USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 12
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Territory of Nebraska at a point to be fixed by the President of the United States after actual surveys." The company was also required to construct a line from a point on the western boundary of the State of Iowa, to be fixed by the President of the United States, to connect with the initial point of the main line on the one hundredth meridian. A race in construction was inspired by the provision that either of the two companies, the Union Pacific or the Central Pacific, might build past the specified place of meeting-the California boundary line- if it should reach the line before the arrival of the other. The act required also the construction of a telegraph line with each of these lines of railway.
The law of 1862 named 153 commissioners, distributed among twenty-four states and the Territory of Nebraska, whose duty was merely to take the preliminary steps for organizing the company; and as soon as 2,000 shares of stock had been subscribed, and $10 per share paid in, the commissioners were to call a meeting of the sub- scribers, who should elect the directors of the company. The com- missioners named for Nebraska were Augustus Kountze, Gilbert C. Monell and Alvin Saunders, of Omaha; W. H. Taylor of Nebraska City, and T. M. Marquett of Plattsmouth. It is worth noting, as an illustration of a phase of political conditions at that time, that these commissioners from Nebraska were all active politicians of the republican party. The names of the commissioners were supplied largely by the members of Congress from the various states, and Senator Harlan of the adjoining State of lowa was active in promot- ing these preliminary arrangements. By the 29th of October, 1863, 2,177 shares of stock had been subscribed, and the company was organized by the election of thirty directors and of John A. Dix, president ; Thomas C. Durant, vice president; Henry V. Poor, secre- tary, and John J. Cisco, treasurer. These officers were all residents of New York. Augustus Kountze was the Nebraska representative on the elected board of directors.
At the ceremony of breaking the first ground at Omaha, A. J. Hanscom presided. Mayor B. E. B. Kennedy, Governor Saunders and George Francis Train used the shovel, and these three, and also Dr. Gilbert C. Monell, Andrew J. Poppleton, Augustus Kountze and Judge Adam V. Larimer of Council Bluff's made speeches. Con- gratulatory dispatches were read from President John A. Dix, Vice President Dr. Thomas C. Durant, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by John Hay, his secretary; William H. Seward, secretary of state; George Opdyke, mayor of New York: J. M.
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Palmer, mayor of Council Bluffs, and Richard Yates, governor of Illinois. Brigham Young, then beginning to be imperator of a great industrial people, sent this message: "Let the hands of the honest be united to aid the great national improvement." The shrewd Mormon foresaw the immense enhancement of property values which would follow the passage of the road through the city of which he was founder and virtual proprietor. He gave his full share of aid in construction, through the brawn of his followers, until he saw that the company was bent on giving his city the go-by, and then, at the critical point in the great race, he withheld his aid till he saw that the Central Pacific, too, intended to reject his suit, and he must be con- tent with a stub connection from Ogden.
The Union Pacific Company filed its assent to the conditions of the act of Congress on the 27th of June, 1863, and the immediate promoters of the road plunged into the solicitude and struggle for the completion of the first 100 miles within the two years' limit of the act. They were further troubled by the provision of the amendatory act of 1864 which permitted the Kansas company to continue its line to meet the line of the Central Pacific, if, when it should reach the one hundredth meridian. "the Union Pacific shall not be proceeding in good faith to build the said railroad through the territory." The act provided. that when the three commissioners appointed by the president should certify that forty miles of the road were built and equipped, the proper amount of bonds and the proportionate amount of the land grant should be issued to the company. In the spring of 1864 Durant began the great task of building this section. The small paid-up stock subscription and the proceeds of a credit of over two hundred thousand dollars were soon exhausted and such parts of the stock of building material and rolling stock as could be temporarily spared were sold, so that construction might proceed. The Incid state- ment of Peter A. Dey, the widely known engineer, contains informa- tion and explanation, needed at this juncture. This first survey of Engineer Dey's was abandoned after a considerable sum-probably more than a third of the first paid up capital-had been expended on its somewhat difficult grade, and its substitute, the devions ex-bow route, is used to this day, and with all the disadvantages of the heavy grade of about three miles out of Omaha to the Mud Creek Valley. When the first forty miles of the road should be completed the Fed- eral Government would lay and bestow its first golden subsidy egg. On the plea of necessity, on the 4th of May, 1864, a committee was appointed on the part of the company to contract for finishing
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100 miles of road. Though the act of July 2, 1864, doubling the land subsidy, followed in the meantime, Durant, on the 8th of August, received from HI. M. Hoxie a proposition for the famous, or notorious, contract by the terms of which he was to build the 100 miles for $50,000; and on the 4th of the following October the contract was extended to cover the whole line to the one hundredth meridian-247.45 miles.
