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 25

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 25

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).

on the outside was below zero, and not much higher inside. It was frequently the duty of the editor to sally forth after dark. into a handy cornfield, with a two-bushel sack, to rustle enough fuel for the next day. One day a man whose field had been visited pretty often, came into the office and wanted to know how much it would cost to have a notice put in the paper. He said somebody was stealing his corn and he thought a piece in the paper would scare them off. We made a deal to publish a warn- ing against the offender for a dollar and a half, and no more corn was stolen from that field during the remainder of the winter. This shows the power of advertising.

MORE IMPROVEMENT

"During 1888 M. L. Savage built the pres- ent postoffice building. The Seven Valleys Bank building was also built the same year, as was a new store. by F. A. Clark & Company. The Seven Valleys Bank had been established the year previously, by J. Woods Smith and others. The Union Bank was established in 1888 by J. Woods Smith, J. E. Decker, and J. H. Decker. The spring of 1889 came, and still no railroad. The town was at a stand- still. The New Callaway project was practi- cally dead and the Vew Callaway Courier moved to the old town and became the Calla- way Courier. George B. Mair, the editor and publisher, was appointed postmaster. purchased the postoffice building and added another room, which has since been used as a printing office. R. E. Brega came to town during this year and established himself in the law busi- ness. Railroad rumors were rife and the Kearney & Black Hills Railroad Company was organized.

BUILD A MILL

"The magnificent water power afforded by the South Loup river had commended itself to the business men of Callaway, and many meetings were held to talk up the project of erecting a flouring mill, to be operated by water power. These meetings resulted in the formation of the Callaway Milling & Manufac- turing Company, which was composed of most

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

of the business men. In the fall of 1889 work was commenced on the dam across the Loup river, and the wheels of an up-to-date, modern roller mill began to move in the spring of 1890. A proposition to vote $8,600 bonds for the purpose of assisting the Kearney & Black Hills Railroad to build from Kearney to Calla- way, was submitted to the township and car- ried almost unanimously.

THE TRAIN ARRIVES

"Work on the old right of way commenced

sand dollars. A number of business enter- prises located in the new town, and liberal in- ducements were held out to the old town to move up in a body. It was supposed that the location of the depot would cause everything to rush to the Railroad addition at once, but such was not the case. Many of the old-town people were interested in old-town real estate, and if the town moved to the new addition it would become practically worthless. It was evident to a disinterested onlooker that the railroad addition was bound to win in the end,

IRD'S

HIVE

KHICELY

[Photo by S. D. Butcher]

STREET SCENE IN CALLAWAY IN 1895

at once, and on the 7th day of October, 1890, the first regular passenger train pulled into Callaway. The depot was located neither in the old town nor the new, but half way be- tween, on the farm of J. Woods Smith, which was purchased by the Callaway Improvement Company, on. which to lay out a new town of Callaway, now known as the Railroad addi- tion. Engineers of the railroad company laid out the town on a grand scale, large enough for a city of the first class, and some very good buildings were put up, among them being the Grand Pacific hotel, at a cost of over ten thou-

but the old-town people made a bitter fight. J. Woods Smith, being interested in the new town, moved his opera-house building over and also established a store there, in what was known as the Improvement building. Van- green Brothers moved up to the new town. A new drug store was established, with Dr. F. J. Greer as manager; Dierks Brothers and tlie Gilerost Lumber Company put in yards; a brick yard was established; and a large two- story building, known as the Grand Army building. was erected for store and lodge pur- poses. The newcomers who were attracted to

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

the locality by the advent of the railroad were not. of course, interested in the townsite fight, and mostly located in the new town.

MOVING DAY AT NIGHT

"Being satisfied that there was but one way for the contest to end, and wishing to bring it to a close as soon as possible, the postoffice was moved to the new town at midnight, by George B. Mair, without previous notice. The following morning, when the people of the old town found out what had happened, their wrath knew no bounds and all sorts of threats were indulged. The Courier was moved to the new town at the same time. So incensed were

master general. In a few months the depart- ment reinstated the postmaster, but the loca- tion of the office was fixed in the old town, whither it had been taken by the inspector at the time of his visit. Soon after this the en- tire old town capitulated and moved up to the new town, followed hy the postoffice some months later.

"The year 1891 was a season of big crops, and the new town enjoyed quite a boom. Money was plentiful and the business men had a fine trade. Many new buildings were erect- ed. among them being two large grain eleva- tors. The town was full of traveling men and strangers, and the townsite syndicate had suc-

....

