USA > Nebraska > Seward County > History of Seward County, Nebraska, and reminiscenses of territorial history > Part 9
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J. T. Hoile, July 1, 1861. Rep. Wm. Dailey, 1870. Rep.
Ellis Bierbower, 1885. Rep.
TERRITORIAL DELEGATES TO CONGRESS Napoleon B. Gidding, elected Dec. 12, 1854. Dem. Bird B. Chapman, elected Nov. 6, 1855. Dem. Fenner Furguson, elected Aug. 3, 1857. Dem. Experience Esterbrook, Oct. 11, 1859. Dem. Samuel G. Daily, Oct. 9, 1860. Rep. Samuel G. Daily, re-elected Oct. 1862. Rep.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Phineas W. Hitchcock, elected Oct. 11, 1864. Rep. John Taffe, elected Oct. 9, 1866. Rep.
REPRESENTATIVES TO CONGRESS
Lorenzo Crounse, Oct. 8, 1872. Rep. Frank Welch, Nov. 7, 1876. Rep. Thos. J. Majors, Nov. 5, 1878. Rep. E. K. Valentine, Nov. 5, 1878. Rep. A. J. Weaver, March 7, 1883. Rep. James Laird, March 7, 1883. Rep. Re-elected 1884 and 1886. G. L. Laws appointed to fill unexpired term. G. W. Dorsey, March 5, 1885. Rep. Re-elected 1886. John A. McShane, Nov., 1886. Dem.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, FOURTH DISTRICT
E. J. Hainer, Rep., 43rd congress. " 44th Wm. L. Stark, Pop. 45th
46th
47th
E. H. Hinshaw, Rep., 48th "
49th "
U. S. SENATORS
John M. Thayer, 1867 to 1873.
T. W. Tipton, 1867 to 1875.
P. W. Hitchcock, 1871 to 1877. Algernon S. Paddock, 1875 to 1881.
Alvin Saunders, 1877 to 1883.
C. H. Van Wyck, 1881 to 1887.
Chas. F. Manderson, 1983 to 1895.
A. S. Paddock, 1887 to 1893. W. V. Allen, 1893 to 1901. John M. Thurston, 1895 to 1901.
M. L. Hayward, 1899; died before taking seat.
Chas. H. Dietrich, 1901 to 1905.
Ezra Millard, 1901 to 1907.
E. J. Burkett, 1905 to 1911.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
ADJUTANT GENERALS
G. A. Alexander, appointed, 1879.
E. P. Rogen, " 1883.
J. C. Connell,
1885.
C. V. Baird,
1886.
A. N. Cole, 1887.
Victor Vifquain, 1891.
J. D. Gage,
1893.
P. H. Barry,
1895.
J. M. Killian,
1901.
L. W. Colby,
"
1901.
J. H. Culver, " 1903 to date.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
L
Seward County Court House
SEWARD COUNTY
.
William H. Seward
CHAPTER VI.
Change of the county name -- Democratic Nebraska-First Repub- lican Congressman-Survey-Thomas Graham's diary-First settlement -The Mckinley and Morton story-Tomy West-The Morgans' Indian Troubles-Frontier life and privations-Bright spots-First bridge on the Blue-Ranches and their settlement-Hole in the ground-Crossing of the Beaver a had place-Great freight trains-Turkeys in the train- Mormons-A Missourian and his pigs-John Scott-First settlement in "G" precinct-First homestead entry-First land entered -Settlement at Milford-Made a ford and placed a mill by it The old speculator held the Seward mill site-The future site of Seward county-seat problem in the distance-County an attache of Lancaster-First election remi- niscence of the settlement-Saw Seward by the eye of faith- Sad death -Arrival at homestead-A child to be born.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Seward County did not from the first bear its present honored name. It will be remembered that Nebraska was organized under a democratic administration and the student of history can hardly fail to observe how carefully the party in power were to leave the names of their statesmen before the world in naming the counties of the infant territory. Thus we have the names of Richardson, Johnson, Cass, Sarpy, Douglas, Burt, Pierce, etc. This list included Greene which was given in honor of Greene, the Missouri statesman. This tract of wilderness was but little known or thought of in antebellum days.
It will be remembered that everything was thoroughly democratic in Nebraska until after the fall election of 1860. when agitation and a general awakening resulted in break- ing the democratic ice and a new political era dawned upon the territory. That year Samuel G. Daily was elected. to congress, being the first republican delegate to represent the people at Washington. Soon after Mr. Lincoln's inaugura- tion the swarm of democratic territorial officers from gov- ernor down were relieved and all things political were speedi- ly changed.
