History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 11

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011

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the Platte Valley. In 1857, one hundred and three miles of road had been laid out from Omaha, westward, including thirty-nine bridges. About that time Congress appro- priated $50,000 for the construction of a road to New Fort Kearny.

In 1859, the territorial legislature memorial- ized Congress to grant to John A. Latta, of Plattsmouth, 20,000 acres of land in the valley of the Platte River on condition that before October 1, 1861, he "shall place on said river a good and substantial steamboat and run the same between the mouth of said Platte River."

ONE TYPE OF THE FAMOUS CONCORD STAGE-COACH

or less; but afterwards this was reduced to two dollars and a half, this being in addition to the regular United States postage. Any great subsidy the promotors of this scheme figured on failed to realize, and such million dollar subsidy was reserved for slower mail contracts with the Overland Company, and by one maneuver after another the service lasted until it was discontinued when the telegraph line was completed late in 1861.

LAND HIGHWAY AND RIVER NAVIGATION

Before the completion of the Union Pacific, the council of the territorial legislatures not only chartered the Platte Valley & Pacific Railway Company but generally recognized that nine-tenths of the travel through Ne- braska to the Pacific coast would pass along

and Fort Kearny and do all necessary dredg- ing, "knowing that there is a sufficient volume of water in said river which is a thousand miles in length."

This vision of steamboats mooring on Grand Island never materialized beyond the minds of the ambitious planners.

THEN AND NOW

A person who now travels by rail or motors over country roads from southeastern Ne- braska to the site of old Fort Kearny, over the general region traversed by the Oregon Trail or its branches, encounters evidence of a wonderful change toward wealth and re- finement on every hand. This wonderful pic- ture of contrast applies with as equal force to Hall County as to any other Nebraska county.

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

OTHING.

FREIGHTING SCENES FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

The lower view represents the freighting train known as "Bull of the Woods," owned by Alexander and James Carlisle. From a photograph taken on Main Street, Nebraska City, looking east from Sixth street, and loaned by Mr. O. C. Morton. This train consisted of twenty-five wagons with six mules to each wagon, and was considered one of the finest outfits known to freighters.

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

The same succession of thriving cities and villages, connected by rail, telegraph, and tele- phone, and possessing happy, intelligent, and thriving populations, greets him on every hand. Then the road led across the naked prairie from the Missouri River - wide, hard, and bare. It followed no definite course, unless a general northwesterly direction could be so designated. It crossed bridgeless streams, tra- versed localities of great natural beauty and vast prairie meadows where millions of buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope were found. A few stage stations and ranches marked the course and sat out distinctly on the boundless and almost uninhabited prairie. The great thoroughfare was then traveled by as hete- rogeneous a mass of people as could be found anywhere in the world - merchants, capital- ists, freighters, prospectors, hunters, trappers, traders, soldiers, Indians, emigrants, Mor- mons, gamblers, adventurers, pleasure-seekers, tourists, and even representatives of foreign nations. Here and there an enterprising rancher supplied the freighters, soldiers, stage- drivers, emigrants, and travelers with food and drink - especially drink.

Mow the road leads along well-defined rowet of travel, with the road well graded, and begining especially with 1918, many parts of it hard-surfaced, with many miles each year to be so hard-surfaced under the ambitious, comprehensive road-building program pro- vi .for by the current legislature. Not only d the road of these times follow a definite

C but the telegraph and telephone poles .the side bear marked legends to guide jurist or driver. Streams are bridged, es yet with rickety wooden bridges formerly no bridge stood, but even more how with permanently constructed steel, or cement bridges. Annually the last med happy stage is drawing nearer all the route. Where there was only endless prale, there now open to the vista, magnifi- cent farm-homes, practically palaces many of them, with commodious barns well-comparing with the houses; innumerable sheds and smaller buildings; with many farms possess- ing not only an automobile or two, but very

frequently a tractor and a motor-truck and even power engines. Where formerly travel was by foot, by horse-back, wagon, or coach now the fast high-powered automobiles shoot past, and the old stage-wagon for taking pro- visions to the railroad which gave away to modern light wagons is the almost forgotten fore-runner of the swift truck. What the old national highway was to the great plains, what the welcome transcontinental Union Pacific became, even now the granddaughter of the old trail, the permanently constructed high- way, bids fair to become - and very soon at that.