The Omaha newspapers of the construction period advise us from time to time of the progress of the work and also as to the rising or falling fever of public hope and fear. The Republican of May 13. 1864, says that "the work of grading is steadily progress- ing from this point west and ties are being rapidly gotten out along the line." This is the very beginning. On the 12th of August the same paper notes that several hundred tons of iron have arrived at Quincy for the Union Pacific; that Williams, the contractor, is grad- ing in Douglas County, and that ties are being prepared and there will soon be enough to lay track on to the Elkhorn. Soon came the vexatious delays until the following spring. On the 5th of May, 1865, the Republican announces that heavy work on the first 100 miles is confined to the section of twenty-six miles to the Elkhorn River; that the first five miles of grading from the foot of Farnam Street is nearly completed, and that grading will be completed over the first eighteen miles by July Ist, and to the Elkhorn River by August 1st. "The company have determined to use 'burnetized' cotton- wood for ties on account of the scarcity of hard wood in Nebraska, until the western portion of the country is reached, where red cedar can be obtained." One steam sawmill had been in operation in Wash- ington County, fourteen miles north of Omaha, for nearly twelve months, and 40,000 hardwood ties had already been sawed there; three more mills would soon be in operation. At this time the nearest railway connection was the Chicago & Northwestern, at Boonesboro, 120 miles east. In his report of July 20, 1865, Springer Harbaugh, a government director, says there are 49,000 ties in sight, one-third oak and walnut and the rest cottonwood; 40,000 of these ties were on the river bank twelve miles above Omaha, waiting to be rafted down. It was proposed to lay 2,500 ties to the mile and four of hard wood to each rail. There was one mill at Omaha, one on the river twelve miles above, and two sixty miles above, all sawing ties. In the intervening years dwellers upon the Nebraska plains have come to hold our native groves in tender and almost sacred regard; and though lapse of time and consideration of the difficulties under which
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they wrought have somewhat softened harsh judgment against the builders of the Union Pacific road, yet the destruction of our finest forests-and especially of our precious hardwood trees-in the Mis- souri Valley will always be resented as an act of vandalism which no exigency such as they might plead could excuse or palliate.
The first rail of the Union Pacific, and so the first railway track in Nebraska was laid at the Omaha end of the line July 10, 1865; and on the 22d of September the Republican reports that ten miles of track had been laid and that it was going down at the rate of a mile a day. There were on hand, also, eighty miles of iron, four locomotives, thirty platform cars, four or five box freight cars, sev- eral passenger cars, spikes, switches, etc., "received from below." The construction of machine shops and other buildings at Omaha had been begun. This may be regarded as the modest first equipment of the then greatest railway enterprise of the whole world. Bridge timber already framed for the first 100 miles-between Omaha and the Loup Fork-was on the ground. The grade was to be finished to Columbus in thirty days after the date last named. On the 6th of January, 1866, the three commissioners appointed by the President of the United States, according to the act of Congress, examined and accepted the first forty miles of road. According to the con- temporary newspaper account the passenger car used by the com- missioners on their trip of investigation was constructed in Omaha and was named the "Major-General Sherman." The commissioners were Col. J. H. Simpson, president of the board; Maj .- Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and Maj. William White. Notwithstanding that, on account of his erratic temperament, George Francis Train was kept in the background by the promoters and capitalists of the enterprise, yet his remarkable ingenuity, alertness and activity com- manded recognition; and on this occasion General Curtis is reported as saying in reply to a compliment to himself that Train deserved more consideration than he did.
