USA > Nebraska > History of Nebraska > Part 25
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The Methodist Episcopal Church, of Fremont, was erected in the summer of 1866, and dedicated in December following.
Rev. Father Ryan, of the Roman Catholic Church, held services in Fremont in 1868. Their Church building was erected and dedicated in 1869.
The Baptist Church, of Fremont, was dedicated in December, 1871.
The Evangelical German Church, of Fremont, was erected and dedicated in 1872.
The Presbyterian Church, of Fremont, was organized in 1873, and their Church building dedicated January 3, 1875.
The United Presbyterians organized two Societies in the County early in its history-one at Fremont and the other at North Bend, and erected a Church at the latter place.
The Universalists have had occasional services at Fremont, by different ministers, for years past.
SCHOOLS .- Miss Charity Colson taught a private school at Fremont in the summer of 1858, which was the first school opened in the County. In the summer of 1859 a public school was opened at Fremont, Miss McNeal, teacher, and at North Bend, Miss Mary E. Heaton, teacher.
The number of school districts in the County in 1879, was sixty-seven; school houses, sixty-five; number of children of school age, 3,278-males, 1,548; females, 1,730; whole number of children
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that attended school during the year, 2,383; number of qualified teachers employed, 123-males, forty-three; females, eighty; wages paid male teachers for the year, $6,770.75; female, $12,676.87; total, $19,447.62; value of school houses, $42,615; value of sites, $3,138; value of books and apparatus $2,827.97.
TAXABLE PROPERTY .- The following statement will show the taxable property of the County, as returned for 1879: Acres of land, 315,299; average value per acre, $3.30; value of town lots, $298,249; money invested in merchandise, $95,527; money used in manufacture, $14,761; number of horses, 4,350, value, $125,784; mules, 377, value, $12,399; cattle, 11,552, value, $104,000; sleep, 3,424, value, $3,424; swine, 14,927, value, $13,025; vehicles, 1,426, value, $21.330; moneys and credits, $11,402; mortgages, $25,246; stocks, etc., $25,000; furniture, $30,051; libraries, $2,602; other personalty, $42,248; railroads, $390,262.06; telegraph, $3,925; total, $2,261,010.06.
LANDS .- There are no vacant Government lands in the Coun- ty. Those of the Union Pacific Railroad Company amount to 15,- 000 acres, and are offered at prices ranging from $5 to $10 per acre.
In the summer of 1877 the wife of Dr. St. Louis, a physician of Fremont, died after a brief illness and was buried. Friends of the deceased suspicioned foul play and had the remains disinterred for post mortem examination. Portions of the stomach and bowels were submitted to chemical tests in Chicago, and were found to contain arsenic in large quantities. Dr. St. Louis was thereupon arrested upon the charge of poisoning his wife, and lodged in the Fremont jail. At his trial in the District Court in Fremont, he was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. A new trial, how- ever, was granted and a change of venue taken to Saunders County, where he was again convicted and sentenced to death. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court of the State, which sustained the decisions of the lower courts. Dr. St. Louis was to have been executed at Wahoo in April, 1879, but on the morning of the day set for his execution, he committed suicide in the jail at Fremont, where he had beed incarcerated, by shooting himself through the head with a small pocket pistol.
POPULATION .- In 1879 the population of the County was 11,- 579; in 1875 it was 7,534; increase in four years, 4,045.
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FREMONT,
The County Seat, is on the Union Pacific Railroad, forty-six miles west of Omaha, at the junction of the Sioux City & Pacific and Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroads. It is located on a beautiful site at the junction of the Platte and Elkhorn Valleys, which are here nearly ten miles wide. The population of the city in 1879 was 3,000. A fine wagon bridge across the Platte River connects Fremont with Saunders County, from which a large trade is drawn.
It has two banks, agricultural implement, furniture and wagon manufactories, large elevators for the large shipping trade, brick yards, lumber and coal yards, and a good assortment of stores, some of the houses doing a wholesale business amounting to over a million dollars a year. It has three newspapers, the Tribune, weekly, established July 24, 1868, the Herald, daily and weekly, established August 2, 1871, and the Bulletin, a monthly; a $12,- 000 brick Court House, a $15,000 jail, an $18,000 school house, and several handsome Church buildings. Three well organized fire companies furnish protection against the devouring element. Elegant private residences grace the suburbs, and a large park set in blue grass and adorned with shade trees, is the fashionable re- sort in pleasant weather. Close to the city are the Fair Grounds, with a splendid mile track.
