USA > Nebraska > Seward County > History of Seward County, Nebraska, and reminiscenses of territorial history > Part 3
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
several large warehouses, one outfitting store, shops and several cozy dwellings and a nice little park which was pro- vided with seats, a speaker's stand where, during the sum- mer and fall there were held religious services every Sun- day. Most pictures have their shady side. Strange as it may seem to us such a good man, of such sterling qualities, Mr. Majors was a slave holder and actually brought slaves in- to the territory some of which we saw in the summer of 1860. If we remember correctly the last of them took passage on the underground railroad in the fall of 1860, about election time. It is safe to conclude that no slave ever suffered from cruel treatment at the hands of Mr. Majors.
All the freight and most of the immigrants of that day came by steamers. The arrival of a steamer was a matter of great interest, for it brought supplies of all kinds also the mails and many passengers. Whenever the whistle of an incoming boat was heard there would be a general rush to the levee. Some went through curiosity, some on business, others to meet wife, mother or some friend. The river steamer was a thing of beauty and a joy to all beholders.
One of the first things of importance, that many of our pioneers thought of, was the planting of orchards. Early as the fall of 1860 there were several orchards in bearing. We remember Joel Draper, J. H. Masters and a Mr. Gregg, each had bearing trees. It was my pleasant privilege in 1892 to visit J. H. Masters and was shown the first apple tree planted in the territory, planted by his own hands the day he first arrived, March 16, 1855. Its name is "Williams Favorite." It began bearing in 1859 and bore fruit up to that date, 1892. Mr. Masters brought seven trees from Illinois with him and the planting of them was the first work of his long and noble career in Nebraska. We rejoice that the good old people yet live to enjoy the fruits of a well spent life.
There were many we would be glad to mention in these reminiscences, who helped nobly in laying deep and broad foundations for this great and prosperous common wealth. A few are yet living and are residents of the beautiful city, some in other places, but the great mass of them are sleep- ing, resting from their labors. We must mention some of
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
the brave souls whom it was our pleasure to know. Rev. J. M. Young, Bishop Talbot, Dr. Lemon, Rev. Tagert, all gone to their reward. The Master said in each case, "Well done my good and faithful servants, come up higher." Then there was good old father Rev. Giltner, who mixed the mortor with his own hands for the first Presbyterian church in Nebraska, and through all the years up to 1903, (when he was told, "it is enough,") he had proclaimed the gospel of his Lord and Master on the western border. He died at Aurora, "full of years and full of honors." Then there was H. K. Raymond who did so much to develop educational interests in the city. In the legal profession were Judge O. P. Mason, W. H. Taylor, W. L. Boydston, Judge Kinney, and John Croxton. In the medical profession were Dr. Bowen, the oldest physician in the territory, Dr. F. Renner, and Dr. Mathews. In the art preservative was Thomas Morton, who set the first type and printed the first paper in Nebraska, The Palandium of Belevue, dated November 14, 1854. Shortly after this Mr. Morton moved into the upper story of the old Block house and established the Nebraska City News. He owned and controlled the News as long as he lived. Hon. J. Sterling Morton was its first editor, be- ginning in 1855.
O. H. Irish founded the Peoples Press in 1859. Milton M. Reynolds edited the News in 1860. Hathaway and Ma- thias (Mr. Hathaway died at Staplehurst recently) edited the Press just at the time of the fire. These were all faith- ful friends of Nebraska.
Among the noble band of mothers that have gone to thelr reward was Mrs. Caroline Joy Morton, Mrs. Mary T. Mason, Mrs. Joel Draper and many others that we would like to name.
Of the few faithful servants that still remain are J. J. Hostetler, * N. S. Harding, E. G. Hawley, Mrs. Darvin Peck- ham, Mrs. Robert Hopps and J. J. Imhoff. Among those who are gone we must not forget, our ancient and Squatter Governor Wallace Pearham. He was county treasurer in
*Mr. Hostetler has died since the above was written.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
1861 and 1862. Also sheriff Shroat and Hon. Jacob Dawson who afterwards helped so much in founding Lincoln. Then there was Col. Hiram P. Downs, who fought like a tiger in the war and was promoted to a brigadier generalship.
