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Gc 

978.201 
F98m 

1248205 


M.U 


GENEALOGY 


COLLECTION 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01066  5724 


PIONEER  STORIES 


OF 


FURNAS   COUNTY. 

NEBRASKA 


COMPLIED  FROM 
THE  FILES  OF  THE 


r^-  ,v  A£^_e£y;;::^jT/^, 


BEAVER  CITY  TIMES  TRIBUNE 


CLAFLIN     PRINTING    COMPANY 
UNIVERSITY  PLACE,  NEBRASKA 

1914 


\  FOREWORD       1248205 

SV\  Fifty  years  is  a  short  spau  in  the  life  of  Nations     and    of 

Y  States,  but  it  marks  more  than  the    average  length  of  man's  life. 

A^  Nebraska  is  young  in  years  as  the  age  of  Nations  and  States  is 

Vi  counted,  and  it  seems  fitting  that  in  her  comparative  youth  her 

^\  history  be  written  in  large  part  hy  the  men  and  women  who  have 

-  ^    made  that  history.     Fortunately    there    yet    remain    upon    tlie 

\_y  scene  of  action  many  of  these  pioneer  men  and  women — men  and 

women  who  braved   the  dangers  of  the  wilderness,     and     who 

through  dark  days  and  bright  days,  through  storm  and  sunshine, 

through  privation  and  prosperity,  have  kept  their  faith  and  have 

lived  to  see  the  fruition  of  their  hopes.    They  found  Nebraska  a 

barren  wilderness;  they  are  leaving  it  as  fruitful  as  a    garden. 

They  endured  privation  almost  unspeakable,  yet    never  faltered. 

And  today  they  may  point     with  pride  to  the     work  they  liave 

accomplished,  to  the  state  they  have    builded. 

Two  years  ago  I  conceived  the  idea  of  having  these  pioneers 
write  the  stories  of  their  early  days  in  Nebraska.  The  idea  met 
with  a  ready  response — and  this  volume  is  the  result.  (Originally 
the  intention  was  merely  to  publish  the  sketches  in  the  Beaver 
City  Times-Tribune,  but  as  the  series  continued  many  renuests 
came  in  that  it  be  published  in  more  convenient  and  permanent 
form.  Accordingly  I  have  gathered  them  into  this  book.  My 
earnest  hope  is  that  these  stories  of  the  Pioneers,  written  by 
themselves,  may  become  an  indelible  part  of  the  written  liistory 
of  Nebraska. 

To  those  who  have  contributed  these  sketches  I  return  my 
grateful  thanks,  and  I  believe  I  also  voice  the  thanks  of  every 
eitixen  ot  Furnas  county. 


^'y^.^X/v^^^y-i^ 


CHAPTER   I 

W.  E.  Crutcher,  a  Pioneer  of  1874,  Starts  an  Interesting  Series 

of  Articles  Covering  the  Early  Days  of 

Furnas  County. 


The  love  of  adventure  and  the  desire  to  acquire  possession 
of  a  part  of  the  earth's  surface  were  the  incentives  that  lun-d 
a  great  number  of  the  pioneers  to  the  West. 

Animated  partly  by  each  of  these  motives,  in  ^larcli,  1874, 

E.  D.  Jones  and  rhis  writer 
blew  into  Beaver  City  and 
found  tliat  a  iiuinbcr  of  sol- 
diers of  Fortune  liad  pi-e- 
ccded  us.  Jake  Young  luid 
that  day  moved  out  of  the 
lone  hotel,  having  become 
weary  of  the  duties  of  land- 
lord ill  1li('  Idiiu'  tenure  of 
two  months,  and  A.  -I.  Spain* 
and  Mrs.  Sweet  la  ml  were 
just  installed  as  managers  of 
the  hostelry. 

Some  of  those  who  had 
preceded  us  intn  the  Land 
of  Promise  were  Ki/liei-t  Den- 
ham,  who  was  runnin«r  a 
livery  stalile;  -1.  II.  .MrKee. 
postmaster,  had  a  store; 
IMondell  *.^  Lishley.  a  store; 
Captain  -1.  IJ.  Brown  had  a 
store.      Tlie    last    naiin'd    we 


W.  E.  CRUTCHER 


purchased,  and  it  soon  became  known  as  'The  Boy's  Store."  We 
watched  the  incoming  settlers  l)uil(l  their  sod  houses,  played  cro- 
uuet,  hoped  and  prayed  for  rain,  and  incidentally  sold  some  siip- 
l>lies.     The  sod  houses  were  very  interestint:'  and   likewise     pco- 


8  PIONEER  STORIES 

iiomical  ami  comfortable,  except  ou  rare  occasions  when  the  rain 
actually  came  and  poured  down  through  the  dirt  roof.  Then  ihe 
guotl  wife  wouKl  spread  a  waterproof  over  the  bed,  hoist  an  um- 
')rella  over  her  iSunday  hat,  and  wait  for  the  sun's  rays  to  appear, 
while  the  husband  would  light  his  pipe  from  a  dying  ember  and 
ctroll  out  into  the  field  to  revel  in  the  rain  and  keep  from  get- 
ting wet  in  spots.  The  sod  house  was  warm  in  winter  and  cool 
in  summer,  and  surely  a  blessing  to  the  early  settlers  of  the 
prairies.  A.  D.  Allen  was  seen  industriously  following  a  sod  plow 
t.cross  some  perfectly  good  town  lots  one  day,  and  was  asked 
what  he  was  doing.  His  reply  was,  'Ripping  out  my  weather 
boards.' 

