USA > Nebraska > Furnas County > Pioneer stories of Furnas County, Nebraska > Part 10
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
After completing my house, and not having doors or win- dows, I nailed buffalo hides over the doors and windows, and started for Grand Island for my wife. I had written her when to start from Illinois. I took two teams, as I had a lot of house- hold goods, floors, windows and doors for the house. That was a long, weary journey of about 140 miles. When we got back to the Republican river the river was up so high we could not cross, and were obliged to stay there two or three days. Finally we reached our "log mansion" and felt like it was a dear home to us, and have always felt that way.
My few head of cattle did well, and with a few other pur- chases, I soon had a good herd, but the sheep craze came to us, and I went into the sheep business, having then some small boys to do the herding. But I found out it was too confining to have my children herding sheep every day, so I closed them out. with less profit than I could have made in the cattle business in those days.
I proved up on my pre-emption the 13th day of December, 1872, and took a homestead the same day, joining. Then, it was build again, so by that time we had learned that sod houses could be built, and I built me a part sod and part dug-out house 14x42, with three rooms. I lived in that for six years, then con- cluded to build me a good sod house, all on top of the ground. This is the one that the picture is shown in this paper. I lived
Present Home of I. S. Meyers, at Hendley, Nebr.
121
FURNAS COUNTY
here until the summer of 1887, when I built me a good frame house, 16x26, one and a half story, with an addition 16x18, one and one-half story with a cellar under the whole house, rocked up. I lived in that till 1900, then purchased me a home in Hend- ley, where I now reside. The picture of my present home I give in this paper.
As cur writing is composed of frontier life. I believe it is appropriate to tell of a hair-breadth escape I had with a herd of buffalo. In the spring of 1873 i took my horse team and started to go to Lowell, Nebraska, 95 miles from our place, for provi- sions. I had seen lots of herd of buffalo that spring from fifty to as high as two hundred in a herd, but I did not dream of run- ning into a herd of thousands of them. When I got about six miles away from home, on the big flat where William Taylor now lives, there I came into a herd of buffalo that covered the whole flat and reached as far north as I could see, and as far south as I could see, all a solid mass of walking buffalo. What to do I did not know. but finally concluded that if ! would push on they would make an opening. which they did. My team was not badly frightened from the sight of buffalo. After crowding into the herd some 80 or 100 yards the herd began to split. and intsead (1 making a circle around me in front they began to turn and come around back of me, and the whole herd started to run. leaving me on an island, with a sea of buffalo around me. not over 40 to 50 yards away. Then my team was frightened, and I sure had a time. I finally got off my wagon and took my team by the Fits and stood there to take what might come, almost smoth- ered in dust, made by the herd in the run. I am sure I was on that island nearly half an hour before I could see an opening to get out. I truly believe there was as many as 40,000 buffalo in that one herd. I had a goed gun with me, but my better judg- ment told me I must not wound a buffalo there. if I valued my life for anything I wanted, and came out without a scratch.
In 1873 a man settled by the side of me whose name was Frank Griffith. He had first settled east of Beaver City, where Billy Sturtevant now owns his first claim. Not having a place to go into, I invited him to stay with us, in our cozy log house which he lid. In June bis rich brother-in-law. a banker. and wife, came out from Johnstown, Pa. Geo! but they were dressed in silks. satins, and broadeloth and Mr. Griffith, not yet having com- pleted his building, which was a sod dug-out. they stopped with
122
PIONEER STORIES
us. There came a rainy spell in June, and it rained every night for about three weeks. It was impossible to keep a dry spot in the house, or to keep provision or beds, or anything dry. A few sheets of table oil cloth served well to keep a bed dry, and to keep our flour dry, but we could not supply the banker and his wife with oil eloth, and it was comical to me, for all it was hardship, to see them sit in bed, when the rain was pouring through the roof, holding an umbrella over themselves to keep their fineries from getting soiled. I thought it was as good an initiation as anybody needed. Laying all jokes aside, ! had the same thing to go through with, only I think with more anxiety on my mind for fair weather, than they did, for my wife was confined during that rainy spell, and on the 20th day of June, 1873, my oldest son was born. Possibly most of our readers know him, S. L. Meyers. It was a task for me to keep my wife a dry bed, but I assure you that is the place where most of the oil cloth was used. Wife and child got along fine, never even took cold. I will say as for the banker and his wife, they were really as fine folks as I ever met, and while it was comical, I felt sorry that I could not give them better accommodations.
