USA > Nebraska > History of Nebraska > Part 29
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This colony consisted of five Americans, twenty-five Germans, six married women, one single woman, and one child four years old, as follows, viz .: R. C. Barnard, Surveyor; Joshua Smith, David P. Morgan, William Seymour, L. Barnard, Henry Shaaf, Matthias Gries, Fred. Landmann, Theodore Nagel, Hermann Va- sold, Christian Anderson and wife, Henry Johnk and wife, Mary Stelk, Henry Schoel and wife, Fred. Doll and wife, W. A. Hagge, William Stolley, George Shuls, Fred. Varge, Johan Hamann, Fred. Heddle, Ditlef Saas, William Steir and wife, Peter Stuhr, Hans Wrage, Nicholas Thede and wife, Cornelius Axelson, Anna Stier, Henry Egge, Christ. Menck, and Cay Ewoldt. The Surveyor's party, consisting of R. C. Barnard, all the Americans, Fred. Hed- dle, and Chr. Menck, left Davenport a few days ahead of the main party, with one mule team. William Hagge and Theodore Nagel were detailed to proceed by river to St. Louis and purchase a sup- ply of provisions, fire-arms, ammunition, blacksmith's tools, etc., and have them shipped up the river to Omaha, in time for the ar- rival of the main party there.
On the 28th of May, 1857, five heavy-loaded teams, drawn by sixteen yoke of work oxen, and with the remainder of the parties named, left Davenport in charge of William Stolley. This train arrived at Omaha on the 18th of June following; passed through Fremont on the 23d, which town had then only ten log houses; arrived at Columbus, which had then only eighteen log houses, on the 26th; crossed the Loup River, at Genoa, on the 27th of June; and on July 2d Wood River was reached. After reconnoitering the County in the vicinity for one day, the Surveyor selected a place on the 4th day of July, and on the 5th stakes were driven for a town site and adjoining claims.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
The location selected covered only partly the present town site of Grand Island, the greater part lying south and southwest from the present town. At a meeting of the settlers it was resolved that four log houses should be first built, each 14x33 feet. At the same time the breaking of prairie had to be attended to, as the season was already far advanced. Only about fifty acres were broken, all told, the first season. On July 12, the work began in earnest. Some chopped logs, others hauled them out, and a few prepared wood for the burning of charcoal to start the blacksmith shop.
Saturday, August 15, some of the settlers could already move into their new houses, and on the 27th of the same month all the houses were occupied. These houses were built on the south half of the northwest quarter of section fourteen, town eleven, range nine.
During the winter months of 1857-58, the settlers underwent many privations and hardships. There were neither candles nor soap in the settlement for a long time, and the washing of clothes was done with home-made lye. Want of food compelled them to kill several work oxen. There was plenty of flour, but everything else was wanting; and so passed the first winter in the first settle- ment of Hall County.
In June, 1858, the supply of provisions again failing, the set- tlers had to live for some time on half rations, besides being compelled to work very hard, as the spring season demanded. However, on Thursday, June 24, fresh and ample supplies arrived from Omaha, which ended the trouble.
July 2, 1858, more settlers arrived from Davenport, Iowa, with a train of ten teams, bringing in addition about twenty persons and twenty yoke of work oxen, besides a number of milch cows and young stock, and matters began to look brighter.
On the 27th of August, about 1,500 Pawnee Indians passed through the settlement, and committed trifling depredations by stealing green corn and potatoes, but were otherwise friendly.
Tuesday, January 19, 1859, was a terrible day for the young settlement. Three men, on their return from the gold fields of Colorado, recklessly set fire to the tall, dry prairie grass in the vicinity; and the wind at the time blowing a perfect gale, the fire soon attacked the settlement, destroying, in an hour's time, eight
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houses and a number of hay and grain stacks. This happening in the midst of a severe winter, was a terrible blow. The citizens of Omaha made up a purse for the sufferers, but the party to whom the money was intrusted for delivery ran away with it.
Colonel May, then in command of Fort Kearney, was a true friend to the settler, and gave many of them remunerative employ- ment at the Fort when their presence on the farm was not needed.
During the year 1859, difficulties arose between the Town Company and settlers, and the result was that the Company soon gave up the idea of carrying the speculation any further. R. C. Barnard, L. Barnard, Joshua Smith, David P. Morgan and William Seymour left the settlement soon after this. Of the first settlers, G. Schulz died a natural death, Fred. Vatge committed suicide, and J. Hamann was killed on the railroad. Twelve of the pioneer set- tlers remain in the County, and are owners of fine farms.
