USA > Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln > Lincoln, the capital city and Lancaster County, Nebraska, Volume I > Part 8
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
July 27, 1887-E. E. Myers & Son of Detroit were announced as the success- ful architects. An agreement was made with them on the 28th.
WEST LINCOLN
A petition to incorporate West Lincoln as a village, signed by T. L. McNeill and seventy-two others, granted. J. F. Cadman, T. L. McNeill, W. C. Austin, R. Sterrett and Edward Birel were appointed trustees.
COURTHOUSE CONTRACTS
November 15, 1887-At three o'clock the bids for the construction of the county courthouse were opened and found to be as follows: Eugene Woerner, $269,763.30 ; Fitzgerald & Brennan, $277.389.80; R. K. Allen, $165,000 (partial) ; James H. O'Neill, plumbing, gas, sewerage. $4,560; W. H. B. Stout, $313.389.10: O. J. King & Company $329,172. All of these bids were flatly rejected by the commissioners.
54
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
SECOND BIDS
January 3, 1888-The commissioners met to open bids for the second time. The offers were: R. K. Allen, $260,000; O. J. King & Company, $320,411 ; Fitzgerald & Brennan, $296,076.90; W. H. B. Stout, $303,836.78.
January 13, 1888-All of the bids were again rejected. Also the plans of E. E. Myers & Son, architects, of Detroit, were rejected because none of the bids came within the amount appropriated for the Lancaster County courthouse.
January 17, 1888-Myers & Son replied that they would not consider the "assumption that contract had been forfeited" and that if board recognized the binding character of the contract they would make proper changes. They drew a sight draft for $4.500 on Lancaster County, pending forfeiture of the contract.
January 19, 1888-Myers & Son asked to modify plans pending advertise- ment for new bids and new contract with them. It was ordered that the plans and specifications made be placed subject to the order of Myers & Son. At the same time notice was given to architects, indiscriminately, for presentation of new plans.
SECOND PLANS
February 21, 1888-For the second time the commissioners opened courthouse plans submitted by the following : Mendelssohn, Fisher & Lawrie, Omaha ; G. W. Bunting & Son, Indianapolis; Hodgson & Son, Omaha; Ecker & Mann, St. Joseph ; Schwage & Nichols, Kansas City; W. G. H. Hawkins, Lincoln; F. M. Ellis, Omaha ; J. W. Yost, Columbus, Ohio ; James Tyler. Lincoln ; William Gray, Lincoln ; O. H. Placey, Lincoln ; George F. Hammond, Cleveland ; M. E. Beebe, Buffalo ; Weary & Kramer, Akron, Ohio.
A. Roberts, M. L. Hiltner and E. Woerner were appointed to assist the county board in selecting the best plan from among the number.
March 1, 1888-The plans and specifications prepared by F. M. Ellis, archi- tect, of Omaha, were selected as best suited for the purpose.
BIDS
May 17, 1888-Bids by Rice & Bassett, Chicago; W. H. B. Stout, Lincoln ; D. B. Howard, Lincoln ; Eugene Woerner, Lincoln; Brennan & Lanham, Omaha, were opened and examined. The commissioners finally decided to accept the bid of W. H. B. Stout, of Lincoln, which named the sum of $167.497.42.
UNIVERSITY PLACE
January 5. 1889-The petition signed by Charles F. Creighton and forty- four others asking that University Place be incorporated was granted. Dr. C. F. Creighton, T. F. Barnes, C. M. Ellinwood, A. R. Wightman and W. S. Mills were appointed trustees.
55
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
RAYMOND
March 9, 1892-A petition signed by forty-three voters asking for the incor- poration of Raymond was granted and W. J. Weller, C. B. Reynolds, S. C. Lon- don, J. Plank and J. R. Jukster were appointed trustees.
COLLEGE VIEW
April 28, 1892-College View was granted incorporation in response to a petition signed by M. W. Newton and seventy-nine others. J. D. Morton, L. Nicola, W. T. Henton, E. A. Jenkins and J. S. Unangst were appointed the first trustees.
JAIL BONDS
January 28, 1895-An election was ordered to be held on April 2, 1895, for the purpose of voting on the proposition to vote $90,000 in bonds for the erection of a jail building. This jail proposition was defeated at the polls on April 2d.
August 24, 1900-The sum of $1,500 was appropriated for the purpose of repairing the courthouse roof, part of which had been carried away by a storm.