Only about 11/2 miles of road had been graded previous to July, 1865, but before January 1, 1866, the line was completed fifty miles westward. From this time the work of construction progressed rapidly; 250 miles of track were laid in 1866, and during the season of 1867, 240 miles were added. Fort Sanders was passed May 8, 1868. and the following day the track was completed to Laramie. Promontory Point, Utah, was reached just one year later, and on May 10, 1869, a junction was made with the Central Pacific Railroad at a point 1,083.8 miles west of Omaha, and 690 miles east of Sacra-
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mento. The greatest trouble with Indians was experienced in Western Nebraska, but they continued to harass surveying parties and track layers in Wyoming as well, although United States troops were con- stantly on guard.
The first permanent bridge across the Missouri River, at Omaha, was commenced in March, 1868, and completed four years later, at a cost of $1,750,000. In 1877 this bridge was partially destroyed by a cyclone, and in 1886-7 was entirely rebuilt and enlarged to its present great proportions.
A regular train service was established early in 1866, and trains were running to Bridgers Pass by October, 1868. The first conductor on the Union Pacific was Grove Watson, deceased, and the second. Augustus A. Egbert. The first station at Omaha was built near the present site of the smelting works, and B. T. C. Morgan was appointed agent, January 1, 1865.
By September, 1867, the great highway had become progressive enough to announce that "on and after next Sunday" all trains, passenger and freight, would run on Sundays the same as week days. On the 20th of May, 1868, it was announced through the Herald that passenger fare had been reduced from 10 cents to 712 cents a mile. By this change the fare to Cheyenne, which had been $51.50, became $38.50.
THE UNION PACIFIC REACHES COLUMBUS
This pioneer railroad, not only of Columbus, but of the whole State of Nebraska, reached this locality in June, 1866. The work of track laying was not rapid until the construction train struck the Platte Valley and its junction with the Elkhorn. The Columbus Republican, of June, 1875, described the track laying through the county seat, in June, 1866:
"The Union Pacific track was laid from Omaha to Ogden by one party- the Casement Brothers, of Painesville, Ohio-J. S. and D. T. Casement, familiarly called by the boys Jack and Dan. They were a pair of the biggest little men you ever saw-about as large as twelve-year-old boys, but requiring larger hats. To give some idea of how the thing was done, Sunday, June 1, 1866, and why it was done on Sunday is the object of this sketch. The thing to be done was to lay the ties and fasten the rails to them ready for the locomotive. Of course, only one pair of rails could be laid at a time, for they must be laid on iron chairs in continuous line, end to end,
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and then spiked fast to the ties. This was done just as fast as four men could take the rails from a low truck close behind and lay them down on their chairs. Two athletes to each rail, one pair to each side, swayed backward and forward from the loaded truck to the place awaiting them. This motion of two pairs of men, which was nearly as regular as the pendulum of a clock, governed the move- ments of the whole four. To that motion everything had to con- form, just as every wheel in a clock has to conform to the oscillations of the pendulum. The track layers' train was a movable village, crawling along the track a few feet at a time as the rails were laid. It comprised the rail truck in front, then the engine and tender, and after this the provision car, kitchen, dining car, wash room, sleeping bunks, granary, and lastly, the daily supply of material. The occa- sion of the track laying through the town on Sunday was this: The track layers were under contract and bonds to complete the track to the one hundredth mile post by a certain day, the 5th or 6th of the month, and their time was short. The progress of the work must necessarily be impeded somewhat in crossing the Loup. Two miles of track, including the original plat of Columbus, were laid that day. We were not excessively pious hereabouts in those days, and the whole city, men, women and children, about seventy-five in all, went out and for an hour or two watched the passing, industrious pageantry. Perhaps it was for some atonement of this desecration of our soil that the superintendent, a few months later, donated the freight of the first carload ever brought to Columbus for any person not an employe, consisting of the whole bill of pine lumber, for the Congregational Church."
