History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 8

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

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About the year 1835 work was begun by the Presbyterian Board of For- eign Missions among the Iowa and Sauk, then residing on the Missouri river, in east Nebraska ( Richardson county that now is). Attention was also given to some others of the removed tribes, and about ten years later a mission was established among the Omaha and Otoe at Bellevue. near the present Omaha, Nebraska, where, in 1850, Rev. Edward MeKinney compiled a small Omaha primer, the first publication in that language. Both missions con- tinued on down to a modern period, despite the shifting fortunes of the tribes. Other prominent workers were Rev. Samuel Irvin, who gave thirty years of his life, beginning in 1837, to the first tribes named; and Rev. William Ham- ilton, who, beginning in 1837. with the same tribes, was transferred to the Bellevue Mission in 1853, rounding out a long life with a record of a half a century spent in service. Working in collaboration these two produced several linguistic works in the Iowa language, published by the Mission Press, between 1843 to 1850, besides a collection of Omaha hymns and some manu- script translations by Hamilton alone at a latter period.

The earliest Baptist worker in the central region was the Rev. Isaac McCoy, afterward for nearly thirty years the general agent in the Indian mis- sion work of that denomination.

The Episcopalians appear to have done no work in the interior until about 1830 .- From the "Hand Book of American Indians."

CHAPTER III.

SPANISHI EXPLORATIONS.

To no agency other or more than the natural greed that possessed the early Spanish explorers, do we owe the discovery of what we now know as Nebraska. There were men in the old world country who, while slow to believe in the theories of Columbus and slow enough in giving him assist- ance when most needed, were, however, awakened to the greatest of activity when stories of the wonders of the New World were brought back by the first expedition. This same spirit possessed the early conquerors of the new world. Each expedition fitted out brought to western shores adventurers fired with a desire to investigate the stories told, retold, magnified and dis- torted to unbelievable proportions. Those, while bearing no semblance of probability, only served to whet the desires of those who had come, No manner of privation could stop these early adventurers.

The spirit of the cavalier, fired with the romance of treading strange paths and communing with strange races of people, whose existence on this side of the planet until those days was absolutely unknown to the world, was as if at this late date after the world had been, as we believe, thoroughly traversed, we or some one should happen to discover ways and means of communication or intercourse with another race of mankind on some other planet. The existence of peoples in a western hemisphere, not known to be existent. must have been an event sufficient to fire the imagination of the then civilized world as had nothing before or since. That its effect was of stupendous importance, and so regarded at that time, we have ample evi- dence from the record of subsequent events.

The adventurous Spaniard was fired with excitement after the return of Columbus and efforts were at once commenced to outfit expeditions which should conquer the new world for the Spanish crown. Of these numerous expeditions we have neither time nor space here to speak, but must point out that the same spirit which prompted them, pervaded those of a later time, who hearkened to the voice of legendary stories reaching their ears from various sources, telling of famous peoples to the north of Mexico, who had not been visited by the European. The desire to invade the great tractless

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

unknown North, led to an expedition headed by one Francisco Vasquez Coronado, which in the light of more subsequent knowledge of the country traversed, the distance covered, the people likely to have been encountered, and the climatic conditions and other innumerable obstacles, of necessity, to be overcome, not to mention their mode of travel, seems to have been more really Quixotic than any of the many vagaries ascribed to the unbalanced mind of that mythical gallant in the days of knight errantry, described by the noted Spaniard, Cervantes.

It was here that the nature of the early Spaniard manifested itself most plainly. He had pillaged every people with whom he had come in contact in the new world and by the same promptings in a desire for what he might obtain by force, gave ear to the stories of beautiful cities and peo- ples of fabulous wealth to be found in the North. Hence it is that he and his followers were the first to visit the land we now prize as our state.

