USA > Nebraska > Dakota County > Warner's history of Dakota County, Nebraska, from the days of the pioneers and first settlers to the present time, with biographical sketches, and anecdotes of ye olden times > Part 21
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
The tenth annual reunion was held in Clinton Park, adjoining Dakota City on the west. Saturday. Angust 22. 1891. Uncle David Boals again acted as chaplain. The president, Joseph Brannan, omitted his annual address of welcome to shorten the program in consequence of threatning weather. William L. Joy. of Sioux City, lowa, delivered the oration of the day. He made an eloquent speech tracing this country from its geological period down to the present time. The memorial committee reported thirty-three deaths dur- ing the past year, among whom were: Thomas Hodgin. Miss Elizabeth Lapsley. Miss Maggie Gribble, Samuel Gatton, Anna Rooney, Mrs. Charles Tennant. Matt Collins, George Herb, Daniel McMillen. Patrick Two- hig, William Winkhaus, Col. Charles D. Martin, Mrs Alex Nixon, Jermiab Lucey, Christena Jacobson, James McKenna, Samuel Osman, Mrs. R. L. Thompson, Mrs. John Naffziger. Katie O'Connor. David W. Shull and William Kelsey. Election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: Gen. Joseph Hollman, Presi- dent; D. C. Dibble, Vice President; M. M. Warner. Secretary and Historian; Thomas Ashford, Sr., Treas- urer; Sam A. Combs, John T. Spencer and Gerald Dillon, Memorial Committee.
ELEVENTH ANNUAL REUNION.
It was thought best to change the location to dif- ferent parts of the county, consequently the eleventh annual reunion was held in Barry's beautiful grove. west of Jackson, on Saturday, August 20, 1892. That venerable pioneer chaplain, Incle David Boals offered
336
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
a fervent praver appropriate for the occasion, after which the president, Gen. Joseph Hollman delivered the annual address of welcome Ed. T. Kearney in behalf of Jack. son welcomed "Our Guests," and did it well and cho- quently. The memorial committee made their report for the past year recording the deaths of twenty-eight oid settlers as follows: Mrs. Thomas Hogan. Father Wm. Hamilton, P. J. Keeffe, Charles E. Hazelgrove. Daniel E. Duggan, Mrs. Maggie Kelley, Mrs. Pius Neff. George E. Ironsides, Mrs. John II. Bridenbangh, Thomas L. Griffey, John Ryan, Charles Donahue, Mrs. Marinda Westcott, Mrs. John Dillon, Hugh Myers, Dutton Lane, Michael Keel, Martin Dewire, James Williams, Michael Dewire, Joachim Oesterling, Mrs. F. A. Robinson, William A. Campbell, John Howard, Mrs. Caleb Antrim, Jr., Mrs. Joseph Goodnow, John McGee and James Lahey. In the afternoon Mell C. Jay delivered the following eloquent address:
"THE WHEELS OF PROGRESS."
"MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :-
The toast master has required of me a difficult task-to reply to the toast, "The Wheels of Progress," and that, too. in five minutes
The progress of mankind embraces the history of the world, and this our civilization, imperfect as it may be, is the result of long centuries of struggle and toil. This fair land of ours, covered with homes and harvests. filled with the sound of industry, has been made possible only by a contest that has been as bitter as the human passions and as long continued as the centuries.
Human progress is only possible with human lib- erty. Yon chain a man's hands and you chain his heart and brain. It has been frequently asked how it was possible for this republic to make the advancement in a hundred years that other nations have failed to reich in centuries. The answer is, because this government be- lieved in the principle that before nacions made citizens.
337
PIONEERS AND OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
a great nature had made men; men free to act plan an think for themselves.
When the leaders of the revolution were canvassing the advisability of issning the declaration of independ- ence. Tom Payne said: "That under the principles of the government, resting upon the will of the people. there would spring forth upon this continent, an em- pire that wonid stretch from sea to sea, and whose power and influence would be felt world wide, and whose civilization would be reflected wherever the hearts of men throbbed with the love of justice, lib- erty and law." It was a prophecy, to be sure, but it came true. Then was lit the great beacon light of progress, that was to light, and guide, and direct hu- manity in the solution of that most difficult problem. a government, for and through the people. The con- test was long and bitter, but the progress has been sure.
A conflict that was to test our form of government in the great erneible of conflict: a contest that was to people our soil with thousands of graves, whose ocen- pants had given ad, that the light of liberty and prog- ress should not go out, and that the love of human rights should at last bear down all opposition. We have not yet reached that point, but have made wonderful advancement in that direction.
