USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114
Major Michael Sheridan, assistant adju- tant-general; Major John M. Bacon, acting inspector-general; Captain P. Henry Ray, acting judge - advocate; Lieutenant - Col- onel William B. Hughes, chief quarter- master; Major William H. Bell, chief com- missary of subsistence; Lieutenant-Colonel Dalles Bache, medical director; Lieutenant- Colonel Thaddeus H. Stanton, chief pay- master; Captain James C. Ayres, chief ordnance officer; Major Daniel W. Benham,
WITHNELL BUILDING -HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PLATTE-1876. FIFTEENTH AND HARNEY STREETS.
TOTIES
LeCHATS & CAPS
LOOKING NORTHWEST FROM TWELFTH AND FARNAM STREETS, 1867.
161
DEPARTMENT OF THE PLATTE OFFICERS.
inspector of small arms practice; First Lieutenant C. C. Worden, acting engineer officer. The general staff officers serving in the department are: Captain Jolin Simp- son, assistant to the chief quartermaster and in charge of the quartermaster's depot at Omaha; Captain Charles F. Humphrey is assigned to duty upon the construction of building, etc., at the new Fort Omaha; First Lieutenant Fayette W. Roe, Third Infantry; and First Lieutenant Charles M. Truitt, Twenty-first Infantry, aides.
It is expected, when the United States Custom House and Post-office building shall have been completed, and the courts, post- office, and federal offices removed into it, the present government building will be remodeled for use as the permanent mili- tary headquarters for the Department, and
that it will thereafter be occupied for this purpose for many years to come.
In concluding this chapter, it will not be out of place to say that the selection of the more extensive grounds for Fort Omaha, at a greater distance from the city, was made on the recommendation of General Sheridan and other eminent military authorities, that there should not be so many military posts in the country, but they should be much larger; that they should be further from the large cities, and yet close enough to make available the railroads centering there.
The people of this city are to be congrat- ulated upon the fact that, with the whole West to choose from, and many rival cities struggling for the location of this important post, the military authorities decided upon Omaha as the best point for the purpose.
11
CHAPTER XVII.
NOTABLE PERSONS VISITING OMAHA - PRESIDENTS, PRINCES AND POTENTATES - HOW THEY WERE RECEIVED.
January 12, 1872, the Grand Duke Alexis, of Russia, was publicly received in Omaha, taking in this city on his journey from St. Louis to the plains, where he proposed go- ing on a buffalo hunt with General Sheridan. He was met at the depot by that officer, General Ord and General Palmer, com- manding the Department of the Platte and at Fort Omaha, respectively. The three of- ficers were accompanied by their aides in full uniform, and there was also a citizens' · committee present. The party proceeded from the depot direct to the residence of ex- Governor Saunders, a large and handsome building which occupied the ground, then some thirty feet higher than the present grade, upon which the city hall has been erected. Here an elaborate dinner was served, to which the leading people of the town were invited. At 4 o'clock, r. M., the Grand Duke and his suite departed for the West, accompanied by General Sheridan and his staff.
King Kalakaua, of the Sandwich Islands, arrived in Omaha on the 21st of January, 1875, on his return home from an extended visit to the United States. Ile was accom- panied by Governor John O. Dominis and Governor John M. Kapena, of Honolulu, Colonel William M. Wherry, of the United States Army, H. A. Paine, of Boston, and Colonel A. C. Dawes and Colonel James N. Brown, of St. Joseph, Missouri. The party had dinner at the Grand Central, and in the afternoon a drive about the city was taken; a tour of the High School build- ing was made, and the day closed with a re-
ception in the parlors of the Grand Central. The party proceeded westward the following day.
November 1, 1875, President U. S. Grant visited this city, accompanied by Mrs. Grant and Fred. Grant and his wife. Private Sec- retary Babcock, ex-Secretary of the Navy Borie, Secretary of War Belknap, General Alvord, General McFaley, General Vincent, General Wm. Myers, General A. J. Myers, Colonel Benjamin and Colonel Crosby were also with the President, who came to Omaha from Des Moines, Iowa. From that city, General George Crook, then commanding the Department of the Platte, General Perry, General Ruggles, Colonel Litchfield, General Manderson, General Thayer and A. S. Pad- dock had escorted the party, and were joined at the transfer by an Omaha committee con- sisting of Mayor C. S. Chase, Ezra Millard, Colonel R. E. Wilbur, Senator Hitchcock, S. Il. II. Clark, J. E. Boyd, J. C. Cowin, E. A. Allen. An artillery salute was fired as the train rolled into the Union Pacific depot, in which building the famons Twenty-third Infantry Band was stationed, discoursing well selected music. A long line of car- riages conveyed the party up Tenth and Farnam to the Grand Central Hotel, where a brief halt was made. Thence the proces- sion proceeded to the High School grounds, where were assembled the pupils of all the city schools. Ilere President Grant was in- troduced by the Mayor. In response, the President made one of his brief, modest speeches to the thousands of children, say- ing, "I am pleased to stand beneath the
1G2
LOOKING NORTH FROM SOUTH EIGHTH STREET 1875.
