History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 56

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 56

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L. B. Prouty, speaking about the location of a postoffice at Elmore, years afterward had the following to say: "There were two reasons for the establishment of a postoffice at our place. First-We had been bring- ing mail from Falls City since 1860, for many persons, some living north of Verdon, thus saving them a trip of twelve miles going and coming. Second-The Burbanks had a mail route from Leavenworth via Falls City, without touching the river towns until reaching Nemaha City, and we were on that route. We even secured through mail keys, but did not get the locks for the keys. The contractor asked to be relieved from supplying our office and we gladly complied as it was no sport to change two mails daily. We received our commission dated July 3rd, 1862. The business done at this office may be seen from the following reports: For quarter ending December 31st, 1862, $4.68; June 30, 1863. $10.31. We paid the route agent $10.31 for the year 1863. The postoffice department received for the year 1864 the sum of $13.63. Our commission of 60 per cent amounted to $8.17."

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

COTTAGE GROVE.

Cottage Grove required four precincts in which to build the future great city, being located on the cross roads where Ohio, Barada, Muddy and Liberty precincts corner with each other, and not all the corners were occupied. It was located and founded by Doctor Rockwell who kept a general merchandise and drug store. The city reached high water mark in population and prosperity about 1881, when it contained twenty-five persons and had a postoffice kept in a grange store by Herb Howe, who is now a retired merchant, raising lemons in the state of California, for his health and the fun of it. A blacksmith shop was kept by Oathout Brothers, later of Shubert, and a Methodist parsonage and some three or four dwelling houses. When the Missouri-Pacific railroad went through the county 1 1882 and Verdon was located, Cottage Grove residents moved almost in a body to where they could see the cars and hear the steam whistle of progress.

AUTHORIZED TO DAM THE NEMAHA.

An act of the Territorial Legislature approved on January 7, 1861, authorized M. A. Frank, of Falls City "To erect and keep a mill-dam over and across the Great Nemaha river at the Falls thereof, in the county of Richardson."

ELKTON POSTOFFICE.

Elkton postoffice was located at the home of G. B. Patterson, four miles northeast of Verdon. The office was established, named, and Mr. Patter- son appointed postmaster at the same time that L. B. Prouty was appointed at Elmore, Elkton being on the same mail route from Leavenworth, Falls City and' Nemaha. The settlers were so few at that time in the vicinity of Elkton that no mail was ever left at the postoffice for distribution although Mr. Patterson held the keys for a number of years and was ready to act as postmaster as soon as any mail arrived to be cared for.

BRECKENRIDGE.

Breckenridge was staked out on the farm just southeast of Isaac Clark's, three miles east and two south of Verdon and three-quarter of a mile east of Liberty precinct line. This would-be city contained one house built by Frank Goldsbury, and had one doctor and one Frenchman. The doctor

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was the Frenchman and lived in the only residence in the city. This ambi- tious Frenchman's name was Ferdin Godfrey. Jim McElroy, a townsite surveyor of the county at that time, owned a half interest in this town, as fees for surveying. One day Godfrey strayed away from home across the Kansas line and was killed by a cyclone.

PEORA.

Peora was another might-have-been town. It was located on the farm later owned by James Hanley, one mile north and a half-mile east of Verdon. This city, although duly staked out into city lots and named. never contained but one lone inhabitant, a man by the name of Wicks, who started a grist-mill in the shape of an old-fashioned tread-power corn crusher, for the benefit of the settlers in the neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD.

Springfield was platted as a townsite, with bright hope for its future greatness, in 1856, on the same land that Verdon now occupies, by Johnson Sharp and James Trammel. The two proprietors constituted the only inhabit- ants the town ever had, except an occasional visit from a wandering red man or a lost traveler. From the decayed remains of Springfield, Verdon took root and sprouted, after a lapse of twenty-six years.

GENEVA.

Geneva was located at the exact geographical center of the county one mile south and a half-mile west of Verdon ; three hundred and twenty acres were surveyed as the townsite. The demise of this town was the making of a first-class hog pasture, as some of the finest hogs in the state are now roaming over the former streets, avenues and boulevards of this once great city. Mysteries are the ways of this world. The site for the temple of justice and court house square raises some of the best corn grown in the county.