We are frequently told that American advance- ment and American progress is a myth, guided and directed by bad man and bad motives, in which human rights are lost sight of; but be not deceived-true there are aud es. alth are not perfect. neither are govern- monts. I. The purposes of our people are right; some- times passion and prejudice may cing the great wheels of proge s, bonn in the end alt will be well. From the time to nomis carried their eagles over the world to the reign of an English King George, there stalked durch a great spectre of war, of lamme, of slavery and {[ . ... i was drenched and re-drenched Win .. . and with the blood of starving and murdered
338
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
millions. But through it all there still lived that love of human liberty, that was at last destined to be reflected in the American republic.
Not in one direction only have we seen the advance- ment of the wheels of progress, but in everything that adds to or contributes to the happiness or comfort of man. In the industrial and intellectual worlds the peo- ple have kept pace with the centuries, and under the impulse of American genius the great powers of elec- tricity and steam have wronght a revolution in the com- mercial and industrial world.
Our civilization has extended to the furthermost parts of the earth and the history of our progress has stirred the hearts wherever intelligence and enterprise is known and respected by men. Do not understand me to say that our government is yet perfect, but the great wheels of progress are turning the right direction.
Lincoln signed but one page of the emancipation of men; there is another yet to sign, and soon, and when that is signed it will take ont of the cotton mills and coal mines of the east, thousands of little children and feed and clothe and school them. Then will never be heard the tramp, tramp, tramp of armies of men out of work. Then it will not be necessary to settle disputes between employer and employee by gunpowder and steel. Then will be taken from the streets of our cities the thousands of young women and girls driven there by the want of bread. Then shall be declared that Divine law, that man is a man, entitled to the rights of men. freed from the iron grasp of king, man-stealer and mo- nopolist.
Ceaseless growth means ceaseless emancipation. and the chorus that Lincoln heard in the guns of Fort Sumpter and the Wilderness, plays on, and one by one the cry of the imprisoned and the imprisoner blend into the strains of a widening freedom, and the wheels of progress will roll on until every question between man and man will be considered a question of moral economy.
339
PIONEERS AND OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
till one man will not be allowed to offer charity where he offers justice. But the other day the news was flashed over the sea that even aristocratic England had declared in favor of home rule for old Ireland. Yes, the light of human liberty and progress is still shining on land and sea. Let us hope that its light may never grow dim, but let it light poor humanity until the great chorus will roll round the entire earth. "Peace on earth, good will towards men."
The following was written by Dr. G. W. Wilkin- son on
"THE EARLY SETTLERS OF DAKOTA COUNTY."
.. MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :-
To do justice to the early settlers of Dakota county as I view them, to tell of their good qualities as I have known them, to set them before the world as I have seen them, to re-count their heroic deeds in the army and their noble deeds at home, would require not five minutes, but days; not a short paper like this, but a book.
The early settlers of Dakota county came here from almost every state in the Union, from the Do- minion of Canada. and from every country of Europe. They jostled down together, rounded off each others square corners. copied each others good qualities, drank water out of the same tin dipper, drank something else ont of the same jng, faced the same blizzards, enssed the same grasshoppers, shared the last ten pounds of corn meal. divided the last peck of potatoes, until they came to be bound together by ties that can never be broken in this life, more like brothers than neighbors, and became knit together into the best and the most harmonious community in the state of Nebraska.
I wish I had hours of time in which to tell you of the surpassing excellence of character of the individuals of the early settlers but that is impossible. I hope and
:40
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
believe that the coming race of men and women of Da kota county will be an honor to the state and to human- ity. The best I can wish for them is that they may be an honor to their parents. the early settlers. And I pre- diet that these young men and maidens fifty years from now, when their hair is grown gray and their eyes are grown dim, will gratefully remember. the early settlers of Dakota county, and say, we never shall see their like agrain.
Already the people of Dakota county are beginning to reverence the memory of Wm. McBeath, of Daniel Duggan, of Col. Warner, of Jas. Stott, of John How- ard, of John Heffernan, of John Maun, of Goodwin Taylor, of John Ryan, and scores of others who have gone before.
And of the early settlers who are still living, what shall we say? To look into their faces, to take them by the hand, to hear their cordial greeting, to breathe the atmosphere of their honest welcomes of each other and of one and all, is a true inspiration. They are worthy cons of a noble state. To name them would take all cay. They are all about yon here. Yon can't go amiss. That man at your elbow is one of them. When these children come to look back through the golden haze of fifty years they will appreciate the true worth of these. God's noblemen.