SIOUX CITY & COLUMBUS BRANCH OF THE UNION PACIFIC
A special election was held to vote upon the question of issuing $80,000 of the county's bonds to build the Sioux City & Columbus Railroad, now part and parcel of the Union Pacific System. When the vote was canvassed it was found that 128 votes had been cast in favor of the improvement, and only two against it. The officers of this corporation were: President, William Adair; vice president, George B. Graff; secretary, James Stott; treasurer, J. P. Eckhart : directors, J. G. Ogden, C. F. Eckhart, William Adair, C. H. Whaley, J. F. Warner, James Stott and George B. Graff. However, the road was not built at this time, but it was constructed as the Omaha, Niobrara & Black Hills Railroad in 1881, and on June 16th of that
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year, the day was given over to the people of Columbus in celebra- tion of the event. The Journal in advertising the proposed celebra- tion had this to say, in a previous issue: "Thursday, June 16, 1881, has been set apart for celebrating the completion of the road. There will be two coaches and five open cars for each arm of the road fur- nished free for the occasion by the U. P. Company, the coaches to be for transportation of ladies and children. The trains will start at the usual time and no freight trains will be run that day. The speakers will be John M. Thurston, of Omaha; Dr. Alexander Bear, of Norfolk; W. M. Robertson, of Madison; Loran Clark, of Albion; B. K. Edwards, of St. Edwards; E. V. Clark, of Genoa." A free ride was given all along the line between Albion and Norfolk, to Columbus.
THE FREMONT, ELKHORN & MISSOURI VALLEY RAILROAD
This road was built in the '80s across Platte County. Along its line in the county its stations are Lindsay, in St. Bernard Township; Cornlea, in Granville Township, and Creston, in the township of that name. This road affords the northern part of the county good transportation facilities to points east and west. The road crosses the Sioux City & Columbus, just south of Humphrey.
THE BURLINGTON & MISSOURI RAILROAD
On May 26, 1879, an election for the issuance of $100,000 in bonds to help in building the Atchison & Nebraska branch of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, was held and carried. The line was completed June 25, 1880, and opened up the whole region of country to the south and southeast. Although but seven miles of road was built in Platte County, the benefits of the connection were so apparent that her citizens responded in the liberal spirit noticed above. The branch to Columbus was first generally known as the Lincoln & Northwestern Railroad, which takes in, in its route from Lincoln, the important cities of Seward and David City. By the building of the line the northern and northwestern sections of the state were thrown into close connection with Columbus. The Omaha, Niobrara & Black Hills road was built in 1881, running from Columbus to Norfolk and Albion, eighty-one miles. The celebration of this event has already been related.
CHAPTER VIII
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES
The first sermon delivered in Columbus was in the dining room of the American Hotel, by Rev. John Adriane, a Methodist itinerant. Word had previously been received of the appointment on Saturday afternoon, and said pastor's old horse was seen coming along with the preacher on his back; a pair of saddlebags behind him contained his Bible and hymn book, with other necessary articles. He was immediately taken in charge by the brethren, J. P. Becker, Judge Speice and Judge Patterson, who were keeping "bachelor's hall" in the house where Mrs. Freston lived so long. From that time on until 1866 the Protestant citizens of the town were indebted to the Methodist Church for all the spiritual teaching they received. In the spring of 1866 Rev. Samuel Goodale began making regular visits here, being one of a small band who the ever lamented Bishop Clarkson gathered around him when he came to Nebraska after his consecration as its bishop, under whom were Reverends MeNamara and Dake. For a long time services were held in the town hall. In 1868 the Reverend Goodale moved to Columbus with his family, with the intention of building a church, which was carried into effect the follow- ing year. The building required a great deal of effort and labor. About one thousand dollars was subscribed by citizens and an equal amount furnished by the Church Extension Society. On Sunday, the 19th day of December,, 1869, it was dedicated by Bishop Clark- son, assisted by the Rev. Mr. O. C. Dake, of Fremont. Previous to this time Reverend Goodale had built up a flourishing Sunday school which was attended by children of all denominations, including some of Catholic families, and on Christmas Eve of that year the first Christmas tree and festival was held in Columbus in the church. H. J. Hudson was the superintendent and under his admirable manage- ment a large portion of the children were attracted to the school. A very large tree was procured, which was loaded with presents for young and old, and there are a few men and women who will recollect
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the presents they, as children, received from the tree. Exercises suitable to the occasion were held, addresses were made by the superin- tendent and some of the teachers, and the occasion has never been surpassed, if equalled, by any effort in that direction since. Mrs. Goodale was at that time the organist and musical director and with a choir composed in part of those whom she had trained, to which was added her own voice, of marvelous power and sweetness, dis- coursed beautiful music suitable to the occasion. Elsie Allen, seven- year-old daughter of the then Union Pacific agent here, a musical prodigy, sang "When I Seek My Father." The following spring Reverend Goodale was transferred to Lincoln for the purpose of organizing and building a church in the capital city and the first church of his denomination in Lincoln is also one of his monuments. For a number of years he was engaged in the same work in different places. He returned to Columbus in 1877 and long remained one of its citizens. He was rector of the Episcopal parish until 1877, when the infirmities of age compelled him to retire from active labor.
