Full text of "Omaha illustrated : a history of the pioneer period and the Omaha of today embracing reliable statistics and information, with over two hundred illustrations, including prominent buildings, portraits, and sketches of leading citizens"

Gc M, U,

978.202

Oralso

1146024

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

3 1833 01066 6391

A HISTORY OF

THE -PIONEER -PERIOD

Tne: Oi^aha of To-dav,

EMBRACING

grltablt ^tatiotite mt^ ^nformattott.

OVER : TWO : HUNDRED : ILLUSTRATIONS, : INCLUDING : PROMINENT : BUILDINGS,
PORTRAITS : AND : SKETCHES : OF : LEADING : CITIZENS.

'^^^fe^KB^

OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

D. C. DUNBAR &- CO., PUBLISHERS.

•JANUAR r, iSSS .

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1887, by

D. C. DUNBAR & CO.,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

GIBSON, MILLER &= RICHARDSON,

Art Tkinters, Lithographers, Binders and Elect roty per s,

Omaha, Nihraska.

1146024

riFTEENTII STREET— LOOKING NORTH.

PICKERING MEMORIAL M. E. CIRRCII.

Publishers' Preface.

*T was the purpose of the publishers to make Omaha Illustrated a complete compendium of
information, relating both to the early history of the city and to the Omaha of today.
Every facility which could possibly contribute to this, was at hand. The library of Byron
Reed, — itself a complete repository of Omaha history, — the writings of Dr. Geo. L. Miller, and many
other valuable resources, were cheerfully rendered accessible, and what was of paramount import-
ance, the work of editing was placed in the able hands of Alfred Sorenson, Esq., than whom there
are few, if any, more competent to write upon the history of Omaha.

Through no fault of the publishers there have been a few unavoidable omissions in the matter
of illustrations, both portraits and buildings. Several prominent citizens whose portraits would have
made the book more complete, were absent from the city until too late to admit of making engrav-
ings. The unfinished state of some few buildings, also, of which it was impossible to obtain even
comprehensive drawings, rendered it impracticable to have satisfactory cuts made.

Appreciating the expressed aversion of distinguished citizens for the gratuitous "pufling"
which is usually indulged in by writers of personal sketches, it has been the endeavor of the
publishers to confine biographies to a plain and brief review of the salient features of individual
histories, and much of the data for this has of necessity been obtained from others than the sub-
jects, b}- reason of their excusable reticence which imposed upon the publishers the rather difficult
work of gathering information for sketches which the parties themselves could have easily furnish-
ed but for reasons of modesty.

SCENES I\ IIANSCOM PARK.

M -

gnarly History of OrTiaha.

THE PIONEER PERIOD.

[HERE are men and women living in Omaha to-day who remember the found-
ing of the city as if it were yesterday. It was only thirty-three years ago
that the town site was platted and the first building erected. Wlr.it
marvelous changes have been wrought within that brief period ! A busy,
thriving and progressive city of a hundred thousand people now stands
upon the site where but a single cabin could be seen in the summer of 1854.
The Territory of Nebraska, organized in that year, has become a great common-
wealth — one of the most flourishing States in the Union, with a population of
fully one million. The surviving pioneers must indeed look back with wonder
at the transformations which they have witnessed, and it must afford them pleasure
to recall to mind their struggles in the early years of Omaha's history. The
city's growth has certainly far exceeded the expectations of the most sanguine.
It is safe to say that not one of the pioneers of 1S54-55 expected to live to see
Omaha ever become a great city, such as she is to-day. Those who assisted in the founding of
the city, and have ever since continued to lend their aid in her up-building, have a right to be
proud of the grand results which have been achieved. The ranks of the pioneers have been
thinned from time to time by the hand of death, yet among those who survive may be
found some of our most prominent and honored citizens. While some of them have been
retired by age from tke active list, and perhaps are comparatively unknown to the busy,
rushing throng of younger people who have been attracted hither of late years, it sliould not
be forgotten that in times past the veterans fought many a hard battle to maintain Omaha's
supremacy, and to secure to her the foundations of the prosperity which she now enjo\'s.

The pioneer period in the history of Omaha is full of stirring and exciting incidents.
The old settler enjoys the reminiscence, while the new comer eagerly listens to the recital of
that which to him is new and interesting. This historian, therefore, feels confident that these
pages will be appreciated by a large number of readers.

The first settlers of Omaha came from Council Bluffs, which in the earl)' days was a
Mormon town. The Mormons in their westward pilgrimage from Illinois, beginning in the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

year 1846, crossed the State of Iowa, and made Council Bluffs one of their principal halting
places. The place was at first called "Miller's Hill" by some, and "Miller's Hollow" by
others, after a Mormon elder named Miller. The name was soon changed to " Kanesville,"
in honor of Colonel Thomas L. Kane, a brother of the famous Arctic explorer. When the
President called for volunteers for the Mexican war, in 1846, the Mormons respond'^d by
organizing a battalion, which crossed the plains to California. Colonel Kane organized this
battalion for the Mormons, and became quite popular with them. In 1853, however, the

[But very few men have been identified with the life and growth of Omaha so actively and efficiently as Dr. Creorge L. Miller.
He was one of the pioneers, coming to the then straggling and struggling village of Omaha, in October, 1S54. Dr. Miller was born
in Boonville, Oneida county, New York, July I, 1831. At the age of seventeen he began the study of medicine at Syracuse, and
after five years of office study, went to New York and entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he graduated in
1852. He practiced his pro-
fession for two years after
his return to Syracuse, but
determined to try the West,
and there carve out a name
and fortune. He came to
Omaha long in advance of
the railroads, when stage-
coaching to St. Joseph, Mo.,
was about the only means
of communication with the
outside world. Here he be
gau the practice of medi
cine. But people wne f «
in those early days, ind pi
tients scarcer still, and the
hardships of frontier lif
were many. He enteii-d
politics a year after his ii
rival in Omaha, and -was
elected to the Teiiitoual
Council. He served thiee
terms in that body, duiing
the last as its piesidin.;
officer. In 1S60, in the liopi.
of bettering his fortune, he
removed to St. Joseph, and
while waiting for a practice,
turned his attention to lit-
erary «oik. Those were ex-
citing days, on the eve ot
the rebellion, and Dr. Mil-
from the West has ranked highe:
nents of political economy, as to

of the nation ; Horatio Seymour and Samuel J. Tilden having repeatedly conferred upon him distinguished evidences of their regard
and confidence in his abilities. Dr. Miller has never had any penchant for office. When President Cleveland was elected, he was
very strongly urged by leading men .all over the country for a Cabinet position, but outside of the distinguishment, the place had no
attractions, and he was well contented when another was chosen. Since his retirement from journalism, Dr. Miller has been enjoy-
ing the competency which his toil amassed, though still clinging to his identity with Omaha, among whose citizens he enjoys a well-
deserved respect.]

name of Kanesville was changed to "Council Bluffs." By this time the place had become
an important point, owing to the Mormon immigration, which was very large during the
summer season for several years. In addition to this there was the California travel, caused by
the gold discoveries. At about the same time that the Mormons made Council Bluffs a halting
place they established what they called " Winter Quarters," on the west side of the Missouri
river, on the site of the present village of Florence, six miles north of Omaha. The land at
that time, in the year 1846, belonged to the Omaha Indians, with whom the Mormons established
freindly relations, and made an agreement by which they leased from the Indians for two years
sufficient land for their purposes. In less than three months, seven hundred buildings were

ler's editorials in the St.
Joseph Gazette attracted
such commendatory atten-
tion, that he was almost
moved to the adoption of
journalism as a permanent
pursuit. But in 1861 he se-
cured the position of sutler
at Fort Kearney, and re-
mained theve until 1864,
when he returned to Omaha,
and became the Democratic
candidate for Congress, and
was defeated. In 1S65, Dr.
Miller established the Oma-
ha Herald, and continued
to be its editor until March
I, 1887. With his pen he
dill invaluable service for
I limha and Nebraska. He
1 uled ceaselessly and vigor-
ously for the up-building of
hi. city and State. He is a
piuerful writer, a deep
thinker, and fearless in the
Lspiession of his views.
Ills strong mentality and
piime abilities commanded
for him respect abroad as
well as at home. In the
national councils of the
Democratic party no man
He is a master of political strategy, and so sound in finance, government, and the other compo-
,k with the statesmen of the day. Indeed he has been the familiar associate of the leading men

)KL,E

ILI ER

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

erected, and the number was soon increased to over one thousand. The town had its workshops,
mills and fagtories operated by water power. It became a busy place, and soon contained a popula-
tion of from six thousand to eight thousand. The intention was to make "Winter Quarters" the
main starting point of the emigrant trains for the West. It being located on the west side of the
river, the Mormons could cross on the ice in the winter, and thus avoid ferrying in the spring and
summer. Always capricious, and in this case, as it is alleged, instigated by white men, the Indians,
notwithstanding they had formerly given the Mormons permission to settle upon their lands, com-
plained to the Indian agent that they were trespassing upon them, and cutting too much timber,
and killing too much game. The Indian agent accordingly ordered them off the land. Thereupon
the Mormons recrossed the river to the Iowa side. To this circumstance a-as attributable the rapid

PSFS OF OMAHA

rise and growth of Kanesville, and the abandonment^of "Winter Quarters" again entirely to its
savage inhabitants, leaving only its ruins to indicate its former prosperity. In the annals of the
Mormon church, this halting place in the wilderness must always fill an important and interesting
page. It was from this spot that the exploring expedition of pioneers, headed by Brigham Young,
took its departure on the 14th of April, 1847, in search of a permanent location west of the Rocky
Mountains, " far from the haunts of prosecuting Christendom," as one of their historians put it,
" and where the footprints of a white man had scarcely ever before been seen." The expedition
resulted in the discovery and selection of the Great Salt Lake Valley.

In 1S53 James C. Williams, at the suggestion of Colonel Peter A. Sarpy, of the American
Fur Company's trading post at Bellevue, decided to locate a town u[)on the site of "Winter
Quarters." He accordingly laid out the town site in the fall of that year, and the name of Florence

OMAI/A ILLUSTRATED.

was given to the place. The resettlement and rebuilding of the town began early in the spring of
1854, the first settlers coming largely from Council Bluffs. Under the new order of things the
town once more became a prosperous and busy point. The Mormons, from 1854 to 1865, started

[Ex-Senator Alvin Saunders was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, July 12, 1817. In 1829 his parents removed to Illinois,
near Springfield, where, as in Kentucky, he worked upon a farm, and had only the meagre education which a new and sparsely
settled country could give. In 1836, desiring to begin life for himself, his parents reluctantly consented to his going West, and he
went to the Territory of Wisconsin, halting at the little settlement of Mount Pleasant, now in the State of Iowa. Here he worked
for a time again on a farm, then got a place in a country store, and by attending a night school, and diligent study at all spare
moments, he supplied much of the deficiency in his early education, and was later taken into a business partnership with an elder
brother. He was appointed the first Postmaster of Mount Pleasant by President Van Buren in 1837, although raised a Whig,
because no one else would have the office. In 1846 he was removed by Polk, which led to his candidacy for and election to the
Constitutional Convention in that year, and thus he assisted in framing the Constitution under which Iowa became a State. In 1854
he was elected, and in 1858 re-elected, to the Iowa State Senate. He was a delegate to the first Iowa State Republican Convention,
and also to the Chicago Convention which nominated Lincoln, for whom he voted, and in whose election he aided much during the
campaign. In 1861 President Lincoln appointed Mr. Saunders Governor of the Territory of Nebraska, and in 1S65, on the day of the
evening on which he was __ ^ purpose has nearly been

assassinated, signed the /i^-'^^S^" ^0^5:S»\ accomplished, to the great

Governor's commission for K ^ " ~\^ gratification of his many

another term. In 1S67, ^ ^^ "~"^^i admirers and sympathetic

when Nebraska was ad- ^ /^ Wvk friends. As Governor of

mitted to the Union as a j \ ^ the Territory, Mr. Saunders

State, Governor Saunders , ^ had a double duty to per-

retired from public life, / * * r \ *°''™ ' ^^ ^^^ '° ''^'^'^ troops

and engaged extensively in '" ^feBlit "S^^o^" ^ f°i' service against the

banking and other b'usi- '^p^^W ^(^<- ,| South, and others to sup-

ness. In 1868 he was a J i / P""^^^ ''^^ Indian depreda-

delegate to the Chicago W iL '/ tions on the western border.

National Convention, when |s " "^r' For these purposes the

Grant and Colfax were ■'. iali. 1 Territory had neither

nominated. In 1875 he ^ -, ' ~ ~ money nor credit, and yet

met with severe financial ' by his energy and executive

reverses, which led to his re- ab il i t y he succeeded in

turn to puVilic life by h i s k\ sending into the field over

election to the United StitL ^,* three thousand men for

so, declaring that in time he " "~ ^^ '' the Union Pacific Railroad,

would pay in full; and his ^^ <;fn\T(>r a.mn SOUNDERS. ^^^ ^^.j^^^ ^ 5j,.^„g ^^^^l

was made by Eastern railroads. Council Bluffs and the State of Iowa, to locate the Bridge several miles south of Omaha, the Senator,
as Chairman of a Bridge Committee of citizens, gave his time, private means and influence unstintedly to defeat it, and he succeeded.
He took a lively interest in the building of the Omaha & Southwestern Railroad, of which he was at one time Vice-President. He
largely promoted our present fine school system throughout the State, and as President of the Board of Regents of the High School,
secured the erection of our splendid High School Building The City Gas Works, the Street Railways and other enterprises for the
city's benefit and the people's comfort and convenience, have found in him a willing and efficient helper. He was also an original
promoter and stockholder in the Omaha Smelting Works, which have proved to be one of the most successful business enterprises in
the city. As a Senator of the United States, Mr. Saunders was not so conspicuous in debate as in the Committee Room, and there, it
is conceded, is where a strong and businesslike man is most felt. He secured to Nebraska six hundred thousand acres of land, by
the rectification of the northern boundary line of the State, adjoining Dakota, an achievement only equaled in our history by Thom.as
H. Benton's success in attaching the Platte Purchase to Missouri. He secured the establishment of a Labor School for Indians on
the Pawnee Reservation, and while Governor of the Territory secured the passage ot the Grazing Law, an .ict of inestimable benefit
lo Nebraska farmers, since it compelled the fencing in or control of grazing herds, rather than fencing them out. There is probably
no citizen of Nebr.aska, past or present, to whom the State and the city of Omaha owe so much as to Alvin Saunders, and to the credit
of the people, both of city and State, it can be said that the obligation is fully recognized, their respect for and confidence in him
being unqualified.]

all their emigrant trains from Florence, thus giving to the merchants of Oinaha a very profitable
outfitting trade. At one time it was thought that Florence would become a large city, but it went
down with the financial crash of 1857-58, and with the final departure of the Mormons it sank into

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

[Byron Reed was bovn at Darien, Genesee county, New York, March 12, 1829. He attended the Alexander Classical School,
but left before graduating because of the removal of his family to the then territory of Wisconsin, where a new Darien, in Walworth
county, was founded. Mr. Reed entered business life as a telegraph operator, the lines having then been extended from the large
eastern cities as far west as Cleveland. From 1849 to the beginning of 1855 Mr. Reed worked on the Cleveland and Pittsburg line,
most of the time at Warren, Ohio. He was one of the first to adopt the system of receiving by sound, which is now in universal use,
although at first received with doubt and hesitation, and even condemned and ordered abandoned after a year's trial by most of the
lines then in operation. Mr. Reed came to Omaha November ic, 185?, and a few weeks later went to Kansas and passed the winter
at Leavenworth, Lawrence, Kansas City and other places, as correspondent of the New York Tribune. At that time the " Border
Ruffian War" was at its height, and Tribune correspondents at Leavenworth and other pro-slavery places were in great danger.
After a time Mr. Reed's connection with the Tribune was discovered and his arrest ordered, but he narrowly escaped from Leaven-
worth at night. Another correspondent, Mr. Thillips, was also discovered, and a few months later killed. After four months spent
amid the dangers of Kansas, Mr. Reed returned to Omaha, having decided to make it his future home. He opened an oftii
old State House building, and established the real est

hich he

the
lucted up to the present time

IIBRARY OF BYRON REED.
with marked success. The Byron Reed Company is now a corporation with a paid up capital ot $200,000, and probably does a
business as large as some of our National banks. In i86o Mr. Reed was elected City Clerk, the office being then without emolu-
ments. He served as such continuously for seven years, being succeeded by William L. May in 1S67. From 1861 to 1863 he was
deputy County Clerk, and personally recorded all the instruments and documents that were filed. In 1863 he was elected County
Clerk for two years. In 1871 he was a member of the City Council, and president of that body in 1872. Mr. Reed gave to the public
fourteen acres of land on Prospect Hill, now of great value, for a cemetery ; and, contrary to the usual custom, there is no clause of
reversion in the deed of gift, which provides that should the cemetery be discontinued or removed, the land shall go to the city in
trust for other uses beneficial to the public, such as a park, or for the erection of public buildings ; and the city is restrained from
ever alienating or leasing any part for a valuable consideration. In addition to his generous gift, Mr. Reed undertook the manage-
ment of the cemetery when no one else could be found to do it, and under his care it soon became the finest and best appointed
cemetery in the West. The Forest Lawn Cemetery Association was also formed through the efforts of Mr. Reed and the late John H.
Brackin, with the understanding that Prospect Hill should be turned over to it when organized, and this was done in 1SS5. Mr.
Reed is a corresponding member of the American Numismatic and ArchrEological Society of New York, and has been for many
years an industrious collector of rare books, manuscripts, autographs and coins. In his library, a view of which is presented on this
page, can be found, in addition to all that is of historical value concerning Omaha, many volumes of great value, the work of patient
monks in the middle ages, one of which is a missal of the fifteenth century, illuminated in colors, curiously bound in vellum and
studded with large iron rivets. His numismatic collection is one of the most complete in the country, being especially rich in Jewish
and Roman coins, and is almost perfect in the coinage of this country from colonial times to the present day.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

an insignificance fronn which it has never emerged. This mucli has been said in reference to
Florence, because it is intimately associated with the early history of Omaha, whose power-
ful rival it was for a time.

The Pioneer FerrYiMan and Founder of Omaha.
Among the thousands of gold-seekers who started for California in 1849, was William D.

Brown, of Mount Pleasant, Henry county, Iowa.
^ ' ~^ Upon reaching Council Bluffs, he saw that there was

money to be made in carrying on a ferry across
the ]\Iissouri river, to accommodate the California
and Mormon emigration. Convinced that there
\ was more sure profit in such an enterprise than there
was in the uncertainty of gold-hunting in a far-oft
region, he abandoned his California trip,
and established the Lone Tree Ferry — so
called from a solitary tree at which his
boat landed on the Nebraska side of the

REV. ROBERT DOHERTV, M. A., S. T. D., RECTOR AND
PROFESSOR BROW.NELL HALL.

river. He operated his ferry under a charter
obtained from the commissioners of Potta-
watamie count}', Iowa. The undertaking, as
he had anticipated, proved ver\- profitable to
Mr. Brown during the period from 1850 to
1854. At the same time he engaged in the
hotel business in Council Bluffs, being for
some time a half partner in the Bluff City
House.

The beautiful and commanding posi-
tion of the future site of Omaha, particu-
larly the plateau with the hills in the background, impressed Mr. Brown with the belief that
it would be a fine location for a town, which some day might develop into a large and pros-
perous city. The tide of travel was westward, and this point was the head of navigation at that
time. He had frequently been over the ground and had made careful observations. Other
residents of Council Bluffs had also visited the spot,; and coincided with Mr. Brown's views as
to its being a splendid site for a town. He suggested to some of his friends an enterprise of
this character, and finally Dr. Enos Lowe, Jesse Lowe, Jesse Williams and Joseph H. D. Street,

D. JONES, THE FIRST POSTMASTER OF OMAHA.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

all of Council Bluffs, took the matter under careful consideration. The first result was that
on July 23, 1S53, "The Council Bluffs and Nebraska Steam Ferry Company" was organized,
with L'r. Enos Lowe president. The other members were Tootle & Jackson, S. S. Bayliss,
Joseph H. D. Street, Bernhart Henn, Jesse Williams, Samuel R. Curtis, Tanner & Downs, and
William D. Brown. Their intention was to secure the town site as soon as Nebraska was
admitted as a Territory. This occurred May 23, 1854, when Congress passed the Kansas-
Nebraska bill, after a fierce and angry struggle, the circumstances of which form a prominent
chapter in the history of our country.

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JLIMPSES OF OMAHA-

Mr. A. D. Jones, Thomas Allen and William Allen were among those who in the fall
of 1S53 crossed the river from Council Bluffs to secure claims. Each located a claim according
to squatter laws in the vicinity of the present home of Herman Kountze. These are main-
tained by Mr. Jones to have been the pioneer squatter claims. Others followed, but the
squatters were all notified by Mr. Hepner, the Indian agent, that they must abandon the
ground as the Indian title had not yet been extinguished. This order was obeyed, and the
squatters returned to Council Bluffs to await the proper time for locating on the Nebraska
side of the river.

In the month of February, 1S54, Major Gatewood, Indian agent for the tribes in this
vicinity, held a council with the Otoes, the Missouris, and the Omahas, at Bellevue, and the
result was that they agreed to unite in a treaty by which they would yield up the title to
their lands for a fair consideration. The terms of the treaty with each tribe were liberal and

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

satisfactory, and the tribes signed the documents during the months of March and April.
They were then removed to the reservation provided for them.

The City Surveyed and Platted.
The Indian title to the land being extinguished, and the territorial organic act having
been passed, the time had now come for the ferry company to carry out their proposed plan
of founding a city. The company accordingly employed Mr. A. D. Jones, who was a surveyor,

[Jesse Lowe was born in Raleigh, Rowan county, North Carolina, March ii, 1814. Soon afterward his parents removed to
the then territory of Indiana, and settled in Monroe county, near Bloomington. As a boy Mr. Lowe's experience was that usual to
boys on a farm in a newly settled country, but later he succeeded in obtaining a fair education at Bloomington College, Indiana. He
then entered the law office of Gen. Tilghman Howard of that State (who was a gentleman of distinction in those days, and had

represented our government
in Spain), and studied law,
but did not then seek ad-
mission to the bar. His dis-
position craved change and
outdoor occupation, rendered
necessary in part by ill health,
and he spent some years in
traveling through the South,
being often in Memphis, New
Orleans, etc., and to a con-
siderable extent engaged in
purchasing stock for the army.
At the breaking out of the
Mexican war, being in Mis-
souri, he entered a regiment
raised by Sterling Price, as
Commissary. He was after-
ward promoted to Paymaster,
and served until the war
closed.

His elder brother, Dr.
Enos Lowe, having removed
to Burlington, Iowa, in 1S37,
was at the close of the war
Receiver of Public Moneys at
Iowa City, and Jesse joined
him there ; and when in 1853
the doctor was made Receiver
at Kanesville (now Council -----

Bluffs), his brother accom-
panied him to the new sta-
tion, assisted in the duties of
the Government, the city was surveyed, platted.

the office, and was the mes-
senger to carry the public
funds to Iowa City for deposit.
At this time Nebraska be-
longed to the Pawnees,
Omahas and other Indian
tribes, and Jesse Lowe, look-
ing across the river one day,
pointed to the present site of
Omaha and said to his com-
panions: " There is the place
for a great city, and in time
there will be one there. Why
should we not begin it ?"
His friends assented, and on
July 3, 1853, they crossed the
river in a skiff, Jesse Lowe
and Jesse Williams having to
wade part of the way, and
located their claims. Jesse
Lowe took up a quarter-sec-
tion ol land about the western
end of Cuming street (to
which he subsequently added
5 by purchase three other quar-
;'■ ter-scctions, making in all
640 acres), and within a week
had a man with a mule team
at work upon his " Ranche,"
which he subsequently called
Oak Grove Farm. In 1854,
the Indian title to the land
having been extinguished by
d fairly begun, the name of its former Indian owners being given to it by Mr.

THE LA-fE JESSE

l.OWE.

Lowe, and a "claim club" was organized May 28, of which Mr. Lowe was a member. This club built a small house on wheels,
which was moved from one claim to another, and served as the home of each claimant in turn during the necessary periods of personal
occupancy required by law. The old "claim house ' found its last resting place on Ninth street, and is now the flat-roofed portion of
the one-story house, 413 South Ninth street, across the alley on the south side of the Cozzens Hotel. At the time Mr. Lowe settled
in Omaha he had, as a result of his former business enterprises and savings, what were considerable means for those days, and he
established himself in the real estate business, which he continued until his death. He had also the exclusive privilege of trading
with the Indian tribes at the adjacent agency. When the Territory was organized he was admitted to the bar, but never practiced.
He built the first banking house (altnost the first brick building in Omaha), which, after years of occupancy by different private
banking firms, became the United States National Bank, and was early in 18S7 torn down to give place to a fine modern building of
stone. In 1857, the city having obtained a charter, Mr. Lowe was elected its first mayor, and J. M. WooUvorth was the first city
attorney. The parents of Mr. Lowe being strict " Friends," or Quakers, his early training in the principles of that sect shaped and
governed his whole life, although in his later years he became a member of the Luther.au church. He was an excellent financier, of
sound judgment, ready at all times to aid in anything calculated to promote the advancement of Omaha, and enjoyed to the last the
unqualified respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. He died .-Vpril 3, 186S.]

to survey the site, covering the claims of the company. Mr. Jones spent the greater i)ortion
of the month of June and a part of July in this work, in which he was assisted by Mr. C.
H. Downs, who carried the chain and drove the stakes. The city was laid out in 322 blocks,
each 264 feet square. The streets were made lOO feet wide, except Capitol avenue, which

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

was given a width of 120 feet, but having no alley in the blocks on each side of it. The lots
were staked out 66 by 132 feet. Two squares were reserved — Jefferson Square, 264 by 280
feet, and Capitol Square, on Capitol Hill, 600 feet square. A park of seven blocks, bounded
by Eighth and Ninth and Jackson and Davenport streets, was laid out, but was afterwards
given up to business purposes, being now occupied by the Union Pacific headquarters, the
Canfield House, the Cozzens House, and other buildings. During the latter part of the survey

the Fourth of July was
r ' . \ ^ celebrated by a picnic on

Capitol Hill by a part}' of
Council Bluffs people,
among whom were quite a
number who became the
first settlers of Omaha —
Hadley D. Johnson, A. D.
Jones and wife, A. J. Hans-
comb and wife, Wm. D.
Brown and wife, Harrison
Johnson, Mr. Seely and
wife, Thomas Davis and
wife and children, Fred.

Da\ 1^ and sister, who is

now Mrs. Herman Kountze,

and several others. The

map of the survey wis

lithographed in St. Louis

Mr. Byron Reed has one ot

the original copies in his

possession. The f e r r )

compan)' gave the name

of Omaha to the new

town. The name was

taken from the nearest tribe of Indians in the vicinity, the Omahas. It is claimed that the

honor of suggesting the name belongs to Jesse Lowe, long since dead. The meaning of the

word, as given by Rev. William Hamilton, for many years an Indian missionary at Bellevue,

is, " Above all others on a stream." According to an old tradition, the Omahas took their

name from an incident which occurred a great many years ago. As the story goes, two tribes

of Indians met on the Missouri river and engaged in battle, in which all on one side were

slain except one, who jumped into the river and swam under water for some little distance.

Upon coming to the surface he exclaimed, "Omaha!" This word had never been heard before

by the survivors of the battle, and to commemorate their great victory they at once adopted

it as the name of their tribe.

DMaba ILLV^fkAfkb.

The survey having been completed the ferry company took immediate steps to erect
buildings. A brickyard was started for the company by Benjamin Winchester, of Kanesville,
for the purpose of making the brick for the proposed State House, as the proprietors of the
town site were confident that Omaha would be selected as the Territorial Capital by the first

[Milton Rogers was born in Harford county, Maryland, June 22, 1822. When but a year old his parents emigrated to
Columbiana county, Ohio, where his boyhood was spent in farm work, his education being only such as could be obtained in the log
school houses of those early days. At the age of 18 he left the farm and went to New Lisbon, Ohio, to learn the tin and coppersmith
trade. When his four years of apprenticeship ended, he left Ohio for the West, and for about six years he tried his fortune in small

business enterprises in Indi-
ana, Illinois, Missouri and
Iowa, finally locating at
Kanesville (now Council
Bluffs), in the latter State,
in August, 1850, where
he started the tinware
and stove business. The
rude beginnings of those
days, architecturally, form
a strong contrast with
the present. Mr. Rogere'
store was built of cotton-
wood logs, with a "pun-
cheon " floor of hewn logs,
and window sash made by
hand from basswood rails.
In 1854 a town was lo-
cated on the west side of
the Missouri river, oppo-
site Kanesville ; it was sur-
veyed, platted, and, accord-
ing to Western custom, was
called a city — Omaha City
— before a house was built.
In June of the next year,
1855, Mr. Rogers cast in his
fortunes with Omaha by
slatting here a branch of
his tinware and stove busi-
ness, again in a Cottonwood
building. His purchase of
66x132 feet on lower Farn-

MILTON ROGERS.

am street, for $150, would
doubtless now be valued at
nearly as nrany thousand
dollars. After a time he
sold 44 feet of his ground
for the same price that he
had given for the whole,
showing that real estate in
Omaha began to " ad-
vance " about as soon as it
was changed from acres to
lots. On this lot now stands
the fine building of the
Bee Publishing Company.
In January, 1862, Mr.
Rogers bought 22x132 feet
on the corner of Farnam
and Fourteenth streets, for
$1,150, and built a one-
story frame building, cov-
ering the lot, which loca-
tion has ever since remained
his business home, he hav-
ing removed from Council
Bluffs in 1 86 1. Later, he
joined with other property
owners in building a three-
story brick block, extend-
ing to Thirteenth street, and
occupied his new store in
January, 1868. In March,
1S81, the building adjoining
him was nearly destroyed

by fire, and he bought the remains and the 22 feet of ground for $19,500, rebuilt and made of the two one store. Thus another
great advance in property was marked. In 1880 and in 1884, respectively, Mr. Rogers associated with him his two sons, and the
business of the firm is now the most extensive in its line west of Chicago, as it is the oldest business house in Omaha or Nebraska.
During his thirty-two years' residence in Omaha, Mr. Rogers has been interested in many of the enterprises which have contributed
to or marked the city's progress. Besides taking stock in the Grand Central Hotel — the ill-fated predecessor of the Paxton Hotel, he
gave $2,500 to the building fund. He was one of the original promoters of the City Water Works, and vice-president of the
company from 1880 to 18S6. He was also one of the original stockholders in the South Omaha Stock Yards, which have contributed
10 much to the growth and prosperity of the city, and he was one of the original parties to the South Omaha Land Syndicate, and is
yet interested in it. Mr. Rogers has never held a public office in Omaha, his tastes and inclinations being always averse to public
life, although frequently solicited by his fellow-citizens to take part in the direction of city affairs.]

Legislature. Winchester, however, soon failed in his enterprise, and the brick had to be hauled
from Council Bluffs.

On July II, 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Newell came over from Council Bluffs. Mr. Newell was
engaged to work in the brick yard, and his wife to cook for the laborers. William P. Snowden
and wife, also from Council Bluffs, landed in Omaha on the same day. Mr. and Mrs. Newell
remained only three weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Snowden are still living in Omaha, and can justly
claim the honor of being the first actual settlers. Cam Reeves and family came next, then
P. G. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Bedell and others followed quite rapidly. Many of the old settlers,
however, did not locate permanently until late in the fall of 1855, as they had to provide
accommodations for their families before bringing them over from Council Bluffs.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

The first house built in Omaha was a small, rough log structure, constructed for the
ferry company. It was located in the vicinity of Twelfth and Jackson streets, and was occupied
by Mr. and Mrs. Snowden, who kept it as a boarding house during the summer and fall of 1854
for the ferry company's employes. It was given the name of the St. Nicholas Hotel, but was
generally known as the "Claim House." It was in this building that the first religious services
were held in Omaha, Sunday, August 13th, 1854, by Rev. Peter Cooper, of Council Bluffs. The
second house was built by Mr. Gaylord, at Burt and Twenty-second streets ; the third was the
"Big 6," a sod house, occupied as a grocery and saloon, north side of Chicago street, between
Thirteenth and Fourteenth. Mr. Snowden built the fourth house, a log cabin, on a lot given

DOUGLAS COUNTY COl'KT HOUSE.

to him by the ferry company. It was on Tenth street, just south of Turner Hall. It was the
first private dwelling house that was completed, and Mr. and Mrs. Snowden moved into it after
having kept the St. Nicholas for three months. The event was celebrated with a " house-
warming," and the first dance in Omaha was given on this occasion. The first brick structure
was the State House, on the west side of Ninth street, between Farnam and Douglas. Mar-
garet Ferry, born in October, 1854, daughter of James Ferry, who laid the first stone for
the State House, was the first white child. This honor, however, is disputed by the friends
of William Nebraska Reeves, who was born about the same time. John Logan and Miss
Caroline Mosier were the first persons to form a matrimonial alliance. Mr. and Mrs. Logan
still live in Omaha. William P. Snowden dug the first grave. It was for an old Otoe
squaw, who had been deserted by her people. The first burial among the whites was that

bUAkA tLL'USTRATElb:

of M. C. Gaylord's child. Dr. George L. Miller was Omaha's first physician. He came iiefS
in the fall of 1S54 from S}'racuse, N. Y., accompanied by his father, Col. Loren Miller, who
is now 88 years of age. The first practicing lawyers were A. J. Poppleton and O. D. Rich-

[Hon. James E. Boyd, who lakes pride in the fact that he is one of the self-made men of Omalia, is a native of Ireland. He
was born in County Tyrone, September 9, 1834, and came to America when he was ten years old, locating in Belmont county, Ohio,
In 1S47 he went with his father to Zanesville, where he lived until 1S56. In August, of that year, he and his brother, John M., came
to Omaha, and engaged in the carpenter and joiner business until the panic of 1857. John M. Boyd went to St. Joseph, Mo., in the
spring of 185S, while James E. Boyd remained in Omaha and worked at his trade. On the 22d of August, 1858, he was married, at
Omaha, to Anna H. Henry, a native of Hamilton, Madison county, N. J. About this time Mr. Boyd went to Wood River, near the
present town of Gibbon, Neb., and established a stock farm, remaining there nine years. During a portion of this period he was also
engaged in merchandising at Kearney City, two miles west of Fort Kearney. In lS65 he secured a grading contract on the Union
Pacific and graded over three hundred miles in about three years. In February, 1868, he returned to Omaha and invested more
heavily than any other man member of the Chicago

Board of Trade and also of
the New York Stock Ex-
change. He is also the
owner of a large cattle
herd, his ranch being

in the gas

works.

f whicl

he was ont

of tlie ,

rincipa

promoters,

and dun

igiSoS

69 he was

manage

■ of the

company. In the winter of
1S69 70 he organized the
Omaha & Northwestern
railroad. He was electeil
its first president and built
the road to Blair. During
this period he was largely
interested in the cattle
business, his ranch being
located near Ogallalla. In
1872 he disposed of his
cattle interests and engaged
in pork packing in Omaha
on a small scale. The first
year he killed only 4,500
hogs, but with each year
his business increased until
in 1886 he killed 141,000
hogs. He continued the
packing business until the
summer of 18S7, when he
sold his establishment.
Although having retired
from the pork-p a c k i n g
business, he is still actively
engaged ill other pursuits.
He is a partner in the Chica
go commission firm of Boyd,
Paxton & Boyd, and is a
in 1867. He was also County Clerk

\\\

.Muiiig.

The

Bovd

"I"'

a house,

one

of the

l^.iincst th

calcrs

in the

Wc.

I, 1, hisp

J|HTt

. He

fall

jf iSSo, a.

d 0.,

in the
iple.cd

it in

the fall

I.SSI

The

cost

of the ope

■a house was

ove

$110,000,

and i

s open-

ins.

which occ

urrct

Octo-

bcr

24, iSS[,

vas q

lile an

t in the

hist

uv of

aha. Ml

. Bo

il, on

that

occasion,

recei

ed the

higl

est com pi i

nenls

for his

pub

ic spirit i

1 pr

.viding

tl-c

such a

bea

tiful phic

amuse-

:h Den

lid ha

take

E. BOYD.

part in Nebraska politics.
In 1S57 he was elected
Clerk of Douglas county.
While residing in Buffalo
county he was elected to
the first State Legislature,
county, but resigned. He was elected on a non-partisan ticket to both the Nebraska
State Constitutional conventions. Mr. Boyd served as Mayor of Omaha for two terms, from 18S1 to 1083 and from 1885 to 1887, being
elected each time by a very large majority. He proved an efficient and faithful executive, and during his administration were
inaugurated all the public improvements that have done so much to bring Omaha up to the rank of a metropolitan city. In the
senatorial campaign of 1S83 Mr. Boyd received the vote of the Democratic party for United States Senator against General Manderson.
In the last presidential campaign he was a delegate to the convention which nominated Grover Cleveland, for whom he cast his vote.
He IS at present a member of the National Democratic Committee. Mr. Boyd was president of the Omaha Board of Trade from 1881
to 1S83. During his residence in Omaha he has taken an active part in nearly every public enterprise, and has always been considered
as one of our public spirited citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd have three children living— Eleonora, the wife of United States Marshal
Eierbower, and Margaret and James E., Jr.

ardson. Both came here in 1854 from Michigan. The fir.st steam ferry boat was the
" General Marion," which superseded Brown's flat boat ferry. Omaha hatl a newspaper very
early in her existence. It was called the " ..Yrrow," and was printed in Council Bluffs. J.
E. Johnson and J. W. Pattison were the editors and proprietors. There were only twelve
issues of the Arrow, covering the period from July 28th to November loth, 1854. Mr. Byron
Reed has in his possession the whole series, with the exception of No. 6. Editor Pattisoa

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

was a flowery and enthusiastic writer. In the first issue of the Arrow he wrote a fanciful
sketch containing a prediction of Omaha's future. It was entitled " A Night in Our Sanctum,"
and the following is an extract from it:

"Last night we slept in our sanctum — the starry-decked heaven for a ceiling, and Mother Earth for a flooring. * * »
The night stole on, and we in the most comfortable manner in the world — and editors have a faculty of making themselves comfort-
able together — crept between art and nature — our blanket and buffalo robe, to sleep and perchance to dream, 'of battles, sieges,
fortunes and perils, the imminent breech.* To dreamland we went. The busy huE". of business from factories and the varied
branches of mechanism from Omaha reached our ears. The incessant rattle of innumerable drays over the paved streets, the steady
tramp of ten thousand of an animated, enterprising population, the hoarse orders fast issued from the crowd of steamers upon the

RESIDENCE OF J. E. BOYD.

levee loading with the rich products of the State oi Ni.braska and unloading the fruits, spices and products ot other climes and soils,
greeted our ears. Far away toward the setting sun came telegraphic dispatches of improvements, progress and moral advancement
upon the Pacific coast. Cars full freighted with teas, silks, &c., were arriving from thence and passing across the stationary channel
of the Missouri river with lightning speed hurrying on to the Atlantic seaboard. The third express train on the Council Bluffs and
Galveston railroad came thundering close by us with a shrill whistle that brought us to our feet knife in hands, looking into the dark-
ness beyond at the flying trains. They had vanished and the shrill second neigh of our lariated horses gave indication of the danger
near. The hum of business, in and around the city, had also vanished and the same rude camp-fires were before us. We slept again
and daylight stole upon us, refreshed and ready for another day's labor."

When it is considered that Pattison's "dream" was written in 1854, the prediction is
certainly a remarkable one. It has been more than fulfilled by the building of the Union and
Central Pacific trans-continental line and more than a dozen other railroads ; in the paving of

DMA II A 1 1. L U S T R A TED

the Streets and in other public improvements ; and in the growth of Omaha to an important
and beautiful cit}- and commercial metropolis of about 100,000 inhabitants.

The files of the Arrow furnish many interesting items concerning the first few months
of Omaha's existence. In the second number the announcement is made that Rev. Peter Cooper
will preach on Sunday, August 13, at the residence of Mr. William P. Snowden. The Arrow

n, Rensselaer count}, New \inV, and '
\oik Ente
\oik, and in

[Hon. Charles H. Brown was horn at Steph.
Seminary, Massachusetts, and at the Delawaie I itei iiy Institute, Fiankhn, Ni
from there in 1858, then studied law with Seymoui lV \ an SanUooid, at Tioj, N
bar. On June 18, of the
same year, he came to Oma-
ha, and later, on account of
impaired health, he ciobsed
the Plains with a freightnig
outfit, driving an ox team to
Denver. In this capacity he
traveled eighteen bundled
miles, gaining, as is so often
the case, health and slitngth
from the hardships and e\
posures incident to the situa-
tion. This expedition led to
his cmpliiyment in the con-
struction of the Pacific Tele
graph, in which arduous and
hazardous work he continued
until the completion of thL
line. Returning to Oimli i
in December, 1S61, aftei this
second experience of riam^
life, Mr. Brown was not )et •
ready to engage in the pi at
tice of his profession, but
entered the store of his
brothers as a clerk, and thus
continued employed until
Octol^er, 1862, when he was
elected Prosecuting Attorney
for' Douglas county, to fill
a vacancy occasioned by "

the resignation of George HON. fHAKi.i.s 11. I'.KdWX.

I. Gilbert. During his in-

Constitution. In 1876, he was elected to the State .Senate, and re elected in 1S78, and again in iS
he has devoted himself to tlie practice of his profession. Thus, for twenty-five years, Mr. Brown
sionally and offici.ally, with the great progress of the city of Omaha and the State of Nebraska.]

s prepared for college at Williston
ig Williams College, he graduated
)6o was admitted to the New York
cumbency of this office he
secured the conviction of
Cyrus Tator, who was the
first man legally executed in
the Territory of Nebraska.
In 1S63, Mr. Brown was re-
elected, and in 1864 he was
elected a member of the
Constitutional Convention,
and in the fall of the same
year a member of the Legisla-
ture. In 1S65, he was elected
an alderman of Omaha, and
in 1867, its Mayor, being the
ninth Chief Magistrate of the
cit). At thit time the Mayor
was e\ ollicio Judge of the
City Cmut, and during his
teim of one year. Mayor
Blown tiled over four thous-
md cases. On entering
■ llice he found the city in
dtlit $6o,OQO; on leaving it,
thitdel.thidbcen paid, and
hue WIS a t ish balance of
.i\Li $S,ooo in the treasury.
In iSOg Ml Biown received
the DemoLiatic vote in the
Legislatuie, foi United States
Senatoi. In 1S75, he was
again a member of a Consti-

aided in forming our present
2. Since the close of his last term
as been closely identified, profes-

of September ist confidently declares that Omaha will be the capital of Nebraska. The issue
of September 8 notes the town's progress as follows :

"The sound of axe, hammer and other tools are daily heard in and around this eligible city site. Two stores, both doing a
good business, are in successful operation, and in a few weeks one of the best steam saw mills in the West will be in full blast by us
here. In connection therewith the enterprising company purpose starting a good flouring mill ; the engine ordered for the sawmill
will be of sufficient power for both. A good, substantial hotel will soon be ready for the reception of visitors and boarders. The
work on the other prominent buildings is progressing rapidly. It really does one's heart good to see the young American progress
and go-a-headitiveness which characterize Omaha City."

The same paper says :

" Some ten or twelve buildings are going up in Omaha City next week. Hurrah ! for the inarch of
with this glorious country. But we need mechanics prodigiously to push along with railroad speed."

ion is playing wild

T. Jefferys & Co. announce that "their steam saw mill, two and a half iniles from the
city, is now in successful operation." The Arrow of September 29 convej-s the information
that M. W. Robinson has put on a tri-weekly line of stages between Council Bluffs and

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Omaha; and also that "persons may receive the Omaha City mail matter for the present from
the P. M., A. D. Jones, at ]\Ir. Clancy's provision establishment every Tuesday, Thursday and
Sunday evenings, shortly after the arrival of the Council Bluffs and Omaha City stage."

Mr. Jones was Omaha's first Postmaster, and for some time carried the postoffice in his
hat. He had in the winter of 1853-54 received a commission as Postma.ster, through the

assistance of J. D. Test, of
Council Bluffs, who applied
to Congressman Bcrnhart
Henn for the establishment
of the Omaha office and
the appointment of Mr.
Junes. The first letter
ever received direct in
Omaha b)^ mail was one
from Mr. Henn to Mr. Jones
relating to a proposed in-
dependent mail route be-
tA\t(.n Council Bluffs and

[J. II. M'Coniiell came to Om.i
ha in iShS, ami entered the service of
the Union Pacilic Railway Company
as general Foreman of the Omaha
shops, where he continued until 1872,
when he was sent by th
North Platte as Division Master Me-
chanic. He remained in clmrge of
that Division until June, 1SS5, when
he was recalled to Omaha and placed
in charge of the Nebraska Division
of the road. In April, 1886, he
resigned his position to take an inter-
est in the A. L. Strang Company, of
which he is now the Secretary.]

