USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 77
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 77
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Gee, but this county would be in a bad way if ealled upon to all go out and have a real celebration for it is a matter of reeord that we would only have an average of $25.00 each to spend. It is sworn to that we have only $875,485 in banks subject to our order. It wouldn't hardly buy the gasoline for all of us to go to the state fair. In addition to that a few lucky or provident devils have some bonds, other than liberty bonds, and they are valued at $72,380. Sorry we seemed a bit sarcastic in the above for we later learn that there are in the county 130 safes and of course most of the money is in them, safe from the too inquisitive eye of the tax shark. There is $60,000 standing on open account in the county and if you fellows will get together and agree to do it we will sell it for you at the face value and that is certainly all you could expect.
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
Wouldn't it be fine to have every account in the county cleaned up? Let's get busy.
The elevator men get off easy for they claim that the amount of their holdings in the county to be but about $60,000.
What do you know about it. We have in Clay County seven steamboats or water crafts and they are valued at an average of $2.00 each. The gross tonnage of our fleet would not paralyze Lloyds but we are assured that it is a guaranteed blister maker.
Page John D. We have in this county 2,430 automobiles and their assessed value is $177,871, making an average of $73.19. There be those who claim this figure is too low but flivver owners predominate and many of them claim the assessment to be robbery. Personally we think it is, but the robbery is from the county. The next item on the abstract tickles us immensely for it proves to us that no man can be so accurate but that once in a long, long time he will make an error. Deputy County Clerk Perry don't make mistakes. In the nigh onto a half century that we have been his intimate we have never known him to be wrong except in the one instance when he selected democratic parentage, but here we find in bold Carter's best black ink the statement that in this county we harbor, some way we always seem to connect "harbor" with adjacent water, anyway he says we harbor 1,500 dogs and that their average assessed value is $19.94 each.
It is only fitting that in the home county of the greatest incubator factory in the world there should be found 12,000 dozen hens, including of course the henrys too, and the actual value as given for assessment is $10.00 per dozen. Pardon this Methodist sigh, but we cannot help but think of the day when a hen was worth 25 cents, no more, no less.
We have in this county 18,685 hogs and their assessed average is $3.33 and of Wm. Goats and Baa Baa's we have 997 valued for assessment purposes at $2.62 each.
The assessed values and quantity of various cereals and food products is as follows: Wheat, 121,992 bushels assessed at 39c; rye, 3,805 bushels at 21c; corn, 297,453 at 20c; oats, 160,587 at 12c; kaffir corn, 9,335 at 5c; barley, 11,378 at 22e ; grass seeds, 155 at $2.72; potatoes, 407 bushels at 48c.
There was reported over $5,000 worth of typewriters. We know of one auburn haired typewriter whose employer is quoted as saying that he would not take a fortune for, but he probably did not make a return on her.
The assessed value of the railroad property in this county as certified by the state Board of Equalization is $1,072,607 and the Pullman assessment is on $2,790.
We have 254,511 acres of improved land and its actual value is given at $25,915,165 while 106,400 acres of unimproved land is valued actually at $10,544,555. Actual value of improvements is given at $2,294,250. Our total taxable lands and improvements are valued at $38,754,170 and consist of 360,911 acres. There are in the county 5,168 improved lots and their actual value is $897,220 while there are 3,356 unimproved lots valued at $267,735.
Clay County's total assessed valuation is $11,352,639 so when you go away from home don't be ashamed to say that you came from Clay County for you live in one of the best counties in the world.
CHAPTER VI
SUTTON
SUTTON-SKETCH OF SUTTON, BY R. G. BROWN-GRADUAL GROWTH, IN THE SEVENTIES -COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF SUTTON-BANKS-CITY GOVERNMENT-SCHOOL OFFICIALS-CHURCHES.
Sutton is the center of new associations. It borrows no propelling power from venerated antiquarianism since the spot where it now stands was but yesterday the prairie. Her first settlers were iron-souled men, who determined to hew out a town and build up a prosperous community. They had a mission which they performed, and so effectually done was the work that it appears to grow in solidity with the years and to be done for all time. Sutton is the oldest town in Clay County, the largest in point of population and business, and the lowest in elevation above sea level. Its early history is interesting in every particular and instructive in many.