Of the pioneer women, Mrs. Henry Schoel died many years ago; Mrs. Fred. Doll removed with her husband to Howard County; Mrs. Joehnk and Mrs. Andresen are yet living in this County, with their families; Mrs. Stier returned with her husband years ago, to Davenport, Iowa. Anna Stier, the only unmarried lady who participated in the first settlement of the County, is mar- ried to John Thompson, a well-to-do farmer in this County. The first child born in the County was Nellie Stier, daughter of Wm. Stier, on March 3d, 1858.
In the spring of 1858, a lot of Mormons settled on Wood River, and opened up quite a number of farms.
The first newspaper in the County was published by them, and was called the Banner. In the spring of 1863, this Mormon col- ony removed to Salt Lake City, Utah, taking with them the Banner.
The-first Postoffice was established in the spring of 1859, with R. C. Barnard as postmaster.
The first weekly stage was put on the road from Omaha to Ft. Kearney, October 1, 1858. It was changed to tri-weekly in 1860, and became a daily mail in 1864.
The County was organized in the year 1859, and the first offi- cers elected were as follows: Probate Judge, Fred. Hedde; County Clerk, Theodore Nagel; County Commissioners, Hans Wrage, Jas.
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Vieregg, Henry Egge; Justices of the Peace, R. C. Barnard, Wil- liam Stolley; Sheriff, H. Vasold; Treasurer, Christian Andreson; Assessor, Frederick Doll; Constables, Christian Menck and Math- ias Gries.
During the first years of the existence of the settlement, there was no trouble with the Indians.
This friendly state of affairs did not last long, however, and on February 5, 1862, occurred the first massacre of whites by the In- dians in this County. Joseph P. Smith and Anderson, his son-in- law, farmers on Wood River, living about twelve miles west of Grand Island, went after some building logs to the north channel of the Platte River, about two and a half miles south of their claims, accompanied by two of Mr. Smith's sons-William, eleven years of age, and Charles, aged nine, and his grandchild, Alexander Anderson, about fourteen years of age. Anderson, who took a load of logs home in the morning, returned to the woods where he had left his father-in-law, Smith, with the above named boys, and two teams (the property of Smith), about 9 a. m., and found them all brutally massacred by a band of Sioux Indians. Mr. Smith had seven arrows in his body, and was lying on the ice with his face down, holding each of his boys by the hand. His son William was still alive when found; he was shot with an arrow, and one of his cheeks was cut open from the mouth to the ear. He soon bled to death after he had been carried home. The other son, Charles, had his skull smashed in and his neck broken, probably with a war club. Young Anderson was found some distance off in the woods with his skull broken. The four horses were taken away by the Indians, A number of the settlers followed in pursuit of the In- dians, and captured some, but these proved not to have been impli- cated in the massacre.
During the summer of 1864, the Sioux were noticed on the bluffs not far from George Martin's ranche, about eighteen miles southwest of Grand Island City, on the south side of the Platte River. Two sons of Mr. Martin, Nat and Robert, at once hurried with a pony to drive the cattle home. While thus engaged, the Indians-about one hundred in number-approached so rapidly that the boys saw they would be unable to secure the cattle, so jumping on the pony, they made for the ranche as fast as possible.
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The Indians were soon within shooting distance of them, however, and showered balls and arrows after them, till finally an arrow struck the hindmost boy, and passed through the bodies of both, pinning them together. Notwithstanding being thus badly wounded, the boys stuck to their pony and succeeded in reaching the ranche, when they fell to the ground exhausted, just outside of the inclosure. An Indian approached, knife in hand, to take their scalps, when another of the party remarked, in plain English, " Let those boys alone," which order was heeded. The boys were carried into the ranche, the arrow drawn out; and, after careful nursing, both fully recovered, and are still residents of the County.
On July 24, 1867, the Sioux attacked the ranche owned by Peter Campbell, a Scotchman, on the south side of the Platte, about ten miles from Grand Island. No men being at home to protect the family, the ranche was easily taken. A lady by the name of Mrs. Thurston Warren was killed by a rifle shot, and her little son with an arrow. Two girls, nieces of Mr. Campbell, aged respectively seventeen and nineteen years, and also two little twin boys four years old, were carried away captives. At the same time a German by the name of Henry Dose was killed near the same place. Months afterwards, the government bought the two girls and the two little boys from the Indians, paying for them $4,000.