HALLAM
July 19, 1901-Petition and remonstrance both filed relative to the incorpora- tion of Hallam. The former was granted and G. H. Ruhaak, H. B. Hoyle, John J. Meyer, William Rocke and Gerhart Rippen were appointed trustees.
PANAMA
December 5, 1903-The petition for the incorporation of Panama was granted. T. C. Morgan, R. G. Dickson, A. F. Hitchcock, and M. J. Witham were named as trustees.
FLOOD SUFFERERS
July 8, 1908-The sum of $1,000 was set aside for the relief of the flood sufferers in Lancaster County.
SPRAGUE
September 25, 1913-The petition to incorporate the Town of Sprague was granted by the commissioners and the following were appointed trustees: Frank Miles, William W. Krull, A. J. McClain, W. E. Lamb and R. W. Haus.
DENTON
November 12, 1913-Denton incorporation petition was granted by the board. Walter Hocking, J. R. C. Miller, C. M. Rowland, Rev. R. Moran and M. II. Quinn were constituted the first trustees. A remonstrance was filed to this incorporation.
56
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
DAVEY
March 20, 1914-Davey was ordered incorporated in answer to a petition asking for the same. Peter Nelson, J. M. Hanson, C. A. Neff, C. W. Christian- sen and H. P. Christiansen were made trustees. -
CHAPTER V
THE STORY OF THE SALT BASIN
TIIE LEGEND
One of the earliest descriptions of the salt basin near Lincoln is that written by John T. Irving, Jr., and published by Carey, Lea & Blanchard, of Philadel- phia, in the year 1835, over eighty years ago. The small two-volume work is comprised of Indian sketches taken during an expedition to the Pawnee tribes.
The Pawnees and Otoes laid claim to all the land between the Platte and Kansas rivers and in this claim they were fiercely opposed by the Delawares, a rival tribe. Constant war existed on this account between the first two on the one side and the latter on the other. The Government, growing weary of this strife, appointed commissioners to visit the migratory tribes, purchase the Pawnee lands and induce this tribe of redskins to move north of the Platte. Accordingly, in the summer of 1833 Mr. Ellsworth traveled from Washington, D. C., to Fort Leavenworth, which was then a frontier post, there to await his fellow commis- sioners, and to begin the expedition northward. John T. Irving, Jr., accompanied this band of men and kept a diary of the days' happenings while in the Indian country. He writes : "It was intended first to strike up in a northerly direction until we reached the village of the Otoe or Missouria Indians, situated upon the Platte River about twenty miles northwest of its junction with the Missouri. Thence the Platte was to be our guide until we came upon the Pawnee towns."
Mr. Irving devotes several paragraphs to the first few days of their journey, which were replete with new experiences and strange sights, then continues : "We at last reached the Platte River about forty miles distant from the Otoe village, then striking off to the west, we followed the course of this powerful tributary of the Missouri.
"On the first night our little camp was placed upon a high bank of the Saline River, which flows through the prairie until it empties into the Platte. During the spring of every year moisture exudes from the soil near its source, covering the prairie for the distance of many miles. This is dried up by the heat of sum- mer and leaves in its place a thick incrustation of salt. This is in turn dissolved by every successive rain and carried off into the Saline River, giving to its water the brackish taste, from which it has derived its name. There is a barrenness around the stream, contrasting strongly with the other rivers that grace the prairie. Around them is always a rich forest of the deepest, rankest green. Everything marks the luxuriance of the soil, and the nourishment yielded by the streams, to the lofty trees, which hang like guardians over their waters.
"But the Saline is far different. There are no groves to fringe its banks.
57
58
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
Here and there the huge, grey forms of a few dead trees may be seen leaning with a melancholy grandeur over its surface, or lying prostrate in the river, while its waters gurgle with a mournful sound around the branches of these fallen giants. There is a cheerless look about it. It winds its way through the prairie with a withering influence, blighting every green shrub; and seems to bear an ill will to all the bright beauties of creation.
"I strayed some distance down the stream, pattering my rifle bullets on the water, to the great annoyance of several ducks who were quietly dozing upon its surface, and some sprawling old terrapins who were floating down the stream, enjoying an evening sail.