Mr. Greene had proved to be a rebel. This county was yet unorganized and therefore was under the control of the legislature and they were not long in determining that no part of this sacred soil under their control should bear the dishonored name of a rebel.
Hon. Wm. H. Seward was then Secretary of State and was a rising star and his great name was justly honored and perpetuated in naming this beautiful county Seward, and among the thousands of dwellers here from that time to the present, we believe the universal verdict has been Amen! Thus the name of our grand, rich and beautiful county bears a name that stands high among our country's immortals. We are glad to place his picture at the head of this chapter.
From the best evidence at command we conclude the lands of the county were surveyed in the summer of 1857. We note in Thomas Graham's diary kept while examining general surveys that he and party visited Town 10 Range 3 Sec. 34 or sec. 35 on July 13th 1858. We refer the reader for particulars to his dial on another page.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
It will probably always remain on unsettled question as to who was the first white settler within our present bounda- ries. We have a tradition that two men (single men we take it) by the names of Mckinley and Morton made settlement near where Ruby now stands in about the summer of 1858. In the legend it is stated that these men got into trouble with the Indians and that they killed two Indians and vacated to save their scalps. The graves of these Indians, or supposed Indian graves, were pointed out to us in the summer of 1865 by the Morgans. They were located on the hill-side east and south of Ruby near the old Morgan settlement. The Morgans claim to have made settlement in 1858 on the river about four miles north of Milford, but it seems probable they were considerably off on their dates.
From Mr. Graham's notes we learn that there was a small settlement at time of his visit, but he fails to give the names. This might have been the Morgans as the place was located on the east bank of the river, but it was proba- bly the Mckinley and Morton settlement, later occupied by the Morgans. Rev. Walter Morgan, son of Thomas Mor- gan and grandson of Daniel Morgan, relates that he was born in Otoe county Jan. 27th, 1858, and says the family came to Blue river in the spring of 1861, and this corre- sponds well with a conversation the writer had with Daniel Morgan in the summer of 1861 at the Salt Basin in regard to his settlement. Mr. Thomas West, who is generally believed to be the first permanent settler, is much mystified as to dates of his settlement. He claimed to have settled on the South Blue at the point where the West's mills are located in 1859. I. M. T. Johnson in his historic notes says the fami- ly located there in the spring of 1860, just how he found out we don't know. We understand that he and family had start- ed to the Colorado gold mines with a company of gold seek- ers and fell out of ranks and made his home in the wilder- ness. If this is correct, and putting this and that together, we conclude Mr. Johnson is right.
This cut-off road, as we called it, was opened in the spring of 1860 and if his company followed this road it could not be earlier than the spring of 1860 and we further conclude that if the company had followed the old trail via the Platte river
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
route that he would not have drifted so far from that trail, near seventy miles distant. It is generally conceded how- ever that he had the honor of being first permanent settler and the bitter experiences of his first years made him feel that he was here quite soon enough, and it seems that the Indians thought Mr. West a little premature in his occupa- tion, as in the summer of 1861 a strolling band of them burned up his cabin and about all his worldly goods except the cattle. Will the reader just for a moment think what a ter- rible condition that poor helpless family must have been in, without a shelter, without provisions or clothing except what was on their backs and without a neighbor within less than twenty-five or thirty miles away over on Salt creek. We distinctly recollect seeing the old pioneer in the same fall at Nebraska City whither he had come eighty miles with an ox team. His load of merchandise consisted of a half barrel of wild grape wine and a few bushels of wild grapes which he had hauled all those long weary miles to try and trade for a few articles of necessity.
This is but a sample of what the advance guard of civili- zation endured while planting these foundations.