It leaped within twenty-one months from a tract of wild prairie into a pretentious county seat, and within that time entered the lists against the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad legions. Throughout this war against a powerful corporation, the people conducted themselves with remarkable modera- tion, and justice won for once against oppression.
This victory became the theme of George W. Bemis, and in the fall of 1872, he sent the following poem, "Grafton to Sutton," to the M. S. S. Journal, then issued by the members of the I. O. G. T. Lodge, and published in the State Journal in 1873 :
"What a elanking of hammers and ringing of saws; How they sound through the valleys and ring in the draws; Oh, Sutton is growing, in the midst of the fray, With the city of Grafton only four miles away.
"How the B. & M. engines shriek, whistle and squall, And send forth the order that Sutton must fall ; How they thunder and mutter and groan night and day, With the city of Grafton only three miles away.
"Then came Mr. Marthis, and thus he did say,
'I am tired of Grafton ; if only I may, I'll come down to Sutton, without delay.' Soon Grafton will be only two miles away.
"Then started the wagons and horses and men, The steeds, how they foamed, as a whip now and then,
('ame down on their sides, near the close of the day, With the city of Grafton only one mile away.
"Then rushed down the hill the black and the gray,
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SUTTON ABOUT 1878
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IHISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
Closely followed the crowd to have sport on the way, And the shout that went up at the end of the fray, Said 'The city of Grafton is in Sutton today.' "
The town site, named after Sutton, Massachusetts, was entered as a home- stead, March 14, 1870, by Luther French, a native of Painesville, Ohio. On June 5, that year, he located on Section 2, Township 7, Range 5, and, before the close of that month, finished the first house in old School Creek precinet, on the bank of the creek. Meantime he broke six acres of the prairie and showed evidences that the requirments of the homestead law would be fulfilled on his part, and surveyed the town site, August 10, 1871, into six hundred lots. He was followed by James C. Vroman, who located a soldier's homestead south of the French claim. Early in 1871, French put in four acres of wheat, which he threshed that fall by the treading-out process, and winnowed in the wind. The grain was hauled forty-eight miles to Milford, to be ground.
The Gray settlement was made May 4, 1871, by H. W. Gray, John M. Gray, G. W. Bemis, and W. Cunning and wife, the latter being the first white woman who settled near town. A few days later MeTighe erected a board shanty between the homes of H. W. Gray and A. A. McCoy (as they stood in 1882), and opened the first business house, continuing there until the re-location near the railroad. Kearney & Kelly started a saloon, using a tent as store-house and P. H. Curran and Martin Higgins also established saloons. As the work of rail- road building progressed the saloons moved west.
In June, 1871, Andrew Sherwood established his blacksmith shop in a sod-house, below Mr. French's dug-out. J. R. Maltby, of Crete, and William A. Way also came, and jumping Vroman's claim succeeded in getting it can- celed and a title issued to themselves. The old Vroman elaim they surveyed in February, 1873, as the first addition to the town of Sutton.
Thurlow Weed brought a carload of humber from Lincoln to this point, August 23, 1871, and opened the first lumber yard. John M. Gray arrived with another carload on August 24, and started another yard.
A SKETCH OF SUTTON PREPARED FOR COURT HOUSE DEDICATION BY R. G. BROWN, GIVES A BIRDS-EYE PERSPECTIVE OF SUTTON'S GROWTH
Sutton was first known as School Creek. My visit here was in July, 1871.
At that time the B. & M. R. R. (now the Burlington), was being built. There was then three saloons and one little supply store, all in tents and de- pending mostly on the railroad graders for business. Luther French was the homesteader of the 80 acres afterwards laid out as the original town of Sutton, and was the first postmaster. James Vroman, a former soldier had a home- stead on what is now the first addition to the town. He was very hard run, and had gone away to work for a few months. W. A. Way and J. T. Maltby, of Lincoln, learning of his absence, filed a contest against the land (jumped the land as it was called at that time). Vroman knowing nothing of this contest, failed to appear, and Way and Maltby secured the land.