But if we say so much of the men of the early settlers, what can we say of the women? They shared our hardest lot without complaining. Our privations were here only in greater degree. If we had but three potatoes for dinner, she ate but one. She has summered and wintered us all these years. She has smoothed our Sunday shirts, and onr ruffled temper. They sewed ou our buttons nd spanked our babies and boiled our po- ttoes, and now and then, when occasion required it, che gave us a piece of her mind, and told us lots of truth about us, and it did us good. And then she took up the burden of Mite again, patiently toiling, burdened
341
PIONEERS AND OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
with cares and anxieties we could not share: with Christian spirit she led her children and us in the bet. ter way. Time's footprints are putting wrinkles on her brow. The frosts of many winters are gathering on her head. But to ns she seems more beautiful than ever. God bless her.
The early settlers are the crowning glory of Dako' county and Dakota county is the crowning glory of thi . the best state of all this glorious American land. On early settlers are the best pioneers of the whole world! Their wives are a little better than the men. Our yonag men are the most promising of all and our young women have promised to marry them, or will when they are asked to, our children are the brightest and our babies are the sweetest. our apples are the biggest and our cherries are the reddest, our corn is the tallest and om! soil is the richest of any in this big round world. And away down in the bottom of our hearts we do pity pro- ple who don't live in Dakota county.""
The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: John Naffziger, President; D. C. Dibble. Vic . President; M. M. Warner. Secretary and Historian: Thomas Ashford. Sr., Treasurer: Atlee Hart, Corre sponding Secretary; Sam A. Combs, John T. Spencer and Gerald Dillon, Memorial Committee.
TWELFTH ANNUAL REUNION.
The association held their twelfth annual reunion on the beautiful shores of Crystal lake, about midway between Sonth Sioux City and Dakota City, on Thurs- day. August 31. 1893. At 10:30 the president, John Naffziger, called the vast assemblage to order, which was estimated to have been about 5,000. F. A. Robin son offered up a prayer suitable for the occasion, after
342
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
which the president delivered the usual address of wel- come. He recalled the fact that thirty-eight years ago Jesse Wigle made the first permanent settlement in Da- kota connty. He recalled the privations and sufferings of 1856-7; remembered Father Tracey and his Irish col- ony, that had camped on the very grounds where the children and grand children of the colonists were now assembled to pay tribute to those who. had lain the foundations upon which the present prosperity of the county has been built. The men who camped on the lake thirty years ago were youths or men in the prime of life. They revisit its shores and there are many feeble among them and many gray. But they came to Crystal lake upon a great mission thirty years ago. They came to found homes and they founded then. His address touched the heart of every pioneer who heard him because they knew he was talking from actual experiences. having shared alike with them the trials and privations of early times.
Sam A. Combs, chairman of the memorial com- mittee reported twenty-six deaths during the year. among whom were: Peter Carney, Mrs. Dr. E. J. De Bell. John M. Moan, John Sohn. Mrs. O. H. Lake, Abraham Drake, James T. McHenry, W. I. Broyhill, Mrs. Gus- tave Berger, George Franklin Wood, Col. C. C. Orr. Mrs. Peter Rooney, Jesse Wigle, Mrs. Thos. C. Clapp. Mrs. Flora Whittecar, William Cullen, Mrs. Carl Larsen and Mrs. Jeanette Armour.
John T. Spencer of the memorial committee made some very appropriate remarks on the lives of those who had departed to the silent land during the past year.
Mell C. Jay then responded to the toast: "Enlogy to the Pioneers."
Remarks were made by Dennis Armour, Ed. T. Kearney and Isaac Pendleton. Following is a beantiful poem composed and read on this occasion by Mr. Kearney in opening his address:
343
PIONEERS AND OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
LIAIL PIONEER!
Hail Pioneer-through the woodland-glad resounding,
Come the shouts of joy and glee;
Banners waiving, mirth abounding,
Causing -- sorrow grim to flee.
Once a year-the scences repeated,
While the autumn still is young.
And thon- oh, Pioneer -- who in these sylvan shades Didst first Dame Nature battle give, first rudely mar The forests grim repose - carving from out her rugged trunks A lowly, happy home -aye, upon her bosom, wildly fair, Made there thy haven and thy rest.