Gathering about him a band of some few hundred of his countrymen on horseback, together with several hundred Indians with supplies, a start was made in February, 1540. During that year they journeyed as far north as the territory now included in the present state of Arizona, where they spent the winter. In the following spring, in the month of April, the journey was continued on northward. The expedition was a failure and so foredoomed from the start, if measured by its accomplishment of any of the purposes originally set forth, for the reason that it failed utterly in finding any of the fabled cities or peoples, the like of which had been described to them: but it did succeed, or, at least, a very few survivors of the original party succeeded, in penetrating to a farther point north and west than had any exploring party up to that date. In accounts made of the trip it seems most certain that they reached the fortieth parallel north degree of latitude ( Kansas-Nebraska state line), and by some it is believed that they may have actually invaded the interior of Nebraska. This being true, they were the first besides the natives to see what is now Nebraska. This expedition started out originally from a point about four hundred miles north of the City of Mexico and their wanderings covered a period of two years, 1540 to 1542, and in the path of their travels for the first time beheld the grandeur of the grand canyon of the Colorado. This great can- yon, which in these later days is considered the grandest spot in the western hemisphere, for its scenic wonders, made but little impression on them as compared with what they had been led to hope would be found, and they pressed on through the hot summer months and endured much suffering and privation.

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.

Coronado, in writing of what he had found, said: "I have reached the fortieth parallel of latitude," "The inhabitants are good hunters, culti- vate corn, and exhibit a friendly disposition. They said that two months would not suffice to visit them entirely. In the whole extent of the prov- ince, I have seen but about twenty-five villages, and these are built of straw. The men are large and the women well formed. The soil is the best which it is possible to see for all kinds of Spanish fruits. Besides being strong and black, it is very well watered by creeks, fountains and rivers. Here I found plums, such as I have seen in Spain, walnuts and excellent ripe grapes."

Jarmacillo, one of Coronado's lieutenants, writing at a later time in regard to the expedition, had the following to say of his observations: "The country has a fine appearance, such as I have not seen excelled in France, Italy, or in any of the countries which I have visited in the service of his majesty. It is not a country of mountains, there being but hillocks and plains, with streams of excellent water. It afforded me entire satisfac- tion. I judge that it must be quite fertile and well suited to the cultivation of all sorts of fruits. For a grazing country, experience proves that it is admirably adapted; when we consider the herds of bison and other wild animals, vast as the imagination can conceive, find sustenance there. I noticed a kind of plum of excellent flavor, something like those of Spain; the stems and blue flowers of a sort of wild flax, sumach, along the margins of the streams, like the sumach of Spain, and palatable wild grapes."

FURTHER REPORTS.

Speaking further in regard to this part of the new world those chron- iclers, who were the first from the then civilized world to see. made report as follows referring to the buffalo: "These oxen are of the bigness and color of our bulls, but their horns are not so great. They have a great bunch on their foreshoulders and more hair on their forepart, than on their hinder part, and it is like wool. They have, as it were, a horse mane upon their backbone. and much hair and very long from their knees downward. They have great tufts of hair hanging down from their foreheads, and it seemeth that they have bears, because of the great store of hair hanging down from their chins and throats. The males have very long tails,, and a great knob or flock at the end, so that in some respects they resemble the

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

lion, and in some other, the camel. They push with their horns, they run, they overtake and kill a horse, when they are in their rage and anger. Finally, it is a foul and fierce beast of countenance and form of body. The horses fled from them, either because they were afraid of their deformed shape or else because they had never seen them. Their masters have no other riches, nor substance; of them they eat, they drink, they apparel, they shoe themselves ; and of their hides they make many things, as house shoes, apparel and ropes; of their bones they make bodkins, of their sinews and hair, thread; of their horns, maws and bladders, vessels; of their dung, fire; and of their calves, skins, budgets (buckets), wherein they draw and keep water. To be short, they make so many things of them as they have need of, or as many as suffice them in the use of this life."

The party encountered a storm and while the same happened four hundred years ago, yet in detail it would pass for similar disturbances many of us have witnessed in our own time: "One evening, there came up a ter- rible storm of wind and hail, which left in the camp hailstones as large as porringers and even larger. They fell thick as rain drops, and in some spots the ground was covered with them to the depth of eight or ten inches. The storm caused, said one, many tears, weakness and vows. The horses broke their reins, some were even blown down the banks of the ravine. the tents were torn, and every dish in the camp broken."