In August and September, 1864, all sorts of rumors about the hostile Indians were afloat. It was reported that they were coming in great force to take Fort Kearney, and devastate the settlements be- low; and for a time the wildest panic prevailed. From far up the Platte Valley down to Columbus, the settlers, with very few excep- tions, left their homes, and even east of Columbus many aban- doned their claims and fled. For a distance of twenty miles, the main traveled road along the Platte River was covered with fugi- tives on the 13th and 14th days of August, 1864. Heavy-loaded wagons, with household goods and provisions, bedding, droves of cattle and horses, people on foot and on horseback, hurried along in the greatest confusion.
But the settlement at Grand Island was not deserted; here the people made a stand, and resolved to give the Indians a warm re- ception should they venture to attack them. A fortified log house twenty-four feet square, provided with port-holes, had been built 24
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previously by William. Stolley, for the protection of his family, in case of an Indian attack. The first star-spangled banner that ever floated in the air in this County was raised over this fortification, which the inmates chose to call thereafter "Fort Independence." Friends gathered in, and soon thirty-five persons had found a place where the scalping-knife of the savage was not very likely to reach them. Sufficient fire-arms (seventy-two shots without re-loading), about fifty pounds of powder, and other ammunition, besides an ample supply of provisions, were stored within the Fort, and a well was dug in one corner. Other precautionary measures were taken, such as the building of a stable eighty-eight feet long, under ground, for horses and a cattle-yard within range of the Fort.
But the fortification afforded protection to only a small portion of the then already numerous settlers; therefore it was resolved to fortify the "O. K." store, established in August, 1862, which was about one and a half miles due south of the Court-house in Grand Island. Mr. Thavenet engineered the work, and Dr. A. Thorspecken was chosen captain. The combined force at this place soon erected a formidable breastwork of sod, which surrounded all the buildings. This breastwork was provided on each corner with a tower, built of green cottonwood logs, projecting out far enough to permit the shooting of any person who should venture to crawl under cover of the breastwork from outside. Sixty-eight men and about one hundred women and children gathered into this fortifi- cation, and found there a safe place of refuge.
August 22, 1864, Gen. Curtis arrived here with the First Reg_ ular Cavalry, bringing with him one cannon-a six-pounder. The General inspected both fortifications, and praised the settlers for the efficient measures adopted by them for their self-protection. He left the cannon with them, and continued his march the same day to reinforce the garrison at Fort Kearney.
Soon afterwards, Capt. J. B. David, and twenty men of Com- pany E, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, were stationed at the "O. K." store fortification. The Indians, however, never ventured an attack.
In 1863, the second saw-mill was built on Wood River, and the first windmill erected at the Grand Island settlement. A large number of windmills have since been erected in the County, also several steam and water-power grist and saw mills.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
The Government Survey of the public lands in this County took place in July and August, 1866.
MANZ-CO.CA
HALL COUNTY COURT HOUSE, GRAND ISLAND.
The first artificial grove-6,000 trees-was set ont in the spring of 1860, on the west half of the northwest quarter of sec- tion twenty-eight, and on the east half of the northeast quarter of section twenty-nine, town eleven north of range nine west, and consisted of cottonwood, black locust, ash and black walnut. Some of these trees are now from sixty to one hundred feet high.
The first settlers on Prairie Creek opened up farms in March, 1871.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
On the 21st of May, 1870, bonds were voted by the County to the amount of $15,000 for the purpose of bridging the Platte River. The bridge was completed early in March, 1871, in section twenty- nine, town ten, range nine west.
An election for Court-house bonds was held February 15, 1872. The Court House was completed as it now is, June 28, 1873.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS .- The first school taught in the County was in 1862. It was located one mile south of the Court House, Grand Island-Mr. Theodore Nagel, teacher; pupils, six. The present number of school districts in the County is sixty-one; school houses, fifty-one; children of school age-males 1,150, females 1,139; total, 2,289; number of qualified teachers employed-males, forty- one, females, forty-eight; total, eighty-nine; amount of salary paid teachers for the year-males, $6,143.72, females, $4,717.57; total, $10,861.29; value of school houses, $41,825; value of sites, $3,523; value of books and apparatus, $2,057.81.
