USA > Nebraska > York County > York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state, Vol. I > Part 12
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Thus, Nebraska has developed into a state with only two large cities, of over 50,000 population, Omaha and Lincoln, a dozen smaller cities ranging from 7,000 to 15,000, and a myriad of towns in the 2,000 to 5,000 class, good trading centers for fertile, prosperous territories, and hundreds of smaller towns, yet carrying on extensive business interests. A truly agricultural state, it is upon these myriads of small towns, and not altogether upon great eities, that Nebraska Vol. 1-7
88
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
bases its wonderful record of achievement in agricultural, educational. religious, social and civic performances. that serve to make it one of the banner states of the Union. With well maintained churches, well endowed schools, well patronized newspapers, active and up-to-date business houses, well supported and clean moving pieture theaters, it is through such a myriad of small towns that Nebraska can mould a citizenship that takes a low percentage record of illiteracy, a high percentage record in keen alert citizenship, and a most vigorous forward record in progressive legislation and forward government.
CHAPTER V
DEVELOPMENT OF NEBRASKA-BY COUNTIES
ORDER OF ORGANIZATION-EIGHT ORIGINAL COUNTIES-CHANGES BY FIRST LEGISLA- . TURE-ACT OF JANUARY 26, 1856-ORGANIZATION, YEAR BY YEAR-INLAND COUN- TIES-THE COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA INDIVIDUALLY-POPULATION OF COUNTIES- SHORT SKETCH OF FIRST SETTLEMENTS, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF EACH COUNTY ( ARRANGED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) -ORIGIN OF NEBRASKA NAMES- COUNTY NAMES.
"Many things impossible in thought Have been by need to full perfection brought."
-Dryden,
It is one of the peculiarities of our American governmental scheme that has made this republic what it is-that we bring the Government so close to the people. Each citizen takes a deep interest and pride in the history, achievements and government of our Nation-but things "National" are a long ways otf. We take a very elose pride in our state, and the general history of the State of Nebraska, as a whole, is interesting. But it needs not words to describe even how much closer is the particular county in which one lives. It is this bringing the government, in smaller units and functions, close to us, that distinguishes the United States from many other nations. It needs no words to describe that feeling of even closer proprietorship and individual pride one feels in the local city hall and courthouse buildings than he does in even a more majestic appearing Federal postoffice building. Perhaps, for one thing, because he doesn't have to divide his ownership, as a citizen, with one hundred millions of others.
So in this volume, many things that might have been included in the treatment of the state governmental functions have been omitted to make way for the fol- lowing brief, synoptical analysis of the origin, organization and stage of develop- ment reached by each individual county in the state.
ORDER OF ORGANIZATION
Just as in the subject of their settlement, a short statistical review of the rotation in which the various counties perfected their governmental organization cannot but prove invaluable as well as interesting.
EIGHT ORIGINAL COUNTIES
When the Territorial Government assumed the reins of government in 1854, Nebraska was then divided into what have been called, "The Eight Original Counties." These were clustered along the Missouri River, and starting at the
89
90
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
south end, were :- Richardson ; Forney (later changed to name of Nemaha), Pierce (later called Otoe), C'ass, Douglas, Washington, Burt, and Dodge, the one of the group that lay back away from the Missouri River.
In 1855, counties of Dakota and Cuming were organized ; and in 1856, Pawnee and Johnson were organized. These four were virtually pioneer counties in the territorial government.
CHANGES BY FIRST LEGISLATURE
The original division according to eight counties above mentioned, was materially changed by the first legislature. The subdivision of so vast a domain as Nebraska was no slight task. Not only was it necessary to observe the wishes of the peti- tioners, accede to various requests as to locations, dislike and likes for certain names, conform to natural boundaries and divisions made by rivers, railroads and other natural factors in such determinations, but look to the future of a fast- growing territory. It will be observed in comparing the following table, with that showing the rotation of settlement of the respective counties, appearing in another chapter, or with the short synoptical analysis of each county appearing in the latter part of this chapter, that many counties were provided for, established as to boundaries, and named. by the early legislatures that did not materialize in latter years. Others, remained but a short time under the name first given. or the boundaries first established. Still others, had a portion of their original territory cut off and made into new conuties. It is to keep these changes in mind. in a short, concise and comprehensible form, that the following table is intended.