-
163
VISIT OF GENERAL AND MRS. GRANT.
shadow of this building which is so well calculated to prepare you for useful occupa- tions and honorable stations in life. His llonor, the Mayor, has said that I am in fa- vor of free speech, and therefore I want other people to do the talking." From 12 until 1, P. M., a reception was held in the judges' chambers of the Custom House build- ing, the rooms having been handsomely dec- orated with flowers and flags by Mr. James T. Allan, of the post-office, and his assis- tants. Then dinner was taken at the Grand Central and the party resumed their jour- ney to the West in the evening.
Dom Pedro II, of Brazil, accompanied by three of his officials, visited Omaha April 26, 1876. Ile was traveling through the United States in a quiet manner, as Mr. D. Pedro de Alcantara. The party were met at the transfer depot by Mr. L. M. Bennett, then superintendent at this point of the Pullman Palace Car Company, in obedience to a telegram from the headquarters of the company in Chicago. Carriages were taken on this side of the river and a tour of the city made. At the High School a piano duet was played by Miss Blanche Deuel and Miss Nelia Lehmer. At the smelting works the Brazilian monarch manifested more in- terest than at any other point in the city.
November 3, 1879, General and Mrs. Grant reached this city over the Union Pa- cific, on their return from their journey around the world. A large delegation of citizens met them at the depot and escorted them through the streets in the following order of procession: (1) A battalion of the Ninth United States Infantry; (2) the Ninth Infantry Band; (3) a battery of artillery; (4) Company G, State Militia; (5) Union Pacific Band; (6) City Fire Department; (7) Brandt's Band; (8) Lyran Singing So- ciety; (9) Union Pacific shopmen; (10) civil societies; (11) Mænnerchor singing societies; (12) University Cadets, from Lin- coln; (13) Grand Army posts; (14) city band; (15) Company HI, State Militia; (16)
trade representatives. The line of march
was north on Tenth to Harney, east to Ninth, north to Farnam, west to Fifteenth, north to Dodge. and west on Dodge to the High School, where addresses of welcome were made by Governor Nance and Mayor Chase, a brief response being made by General Grant. The column soon after marched in review past a platform erected on Farnam and Fourteenth, on which were stationed the General and a number of military offi- cers and citizens. In the evening there was a banquet at the Withnell, then the chief hotel of the city. The next day was Sunday, and General Grant attended services in the morning at the First Methodist Church, a small frame building on Davenport, near Seventeenth, the sermon being preached by Rev. J. B. Maxfield, from II Corinthians, xviii, 4. General and Mrs, Grant were the guests of General George Crook, at Fort Omaha, during their stay, proceeding east- ward on Monday, accompanied by their son, Colonel Fred. Grant, and wife, who had ar- rived in Omaha on Sunday, coming from Chicago.
President R. B. Hayes visited the West in the fall of 1880, arriving in Omaha on the morning of the 3d of September, and was welcomed at Council Bluffs by a delegation consisting of Mayor Chase, General Wil- liams, Colonel Ludington, Major John V. Furay, General John King, Senator Saun- ders, Congressman E. K. Valentine, General C. F. Manderson and John C. Cowin, Esq. The President was accompanied by Mrs. Hlayes and two sons, Secretary of War Ram- sey, General W. T. Sherman, General Mc- Cook and others. The party visited Fort Omaha and other points of interest, includ- ing the High School, where they climbed into the tower, at the suggestion of Mrs. Hayes, obtaining thereby a view of Omaha and sur- roundings which could be gained in no other way. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon they returned to the depot and proceeded westward.
164
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
In October, 1881, King Kalakana again visited Omaha, the guest for two days of James M. Woolworth, Esq., at whose home a reception was given in his honor, which was attended chiefly by young people of the city. Previous to this Miss Woolworth and Miss Butterfield had visited the Hawaiian Islands and received many courtesies and kind attentions from the King, and the first opportunity which was offered for a return of these courtesies was improved by Mr. Woolworth and his family. On the same day the Marquis of Lorne, then Governor-Gen- eral of Canada, passed through the city on his way East, with his suite, making only a brief stop at the depot.