TAXABLE PROPERTY .- Acres of land, 257,959; average value per acre, $3.51. Value of town lots, $178,225. Money invested in merchandise, $58,812; money used in manufactures, $9,172; number of horses 2,736, value $97,939; number of mules 360, value $14,850; number of neat cattle 8,668, value $82,546; number of sheep 1,409, value $1,411; number of swine 5,134, value $4,401; number of vehicles 1,156, value $28,349; moneys and credits, $50,- 028; mortgages, $10,323; furniture, $27,852; libraries, $1,623; property not enumerated, $66,388; railroad, $265,369.60; tele- graph, $2,176. Total valuation, $1,815,280.60.
RAILROADS .- The County is traversed from east to west, through the central portion, by the Union Pacific Railroad. The Grand Island and Hastings Road, opening up communication with the Republican Valley Counties, was completed in 1879, and is now in running order from Grand Island southiward. Bonds have been voted to the Union Pacific Company, to aid in the construc- tion of a branch running from Grand Island up the Valley of the Loup; and the road bed is now being graded between Grand Island and St. Paul, Howard County. The road is to be in running order between these points by June, 1880. Other lines are also contem- plated through this County, and the surveys have been made.
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JOHNSON'S IIISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
LANDS .- There are no desirable government lands left in the County. The Union Pacific Railroad owns a large amount here, for which they ask from $3 to $6 per acre.
POPULATION .- The following are the names of the Precincts of the County, and the population of each in 1879: Grand Island, 2,200; Prairie Creek, 506; Alda, 913; South Loup, 832; Wood River, 949; South Platte, 704; Mariansville, 271.
Total population of County, 6,375, of whom 3,465 were males and 2,910 females. In 1878, the population was 5,119; increase in last year, 1,256.
GRAND ISLAND,
The County Seat, is a beautiful town of 2,200 inhabitants, located on a high plateau overlooking the Platte River and surrounding country, in the eastern part of the County. It derives its name from a fertile island in the Platte, about two miles distant, which is sixty miles long and averages three miles wide. The town occu- pies one of the most desirable locations on the line of the Union Pacific Railway, and here are found the first round-houses and re- pair-shops of that Company west of Omaha. During the present year, the St. Joe & Denver Railroad was extended to this point, from Hastings, opening up communication with the Republican Valley Counties; and a branch from the U. P. is now being rapidly constructed from here to the Loup Valley Counties. During the past few months, new freight depots, a rolling-mill, an engine-house, large elevator and other improvements have been made, to the esti- mated value of $300,000.
The first train of cars on the Union Pacific track passed through Grand Island, July 8, 1866, and was drawn by engine " Osceola." A Postoffice was established in November, 1866, with George Schuller, postmaster; and about the same time several stores were opened. The old "O. K." store was removed to the town proper, in 1867. Dec. 6, 1869, the U. S. Land Office for this District was opened here. January 1, 1870, the Platte Valley Independent, the first weekly newspaper, was established by Mrs. M. T. G. Eberhart and Seth P. Mobley, and is still conducted by the same parties, under the firm name of Mr. & Mrs. S. P. Mob- ley. The Times was established July 16, 1873. The Democrat was started the present year, and both are large, excellent papers.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
The city was incorporated in the spring of 1873; R. C. Jordon, first Mayor. The State Central Bank was established in 1871, with a capital of $45,000. The Catholics erected the first Church in the city. It was blown down by a hurricane in 1870. The city now has several handsome Church edifices. Masonic and Odd-Fellows' Lodges were established in 1871, and since then, the Knights of Pythias, Sons of Temperance, Leiderkranz, and numerous other secret and benevolent Societies have been organized. In 1874, a fire company and hook and ladder company were organized.
PUBLIC -SCHOOL
THANK & CO
CHICAGO
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, GRAND ISLAND.
Grand Island to-day is an excellent business point, and offers great inducements to capital and enterprise. It has several fine hotels, an excellent graded school, stores of various kinds, exten-
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sive lumber-yards, and one of the largest steam flouring mills in the State. The Platte is crossed here by a series of bridges from island to island, and a good bridge across the Loup gives easy ac- cess to the farmers of Howard County and the country on the north.
ADA, WOOD RIVER and DONIPHAN are shipping stations on the railroad, and rapidly growing towns.
Martinsville, Orchard, Junctionville, Zurich, Cameron, and Runelsburgh are villages of recent birth located in different parts of the County.
HAMILTON COUNTY.
Hamilton County was organized in May, 1870, by proclama- tion of Governor Butler. It is located in the southeastern part of the State, and is bounded on the north by the Platte River, which separates it from Merrick County, east by Polk and York, south by Clay, and west by Hall County, containing 560 square miles, or 358,400 acres, at an average elevation of 1,800 feet above the sea level.