On February 18, 1855, the Legislature re-enacted the boundaries of Burt County ; on February 22d, those of Washington : on March 6th, those of Dodge ; on March 2d. it had fixed those of Douglas and Otoe; on March 7th, those of Cass, Nemaha and Richardson. Thus the names of Forney and Pierce were dropped ; the other six original' counties re-established. In addition to Dakota, Cuming, Pawnee and Johnson, heretofore mentioned as having been very shortly organized, twelve other counties were established by this Act. Of these twelve, the following eventu- ally were organized in somewhere approximately the boundaries fixed in this Net :- Loup, which territory was later organized as Platte and Colfax, but the county seat named therein, Pawnee, never materialized. Greene, named for a Missouri senator, whose course in the Civil war displeased Nebraskans and after organiza- tion the county's name was changed to Seward: Lancaster, Gage, and Clay, all later organized, upon a basis of twenty-four miles square, and county seats to be named for Lancaster and Gage, but that of Clay to be "(latonia." After Clay was organized the only effort toward building up a town in its borders was that of projected town of Austin. In 1864, a bill was drawn that attached the north half of Clay County to Lancaster and the south half to Gage, which accounts for these two counties being of the combined length of seventy-two miles. Jackson, apparently to be the western part of present Otoe County, never materialized as a county : neither did MeNeale, of which Manitou was to have been the county seat. nor Izard, with Hunton as county seat. The territory embraced in the description of these two counties later became Stanton and Wayne counties. Saline County, York County and Buffalo County, as yet unsettled when this act was passed. later materialized into counties, although Buffalo County possessed vastly different
91
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
borders when it tinally came into the family of counties; and its proposed county seat of Nebraska Center never materialized ; Blackbird County, for many years, for election, judicial and revenue purposes was apportioned between Burt, Cuming and Dakota counties; became the Omaha reservation territory, and eventually, in recent years, became Thurston County. The county seats named for the first twelve counties did not all retain that honor ; notably, Fort Calhoun in Washington ; Fontanelle in Dodge: Pawnee Village in Pawnee: Catherine in Cuming ; Archer in Richardson : Brownville in Nemaha and Blackbird City in Blackbird.
ACT OF JANUARY 26, 1856
This Act approved the boundaries of nineteen counties; repeating among the counties named in Aet of 1855. York, Saline, Izard, Gage, Lancaster, Clay and Greene. This Act added the status of establishment to the following counties which were eventually organized ; Jefferson, Fillmore. Polk, Monroe, which eventually became the west part of Platte, Madison, Pierce, Jones, which was originally Jefferson County as now constituted ; Butler, Platte. Dixon and Calhoun, which eventually became known as Saunders.
Up until the end of this year, only the twelve counties first named above had been formally organized.
1857. In this year, the Legislature established three counties, naming boundaries for Cedar, L'Eau-qui-Court and Cuming. Cuming was already organ- ized ; and in this year the following counties perfected organization :-
L'Ean-qui-Court, which retained that name until 1867, when it was changed to "Emmett" and in 1843 to its present name, Knox. Cedar; Sarpy, which although the first county in the state to be settled, had remained a part of Douglas until this time, notwithstanding that at one time provision had been made to establish it as Omaha County. Gage and Platte were organized in this year.
1858. Legislative act provided for establishment or changes in boundaries of following counties; Nemala, re-defined ; Dixon, re-defined ; Calhoun, Merick, later spelled Merrick: Hall. and the three were organized in that year-Dixon, Merrick and Hall.
1859. Lancaster and Kearney counties, organized.
1860. Legislative provisions made for organization of following counties ; Wilson, Morton, Shorter, Kearney, really organized the year before, and Dawson. It was six years before Shorter, which was eventually known as Lincoln County, and eleven years before Dawson County organized. and there are no records to show that Wilson or Morton ever organized and exercised any functions as counties. These two counties were to have been out in the North Platte River-Sweet Water River region. In addition to re-defining boundaries of several present counties, provision was made for West and Nuckolls counties, Nuckolls organized some eleven years later, West County, proposed up along the Keya Paha River, never materialized and its establishment was set aside in 1862.