Some  weeks  after  our  advent,  grass  began  to  sprout,  and 
very  soon  thereafter  the  bufftdlo  appeared.  During  our  first  sum- 
mer there  I  have  stood  in  the  street  and  seen  buffalo  killed  on  the 
nills  south  of  town,  and  a  few  times  small  squads  ran  across  the 
townsite.  The  main  herd,  however,  was  some  distance  west,and 
hunting  parties  were  numerous.  Bufi:'alo  were  killed  in  large 
numbers,  the  flesh  dried  and  brought  to  Beaver  City  for  sale. 
Dried  Buffalo  meat  was  then  a  staple  commodity  and  was  ex- 
changed in  the  stores  for  groceries  just  as  butter  and  eggs  are 
at  this  time.  Many  stories  of  hair  breadth  escapes  from  enraged 
buffalo  were  told  by  the  late  Elder  S.  B.  Mayo.  He  wounded  a 
buffalo  and  followed  it  up  a  draw  to  a  point  where  there  was  a 
branch  draw.  Up  this  branch  the  buffalo  went  and  the  parson 
continued  up  the  main  draw,  not  having  noticed  the  deflection  of 
the  game.  The  buffalo  returned  to  the  main  draw  and  proceeded 
up  the  same  in  the  rear  of  the  hunter.  Finally  they  reached  a 
point  where  the  banks  of  the  gulch  were  so  steep  that  neither 
hunter  nor  game  could  scale  them,  and  for  once  the  parson  felt 
cornered.  An  angry  buff'alo  glared  menacingly  at  him  and  no 
means  of  escape  open.  Mayo  said  that  he  had  never  felt  so  lone- 
some in  his  life.  After  keeping  him  in  fearful  suspense  for  a 
while,  the  buffalo  charged,  land  Mayo  stepped  to  one  side,  seized 
the  infuriated  animal  by  the  tail  as  he  passed  and  uttered  one 
wild  whoop.  The  buffalo  alarmed  by  the  fearful  sound  and  the 
unexpected  tug  upon  his  caudal  ^appendage,  turned  and  made  off 
down  the  gulch,  leaving  the  hunter  safe. 

In  December,  1874,  a  party  of  nine,  including  the  writer,  started 
west  to  find  the  main  herd.  We  journeyed  to  within  about  80 
miles  of  Denver,  and  killed  plenty  of  buff'alo.     But  the  trip  be- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  9 

ing  longer  than  we  anticipated,  we  ran  out  of  provisions,  and  for 
two  weeks  lived  on  buffalo  meat — straight.  This  diet  was  ap- 
parently wholesome,  t)ut  it  did  grow  somewhat  monotonous.  This 
was  an  unusually  cold  winter,  and  being  beyond  timber  a 
part  of  the  time  and  having  deep  snow  to  contend  with,  five  of 
ihe  party  were  badly  frozen  ,but  we  all  got  back  to  the  settlement 
alive. 

The  hope  of  the  early  settlers  had  been  that  with  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil  the  rainfall  would  increase,  but,  so  far  as  I  know, 
we  spent  much  time  in  wishing  for  rain,  and  as  J.  II.  McKee  so 
often  remarked,  as  he  caressed  the  bald  spot  on  top  of  his  head, 
'If  we  could  only  have  plenty  of  rain  we    would  be  alright.' 

The  grasshoppers  then  came  to  us  for  two  successive  years 
and  devoured  everything  green,  not  excepting  the  Holland 
shades  on  the  windows.  The  appetite  of  those  little  red  legs  was 
wonderful,  and  their  gastronomic  capabilities  almost  beyond 
belief.  They  came  about  the  time  the  corn  was  in  roasting  ears 
and  the  farmers'  hopes  of  a  good  crop  were  high,  but  it  was 
only  a  few  days  until  these  hopes  were  dissipated,  and  the  fields 
stripped  to  abject  barrenness,  leaving  only  the  stubs  of  the 
cornstalks  to  tell  the  tale  of  the  once  luxuriant  cornfields  whose 
abundant  harvest  constituted  the  pride  and  wealth  of  the  state. 
Much  of  the  grass,  too,  was  eaten,  and  the  trees  stripped  of  every 
particle  of  foliage.  The  whole  country  presented  a  scene  of  deso- 
lation distressing  to  look  upon.  The  loss  of  all  means  of  sus- 
tenance made  so  much  suffering  and  destitution  that  Uncle  Sara 
had  to  be  called  upon,  to  which  appeal  he  generously  responded, 
providing  both  provisions  and  clothing  for  a  time  for  all  those  in 
real  need.  Many  were  the  hardships  endured  during  those  try- 
ing years,  but  of  those  pioneers  who  remained,  and  are  still  in 
Furnas  county,  nearly  all  are  enjoying  a  comfortable  degree  of 
prosperity,  and  it  is  the  earnest  wish  of  the  writer  that  this  for- 
tunate condition  may  continue  for  many  years  to  come. 

W.  E.  CRUTCHER. 


10 


riONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    II 

J.  H.  McKee,  Beaver  City's  First  Postmaster,  Tells  of  the  First 

Days  of  the  Furnas  County 
Metropolis 


J.  G.  Stnive  and  I  started  with  teams  from  Lincoln  about 
June  1,  1872,  headed  for  the  Republican  and  Beaver  valleys,  and 
arrived  on  the  Republican  Valley,  where  Oxford  now  stands. 
IMr.    Struve    thought    that    he    liked    the    places    at    Oxford    and 

would  take  land  there.  We 
went  across  to  the  Beaver 
and  there  I  found  the  loca- 
tion that  suited  me.  I  made 
a  choice  of  the  land  that  I 
hoped  to  locate  on.  From 
there  Ave  returned  to  await 
for  the  U.  S.  land  office  to  be 
opened,  which  would  not  be 
until  the  next  September. 
The  B.  &  M.  railroad  was 
then  being  built  west  from 
Hastings,  but  had  not 
reached  Lowell,  where  the 
road  expected  to  stop  for  a 
while.  In  due  time  the  land 
office  was  opened  and  we 
filed  on  our  land.  R.  J.  Den- 

J.  H.  McKEE  '^^"^^    ^"^'^    •^-    ^'^^''    ^'''''''''- 

First  Postmaster  in  Beaver  City  panied  me     from     Lincoln. 