"There are highways born, the old roads die - Can you read what once they said, From the way-worn ditch and the sunflower clump, And the needs of folk long dead."

THE MORMONS

In the first chapter we have treated of the travels of the explorers through the Platte Valley; in the preceding chapter we have nar- rated the Indian occupation and have treated generally the general travel of all classes through this region on the Overland Trail.

After the explorers and Indians, the first organized bands of people to traverse Hall County, the Mormons rolled in, recently ex- pelled from Nauvoo. Commencing back in the '30's at Kirkland, Ohio, this people seemed to be the special subject of persecution wher- ever they stopped. Going down to Jackson County, Missouri, their presence had led to turmoil, and from there they went back to Illinois and tried it again. But there they could not even hold their new temple, and they were compelled once more to leave. They journeyed to Iowa, and for a time had prac- tically complete possession of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, of which Council Bluffs be- came the county seat, finally . crossing the Missouri River during the years 1845 and '46, locating about six miles north of Omaha, at what is now known as Florence, but which they then termed "Winter Quarters." Here

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

about 15,000 people were congregated. But when they arrived on this side of the Mis- souri, the turmoil and devastation caused by the presence of 15,000 non-producers nat- urally excited the anger of the Indians, to whom the land then belonged. They at once concluded the Mormons were cutting too much timber, and made this complaint effec- tive enough to result in the invader moving on. So far as Hall County was concerned, the exodus of these first Mormons was noth- ing more than a transitory passage through its southern part, or even farther south along the other road. Salt Lake had been picked out as their destination and it was there they kept headed for.

But in the spring of 1858, very shortly after the first permanent settlers reached the county, a band of Mormons came in, who stopped here, for a time at least. They opened up a number of farms on Wood River, and formed a settlement approximately where the present town of Shelton is located. Al- though this last-named location is perhaps a half-mile west of the Hall County line, the farms that belonged to this settlement were scattered for several miles toward Wood River, and spread out into western Hall County.

The Mormons, during their presence here, established the first newspaper in this vicinity, The Huntsman's Echo. In the spring of 1863 the Mormons moved to Salt Lake.

Their Saints, or bigamists, voluptuaries, or adulterers, or whatever one might call them, according to personal views, were at least no drones. Wherever they settled in the wilder- ness, they caused a garden spot to spring forth. Wherever these people dwelt, there everything was under the control of the church. Idleness and dissipation were not tolerated. They needed no jail. Although polygamy was permitted, and, in fact, no doubt encouraged, it is not considered proba- ble by students of the question that more than ten per cent of all the men had plural wives, and the strangest feature was that the women were the strongest defenders of the system. Work was the order of the day until the crops

were raised, harvested, and gathered, the tithing was paid and the poor provided for, then the winter was devoted to dancing and orderly amusements, encouraged by the clergy and conducted with utmost decorum, their balls usually being opened and closed with prayer.

But the presence of these families for the temporary period of residence had no per- manent effect on Hall County or the state of Nebraska. There are living within the state those who entertain the Mormon faith, with- out the practice of polygamy, of course, and pursuing the orderly course of their belief, hardly different from other religious faiths.

THE GOLD HUNTERS

Next after the Mormons came the flood of emigrants to California, in search of that most seductive, that most powerful metal known to man, gold. The fever of 1849 swept over the nation, and literally thousands upon thousands wended their anxious way through the valley of the Platte. This mov- ing host also left no permanent impress upon Hall County or the Platte Valley. But not so with the effect of the land upon some of them. The land so charmed the eye of many and created so abiding an impression on the mind of many beholders, that after going forth to the west and becoming wearied with the unequal contest of the camp, or downed by the overwhelming vicissitudes of prospecting, they abandoned the pick and spade for the surer implements of husbandry. Remembering the beautiful valleys, they straggled back and settled along the Overland Trail or new trans- continental highways to amass a competence for their declining years, on the slower but surer plan.

ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT SETTLERS

The detailed stories of the arrival of the first permanent settlers of the various locali- ties is told in this and other chapters of this work. The first brave colony to arrive in 1857 near Grand Island has been treated here- tofore, and the story told in their own words. The passage of the Mormons, their temporary

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

settlement at the west border of the county, has been recounted. The pioneer settlements in the southwestern quarter of the county will be narrated in the story of the Wood River Valley. Throughout the county, during the sixties, here and there small groups of pio- neers picked out their farms and made settle- ments which developed into communities and into townships. These will be reached as the stories of the various townships are covered in the following chapters. Here and there a little town started, but soon expired. The earliest instance of such was a settlement about seven miles west of the first town, called Mendotte. Four houses were erected there by David Crocker, William Roberts, M. Potts, and Billy Painter. The town was abandoned soon after, and the site was ocupied by David Crocker, who later sold his claim and moved to Santa Barbara, California.

THE COWBOY REGIME

The early pages of Hall County history are written to some extent in blood, but not so much as many of its neighboring counties. Along with the tales of massacres by prowl- ing and vengeful Indians there were nume- rous encounters with the lawless element in- cident to life beyond the reach of the arm of the law and justice - the confidence man and gambler. But the establishment of the county government, with the forces of law, even if rudimentary in character and machinery, so early after the settlement of the community, placed an early and somewhat effective check upon wholesale lewlessness, when compared with other communities. Occasional "old time" cowboys with a determination to "shoot up" the town and lawbreakers of all kinds newly escaped from the east would naturally drift in and raise a variety of disturbances. The desperado and the gambler, the floater who would follow the railroad construction, all appeared, but they did not remain long. The character of the class of sturdy pioneers who settled the Platte Valley through Hall County was of too sterling and practical a make-up to long countenance deliberate out- lawry with all that it begets. So all scum of civilization passed on.

For the cowboy proper, with all of his dis- tinctive individuality and pronounced traits, Hall County never became very extensively his abode. In its swift evolution of the virgin prairie of the Platte and Wood River valleys to homestead, such harrowing incidents of long border feuds and bitter warfare between ranchers and homesteader, Hall County es- caped with the minimum amount. The long bitter contention, continuous parleying, and too frequent bloodshed between cowboy occu- pant and pioneer homesteader as fell to the lot of Custer and other counties west of us, Hall County was fortunate enough to evade.

In the late fifties and early sixties, when the early pioneers of Hall County were arriving, the cattle industry in the Great Plains had taken on vast proportions. Great herds of cattle from Texas and the "Pan Handle" were in full possession of "No Man's Land" of western Nebraska and western Kansas.

Great tracts to the west and northwest of Hall County became literally swarmed with thousands of "rangers." The cattle kings seized upon good herding grounds and built home ranches on every available watercourse, to the exclusion of actual settlers desiring to make a small home-place. Once in their pos- session, some of the cattle kings held to the country in defiance of all herd laws and home- stead laws. The struggle still continues in a much modified and bloodless form in territory not far away from Hall County, but after fifty or sixty years have passed it is within the com- mercial trade territory of Hall County's thriv- ing metropolitan city, Grand Island.

But like the North Loup country to the north of us, Hall County had the good for- tune to become established as a realm of small farms and homes before the rancher and cattle king reached her prairie in full force. The main brunt of the bloody struggles of that era centered around Sidney, Ogallala, Plum Creek (now Lexington) and up into Custer County. Many of these characters visited Grand Island frequently, and oc- casionally bloody episodes occurred here. But in the main, Hall County, compared to her neighboring counties to the west, can write her history of the cowboy regime in e Digitized by

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

about as many pages as Custer County must have chapters to cover the same phase of her existence and devolopment. But there are a few incidents of those days, while they may have occurred outside of Hall County's boun- daries, had their effect on the life of the day and maintain their interest in this phase of the history of central Nebraska.