"A loud hail from the camp, and the voice of Mordecai announcing that supper was ready, recalled me to the spot. The roasted shoulder and ribs of a large buck were impaled upon a stake of dogwood, planted in the ground in front of the mess. They had already commenced their meal, with knives of all sizes and descriptions, and the mass of meat disappeared like magic before their reiter- ated attacks. Though at all times very well qualified to act a conspicuous part in a warfare of that description, they were now more than usually fitted for the task, owing to their cating only two meals a day-one at sunrise and one at sunset-the rest of the time being occupied in journeying over the prairie. By the time that we had finished the sun had sunk in the West and the stars were glimmering in the sky. Our party collected around the large fire of blazing logs and our guide, having lighted his Indian pipe, related to us an Indian tale, of which the following is the purport :
"'About forty miles above the spot where we are now encamped lie the great salt plains, which cause the brackish taste of the Saline River. In one part of these plains is a large rock of pure salt, of dazzling whiteness, which is highly prized by the Indians and to which is attached the following story :
"'Many years since, long before the whites had extended their march beyond the banks of the Mississippi River, a tribe of Indians resided upon the Platte, near its junction with the Saline. Among these was one, the chief warrior of the nation, celebrated throughout all the neighboring country for his fierce and un- sparing disposition. Not a hostile village within several hundred miles but wailed for those who had fallen beneath his arm; not a brook but had run red with the blood of his victims. He was forever engaged in plotting destruction to his enemies. He led his warriors from one village to another, carrying death to the inhabitants and desolation to their homes. He was a terror to old and young.
"'Often alone and unattended, would he steal off, to bathe his hands in blood and add new victims to the countless number of those whom he had already slain. But fearful as he was to the hostile tribes, he was equally dreaded by his own people. They gloried in him as their leader, but shrank from all fellowship with him. His lodge was deserted, and even in the midst of his own nation he was alone. Yet there was one thing that clung to him, and loved him, in defiance of the sternness of his rugged nature. It was the daughter of the chief of the village ; a beautiful girl, and graceful as one of the fawns of her own prairie.
"'Though she had many admirers, yet when the warrior declared his intention of asking her of her father, none dared come in competition with so formidable a rival. She became his wife and he loved her with all the fierce energy of his
59
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
nature. It was a new feeling to him. It stole like a sunbeam over the dark passions of his heart. His feelings gushed forth to meet the warm affection of the only being that had ever loved him. ller sway over him was unbounded. Ile was as a tiger tamed. But this did not last long. She died; he buried her ; he uttered no wail, he shed no tear. He returned to his lonely lodge and forbade all entrance. No sound of grief was heard from it-all was silent as the tomb. The morning came and with its earliest dawn he left the lodge. Ilis body was covered with war paint and he was fully armed as if for some expedition. His eye was the same ; there was the same sullen fire that had ever shot from its deep sunk socket. There was no wavering of a single feature; there was not the shrinking of a single muscle. He took no notice of those around him, but walked gloomily to the spot where his wife was buried. He paused for a moment over the grave, plucked a wild flower from among the grass and cast it upon the upturned sod. Then turning upon his heel, strode across the prairie.
"'After the lapse of a month he returned to his village, laden with the scalps of men, women and children, which he hung in the smoke of his lodge. He tarried but a day among the tribe, and again set off, lonely as ever A week elapsed and he returned bringing with him a large lump of white salt. In a few words he told his tale. He had traveled many miles over the prairie. The sun had set in the west and the moon was just rising above the verge of the horizon. The Indian was weary and threw himself on the grass. He had not slept long when he was awakened by the low wailing of a female. He started up and at a little distance, by the light of the moon, beheld an old, decrepit hag, brandish- ing a tomahawk over the head of a young female, who was kneeling, imploring mercy.
"'The warrior wondered how two females could be at this spot, alone, and at that hour of the night, for there was no village within forty miles of the place. There could be no hunting party near them or he would have discovered it. He approached them, but they seemed unconscious of his presence. The young female, finding her prayers unheeded, sprang up and made a desperate attempt to get possession of the tomahawk. A furious struggle ensued, but the old woman was victorious. Twisting one hand in the long black hair of her victim, she raised the weapon in the other and prepared to strike. The face of the young female was turned to the light and the warrior beheld with horror the features of his deceased wife. In an instant he sprang forward and his tomahawk was buried in the skull of the old squaw. But ere he had time to clasp the form of his wife the ground opened, both sank from his sight, and on the spot appeared a rock of white salt. He had broken a piece from it and brought it to his tribe.
