History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 20

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742

USA > Nebraska > Richardson County > History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions > Part 20

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Richardson county is well supplied with railroads, few points being more than nine miles from a railroad station, except in the northeastern part of the county, where the greatest distance is about thirteen miles. The Missouri Pacific (Omaha and Kansas City line), crosses the county from north to south, giving direct connections with Omaha and Kansas City. The main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy from Denver to Kansas City crosses from east to west, and gives direct access to the markets of Lincoln, Denver, and Kansas City. The Nebraska City line of the same system extends northward from Salem and terminates at Nebraska City. From Rulo the Atchison and Rulo branch extends southeastward into. Kan- sas. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Horton branch) touches the extreme southwestern corner of the county.

There are many excellent graded roads through the county, including the Omaha-Kansas City highway. Most of the roads follow section or land lines. All the roads are of earth, and little attention is given to the minor roads. The more important highways are dragged as soon as the ground permits after each train. There are no toll roads.

Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Omaha constitute the principal markets

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for the county. Some dairy products are shipped to Lincoln. Most of the cattle are shipped to St. Joseph and Kansas City, and some to Omaha. In the local towns there is a small demand for dairy products, berries, and vegetables.

Rural mail delivery and telephone lines reach practically all parts of the county. Most of the public schools are well kept, and are accessible to all communities.

CHAPTER IX.

INCORPORATION OF TOWNS AND PRECINCTS.

WINNEBAGO.

Taken from mintues of board of county commissioners of Richardson county, Nebraska Territory, special term, August 16, 1858:

"Now comes into open court H. Conklin, David W. Thomas, Lafayette Spears, H. I. Vandal and twenty-three others citizens of the town of Winne- bago in said county and present their petition praying for the incorpora- tion of said town and that a police be established for their regulation and government under the name and style of the Town of Winnebago which petition is in the following words towit :

"To the Honorable the County Commissioners of Richardson County, Nebraska Territory.

"The undersigned petitioners residents and taxables of the town of Winnebago, Richardson county, N. T. respectfully represent that the said town is located on the west bank of the Missouri river in said county of Richardson that the said Town has been well and accurately surveyed and the lots, streets, alleys, be named numbered and marked and staked off according to law and that the plat of the official survey duly certified and acknowledged is a correct representation of the said town. A number of buildings in the said town have been completed and are now occupied by bonified settlers therein, and others are now in prospect of erection. We therefore pray that the town may be incorporated and a police established for the government and regulation thereof and they will pray, etc.

"(Signed.) H. Conklin, David W. Thomas, Lafayette Spears and others."

PETITION GRANTED.

"The court being satisfied that a majority of the taxable inhabitants of said town have signed said petition it is therefore ordered and declared by said court that all the territory within the geographical limits of said

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town as shown and designated by said plat of said town be and the same is declared a town by the name and style of the town of Winnebago; that said town is made a body corporate and politic and is vested with all the powers and attributes of a municipal corporation under and by virtue by an act of a legislative assembly of the Territory of Nebraska, approved January 25th, 1856, and it is further ordered by the court that Joseph Pecotte, Paul Pecotte, Levi Dodge, Lewis Philips and Bruno Connoyer be and are hereby appointed Trustees to Organize the First Municipal Government for said town and to hold said office under their successors are elected and qualified."

HUMBOLDT PRECINCT.

The first mention found in the records of the county commissioners about that tract of land now comprising what is known as Humboldt town- ship was in a petition presented to a meeting of the commissioners by O. J. Tinker, at their meeting in April, 1858, which was as follows:

"A petition was presented signed by O. J. Tinker and Thirty-Three others praying that a precinct be formed and established composed of the following territory to-wit :

"Township No. 3 and the North 1/2 of Town 2, North of Range 13 East and Township 3 North of Range 14 East, and that Benedict McAtlee be appointed to the office of Justice of the Peace and A. B. Young and Daniel Shadley be appointed Constables in said Precinct. Ordered that said Precinct be thus established and certificates of appointment and commis- sion be issued in accordance with said petition." No name was mentioned for said precinct.

ST. STEPHENS PRECINCT.

On Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock on April 6, 1858. the county commis- sioners received the following petition :

"A petition was presented signed by William R. Cain and Thirty- Eight others praying for the establishment of a voting precinct with St. Stephen for the voting ground. Ordered that St. Stephen Precinct No. 5 be established with the following boundaries to-wit:

"Beginning at a point on the Missouri River where the North line of Richardson county intersects the same : Thence west along said line to the N. W. corner of Township No. 3 North of Range No. 17 E. Thence

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South along the line dividing Ranges 17 & 16 to the South west corner of Section No. 18 in Township No. 2 N. of Range No. 17 E. Thence east along said section line to the Missouri river; Thence up the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river to the place of beginning; and that St. Stephen be made the place of voting therein. It is further ordered that John McFarland be appointed to the office of Justice of the Peace and Henry R. Price be appointed to the office of Constable for said Precinct."

GENEVA.

From records of county commissioners in session at Salem, Nebraska Territory-Tuesday morning, 9 o'clock, July 6, 1858:

The Honorable the County Court met pursuant to adjournment, Arnett Roberts and Joseph Yount present and acting Commissioners.

Incorporation of the town of Geneva. Now comes into open court Joseph Embody, Henry Hill, I. W. Davis and others of the Town of Geneva in said county and file their petition to be incorporated under the name and style of the Town of Geneva, which petition reads in the words following :

"We the undersigned citizens and petitioners of the Town of Geneva pray that our Honorable Commissioners of the County of Richardson that we may be corporated and a place established for their local government. We wish to be incorporated by the name of Geneva. Geneva is situated on the Northeast Quarter of Section 22 and the Southwest Quarter of Section No. 15, Township No. 2 Range No. 15 East of the 6th Principal Meridian, Richardson County, Nebraska Territory.

"(Signed) Joseph Embody, Henry Hill, I. W. Davis, and others."

The prayer of the petitioners was immediately granted, vested with all the powers under and by virtue of an act of the Legislature of the Territory of Nebraska, apporved January 25, 1856, and the following were appointed as trustees of the village: Joseph Embody, Henry Hill, Francis M. May, I. W. Davis and Henry Pilcher, to serve until their successors were duly elected. and qualified.

NEMAHA FALLS.

From records of commissioners of Richardson county, Nebraska Ter- ritory, in session at Salem, June 7, 1858:

June Term County Court. June 7th, 1858.

"At a special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Rich-

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ardson County, Nebraska Territory, being held at the usual place of holding court in the Town of Salem, on Monday the 7th day of June A. D. 1858, Present Joseph Yount and Arnett Roberts, Commissioners.

"Being a petition constitution presented for the Town of Nemaha Falls. Now come in open court. A. I. Deshozo, E. Hamilton. S. T. E. Willis, A. W. Barnes, Henry Warnecke, I. Hamilton and others of the town of Nemaha Falls in said county, prayer of their petition to be incorporated under the name and style of the Town of Nemaha Falls."

RULO PRECINCT.

From minutes of the board of county commissioners meeting at Salem, Nebraska Territory, April 6, 1858:

"Ordered that the Boundaries of Rulo Precinct Number Four be estab- lished as Follows: Beginning at a Point on the Missouri River where the section line dividing Sections 18 and 19 in Township No. 2 North of Range No. 18 intersects the same; thence west along said line to the center of Township No. 2, North of Range No. 17 E. Thence South along the section line to the Great Nemaha River ; Thence down the main channel of the Great Nemaha river to the Missouri river; Thence up the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river to the place of beginning, and that the town of Rulo be the voting place therein."

ARCHER FIRST COUNTY SEAT OF RICHARDSON COUNTY.

In almost every new county opened for settlement there are organized many new towns which. in the minds of the promoters, are destined to become famous. There are usually multitudes of reasons why each town should become a metropolis, but these reasons are usually apparent only to the minds of the promoters.

Archer, our first county seat, was the most important of such little towns in the early days of this county. That it did not prosper and remain the county seat is due not so much to lack of interest on the part of the people or to the purely visionary qualifications as seen by the promoters, as to the Territorial Legislature which, in granting the land for a townsite, located it upon what was thought to be the Half-Breed Indian Reservation.