WATER COURSES .- The County is watered by the Platte and Blue Rivers and their tributaries. The Platte, flowing in a north- easterly course, forms the northwestern boundary of the County, a distance of about thirty-five miles. The West Blue flows from west to east through the lower tier of townships, and furnishes good mill privileges. Lincoln Creek, the North Fork of the Blue, Beaver, and several smaller streams, water the central and northern portions of the County.
TIMBER .- The number of forest trees planted up to date, is 2,157,259. Large, thrifty domestic groves may now be seen on many sections of land, and fuel is abundant. The streams furnish a small amount of natural timber. Forty-three miles of hedge fencing have been planted in the County.
FRUIT .- The number of fruit trees reported under cultivation, in 1879, was as follows: Apple, 9,778; pear, 243; peach, 4,684; plum, 8,246; cherry, 1,792; besides 395 grape vines. There are several very large orchards, and many of them are in bearing.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
Limestone abounds in the vicinity of the Blues.
PHYSICAL FEATURES .- The surface consists principally of roll- ing prairie and nearly level plains, which have a gradual rise to the westward. In the western part of the County, where the Blues and several of their tributaries have their sources, the land is con- siderably broken, but affording the finest advantages for stock. The Blues and School Creek have fine valleys and wide, rich bottoms.
CROPS .- Acres under cultivation, 83,230. The yield of the principal crops, reported for 1879, was as follows: Winter wheat, sixty acres, 681 bushels; spring wheat, 42,278 acres, 470,250 bush- els; rye, 1,938 acres, 21,765 bushels; corn 11,106 acres, 291,644 bushels; barley 6,016 acres, 99,496 bushels; oats 5,095 acres, 117,- 076 bushels; buckwheat, sixty-five acres, 102 bushels; sorghum, one acre, 106 gallons; flax, forty-five acres, 399 bushels; broom corn, seventy-three acres, 443 tons; potatoes 392 acres, 33,528 bushels; onions, three acres, 502 bushels.
The soil is very productive, and ranges from eighteen inches to two feet deep on the uplands.
HISTORICAL .- The first permanent settlements of which there are any records, were made in 1867 and 1868, by J. D. Wescott, Jarvis Chaffee, John Brown, James Rollo, John Harris, N. M. Bray, John Laurie and Robert Lemont, on the West Blue River.
John Harris, J. T. Biggs, and a Mr. Millspaugh kept ranches on the Overland Freight Road, long before Hamilton County was organized, when the buffalo, elk, deer and antelope roamed the prairies undisturbed.
Lincoln Creek was first settled in October, 1869, by Martin Werth and family, and William and August Werth. In the spring of 1871, a Postoffice was established at Spafford's Grove, on this Creek, with S. W. Spafford as Postmaster.
Beaver Creek was settled, in 1870, by R. M. Hunt, Samuel Yost and S. B. Chapman; and shortly afterward J. W. Jones, H. M. Graham, Henry Newman and Franklin Jacobs arrived.
The Big Blue, in the northern part of the County, was settled in 1871 by B. F. Webb, of Missouri, who located on section twelve, town twelve, range five. W. L. Whittemore settled on section two, town twelve, range five. T. W. Manchester, M. Vanduzen, and others, settled in 1872.
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JOHNSON'S HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.
John Danhauer settled in the South Platte Precinct in 1871, and Stephen Platz and James Odell in 1872. About the same time, Mr. Hewitt settled in the extreme northeast corner of the County, and soon afterward J. W. Ward, C. Thurman, James Fos- ter and C. Foster settled in the Bluff Precinct.
Among the older settlers on the extreme western side are Charles Tompkins and family and Mrs. Charlotte Ward, who ar- rived on the 22d of July, 1872, and located claims on section four, town ten, range eight, and at once began the erection of sod houses.
Hamilton Precinct, which was formerly a part of Deepwell , was settled in the spring of 1872, by G. K. Eaton.
Settlements were made in the central portion of the County, in 1871-72, by James Faris, W. S. Strain, and the Libott family. The southwest part, including Scovill and Union Precincts, was settled about the same time.
The first Church Society was organized at Father Hunt's house, in Beaver Creek Precinct, on the 12th of August, 1871, and was known as the Aurora Baptist Church. Since then, the Far- mer's Valley Baptist Church has been organized, also one in the southwest corner, and another in the northeast corner of the County, making four Baptist Churches in all. The Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, United Brethren, Catholics and other denominations have organized Societies, and hold stated ser- vices.
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