal object, of course, was a pardonable curiosity to find out who the newcomers were, and in open- hearted western fashion extend them a reception, which for simplic- . ity and elegance of stage-setting could hardly be surpass- ed. Dick Strong and Mr. Morrison wanted to borrow flour to put them through until a

fresh supply could be secured from Kearney. John Pollard came to in- vite the Graham family and the Ben Kellenbarger family to be his guests for the night in his new "soddy." Pollard was a little homesick at the time and he needed the company to cheer him up and replenish his "pep." The Thomas boys wished to see if any of their relatives were in the crowd. W. H. Reader, having no other excuse. came after a barrel of water. "Paddy" Kilfoil, see- ing the wagons lined up by the postoffice thought possibly someone might have a plug of tobacco to spare, so he walked down from where the Dale church now stands. "Paddy's" habitation in those days was a dugout. It was early in the spring but "Paddy" rushed the season enough to appear in a straw hat and linen duster. His salutation to the new-

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY. NEBRASKA

comers was, "Ye's have come to a moighty foine place."

The next day the settlers located on their respective homesteads and began active opera- tions. The most of them lived in their wagons until they could build sod houses.

SETTLING IN CUSTER CENTER

On the 28th day of November two young men, Omer M. Kem and Martin F. Blanken- ship, boarded the train at East Lynn, Vermil- ion county, Illinois, and came to the grand state of Nebraska for the purpose of home- steading land. On their arrival in Kearney they met with C. D. Pelham and John De- Merritt. two freighters from Custer county, who spoke highly of this country. The young men came with them to Pelham's store, then located northeast of the present site of Broken Bow, about one mile from the public square. There was no Broken Bow at that time as far as the town is concerned, but Mr. Pelham was postmaster of a very small postoffice called Broken Bow. After a few days' pros- pecting they selected claims near the present Custer Center and went back to Illinois. They returned to Custer county early in March of 1882 and located on their claims,- Mr. Kem three and one-half miles northwest of Broken Bow and Mr. Blankenship about five miles northwest. There were no churches or schools and their neighbors were few, but what they had were very friendly. H. C. Reyner. Charles S. Raymond. James D. Ream, and James Courtney with themselves consti- tuted the number. During the following fall and winter others located near them and by the spring of 1883 they had a lot of new neigh- bors, and good ones.

DOWN IN ASH CREEK VALLEY

In 1886 C. W. Prettyman pre-empted land in the Ash creek valley down near where the Ash creek empties into the Loup. He tells that he was preceded in that neighborhood by several other pioneers, among whom was his father. G. F. Almendinger. C. II. Landreth, and James King. The Prettyman claim was

only one-half mile from the King place, which made the King family his nearest neighbors. Ash creek is to-day one of the best localities in the county and gives no indication of the dugouts, sod houses, and log shacks of the early day.

HOW CUSTER COUNTY GOT BOB HUNTER

History of a country is made ofttimes by seemingly insignificant actions and experiences in the daily routine life of its inhabitants. which experiences are many and varied in the lives of its pioneers. Betimes a very trivial event leads to the location of a home. Some- times the very name of a city impresses those looking for a new location, as does the name Broken Bow, county seat of Custer county. which at once implies romance and commands interest ; at least such was the case of the Hunter family - which consisted of father. mother, and two small daughters - who had moved from a rich agricultural country in Illinois to Buffalo county, Nebraska, in 1885. As the summer of 1887-8 wore on, long wagon trains of freighters on their way from Broken Bow and vicinity. in Custer county, to Kear- ney. in Buffalo county, passed and repassed the modest prairie home of Robert A. Hunter and family.

Many stormy wintry nights the plain home. typical of western homes in hospitality, was filled to overflowing with the freighters, who always before leaving their own homes, pro- vided themselves with sufficient food for them- selves and provender for their horses for the journey and return. Kearney, about seventy- five miles from Broken Bow, being the nearest railroad town, was the shipping point for all Custer county, and furnished an enormous supply of all building materials and provisions for the inhabitants of the north country, as it was called by the residents of Buffalo coun- ty. These materials and provisions all had to be delivered to Custer county by freighters, who formed long wagon trails, sometimes as many as fifty wagons being in one trail, each wagon being mostly empty on the way to Kear- ney, as the settlers then had little to take to

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

market but much to return with for them- selves and for the little inland town of Broken Bow.