In the fall of 1857, Joseph Embody, William Spurlock & Son and Charles Cornell formed a townsite company and pre-empted a half section of land for a townsite, as provided by law, and Joseph Seefoo, the county surveyor, platted the entire half section into town lots. The two lone trees that can be seen at a distance were planted upon the proposed public square. The town was started with the intention of making it the county seat, as

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the re-survey of the Half-Breed tract had left Archer on Indian land and the county seat had to be moved. Salem and the then new town of Falls City were the only rivals of any consequence for county-seat honors. Town lots were given to anyone who would build thereon. Each of the proprietors built a dwelling house and many others began. A Mr. Pelcher built a black- smith shop and Joseph Embody built a general store and hotel in connec- tion. Embody was also postmaster, but the government never established a route to this place ; the mail was brought by private messengers from Salem. Charles Cornell built the first house in 1857, and the next year the town reached the height of its glory when it had about thirty inhabitants, with four complete dwellings, a store, hotel, blacksmith shop, and many founda- tions for other buildings. The final location of the county seat at Falls City, was the death of Geneva.

When the votes were counted for the county-seat location, the voters had given this place three names, viz: Geneva, the Center, and Section 22, township 2, range r. The friends of Geneva always believed that if the voters had been better informed and a little more electioneering had been done, this town might have won, thus spoiling a splendid farm for a county- seat location.

The supposed scarcity of water at this place was another drawback. The townsite company dug a well fifty feet deep, near the two trees and found no water, and others dug wells from fifty to seventy feet deep, with no better success; but now all the farmers in the neighborhood have good wells only forty feet deep and have plenty of water at all seasons of the year.

FLOWERDALE.

Flowerdale was a traveling postoffice, being located at the residence of the farmer who would consent to have the honor of postmaster thrust upon him. Its last location was at the home of H. D. Weaver, three miles southeast of Stella. Walt Hopper kept a general store nearby. When Stella and Verdon started. the store was moved to Verdon and the postoffice abandoned.

DORRINGTON.

Dorrington was another traveling postoffice, for the benefit of the neigh- borhood southwest of the present town of Stella. It was named in honor of David Dorrington, one of the first settlers of Falls City. The postoffice was first located on the northwest quarter of section 14, township 3, north of

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

range 14. east of the sixth principal meridian, but it was afterwards changed to the southwest quarter of section II, township 3, range 14, east of the sixth principal meridian. The postoffice was established in 1880; William Day was the postmaster and also ran a small store in connection. When Stella laid her foundations for a town, Day moved his store to Stella, and Dorrington was abandoned in 1882.

NORAVILLE.

Noraville sprang into existence in 1871, as a camp for the Atchison & Nebraska railroad graders, on the land owned by W. F. Draper, who laid out a town adjoining the railroad tract and named the town in honor of his wife, Nora.

In 1868 Joshua Dawson built a mill on the present site of the Daw- son mill and soon afterwards he succeeded in getting a government postoffice located at the mill. The postoffice was known as the Dawson Mills, and when the railroad was built the company named the station the same as the postoffice, only dropping the word, mill. The citizens a number of years ago had the town incorporated under the name of Dawson. Now history and the old settlers alone know of the original town of forty-four acres as Noraville.

MONTEREY.

Monterey covered one-half of sections 5 and 6, township 3, range 14, at one time; it is now the farm of S. J. Kleckner. Nathan Meyers laid out the town and built a log house in which the postoffice was kept. A school house was built nearby, but the population of the town never reached more than three or four inhabitants.

MEONOND.

Meonond was at one time a postoffice, established in 1864 at the resi- dence of J. B. Rothenberger; afterwards moved to the residence of Thomas Lynch, one mile west, about midway between Humboldt and Dawson. This was on the mail route from Falls City to Pawnee city, and the stopping places were Salem, Miles' Ranch, Meonond, Humboldt, Table Rock and Pawnee city. This office was only kept up about two years.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

MILES' RANCH.

Miles' Ranch was another postoffice located at the home of S. B. Miles. south of Dawson in Nemaha precinct, it being on the mail route from Falls City to Pawnee city. It was kept up for the convenience of the neighbor- hood for a few years. Upon the location of Dawson on the railroad, this office was abandoned and one at Well's mill established at the grist-mill of that name on the south fork of the Nemaha, near the township line of Nemala and Salem precincts. This office was finally moved further to the south and west and was for many years known as Middleburg. The latter office was looked after by J. E. Frey.