The authorities do not positively fix it as a fact that Coronado ever actually penetrated far enough north to have touched Nebraska, having only his word for it, and to make that doubtful, the fact that the early explorers invariably erred from one to two points off, in reckoning or computing the degrees of latitude. If correct, he undoubtedly, as he said, did reach the south boundary of our state; and if in error, as much as indicated above, he would then have reached central Kansas. In any event, the undertaking was most wonderful, considered from any angle regardless of the motives of its prompting. People residing in the vicinity of Junction City, Kansas, so certainly believe the story of this party's visit to their section of the coun- try at the time indicated, that in 1902 they erected a monument with suitable inscriptions for the purpose of commemorating the event.

There are recorded many other and wonderful tales of romantic value telling of adventurous explorers, who at later dates may have visited the land of Quivera, but they savor so much of the fable that they can have but little interest of historical value, except for showing the state of mystery that must have surrounded this unknown region in those shadowy days of the past.

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

VISIT OF FRENCHMEN.

Not until nearly two hundred years later do we find an authenicated case of any visit to this region by the white man, and it is then a party of Frenchmen under the leadership of the Mallet brothers, Pierre and Paul. They, like the later exploring parties, made use of the good old Missouri river as a means of transit and in their description of the trip gave the length in leagues of the distance between points along the stream from St. Louis to the northern part of the state of Nebraska, where they appear to have disembarked and from this point traversed the state, going to the southwest and on to Mexico. They are said to have been the first white men to visit the state and they it was who were the first of this race to negotiate the Platte river and name it. From reports of their visit was obtained the first really authentic description of the country now included in what is Nebraska.

Stories told by this party encouraged others to come up the river and we find that many of the early visitors soon began to carry on quite an extensive and (to them) profitable trade with the natives, taking their furs in exchange for cheap trinkets they were able to bring from the East and from Europe. Manuel Lista was the most widely known among these early traders so far as this part of the country is concerned.

As soon as the country was acquired by the government from France under what was known as the "Louisiana Purchase," Lewis and Clark were sent to make an investigation for our government. This famous expedition was sent out in 1804 and consumed the greater part of two years on the trip. The various visitors to the West in those days made the trip up the river in open boats, using oars, and sometimes pulled the boats with horses on the shore or by men with a rope attached to the boat. This method of travel was both tedious and slow.

THE FIRST STEAMBOAT.

The first steamboat used on the Missouri river for navigation pur- poses was that of Major Stephen Long, who was in the government serv- ice and had been sent West to explore the Platte river and the region east of the mountains in 1819. This boat, the "Western Engineer," was out- fitted at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and left that point on its long journey on May 5, 1819. This party went down the Ohio river to St. Louis and

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

thence up the Missouri to Council Bluffs. The boat, being the largest and first of its kind under its own power to make the voyage, was a strange sight to the simple natives and the smoke emitted from its funnels was terrifying to them. The party arrived at Omaha, or near the later site of that city, some time in the month of September of that year. Those people spent many months among the Indians of the state, then going west to the mountains. The Major had in his party a number of scientific men who made a close study of the country and the people.

That the country from the Missouri river west to the mountains at that period, was regarded as unlikely to ever become of much value for agriculture, will appear from what he reported to the government, speaking in this connection: He said: "It, (the country) is almost wholly unfit for cultivation and of course uninhabitable for people depending upon agricul- ture for their subsistence."

Major Long and his men proved no better prophets as to the future of Nebraska than many who came later; but, being a representative of the government, his report was given undue credence and its effect was detri- mental to this country for many years. However, notwithstanding what he said, it is a well-known fact that the Indians then living here had in their crude way succeeded in raising a considerable quantity of vegetable and cereal crops. The Pawnees, Omahas, Poncas and Otoes were raising a number of varieties of all the different kinds of corn we now have; besides they cultivated some fifteen kinds of beans, eight kinds of squash, one of melons and innumerable other articles of food value.