IMr.  Denham  and  I  took  quarters  north  of  Beaver  City  and  Mr. 
Tig(M-  ]>r('-empted  the  land  on  which  East  Beaver  City  is  now  lo- 
catetl.  As  soon  as  IMr.  Tiger  proved  up  on  his  claim,  Denham 
and  myself  bought  the  (piarter,  and  soon  after  had  it  surveyed 
and  platted  into  blocks,  streets  and  lots. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  H 

In  the  meantime  the  Hadley  Bros.,  who  had  taken  the  land 
west  of  the  Tiger  claim,  joined  in  and  helped  to  plat  the  town. 
Denham  and  1,  to  boost  the  town,  thought  that  there  should  be 

a  store.    We  got  two  teams,  one  of  oxen  and  the  other  of  horses 

Denham  driving  the  former  and  f  the  latter.  We  drove  seven- 
ty-five miles  for  our  lumber,  Lowell  being  the  nearest  railroad 
station,  and  the  end  of  the  line  at  that  time. 

AVe  had  heard  that  Lowell  was  a  pretty  tough  place.  It  was 
said  that  there  were  several  graves  in  their  cemetery  and  not 
one  natural  death  and  we  believed  that  it  was  bona  tide.  Before 
we  were  there  three  hours  a  man  was  shot  in  a  saloon  by  a  man 
who  said  that  he  was  from  Melrose,  a  town  that  was  situated 
west  of  Orleans  and  has  since  become  extinct.  We  managed  to 
put  in  the  night  without  any  stray  bullets  harming  us.  In  the 
morning  we  loaded  up  with  lumber  for  a  16x20  building  and 
started  home.  We  had  a  tedious  time  getting  through  with  our 
loads,  many  times  having  to  double  teams  to  pull  over  and  thru 
the  canons.  If  I  remember  rightly,  it  took  us  three  days  to 
reach  home.  In  the  meantime  people  were  coming  in  very  fast, 
and  it  was  but  a  short  time  until  all  of  the  timber  and  water 
claims  were  taken  up.  Our  mail  was  lacking.  We  had  to  de- 
vise some  way  to  get  it.  We  organized  a  committee  of  the 
w^hole  and  agreed  to  take  turns  once  a  week  and  go  after  the 
mail.  The  distance  to  the  nearest  postoffice  w-as  25  miles,  being 
cue  mile  east  of  Alma,  but  1  do  not  remember  the  name  of  tlie 
office,  but  the  postmaster's  name  was  Painter.  We  managed  un- 
der this  arrangement  to  get  our  mail  pretty  regularly,  l)ut  soon 
^he  postoffice  department  came  to  our  rescue  and  established  a 
star  route  from  the  Painter  office,  via  Precept,  and  Kiclimond 
to  Beaver  City  and  on  west  to  Wilsonville. 

Our  county  was  as  yet  unorganized,  and  the  legislature  was  to 
meet  the  first  of  January,  1873.  We  got  together  and  they  ap- 
pointed me  to  go  to  Lincoln  to  see  about  getting  the  county  pro- 
perly organized.  Through  the  help  of  the  representative  from 
our  district.  Captain  Garber,  who  was  elected  governor  the  next 
year,  we  got  our  county  bounded  and  named  Furnas,  and  a  spe- 
cial call  by  proclamation  by  the  governor  for  an  election  to  be 
held  for  the  purpose  of  electing  county  officials  to  hold  until  the 
general  election  in  November.  Two  voting  places  were  named 
in  the  proclamation,  one  at  Beaver  City  and  the  other  at  Ara- 
pahoe.    At  this  election  the  folloAving  officers  were  elected:   X. 


12 


PIONEER  STORIES 


M.  Ayers,  coimty  clerk; Sharp,  county  treasurer;  Herman 

Jenkins  , county  judge;  M.  II.  Johnson,  sheriff;  W.  B.  Bishop,  C. 
\V.  .Mallory,  and  James  Parnienter,  county  commissioners,  and 
Mm.  J.  B.  Whitney,  county  superintendent.  Then  to  provide  a 
place  for  the  new  county  oflicials  was  the  quandary,  but  the  little 
store  building  came  to  the  rescue  by  the  proprietors  offering 
what  little  spare  i-uoni  Wivy  had.  The  commissioners  willingly 
accepted  the  offer  and  tot)k  possession  and  utilized  it  for  county 
business  for  several  months. 

There  was  some  contention  some  years  ago  about  where  the 
lirst  court  house  was  located.  I  thought  then  if  I  had  been  re- 
ferred to  I  could  have  told  that  it  was  in  our  little  store  build- 
ing. I  think  that  N  M.  Ayers  would  verify  my  statements,  as  he 
was  county  clerk  and  met  with  the  county  commissioners  many 
weeks. 

Beaver  City  continued  to  grow.  Every  man  in  and  around 
the  place  did  all  he  could  to  help  secure  a  good  class  of  people 
to  locate.  The  townsite  owners  made  it  interesting  to  some 
Lincoln  people.     Among  them  were  Morrell  and  Lashley,  who 

contracted  with  the  town- 
site  company  to  build  a  ho- 
tel and  store,  till  the  store 
with  goods,  put  in  a  saw  mill 
and  lumber  yard,  all  of 
which  they  did  as  agreed. 

We  had  many  families 
who  settled  in  and  around 
town  who  worked  together 
to  boost  the  country. 
Among  these  were  C.  A. 
Danforth,  J.  T.  Sumny,  T.  M. 
Williams,,  Armstrong  Bros., 
A.  D.  Allen,  W.  E.  Crutcher, 
E.  D.  Jones  and  others  who 
came  later. 