Early in 1855 a grant for a county-seat townsite was secured through the efforts of Col. Neil J. Sharp, who had been elected to the Legislature at the first election held in the territory, December 12, 1855. This tract was

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on the east side of the Muddy, about three and one-half miles northeast of the present site of Falls City, in section No. 36, township No. 2, north of range No. 16, in what is now known as Ohio township, and from the town- site Falls City is easily visible. In the summer of 1855 a townsite company was organized. Among those taking an active part in starting the new town were John C. Miller, the father of Mrs. Margaret Maddox, at present ( 1917) a resident of Falls City; Colonel Sharp. Abel D. Kirk, Huston Nuckols, Ambrose Shelley and Robert Archer, for whom the town was named. The affairs of the county were then in the hands of county officers appointed by Acting-Governor Cuming during the previous winter and the offices were purely nominal. The first county election was held in November, 1855, when John C. Miller was elected probate judge: Col. Neil J. Sharp, clerk and reg- ister of deeds: E. G. McMullin, sheriff, and, it is believed, Ambrose Shelley, or Isaac Crook, as treasurer.

GRETNA GREEN OF KANSAS.

Wilson M. Maddox and Margaret A. Miller, the daughter of Judge John C. Miller, were the first couple married after the county seat was established at Archer, and the third couple to be married in the county. Licenses were not required then, but marriages were recorded by the clerk and certificates issued by the judge and officiating minister, if one was present. The county seat became the Gretna Green of Kansas couples, where a license and age limit were not observed. For a few years the present age limit and license were not required in this territory.

The little village seemed to thrive wonderfully for a new town in a sparsely settled country and all went well until early in January, 1856, when it became known that by virtue of an early treaty the town was on the half- breed lands. This treaty was made in 1840, when the Omahas, Otoes and lowas, who also represented the Santie and Yankton bands of Sioux, asked that a tract of land be set aside for their half-breeds or mixed-bloods. Will- iam Clark, superintendent of Indian affairs and Willoughby Morgan acted for the government. Among the rivers designated in this treaty as bound- aries of the half-breed lands are the Big or Great Ne-mo-haw and Little Ne-mo-haw, which afterwards become known as the Nemahas. What a pity the old Indian names and their true meanings could not be retained.

The first survey, which proved incorrect, did not include Archer, but before it was hardly located, a new line was run and though it added little to the half-breed lands, it took in the townsite. It was the death warrant of

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the county seat, though numerous efforts were made to save it. Abel D. Kirk, prominent here at that time, was sent to Washington, D. C., but his efforts were of no avail. Hon. Elmer S. Dundy. then a young man without money or renown, but with unbounded ambition, had settled at Archer and took up the fight for the villagers and settlers, whose claims laid in the con- demned tract. He entered into an agreement with them that for two per cent of the assessed value of their property he would go to Washington and try to save their lands. Right well, too, did he plead their cause, for he suc- ceeded in getting an act through Congress by which the settlers were per- mitted to retain the lands they had started to improve. In many cases the settlers would have been better off financially to have let their claims revert to the government, moved their buildings and taken other claims; but most of the people had a horror of getting away from the river and the timber along its banks, out upon the open prairie.

JUDGE DUNDY.

It might truthfully be stated that right here was where Judge Dundy laid the foundation of his success of later years. When he landed at Archer his sole possessions were the clothes on his back; a limited-very limited- number of law books in a "satchel", and a fiddle. Clients were few, fees fewer and small, when they could be collected at all, and Dundy's only equip- ments for life at that time were, a fine education, a cheerful disposition, coupled with a keen sense of humor, faith in the new country, ambition to succeed, assets that did not balance well against dollars when pay-day rolled around-but the stuff that makes a man.

Judge Dundy was in every sense a social favorite in the settlement. Many a dance at the hotel in Archer was arranged by him and he seemed happiest when doing the fiddling. At every social gathering, Dundy, the future federal judge at Omaha, and his fiddle were on hand. He is remem- bered in later years as a white-haired but distinguished old man, still fiddling. always coming down with his heel to mark the time and was watched with as much admiration perhaps as are the noted violinists of the present day.

But, back to Archer. As soon as it became evident that the townsite could not be saved, many other towns were started. Falls City was backed by most of the Archer residents and many buildings were moved there from the old town. The house now owned by Fred Keller, at the corner of Nineteenth and Stone streets in block No. 27, was a two-story house built

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and owned by the Goldsberrys at Archer. Perhaps there were others, but they were destroyed by early-day fires.

Rulo became prominent because of river advantages ; Salem, because of its central location and because in the meantime several settlers, considered wealthy in those days, had located there. All the new towns wanted the county seat and the contest which finally settled between Falls City and Salem was long and bitter, extending over a period of nearly seventeen years, result- ing in an enmity which has never been entirely overcome in many instances.