NORTH BEND,
On the Union Pacific Railroad, sixteen miles west of Fremont, is situated on a bend in the Platte River, from which it takes its name. Within the past two years the town has greatly improved, and several new stores and other business houses have been opened. It contains 300 inhabitants, an excellent weekly newspaper, the North Bend Independent, two Churches, a good school, two hotels, lumber yard, large grain elevator, and immense corn cribs, just erected this season. A wagon bridge over the Platte makes it a convenient shipping point for the farmers of Saunders County.
HOOPER,
On the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroads, in the middle-eastern part of the County, is the second town of size,
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having a population of 500. It is a brisk business point and is growing rapidly.
SCRIBNER,
Situated on the line of the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, several miles northwest of Hooper, has 360 inhabitants, and is a very flourishing place, having a large shipping and gen- eral merchandising trade.
LOGAN,
Is a small village situated on the east bank of the Elkhorn, near the mouth of Logan Creek, and has a good flouring mill, store, and an excellent school house.
WEBSTER,
Is a thriving village located in the middle-western part of the County, and has two Churches, good general stores and a fine school building.
NICKERSON,
Is the first important station on the line of the Fremont, Elk- horn & Missouri Valley Railroad, north of Fremont. It does an excellent grain business and is rapidly developing.
PEBBLE,
Is a growing village, situated near the mouth of Pebble Creek, in the north-central part of the County.
There are twenty odd Postoffices in the County.
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DAWSON COUNTY.
Dawson County was organized July 11, 1871, by proclamation of Acting Governor Wm. H. James. It is situated in the south- western portion of the State, 231 miles west of the Missouri River, and is bounded on the north by Custer, east by Buffalo, south by the Platte River, Gosper and Frontier Counties, and west by Lincoln County, containing 1,008 square miles, at an average elevation above the sea level of 2,370 feet.
WATER COURSES .- The Platte River flows in a southeasterly
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direction through the southwestern portion of the County. Wood River and its numerous branches water the northeastern town- ships; Elm, Buffalo, Plum and several smaller streams water dif- ferent portions of the County.
TIMBER .- This County has about 950 acres of forest trees under cultivation. The streams are all tolerably well timbered, as are also many of the gulches and canyons.
PHYSICAL FEATURES .- Nearly one-half of the County lies in the fertile valley of the Platte. The uplands consist mostly of smooth, beautiful prairies, probably five per cent. being broken, untillable land. The prairies yield an abundance of the richest grasses for hay and pasturage, making this an admirable region for the stock-grower. The grass cures on the ground, furnishing rich food for cattle the winter through. ,
FIRST SETTLEMENTS .- The first permanent settlements in the County were made in what is now Plum Creek Precinct, by Daniel Freeman, J. W. Delahunty and a few others, in 1867-68, or about the time of the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad. On April 9th, 1872, a colony from Philadelphia, Penn., consisting of sixty-five men, women and children, arrived. This colony took up their quarters in four empty box-cars, which the Railroad Com- pany placed on the side-track for their use until they could build themselves permanent houses. The first post office in the County was established at Plum Creek, in this Precinct, in 1872, and was kept in the U. P. depot, by J. A. McDonald, deceased.
MELLOTT Precinct was settled in April, 1872, by H. Clay Stuckey, Jeremiah Smith, Simon Fetters, and others.
WILLOW ISLAND Precinct was settled in March, 1873, by Josiah Huffman.
WOOD RIVER Precinct was settled in April, 1873, by James B. Mellott.
CAYOTE Precinct was settled in April, 1873, by S. S. Baldwin.
OVERTON Precinct was settled in 1873, by James N. Patton and Prof. D. B. Worley. Mr. Patton built the first house and Geo. Slocum the second.
PLATTE Precinct was settled early in the spring of 1873.
COZAD Precinct was settled in December, 1873, by Samuel Atkinson, who was soon followed by a small colony. In February, 21
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1874, a much larger colony arrived, and the population of the Pre- cinct was 333.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION .- The first general election was held on the 11th day of July, 1871, at the store of Daniel Freeman, at Plum Creek, in accordance with Acting Governor Wm. H. James' proclamation of June 26, 1871, which also named J. W. Dela- hunty, R. O'Keefe and Otto Hansen as Judges, and John Kehoe and E. Delahunty, Clerks of said election.