[Photo by S. D. Butcher] A MIXED TRAIN COMING INTO CALLAWAY, OCTOBER 7, 1890

they, that the people of the old town refused to mail their letters at the postoffice, but sent them to the neighboring offices to be mailed. At the arrival of every mail they sent a mes- senger up to the postoffice with a sack, who collected all the mail for the old town business men and carried it down to the Bank of Calla- way, where it was redistributed. In the mean- time they were procuring signatures to a peti- tion and protest, which was forwarded to the postoffice department and which brought a postoffice inspector to investigate. The in- spector concluded that the postmaster had act- ed without due authority in moving the office, and his resignation was asked for. The post- master declined to resign, and he was removed and a temporary postmaster appointed by the inspector. pending the final decision of the post-

ceeded in interesting a number of eastern cap- italists in the town. Arrangements had been made for a big excursion at some future date, but in the meantime poor crops and partial failures followed, culminating in the drought period of 1894 and 1895, which drove away half the population of the county, and in which Callaway dwindled down from a hustling town of 600 people to a dead village of a little over 200. The people became almost panic-strick- en, and a cry went out for help that was re- sponded to from ocean to ocean, with a gen- crosity that has never been equaled. Grain. food, and goods of all kinds came into the country by the carloads, from almost every state in the Union, and serious suffering was prevented. The railroads, which have been said to have no souls, disproved the assertion

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

at this time, and they gladly offered free trans- portation for solicitors and supplies during all that trying period. Since then this locality has enjoyed fair crops. On the night of March 15. 1901. the principal business block was completely destroyed, entailing a loss of about fifty thousand dollars. This has result- ed in the passage of a fire-limits ordinance by the village board, and preparations are al- ready being made to rebuild the burned dis- trict with fine modern brick buildings."

CALLAWAY UP TO DATE

The following firms, and business and pro- fessional men lived in Callaway prior to 1900 but were not mentioned in the foregoing article by George B. Mair :

Drugs: W. J. Bean. E. R. Vining, Charles Root ; F. J. Drum, well machinery ; A. Pearson, photographer ; attorneys: John Reese, J. C. Naylor, and James Yates ; hardware: Bennet Maze and Charles Whaley; David Hopkins, grocery and confectionery; Walter Wood, furniture. Charles Gaines, manager ; Holway & Schneringer, first livery man; W. G. Gar- lock established a brick yard and made brick.

The following are Callaway business en- terprises since 1900 not mentioned be- fore: WV. I. Harrow, bakery; J. E. Felk- er, jewelry: M. F. Verry and Emma Van Eman, milliners; K. C. Kim, photograph- er ; Farmers State Bank (John Frederick, Sr., president, and John Frederick. Jr., vice-president ) ; live-stock dealers. John Fred- erick : Farmers Shipping Association : Farm- ers Elevator Company, William Reader, man- ager: Callaway Elevator Company. D. F. Burker, manager ; Kearney & Black Hills Rail- road, E. M. Wellman, agent : Higbce & Keyes, hardware; Charles Curtis & Company, hard- ware : Frank Hagin, restaurant ; Claude Pierce, restaurant : M. C. Schneringer, undertaker ; general merchants : Campbell & Tidd, Helton Roberts Company, Vangreen Brothers. W. L. Grimes : drugs: Robert Weiland, Walter Wright ; variety store, Clara Vangreen ; post- master. John Moran : barbers : Lewis Brothers, Dan Pearson, Tobe Vangreen ; physicians : J.

F. Davies, Albert Jolinson ; chiropractors, Lib- bie Leonard and Charles F. Nye.

Callaway has a first-class water and electric- light system: telephone exchange; four good church buildings ( Episcopal, Methodist Epis- copal, United Evangelical, and Catholic) ; an up-to-date high-school building, of which W. A. Rosin is superintendent ; four large, brick garages, as good as there is in the county. The Ford garage has a floor space of 12,500 square feet. They are represented by Walter Brittan, Charles Carothers. Henry Ridder, and Sherrel & Lowe Brothers. Real estate: Mc- Grew & Brabham. J. D. Troyer, George H. LaFleur, H. H. Andrews. I. C. Shupp. R. E. Brega, lawyer, real estate, and insurance. The Callaway Queen. Thomas Roberts, A. W. Ros- in. James C. Naylor, owners, and James C. Naylor editor.

The population of Callaway is about 900. The Callaway Milling Company has one of the best flouring mills in the state, operated with electricity.