The following year, September 8th, the Marquis of Lorne, this time accompanied by his wife, the Princess Louise, visited Omaha. The party were met at the transfer depot by General O. O. Howard, then commanding the Department of the Platte, Thomas L. Kimhall, John C. Cowin and others, by whom the Marquis and the officers with him were escorted to Fort Omaha and other points of interest, the Princess remaining in her car at the depot. In the afternoon the train proceeded westward.
October 12, 1887, President and Mrs. Cleveland spent a few hours in Omaha, arriving at 9:50 in the morning, accom- panied by the President's private secretary, Daniel S. Lamont, his former law partner, Colonel Bissell, of Buffalo, New York, and Postmaster General Vilas. They were met at the Northwestern Railroad depot in Council Bluffs, and escorted to this city by a com- mittee composed of James M. Woolworth, Dr. George L. Miller, Senator Charles F. Manderson, George W. Holdrege, Congress- man John H. McShane, General George B. Dandy, Max Meyer, James E. Boyd, Charles H. Brown and J. HI. Millard. Ar- riving at the Omaha depot the party were joined by acting-Mayor William F. Bechel, Governor John M. Thayer and Senator A. S. Paddock. Carriages were in readiness,
and a tour made of the principal portions of the city. At Sixteenth and Farnam a tri- umphal arch had been erected and hand- somely and richly embellished. A detachı- ment of the military from Fort Omaha was present, flags and banners ahounded. there was a number of fine brass hands in attend- ance, and the city presented a very attract- ive appearance. Calls were made upon the President for a speech, but he declined. pleading lack of time. Upon leaving Omaha the party proceeded south ward.
December 24, 1890, Henry M. Stanley, accompanied by his wife, visited the city and was met at the depot by a delegation consisting of Mayor Cushing, Governor Thayer, Major T. S. Clarkson, Dr. G. L. Miller, E. Rosewater, Edward P. Roggen, G. M. Hitchcock and Thomas Swobe. Twenty- three years previously he had been a resident of Omaha, being at that time western cor- respondent for the New York Herald and St. Louis Republican, and his subsequent achievements as an explorer were watched with the closest interest by the people of this city. The following sketch, which he published in the New York Herald, under date February 4, 1867, is now of local inter- est: "Omaha City, the capital of Nebraska and terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad, is beautifully located on a high, level plateau, forty feet above the highest water mark, on the west bank of the Missouri. A low range of hills, gradually rising to an elevation of eighty to one hundred feet above this plat- eau, and about one mile from the river. affords fine locations for private residences. On one of these hills is the territorial Cap- itol, surrounded by a park six hundred feet square. The panoramic view from these hills, and especially from Capitol Hill, is rarely if ever surpassed in picturesque beauty, and even grandeur. Below the city. with its wide, regular streets, business blocks. churches and buildings, there the railroad. winding from huge machine shops around the city, then cutting through the hills,
165
VISIT OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.
passes on its way mills, warehouses and gardens. The eye then takes in the darkly- colored river, making a great bend of ten or fifteen miles around Iowa Bluffs, the steam- boats coming, going, or unloading freight and passengers on its banks, here and there a raft or log carried down by the swift cur- rent of the river. Three miles back of the river, directly east of Omaha, Council Bluffs, half hidden among the ravines, leans up against the high walls of the green bluff. This charming view of the river and city, hill and plain, affords a never-ending source of pleasure to the "beholders. Omaha is situated very nearly on an air line and almost half way between New York and San Francisco. Her commanding position as terminus of a railway destined to carry the great traffic between the Atlantic and Pacific, probably to revolutionize the Chi- nese and Japan trade of the world, gives her commercial advantages which, in the last twelve months, have doubled her population, and which, sooner or later, will make her one of the leading cities of the Great North- west. Preparations for building business blocks, churches and private dwellings next season are being made on a large scale, and, although hundreds of mechanics are ex- pected to arrive here in the spring, I doubt whether the supply will be equal to the demand."