A full board of County officers was chosen at this election, as follows: J. W. Delahunty, Joseph Smith and Otto Hansen, Com- missioners; Daniel Freeman, Clerk, and Superintendent of Public Schools; Richard O'Keefe. Probate Judge; Patrick Delahunty, Treasurer; John Kehoe, Sheriff; David Meek, Surveyor, and Pat- rick Gaffney, Coroner.
CHURCH MATTERS .- As early as 1867, Father Ryan, of the Catholic Church, held services at the old Plum Creek station- house, which have been regularly continued.
In the fall of 1872, Rev. William Wilson organized the first Methodist Society in the County. It has largely increased and now has regular appointments at Plum Creek and other towns.
In April, 1864, Rt. Rev. Bishop Clarkson organized Plum Creek Parish, and through the untiring perseverance of W. Tudor Tucker and family, a neat brick house of worship was erected at Plum Creek, in April, 1875, being the first Church building in the County.
In 1874, the Missionary Baptist Society was organized, and now holds stated services in the several towns.
The Presbyterian congregation of Plum Creek was organized in 1873, and during the same year a Society organized at Over- ton.
Flourishing Sunday Schools are now in operation at Plum Creek, Overton, Cayote, Cozad, Willow Island, and Smith's school house.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS .- The first school district was formed in 1872, and embraced the entire County. In 1879 there were twenty-four districts, fourteen school houses, 291 male, and 259 female children of school age in the County. Number of qualified teachers em- ployed, nineteen-males, eleven, females, eight; total wages paid
1
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teachers for the year, $1,282.50; value of school houses, $19,400; value of sites, $1,085; value of books and apparatus, $327.50.
TAXABLE PROPERTY .- The amount and valuation of the taxa- ble property of the County returned in 1879, was as follows: Acres of land, 145,180.10, average value per acre, $1; value of town lots, $15,876, money used in merchandise, $6,335; number of horses, 643, value, $8,414.50; mules, forty-eight, value, $907.75; neat cattle, 5,155, value, $23,971; sheep, 3,068, value, $2,035; swine, 295, value, $277.50; vehicles, 240, value, $2,089.50; moneys and credits, $6,163, furniture, $3,128; libraries $50; other person- alty, $2,544; railroad, $456,104; telegraph, $3,740; total, $676,- 805.
LAND .- There is a large amount of both Government and rail- road land in this County which is admirably adapted to stock raising and agriculture. The price of the Union Pacific lands is from $2 to $6 per acre.
POPULATION .- In 1879 the County had a population of 3,871.
RAILROAD .- The Union Pacific traverses the County from east to west, a distance of forty-four miles.
PLUM CREEK,
The County Seat, is a flourishing town of 750 inhabitants. It is located on the Union Pacific Railroad, 231 miles west of Omaha, and was incorporated March 7, 1874. J. W. Ayers erected the first building in the town, and T. Martin, the first hotel-called the " Alhambra," now the Union Pacific. A very fine stone and brick Court House, and an imposing school house adorn the town. A substantial wagon bridge crosses the Platte at this point, and draws a large trade from the Republican Valley towns.
Plum Creek is the headquarters of a large district, and is a lively business center. It has a number of well-stocked general merchandise stores, good hotels, a hardware, two drug, jewelry, and furniture stores, lumber yards, grain warehouses, etc., and an ex- cellent weekly newspaper-the Pioneer.
COZAD,
Is a village on the Union Pacific Railroad, about twelve miles west of Plum Creek. It was founded by J. J. Cozad, of Ohio, in De- cember, 1873, a number of very fine brick houses were erected.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
On the night of April 29, 1876, the town was nearly destroyed by fire. At present it has seventy-five inhabitants, and is gradually improving. A weekly newspaper is published here, called the One Hundredth Meridian.
WILLOW ISLAND,
On the Union Pacific Railroad, twenty miles west of Plum Creek, was laid out in March, 1873, by Josiah Huffman. It has two stores, a blacksmith shop, telegraph office, etc.
OVERTON,
On the Union Pacific railroad, in the southeastern portion of the County, was laid out in June, 1873. It has an elegant school house, costing $2,100, and a number of stores and business places. A splendid iron bridge has been erected over Buffalo Creek at this point, adding greatly to the business of the town.