Omaha. This letter was dated Washington, May 6, 1S54, the same date on M'hich the office
was established, and Mr. Jones was made Postmaster. The letter was as follows :

Wasuin'-.ton, Mav 6, 1854.
A. D. Jones, Omaha City, Nebraska Ter.

Dear Sir: Yours of the 15th instant has been received, but as the post route bill has already received final action I cannot
carry out your suggestion as to the route from Council Bluffs to Omaha City this session. Perhaps, however, it is not necessary, as
it is already covered by the route I had established, last Congress, from Council Bluffs to Fort Laramie, and although said route has
not been let, you may get that part put in operation by petitioning the department to do so ; which course I would suggest be
adopted at once. If you do so, send me the petition directed to Fairfield and I will forward them.

Yours truly,

Beknhart Henn.

"The new and excellent steain saw inill of Sainucl S. Bayliss & Co., will be in opera-
tion in a very short time," says the Arrow of September 29, from which we also learn that

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

"the foundation for the new State House will be completed in a few days," and that "the
new brick hotel will also be finished as fast as brick can be put together ; other buildings are
progressing finely ; two or three fine brick houses will ere long be started."

The Arrow of October 6 announces the arrival of Hon. T. B. Cuming, Secretary of
the Territory. Governor Francis H. Burt reached Bellevue the same day, in a feeble condi-

[Hon. John I. Radick has been a resident of Omaha since 1856. He was the son of a farmer, and Avas born July 29, 1S28,
at Wooster, Ohio. His first education was received from Prof. Parrott, of his native town, who instructed him for two years. In
his twenty- first year he entered Delaware College, at Delaware, Ohio. He remained in that institution two years. This completed
his education. His father, through an unfortunate speculation, had lost all his property, and being a poor man he was unaljle to aid

Omaha. Mr. Redick soon
obtained a lucrative law
jnactice, and in 1859 formed

his ambitious son. The
instruction received by
young Redick in Delaware
College was paid for with
money which he borrowed
from friends upon condition
that he should repay it
when he became able. They
had every conliilence in his
integrity and ability, and as
subsequent events provrtl,
they were not in the least
d i s a p 15 o i n t e d. Having
decided to enter the legal
professsion he read law, dur-
ing a portion of his last col-
lege year, under the instruc-
tion of Eugene Pardee, a
Wooster lawyer, and Hon.
William Ciivcn, one of the
most able lawyers in Ohio
at that time. He was
admitted to practice in 1852,
and located at Lansing, the
capital of Michigan. He
found the legal practice
there rather dull, and there-
upon engaged in the real
estate business, which
proved quite remunerative.
Meantime he had married
Mary E. Higby, of Pitts-
burg, Pa., and in the fall
of 1856 he removed to
braska delegation to theBalt

.-li^W

HON. JOHN

a co-partnership with Clin-
ton Eriggs. For ten years
thereafter, and until the
dissolution of the firm,
Redick & Briggs were at
the head of the bar and
were engaged in nearly
cNery important case. Mr.
Redick invested largely in
I Imaha real estate, the result
uf which was a handsome
fortune. In 1864 he lost
his wife, leaving two sons,
iharles R. and William A.,
who, following in the foot-
steps of their father, have
adopted the legal profes-
sion, in which they have

ccome q u 1

te successful.

In the early days of Ne-
i laska Mr. Redick repre-
■ iitcd Douglas county in
' .. Teiiitoiial Legislature,
! alM.ivs took a promi-
:,. Ill iiait in politics. Up
:-. the time of the Rebellion
Ml. Redick was a Demo-
crat, but the close of the
war found him in the ranks
of the Republicans. He
was chairman of the Ne-
e convention which nominated Lincoln and Johnson. He was als# chairman of tlie Nebraska dele-
gation to the Philadelphia convention which nominated Grant for the second term. In 1876 he was appointed by Grant as United
States Judge of New Mexico, a position which he resigned after one year's service. Mr. Redick next served as Union Pacific attor-
ney at Denver for one year. In 1880, Mr. Redick becoming indignant at the defeat of Grant in the Chicago convention, returned
to the Democratic fold. He has done much to advance the material welfare of Omaha, and has contributed in many ways to its
growth. He has erected in this city over forty buildings, many of them being handsome, substantial and costly structures. In
many of the most important business enterprises he has been a leading spirit. He was one of the seven men who organized and
built the Omaha & Northwestern railroad, and was one of the organizers of the Grand Central hotel company. In 1866 Mr. Redick
married his second wife, Mary E. May, by which marriage he has five sons. He was one of the prominent and wealthy citizens
of Omaha until February, 1887, when he removed with his family to Los Angeles, California, and was elected president of the
Southern California National Bank, which position he now holds. All that he is and all that he has is due to his own efforts.
He takes great pride in the fact that he is a self-made man.]

tion, having been taken sick on tlie journey. He died on October iSth, and the Arrow of the
20th is draped in mourning and contains a long obituarj' and resolutions. Secretary Cuming
at once assumed the reins of government. By virtue of his office he became acting-governor.
The Arrow of that date, October 20, contains his proclamation in regard to the governor's
death, and also a proclamation ordering the taking of a census. Among other interesting items
in this issue is the announcement that "in the late session of the Iowa Con.fercnce, a new

MA JI A JLLCSTKA TE D .

district known as the Nebraska and Kansas Missionary district, was established, at present
under the Presiding Eldership of Rev. M. F. Shinn, of Council Bluffs City, Iowa, the stations

being Omaha City, old Fort Kearney, Waukaressa
and Fort Leavenw orth. Among the distinguished
iriuals noticed are those of Bird B. Chapman,
1 ■-q from Loraine county, Ohio, and Dr. G. L.
Miller, from b) racust, N. Y. It is stated upon the

authority of Mr. Davis, the con-
tractor, that the State House will
be completed December ist. J
M. Thayer receives a complimen
tary notice for the erection of a
neat dwelling. " The Fontene
House," says the Arrow, "is a large
and beautiful brick hotel, now in
process of erection at this place
It is appropriately named after the
head chief of the Omaha Indian
tribe."

The first Territorial officers of
Nebraska were Francis H. Burt, of

RESIDENCE OF HON. JOHN M. THURSTON.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

South Carolina, Governor ; Thomas B. Cumins^, of Iowa, Secretary ; Fanner Ferguson, of Michi-
gan, Chief Justice ; James Bradley, of Indiana, and Edwin R. Hardin, of Georgia, Associate
Justices ; Mark W. Izard, of Arkansas, Marshal ; Experience Estabrook, of Wisconsin, Attorney.
Governor Burt and Secretary Cuming arrived at Bellevue on October 6, 1854. The other
officers came at different times during the following few months. Governor Burt had been taken

[The late Judge Clinton Eriggs was born in Washtenaw county, Michigan, September 9, 1828, and studied law with I.athrop
& Duffield at Detroit, the senior member of which firm is now the United States Minister to Russia. After being admitted to practice
in the Supreme Court of Michigan, in 1853, he entered the office of the late Wm. H. Seward, at Auburn, N. Y., for a further course
of study, and in 1S54 was admitted to practice in the Supreme court of that State. With this professional training he came to Omaha

November 19, 1S55, and at
once entered into practice. In
1857 he was elected County
Judge for two years. Before
his term expired he was elected
to the Territorial Legislature,
and assisted laigely in framing
the present Code of Civil Pro-
cedure of the State. At the
expiration of his judicial term
in 1859, .T"Jge Eiiggs resumed
his law practice, forming a
partnership with Hon. John I.
Redick, and for ten yeais
thereafter, and until its disso
lution, the firm of Redick ir
Briggs stood at the head of th
Omaha bar, and repiesem 1
one side of every impoii 1 i
case. In 1S60, Judge I i._ •
was elected the fouilh Mu
of Omaha, his term being 1
tinguished by the compkti
of telegraphic connection 1
tween Omaha and the Atlant ^
at New York, and the Pacific
at San Francisco, via Salt
Lake, and he sent the fiist
congratulatory messages to
those cities. After his term of
Mayor expired, and up to 187 1,
Judge Briggs was wholly do
Terriloiies. The Ju.lge aided in pnmi
construcli.iu of the ( imaha & Soulhwe
whicu ..LiuirL-d l)Lcaiil)Lr 16, 1S82.

^r<^

rious public
Iroad. He %\

voted to his profession, but his
health becoming impaired in
the latter year, he withdrew
from general practice and con-
fined himself to few, and only
important cases. In 1875 he
was a member of the Constitu
tional Convention which
framed the present State Con
stitution. In 1877 he came
within a few votes of receiving
the Republican nomination for
United States Senator, his can-
ilichcy being urged by his
liiLuds m lecognition of his

I 114, peisistent and sucessful
til Its to compel the two lead-

II .; lailioadb of Nebraska to
] n ta\Ls on their immense
hn 1 flints, and also of the
ji ■inuKiil position taken by
the Judge m the Constitutional
Con\ention on all questions as
a lepiesentatne of tlie people's
inteiests. In the hope of re-
gaining health Judge Briggs
went to Europe in 187S, and
traveled extensively there with
much benefit, but qji his return

'"■" " his ill health still continuing,

he traveled much in California

and the western States and

rprises in the interests of the city and State, among which was the

.till engaged in some important law c.-ises at the time of his death,

ill ..n th.
Bellevue.
which at

journey from South Carolina, and he grew worse from day to day after b

He died on the iSth of October, 1S54, at the old Presb)-terian missi(

that tiine was in charge of Rev. William J. Hainilton. By virtue of

eached

house,

office

Secretary Cuming became acting-governor and at once entered upon the discharge of his
duties. On the 21st of October he issued a proclamation ordering the taking of a census.
The work began on the 24th and was coinpletcd within four weeks. This census, which was
taken in rather an infonnal manner, gave the population of the Territory as 2,732, excluding
the Indians of course. Upon the completion of the census Governor Cuming called an elec-
tion to take place on December 12th. At that election members of the Legislature and a
delegate to Congress were elected. Napoleon B. Gidding, who was elected to Congress,
received 377 votes, Hadley D. Johnson 266, Bird B. Chapman 114, Joseph Dyson 23, and Abner
W. Hollister 14. Dougla.s county, which was then composed of Omaha City precinct and
Bclicvue precinct, cast a total vote of 203, of which Hadley D. Johnson received 198 and
Bird B. Chapman 5.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Governor Cuming designated Omaha as the place for the first meeting of the Legisla-
ture, notwithstanding the opposition of several other towns, prominent among which was
Bellevue. The governor ^^f course incurred the enmity of all other aspirants for the capital.
The Legislature convened at Omaha January i6, 1854, in the State House which had been built
. by the ferry company. The first Legislature was composed as follows:

Council. — J. L. Sharp, Richardson county, president ; Dr. G. L. ]\Iiller, Omaha, chief
clerk ; O. F. Lake, Bi'ownville, assistant clerk ; S. A. Lewis, Omaha, sergeant-at-arms ; N. R.

Folsom, Tekamah, door-keeper; B. R. Folsom, Burt county; J. C. Mitchell, Washington count}-;
M. H. Clark, Dodge county; T. G. Goodwill, A. D. Jones, O. D. Richardson, S. E. Rogers.
Douglas county ; Luke Nuckolls, Cass county ; A. H. Bradford, H. P. Bennett, C. H. Cowles,
Pierce, now Otoe county ; Richard Brown, Forne\', now Nemaha county.

House. — A. J. Hanscom, Omaha, speaker; J. \V. Paddock, Omaha, chief clerk; G. L. Eayre,
Glenwood, Iowa, assistant clerk; J. L. Gibbs, Nebraska City, sergeant-at-arms; B. B. Thompson.
Omaha, door-keeper; W. N. Byers, William Clancy, F. Davidson, Thomas Davis, A. D. Goycr,
A. J. Poppleton, Robert Whitted, Douglas county; J. B. Robertson, A. C. Purple, Burt county;
A. Archer, A. J. Smith, Washington county; E. R. Doyle, J. W. Richardson, Dodge cnrnty;
J. M. Latham, William Kempton, J. D. H. Thompson, Cass county; G. Bennett, J. H. Cowles,
W. H. Hail, J. H. Decker, William IMaddo.x, Pierce, now Otoe county ; W. A. Finney, J. U. Wood,
Forney, now Nemaha count\- ; D. M. Johnson, J. A. Singleton, Richardson county.

The permanent location of the capital was the most important business before the Legis-

OMAHA JLLUSTKATED.

lature, and of course a bitter fight ensued. The contestants for the capital were Omaha,
Fontenclle, Florence, Bellevue, Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, and Brownville. All the South
Platte towns were opposed to Omaha, and it will therefore be se^i that she had great odds
to fight against. However, by shrewd strategy and placing where it would do the most good
large blocks of town lot stock in " Scriptown," — an addition laid out for this very purpose —

[Champion S. Chase was bom in the town of Cornish,
He received a liberal education at the Kimball Union Institi
life as a teacher in the academy at Amsterdam, N, Y. Later
in 1S47. Removing to the West, he opened a law ofiicc al 1-
cessful practice until he en-

New Hampshire, and in his boyhood worked upon his father's farm.
te, Meriden, N. H., and at the age of twenty-one commenced business
he studied law at Buffalo and was admitted to the bar at Canandaigua,
icine, Vv'is., about the first of May, 1S48, and continued there in suc-
District of the State. In

%>.

■\fi.

tered the army in 1862. In
1857 he was admitted to
practice in the Supreme
Court of the United States,
on motion of Daniel Web-
ster. Two years later the
Governor of Wisconsin com-
missioned him as Brigadier
General of the State militia.
In the same year he was
elected to the Board of Edu-
cation of the city of Kacine
and became its president.
In 1856 he was a delegate to
the first National Republi-
can convention at Philadel-
phia, and assisted in the
nomination of Gen. John C.
Fremont. In the same year
he was elected to the State
Senate and served two iLinix,
during the first tcini 1 1114
chairman of the C<'iiiiiiill <_
on Corporations, and in the
second, of the Judicial y Com-
mittee; and in the latter ca-
pacity, in 1858, he super-
vised the revision of the
State statutes. In 1859 he
was elected Prosecuting At-
torney of the First Judicial

a term of one year, and in 1S75, by an overwhelming majority
making him Centennial Mayor. In 1879 he was elected Ma)

1862, upon the recommend-
ation of Salmon P. Chase,
rrcsidtnt Lincoln appointed
liim Paymaster of Volun-
teers, with rank of Major.
Ill 1S65 he served in the
Gulf campaign and was pro-
moted to be Lieutenant Col-
onel. In 1866 he was hon-
orably mustered out, his
last year of service being on
the Rio Grande. On leav-
ing the army Col. Chase
came to Omaha and resumed
the pr.ictice of his profession.
In 1S67 he was appointed
Attorney General for the
Stale, an office which he
l.lk.l fu, two years with
gn..U ability In the same
jL-ir he was ek-"tcd one of
the boaid of istees of
liimncU Hall, young

1 I Uls' institute o. ."Imaha,
^^hldl position he has filled
OLi since. In 18(59 he "^v^s
appointed by the Governor
one of the regents of the
_ State University for six

' years. In 1S74 he was

COL. CHAMPION S. CHASE. 1 , j Af c rs 1 r

elected Mayor of Omaha for

as re-elected for two years (the term of office having been extended),
for the third time, and again in 1883 for the fourth time. In 1881,

by authority of the Council, he compiled the ordinances of the city. In 1S86 he was unanimously chosen president of the Nebraska
State Humane Society, which position he now holds. He has also for many years been a prominent member of the Omaha Board
of Trade, and during the last few years has, as a delegate, represented the State and the Board in five National Missouri River
Improvement conventions. Of Col. Chase's speeches in these conventions, perhaps the most notable was the one made at St. Paul,
and afterward published in pamphlet form, entitled, "Corn is King in Nebraska." Throughout his public career Col. Chase has
been conspicuous for his untiring energy, his faithful and fearless performance of duty, his devotion to the interests of his constituents
and his adherence to his friends. As a public speaker, impromptu or otherwise, he has few equals in the State, and many of his
addresses and orations have been published in various forms. lie has been a lifelong friend of the oppressed, and his humane
sympathies and charitable disposition peculiarly fit him for his position as president of the State Humane Society. As Mayor, Col.
Chase was, from the first, in favor of the most extensive range of public improvements which the financial condition of the city would
allow, and during his Centennial term he projected and recommended to the city council, in one of his messages, the establishment
of a system of parks and boulevards substantially on the same plan and along the same routes as those most talked of and desired
today, by the public spirited citizens of Omaha.

the OiTiaha lobbyists secured enough votes to capture the capital. The joint resolution designat-
ing Omaha as the capital of the Territory was passed February 22, 1855. James C. Mitchell,
of Florence, who had been exceedingly hostile towards Oinaha, was induced to change front
by a liberal gift of town lots. It was considered a cheap investment, as upon his vote the whole
matter depended. Immediately after the passage of the resolution, Mr. Mitchell was appointed

G MA HA /LLC S r R A TE D.

sole commissioner to locate the capitol building. He finally made the location on Capitol Hill,
the site being now occupied by the high school building. The following summer Mr. Mitchell
sold at auction sixty lots in Omaha for about $6o each. Througli the capital fight Omaha's

interests were champi-
oned in the Council 1)\-
O. D. Richardson ami T.
G. Goodwill, and in tlic
House by A. J. Popplc-
ton and A. J. Hansconi.
Many exciting scenes
occurred during t li e
capital fight. Dr. Miller
described the scenes ..f
those early legislative
da\-s in an article in
the Omaha Herald, of
which the following is
an extract

H.1

lied the art of wmkmg to itb
liisjhest perfection in those ila)-..
Tlie latter was ahvay;. fiist icl-
ognized by Speaker ILiiisonn
when he wanted the flooi . '1 lie
Speaker was particular abuiit
keeping order. Any refr.ictory
member o|jposed to Omaha who

In January, 1855, U. S.
caused by the death of

refused to take his seat when or-
dered to, was emphatically noti-
fied that if he didn't sit down he
would get knocked down. The
result was usually satisfactory to
the Speaker. The excitement
over the capitol question was, at
times, very great. The lobbies,
we remember, were once crowd-
ed with the respective parties to
the contest, armed with bludg-
eons, brick-bats and pistols. A
fight was thought to be immi-
nent, but it did not occur.

The capital question
aving been settled, the
remainder of the session
of the Legislature was
devoted to the organ-
ization of counties, the
cation of county scats,
the granting of ferry
and toll-bridge privi-
leges, and the passage
of a complete code of

THE L.VrE SENATOR F. W. HUeUCOCK. , r 1

laws for the territory.
Marshal, Mark W. Izard, was appointed Governor to fill the vacancy
Governor Burt. An executive ball was given in honor of Governor

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Izard, at the City Hotel, a small frame building, at the northwest corner of Harney and
Eleventh streets, the site now being occupied by a large brick block erected by the late

[The Grand Opera House is comparatively a new enterprise. Its management recognized the fact that Omaha needed more
than one first-class place of amusement and was quick to seize the opportunity of supplying the want. That no mistake of judgment
was made has been evinced from the first. It is one of six houses composing a circuit managed by Mr. L. M. Crawford. Mr. Craw-
ford is seconded by J. D. Jones, who is assistant manager of the entire circuit and resident manager of the Grand. The other places
represented are Atchison, Leavenworth, Topeka, Wichita and Newton, Kansas. This syndicate arrangement works peculiar advant-

ages both to companies and to the management. The Grand is a remarkable building. As at present constituted, it is an architec-
tural triumph. It was remodeled out of the Exposition building with most gratifying results. It is the largest ground floor hall in
the West, the seating capacity, 2,486, being easily increased by the use of chairs. The acoustic properties are faultless. The heating
is all by steam, and while this obviates much of the usual danger from fire, the numerous exits make anything like a panic impossible.
There are no stairs to the main floor. The doors are wide and swing outward. The room could be emptied in a few moments,
though densely packed. The stage is much larger than usual, being 56x120 feet. It is thus particularly adapted to use by large
troupes, or to such exhibitions as given there by Gilmore's band, and spectacular events. All modern improvements have been
introduced. There are twenty sets of scenery, all adapted to current drama and all new. There are numerous dressing rooms and
all conveniences for the actors. There are eight tierloges around the balcony and eight ground floor boxes, but every seat in the house
is a good one. The fact that the capacity of the ground floor is the greatest of that of any theatre in America is worth mention. In
addition to the theatrical features the Exposition hall must be considered. Its seating capacity is 1900. It is suitable for conventions
and kindred gatherings. It is also equipped with a stage ample for smaller companies or for amateur performances and for concerts.
The Grand is particularly easy to reach. At the corner of Fifteenth street and Capitol avenue, with the main entrance on Fifteenth,
it is passed by street cars from all parts of the city and also by the cars of the new Motor line. The entrance to the Exposition hall is
on Fourteenth street. Like the Grand, this hall is free from all danger by fire and is in popular favor. It is safe, convenient and
comfortable. The management of the Grand has made, from the start, an endeavor to present the best of attractions and has been
markedly successful. Nothing is admitted to the house which would not be welcomed in the most exclusive opera house in the land.
Mr. Crawford has been remarkably successful in all his theatrical ventures and has had large experience. This new theater is owned
by the old Exposition stockholders, and is under the supervision and control of a directory composed of some of the leading citizens of
this city.]

OMA II A IL L US TRA TED,

Ezra Millard. This was the first and only executive ball ever given in Omaha, and it was
a great social event in those days. The room in which the. dance took place was unfin-

Rough cotton-wood benches were used

■thing else corresponded.

The music was furnished by a solitary fiddler. Altogether, it was a very primitive affair.
The following description of the executive ball is from the pen of Dr. Miller :

" Governor Izard was the guest of nine ladies who were all that could be mustered even for a state occasion in Omaha. They
were Mrs. T. B. Cuming, Mrs. Fenner Ferguson, Mrs. Sterling Morton, Mrs. C. B. Smith, Mrs. Fleming Davidson, Mrs. A. J.
Hanscom, Mrs. A. D. Jones, Mrs. S. E. Rogers, and Mrs. G. L. Miller. Two of the ladies could not dance, so their places were
supplied by the same number of gentlemen. » * * Messrs. Paddock, Poppleton, Cuming, Smith, Morton, Ferguson,

Goodwill, Clancy and Folsom, besides a large assemblage of legislators, attended. « * « The dance opened. It was a
gay and festive occasion. Notwithstanding the energetic use of green cottonwood, the floor continued icy. During the dancing
several accidents happened. One lady, now well known in Nebraska, fell flat. Others did likewise. The supper came off about
midnight and consisted of coffee with brown sugar and no milk, sandwiches of peculiar size, dried apple pie. The sandwiches, we
may observe, were very thick, and were made of a singvilar mixture of bread of radical complexion and bacon. The Governor,
having long lived in ah.)l climate, stood around shivering in the cold, but buoyed up by the honors thus showered upon him, bore
himself with the most amiable fortitude."

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

One of the most sensational incidents of the early days was the killing of George
Hollister by Dr. Charles A. Henry. The two men became involved in a dispute at Belle-
vue about a boundary line between two tracts of land, and the result was that Henry
shot Hollister. This occurred April 20, 1855. Henry was arrested and brought to Omaha,
where he was imprisoned with shackles and handcuffs in Sheriff Peterson's house. By the

[Dr. James H. Seymour, who came to Omaha in the year 1857, was born in New Hartford, Connecticut, July gth, 1S25. While
young, his parents emigrated to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he obtained his elementary education, and was subsequently a student
at the Grand River Institute. In 1846 we find him a young teacher in Columbiana county, before commencing the study of medicine.

The commencement of his professional studies dates back to 1848, when he became a student of Drs. Robertson & Kuhn, then

associated in the practice of among the heterogeneous ele-

medicine in Hanover, Colum- ments in the village of Omaha.

biana county, Ohio. Having - Intense in his anti slavery con-
pursued his studies for more victions, he found relaxation
than two years, he then at- l^^g fc^^ from professional toil in assist-
tended the medical college in jfHEH^HK^ '"^ '° organize the Republican
Cleveland, Ohio, for three ses- ^^^^^BBB^-< P^''^'' "^'"^ though at first in a
sions, graduating with distin- ^IPRHHIHI^b^ ' minority, his capacity, pluck
guished honors, and received J^^^^^^^^^^^^^l "'"^ fidelity in 1859 secured
the appointment of resident [ Or ^BE- '^''^ ^ ^^^' ™ '^'^ Territorial
physician of the Marine IIos- // JR Legislature from Douglas
pital in Cleveland, under Pro- j/ _ HB^ county. Subsequently, till the
fessor Ackley. For a young :^t ^jKt ^ti^ S^m summer of 1S61, he pursued the
physician of culture and of pro- -*4B ^9^ f^mm ^g practice of his profession with
fessional pride, to have, at f^ S. great fidelity and was then pre-
once, the instruction and asso- i ^ ^Bt vailed upon to accompany the
ciation of such a distinguished j ^ ' fl^f Nebraska Cavalry as surgeon
surgeon as Prof. Ackley, was a : ' - #** to St. Louis. During his ab-
rare boon. In the spring of ! ¥ sence he was elected a second
1854, rich in the garnered e.\- ' , 7 time to the Legislature. Ac-
perience of his city residence, ^v^ . j,^^^ cordingly he attended the ses-
he was fortunate in forming a ^^k yS^'^^SSfiM^rffflBiW sio'> '" ^^^ winter of 1862.

Lucretia Robertson, daughter ^^^ffil^S^S^^^^^^^^B^ ^1^^^^ journed. Governor Saunders

of his former preceptor, and ^sPHEv^Pvl 4 ^^^^^^ bI^^^^^ tendered him the appointment

then engaged with new incen- ;^||B - t |R ^HJ^JlA ^^B^Bs ^^ Surgeon of the First Ne-

tives in a three years' term of '^B '' ' X ^^^BBt^^^KB^ braska Regiment, then in the

practice in the town of New ^K ^ / f \ -AwM^^sHHlL '^'-''^'' "^'^'^ being accepted he

Lisbon. With the elements of '\ w ^f \ ft ''^SSm^^ followed the fortunes of his

enterprise and hope of greater % -J^^V^ regiment with an unfaltering

success permeating his nature, ' ^'' 'ir step, till overtaken by death,

his face was turned to the then '^^ J in camp, at Helena, Arkansas,

farWest, nor did his pilgrimage the l.\te dr. J.4MES H. sevmour. Sept. 7, 1S62. Never in the

end till he pitched his tent history of the regiment was

there so much heart and soul infused into memorial resolutions, as in his case. One, of a long series, epitomises the sad eulogium in
the following words : — " Resolved, that while we mourn deeply the loss of him who, as an oflicer, was so kind, so faithful, and so
fearless in the discharge of every duty, we at the same time drop our tears to the memory of those social qualities that rendered him
so esteemed by every one of us, and a favorite with all who knew him." Having contracted malaria early in the spring, the sound of
the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, on the Tennessee River, reached him upon his bed of sickness, and he had never ceased lamenting
his inability that day to render surgical aid. From a returning attack in the fall he sooi realized that his days were about numbered,
and now his controlling desire was to be restored to life for his wife and the education of his children. To secure the presence of
his wife, if possible, the Chaplain, now ex-U. S. Senator T. W. Tiptin, was despatched by steamer to telegraph and accompany her.
But when they arrived nine days later, he had answered the "last roll call." A day previous, the one on which he died, having
called for the likenesses of wife and child and kissed them, he asked for pencil and paper and in a tremulous hand wrote : " Sept.
7, 1862. Dear Wife and Children : I do love you, but shall not see you again. I want to put full trust in God. O ! it is hard. Good
bye. James." Educated, virtuous and self reliant, his children have taken their places in society, and his devoted wife incorporated
his name with Seymour Addition to the city of Omaha.]

order of Judge Ferguson the prisoner was chained to the floor. The United States grand
jury, the first one in the Territory and specially called for this case, failed to indict Henry,
but Judge Ferguson re-committed the prisoner and ordered a new jur}'. About this time
Dr. Miller was called upon to accompany a flotilla of steamboats up the Missouri river
with a large number of soldiers for Fort Pierre, among whom the cholera had broken out.
During Dr. Miller's absence, Dr. Henry was the only physician in Omaha, and he was

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

frequently called upon to attend cases in various parts of the city. He was permitted to
attend to his patients, but was shackled and accompanied by Sheriff Peterson. It was but

[Boyd's Opera House, substantially and attractively constructed, stands at Fifteenth and Farnam streets in the business heart
of the city. It is of brick with stone trimmings. The building was erected in iSSi by the Hon. James E. Boyd, one of Omaha's
foremost citizens. He started out with a view to having a model opera house, and succeeded. He placed the matter in the hands
of John McElfatrick & Sons, experienced architects, and the result was a safe and comely edifice with every convenience for the
public, and every accessory for the comfort of the actor, combined with the most desirable stage effect. There are larger houses of
the class in some eastern cities ; there are more showy ones, but for quiet elegance, for neatness devoid of gaudy display, for
acoustic properties and general welfare of audience and players, Boyd's Opera House is all that could be desired. The house was

D S OriiR.V HOUSE.

built exclusively for the presentation of the drama and opera and is complete in every particular. It is 77x132 feet m dimensions.
The front is go feet in elevation and the rear no. This additional height is for the better working of stage appurtenances. Ihere
are 076 grand opera chairs and a gallery capable of seating 690 persons, making a total seating capacity of nearly 1,700. Ihere are
six proscenium boxes which are perhaps as elegant in finish as any in America. The proscenium opening is 34 /eet in width. The
stage is 50x74 feet. The scenic effects are complete and adapted to the presentation of every style of play. The danger of fire is
reduced to a minimum, the building being heated by steam throughout and a complete outfit of fire apparatus on evei;y hand, and at
every performance there are two detailed firemen ready for duty in an emergency. The management has no difficulty in securing
the best attractions. Omaha is classed as a good " show town," with a population of 100,000, made up mostly of enterprising people
of sufficient refinement and culture to patronize Art in all its branches. It is not strange then that such a Thespian temple as Boyd s
Opera House should be crowded whenever the merit of the attraction is such as to appeal to a cultivated t.iste. It can be lairly said
that no other opera house can present a finer line of attractions. The leading stars on their tours from coast to co.ist always book
Omaha, and the patrons of Boyd's see the first talent of the land. The Boyd Opera House was opened October 24, 1881, by the
Fay Templeton Opera Company in Mascotte, and since that time it has been running with a success which, always marked, was
never more pronounced than at present. Mr. Thomas F. Boyd, a brother of the proprietor, has acted as manager from the first.
The present high standing of the house with the public and the theatrical profession testifies to his capabilities. He is assisted by
E. E. Whitmore, in the capacity of treasurer. The two, combining experience with a desire to sustain the reputation of the house,
and at the same time gratify the public taste, have at all times put forward their best eflforts, and to them must be ascribed a large
of the success attained. The central location of the house will be noted by all visitors. Perhaps no other corner in the
veil haTe been adapted to theatrical purposes. It is passed by most of the street car lines and is in easy reach of the

Tt :~ .,^* t^« .«..aU ♦«. fni* fV.-,f C\mn\yn Je tv»-/m1/1 rtf "RrtvH'c On*»I*a TTnil'^P.I

leading hotels. It is not too much to say that Omaha is proud of Boyd's Opera House.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

natural that Dr. Henry should make many warm friends, and as a result the next grand
jury did not indict him. It was maintained that he had acted in self-defense. Tlius was
the first murder case in Douglas county disposed of. Dr. Henry became a very prominent
and enterprising citizen, and erected the first portion of Pioneer Block, a three-story brick
building, in 1856.

[George IngersuU Gilbert, one of the " Seven Gilbert Boys " — sons of Deacon Sime
as having passed through the same university, was Ijorn in Pittsford, Rutland county, Ver:

. Gillwrt — who were noted i
mt, and graduated at the Ui

Vermont
iversity of

Vermont, Burlington, in 1S53.
College, Louisiana, which po-
sition he filled till 1856, w^hen
he resigned. Having studied
law he was admitted to the bar
in Chicago, 111., in 1857, and
the same year came to Oma-
ha and entered into practice.
In 1858 he was elected City
Attorney, Mr. A. J. Popple-
ton being Mayor, and during
his term of office represented
the city at the United States
Land Office, in cases involving
titles to all the original entries
of land within the corporate
limits of the city, outside of
the Mayor's entry of 320 acres.
His official connection with
these cases made Mr. Gilbert
thoroughly acquainted with
the early titles to Omaha real
estate, and his later practice
has been largely in that direc-
tion. In i860 Mr. Gilbert
formed a law partnership with
Hon. George B. Lake, and in
the fall of 1861 was elected
Prosecuting Attorney for
Douglas county, which posi-
tion he resigned in 1S62, and
in company with E. B. Chand-
ler crossed the Plains. In the
fall of that year he was one of
and soon afterward resumed his law practice
still e.\ists. In 18S7 he was appointed by &
charter of Omaha, passed at the last session

Immediately after leaving the university he was appointed Professor of Mathematics in Louisiana

the discoverers of Boise Mines,
then in Washington Territory.
The following winter the Terri-
torial Legislature created a
county covering the southern
half of what is now Idaho
Territory, and in the act
named Mr. Gilbert Probate
Judge of the new county, in
which capacity he held the
first legally constituted court
in that section of the country.
While practicinghis profession
there he was largely interested
in placer mining, in connec-
tion with Mike Murphy, well
leniembered by all early set-
tleis in Omaha as a brother ol
Mis. Cuming, wife of the late
Gorernor T. B. Cuming, and
of Mr. Frank Murphy, now
[iicsident of the Merchants'
National Bank of Omaha. In
1867 Mr. Gilbert left the Ter-
utory and went to Chicago,
where he engaged in the com-
mission business as a member
of the firm of Gilbert, Wol-
cott & Co., in which he was
interested until 1873, the firm
meantime passing through the
great Chicago Fire in 1871.
In 1869 he returned to Omaha,
In 1S76 he fuimed i piitULibhip with Mr. B. E. B. Kennedy, which association
NeinorThayei one of the Fiie and Police Commissioners provided for by the new
if the Legislature. Upon this Board of four Commissioners, with the Mayor as a

member, ex-officio, has devolved the 1

i duty of establishing a metropolitan police 1

for the city of Omaha

At the second session of the Legislature, in the winter of 1 85 5 -56, the opponents of
Omaha rallied in full force with a determination to remove the capital to Douglas City,
a mythical point. The real intention, however, was to remove it to Bellevue. The move-
ment included a large number of South Platte men headed by J. Sterling Morton, Colonel
Sarpy and Secretary Cuming. The plan, however, was defeated. Another attempt at capi-
tal removal was made at the next session, in the winter of 1S56-57. Plouglas City was
again to be made the capital. It \\-as to be located about where the present capital,
Lincoln, was fixed. Fully two-thirds of the Legislature were pledged against Omaha. The
proprietors of the proposed new location had freely distributed their town-site stock ainong
the members, and thus got up a strong combination. Isaac L. Gibbs was elected Speaker of
the House by the enemies of Omaha. Out of thirty-eight votes Omaha could only
rely upon eight. To gain time the Omaha men indulged in the most lengthy dis-
cussions on trivial subjects. Most of the talking against time was done by Jonas Seeley

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED

and A. J. Hanscom. Some very stormy scenes ensued. The Speaker at one time ordered
the sergeant-at-arms to arrest Hanscom, who defied the officer to carry out the order.
It was evident that the arrest could not be made without a serious altercation, and the
sergeant-at-arms abandoned the attempt. This was a great victory for the Omaha men,
who now became bolder, and made it so disagreeable for the Speaker that rather than
occup)- the chair he pretended to be sick, and appointed General Strickland to fill the
chair in his absence. Finally, by a judicious use of money, enough votes were secured by
Omaha to prevent the passage of the capital removal bill over the Governor's veto. When

RESIDENCE OF H. KOrXTZE.

the fourth Legislature convened in the winter of 1S57-5S the capital removers once more
came up smiling, and as usual introduced a bill to locate the capital elsewhere. Mr.
Hanscom, although not a member of this Legislature, was called upon to act as the leader
of Omaha's defenders. One morning the House went into committee of the whole, and
elected as its chairman Dr. Thrall, who thereupon took the Speaker's chair. A great deal
of time was taken up in talk, this being a part of the Omaha programme. It was con-
tinued until after the Council adjourned. Late in the afternoon a message was received
from the clerk of the Council. A question was at once raised under the joint rules that
no message could be received by one branch when the other, that sent it, was not in
session. Mr. Decker, the Speaker, endeavored during the discussion to take the chair, and
announced that the committee of the whole would rise and receive the message from the
Council. Hanscom, who had the usual ex-member's privilege of the floor, yelled to Thrall to
hit Decker over the head with the gavel. The result was a very lively fight. J. W. Paddock
and Michael Murphy, both members of the House, sprang forward to prevent Decker from
assaulting Thrall, and during the scuffle Hanscom grabbed Decker by the back of the neck

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED,

and threw him under the table. A general free fight ensued, in which the Omaha men
gained a complete victory. The next morning each house passed a resolution adjourning to
Florence. Their action, however, was not recognized by the Governor, Hon. W. A. Richard-
son, of Quincy, Illinois, who succeeded Governor Izard and arrived here shortly after the
adjournment to Florence. This session of the Legislature was held in the territorial capitol
building which had been erected on Capitol Hill. The contract was made November 29, 1855, and
the building was to have been completed in September 1856. It was not finished, however, until

[The name of Kountze Brothi^rs, bankers, in Omaha, Denver and New York, is well known throughout the country. There
are four brothers living — Augustus, Herman, Luther and Charles B. They are the sons of Christian Kountze who, when a young
man, emigrated from Saxony, a German province in Europe, to the United States. Two years after his arrival in this country he
married Margaret Zerbe, a native of Pennsylvania, and located in Osnaburg, a small village in Stark county, Ohio, where he engaged
pursuits, and ten years and remained there

until the fall of 1856, when
he left home and came
direct to Omaha. The
younger brothers followed
from time to time until all
the sons had taken up their
homes either in Nebraska or
Colorado. William, the
fifth brother, came to Neb-
raska in 1858 and died the
same year at Dakota City.
.■\uguslus and Herman, hav-
ing grown up together, have
fiom boyhood had many in-
terests in common. They
have continued the business
of buying and selling real
estate from the time of com-
iiii; West until the present.
Ill iheearly days of Nebraska
iluy bought considerable
|iiii|)erty in the river towns
uf the State. They had
holdings in Brownville, Neb-
raska City, . Tekamah, and
Dakota City, Nebraska, and
also in Sioux City, Iowa.
None of the Missouri river
" ventures, however, proved

profitable except those in
N KOINTZE. Omaha. They also had

large holdings in Iowa and
mds. At a sliU later period they bought considerable real estate in
sted in Texas pine and grazing lands. In the fall of 1857, after the
re of the local banks at Omaha having failed, Augustus and Herman

in business at the
same place until his death, a
period of about forty years.
Christian and Margaret
Kountze raised a family of
ten children — five sons and
five daughters. Augustus
Kountze was born Nov. 19,
1826, and Herman Kountze
was born .\ug. 2i, 1833. All
the sons acquired their busi-
ness training under their
father's care. Augustus en-
tered his father's business
house at the age of fifteen
and continued until 1854, and
was the first to leave the old
home, going from there to
Muscatine, Iowa, the then
far West, where he engaged
in the real estate business.
In the summer of 1855 Omaha
was first brought to his no-
tice as a probable coming
city, and he came here and
made a few investments.
Early in the spring of 1856
he returned and made it his
home lintil February, 1872.
Herman Kountze com-
menced business in his hjr
father's store at the age of

Minnesota lands, and later on invested heavily in Nebrask:
other places, principally in Chicago and Denver, and also ii
great financial panic, real estate became very unsalable, and 1
Kountze commenced the banking business under the firm name of Kountze Brothers, and continued as such until 1864. Meantime
they organized the First National Bank of Omaha, which was the first bank organized in Nebraska under the National Banking Law.
At the time of its organization the late Mr. Edward Creighton w.is made president of the bank, in which capacity he continued until
his death. Herman Kountze was appointed cashier and filled that position for several years; later on he became vice-president and
Augustus Kountze was made cashier. Upon the death of Mr. Creighton, Herman Kountze was elected president of the bank and has
since remained in that position. In the fall of 1862, Luther Kountze, a younger brother, went to Denver and was soon followed by
Charles B. Kountze, who was the last of the boys to leave the old home. Upon arriving in Denver Luther opened a bank under the
name of Kountze Brothers, the senior members being Augustus and Herman. In 1866 they organized the Colorado National Bank,
of Denver. They have ever since remained in the control and management of that institution, and are prominently connected with
other business interests of that city, particularly in the Holden Smelting and Reduction Works, in which they have invested
largely. During 1867 Luther Kountze went to New York, and in 186S opened a banking house in that city under the firm name of
Kountze Brothers, of which Augustus and Herman Kountze are the senior members. In 1872 the New York business had grown to
such an extent that it became necessary for another member of the firm to be in that city and, accordingly, Augustus Kountze left
Omaha and took up his permanent residence in New York, assuming, in connection with Luther, the management of the business in
that city, which is still continued under the old firm name and includes the four brothers. Augustus Kountze was married June 14,
1859, to Miss Catharine Ruth, of Hanoverton, Ohio. Herman Kountze was married May 10, 1S64, to Miss Elizabeth Davis, the
daughter of Mr. Thomas Davis, one of the pioneers of Omaha and Nebraska, but now a resident of Indianapolis. Augustus and

OMAfTA ILLUSTRATED.

Herman Kountze have been identified with the business interests and progress of Omaha and Nebraska from the pioneer days until
the present time, and have talven an ftctive part in everytliing tending to the material welfare of the city and State. They were
largely interested in the Omaha & Northwestern Railroad, now a part of the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Omaha, and have also
been interested in railroads in other portions of the country, particularly the Denver & South Park, now owned by the Union Pacific,

the Sabine & East Texas Railway, running from Sabine
Pass to the Neches river in Texas, which road has since
been merged into the Texas & New Orleans system of
roads; the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel & Western Railway,
a pait of the Fitchbuig system of roads, which system
includes the famous Hoosac Tunnel, Troy & Greenfield,
as well as the Tioy &. Boston, making a continuous line
fiom Boston, Mass , to Tio>, New York. Until their con-
Augustus was piesident of the B., H. T. & W.,
and is now a duector in the ■ consolidated company.
Au!;ustus Kountze was also treasurer, for a number of
^ I of the then leiutoiy of Nebraska, and was one
Union Pacific Railroad, as well
and later on held the appoint-

ment of a United States Govern
of said railroad company, and at the time ol
he was largely instrumental in
securing for it the right of way and terminal
facilities in Omaha. During his residence in
Omaha he was engaged in the lianking inter-
ests of the firm, including those named, with
the branches at Central City, Colorado, and
Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Kountze Memo-
rial Lutheran church, of Omaha, to which he
was a most generous contributor, was named
in honor of his father. After Augustus went
to New York, Herman took the management
of the affairs of the firm in Nebraska, Iowa
and Minnesota. The new First National Dank
building in Omaha, costing, including realty,
$300,000, is another monument of their en-
terprise, and to Herman Kountze largely
belongs the credit for its erection. Mr. Her-
man Kountze has greatly developed the rcsi
dence portions of the city, having, during

the year 18S7, laid out one of the finest ad.li ^.^^^.^ ^ ..^ MEMORIAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.

tions to the city and known as Kountze .

