USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of the city of Omaha, Nebraska > Part 95
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He died in Omalia, on the 22d of Novem- ber, 1890, being, at the time, senior member of the law firm of Savage, Morris & Davis.
The funeral of Judge Savage was held at his residence in Omaha, Tuesday, Novem- ber 25th, under the supervision of the Loyal Legion, he having been its first commander, and was one of its charter members. By an order of the department commander, the comrades of the Grand Army of the Repub- lic were invited to be present "at the fune- ral exercises of past department commander and comrade, James W. Savage." There
was a very large attendance of friends of the deceased, and representatives of socie- ties, orders and associations, of which he had been a member. Addresses were made by Rev. Dr. N. M. Mann, of the Unitarian Church, and Rev. Wm. J. Harsha, of the First Presbyterian Church. His remains repose in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
In the federal court, C. S. Montgomery announced the death of Judge Savage, No- vember 24, two days after his decease, and on the next day, a committee to draft reso- lutions concerning his life and character was appointed by Judge Dundy. On the day first named, Judge Wakeley, of the district court, also appointed a committee to report similar resolutions, and the Bar Association, at the same time, met to memorialize his death.
At the memorial meeting of the Douglas County bar, held December 6, addresses were delivered by Judge Wakeley, George W. Ambrose, Jolm D. Howe, Leavitt Burn- ham, Henry D. Estabrook, Arthur C. Wake- ley, W. F. Gurley, C. F. Breckenridge, J. T. Moriarty, R. W. Breckenridge, C. J. Greene, Howard B. Smith, W. D. Beckett, and Moses P. O'Brien. Two days after. in the federal court, remarks were made concerning the death of Judge Savage, by E. B. Bartlett. At the Bar Association, on December 11, memorial addresses werc de- livered by C. H. Marple, J. J. Points and E. R. French. An address was delivered also at the meeting of the Omaha Club, on the 28th of the previous month, by Joseph R. Clarkson. At the meeting of the direc- tors of the Union Pacific Railway Company, held in Boston, November 26, 1890, Presi- dent Adams announced the death of "Gov- ernment Director James W. Savage," in most feeling and appreciative remarks.
Soon after Judge Savage's decease, the trustees of Bellevue College met and passed the following resolutions:
"WHEREAS, It hath pleased Almighty God to remove from us the IIon. James W. Sav- age, who for years has been a trustee of Bellevue College; be it by us
"Resolved, That we place upon record our appreciation of his uniform interest and faithfulness in the discharge of his duties as a member of this board, his constant cour- tesy, his valuable advice, and his ready liberalitv.
"Resolved, That we have this action spread
* Magazine of Western IIistory, Vol. IX, p. 295.
590
HISTORY OF THE CITY OF OMAHA.
upon our minutes, and that we furnish the same for publication in the Omaha daily papers."
The Omaha Public Library was ordered closed from 12 M. to 6 P. M., on Tuesday, November 25, 1890, the day of the funeral, and the directors passed these resolutions:
"The directors of the Omaha Publie Li- brary, in expressing their deep sorrow on account of the death of the Ilon. James W. Savage, wish to show their high esteem for his rectitude of purpose, faithfulness to duty and kindly disposition, not only in all the relations of life, but especially in the discharge of all the labors pertaining to the work of our board. Ilis enlightened and enthusiastic interest in the library work during a long period as a director, and in- eluding nine years' service as our president, has created a debt of gratitude which this community can never discharge; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That we hereby testify to his worth as a citizen, a neighbor, a friend, and as a member of this board, and we tender to his relatives our heartfelt sympathy; and, further, that, as a testimony of our apprecia- tion, it is ordered that his portrait be pro- cured and hung in the library, to the end that all may bear witness to our apprecia- tion."
The memorial meeting of the Douglas County bar was held December 6, 1890, with Judges Wakeley, Hopewell. Tiffany and Doane on the bench. The following me- morial was presented by Geo. E. Pritchett, chairman of the committee on resolutions:
"Resolved, That the members of the bar of Douglas County have heard with deep regret and universal sorrow of the death of .James W. Savage. Identified with the ad- ministration of justice in this county for more than twenty years, he attained a posi- tion at this bar equalled by few. Ile was an able, learned and honorable member of the profession. His efforts were always to uphold its dignity and character, and no unworthy aet could ever be charged to him in his long professional career of ever in- creasing honor and usefulness. His high place at the bar was obtained by the exhibi- tion of the highest qualities of the heart and mind. In addition to his high legal attain- ments, he was a polished, cultured gentle- man. No man came in contact with him without respecting him.