Our  first  Indian  raid 
was  made  by  a  band  of 
Chief  W^histler's  tribe,  Which 
came  trooping  down  the 
Beaver  Valley,  and  pitched 
their  tents  near  where   the 


MRS.  J.  H.  McKEE 


FURNAS  COUNTY  13 

Beaver  City  Mills  are  now  located.  Dashing  Charlie,  who  was 
a  conspicuous  character  in  a  long  continued  storj'  in  the  New 
York  Weekly,  about  that  time,  was  vnth  them  and  seemed  to 
be  rather  a  leader  of  the  band.  He  was  said  to  be  Chief  Whistler's 
Kon-in-law.  It  was  also  reported  that  Chief  Whistler  was  killed 
shortly  before  they  started  on  this  trip,  and  some  of  our  people 
did  not  feel  very  safe  while  there  wore  so  many  prowlers  going 
into  houses  without  leave  to  beg  for  something  to  eat  and  to 
see  what  could  be  seen.  Our  store  was  quite  a  loitering  place  foi 
them.  They  came  generally  to  trade  butcher  knives  for  sugar, 
coffee,  bacon,  tobacco,  or  anything  that  they  could  use.  Butcher 
knives  seemed  to  be  their  chief  commodity  for  traffic,  except  a 
few  furs.  We  traded  goods  for  a  good  many  of  their  knives  and 
some  furs,  as  the  knives  were  of  ready  sale  to  the  inhabitants. 
The  Indians  stayed  for  a  few  days,  and  then  pulled  stakes  and 
moved  on  down  the  Beaver  and  pitched  their  tepees  near  Melrose. 
The  Melrose  people  were  prepared  for  any  emergency.  They 
had  recently  built  a  stockade,  but  thy  did  not  occupy  it,  knowing 
that  our  people  had  gotten  along  with  the  Indians  without  any 
trouble.  • 

During  the  year  1873  we  raised  but  little  crops,  as  there  was 
but  little  land  broken.  The  year  1874  was  dry  and  the  grass- 
hoppers came  in  myriads,  and  all  of  the  crops  were  destroyed. 
So  poor  were  the  settlers  and  discouraged  that  many  of  thorn 
left  the  country.  It  looked  very  discouraging  to  those  who  were 
left,  as  actual  starvation  seemed  to  stare  them  in  the  face.  Al- 
though there  were  thousands  of  buffalo  scattered  over  the  prairies 
in  herds,  they  were  soon  killed  or  run  out  of  the  country  by 
hunters  who  killed  them  principally  for  the  hides,  so  that  the 
settlers  could  get  but  little  buffalo  meat  to  appease  hunger.  Var- 
ious means  were  devised  to  tide  us  over  until  another  crop.  Fin- 
ally the  government  got  to  know  of  our  needy  condition  and  a 
shipment  of  provisions  was  made  to  Beaver  City  to  be  distributed 
to  the  needy.  An  army  officer  accompanied  the  shipment  to  see 
that  the  provisions  were  properly  divided  and  receipts  were 
taken  for  settlement  with  the  government.  Wlien  all  had  been 
given  out  and  the  receipts  handed  to  the  offieer  by  the  sub-com- 
mittee, all  seemed  to  be  satisfied  that  they  could  pull  through 
until  another  crop.  AYhen  the  next  crop  came  it  Avas  rathrr 
short,  but  with  a  little    help  the    settlers  managed  to  live. 


14  PIONEER  STORIES 

Our  town  (lid  nol  iiiipi-oNc  vcfv  ffist.  although  quite  a  num- 
l)('r  had  eonie  to  inako  a  home  with  us.  \V.  E.  Crutcher  and  E. 
13.  Jones  liad  come  t:)  put  in  a  stock  of  goods.  T.  B.  Armstrong 
and  family  had  come  to  put  in  a  drug  store.  Brown  and  (Cluster 
p.ut  up  a  store  l)uilding.  Others  came  in  to  find  liomes :  L.  Kins- 
man and  family.  II.  C.  Fletcher  and  family,  B.  F.  Maple  and  fam- 
ily. I).  11.  Lashley,  J.  A.  Gibson,  J.  K.  Downing  and  families,  and 
othei's  too  numerous  to  mention,  helped  to  share  the  privations 
of  ,1  frontier  life,  coming  in  along  from  1872  to  1877. 

In  the  fall  of  1878  Ave  had  another  Indian  scare,  when  the 
("heyenne  Indians  escaped  from  their  reservations — Oklahoma. 
They  crossed  the  Beaver  creek  near  the  headquarters,  commit- 
ing  many  atrocities,  murdering  and  stealing  from  the  settlers. 
The  people  became  so  frightened  that  they  left  their  homes,  tak- 
ing their  stock  and  as  many  of  their  belongings  as  they  could 
and  came  down  the  Beaver  Valley  as  far  as  Beaver  City.  Here 
we  stopped  them  and  provided  the  Avomen  and  children  a  com- 
fortable house  to  stay  in.  The  men  barricaded  a  space  of  an 
acre  about  the  house  Avith  their  Avagons,  AA^hieh  made  it  quite  im- 
pregnable in  case  of  an  attack.  It  Avas  but  a  short  time  until  a 
scouting  part.y  of  fifteen  or  tAventy  men,  gatliering  Avhat  firearms 
the.A'  could  find,  started  on  a  reconnoitering  expedition.  They 
went  up  the  A^alley  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  but  found  no 
enemy.  'Die  Indians  had  continued  their  course  north,  and  the 
danger  being  over,  the  settlers  dispersed  and  returned  home,  not 
mucli  worpe  for  their  scare. 