THE COUNTY SEAT

The city of Broken Bow is located in town- ship 17, range 20. in the center of the county. near the head of the Muddy, a creek that runs through the town. The city enjoys the ad- vantage of fine schools and has seven churches, in which religious services are maintained. It has had no saloons for years. Business is good and the population is gradually increasing. Broken Bow is the county seat of Custer coun- ty. It is known far and near on account of the oddity of its name. The name was sug- gested by a chain of circumstances, rather than romance.

THE BROKEN BOW

In 1880 Wilson Hewitt, who was a home- steader near where the city is now located, on request of the few settlers in the vicinity, peti- tioned the government for a postoffice at his place and sent in a name he thought was ap- propriate. The postoffice department approv- ed the application for an office, but rejected the name, as a similar name had been granted

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

on another petition. Two or three other names were sent in, but were rejected for the same reason. Mr. Hewitt was a blacksmith and a hunter, and while out hunting one day he found, on an old Indian camping ground, a broken bow and arrow, which he carried home with him. He put them in a box in his shop. with some old irons, and thought nothing more about them. Some time afterward he received notice that the third name he had sent to Wash- ington had been rejected, and, going to the box after a piece of iron, he picked up the

mer owner of the bow, or any of the facts con- nected with it, is known.

Mr. Hewitt prized the broken bow as a relic and intended to keep it as a souvenir of the town's christening, but one day the hired girl was cleaning up around the yard and put the bow into the fire, with other rubbish. It was discovered, however, in time to save a fragment of it. The part saved is now in possession of E. R. Purcell, editor of the Custer County Chief, and is highly valued.

The townsite was located and plat filed in

[ Photo by S. D. Butcher] OLD MARBLE TOP HOTEL, BROKEN BOW, IN 1886, WITH DR. HULL AND HIS FAVORITE PONIES IN FRONT. LOCATION NOW OCCUPIED BY THE REALTY BLOCK

broken bow, and the name. "Broken Bow," came to his mind quickly. He determined to send it in as the name for his postoffice, sat- isfied that there was no other place of the same name in the state. He consulted his wife, and she being willing, the name was sent in and was accepted by the department. Just how the Indian bow came to be broken and left on the old camp ground, is only a matter of conjecture. Many stories have been invent- ed to account for it. and one old settler, Mrs. M. A. B. Martin, has written an Indian legend concerning it, which is reproduced on another page. Nothing whatever concerning the for-

June. 1882, by Jess Gandy. The postoffice, which was then kept by C. D. Pelham, who had a small stock of goods half a mile from the townsite, was moved to the new city, and hence Mr. Pelham enjoys the distinction of being the first merchant of Broken Bow, as well as its first postmaster. Wilson Hewitt had been elected county clerk the previous fall, and near the proposed townsite had built a sod house, which he occupied as his office. The county treasurer. C. T. Crawford, and the county superintendent, D. M. Amsberry, oc- casionally held forth in the same building, in the discharge of their respective official duties.

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Soon after the townsite was laid out, the town- site promoters provided temporary frame buildings for the county officers. County Clerk Hewitt and County Judge J. S. Benjamin oc- cupied a room on the west side of the public square, and the county treasurer and the coun- ty superintendent a building on the east side. This arrangement was continued until the fall of 1884, when the county built a frame building large enough to accommodate all four of the offices. The question of relocating the county seat was an issue during the summer and fall, and in this Broken Bow defeated Westerville, its rival. The county seat had been located previously near the South Loup, but the site had never been occupied, as the county records were always kept at the homes of the several county officers. The victory inspired courage, and many important battles have since been fought and won by a combined effort of the citizens. One of the first houses built was a sod building, by R. H. Miller, on the corner where the Broken Bow State Bank now stands. This was used for the family residence and also for a printing office. Mr. Miller estab- lished the first newspaper of the town, the Custer County Republican. The first issue of the Republican was June 29. 1882. The paper is still published in the city, and not only claims the distinction of being the first news- paper published at Broken Bow, but of being the oldest paper in the county. The present editor and publisher follows at the end of a long procession of former owners.