PLEASANT VALLEY.

Pleasant Valley was located in Speiser precinct at the home of Christian Bobst, who was the postmaster. It is claimed that this was the first post- office established in Richardson county, as Mr. Bobst settled on his claim in the fall of 1854 and soon thereafter had the postoffice located at this point. The exact date of its establishment, or its abandonment, has not been ascertained, but it was most likely abandoned about the time the Atchison & Nebraska railroad came up the valley of the Nemaha in 1871.

BEGINNING AND END OF ARAGO.

A period of business depression during the administration of President James Buchanan in 1857, which threw out of employment a large number of working men in Buffalo, New York, was the first cause of the migration to this county of a party of Germans, who were responsible for the building of Arago, one of the earliest towns of consequence on the Missouri river. In those days hundreds of good workmen had been walking the streets of Buffalo, New York, hunting for work and willing and ready to accept service if only fifty cents per day might be had, or anything, so long as they might continue to live and support their families.

This condition was not brought about by a strike for higher wages or less hours, as is often the case in these later days among the workmen of the larger cities, but at that time trade was stagnated, money scarce and only trade exchange could be had at the stores in lieu of money.

This state of affairs, going from bad to worse. had become unbearable when Louis Allegewahr. Jacob Wirtner, George Seyfang, Mike Solomon,

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

Henry Sommerlad, and Gus Duerfeldt, Sr., with about one hundred other mechanics and other common workmen employed at Cutler & DeForest's, the largest and finest furniture establishment in the city of Buffalo at that time. expecting at any time to join the walking street parade, felt in unison the call of the West, and concluded to organize a German Colonization Society for the purpose of buying land on some Western river for a home. To this end a meeting was called to assemble at Lorenc Gilling's hall, on Genesee street, in Buffalo, to perfeet plans for such a purpose. A company was at once duly organized and officers, pro tem, chosen. Louis Allegewahr was named president ; G. T. Nessler, vice-president ; Henry Sommerlad. secretary and Gus Duerfeldt, Sr., treasurer, together with a committee. which was instructed to draft the constitution and by-laws. Thus was taken the pre- liminary step which had to do with joining together the men who were to fashion the little city of Arago in the banks of the Missouri in the frontier days.

A week later the society had over one hundred members and no change in the personnel of its officers. The company sold shares at fifteen dollars each, and promised three building lots or a garden lot of one acre near the new town. Three trustees were elected-Jacob Beyer, George Hollerith and Jacob Schue. On September, 1857, a convention was called to elect a land commission of three men to buy land for the company: Louis Allegwahr, Doctor Dellenbaugh, from Buffalo, and a farmer from Cheektowage town were elected. The commission went some one hundred miles along the lower Mississippi river and then came home without buying any land. They were badly used up by the mosquitos, which were plentiful and very large, not singing the high "C," like those at home, but more like that of a bumble bee ; a country fit only for negroes and not white men, they thought.

Early in March. 1858, another convention was called to elect a new land commission. Louis Allegwahr, Doctor Dellenbaugh, of Buffalo, and Will- iam Krebes, of Chicago, Illinois, were chosen, and a levy to be made of five dollars on each share, was voted.

GERMAN COLONY CHOSE FRENCH NAME FOR NEW TOWN.

At this convention the names of many of the largest cities of Germany were suggested as suitable as a name for the new city in prospect, but all were voted down. At this juncture the name of the great French traveler and explorer. Dominique Francois Arago, was agreed to, and is to this day the name of the precinct in which this village was located, which. strange to

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say for some reason when the postoffice at this point in very recent years was discontinued and moved to a point a few miles west, the name, Arago. clung to it, while the older village was caused to be officially known as "Fargo," but it will always be known as old Arago.