On the 13th of May, 1891, President Harrison, accompanied by the Hon. John Wanamaker, postmaster-general. Hon. Jerry Rusk, secretary of the Department of Agri- culture, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. McKee, Mrs. Russell Harrison, and others, visited Omaha, and were the guests of the city for six hours. At just 11:40 A. M. an engine, profusely decorated with flags and bunting, came, drawing the presidential train into the depot, and it had hardly come to a stop when cheer after cheer burst from the thousands of throats of the waiting crowd which had gathered to welcome the party. As soon as
the carriages which were in waiting had been entered, the line of march was taken up Tenth Street to Farnam and up Farnam to Seven- teenth, where a speaking platform had been erected for the occasion. The procession was headed by the Omaha Guards, followed by the Second Infantry, from Fort Omaha, and the carriages containing the presidential party and the various committees and inunicipal officers. As the line started, a salute of twenty-one guns was fired from the battery, stationed on South Twelfth Street.
It was one continuons ovation from the depot to the speakers' stand. The sidewalks were filled to overflowing, and along much of the route the dense crowds encroached on the passageway that was with difficulty kept open hy the police. It was absolutely impossible to keep the crossings of the side streets clear, and the attempt to do so was soon given up.
Every window had from three to a dozen occupants, and housetops and balconies could scarcely contain the thousands of eager ones who sought some vantage from which to view the distinguished party that was pass- ing below.
Arriving at the stand Mayor R. C. Cushi- ing delivered an address of welcome, to which the President briefly responded. Short addresses were also made by Postmaster- General Wanamaker and Secretary Rusk. The party then repaired through the dense crowds to the Bee Building, where a recep- tion was held in the rotunda, being probably the first time a presidential reception was ever held in a newspaper building. Carriages were then entered by the distinguished guests and a large number of the leading citizens and a drive was taken through the principal streets, stopping at the High School (where President Harrison addressed the children), and Creighton College, and ending at the hospitable home of ex-Senator Saunders, on Sherman Avenue, where Mrs. Harrison
166
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
and the ladies of the party held a reception. At 6 o'clock the party was driven to the train and departed eastward.
It is doubtful if there ever were so many flags and so much bunting displayed in Nebraska as on this occasion, and it seemed as though each person was determined to make the most show of patriotism possible.
In May, 1892, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church met in Omaha, and, necessarily, the leading men of this denomination from all over the world visited this city, where they remained nearly a month; but, as the Conference is more par- ticularly referred to in another chapter, they will not be especially mentioned here.
In 1891, and again in 1892, the city of- ficials of Boston visited Omaha and were
entertained by the city officers and members of the council.
In addition to the above, there are many of the notable people of the country who make occasional visits to this city, including Jay Gould, of New York, Mr. Fred Ames, of Boston, George Francis Train, Sidney Dillon, and many others.
Being located on the principal lines of transportation to California, Omaha is pecu- liarly situated, and therefore receives many more notable visitors than she otherwise would; and it is to her credit that she lias . never failed to extend to all the most un- bounded hospitality. The citizens have ever entertained with a lavish hand, and few who have partaken of their hospitality will ever forget it.
Edward Reservates
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE PRESS OF OMAHA - NEWSPAPERS NOW PUBLISHED - A LIST OF THE DEAD AND BURIED.
The Omaha Arrow, ostensibly the first newspaper published in this city, was really printed in Council Bluffs. It had a brief existence, the first issue being dated July 28, 1854, and the last November 10th of that year. It was a weekly published by J. E. Johnson and John W. Pattison, Mr. Pat- tison being the editor. In 1858 the latter was associated with W. W. Wyman for a few months in the publication of the Omaha Times. During the war he was proprietor and editor of a paper at Sidney, Iowa, and after the war was in the employ of the St. Louis Republican for several years as a court reporter. The Arrow was an enthusiastic advocate of everything calculated to ad- vance the interests of Omaha. The Palla- dium, published in 1854, at Bellevue, in- sisted that that town was the only town in the Territory suitable for the building of a great city, and affected to sneer at Omaha's prospects, to which the Arrow responded with zeal and vigor in defense of its own lo- cation. A Muscatine, Iowa, paper, publish- ing a paragraph making a sneering refer- ence to Omaha as " a city with six houses," the Arrow retorted: " Why, St. Nicholas, N. Y., is not a circumstance for comfort, ease and cheap living to its namesake in our city. IIere you may get venison, fowl, bird, or fish cooked in any manner you please. You may smoke in the parlor, put your heels upon the sideboard without injury to the furniture, or for variety may spread your buffalo on the green grass, and take a com- fortable smoke without fear of being run over by a score of woolly-headed servants. 167
Omaha City, indeed. Why, we have cdi- tors, squatters, deer, turkeys, grouse, and other ' animals' a plenty, and will soon show you that Omaha City will be one of the cities of the West." It is unfortunate that a paper so zealous and enthusiastic in its championship of the new town could not have received adequate support. Mr. Pat- tison came West as a correspondent of the New York Herald, and was a writer of more than average ability. Mr. Johnson was a Mormon, and at one time published a weekly paper at Wood River Crossing, Neb., when the settlement consisted chiefly of his own residence and a small water-mill. Hc after- wards drifted out to Salt Lake.