One remarkable feature of the Nebraska pioneers was their marked individuality. There was scarcely one that if you chance to meet, whom it would be possible to ever forget. Every man was here for a purpose and every one was a host. They were here laying foundations upon which to rear this great and beautiful Nebraska. How well they did their work is fully attested by the glorious common- wealth that is rising in symmetry and beauty on the founda- tions which were laid by their hands.
As an appendix to the above, we are able to give an extract from a private letter received from Hon. J. Sterling Morton date of January 25, 1893. It seems to be such a clear statement of historical facts as will forever settle some questions that hitherto have been in doubt, that we are glad to give it a place in these pages:
Dear W. W. Cox :-
The Nebraska City News was first published at Sydney, Iowa, and dated at Nebraska City in the autumn of 1854 and really moved to the city in December 1854. Then it was the property of the Nebraska City Townsite Company. In 1855 that company hired the writer to edit the paper at the princely sum of fifty dollars per month and was em- ployed for one year. I was authorized to hire printers and discharge them at will. At about this time I formed the ac- quaintance of Thomas Morton at Belevue, who set for the Palandium the first stick of type ever set in Nebraska.
I called him to act as foreman for the News, and with his help we issued the first number of the News ever issned in Nebraska April 12, 1855, from the original old Blockhouse of old Fort Kearney, which had been built by the govern- ment in 1847. In 1860, when the city was about wiped out by fire, the News office, among other things, was destroyed. Then the Mortons bought of Jacob Dawson the Wyoming Telescope office and all it contained in papers and printing material and besides they purchased all the material of a
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
large establishment at Otoe City eight miles south of the city on the Missouri river. The old files show that the News for a long time had quite a successful career under the two Mortons. After the fire the owners of the Press (it also being destroyed) went to Omaha and purchased of Dr. G. C. Monell, brought it to the city, thence took it to Lincoln, and on it was printed the first number of the com- monwealth which was "John, the Baptist" of the State Journal. W. W. Carder was editor and publisher. But the first number of the Press was run off on the press of the Wyoming Telescope as stated by the first number of the paper after the fire. This was by the courtesy of Jacob Daw- son. Then the Press was owned by Hon. O. H. Irish but subsequently sold to Mathias and Hathaway and Joseph E. Lamaster was financially interested in the concern.
The rattlesnake flag episode, I never heard of it until I heard of it in your paper. It is strange that the papers of that day made no note of such an episode, and I think that Dr. Renner is right when he declares that it was a joke of his own, that he personally put it up and took it down, the aforesaid rattlesnake emblem of secession and war.
Signed, J. Sterling Morton.
Circumstantial evidence is all against Mr. Morton's the- ory. There were plenty beside the strong republican like Dr. Renner that would like to see that flag float.
CHAPTER III.
Salt Basin-The Great Wilderness -- First Frame House West of Neb- raska City-Wm. T. Donovan's Home -Antelope on Gov. Square Appearance of the Basin-Exciting Ride-Early Settlers of Lan- - caster County Salt Business- - Darwin Peckham-First Men Met at Basin- Salt in Great Demand -- A Corner on Salt-Visits of Distin- guished Men-Men Engaged in Salt Trade-First Frame House in Lancaster Connty-Making a Coffin-Some Well-Dressed People- 1862 Prosperous-Indian Story, Cooked and Well Salted-Fourth of Inly, 1862 The First Flag-Visit of Rev. Young and Party Found- ing of Lancaster -- Yankee Hill -- Old Clay County -- John Cadman- H. W. Parker and J. S. Gregory- County Seat Election in 1861- Indian War Dance- Great Fish Story-Game -Missouri Rebels- First Births-Court Scones-First District Court-Indian Scare -- One Sad Feature -Wonderful Transformation-Is it a Dream-land?
While we were yet a citizen of Nebraska City in the early summer of 1561, work being so scarce and hard to command, we were constantly on the look out for something better. We had heard something about the Salt Basin away off west, and of its richness. We also knew that salt was scarce in the market, and very high and we had an inordinate desire to see for oneself. One day about the last of June we hap- pened to form the acquaintance of Wm. T. Donovan, a resi- dent of Lancaster County near the Basin.