The railroad was completed to School Creek about August 1, 1871, and small frame shacks soon took the place of tents, and a freight car was used as a depot for some time. At that time all depot ground and townsites along this road
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
were owned by the townsite company composed of officers of the road, and in the spring of 1872 the depot and station was removed from here to old Grafton, then four miles east of Sutton, and all trains passed through Sutton withont stopping, except to stop for water, and all passengers and freight for Sutton was hauled from Grafton. This condition existed for sometime, until the owners of the townsite of Sutton conveyed to the townsite company one-half of all the lots in the original town and first addition. After the return of the station, Sutton began to improve rapidly and while it has never had what might be called a boom, its growth has been steady, and it has continued to be the largest town in the county.
October 14, 1871, Clay county was organized at an election held at the residence of Alexander Hamilton, three miles east of Harvard. At that election 54 votes were cast and Sutton was selected as the county seat of the county and all the county officers elected were residents of Sutton and vicinity. Abont November 1, 1871, I built a small room on Sanders Avenne, the first building to be built on this main street of the city and it was used as a court house until a small court house was built about 300 feet east. My deed for the lot on which my little office was built is recorded on page one, book one, deeds records of this county, the first deed recorded in this county.
The first business man of Sutton was P. MeTighe, who kept a few groceries and supplies. The others followed in this order: Phillip Curran, saloon; Mar- tin Higgins, saloon ; Kelly & Kearney, saloon; Peck & Tracy, eating house, and small store; B. J. Grant of Lincoln, and H. W. and J. M. Gray, lumber yard ; Coorey & Company, general store: Thompson & Young, agriculture, imple- ments; C. M. Turner, general store ; George Stewart & Co., general store; George Honey, furniture; M. Wittenburg. restaurant and then a genral store; T. R. & W. R. Linton, livery stable; William Shirtly, hotel; Dr. M. V. Clark was the first doctor, followed soon after by Dr. M. W. Wilson. I was the first attorney. followed soon after by H. W. Gray, A. A. MeCoy. J. S. Lehew, J. L. Lamont, G. W. Bemis and others.
The first school was taught by W. L. Weed, a private school, while Miss Lydia Tout was the first public school teacher.
There has been comparatively few business failures in Sutton, as most of them were and are today very conservative. The population today is largely retired farmers and mostly German with seven German churches, two American, and one Catholic church. Two school houses, one the fine high school costing $50.000. The population of the city today is about 2,500 and the prospects for improvement and growth in the future will be slow. The city owns its water and electric light plant costing about $65,000, much more than it should have cost. We are paying more for electric light than we paid under private owner- ship besides paying interest upon the bonds.
While it might not seem proper for me to speak of the removal of the county seat from Sutton to Clay Center, at the same time the real facts should be known, so that future generations should know the right. An election for the removal and re-location of the county seat had been called for, and Edgar, Fairfield. Harvard and Sutton were the candidates. The strong influence of the B. & M. R. R. (now the Burlington) was for Harvard and the people of Sutton were convinced that the time had come when they must lose the county
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
seat and owing to the treatment our town had received from the railroad, and they were very anxious that it should not go to Harvard, and to prevent this, a meeting was held and a small committee was named of which I was chairman, to look after the whole matter and see that Harvard did not get the coveted county seat.
We soon became convinced that unless another candidate was brought to the field, Harvard would win out. I went down and saw several of the people owning land near the center of the county, and not one of them would consent to lay out and plat a part of their land as candidate. For reasons easily under- stood, I did not desire to do it myself. O. P. Alexander of Fairfield, then sheriff of the county, was sent to Lincoln and directed to buy the 80 acres on which this new court house will stand. I then went to Harvard and took John Flem- ing, the county surveyor, down to lay ont the future county seat. It was very cold and snow was badly drifted on the land. A few laths were stuck in the snow, and we returned to Harvard and that evening F. A. Pyle, of Sutton, made a rule plat just as I directed, and next morning I went to Harvard and had Mr. Fleming sign the plat, and then Mr. Alexander sign the dedication and filed it with the county clerk, and a new candidate, Clay Center was born.
There was much excitement in the two elections that followed, and the final struggle was between Harvard and our paper town, Clay Center. Hun- dreds, yes, almost thousands of frandulant votes were cast, but Clay Center won out by a good majority. I have never regretted my part in the bringing of Clay Center into existence, as I believed it for the best interest of the people of the county, and I hope it may prosper, and the fine new court house here dedicated may become a temple of justice of which we may be very proud.