JEWELL and TRAPPER'S GROVE, are Postoffices in the northern part of the County.
INCIDENTS OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT .- While the railroad was being built through Dawson County, the engineers, graders and track-layers were frequently driven from their work by the Indians. Not only then, but after the track was laid and trains running, it was sometimes torn up and trains ditched, causing the loss of lives and the destruction of property. One of these attacks took place near Plum Creek. In July, 1867, a train was ditched about four miles west of the above named station. It was by a band of Southern Cheyennes, under a Chief called TURKEY LEG. He was a vicious-looking fellow, his appearance naturally suggest- ing him as a fit subject for a hanging bee. At a small bridge or culvert, over a dry ravine, they had lifted the iron rails from the ties-raising only one end of each rail-about three feet, piling up ties under them for support, and firmly lashing the rails and ties together by wire cut from the adjoining telegraph line. They were pretty cunning in this arrangement of the rails, and evidently placed them where they thought they would penetrate the cylinder on each side of the engine. But not having a mechanical turn of mind exactly, and disregarding the slight curve in the road at this point, they missed their calculations, as the sequel shows, as one of the rails did no execution whatever, and the other went straight
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JOHNSON'S IIISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
into and through the boiler. After they had fixed the rails in the manner described, they retired to where the bench or second bot- tom slopes down to the first, and there concealed themselves in the tall grass, waiting for the train. Before it left Plum Creek, a hand-car with three section men was sent ahead as a pilot. This car encountered the obstacle, and ran into the ravine, bruising and stunning the men and frightening them so that they were unable to signal to the approaching train. As soon as the ear landed at the bottom of the ravine, the Indians rushed up, when two of the men, least hurt, ran away in the darkness of the night-it was little past midnight-and hid in the tall grass near by. The other, more stunned by the fall of the car, was scalped by the savages, and as the knife of the savage passed under his scalp, he seemed to realize his condition partly, and in his delerium wildly threw his arms out and snatched the scalp from the Indian, who had just lifted it from his skull. With this he, too, got away in the dark- ness, and was afterward in the employ of the Company at Omaha.
But the fated train came on without any knowledge of what had transpired in front. As the engine approached the ravine, the head-light gleaming out in the darkness in the dim distance, fast growing less and less, the engineer, Brooks Bowers by name, but familiarly called " Billy Brooks," by the railroad men, saw that the rails were displaced, whistled "down brakes," and reversed the engine, but all too late to stop the train. The door of the fire-box was open, and the fireman was in the act of adding fuel to the flames within, when the crash camc. That fireman was named Hendershot, and the boys used to speak of him as "the drummer boy of the Rappahannock," as he bore the same name, and might have been the same person whose heroic deeds, in connection with Burnside's attack on Fredericksburg, are now matters of history. He was thrown against the fire-box when the ravine was reached. and literally roasted alive, nothing but a few of his bones being afterwards found .. The engineer was thrown over the lever he was holding in his hands, through the window of the cab, some twenty feet or more. In his flight the lever caught and ripped open his abdomen, and when found he was sitting on the ground holding his protruding bowels in his hands. Next to the engine were two flat-cars loaded with brick. These were landed, brick
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and all, some thirty or forty feet in front of the engine, while the box cars, loaded with freight, were thrown upon the engine and around the wreck in great disorder. After a time these took fire, and added horror to the scene. The savages now swarmed about the train and whooped and yelled in great glee. When the shock first came, however, the conductor ran ahead on the north side of the track to the engine, and there saw Bowers and Hendershot in the position we have described them. He told them that he must leave them and flag the second section of the train following after, or it, too, would be wrecked. He then ran back, signaled this train, and with it returned to Plum Creek. Arriving there about 2 o'clock in the morning, in vain did he try to get a force of men to proceed at once to the scene of the disaster. No one would go. In the morning, however, they rallied, armed themselves and went out to the wreck. By this time it was near ten o'clock. The burning box cars had fallen around the brave engineer, and while the fiery brands had undoubtedly added to his agony, they had also ended his earthly existence. His blackened and charred re- mains only told of his suffering. The rescning party still found the train burning-the Indians had obtained all the plunder they could carry, and left in the early morning. In the first gray dawn of the morning they manifested their delight over the burning train in every possible way, and their savage glee knew no bounds. From the cars not then burned they rolled out boxes and bales of merchandise, from which they took bright-colored flannels, calicos and other fancy goods. Bolts of these goods they would loosen, and with one end tied to their ponies' tails or the horn of their saddles, they would mount and start at full gallop up and down the prairie just to see the bright colors streaming in the wind behind them. But the end of this affair was not yet.