He gave a glowing account of the country and of the great possibilities of the salt interests there. So we arranged our affairs and accompanied him home. The usual mode of travel in those good old days was first, provide some "grub" to take along and a erudo camping outfit. Wife titted us out with a basket of lunch and a blanket or two and friend Dono- van had the coffee pot and frying pan.
Our conveyance was an ox team and an old lumber wag- on. We set sail on the boundless prairie just afternoon and made our first camp fire on Wilson Creek about eight miles from home. After passing the Major's farm four miles ont,
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY. NEBRASKA
we entered upon an ocean of wild prairie. For some miles. or until we reached Wilson Creek. the only sign of civiliza- tion was the trail and the surveyors' stakes and mounds. Near our camping ground at the little rocky ford Hon. Wm. J. Thompson had a claim. He it was that became one of Sew- ard county pioneers a year later.
A short distance away Mr. Wilson lived. He was the man for whom the creek was named. The next day's jour- ney over the rolling hills led us by the MeKee settlement twenty miles further out. That was on the Nemaha, near the site of the present town of Syracuse, but Syracuse had not got there yet.
James Iler. that later became a citizen of the Pleasant Dale settlement. also lived just by the McKee ranch. as we called it. McKee's folks (a widow and two sons) had a very comfortable frame dwelling. the only one between the Major's farm and the sundown. so far as we ever heard.
It is quite certain there was not a frame house in Ne- braska west of that point and probably not in Colorado or Utah. as we have observed all the older buildings in the entire west were of adobe We have noticed that all the old- er buildings at Denver and Salt Lake City were something beside frame.
So we believe that the city of Sacramento was the near- est frame house to the westward. The next improvement we met was that of John Roberts on the west of Nemaha. near where Palmyra now stands Some few miles westward from this Mr. Meechaut had settled on a claim. Mr. Meecham was a unique character that started to Salt Lake with the other Mormons, but somehow he fell out of the ranks or they put him out. we are not certain which He made us welcome and we remained over night with him. Right here we must tell a little story. Mr. Meecham. some years later. thought he was well titted to be a county commissioner of Lan- caster County. He managed somehow to get a nomina- tion and made the canvass ard got scarvely no votes. and upon hearing the election news he remarked that he ran to find out what people thought of him. and he had found out. His claim was not far from where Bennett station now stands From this point it was an unbroken wilderness until we
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
reached the Salt Creek settlement at Richard Wallingford's farm, which is located about seven miles south of O Street Lincoln on or near the 14th street road leading to Cortland and Beatrice. Mr. Donovan lived at the time on what was known as the Cardwell farm, on the Creek just a little south of the Rock Island bridge.
Please don't think the Rock Island bridge was there then. We reached Mr. Donovan's house just as the sun was sinking behind the western hills. The sight of the long line of timber and the beautiful valley of Salt Creek was enough to inspire a "wooden man" and put some life into it. Then you may imagine the feelings of one usually enthusiastic when something grandly beautiful comes his way. Three days were occupied in making this trip, that less ambitious people can now make in ninety minutes. Something good to eat and a night of rest put us in good plight to visit the Basin and see its wonders. July 2nd, 1861, Joseph, the elder son of Captain Donovan, was to be our companion and guide.
The hinder part of an ox wagon with a stiff tongue, a couple of tough ash poles fastened to the axle with a short board fastened across the ends of them served for a spring seat.
Our carriage was complete. Buck and Bright were hitched to this unique vehicle and we started down to Lincoln, no! to Lancaster, no, but down Salt Creek (we hardly ever go up Salt Creek). We did not land in the Pen as we went by. Neither in the Insane Asylum although folks perhaps would think us good subjects for an asylum had they seen us that morning. The big flies that invested the low bottom land acted as persuaders for our oxen and at times our ride was most exciting as the oxen would dodge into the brush or tall weeds to brush the ugly flies off their bodies. The trail led down the bottom and crossed O st., (to be), about where the U. P. palatial depot now graces the valley, and we found a ford just by the mouth of Oak Creek. Here was an old trail made by Salt Pilgrims in former years, but it was nearly overgrown by tall sunflowers. At this time the only sign of civilization on the land now covered by fifty thousand busy people was two dim trails, one that we were traveling which led down the valley to the Morand and Loder settle-
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
ments at and below Stevens Creek and one leading eastward to Weeping Water.