Place, on which there are now about seventy-five of the handsomest residences in the city in the course of erection, with about as
many more to be added during 1SS8. For many of the houses erected he furnished aid to the purchasers. He has also sold large
numbers of lots in other portions of the city to labi

the buildii

ring men on long time and easy terms, in many instances advancing money for
enablin.. many to secure homes who, otherwise, could not' have done so. He is also interested in the South
Omaha Land Syndicate and South Omaha Stock Yards, corporations which have given Omaha a great boom and made .t one of the
solid business cities of the country.

some time in 1857. Its cost was $100,000. The capital removal qt.ostion was not brought up
a-ain until 1867, when Nebraska became a State. The cnablin-j act for Nebraska's admission was

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

passed March 2i, 1864, and- under that act an election was held, and a State constitution
adopted which prohibited the right of suffrage to the negroes. This caused Congress to pass
another act to the effect that Nebraska could only be admitted by a change of her consti-

[John A. McShane was born at New Lexington, Perry county
of age, receiving during this period of his life all the education hi
afforded. With this meagre education, and accustomed to toil, in
Wyoming Territoiy, where he became employed on a cattle ranch
of practical apprenticeship
and prudent saving, he
made a venture in cattle on
his own account, and thus
laid the foundation for his
subsequent great financial
success. In 1874 he left
Wyoming and came to Oma
ha, and has since continu-
ously resided here. He re-

, Ohio, .\ugust 25, 1S50, and worked upon a farm until 21 years
ever obtained, and that only such as a country common school
1S71 Mr. McShane set out to carve his fortune in life, going to
Seeing in cattle raising a prosperous business, after two years

to engage in any project

for

,idually,un
he mergei

til ISS

them in the Bay Slate Live
Stock Company, in which
he is a stockholder, and
whose herds now number
loo.ooohead. Clear-headed
as to the future, Mr. Mc
Shane saw what Omaha
might become, and with

for which he is noted, hf
soon became one of Oma
ha's most prominent ami

\W r.

ity's

elopment of the
rces and the pro-
motion of Its geneiil «el
faie In 1879 the Omaha
Nail Woiks wcie estab
libhed. Ml McShane be
ing a stockholder lu the
company and a diiector,
and this impoitant manu
factoiy foi seveial years
contiibuted much to the
business of Omaha, and
ga\e employment to a laige
number of woikmcn He

of the Union Stock \aids
at South Omaha, and was
elected piesident of the
compan), which office he
still holds This movement
his I 1 V ll ill an impuit

UltsglL

packing 1

1^.1^.

to surpass in volume tliose of any other western city. In dircciing aUention to Omaha's advantages as a cattle market and
packing point, Mr. McShane has been especially active, and he has been instrumental in the removal of a considerable portion of
the packing business of Chicago to South Omaha. He was one of the promoters of the South Omaha Laud Syndicate, and is a
director in the organization. He helped to organize the Union Stock Yards Bank in South Omaha, and is president of the institu.
lion; he is also a stockholder and director in the First National Bank of Omaha. Outside of these various enterprises his attention
is devoted to the care of his large real estate interests in Omaha. In iSSo Mr. McShane was elected to the lower house of the Stale
Legislature from Omaha for two years. In 1882 he was elected to the State Senate for two years from the Senatorial District of which

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Douglas county forms a part, and was re-elected for anolher term in 1SS4. In 1886 he received the nomination of his party in the
First Congressional District, his Republican competitor being Hon. Church Howe, and was elected by a plurality over Howe of
7,023, and a majority over all of 6,980, thus winning the distinction of being the first Democrat sent to Congress from Nebraska.
During Mr. McShane's service in the State Legislature, changes were made in the charter of Omaha, which enabled the city govern-
ment to enter upon a series of public improvements that have wholly changed the character of the city. In the formulation of these
measures Mr. McShane vigilantly and faithfully represented his constituents, and advocated the increased powers of the City Council,
which were necessary to the end in view. In the larger field to which he has been called he will undoubtedly prove a valuable and
faithful representative of Nebraska's interests, in that quiet but effective way which has characterized his business methods.]

tution, SO that the right of suffrage should not be denied to any man on account of race,
color or previous condition of servitude. The constitution was accordingly revised and then
Nebraska was admitted as a State of the Union. Under a constitutional provision the first

FIR T N\ri

State Legislature had the right to locate the seat of government. Governor David Butler,
the first elected Governor, convened the first State Legislature at Omaha on the i6th of May,
1867, and it was during this session that the capital was removed to Lincoln. The citizens
of Omaha made no opposition. Upon the removal of the capital the title to Capitol Square
reverted to Omaha, the Legislature making it conditional that the ground should be used
for school purposes. The magnificent high school building now occupying the site of the old
capitol was built during the years 1870, '71 and '72, at a cost of $250,000.

In the early history of Omaha the Claim Club occupies a prominent position. It is
maintained by many of the surviving old settlers, particularly those who were active mem-
bers of the organization, that the Claim Club was a necessary institution. At the time the
Claim Clubs throughout Nebraska were formed, the settlers had only a squatter claim, as the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

title to the land was still in the Government. One of the objects, therefore, of the Claim
organization was to protect these squatter titles. Conveyances of these titles were made
by means of quit-claim deeds. Another object was the acquisition of more land than would
be allowed under the Government laws, under \\hich the limit was i6o acres. This was not
enough to satisfy the squatters, who determined through the "claim association" system to

[Origen D. Richa-ilson was born in Vemic
l8l2, and took part in the battle of Plattsburg.
:ontinued the practice of his profession. He \v:

t in 1796. He joined the voUniteer troops of that State as a private in the war of
He was admitted to the bar in 1S24, and moved to Michigan in 1829, where he
; a prominent Democratic politician, serving several terms in both branches of the

Territorial and .State Legislatur
to Omaha, and was a member
of the first Territorial Conn-
cil of Nebraska. In 1855 he
was appointed one of the
Commissioners to prepare a
code of laws for the Territory.
The codification, which was
mainly his work, forms the
basis of the present laws of
Nebraska. Hedied in Oma-
ha in 187S. Governor Rich-
ardson was long a leading
and well known citizen of
Michigan, commandmg the
confidence and enjoying the
respect of its people In his
profession he tanked among
the first. In politics he w is
a Jeffersonian Demociat 11 1
strict constiuclioiiist Hi
personal integiitywas of in
flexible mould No admin
istration of Michigan e\er
more completely enjojed the
confidence of the State than
that in which John S. Barry
was Goveinoi and O D.
Richardson I leiitenant Gov-
ernor. Aftei hib lemoval to
Nebinska he ga\e little at-
tention to polilicb, but pur-
sued his profession and de
voted himself to the care of a
his interest anil sympathy with y

for a pleasant word and hearty greeting to the young. No c
In his twenty-first year, just out of school, he had undertak

es. He was Lieutenant-Governor of Michigan from 1844 to 1848.

In September, 1854, he removed
large property. Such public
offices as he held he received
without solicitation, and by
a practically unanimous elec-
tion. His high character
and long experience in pub-

lic affai:

gave him great

weight and influence in an
unformed commonwealth in
which it was rare to find a
man over thirty years of age.
The revised statutes of 1867
are almost wholly his work.
J. S. Sharp and A. J. Pop-
pleton were his associates,
but the work was his. He
was both an able jurist and
an eflfective advocate. He
was a clear and logical think-
er, with the additional gift of
a pleasing and effective style
of speech. Through his
strongest and most serious
efforts there was apt to run
an undercurrent of humor,
ridicule and satire, which
maintained the interest of
court and auditors at the
highest point; yet his chief
power lay in the vigor and
conclusiveness of his argu-
ment. One of Governor
Richardson's best traits was
He was naturally genial and kindly to all, and was never too busy
could have better reason for remembering this trait than the writer,
to speak on an occasion which had usually demanded older men.
When the allotted moment arrived the natural trepidation of the situation so wrought upon the speaker as well nigh to congeal his
faculties. Just as he mounted the platform a strong hand seized his. "You have a splendid audience," said he, " and they are all
kindly disposed; if your knees tremble and the words stick in your throat, look at me and take courage." For the short hour the
writer stood for the first time before "a sea of upturned faces," the broad, benevolent, beaming, kindly face of Governor Richardson,
not ten feet in front, was a tower of strength and courage, a beacon and an inspiration. The heart of youth won in that way is never
lost. The impress of a noble character is never effaced, but becomes a guide and monitor of youth forever. His family life was
singularly happy. After fifty years of domestic happiness, in which youthful vows and attachments grew stronger and more sacred
with the lapse of years, husband and wife were called together — crossing the silent river, as they had so long journeyed upon earth, side
by side. He left one son and two daughters, all yet living — Lyman Richardson, from its origin until very recently joint foimder and
proprietor, and business manager of the Omaha Herald; Mrs. Z. B. Knight and Mrs. G. I. Gilbert, all important factors in the best
life of Omaha. — a. j. p.]

take 320 acres. The first " Nebraska claim meeting," as it was called, was held at Omaha, Jul_\-
22d, 1854, soon after the completion of the survey of the town site. S. Lewis presided as
chairman, and M. C. Gaylord was the secretary. A code of laws was adopted, providing for
the marking of claims. The claims were limited to 320 acres, which could be in two tracts
of 160 acres each. Timber claims were liinited to eighty acres, in two separate tracts if so
desired. The Omaha Claim Club, as the organization was named, elected as its first officers :

THE LATE GOV ORIGEN D RICH.'iRDSON,
g men, students and lawyers. He w;

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

A. D. Jones, judge ; S. Lewis, clerk ; M. C. Gaylord, recorder ; R. B. Whitted, sheriff. Other
clubs throughout the Territory soon followed, all organized upon the plan of the Omaha club.
One of the regulations of the Omaha club was that each member should hold against all

1146021

CITY HALL.

outside claimants provided he made improvements to the extent of $50 per year. The mem-
bers of the club covered all the valuable land in the immediate vicinity with their claims, and
the result was that during the next two or three years numerous bitter contests arose over
the claims between the new-comers and the first settlers. The Claim Club was very arbitrary
and cruel in enforcing its regulations and maintaining the claims of its members, and the con-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

sequence was that numerous outrages were perpetrated. " Doc." Smith, who has for so many
years been the county surveyor, was driven off his claim by a mob, and was compelled to keep
in hiding several months in order to save his life. He finally brought his case to the
attention of the Government authorities, and eventually succeeded in recovering his claim, upon
a portion of which he still resides. John A. Parker, register of the Omaha land office at the

[Hon. Andrew J. Poppleton has made Omaha his home for over thirty-three years. He is one of the pioneers who located
here in 1854, when the place was but a mere hamlet of the frontier. Mr. roppletoii is a native of Michigan, having been born in
Troy, Oakland county, July 24th, 1830. Until the age of fourteen he remained upon his father's farm, and attended the county
district schools. He was then given his preliminary training for college at Romeo, Michigan, and was sent to Union College,

arrived here October 13, 1S54,
and immediately opened a
law oflice. He soon had
plenty of practice in claim
suits and land litigation, and
has continued in active prac-
tice ever since, devoting him-
self during all these years
wholly to his profession. Mr.
Poppleton served as a mem-
ber of the Nebraska Territorial
Legislative Assembly during
the sessions of 1854-55 and
1S57-5S, and was Mayor of

lahadu

: the

59-

Schenectady, N. Y., from
which institution he giadu
ated in July, 1851 Fiom
September, 1851, to May,
1852, he taught Latin and
Greek in the institution at
Romeo, where he hid bten
prepared for college Mi
Poppleton had read considei
able law during his college
course, and, entering the law
office of C. L&E.C \\alkei,
of Detroit, he was admitted
to practice in Octobei, 1S52,
after an e.xamination by the
Supreme Court of Michigiii
Clinton Briggs and T
Seeley, who became pi 1
nent citizens of Omaha, \
admitted at the same tii
To complete his pielimii
legal training Mr. Pupi 1 i
attended a six months' cuui l
at John W. Fo« ler s 1 nv
school, Poughkeepsie, N \ ,
where extempore speaking
and the trial of moot causes
were specialties. He then
began active practice in De-
troit. Upon the passsage of
the Kansas-Nebraska bill, he
made arrangements to settle
permanently in Omaha. He
best efforts of his life. The next day he
continued his general practice until 1S69
tion contracts. Thereupon Mr. Poppleton accepted a regular salary from the company, and has ever since continued as general
attorney of the system, except that portion located in Kansas. As general attorney he has had charge and supervision of all
legal, claim, tax and right of way business arising in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon, the
local attorneys in all these jurisdictions reporting to him, and being subject to his direction and supervision. In 1885 he was made
counsel of the managing and executive officers at Omaha, in respect to all matters arising in Kansas, and on October 1st, 1886,

He received, with J.
Sterling Morton, the vote of
tlie Democratic party for
U. S. Senator, upon the ad-
mission of Nebraska as a
State in 1867, and was the
nominee of that party for
Congress in 1868, but was de-
feated. Mr. Poppleton took
a prominent part in the for-
mal breaking of. ground for
the Union Pacific Railroad at
Omaha, December 2d, 1863.
On this occasion he made a
memorable speech, which has
always been regarded by
those who have known him
all these years as one of the
■as appointed attorney of the Union Pacific by Vice-President Durant. From that date he
In that year the road was completed, and much important litigation arose from

HON. ANDREW J. POPPLETON.

placed under his supervision and 1

rol.

His last annual report shows five hundred cases pendi

involving every variety of litigation. To all of this work are to be added his labors as counsel of tlie general officers of the line at
Omaha. It will be seen that his life is a very busy one. It is Mr. Poppleton's proud boast that he has never sought advancement
except in his chosen profession; that he has never made a dollar by speculation; that he has never owned a share of railway stock or
railway property of any kind; and that his property in Omaha is the result of his professional earnings, and judicious permanent
investments in real estate. The fact that he has been twenty-four years in the service of the Union Pacific, and his gradual advance-
ment to the supervision of the entire system and the management and control of all its legal affairs in the West, is the strongest
evidence of the success of his management of the company's business. The Nebraska State University, in 1SS7, conferred the
degree of LL. D. upon Mr. Poppleton. He has a large and well selected library of general literature at his elegant and commodious
home on Sherman avenue, and, notwithstanding his multiplicity of duties, he is an extensive reader. He has the reputation of an
eloquent orator, an accomplished scholar, and a fluent and classic writer. Mr. Poppleton was married December 2d, 1855, at
Council Bluffs, to Miss Caroline L. Sears. They have three children — Elizabeth E. Poppleton, a graduate of Vassar College ;
William S. Poppleton, a graduate of Harvard, and now a student at law; and Mary D. Poppleton, now in school at Stamford, Conn.]

time Mr. Smith was driven off his claim, testified in Smith's behalf, and among other things
swore that he saw a large and excited mob, fully armed, proceed to Smith's house and pull

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

it down, and give notice to Smith to leave the Territory immediately under pain of being
placed in the river if he failed to do so ; and that Smith did, in fact, leave. This occurred
in May, 1856. Parker also testified that about the 1st of February, 1857, the land office
opened at Omaha, and the Claim Club passed a resolution that no man should be permitted
to pre-empt land without the consent of that association. Furthermore, that a committee
of vigilance was appointed to see that no person violated that resolution, and to punish and
"dispose of" all who made any effort to comply with the laws of the United States.
"Some were summarily dealt with," according to the testimony of Mr. Parker, "and have
not since been heard of."

KL->Uil NLE UP HilN \ J PuULETON.

The resolution referred to by Parker in his affidavit in Smith's case was adopted at a mass
meeting on the 20th of February, 1857, and was as follows:

Congress to pre-cmpl a man's faiin unacr the cului- of law,

" Resolved, That persons shielding themselves under the act of C
shall be no excuse for the oiifender, but he will be treated by us as any oth

ief.'

The next day Jacob S. ShuII, who had squatted on what he believed to be a piece of Govern-
ment land — -and which he claimed the right to settle upon and improve under the pre-emption
laws — was driven off his claim by an armed mob of 150 men. They set fire to his buildings, and
destroyed everything on the land. Had they caught him they would no doubt have killed him.
He was obliged to remain in hiding for two days. Mr. Shull, who did not dare try to recover his
claim, died within a year after this event. Just before he died he told his family that they would
some day recover the land. This they did at the end of a lawsuit. They have since made a fortune
out of the land, which in time became very valuable.

An Irishman named Callahan was another victim of the wrath of the Claim Club. He was
ducked in the river through a hole in the ice, in February, 1857, until he was nearly dead. Finally

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

he consented to give up the claim about which the controversy had arisen. It is said that Callahan
never fully recovered from this cruel treatment, and that he died a few years afterwards. A man
named Ziegler was banished from the Territory, and condemned to death if he should return.
Ziegler was escorted to the river and sent over to Iowa. Daniel Murphy was forced, after a severe
struggle in a lawyer's office, to relinquish his claim to a piece of land for the promised considera-

[Hon. John M. Thurston was born in Montpclior, Vermont, August 21, 1S47. I" 1S54 his father's family removed to Madison,
Wisconsin, and two years later to Beaver Dam, in the same state, where Mr. Thurston's widowed mother yet resides. As a boy, Mr.
Thurston worked upon the farm and at other avocations during each summer, and devoted the winters to studying and preparing
for college. At the age of sixteen he entered Wayland Unixcisily, and graduated at twenty. Having chosen the law as a profession.

he entered upon its
study, and in May,
iS6g, was admit-
ted to the bar
in Dodge county,
Wisconsin. Until
October of that
year he practiced
in partnership with
Hon. E. 1'. Smith,
when he removed
to Omaha, where
he has achieved a
commanding posi-
tion in his profes-
s i o n. In April,
1872, Mr. Thurston
was elected to the
City Council, and
served one term,
during which he
was acting pi est
dent, and for a poi
tion of the time.
Police Magisliatt
In 1874 he was ap
pointed City At ;
torney, and while ;'
holding this posi
tion was chose n to
the Legislatuie, in
1875. In that body
he was chai) man
of the Judicial y
Committee, and
acting Speaker.
In i877Mr. Thuis
ton resigned his
City Attorneyship
to accept the poii-

torney of the Union
Pacific Railroad
Company, which
he still retains, and
in the administra-
tion of which he
has won a high
reputation as a law-
yer. In 187s Mr.
Thurston was
unanimously nomi-
nated by the Re-
publican party for
Judge of the Third
Judicial District of
the State. His
opponent. Judge
James W. Savage,
being twenty years
his senior, this dis-
■'..lity in ages was
I --ed as an argu-
ment against Mr.
Thurston, and
. msed his defeat.
In 1S7S beheaded
I h e Republican
Picsidential elec-
toral ticketin Neb-
raska, and was se-
lected as messen-
ger to convey the
vote to Washing-
ton. In 1884 he
was chairman of
the State delega-
tion to the Repub-
,j lican National Con-

vention at Chicago,
State campaigns he has responded freely to the many
a speaker. During the session of the Legislature, in
1 succeed Senator Van Wyck, receiving in preliminary

in which he took an active and prominent part, and in each of the Nebrask
calls which have been made upon him from all sections, for his services
January, 18S7, he was prominently mentioned for United States Senator,
caucus many votes, and but for the fact that Senator Manderson is also a resident of Omaha, he would probably have been elected.
Mr. Thurston, at the age of forty, and in the prime of life, is confessedly one of the leading lawyers of the West. His close application
to his cases, his readiness of resource, and his acknowledged ability as a speaker, make him one of the most successful trial lawyers
in Nebraska. His handling of the noted Olive and Lauer murder trials will long be remembered as among his most successful efforts,
while his whole professional career has contributed greatly to the deserved distinction enjoyed by the bar of Omaha and of Nebraska.
There may be much in the future for Mr. Thurston; for it is of such material, moulded by indomitable will, and stimulated by a
worthy amljition, that the men who have achieved distinction in the nation have been made.]

tion of $[,000, but it is said that after he had signed the document he was given only $ioo. At
various times, in after years, he made some attempts to recover the land, but in each instance was
unsuccessful. Another Irishman was hanged to a tree until nearly dead, and when cut down he

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED

still refused to yield to the demand of the club. He was then locked up and starved into sub-
mission. These are only a few sample outrages committed by the Claim Club, but they are
sufficient to show how the organization operated.

Ill

m rrf

^SM

^
r^i

,1PANY S BUILDING.

The Territorial Legislature actually passed an act, approved March 6, 1856, investing the
Claim Clubs with legislative powers for their respective neighborhoods. In defense of the Claim
Clubs it has been said that they were the only security of actual settlers prior to the land sales, and
hence were a necessity as long as squatter titles existed. As soon as the Government land office
opened, however, they were no longer needed, and they were accordingly disbanded during 1S57-58.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

The first legal entry of land made in Nebraska was in March, 1857. The first public sale of
Government lands to the highest bidder was made on the 5th of July, 1859. Colonel A. R. Gilmore
was the first Receiver of the United States Land Office at Omaha, and Colonel John A. Parker was
the first Register. The land covered by the site of Omaha was granted in two patents — one to
John McCormick, May i, i860, the land having been bid off by him at the public sale of July 5,
1859, acting as trustee, and the other to Jesse Lowe, Mayor, October i, i860, on the entry made
March 17, 1857.

[In his chosen profession of the law the Hon. James M. Woohvorth has reached the first rank. In pubHc and private life he is one
of Omaha's foremost citizens. He was born in Onondaga Valley, Onondaga county, N. Y., in 1829. The finishing touches to his
education were received at the well known Hamilton College, from which he graduated i-i 1849 Avith high honors. He adopted the
profession of the law and was admitted to the bar iu his native State in 1854, and practic i before the courts of Syracuse until October,
1856, when he followed the and religious matters, and

example of so many bright
young men at that time. He
migrated West and arrived in ,
Omaha October 31, of that
year. At the time Judge
Woolworth came to Omaha the
bar of this city, although lim-
ited, was composed of bright
young lawyers, most of whom
have risen to prominence in
the city. His abilities were
soon recognized and he was
elected the first City Attorney
of Omaha. He also served the
city in the Legislatme in the
early period and was chosen as
a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention of 1871. Two
years later he headed the Dem-
ocratic State ticket for the high
office of Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court and polled the
full party strength. Never de-
siring office, he has been called
to it a number of times by the
citizens irrespective of party.
Mr. Woolworth has been close-
ly identified with the growth
and progress of the city. In
his private life he has taken a
deep interest in educational

stands as a bulwark in the af-
fairs of the Episcopal church of
this city. For more than a
quarter of a century he has
been a vestryman of Trinity
Cathedral and for seventeen
years its senior warden, from
which positioir he resigned.
To him, more than any other
person, is the meed of praise
due for the present prosperous
condition of the church, and
its place of worship was built
by means of his generosity.
He is at present Chancellor of
the Diocese of Nebraska, and
for more than twenty years one
of its lay delegates to the gen-
eral convention of the church.
He is also a member of the
committee on the revision of
liturgy, and a trustee of Racine
College, in Wisconsin, and
Brownell Hall, in Omaha. He
received the degree of LL. D.
from the latter college in 1875.
The Omaha public school sys-
tem has been nurtured and en-
couraged by Mr. Woolworth,
and he w.as a member of the
first board of regents for the

High School in 1867. Mr. Woolworth has amassed a fine competency in the practice of his profession, and lives in one of the most
handsome residences in Omaha. He enjoys the largest legal business in the city, his cases being confined to the most important civil
suits that come up in the courts. In the development of Omaha, Judge Woolworth has been very active. He is a large investor in
business property and real estate, and one of the projectors of the Union Stock Yards Company, an institution that has accomplished
so much for Omaha. He was one of the original trustees of the South Omaha Land Syndicate, and is director of the South Omaha
Land Company, and counsel of that company and of the Stock Yards Company. He is also one of the directory of the First National
Bank, the strongest financial institution in the city. Judge Woolworth enjoys the reputation of being a large-hearted, high-minded.
Christian gentleman, of deep learning and profound knowledge of the law.]

hs M WUOLWURIH

In the early days of Omaha, j'ustice was frequently administered in a very summary way
and without due process of law. Horse thieves especially received no mercy. In the summer of
1856, two thieves stole some horses from the settlers in the vicinity of Omaha, and sold them
to a band of Pawnee Indians, from whom the animals were recovered. The thieves were cap-
tured and brought into the city. They were stripped to the waist and tied to a liberty
pole on Harney street, where they were given thirty-nine lashes each upon the back with a
rawhide. The whipping was done alternately by the owners of the horses and the Indians
who had bought them and had to give them up. An effort was made by Chief Justice

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Ferguson and United States Marshal Rankin to have the prisoners rescued, and punished
according to law, but the mob was too powerful to be interfered with. A more severe
punishment was meted out to two horse thieves, named Braden and Daley, in the month
of March, 1858. They had been committing depredations for some time, but were finally
captured by some farmers near Florence, from whom they had stolen horses. The prisoners
were brought to Omaha,
and, after a preliminary
hearing before a magis-
trate were committed to
jail, in default of bail, to
await their trial. A few
days afterwards a party of
men from Florence ap-
peared at the Court House
in the evening, and surrep-
titiously getting the key of
the jail from the sheriff's
office, entered the jail and

took possession of Braden
and Daley. They put the
prisoners in a wagon, and
drove to a lonely spot two
miles north of Florence,
where they hanged the two
men to the limb of an oak
tree. Four men were ap-
prehended and tried for
participation in this affair,
but they were acquitted.
The sheriff was convicted
of dereliction of duty in
not preventing the hang-
ing, and was heavily fined. In the spring of 1861 two men, named Bouve and Her, assaulted
and robbed Mrs. George T. Taylor at her home, ten miles northwest of Omaha. The thieves
were arrested in Omaha on suspicion, and were positively identified by Mrs. Taylor, who
recognized them without difficulty in a crowd of men among whom they had been placed in
the court room. Thereupon the prisoners were put in separate cells. A committee of
citizens visited the jail and informed Bouve that his partner. Her, had confessed. Bouve,
however, did not believe it, and did not fall into the trap set for him. The committee next
called on Her, and told him that Bouve had made a full confession, and that he might as well
do the same thing. Her thereupon confessed, and revealed the place where the money and

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

other articles, consisting mostly of silver, were concealed. At a public meeting the next day,
in front of Pioneer Block, on Farnam street, it was determined to try Bouve and Her at once.
The trial was accordingly held in a room in Pioneer Block, before a jury of twelve men
selected from the crowd. The accused were eloquently defended by William A. Little,
afterwards Chief Justice, and Robert A. Howard. The verdict was " Guilty," with a rccom-

[Charles F. Manderson was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. g, 1S37. His ancestry were Scotch-Irish, and his father, the
late John Manderson, of Philadelphia, who died Nov. 25, 1887, at the advanfjd age of 87 years, was one of the best known citizens
of Pennsylvania's metropolis. After being educated in the schools and academies of his native city, Manderson removed to Canton,
Ohio, where he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1859. In the spring of i860 he was elected city solicitor, and was re-
elected to that office in 1861. In April, i86i, and on the day that the news of the firing on Ft. Sumter spread through the North,

a part of the nth

Manderson enlisted as
a private soldier with
Capt. James Wallace,
but being immediately
granted a recruiting
commission, he, witli
Samuel Beatty, sheriff
of Stark county, raised
a company of infantry
in one day, Beatty be-
coming captain and
Manderson its first
lieutenant. This com-
pany was assigned to
the 19th Ohio infantry.
Captain Beatty becom-
ing the Colonel of that
regiment, Manderson
being made a captain.
This regiment was im-
mediately ordered into
West Virginia, and
participated with
great credit in the fust
battle of the late war,
fought at Rich Moun-
tain, July I ith, iSi)i.
The Union victory was
an encouraging and
decisive one, and Gon.
McClellan issued an
order complimenting
the troops in the high-
est terms, the victory
having delivered West
Virginia from the
enemy, and the troops
also received t h e
thanks of Congress.
The three months ser-
vice being completed,
Capt. Manderson re-
enlisted his company
" for three years, or
during the war," its
organization being

commanded
liy General Boyle. In
Dec. 1861, being at
lolumbia, Kentucky,
the command marched
lo Jamestown, on the
Cumberland river, and
prevented a junction
I'y river of the rebel
forces at Nashville
^^ilh those at Mill
Spring. After a severe
winter's campaign in
Kentucky the regi-
ment reached Nash-
ville in March, 1862,
being among the first
t loops to enter that
enptured city. As part
of Crittenden's divi-
sion of Buell's army,
il inarched through
Tennessee for the town
of Savannah, and,
«!ien within a few
miles of that place on
llie 6th of April, it
heard the booming of
the distant guns that
announced the strug-
gle at Pittsburg Land-
ing. Throwing aside
all unnecessary bur-
den, and receiving
double supply of am-
munition, the regiment
was double-ipiicked to
the river in time to
cross to the battlefield
of Shiloh on the eve-
ning of the first day's
great fight. The igth
Ohio went into battle
at daylight the next
morning. Captain
Manderson acting as
major. At the first
discharge of the
enemy's guns, Major
Edwards, then

In the early fall of
1S61, the Iglh (Jhio

Infantry proceeded to HON. CH.\RLES F. MANDICRSON.

Kentucky and became

Lieutenant-Colonel, was instantly killed, and Captain Manderson became the acting Lieutenant-Colonel, and from the battle o"f
Shiloh until near the close of the war, Manderson commanded the regiment in eveiy skirmish and battle in which it was engaged.
The regiment was warmly complimented by both Generals Crittenden and Nelson, it having participated in Nelson's Last charge
upon the enemy which broke his lines and drove him from the federal front. The 19th Ohio participated in the advance upon the
enemy and in the seige of Corinth, entering that place May 29, 1862. It pursued the enemy to Ripley, Miss., and returning !■!«
luka, marched through northern Alabama and Georgia to Battle Creek, Tenn. During the summer of 1862, it participated in the
march under General Buell, from the Tennessee river near Chattanooga to Louisville, Ky., and in the fall of 1S62, it joined in the
pursuit of Bragg through Kentucky and Tennessee, reaching Nashville in November. During this march the regiment had several
skirmishes with the enemy, and at Crab Orchard charged upon the rebels and captured some artillery. On Dec. 26, 1862, the regi-
ment, under command of Manderson, marched with Rosecrans' army upon the reiiel position at Murfreesboro and participated in both
the severe battles at Stone River, Dec. 31, 1862, and Jan. 2, 1863, its commander receiving favorable mention in the official reports of
Generals Beatty, Van Cleve and Crittenden, who commanded respectively the brigade, division and corps. The loss of the regiment in
this battle, in officers, was particularly severe, and of the 449 enlisted men there were killed and wounded 213 — nearly 50 per cent !
Major Manderson was made Lieutenant-Colonel by the battles at Stone River, and was promoted to the Colonelcy March 15, 1863.
His regiment participated in the Tullahoma campaign in the summer of 1863, and in September of that year, bore its full share of
the burden at Chicamauga, where it was commanded by Lieut.-Col. Stratton, Colonel Manderson having been sent to Ohio where
he took part in the memorable struggle between Vallandigham and Gov. Brough. Rejoining his regiment at Chattanooga, Oct. 1863,
Manderson was in command of the Igth Ohio in the battles about that place, being engaged at Orchard Knob and Mission Ridge.
After the battle of Mission Ridge, the 19th Ohfo formed part of the column which, under General Sherman, marched to the relief
of Kno.\ville. On Jan. 1st, 1S64, four hundred men of the igth Ohio re-enlisted as veterans, and after the veteran furlough was over,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

the men returned to the front, reaching Knoxville in March, 1864, participating in the Atlanta campaign under Slierman, being a
part of the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, 4tlr Army Corps. The 19th Ohio was " in " at New Hope Church, at Kenesaw, Teach Tree
Creelc, the crossing of tire Chattahoochie, the engagements about Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy's Station, and other engagements of
lesser note, in that icra days campaign of constant fighting. During this campaign Col. Manderson commanded a demi-brigade
composed of the gth Kentucky, iqth Ohio, and 79th Indiana. On the 2nd of September, 1864, as a result of a terrific charge at
Lovejoy's Station on the enemy's rifle pits, they were carried and the encounter was so furious as to carry the troops forward upon the
main line of the enemy's works. The right and left supports of Manderson's demi-brigade gave way, and it was while Colonel
Manderson was engaged in directing the charge upon these rifle pits, so that they could be made a new advance line for the federals,
that he was severely wounded in the spine. His loss here was 70 men killed and wounded. The disability from this wound was so
great in resulting consequences that he was rendered unfit for service, and he tendered his resignation March 17, 1865, which was not
accepted, however, until he was brevetted a Brigadier General of volunteers for " gallant, long continued and meritorious services."
General Manderson returned home to Canton in April, 1864, and resumed the practice of the law, forming a partnership with Judge
Seraphin Meyer. The firm secured a large practice, and Manderson was twice elected to the office of prosecuting attorney. In 1867
he came within one vote of receiving the nomination for Congress in the Republican convention for the then large 17th Congressional
District, now represented by Major McKinley, which then gave 5,000 Republican majority. General Manderson removed to Omaha
in Nov. 1869, and formed a partnership with Hon. James \V. Savage, which continued for six years and until the latter went upon the
bench. Manderson remained alone in his profession until 1880, when he formed the partnership of Manderson & Congdon, which

continued successfully until the former's election to the Senate. For six years, during the terms of Mayors Wilbur, Chase and Boyd,
General Manderson was city attorney of Omaha. In 1871, and again in 1874, he was elected by both political parties and without
opposition, a member of the Constitutional Convention. lie served for two years as president of the Nebraska State Bar Association
and has for several years been one of the executive committee of the American Bar Association. At the legislative session in 1883,
Gen. Manderson was elected to the United Stales SoiuUo fir six years, as a Republican, succeeding Hon. Alvin Saunders. Gen.
Manderson, without the arts of the demagogue in politics, is a true representative of his party, in its ideas, policy and progressiveness.
Conservative, prudent and sagacious, he is also painsiakiiii;, vigil.int and faithful. He has been mentioned as a candidate for Vice-
President, an honor unsought, and a compliment to his devoticni to iha best interests of his State and of the great West. His influence
at Washington is recognized, and exceeds that usually allotted to a Senator during his first term. He is a member of the Committee
on Military Affairs, and of the Committee on Territories ; and upon the death of ihe veteran Senator Anthony, he was made chairman
of the Committee on Printing, His term as Senator will expire March 4, 18S9.

meiidation that Her be treated leniently, in con.'iidcration of his havinLj prevented Rouvc from
killing Mrs. Taylor. The verdict was approved by the crowd, who decided that the Vigi-
lance Committee should finally dispose of the case. The Vigilance Committee, composed of
well-known citizens, accordingly proceeded at midnight to the jail, and overpowering Bouve,
hanged him to a beam in the hall. He was a noted desperado, ami was credited with

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

having committed several murders in tlie West. He no doubt deserved his fate. Her was
set free, and ordered to leave the city. He became a Union soldier, served through the war,
and made a good record.

The first legal execution in Nebraska took place in Omaha on August 28, 1S63, the victim
being Cyrus H. Tator. One day in the month of June, 1S63, the body of a dead man was found in

[The Nebraska National Bank occupies the first floor of the elegant four story and basement iron building located on the north-
west corner of Twelfth and Farnam streets, which was erected by the bank in 1882-3 especially for its business, and which marked
the commencement of the fine building era in Omaha. At the time, it was regarded as a display of extraordinary confidence and
faith in the future of the city, but their example has since been approved and followed by the older banks, in the erection of three other
magnificent bank buildings the
present year. The bank was
organized in April, 1S82, by A.
E. Touzalin and H. W.
Yates, in conjunction with a
number of the leading business
men and firms of the city, and
in response to a general de-
mand for increased banking
facilities, made necessary by
the unusual development of
business interests and surpris-

ing g

rowth

cial im-

been prominently and continu-
ously engaged in the banking
business here since 1S63. He is
vice-president for Nebraska, of
the National Bankers Associa-
tion of the United States. Mr.
Hughes, the cashier, is also an
old and experienced banker,
having been continuously en-
gaged in the business since the
beginning of banking in Oma-
ha. He is also manager of the
Clearing House, and h.as been
since its organization. Mr.
Reed, vice-president, has been
long and favorably known as one
of Omaha's most reliable and
active business men. Until the
present year he was a member
of the old real estate firm of
Byron Reed & Co., and with-
drew from that business totaTte
an active part in the manage-
ment of the bank of which he
has been a director since its
organization. Mr. Touzalin is a
prominent railroad man resid-
ing in Boston, formerly vice-
president of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy, and Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe rail-
roads, and now president of
the Chicago, Burlington &

Northern Railroad Company. He has large monetary and real estate interests in Omaha, Lincoln and other western cities. The first
published statement of the bank showed, loans and discounts, $90,209; deposits, $236,108. Its last statement, in October, 1887,
was as follows: Resources — loans and discounts, $810,605.23; local securities, $5,625.62; real estate and furniture, $SS,ooo; U. S.
bonds, $150,000; premium paid on same, $31,125; sight exchange, $417,295.79; redemption fund, $2,250; cash, $175,204.91;
expenses and taxes, $13,943.13; total, $1,694,049.68. Liabilities — capital paid in, $250,000; surplus fund, $42,500
(increased to $50,000 November 1); undivided profits, $27,690.02; circulation, $45,000; deposits, $1,328,859.66; total, $1,694,049.68.
The eminently wise and conservative management of the Nebraska National Bank has been the means of winning confidence at home
and abroad, and no financial institution in the West stands higher in public estimation and regard.]

portance which Omaha experi-
enced then and in the years
immediately following. The
capital of the bank was fixed
at $250,000 paid up, the larg-
est then of any bank in Neb-
raska, and its surplus fund, in
addition thereto, is now $50,-
000. The officers and directors
are, H. W. Yates, president;
Lewis .S. Reed, vice-president;
A. E. Touz.alin, second vice-
president; W. V. Morse, of \V.
V. Morse & Co., John S. Col-
lins, of G. H. & J. S. Collins,
and W. H. S. Hughes, cashier.
President Yates is well known
throughout the West and
among bankers generally
throughout the country, having

the Missouri river, north of the city. It was identified as that of Isaac H. Nefit, and it was shown
at the coroner's inquest that he had been murdered. The corpse had been loaded down with log-
chains and dumped into the river. Neff had recently come to Omaha from Denver, in company
with Tator and several teams and empty wagons. Two or three of the wagons were found near
Sulphur Springs. It was also discovered that Tator had started for Denver with one of Neff's
teams and wagons. Circumstances went to show that he was the murderer. He was overtaken in
Colfax county, and brought back to Omaha, where he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
The case was prosecuted by Charles H. Brown and Judge Lake, and defended by Hon. A. J.
Poppleton and William A. Little. The object of the murder was robbery, it being supposed that

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Neff had upon his person considerable money. The place of execution was near Sulphur Springs,
not far from the scene of the murder. It was witnessed by fully two thousand persons. The
prisoner was attended upon the scaffold by Rev. T. B. Lemon, Sheriff Sutton and Marshal Riley,
while forty soldiers from Company C, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, acted as a guard. Tator maintained
his innocence to the last. He was born in Chatham, Columbia county, New York, in 1833, and was

a lawyer by profession. In 1856 he located in Kansas, where he was twice elected Probate Judge
of Lykins county, and also served a term in the Legislature of that State. In 1S60 he went to
Colorado, and in 1863 came to Omaha in company with Neff.

The second legal execution in Omaha was that of Ottway G. Baker, who killed Woolscy
D. Higgins for the purpose of robbery. The murder was committed on the night of Novem-
ber 21, 1866, in the grocery store of Will R. King, at the southeast corner of Farnam and
Twelfth streets. Higgins was book-keeper, and Baker was porter of the establishment, and
they slept together in the store. After banking hours Higgins had received $1,500 in
currency and put it in the safe, the key of which he carried. Baker, who was aware of this

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

deposit of money, got out of bed, and with an axe instantly killed his sleeping companion
by two well-directed blows. Securing the keys of the safe, he easily obtained possession of
the money, which he placed in a tin can and then hid it under the sidewalk in the imme-
diate vicinity. Returning to the store he set hre to the building, and when the flames had
made considerable headway he fired, a shot into his arm in order to support a statement that

[ Dr. Victor H. Coffman was born September lo, 1S39, near Zanesville, Ohio. At the age of ten years he moved to Piatt
county, Illinois, and thence to Indianola, Iowa, in 1854. For four years he attended the University at Mount Pleasant, and in 1858
he decided to enter the medical profession. He accordingly began the study of medicine with Dr. C. W. Davis, at Indianola, and
afterwards attended the Chicago Medical College. The civil war Ijeing in progress, he entered the service of the Union army as

Assistant Surgeon of the
Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry,
August 22nd, 1S62, and in 1863
he was promoted to be Sur-
geon of the regime • t. He
was Division Surg . n with the
late Major Gene al Steel, and
also with Majo General C. C.
Andrews, with whom he was
always on the most intimate
terms. He was highly appreci-
ated by these superior officers.
Dr. Coffman was the chief of
the operating staff at Vicks-
burg. Mobile, and on the cele-
brated Red River expedition.
During the siege of Mobile in
1864, he distinguished him-
self and was brevetted Lieuten-
ant-Colonel of volunteers, for
meritorious services. H e
served also on the Texas coast
with General Ransom and
Captain Dickey, by whom he
was highly complimented. In
IngersoU's history of the Iowa
troops. Dr. Coffman receives
marked mention. The histo-
rian, reflecting the sentiment
of the officers and soldiers, in
relating the valuable and
gallant services of the Doctor
says that " he is one of the
the esteem and confidence of the community, and there is t
was one of the organizers of the Omaha Medical College, an

best of surgeons and of men."
He was a great favorite with
the army during his connec-
tion with it. For a brief period
following the close of the war
he was on duty with the
Seventeenth Infantry, U. S.
A., as Contract .Surgeon, at
Houston, Texas. Although
having gained valuable sur-
gical experience in the field,
he did not feel content with
his medical knowledge, and
he accordingly went to Phila-
delphia and there finished his
education in Jefferson Medi-
cal College, from which he
graduated in 1866. Dr. Coff-
man located in Omaha, April
14, 1S67, and soon became
one of the leading physicians
of Nebraska — a rank which
he has ever since held. His
practice amounting to $25,000
during the year 18S7, is by no

quently called to distant points
to perform difficult surgical
operations. He performed the
first operation for ovariotomy
in Nebraska, since which he
has had several successful
operations. Dr. Coffman has
physician in Omaha who stands higher in the profession. He
itution which has been growing steadily since its opening in 1881.

VICTOR H. COFFMAN.

He was elected in iS8r as professor of theory and practice, and has ever since been connected with the college. He is a member of
the American Medical Association and also of the Nebraska State Society. In the practice of his profession he has been proverbially
kind to the poor. His books show an indebtedness of non-collectible bills of over one hundred thousand dollars during his twenty
years' practice in the city of Omaha. Dr. Coffman has an extensive personal knowledge of the various States of the Union, especially
as to sanitary conditions, and he unhesitatingly claims that Nebraska is the healthiest region of this country, and that Omaha is the
healthiest city on the continent, and that no epidemics prevail here, and that all diseases are here amenable to treatment. Dr.
Coffman was married September 10, 1879, in the city of Chicago, to Miss Rose Devoto. They have three children — Weir D.,
Augusta Marie, and Rose Lyle — and reside in one of the most elegant homes in Omaha, located on St. Mary's avenue and Twenty-
seventh street.]

he intended to make, to the effect that the store had been burglarized and fired by some
unknown party who had shot him. Throwing the pistol away, he ran out and yelled " Fire !
murder! thieves!" The fire was extinguished and the butchered body of Higgins found.
Suspicion pointed at once to Baker, whose story was not believed. He was arrested, tried
and convicted. The attorneys for the prosecution were Hon. G. W. Doane and Hon. John
I. Redick. The prisoner was defended by Col. Savage, Ben Sheiks, Mr. Hopkins and Mr.
Parks. The Supreme Court overruled the motion for a new trial, and affirmed the sentence

OMABA ILLUSTRATED.

of death. Seeing that there was no longer any hope, Baker made a full confession, not
only of this crime but of setting fire to the block of frame buildings, the site of which is
now covered by Central Block, on Farnam street. He \vas hanged February 14, 1S68,

about a quarter of a mile west of the High
School grounds, in the presence of about eight
thousand people.

During the year 1856 everybody had plenty
of money and times were generally good. Every-
body seemed prosperous, and real estate specula-
tion was then, as now, very active. The cit}-

grew rapidly during that
\-ear, and reached a popu-
lation of about 1,800. A
city charter was granted
by the Legislature in Feb-
ruary, 1857, and the first
election was held on the
first Monday in March, 1857,
the result being as follows:
Jesse Lowe, Mayor ; L. R.
Tuttle, Recorder ; J. A. M
ler, City Marshal ; Charl
Grant, City Solicitor; Lym;
Richardson, Assessor; A. S. Morgan, City Engineer; A. Chappcl, Health Officer; A. D.
T. G. Goodwill, G. C. Bovey, H. H. Visscher, Thomas Davis, William N. Byers, Willi
Wyman, Thomas O'Connor, C. H. Downs, J. H. Kellonc, and James Creighton, Counci

Jones,
am W.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

The council met and organized on the 5th of March. The first ordinance passed was to prevent
swine from running- at large. In May, 1S57, an ordinance was passed dividing the city into
three wards.