Considerable time elapsed before Archer was entirely extinct. Event- ually, all the town lots and adjoining land were bought up by Wilson M. Maddox and became a part of the old Maddox farm across the Muddy, now owned by Benjamin Poteet.

The old Archer cemetery still exists, though the remains of the first set- tlers who were buried there, have in many cases been removed to other ceme- teries. But many were left and the old-time headstones mark not only the graves of the loved ones, pioneers young and old, but the graves of hopes and ambitions and the grave of the first county seat of Richardson county.

INCORPORATION OF ARCHER.

The following petition bearing the date of January 19, 1859, was pre- sented to the county commissioners at Salem, and the following copy of same is taken from the minutes of the board :

"To the Honorable the County Commissioners of Richardson County.

"Your Petitioners, residents and legal voters of the town of Archer, Rich- ardson County, respectfully pray your Honorable body to Incorporate the said Town of Archer and appoint Five Trustees to form and constitute the corporate authorities of the said town under and by Notice of the statute in such cases made and provided and they will pray.

Archer, 19th January, 1859.

"E. S. Dundy, D. F. Thompson, John P. Welty, J. C. Miller, John S. Skaggs, Michael Skaggs."

The prayer of the petition was granted by the board on January 27, 1859.

The plat of Archer was filed for record on July 4, 1855. The streets were named for the founders of the town, Trammel. White, Miller, Sharpe, Shelley, Kirk, Hare, Crook, and Howard. There were one hundred blocks in the town with an open square in center for court house.

The following taken from pages 50 to 55 of "Deed Record," A, B,

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and D, in the register of deeds office of Richardson county, shows recorded plat of Archer as follows :

Plat of Archer, Richardson County, Nebraska Territory, 1855.

"We the undersigned proprietors of the Town of Archer, Richardson County, Nebraska Territory, have caused to be surveyed and platted the town . of Archer and have set apart the claim upon which the same is located for that purpose with lots, streets and alleys with out lots and reservations as designated upon the within platte. July 4th, 1855."

A. D. KIRK, JOHN C. MILLER, AMBROSE SHELLEY, N. J. SHARP.

Territory of Nebraska, County of Richardson, ss.

On the roth day of July personally appeared before me Ambrose Shelley, A. D. Kirk, John C. Miller, and N. J. Sharp known to me to be the identical persons whose names appear to the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the same to be their voluntary act and deed for the purpose therein set forth.

WILLIAM TRAMMEL, Justice of the Peace.

Territory of Nebraska, County of Richardson, ss.

I, Christian Bobst hereby certify that I have examined the within sur- vey and platte of the town of Archer and believing that the requirements of the law has been substantially complied with by the owners of the claim upon which the same is located do hereby direct the same to be placed upon record.

CHRISTIAN BOBST, Judge of Probate.

July 10th, A. D. 1855.

All lots are 132 feet North & South by 66 feet East and West, Out lots show their own size. All streets are 66 feet wide except Hickory and Sharp which are 99 feet wide. All alleys are 161/2 feet wide. Lots on the East and West side of the Square are reserved but are the same size of others. All lines are run east and west and North and South at a varia- tion north 10', 30" East. I hereby certify that the within platte of the Town of Archer is surveyed as thereon set forth and that the same is correct with the exceptions of a few Blocks. July 9th, 1855.

N. J. SHARP, Surveyor.

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A line in Block 76 shows the original purchase. Approved and filed the Ioth day of July, A. D. 1855.

C. BOBST, Judge of Probate.

Filed for record the Ioth day of July, 1855.

N. J. SHARP, Register of Deeds.

Taken from page 6 of "Deed Record," A, B and D of records of regis- ter of deeds office, Richardson county.

Ambrose Shelley, et al., to Town of Archer.

Assignment.