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
On the evening of October 19, 1868, a few persons met in the Town of Columbus, among whom was Rev. Samuel Goodale, who for some time previously had been a traveling missionary. The result was the organization of a parish to be known as Grace Epis- copal Church, and the election of a vestry. Services were held in the town hall until a church edifice could be erected. On the evening of January 4, 1869, the vestry decided to raise money for building a church, which work was commenced early in June following and was completed in December of that year. The architecture was Gothic in style, with stained glass windows. The body of the church was finished in imitation oak and the roof, which formed the ceiling, was in light blue. The success of the enterprise was mainly due to the efforts of the Rev. Mr. Goodale, who devoted himself unceasingly to the work. The cost of the building was about two thousand dollars. of which $1,000 was furnished by Bishop Clarkson. The church was furnished by Mrs. Ellen Watkinson, of Hartford, Conn., and the Bible and prayer book were presented by Miss Lewis, of New Lon- don, Conn.
While still in an unfinished state the funeral obsequies of the lamented Judge Whaley were held in the church, thus as it were, dedicating and consecrating the edifice, the erection of which he
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had so largely promoted. On the 19th of December, 1869, the church was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. R. II. Clarkson, bishop of Ne- braska, according to the impressive form of the church, who pro- nounced it one of the most successful building enterprises in Ne- braska. At that time the number of communicants was fifteen and a flourishing Sunday school was also connected with the parish.
Shortly thereafter Reverend Goodale was transferred to Lincoln where his talents were given to the building of a church in the capital city. He was succeeded by Rev. Henry C. Shaw, an accomplished and eloquent divine, by whom services were held every Sunday morning. In January, 1872, Reverend Shaw was succeeded by Rev. J. H. Rippey, who remained until April, 1874, when Reverend Shaw once more returned to the parish. January 1, 1877, Rev. Matthew Henry took charge, remaining until April, 1878, when Rev. Samuel Goodale returned and was in charge of the parish for a number of years. Notwithstanding all due diligence has been observed in bring- ing this sketch down to date the result has been a failure, owing to the carelessness with which the records of the church have been kept. It is known, however, that Arthur Westcott was pastor two years and after an interval of two years the present pastor, W. II. Xanders, came in 1910.
Speaking of the church, through the columns of the Journal, II. J. Hudson had the following to say ;
"We take it for granted that there is no better evidence of the moral growth of new towns in the West than the erection of school- houses and places of worship.
"Last Sabbath, the Episcopal Church, just finished in Columbus, was consecrated to the form of worship in accordance with Episcopal discipline and usage. The reputation of the bishop of the diocese brought together a good company of the citizens to participate in the services of the day, which were conducted by Bishop Clarkson, the Rev. Samuel Goodale, rector, and Rev. O. C. Dake, of Fremont.
"The beauty and solemnity of the dedication services were espe- cially impressive, by the effective manner in which Mrs. Goodale manipulated the organ, assisted in the anthems, chants and gloria patria, by Burdette Allen and lady; several others were grouped around the organ, but the voices of the gentleman and lady named rose in full swell, sinking back into a soft cadence, flute like and mellow. The sermon of Bishop Clarkson was a composition of elegant diction, replete with breathing thoughts, the manifest fruits of an earnest life, truly refreshing, in contrast with the rhetorical
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