"As a judge of this court, he exhibited traits of character peculiarly fitting him for the position. Absolute integrity of pur- pose, a calm and dispassionate temper, great good sense and sound judgment, which, with a thorough knowledge of the law, made him a model judge.
"As a citizen, he was generous and manly, imbued with a lofty sense of honor and great dignity of character. He was as gentle in manner as he was resolute in pur- pose; the delight of friends, and a most welcome guest in every social gathering. Ilis friendship was true and lasting and greatly valued by those who possessed it. Ile had the confidence of the people to a degree seldom attained by any man, and he discharged the duties of the many public offices which he held, with credit to him- self and with satisfaction to all.
"Resolved, That in the death of James W. Savage this bar has lost an eminent and beloved member of this city and State. and an upright and distinguished citizen.
"Resolved, That we tender to the family of the deceased our heartfelt sympathy.
"Resolved, That these resolutions be pre- sented to the court, with the request that they be entered upon its minutes, and a copy sent to the family of the deceased."
Said J. L. Webster, before the Bar Asso- ciation. December 11, 1890:
"The Ilon. James W. Savage has been disrobed of worldly life. He has become clothed with the mystic garb of immortality. His memory is dear to our affections. Ilis character commanded our respect. Ilis kindness secured our gratitude. Ilis career, publie and private, won our intense regard. His learning and ability challenged our ad- miration. Ile came from an ancestry his- torically noted in colonial times. They held distinguished place in the annals of New England. Ile never lowered that standard of honor and respectability.
" His youth was spent amid the hills of New Hampshire, where he acquired a sturdy and honest character, that never lessened but increased with the moving on of years. The teachings of Harvard College rounded ont his early scholarship, and laid the foun- dation for the high literary culture and refinement that graced his after life.
" His patriotism was strong and decided. His military career, as captain and major on the staff of General Fremont-and later
591
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
as colonel of the 12th New York Cavalry- was brave and distinguished. If his deeds in war are not commemorated, it is only because the military exploits of so large a number of men, not less glorious, were merged in that great national achievement, so that lasting fame came only to the great leaders.
" Ripened and experienced, he came to this city twenty years ago, and at once took high rank among the lawyers of this his adopted State. He was a lawyer of more than ordinary talent. When he addressed a court or jury, he always merited and com- manded attention. His energy of manner and eloquence of speech were elements of power.
" Ile was elected to judgeship by such a vote as told the esteem in which he was held by the people. Ile filled the high position with becoming decorum and su- perior dignity. When he resigned the office by reason of failing health and to seek the repose of a quiet life, it was with the regrets of an admiring constituency.
"Other honors came upon him, but they were unsolicited. ITis aspirations were high and noble, yet not controlled by selfish ambition. lIe has left upon us a strong and lasting impression of his personality and character. It was frequently said of him that he was one of God's noblemen.
" llis social life was without a stain. His society was a delight. Ilis manners were winning and his conversation a charm. We shall indulge in recollections of him because we knew him, heard him, saw him and lived with him.
"As he lived beloved by all our people, we shall revere and cherish his memory. Moved, as we are, by a deep and profound sensibility of his worth, we make this record of our faith in the character and manhood of the late lamented James Woodruff Sav- age."
The Omaha Mercury, of December 19, 1890, paid the deceased this tribute of respect:
. Men die gloriously on the field of bat-
tle, where valorous deeds are brought into momentary relief by an advantageous back- ground, but the glory is no less when it at- taches to the death of one who has lived uprightly and conscientiously all his life, devoting that life to the attainment of what is highest and best. Judge Savage was a master builder of character. So assiduously had he applied himself, so symmetrically had he wrought, that he had reared a tem- ple beautiful, that was perpetually illumi- nated by the soul-light within. He meas- ured life by its depth, not by its extension in time. With him, achievements were valued only as they augmented moral and intellectual force. His rounded life touched humanity at every point, and with a quick- ening. power."
Of the deceased, it may be recorded as has been previously of another:
" Ile is gone from us. We have laid him in the solemn calm of the grave. . . . In the springtime the melody of the birdsong and the perfume of flowers will environ it; the winter's winds will shriek above it; at night the stars will shine upon it, and the nights that are starless shall shroud it in blackness. Surviving affection will rear a sculptured column over it, but the endur- ing marble itself shall crumble and decay ere his name, fame and good deeds among us shall fade from memory."