Just as we were crossing the western part of the site of the future grand city, we had the exciting pleasure of see- ing for the first time in life a drove (perhaps thirty or forty) of beautiful antelope that were cantering across the prairie about where Government Square now is. Their white cotton tails shining in the bright sunlight with their curious antics were most bewitchingly beautiful.
One noticeable feature was the splendid grove of majestic elms, entersperced with cotton woods and honey locusts. Could that grove have been saved, it would now be of ines- timable value as a park for the city.
It brings strange thoughts to mind now after a lapse of nearly forty-four years as we hehold the transformation wrought by the hand of man. Of the surging throngs that gather in those streets, but few can realize what one genera- tion of people have accomplished. As we were on the way to the Salt Basin we crossed the Creek at the ford and had a struggle in making our way through the tall sunflowers between the ford and the Basin. But when in full view of this wonderland the sight that met our vision was enchant-
ing. There was a fresh summer breeze that reminded us of the breezes along the ocean beach. The great Basin cov- ering three or four hundred acres was as smooth as a pane of glass and looked just like a vast slab of highly polished clouded marble. There were two deserted log cabins, one with a roof and some one had borrowed the roof of the other. They were covered with shakes. Now in this generation who knows what shakes are? Well we will tell you, they are boards split out of logs from two and one half to three feet long. They were sometimes nailed on cross beams and some- times weighed down by heavy poles. There were the wrecks of some abandoned salt furnaces. Later one of these cabins was tenanted by the writer. All was wild and solitary, but our soul was filled with rapturous delight. The bracing air filled with ozone or salt, we hardly know which.
The shrill notes of the swarms of wild geese, brant and pellicans all lent a charm. The nearest family was my friend Donovan five miles away.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
We remember the following named families that were living in old Lancaster County, viz: Wm. T. Donovan, Joel Mason, Richard and Jackson Wallingford, Festus Reed, Dr. Maxwell, James Morand and brother, Wm. Shirley, John Wedencamp, Chas. Retslaff, J. D. Maine, Aaron Wood, Mr. Meecham and Joseph Forest, a bachelor.
In the south half of Old Clay we found John Cadman, Mr. Etherton, J. L. Davison, the Prey families, three fami- lies we believe, the old people, John and brother, and Elmer Keys. This is all we remember. Then John and Lewis Loder lived just across the north line of Lancaster on Salt Creek.
We returned to our home in Nebraska City and made preparation to embark in the salt busines to "save our bacon," however we did not have much bacon to save, but we had to do something to feed the wife and babies.
We formed a partnership with Darwin Peckham, after- wards a prominent citizen of Lincoln for many years where his handy-work was manifest in the construction of many important buildings, such as the old stone structure on the corner of O and tenth street, where Sweet's bank was located.
On the 20th of August we landed at the Basin just as a rain storm came up to greet us and make it pleasant "you know." We camped in the old log cabin and took formal pos- session. At this time there were many pilgrims arriving and departing. That night we were not sole tenants of the cabin. Milton Langdon and another man from Cass. County happened there. They were on a hunting expedition.
Old uncle Dan Morgan from the Blue river country was there after salt and right there that stormy night we formed two new acquaintances that continued all the remainder of their lives. When the morning dawned our company all left us and "we were monarch of all we surveyed." The first thing in order was to put the cabin in order, so that we could batch it there with some comfort.
We hurriedly made us a salt pan out of sheet iron and planks which we brought along and set up a furnace con- structed of sod, went to the timber, chopped and hauled a few loads of wood and were ready for business. The weather
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
cleared and soon the water became strong, we soon were ready to try our hands as manufacturers of salt.