1862. Saline County organized.
1864. Buffalo County was organized. Jefferson County organized. The present Jefferson County was originally Jones County, and when it changed its name re- tained the name Jefferson in order to retain the county records, and its neighbor,
92
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
Thayer County, which was separated from it, and had originally had name Jefferson, hunted a new name.
1865. Seward County was organized. As noted heretofore, it dropped its original name, Greene County, and adopted that of the national secretary of state.
1866. Saunders County, first known as Calhoun, organized as did Lincoln and Stanton counties.
1867. The Legislature in this year provided for the establishment of several counties, of which present Clay and Hamilton were already slightly settled, and Webster, Adams, and Franklin were not settled until some three years later.
1868. Butler and Madison counties organized.
1869. Colfax County organized.
1870. This year witnessed the organization of Pierce and Wayne in the north- east part of state, York, Polk and Hamilton in central part and Cheyenne in far western part.
1811. This year witnessed the organization of twelve counties, eight of which are adjacent to each other, five in the southern tier of the state and three in the next tier to the north, being Fillmore, Clay and Adams in the latter tier; and running east to west on southern tier, being, Thayer, Nuekolls, Webster, Franklin and Harlan. Antelope and Dawson heretofore provided for were organized, and Boone and Howard in the north central part were forerunners of another group organized about this time.
1872. In this year, Greeley, in the Loup Valley, and Frontier, to the west organized.
1873. This year saw the establishment by the Legislature of a number of counties, of which Phelps, Furnas, Red Willow, Hitchcock, Keith, Valley and Sherman then organized. Authorization that was later acted upon was given for the organization of Gosper, which eventually came off from Phelps: Dundy. in the southwest corner of the state; Chase, the next county north of Dundy.
1876-1877. The next manifestation of activity in the formation of counties was that of Holt in 1876, and Custer by Act of 1877, and Hayes was established by Act of 1877, as was Wheeler County. After the discovery of gold in the Black . Hills, necessity coupled with the desire of prospective settlers and goldseekers drove the Ogallala and Brule Sioux from their reservations in the part of the state, then ealled the. Unorganized Country, and Sioux County shortly after emerged as a unit of vast territory that later became some sixteen separate counties.
1879. Nance County organized.
1881. Wheeler County was actually organized on April 11th.
1883. This year saw the organization of three counties: Loup, Brown and Cherry.
1884. Keya Paha County was taken off from Brown County. Garfield County was formed from the western end of Wheeler County, and Sionx County was re- duced to ahnost its present proportion when in
1885 Dawes and Sheridan were formed. Logan County down in the sand- hills took shape about this time.
1886. Blaine County temporarily organized. The Burlington Railroad line to Wyoming and Montana building through this district, caused the formation of numerous counties through the Burlington Sandhills. Box Butte took form in this year also.
93
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
1882. Thomas County was established from the territory between Blaine and Box Butte counties ; and a year later, Grant County took form, and in another year. Hooker County, completing the quartette of counties that border to the south on their vast neighbor, Cherry County, and through which the Burlington line runs. In 1887, two changes took place to the south, when McPherson was provided for, and Perkins County was taken off from Keith County.
1888. This year saw the formation of Rock County. between Brown and Holt counties, and from big Cheyenne, four counties were taken by an elcetion of November 6, 1888 : being Deuel, Kimball, Banner and Scotts Bluff.
1889. In addition to formation of Hooker County. in this year. the Indian reservation territory of old Blackbird County, on the Missouri River, was formed into Thurston County.
1891. Boyd County was taken off the north end of Holt County.
1908-1910-1913. In the last twelve years, the three youngest counties in Nebraska have been formulated. Morrill County was taken from new Cheyenne County in 1908, and two years later. Garden County was taken from Denel County. and in 1913, Arthur County, long before provided for, and for years attached to MePherson County, was formed and organized from the western part of McPherson County.