If all the sad stories of privation and sorrow could be told it would make the heart sick, however there were some bright spots to consider. There was plenty of wild game in the wilderness. Elk, antelope and buffalo were in plenty and wild turkeys were abundant and wild fruit was plentiful along the river and fuel was close at the door, but then fre- quently the Indians would put in an appearance in the fall when the grass was dry and they would fire it and thus the game would all disappear. This would result in distress in the loss of game and more; it would be most serious to the little live stock of the country. Many times the little hay mowed with a sythe would be burned at these times. It would seem that everything would conspire to ruin the hopes of the settler. In 1860 the business men of Nebraska City began to feel the necessity of having a shorter and better road to Fort Kearney on the Platte than the long torturous winding way via Salt Creek ford, (now Ashland) and the Platte valley away around "Robin Hood's barn" so they sent a crew of men to spy out a new road and build necessary bridges.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
They located a new road passing westward through the present town site of Syracuse and crossed Salt Creek at a rocky-ford near where Rocka now stands and Blue river, just by the forks on the Seward and Saline County line, and on to Walnut creek and the crossing of the Beaver about four miles west of the present town of Beaver Crossing and thence passed into York County and on to its junction with the old road near Fort Kearney. A good substantial bridge was built across the Blue. Soon the trail was broken and it is most astonishing the amount of traffic that passed over this road. This caused numerous ranches to be opened and thus formed a new epoch in the settlement of the county.
J. L. Davison opened one, one mile west of the bridge. W. J. Thompson opened one on Walnut creek and John E. Fouce opened one at the crossing of the Beaver all about the same time in 1862. This enormous travel and traffic brought the county into notice and occasionally a weary immigrant would get tired and stop and take a claim and little settle- ments were formed.
Soon other parties started ranches, among these we re- member John Leonard and A. J. Wallingford. The first named was near John E. Fouce's at the Beaver, and Walling- ford's at the bridge. Daniel Millspaw opened one in York county just west of the line which was known as the hole in the ground.
We must tell a little story about Uncle Dan's experience at his ranch which was a place of considerable notoriety. A number of travellers had camped by the ranch. It was a wreckless crowd of young fellows that was in for fun. Un- cle Dan had a huge fire place in his dugout with a very large open chimney that did not reach much above the surface of the ground. The old man was busy cooking his supper on the great fire place. The night was dark as pitch and the fire caused a bright light to shine out of the chimney. These fellows crept up and looked down and saw an opportunity to create a real sensation. One fellow, more of a "dare devil" than the rest, having on a pair of high rubber boots con- cluded to scare Uncle Dan. So while the old man was busy with a frying pan of meat and another pan of griddle cakes, the "devil" jumped down the chimney into the fire.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
It was a mistake of course, but the supper and the scattered fire brands created a scene of the wildest confusion. Uncle Dan was frightened out of a year's growth thinking the Old Nick was after him sure enough. Pranks of a similar nature were of frequent occurrance at the ranches. Many things occurred of a far more desperated character. That old ranch at the crossing of the Beaver is said to be a place where many revolting scenes occurred.
The old ranch consisted in part of great excavation and it was generally surmised that many poor fellows found a way in there that never found a way out again. There was much brush in the vicinity and there were many fine horses lost in the maize that the owners never found. It was a very disreputable place to say the least. Bad whiskey was an article of traffic accompanied with gambling and the usual at- tendants.
In the spring of 1863 there was quite a number of new settlers located along the South Blue and near the Camden bridge. There were a few others that settled in the west neighborhood as early as 1861. Orin Johnson is said to have located there that year also James West, a brother of Uncle Tomy. Gen. Victor Vifquain lived near the forks just in the edge of Saline County. In 1863 James Johnson located near the forks in Saline County, but a little later moved across the line and bought Jackson Wallingford's ranch at the bridge. Old Mr. Bingaman settled just east of the Camden ranch
Mr. Stanton opened a farm just in the edge of Saline County two miles west of Camden The great road had by this time become a place of immense traffic; it is safe to say that thousands of teams travelled this road every week laden with all kinds of merchandise. The Byram Bros., succes- sors to Majors, Russell and Wadell, sent out vast numbers of trains consisting of twenty-six great covered wagons to the train, each drawn by six yoke of cattle making three hundred and twelve oxen to each train. These were known as prairie schooners. There were thousands of horse teams. some- times six great caparisoned horses to a wagon, then the small fry were innumerable for multitude, small loads with single teams, one yoke of oxen, span of horses, sometimes
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
ponies, sometimes cows in the yoke. All sorts of people were in the moving throng, some in carriages and arranged with all the accompaniments of wealth, and others looked hard up, many looked very shabby indeed. There were droves of cattle and droves of horses and once we saw a drove of thousands of turkeys on the way to the mountains.
In the mighty throng were many rebels from Missouri that thought best to move. They were impudent and very saucy. Many of them blood thirsty but they thought best to get out of Missouri when the boys in blue had got possession there. Some were seeking gold. some were freighting, some were going just to be going. It was a motley crew.