The following lines on the death of Judge Savage were written by B. F. Coehran :
In the sweet. calm twilight Of a life well spent, Came the expected words- "Fold thy earthly tent."
Here let the record close: It is adjudged complete-
Of kindness failing not, E'en in discussion's heat,
Of a lofty standard Long upborne and well, In war, in peace, in camp. In court, at duty's call.
Through a rift in the cloud of death Shone heaven's golden light, And glorified the life Of him who loved the right.
NOTE .- The publishers, in adding the above chapter to the History of Omaha, are actuated by a desire to perpetuate, in durable form, the memory of one whose life was so replete with all that constitutes the glory of our best American citizenship:
"For still the beauty of that life Shines star-like on our way,
And breathes its calm amid the strife ' And burden of to-day."
-
STOCK
UNION YARDS BANK.
DANK
LL
PACKERS
PMAH
EXCHANGE BUILDING, UNION STOCK YARDS -1890.
HISTORY OF SOUTH OMAHA.
CHAPTER I.
ORIGIN AND OPENING OF THE UNION STOCK YARDS.
Ten years ago-that is, on the first day of January, 1883-who, of all those having the highest hopes for the future of Omaha dreamed that to the southward and south- westward, just beyond what was then its boundary lines, in the open country, where farm houses were thinly scattered over the prairie, and cornfields were plentiful, there would spring into existence, in this decade, a city of the size and importance of the one we now see-the city of South Omaha ?*
To understand fully how this transforma- tion has been brought about, an inquiry must first be instituted into the origin of the move- ment that led to such results. The topo- graphy of this region played not a little part in the inception of the city. The sur- face is high and rolling, the ground sloping towards the Missouri River, which washes the eastern limits of its site. There is also a valley running along from northwest to southeast, through its center. These topo- graphical features make the drainage perfect. Contiguity, however, to Omaha-with its financial resources, its business facilities and its railroad connections-was the more im- portant consideration,inducing the selection of the site. But a glance at what had al- ready been accomplished in the formation of stockyards and the building of packing houses, in the City of Omaha, is important just here, to the end that the entire influ- ences and necessities causing a change of base, may be fairly and distinctly under- stood.
It was in 1876, that John A. Smiley, of Omaha, organized, in that city, the Union Stock Yards Company, for the avowed pur- pose of erecting stockyards therein, or con-
tiguous thereto. A deed was made out of a valuable eighty-acre tract of land owned by him, and lying just north of the then corpo- rate limits of Omaha. This deed was to be held until the organization of the company was perfected, when it was to be turned over to it. A considerable amount of lumber, posts, and other material was purchased and shipped to Omaha, to aid the undertaking, and Philip Armour, of Chicago, and other capitalists of that city, became interested (but not pecuniarily) in the enterprise. They signified their willingness to take hold of the matter, provided the Board of Trade of Omaha, would endorse the project. That body, however, declined any official aid, and the whole scheme was abandoned.
"As early as 1877, the live stock commit- tee of the Omaha Board of Trade (which Board had a few months before been organ- ized) reported that it was impressed with the very generally expressed views of not only the business men of Omaha but of the stock raisers and shippers themselves, north, south, and west, of the importance and ne- cessity of erecting and maintaining exten- sive stock yards and packing and slaughter- ing houses in this city [Omaha].'"
"' We have sufficient assurances,' contin- ues the report, 'from our own personal ob- servation as well as the opinions of live- stock men, packers and dealers interested in securing the best market for their products, that Omaha is destined to become the prin- cipal market west of Chicago for the sale of cattle, sheep and hogs.'
" Then the committee further declared: 'The wealth of Nebraska, Wyoming, Da- kota [North and South], Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Kan- sas, consists, in the extent and magnificence
* See an Historical Review of So. Omaha (by the author of this history), in The Drovers Journal of December $1, 1892.
593
38
594
HISTORY OF SOUTH OMAHA.
of the nutritious beef-producing grasses, the excellence of the climate, and facilities offered by a direct route of transportation to market. In the country north and south of the Union Pacific Road and its branches, it is estimated that 5,000,000 cattle can be sustained and prepared for market without difficulty, at an average expense, at present, of one dollar per head per annum each sea- son. The drive from the Southwest is ex- tending farther north, until, within a very short period, instead of being at the extreme northern limits, Omaha will be in the center of the great stock-growing region of the West.'