The panic of 1857 is a subject upon which the old settlers dwell with considerable
interest, as not one of them escaped the disastrous effects of that memorable collapse.
There was a great inflation of the currency at the time, and prosperity continued through-

[Mr. J. J. Dickey, general superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company for the district west of the Missouri river
with headquarters in Omaha, has been a resident of this city since 1869. He is the son of the late Judge T. Lyle Dickey, of Illinois,
and was born at Rushville in that State, April 1 1, 1S39. At the early age of sixteen, having made rapid progress in his studies, he
became a school teacher in Missouri. He taught for one winter in that State, and the next winter he conducted a school in Iowa. In

1857 he attended Bell's Com-
mercial College in Chicago,
and for the next three years
he earned a livelihood as a
bookkeeper. This time he
learned the art of telegraphy
in the private office of Judge
John D. Caton, in Ottawa,
Illinois, becoming quite pro-
ficient in a very short period.
For five years he was em-
ployed as general book-
keeper for the Illinois & Mis-
sissippi Telegraph Company
at Ottawa. When the lines of
this company were leased to
the Western Union, Mr.
Dickey was transferred to the
office of the general super-
intendent of the latter com-
pany at Chicago as chief
clerk. In August, 1869, he
was promoted to the position
of superintendent of the
Union Pacific lines at Omaha.
He also became superintend-
ent of the Western Union in
1881. During the summer uf
1887 Mr. Dickey's coniiec
tion with the Union Pacific
telegraphic service was
severed in order that he
might devote his undivided

J. J. DICKEY.

attention to the affairs of the
Western Union, and he was
accordingly made the gen-
eral western superintendent
of that company with a more
extended jurisdiction. His
territory now includes Ne-
braska, Kansas, Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah, Idaho,
Montana, Arizona, New
Mexico, and part of Iowa,
Missouri, California and
Oregon. Mr. Dickey's effi-
ciency in the telegraphic
service has been long dem-
onstrated, and his faithful
work has been appreciated.
When the telephone was in-
troduced to the public in
1876, there were very few
persons who believed in its
practicability. The public
looked upon it more as a toy
than as an instrument of
great practical use in every-
day business life. Mr.
Dickey, however, was not
one of the doubters. He
saw at once that it was one
of the greatest inventions of
the age, and when an oppor-
tunity was affiarded him of
investing in it he did not hesi-

tate to take advantage of the offlsr. He organized a company with some considerable difficulty, as his railroad friends, whom he soli-
cited for subscriptions, were slow to believe that they were not throwing away their money. However, he finally succeeded, and as
soon as possible put in operation a telephone exchange in this city. Omaha was among the very first cities to make use of this great
public convenience. Mr. Dickey and his associates extended the system throughout the West, and now own all the exchanges in Neb-
raska, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Mr. Dickey makes Omaha his home, and is ranked among the most respected citizens.]

out the earl}' part of 1S57; but the Ohio Trust Compan}''s failure late in the suminer started
a panic, and then ensued a long period of depression. Banks all over the country rap-
idly suspended one after the other. Most of the financial institutions in the West in
those days were of a " wild cat " character, and Nebraska had its share of them. The
most extensive banking institution in Nebraska at that time was the Western li!xchange
Fire and Marine Insurance Company. Leroy Tuttle was the cashier, and A. U. W\-man
was the teller. Each of these gentlemen afterwards filled the high and responsible posi-
tion of treasurer of the United States, and Mr. Wyman is now vice-president of the
Omaha National Bank. The Western Exchange Fire and Marine Insurance Company's bank
failed in October, 1857, and within a few months thereafter every bank in Nebraska, with the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

exception of two or three, closed its doors. The Bank of Dakota, operated by Augustus
Kountze, was one of the very few financial institutions that weathered the storm. It re-
deemed its entire circulation at par. The city of Omaha issued, during this year, $100,000
in city scrip for the completion of the Capitol Building. This scrip, which passed current
when first issued, gradually depreciated until it became almost worthless. It was never

THE "BEE" BUILDING

redeemed except in the payment of taxes, for which some of it was used. This of course added
to the general depression in Omaha, which continued throughout 1S5S. Men who but a
short time before were in prosperous circumstances, found themselves financially embarrassed,
business came to a standstill, real estate declined to nominal figures, and a despondent
feeling everywhere prevailed. The population of Omaha decreased during the years 1858-59,
and it was not until about 1S61 that the city resumed its growth in any noticeable degree.
The Colorado gold discoveries contributed much to Omaha's benefit, as a large portion of

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

the travel passed through this city, making it for a time a lively outfitting and merchan-
dising point. This travel kept up until 1S64, and the merchants did a rushing business.

Omaha and vicinity had several Indian scares during the early days. One of these was
what was called "the Pawnee War," in the summer of 1859. Messengers brought the news
to Omaha on July ist that the settlements along the Elkhorn were being raided b)' Pawnee

[Hon. Joseph H. Millard was born in iSs6 in H-imilton, C
fourteen years of age he moved to Iowa, and theie spent some jei
he came to Omaha and engaged in the real e^trte business. He
Tenth streets. His princip.al business was the locating and enteii
Barrows, Millard & Co. was
formed he became a part-
ner, and soon after the or- , '"
ganization of the company
they started a bank in the
Western Exchange build-
ing, at the southwest corner
of Farnam and Twelfth
streets. This building,
which was one of the pio-
neer landmarks of Omaha,
was recently torn down to
make room for a more
stately structure. The late
S. S. Caldwell was associa
ted with them in the bank
ing business. When the
gold mines were discoveied
in Montana in the spung
of 1864, .Mr. Millaid went
to that territory and earned
on a banking business at
Virginia City and Helena
for over two years Re
turning to Omaha in the
fall of 1866, he became
associated with the Omaha
National Bank on January
ist, 1867, the organization
of this bank having been
effected in July, 1866. Mr.
Millard has been connected
with this bank since that

affairs of the bank, and is very popular among its patrons as well as an:
Miss Carrie G. Barrows, of Davenport, Iowa. They have two children

HON

la, his piicnts having mo\ed there from New Jersey. When
n a faim In the fall of 185b, when he was twenty years of age,
nied an office in a small building near the corner of Farnam and
^f wild lands foi \aiious paities When the real estate firm of
time, and for the last four
years has been its presi-
dent. The bank occupies
a handsome five story
building on the west side
of Thirteenth street, be-
tween Douglas and Far-
nam, in the very heart of
the city. The capital is
$50o,ocK3, and the surplus
is $350,000. This bank
under the careful superin-
tendence of Mr. Millard
and his faithful .associates,
ranks among the most solid
financial institutions in the
\\est Ml Milhid, who
lia Republican, sened one
teim ab M'i\oi of Omaha,
^ and was foi si\ )ciis a
go\einnient ducLtoi uf the
Union Pacihc Ihcseaie
thL onU public offices he
his e\Li held. Although
fiequently uiged by his
fiiendb to be a candidate
for office, he has, as a 1 ule,
refrained from actively par-
ticipating in politics. He
is a safe and conservative
business man, and a suc-
cessful financier. He de-
votes his time wholly to the
Millard was married in 1S61 to
iie H. Millard.]

H. MILLARD.

iig the public generally. Mr
-W. B. .Millard .and Miss Jes

Indians, and immediate assistance was needed to repel them. It was reported that the
Indians numbered between 700 and 800 warriors. Hon. John M. Thayer, who was Major
General of the Nebraska Militia, at once started for the front with the Light Artillery
company, of Omaha, under the command of Captain James H. Ford. Upon reaching
Fontenelle, General Thayer found the reports concerning the depredations were true, and
that the settlements for fifty miles had been broken up. He sent a report to that effect
to Governor Black, and stated that vigorous measures would have to be immediately taken.
Governor Black thereupon organized quite a strong force, and joined General Thayer on
July 8th. The command consisted of the Oinaha Light Artillery, the First Dragoons, the
Second Dragoons, the Fontenelle Mounted Rifles, the Columbus Infantry, and the Columbus
Guards, numbering altogether about 200 men, well armed and equipped. The "war" lasted
only a few days. The Indians were overhauled and brought to terms. In his report General
Thayer thus sums up the campaign : " The troops caine upon the Indians and the Indians
surrendered. The line was formed, the cannon was planted, and the chiefs of all the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

different bands came forward, throwing down their arms and raising white flags. The
interpreter was directed to communicate with them, and they asked to have T council.
They acknowledged that their young men had committed these depredations, and offered to
give them up, and did bring forward six, who were delivered up. Two of them were shot

as thej were trying to escape,
the next day. The guard so
informed me I did not sec it
done Another Indian scare

occurred m 1864 and additional
ear was created b} a rumor that
Ouantrell's band of
bushwhackers from
K msas intended to
ni ik(. a raid
Omiha. One morn-
ing in the latte

TRINITY CATIIEIIRAL.

part of August, settlers in the vicinity of Elkhorn became frightened at the appearance
of Indians, and they flocked into Omaha. Great excitement ensued. Business was suspended,
and a strong guard was at once organized to protect the city. This guard was maintained
for two weeks. Owing to the depredations of Indians along the overland stage and
mail route in the western part of the territory, Governor Alvin Saunders made a call for

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

militia. Two regiments of mounted infantry, each composed of six companies of sixty-four
men, were called for — one north of the Platte and the other south of the Platte — the
term of service being four months. Under this call seven companies were raised, among
them being the following at Omaha: Company A — R. T. Beall, captain; George C. Yates,
first lieutenant; J. H. Barlow, second lieutenant. Company B — -John Taffe, captain; Edwin

[Charles W. Hamillon, president of the United States National
York. Until he was about eighteen years of age he attended the public
employed in various kinds of work on the farm. He arrived in Omaha
mercantile business. In the spring of 1S62 Mr. Hamilton entered the
and in 1865 he became a

ank, was born January 1st, 1S31, in Chenango county, New
chools during the winters, and during his vacations he was
1 May, 1856. For two or three years he was engaged in the
■rvice of Barrows, Millard & Co., bankers, as book-keeper,
and Iowa Ferry Company,

member of the firm, the l)Msi-^ and it was immediately occu-
name then being changed to ^ I ™*~ ^ pied upon completion by the
Millard, Caldwell & Co. In / ^ Western Fire and Marine In-
1S68 the firm name was \ \^ surance Company, which did
again changed, this time to „ a general banking business.
Caldwell, Hamilton & Co. ' ]\ When this company failed in
This old established private / *|n the famous panic of 1857,
banking firm which was or- Sl'^lB^ ' ^"'^ vacated the building, it
ganized in 1856, was reor- ^ I^HgJji was succeeded in that location
ganized in 1883 as the United ^' ^^ .-.j^ by Barrows, Millard & Co.
States National Bank with a J^ &^ ^'''^ °^''^ landmark of pioneer
capital of f 100,000, and with jtSB^ '• 4 .<^^Sj^ '^^^^ ^^^^ '"'" 'i°^^" >" Ae
Mr. Hamilton as president. S^M''^ S--^^^^^ spring of 1887, and during
The capital was increased in i^KiYm, ' t ' ^ ~ ' 'he summer one of the hand-
as the Western Exchange jf ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ '^^^^^^^^ architectural design it pre-

the first brick building in ^'' Omaha. It has a frontage of

Omaha. It was built by J>^ 66 feet on Farnam street and

three or four gentlemen con- -" 132 feet on Twelfth street.

... -, , , CH \M I a W II will TON _,.,.,,. ^ .

nected with the Nebraska This building cost $130,000,

and was erected by the heirs of the Caldwell estate is a niLmoml of the 1 He Hon & b Cildwcll, who was for many years a member
of the firm of Caldwell, Hamilton & Co. The design of the building is in accordance with the ideas of Mr. Caldwell, who before his
dealh had determined to erect for the bank such a structure as its permanent home. Mr. Hamilton, president of the bank, is a safe,
conservative business man, and has the confidence of the entire community in which he has resided during the greater part of his
life. He was married in 1858 to Miss Fannie Murphy of this city. They have six children. The oldest son, C. Will Hamilton, is
assistant cashier in the United States National Bank. Frank Hamilton, the second son, is paying teller in the Merchants National.
Millard Caldwell Hamilton, the third son, is student at Cornell University and will graduate in 1888. The two daughters, Stella and
May, are attending school, and Frederick, the youngest son, is at home.]

Patrick, first lieutenant; Abraham Deyo, second lieutenant. Company C — Charles S. Good-
rich, captain; Martin Dunham, first lieutenant; David T. Mount, second lieutenant. Company
D — Jesse Lowe, captain; E. Estabrook, first lieutenant; O. B. Selden, second lieutenant. A gun
squad was also organized, and officered by E. P. Childs, captain, and A. J. Simpson, first lieutenant.
Captain Taffe's company made quite an extended scout up the Elkhorn river, but found no
hostile Indians. This result quieted the fears of the settlers who had fled into Omaha,
and thereupon they all returned to their homes. The other companies performed the duties
of home guard in Omaha. A company of volunteer cavalry under Captain John R. Porter
made a scout as far west as Plum Creek, near which point they had a skirmish with a
party of Pawnees, killing fourteen of them and taking three prisoners. This company also

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED,

did valuable service in escorting supply trains from Julesburg to Fort Kearney. Captain E.
P. Childs raised a company of artillery and went to Fort Kearney, where he did duty for
some little time.

Omaha was well represented in the Union army during the war of the rebellion.
The First Nebraska regiment was officered by John M. Thayer, of Omaha, colonel ; H. P.
Downs, Nebraska City, lieutenant-colonel ; William McCord, Plattsmouth, major ; Silas A.
Strickland, Bellevue, adjutant ; Enos Lowe, Omaha, surgeon ; William McClelland, Omaha,

assistant-surgeon; T. W. Tipton, Brownville, cnaplain; George Spencer, sutler. Captain;
Company A, R. R. Livingston, Plattsmouth ; Company B, William Baumer, Omaha ; Comp;
C, J. D. N. Thompson; Company D, Allen Blacker; Company E, William G. Moll
Omaha ; Company F, Thomas M. Bowen ; Company G, John McConihe ; Company
George T. Kennedy ; Company L Jacob Butler ; Company K, Joseph W. Paddock, Om;
The first battalion of the Second regiment of Nebraska Volunteers (cavalr\) ■
mustered in at Omaha, November i, 1862, for nine months' service. George Armstrong
Omaha, was commissioned as major, and directed the organization of the regiment until
companies were mustered in. In February, 1S63, the regiment was completed with the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

twelve companies, and the following officers : R. W. Furnas, Brownville, colonel ; W. F. Sapp,
Omaha, lieutenant-colonel ; John Taffe, Dakota City, and John W. Pearman, Nebraska City,
majors ; Dr. Aurelius Bowen, Nebraska City, and Dr. W. S. Latta, Plattsmouth, surgeons ;
H. M. Atkinson, Brownville, adjutant. The nine months' service of this regiment expired in
September, 1863, and thereupon George Armstrong raised the First Battalion of Nebraska

[Oscar F.

Davi

S ii^nv ,1

Vl\

.0 left an endu

rill-

ini|.rrs, ,

nsville, on the

o'l"""

f Maul,,

When he was 23

year-

; uf aje 1

1 settlement.

For !

iix years

r. Davis made

that

city his

me thnngh

not

th.

iL bun^' ens;i,L,l

11, gov

til

uiiLiU sune\s

(ULl

thLNibt

sei

lionuf «hn.

COl

imtiy an.l is „.

.« e 1

mpns.d

the Sntes ,.

f \\i

■M-oiism,

iiiiuwn I„«

I ini

1 Is Lb'

1S56, when

Clt ,

1 llLlL 11

1 th

L sun Lying

nnd,

UllLllgU

lecii

ngbusniLss

was city ei

igineei t«o

teims In 1

[S67

XV hen thL

Union Picfic R

ulioad XX as

ntai

in;; c .m]

l>kt,

on and its

\ ivt

^1 iiiti

fill

id XX Lie be

Lomi

n^ 111 im

poll

int LhugL,

Dim. ^M

» en

tl listed XMlh

then

imn-igLi

ncnl

t and XX as

SUtL

"Sbfiil tin

it tl

iL folloxxin.

yLii

he XV as

api

lomtLd Ian 1

comi

nissionti

lliL LOipoia

tion,

uhich ],.

JMll

on hL hllLd

L'd, xvas among the earlier settlers of Omaha, and was one of those men of strong, high character
the community. Mr. Davis was born in Onondaga county, Nexv York, near the village of Bald-
'. On groxving to manhood he dex'oted himself to the study of surveying and civil engineering.
.ight a broader field and came West, locating at Dubuque, Iowa, then considered an e.xtreme xvest-

xvith the vast tide of immi-
gration which surged into the
West on the completion of
the Union Pacific road and
the opening up to settlement
of the rich lands it trax'erses,
Mr. Davis gave most valuable
service not only to the cor-
poration employing him but
also to every nexv settler who
had dealings with him, and
their name xvas legion. In
1S78 Mr. Davis' health began
to be impaired from ox'er ap-
plication to his duties and he
rrsigned. He established a
iL al estate business in the city
ill xvhich he continued up to
the time of his death, which
occurred June 4, 1SS7. In
recounting thus briefly Mr.
Davis' career, omission must
not be made of mention of
his services as a member of
the territorial Legislature, and
also as provost marshal at
Omaha for txvo years during
the xvar of the rebellion. Mr.
D.avis was a conscientious
Christian gentleman, honor-
able in all his dealings and
respected by all who knew
his faith in the city's future. His demise
&3, Miss Sarah F. Dickinson of

for a peiiod of twclxe yeais
It wasduiing this time that
Mr Dax is became best knoxxn
to the people of thL West
Biought into close lelations
him. He w.as a quiet, conser'
was generally deplored. His
Syracuse, New York.]

Veteran Cavalry, and was commissioned as major commanding. This battalion was after-
wards consolidated with the Nebraska First, which had returned from the South. The con-
solidated organization was known as the First Regiment of Nebraska \"eteran Cavalry.

A battalion called Curtis' Horse, consisting of four companies, was also organized,
being principally recruited in Omaha. This battalion was consolidated with the Fifth Iowa
cavalry, the officers being : W. W. Lowe, Omaha, colonel ; M. T. Patrick, Omaha, lieutenant-
colonel ; W. B. McGeorge, adjutant ; Enos Lowe, Omaha, surgeon ; B. T. Wise, assistant
surgeon ; Jerome Spellman, chaplain. Company A was commanded by Captain J. J. Lowe,
Omaha ; Company B by Captain John T. Croft, Omaha ; Company C by Captain Morris
Young ; Company D by Captain Harlan Beard. All these companies were mustered in at
Omaha by Lieutenant J. N. H. Patrick. Omaha has always been an important military point.
Fort Omaha, where a large number of troops are stationed, was established in 1868 under
the name of Sherman barracks. Omaha has for many years been the headquarters and
supply depot of the Department of the Platte.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

It has already been stated, in this brief sketch of Omaha in the early days, that the
first preacher was Rev. Peter Cooper, a Methodist clergyman, who came over from Council
Bluffs to spread the Gospel among the pioneers. The next minister was Rev. Isaac F.
Collins, also a Methodist. Next came Rev. William Leach, a Baptist. In September of the
same year, 1S55, Rev. Reuben Gaylord, a Congregationalist, visited Omaha, and in December
he brought his family here and permanently located. The first Congregational church building

'M^^m^m

MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK.

erected in Omaha was a small brick structure. It is still standing, and forms a part of the
large frame building now occupied as the city hall, at the northwest corner of Farnam and
Sixteenth streets. The little church is attached to the rear of this building, at the northwest
corner, and cannot be seen from the street. At the farewell services held in this church in
1867, preparatory to occupying other quarters. Rev. Mr. Gaylord delivered a sermon in which
he gave his reminiscences covering the fourteen years he had been in Omaha. The published

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED,

report of his sermon says : " He commenced preaching in the council chamber, in the old
State House, in December, 1855. There was no church organization except a Methodist class
of not more than six members. On the 4th of May, 1856, he organized the first Congrega-
tional church in Nebraska with nine members, and steps were taken to build a church.
The Methodists were then erecting a church on Thirteenth street. By the 26th of October

[Lyman Richardson during the trying days of Omaha's life was one of its sturdiest, strongest citizens. Not an aggressive man,
nor one of those who keep themselves to the front, he was yet in line with all progressive movements, a clear-headed, broad-minded
man. His career in Omaha dates from the days of manhood, and in the thirty years or more elapsing he has been one of the city's
best men. Mr. Richardson was born in Michigan in 1834. After his course in the common schools he entered the State University

Arkansas, engaging in gen-
eral land speculation. In
1868 he returned to Omaha
and with Dr. Geo. L. Mil-
ler purchased the Omaha
Herald, the partnership in
the publication of that paper
continuing until its sale to
John A. McShane in March,
1887. During his nearly
twenty years connection
with the Herald, Mr. Rich-
ardson was recognized as a
strong factor
growth and
Quiet and retir
and of conserv;
ter, his judgn
wa)s sound and his voice
always for the right. No
citizen of Omaha enjoyed a
greater share of the respect
and confidence of his fellow
men than did Mr. Richard-
son, and had he been of an
ambitious turn of mind
might have commanded the
distinction of office at any
time. But on the contrary,
he loved best his private
citizenship and the quiet
enjoyment of his domestic
happiness. He possesses a
re and the current topics of the
of almost every requirement to

at Ann Arbor, graduating
therefrom with honors in
1854 while yet but twenty
years of age. About this
time Mr. Richardson's
father came West to Omaha
and hither he was followed
by his family early in Janu"
ary, 1855. He entered the
law office of Judge Geo. B.
Lake, and in 1858 was ad-
mitted to the bar. The
practice of his profession
did not possess any allure-
ments for him, and on the
breaking out of the war Mr.
Richardson was among the
earliest to respond to Presi-
dent Lincoln's first call upon
Nebraska for troops. He
enlisted in the First Neb-
raska Infantry in July,
1862, and was chosen second
lieutenant. Two months
later he was promoted to a
captaincy for his soldierly
qualities, serving in that ca-
pacity with his regiment
until the mustering out at
the close of the war. For
two or three years after the
termination of the rebellion
he lived in Little Rock,

studious mind, enjoys the best literature, and is an authority upon matters of fact in history, lite
day. Since the sale of the Herald he has been enjoying life, being possessed of a competence
afford a man of his disposition content with the world. ]

n Omaha's
prosperity.
,ig by nature
live charac-
jnt was al-

LYMAN RICHARDSON.

the Congregational church was far enough advanced for services to be held in the base-
ment. On the 9th of August, the building having been completed, the dedication sennon
was preached. The Episcopalian church was the next organized, in the old State House,
in 1856. An Old School Presbyterian church was formed in June, 1857, with Rev. Mr.
Bergen as minister ; and a New School Presbyterian church was organized in 1S60." Rev.
Mr. Gaylord, who died a few years ago, continued as the pastor of the Congregational
church until 1864. He was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Stowell, who was followed by Rev. \V.
W. Rose, and Rev. E. S. Palmer. Rev. Mr. Sherrill has been the pastor of the First Con-
gregational church since 1870. The first church edifice that was completed in Omaha was
built by the Roman Catholics. It was a brick structure, on Eighth street, between Harney
and Howard, and was standing until a few years ago, when it was torn down to make
room for the B. & M. freight depot. The Catholic Cathedral on Ninth street was built
about the year 1866. The Methodists built the second church in Omaha, in 1S56, on a lot

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

donated by the ferry company, on Thirteenth street, between Farnam and Douglas, the
site now being covered by the Omaha National Bank. The Episcopalian congregation of
Trinity church was organized by Rev. G. W. Watson in 1856, and in 1859 a small brick
church was built on the southwest corner of Farnam and Ninth streets, on ground leased
for ten years. The building ever since 1869 has been used as a beer-hall under the name
of the Tivoli.

Very few of the old landmarks remain to mark the pioneer period. The steady march of
improvement has swept them out of sight and replaced them with stately structures of modern
design. When the United States Bank tore down its old building at the southwest corner of
Farnam and Twelfth streets, in the spring of 188" and erected on the site a five-story structure.

BROWNELL HALL.

[Brownell Hall, a seminary for young ladies, is incorporated under a board of fifteen trustees, of which the Bishop of Nebraska
is ex-officio president. The school was opened in the northern part of the city, but was removed to the corner of Sixteenth and
Jones streets in 1S67, where buildings were erected and occupied for twenty years, the school steadily growing in public confidence
and increasing in usefulness under the rectorship and management, for the last twelve ye.irs, of the Rev. Robert Doherty, S. T. D.
The progress of the school, as well as the city, at length demanded a more suitable location and enlarged accommodations, and a
beautiful site was chosen on South Tenth street, in a natural grove of fine forest trees, the gift of Mr. H. Kountze, and the new Hall
was begun in 1SS6, and occupied in January, 18S7. The building is plain, but of imposing appearance, owing to its size ; is composed
of two wings connected by a central building, somewhat after the ground plan of the Capitol at Washington, each of these structures
being 100x40 feet, with three stories, an elevated, basement sub-basement and attic. This great building is lighted, healed, finished
and furnished according to the latest and most approved plans for educational institutions of this character. It h.as bath rooms, with
hot and cold water, on each floor ; electric bells, gongs and speaking tubes connect the most distant parts of the building ; three
huge boilers furnish steam, which gives to every room in the building a genial warmth in the coldest weather ; all rooms are perfectly
ventilated, and the furniture and finishing throughout are of the most beautiful varieties of our native woods, oiled, polished or
varnished. In addition to the spacious recitation rooms, there is a recreation room, an oratory and gj-mnasium, furnishing ample
opportunities for needed and healthful exercise. Altogether it is a thoroughly appointed school and elegant Christian home, and
with its enlarged facilities its usefulness is practically without limit as a training school for young Ladies in the West, while its success
reflects great credit upon its projectors and steadfast friends, its manager and teachers, the city of Omaha and State of Nebraska.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

it destroyed the pioneer brick building of Omaha. This historic house was built in 1855-56
by several members of the old Nebraska Ferry Company. The frame residence now standing
on the southwest corner of Dodge and Eighteenth streets was built by Secretary Cuming in 1S56.
General Lowe's brick dwelling, at the southwest corner of Harney and Sixteenth streets, was
erected by the late Dr. Lowe in 1857. Governor John M. Thayer built the brick house at the

[Eleazer Wakeley was born in Homer, Co
J in a marked degree the intelligence anc

■tlandt county. New York, in 1S22. His parents
virtues of New England people. He migrated ■

natives of Conn

the same State and in 1836 removed with them to Elyria, a pretty town
Cowles, a distinguished scholar and linguist, he completed his educati<
mitted to the bar in 1844.
In the fall of the following
year his inclination led him
to follow the course of civi-
lization and he came West.
Locating at Whitewater, in
Southern Wisconsin, he
practiced his profession in
the Circuit and Supreme
Courts until 1857. lu the
meantime Mr. Wakeley
was elected a representative
to the Territorial Legisla-
ture in 1847, and was State
Senator from Walworth
county from 1851 to 1855.
He took a prominent part in
the work of the Legislature,
and among his colleagues
were men then and after-
wards distinguished in the
State. In January, 1857,
without solicitation he was
offered and accepted the ap-
pointment by President
Franklin Pierce as Associate
Justice of the Supreme
Court of Nebraska, and was
assigned to the third district,
comprising Washington and
organized counties north of it
to the line, and all the unor-
ganized territory to the west

. Norther
. He to

under the tuition of Prof. John P.
s reading of the law and was ad-

and north of thii

compns-

JUDGE ELE\ZER WAKELEY.

ing an area of about 350,000
square miles. Judge Wake-
ley resided in Washington
county and in Omaha during
his term, being re-appointed
by President Buchanan. A
few months after President
Lincoln's inauguration he
returned to Wisconsin, re-
suming the law at Madison
where he built up a highly
successful practice. In 1863
he ran for Attorney-General
on the Democratic State
ticket, and in 1866-67 rep-
resented the capitol district
in the Legislature. Judge
Wakeley became so impress-
ed with Omaha during his
stay here that he returned
and took up his permanent
residence in this city in 1S67.
.Abstaining from politics he
engaged in an active and la-
borious practice of his profes-
sion until 18S3. He served
in the Constitutional Conven-
tion of 1871. In 1SS3 at the
urgent and unanimous re-
quest of the bar of Douglas
county he was appointed one
of the District Judges by

Governor Dawes, and the same autumn was elected unanimously on the ticket with Judge Neville for four years. At the recent election as
a candidate on the non-partisan ticket he received 4,700 majority. As a judicial officer, Judge Wakeley has no superior. He
is regarded as a leader in his profession and as especially fitted for the position of magistrate. His profound erudition, legal
acumen, deep learning, fair and impartial tone of mind and clear intuition of right and wrong have served him so well on the bench
that he is universally spoken of as the "Just Judge." His private life is of the most exemplary character. Of unblemished integrity
and strict morality, his career has been such as to commend it to all young men as an example. Judge Wakcley's domestic life has
been a happy one. He was married in 1854 to Miss Sabina S. Comstock at Whitewater, Wisconsin, and the union has resulted in six
children, four young men grown to manhood and two daughters. He is largely of a domestic nature. The bent of his mind has been
more professional than political. He has always resided where his party has been in the minority, and although a Democrat is not an
aggressive nor an intolerant one.]

northeast corner of Davenport and Sixteenth streets, in 1857, and T. G. Goodwill erected the
brick house just east of it during the same year. Major George Armstrong built the brick
house on the north side of Dodge street, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth, in 1S57, and the
next year he erected the brick dwelling on the south side of Dodge, between Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets, which was for many years and until quite recently owned and occupied
by Mr. Aaron Cahn. The brick house on the north side of Dodge, between Fifteenth and
Sixteenth streets, the property of the estate of James G. Chapman, was built in 1856. The
Herndon House, which now forms the greater portion of the reconstructed Union Pacific
headquarters building, was erected in 1857 by George Bridge, Dr. George L. Miller and Lyman

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Richardson. It was opened in elegant style by M. W. Keith, and was in those days the finest
and largest hotel west of Chicago. It proved too great an enterprise for Omaha, however,

[The Millard Hotel is a model of comfort and elegance, the result of the combined skill and judgment of its proprietors, Messrs.
Markel & Swobe. It occupies the full half-square at tlie comer of Thirteenth and Douglas streets and is a fine live story building,
with an attractive frontage on both streets of pressed brick and stone. It is one of the features of Omaha, and no place in the city
offers a better starting point for tourists and visitors than the Millard. When the Grand Central Hotel was burned, Omaha was left
without a lirst class hotel at the very time when one was most needed. l lie want did not remain long unfilled, for a syndicate of
enterprising capitalists was soon formed to build the Millard. This syndicate was formed of .Messrs. J. E. Markel, Thomas Swobe,
Samuel Shears, J. H. Milhiril and George Giacomini. I'hey purchase.l the ground and conimence<l e^Lciivations in Mav.lSSi. The

MILLARD HOTEL.

house was named the Millard in honor of one of the owners and the highly esteemed and influential family of that name. It was
opened to the public in July, 1882, when but four stories were finished, the house containing but 130 rooms ^t the time. Within sixty
days the other story was added, and up to the present time two further additions have been made, one of twenty-two feet on the east
and another containing forty additional rooms to the rear. The house now contains over two hundred rooms fitted with the finest
furniture of any hotel in the State. The two capacious public parlors arc luxurious in their elegance and some of the choicest rooms
are furnished with a lavish disregard of expense. The Millard, in every department, is admirably appointed and possesses all the
modern improvements and conveniences that serve to make hotel life pleasant. There is absolutely no danger from fire. It is not
only equipped with Benner's patent stand pipes and fire escapes, but has six fire walls running through and through the building.
The kitchens and boiler rooms have been made absolutely fire-proof and the balance of the house is heated by steam. .V full fircc of
night employes are trained for an emergency and the danger from the most dreaded of all calamities — hotel fire-. is i^!:; i t.i tlie
very minimum. The house has one of the coziest office lobbies in the world and this, with down floor arrangcni 1,1 1 , mh.rt
of male guests, makes the Millard the strong favorite it is with the traveling public. The improvements that wen n 1 ; miner

comprised, among other items, one of $10,000 for plumbing, and the house has now the most approved and conq 1. :.■ 1 i\ nnd

sanitary arrangement in the West. Every particle of water used is filtered and purified, a genuine blessing to one familiar with the
consistency of Missouri river mud at certain seasons of the year. The Millard is a favorite with local societies and political committees
and has long been the headquarters of the Republican State Central Committee. Special quarters arc provided by the management
for the accommodation of committees, a room being reserved for such gatlierings and fitted up solely for that
The present owners, .Messrs Markel & Swobe, have been identified with the Millard from the first. Mr. Giae.Miiihi ij 1 •W
his share to the remaining four; then Shears, Markel and Swobe purchased Mr. Millard's interest, and in i8S(>. A ^
of his stock to the two remaining partners. These gentlemen have the most extensive hotel experience and 1 1

having also, as the Pacific Hotel Company, control of eighteen hotels on the line of the Union Pacific Railway, tli. , i 1,
anyone who has traveled over that road can testify. The Millard is under the direct management of Frank McDonald, a t^
of the highest social qualities and deservedly popular with the guests. A. G. Davenport has held the position of head clerk since the
house opened, a most gratifying testimonial of the regard and confidence of the public and his employers. The same can be said of
Mr. C. C. Hulett, the cashier, who has occupied the position ever since five months after the hotel was opened. J. E. Strong is key
clerk and Frank Watson does the honors to the belated traveler and night guests. The culinary department is under the management
gf 0. N. Davenport, a steward who has made the Millard famous throughout the West.]

uposc.
-e.l of

-posed
West,
which

llcman

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

and it brought financial disaster to all who were connected with it. After passing through
various hands it came into the possession of Dr. Gilbert C. Monell, who rented it to the
Union Pacific in 1870, for its general offices, which had occupied the old State House on Ninth
street, just opposite. In 1875 the Union Pacific purchased the property for $42,000, and the
building has from time to time been reconstructed, enlarged and otherwise improved.

[John C. Cowin was born in Wavrensville, Ohio, on the Ilth day of January, 1846. At an early age his father, a fanner of
very limited means, died, and he was brought to face the World for himself in the encounter for daily existence. His first employ-
ment was upon a farm, the me.igre income from which was set aside for the procurement of a better education than was afforded in
the neighboring district school. He enlered Iluam Electic Institute, of which James A. Garfieia, afteiwards the Chief Magistrate
of the nation, was presi- of his official service

that he was the most
effective Prosecuting
Attorney the district
ever had, being a ter-
ror to criminals and
offenders against the
law. On retiring from
the Prosecutor's office
Mr. Cowin 's friends
brought him forward in
1876 as a candidate for
the Republican nomi-
nation for Congress,
Nebraska at that time
having but one mem-
ber in the national
House of Representa-
tives. After a vigorous
canvass, in which the
then dominant railroad
power was pitted
against him , Mr. Cowin
was barely defeated in
his party convention. •
He had incurred the
hostility of the rail-
roads because of his
vigorous and success-
ful conduct of a suit
against the Union Pa-
cific Railroad, to which
the Treasurer of Doug-
las and other counties
were parties, the point
at issue being the taxa-
bility by the Slate and
municipalities of the
lands granted by the
Government, ■ and
which involved many

dent, and was the re-
cipient of m.any kind-
nesses at his hands in
the struggle for an
education on limited
means. On the break-
ing out of the war Mr.
Cowin enlisted as a pri-
vate in the Twenty-
third Ohio Infantry,
and participated in
numerous engage-
ments, among the more
notable being those of
Carnifax Ferry, the
second battle of BiUl
Run, South Mountain
and Antietam. When
the war had terminated
he had risen to a cap
taincy. He returned
to Ohio, taking a law-
course in the Ohio
State and Union Law
College, at Cleveland,
Ohio, at the same time
entering the law office
of Backus & Eslep.
On graduating and re-
ceiving his diploma, in
the spring of 1867, he
moved West, reaching
Omaha in April .if that
year, and here lie has
since remained. He
was elected to the off-
ice of District Attorney
in the fall of 1868.
Two years later he was
re-elected. It said
hundreds of thousands of doll.irs. The
triumph of which he is still justly proud,
friends as a Republican candidate for Uii
an intense strife developed. Mr. Cowin
one or two votes of the requisite number
which resulted in a compromise, and Ge

HON. JOHN C. COWIN.

se was taken to the Supreme Court at Washington, and decided in Mr. Cowin's favor, a
In the campaign of 18S2 Mr. Cowin was again brought forward by his hosts of admiring
•d States Senator. When the Legislature was convened and b.illoting for Senator began,
1 .all other candidates in the party caucus, and during two weeks of balloting was within
lit as is usu.il in such intense strife, a combination was made against the strongest candidate,
mI Manderson was chosen. Mr. Cowin has been remarkably successful in his profession,
ranking among the very foremost members of the bar of Nebraska. He is of a geniiil, kindly nature, a man of fine intellectual
attainments, great oratorical powers and distinguished presence. He commands the respect and confidence of the people in a marked
degree, and should ambition move him to it, may yet enjoy high political distinction. Mr. Cowin was married in 1S70 to Ella L.
Benton, of Cleveland, and enjoys the domestic bliss of a charming family.]

The pioneers of Omaha formed "The Old Settlers Association," in January, 1866. It
was composed entirely of citizens who had located here prior to the year 1S58. The officers
were : Dr. Enos Lowe, president ; Dr. George L. Miller, vice-president, and A. D. Jones,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

secretary. A re-union of "Old Settlers" was held at the Herndon House on the evening of
January i, 1867. The honorary managers were : Dr. Enos Lowe, Hon. A. S. Paddock, Hon.
A. J. Poppleton, Colonel Lewis Merrill, Jesse H. Lace\', Francis Smith, Hadley D. Johnson,
Hon. John \. Redick, Major-
General Philip St. George
Cook, Brigadier-General
Myers, Jas. M. Woolworth,
James Megeath, Thomas
Davis, Dr. Gilbert C. Monell,
Major J. W. Paddock, and
Augustus Kountze. The
floor managers were : J. F.
Coffman, George Wallace,
Reuben Wood, A. S. Patrick,
and George M. Lloyd. The
" Old Settlers' Association,"
however, had only a brief
existence, expiring some
time in 1868. The following
is an incomplete list of well-
known old settlers, with the

dates upon which they first stepped upon Nebraska
William D. Brown,* June 3, 1850; Enos Lowe,* June 25, 185;
A. D. Jones, November, 1853; C. H. Downs, April 23, 1854

RESIDENCE OF ELMER D FR\NK

those marked thus [*] ha

1855; David Richards, April, 1855; R. N. Withnell, May 2,
1855 ; E. H. Warner, May 10, 1855 ; John Logan, July 9, 1855 ; O.
John .P McPherson, October 25, 1855 ; Rev. Reuben Gaylord,*

g died :
H. D. Johnson, October, 1853 ;
Addison R. Gilmore,* May 24,
1854; William P. Snowden,
July II, 1854; O. B. Selden,*
September 23, 1S54; J. \\\
Paddock, September 24,
1854; William Gray, Sep-
tember, 1S54; O. D. Rich-
ardson, September, 1S54;
John Withnell, October,
1854 ; S. E. Rogers, Octo-
ber, 1854; A. J. Poppleton,
October 13, 1854 ; Loren
Miller, October 19, 1854 ;
George L. Miller, October
19, 1854 ; Jas. G. Megeath,
November, 1854; Lyman
Richardson, January, 1S55 ;
E. Estabrook, June 23, 1855 ;
John Davis, March 16, 1855 ;
John Evans, March, 1855 ;
H. H. Visscher, April 3,
855 ; Edwin Patrick, May 7,
P. Ingalls, September 7, 1855 ;
December 25, 1855 \ Moses

OMAHA tLLUSTRATEfy.

Shum, April, i8S5; J- M. Marsten, November i8, 1855; W. W. Wyman,* June 5, 1855; Allen
Root, May 16, 1855 ; A. B. Moore, April 22, 1854; D. C. Sutphen, September 4, 1857 ; H. B. Paris,
November 1$, 1857; M.B.Riley, August 11, 1857; Daniel Gault, May 12, 1857; J. W. Pickard,
December 19, 1855 ; S. A. Orchard, November 15, 1S55 ; John H. Sahler, August 29, 1856 ; R. S.
Knox, January 3, 1856.

[William J. Connell, a resident of Omaha since April lo, 1S67, is of Scotch descent. He was bom July 10, 1S46, at Cowans-
ville, Province of Quebec, about thirty miles from the northern boundary of Vermont. His father, Rev. Daniel Connell, w.as a Con-
gregational minister. Mr. Connell is a self-made man. Arriving in Omaha at the age of twenly-one, he began his struggle for fame
>rk at anything to earn a livelihood, he gladly accepted a position in the employ of Tootle & Maul, a dry

four years he made a

and fortune. \Villir
goods firm. The rou-
tine work of a clerk-
ship proved too limi-
ted a space for the
ambi tious young
man, and determin-
ing to seek a wider
and more intellectual
field, he decided to
enter the legal pro-
fession. Beginning
his studies in the of-
fice of B. E. B. Ken-
nedy, he continued
them in that of Col.
C. S. Chase, and con-
cluded his prelimin-
ary legal training un-
der the tui'tion of
Hon. J. M. Wool-
worth. In 1870 he
was admitted to the
bar, and at once be-
ginning active prac-
tice soon had a large
clientage. In 1872
the Republicans
elected him to the
important office of
District Attorney for
the Third Judicial
District, which then
comprised ten coun-
ties, including Doug-
las and Lancaster.
So efficiently did he
perform his duties
that he was rewarded
with a re-election in //■////

1874. During these

spirited and liberal man, and has accumulated a handsome f
until he is now ranked among the foremost membeis of the b
whether in the practice of his profession, 01 as the leadei of a

record which estab-
lished for him a repu-
tation as an able law-
jer. Retiring from
his office he devoted
himself to civil prac-
tice, in which he
proved as capable as
he had been in the
prosecution of crim-
inal cases. Mr. Con-
nell was appointed
City Attorney in
April, 1S83, and held
the office for four
years,serving through
the administration of
Mayor Boyd. Mr.
Connell saved the
uty hundreds of
thousands of dollars
by his successful de-
fense of suits for dam-
ages and by his sound
legal advice on im-
portant questions. He
was mainly instru-
mental in devising a
charter for the city
under which all the
public improvements
that have wrought
such a wonderful
change in this city
became possible.
During all these
years he has been an
active and honorable
politician, a public
rluiii- Vt the uni. time he has advanced steadily in his profession,
r of thib city and State His leputation is that of a persistent fighter,
polit cil fiction, 01 as the champion of any cause m which he may be

interested. As a parliamentarian he has few equals. Mr. Connell was married on the 24th of September, 1872, at St. Johnsbury,
Vermont, to Miss Mattie Chadwick, and five children have been born to them — Helen, Ralph S., Karl A., Marion and Hazel. His
home, "Hillcrest," occupies a beautiful and commanding location on St. Mary's avenue. — A. s.]

Among the early settlers who came to Omaha prior to i860 are the following, the list
including many who came here during the years 1855-56: A. J. Hanscom, the Creightons, C. W.
Hamilton, Herman Kountze, James G. Chapman,* J. K. Ish,* O. F. Davis,* John Green, Peter
Windheim, the Beindorfs, Cam Reeves, the Reeses, Richard Kimball, St. John Goodrich,*
Charles S. Goodrich, Ezra Millard,* Joseph H. Millard, the Barkalows, the Dumalls,
Timothy Kelly, Dr. Plummer,* Peter Frenzer, Joe Frenzer, J. M. Clark, the McAuslands,
H- O. Jones,* Tom Murray, Captain W. W. Marsh, Harrison Johnson,* James Smith, George

OMAHA I LLC ST RA TEf) .

Smith, M. Hellman, Aaron Cahn, William Sexauer, tlie Demarests, John Horbach, G. M. Mills,*
George T. Mills, Henry Pundt, Vincent Burkley, Mrs. Frank Coffman,* the Patricks, F. A.

Schneider, Joseph F. Sheely,
John M. Sheely, John R.
Porter, Harry P. Deuel,
John R. Meredith,* Dr. J. P.
Peck,* the Roeders, Edwin
Loveland,* Fred. Davis,
John McCormick,* Josiah
S. McCormick, George W.
Hanan, Sr.,* the Homan
family, F"red Court, Peter
Hugus,* Eb Dallow, P. W.
Hitchcock,* A. S. Paddock,
John Yerger, Sterrit M.
Curran,* George Silvester,
B}-ron Reed, John Camp-
bell,* E. L. Eaton. J. W.
Tousley, Rev. W. X. Mc-
Candlish,* Joel T. Griffin,*

"HILLCREST"-RESIDENCEOF W. J. O.NNKLL. p.^^,j DrC.Xel, JoSCph Red-

man, David Harpster, Henry Grebe, Charles Karbach, Frank Murphy, James T. Allan,* E. A.
Allen, Major George Armstrong, Clinton Briggs,* General John M. Thayer, the Dees, Mrs.
W. W. Wyman, Mrs. T. B.
Cuming, Mrs. W. D. Brown
and family, Mrs. Jesse
Lowe and family, F. L.
Reef, Le\'i Kennard, G.
A. McCoy,* Charles Powell,
Ignace Scherb and brother,
the Shull family, J. S. Gib-
son, the Barkers, Wiley
Dixon, John I. Redick, the
Yates family, D. Sullivan,
Thomas Riley, "John Riley,
Frank Dellone, Fred Del-
lone, James M. Winship,
W. A. Gwyer, \\\ H. S.
Hughes, B. E. B. Kenne-
dy, the Hartmans, James
E. Boyd, William A. Pax-
ton, George W. Doane,
Frank Kleffncr, A. N.
Frick, D. Whitney, E. B.