THE TOWN GROWS

During the summer of 1882 the following families located in the new town and engaged in business : Jess, James P., and A. W. Gandy, J. S. Kirkpatrick, C. W. West, J. H. Fleming, T. E. Wheeler & Company, G. W. Trefren, C. T. Crawford, C. D. Pelham, J L. Oxford, and R. H. Miller. J. P. Gandy built a log house in which he kept a few goods and ac- commodated the traveling public with mcals and lodging until a hotel was erected. J. H. Fleming built the first hotel, on the corner now occupied by the Grand Central. As the lumber and all building material had to be

freighted from Kearney by teams, it was a tedious task to build. By August Mr. Flem- ing had the Broken Bow hotel, a two-story structure, nearly completed to accommodate the public, and guests frequently had to put up with scanty fare, owing to lack of teams with which to freight the necessary provisions, but as Mrs. Fleming was a most excellent cook she made the best of what she had, and all were satisfied.

TWENTY-FIVE MILES FOR BUTTER

Frequently a team would be sent twenty-five miles to purchase butter, and would return with only a few pounds. J. H. West was the pro- prietor of the first drug store, and G. W. Tre- fren established a law office, being followed

BROKEN BOW STATE BANK

soon by J. S. Kirkpatrick, who was afterward a member of the Nebraska supreme-court com- mission. Mrs. T. E. Wheeler & Company put in the first stock of general merchandise, in October, 1882. Mrs. Wheeler had come from Aurora in August and contracted with the townsite company to build a store room in con- sideration of bringing in a stock of goods. .

She freighted the goods from Grand Island, by way of Loup City and Westerville. That winter Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler lived in the back part of the store room, with only a car- pet for a partition. C. T. Crawford built and occupied his house as a residence, restau- rant, and treasurer's office, the same fall. J. L. Oxford, one of the county commissioners, built the first feed barn, just east of the present site of the Grand Central hotel. ncar where Mr. Lee's barn now stands. Jess Gandy put in the

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

first butcher shop that summer, and bought his first beef from Judge Benjamin, who lived on a homestead adjoining the town on the north. The first school was taught by Mrs. M. E. Lewis, in a sod house.

THE TOWN STILL GROWS

With the spring of 1883 the population had more than trebled. Frank Crable added a Jum- ber yard, a much-needed branch of business. H. G. Rogers. a silent partner of T. E. Wheeler & Company, located here, bringing with him an additional stock of dry goods, valued at $10,000. He built a new store building in

publish it until June, 1888, when the plant was sold to the Central Nebraska Bank. R. H. Miller succeeded Mr. Beebe as editor.

The first church was built by the Methodists, in 1883. It was the first brick building in town. During this year the townsite was en- larged by additions made by J. P. and A. W. Gandy, and the sale of town lots to prospec- tive residents became brisk. The students of Blackstone were increased by two that winter, James Ledwich, who engaged in the law and real-estate business, and who later became one of the prominent men of the county, and C. J. Elliott, who came from Illinois, returning to

[ Photo by S. D. Butcher ]

FIRST PRINTING HOUSE IN BROKEN BOW

which to accommodate his goods, and Mrs. T. E. Wheeler & Company added a line of hard- ware. Miss Litta Mengle put in a stock of millinery and associated with her Miss Laura Morrison as dressmaker. Marcus Reyner add- . ed the second drug store, and'in October of the same' year L. H. Jewett established the Custer County Bank, which was the first bank in town, with S. II. Burnham, of Lincoln, as president, and Mr. Jewett as cashier. Silas A. Holcomb, subsequently governor of the state and at present a member of the state board of control, located in the town that sea- son and engaged in the practice of law. S. C. Beebe, publisher of the Custer County Icader. moved his paper from Westerville to Broken Bow in the spring of 1883, and continued to

that state after a few years. Up to this time the town had been without a practising physi- cian. The only one in the vicinity was Dr. R. C. Talbot, who lived on a homestead some eight miles away, and who protested against practicing medicine. Dr. Wyman Hull ap- peared on the scene and Dr. Talbot proposed to him that if he would locate in town he would turn over all his practice to him. The inducement was sufficient, and Dr. Hull at once secured a sod house that J. P. Gandy had built, and moved his family to Broken Bow. The Doctor did not prove a drawing card as a physician, and soon fitted up rooms in his house and engaged in the hotel business. As rains were quite frequent in the early days, his guests were frequently disturbed in their

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

slumbers by the roof leaking. To remedy this annoyance the Doctor covered the house with a heavy coating of cement, which gave his hos- telry the name of "The Marble Top." Mrs. Hull and daughter were fine cooks and good entertainers, while the Doctor was a happy hustler for business. They soon built up one of the best paying businesses in the town and the Marble Top became a celebrated name.