" And the committee also reported that its members had waited upon Jay Gould and Sidney Dillon, of the Union Pacific Railway, to secure the necessary franchise and privileges for the erection and main- tenance of stock yards on a scale commen- surate with the magnitude and growing importance of the cattle trade of Omaha. Fair promises were made, verbal pledges were given, and high hopes were raised in the minds of those interested in live stock; but ' the magnificent stock yards' did not materialize."*
The Omaha Stock Yards Company was organized on the twenty-seventh of April, 1878, its articles of incorporation being filed at three o'clock on that day, and signed by A. P. Nicholas, H. K. Smith, S. R. Johnson, J. F. Sheely, C. F. Goodman, and E. Esta- brook, the first two holding 115 shares, each, of stock, the others five shares each. Another company was organized on the same day, under the same name, by J. L. Lovett, W. J. Broatch, and W. C. B. Allen; but, as they did not get their articles of incorporation on file until 4:30 P. M., the " Nicholas Company" secured the name, and the others abandoned their enterprise.
On the fourth of May, following, the Union Stock Yards Company (taking the same name, it will be noticed, as the one proposed by Mr. Smiley), was organized in Omaha, hy William A. Paxton, J. L. Lovett, W. J. Broatch, W. C. B. Allen, and Herman Kountze. Mr. Nicholas had previously arranged for a lease, for the term of four years, at an annual rental of about $600 a year, of a forty-acre tract of land, owned by the Union Pacific Rail- road Company, just outside the city limits
to the southwest, and about evenly divided by their track. Some ten acres of this ground was occupied for right-of-way and other purposes by the Railroad Company, which left thirty acres for use by the " Nich- olas Company." But the yards proper were located immediately north of Wilcox' first addition to Omaha, on lot seven, lying immediately east of the railroad track and along the west side of Twenty-fourth Street. The "Nicholas Company" was to have the privilege of purchase at the termi- nation of the lease, at the price paid by the railroad company, with ten per cent. added, this making the price about $300 an acre. [It is now (1893) worth $10,000 an acre]. But the " Paxton Company" also insisted upon having the privilege of occupying the tract, and the result was, a portion north of the railroad track was leased to that organiza- tion, and the remainder to the " Nicholas Company."
Both companies put up yards and estab- lished facilities for doing business on as extensive scale as was possible under the circumstances. In the winter of 1879 and 1880, the Union Stock Yards (the " Pax- ton ") Company moved their business over to the Iowa side of the Missouri River. In May, of the year last mentioned, Mr. Nich- olas turned his yards over to the Union Pacific Railroad Company, at a loss of sixty per cent. on his investment. These yards- usually known as the " Upper Stock Yards " -were occupied only about four years longer.
There were also other stock yards in Omaha: These were known as the " Bridge Stock Yards," and were located on the north side of the Union Pacific Railway track, nearly half a mile east of the depot of that road. They belonged to the Union Pacific Railway Company and were operated by them for the purpose of facilitating the ship- ment of live stock. They were vacated in 1886.
For a number of years there were incidents, events, happenings-there were reasonings, guesses, prophesyings and theories-there were, at last, firm and courageous resolves, which were to change even " the face of na- ture," as it appeared smiling to the south- ward and almost adjoining the city of Omaha. And these forecasts, these ventures, these risks, took a practical turn for the first time in 1883, when men who were ready and will-
*The Drovers Journal, December 31, 1892.
595
ORIGIN AND OPENING OF THE UNION STOCK YARDS.
ing to venture upon an undertaking which seemed extra hazardous to many-who were not averse to investing largely not upon belief merely but upon their firm conviction -fixed upon the farming lands there for a " plant " (we shall see how soon it became one of sturdy growth), and gave to it not only a name but a prestige of greatness, which still excites our astonishment. It is unnecessary now to mention the names of those who took an interest in the scheme; we may say, however, they were largely cit- izens of Omaha. The prime idea was, first, stock yards and slaughtering and packing houses; second, the laying out of a town at (or surrounding) these industries; but the two, it had already been determined, should be eaclı an enterprise by itself; each one was to have a distinct organization-distinct officers-distinct regulations-and, in all respects, each was to control its own affairs; but it was expected the packing house inter- ests would soon be given to others.