INLAND COUNTIES
Railroad construction in Nebraska in the past two decades has been very light, and Nebraska in 1920 still has five inland counties. in whose borders no railroad track traverses, and to which a trip by team, conveyance, automobile, other vehicle or aeroplane is the only means of entrance. These are Keya Paha, Loup, McPherson, Arthur, Banner. Several other counties. with railroad facilities at other towns in the county have inland county seats, without railroad facilities. These are. Hayes County, Hlayes Center: Frontier County. Stockville: Logan County. Gandy, over a mile from the railroad, but with a station : Blaine County. Brewster, eighteen miles from Dunning : Wheeler County, where Bartlett is usually. reached from either Erieson in that county, or Spalding, in Greeley County : Boyd Connty. Butte : and Knox County, Center.
While it has been seven years since any new counties have been formed in Nebraska, there is no immediate likelihood of a ninety-fourth county coming very soon. The counties south of Cherry County strongly advocate the secession of a couple tiers of townships on the south from that vast county and their annexation to Grant, Hooker and Thomas, but this, it it came about, would probably form no new counties. Division of Sheridan County is strongly advocated at times, and would be the most likely ninety-fourth county move. Division of the vast county of Custer has withstood defeat in several elections, and with the development of good roads and general use of automobiles never seemed further of accomplish- ment than it does right now in 1920. County seat changes are desired in many counties by towns which would like to win this prize from its present possessor. But none have been made in very recent years, except in Franklin County in 1920.
THE COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA-INDIVIDUALLY
A very long narrative could be woven, and most interestingly at that, eoneerning each one of the counties of the state. But to do this in one volume would make'
94
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
altogether too long a work. When this was attempted, and pretty thoroughly at that, some thirty-eight years ago, by the compilers of Andreas' History of Nebraska, 1882, it made a book of over 1,500 pages, and a great deal of that in very fine print. Then there were only sixty-eight counties fully treated and four or five others slightly treated, and forty years elapsed since on each one, would make necessary a set of more than one volume. So in this work, only the county assigned will be treated in full, and a very short synopsis of the facts or origin, organization and development included for each of the other counties.
POPULATION OF COUNTIES
The quickest and most comprehensive barometer of the growth of the "county" subdivisions of the state. is naturally reflected in the table of populations of the various counties, given here for each ten year period from 1860 to 1920, inelusive.
The 1920 census shows that in Nebraska, in common with many other central states of the Union, and especially those states outside of the manufacturing dis- triets and depending more essentially upon agriculture, many counties show a slight decline since 1910. On the other hand, the towns and cities show a sub- stantially uniform rate of increase. There are fewer farms in 1920 and fewer people living in the rural districts, and it will be noted that most of the counties showing a substantial increase between 1910 and 1920, are those counties with numerous or important towns and cities.
POPULATION OF NEBRASKA BY COUNTIES
l'opulation, 1856-1920
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
1870
1860
1856
The State
1,295,502
1.192,214 1,066,300 1,058,910
452.402
122,993
28,841
Counties
Adams.
22,621
20,900
18,840
24.303
10,235
19
Antelope
15.243
14.003
11,344
10,399
3,953
Arthur
1,412
1,444
1,114
2,435
Blaine
1,778
1,672
603
1,146
Boone
14,146
13.145
11,689
8,683
4,170
Brown
6,749
6.083
3.470
4,359
23,787
21,907
20,254
22,162
7,531
193
114
12,559
12,726
13,040
11.069
6.937
2.847
388
146
Butler
18.029
19,786
21,330
24,080
16,683
8,151
3,369
1,251
Cedar
16,225
15,191
12,467
7,028
2.899
1,032
246
Cherry
11,753
10.414
6,541
6,428
Clay
14,486
15.729
15.735
16.310
11,294
54
165
8
Cuming
13,769
13,782
14,584
12,265
5.569
2.964
67
Custer
26.407
25,668
19,758
21,677
2.211
Dakota
7,694
6,564
6,286
5.386
3,213
2,040
819
Dawes
10.160
5,254
6,215
9.722
Dawson
16.004
15,961
12,214
10,129
2,909
103
16
Deuel
3,282
1,786
2,680
Dixon
11.815
11.477
10,535
8,084
4,177
1.345
247
Dodge
23.197
22.145
22,298
19,260
11.263
4,212
309
313
Douglas
204.524
168,546
140.590
158,008
37,645
19,982
4.328
3,465
Dundy
4,869
4,098
2,434
4,012
37
. . . .