This later commission went north along the Missouri river up to what was then Nebraska Territory and purchased from Stephen Story, Huston Nuckolls, Fred Nuckolls and a Mr. Hoak, sixteen hundred acres of land in St. Stephens precinct (township 3, north range 17, east, Richardson county, Nebraska), with a saw-mill near the river, a few log houses, six yoke of oxen, and log wagons, paying therefor twenty-four thousand three hundred dollars. Ten thousand three hundred dollars was paid and a mortgage given on the land for fourteen thousand dollars at ten per cent for one year. They engaged a surveyor. Cornelius Shubert, who laid out the town of Arago, with a Washington and Jefferson park, also"an open square as a market place. The first-class lots were thirty by one hundred and thirty feet, nearly all in the beautiful bottom, as level as the floor, covered with large walnut, oak, elm and basswood trees, about one-half mile wide. The second-class lots were fifty by one hundred feet and garden lots on the prairie above and west. Those people. unacquainted with the vagaries of the Missouri river, had platted the best part of their town where in time to come it would be subjected to overflow and ruin, while that designated as second class was and always has been out of danger's way.

The first twelve settlers from Buffalo, New York. Louis Allegwahr, Geo. Safewang, Mike Solomon. C. F. Walther, Henry Sommerlad, Louis Kleber, Henry Sacht, Fred Nitche, August Dorste, William Ziemendorf. Conrad Klingelhoefer, and Bernard Klingelhoefer, landed at Arago on the 4th day of July, 1858. and hoisted Old Glory on a high tree standing on the bluff. They built a warehouse, a dock for boat landing. cut down the high hill to open a road westward and build homes for themselves.

Nearly every one of these houses was built of native wood, finished later with pine weather boards and pine lumber inside. Plenty of large rocks and sand were found near St. Stephens. Brick was made by F. Smiley in the town; other building material was hauled by steamboat from Brownville, Nebraska. Many settlers came from Buffalo in 1858 and 1859 to Arago. At one time six families were living in the warehouse. The first settlers came by the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad to St. Joseph, Missouri, and thence by steaniboat to Arago.

On June 15, 1859. at Buffalo, New York, a convention was called to elect an agent to go to Arago and pay the balance due on the land and also

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voted a levy of five dollars on each share of stock. August Duerfeldt, Sr .. was chosen for this errand and arrived at Arago on June 23. 1859, from which place he went on horseback the following day to Salem, the then county seat of Richardson county, Nebraska. At Salem he learned to his surprise that the mortgage of fourteen thousand dollars had not been placed on record and only three mortgages were on record at that date.

Stephen Story, to whom the mortgage had been given, upon being inter- rogated in this particular stated that William Mann, the then register of deeds had asked him to pay one dollar for the recording of the instrument and thinking this sum excessive, had not had the mortgage recorded.

BUSINESS INTERESTS.

The timber land on the townsite was sold for six dollars per acre, and the prairie land for five dollars per acre. Many of the five hundred share- holders came to Arago and built houses and started business with the saw- mill. A\ flour-mill was started. Mike Gehling and Henry Sommerlad had built a brewery: Nemijeck, from Nemaha county, Nebraska, came and built a whiskey distillery : there were five large stores, one implement house, three blacksmiths' shops, four saloons, wagon and cooper shop; there was one doctor, one watchmaker, etc. I .. . Alleghawr was shipping all kinds of grain, wool, etc., and packing hogs, from a few up to ten thousand, in one season. He later sold the business to Peter Frederick, Sr., who continued it in a profitable condition for many years. Arago being the only hog market in this county, it required the farmers from Speiser precinct nearly three days to go to . Arago. Among the buildings of Arago was a fine Evangelical Luth- eran church, twenty by sixty feet floor; the Catholic church, a large, two- story school house, where the students were taught in English and German ; a newspaper, published one-half in German, one-half in English; a large dance hall with a stage, two large hotels, chair factory, owned by P. B. Miller and B. Solomon ; a brick yard owned by Mr. Smiley. Arago had a band of twenty pieces, also a string band and the Deanche Sangerbund, or singing society. On application, Governor Saunders gave the town thirty-five new muskets, which Col. John C. Fremont had bought in Germany : these muskets were for protection against the Indians.

Roselins, in Missouri, furnished the first settlers with provisions. The town company owed him in 1859 over $800. Flour was from $3 to $4 per barrel ; live hogs from $2 to $3 : beef from $1.75 to $2 per hundred pounds ; corn from 20 to 25 cents ; potatoes from 25 to 30 cents per bushel ; butter, 10

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

cents ; coffee, 15 cents ; sugar, 10 cents per pound; eggs, 5 cents per dozen. Corn, rye, wheat, barley and potatoes were sent in two-bushel sacks; oats, in bushel sacks. Pork and all kinds of provisions were sent by steamboats. There were no banks in Arago.