Hlail, Pioneer -- nor deem it wrong,
When the autunm with the ripened stores comes tripping o'er the hills,
With its garnered fruits and grains;
Hail thou - oh, sturdy Pioneer-who when thy years were young,
Thy strength and vigor, zeal and nerve, against Dame Na ture flung.
Unfair seemed then the conflict, as a gnat against lion strong But God was with the Pioneer, to Him the thanks belong. Full long thy arduous labor-full sore thy grievous pain, but now the victory's won -thy toil hath beautified the 1 lains:
bor age thy praises will be sung, thy name held ever dear, Long mayest thou live, and dying find sweet peace -oh Pioneer
Officers were chosen for the ensuing year as fol- lows: John W. Hazlegrove, President; Capt. Cornelius ()'Connor, Vice President; John T. Spencer, Secretary; M. M. Warner, Historian; Thos. Ashford, Sr., Treasurer; William P. Warner. Corresponding Secretary; A. H. Baker, Financial Secretary: Sam A. Combs, John T. Spencer and Gerald Dillon. Memorial Committee. It was decided to hold the next annual reunion at Dakota City, in Clinton Park, Thursday, Aug. 16, 1894.
ANECDOTES.
CHAPTER XIX.
PIONEERS' "EXPERIENCE MEETING."- STORIES OF YE OLDEN TIMES.
BELONGED TO THE COUNTY.
A. H. Baker told the following: It was in 1857. when two strangers coming from the steamboat landing at Dakota City found a $20 gold piece. Both saw it at the same instant, but of course only one of them could pick it np, and the fellow that gut left appealed the case to Channey A. Horr. Probate Judge. His Honor, with all the dignity of a judge, asked the man to let him see the gold coin, wherenpon he slipped it down into his pantaloon pocket. with the remark that "this belongs to the county." and proceeded to adjourn conrt.
34
STORIES OF YE OLDEN TIMES.
TO PRESERVE FARM LANDS.
Col. Barnabus Bates came forward and stated that away back in the '50s when every man that came to the county thought he was ordained to be the founder of some mighty city, it began to look as if the whole Mis- souri bottom would be laid off into town sites, and in order to protect the agricultural interests he introduced a bill in the Territorial Council, while a member of that body, which "reserved every tenth section for farming purposes."
DISTURBING THIE PEACE.
Charles Reom married Dr. Crockwell's hired giri at Dakota City, and of course the boys-(now gray haired pioneers,) gave him a charivari. One of the guests told Reom to take a cow bell and go out and help the boys-but he had only begun, when he was arrested for disturbing the peace and locked up for the night in jail.
DEDICATION.
Win. Cheeney tells about the dedication of the first saloon of Dakota City. The Omnadi boys were invited up to manage the ceremonies, and James Dickey, Charley Kelly. Charley Morse, Robert Alexander, and others of that town met at the Dakota City saloon and with much deliberation and solemn speeches dedicated it under the name of the "Calf's Tail."
WAS THE RIVER SAFE?
"Once upon a time" before the advent of the rail- roads to Dakota City Marcellus Ream took two strangers
346
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
over to Covington with his team. for which they were to pay him $2.50. When they reached the river bank, it was just getting dark, and Mr. Ream remarked that as it had been so warm that day the river was probably unsafe, whereupon the strangers volunteered to go down and see if the river was safe -- which was the last he ever saw of the men or the $2.50, that they were to pay him, and to this day Marcellus wonders if the river was really safe.
A MILL SITE.
In early times Dr. Crockwell located in Sergeants Bluff, Iowa, and tried to boom that place by extensively advertising it as an extraordinary mill site. One night a party arrived there to look up a location for a mill, and the next morning inquired of Crockwell where the mill site was-"U'p there, gentle men." he replied, point- ing to the top of the high bluffs. "there is one of the finest mill sites in the world- there is always wind enough np there to run any kind of a mill."
GEORGE'S LITTLE HAY STACK.
One time in the fall of 1868 Samuel Whitehorn had just completed putting up a long stack of hay at Dakota City, and his little son George imagined that he was a farmer and proceeded to gather up the loose hay around the stack and built one of his own on ; smaller scale. After he had finished his stack, the idea dawned nyon his mind that it would make an ex- cellent bon-fire -- but his father's great stack, where. O. where was it- go ask of the flames that devoured it.