Fillmore
13,671
14,674
15,087
16,022
10,204
238
Franklin
10.067
10,303
9,455
7,693
5.465
2
Frontier
8,540
8.572
8,781
8,497
934
Furnas
11.657
12.083
12,373
9,840
6.407
Gage.
29,721
30,525
30,051
36,344
13.164
3,359
421
Garden
4,572
3,538
Garfield
3,496
3,417
2,127
1,659
Gosper
4,669
4.933
5.301
4.816
1,673
Grant
1,486
1,097
763
458
Greeley
8,685
8,047
5,691
4,869
1,461
Hall
23,733
20,861
17,206
16,513
8.572
1,057
1,16
.
Boyd
8,243
8,826
7.332
695
Burt
13,723
15.403
15.703
15.454
9,154
1,290
27
Cass
Chase
4.939
3,613
2,559
4,807
70
....
Cheyenne
8,405
4,551
5,570
5.693
1,558
190
Colfax
11.624
11,610
11,211
10,453
6,588
1.424
Box Butte
6.407
6,131
5,572
5,494
Buffalo
91
Banner
1.435
646
2,893
95
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
Counties
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
1870
1860
1856
Hamilton
13,237
13,159
13,330
14.096
8,267
130
Harlan
9,220
9,570
9,370
8,158
6,086
Hayes
3,327
3,011
2.708
3,953
119
Hitchcock.
6,045
5,415
4,409
5.799
1,012
Holt
17.151
15,545
12.224
13.672
3,287
Hooker
1,378
981
432
426
Howard
10,739
10,783
10.343
9,430
4,391
Jefferson
6,940
10,187
11,197
10,333
7,595
3,429
528
Johnson
8,583
9,106
9,866
9,061
4,072
58
472
Keith
5.294
3,692
1.951
2,556
194
Keya Paha
3,594
3,452
3,076
3,920
Kimball
4,498
1,942
758
959
Knox
18,894
18,358
14,343
8.582
3,606
261
152
Lancaster
85,902
73,703
64.835
76,395
28,090
7,074
153
125
Lincoln
23,420
15,684
11.416
10.441
3,632
17*
1171
Loup
1,946
2,188
1.305
1.662
401
5.589
1.133
with Platte 109
Merrick
10,763
10,379
9.255
8,758
5,341
557
Morrill
8,712
8,926
8,222
5.773
1,212
44
Nemaha
12.547
13,095
14,952
12.930
10,451
7,593
3,139
1,281
Nuckolls
13,236
13,019
12,414
11,417
4,235
8
22
Otoe
19,494
19,324
22,288
25,403
15,727
12,345
4,211
1.862
Pawnee
3.967
2,570
1,702
4,364
Phelps
9,900
10.451
10,772
9,869
2,447
10,681
10,122
8,445
4,864
1,202
152
19,464
19.006
17,747
15,437
9,511
1,899
782
35
Red Willow
11.434
11,056
9,604
8,837
3,044
Rock
3.703
3,627
2,809
3,083
Saline
16.514
17.866
18,252
20,097
14.491
3,106
3.9
Sarpy
9,370
9,274
9,080
6,875
4,481
2.913
1,201
Saunders
20,589
21.145
22,085
21.577
: 15,810
4,547
Scott's Bluff
20,710
8,355
2,552
1,888
Seward
15,867
15,895
15,690
16.140
11.147
2,953
Sheridan
9,625
7,328
6,033
8,687
Sherman
8,877
8,275
6,550
6,399
2,061
Sioux
4,528
5.599
2,055
2.452
699
Stanton
7,756
7,542
6,959
4,619
1.813
636
Thayer
13.976
14.775
14,325
12.738
6,113
Thomas
1,773
1,191
628
517
Thurston
9,589
8,704
6,517
3.176
109
31
Valley
9,823
9.480
7,339
7.092
2,324
Washington
12.180
12,738
13.086
11,869
8,631
4.452
1,249
751
Wayne
9,725
10,397
9.862
6,169
813
182
Webster
10,922
12,008
11,619
11.210
7,104
16
Wheeler
2.531
2,292
1,362
1.683
644
..