As this is frontier life, I believe it is appropriate to give my experience in putting up our hay in the fall of 1872. There was a young man by the name of Crawford, a bachelor, who took a claim not very far from me, and he had a big yoke of oxen. He boarded with me most of the time, and he proposed that he and I put up hay together, and that we do it with a grass scythe. I said. "Yes, if you are a good mower, we can do it all right." In a short time after I went to the railroad at Lowell, Nebraska, and purchased two scythes and a grind stone and a whet stone. A few days after I got home, I said, "Well, Mr. Crawford, let's grind up our seythes and go to putting up our hay," so we went at it. We found some old grass in the bottom and willows and buffalo too numerous to mention. We could not keep an edge on a seythe. We slaved about three-fourths of a day and had not out as much as one man ought to eut in one-half day, so I said, "Mr. Crawford, do you realize that we can never make this hay this way ?" "Yes," he said, "I do, but what will we do ?" "Well." I said. "I must go to the railroad again and buy a grass mower, as there is no grass mower in our country." I had my wife bake me up some provisions next morning and I rolled out for Lowell again. When I got there there was not a mower in
123
FURNAS COUNTY
Lowell. so I was obliged to roll on to Grand Island There I bought a Buckeye Grass Mower, paying $123.00 spot cash for it. and a wooden hay rake for which I paid $10.00. We were then fixed out to put up our hay. As luck would have it I bought two boxes of extra sections. as I knew buffalo bones were a ter- ror on the seythe. We soon had our hay up and the news spread like wild fire that I had a grass mower, and men came from the Sappa valley to get me to mow for them. I knew they could not put up hay with a seythe, so I went and mowed for a good many of the early settlers. I will name a few of the most pro- minent ones that had the most stock : Adam Keith. George Keith. Jasper Keith, Mr. Lauver. Dr. Malory, James Bronhard and Mr. Garlinghouse, and others that I just can't call to memory now. But at any rate I mowed grass until it was as dead as hay and did not need any curing, but they all said we must have it. It will beat a snow bank for our stock this winter, and so it did. as we had a fairly hard winter.
Our nearest postoffice then was Republican City. But soon after an office was kept by a man by the name of Painter. We soon had neighbors by the name of Blackburn. Griffith and Jen- kins. and we used to take it turn about getting the mail for the whole neighborhood. We saw that this would not do. so took steps to get a postoffice established. It fell on me to take the office, this being the fall of 1873. and we called the postoffice "Lynden." I held that postoffice eight years. then turned it over to my brother, Philip Meyers, he in a few years turning it over to Daniel Donahue. Our precinct was named after our postoffice. "Lynden." After the railroad came, in the fall of 1887. we fought hard to have our town called "Lynden," but these big railroad officials regard themselves more worthy of the name, than the homesteaders choice, so we lost Lynden postoffice for the name of Hendley.
But to return to the early days My friends, Craig and Mr. Reybuck did not stay only a very short time. there being a big Indian scare, and they could not stand the pressure, so they pulled east again. We did not know anything about building sod houses then. so all the first settlers built log houses, which might answer well for a fort, which it was our luck not to have.
My first piece of land I claimed under the pre-emption act and deeded it on the 13th of December. 1872, taking my home- stead the same day, adjoining it. This country was covered
124
PIONEER STORIES
with all kinds of game then; buffalo being more numerous than any other kind. Antelope were also numerous; some deer and elk : wild turkeys by the hundreds; beaver, coon and otter were plenty too. We did not lack for our choice of meats. I often think what a shame it was to see so much nice meat going to waste. I often killed a buffalo and did not take over forty or fifty pounds of the meat, and some fine tallow, as we had no way of saving more, and could get it wherever we wanted it. I bought
"Dugout" Near Beaver City, Early Residence of Late Eli A. Richards
two yoke of work cattle at Republican City to open my farms with and they sure were a saving to me, as they did not need grain when in good pasture. They were ready to plow any time, and I used them to freight with also, to Lowell, Kearney, and Plum Creek. One time I was caught at Plum Creek with sore-footed oxen. An Englishman had a blacksmith shop there and stan- chions to shoe oxen in, so I was obliged to have them shod. He charged me $16 for the yoke. I wanted to kick, but he said, "Here. young man, there are 32 claws to shoe, and I would sooner shoo a horse's foot than to shoe an ox claw at 50c a shoe." So I was in for it. But before I got home, I thought I was in for it worse. We freighters used to water at Vaughn's ranch and at another ranch, Dad Dice's, ten miles south of Plum Creek. When i went out I had no trouble in getting water. (This was in Aug-
125
FURNAS COUNTY
ust of 1874 or 1875; I don't remember which.) But as I was coming in, loaded with over two tons of freight, I came as far as the Dice ranch the first evening and got some water, but not all my cattle needed, as he was short of water. When I got to the Vaughn ranch I could not get a drop of water, either for my- self or cattle, so all I could do was to push on. I found out that my cattle were getting too hot and dry to ever make Arapahoe alive, and I found that my tongue was beginning to swell in my mouth, but what to do I did not know. It would not do to give up so I went on slowly. When I was within eight miles of Ara- pahoe, I was just about ready to give it up, when I saw a strip of cane about 80 rods away. I went to it and sucked the juice ont of the cane, until I was wonderfully relieved, then I eut all } could carry and took it to my cattle. After they had eaten that in less than half an hour, they were wonderfully revived, so l could go on to the Republican river for water. I took the pre- caution to unhook them from my load nearly a half a mile be- fore I got to the river for I knew when they smelled the water no man could hold them from running right in, and so they did. but there was no load to be stuck. After they had their drink then I could cross the ford where it was fairly good to cross. These are part of the hardships of pioneer life. but not one- tenth a part of mine, though that was as bad as any I had.