Then every few days there were throng's of Mormons made up of a heterogenious mass of Europeans wending their way to Salt Lake. They were a sorry looking mass of hu- manity.
There were one or two attempts to form a settlement in "A" precinct as early as 1863. One old Missourian moved up there and settled north of the present village of German- town in the spring of 1863. We happened to notice the old fellow driving a drove of shoats up the long ridge between the Salt Basin and the oak groves. He remained during the summer but became dissatisfied and concluded to go back to his wife's relations, but the pigs had found such good picking among the oak trees that were loaded with acorns that they decided not to go back, and they (the pigs) become the first permanent settlers. They grew and multiplied beyond meas- ure. The only ones to dispute their rights were the vandal hunters from the Salt Basins that decimated their ranks in filling their pork barrels. For some years these wild pigs were a source of profit to the first settlers. They not only se- cured meat, but occasionally some luckless old sow and litter of pigs would be captured and brought back to civilized pig life.
John Scott was the first permanent settler in that region. He moved there in the spring of 1864 and was followed by John Owens and family during the summer. They held the fort alone until the spring of 1866, when John Royce, Judge J. D. Main, J. D. Olney and Warren Brown came.
The first real attempt at settlement in "G" precinct was
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
made in the summer of 1863, when Win. Wymore, brother of Sam Wymore, for whom the city of Wymore was named, and Mr. Olmstead settled on the Blue, Mr. Wymore on the land that later became the homestead of W. W. Cox, and Ohinstead on the Oscar Bernecker farm. But it soon trans- pired that these men were deserters from the Union army and after due consideration without being arrested they returned to duty, served their time out and were honorably discharged.
Mr. Robert T. Gale made the first homestead entry Jan- mary 2, 1863. number 7 in this land district, in the eastern part of section 21, township 11, range 3 cast, but he was not able to occupy the land until the spring of 1864. W. W. Cox made a trade with Mr. Wymore for his claim (a pre-emp- tion) in the winter of 1864 and homesteaded it in March. He set to work to form settlement and secure the co-operation of Mr. Gale. Hon. William Imlay, Grandpa David Imlay and his two other sons, David and Joseph, and these folks all moved to the settlement in the early spring; but Mr. Cox did not move until December 1, 1864. During that summer old Mr. Dunaway made settlement also but died during the carly fall before the family came. The account of his death and burial will be found elsewhere in these pages.
The first entry of public lands in this county was made by E. L. Ellis in the summer of 1861 in section 18, township 11, range 3 east. Mr. Ellis was at the time sojourneying on Salt Creek. He returned to Missouri where he remained un- til the spring of 1886, when he made settlement on section 8 of same township.
In the spring of 1864 J. L. Davison, with the help of . John Cadman and Wm. Fields of Lancaster county, located the steam wagon road that shortened the route from Nebras- ka City to Fort Kearney and which led by Yankee Hill on Salt Creek, the proposed site of Milford, and intersected the old trail at Walnut Creek, and Mr. Davidson pulled up stakes at the Camden ranch and moved to the new proposed town of Milford where he opened a new up- to-date ranch on the sight of Dr. Lauridge's Hospital right near the old ford.
Some time during the summer of 1862, one Judge Hilton of Cincinnatti, through the help of a brother-in-law, Joo Mason of Lancaster county, entered a part of section 21,
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
township 11, range 3 east, embracing the mill site now occu- pied by the Seward mills and the fine grove timber on the Moffitt estate. This proved a serious menace to this com- munity for a number of years, which is fully discussed in another place. Mr. Hilton was a hard okt speculator, such as the early settler just loved to despise.
In 1864 the land upon which the city of Seward now stands yet belonged to the government, and had no ocen- pant or claimant, and the land where Milford now stands was occupied by only one family, and the persons named heretofore only about twenty-five votes in the entire county, yet the coming county-seat question began to be agitated and was a matter of deep concern to the people in every part of the county. As yet, however, there had been no move in the matter of county organization.