The Nebraskian, Democratic in politics, was established in 1854, by Bird B. Chap- man, Nebraska's second delegate to Con- gress. Four years later he sold it to Theo- dore Robertson, and, in 1860, it was pur- chased by M. HI. Clark; in 1863 it was sold by Mr. Clark to Alfred H. Jackson, and in June, 1865, its publication ceased. In 1859, Mr. Robertson and General John M. Thayer became involved in a heated political con- troversy, which resulted in the distribution of handbills, printed in the largest and blackest type to be found in the city, where- in each characterized the other as possessing, in an infinite degree, all of the qualities which tend to make men infamous. General Thayer was challenged to mortal combat by Mr. Robertson, who was represented by Captain W. E. Moore, but better counsel prevailed, and the difficulty was bridged over. A gentleman of this city has copies
168
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
of these handbills, which are somewhat inter- esting, as indicating the character of the po- litical controversies of that period.
The Times, also Democratic, was founded in 1857, by Wm. W. Wyman, the first issue being dated June 11th. In 1858, during a session of the legislature, a daily edition was published for a short time, but proved un- profitable; and in 1859 the publication of the weekly edition was also discontinued. Mr. Wyman was a newspaper man of expe- rience, and a gentleman of high character, who commanded the respect and confidence of the community to an unusual degree. For a number of years he was postmaster of this city.
The Omaha Democrat was established in 1858, by Hadley D. Johnson, one of the leading citizens of the town, and an active politician, but the paper was short lived.
The Telegraph was established as a daily, in September, 1860, Major Henry Z. Curtis, son of General Samuel R. Curtis, being the editor and proprietor. Mr. Charles Good- rich, ex-city comptroller, and Charles W. Sherman, now proprietor of the Plattsmouth Journal, did the type-setting on the Tele- graph. It was an evening paper and boasted largely of its dispatches "by the Missouri & Western Telegraph, Stebbins' Line," though said dispatches were extremely brief. In the fall of 1861, the proprietor of the Telegraph discontinued its publication and entered the Union army, serving with dis- tinction upon the staff of General Samuel R. Curtis.
The Omaha Republican was first issued as a weekly, May 5, 1858. Edward F. Schneider and Harrison J. Brown were the first pro- prietors, soon succeeded by Dr. G. C. Monell. In August, 1859, it was purchased by E. D. Webster, a protege of Thurlow Weed, and he gave the paper a standing and reputation throughout the country. In 1861, Colonel Webster sold the paper to E. B. Taylor and E. A. McClure (the latter still a resident of Omaha), and during the war Colonel Web-
ster served the country as private secretary to Secretary Seward. Messrs. Taylor & McClure converted the paper into a tri- weekly, and in January, 1864, commenced the publication of a daily edition. Since that date, the paper has had varying for- tunes, and many owners. In 1866, Major St. A. D. Balcombe purchased the Republi- can, and in 1871 sold a half interest to Waldo M. Potter. About this date a consolidation with the Omaha Tribune was effected, and for nearly two years the paper was called the Tribune and Republican, the " Tribune" portion of the name being dropped in Jan- uary, 1873. In 1875, the Republican be- came the property of a stock company, with Casper E. Yost as business manager, and Isaac W. Miner as secretary. In 1881 Mr. Yost and Fred Nye bought the paper, and in the fall of 1886, sold it to S. P. Rounds, Sr. (recently public printer at Washington), and Cadet Taylor, for the very handsome sum of $105,000. The death of Mr. Rounds, a year later, plunged the paper into fresh difficulties, and in December, 1888, Mr. Yost again took charge of the Republican, this time as receiver, appointed by the court to protect the interests of the various stock- holders, Messrs. Rounds & Taylor having organized a stock company to conduct the affairs of the paper. Early in 1889, Mr. Nye again became interested in the owner- ship of the Republican, this time with Frank B. Johnson as a partner. In October, fol- lowing, Major J. C. Wilcox, of the Evening Dispatch, purchased the Republican, the job department connected with the paper being retained by Messrs. Nye & Johnson. Major Wilcox, finding the longer publication of the paper unprofitable, gave up the contest, and the daily Republican ceased to exist July 29, 1890. It is now published as a weekly.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.