"'This tradition is still current among the different tribes of Indians fre- quenting that portion of the country. They also imagine that the rock is still under custody of the old squaw, and that the only way to obtain a portion of it is to attack her. For this reason, before attempting to collect salt. they heat the ground with clubs and tomahawks, and each blow is considered as inflicted upon the person of the hag. The ceremony is continued until they imagine she has been sufficiently belabored to resign her treasure without opposition The super- stition. though privately ridiculed by the chiefs of the different tribes, is still practised by them and most devoutly credited by the rabble.""
60
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
EARLY EXPECTATIONS
In the early '6os the salt springs near the present site of Lincoln attracted attention over the entire country and the estimated wealth and productiveness of the salt fields were given fabulous descriptions in the papers. This natural mineral was placed as the incentive for great cities to appear in the neighborhood; immeasurable wealth to be gained by any who cared to take advantage of the deposits; and the growth of the Nebraska salt industry until it reached the importance of the other salt manufacturing centers of the United States. These items influenced settlers to come to the territory and, when the commissioners appointed for the location of a state capital in 1867 scoured this part of the state for a suitable site for the capital city, the salt basin west of Lincoln's present site was one of the principal factors in determining their selection.
The Morton History of Nebraska states: "We find merchants of Nebraska City advertising in the News of April 21, 1860, that they had for sale 'the best and finest article of table salt, gathered from the banks of Salt Creek, forty miles directly west of this city. Nature is the only evaporator used in the manufacture of this salt.' The News of April 28th relates that a sample of some thirty bushels of the very neatest and best of table salt had been brought for its inspec- tion, and it had been 'scraped up from the banks of Salt Creek with a shovel. The probability is that the salt, as well as gold, silver, and coal mines of Nebraska are inexhaustible.' The News of May 25. 1861 notes that a train of three wagons passed through Nebraska City to engage in the manufacture of salt at the springs fifty miles west. The same paper says that, 'A gentleman the other day brought in from Salt Creek 1,800 pounds of as fine salt as we have ever seen. It met with ready sale. There is a mine of wealth out there.' The News of September 14, 1861, reports that there are four salt basins of a thousand acres each-except one small one-filled with small springs that during the night ooze out their briny waters and cover the plateaus with a thick scum of salt. They ebb and flow like the tides of the ocean, during the night time covering the entire surface to the extent of thousands of acres and to a depth of several inches. By nine o'clock of an ordinarily dry day, with sunshine, the waters have sunk away, or rather evaporated, leaving a crust of salt. There are at present ten furnaces.'"
These various newspaper accounts are presented for the purpose of showing the enlarged conception of the salt springs. So it is in any pioneer country : the presence of mineral wealth is a greater incentive than the known existence of tillable lands and rich soil, although the mineral advantages generally lure rather than satisfy, in very few cases have they proved an actuality, at least, a profitable one. People in Nebraska dreamed great dreams of the enormous salt industry to be established here, but the coming of years and the railroads and more settlers overshadowed the importance of the salt fever and now the greatly prized acres are covered with a lake and the salt water used for bathing purposes in connection with an amusement park.
SALT CREEK SETTLERS
The first settlers of the Salt Creek Valley were the Preys, headed by the father John D. Prey. The latter is known as the first permanent white settler in what now comprises Lancaster County. He was a native of Scotland, having been
61
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
born there, in Glasgow, on the 4th of December, 1798. He was the son of John and Martha (Little) Prey. Immediately after his marriage in 1821 to Margaret Gibson he sailed for America, to make a new home for his family. Mrs. Prey was a native of Ireland and was born in 1802 : her parents, however, were Scottish. After forty-five days spent in passage the Preys landed in New Brunswick and from there proceeded to the city of Boston, where they resided for some time. Their next home was in New York State, where they stayed until 1843. Then they moved to the State of Wisconsin and from this place Mr. Prey, in com- pany with his son, John W., started upon their journey to Nebraska to search for suitable claims. This was in 1856. On June 15, 1856 they stopped on Salt Creek, about three miles from the present site of Lincoln, but shortly afterwards went farther up this stream. Here they took claims for themselves and three other sons. Further information concerning the family history of the Preys may be found in the chapter on early settlement.