IT WAS A BIG SPREE. In 1857 Omadi's leading lights notified all the
347
STORIES OF YE OLDEN TIMES.
town citizens that the credit and stability of the place depended on its drinking qualities-and sent notices out that EVERY man in town HAD to get drunk. This was glorious news to nine-tenths of them, but the others resisted, whereupon "the boys proceeded to catch them and poured the whiskey into their months with a funnel; one old man was forced to drink two bottles of castor o'l in lien of whiskey; Hen- ry Ream "stood them all off," and said, "gentlemen I am not going to drink, and now if you want anything more, just come along:" but they did not want to tackle his fighting qualities, and then went to the hotels and poured whiskey in all the dishes, in the sugar bowls and over the butter.
FOUND LOTS OF FENCES.
John Bay started from Julius Floeder's saloon one night to go down to the Bates House, in Dakota City. llis steps were not as steady as they might have been and instead of going down Broadway he went to the middle of the block north of that street, and then. sup- posing that he was on the right street, he proceeded to- wards the hotel, climbing over fence after fence. The next morning, looking up the street he inquired of the landlord "where in thunder are all those fences that I climbed over last night while I was coming down Broad- Way:"
NEWSPAPER BURIAL.
".Turn backward, turn backward the tide of the years" until we get a glimpse of the once flourishing town of Omadi, which stood where the turbulent waters of the Old Muddy today "roll downward to the sea." The town was located about five miles south of Dakota City on the banks of the river, and in Juty. 1857, Geo.
348
WARNER'S HISTORY OF DAKOTA COUNTY.
W. Rust established the Dinadi ENTERPRISE, which was the first newspaper ever printed in the county. In 1858 the paper was sold to Griffin & Taffe and died a "natural death" the same year. Col. B. Bates, one of our oldest pioneers, tells the following story in connec- tion with the sad fate of the ENTERPRISE and how grate- ful citizens honored it with a fitting and becoming funeral : .After the last issue had been published and the sad news heralded over the country what the paper was dead, forever dead, a number of men from Omadi gathered together all the copies of the ENTERPRISE that could be found and proceeded to give the poor dead paper one of the most imposing funerals ever since given to a news- paper. The funeral train started northward from Oni- adi. chanting a sad and solemn funeral dirge. As Ox- en were very scarce in those days and horses scarcely ever seen, it is supposed that the pall-bearers strapped the corpse upon their baeks. When they reached the place now owned by W. P. Altemus the pall-bearers "struck" for a rest, and then and there the idea dawned upon their minds that they had gone far enough ont of town to lay out a cemetery. Some one was chos- en as sexton, who at once began to dig the grave. Af- ter it was completed the pall-bearers walked up and gently and tenderly laid the last remains of the O.nad. ENTERPRISE in its eternal resting place. And such a fu- neral sermon as was there delivered has probably nev. r been equaled to the present time for its eloquence and
solemmity. Then they chanted a beautiful requium and the soft and gentle strains were wafted on until they died away in the wild dense timber. About this tane the pail-bearers snowed signs of uneasiness and fatigue and one of them remarked that .it was getting to be a long time between drinks,' and proceeded to make a motion that the congregation was getting to be exceed- ingly dry. The motion carried with a chip-hurrah.' Then Was enacted a genuine Bull Run upon the primeval prairies of Dakota county. It was a run for the .. Calf
349
STORIES OF YE OLDEN TIMES.
Tail." a saloon which was situated in the south-eastern part of Dakota City. The pall- bearers, preacher and all forgot the dignity of their positions and got 'gloriously drunk,' which was,as they termed it, an appropriate and fitting token in commemoration of the death of the ENTERPRISE.
TOWN STAKES.
Amos Lampson said one day in the summer of 1857 when nearly all of Dakota county had been laid off in- to town lots he went down to the river to see a steam- boat land. On board the steamer was Frank West, "about full"' as usual. West staggered up to Captain Wyland and told him that he was a fool for hauling passengers and freight np to this country. The Capt. asked him what he would carry if he did not bring passengers and freight. "Why," replied West, "yon could make your fortune hauling up town stakes."
FISH STORY.
In 1859 Henry Ream, Col. Warner, Wm. Silence. Ziber Millage and Rev. Munhall dragged Blyburg lake with a seine and on the first haul caught enough fish to fill three wagon beds level full. This is a true fish story.
LOCATING A ROAD.
It was away back in the '50's when A. H. Baker, Samuel Gamble and John J. Trecy were county com- missioners, and this angust body used to sit upon high benches, look as wise as sages, and locate a road in the "twinkling of an eye." It was sometime along in these years that the road from St. Johns down along the
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.