The county was yet an attache of Lancaster county. In October, 1864, the first election was held at the cabin of R. T. Gale for float representative of the Territorial Assem- bly. It so happened that W. W. Cox, yet a resident of Lan- caster, but whose interest was in Seward county, was a member of the Republican convention of Lancaster county and as Lancaster had one delegate to the legislature and was coupled with Seward and all the wild West for a float, just at the opportune moment Mr. Cox spring a motion that Mr. Wm. Imlay of Seward county, be the nomince for the float. The motion was put and went through with a whoop before the other fellows had time to think. Well, all went well that ended well, but we were a little chagrined when we learned that only seven votes were cast in Seward coun- ty, but our candidate caught all of them. The voters that cast their ballot on that October day into a cigar box, held by the young lad, Fred Wooley, seated in the front end of his father's covered wagon, were as follows: J. L. Davidson, R. T. Gule, Grandfather David Imlay, Job Reynold, Wm. Imlay, D. P. Imlay and Joseph Inlay.
Mr. Imlay was elected and served his people well. One peculiar feature of bis legislature career was, he did not have any railroad pass, but he simply took his foot in his hand and walked as far as Plattsmouth and thus squarely earned his mileage and was not under any obligation to any
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
corporation. In as much as we were considered to blame for his election, we were required to do Mr. Imlay's chores, cut his fire wood and look after his matters generally while he was in Omaha.
Now will the reader kindly allow the author to digress from the historical long enough to tell how it happened that we became a citizen of Seward county. The winter of 1863 and 64 was a cold and dreary one. Many things had occurred to make our lives anything but pleasant andwe, i. e. wife and I, were in a deep study to know just what to do for the future. The salt business had completely played out and we found that our "occupation had gone." With an ever increasing young family on our hands to provide for, sickness invaded our home and it had become a matter of deep solicitude as to what had best be done to secure a com- petency for the future. After a long discussion of the pros and cons of a life on a homestead, we made the firm resolve to try and build for ourselves and little ones, a home. It was an earnest struggle. We knew but little about farming and the serious sickness of wife for nearly a year had much discouraged us and we were so impoverished that it would take a whole dozen of us to make a respectable shadow. But the resolve was taken and one bright morning in February on foot and alone we started to look up a claim. With the early settler, timber was deemed a prime necessity as there were no railroads over which lumber and coal could be brought. The settler must have timber. We took Greeley's advice and went west, of course. Our way led across the' hills of Middle Creek and the great plain toward the Blue. After a long weary tramp, just as the bright winter sun was fading from sight, there opened to our view the grand val- ley, a scene of transcendant beauty, with the long lines of timber stretching far away to the southward and to the northward with the converging lines of Plum Creek and Lincoln Creek. To us it was a grander scene than Moses had while on Pisgahs top. It was an enchanting and rap- turons scene. We said deep down in our hearts, "this is the place we long have sought and we will go and possess it." As we stood gazing at the meandering streams converging to a common center, we saw by the eye of faith a city
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
crowning that beautiful plateau. Our faith from that mo- ment was "like an anchor to the soul, both sure and stead- fast." The city of our dreams is right there with all its beauty and grandeur. Shortly after this we secured a claim by the purchasing of the prior right of another claim- ant, and we struck for Nebraska City on foot to make our homestead entry. Our homestead entry was made March 27, 1864, but for various causes we did not move until De- cember 1.
We had a long hard struggle with adverse circumstances before it was possible to occupy the new home. The Indian trouble of that memorable year was ever before us like a horrible night mare.
After our return from the last Indian scare and stam- pede we visited the new home to put up hay for the winter when a very sorrowful and pathetic incident occurred. Father Dunaway, an aged man, had taken a homstead up Plum Creek on section 3, township 11, range 3 east. His family had not yet come to the county and the old man was living alone in a new lumber shanty that he had hastily built. Grandfather Imlay, also a very aged man occasion- ally went up and spent a little time visiting with the new neighbor. So one bright summer afternoon Mr. Imlay called to see Mr. Dunaway. The shanty was solitary and alone. Father Imlay thought that his friend might just be away somewhere on the place. He picked up a book that lay on the table and read a while waiting his return- Bye and bye he began to search after hallooing. About ten rods from the shanty he found the ghastly sight of his friend cold and stiff in a field of wallowed grass. He at once has- tened home and reported to his son David, who at once mounted a horse and hurried to the hay field on Lincoln Creek, where is now the farm of Lewis Anderson. where Wm. Imlay, R. Y. Gale and W. W. Cox were at work. We were thunderstruck at the appalling intelligence. A hur- ried consultation was had. The hour was getting late and neighbors were few and far between and we were five miles from the dead man. There was not an officer in Seward county It was called to mind that Mr. Cox was Justice of the Peace in Lancaster county and that Seward county was
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