In 1884 the population of Broken Bow large- ly increased, and the demand for both resi- dence and business houses caused a number of buildings to be built. L. Lavender and W. D. Garlock, brickmakers, put in two yards and manufactured enough brick to supply the de- mand. The Commercial hotel was built that season, by J. P. Gandy and A. W. Gandy. D. M. Amsberry and G. W. Runyon built the three brick store rooms on the north side of the public square. A brick schoolhouse, in the southeastern part of town, and two dwelling houses, by Isaac Merchant and Steve Chaple, were built in the fall, and the frame buildings put up were numerous. With the influx of 1884 came Judge H. M. Sullivan, who has ever since been a leading citizen and closely identified with the development of the town, the county, and the state. A. R. Humphrey. who was subsequently commissioner of public lands and buildings, located here in 1884.

This season County Treasurer Talbot and County Superintendent Amsberry moved their families to town and each put up a residence. Among the new enterprises started in 1884 the principal were: Holland & McDonald, hard- ware and implements ; the Broken Bow Times, by Trefren and Meseraull ; Kloman & Arnold, bank ; Moore & Wright, real estate.

FIRST TOWN OFFICIALS

The village was incorporated that spring and the first officers appointed were: Isaac Mer- chant, president ; J. S. Kirkpatrick, Jess Gandy, and D. M. Amsberry, trustees; and E. P. Campbell, city attorney. The first officers elected were : Isaac Merchant, H. A. Graham, D. M. Amsberry, and J. S. Kirkpatrick, trus- tees ; H. M. Sullivan. attorney ; E. P. Campbell, clerk.

In 1886 the town received another substan- tial boost, by the arrival of R. O. Phillips, pres- ident of the Lincoln Townsite Company. He bought a half-section of land adjoining the town on the north, at big figures, and it re- sulted in corner lots going sky high. This was soon followed by the B. & M. Railroad sur- veyors up the Muddy valley, who included Broken Bow in their line of survey. Not only townsite speculators and business men rushed in to secure desirable town property, but with- in' a few months homesteaders had filed on all the desirable farming land in the vicinity. Among those who preceded the locomotive, or came soon after its arrival in that year, were: Freisheimer & Haeberle, druggists; S. B. Thompson and House, and B. S. Lilly, real estate agents; C. B. Hayes, boots and shoes ; J. C. Bowen, grocer; Hans Dierks, lumber ; Bogue & Sherwood, lumber ; the Chicago Lum- ber Company : W. H. Cline, general merchan- clise ; W. J. Woods, furniture ; Wilde & Squires, hardware; S. B. Frost, restaurant ; S. A. Bar- stow, contractor and builder ; Edwards & Emil, blacksmiths and wagonmakers; C. A. Thum, clothing: J. H. Inman, agent for the Lincoln Townsite Company. The railroad addition was surveyed and put on the market and a number of new buildings erected or commenced on the new addition, including a number of residences as well as business buildings. On the old townsite was built the Pacific hotel and Graham Brothers' store, which have since be- come the Grand Central hotel, one of the best equipped and best conducted hostelries in cen- tral Nebraska.

THE RAILROAD COMES

The B. & M. Railroad let no time go to waste after the survey was made. On August 26, 1886, the road was completed to Broken Bow and the first locomotive made its appearance in Custer county's rapidly growing capital. C. E. Wilkinson, of Lincoln, was the first sta- tion agent and telegraph operator, and after- ward served as mayor of the city. In the lat- ter part of this year O. P. Perley, a capitalist of Maine, located here and invested a large sum of money in the Custer County Bank. On

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY. NEBRASKA

the 15th of February, 1886, it was organized as the First National Bank, with S. H. Burn- ham, president ; L. H. Jewett, cashier, and O. P. Perley, assistant cashier. The following year the Central Nebraska Bank was estab- lished, with O. J. Collman, president, and J. H. Inman, cashier. The North Side Opera House block, the Inman hotel, the bank build- ing, and a number of smaller buildings for both business and residence purposes, were erected on the Lincoln Townsite Company's addition. Also in 1887, G. W. Frey built the large flour-

among which we may mention the Union block (by Taylor Flick, H. Walton, and M. Reyner ), the Realty block, the Inman and Globe hotels, Walton's and Blackman's barns, Morrison & Gandy's and W. C. Luce's feed mills, the Baptist, United Brethren, Presby- terian, Catholic, Christian, and Episcopal churches, the court house, two brick school- houses, the postoffice, and the I. O. O. F. building. The waterworks plant was put in under the supervision of C. A. Weeks, by a local company. The Bank of Commerce was

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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 25

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