Chandler, the Medlocks, residence of j. w. Griffith.

Father Curtis,* Peter Malone, Michael and Jerry T.inahan, Paul and A
P. Birkett, Jerry Mahoney, Edward Y. Tenner)-, D. S.

J. Harmon, Charles
Parmalee, John Lutz, E. V. Smith,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

bought out his partner and

[Hon. George W. Linmger was born in Chambersburg, Franlilin county, Pennsylvania, December 14, 1834. When a bov of
eleven his parents removed to Peru, Illinois ; his education was only such as could be obtained in the common schools of Pennsylvania
and lllmois in those early days. He began business for himself at Peru, at the age of twenty, by buying an interest in a stove and
tinware store with $200. His business prospered until 1868, when he sold out and removed to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where, with E L
Shugart, he engaged in the agricultural machinery and implement business. In 1S72 he removed to Omaha. About a year later he
ed the business alone until 1879, when he sold out and took his family abroad. They made a com-
plete tour of Great Britain,
the Continent, Egypt and the
Holy L d Pet " g he
o ga ze 1 he L ge i. Met
cilfCo pa ) ovlhelagest
deale si ag Ut al ma
cl e y 1 tl e L ed btites
T ve t al oad

recorded proceedings of the English Grand Lodge. Itwas Mr. Lininger's desire to stiulv ^rasonry as it exists in the counlrios of Europe
which first took him abroad, and the pursuit of those studies led him into the domain of Art, the result of which has been by far the
most extensive and valuable collection of art works in painting, statuary, carving, metal, etc., to be found in the State. Mr LininTcr
L something illustrative of the arts in every country in the world where art exists, and without doSbt
will be the future establishment of an Art Gallery in Omaha that would do credit to any of
work, showing interior views of Mr. Lininger's parlors, give a faint idea of his

claims that he has in his collectio

the result of his labors in this di:

our Eastern cities. The two illustrations in thii

collection, but it must be seen and carefully studied in order to~ fully appreciate it, and/like°alf ent'husi^ts'rnVrt" Mr7LruuVger"is

glways happy to exhibit his treasures.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED

Samuel R, Brown, Randall Brown, J. J. Brown, William F. Swecsy, A. J. Simpson, Silas A.
Strickland,* Pat and Michael Connolly, Thomas O'Connor, J. W. Van Xostrand, Arthur N.
Ferguson, Patrick Dinan, M. Lavin, Patrick McDonough, George I. Gilbert, Milton Rogers,
Martin Dunham, Thomas Martin, Joseph Fox, Dr. William McClelland,* W. J. Kennedy. John

Kennedy, John Kennelly, John Petty, the Forbes family, Henry Livcse)-, Thomas Swift, Luke
McDermott, the Lehmer family, E. F. Cook, Charles Turner, Charles M. Anmock,^'= Fred
Kumpf, J. C. Wilcox, E. S. Seymour, Mrs. C. W. Kocnig, the Misses McCheane, Charles
Childs, Frederick Krug, B. P. Knight, James McArdle.

t":''-'^

l?MUIDU'l».-v

SOME OF OMAHA'S INDUSTRIES.

The Omaha of To-Day.

FACTS AND FIGURES.

CTO far as the object of this work is concerned, the period of Omaha's history succeeding
*— ' the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad can be dismissed with merely passing
mention, as a period which the city underwent, as many cities have — with slow growth.

The unsettled and unfavorable conditions of national growth and prosperity necessarily
affected the little outpost of civilization, and retarded its development. In fact, the Omaha
of to-day can be rightly dated from 1S82, when great national prosperity, the pushing
westward of the agencies of growth — capital and enterprise — combined with the energetic

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

. first president, and held that position until his death in August, i

and wide-awake spirit of the citizens who were directing the community's welfare. In that
year the people of Omaha wisely agreed that if the city was to have a desirable future it could

[The Commercial National Bank was established May i, 1884, the chief promoter being the late Mr. Ezra Millard, who had
been the president of the Omaha National Bank from its organization in 1866. The capital stock is $300,000, all paid in. Mr. Millard

guiding wisely and prudently the new enterprise during
this time On May i, 18S5, one year after beginning business, the
bank s deposits stood at $351,891, and its loans and discounts at
$526 4S1, showing not only an established prosperity but careful and
constrMtive management. On May I, 1886, deposits stood at $419,-
029, loans and discounts at $633,274, with a surplusof $17,000. On
Maj I, 18S7, deposits stood at $719,434, loans and discounts at $756,
53S, the surplus being $20,000, and undivided profits, $1 1, 1 17. Thus
(luinig two years from May, 1S85, to May, 1887, the bank deposits
hnd iiici cased $367,343, and its loans and discounts $230,054,
notwithstanding two other national banks had in the
meantime been established. Upon the death of Mr.
Millard, Mr. A. P. Hopkins (who, on coming to Omaha
in 1866, was for a time connected with the Omaha Na-
tional Bank, while Mr. Millard was its president, and
later engaged for thirteen years in banking at Fremont)
was elected president, Mr. Alfred Millard, son of the late
president, was made cashier, and F. B. Bryant, assistant
cashier. The members of its board of directors are: Wm.
G. Maul, Clark Woodman, Andrew Henry, S. R. John-
son, L. B. Williams, E. M. Morsman and Joseph Gar-
neau, Jr., men of acknowledged financial soundness and
ability, giving to the public every assurance of maintaining
the safe and prudent course which has so far brought the

bank into general esteem. Of the late Ezra Millard it can be said that
he was one of the best of our great citizens and one of the greatest 1 f
our good citizens. He came as near being an ideal
and a model for imitation as any man whom Omaha
has known. As a banker he was broad, level-headed
and sagacious; as a business man in any department,
far-seeing, methodical and progressive; as a citizen he
was generous, public-spirited and wonderfully well
informed. He was a pioneer. Under his eye this city
has grown from a hamlet. He was foremost in its
interests, and his foresight and counsel aided its devel-
opment. For nearly thirty years his prominence and
influence have been recognized throughout the State
and far beyond its boundaries. He was also the found-
er of the Omaha National Bank, of which he was presi-
dent for eighteen years. To the railroad interests of
the city he devoted his energies and abilities, and con-
tributed largely to the development of this as a railroad
center. Mr. Millard was born in 1834 at Hamilton,
Ontario. He came to the States with his parents in
1850, and settled in Iowa, from whence he came to
Omaha in 1856. He became a member of the land
agency firm of Barrows, Millard & Co., the company
beginning the banking business in i860. The firm of Millai
1870. He was largely interested in real estate and building.
Company and treasurer of the Cable Tramway Company.
Christian and a member of the Presbyterian church. His

A., p. HOPKINS, PRESIDENT COMMERC

d, C.ildwcU & Co. was organized later on and he lennmcd with it until
and at the time of his death was vice-president of the Union Tiust
He at one time served as mayor of the city. Mr. Millard was a
leath occurred at Saratoga Sptings, New York, August 20, 1886. It

was very sudden and caused by heart disease. He
deeply felt by all interested in the growth of this city t

•as cut off
id State.

his prime, being but fifty-three years of age. His loss has been

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

be best enhanced by efforts from within. The city's finances had been well managed, and
the municipal resources were such as to warrant the beginning of an extensive system of
public improvements. A
comprehensive system of
sewerage had been pro-
vided, and paved streets
were determined upon.
The work was begun, and
within two years it had
progressed so well that
the claim for Omaha, that
it was " the best paved
city of its size in the
Union," passed challenge.
Its commanding location
as the eastern terminus
of the chief trans-conti-
nental line, which, with
other side transportation
facilities, made it a dis-
tributing center for a vast
and productive area of
territory, attracted to it
those elements of growth,
— enterprising men and
capital seeking profitable
investment. A city de-
termined within itse-lf to
be a city, was a magnet
to draw from elsewhere
such requisites as might
be wanting — -and they
came. In i S 8 2 it was
conservatively estimated
that Omaha had a popu-
lation of 30,000. The
census taken by the State
in 18S5 showed that the
city had 61,000 popula-
tion, an actual increase
of more than i 00 per
cent. Since that time the
extension of the corpora- <

tion limits so as to om.\h.\

include that portion of the city's growth which had overlapped the former boundaries, and
South Omaha, the distinctive feature of the city's development, have become factors in
swelling the population so that it can be safely claimed that Omaha has at present 120,000

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

population. Such a growth in such a period seems in the nature of the marvelous, yet
there has been little or nothing of the ephemeral boom-growth in it. The increase has
been achieved upon a substantial basis. People who have come to Omaha have come to
stay. The investment of outside capital has been large, and the enterprises it has furthered
have furnished the sustenance for the attendant elements of increase of population. The

[Genera! Experience Estabrook has been a familiar figure in Omalia affairs for over thirty years. He is one of the oldest
settlers. He was born in Lebanon, Grafton county, New Hampshire, April 30, 1813, where his parents lived until 1822, when the
family moved to Clarence (afterwards named Alden in honor of Mr. Estabrook's grandmother of that name), a town near Buffalo, N.
Y. This was his home until July, 1840. In the meantime he attended Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pa., also the law school con-
nected with Marshall he took a prominent
College, at Chambers- ^^^'5^2^^;*=^-^ part, especially on the
burg. Pa., where he /^^^ ' X suffrage article, an
graduated and was ad- /0' ^' ^ amendment to which,
raitted to the bar. He ^^f' offered by him, enabled
then continued his /^^P^ \ the colored man to vote
studies at Brooklyn, N. Wi^^l' 'fi j^^^^ ,.^ before the war. In 1849
Y., part of his time be- ^^^ffWmu ^^^^™^W- ^'^ ^^^^ elected to the
ing taken up with the wf^lkf \^ ' '^^B^P^ W^ Legislature of Wiscon-
duties of a clerkship in mk^fP'C^ M ^'"' ^® "^"""^ ^° ^^^'
the navy yard at that ^fe^^J' S^\ 4^^Mi raska in 1855 as United
place. The yoimg law- ^||k!»ji^\ \V t^^^^TO ^"""^ Attorney, ap-
yer then removed to ^^^'„ ■■ ' K V***^ ^ pointed by President

gan the active practice JL v^ ' held the office for four

was a member of the them, broke into the

Constitutional Conven- ^i^ i\riiiiMi i^imkhdk channel and narrowly

tion of 1848, in which escaped drowning. At

the first term of the court in the Territory of Nebraska in the spring of 1855, General Estabrook was the only member of the bar in
the Territory, recognized as such by the court, on account of his official position, and upon his motion the first bar was admitted to
practice; so that it may be said almost literally that Mr. Estabrook is the father of the Nebraska bar. In July, 1859, ^^ accompanied
the " Pawnee Expedition " up the Elkhorn, attacking the Indians at wdiat is now Battle Creek. In that expedition Gov. Samuel W.
Black was commander-in-chief with the present governor. General Thayer, in direct command. Mr. Estabrook was a member of
General Thayer's staff as Adjutant General. Major General Samuel R. Curtis was also one of the staff officers. On his return from
this expedition he ran for delegate to''Congress, and was eUcted, but in a contest before the House was unseated in favor of Samuel G.
Dailey, the Republican nominee. Mr. Estabrook served, however, through one session until June, i860. He was appointed by the
Governor in 1866, to codify the State laws, and was selected by the public printer to superintend the publication and prepare the index.
This required his spending the summer in Chicago and he embraced the opportunity to publish a form book, called Estabrook's
Forms, a valuable legal work which, unfortunately, was nearly lost to the profession — the entire edition, with the exception of a few
books, being destroyed by fire. The following year he was appointed district attorney of this district, which office he held from 1867
to 1869. In 1871 he was chosen a member of the Constitutional Convention, and the same year was employed by the board of
managers as counsel to aid in the impeachment of Governor David Butler, who was found guilty and turned out of office. General
Estabrook was married at Geneva Lake, Wis., April 14, 1844, to Miss Caroline Augusta Maxwell, daughter of Colonel James
Maxwell, a pioneer of Wisconsin. She was born in Tioga county. Pa. They have two children, the eldest, Caroline Augusta, now
married to Col. R. C. Clowry, general superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company. Henry Dodge Estabrook, a son,
is now practicing law in this city.]

percentage of that which is termed "floating population" in Omaha is very sinall. There is
no lack of employment for those devoted to almost any avocation, and the prosperity of
the people is uniformly great. This much having been said of the community in common

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

terms, it is well to glance at present and prospective resources, with a view to demonstrating
that the excellence of the Omaha of to-day is not only a fixed fact of the present, but is
also a guaranty of future continued and increased greatness. Look first at what Omaha

JSES OF KlUKENDALL, JOKES & CO.— LEE, FEIED & CO. — ILEE & CO. — DEWEY & STONE.

has done and is doing in the way of public improvements. Information secured from the
books of City Engineer Tillson makes the following showing :

Jan. I, 1S82 to
Jan. I, 1887. During 1887.

Paving $1,483.06574 $ 376.33766

Sewers 594.17° 95 219,012 63

Curbing 232,86700 63,65000

Grading 300,885 00 174.36S 00

Viaducts 118,633 55 24,075 72

CityHall 2,36400 23. '05 59

Totals $2,731.98624 $ 880,54960

Grand Total $3. "'2.535 84

The money thus expended annually in public improvements has averaged about lo per
cent, of the total amount expended in other improvements, manufactures, business blocks,
residences, etc. Thus, from a few hundred thousands spent in 1882, the total value of
improvements for 1887 mounts up to about $8,000,000. This enormous increase has not, how-
ever, been disproportionate with the growth of the city in population and importance as a
city and center of trade. As will be shown in after statements — actual figures — the city has
not been dwarfed in any particular respect. Its growth has been even and uniform in all the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

distinctive features of private and public enterprise. Anything which would enhance the
communal interests of Omaha has been given deserved attention, and the success thereby
achieved cannot be gainsaid.

Keeping pace with the growth of Omaha and its municipal development has been
especially the increase in its commercial importance, which can be partially illustrated by the
record of the clearing house since its establishment in 1885. During that year the clear-

[Dr. Jacob C. Denise was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, December 3, 1828, and was educated in the common schools, in
the Academy at Franklin, Ohio, and at Farmer's College, College Hill, near Cincinnati; studied medicine and took his degree at
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1S55 > engaged in practice at Dayton, Ohio, until the civil war broke out, when he

the Land Office at Grand
Island, the first west of Oma-
ha, Dr. Denise opening it for
business. This office he held
for three years, resigning in
1S72, when he returned to
Omaha, and has since con-
tinuously resided here and
practiced his profession. In
1868 he was one of the
original incorporators of the
Kebraska State Medical So-
ciety, and also in the same
year was one of the corpora-
tors of the Young Men's
Christian Association. From
1S73 to :886 he was United
States Pension Surgeon Ex-
aminer. In 1882 he helped
to organize the Omaha Medi-
cal College, in which he has
been one of the Professors
ever since, and is now Dean
of the Faculty. In all good
enterprises calculated to pro-
mote the welfare and ad-
vancement of Omaha, the
Doctor has been an active
participant. Dr. Denise has
been by the inherent force of
his character, inherited from
his French and Holland Hu-
guenot ancestoi-s, an active,
the army under Generals Fremont, Pope, Burnside and Sherman, was of the most arduous character,
ny of the important battles up to and including the capture of Atlanta, where he had charge of a division
Since coming to Nebraska he has been physician to the Deaf and Dumb Institute for fourteen years —

entered the service, August
18, 1861, as Assistant Surgeon
in the Twenty-seventh Ohio
Volunteers. In 1863 he was
promoted to Surgeon. His
service was in the Western
army in Missouri, Tennessee,
Mississippi, etc., and after
the Atlanta campaign he re-
signed, November 14, 1864.
He became a Contract Sur-
geon January I, 1865, and
was assigned as executive
officer at Tripler Hospital,
Columbus, Ohio. In Octo-
ber, 1S65, this hospital was
discontinued as such, and the
establishment was given to
the State for a Soldiers'
Home, Dr. Denise being as-
signed to it as Surgeon.
Here he continued until
May, 1867, when it was
superseded by the Home at
Dayton. In June, 1S67, the
Doctor came to Omaha and
entered into practice. In the
spring of 1868 he was elected
City Physician, and was also
County Physician, which po-
sitions he held until 187 1.
In 1S69 he was appointed by
President Grant Receiver of
enterprising man. His service
he being engaged in m
hospital with 2,000 bed;

VISE.

almost from its establishment. He has for years been the corresponding member of the International Committee of the Y. M. C. A.
for the State of Nebraska. To carry out a long-cherished wish he went abroad in 1S86, and spent a great deal of time in the
hospitals of London and Berlin, besides traveling extensively through Holland, Austria, Switzerland and France, deriving from his

professional and other observations much benefit and satisfaction.
to add, ranks among our most eminent practitioners.]

his practice chiefly to office work, and i

ances footed up a total of $51,528,609. In the year 1886 they amounted to $82,690,570,
an increase over the preceding year of 60 per cent., and for 1887 the total reaches $137,-
220,535, an increase of 66 per cent, over the year 18S6. Of course it is well understood
that the clearing house returns do not indicate the total volume of business done in the
city. Transactions at South Omaha, for instance, are only partially reported, and there are,
besides, banks doing business in Omaha which do not share in the clearing house trans-
actions. Perhaps the growth of the banking capital of the city will better serve to illus-
trate the growth of the city's commercial importance. On January i, 1S82, the city had
four national banks whose capital and surplus represented a total of $400,000. At present

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

the city has eight national banks whose capital and surplus amount to $2,970,500, and in
addition there are two savings banks, besides a number of private banks and trust com-
panies, making the total banking capital of the city easily amount to $4,000,000. This

W. V. MORSE

WAREHOUSE AND OFFICES.

figure does not include deposits, whicii in 1S85 were over $8,000,000, in 1S86 about $12,250,000,
and in 18S7 the total approximates $16,000,000.

And speaking of the commercial importance of Omaha it will be well to note the
volume and increase each year since record has been kept. During 1884 there were 64
firms engaged in the wholesale and jobbing trade in Omaha and they transacted a total
business of $9,500,000. In 1885 the number of firms was increased to 169 and the total

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

business footed $25,136,000. During 18S6 there were 196 firms, and they did business
amounting to $35,496,000. In 1887 the number of firms reached 240, and the business
approximates $50,000,000. The leading lines rank : groceries, lumber, dry goods, steam
supplies, hardware, coal, liquors, boots and shoes, drugs, agricultural implements,
furniture, leather and hides, besides twenty or more lesser lines. The profits in the whole-

[Mr. Peter E. Her is one of Omaha's most prominent and successful business men. He is a native of Ohio, having been born

at Wooster, February lo, 1S40. At the early age of sixteen he began to earn his own living by doing chores for a banker of Indian-
apolis. He was soon given the superintendence of his several farms, and his salary was raised from twenty to seventy-five dollars a
month. Becoming sick he returned to his home at Tiffin, and upon recovering his health he started out as a country peddler with a

one-horse wagon and a small new partners M. W. Kennard,

stock of notions. He met p ■ — ^ and his brother J. D. Her.

with success and soon drove a ; ^ ' The Willow Springs Distillery

splendid four-in-hand team rffy ^^ having been confiscated by

and a beautiful wagon. He ^^|^^^^||k^^ the government, was offered

also took orders for all the .^S^^^ ^^^^^ '^°' ^^'^ '" '^''°' ^"'^ ^^ ^^

wholesale merchants in Tiffin, jt^, > bought in the name of James

doing in this way a large com- ^^^ V ^' ^''=8'=^''^ ^'"' ^- ^- ^'*^'''

mission business. Mr. Her ^^' - -■ \ "^"^ partners in this enterprise

branched out and established ^^K ^^^ iMfcrj l '^*='"S Megeath, Her and John

a general supply store, en- Hfili "^^^^1^ ^Ml' McCormick. In 1872-3 the

gaged in the manufacture of fi/^ ^^ distillery became the property

cigars, and ran a distillery and f ^ ^ A of P. E. Her, J. D. Her, and

a general liquor store, all of . ^ \ ^^KM^ ^^' ^^' ■^''"'""'' ^^^ ''^^

these enterprises proving sue- .^ ^ i^^nl^^lH named gentleman remaining

cessful. The railroads enter- * ^^HHE^Bl^ '" '^^ '^'™ ""'"' '^^^' ^^^^^

ing Ohio materially decreased ^^^^SJRf^^P^ '^'^ ^°''^ °"' '° ^'^ partners.

Mr. Her's trade, and he de- „ ^jj^KB I" '^^5 Mr. Henry Suessen-

cided in 1S66 to locate in J^^ "'^'^^S^^^^K^ h3.c\\ became a partner. The

Omaha. Coming to this city ^Hjfe^^ "^"^^wBHe. distillery has been enlarged

in that year he secured papers ^^|^^H^^^^^ v-^^^' '^'°'" ^'^"' '° ^^"'' '""^ '™"

a class B bonded ^^f^^^^^^^^^^^^j^l^^H^, ^"^^

made a contract ,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|^^IHI^ ^^^ '°~

the a I^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hk ^^'^

^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^K the Its

He out ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BK^^^^u ' ^^^' "^^'^

the 1S67 "^C^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^^Hli '^^ ^^^

ately after the great fire in ' '^ • '^^^ ^^^^^^^^B^^»^^^^^^W tax was nearly $150,000, in

Cincinnati he bought out his peter e. her. 1879 it increased to |72i,ooo,

old partners and took in as and it is now over $2,000,000.

The sales of the Willow Springs Distillery and Her & Co., combined, have increased in the same ratio —from $500,000 per annum to
nearly |3,ooo,ooo. The cost of material used in the distillery during 1S86 was $250,000, representing 510,000 bushels of gr.iin.
Over 10,000 tons of coal were consumed. Employment is given to 125 men. The annual pay-roll is over $So,ooo. Mr. Her was one
of the original organizers of the South Omaha Land Syndicate, which has resulted in making this city the third pork packing center
of this country. He has for some time been the leading spirit in the movement to solve the cheap coal problem, he and his
associates having already spent a considerable sum of money in boring for a paying vein of coal. He is also interested in tlie
effort that is being made to discover natural gas in this vicinity. He is a member of the National Distillers' Association, and a
aember of the Omaha Board of Trade. In 1863 Mr. Her was married at Tiffin, Ohio, to Miss Mary A. Denzer.

pre

They have four children living — William E., May, Edith anc

interesting family, and doing everything in his power to make ho

Bessie. Mr. Her i
le happy for them.]

hon

taking great delight

sale and jobbing trade have been large. Not a failure has been recorded, and most of the
firms have increased their capital to keep pace with the growth of their trade. The retail
trade, too, as may well be imagined in a growing city of 120,000 inhabitants, has been
prosperous, but any figures regarding its volume or the number engaged in it would be
valueless to the purpose of this work. Suffice it to say that the enterprise of its merchants
and the conveniences afforded in railroad facilities to the people of Council Bluffs, Lincoln,
Plattsmouth, Fremont and other neighboring towns, have greatly increased the retail trade
of the city.

OMAITA ILLUSTRATED.

Omaha's manufactures must necessarily be considered a factor of its importance, though
the city's manufacturing- interests may be justly said to be yet in their infancy. There
are about lOO manufacturing concerns now established here, though previous to 1SS2 they
did not number a score. At present about 6,000 skilled workmen are employed, the monthly
pay-rolls footing up about $450,000. Of these the most important concerns are the railroad
shops, employing 1,500 men, the Grant Smelting Works (the largest in the world), employing
500 men, Carter White Lead W^orks, Willow Springs Distillery, Garneau Cracker Co., Paxton
and Vierling Iron Works, Woodman Linseed Oil Works, foundries, nail works, carriage works
and brick yards — the latter employing 1,500 men, and still being unable to supply the demand

\Mii-i\\ "^PRINTS LI rnirR'i
for building brick, although an abundance of suitable clay exists. It may be said upon this
subject of manufactures that no city in the United States offers greater advantages as a
point for manufactories than Omaha does. It is located in the heart of a large and popu-
lous region which is made tributary by an extensive and comprehensive system of railways
centering in it. With the great coal fields of Iowa adjacent, and competing lines bringing
cheap fuel to the city, the question of cheap motive power is solved, and that is a prime
consideration with the manufacturer. Coal for manufacturing purposes is at present being
delivered in Omaha in car lots at $1.50 per ton. And as for a market, Omaha has the
commanding position over that entire portion of the great and growing West and Northwest,
which includes Nebraska, western Iowa, southern Dakota, northern Kansas, Wyoming, Utah
and Idaho.

There has been another marked feature of Omaha's growth and development— the increase
in value of its realty and the large investments of capital which have been made therein

difAi/A ILLUSTRATED.

The causes thereof can readily be found, of course, in the natural growth of the city, and
the enhancements produced by the vast public improvements. Previous to 1882, from which
the Omaha of to-day is commonly dated, the transactions in Omaha real estate did not
foot up $1,000,000 a year. In 1S83, the first year after Omaha began its public improvements,
the total of real estate transactions footed up $3,763,964. In 1885 the total reached $6,157,040.

[Carl A. Fried was bom in Beckaby, Sweden, July i, 1S44, coming to America at lli
Illinois, but shortly after joined the government engineer corps under Gen. Wright, then in
the close of the war he returned to Illinois and found employment as salesman. On Apri
Otto Lobeck, a prominent merchant in Geneseo, central Illinois. Three years later Mi
from the West, came to
Nebr.aska and entered a
homestead near Oakland.
The life of a farmer was,
however, not to Mr.
Fried's taste, so in 1872
he went to Fremont and
engaged as a clerk in the
hardware store of II. J.
Lee. In August 1S73, he
opened a hardware
store as C. A. Fried & Co.,
Fremont; but a couple of
years later he and Mr.
I.ee joined fortunes and
the firm became H. J.
Lee & Co, wholesale and
retail hardware business
at Fremont. In 1880 the
business had grown to
such proportions and the
development of Omaha
and Nebraska had been
so great that the firm of
Lee & Fried sought here
the better location which
Omaha afforded. March
I, 1S80, they opened on
Douglas street the estab-
lishment which has since
grown to be one of the

largest in the West. In ^^j. j^^.^ carl a. fried.

September of that year the

properly the wholesale and jobbing center of the upper Missouri valley. His loss to the c
which he was held being generally e.xpressed. Mrs. Fried and their family of se\'en childt

• age of nineteen. He located at .^ndover,
service in the army of the Tennessee. At
I, 1866 he married Mary, the daughter of
Fried, encouraged by the glowing reports
firm became Lee, Fried &
Co., and thus it became
identified with Omaha.
-M:-. Fried was one of
Omaha's best citizens and
his untimely death at
Glenwood Springs, Colo.,
August 16, 1887, whither
he had gone in search ol
health, was deeply de-
]ilored by the business
community. He was an
untiring, energetic man of
great business ability,
courteous to all, and a
mm of 1 igh motives. As
a kat'ing member of the
OmihTTni d of Trade he
"ill 111 ^tl 1 enterprises

I I liii hunig the com-

II uiiil\ s advancement
1 1 Ihespieidof inform-

line iiLcining its re-

1 cU) He had faith in
" '•^ Omaha and was untiring

m his de\ otion to the city.
The immense establish-
ment %\hich largely grew
to its proportions under
his care was proof of the
correctness of his judg-
ment that Omaha was

ty was therefore deeply felt, the esteem in

:n survive him.]

The year 1886 showed even a more marked increase, the total reaching $15,080,685, and 1887
makes an enormous showing, the total approximating $35,000,000. This great increase in real
estate transactions had, of course, something of the speculative in it, but nothing beyond the
legitimate. Values were increased, but not inflated. In instances, extremely desirable business
property in the heart of the city attained a value of $2,000 per front foot, but the average busi-
ness lot in the business area has not attained a value above from $1,200 to $1,500. The best
criterion to be cited is that the highest figures yet put upon Omaha realty still prevail, and
are yet lower in proportion than prices on similar property in Kansas City, St. Paul, Denver
or other western cities of Omaha's class.

The outlying realty — -that fitted for residence purposes — is not proportionately less
valuable than property in the business portion. Judicious investments of capital in street
transit lines have made almost every portion of the twenty-five square miles area ot the
city readily accessible. There are at present twenty-seven miles of horse railway in opera-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

tion, SIX miles of cable railway and twenty miles of motor line in Course of construction.
Besides these, the Belt Line railroad circles the city and has stations at various points, and
the Union Pacific and Burlington
roads have hourly trains to South
Omaha. There are other lines pro-
jected to further provide citizens
with means of rapid transit from
their homes to the central portion
of the city, all designed upon i
comprehensive plan contemplating
Omaha as a city of half ;i million
souls before the close of the cen-
tur\'. The investments alreadN
made in street transit lines aie
placed at $3,000,000, \\-hich amount
will be increased next }-eai b\
another million, if projects now
in--^contemplation are carried out
Quite as important a feature of
urban life is brouijht to attention

the

wati;

rks, for

1S75 Mr. A. L. Str
u-ilu- supplies -1

and he eiecled on the corner of le

city

oiiencJ a small house 011 a side street, between Farnam anc
business piospeied, and so inci eased in si\ )eais as to icqu
ih and I-ainam stieets one of the finest business blocks 1

which ground was first

larney. for the purpose of dealing in
more room and increased facilities,
the city, four stories, with basement.
In February, 1SS4, his still increasing
business made incorporation neces-
sary, and the A. L. Strang Company-
was formed, with a capital stock paid
in of $155,000, the stockholders in
which are Messrs. A. L. Strang, J. H.
McConnell, D. C. Templeton, D. O.
Mills, S. L. Dillie, Charles Martin
and others, A. L. Strang being presi-
dent, J. II. McConnell, secretary, and
D. C. Templeton, treasurer. The
greater part of the business of this
company is contract work, such as
railway supplies, steam and water
supplies, city water works, hydraulic
elevators and milling machinery, and
extends beyond Omaha to other cities
and towns in the West, the Lincoln

Water Works being one of the

speci-

of the work of this company.

The company represents and deals in
all the best mechanism and mechani-
cal appliances in use, is the special
Western agent of the Huxton Steam
Heater, the Hamilton-Corliss Engine,
manufactured at Hamilton, Ohio ; the
Porter Engines, manufactured at
Syracuse, New York, and sole agent
of the celebrated Knowlcs Pumps.
Besides the large local force necessary
in the conduct of its business, the
company h.as often a force of 200 men
employed on various outside con-
tracts. As a representative of the business and enterprise of Omaha and the capacity of the city to meet in this direction all the
reasonable demands of the West, the A. L. Strang Company is worthy of the fullest confidence, and reflects great credit upon
Omaha as the trans-Missouri center for mechanical work and supplies on a large scale, which formerly Eastern cities furnished.]

STR.'

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

broken in 1880. The system now has seventy miles of pipes and a daily output of
8,000,000 gallons of water. The system is a combination of the direct pressure and
reservoir systems. The latter being used for domestic consumption and the direct
pressure for fire protection. Two reservoirs have been provided, each with a capacity
of 11,000,000 gallons. Into these the water is pumped on alternate days, from the

[No business man is better known in Omaha than Charles H. Dewey. He was born in Kennebec county, Maine, and was
raised in Ohio, to which State his parents moved during his infancy. When gold was discovered in California, in 1849, Mr. Dewey,
who was then in his young manhood, was among the first of the many fortune hunters who crossed the plains for the land of gold.
He spent seven years in California and on the Pacific coast, and met with the ups and downs of an adventurer's life. He finally
returned to the East, and it was considered a great

spent some considerable time
tions of Tenn-

essee, Iowa and Colorado. In
1865 he drifted to Omaha.
At that time Omaha was at-
tracting considerable atten-
tion, owing to the building ot
the Union Pacific Railroad.
After looking the city over
carefully, he came to the con-
clusion that it was destined
to become a great commercial
center at no distant day, and
he invested all his money,
amounting to less than two
thousand dollars, in the furni-
ture business. Soon after
opening his establishment he
associated with himself Mr.
E. L. Stone as a partner.
This firm has built up a busi-
ness in the furniture line
second to none in the United
States. They began business
in a small frame building on
Farnam street, and have re-
mained at the same location
ever since. Their Farnam
street display building, which
was erected upon the site of
the old frame shell, was the
first four-story structure in

CHARLES H. DEWEY.

enterprise. It is yet one of
the largest buildings in the
city. Adjoining their Far-
nam street store they have a
five-story warehouse, fronting
on Harney street, and in ad-
dition to this they have two
other extensive warehouses on
Tenth and Eleventh streets.
Mr. Dewey, in 1S70, went to
Europe to recuperate his
health. He made an exten-
sive tour of the Continent, and
became imbued with a great
desire of travel and sight-
seeing. This desire he has
since gratified, and the con-
sequence is that he has seen
since 1870 nearly every place
on the face of the globe worth
visiting. During his visit to
Europe he was in Paris when
the Franco-German war broke
out, and he remained there
for some time after, watching
the stirring events with a deep
interest. In 1878 Mr. Dewey
was appointed by President
Arthur as one of the United
States Commissioners to the
World's Exposition at Paris,
where he again spent several
months. In 1881 he took a
the go. His vast store of information,
iher humorous ofl-hand

in Omaha, and when built

trip around the world, sailing from San Francisco. Since then he has been almost constantly (

obtained in this way, has made him very cosmopolitan in his character. Naturally a shrewd observer and a 1

talker, he is a very entertaining conversationalist. Mr. Dewey is a staunch Republican, and has always taken a deep interest in

poUtics, although he has never sought office. In 1884 he was induced to accept the nomination of Presidential Elector-at-Large on

the Blaine ticket. This is the only political position he has ever held, although frequently pressed to accept the nomination for

offices of trust and honor. Mr. Dewey was married to Miss Bell, of Belleville, Ohio, in 1866. He belongs to no church, or society,

secret or otherwise, and is a liberal, enterprising and independent man. Ill health has prevented him from attending closely to

business, and he may be called a man of leisure, and an honored and respected citizen.]

Missouri river. Much of the sediment common to the ri'
the water in a measure purified. No pains are spared
organic taint, and the city may be said to be particularly fortunate, from a hygienic
point of view, in its water system. For fire protection there are si.x hundred hydrants
distributed about the city. From these the water is taken directly into the hose by the
fire department, the pressure being supplied by a special direct service engine at the water
works, the pump having a capacity of 2,000,000 gallons. The works have a total daily
capacity of 30,000,000 gallons. The corporation owning the works has been very enter-
prising, the annual increase made in its plant amounting to 30 per cent., the total value of
the investment being at present not far from two million dollars.

water is thus settled and
preserve the water from

OMAHA ILLUSTRA TEb.

Those Other accessories of municipal life which contribute so largely t6 jDublic and
private comfort — gas and electric light — have been amply supplied. The city pays for over
one thousand street gas lamps which are lighted from darkness till daylight; and there are,
besides, over four hundred electric lights of 2,000 candle power each distributed about the
city by public and private enterprise. Indeed, it can well be said that Omaha is an
exceptionally well lighted city.

An excellent telephone service comprising over one thousand local subscribers distributed
in all quarters of the city, and connected with forty-eight towns in Nebraska and Iowa, is
another very valuable feature of Omaha life. The service is equipped with the latest improved
appliances and gives satisfaction in a degree excelling the telephone service of other cities.

THE MILLARD BLOCK.

The telegraph system, too, is comprehensive, affording the city ample and rapid com-
munication with all parts of the globe through the equipments of two telegraph companies.
It is safely estimated that two hundred telegraph operators are constantly employed in the
transaction of commercial, railroad and newspaper telegraphy in Omaha.

Added to the network of wires which the telegraph, telephone and electric light
systems have strung overhead throughout the city, may be also noted a comprehensive fire
and police alarm system, the fire department having seventy boxes and the police department
forty boxes distributed in various portions of the city, supplementing the telephone as means
of communication when emergencies arise. (Those adjuncts of public safety and protection —
the fire and police departments — will be considered later as branches of the city government.)

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

The mail facilities of the city are large, but because of the great growth ot commerce
and population, are still inadequate. This can best be illustrated by pointing out that the
government allows but twenty-four letter-carriers for this city of 120,000 people. When it is
further shown that the total letter delivery approximates twelve million letters for 1887,
and that the net revenue to the government for the same fiscal year was $123,100, exceed-

[Hon. Daniel II. Wheeler, one of the best known men in Nebiaska, was born in Flowerfield, St. Joseph county, Michigan,
November 26, 1834. Coming to Nebraska in 1856, when he was twenty-two years old, he located at Plattsmouth, and in May, 1857,

business at that pla
and the firm

with H. P. and J. W. Coolidge under I
ime was changed to Coolidge & Wheele

he engaged in the hard
In i860 J. W. Coolidge withdn
firm in 1S61, and in 1862 Mr.
Wheeler disposed of the lnl^i
ness. In 1863 he resumed ihe
hardware business in company
with E. T. Duke, under the
firm name of E. T. Duke 6>:
Co. The establishment was
moved to Omaha in 1S75 and
two years later Mr. Wheeler
sold his interest in the house
to Mr. Duke. In 1S58 Mr.
Wheeler, in addition to his
other business, opened a real
estate and insurance ofiice,
and in 1865 he associated with
himself E. C. Lewis and J. W,
Marshall, the firm continuing
unchanged until the death ol
Mr. Lewis in 1867, Mr. Mar-
shall withdrawing Jan. i, of
that year. In March, 1S68,
Mr. Wheeler formed a real
estate and insurance partner-
ship with Cagt. L. D. Bennett,
■which was continued until
December, 1S85. Beginning
in lS6i, Mr. Wheeler, for a
period of six years, read law
under the supervision of Hon.
T. M. Marquette, and in 1869
he was admitted to the bar.
In 1870 he became associated
with J . C. Fox in the practice

was secretary of the Centennial Commission. He has been a m.;mber of the Slate Hor
the present time, and was for several years its treasurer and then its secretary. He was elected Mayor of Plattsmouth

lEI TI.

lEELER.

le of Coolidge, Wheeler & Co.
P. Coolidge retired from the
of law, and subsequently with
J. W. Stinchcomb and with E.
D. Stone, the latter remaining
in the firm till December,
1S7S, after which year Mr.
Wheeler continued in the
practice of his professsion
alone. Mr. Wheeler has fill«d
several important public posi-
tions. He was elected clerk
of Cass county in 1S59, serving
in that capacity for two years.
In December, 1S60, he was
elected assistant secretary of
the fourth Territorial Council,
and was appointed probate
judge of Cass county in 1864.
Mr. Wheeler was a delegate
to the national Republican
convention in 1864, which
nominated Lincoln for a sec-
ond term. He served as agent
of the Pawnee Indians from
July 6, 1865, to October, 1866,
which gave him the rank ot
major in the United States
army. In 1S69 he was chosen
secretary of the State Board of
.•\griculture, in which position
he was retained for about
fourteen years. From 1875
to 1879 he was secretary of
the State Senate, and in 1875-6
Itural Society from its organization until
serving

one term, and he has held various other city offices. In January, 1S81, he was elected president of the Plattsmouth Board of Trade,
and was for eight years president of the Cass county Agricultural Society, the oldest agricultural organization in Nebraska. Mr.
Wheeler, who is almost as well known here as he is in Plattsmouth, moved to Omaha in 1885, and engaged in a general insurance
business with his son, Daniel H. Wheeler, Jr., in which venture the firm has met with great success. Mr. Wheeler has been promi-
nent and active in secret society matters, having filled all the principal offices in the Masonic and Odd Fellows grand bodies of the
.State, as well as having been an active member of the Knights of Pythias since 1869. On February 26, 1857, at Kalamazoo, Mich.,
Mr. Wheeler was married to Charlotte A. Lewis, a native of New York, and first cousin of the late Dr. Dio Lewis. They have had
five children, all sons. Of these, three are living — Daniel H., Jr., Myron E. and William H. Their eldest son, Ernest O., died in
1863, and their third son, Frank L., died in 1 886 J

ing that of anj- other city, it will be seen that the Omaha postoffice is transacting an
enormous business. The following table furnishes an interesting comparison, showing the
growth of the business in a decade:

1877.

Carriers 6

Registered letter delivery 5.55 1

Total letter delivery 723,23 1

1S87.

A glance at tht
increase brou[jht about

receipts
n Omaha';

md expenditures will also
five years of great growth:

be instructive, showinsr tht

Receipts.
Expenditi

1 88:
86,158

1887.
23.897 38)554

OAfAI/A ILLUSTRATED.

But the inadequacy of the facilities for handh'ng the mails in Omaha does not consist
alone in lack of manual help. The government building, although a fine structure, is entirely

too small. So patent has this become
that a bill has been introduced in the
present Congress, providing for an appro-
priation of $1,500,000 for the purchase of
a new site and the erection of a suitabl\-
commodious federal building. The bill
has the united support in both houses
of the Nebraska delegation, and undoubt-
edly will be passed. Pending the con-
struction of the new building, temporary
relief will be afforded by the erection of
a cheap addition to the present building,
Having considered some of the dis-
tinguishing features of urban life in Oma-
ha afforded by invested capital, it will be
well to turn to some ot those features
provided by the municipality itself First
to be considered is, properly, the city's
method of raising revenue. It embraces
three agencies — direct ta.xation, licenses
and fines — most of the latter two going
RAMGE BLOCK. dircctly into the school fund. The direct

taxation is levied upon an

assessed valuation of only

$16,000,000 — less than one-
fifth of what is termed

" real valuation, " such as is

in vogue in other cities of

Omaha's class. The city's

mode of valuation is un-
fortunate, in the respect

that it makes the rate of

ta.xation 40 mills on the

dollar — seemingly a high

rate, but which is in reality

low, in view of the 1 o w

valuation ; for if the same

mode of valuation were to

prevail in Omaha which

prevails in St. Paul, Minne-
apolis, Kansas City, Denver,

and other cities of their

class, the rate of taxation

would be only eight mills or ten m

in Omaha by comparison, take St

Is at the limit.
Paul, which on

HOTn I \I KFR

To illustrate the true state of affairs
. valuation of $So,000,000 levies a tax

Omaha illustrated.

of twenty mills to raise the $1,600,000 annually necessary to carry on its municipal govern-
ment, while Omaha gets along with the $640,000 raised by a levy of fort}- mills upon a
valuation of $16,000,000. The fact that Omaha's municipal government requires only two-
fifths as much funds for its conduct as St. Paul does, is traceable directly to superior mange-
ment of its finances. The bonded indebtedness of Omaha at the beginning of the fiscal

[Max Meyer was born in the Kingdom of Prussia, now the ch
educated in Berlin. In 1861 he emigrated to this country, settling in th

clerk. In 1866 he came to Omaha and began business on his own account in a small way and in a sm
side of Farnam street, near Eleventh. Three years later he associated with him one of his brothers,
grown their accommodations,
they removed to the Creigh-
ton building on the north
side of Farnam, corner of
Eleventh. Still their business
grew until these quarters were
inadequate, when their large
double store was built on the
opposite corner, where for
years has been conducted by
two separate firms (Mr. Max
Meyer being the head of
each), business of a most ex-
tensive and varied character.
One store is devoted to the
manufacturing and dealing in
fine jewelry and to the sale of
music and musical instru-
ments, etc., and the other to
tobacco, cigars, guns and a
great variety of other articles,
both of domestic and foreign
production. Mr. Meyer's
business still keeping pace
with the growth of the city
and State, he at length found
his own large building too
small, and in 1886 induced
Mr. Wm. A. Paxton to begin
the erection of the finest six-
story block in the city on the
corner of Farnam and Six-
teenth streets, 50x132 feet of
helped to organize the Omaha Freight Bureau,
has never sought a political office. He belongs
of the State. J

MAX MEYER, PRESIDENT OMAHA BOARD OF TRADE.

id is always alert when the business interests of On
the order of Odd Fellows and has held the highest

itate in the German Empire, on .\ugusl 13, 1S4S, and was
ty of New York, where he began his business career as a
n a small way and in a small frame building on the south
and their business having out-
which the Meyer brothers
leased, and which by the
close of 1887 will be completed
and occupied. In this build-
ing the Meyer firms will have
a business establishment
which for beauty, extent and
variety will have no equal in
the West. As a citizen and
business man Mr. Max Meyer
is conceded to be one of the
most active and valuable to
Omaha. There is nothing in
the shape of a business enter-
prise calculated to benefit
Omaha that does not secure
his attention and such aid as
he can give it. He is a char-
ter member of the Board of
Trade, for several years a di-
rector, and in 1885 was elected
its president and re-elected
in 18S6 and 1887. He was
one of the projectors of Oma-
ha's splendid exposition build-
ing, and is president of the
company which erected it.
He helped to organize the
Omaha Savings Bank and has
been a director of it ever
since. He w^as prominent in
securing the erection of the
fine Board of Trade building,
aha are involved. Mr. Meyer
ftice in the grand encampment

year 1887 was $1,048,950, with no floating debt worth mention. Bonds issued in 1869 are
the oldest now outstanding. These bear 10 per cent, interest, but the credit of the city
has since improved so much that the $200,000 issued in 1886 (the limit of amount of bonds
to be issued in any year is fixed by the charter at $200,000) were placed at 4^ per cent.