GRADUAL GROWTH
Referring back to the period of the seventies. Asa Tracy kept the first hotel and later conducted a store. Charles Calkins was similarly engaged here. Mr. Lynch's grocery was in the building occupied by Bagley & Bemis, in 1882. Thornton R. Linton established the first livery, September 20, 1871; and on October 14, an election held at Campbell's house, near Harvard, decided in favor of Sutton as the county seat.
The post office was established in June, 1871, with Luther French post- master, whose coat-pocket was used as a post office. Rev. A. Burlingame, who was at one time a Methodist preacher, succeeded French, January 1, 1872, and on July 1, that year, the salary of the office was increased from twelve dollars to four hundred dollars. On July 1, 1873, it was created a money order office, and on the 7th, the first order, for $10.50, was issued to Russell Merrill in favor of Burns, the Omaha merchant.
During the war between the town and the railroad, Postmaster General Cressell favored the claims of Sutton and forced the railroad company to deliver the mail at the office, which was just within the eighty rods limit. This was changed, and the train men were ordered not to stop at Sutton, thus compelling the mail agent to snatch the sack from the postmaster.
On August 19, 1872, Burlingame refused to so deliver the sacks, leaving them in the office. The railroad company introduced a war against the local
646
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
postmaster, who reported matters, and the company was compelled to carry the mail from Grafton to Sutton. T. R. Linton, the freighter, was hired to do this work, and performed it at one hundred dollars for three months, un- til the company grew tired of the expense and petitioned for leave to deliver at Sutton. This was granted, and a mail crane was erected opposite Gray's lumber yard, in the fall of 1872. Sometimes pranks would be indulged in, one of which was the hanging of a dead dog on the crane, which the mail caught at, supposing it to be a mail sack. The crane was ent down subse- quently, and, by some railroad influence, a United States carrier was ap- pointed, who served until the little war was ended and a depot established here. In March, 1877, A. C. Burlingame was appointed postmaster. A. C. Burlingame served after the death of his father until W. T. Stone was ap- pointed postmaster by the Arthur administration. W. T. Keller came in 1887, and J. W. Johnson, appoined in vacation in the fall of 1889, and was confirmed as postmaster in 1890. Later, Jno. H. Tower served for a long term, Mrs. A. W. Clark as deputy, and for past six years Edw. P. Griess has served.
The railroad war dates back almost to August 12, 1871, when the first rail of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was placed within the township of Sutton. Shortly after Attorney Joseph Wilsey, of Crete, waited on French and indneed him to give right of way on condition that a depot should be established at Sutton. This deed was not recorded until after his deed to the Clark brothers was filed, and so became worthless. The company, however, placed a freight car here to be used as a depot building. It was Number 124, and this number was painted on a bleached buffalo skull, which was suspended from a pole attached to one end of the car. On the town of Grafton being sur- veyed for the railroad company, this temporary depot was moved four and one-half miles east of Sutton, basing their action on the fact that Sutton was given up to saloons, and that the Vroman claim was still unsettled. This peculiar transfer was made December 15 and 16, 1871. The war was then commenced in earnest.
The Vroman title was settled, and in January, 1872, Mr. Weed was author- ized to offer the railroad company one-half of Clark, Maltby & Way's addition and twenty acres of Maltby & Way's lands, on condition that the depot be re- established. Other steps were taken, but without avail, and not until April, 1873, did the people cease their efforts to obtain a depot. Meantime the mer- chants gave their freight to the St. Joe & Denver Railroad. Robbins & Marthis had removed their store from Grafton to Sutton in December, 1872, and the battle against the railroad company was virtually won. In May, 1873, it aeceded to the terms proposed by the citizens, and in the fall of that year the depot was ereeted and R. M. Grimes appointed agent. He was succeeded by L. S. Sage.
A daughter was born to Mrs. F. A. Gross, February 15, 1872, being the first birth in Sutton. Maude, a daughter of Asa Tracy, died April 21, 1872, being the first death.
A colony from Southern Russia, near the port of Odessa, on the Black Sea, came to Sutton and settled in the town and adjacent country in the fall of 1873. The principal leaders of the colony were John Grosshans, Henry Griess
.
7
TWO VIEWS OF MAIN STREET, SUTTON
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
and Henry Hoffman. The whole number of families was fifty-five. They bought, in the aggregate, 16,120 acres of land, at an average cost of $7 per acre, making $112,840 that was paid the Burlington & Missouri Railroad Com- pany and to the homesteaders for land. Their property in Sutton cost them $18,000; their combined wealth in this county in 1882 was $500,000.