Again  turning  to  give  a  fuller  account  of  the  little  store,  be- 
foi-e  referred  to,  I  have  thought  that  if  there  is  any  honor  in  the 
title  fsf  Historical  Land  ^lark,  the  first  building  is  certainly  en- 
titled to  it.  This  little  building  Avas  the  first  frame  building, 
the  first  store  building,  the  first  post  office,  the  place  where  the 
fii'st  election  Avas  held  Avhen  the  county  AA^as  organized,  the  first 
couii house  Avhere  the  connnissioners  held  their  first  session, 
and  Avhere  Judge  Jenkins  opened  his  first  l)onks  to  docket  the 
first  cases  iried  in  Furnas  county.  The  commissioners,  after  oc- 
^pying  the  buildine-  for  several  months  vacated,  store  and  post 
ot'llce  rem^inina.  In  the  course  of  tAvo  or  three  years  the  post 
office  w^as  moved  to  a  room  on  the  Avest  side  of  the  square.  The 
building  Avas  th  hi  leased  to  tlie  di-uggists  for  three  or  four  years, 
in  Avhich  time  about  five  diff'erent  firms  Avere  in  command.  It 
Avas  again  vacated  and  Cope  Bros.,  bought  both  the  building  and 


FURNAS  COUNTY  15 

lot,  and  put  in  a  stock  of  goods  bought  of  J.  Clafflin  &  Co.,  of  New 
York.     They  soon  failed. 

The  building,  goods,  and  lot  were  turned  in  toward  the  debt. 

The  Clafiflin  Co.  transferred  the  property  to  their  attorney. 
Lyman  ilallory,  the  same  being  vacant  T.  R.  Armstrong  rented 
it  for  a  residence  for  a  time.  It  Avas  then  occupied  by  W.  E. 
Crutcher  and  T.  R.  Armstrong,  for  the  publication  of  the  West- 
ern Leader,  which  was  a  bright,  newsy  little  paper.  Crutcher 
was  editor  and  Armstrong  manager.  But  as  other  business  re- 
quired their  attention,  they  sold  the  paper  to  L.  C.  Chase,  who 
changed  the  name  to  the  Beaver  City  Times,  which  many  vicis- 
situdes is  today  the  Times-Tribune.  The  people  generally  thought 
the  name  of  Western  Leader  was  good  enough.  The  paper  was 
continued  to  be  published  in  the  now  historic  building  for  a 
short  time.  When  it  was  again  vacated  I  moved  the  postoffice 
from  the  west  side  of  the  square  back  to  the  old  building,  Avhere 
the  postoffiee  department  made  Beaver  City  a  money  order  office. 
This  property  was  sold  to  W.  F.  Crutcher  after  about  35  years  of 
continual  service.  The  building  was  finally  sold  and  moved  off 
the  lot  and  taken  to  another  location  on  the  sqiiare.  and  was 
used,  I  believe,  by  S.  S.  Allen  as  an  implement  warehous(\  The 
building  being  gone,  the  lot  is  the  land  mark,  which  is  lot  17, 
block  25.  according  to  the  recorded  plat  of  Beaver  City. 

These  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  of  Beaver  City  are 
picked  up  from  past  recollections  by  the  subscrilier  in  his  eighty- 
second  year 

JOHN  II.  :\ICKEE. 


16  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    III 

C.  A.  Danforth,  the  First    Settler  in  the  Beaver  Valley,  also  had 

the  First  "House  Raising-." 

The  tliird  article  of  this  series  is  from  the  facile  pen  of  C, 
A.  Danforth,  of  Tacoma,  Washington.  Mr.  Danforth  was  un- 
doubtedly the  first  of  the  early  settlers  to  set  eyes  upon  the 
Beaver  Valley.  He  also  claims  the  distinction  of  being;  the  first 
postmaster.  He  held  the  commission,  but  J.  H.  McKee  was  the 
first  active  postmaster,  and  as  the  first  deputy  postmaster  had 
entire  charge  of  the  ofRce.  Mr  Danforth  has  always  been  a  great 
hunter,  and  the  halftone  which  accompanies  this  article  shows  him 
after  a  return  from  the  chase  at  his  home  at  Fern  Hill,  and  was 
taken  soon  after  his  return  to  his  home  from  a  visit  to  Beaver 
City. 

Mr.  Danforth  pertinently  asks  that  a  woman  furnish  an  ar- 
ticle concerning  the  early  days  from  a  feminine  standpoint.  The 
Times-Tribune  has  the  promise  of  such  a  contribution,  and  it  will 
be  forthcoming  before  this  series  is  completed. 

Mr.  Danforth  says : 

About  noon  on  the  2Sth  day  of  August.  1!^67.  T  first  saw  the 
Beaver  Valley  at  a  point  perhaps  ten  miles  west  of  the  present 
site  of  Beaver  City.  Seven  companies  of  Custer's  famous  Sev- 
enth Cavalry,  and  two  companies  of  the  Eighth  Kansas,  tO'  one  of 
Avhich  T  belonged,  were  camped  there  after  following  a  band  of 
3000  Indians  north  from  near  Saline  to  that  point.  Steadily, 
the  trail  had  grown  dim.  until  now  in  this  A^alley  not  a  sign  of 
an  Indian  could  be  found.  They  had  scattered  to  avoid  us,  and 
to  meet  again,  probably,  somewhere.  One  of  the  boys  foolishly 
remarked  that  "some  day  people  will  live  right  here."  The 
idea  was  ridiculed.  It  was  even  intimated  that  the  poor  soldier 
might  be  crippled  under  the  hat.  But  the  beautiful  valley,  bet- 
ter than  any  we  had  seen,  had  made  an  impression  on  me,  and 
some  day,  I  thought.  I  would  have  a  home  here. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