In 1882 the bonded indebtedness of Omaha was $328,950. During the period of which
this article treats — 1S82-87 — the bonded debt was increased $720,000. As previously shown,
the total of public improvements in the same period is $3,612,535 — five tiincs the increase
in the bonded debt. This singular result is due to the fact that by far the larger part of
the city's iinprovements were paid for by surplus revenues. It should also be explained
that such improvements as paving, curbing and guttering are paid for by the owners of
abutting property, the city bearing only the expense of street intersections. To lighten
the burden upon the property owners, they are required to pay only one-tenth the expense
each year, the city guaranteeing the interest upon bonds issued for ten years. About

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

$600,000 of these bonds are now outstanding, but they are not classed as city debt, as they
are really the debt of benefited property owners. It can, therefore, be truthfully said that,
in point of taxation, credit and size of debt, Omaha is better off than any city of its size in
the United States, as it certainly is in quantity and quality of its public improvements.
The city now has seventy-two miles of graded streets, forty-six miles of sewers, forty-six

miles of streets curbed and guttered, twenty-two miles of streets paved. Of the paved
streets, those in the central portion of the city are paved with granite blocks and asphalt,
those in the residence portion with cedar blocks on concrete base. It also has a fine city hall,
to cost $250,000, in course <.f erection opposite the magnificent court house put up by the
county. Two fine viaducts spanning the valley by which railroad egress is had to the West,
have also been just completed at a cost approximating $150,000.

OMAHA TLLUSTRATED.

To return to the subject of city finances, it should be explained that the tax levy is
apportioned into several funds, such as general fund, 12 mills; police fund, 5 mills; fire
department fund, 4.\ mills ; paving fund, sinking fund, school fund, etc. ; and it is illegal for
the Council to divert funds to any but the prescribed purpose — a provision which operates
eminently well.

[Saint A. D. Balcombe is chairman of the Board of Public Works of Omaha. He is a man eminently fitted for the position,
his long residence in the city and close and intimate knowledge of its needs, with his practical mind, making him exactly the right
man for such a responsibility in a growing and progressive city. The Board of Public Works of Omaha has hundreds of thousands of
dollars to expend annually, the public improvements keeping right apace with the remarkable growth in population and wealth. He
is of old New England _

stock, transplanted in

New York State, and was
born in Utica, N. Y.,
June 12, 1829. He lived
with his parents until he
was sixteen yeais of age,
attending school and later
serving as a clerk in the
post office under his father
who was postmaster. In
1845 he went to Battle
Creek, Mich., where he
entered as clerk in a drug
store and remained until
he had obtained a
thorough knowledge of
the business. In 1849 he
removed to Elgin, 111.,
and started in business for
himself, continuing until
1854 when he ag.iin
changed his place uf
abode, this time going tu
Winona, Minn., where he
lived until appointed In-
dian agent for the Winne-
bago Indians in 1S61. Mr.
Balcombe came to Omaha
in 1866 and purchased the
Republican, assuming

editorial control. Those ^1. \. n i\ii i\ii 1 , .iIv1..m\n U' v d 1111

were trying days in the

was elected by a subsequent Legislature as a regent of the State University. He was a met
vention of 1S57 and presided over that body as its chairman. He was a member of the fir
Mr. Balcombe was married while a resident of Elgin, 111., to Miss Anna E. Fox, by whom h

history of the city and
conducting a daily news-
paper was a constant
struggle on all sides. He
piloted the Republican
sately, however, as its
editor and proprietor un-
til iS7i,when he disposed
of a half interest to Waldo
M. Potter. The paper
was afterwards merged
into a stock company and
Mr. Balcombe retired
from its active manage-
ment in 1876. In 1878
he was appointed deputy
revenue collector. He
was afterwards made a
government ganger,
which position he held
until a change in the ad-
ministration. He was ap-
pointed a member and
chaiiman of the Board of
Public W'orks last Spring
by Mayor Broatch. Mr.
ll.ilcombe has had a long
and useful public career.
While living in Minnesota
he was elected a Republi-
can member of the
ikks council in the Republican

Legislature in 1855, and
ber of the Minnesota Constitutional Con-
t State Legislature of that State in 1857.
has had live children.]

Apropos of this subject of municipal finances, it must be stated that an annual license
fee of $1,000 is levied upon each saloon, the number of which at present is 248'. The
revenue thus derived, and the fines collected by the police court, are turned over to the
school fund, being nearly sufficient in amount for the inaintenance of the city's splendid
public school system, the tax levy for school purposes being only one mill during the
current year. There are now twenty-six school buildings in use in Omaha. Three-fourths
of the number are large, substantial brick buildings, with a capacity for 18,000 children-
The value of these structures is placed at $644,900 and the real estate upon which they
are located is valued at $952,200, making a total of $1,597,100 worth of city school prop-
erty. There are at present 172 teachers employed, and they receive a total in salaries of
$125,000 annually. The expenditures for the schools this year amount to $375,000, and the
income will reach $400,000.

It can readily be understood that because of such large expenditures the educational
system of the city is of the very highest order. Children in the graded schools are pro-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

vided with free text books so that even the poorest are afforded opportunity for a free
education. In the high school there is a manual training department where elementary-
mechanics are taught by practice, the high school course further including languages, music
and drawing in addition to the ordinary high school course. Graduates from the institution
need no further preparatory training to enter any college. Omaha is particularly proud of
its school system. It leads the State in this respect, and census statistics show that Ne-
braska has the smallest percentage of illiteracy of any of the States in the Union.

There are other educational institutions in the city, notably the State Institute for
the Deaf and Dumb, and Creighton College, founded in memory of Edward Creighton

SHEELY BLOCK

honorably mentioned elsewhere, and handsomely endowed by his relict. Creighton College
is conducted by the Jesuits, has a splendid taculty, and is numerously attended, ranking
foremost with religious institutions of class. The Academy of the Sacred Heart, a Catho-
lic seminary for girls, and Brownell Hall, a like institution in charge of the Episcopalian
clergy, should also be mentioned. The Catholics maintain, in addition, parochial schools with
an average attendance of 2,000 pupils. There are besides various private
cial and telegraphy institutes.

;hools

OMAHA LLUSTRA TETED.

Intimately associated with the educational advantages of the city may be also men-
tioned the Public Library, an institution fostered by the city. The library has at present
a total of about 17,000 volumes including all the standard works of literature in all its
branches. The latest report ot the librarian shows that during the fiscal year, 1887, the
library had 214,070 visitors, showing the extensive usefulness of the institution. A project
is now well under way for the construction of a suitable library building, lack of present
accommodations making such a building a necessity. It is proposed to expend $60,000 in
its construction.

[Louis Ileimrod is a native of Germany, having been born in northern Prussia in 1S47. His parents belonged to the middle
classes, ihe elder Heimrod being a physician in moderate circumstances. In his youth Louis Heimrod received the excellent
education afforded by the German schools, and at the age of twenty years, in 1867, he jiassed his examination as a volunteer in the
Prussian army. In the year fjllowing, the young man determined to emigrate to America, and make his fortune in the States. lie

successful bu

and
having every induce-
ment to remain, but his
past life in Omaha ha-1
caused him to become
so attached to this city,
tiiat it proved the mag-
net once more to draw
him from his ne^^' home.
He returned in i88t,
and has lived here ever
since. Mr. Heimrod is
one of the representa-

uf On

accordingly bade fare-
well to the fatherland,
and sailed for America
in 1S68, coming direct
to Omaha. He re-
mained here until the
following year, when
the wonderful develop-
m e n t of new towns
along the line of the
Union Pacific Rail-
road, then in course of
construction, induced
him to migrate further
West, and he located at
I.aramie City, Wyom-
ing, where he engaged
in the grocery busi-
ness, under the firm-
name of Clark & Heim-
rod. After two years of
prosperity, Mr. Heim-
rod returned to Omaha
and remained until
1875. He then re-
nraved to Shrevcport,
Louisiana, where
probably the most im-
portant event of his
life occurred, save one
— he married Mis-s Es-
tafanney Romagossa.
He spent six years in
the South, doing a
been liberal in giving both time and money to public en _

, and president of the Turn-Verein, besides holding minor positions of honor
essrs. St. A. D. Balcombe and Clifton E. Mayne, Mr. Heimrod was chosen last spring as a member
During the period he has already served matters of very great importance to the city have been
■rs requiring the expenditure of thousands of dollars. Mr. Heimrod has brought his business train-
He has been careful, conservative, though progressive, and his course has been such as to com-

13 ])resident of the German A:
societies. With his colleagues,
of the Board of Public Works
acted upon by the Board — mo
ing into good use on the Board
mend the judgment that select
business. I

h \e the fiugai, hard-
\\ o 1 k 1 11 g Germans.
Mi Heimiod is a good
citizen. He possesses
the respect and confi-
dence of the com-
munity. He has always
been eneigetic and
wide-awake to push
the interests of this
city. He has taken a
lively interest in all
public affairs, and has
prises. Among his own class he is highly respected and honored. He
Turn-Verein, besides holding minor position

LOL-IS HEIMROD, MEMBER BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.

ed him for the position. Mr. He

i'holesale

has been
il groce

In the point of churches, Omaha is remarkably well supplied, having a total of sixty-
seven edifices devoted to religious purposes, twenty of which were erected during the year
1887, and eleven during 1886 — a fair criterion ot the Christian spirit prevailing in the com-
munity. The churches are distributed as follows : Methodist, twelve ; Presbyterian, ten ; Con-
gregational, nine ; Baptist, seven ; Catholic, seven ; Lutheran, seven ; Episcopalian, five ;
Evangelical, three ; Christian, two ; Jewish, two ; Spiritualist, one ; Unitarian, one ; Latter Day
Saints, one. The total membership proper of these churches is estimated at 30,000, the
Methodists and Catholics leading in point of numbers. Omaha is the seat of two religi-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

ous sees, the Roman Catholic with the Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Connor at its head, and the
Episcopal with the Rt. Rev. Bishop Worthington presiding.

Besides the convents, parochial schools, seminaries and colleges identified with the re-
ligious life of Omaha,
proper respect must be
shown to the Young Alen's
Christian Association, and
the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, both
of which organizations are
in a flourishing condition
and doing effective Chris-
tian service where needed.
The Y M C \ have m
courbC of erection a splen
did five-story block which

J. KAKBACH.

is to contain a gymnasium, library, reading and meeting rooms. The building will als
contain a number of stores and offices for renting purposes, the revenue from which wi
make it self-sustaining.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

St. Joseph's Hospital, in charge of the Sisters of Mercy, and largely sustained by the gen-
erosity of the Hon. John A. Creighton, is an institution of a semi-religious, semi-public nature.
It is conducted under Catholic auspices, but is non-sectarian in its good and charitable work.

There is also in the city a free dispensary where the needy sick can receive medi-
cine and attention.

[There is no name more closely identified with the wonderful growth and prosperity of Omaha in the past five years than that

of Clifton E. Mayne, and a work devoted to the interests of this city would be incomplete without a sketch of his eventful career.

Mr. Mayne is a native of Iowa, and was born in 1855. At the age of twenty he came to Omaha and entered the Western Union

Telegraph Office, where he was chief operator for four years. At the end of that period he was induced to put his accumulated

savings in an Iowa coal the members of the Board

venture, which proved dis- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ of Public Works, a position

he ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H to he

to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^HH he

the estate ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ble In

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H he done

able. He caught the first ^^^^^^^^^^^^SpI^^^^^^^^^^9P^^^^^^^^^^^^|h much to develop the city,

high flood of the Omaha Ht^ S p^ "^^ " ^^^^^^^^^^^H He invested his money in

boom, and each succeeding ^^K' ^^^^^I^ ^^H^^^^^^^^l street car, motor and cable

wave of prosperity has car- ^^R <^B^^£m> ^^^^^^^^ ^^^B lines, with limits to the

ried him on to fortune. He ^^p gj^^^^^ "- -'^S »!'>''' "-'mote additions, and

has been instrumental in se- ^V* ^"^^W^ >&9, -~ S^H '^'^ enterprise and confi-

curing large sums of East- ^p' J -^^^ ■^^ f^' '^SB^^H '''^"" ^°-^ enabled these

ern and foreign capital for E. -^^B^^Eh ^^"""'^^ '° t)<= pushed to

investment in Omaha, but ^E ^^^^^^^^1 completion. He has always

he IS more generally known ^^^^^E> % "^ ^^^^^^^1 evinced the liveliest interest

for his remarkable success ^^^^^K ' * -Ji'^'afei ^^^^^^H i" 'lie city, and has been a

in handling new additions ^I^^^^E ii^L ' 'i, ~' ^^< ^^^^^^1 I'l^eral subscriber to all

to the city, and thereby ^^^^^^^L 'S^^^v'^ 'V\?^^^ fl^^^l^H public enterprises. His
making it possible for the ^^^^^^E^ MTOwFJ'ii'' i "'I'ff^ ^^^^^^^H successful business career is
mechanic, clerk and labor- ^^^^^^^: J TB[|^fl''TM ^^^^^^F^ -SJl^^^^^H =>"other instance of the tru-
ing man to own their own BBB^^K^ ^UT ^SE^^S^HlHt' ^^^^I^^^Pi ''^"^ about printer's ink, he
homes. His liberal dealing |^g" -SK^ ^^^^^^^^^Hk 'w. ~~ ^ I having expended thousands
has enabled this class to pur- ^B~ ^ ll SI^H. "^^ r^^Hw^^fe^" - J "f dollars in this way. Mr.
chase lots and build with ^^. .oM^^^^^^^. .^^^^ ^^^■^fej^fa^^^^^ Mayne is yet a young man,
the same means that they ^ ^g-e^ ^pWL^^^^^^jMFg^^^^^^^B^B^^^^^M being but thirty-two years
previously paid for rents. ^^^^^^^Bit^t ^SB^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Bi of age. Ilis confidence in
matters of public aflTairs, B^^^^S^^^^^L|^^^|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Omaha has never abated,
H^HH^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B „ow than

the front, and his course has ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^S i-ess of the past few years
been such that he was CLIFTON E. may.ne, member board of public works. will be more than dupli-

chosen last spring one of cated in the future, and as

he possesses the faculty, in a large degree, of making others think as he does, his hope in the city's future will result in much good.
Mr. Mayne has very large interests in this city, and his business requires a vast army of clerks and agents. He recently made
arrangements to still further increase his facilities, and will engage in the banking and brokerage business. His appointment as a
member of the Board of Public Works gave ge loral satisfaction, and his attention to the duties and usefulness as a member have
served to increase the general confidence that caused his selection in the first place. Mr. Mayne possesses the confidence of all
classes. His career has not been altogether tr;f from trials and struggles, but his indomitable will, business sagacity and sterling
energy have carried him safely through all. His natural resources have been wonderful, and at times when affairs looked actually
hopeless for him his triumph has been such as to put all carping critics in the shade. Mr. Mayne is easily approached. He gives the
same attention to the poor man seeking a small lot for his modest home as he does to the representative of Eastern millions looking
for safe investment. The future of Omaha can well bi placed in the hands of such energetic young men as Clifton E. Mayne.]

A bureau of charities has just been organized for the purpose of concentrated and
systematic dispensing of assistance to the worthy poor. Leading citizens are enlisted in
the movement and are giving it needed and hearty support.

Life and property are well conserved in Omaha so far as public accessories can com-
mand. The city has a metropolitan police force guided and controlled by a police com-
mission, the members of which are appointed by the Governor of the State, and are thus
independent of local political influences. The police force comprises at present about fifty
well disciplined, uniformed men, including a chief, a day and a night captain and three ser-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

geants. Patrolmen receive $70 per month ; sergeants, $85 ; captains, $100, and the chief
$150. The department has all the accessories of alarm boxes, patrol wagon, etc. It can be
said, too, that in view of the great increase of Omaha's population, including people of all
classes, that the city has been very well policed. During the past year great crimes have
been few and rarely have offenders of any grade escaped the law.

Omaha's paid fire department is something of which its citizens are particularly and
justly proud. In point of equipment and efficiency it is not excelled in any city in the Union
It, too, is under the control of the police and fire commission, but its excellence can be

RESIDENCE OF C. E, MAYNE.

most largely credited to its brave and efficient chief John J. Galligan, who is excelled by
none as a fire-fighter. When it is stated that the total fire losses for 1887 have been less
than $200,000, while the insurance companies have reaped over $900,000 in premiums it
will be understood that the city has first-class fire protection. -The department has a total
of 52 men, including a chief, his two assistants, a superintendent of fire alarm and 48
men distributed at six hose-house stations in desirable parts of the city. The department
has two steamers, a chemical engine, and about 10,000 feet of hose. The steamers are
never used, however, as the direct pressure pump of the City Water Works furnishes
force enough to carry streams of water over the loftiest structure in the city. Excellent

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED

equipment and capable efficient men have combined to give such an excellent protec-
tion from fire that in iSS6 the underwriters made a reduction in insurance rates and still
another reduction was made in 1887. While the police and fire departments are under
the immediate direction of the police and fire commission, appointed by the Governor of
the State, they are also measurably controlled by the Mayor and Council, in whom control

[Henry T. Clarke was born in Greenwich, Washington county. New York, April 26, 1S34, ami is a decendant of John Clarke,
who settled in Rhode Island with Roger Williams. He was educated in the Greenwich Academy in his native town. In May, 1855^
Mr. Clarke came to Nebraska and located at Bellevue, Sarpy county, where he entered upon a business career which has been marked
with great success. During Mr. Clarke's residence at Bellevue he bought largely of lands in that place and vicinity and when the

Pacfic road was projected he
expended much money and
exerted his already great in-
fluence to secure to Bellevue
the location of the road. That .
point had many topographical
advantages over Omaha for a
large city, but Omaha was a
winner in the contest and hence
Bellevue has remained to this
day the small village it was
then. Mr. Clarke was a mem-
ber of the Territorial Legisla-
ture in 1864, and of the Terri-
torial Council in 1865. He
projected the Omaha & South-
western railroad in 1S69. In the
earlier period of his residence
in Nebraska he was largely
engaged in contracting and
building county and railroad
bridges. In 1876 he projected
and built the bridge across the
North Platte river at Camp
Clarke, thereby opening up the
Sidney short route between
Sidney, Neb., and Deadwood
in the Black Hills, where he
established a branch of his
wholesale jobbing business.
The same season he projected
and established the Continental
Pony Express, furnishing all the
largest real estate owner in Nebra;
farms in the vicinity of Bellevue ar
houses and outbuildings, and by h
having over 2,000 head on his different farms.

mountain districts in the Black
Hills with mail, having from
the United States government
charge of the entire line, and
having his postoffices in all the
mining camps. In 18S3 Mr.
Clarke projected the Bellevue
College, gave to it a tract of
265 acres on Elk Hill, in Belle-
vue, and erected a fine college
building with a capacity of
from 200 to 300 students, mak-
ing it a free gift to the Presby-
terian Church of Nebraska.
In 1S80 Mr. Clarke invested in
the wholesale hardware busi-
ness in Omaha, being at the
same time largely interested in
real estate in Sarpy and other
counties. In 1SS3 he removed
to Omaha and established here
the H. T. Clarke Co. drug
house, with a branch in Lin-
coln — two of the most exten-
sive wholesale drug houses
west of Chicago. In 1887 he
sold out the Omaha house, but
still conducts that at Lincoln,
and has within the past year
built an extensive block at the
latter city for the accommoda-
tion of his increasing business.
Mr. Clarke is probably the
I, possessing some 50,000 acres of farming laud in different counties of the state. His improved
other points of the state comprise about S,ooo acres, on which he has erected comfortable farm
iberal treatment of tenants secures the best class of occupants. He is also a large cattle owner,
n i885 Mr. Clarke was prominently named for governor of the state on the Republi-

HON. HENRY T. CLAKKE.

can ticket, and but for the exceptional popularity of Gen. Thayer on account of his war record, would undoubtedly have received the
nomination. In every movement calculated to promote the moral and business interests of Omaha, Mr. Clarke has been prominent.
He is president of the Law and Order League, formed about two years since to secure a better enforcement of law and order in this
city, and his co-operation is always sought — and never denied — in every good work.]

of the city finances is vested. The Council regulates, subject to the Mayor's approval, all
expenditures of public moneys, except those devoted to educational purposes which are in
charge of the Board of education. It may be appropriate here to give a summary of the
city government. The Mayor is elected by the voters for a term of two years. The
Council is composed of eighteen members, elected for two years, nine of whome are elected
at large one year, i. e. by vote of all the citizens, and the other nine the next year by
the respective wards. The City Treasurer, Comptroller and Police Judge are also elected
by popular vote. The City Attorney and Assistant Engineer, Gas Inspector, Street Com-
missioner, Board of Public Works (three members), are appointive by the Mayor, subject
to the approval of the Council. The City Clerk is elective by the Council. The Mayor,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

the president of the Council and the City Cleric constitute the license board. The president
of the Council is acting Mayor when the Mayor is absent from the city or incapacitated
lor duty. There are besides a number of minor offices, Building, Boiler, Sewer and Pav-
ing Inspectors, Viaduct Tenders, Special Police, etc.,
appointive by the Mayor, and subject to the approval
of the Council. So wisely are the duties of the
several city officials regulated, so many are the
checks and counter checks placed upon them all by
"^^ the municipal charter that Omaha is a very well
governed city — none better in fact.

One of the potent forces in bringing Omaha
n to its high estate as a city, has been the Board
of Trade. It was organized in 1877, by the business
^ ^ men and leading citizens for the purpose of advan-
cing and building up the city's interests, and was
always an effective agency. In 1885, when Omaha's
?AY HOTEL position as a great city was beyond dispute, the

Board was reorgan-
ized, the member-
ship fee increased
from $125 to $250,
and much new blood
introduced. It was
then decided to
erect a suitable
building, and on a
desirable site, cor-
ner of Farnam and
Sixteenth streets,
was erected the
splendid six- story
structure, an illus-
tration of which is
presented in this
volume. The build-
ing and site are val-
ued at $100,000, and
it is estimated that
the annual rentals
will foot up $35,000.
The Board has a
membership of
about 250 of the
leading business

men, capitalists and citizens. It is officered by a president, two vice-presidents, secretary,
treasurer and board of nine directors. Semi-monthly meetings, or oftener, as occasion
demands, are held and the energies and sturdy efforts of enterprising men are thus blended

OMAtiA I L LUSTRA ten.

mciit in Kentuck

y, Ten-

nessee, Alaban

a and

Georgia, nnlil at

Dalton,

in the latter State

he was

mustered out in

Febru-

ary, 1866. On

Novem-

ber 9, 1866, the

doctor

came to Omaha

md im-

mediately enga

jed in

practice.

In February,

in furtiiering the common good. Through the efforts of the Board of Trade, Omaha has been
widely advertised in the East and many enterprises induced to locate here. The secretary
of the Board is constantly replying to inquiries from parties looking for a place to locate,
and in compiling and sending out statistical information concerning the cit}-'s standing and
advantages.

[Samuel D. Mercer was born in Marion county, Illinois, June 13, 2842. He received his literary education at a select school
conducted by Elder Mannahan, at Walnut Hill, Marion county, and later at McKendree College, I.ebanon, Illinois, and his medical
education at the Michigan University, the Chicago Medical College and at the Berkshire Medical College ol Massachusetts, where he
graduated. At the breaking out of the civil war, Dr. Mercer entered the 149th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers as assistant surgeon,
and served with his regi- and Missouri Railroad

and for eight years the
chief surgeon of the Un-
ion Pacific Railroad, and
organized its medical de-

a prosperous condition
when he resigned in
1885. Dr. Mercer or-
ganized the Omaha Medi-
cal College and held the
chair of clinical surgery
and afterwards the chair
of surgery and clinical
surgery in the medical
department of the State
University. He was
president of the Board
of United States Pension
Examiners for many
years. Secretary of the
Nebraska Medical Asso-
ciation for seven years
after its organization and
a corresponding member
of the Boston Gynecolo-
gical Society. During
the active period of his
practice the Doctor found
time for authorship, and
published a work on
spinal curvature and
treatment of spinal dis-
eases. When Doctor
g acquired large real estate interests in
ably in the building ot cable tramways
ming obstacles that but few men would
ttsmouth, Nebraska. In Omaha he has
dice portions of the city, where he has
■citizens are following his example. In
addition to these enterprises the Doctor has erected during the past year two of the largest and finest business blocks
has thus shown himself to be one of the most energetic and useful citizens of Omaha.]

he proposed to the
profession the appoint-
ment of a committee to
correspond with the phy-
sicians throughout the
State in regard to the or-
ganization of a State
Medical Society, and the
Nebraska State Medical
Society was the result.
For twenty years, until
April, 1S87, Doctor Mer-
cer was actively engaged
in the practice of his pro-
fession, during which
time he held many hon-
orary positions and was
specially recognized as
the leading surgeon of
the Northwest. For
eighteen years the Doc-
tor was the assistant sur-
geon of the Burlington

Mercer retired from the active practice of his profession in 1887, it was not to rest.
Omaha, he engaged in enterprises calculated to benefit the city and develop his prope
^nd motor street railways, in which during the past year he has been especially active,
have cared to encounter. He is also largely interested in real estate and street railway:
devoted himself to the improvement and building up of Walnut Hill, one of the fine
built lor himself one of the fine modern residences of Omaha, and where otlrersof our

DR. SAMf

the city, and

In mentioning the organizations of the city, it will not be amiss to make reference
to the secret and other societies which are so important a feature of the city's life. Al-
most every organization known to man has representation in Omaha. It is estimated that
the total membership of the city's secret and benevolent orders reaches 10,000. The socie-
ties may be enumerated as follows : Masons, three lodges, two Chapters, one Commandery
and six other lodges of higher Masonry. Odd-Fellows, five lodges, two Encampments,
three Rebekah degree lodges ; Knights of Pythias, fifteen lodges, ten divisions uniform rank.
Ancient Order of United Workmen, three lodges. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
Legion of Honor, Order of Forresters, Order of Chosen Friends, Rcdmen, Royal Arcanum,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

Clan Na Gael, two posts of the Grand Army of the Republic and twenty odd other benevo-
lent orders in addition to the labor societies. The Masons, Odd-Fellows and Knights of
Pythias own buildings containing their halls. The first secret order established in Omaha
was the Odd-Fellows, January i, 1S56, and the next was Capital lodge of Masons, January
26, 1857-

By no means, an
unimportant feature
of the city's import-
ance is its excellent
newspapers, in num-
ber and quality of
which Omaha is un-
excelled by any city
in the United States.
It has at present five
daily papers, the Re-
publican, a morning
paper, established in
1 858, and now prin-
cipal!}^ owned by S.
P. Rounds and Cadet
Taylor ; the Herald,
also a morning pa-
per, established in
1865, now owned by
Hon. John A. Mc-
Shane; the Bee,
morning and even-
ing editions, estab-
lished in 1S71, and
principally owned
by E. Rosewater ;
the World, an after-
noon paper, estab-
lished in 1885, prin-
cipally owned by G.
M. Hitchcock ; the
News, an afternoon
paper, started in
iSS/.byO.H. Roth-
acker, and the Tri-
bune, a German daily established in 1875, and principally owned by F. G. Festncr. These
papers are all enterprising, liberally supplied with foreign and domestic news by cable and
telegraph, keenly alive to local interests, and well edited in all respects. There are, besides,
several weekly edititions, and all are liberally sustained by the people of the city and tribu-
tary sections. It can well be said that Omaha's newspapers are unexcelled as an expression
of the tone and character of the community and its intelligent citizenship.

/i'fj?>-i. XMO' sa- -f .-- "~^: -

WAREHOUSE AND

OF W. J. BROATCH.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED,

The hotels of a city are always a very important consideration. Omaha in this respect
is not provided in a degree commensurate with its importance. It has a total hotel capacity

[John McCreary was born in Morrow county, Ohio, May 2i, 1832. When about eight years of age he removed with his parents
to Southern Illinois, where he lived about five years and then returned to Ohio, and was employed about a year in the construction
of the Little Miami railroad — the first built in Ohio. He was next engaged for five years in building telegraph lines in that State-
after which he went to Mississippi.where he was engaged in railroad building for several years, and then returned to Springfield, Ohio.

In 1855 he left there and went to Page county,
Iowa, where he was engaged in shingle manufact-
uring for three jears. In 1858 he closed out his
business there and came to Omaha, where he has
since continuously resided In 1 861 Mr. McCreary
was again building telegraph, this time for the
Union Pacific railroad company across the plains to
Salt Lake City, aftei which the engaged in freight-
ing across the plains foi about four years, then in
contracting for the Union Pacific on that company's
road for about a year, after which he went into the
raising of broom i-orn in Douglas County, and the
manufacture of bio^ms, which he continued for two
years, since which time he has devoted himself to
his real estate interests in Omaha and to his ranche
and stock raising in \V)oming Teiritory. It thus
appears that Mr McCreaij's pursuits and inter-
ests ha\e been of a more than usually varied char-
acter, showing much eneigy and business activity,
and the result to him has been a well earned com-
petcncj His ranche in \\ yoming lies about the
headwaters of the Little Laramie river, within 18
miles of Laramie Cit-s, consists of 2400 acres, all un-
der fence, IS stocked with 650 head of cattle, 250
horses and is the best timber sheltered ranche in the
Tenitor) Heis prepaiing to cultivate it largely,
being con\inced that faiming will be more profit-
able in the future than the raising of large herds of

stock.

JOHN M'CREARY

of about 6,000, of which about 1,000 may
be termed first-class, 2,000 second-class,
and the balance of a third grade. The
hotels of the city are always over-crowded,
and are all prospering in an extraordinary
degree. It is conceded by all that there
is need for another large first-class hotel,
and a number of capitalists are now con-
sidering the formation of a company which
will construct a hotel, that will be un-
excelled even in Chicago Indeed it may
be said the project is well advanced, and
that the building will be started before a ^
tweh e-month.

In the number and character of its ,
buildings Omaha also ranks highly, as the
illustrations in this work indicate Brief
allusion is here made to a few of them,
of recent construction or at present under
way. In point of height and cost of con-
struction the buildin

W. F. SWEESY.

course of erection by the New York Life Insurance Company at

OMAHA LLtTSTRA TETED.

the cornel' of Farnam and Seventeenth streets, undoubtedly outranks all others in the city. It
will be ten-stories high and cost $1,000,000. The big bank buildings are striking structures
also. The United States National, five-stories and sub-basement, stone, southeast corner Farnam
and Twelfth streets, the Nebraska National on the opposite corner, built of iron, four-stories
and sub-basement, the Merchant's National, one block west on Farnam and Thirteenth streets^
seven-stories and sub-basement, brick and brown-stone ; the First National, five-stories and

PETCKE'BROS. CO., COMMISSION MERCHANTS & MANUFAOTUBING C0NFECTI0NEB8.

sub-basement, on the opposite corner, built of granite and brick, and the Omaha National,
six-stories and sub-basement, on Thirteenth street, between Farnam and Douglas streets,
built of pressed brick. The Board of Trade building is a si.x-story brick, located on the
southwest corner of Farnam and Sixteenth streets. Diagonally opposite is the new Paxton
Block, a six-story fire-proof brick structure, costing $400,000. Three of the corners of
Fifteenth and Farnam streets, are occupied by the six-story Barker Building, the five-story
Paxton Building, and Boyd's Opera House, a five-story structure. Fifteenth street from
Harney to Howard is occupied on the east side by the Ramge and Sheely blocks, both

OMAffA ILLUSTR ATED.

ornate five-story brick structures. In the vicinity are the Meyers & Raapke Block, the
Herald Building, the Withnell Block and the Granite Block, each large four-story structures.
The Murray Block, a six-story brick structure built for a hotel on the corner of Four-
teenth and Harney, adjoins the five-story Paxton Hotel, on Fourteenth and Farnam streets.
The Millard Hotel is also a five-story structure on the corner of Thirteenth and Douglas

[John I,. McCague, who in a few years has made his mark in the business circles of
Egypt, October 6, 1855. His parents, the Rev. Thomas McCague and wife, were from Oliio
aries to the Copts in that distant and historic land. They remained there for six years. Ret
of Iowa, and made that State their home from l86i to 1S67. In the fall of 1866 the subje(
old, came to Nebraska, his first
place of residence in this State
being Nebraska City. The
family soon followed him. Al-
though his parents had each
been given a collegiate educa-
tion, John L. McCague received
only a common school training,
very few of the Nebraska boys
of the '6o's and early '70's
were sent away to college. In
1S68 Mr. McCague entered
upon his business career. His
first employment was in the
grocery store of L. V. Morse,
who is yet one of Omaha's
citizens. In the latter pari of
that year he entered the service
of the old Transfer company,
which transferred all passengers
and freight across the Missouri
up to the time of the comple-
tion of the Union Tacific. .^s
far back as 1S69 he gave evi-
dence of his faith in the future
of Omaha. In that year he in-
vested his first savings in real
estate. In 1875 he took a desk
in the general freight office of
the Union Pacific, under Mr.
P. P. Shelby. In 1877 he was
transferred to the ofiice of J. W.
Gannett, general auditor of the
Union Pacific. Foreseeing the
perience in real estate, Mr. John L. McCagu
other important purposes, as he was
enterprise. Although yet a young m

JOHN L. M'CAGUE.

vas frequently appointed as an appraiser for the
arded as an excellent judge of values. He has an i
he ranks among Omaha's most prominent citizens

grown up in Omaha from boyhood, and has won the esteem and respect of the community by

work and the straight-forward course which he has always pursued.]

Omaha, was born in the city of Cairo,
, and went to Egypt as the first mission-
ing to America they became residents
f this sketch, being then eleven years
rapid growth of Omaha, Mr.
-^g McCague in 1880 resigned his
■^ railroad position and embarked
iji the real estate business in
w hich he soon met with marked
success. The growth of his
business increased with that of
the city, and needing assistance
he associated with himself his
bi other, William L. McCague,
m 18S1. When the private
banking company of Caldwell,
I Hmdton & Co. was reorganized
- the United States National
1 ink, the firm of McCague
hers decided to engage in
the piivate banking business.
1 hey opened an office in the
I ill of 18S3 at No. 107 South
I ifteenth street, where they still
1 . main. They are now the
. 1. lest private bankers in Oma-
The growth of their busi-
ng -.5 has been very rapid, and
Is now very extensive. At first
the business was transacted by
the two brothers and Mr. Alex.
G. Charlton, now one of the
firm. At the present time a
force of eighteen clerks is re-
quired. In December, 1S86,
Thomas H. McCague, another
brother, was admitted as a part-
ner in the firm. During his ex.
condemnation of lands for railroad and
mquestioned reputation for honesty and
and successful business men. He has
his many yeais of hard and painstaking

Streets. On the corner of Eleventh and Douglas, is located the Paddock Block, a large
five-story brick, and one block east on Douglas is the Republican, a four-story brick. On
the corner of Harney and Eleventh, is the fine five-sto'y Millard Block, and on the oppo-
site side of Harney, is a solid block of four-story brick buildings. One block south is the
new Mercer and Woohvorth Blocks, five-stories in height and extending from Eleventh to
Twelfth streets. On the corner of Ninth and Jones, is the five-story Ames building, cover-
ing a quarter of a block of ground, and on Tenth and Jones is the big five-story Paxton
& Gallagher wholesale grocery house. McCord, Brady & Co., have a large four-story
block on Thirteenth and Leavenworth streets, and on Ninth and Leavenworth is the five-
story McGavock Block. The Union Pacific general offices occupy the company's five-story
block at Ninth and Farnam. The Burlington road has a four-story building for its general

OMAITA riLirS; TR A TF. D .

offices, one block west. The Strang Building, the Rosewatcr Block, th(
the Arlington Block are other four-story structures worthy of mention. Ii
th s \ ,1 ' ,\ H e Bl Lk U S \i lU.iitli ml 1 irnain

; Bycrs Block and
1 course of erection
streets, the Young
Men's Christian As-
sociation Block, at
Douglas and S i x -
teenth streets, and
the Knights of
Pythias Castle Hall.
A conservative esti-
mate places the
amount of capital in-
vested in business
blocks, four-stories
or over, at $9,000,-
000. Other promi-
nent buildings in
Omaha are the Court
House, the City Hall

RESIDENCE OF G. W. HOLDRF.DCxE. (JO COUTSC of C O U -

struction), the High School, the Federal Building and the Exposition Building. It can well be
said that in the number and character of its buildings, and the width and excellence of streets,
Omaha is more metropoli-
tan in aspect than any other
Western city.

While it will be shown
in that portion of this work
which deals more particu-
larly with South Omaha
that the most extensive in-
terest of the city is the
meat manufacturing
interest, a legitimate out-
growth ot the tact that hogs
and cattle are leading prod-
ucts of the city's tributary
tcrritor)-, the further fact
must not be lost sight of
that Omaha is becoming a
great grain market — and
this without a grain ex-
change, or any special effort
yet made to centralize the grain trade here. Xel-ra^k.i and I-w.i are essentially agricul-
tural states, and naturally their chief city whence comes the articles consumed, should be a
center for their farm product.s. The annual grain trade of the city amounts to about
12,000,000 bu.shels of all kinds of cereals, of which something over 1,000,000 bushels are

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

consumed by local distilleries, breweries and mills. The
gaged in handling grain have elevator capacity of about
an amount grossly inadequate, when it is understood
production of Nebraska alone exceeds 300,000,000 bushels,
at its back, it is very evident that Omaha can become
Indeed, its grain trade has already developed to the full
age capacity, and capital is now considering the erection
elevators to meet the demand.

been given to the vim, sagacity and enterprise which have
ous, handsome city here described, but as yet the chief
city has only been touched upon — its railroads. Whatever
otherwise, of the railroad question, it cannot be gainsaid
most important adjunct of a city devoted to commerce
Omaha is liberally supplied in this 'respect. It is at pres-

Omaha firms en-
16,000,000 bushels,
that the annual grain
With such resources
a great grain market,
measure of its stor-
of one or more large
Due credit has
built up the prosper-
factor in building the
miy be the merits, or
that railroads are the
and manufactures,
n t the terminal

wK&!^^^^^^;^^^*^^^^f?!^^^^^?^^^^^'^T^^^^^^t^roW^^

ffi

"^^T-^^A

m ill! if!

CONTINENTAL CLOTHI.N

[The aoove cut represents the newly erected building of the Continental Clothing House of Omaha, Freelancl, Loomis & Co.,
proprietors, and on the opposite page is a cut of the famous Boston house of the same name and of which the Omaha establishment is
a branch. The business of the Continental Clothing House has been established in Boston for more than thirty years, where it has
grown from a small beginning to be the largest of its kind in the New England States anywhere. The manufactury is located in the
Boston house, where there are employed between five and six hundred hands, regularly, in the manufacturing of the stock for the
Omaha and other branch stores of the establishment. The proprietors of the establishment have fixed upon Omaha as the most
important point for the western distributing branch of their business, and will eventually transfer a large portion of their manufacturing
to this city, where, in the near future, it is proposed to enter into competition with the large western wholesale markets of Chicago
and St. Louis in supplying the demand of the great West and Northwest, which must look to Omaha (or its supplies of every descrip-
tion. Recognizing in the varied character of Omaha's business life the surest pledge oi its future prosperity, and also considering its
position as a great commercial center, with the railroads radiating from it in every direction, and the great territory tributary to it, it
is the ]iarpose of the Continental Clothing House to cultivate and develop, as far as possible, its business interests in this city, which
must grow to be second to none of the great cities in the West. With unequaled facilities as direct importers from all the markets ol
the world of fine woolens and merchandise in our line, and as among the largest clothing manufacturers in the United States it is our
purpose to offer every advantage to the people of Nebraska and all the country tributary to Omaha that can be obtained in any of the
markets of the United Stales. The Continental Clothing House is to become an Omaha institution, devoted to Omaha and Western
interests, and with the purpose in view of developing thr, business in our line to the highest point of perfection possible.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

point of thirteen main branch lines and a number of others are projected. The first railroad
to reach Omaha from the east was the Chicago and Northwestern, the first train arriving
Sunday, January 17, 1867, the crossing being made on an ice bridge. In the spring of 1868, the
Mississippi and Missouri River Railroad, now known as the Chicago and Rock Island, reached
the city. Then came the Kansas City, St. Joe and Council Bluffs, and in the fall of that
year, the Burlington and Missouri River Raijroad in Iowa, now known as the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy, was completed. All these lines were drawn to Omaha by the
prospective completion of the Union Pacific, the first great trans-continental road. Later
came the Siou.x City and Pacific, and the Chicago, St. Paul Minneapolis and Omaha,
from the north, and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul from the east. These seven

CONTINENTAL CLOTHING HOUSE, BOSTON.

trunk lines from the east, south and north afford Omaha ample communication with those
sections furnishing facilities of ingress such as are not excelled hy any other city.

Of the means of egress, the lines which carry from Omaha the goods which its
merchants sell and bring to this market, the products of the vast tributary region, the
Union Pacific was the first and most important, the one to which Omaha is most indebted
for its greatness. The origin of this great railroad enterprise, the location of tiie route,
and the granting of aid in immense subsidies by the Government, are historical facts which
are too well known to need repetition here. Suffice it to say that President Lincoln fixed
the initial point of the main line on the 17th of November, 1863, by an order as follows ;
"At a point on the western boundary of the State of Iowa, opposite section ten, in town-
ship fifteen, north of range thirteen, east of the sixth principal meridian, in the Territory

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

of Nebraska." The company for the carrying out of this grand project having been organ-
ized, a dispatch was sent on the morning of December 2, 1863, from headquarters in New
York, to Peter A. Day, the engineer at Omaha, to begin work. This news created the
wildest enthusiasm, and it was determined to "break ground" that very day near the old
ferry landing. After prayer by the Rev. T. B. Lemon, the first earth was removed by

[No man is better known in the Omaha real estate field than W. G. Albright, who, in a remarkably short period, has
worked himself to the front rank. He was born at Fort Madison, Iowa, January 29, 1855, and began his business life at the early
age of fourteen. His first experience was in the capacity of clerk in his father's dry goods store at Fort Madison. After acquiring a

itted as a partner and continued as such for several years. In 1S79 he engaged in the

next purchase made by Mr.
Albright consisted of 280 acres,
now known as Albright's
Choice. He bought this prop-
erty in October, 1S86, and his
first sale in the Choice was
made in January, 1S87. With-
in six weeks after that he sold
$250,000 worth of this prop-
erty, and one day he sold $40,-
000 worth. Unlike the ma-
jority of real estate men who
lose interest in an addition
after selling a large portion of
it, Mr. Albright has continued
to exert every effort to build
up and improve the property
which he has put upon the
market. He was mainly in-
strumental in the extension of
the South Omaha dummy line
and the erection of the hand-
some depot in the center of the
Choice, which is now the ter-
minus of the dummy line and
known as Albright Station.
This station has nineteen daily
passenger trains. He also lo-
cated the Omaha Carriage and
Sleigh Company on the Choice.
This company has put up fine
W G ALBRIGHT buildings and will employ two

hundred and fifty men. ^Vhat
thriving suburb of South Omaha, having a population of seven hundred. Over one hundred
handsome cottages and numerous business buildings have been erected during this time. In addition to these two big ventures — the
Annex and the Choice — Mr. Albright has done a general real estate business on an extensive scale. Within two years he has risen
from the rank of an almost penniless stranger to the position of the leading real estate man in Omaha, and all by his own efforts. He
has one of the handsomest offices in the city, as well as a branch office at .Mbright, and he employs a large force of intelligent, com-
petent and energetic men. In the brief period of one year, Mr. Albright has established a splendid business reputation and has
acquired a fortune.]

thorough knowledge of the business. In
fire insurance business, in
which he was quite successful.
Mr. Albright came to Omaha
in December, 18S5. He saw
the wonderful improvements
and strides of progress that
were being made by Omaha,
and he became convinced that
there was nothing that could

fits than investments in real
estate, which was steadily ad
vancing. "There is a tide in
the affairs of men which, taken
at the flood, leads on to for
tune." So thought Mr. Al
bright, who, although he did
not have a dollar for invest
ment, launched forth with the
tide on February 15, 1886
He met with success from the
very start. Organizing a syn
dicate, he made his first ventuie
in the purchase of Albright s
Annex in August, 1886. Tins
tract of land, adjoining South
Omaha on the south, w ^s
platted, recorded and sold at
auction by Mr. Albright within
ten days after its purchase
This was the first successful
real estate auction ever held in
the State of Nebraska. The
was one year ago a farm, is to-day

Governor Saunders and Mayor Kennedy of Omaha, and Mayor Palmer of Council Bluffs,
assisted by Augustus Kountze, Engineer Day, George Francis Train, Dr. Atchison and
others. Artillery salutes were fired, and the crowd cheered themselves hoarse. Speeches
were made by Governor Saunders, Mayor Kennedy, Dr. G. C. Monell, Hon. A. J. Popple-
ton, A. V. Lannier, George B. Lake and George Francis Train. "The President of the
United States shows his good judgment," said Mr. Train in the course of his remarks, "in
locating the road where the Almighty placed the signal station, at the entrance of a garden
seven hundred miles in length and twenty broad." Mr. Train predicted that the Union
Pacific would be completed before the year 1870. This was a little too much for the audience
to believe, and many laughed at him. He also said that in twenty years Omaha would have

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

one hundred thousand people. But Train was right. President Lincoln and many prominent
men from all parts of the north sent telegrams to Omaha in regard to the auspicious be-
ginning ot the enterprise. Grading was begun on the Union Pacific in the spring of 1864.
The sum of $100,000 was expended on a due westerly course, when a change was made

in the route, because of

the unevenness of the

countr)-, which would

not permit the road to

be constructed rapidly

enough to reach the one

hundredth meridian in

time to save the charter.