York
17,146
18,721
18.205
17.279
11.170
604
* Boundaries of Lincoln County changed about 1867.
+ As Shorter County.
ADAMS COUNTY
Adams Counly lies about one hundred and twenty miles west of the Missour River, and twenty-four miles from the south line of the state. Ii is bounded by the counties of Hall on the north, Clay on the cast. Webster on the south, and Kearney on the west.
Mortimer N. Kress and Joe Fouts came into the county in 1869. On March 5, 1870, they located claims at a point near where the Little Blue enters Clay County. In 1871 it was declared a county by executive proclamation and the first elections held in that year. In April of 1871, a colony of Englishmen came in and settled near where Hastings is located, and upon Micklen's land Hastings was projected and the townsite laid out. in 1872. In 1871 the county had a voting population of twenty-nine. The line of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad built across the county east and west in 1871-2. The St. Joseph & Denver built into the county also in 1872. The area of the county is 565 square miles. The growth of the county as evidenced by its population, has been : Census of 1870, 19; 1880, 10.235; 1885. 18,004: 1890. 24.303 : 1900, 18,840: 1910. 20,900, and 1920. 22,621.
The first county seat was Juniata, but after some efforts Hastings secured this
19
Richardson
18.968
17.488
19,614
17.574
· 15,031
9,780
2,835
532
Polk
10,714
10,521
10,542
10,817
6,846
136
Logan
1.596
1,521
960
1,378
McPherson
1,692
2,470
517
22,511
19,101
16,976
13,669
. ..
Madison
9,151
4,584
10,582
11.770
10.340
301
Perkins
Pierce
Platte
16.140
16,852
15,196
14,850
8,096
2,440
Kearney
Nance
9,578
·
96
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA
prize in 1822. Besides its metropohs, Hastings, the fourth city in the state, the other towns of the county are, Juniata, which was started in 1871 and is a town of about five hundred inhabitants now; Ayr, which was laid out in 1878; Kenesaw, which was located in 1822, and is now a town of over seven hundred : Hansen. which was laid out in 1879; Pauline, Leroy, Briekton, Roseland, Holstein, and Prosser. As in every county, there were some forty years ago a number of postoffices, at inland points. which by the establishment of rural mail routes and concentration of trade into other towns. have been practically, if not entirely, wiped out or discontinued. Among these in Adams County were Millington, about three miles northeast of Ayr; Ludlow, about eleven miles northeast of Hastings; Hazel Dell, about eight miles south of Juniata : Mayflower, about seven miles south of Kenesaw ; Kingston, about five miles east of Ayr; Morseville and Rosedale, in southwest corner of the county. With the prestige of Hastings, the queen eity of the state. Adams County has always been a county to be reckoned with in Nebraska.
ANTELOPE COUNTY
This county is in the northeastern part of the state, in the fifth tier from the east and second from the northern edge. Its area is 872 square miles. It was settled on April 25, 1868, by "Ponea George" St. Clair, in the St. Clair Valley. The county was established in 1871, and received its name from an incident remembered by Hon. Leander Gerrard, when the year before a party he was with had killed and refreshed themselves upon the meat of some young antelope. The county seat then chosen was the present site of Oakdale. The county seat Neligh was chosen in the late '70s, after the first court house had burned. The county had Indian raids in 1820, but no serious depredations were suffered in this county. The principal carly towns of the county were Oakdale, founded in 1872. Neligh, in 1873. The towns now flourishing in this county in 1920, are: Clearwater, started in 1872 as Antelope and name changed in 1880 to Clearwater: Orchard, established 1880; Elgin, a town of about seven hundred in southern part of county ; Royal, established in 1880. Brunswick, and inland points, St. Clair, established as a postoffice in 1826 and named for the first settler in the county; Vim; Willowdale, where a postoffice was established in 1874; Jessup, named in honor of ex-Governor Jessup of lowa. and Glenalpine, settled up in 1879. This county is traversed by the main line of the Northwestern system from Omaha to the Black Hills, and by the Sioux City- O'Neill branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
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