From what source Major Long drew his conclusions is not clear as the native had found it possible and had raised all that was sufficient for his well being, for centuries before the advent of the white man upon the scene, and subsequent events have more than proven that the white man could do likewise.

LEWIS AND CLARK'S EXPEDITION.

Soon after the acquirement of the Louisiana Territory from the French, the American government, desirous of having authoritative information relative to the same, commissioned Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Capt. Will- iam Clark, both of whom at the time were officers in the United States army, to set out on an expedition and explore and report on the same. They were to ascertain the source and courses of the Missouri and determine the most convenient water route to the Pacific and, incidently, to gather all pos- sible information in regard to the new country. They made their way to

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

St. Louis, Missouri, and at that place outfitted themselves for the long journey up the Missouri river. The start on this memorable trip was made from the above place on May 14, 1804.

Following is a description of the company and outfit taken from the journal of Lewis and Clark :

"The party consisted of nine young men from the state of Kentucky, fourteen soldiers of the United States army, who volunteered their services, two French watermien, an interpreter and hunter, and a black servant belong- ing to Captain Clark-all of these, except the last, were enlisted to serve as privates during the expedition, and three sergeants appointed from amongst them by the captains. In addition to this were engaged a corporal and six soldiers, and nine watermen to accompany the expedition as far as the Mandan nation, in order to assist in carrying the stores, or repelling an attack, which was most to be apprehended, between Woos river and that . tribe. The necessary stores were subdivided into seven bales, and one box, containing a small portion of each article in case of accident. They con- sisted of a great variety of clothing, working utensils, locks, flints, powder, ball, and articles of the greatest use. To these were added fourteen bales and one box of Indian presents, distributed in about the same manner, and consisted of richly-laced coats and other articles of dress, medals, flags, knives and tomahawks for the chiefs-ornaments of different kinds par- ticularly beads, looking glasses, handkerchiefs, paints, and generally such articles as were deemed best calculated for the taste of the Indians.

"The party was to embark on board of three boats: the first was a keel boat, fifty-five feet long, drawing three feet of water, one large square sail and twenty-two oars; a deck of ten feet in the bow and stern formed a forecastle and cabin, while the middle was covered by lockers, which might be raised so as to form a breast work in case of attack. This was accom- panied by two perioques [pirogues] or open boats, one of six and the other of seven oars. Two horses were at the same time to be led along the banks of. the river for the purpose of bringing in game, or hunting in case of scarcity."

After a slow and laborious voyage they reached a point opposite to where the Great Nemaha empties into the Missouri, on the afternoon of July IIth, where they went into camp for a couple of days. (The Great Nemaha at the present time empties into the Missouri river at a point sev- eral miles north of the spot located by Lewis and Clark, it having changed its course in later years, during times of high water."

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

THIE COUNTRY DESCRIBED.

The following from the journal of Lewis and Clark, describes what they found at the mouth of the Nemaha :

"July 12, 1804-(Thursday)-We remained here today for the pur- pose of refreshing the party and making lunar observations. The Nemaha empties itself into the Missouri from the South, and is eighty (80) yards wide at its confluence, which is in latitude 39° 55' 56". Captain Clark ascended it in a piroque about two miles, to the mouth of a small creek on the lower side. On going ashore, he found in the level plain several arti- ficial mounds, or graves, and, on the adjoining hills, others of larger size. This appearance indicates sufficiently the former population of this country, the mounds being certainly intended as tombs, the Indians of the Missouri still preserving the custom of interring the dead on high ground. From the top of the highest mound a delightful prospect presented itself-the level. and extensive meadows watered by the Nemaha and enlivened by the few trees and shrubs skirting the borders of the river and its tributary streams; the lowland of the Missouri covered with undulating grass, nearly five feet high, gradually rising into a second plain, where rich weeds and flowers are interspersed with copses of the Osage plum; farther back were seen small groves of trees, an abundance of grapes, the wild cherry of the Missouri, resembling our own, but larger, and growing on a small bush, and the choke-cherry, which we observed for the first time. Some of the grapes gathered today are nearly ripe. On the south of the Nemaha and about a quarter of a mile from its mouth, is a cliff of freestone, in which are various inscriptions and marks made by the Indians. The sand island on which we are encamped is covered with the two species of willow-broad and narrow leaf."