Major North, in command of a company of Pawnee scouts, assisted by a few white soldiers stationed in the neighborhood, hastened to the scene of the late disaster. He followed the trail of the Indians far enough to ascertain that they were southern Cheyennes, and then returned and went into camp at Plum Creek, believing if not pursued, the Indians would soon return on another raid. Subsequent events proved this belief to be true, and they had not long to wait. In about ten days one of the scouts came
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running into camp from the bluffs south of Plum Creek, and re- ported that the Indians were coming. He had discovered. them in the distance, making their way in the direction of the overland stage station, which they soon after reached. Arriving here, they unsaddled their horses and turned them loose in an old corral to feed and rest. They then began preparations to remain all night. The scouts, however, proposed to find out who and what they were before the evening approached. There were in the command two white commissioned officers-Captain James Murie, and Lieuten- ant Isaac Davis-two white sergeants and forty-eight Pawnees. The company marched from their camp striaght south to the Platte River, which they crossed; then turning to the left, followed down its banks under the bushes to within about a mile-and-a-half of the creek. Here they were discovered by the Cheyennes. Then there was mounting in hot haste-the Cheyennes at once preparing for the fray. There were one hundred and fifty warriors to be pitted against this small band of fifty-two, all told. As the order to charge was given, the Pawnees set up their war-whoop, slapped their breasts with their hands and shouted "Pawnee!" The op- posing lines met on the banks of the creek, through which the scouts charged with all their speed. The Cheyennes immediately broke and fled in great confusion, every man for himself. Then followed the chase, the killing and the scalping. The Indians took their old trail for the Republican Valley, and put their horses to utmost speed to escape the deadly fire of the Pawnees. Night finally ended the chase, and when the spoils were gathered, it was found that fifteen Cheyenne warriors had been made to bite the dust, and their scalps had been taken as trophies of victory. Two prisoners were also taken, one a boy of sixteen, the other a squaw. The boy was a nephew of Turkey Leg, the Chief. Thirty-five horses and mules were also taken while not a man of the scouts was hurt. A company of infantry, under command of Captain John A. Miller, had remained in camp guarding Government and company property, and knowing that a battle had been fought, were intensely anxious to learn the result. When the Pawnees came near, it was with shouts and whoops, and songs of victory. They exhibited their scalps and paraded their prisoners with great joy, and spent the whole night in scalp-dances and wild revelry.
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This victory put an end to attacks on railroad trains by the Chey- ennes. The boy and the squaw were kept in the camp of the Pawnees until late in the season, when a big council was held by the Brule Sioux, Spotted Tail's band, at North Platte, to make a new treaty. Hearing of this council, Turkey Leg, Chief of the Cheyennes, sent in a runner and offered to deliver up six white cap- tives held in his band for the return of the boy and the squaw. After the necessary preliminaries had been effected, the runner was told to bring the white captives, that the change might be made.
The captives were two sisters by the name of Thompson, who lived south of the Platte River, nearly opposite Grand Island, and their twin brothers; a Norwegian girl, taken on the Little Blue River, and a white child, born to one of these women while in cap- tivity. They were restored to their friends as soon as possible.
DIXON COUNTY.
Dixon County was organized by Act of the Territorial Legis- lature, in December, 1858. It lies on the northeastern border of the State, and is bounded on the north by the Missouri River, east by the Missouri River and Dakota County, south by Omaha In- dian Reservation and Wayne County, and west by Wayne and Cedar Counties, containing about 450 square miles, or 288,000 acres.
WATER COURSES .- The Missouri River washes the northeast- ern border of the County. The principal streams of the interior are the Powder, Turkey and Lime Creeks, in the northern part, and Silver, West Branch, Daily, South, and Ayoway Creeks, in the central and southern part of the County. These are all beauti- ful, clear streams. Ayoway Creek, especially, being a large and superior mill stream, already furnishing power for three flouring mills, with excellent sites for twenty more. Altogether, the Coun- ty is well watered, every township having one or more living streams passing through it. Springs are abundant.
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