The years 1877 and 1878 witnessed a great influx of settlers to Custer County. The fine bottom lands along the water courses became settled and it really began to look as though the great herds of cattle would soon be en- tirely excluded from their old watering places. This, to them seeming a gross injustice, an- gered the cattlemen, especially as it was the general opinion that only the bottom lands were fit for agriculture; these occupied by farmers would render practically valueless for grazing the thousands of acres of unwatered hill country. Custer County, they argued, was a natural grazing country, and should be maintained as such. Another and the im- mediate cause of many deeds of violence was the prevalence of "cattle rustling."

It will be borne in mind that the cattlemen allowed their stock to roam at will over the range. This meant for months at a time per- haps they would be beyond their owners' reach, who saw them usually but once a year at the annual "round up." The straying cattle would thus fall an easy prey to un- scrupulous characters, who would coolly shoot . the true significance of Hall County's escape them down, slaughter them, and haul them by wagon load to the nearest railroad station for shipment. This traffic took on vast propor- tions before the catlemen could notice their losses. It must be remembered that this was before the Burlington railroad was built to the northwest out of Grand Island. In those days everyone, cattleman, homesteader, out- law, or rustler, to communicate with the out- side world and secure supplies or ship out freight, must needs come to Grand Island, or go over to the Union Pacific at Kearney or Plum Creek.

When finally the cattle people woke to a full realization of what was happening their rage knew no limits, and death by lynching

would have been considered almost too good for a culprit caught in the act of rustling. The real thieves were and remained unknown. The cowboys, already prejudiced against the settlers, naturally enough charged these crimes to the latter. That the settlers did occasionally shoot and slaughter a beef or two there can be little doubt - nor was it more than fair recompense for their ruined crops - but that they were guilty of such wholesale slaughter and exportation no one believes for a moment. These crimes must be laid at the door of cattle thieves from the state at large.

THE MITCHELL-KETCHUM AND OLIVE TRAGEDY ·

Matters went from bad to worse till the cattlemen in their desperation resolved to drive the settlers to a man from the country. This initiated a state of lawlessness very seldom equalled in border feuds. Cold blooded murder, in its most cruel form, was repeatedly committed, and no man's life or property was deemed safe. The climax of all this misery was the murder and burning of Luther Mitchell and Ami Ketchum - one of the most dastardly crimes ever chronicled in the history of any nation. So gruesome are the details of this heartrending tragedy that we almost rebel against repeating them in this narrative. But it is deemed advisable to do so in order to better impress our readers with from the worst features of the cowboy regime.

"One of the most wealthy of the cattle- owners of Nebraska was I. P. Olive, who owned many thousand head of stock that found pasturage in Custer County. He had. from time to time, lost a great many animals, some of them undoubtedly stolen by cattle thieves. For this reason he became the prime mover in the attempt to expel the settlers from Custer County. His headquarters were in this county, although he resided in Plum Creek, Dawson County. He had come to Ne- braska from Texas on account of having been concerned in the killing of several men while there, and it is said that he had been guilty of

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other murders. Fearing both legal and personal fession, seemed to implicate Ami Ketchum. vengeance, he fled to Nebraska. He was "Stevens, or Bob Olive, was well known as accompanied by his brother, Robert Olive, a desperado, and it was also known that he. who had, to prevent all knowledge of his and Ketchum were enemies. Yet Sheriff David whereabouts, assumed the name of Stevens.1 . Anderson, of Buffalo County, made him "Luther M. Mitchell and Ami Ketchum were homesteaders, living on Clear Creek, where they had made a settlement some time previous. Mitchell was an old man, sixty- three years of age, a farmer, who had re- moved here from Merrick County. Ketchum had resided in the state for some years and had worked at his trade, that of a blacksmith, deputy for the occasion, and gave him a warrant for the arrest of Ketchum. This warrant was sworn out by some members of the Olive gang, and it has been a question whether this warrant was gotten out in good faith, believing Ketchum to be a cattle thief, or merely as a pretext to get him into the custody of the Olives. It is now generally

EARLY SCENE IN WESTERN NEBRASKA

in several towns, but, having decided to go to farming, he entered a homestead here.