Articles of association Archer Townsite Company made and entered into the 14th day of June A. D., 1855, by and between Ambrose Shelley, John C. Miller, A. D. Kirk, and N. J. Sharp, all of the County of Richardson, Territory of Nebraska, the object and purpose of this association is and shall be to purchase claims for the purpose of establishing the Town of Archer, the Seat of Justice, for the County of Richardson, Nebraska Territory, and deal in town lots and lands, in said county. The said Town of Archer is to be Located upon the prairie tract of land at a stake about 30 rods East of the South East Corner of a Piece of Brakeing or plowed land extending 80 rods South, east North and west to be 160 rods square said stake being in the center which is together with the remainder the claim now occupied by the said Shelley and known as the Minter Claim and the claim now owned by P. Pollard embracing the mill site near the Indian Ford and Stone Druary (320) acres on the Muddy Creek the whole containing (600) acres with the improvements thereon are hereby conveyed by the said Shelley to the said company for and in consideration of the sum of five hundred and fifty dollars which sum is to be paid as per agreement.

(Signed)

AMBROSE SHELLEY. JOHN C. MILLER. A. D. KIRK. N. J. SHARP.

Recorded July 2nd, 1855.

County Commissioners met according to law, November 24, 1856, the whole Board being present and the following business was transacted. Viz : Account of Jacob Coffman for acting as Clerk of election McMahan's Precinct at the November election of 1856 allowed. $1.50.

C. McDonald Acct. for acting as Clerk of Election in Pawnee County at the August election of 1856-allowed. $1.50.

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N. J. Sharp for extra services rendered as Register of Deeds for the years 1855 and 1856 allowed, $50.00.

Court Adjourned.

F. L. GOLDSBURY, Clk.

The County Commissioners met according to law, January 5th, 1857, the whole Board being present. The following business was transacted: Peti- tion of Citizens of McMahan's Precinct for the Appointment of a Justice of the Peace for said Precinct and recommended J. N. Johnson be appointed.

J. N. Johnson was appointed, Justice of the Peace for McMahan's Pre- cinct. Account of F. L. Goldsbury presented and allowed for Canvassing election Pawnee County August 25th, 1856. $1.50.

Acct. of G. W. Miller, allowed $3.15.

Acct. of J. P. Weltz, allowed $1.50.

The oath of Office was administered to J. N. Johnson.

F. L. GOLDSBURY, County Clerk.

FIRST MEETING AT SALEM OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

Salem, N. T., April 6th, 1857.

County Commissioners did not appear except Arnett Roberts, nothing done. Adjourned till Court in Course.

F. L. GOLDSBURY, County Clerk.

A VISIT TO ARCHER. By Isham Reavis.

On a bright Sunday afternoon last summer, 18-, while John W. Dor- rington, of Yuma, Arizona, an old-timer in Falls City, was here on a visit. he proposed that we go out to Archer, that is to say, where it once stood, and take a look at the old place. It was agreed and we went. There were four of us; three have seen the town in its decadency, the other had seen only its abandoned site, and the cemetery over the ravine to the north, in which many of its early settlers lie buried. There is nothing in the pros- pect suggestive of the fact that a town of three hundred people or more ever stood there or that it had ever been anything but the cornfield it now is.

The cemetery mentioned is now Archer; the once living village has vanished, and is but a memory.

Most people have an unexplainable desire to visit a graveyard, and the (15)

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party that went over on that beautiful Sunday afternoon were no exception to the rule.

I had in mind the fear that the place might have been neglected and become overgrown with weeds and underbrush. Such things happen some- times to these places, especially where they are isolated from a town and left for whoever may be willing, to give them attention and care. In this case I was agreeably disappointed in my expectations.

We found the cemetery in good presentable order, finely located on grounds gently sloping to the west and south, with a thick covering of grass over which the lawn mower had recently passed: there was no sign of neglect anywhere, but just the reverse.

What interested me most was the community of the dead who lie buried there. Some have been there-two to my knowledge-for more than half a century. Dr. B. S. Hutchins was one, McMullen the other. Doctor Hutchins died in the summer or fall of 1858. I never met him but once, and then I knew he was going slowly down to his grave, with that fell disease, consumption. He left a little daughter, ten or eleven years old, who grew to womanhood in the county and is with us yet, the wife of our respected townsman, F. M. Harlow.

Passing from one gravestone to another, I found that I had known all those people when in life, and I regret to say, though I have lived in the near vicinity of this out-of-the-way God's acre for more than fifty years, that was my first visit to it. It was like a revival of old acquaintance, going among those silent heralds, each announcing the resting-place of some- one I had known in the days of yore ; each one of them as I read the names of the gravestones, was present to my mental vision, as I last saw him or her in life, and the time in which they lived.

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 20

Author: Edwards, Lewis C Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1742

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742