Manufacturing salt so far away from the markets would naturally look like a strange venture. So we will ex- plain :
Salt was scarce and very high all through the west in war time. It was gladly taken at the basin by pilgrims at two dollars per hundred pounds. Our customers came from afar. The people came by the hundreds all the balance of the summer and fall from the river counties, from northwest Missouri from Kansas and lowa. It was the only show to get salt. At this time the roads were well broken for there was a constant stream of people coming and going. When the weather was dry salt would rise to the surface of the smooth plain and people could scrape it and gather vast amounts of it, sometimes a wagon load or more in a day, but just a sprinkle of rain and all was spoiled. Going for salt was like going fishing, it was all in luck. Some would make a long trip of from one to two hundred miles and just get there in time to see a shower ruin all their hopes of salt. We "soon caught on," as the saying was, and concluded to help these people out and get pay for it. We kept our fur- nace running day and night and soon accumulated a little stock of salt. Now would come a drove of people, when the scraping was good, and they would get a vast amount, more crude salt than they could haul. So we would trade them fine manufactured salt at $2 per hundred and take their scrapings at twenty-five cents per hundred. They would go home happy with plenty of scraped salt for the stock and plenty of nice salt for their meat and table use. They left us happy for we knew it would rain some day when the other crowd would come and our scraped salt would sudden- ly rise to a dollar per hundred. Human nature "you know," we had a little corner on salt, that's all. When people came and there was no salt to scrape we accommodated people in more ways than one. They must have salt and we wanted wood so we would hire them to cut and haul and chop wood and pay in salt. Salt was "legal tender." Sometimes peo- ple would bring their molasses pans, build a furnace and boil their own salt, and when they would get tired we would
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
trade them out of their furnace and pans and what wood they had on hand, and if any provisions to spare, we would trade for that also. We run a regular exchange business. Some would bring apples, butter, chickens, a dressed pig, potatoes etc., all to trade for salt. Everything that the farm would produce was hauled and exchanged for salt. Soon, however, we had help. Others came and started business, but the crowds increased and we all had plenty to do. Some people would make arrangements to rent a furnace of us during a night. They would spend the day hauling wood and at night would boil salt and get a supply. Any way and every way to get some salt. It is amusing at this time to think over the trades we made. One fellow brought a great tent for camping purposes and we traded him out of it. Another fellow brought a fine suit of clothes and we took them in. One company came from Winterset, Iowa, with two four horse teams with five thousand pounds of good flour, and we took it in and gave them pound for pound, or five thousand pounds of salt. We were ready to trade for anything but yellow dogs. We drew the line on yellow dogs.
We had some distinguished visitors that fall while we were batching. One rainy night Hon. O. P. Mason and Hon. J. Sterling Morton were our guests. We gave them quarters in our tent and as we were chief cooks of the occa- sion we put in our best licks at baking slapjacks for onr company. Somehow friend Morton was not partial to slap- jacks but the distinguished judge ate as if he had been hun- gry for a month. The evening was spent in telling spicy yarns. We also had a pleasant visit from his excellency, Governor Saunders and Hon. P. W. Hitchcock, afterwards our United States Senators. In our rough garb as a fron- tier salt maker, we seemed in poor plight to properly enter- tain such distinguished guests, but we put the best foot for- ward. One thing that gives us great satisfaction, the ac- quaintances there formed ripened into friendships that lasted as long as life remained with these good people. Among the many that we met first that fall were the Hon. Wm. R. Davis and J. N. Beaty. They, like other pilgrims, were hungry for salt. They came and camped perhaps two weeks. Little then did we think that our lives for many
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
years would be so closely knit together in building up Seward and Seward county. They were then citizens of Cass county.
Late in the fall we moved the family to Salt Creek and occupied part of the Donovan mansion on the Cardwell place, it being a double log house Of course the salt business came to a dead stand-still during the winter and there was not much to do, only to prepare wood for fuel. Uncle Dick Wallingford somehow learned that we had graduated as carpenter and he made an offer to trade a cow for carpenter work. So we put in all the good weather building him a frame house, and thus it came about that we built for him the first frame house in Lancaster county in the winter of 1861 and 1862.
We made the doors of black walnut lumber that was about as hard as glass. We dressed, tongued and grooved hard white ash flooring. The building was sided with black walnut lumber and shingled with split and shaved walnut shingles. We also call to mind that one dark night, Uncle Dick coming to our house at the Basin and routing us out with the sad news that his mother (Grandma Wallingford) was dead and requested that we go with him and help make a coffin. We had the long tramp in the dark seven miles, gathered up the necessary tools, ground them up, and when daylight came we went to a pile of this hard walnut lumber, made our selections and after breakfast went to work with a will and at two p. m. we had a better casket, save the trim- mings, than can be purchased of the undertakers now-a-days for seventy-five dollars.
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