To these wagons were hitched from three to five horses, mules, or bronchos, sometimes abreast and ofttimes tandem. In pleasant weather the freighter camped by the roadside wherever the night found him, but in case of storms or sudden blizzards he sought the refuge of shelter in the sparsely settled homes along his route. These homes almost with- out exception were always hospitably open to them at any time, day or night.

Thus it was that the Hunter home was often the shelter of many freighters, and many and interesting tales were told by them of the north country, and of the many different draw- backs and advantages, which often sounded to their willing and interested listeners like tales of romance and adventure. Whether just or otherwise, all countries are to a certain de- gree judged by strangers according to the people representing them.

So impressed was Mr. Hunter by these de- scriptions of Custer county advantages that he became convinced that it must be a splen- did stock country, and the summer ( August 9, 1889) found the family headed for Broken Bow, where they at least hoped to be able to live six months in order to pay out and prove up on a homestead of 160 acres, for the right for which he had traded a broncho and sulky and harness.

THEY FILL UP THE TABLE

One of the first settlers on the west table- land was J. B. Klump, who took a homestead and timber claim in section 12. township 17. range 23, in March, 1883. D. W. Wediman and B. F. Cole were the first settlers on the northeast part of this table. Samuel High also located about the same time that Klump did, and dug a well 350 feet deep, but it was not a success. Within the same year there ar- rived three brothers by the name of Lang. with their father and mother, and John and ¡loses Truesdale. In the spring of 1885 came Peter F. Forney, Charles Blakeman, Charles

Zachary. Daniel Sweeney, and John Wehling. These settlers dug cisterns near the lagoons and cemented them, which held water from the melted snow and rains for some months. When the cisterns became dry the only re- course was to haul water in barrels from the valley two or three miles distant, and anyone who is acquainted with the steepness of the ascent up to the table-land can imagine what a task it was. In addition they often had to pay five cents per barrel for the water. As they not only had to haul water for their household use, but also for whatever stock they had, Mr. Forney started in to haul water in two barrels, but he soon found that process too slow. He had four horses, four head of cattle and some hogs, and as it took over half of his time hauling water, he almost begrudged the poor beasts what they wanted to drink.

FIRST OF THE DEEP WELLS

Peter Forney was the first man to put down a gravel well on the table. It was an iron- casing well, 444 feet deep and cost him six hundred dollars. For two years this well sup- plied the families of Wediman, Cox, Maupin, Hill, Blakeman, Taylor. Cooney, and Pike. Mr. Forney had to mortgage his farm in order to put down this well, and by the time it was paid for the interest, added to the principal, amounted to $1050.

At this writing this table-land is thickly settled. It has won the reputation of being the best wheat-producing portion of Custer county, and contains some splendid farms. Most of the sod buildings have given way to fine residences of wood, and the commodious barns and outbuildings impart a most prosper- ous appearance to the table. Windmills are seen by the score and the water problem no longer troubles the people of the community. The table is fifteen miles long and has an average width of four miles. From its edges, which rise almost abruptly from the valleys below, a magnificent view of the surrounding country can be had. The soil is exceedingly rich and fertile, and in favorable seasons very large crops are raised.

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

SETTLERS COME TO DALE

J. J. Downey writes as follows concerning Dale settlements :

"About the 10th day of June, 1889, in com- pany with R. D. McCarthy and family and two of his teamsters, we started for our future home in Custer county. We arrived at Seneca, where we found the beginning of a rising young town, it being one and a half miles up Clear creek from the present town of West- erville. We stayed over night at the house of George Copsey, one of the old pioneers of the place. We were now within one day's travel of our destination. We crossed over to the Muddy the next forenoon. We camped for dinner near the present site of Broken Bow. The only settlers we found close by were Wilson Hew- itt and Dan Lewis. Mr. Hewitt was the proprietor of a blacksmith shop. which we after- ward patronized. That evening we obtained our first view of the Muddy Flats, as it was called at that time. We paused on the brow of the table and the male portion of the company descended and threw up their hats with a "hurrah." for lo. and behold! there it lay in full view - the promised land. Descending from the table we arrived at the first settler's cabin, which. by the way, was not of sod. but cedar logs, the only one of its kind on the flats as far as l know. There we got some water and a kindly greeting from the proprietor, Sam Dunning. On our way from Dunning's place to our present location we passed the dugout of A. Thomas, a genial young bachelor. There were several other young men staying with him who had not yet erected their future mansions. It was now about sundown and four miles to the end of our journey. At about dusk

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History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 11

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180