"July 13 .- We proceeded at sunrise with a fair wind from the south, and at two miles passed the mouth of a small river on the north called Big Tarkio. A channel from the bed of the Missouri once ran into this river and formed an island called St. Joseph's, but the channel is now filled up and the island is now added to the northern shore. Farther on to the south is situated an extensive plain, covered with a grass resembling timothy in its general appearance, except the seed, which is like flax seed, and also a number of grape vines. At twelve miles we passed an island on the north, above which is a big sand bar covered with willows, and at twenty and a half miles, stopped on a large sand bar in the middle of the river, opposite a high, handsome prairie, which extends to the hills four or

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

five miles distant, though near the bank the land is low and subject to be overflowed. This day was exceedingly fine and pleasant, the storm of wind last night from the northeast having cooled the air."

"July 14th .- We had some hard showers of rain before seven o'clock, when we set out. We had just reached the end of the sand island, and seen the opposite banks fall in, and so lined with timber that we could not approach it without danger, when a sudden squall from the northeast struck the boat on the starboard quarter and would certainly have dashed her to pieces on the sand island if the party had not leaped into the river, and with the aid of the anchor and cable, kept her off-the waves dashing over her for a space of forty minutes. after which the river became almost instantly calm and smooth. The two pirogues were ahead, in a situation nearly similar, but fortunately no damage was done to the boats or the loading. The wind having shifted to the southeast, we came, at the distance of two miles, to an island on the north, where we dined. One mile above, on the same side of the river, is a small factory, where a merchant of St. Louis traded with the Otoes and Pawnees two years ago. Near this is an exten- sive lowland, part of which is overflowed occasionally, the rest is rich and well timbered. The wind again changed to the northwest by north. At seven and one-half miles, we reached the lower point of a large island. A small distance above this point is a river, called by the Maha (now Omaha Indians ), the Nish-na-ba-tona. This is a considerable creek, nearly as large as the Mine river, and runs parallel to the Missouri the greater part of its course, being fifty yards wide at its mouth. In the prairies or glades, we saw wild timothy, lambsquarter, cnckleberries, and, on the edge of the river, summer grapes. plums and gooseberries. We also saw today for the first time, some elk, at which some of the party shot, hut at too great a distance. We encamped on the north side of the island, a little above the Nishnaba- tona, having made nine miles. The river fell a little.

"July 15th .- A thick fog prevented us leaving the encampment before seven. At about four miles, we reached the extremity of the large island, and crossing to the south (side of the Missouri), at a distance of seven miles, arrived at the Little Nemaha, a small river from the south, forty vards wide a little above its mouth, but contracting as do most all rivers emptying into the Missouri at its confluence.

LOUISIANA PURCHASE.

Because of the conquest of Canada in 1760, the province of Louisiana alone remained to France, but not for long. On November 3, 1762. it was

RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

ceded to Spain, with the exception of the eastern half, which fell to Eng- land. The portion west of the Mississippi river, including what is now the state of Nebraska, was thenceforth for thirty-eight years Spanish territory, but the Spaniards did not at once assume possession of the same. The east portion taken by the English, passed on September 3, 1783, to the United States, following the close of the Revolutionary War. Later, on October 1, 1800, by the terms of a treaty concluded between the Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the King of Spain, the western part then under Spanish domination was re-ceded to France. This treaty was con- firmed by a treaty at Madrid, March 21, 1801. France, however, sold Louis- iana Territory to the United States on April 30, 1803, which date was the first that Nebraska passed officially under the flag and authority of the American government. An act was passed on October 31, 1803, by the American Congress authorizing the President to take formal possession of the Louisiana Territory and form a temporary government thereof. Auth- ority from this act vested the powers of government in such person or per- sons and was to be exercised in the manner the President of the United States might direct. Amos Stoddard was then appointed as governor of the new territory, which was known as Upper Louisiana. A later act of Congress erected Louisiana into the "Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana."

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 8

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