In the spring of 1874, my brother sent me a load of sacked seed grain to Kearney. I took my horse team to haul it. When l got back to the Republican river, which we had to ford, the river was raised a little, but not enough to run in the box. so I tried to ford the river and got stuck when I was about two-thirds across. I had to unhitch and carry every sack out on my back and then the team could not pull the wagon out. So I had to float the box out and take the wagon apart, carry it out. and then put it all together again and load. It was so cold that icieles were on my clothes. That was another experience of early life ; all to develop a home and build up our country. Is it any wonder so many homesteaders got tender feet and went back to their wife's people? My great hunting experiences will join with this. I hunted lots. My last buffalo hunt was in 1877. It lasted from the 20th of November to the 12th of January. Our game on that hunt was eight buffalo, twenty-one coyotes, one grey wolf, coon and skunks. I can't remember the amounts, they were too numerous.
Bank Building 1887
BANK BUILDING BUILT IN 1894
3 Interior of Bank
127
FURNAS COUNTY
Well I have written a rambling story, but could keep on for a whole day telling of our early life. Mrs. Meyers was then a brave woman, now an invalid. Lots of times from 700 to 800 In- dians would come by our place-Pawnee. Otoes and Omaha tribes. They were not hostile, but would frighten people if they could and take possession of the house and provisions. Mrs. Meyers drove them out. and I told her never to give them any- thing and she never did. This happened when I was away and she was alone.
I will, for the benefit of our readers of the Times-Tribune. tell you a few more of my hunting experiences-as all the large game has gone from the country, so there is no excitement in hunting in these days. only a little sport. Pardon me. for not speaking about my nearest neighbor. Dick Rogers, often called "'Man Killer Rogers" on account of the big army tales he used to tell. However, he was brave, yes. I dare say, foolhardy brave. He settled neighbors to me in 1873. in March. I located him on a farm joining south of me. Your last Tribune writer, Williun Me- Guire, was well acquainted with him. Why do I say " foolhardy brave?" Well, I will explain how men do eagerly seek after homesteads. He came with an old linch pin wagon with a jinney and an Indian pony for a team; wife and three children. He had an old tent along which he squatted in the timber until he could build. The second day after he landed there came an awful heavy fall of snow. so I went down to see how he was fixed. They seemed eozy in their tent but I could see they were poor. basked him how he was fixed for provisions and he answered. "I landet here with 15 eents and one bushel of cornmeal." Now, was he not a pioneer? I say "yes." I told him to come and get pota- toes and meat until he could get out to kill meat : and he did. 1 give him credit for being more gritty than Lever was, but not using the best judgment for himself and family.