17 


So  when  Victor  Vifqiiain,  about  the  last  of  August,  1869, 
org-anized  a  party  of  fifteen  at  Lincoln  to  investigate  the  Repub- 
lican Valley,  I  was  one  of  them.  Out  past  Milford,  the  last  set- 
tlement, over  the  divide  to  the  Platte,  up  the    valley  to  old  Fort 


HOME  FROM  THE  HUNT 
C.  A.  Danforth  at  Right 


Kearney,  and  then  southwest  to  the  Republican,  where  we 
camped  on  the  high  bank  of  the  river  just  south  of  the  present 
site  of  Orleans.  How  clean,  and  wild,  and  beautiful  it  all  lookeil  to 
me.  There  were  buffalo  by  the  thousand,  (I'll  not  come  down  one 
snift'alo,)  elk  in  herds  of  an  acre  or  more,  along  the  lower  Sappa, 
antelope  everywhere  on  the  upland,  black  tailed  deer  in  the  can- 
vons,  white  tails  in  the  main  valley,  and  turkeys  most  always 
in  sight  along  the  Beaver  and  Sappa.  It  was  a  veritable  hunter's 
paradise.  It  was  then  known  that  stock  would  thrive  on  buffalo 
grass,  and  we  believed  that  the  tall  blue-joint,  the  rank  sunflowers, 
and  the  great  areas  of  timber,  indicated  agriculture.  And  as 
lor  horticulture,  why,  there  were  plums  and  grapes  in  abundance. 
Next  year  the  Byon  and  Vifquain  colony  settled  at  old  Mel- 
rose. I  could  not  go  that  year  or  the  next.  But  about  April  1st, 
1872,  Philip  French,  Felix  Lester,  Will  Haney  and  myself,  were 


18  PIONEER  STORIES 

;it  llio  mouth  of  tlie  Sappa  going  west.  I  crossed  over  to  see  my 
Uennaii  friend  Tcepffer,  who,  at  my  re(|uest,  had  taken  the  claim 
1  had  picl;;M'  out  in  I8fi9.  Said  he,  "1  know  all  the  valleys  to 
the  west.  Go  up  the  l^eaver  to  Sec.  20,  T.  2,  R.  22,  and  pick  our 
your  claims,  tliere  are  no  better,  invite  your  neighl)ors  as  they 
come,  to  help  you,  and  go  after  the  county  seat.  It  will  be  near 
the  center  of  the  new  county,  land  will  have  the  most  good  coun- 
try tributaiy  to  it.  Now  do  as  I  tell  you."  While  some  others 
may  have  accomplished  more,  surely  no  one  will  say  1  ever  failed 
to  follow  this  advice  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  The  next  morn- 
ing I  had  decided  very  early  on  the  location  of  my  future  home. 
Tt  was  on  the  N.  E.  1-4  of  Sec.  19.  T.  2.  R.  22,  now  owned  and  oc- 
cupied l)y  C.  L.  Courtright.  Lester  took  the  next  claim  east  and 
Ilaney  the  one  east  of  that.  I  am  sure  there  were  no  claims 
taken  west  of  these  or  east  within  two  or  three  miles.  The  even- 
ing after  we  had  taken  the  customary  steps  to  show  the  location 
of  our  claims,  we  met  Galen  James  with  rjuite  a  party  coming  up 
to  locate  among  them,  Jesse  and  IManley  Hadley.  The  next  morn- 
ing several  located  near  us,  and  in  the  next  few  weeks  settlers 
came  thick  and  fast,  generally  taking  claims  with  timber  and  wa- 
ter. All  were  invited  to  help  hold  in  reserve  the  S.  E.  14  of  17  for 
a  town-site,  and  all  were  in  favor  of  it.  But  the  W.  i/^,  together 
with  the  E.  i/o  of  the  S.  AY.  14  w^s  found  to  be  a  better  location. 
Jesse  Hadley,  wlio  had  selected  the  S.  AV.  Vi.  was  "agreeable" 
and  this  was  finally  made  the  town-site.  And  now  came  John  IT. 
IMcKee  and  June  Denham  with  the  promise  of  a  little  stock  of 
goods  (just  what  Ave  w^ere  looking  for),  and  they  were  invited  to 
set  up  on  this  said  S.  E.  I/4.  Our  offer  was  accepted,  and  now  T  am 
through  with  the  town-site  business.  John  H.  ]\IcKee  is  better 
qualified  than  any  other  man  ever  was  to  write  up  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  town-site  of  Beaver  City. 

Before  the  coming  of  Mr.  ]\TcKee,  I  liad  circulated  a  petition  for 
a  postofifice,  and  finally  received  a  commission  from  A.  J.  Creswell, 
dated  January  15,  1873,  conferring  powers,  privileges  and  emolu- 
ments. Said  emoluments  consisting  of  twelve  greenback  dol- 
lars per  year,  my  share  of  the  same  being  turned  over  to  my  first 
deputy.  John  TI.  McKee,  afterwards  postmaster.  I  never  did 
know  just  how  John  managed  to  spend  so  much  money.  It  took 
me  six  months  to  transfer  that  office  to  McKee  when  everyl)ody 
m  this  world  was  willing  so  far  as  I  know,  land  some  of  us  were 
.tnxious.     I  never  Avanted  the  office  or  a  town-site,  or  a  mill  by 


FURNAS  COUNTY     \  19 

that  other  kind  of  a  site,  I  only  wanted  to  help  the  ''town  to  be" 
the  coming  county  seat.  Creswell,  the  name  recommended  for 
the  new  postoffice,  Avould  not  go,  so,  at  our  refjuest,  Beaver  City 
was  substituted,  and  that  was  the  way  the  town  got  its  name. 