It was provided in the

charter that the railroad

that first reached that

point should have the

right of way as the main

line to a connection with

DEEXEL & poll's STONE Y.\uDs .^Nij sToxE SAW MILLS. the Central Pacific,

which had been chartered by the State Legislature of California. At that time the Kansas

Pacific was pushing rapidly ahead, and having railroad connections at its eastern terminus

it had the advantage of the ^___

Union Pacific in obtaining
quick transportation of sup-
plies. Fifty miles were com-
pleted and in running order
by the first of January, 1S66
when the road reached the
level country of the Platte
Valley, the work was pushed
more vigorously than ever
and the result was that it
reached the one hundredth
meridian in advance of tlie
Kansas Pacific, its competitcr
in the race. It should be
borne in mind that there n is
yet a break in railroad com
munication between Omaha m. a. disbbow & co.'s factory.

and Dcs Moines, a distance of 193 miles, and consequently everything had to be transported by
teams from that point, or by steamboats up the Missouri river. The first engine of the Union
Pacific shops in this city, a seventy-horse-power, was transported in wagons from Des Moines
These shops were started soon after the work of building the railroad was begun, and were com-
pleted in the fall of 1865. During .the year 1866 there were laid 260 miles of the Union
I'acific track ; 240 miles in 1867, and from January I, 1868, to May 10, 1869, 540 miles were laid,
completing the road in three years, six months and ten days from the time it was started
and about seven years sooner than the limit fixed by Congress.

The connection of the

OAfAIIA ILLUSTRATED .

Union Pacific with the eastern railways was made by means 'of ferryboats in the summer,
and an ice bridge in the winter for several years. The initiatory steps for the building

[Mr. M. A. Upton, who is one of Omaha's leading real estate men, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., December 24, 1847. At an
early age he came west and engaged in various occupations. During the past seventeen years he has lived in Council Bl-iffs and

known to everybody. South
Omaha in less than four years
has become a city of nearly
7,or,o peojjle. It is the third
packing center and live stock
maiketm theUnion. Amonglhe
cntei prises that have made the
city, aie the packinghouses of
Hammond, Fowler, Armour,
Swift and others. It is safe
lu S.1) that within three years
South Omaha will be a city of
25,000 people. Mr. Upton has
Lnntiibuted largely in various
\\a)s to the wonderful results
lliat have been accomplished
ill South Omaha. He is now
engaged in the real estate busi-
ness in Omaha, and is ranked
aiming the most enterprising
and successful men in that line.
His reliability and integrity are
unquestioned. He believes in
the liberal but honest use of
printer's ink, and knows from
experience that wonders can be
achieved by judicious advertis-
ing. He abhors all " wild-cat "
schemes and promises that can-
not be strictly carried out.]

Cnncrrcss pro\'idin"- for a

Omaha. While a resident of
Council Bluffs he was for
several years the cashier of
the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific railway in that city. lie
next filled, for quite a term, th.-
position of freight and ticket
agent of the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & St. Paul railway. At a
later date he became secretary
and treasurer of the Transfer
Stockyards Company, of which
W. A. Paxton was president.
When the Union Stockyards
Company of South Omaha was
organized, he was appoi
secretary of the corporation
and also of the South Omaha
Land Company. Mr. Upton
had great faith in these enter-
prises, when others considered
them rather visionary. By ju-
dicious and original methods
in advertising, he at once
brought South Omaha into
prominence, and thus disposed
of a large amount of property
for the land company, and in-
duced the permanent Hnvest-
ment of capital in lands and in
enterprises. The result is well

of a bridge had been
charter, and a bitter fi
ensued as to the location
of the bridge, but the lo-
cation where the bridge
now stands was finally
agreed upon. Omaha voted
$250,000 in bonds in con-
sideration that it should
have the main transfer de-
pots, general offices, ma-
chine shops, etc. Council
Bluffs voted $200,000 in
bonds on the same condi-
tion, but the company ac-
cepted Omaha's proposi-
tion. The bridge was com-
pleted March 25, 1S73. A
new bridge, h a v i n g a
double track, a wagon
bridge and a walk for pedestri

taken in 1866 by
ght

act passed

P.\XTON, GALLAGHER & CO.'S BUILUING.

has replaced the old bridge, the work of construction having
recently been completed. It is a much more substantial bridge than the old one was, and was

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

RESIDENCE OF F.

put in position upon the same location without interfering at all with the passage of
trains. The Union Pacific Railway has seen many vicissitudes, change of ownership and
control and has made and unmade the fortunes of many people, but from its completion
to the present time, it has continued to grow in importance as the great trans-continental

line. The construction of

branch lines has greatly
aided its revenues, and if
remedial legislation can be
secured from Congress, as
it is hoped, its future will
be well secured. The most
important of its branch lines
is the Oregon Short Line,
which, in connection with
the Oregon and Navigation
Road, recently acquired by
lease, gives the Union
Pacific its own continuous
line from Omaha to Port-
land, on the Pacific coast.
The development of the

country by the Union Pacific can be most easily demonstrated by citing a few figures. In

1876 the tonnage handled by the road at Omaha and Council Bluffs, was 1,259,894,897 pounds.

Ten years later in 1886, the

tonnage handled at the two

cities amounted to 4,324,-

709,483, an increase of 243

per cent., Omaha handling

considerably over one-half

of the total amount. The

Union Pacific now owns

4,575 miles of road, and

controls 1,422 additional

miles, all operated from

Omaha. Its lines tap the

richest agricultural and

mineral lands in the world,

covering a vast region

which is being rapidly de-

V eloped, increasing the

fruitage which Omaha ex-
acts as tribute. The head-
quarters and main shops of the road are located here, and the number of its employes

reaches over 2,000. It is indeed a great Omaha institution.

In 1869, prominent business men ot Omaha organized the Omaha and Northwestern

P^P

:'T '"i- ■ , ~ • ■"*

g^Pf^:jj

> :MB^.

JllllMl,,,

lllli«i«ii,^f-ri:-j **■ ::■. -.■^..::;^'^''.^? "^-.

II ii'iiiiiiBilWmil

RESIDENCE

Railroad, with James E. Boyd, president.

and con

structed the road to Herman. It proved

important feeder to Omaha and remains so, though it has since become a part of the

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

[W. J. Broatch was born in Middletown, Connecticut, July 31, 1841, and w
native town. Wlien seventeen years of age he went to Hartford wliere lie resided 1

Eighth C

educated in the common and high schools of his
il the civil war broke out, when he enlisted in the
lecticut volunteers. After serving with that
regiment a year and a half, he left it and entered the regular

his fir

army. During the wa
in the North Carolina expedit
Roanoake, etc. Later he w:
of the Potomac at Spottsylv
first came to Omaha in 1866 ;

service was with Gen. Burnside
Dn and he was at the capture of
with Gen. Grant in the army
nia, the Wilderness, etc. He
i aide on the staff of Philip St.

MAYOR W. I. BROATCH.
The inauguration of new systems in city gov
wise discretion on the part of those charged
a zeal that cannot be questioned.]

[C. S. Goodrich was born in Warren, Warren county,
Pennsylvania, July 5, 1842. As a boy he learned the printer's
trade, and came to Omaha with his parents April 6, i860.
Here he worked at the case on the Weekly Republican and
later on the Omaha Nebraskian. ^Vhen the Daily Telegraph
was started, of which Henry Z. Curtis, a son of the late Major
General Curtis, was editor, Mr. Goodrich worked at the case
upon it with C. W. Sherman, the present editor ot the Platts-
mouth Journal. The Telegraph was announced to be pub^
lished simultaneously in Omaha and Council Bluffs and four
hundred copies were printed daily, two hundred of which
were sent by a boy on a pony across the river for distribution
there. Mr. Curtis was afterwards killed during the Kansas
troubles by Quantrell in the Lawrence massacre. During the
Indian scare under Gov. Alvin Saunders' administration, Mr.
Goodrich was a captain of a militia company raised for home
protection, and he admits that more women and children
were scared by the militia men than by the Indians, who never
came near the town. Mr. Goodrich was engaged in mercan-
tile pursuits for twenty years in Omaha previous to 1887, when
he retired. In 1885 he was elected to the city council for two
years, and in June, 1887, under the new charter, he was
elected city comptroller to serve until January, 1890, being
the only candidate on the Democratic general ticket elected.
Like others of the pioneers of Omaha, Mr. Goodrich has seen
the little village grow to be a great and flourishing city, and
the State in its marvelous development, keep pace with it.]

George Cooke, at which time the Department of the Platte
was created. Later he was detailed by President Grant to
take charge of Indians, and was assigned to duty under the
Department of the Interior at the Yankton Indian Agency.
After a year's service there he asked to be placed on waiting
orders, with a view to leaving the service and resigned his
captain's commission in the regular army, December 31, 1870,
and went to Ohio where he engaged in business. On March
I, 1874, Mr. Broatch came to Omaha and established himself
in the heavy hardware business, which he has successfully con-
ducted ever since. He has been an active and public spirited
citizen, taking an interest in all movements calculateo to pro-
mote the material progress of Omaha. He has for years been
a mem'ier of the board for the improvement of the Missouri
river, is a member of the Omaha Board of Trade and of the
Omaha Freight Bureau. He was a member of the school
board in 1878-9 and was elected to the State Legislature in
1880 for two years. In June, 1887, he was elected Mayor of
Omaha under the amended charter to serve until Januarv,
1890. As such he is ex-officio president of the Board of Fire
and Police Commissioners, which body was provided for in the
new charter to give to the city a system of metropolitan police,
largement of its powers necessarily involve much labor and

th official responsibility, and Mr. Broatch has applied himself to his new dii

ith

COMPTROLLER C. S. GOODRICH,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED

I lOUIS BERKA.

therefore especially fitted for the
official position he fills, and to which
he was appointed last March by
Mayor James E. Boyd, whose excel-
lent judgment was confirmed by the
present Mayor, W. J. Broatch, who
re-appointed him in May. The term
expires January, 1S90, and Mr. Till-
son has over two years still to serve.
Since coming to Omaha, Mr. Tillson
has had charge of the construction of
not only all the sewers, but of the
street paving in the city as well
He has kept these apace with the mai
velous growth of the city. Ilavm
been actively engaged in the Publi
Works since their inception until the ''■
present time, he has had an opportu
nity to see all that has been done_
and improve in the future that which
has been good and avoid what few
mistakes have been made. Mr.
Tillson was recently married, wedding M
New Hampshire, October Sth, 1887.]

[Dr. John B. Ralph was born in Wilmington, Delaware, September 25,
1841, and received a common school education there, and later at Mendota,
Illinois, to which he removed with his parents in 1857. In 1862 he enlisted
in an Illinois regiment and was assigned to duty as Assistant Hospital Steward^
where he began the study of medicine. At the close of the war he entered the
Marine Hospital, at Chicago, as a student, and graduated at Rush Medical
College in 1867. Began practice at Mendota and about a year later removed
to Sterling, Illinois, where he continued to practice his profession until 1SS2,
when he came to Omaha and established himself in a successful practice here.
In May, 18S7, he was appointed City Physician by Mayor Broatch and con-
tirnied by the council, becoming, by virtue of that office, Secretary of the
Board of Health. Dr. Ralph is a member of the Nebraska State Medical
Society and also of the Douglas County Medical Society, and is esteemed to
be one of our most reputable physicians, the result of conscientious and un
tiring devotion to his profession, the complete mastery of which stimulates his
greatest ambition. Considering the comparatively short lime he has been
located in Omaha, Dr. Ralph has attained a position of prominence in the
profession seldom reached ; and his calls take him among every class of the
community.]

[Louis Berka was born in Bohemia, April 28, 1855, and came to
this country with his parents in 1862. The family settled in Genesee
county, Michigan, and engaged in farming. Mr. Berka received a district
school education and aftenvards attended the high school at Flint, Michi-
gan, until he was 17, when he learned the trade of marble cutting, at which
he worked for some time as a journeyman and aftersvards carried on the
business on his own account at Pontiac, Mich. In 18S0 he entered the Michi-
gan University at Ann Arbor and studied law. In the spring of 1SS3 he grad-
uated and was admitted to the bar, upon which he came directly t. Omaha
and established himself in practice. In 1SS5 he was elected Justice of the
Peace for two years, and so acceptably discharged the duties of the office
that in May, 1887, he was elected Police Judge under the new charter, to
serve until January, 1890.]

[George W. Tillson, City Engineer, was born in Thomaston, Maine,
December 18, 1852, where he lived until he reached the age of 20 years.
He attended the public schools and prepared himself for College, entering
the celebrated Bowdoin College, at twenty. He took the course cf Civil
Engineering and graduated from that department in 1877. For three years
Ml. Tillson taught in the preparatory schools of Maine and Massachusetts,
^1 lying his profession, meanwhile. In 1880 he received an appointment
under Col. George E. Waring, Jr., the celebrated engineer, who at that
time was constructing an entire new system of sewerage for Memphis,
Tennessee, which was made necessary lor sanitary reasons because of the
terrible visitation of yellow fever the
t^^ o previous years. The system at
Memphis is the most complete and
the very best in America. After
leaving Memphis Mr. Tillson went to
Kal-imazoo, Michigan, where he
pHnned and superintended the con-
struction of a sewer system. In iS8l
the city of Omaha adopted the War-
ing sew er system, and in October of
that year Mr. Tillson came here to
t-ike charge of the work. Every
pioperty owner in the city knows
li(i\v well the work has been done.
Ml public improvements were then
111 then incipiency. Mr. Tillson had
the rare opportunity of being engag-
ed in their development. They have
giown to their present thorough com-
leteness under his eye, and the most
uf them under his direction. He is

CITY ENGINEER GEORGE W. TILLSON
.MoUie E. .\bbott, at

CITY I'HYS1C1.\.N I«K. JOHN II. RALPH,

The City Council.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

_ WM. H. ALEXANDER, Alderman from llie Sevcmh Ward, is a native of Connecticut. When thirteen years of age he had
finished the course of study provided by the public schools and immediately took up advanced branches under Thos. Hart Fuller, of
Yale, and others. At seventeen, having a natural inclination and aptitude tor the legal profession, with mental and physical ability
to meet its exacting requirements, Mr. Alexander began the reading of law with Hon. John T. Wait, now member of Congress from
Connecticut. His father's ill-health, however, and other circumstances resulting from it, interrupted the legal study and shortly
thereafter he set out to bear his part in the actual worl< of life. He taught in the public schools for nearly three years with gratifying
success and was always an intelligent force in literary, social and religious affairs. In the fall of '^\ he left the old New England
home for the more progressive West. At Quincy, III, Mr. Alexander engaged as salesman with the Whitney & Holmes Organ
Company, and after six months' service was appointed superintendent of agencies with general power of attorney and the whole West
for a field. The opportunities thus afforded for gathering information were promptly taken advantage of, and but few men are belter
posted concerning the great Northwest than he. During his eight years of service with the organ company he was accredited
correspondent of the Quincy Daily Whig. He prepared, among other interesting matter, historical sketches of Minnesota, Wisconsin
and Kansas, which were widely copied and read. He attended the National Republican convention at Cincinnati, and reported the
great Blaine meeting at Peoria in 1876; was with Colfax at a grand tri-county gathering in Farmer City, 111., and at his request
reported the proceedings for the Chicago Inter-Ocean. The acquaintance then formed with that distinguished gentleman ripened into
warmest friendship that lasted till his death. From 1S79 to '8S3 Mr. Alexander had charge of the extensive furniture house of Jansen
Bros. & Co., at Lincoln, Nebraska; was one of the organizers of the Board ot Trade in that city; secretary of the Union Club, and
was recognized as an active and valuable citizen. He came to Omaha in January, 1883, to take a position with Dewey & Stone in
their mammoth furniture establishment. When the contract for "Twenty Years of Congress" was made with Mr. Blaine, Mr.
Alexander was offered the general western agency for that great political history, and has since held control of its sale in the Trans-
Missouri States. He has been quite largely interested in real estate, being now connected as senior partner with the firm of Alexander
& Brigham, real estate and loan brokers. He stands high in the estimation of the people, and particularly so in the ward he represents
in the Council. Mr. Alexander is a fine speaker, a genial companion, of unimpeachable integrity, and if so inclined could doubtless
make his mark in a public way. He has a wife and two daughters, a pleasant home, and ought to be satisfied with life as it falls to
his lot.

WILLIAM F. BECHEL was born in Canton, Ohio, February 27, 1841. In 1848 he removed with his parents to Akron, Ohio,
and was educated at Hiram Institute, Hiram, Ohio, the late President Garfield being a professor there at the time. In 1861 Mr.
Bechel enlisted in Company C, I07lh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served as second lieutenant of his company until 1862, when he
resigned and entered the service of the Union Express Company at Akron. Subsequently he removed to Chicago, where he continued
in the same business until 1S6S, when he removed to Sacramento, Cal., taking a position as cashier of Wells, Fav!;r. ,V- Vn. In 1870
he was transferred to Kansas City, Mo., holding the position of secretary to Mr. Cooper, superintendent of tin- r.,in]i n', ilure. In
1S75 M''- Bechel left the Wells, Fargo company to accept the position of auditor of the Kansas Pacific railroad . ; iiy, and

in 1S78 came to Omaha in the service of the same company. On November i, 1879, the Pacific Express Comp,;,. _: .l.ed and

Mr. Bechel was appointed auditor, which position he still holds, and in addition was in January, 1886, elcclc.l \\\^ .,i:vii.i.uy and a
director of the company. The Pacific Express Company covers the territory from Toledo and Detroit in the East, to San Francisco
and Portland on the Pacific, operating by rail, steamship and stage 20,000 miles, and by connection with other companies it reaches
all eastern and southern Atlantic ports. The holding of such responsible positions as director, secretary and auditor in a company
doing such a vast business, sufficiently testifies to Mr. Bechel's business capacity. In 18S4 Mr. Bechel was elected to the City Council
for two years, and in 1885 was made president of that body. In 1886 he was re-elected for two years and again made president. On
the reorganization of the council in 1887 under the new charter, Mr. Bechel was elected president for the third time, and by his
thorough knowledge of parliamentary rules, the promptness of his decisions and the facility with which he disposes of business, the
council is largely aided in its work. The system of city improvements — grading, paving and sewerage — had only been entered upon
the year before Mr. Bechel went into the Council, and to his intelligent and public spirited co-operation as president of the Council is
the city largely indebted for the faithful and efficient continuance of that system which is giving to Omaha as fine streets as any city
in the country possesses. Mr. Bechel was also largely, if not chiefly, instrumental in securing the location of the city hall on Farnara
street opposite the court house, thereby so concentrating the courts and offices of the county and city as when the city building shall
be completed, to greatly expedite the puljlic business. Any city ma" consider itself fortunate in the possession of citizens who, like
Mr. Bechel, have the capacity and willingness to serve it, and the integrity which assures that the service will be faithfully and con
scientiously rendered.

FRANCIS A. BAILEY was born in England, July 6, 1833, and came to this country with his parents in 1850, settling at
Cleveland, Ohio. Having learned the trade of brickmaking he established himself in that business at Cleveland before he was twenty-
one, and continued in it until April, 1869, when he came to Omaha and engaged in the same business, for the first year alone, and
afterwards in company with the late Samuel Cafferty. After his death, Mr. Bailey formed a partnership with Mr. Ole Olson, which
still continues. The firm is largely engaged in contracting and building, using the entire product of their brick yards in their own
building contracts. Among the fine buildings erected by them in Omaha as contractors is the Millard Hotel. Mr. Bailey was an
early investor in real estate here, having bought ten acres west of Creighton College which has become by the progress of the city
very valu.ible. In 18S5 Mr. Bailey was first elected to the Council as an Alderman-at-Large, and in 1887 was re-elected under the new
charter to serve until January, 1890. This is the only official position which he has held, but as an active business man he became a
member of the Board of Trade on its organization, and is a zealous promoter of the best interests of Omaha.

JEFFERSON W. BEDFORD was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, June 3, 1845, received his education in the common
schools and at the Masonic College, Lexington. In 1S62-3 he was a member of the Third Colorado Cavalry, engaged in quelling
Indian troubles on the plains. His regiment was a part of Col. Chivington's command at Land Creek, where such a terrible slaughter
of Indians occurred as to completely end their further depredations in that quarter. In 1866 Mr Bedford engaged in merchandising
at Lexington, Missouri, and there continued until 1877, when he went to JopUn, Missouri where he established a branch store and
engagedin coal mining at Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1880 he went to Rich Hill, Missouri, where he opened up coal mines for the Mis-
souri Pacific railroad, remaining there as superintendent for the company until 18S2, when he resigned and came to Omaha. Here he
engaged in the coal and real estate business, from the latter branch of which he retired in January, 1887, to give exclusive attention
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ In May, 1887, Mr. Bedford was elected to the City Council under the new charter, to serve until January,

: interested in various enterprises, besides his special business, as stockholder, etc., and is one of the active and repre-
sentative citizens of Omaha.

JACOB M. COUNSMAN is one of the quiet members of the Council. He is conservative and careful, but always on hand,
and although naturally of a retiring disposition, he takes a deep interest in the proceedings and thoroughly posts himself on all im-
portant city matters before acting. He was elected from the Fifth Ward last spring on the Republican ticket. Mr.-Counsman is one
of the pioneers of Omaha in the Council. He is of German descent, was born in Blair county, Pennsylvania, on his father s farm, m
1837, and lived there until 21 years of age. He learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, which he has followed ever since.
While living at home he was married to Miss Arabella Redmond, and with his young wife he left the old home and came West in
1861. He selected Omaha as the most likely town with a promise of the future, and set himself up m a small way as a carpenter and
builder. His business has grown and prospered, and to day he is one of the largest contracting builders in the city. Mr. Counsman
has always taken practical control of his work, and as he is a fine mechanic himself he always gives satisfaction. The result is that
his business has grown to such proportions that it has made him rich. Mr. Counsman is a wide-awake, progressive man. He is
enterprising and hardworking. He is held in high esteem by business men and capitalists and is popular with the labor classes, to
which latter he belongs, being a member of their different organizations and high in their confidence. His election was due to his
being a representative workingman, and he has been mindful of their interests during his term.

rge coa
He is i

VAN CAMP. SNYDER.

THE CITY COUNCIL.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED .

LEAVITT BURNHAM was born in Essex, Essex coun^, Massachusetts, September 8, 1844. His educational advantages were
confined to the common district schools of New England, and terminated at the age of 15, when he learned the carpenter trade and
worked at it till he was 21. He first came to Omaha in 1S67, and again in 1869, since which last named date he has resided here
continuously. During 1867 and 1869 he was engaged in surveying on the plains for the United States Government. In 1870 he
entered the office of the late Watson B. Smith, Clerk of the U. S. Circuit Court, under whom, and later under the Hon. A. J. Pop-
pleton, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1S72. He continued to practice his profession until March, 1878, when he was
appointed Land Commissioner for the Union Pacific Railway company, which office he filled until June, 1886. For several years Mr.
Burnham has served as a member of the Board of Regents of the State University of Nebraska, and in May, 1887, was elected to the
City Council under the new charter, to serve until January 1890.

JOHN F. BOYD was born in North Erookfield, Massachusetts, September 10, 1846, and received his education in the com-
mon schools, of his native town. In 1865 he came to Omaha and engaged in the cattle business as a dealer. Continuing this up to
1879, he undertook the construction in that year of the Stock Yards in Council Bluffs, and when completed he was appointed superin-
tendent, which position he still holds. In 1S84 he was employed to construct the Union Stock Yards at South Omaha for the same
company, and when finished he was also made superintendent there. Practically, therefore, the immense stock business of these
two points has for years passed through the hands of Mr. Boyd, as the active manager ot these two yards. In May, 1887, he accepted
his first public ofiice, being then elected as one of the Councilmen-at-Large under the new charter, to serve untiljanuary, 1S90.

ISAAC S. HASCALL was born in Erie county. New York, in 1831; studied law in Buffalo and also in the office of Hon. L.
Morris at Mayville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and was adm tted to practice in all the courts of the State at a general term of the
supreme court held in Buffalo in 1853. In 1854 he traveled through many of the southern states and then went to Kansas, passing
the winter of 1854-5 at Ft. Riley. In the spring of 1855 he visited Nebraska and in the fall of that year returned to the State and was
engaged in township platting of government lands in Nemaha and Otoe counties. Returning to Kansas he began the practice of law
at .-vtchison, in partnership with Junius T. Hereford, continuing there four years, during which time he was elected to the constitu-
tional convention of Kansas and served therein. On leaving Atchison he went to Colorado, Oregon, and into the mining regions of
the territories, finally locating at Idaho City, Idaho, where he remained until the fall of 1864, when he went to California and
thence by the Isthmus of Panama to New York. Mr. Hascall spent the following winter in further travel through different States,
and in March, 1S65, reached Omaha, where he has since continuously resided. During his residence in Nebraska Mr. Hascall has
been prominent in official life. He has been a member of a State constitutional convention of Nebraska, twice State Senator, Probate
Judge, and is now serving his third term as a member of the City Council, where he is active in promoting all public improvements.

THOMAS J. LOWRY was born in Wales, November 12, 1847, and came to this country with his parents in December of the
same year, landing at New Orleans. In the following May his parents removed to Muscatine, Iowa, where he continued to live
receiving education in the common schools. In 1862, when fifteen years of age, he joined the Thirty-Fifth Iowa Volunteers and went
south to Memphis, where a great many of the men were prostrated with sickness, young Lowry among the number. His father went
down and took him home, and this ended his military experience. In April, 1865, he came to Omaha and entered the service of the
Union Pacific Railway Company and so continued for twenty years until 1885, being employed in various capacities on trains and at
stations, the last six years being in charge of the baggage station at Council Bluffs. In 1885 he resigned and engaged in the grocery
business, which he sold out the next year. In April, 1886, he was elected to the city council for two years and has since given much
of his time to city affairs.

P.\TRICK FORD is a self-raade man. He has come up from the ranks and is a product of the masses. Ten years ago he
came to Omaha without a dollar, and was obliged to take the wages of the common laborer to keep the wolf from the door. Now
he is one oi its best known citizens, enjoys a handsome fortune, has held several important public offices which he has filled with
ability, and can afford to smile at the reverses of fortune met with in earily life. Mr. Ford is a native of Sligo county, Ireland,
where he was born May 12, 1837. His youth was spent in his native country, and at arriving of age he followed the example of so
many of his countrymen, and emigrated to this country, landing at Castle Garden, March 12, 1859. Three days afterwards he was
engaged to labor in the Hocking Valley mines in Ohio. Mr. Ford lived in Pittsburg until 1864., earning his living working in tunnels
and mines. He then moved to Maryland, where he made and lost his first start in life. He lived there until 1877, and by fortunate
speculations with his savings amassed a fair competency which he lost during the great labor strike of that year. In the fall he
removed with his family to Omaha, and commenced life again as a section hand, working for $1.30 per day. He was appointed on
the police force, and served two years, at the end of which time he was made Street Commissioner, which latter office he held for two
years. Mr. Ford was then chosen to represent the Third Ward in the City Council, and is now serving his second term. In 1885 he
was the democratic nominee for Sheriff. Mr. Ford has a great personal following in his ward, and in the city, with whom he is very
popular. He is one of the strongest men in the Council and wields a large influence in the affairs of the city. He is happily married,
and has a bright family of three children, two boys and one girl.

CHARLES CHENEY, the member from the Fifth Ward, is one of the younger men in the Council. He is a Green Mountain
boy, and was born in Northfield, Vermont, December 12, 1850. His father was a machinist, and during most of his life was employed
in railway shops and on construction. When Charles was still a baby in arms the family moved to Indiana, where they lived six years,
and thence when still further west, to Galesburg, III., where the elder Cheney held the position of Division master mechanic of the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad until the time of his death, which occurred ten years later. During his youth young Cheney
attended the.puDlic schools and took a course at Lombard College, acquiring a useful education. He was a natural mechanic and
selected for his sphere in life that trade in which his father had earned an honest living. He accordingly became a machinist and
worked at the trade until 1870, when, his father having died in the meantime, the young man struck out for himself and came West,
locating in Omaha. He secured a position with the Union Pacific railroad in the company's shops. He has been continuously in the
company's employ for the eighteen years he has been in Omaha. He is a faithful employee and is held in high esteem in the
mechanical department by his superiors, and is popular with his fellow-workmen and his subordinates. He has the reputation of

being one of the most skillful machinists in the employ of the Union Pacific. Mr. Cheney was elected to the City Council last spr
as a Republican, carrying the ward by the largest majority of any man on the ticket. He is not a politician, but the citizens of the
Fifth Ward believed that he would watch the interests of the tax payers and deal with city affairs as an honest man. He has done

so. There h.as been no flummery nor demagoguery about his course in the Council. He is opposed at all times to publii
jobs, and although he makes but little display, his work and votes are effective in support of the right measures at all times. .Mr.
Cheney is happily married and lives a quiet domestic life at his home, 518 North Fourteenth street. His wife was Miss Maggie
Fleming, daughter of Mitchell Fleming, whom he married in this city in 1874. They have two children, both girls.

F. W. MANVILLE was born in Genesee county. New York, April 26, 1833. When four years old his parents, as members
of a colony formed at Genesee, New York, emigrated to Illinois and named their prairie settlement Genesee, after the old eastern
home. From its earliest settlement Genesee, Illinois, has always been noted for its interest in schools. The founders of the town
did not wait <:ven to build a log school house, but set up a skeleton structure formed of upright crotched poles, across which others
were laid and covered with the canvas covers of their wagons, and Mr. Manville remembers distinctly attending school in that primi-
tive structure until one more substantial could be built. Mr. Manville learned the trade of plasterer, and was engaged in that busi-
ness when the South rebelled. Promptly, in 1S61, he enlisted in the Nin'h Illinois Cavalry and served until the close of the war,
when he returned to his home and resumed his old business. In 186S he came to Omaha, and has here continued ever since the same
calling, as master and contractor. He has ever since coming to Omaha been a resident of the Sixth Ward, of which for five years he
was Assessor, and from which he was elected to the Council for two years in April, 18S6. He is a man of very positive convictions,
but of liberal views, and what he considers for the best interests of his constituents and the city, he does not hesitate to firmly and
faithfully support.

dMAifA TLLUstiiAfRnv

WiLLtAlVt 1 KIERSf EAD was born at Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 17, 1852, his father, Saniel Iflerstead, being one ot
the pioneers of Wastenaw county, having lived in Ann Arbor and vicinity nearly fifty years, where he still resides. William began life
as a newsboy on the Michigan Central railroad, which occupation he followed for a number of years on the Chicago and North-
western, Union Pacific, the Central Pacific and other roads, and few persons are more familiar with the country from the Atlantic to
the Pacific than he. For the past seven years he has held a responsible position with the firm of Dewey & Stone, who are among the
largest wholesale and retail furniture dealers in America. Mr. Kierstead is an enthusiast on the future of Omaha, and firmly believes
he will live to see it a city of half a million people. He has an elegant home at 3201 Farnam street, in which vicinity he owns some
valuable property. He was elected to the Council last May, from the Ninth Ward, for a term of two years, receiving the very flatter-
ing vote of two to one over his opponent. He was made chairman of the Finance Committee, and his record so far in the Council has
fully justified the confidence of his constituents. His career is a good example of what energy and perseverance will accomplish in
this western country ; beginning at the very bottom, he has worked his way up to wealth, and the respect and confidence of the people.

MICHAEL LEE was born in the county ot Limerick, Ireland, -Sept. 16, 1849. In boyhood he learned the trade of shoemaking.
In 1869 he emigrated to the United States, landing at New York, where he lived a year, then went south to Mobile, Ala., where he
lived two years and in 1S73 came to Omaha. He worked at his trade lor some time after coming to this country, but on coming to
Omaha he engaged with the Grand Central Hotel, which occupied the present site of the Paxton Hotel until burned, and remained
there five years. Then for a short time he went to the Withnell and jSlillard hotels, after which he engaged in the grocery business
for two years, then for some time in the real estate business, the firm being Lee, Nichol & Co., and now with Mr. Nichol is the
proprietor of an extensive boarding stable on the west side of the city. From his first coming to Omaha Mr. Lee has had the good
sense to save a part of his earnings, however small, and the shrewdness to invest his savings in city property, and the result has
justified his course, for he is now in very comfortable circumstances financially. In the spring of 18S5 he was elected to the City
Council for two years, and in 18S7 was re elected foi another teim. Mr. Lee takes a prominent part in the meetings of the Council,
and without making any pretentions to oiator\ is a good speaker and expresses himself always clearly and forcibly.

RESIDENCE OF LEAVITT BUFMIAM.

ALBERT M. KITCHEN was born in Dresden, Canada, January 21, tSG2, a.id ^ame to Omaha in 1879. Fo'' f'''"'- years he was
employed as a clerk in a notion store, after which he went into the retail oil business, the establishment being now known as the
Omaha Oil and Paint Company, of which Mr. Kitchen is president. He is also president of the Lincoln Paint and Color Company,
a manafacturing company with a capital of $75,000, and $60,000 paid in. He is also president of the Gate City Land Company,
having a capital of 1 100,000, and $50,000 paid in. This is a loan and investment company dealing largely in lands in Colorado,
Nebraska and Iowa. Mr. Kitchen was elected to the Council under the new charter in .May, 1887, to serve until January, 1S90. For
so young a man he has shown great business ability and enterprise, and it can reasonably be expected that he will prove a useful
member of the city government and one who will fully justify the confidence which his constituents have reposed in him.

F. J. KASPAR was born in Bohemia, September 13, 1857. In 1869, when twelve years old, he came alone to the United
States, going to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he worked upon a farm four years for his board and the opportunity to attend school. At
the end of that time he came to Omaha and engaged in the Bee office press room. In 1879 he went on the police force and con-
tinued there three years, the last year and a half being sergeant. On resigning from the police force he engaged in the liquor busi-
ness, in which he continued until the spring of 1887, when he engaged in the newspaper business as one of the editors and publishers
of a Bohemian weekly journal, the "Narodni Listy," which, with his partner, J. A. Hospodsky, he yet continues. In the spring ot
1886, he was elected to the City Council for two years. Mr. Kaspar is an active, enterprising man, and has various other interests
beside his paper, among them being the manufacture of brick. He takes great interest in everything calculated to advance the
material welfare of Omaha, and has proved himself an intelligent and faithful member of the city government.

CH.A.RLES L. VAN CAMP was born in Canada, December 7, 1S47, and came to Omaha with his parents in 1855, since which
time this city has been his home. He was educated in our public schools, and when old enough to engage in business he became a
dealer in sand, and contractor, in the latter capacity doing a large amount of work for the Union Pacific railway company in this city
and county and giving employment to a large number of men. Later he became largely interested in real estate investments and
now wholly devotes himself to these and to improving his property by the erection of dwellings, having withdrawn from all other
business. His residence has always been just beyond the city limits until the new charter of 1H87 authorized the extension of the
boundaries, which included his home, and he was then nominated and elected as one of the new Councilmen-at-Large, to serve until
January, 1890. Mr. Van Camp has been a witness of Omaha's growth from a little muddy village to a great, beautiful and prosperous
city, and in many ways an active agent in the work oi development.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

ADAM SNYDER Is serving his first terra in the City Council as a member from the Third Ward. Mr. Snyder is of German
descent, and was born in Baltimore, M.xrylaud, in 1S43, wliere ha lived until after the breaking out of the war. In 18O2 Mr. Snyder
left home to seek his fortune in the West, and passed various short periods of time in Indiana, St. Louis and Springfield. He then
returned to Maryland and remained until 1871, when he again concluded to go West, and this time to stay. In that year he came to
Omaha, already a live, bustling town, with great prospects, which Mr. Snyder has lived to see verified. He began business in a small
way, and has prospered greatly, now doing the largest general meat business in the city. By carefulness, frugality, attention to
business and honest dealing he has reached independent circumstances. Mr. Snyder was married November 25, 1876, and now lives
very hapjjily with his wife and one child. As a business man he possesses the confidence and esteem of his fellow tradesmen. He
firmly believes in the future of Omaha, and, in the Council, has taken the liberal position in matters of public improvements. He is
opposed at all times to private schemes and ever watchful of the interests of the public. He is one of the most regular in attendance
of the members and his vote can always be counted upon the right side. The Omaha City Council is mostly a body of business men,
and .\dam Snyder is one of the best representatives of his class. His course, so far, has not only commended itsell to his constituents
but to the entire public at large.

Chicago, St. Paul, INIinncapolis and Omaha's direct line to St. Paul. The Omaha and South-
president, was built to
Lincoln in 1S69. In 1872 it
passed into the control of
the Burlinijton and Missouri
River Railroad in Nebraska ;
It was in fact the parent stem
of that great road. The Bur-
ngton Railroad is so closely
identified with the growth and
piosperity of Omaha, that it
may perhaps be of interest to
outline here a brief sketch of
Its progress and development.
The Chicago, Burlington and
Ouincy Railroad, the parent

road •\\ lb formed b\ a con
solidation, Jul} 9, 1856, of
the Chicago and Aurora and
Central Military Tract Rail-
roads, the two extending from
a point in Illinois about thir-
teen miles northeast of Au-
rora (Turner Junction) to
Galesburg, Illinois, the total
mileage being 151 miles. In
i860 and 1862 it acc|uired the
Northeastern and the Peoria
and Oquawaka Railroads,
thus extending its line to
Ouincy and Burlington, after
which the compan\' built a track
and extensions were bought or b
the Burlington and IMiss.uiri Riv.
Missouri River, and at the end of
Burlington and Missouri River R;

iMilliillMlfllil HH

-:t^r^'X^

iies

RESinEN'CF. OK F. I

vn from Atirora to Chicagi

[uick succession, until in 18

iiad in Iowa. This road extended from Burlington to the

le com[)an\- had increased its mileage to 1,031 miles. The

n Nebraska was act^uired in 1S80, and also the Kansas City,

iM-om th.it ti
it acquired b)-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. In iSSi and 1S82 extensions and new lines were added
to the extent of 405 miles, making the total mileage operated at the close of 1882, 3,229 miles.
It was in the spring of the latter year that the line from the Nebraska State boundary to

Denver was opened, and
this same year the St. Louis,
Keokuk and Northwestern
Railway was acquired by
lease. In 1SS3, the Hanni-
bal and St. Joseph Railroad
was added to the Burling-
ton system. Branch lines
are c o n s t a n 1 1 )- being
opened, and particularly is
this the case in Nebraska
and Kansas, where during
the past )-ear 800 miles have
been completed, the close
of the present year witness-
ing a branch leaving the
main line at Holdrege, Ne-
braska, completed through
to Che)'enne, \V)-oming.
The Burlington has also ac-
I'ithin the last sixty days the Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad, a narrow guage road
from Denver to Lynns, Colorado, a distance of forty miles. This will make a total mile-

quired
runninc

age for the Burlington sys-
tem, at the present time, of
5,580 miles. The head-
quarters of the Burlington
for all lines west of the
Missouri are located in
Omaha, and from this point
over 2,000 miles of road are
operated. It can readily be
understood that it is there-
fore a pre-eminently great
line for Omaha, bringing to
its doors the products of
the vast region penetrated
by its lines, the grain, stock
and mineral regions of Ne-
braska, Kansas, Colorado,
Wyoming and Utah. Its em-
ployes in this city number resipence of j. m. counsman.

over 200. The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley line, which has about 1,200 miles of road in
operation in Nebraska, Wyoming and Dakota, had its inception in the construction of a branch line
from Missouri Valley, on the east bank of the Missouri River, twenty miles north of Omaha, to

DMA HA IL L U ST R ATED .

Fremont, Nebraska. It was designed as a feeder to what was then termed the "Blair system" of
lines. In 1871 it was acquired b_\- lease b)' the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, and extended to

Norfolk, Nebraska, un- , to drain Northern Ne-

der the name of th

Fremont and Elkhorn
Valley Road. Since
then other extensions
have been made, until
now it extends later-
ally across the whole
State, and beyond, into
W}'oming, w i t h the
avowed intention of the
parent road to u 1 1 i-
mately make it a trans-
continental line. It
should also be stated
that a branch of the
line extends to the
north from Chadron,
Nebraska, into the
Black Hills. Passing
to the north of Oma-
ha, making it possible
the vast region to the

HON. CHAKLES FRANCIS kV \\:~ , TRESTDENT U.

braska of its products
without consideration
of this city, and being
withal a corporation
identified closely with
Chicago, the Chicago
and Northwestern road
has for years been re-
garded as inimical to
Omaha's interests, but
the great growth of
this city in the past
five }-ears has wrought
a seeming change in
the working policy of
the road. From a de-
^^irable point on its Ne-
braska line it has built
a short road, giving
direct communication
between Omaha and
ines penetrate. It has also removed to Omaha the
west of the Missouri River and is thus
Omaha's railroad

t which
headquarters for the operation o all its lines

ident.f3-ing itself ^gmm^mmmm^;mTt ,„ri

with the western ,'
metropolis i n a
satisfactory man-
ner. It is a strong
and prosperous
corporat ion, its
lines traverse a
rich stock and ag-
ricultural section,
and is the only line
penetrat i n g the
Black Hills, whose
mineral wealth it
daily brings to the
great smelting
works in Omaha
One of the import-
ant fc a t u re s of

one of which, the Kansas, Nebraska ami Omaha, is graded from a point in southwestern Kansas to
the Nebraska line, and will soon be completed to Omaha, thus giving access to the cattle regions of

UNION PVCIFIC HE

system is the Belt
Line, a local cor-
poration which has
a railroad circling
the city, and rcach-
i n g into South
Omaha, thus giv-
ing all future cor-
porations seeking
ingress to Omaha
a con\'cnient and
e h e a p method.
]?esidcs the great
mcs alread)- men-
tioned as bringing
tiibute to Omaha,
there are three
others projected,

OUa/ZA ILI.VSTliATUt).