Now comes the hunting that I was going to tell you about. This Mr. Rogers and I went out to hunt buffalo, his nephew having arrived from Missouri, wanted a hunt. We only had two large guns, so the nephew said. "I will take Mr. Rogers' big Colt navy revolver." Out we went, and were not gone long. when we ran onto a herd. We shot into the herd, but only erip- pled one cow. She left the herd and soon laid down. so now Mr. Rogers said. "That was your shot. now let me finish her." "AH right," I said. We advanced until she got on her feet, then he
B
EARLY DAY DUGOUT BARN
PRESENT DAY THRESHING SCENE
ALFALFA STACKING
HOMESTEADERS SOD SHANTY
RESIDENCE OF TODAY
129
FURNAS COUNTY
shot and she dropped in her tracks. We all thought she was dead and walked up to her. I said, "Old Lady, you will never hurt any one." No quicker than I spoke. she was on her feet. with head down, right for us. We both fired in her head, and this nephew of Rogers' never took aim but just shot in her body. He happened to strike the heart and down the cow went. When he examined her we saw that neither of our shots would have dropped her; both shot too low. Well, we were just a little ex- cited, you may guess, as it is not nice to be hunted by a wild beast, but lots of fun when the danger is over.
The best hunter I was ever with was a man by the name of WilliamThatcher, who has been dead for a number of years. He was a crackerjack and a fine marksman, but he had a mean gun. A good shooter but so often his cartridge shells would stick fast in his gun, then he was done until he dug them out with his knife, or I would give him my gun. He could beat me shooting. Aft- er we had made a run for a position, his nerve was more steady. I remember of one morning in 1875, in November, we were out hunting buffalo, over one hundred miles from home, for our win- ter's meat. We had to walk from our camp nearly eight miles to where the buffalo generally bedded, in the heads of draws, where we could get to them. We struck a herd, and having to make a long shot, both missed. As they started to run I said. "My run has unnerved me so that I can't hold my gun still." "Well." said he, "I have a cartridge fast again, give me your gun." So I did and sure enough he wounded a fine eow. She iook right off from the herd, and six young ones went with her. We watched and figured all that day to get close enough for an other shot, and just before sundown, the eow laid down, then the rest also bedded down by her, in a fine place for us to get them. They were west of us, and just as we got into position the sun was so low, it gleamed over our gun barrels, so we could not shoot with any accuracy, so I proposed to have them all, and wait until the sun went down. We did so, and got the whole bunch. We took the eow first and the young ones would not leave her, so we had a fine slaughter.
Well, I guess you have too much of this now so I will "ring off." With best wishes to all my pioneer friends.
I. S. MEYERS.
130
PIONEER STORIES
CHAPTER XVI
Wood Rodents Caused the Pioneers Great Grief, and E. A. Smith Says They were as Greedy as Grasshoppers.
E. A. Smith, one of the sterling farmers of the southeastern part of the county, contributes the following Pioneer Story, and touches upon some things which have not before been mentioned in this series :
Editor Times-Tribune :- I have been much interested this winter in reading the pioneer stories. It brings to mind many things that have been well nigh forgotten. That the early set- ilers of this country had a hard time holding down their claims
Early Residence of E. A. Smith and Family
goes without saying, and they richly deserve the pleasant homes they have built up for themselves.
I landed on the banks of the Sappa in Furnas county early in the spring of 1873 and located a claim on a tributary to that stream where the Midway postoffice was afterwards estab- lished. I don't claim to have killed the bear, neither do I claim
131
FURNAS COUNTY
to be the first settler in Furnas county, but I was here in a rather early day and know something of the hardships the early settlers had to contend with.
As to snakes, I never killed any with a ridgepole, but I killed them with about everything else. I was cutting sod corn near my house one day, and went into the house to pull off my boots but forgetting what I went for, I returned to my work. The first thing that I did was to step on a huge rattler, which was coiled up under a leaning hill of corn and he struck me three times on the boot leg before I could get off. Hlad I pulled my boots, as I in- tended doing, I might have gotten a bite. I slew him with my corn knife and I still have his rattles as relics.
I stayed here a short time in the spring of 1873 and helped a neighbor make a dugout and do some other work, and then went to the eastern part of the state to engage in work for the summer. I returned in the fall and built a cabin on my claim ; part dugout and part log. The log part and all of my belongings were after- wards burned in one of those fierce prairie fires that Mrs. Freas so graphically describes in her story. In the same fire myself and two others fought for their lives. We were burning a fire guard. and if we got it burned in time we were safe, if not. it looked as if we must burn, for there was not a breaking near to which we could retreat. We got it burned but none too soon to save our- selves.
My next effort at house building was the sod house. At that time we set forks in the ground, laid poles in them, and laid the sod under them. I borrowed a team and broke some sod, but as I could get the team no longer, I cut the sod and carried it on a hoard. I had never laid any sod before, but did what I thought was a pretty good job. However, in a few days both sides of my house fell in. I built it up again, and it then stood for a number of years. We did not know then about native lime to plaster with so I begged some papers of the neighbors, and with a liberal sup- ply of flour paste I papered the walls of my shanty and it looked good.