Al)out  July  1st,  Williams  bought  out  Lester,  and  Haney  sold  to 
.\Ioore,  and  later  ]\Loore  scld  to  Denham.  Nat  and  Ed.  Ayers 
came  with  AYilliams.  About  this  time  or  a  little  later  came  Caleb 
Jones,  Howell,  L.  Kinsman,  Cap.  Freas,  Jake  Downing,  J.  Gould 
J.  T.  Sumney,  Lawson,  Laverack,  the  Sturtevants,  Clark  and 
Trent,  Doc.  Hobson  and  others,  who  settled  on  good  claims  close 
lo  Beaver  City,  with  little  or  no  timber. 

Women  were  scarce  in  the  new  settlement.  Who  will  write  up 
the  pioneer  women  ?  Early  in  the  fall  Jesse  Iladley  and  T,  saying 
never  a  word  to  each  other  about  our  private  affeirs,  drove  down 
to  Lincoln  together,  where  we  separated,  he  going  to  eastern  Iowa 
and  I  to  Lawrence,  Kansas.  It  so  happened  that  both  of  us  were 
married  en  the  same  day,  November  7th,  and  in  the  early  winter 
brought  our  brides  out  to  share  our  fortunes  and  misfortunes  of 
the  new  country.  We  were  not  the  only  ones.  Others  ])rought 
their  wives  and  daughters,  and  soon  there  was  school,  and  church 
and  civilization.  What  woman  will  write  an  article  about  her 
pioneer  sisters?  About  their  "old  Colonial  furniture,"  the  rat- 
tle-snakes under  the  bed?  (IMy  wife  found  a  lively  one  in  bed 
one  evening.)  About  the  pretty  centipedes,  and  that  ferocious 
animal,  the  flea?  About  the  make-shifts  for  clothing,  and  the 
substitutes  for  meals?  I  once  stopped  for  dinner  at  the  house  of 
a  well  known  citizen  on  the  Sappa,  where  there  Avas  nothing  on 
the  table  but  muskmelon  and  cream,  and  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  else  in  the  house  to  eat.  Yet  it  Avas  nicely  served  and  the 
lady  made  no  excuse  or  complaint,  and  it  really  tasted  good  to  me. 
HoAV  many  remember  old  ^Er.  King,  the  harness  maker,  and 
his  matrimonial  troubles,  or  Wm.  "Edge"  Lebo^  or  the  soft  little 
French  lailr ^"  Avhc  worked  for  me,  blistered  his  hands  and  learned 
to  be  a  farmer,  or  Homer  Carpenter  Avho  usually  rode  a  Texas 
steer,  and  afterward  became  a  fine  haired  di'ummer  for  a 
wholesale  house  in  Omaha,  or  Eads  the  shoemaker,  with  his. 
"now  you  see  it  and  now  you  don't."  or  Bachelor  Smith  md  his 
story  ff  cooking  the  rice — a  nice  little  five  pound  package  for 
his  breakfast.  How  it  boiled  over,  and  he  filled  his  cup,  spoon, 
rJate,  skillet,  and  finally  the  Avash  basin.  How  it  came  out  again 
over  the  stove,  onto  the     floor,  and  out  of  the  door,  and  he  ran 


20  PIONEER  STORIES 

for  Beaver  City  for  dear  life.  He  was  not  sure,  could  not  say 
positively,  tluit  it  followed  him.  And  there  was  good  old  Mrs. 
McCormack,  who  found  three  babies,  at  three  different  houses, 
before  breakfast.  It  was  in  this  prolifie  community  a  few  years 
later,  that  the  over  worked  editor  Avas  ol)li^ed  to  refuse  to  pub- 
lish birth  notices  for  Arth  Allen  and  ]\Ian  Iladley,  without  pay. 
Unlike  unhappy  France,  the  stork  was  always  with  us. 

There  were  many  freaks,  yes,  but  Ave  had  many  good  sub- 
stantial citizens.  Some  of  these  were  McKee,  Denham,  Jesse  and 
Manly  Iladley,  D.  H.  and  A.  H.  Lashley,  Crutcher  and  Jones, 
Laverack,  T.  M.  Williams,  J.  T.  Sumny,  N.  M.  Ayers,  Doc.  Hob- 
son  and  L.  Kinsman.  These  men  may  not  have  been  all  pure  gold, 
hut  they  were  pushers,  and  if  their  hearts  had  been  less  stout, 
Beaver  City  Avould  not  now  have  been  in  the  front.  Whatever  their 
luck  in  later  life,  there  should  be,  and  doubtless  is,  only  friend- 
ship and  good  will  between  those  living  and  the  many  good  busi- 
ness men  who  folloAved  and  continued  the  good  work.  But  they 
were  the  true  pioneers,  the  men  Avho  l)lazed  the  Avay. 

I  shall  have  AJ-ery  little  to  say  about  the  county  seat  fight. 
McKee  and  I,  slightly  disguised,  A'isited  a  rather  rabid  spot  over 
in  the  riA^er  valley,  and  while  I  attended  a  public  meeting,  Mc- 
Kee talked  sAveet  to  the  lady  postmaster  (he  was  unmarried  then), 
and  obtained  a  complete  list  of  all  A^oters  in  that  locality.  The 
meeting  Avas  for  the  purpose  of  devising  Avays  and  means  to  doAvn 
Beaver  City.  As  a  neAvcomer  in  that  vicinity,  I  promised  to  help, 
so  the  story  was  told.  But  other  stories  were  told.  One  Avas 
tliat  Arapahoe  gave  toA\Ti  lots  each  to  certain  persons  in  the 
Beaver  Vialley  for  votes  for  their  county  seat.  Another,  that  Bea- 
ver City  traded  aAvay  certain  county  offices,  including  the 
county  .judge,  f(U'  county  seat  votes.  IIoAvever  that  may  be,  I 
ncA^er  was  jealous  of  those  who  received  the  lots  or  of  the  judge 
Avho  received  the  fees,  because,  all  told,  the  price  of  the  lots,  and 
the  fees  of  the  judge,  did  not  probably  amount  to  so  much  as  my 
afore-mentioned  emoluments.  AnyhoAV,  Ave  had  a  long,  fierce 
scrap,  and  the  "boys  squad"  of  Beaver  City  Avon  out. 