The banks at Buffalo, New York, paid four per cent interest on deposit and the people of Arago paid ten per cent on what they borrowed. By agree- ment, the people of Arago sent drafts payable at the First National Bank of New York, as fast as they received the money; the balance of the $6,300 was paid, $1,000 in gold, the rest in currency.

To the first settlers was sent money from Buffalo by express to St. Joseph, Missouri, from there the Arago treasurer, H. Sacht, was obliged to get the same. Later, L. Allegwahr and Peter Frederick, Sr., furnished money to farmers and citizens. The saw-mill was donated to a man from Brownville, on condition that lie would erect a flour-mill at Arago, and he became the owner of and operated both the saw-mill and flour-mill at 'Arago. Arago was growing fast and all business flourishing, some dreaming to get ahead of Chicago, or at least of the county seat, Salem.

EXODUS FROM AR.AGO.

As soon as the St. Joseph & Council Bluff's railroad on the east side of the river was built and the company bought the steamboats for ferries, all business on the Missouri river was at an end, or practically so, and all the cities and towns along the river went down, as did Arago, and very rapidly. Some of the business men removed to Falls City, which had now become more important, to resume their former occupations. Among them were Michael Gehling, with his brewery; Fred Stock, with his bakery, which he located at his residence just south of the present location of the Falls City Now's office, in block 69 on Harlan street, between Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets; Otto Wirth, with his jewelry business; Mr. Lange; Mr. Nettlebeck, with his shoe business; Henry Ruegge, upholstery; Dr. C. T. Burchard, and August Neitzel, with his monument business. A few to return to their old homes in the East at Buffalo, were Louis Allegewahr, George Seyfang, Michael Solomon, Louis Kleber, Antoine Hipshen, and others to scatter over the country ; while many of the citizens of that former thriving village wisely engaged in a "back to the soil movement" and became farmers and, inci- dentally, if living, are the wealthy members of our farming community, or at least laid the foundation for the fortunes now enjoyed by their sons and daughters of today.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

RAILROAD COMPLETED TO FALLS CITY.

The Atchison & Nebraska railroad being completed to Falls City in 1871, took off a large part of the trade of Arago, which up to that time was the only real good market in the county. Here the farmer could sell almost anything he could raise; nowhere else did they pretend to slaughter hogs on so large a scale. In fifteen years this business had grown to be a big thing and brought a large trade to the town.

As fast as the railroad cut off the business in Arago, the river did its part in taking the whole bottom from bluff to bluff, nearly all the first-class lots having left by river for St. Louis, the gulf, or to make bars to clog the stream and further impede travel by steamboats.

The distillery, the brewery, the flour- and saw-mill, stores and other fine buildings went up in smoke: while some houses were moved to farms or brought to Falls City. So Arago went down faster than it was built up and only one of the old settlers. Mrs. Bajie Saal, remaining, while Mrs. Christ Strecker, another of the first settlers, resided there until her death a short time since.

POPULATION THEN AND NOW.

Louis Allegewahr was the first city mayor of Arago and C. F. Walther was the last one. The population of Arago in its palmiest days aggregated the grand total of from one thousand to seventeen hundred souls. Today. but six families claim a residence on the townsite. In other years the ferry there made it an important gateway into this county from Missouri and lowa: now that has disappeared and the traveler must go either to Rulo or Brownsville to reach the Nebraska shore. The beautiful bottom on which the principal part of Arago was built and grew, has at different times been entirely wiped out, only to be later restored by the treacherous waters of the Big Muddy. . At this present time the river bank is nearly a mile east of the bluff on which the remaining portions of Arago stand and the village, tenant- less, presents only a spectre of its former self. Up to very recently an effort has been made to keep some kind of a trading point there; this even has disappeared and not one single place remains open for public business.

Arago was backed from the very first by plenty of money and emigrants ; its growth was rapid, but the growth of Arago was the downfall of St. Stephens, which was one mile north of it. During the years 1870-71, Arago reached the pinnacle of its fame and glory, when it became somewhat larger

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 56

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