The men who, in 1883, were interested in this gigantic undertaking, did not rush headlong into the enterprise. They took time to " post" themselves as to the move- ment of stock in the West. They had before them tabulated statements of live stock shipments (in car loads) over the Union and Kansas divisions of the Union Pacific railroad, also over the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, during the years 1880, 1881 and 1882:
(I) Union Pacific-Union Division.
Year
Horses
Cattle
Sheep
Hogs
1880.
612
7,791
264
1,696
1881.
540
10,195
683
3,773
1882
611
9,833
922
3,518
Union Pacific-Kansas Division.
Year
Horses
Cattle
Sheep
Hogs
1880
402
2,162
234
1,904
1881
295
2,737
184
2,857
1882
208
2,238
143
1,644
(II) Stock shipped over the B. & M. R. R. R. during the years mentioned below in car lots:
Year
Horses
Cattle
Sheep
Hogs
1880
171
3.246
177
5,716
1881.
127
3,710
314
6,452
1882
188
3,435
663
5,388
Upon these figures as a basis, it was decided that such a business as this, with its prospective increase, was a sufficient reason for undertaking the building of stock yards and packing houses on a large scale near Omaha. And this is the way they worked
themselves into a conviction that prompted them to invest heavily in the undertaking:
"Omaha now is to Nebraska and the country beyond, what Chicago was to Illi- nois and the Great West when that city was the present size of Omaha. It is a natural law of trade that live stock will seek the nearest market, other things being equal. The creation of a market rests in a great degree with the men who have interested themselves in the stock yards, rendering such a neutral ground, where the owners of live stock may have honest, fair and proper dealings, and who are better able to support and build up such a market where they think proper, than with the foreign capital- ists who now control fifteen millions of dol- lars in cattle on the western ranges. Is it not their interest to maintain a competing point or market on the line of the national highway whose most vital interests are identical with such an undertaking and with such decided advantages as Omaha offers? Not only must these men have a place to feed cattle, but they must have large slaugh- ter and packing houses which are to be, and must be independent of the stock yards, where no collusion can even appear upon its face. Such is their intention; and the scheme will be carried out on the scale com- mensurate with their vast resources. This will in a few years render Omaha one of the largest live stock centers in the United States."
The judgment of these men was backed up by the opinion of others, who had care- fully considered the subject. On November 27, 1883, Thomas L. Kimball, then Assistant General Manager of the Union Pacific rail- way, writing from Omaha, said: “ On the subject of beef slaughtering and packing houses at Omaha, I have to say that it may not be out of place in this connection for me to state some of the considerations, which seem to us patent, why Omaha should be selected as the point for establishing such enterprises. Slaughtering and packing is a business which, besides calling for skilled labor and a large force of men, requires, when carried on extensively, the employ- ment of a large capital in permanent im- provement. It is therefore manifestly de- sirable to locate where the men can be employed, as nearly as possible, all the year round. Here, during the monthis when grass-fed cattle are fat enough for beef, that
596
HISTORY OF SOUTH OMAHA.
class of stock could be slaughtered, and during the remainder of the year the busi- ness could be run on corn-fed cattle. The establishment of such an enterprise in Omaha would result in the shipment to Nebraska and, to some extent, Iowa corn- producing localities, of large numbers of cattle, about three years old, which had been raised to that age on western grass, for feeding a few months on corn. Corn can be had in this section of the country as abun- dantly and cheaply as in any part of the world; in fact, I think it no exaggeration to say that corn can be obtained here more abundantly and cheaper than elsewhere.
" By this process of corn feeding, several hundred pounds can readily be added to the weight of each animal, bringing it into prime condition for the supply of Omaha slaughtering all the year. The successful slaughtering of Kansas City furnishes ns the proof of this proposition, inasmuch as that city sustains the same relations to the corn producing states of Kansas and Western Missouri, as Omaha to Nebraska and Western Iowa. No enterprise of this sort can be made equally profitable if located upon the Northern Pacific, as that line lies outside of the coru belt. Formerly there would have been an objection to this location as com- pared with Council Bluffs or some points on the east side of the Missouri River, on account of the arbitrary tolls charged by all bridges over that stream, but it has now become the established policy of the Iowa railways to maintain the same rates between the East and Council Bluffs and Omaha, so that it will cost no more for the shipment of the product from Omaha than from Council Bluffs. The existence of six strong eastern lines centering at this point and competing for the business of Omaha, gives all the assurance necessary that the business located here will at all times secure as favorable freight rates as may obtain at any other point in the Missouri Valley."
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