Sutton, in July, 1873, comprised forty-one houses, nearly all devoted to business. The Times and Herald were published, two hotels were carried on, and the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad depot was built.
In 1871 there were only eleven houses in existence here, but before July, 1882, there were no less than 284 buildings in the town. During the first eleven years of Sutton's upbuilding (1871 to 1882) there were only five business fail- ures recorded. The principal business buildings in 1882 comprised the two- story building, with Masonic Hall above, of I. N. Clark & Company; store building of Connor & Sheppard ; the two-story building, with Odd Fellows Hall, of John Grosshans; the one-story building, Griess' hardware; one-story, of Weed & Company, and store, same size; old court house, two stories; new public school building, with projections each way, twenty-four foot posts, with a belfry and dome; two rooms below and a chapel, with all the modern con- veniences of cloak and apparatus rooms.
During 1873, 2,483 tons of freight were received and 1,154 tons forwarded ; during 1875, 4,239 tons were received, 5,255 tons forwarded ; during 1875, 120,- 681 pounds of merchandise and 528 carloads of grain were shipped. The same year were received 1,389,716 pounds of merchandise; 414 barrels of salt; 94 barrels of lime; 54 barrels of coal oil; 101 barrels of apples; 11 carloads of emigrants' movables; 26 cars of corn for seed; 209 cars of lumber, and 183 cars of coal, etc.
In November, 1871, the Gray & Bemis nursery was established. The first directory was published in February, 1872, by Houston & Street, of Lincoln, the volume showing three dry goods and grocery houses, two flour and feed stores, one drug store, one hardware, two lumber yards, one hotel, one imple- ment warehouse, one nursery, one livery, one fur and hide store, one meat market, two real estate offices, one physician's office, one attorney's office, and one shoemaker's shop. This latter concern was also the residence of the local preacher, for William Woolman was a sole and soul cobbler. The population in 1871 was 35.
On November 1, 1871, I. N. and Martin Clark opened the first store on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, west of Crete, at this point, having first purchased the unsold lots on the town-site from French, for $1,000. They opened a hardware store February 20, 1872, having, ten days before, estab- lished a drug store. (. M. Turner erected his store-house November 17, 1871. and opened it for business December 9, while Corey & Company opened their store simultaneously ; but the latter sold to Stewart & Evans prior to 1881, and returned to Crete. The business street was then known as Whisky Row. Mer- rill & Company opened a general store in January ; Thompson & Young estab- lished their agricultural implement house; John I. Smith, a harness shop ; Charles Meyer, a shoemaker's shop, and on Rev. Burlingame being appointed postmaster, he purchased Maltby's building. J. M. Gray erected a building south of the postoffice ; the Calkins' and Jenkins' houses were erected, and
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
the Mines building (the first school house) was moved to the Gray lot. The establishment of the depot and of Maltby & Way's addition to the town tended to withdraw some interest from Sorghum, or East Sutton, and the town south of the track was called Serabble IIill. The Fitzgerald building was the third erected on Scrabble Hill, the first having been erected by F. A. Gross Iate in the fall of 1872. In April W. A. Way moved to this point from Crete, and opened a hardward store in the Fitzgerald building, and shortly after the Kribbler furniture store was built and opened. This building was ocenpied by George Henry in 1881, and Weed & Company succeeded W. A. Way in 1874. In the fall of 1873 Way & Stewart erected the building which was subse- quently occupied by Keller & Company and Merrill & Company, the latter commencing business in January, 1873, shipped the first carload of grain from Clay County, August 14, that year, the grain being raised on Russell Merrill's farm, on Section 20.
In March, 1873, Connor & Sheppard opened a grocery store, Mrs. M. V. Foote opened a millinery store, and Mrs. C. M. Church followed her example, August 10, 1873. About this time the Melvin Brothers opened their general store south of the track, and they, with Gross, Kribbler and Turner, were the pioneers of Scrabble Hill. A. B. Lucor built a two-story business house on Main Street early in 1873.
Grice & Towslee established their harness business February 25, 1875, sueceeding John I. Smith, a very talkative character, who flourished in Sorg- hum's palmy days, and whose business card still remained all over the front of his former shop on Main Avenue.
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