The following article by John Stanford Gregory was prepared for the Nebraska State Historical Society in 1904 and is reminiscent of the early days in the vicinity of the salt basin. Mr. Gregory, the son of John S. and Charlotte ( Eaton) Gregory, was born at Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1834. After a high school educa- tion he engaged for several years as a mail agent, and then studied law and was admitted to the bar in Michigan in 1860. In August, 1862, he located in the vicinity of the present city of Lincoln and at the salt basin constructed the first salt works, at the cost of about $8,000.00. He worked these until the coming of the railroad to Lincoln. He next entered the real estate and insurance business and in 1874 went into business partnership with Mr. J. II. McMurtry. In 1891 he removed to the State of Texas and there practiced law. In 1864 Mr. Gregory was a representative from Lancaster County in the Territorial Legislature, being the first to serve in this capacity. He was chairman of the first board of county commissioners of Lancaster County and was also the first postmaster. Mr. Greg- ory's narration of the early days at the salt basin is replete with vivid detail and is authoritative.
EARLY DAYS AT THE SALT BASIN
By John S. Gregory
I first made my home in what is now Lincoln in the summer of 1862, being the first permanent settler of this city's site. Neighbors in the county were few and far between, but for music we had nightly serenades from hundreds of coyotes and wolves, who also loved chicken better than traveling ministers or down- south darkies ; therefore war was declared against the wolves. Every evening in the winter months we would mount a horse, fasten a piece of fresh meat to a lariat. and draw it over the ground in a circuit of a mile or so, occasionally dropping a small pellet of lard encasing a flake of strychnine. The wolves would take the trail, and sometimes we would gather a dozen of them in the morning. Their pelts paid the cost, and their carcasses were drawn away to the banks of Salt Creek, where we expected them to rot in the spring. But a band of Pawnee Indians found them, and never broke camp until the last carcass went into the soup, which we were informed was "heap good for Injun."
62
LINCOLN AND LANCASTER COUNTY
In 1863 there was quite an influx of temporary citizens from the State of Missouri who came, as they stated, to "get out of the draft" ( this was war time, you know) and settled around Salt Basin. Of this number I remember the families of Owens, Harmon, Eveland, Bird, Billows, Tinnell, Thatcher, Pember- ton, Church and a few others. It was said that some of these had been bush- whackers in Missouri, and had in fact come up to the Salt Basin "for the benefit of their health"; but they were as peaceful as doves while here, and all went back to Missouri after the war was over.
During that year Doctor Crimm and "Jim" Dye, of Brownville, came to the Basin, and built a bench of salt boilers and became my friendly rivals in the salt manufacture.
At an election late in the fall we elected Alf Eveland justice of the peace, and Peter Billows constable, and this was the first attempt to call in the aid of the law, in that county. Prior to that date every man was his own law-giver, and a brace of revolvers enforced it. "Alf" was a small, freckled-faced, red-haired chap, very self-important, and ambitious to be called Squire Eveland. He had opened a saloon in his sod dwelling, his stock in trade being a keg of whiskey and a caddy of tobacco. His wife, Elizabeth, was of massive proportions, at least four times the size of her husband, and strong as she was big-could easily hold her lord at arm's length over her head, with her right arm alone. It was said that after Eveland's stock in trade had been paid for, he had ten cents left, with which he purchased a drink at his bar, while his wife kept the saloon, and then she in turn used it for the same purpose while Alf was bartender, and by alternating this process quite a trade was established.
When Alf became justice of the peace he went to Nebraska City and pro- vided himself with a justice docket book and a full set of law blanks, and re- turned, fully equipped to "dispense with justice," as he put it, to all who should require his services, but as it is difficult to make radical changes in forms of law, more than six months passed without a single case for Eveland's adjudication. The nearest to a case that I remember was from this Peter Billows, who, by the way, was originally a Pennsylvania Dutchman. Peter came over to my office one morning and said, "Gregory, John Owens' hogs broke into my garden last night and destroyed more than fifteen dollars' worth of damage. What can I do about it?" I advised him to go and see John, and if he would not fix it, he would have a case for Eveland, but as he and John fixed it the justice case was a failure.
The first law case of this county appears in "Justice Docket No. I-A. Eveland, Esq .. J. P." and is entitled "Crimm & Dye vs. J. S. Gregory, Action for Replevin," and it arose as follows: Both Crimm and myself used a considerable amount of salt barrels, which we made at our salt works, and the man, Church, was.a stave maker, obtaining his bolts from the headwaters of Salt Creek. On the morning Church started back to Missouri, he came to my works, and sold me his stock of staves, amounting in value to about $16.00. I went with him to his dug-out, counted and marked the staves, and took a bill of sale in writing, and paid for them. During the same morning he sold the same staves to Crimm, who also marked them, and took a bill of sale in writing. A few days after I went for theni with my wagons, and when Crimm saw me loading them, he came up and wanted
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.