[A foremost figure in the -western railway world is Thomas J. Potter, the first vice-president and general manager of the UniOtl
Pacific Railway, and who is a citizen of Omaha and a believer in its future. Mr. Potter was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on the i6th

of August, 1840. He came West and located in Iowa, first en-
tering railway service in July, 1862, as a lineman in the engin-
eering corps then surveying the line of the Burlington & Missouri
River railroad in Iowa. Six months later, or early in 1863, Mr.
Potter enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of Iowa cavalry. He
enlisted with the expectation of entering service in the war of
the rebellion, but about that time the Indians in Nebraska,
Ihon the western frontier, were becoming troublesome and as
the construction ol the Union Pacific Railway was being ham-
pered by them, the regiment to which Mr. Potter belonged was
ordered to Ft. Kearney and from that post the troops were de-
tailed to guard the road constructors and chase the marauding
Indians. When his regiment was mustered in 1S66 Mr. Potter
had risen to a captaincy. He then entered the service of the
road he had helped survev, as station agent at Albia, lo.va. In
1S68 he was made special'claim and fuel agent of the roSd with
headquarters at Burlington , and remained in that capacity until
the Burlington and Missouri River in Iowa was absorbed by the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad, w hen he became a
general agent of that corporation with headquarters at Creston,
Iowa. In August, 1S73, he was again promoted to the assistant
superintendency of the Iowa division and in February, 1875,
was further elevated to the position of superintendent. In
December, 1879 he was made assistant general manager with
headquarters at Chicago, one year later becoming the general
manager of that great corporation. In 1884 he also became
fust vice-president and thus remained at the practical head of
the conqjany's affairs until May 15, 1887, when he accepted a
s] lended ofi'er from the Union Pacific Railway, becoming its
first vice-president and general manager at a salary said to be
the largest ever paid a working railroad official. Since that
date he has been a resident of Omaha, chiscly devnting himself
to the tangled affairs of the great railroad of which he took
charge, and a splendid showing he is making, the earnings be-
ing l.irgely increased and the operating expenses greatly cur-
Inili'd. Mr. Potter is a thorough railroad man. He began at
1! I ,' Ml. ! ;:.1s and now, while yet in his prime (forty-seven
- . . ] li 1^ risen by merit and practical knowledge to be

■■" I • 11 111 11. easily a|iproacliable, but of a firm demeanor

and a man who is at once respected for his convictions and

self-reliance. He has the fullest respect of his associates,

is so good a judge of men that he makes no mistakes about those

man of influence in the party councils. He is married and happy

g family.]

[One of the best known radnnd niLU m this
country is Thomas Lord Kimball, of the L luon Pacific.
He was born in Buxton, York count), Maine, Octobei
I, 1831, and lived with his parents on a fann till he
was seventeen years of age. He then enteied upon
a course of academic study, and taught school duung his
vacations till his twenty-fust year, when he engaged m
commercial and express business, in uhich he continued
for four years. In 1856 Mr. Kimball M^Ued most of the
western States, and a year later removed with his family
to the Western Reserve, in Ohio, ami icMded theie until
early in 1S59, when he located in Cmcmmii. Duung the
following year he turned to account his eailier expenence
as an amateur newspaper writer and repoitei, and pub
lished a series of articles on the West ami in the mteiests
of the Pennsylvania railroad company He \\ as emplov c.l
in the service of that company for thieejtais as its'soulh
western passenger agent, five years as assist m* c 1 nl]
senger agent, and three years as geneiaU\c^i 1
agent. In March, 1871, Thomas A. Sc it
president of the Union Pacific Railway Comi 1 x n i \l
Kimball, who had been intimately associued wuh Imn
in the service of the Pennsylvania company foi t\M.h>.
consecutive years, was appointed by All. Scott to llic
position of general passenger and ticket agent < f lli
Union Pacific. It was in that year, 1871, th u Mi Knn
ball came to Omaha and has ever since il II

During this long period — nearly seventien \ 1 M
Kimball has remained with the Union PaciliL llii n^h m
all changi^ 1 f a Im;! J-.i uion. For ten )eai>he hllnl the
office to w : I ; V ,, lust appointed, geneial passengei
and tickei 11 is then promoted to be assistant

general ni 1 1 -1 1, w'-.w \\ office he filled for four years.
The next three years he was the geneial tnflic manager of
the Union Pacific system, which had giown to vast ]>ro-
portions and which required a man of gieat executive
ability, such as Mr. Kimball is acloiowledged to be, at
its head. On September I, 1887, he was appointed as-
jistant to the first vice-president, which position he now

;'T TO FIRST

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

occupies. 1
especially f
the liigh' e.
Rogers, Es.
goieral in.i

Kimball is a very thorough and systematic railroad man. He is master of every detail and in the science of railroading,
a commercial standpoint, he has but few equals in this country. His long connection with the Union Pacific attests
m in which his services are held. Mr. Kimball was married in 1854 to Mary P. Rogers, daughter of Nathaniel P.
pshire. They have four chj^ldren. _ The eldest daughter, Francis, is the wife of George W. Holdrege,
" ' '' Nebraska; the second daughter, Arabel, resides with her parents;
of 1887, and is now in liostoii engaged

., of New Ha
iger of the B
is a graduate of til e"M
jioii. The youngest !

J. S. TELBETS, GF.N'I. P. & '

d Missouri River Railroad i

letts School of Technology in tlie architectural cla
hard K., is a student iu lioston.]

[J. .S. Tebbets the general passenger and ticket agent of
the Union Pacific railway, is the son of a Unitarian clergyman,
^nd was born in Medford, Mass., on the 4th day of July, 1858.
He was educated in the Latin school, Doston, and in Harvard
University, graduating from that institution in the summer of
iSSo. He first entered railroad service as a truckman in the
local freight depot of the Boston and Albany railroad at I'.oston
on the 22d of November, 1S80. There he worked for a num-
ber of months, being finally put in charge of the export busi-
ness of the road which came from the West. He entered the
general offices of the same road in a minor capacity on the 1st
of September, iSSi. Two years later he was made chief clerk
of the general freight department of the road. In April, 1SS4,
he went to East Albany, New York, to organize and take
charge of the joint transfer freight house of the Boston and Al-
bany and New York Central roads. On the 1st of October,
1S84 he came West and entered the general freight office o£
the Union Pacific railway in this city, and from that, dates a
remarkably successful- career in the railway world, promotion
following promotion until now he is at the head of the passen-
ger department of the great railroad whose service he entered
three years ago as a clerk March i, 1S85, he was appointed
division freight agent of the road, with headquarters at Salt
Lake City. January i, 1886, he was appointed assistant gen-
eral freight agent, with headquarters at Kansas City. On the
1st of SL-pteinber, 1887, the Potter management called him to
the head of the general passenger department, the onerous
duties ut wliich ])osition he is still discharging with efficiency.
Mr. I'clii" N I, I ..iiiLing example of what a young man with
nnplish. No man of his years ranks
rid, and few, if any, have achieved
:tion in so limited a time.]

hi. die

AGT.

Fred-

[ E. L. Loinax, the assistant gcner
ticket agent of the Union Pacific railway, v
ericksburg, Virginia, on Uie J5U1 ..f IVb.uary, 1852. He was
educated at C.iluml.ia UnixeiMly, in that state, taking a full
cour:,e in civil and mining cngincti ing. When seventeen years
of age he entered the I'niud Stales engineer corps under
General J. H. Wilson, Uk n in oniniand of the department
of the Northwest, with headquarters at Keokuk, Iowa. In
1870 he entered railway service as local licUcl clerk at Burling-
ton, Iowa, of the Burlington & Missouri railroad, under .V. E.
Touzalin, then the general passenger an<l ticket agent of the
road. In 1872 he entered the general offices of the Central
Iowa railroad atMarshalllown, and two years later went to the
St. Louis and Southeastern railroad as assistant to the general
freight and passenger agent, with headquarters at St. Louis.
He was soon promoted to the position of assistant general
passenger agent, a position he held until 1879 "hen he accept-
ed a like position with a larger corporation, the St. Louis, Iron
Mountain and Southwestern railroad. In iSSi he was ap-
pointed general passenger and ticket agent of the Toledu,
Cincinnati and St. Louis road with headquarters at Toledo,
Ohio. Shortly afterward he went to the Chicago, Burlinginn
and Quiney road as chief clerk of the local service, under
Percival Lowell, at Chicago. Laler he beeanio chief clerk ,il"
the foreign service, and iu 1SS4 wis mil- a-isi.mi gen ril
passenger agent, which position li.' reM-nel in ^. |.i. in!i. 1 ,
1887, to accept the position of a-.M^l ml g neiil ]i,i,, ng 1 and
ticket agent of the Union Pacific r.ulu ay under J. S. I'el.lieis
and the Potter management of that road. Mr. Lomax has had
an extensive railroad experience, serving in almost every
capacity in both the freight and passenger departments. I le is
an efficient and capable man ami a popular gentleman as well,
who will be heard oi \ ' ' ' '

'her circles of the railroad world.

E. L. LO.M

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

EDWARD DICKINSON, GEN. SUPT. U. I>.KY.

[Edward Dickinson, the general superintendent of the
Union Pacific Railway, was born October 8, 1850, at Cumberland,
Maryland. At the age of thirteen he entered the railway service as
a messenger boy in the freight office of the Cleveland and Toledo
Railroad, continuing in that capacity two years, meanwhile study-
ing telegraphy. In 1865 he entered the employ of the Atlantic
and Great Western Railroad as a telegraph operator and clerk,
three years later becoming the assistant train dispatcher of the
road. In 1S70 he became train baggagemaster and express mes-
senger, but after service of a year or so at that, came west and en-
tered the service of the Union Pacific Railway as train dispatcher.
I'l.r seven years he discharged the duties of that important position
In the eminent satisfaction of his employers, so well in fact that in
1 ^78 he was awarded deserved promotion and made a division
superintendent. In 1883 he became general superintendent of
llie Wyoming Division, continuing in that capacity until the acces-
sion of Mr. Potter to the general management of the road, when
Mr. Dickinson was made the general superintendent of all the
lii cs, an important trust for a man not yet out of the thirties, but
line whose duties he discharges to the entire satisfaction of the
I orporation. Mr. Dickinson is of a genial, sunny temperament, but
I liard worker. When there are duties to be performed he devotes
liimself closely to them and his keen knowledge of the details of
Ills Inisiness enables him to accomplish his ends speedily and salis-
Inctorily. It would be commendation enough to say that he lias
liL-en so highly honored by the Potter management of the road, but
the excellent results achieved since he has been general superin-
tendent show that the commendation is not beyond his merit. Out-
side of his official station Mr. Dickinson is highly esteemed and
popular, and has a wide circle of friends. He is a citizen of Omaha
and an enthusiastic believer in his chosen city.l

lias won distinctioi
vay. He was born

[No man in the railway servii
freight agent ot the Union Pacific R:
and fondness for railroading that called forth much comment.
His father was an influential minister of Bradford, and in cir-
cumstances which placed a college education within the reach
of young Munroe. He studied with flattering success at
Andover College, and afterwards entered Dartmouth College,
where it was intended he should prepare for Harvard. The
death of his father demanded a change of plans, so that he
never entered Harvard, but shortly after the sad event, came
west to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he entered the employ of
the Green Bay and Minnesota Railway as clerk successively
of the passenger and freight departments. His ability was not
long in being recognized, and he was promoted to be general
freight agent of the road, which position he resigned to accept
that of general agent of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and
Omaha, with headquarters at Omaha. Before he had held this
office a year he was called to fill the position of assistant traffic
manager of the same road at Minneapolis and resigned this posi-
tion to return to Omaha as assistant general freight agent of the
Union Pacific December 20, 1882. He was tendered the posi-
tion of first assistant general freight agent with headquarters at
Kansas City October 4, 1884, and in January, 1886, was called
back to Omaha to accept the office of general freight agent of
the Union Pacific, which he still holds. Mr. Munroe is little
over thirty-four years of age, yet he is recognized as one of the
ablest railroad men in the country, and has won his eminence
by neither influence nor accident, but by efficient application to
a business for which nature had admirably adapted him. Plis
present position is one which has always taxed the greatest re
sources that any previous incumbent could command, and is
admittedly one of the most onerous offices in the service, espec-
ially as applied to the Union Pacific, whose tremendous system
unavoidably involves questions connected with the subject of
freights which require the greatest possible discretion in their
treatment. Mr. Munroe has a tact and facility in handling thes

by:

.lal merit of ability than John A. Munroe, the
18, 1853, and while a mere boy developed an ;

putation second to none.]

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

the Indian Territory and Texas. Another, the Omaha Northern, a line to run north to Yankton
and bej-ond into the rich Jim Ri\'cr Valley, is designed as an extension of Jay Gould's Missouri
Pacific system, which now has a terminus in Omaha Tim Chicayo, Milwaukee and St. Paul has a

line surveyed westward from
Omaha, and intends to bridge
the Missouri at this point, and
thus extend its line at present
terminating here. The busi-
ness men of the city are also
considering the construction
of a railroad to the North-
west. On this railroad ques-
tion it maybe noted that up-
wards of 1 20 passenger trains
arrive and depart from Oma-
ha daily, a vast percentage of
these being " local," that is,
devoted to rapid communica-
tion wiih the suburban and
outlying towns which do busi-
ness with Omaha. In 1S70
there were onl)- 600 miles of
railroad in Nebraska ; now
there are over 3,000 miles.

PALACE M ABLE, SE\ ENTEENTU AND DAVENrORT. ^g furthcr e V 1 d C n C C of

the great resources of the section of which Omaha is the central point, it may be stated that
careful estimates place the population of the Missouri Valley from Dakota to St. Louis, as follows :

POPULATION.

,634.57"

5S9o5,^

1SS7

Per cent, of increase, 177

States and Territories west
of the Missouri River anc
Iowa, show :

POPULATION.

1SS7 10,025,792

i860 2,270,038

Per cent, of increase, 3417^

In Nebraska the increase ha;
been :

POPULATION
1,036,900
28,841
5.457

ler cent, ol increase,
Omaha leads all west e r n
cities in the percentage of in-
crease of po[)ulation from
1880 to 1887. The princip.il
western cities show the fol-
lowing : Leavenworth, Kan-
sas, 88 per cent. ; Council Bluffs, Iowa, no per cent. ; Denver, Colorado,l2S percent. ; Kansas City,
Missouri, 151 per cent. ; Omaha, 228 per cent. No city in the Union offers such splendid induce-
ments for the investment of capital. It is in fact the " Young Giant of the West," a rapidly grow-
ing, prosperous, handsome city — the future great commercial rival of Chicago.

GLIAIPSES OF SOUTH OMAHA.

South Omaha

BOUR miles from the Omaha Postoffice, in a broad valley admirably adapted to the purpose, are
located the Union Stock Yards, which in 1884 was the nucleus about which has since grown the
suburban tow n of South Omaha, and where are now located the big packing houses whose product

aye

(IL is thirteen years since Edward Creighton died, and that he is so well and honorably remembered in the Omaha of to-day,
lis memory respected by the thousands who have come here after he was no more, but illustrates how great was his service to the
aunily, how broad and endiirino; a mark he mode upon hi'; times. Nn one man did so much to sustain Omaha in its early and

; days as Edward Creightc
houd. He was born in Bel
mont county, Ohio, August 31 .
1S20, of Irish parentage. Hi^
early days were passed upon ;i
farm, but at the age of twentx
he took the contract for bulM
ing part of tiie National stagi-'
road from Wheeling, WJ-^i
Virginia, to Springfield, Ohio

ing/ln~sVbut U w,"s''nol
unldiS^yiluuheenl.ix.lupon
that branch of it in wVikU li^'
achieved his greatest -,uccr~-
and laid the foundation of hi^
after fortunes. In that year he
received the contract for and
constructed a telegraph line
between Springfield and Cin
cinnati. 'I'o this business he
devoted his time and energies
for five years, being success-
fidly engaged in the construc-
tion of telegraph lines in all
p.irls of the country, complcl
ing the line from Cleveland lo
Chicago in 1852. In 1830,
while engaged in telegraph
construction in Missouri, AIi.
Creighton visited Omaha and
his brothers, John A., Janus,
and Joseph, and his cousin
James, locating here, he re
turned to Ohio where ho
wedded Mary Lucretia Ware
ham, of Dayton, and in 1S57
hnuself came to Omaha and

elegr

Hei

THE LATE EP

iid triumph in the flush of :
connection with the outer
world, via St. Louis. For
yen IS Mr. Creighton had en-

Iciiained a pet project — the
I mi Id ing of a line to the Pacific
■.'i.isi — and in the winter of
I ^' o - after many conferences
Willi the wealthy stockholders
-I I he Western Union com-
pany, a preliminary survey

hc'^i'i.-c c''nch was" the

cr from Indians and road
Is. In the stage coach
Creighton made his way
alt Lake City, where he
led the interest and sup-
of Brigham Voung, the
L head of the Mormon
ch, in his project. It had
arranged to associate the
brnia State Telegraph
pany in the enterprise,
on to Sacramento in mid-
Mr. Creighton pressed
on horseback. It was a terri-
ble journey, but the man who
nuiie it was of stout heart, and
In 1.1 ,i\t il the rigors of the
111 ;'i: 1 - nd accomplished
ii- nil ; . ,inil in the spring
Ml i.NiJi .Ml. Creighton returned
111 1 1 m aha to begin his great
^\ ik. Congress had meau-
i\ 1 1 ilc granted asubsidy of $40,-
000 a year for ten years to the
company which should build
the line. Then a great race was
inaugurated for heavy wagers
,veie buddnig eastward, to see which should re'ach
ims only 450, but Mr. Creighton reached Salt Lake

ions construction toice and the California contractors wli
Salt Lake Citv first. Mr. Creighton had 1,100 miles to construct and the Caliloi , .^ .

City on the seventeenth of October, one week ahead of his competitors. On October 24, but a little over six months after the
prise was begun, Mr. Creighton had estaldished telegraphic communication from ocean to ocean. He had taken $100,000 of the
stock of the new enterprise at about eighteen cents on the dollar, and when the project was completed the company trebled its stock
Mr. Creighton's $io(j,ooo becoming $300,000. The stock then rose to 85 cents and he sold out $100,000 for $850,000, still retaining
$200,000 of the stock. He continued in the telegraph construction business until 1867, his great cattle interests in which he had
embarked in 1864, and his gic.U pl.iins freighting business established before the building of the Union Pacific and continued even
after its completion, Im ili - in 114 1 j :,..'f Montana and Idaho, then exacting his attention. During all these years of great business
success, Mr. Creiglii 11 , 11 netoOmaha. He was the first president of the First National Bank in the cily and ever

ready to aid by his iin 1- , 1 ! - < mrprise for the furtheringof Omaha's interests. He commanded the confidence of all the

people, his sterling ini , \ in ^ fidelity combining with his generous and charitable nature to make him n very lovable

man. No m.in his an nnl.m i -;, . 1 I ni ^ -, . I Edward Creighton and his memory is revered to this day as an upriglu. iu-i ami kind
man who, out of lii, ovmi su 1 Iin- ^pi iliii ^ liail wrought a successful and honorable career. He was stricken \\\\\\ paiaK^is and died
November 5, iS74. To lii^ nminoM , ( mi- In on College was erected and endowed by his relict in response to his oxmi wi^h. expressed
(hiring his life tiiiin, lo f mini a linn in-iiiiuioii for the non-sectarian education of youth without regard to crcc.! m snnt — the institu-

only

has given Omaha rank as the third city in the Union in meat manufacture. In the year named, a
number of local capitalists who had interests in stock-raising, formed an association for the purpose
of building stock yards and centralizing here the great cattle interests of the West. They pur-
chased a tract ot 400 acres and built their stuck yards, and a glance at the enterprise to-day shows

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

what a success has been achieved in three years. It has been the policy of the management to offer
such splendid inducements to packers that they can well afford to locate at their yards. There are
now five of the heaviest concerns engaged in handling meats located at South Omaha, and their
great slaughtering and packing houses have created such a demand that the business of the stock
yards has increased until now the daily receipts of hogs, cattle and sheep will average over $100,000
worth per day. A glance at some of the ofificial figures will illustrate how important an adjunct of

[John A. Creighton was boni in Licking county, Ohio, on tlie 15th of October, it
engaged in farming. When John A. was twenty-one "he entered St. Joseph's Dominical
Two years later he joined with his brother Edward, in the telegraph construction b
Missouri and later to Omaha, June 10, 1856. Mr. Creighton entered upon some land i
breaking the virgin soil. In
1.S59 he clerked for J. J. & R.
A. Brown, pioneer merchants
of the city, and in May, i860,
went to Denver, Colorado, in
connection wdth J. J. Brown,
with a cattle freight train. In
1861 the great overland tele-
graph line was constructed and
Mr. Creighton materially aided
his brother Edward, wlio was
the originator of the project.
The next vear he took a cattle
train with'supplics to Salt Lake
and sold the whole outfit to
Brigham Young. In 1863, in
company with James Creigli
ton, his cousin, he took a cat
tie train and supplies to Mon-
tana, the gold find excitement
being great at that time. He
located in Virginia City and re-
mained there three years, car
rying on a merchandise busi-
ness. Mr. Creighton returned
to Omaha in 1S66, and again
turned his attention to telegraph
construction, building the line
fiom Salt Lake City to Virginia
City that year, and extending it
to Helena the next. In January,
1868, he returned to Omaha
and under the firm name of
Creighton & Morgan, estab-
lished a wholesale grocery
house. In 1S70 Mr. Creightoii
disposed of his interest in tlic
firm to Benj. Gallagher. Mr.
Creighton engaged in a general
forwarding business thence 011
until 1874, when his brothei
Edward died, leaving a great
estate which required the atteii-

benevolence and Christian work in any form. He is ;
ests of religion in the west. Personally he is popular
exercised a large influence upon his party. He was a delegate to the Na
ver Cleveland. Mr. Creighton was married in June, 1868, to Sarah E. Wareham, who !
of an honorable life blessed with a fullness of this world's goods.]

iber of the Ca
Though he h

,- ,11 I r,es of Ireland and
~ I . ! 1 IV county, Ohio.

I-;; ■,-ht him west to

;. , I, , : ,!hc.l his attention to
ii'j.'i of the subject of this
sketch as administrator. Two
years after when Edward's
widow died, Mr. Creighton was
the principal heir to the vast
estate and he in fact took his
late brother's place in the hand-
ling of the great accumulations.
He was also one ot the trustees
of the endow-ment of Creigh-
ton College and charged with
tlie constuiction of that monu-
ment to his brother's memory;
and right nobly he acquitted
his trust. Mr. Creighten is to-
day a man of great wealth.
He has been one of the firmest
believers in Omaha and proba-
bly today holds more of the
valual)le real estate of the city
than any other individual. His
capital has been liberally em-
ployed, too, for the advance-
ment of Omaha's interests.
He was one of the projectors of
the nail works enterprise, a
large stockholder in the cable
street railway, heavily interest-
ed in the syndicate which has
built up South Omaha and is
Vice-President of the First Na-
tional Bank. In temperament
Mr. Creighton is a genial,
warm-hearted gentleman, gen-
erous to a fault and always
ready to extend assistance to
the afflicted or the worthy poor.
He takes especial pleasure in
furthering the charitable pur-
poses of St. Joseph's Hospital,
largely sustaining the institu-
tion with his means. He is
also devoted to the cause of
as done much to furtlicr the inter-
]iol'itical preferment he has always
igo in 18S4 which nominated Gr'o-
ilh him the comforts and pleasures

Omaha's commercial interests, South Omaha has become. The yards were opened August i, 1884-
During the five months of that year the receipts and shipments were as follows :

Cattle
Hogs.

RECEIPTS.
88,416
3.792

The difference between receipts and shipments indicates the consumption of the packing-
houses, and it will be well to notice how rapidly this difference increased. In 1885 the following
showing was made :

RECEIPTS. SHIPMENTS.

Cattle 124,100 82,862

Hogs 153.568 75.173

Sheep 19.504 8,347

OMA HA IL L USTK A TED .

The following year saw a still further increase in receipts and a sti
sumption by the meat manufacturers, as witness these totals :

furtiicr increase of con-

Cattle 148,515

Hogs 447.379

Sheep 41.490

89,476
210,732
2^.943

[James Creighton, a fust cousin of Edward and John A. Creighton, was among the eaily pioneers of Omaha. He was born in
sey cuiuuy, Ohio, March I, 1S22, the oldest of a family of six children. His father was a s'lperintendent of construction on the
al turnpike which was being built through Ohio, under the internal improvement policy of President Adams, and from this
youlhlul James acquired liis first knowledge of public works. With his father he continued in contract work of this kind

l^hf;

until iSs3. He had
in 1S49, Sarah Ann McCristal,
who died in '53. Mr. Creigh-
ton then engaged in the mer
chaudise business untd 1S55,
when he married EUza M
Largey, and moved to the
West, locating temporardv in
Missouri, thence in Iowa and
finally in Omaha, May 26,
1856. Here he entered upon
land and engaged in farming
After proving up on his claim
he commenced the freighting
business, going to Denver that
year with supplies- In 1S61
he was associated with Ed
ward Creighton in the bu:
ing of the overland tele
having the contract
the poles for that section l\ii ^
between Ft. Laramie and 1 i
Bridger. In 1862-3 he c 1
tinned in the freighting buM
ness, his trips across the plains,
in 1863, making a total of
4,000 miles a great achieve
ment in those days of cattle
trains. In 1863 an assocnti n
was formed by Edwaid, John
A. and James Creighton and
J. J. and R. A. Brown, for the
purpose of sending supply
trains to Alder Gulch, Men
tana, where the gold excite
ment was dominant. Cattle
trains were loaded with mer
chandise and brought to the
mines, the trains returnmg
with miners seeking then « ay
back to the States. In 1865
Mr. Creighton engaged in
contracting, and constructed a

idea of public duty, whose sense of right, was never
opinion in the city, and his judgment in municipal matt«
a competency which he is enjoying in a quiet way.
children living.]

portion of the Union Pacific
railroad. He returned to
Omaha on the death of his
wife and from that date re-
mained permanently in Oma-
ha. Mr. Creighton has always
been a man of marked inili-
viduality and a foremost citi-
zen in Omaha's affairs. He
was appointed to the first City
Council when Omaha incor-
porated, and was re-elected a
number of terms. He was
also a member of the Stale
Legislature of 1877. When
the widow of Edward Creigh-
t n died, leaving an estate of
1 I ill ions, Mr. James Creigh-
1 ill, with John A. Creighton
uid Herman Kountze, was
1 allied a trustee of the Creigh-
t 11 college endowment, and
until the completion of that
structure his attention was
largely devoted to the project.
In 1882 when Omaha entered
upon its great era of public
improvements, Mayor Boyd
selected Mr. Creighto for
chairman of the first bonrd of
public works, and it was dur-
ing the two years of his service
m that capacity that Omaha
laid in its fine streets, the
foundation of its present met-
ropolitan importance. So
well did he discharge his trust
that a second term was ten-
dered him, but he declined,
and again in 1887 the Mayor
pressed the appointment upon
him, without avail. Mr.
Creighton is a man whose
iverved by public opinion or selfish purpose. He has been a leader of
: has always been consulted. He has by industry and honest effort amassed
Mr. Creighton married his present wife in t868, and has nine of fifteen

J\MEb CRLILtHTON

It is seen that the receipts of hogs were in iSS6 nearly treble those of 1885, and that a like
proportion of consumption prevailed. But even great as was the business done in 18S6, that of 18S7
surpasses it. as is seen by this statement, given by months :

CATTLE.

HOGS.

RECEIPTS. SHIPKENTS.

January 10,912 7.246

February 12.430 7,431

March 20,480 13.327

April 15,265 7,557

May 22,288 '3,957

June 19,376 12,747

July 15.705 9.356

August 22,923 14,6x0

September 34.046 24,953

October 32.483 22,970

November 20,252 14,109

December 13.103 5,901

Totals 229,263 154,164

RECEIPTS.

SHIPMENTS.

62,647

8.4

56,569

86,121

15.082

64.547
86,841

5.332

5.755

119.594

37.426

93.912

21,380

93.441

25,622

78,338

6,589

52.093

4.989

137.591

14.333

153.840

18,348

i,i86,S34

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

During 1887 the receipts of sheep were 76,014, and the shipments were 50,449. Look now at
the growth of receipts in three years :

SHEEP. CATTLE HOGS.

'885 i9'5°5 124,100 153,568

if86 41,490 I48,5'5 447.379

1887 7t^>o'4 229,263 i,iS6,534

[Hon. E.lwai.l Rnseuater, ediLor of the Omaha Dailv Ilee, is a native of lioheniia, and was born in 1S41. Whdi ihiilecn
years old he LMiii- :, ;Im I mu-d Stales with his parents, who located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he resided for four years. He
attended a eM,,) ;, , and tlicn entered the telegraphic service in which he continued f..r tliirteen years. He was employed
as telegrapher in « n. ; ; . . .1,1-, 111 lS^j, durins,' the celeij.ated Wellington rescue c.ise, and wa= intimately associated with some ol
the leading ,,i .. ilii i.,ii!-; ., hody he made an excellent

among whom were Polk, leco'i d and \\ ielded a power-

When the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^H

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^k He founded

the North as soon as possi- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^^H the Daily Bee June 19, 1871.

ble he enlisted in the spring ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^Hi '^he history of this paper is

of 1862 in the United States ^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^ ^^^El^^^^l ^' '^^^ passed

military telegraph corps, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^P ^M^^^^^si through the severest trials,

and accompanied General ^^^^^^^^^^^^I^^^^^K ^^^^^^^^^E '^'"' '^'^^ indomitable energy

Fremont throughout h i s ^^^^^^^^^■^^■^^^^^F ^^^^^ ^^^"^ of Mr. R o s e w a t e r has

West Virginia campaign. ^Hl^^^^P^H^B^ ' , :d bn.ught'it t.i the front rank

At a later date he was at- ^^^^^P^~^~ aB^^K ^ .il .\merican journalism, and

tached to General Pope's ^^^^E iM^^fc — ^ ,- % today it is classed among

staft, and accompanied that ^^Hi^^^^F t^B^^F -^^^^S' ^^ * lie leading, most enterpris-

commander during the cam- ^^^^^H||^ f^K* ^*^ ^ 1 ing and most prosperous
paign against Richmond, ^^^^^^^^t * "^^ J newspapers in the United
remaining with him until ^^^^^^^^K \ 1 States. He has fought mo-
after the second battle ot ^^^^^^^^^^K v '^^SEr 3 uopoly in every "quarter
Bull Run. Subsequently he ^^^^^^^B' - "'^^ J "i'li sn'^h «" lionesty and
was stationed in the war ^^^^^^■E JAmM^- 1 ^'S"'' ^'i^^ ''« ^^^ "i^''"-"
department office at Wash- ^^^^^^^B ^^9^^^- m his paper eagerlv sought for
ington in the military tele- ^^^^^^^B -,^^F^ a l,v the toilini' imrssesof the
graph service, where he re- ^^^^^^^^^K '^^^^frS _ \ , 1 .m 1 , r he is
mained until the summer of ^^^^^^^K ^^H^fefl^' i clear
1863 when he came to ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^F ^£' M,aigns.'

Omaha, which at that time ^^^^^^^^^^^^^— ^^^^™^. ^^^^^P |^^E^ iinn»

was the terminus of the Pa- ^^^^^^^^^H^^BH^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^K

years Mr. was ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I^^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^ISK <i<

the manager of the Western ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BBj^^^K- lm>m 1 iimIc I. iLi^..ihd during

Union, Atlantic and Pacific ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^L ^wM^ Bmr-^!=£ ^

and Great Western lines at ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B^^^ S ^S^K^ff

Omaha, and during the ^^S^^^^^^KB^t^KK^^^^^f^^ ^^^^' "^ matesof |>oliticalop]H)nents.

same period he was the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(fc|^^ ""*^P™^ \ republican, he believes in

associated press agent and ^T '^''"S^^ nrinciplesmore than in men,

telegraphic correspondent *. and has no respect for bad

for several of the leadin- ,-_ _ , : representatives of good prin-

eastern dailies. In the fail "' " ^ * ■ cinles. He is one of the

of 1870 he was elected to - hun. edwakd ROSEVV.^TI.R. hardest workers in Omaha,

the Legislature, in which and pays the closest possible

attention to all the departments of his newspaper, which is a power throuuhoul Nebraska. He cmjilovs the best talent available,
and pays his employes liberal salaries. As a public spirited citizen Mr. Ro,r«,,ni 1 mk, mion- ilie lorem..st men of Omaha. Ik-
has done a great deal to advance the material interests of the city, and is ah> . ; , .M.t^in the 1110,1 siilisianlial manner niiv
worthy public enterprise. Many of the most notable public improvements a; . . ■. ,. l.. nuaMue, due to hi, persistent advocacy n'l
them, as well as his financial support. The Bee publishing company — ovei li^Iu\ \.^\ tent, of tlie stock of which is owned by Mr.
Rosewater— has begun the erection of a magnificent si.xstory building, i ',2 'feet square, at the northwest corner of Farnam and
Seventeenth streets. It will be absolutely fire-proof, and in architectural design will be one of the handsomest as well as one of the
massive buildings in the West. Its cost will be in the vicinity of $325,000,]

The growth in importance of the stock j^ards is thus shown to be truly marvelous, but not
less so is the growth of the packing interests as can be shown by this table showing the consump-
tion of South Omaha packing houses :

SHEEP. CATTLE. HOGS.

'^|5 iM57^ '~Ti,248~~ '"78,385

'°°*' iS,547 59.039 2^6,647

1887 19,570 75, "99 1.028,854

The record made at South Omaha places the cit\' third in the list of meat-making cities in
the country, only Chicago and Kansas City excelling in the order named. By next year the mon-
ster packing house of Armour & Co. will be in operation, and it is confidently expected that Omaha
will closely contest with Kansas City for second place. The development of this great interest is,
of course, inainly due to the enterprise and energy of the wealthy corporation which inaugurated
it, but there are also natural advantages which have materially assisted, Omaha is the central point

dAfA//A iLLUSTRAfED.

of a great railroad system. To the vast area of country the 34,000 miles of road in tKat systeM
3eaetrate, the nearest and most conveilient market is afforded. The stockmen of Nebraska, Wyom^

ing atid the Western
Jilainsj and eVert those
of \vestern Iowa find
they need not take their
stock to Chicago. By
coming to Omaha, time
and money are saved,
and themselves conven-
ienced, and here they
come, and with such
profit to themselves
that the business of the
yards is constantly and
rapidly increasing. The
cattle, sheep and hog
products being concen-
trated here the heaviest
firms in the United
States engaged in the
manufacture of meats
have found it to their
interest to move here
from Chicago, and
points fu r t he r east.
They have found it
necessary to be nearer
to the base of supplies.
They can manufacture the meat more cheaply here, and ship it east, than they can ship the hogs and
cattle east and turn them into meat. No city in the Union is so favored as Omaha in this respect,
and as Chicago, twenty
years ago, wrested from Cin-
cinnati the title of Porkopo-
lis, so Omaha is now engaged
in taking it away trom Chi-
cago, and the prediction is
ventured that within five
years Omaha will have be-
come the chief hog and cat-
tle market, and the chief
meat-making city of the
United States. The site of
the stock yards is ample to
accommodate such a condi-
tion and all improvements
are being made upon a scale
commensurate with its
achievement. The present E"
daily capacity of the pack
ing houses for killing is ID,
000 hogs and 1,200 cattli
.''nd the average value of residence of joseph peiss.

hogs is $14, and of cattle $35. The number of men employed in the packing houses approxi-
mates 2,000. During I S87, a railroad corporation was formed in connection with the stockyards,

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED,

the purpose being to afford ample trackage and switching faciHties, which will prevent arty Corpora-
tion controlling yard facilities in a manner inimical to any other or to the interests of the yards. A
tunnel leading to the Missouri River has also been constructed to afford proper drainage, and this
with a good system of water-works afford good sanitary conditions. Naturally the development of
such big enterprises and the employment of so many men has gathered about the locality a con-
siderable population. South Omaha has been incorporated as a city of the second-class and has

[Charles McKenzie Dinsmoor, A. M., M. D., is of Scotch descent. His ancestors emigrated from the mother country and
came to New Boston, New Hampshire, in 1756. The subject of this sketch was born in Windsor county, Vermont, August i 1828
and he lived there with his grandfather, Deacon Chirles McKenzie, on thelatter's farm, until he arrived at the age of eighteen'years!
He was fitted for college at Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, New Hampshire, and received his degree of Master of Arts from
Waterville College, Maine. present highly flourishing con-
Having a predilection for dition in the city and State.

pursued ^^^^H^l^^^^^l^^HI^^^H^^HII^^H ^^ >^ ^ the Nebras-

^^^^^^^^^■^^^l^^^VSq^^^^^^^^H ka I, Knights of

Warren, of Boston, and Horace ^^^^^^^^HP < " ~' ^^^^^^^^H I'ythias, of which he is Chan-

Green, of New Yorl<; also ^^^^^^^HS^ W^^^^^^^M ^<^^'°'' Commander, and he is

the Vermont Medical College ^^^^^^^^ J^^^^^H -'^'"'geon. the rank of Ma-

and at the Harvard IMedical ^^^^^^HRp . WHsS^^^^^^^I j°''' "^ "'<^ Second Regiment,

College, where he took a par- ^^^^^^K^' W^^^^^^^^^ (Omaha) Uniform Rank,

He completed ^^^^^H^- ^^^^^^^^^H Knights of Pythias, and also

them the Hahnemann ^^^^^^Hp ij^^^^^^^^^H President of the K. of P.

Medical College and Hos- I^^^^HK" ^^^^^^^^^^^H -Building Association. (The

pital, of Chicago. In iSSi ^^^^■[EP '■"^ W^^^^^^^^^M Knights of Pythias Building

Dr. Dmsmoor received the ^^^^Btf ..f'^^ ^^^^^^^^^^H Association of Omaha is

honorary deg.ee of M. D. ^^^^^E^^ "^ ^^^^^^^^^^H corporated company with a

from the Homeopathic Medi- ^^^^^H^ft ^^^^^^^^^^M capital .stock of $300,000 di-

CoUege Missouri, ^^^^^^^HB Y jt^^^^^^^^^^^^ vided into shares of $10 each,

of St. Louis. He came to ^^^^^H^^S '[^^V W^^^K^^^M The forming of such a corpora-

Omaha in 187S and has taken ^^^^^^^^^^ .Ijitt^^ffi^^^^^^^l tion for the purpose of erecting

high rank as a physician and a ^^^^^^^■k| , -i»""^r"™™~^^^^M am.ngnificantCasllc Hall which

citizen. He has received many ^^^^^^^HP ^^^H should at once be a credit to

professional honors since his l^H^^^^^^HIl l^^^^l * ''""^ order and an ornament to

residence here. Atpresenthe H^HHHIlKt ^^^H the city, o.igiiialcd wiih las. A.

is a member of the Nebi.iski |r;;f- ^^II^SmIn J^^^H ^"^I'own and Henry Creighton,

State Homeopathic Medu il j ' 3|^^L \ 'Blfebk^H^H composing the firm of Brown &

Society, of which he has beu. -^Jl^^M^X tHHI^^H Creighton;l)r.C. M. Dinsmoon,

president; also a member ol L^^i^^^^^^^^^^. l^^^^^^M David Kaufman, Col. Thomas

the Western Academy of Home- I^^^^^^^^^^SKt ^^^^^H Cnrrell,C. S.Higginsandafew

opathy, of which he has been ^^^^^^^^^^^^■■|> ' iH^H^H ot'^'^i' '^^^^^ l<nown members of

vice-president also a member ^^^^^^^^■^^■P'- i^^^^^H ' the order. These

ofthe Associated Alumni of Ha- ^^^^^^^^^H^^^ v,^ v.''-fl^^^^l Knightshave been constant and

hnemann Medical College and ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 4^^&'^^^^^^H untiringintheir efforts to make

Hospital of Chicago, of which HH^^^^^^^^^^^ « ^'I^^^^^^^^H theenterpriseasucccssandhave
he IS the present president and ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Aj^iral^^^^^^H already placed a sufficient num-

a member the American In- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^k JMM^^^^^^^^M ber of stock, princi-

stitute of Homeopathy. Dr. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^H pally of the

Dinsmoor has up a large ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^HH^^^^^^H order, to the of

highly practice ^^^^^■^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■^^H the finest Hall

one the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■^^■^^^^^^^^^1 ca.
most successful physicians in ^— ^^-^^^-■^^— ^— ^^^ii^^^-^^"^^^^^ lo be located at the intersection
the city. He has been largely i,r. c. M. DINSMOOR. PKESIDEnt K. OF P. building association. of Farnam and Nineteenth
instrumental in bringing the streets, a site where its architec-

Knights of Pythias to their i-aral beauties will stand out in

bold relief. To_ the architects, Messrs. Mendelssohn & Lawrie, great praise is due for the c.iiceplion of a plan so unique and appro-
priate. The officers of the company are : President, Dr. C. M. Dinsmoor; secretary, Jas. .V. Brown; treasurer, David Kaufman.)
It can be as truly said of Doctor Dinsmoor as of any other man, that he is a self-made citizen. His life has been full of the toil and
struggles that fall to the lot of the physician depending solely upon his own skill and knowledge. At the age of fifty-eight years he
is full of vigor, sound in mind and body, a hearty, sturdy representative of the old New England stock. His present wife, Mrs. Orpha
C. Dinsmoor, was a native of Windsor county, Vermont, though she lived in Illinois for many years. She is one of the best known
ladies in Omaha and is at present the president of the Associated Charities of Nebraska, and a member of many other citv. State and
National organizations.]

now an estimated population of 12,000. Enterprising real estate firms have reaped a bonanza from
the rapid rise in value of property suitable for residence purposes and the locality having street
railway as well as hourly railroad connection with the city proper, lots for residence purposes are
in great demand because of their cheapness. It is also announced that during 1888 two syndicates
will construct a few hundred cottages for purposes of renting. No adequate description of the
rapid growth of South Omaha can be put on paper. It is known though that over $1,000,000 have
been expended this year (1S87) in improvements, a remarkable showing for a city of its size. It has
been already pointed out that the conditions have been favorable to the development ofthe existing
great interests, and not the least of these conditions is found in the circumstance that Nebraska,
Wyoming, Dakota, Kansas and all the western country tributary to Omaha are rapidly developing.
The great cattle kings whose thousands of beeves grazed upon the western plains are disappearing
and the vast herds with them. Cattle, sheep and hog raising is passing into the hands of the farmer.

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

The latter finds it profitable to raise stock to consume his corn and grain and not depend upon east-
ern markets to dispose of those products. Meat is a staple of life and with a good market conven-

, _ ^ vcnicnt, stock-raising is profitable. Omaha affords that

market by consuming the product in its packing houses, and
the western farmer is devoting his attention more largely
to stock-raising each year because Omaha is ready to take
his hogs and cattle at fui puces From the very nature
of thmjs the meat maknig interests here must develop, and
their development means additional commercial benefit,
picstige and importance for Omaha The Union Stock
\ ards Company has at present a capital stock of $2,000,000,
and Its officers are John A McShane, president ; W. A.
Pa\ton vice president , J C Sharp secretary and treasurer ;

J. F. Boyd,

to the facih

ties of the

stock ) ards,

the} have

been 1 n -

creased until

t h e }' u 1 1 1

now accom

modate 16

000 hogs,

14,000 eattlc

and I O 000

sheep d-iih

There aie at

present four

extensive

packing cs

tablishmcnts at South Oina

ha. The h^use of G H

Hammr nd S. Co is the pn

nccr. It IS now lunning

with a capacit) of 700 cattle

and 1000 hogs per daj ,

which will be considerabh

increased during the e min^

}'ear. Fowlei Bi s 1 il

daily o\er 5 000 hogs gniiK

cmplo\ment to 500 men

Armoui 8. Co ha\e a ci]

city rf abiut 6 ooo he

and G. F. Swift has just

completed a plant that will

demand requires. There are

RFnrRICK METZ — METZ' TCblDLNCE — METZ DRI WERY.

slaughter 800 head of cattle per diem, and as many sheep as the
also a number of smaller enterprises incident to the stock yards that

add to the material prosperity of South Omaha, amoiv^ them being two mammoth rendering estab-

OMAHA ILLUSTRATED.

lishment, several hide houses, glue factories, etc. Two more packing houses, each capable of
handling as much stock as either of itg predecessors, will undoubtedly be erected before October

I, 1 888. The first of these is the packing house
of Murphy Bros., of Chicago, grounds for which
have already been purchased. Kingan & Co., of
Indianapolis, have already opened correspondence
with the management of the stock yards regarding
land for a site upon which to erect a pork and beef
packing house, and will undoubtedly move here
shortly. The latest proposition is from Morris, of
Chicago, the king of beef-canners, who desires to
establish a branch house in South Omaha. Several
manufacturing enterprises have also been estab-
lished on " Albright's Choice," where the new
station — "Albright" — was recently erected by
the Union Pacific Railway. This beautiful tract
is being rapidly covered with cottages for the use
of the employes of the big packing houses, and
is situated at a convenient and desirable distance

from the stock yards. Trains, to and from
Omaha, are run with great frequency, and in
all respects it is a popular suburb. Among
the industries which are already flourishing at
Albright is the Omaha Carriage and Sleigh
Works, and a large and well facilitated flour-
ing mill. Building sites for several other
enterprises have been selected, and it is ex-
pected that in less than a year hence the busi-
ness and residence improvements of this
addition will extend into what was the original
plat of South Omaha. In South Omaha
proper — that is, the original plat — the most
imposing structure is the Stock Exchange
building, erected at the time the yards were iriTEu k i , ^_ , rp IDL^cF..

in course of construction. It is a model of convenience, and answers the ideal purpose of a hotel
and office building. It contains 20 rooms for offices, besides the bank, and 46 spacious hotel rooms.

9912

^^•^^mimmiiwn-