"For sometime there had been trouble be- tween the Olives and Ketchum. In the at- tempt to frighten or drive the settlers from the county, they found Ketchum too courag- cous to be frightened, and too quick and accu- rate in the use of firearms to be driven success- fully. Between Stevens, or Bob Olive, and Ketchum, there had been a great deal of diffi- culty. Stevens, as he was then known, had on several occasions threatened to kill Ket- chum and had also accused him of stealing cattle.

"Some days previous to the trouble that re- sulted in the death of Stevens, one Manley Capel had been arrested on the charge of steal- ing cattle in Custer County, and in his con-

thought that Ketchum was innocent of any crime, that he was merely a peaceable settler whom Stevens was anxious to kill on account of the old emnity, and because he could not be driven from the country by threats. It is also generally believed that had he fallen into Stevens's hands, he would have been killed on some pretext or other; that there are reasons to believe these opinions to be correct, the following sketch of the ensuing tragedy will show.

"Stevens engaged three others to accom- pany him, all rough and desperate men, among whom was Barney Armstrong, and proceeded

1 There are numerous accounts of this tragedy, but one of the shorter and most concise accounts is that appearing in The Trail of the Loup, by Has- kell and Foght, and with permission the editors of this work have adopted that one.

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to the home of Ketchum, arriving there on Wednesday morning, November 27, 1878. Mitchell and Ketchum were getting ready on that morning to go to a neighbor's to return a bull they had been keeping. Mrs. Mitchell was preparing to go with them to visit the family of this neighbor - one Mr. Dows - during the day. When they were nearly ready to start, a stranger rode up and asked Ket- chum, who was a blacksmith, to shoe his horse. Ketchum told him that he could not on that day, and asked him to return the next morn- ing, which he promised to do and rode off. It has since been supposed that he came there in the interests of the Olives, to see if the in- tended victims were there. Mitchell and Ketchum had put their rifles in the wagon, hoping to see some game on their journey. Ketchum also took his pistol, which he always carried, from the fact of Stevens having threatened his life.

"While the men were taking care of the animal, Mrs. Mitchell took her place on the seat to hold the team. While Mitchell and Ketchum were tying the bull to the axle of the wagon and gathering in the long lariat rope by which it was tied, Mrs. Mitchell observed a party of men riding toward them, but it at- tracted no particular attention, as they were frequently visited by hunters and land seekers. As these men came up, they dashed along four abreast, and when they came near, began shooting. Stevens, or Bob Olive, was the first to fire, and as he did so, he called to Ketchum to throw up his hands. For reply, Ketchum drew his pistol, and, at his first shot, Stevens fell forward in his saddle, mortally wounded. Meanwhile the other men kept up the shooting, and Ketchum was wounded in the arm. The children came running out of the house, when one of the men began firing at them but with- out effect. Mitchell reached into the wagon, secured his rifle and began firing, but Stevens now turned and rode off, and he was soon followed by the remaining cowboys. There were from twenty-five to thirty shots fired, but only with the effect stated. As soon as the cowboys had ridden away, Mitchell and Ket- chum packed up a few of their household

goods and started to go to Merrick County, where Mitchell had formerly lived. They did this as they feared violence from the now en- raged cowboys. Arriving in Merrick County, they went directly to the residence of Dr. Barnes to attend to Ketchum's wounds. The next morning, acting upon the advice of their friends, the men, Mitchell and Ketchum, hav- ing secured a place of safety for Mrs. Mitchell and the children, started for Custer County, to give themselves up and stand a trial for the killing of Stevens. On their way, when they reached Loup City, they visited Judge Wall for legal advice. Judge Wall advised them to go no farther, as the cowboys were waiting for them, prepared to lynch them. They re- mained there two or three days, and then went to the house of John R. Baker, on Oak Creek, in Howard County, where they were arrested by Sheriff William Letcher, of Merrick County, and Sherriff F. W. Crew, of Howard County, giving themselves readily into cus- tody.

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History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 11

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co. Number of Pages: 1011

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011