The wood-rat was a great pest along the streams. They would carry off everything they could get their hands on (if it may be said they had hands, ) whether they had any use for it or not. They cut the suspenders off my pants one night, and I have not seen them since. However, I was glad to have the pants left. as it was all I had.
132
PIONEER STORIES
The first things I had in my shanty I bought of Crutcher & Jones. I think their's was the only store in Beaver at that time. I worked out until I got a little money ahead, then I thought I would farm for myself. I bought a team, some seed and feed ; put in what I had broken on my own place, and rented some of a neighbor. The grasshoppers had been here the fall before and jaid their eggs, and when warm weather came they hatched out in such numbers that they soon ate up all I had put out. Having invested all my money in this enterprise, I, in company with an- other young man, started out on foot to look for work among the cattlemen. We carried our grub in grip sacks on our backs and camped ont nights.
We crossed over to the Platte river and followed that stream as far as Fort MePherson; (there were soldiers stationed there then, ) but found no work. The country was full of men in the vame fix as we were, so we hoofed it back to our claims again. After resting awhile, I started east to look for work again, which i found in Fillmore county. I was here off and on until I proved up on my claim; then I returned to my old home in Michigan, where I took me a wife and soon returned to furnas county, where I have resided ever since. I have not been as fortunate as some of the old settlers in the laying up of this world's goods, but I have a place I can call home and expect sooner or later to be laid beneath the sod of old Furnas county. E. A. SMITHI.
133
FURNAS COUNTY
CHAPTER XVII
Mrs. John Harmon Tells of Many Expedients Resorted to by the Pioneer Women of the Beaver Valley.
,The following letter is from the pen of Mrs. John Harman, of Garey, Okla. Mr. and Mrs. Harman were pioneers of this coun- ty, locating in Lincoln precinct early in the 70's. The letter adds an interesting chapter to the Pioneer Stories :
Editor Times-Tribune :- The first night in Furnas county we stayed with William Harman and family. After staying with them for a few days we moved to a dugout across the draw, which was covered with poles, hay and dirt. I said, "What can I do with my baby in a house like this?"But I soon studied out a plan to keep him from crawling on the dirt floor. I braided a large rug out of rags and got a strap and buckled it around his waist and tied it to the bed post so he could go the length of the rug. i felt real blue thinking of the nice home we would have in a few years, but I would pick up courage.
The first Sunday we were invited to church in a sod school house close to Grandma Matthews'. Elder Mayo preached. I went to church but John went fishing. When I got home he was home and had caught four nice fish I was mad and wouldn't cook them, so he put the skillet on and looked around at me and laughed. I told him I didn't approve of such work on Sunday.
A few days later I got up early to get breakfast, and, looking down in the pasture, I saw two black objects down there. I called to Jolin to come and see, and he said it was buffalo. I went across the draw to tell his brother, Will Harman, and they tried to kill one, but both got away. I was so afraid that I went in the house and shut the door. Our door had one of these patent latehes-when you were out you had to pull the string to get in- so I was scared and pulled it inside the door. John asked me what I did that for, and I told him I wanted to be on the safe side.
Crop time soon came, and we put in a piece of corn. It grew
134
PIONEER STORIES
fine and we soon had roasting ears. I just told our neighbors what fine corn we had. By and by Mrs. Pruit came along and wanted me to go to Beaver City with her, so we got in the wagon and started. We got as far as the Frank Nickle place when we looked up and saw a cloud in the northwest. It wasn't more than said and done until our horses stood dead still and wouldn't go at all. It wasn't a storm, but grasshoppers, and we had to turn around and go back. They ate the towels off the butter, and so many got in the butter that Mrs. Pruit had to make soap out of it. I thought they would eat our clothing before I got home. I never saw anything like it before. We got home all right and I went to gathering roasting ears. I gathered a saek full and carried it into the house. The next morning when I got up there was no- thing left but stubs sticking out of the ground. I also had a few nice cabbages, and I thought I would save them. I went out and covered them up with old clothes, but the grasshoppers ate clothes and cabbage too. But we had grub enough to last a year. The most trying time I had was when John would go to hunt or work and I had to be alone. I had written him how nice our corn was and the next letter I had to tell him we didn't have corn now. The trees were as bare as winter. The next year we did not raise a thing.
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.