Possibly  mine  wnfi  the  first  old  fashioned  house  raising  in 
F^irnas  county.  T  furnished  the  meat,  it  Avas  turkey,  and  IMrs. 
Anna  "Williams  kindly  furnished  the  dinner.  Everybody  seemed 
happy  tliat  day,  but  I  Avas  proba])ly  the  happiest  one.  In  the 
evening  I  could  see  the  beginning  of  the  new  home,  a  hewed  log 


FURNAS  COUNTY  21 

house,  16x20,  a  story  and  a  half  high,  with  corners  nicely  laid. 
This  became  our  home    till  1880,\vhen  the  new  house  was  built. 

And  now,  perhaps  my  story  is  too  long.  But  I  have  written 
nothing  about  fishing  and  hunting,  the  many  foolish  Indian 
scares,  the  grasshopper  raids,  hot  winds,  hail  storms,  blizzards 
and  other  "set-backs,"  the  destruction  of  the  buffalo,  the  set- 
tlement of  the  "divides"  and  of  the  days  when  aid  came  from  the 
east.  Nothing  about  the  first  hotel,  the  many  little  stores,  the 
mill,  the  little  broom  factory  that  turned  out  sixty  thousand 
dozen  brooms,  and  other  industries  that  helped  start  Beaver 
City.  A  letter  is  too  short.  I  could  write  a  book.  But  no,  your 
other  afflictions  have  ])een  too  numerous  and  severe. 

Allow  me  to  say  in  closing,  the  old  pioneers  have  a  friendship, 
a  love  for  each  other,  second  only  to  that  existing  among  com- 
rades of  the  Grand  Army.  It  is  this  feeling  that  has  caused  me 
to  visit  Beaver  City  twice,  in  the  last  few  years,  to  shake  the 
hands  and  look  in  the  eyes  of  the  boys  and  girls  of  "Auld  Lang 
Syne,"  and  whereever  those  living  are,  I  hope  they  may  receive 
this,  my  greeting  and  best  wishes,  through  the  Times-Tribune. 

C.  A.  DANFORTH. 


22  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    IV 

Hubert  Pettijean's  Trilling-  Experience  in  a    Blizzard    of    the 

Early  Days 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Times-Tribune  to  include  in  these 
Pioneer  Stories  reminiscences  of  old  settlers  relating  some 
jitrange  or  thrilling  incident  of  the  pioneer  days. 

We  have  been  favored  with  one  story  by  Hubert  Pettijean, 
who  resides  on  the  state  line  in  the  southern  part  of  Maple 
Creek  precinct. 

lie  moved  to  Furnas  county  in  1878,  and  for  many  years 
lived  in  a  sod  house.  He  noAV  owns  a  fine,  large  farm  house 
and  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  industry  and  frugality. 

Mr.  Pettijean  is  of  French  extraction.  His  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  a  French  soldier  who  served  gallantly  under  the  im- 
mortal Napoleon  for  fourteen  long  years.  The  family  came  to 
America  and  located  in  the  big  pine  forests  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  W^isconsin,  and  it  was  here  that  Mr.  Pettijean  was 
born.  And  as  above  related,  he  imigrated  to  Furnas  county 
along  with  the  grasshoppers  in  1878  To  tell  the  rest  of  the  story 
we  give  iMr.  Pettijean's  own  version  of  it: 

"I  landed  in  Nebraska  some  time  in  November.  The  grass 
had  all  been  burned  that  fall  and  everything  was  black,  and 
there  were  no  houses  to  be  seen.  The  few  there  were  scattered 
about  were  doAvn  in  the  draws  out  of  sight.  The  traveler  was 
liable  to  walk  onto  the  roof  of  a  dugout  without  knowing  it.  On 
the  17th  of  Deceml)er,  1878,  it  commenced  to  snow  and  the  wind 
blew  a  gale  from  the  north.  I  started  for  a  flour  mill  on  the 
Sai)pa,  called  the  Burrs  mill,  I  think.  The  road  was  crooked,  and 
I  got  lost  in  going,  but  I  finally  got  to  the  mill  in  the  afternoon 
all  right,  and  start(Hl  back  home  with  my  pack  of  flour.  I  got 
along  pretty  well  until  T  was  about  two  miles  from  home.  At 
that  i)lace  tlierc  were  two  draws,  and  I  took  the  wrong  one  of 
them,  and  I  was  lost  for  sure.  The  wind  blowing  bad  by  this 
time  and  it  was  bitter  cold. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


23 


"When  I  left  Wisconsin,  my  mother  had  put  in  a  pair  of  the 
old  country  wooden  shoes  with  my  other  stuff.  That  morning 
when  I  started  to  the  mill,  1  1  bought  that  I  had  better  put  those 
shoes  on  as  they  would  come  handy  if  I  had  to  stay  out  all  night. 
I  had  some  horse  blankets  with  me.  I  made  a  wall  with  the  sack 
of  flour.  On  it  I  put  a  l)lanket  and  crawled  underneath.  But 
my  feet  got  so  cold  that  I  was  afraid  that  they  would  freeze.  I 
had  some  matches  with  me  and  T  found  some  straw,  which  I  put 

in  the  wooden  shoes  and  set 
on  fire.  When  the  shoes  got 
warm  I  put  them  on  again 
and  they  felt  mighty  good. 
How  many  times  1  did  this  I 
have  forgotten,  but  1  kept 
it  up  all  night  and  corae  out 
in  the  morning  safe  and 
sound,  and  found  tliat  I  had 
wandered  to  within  about 
forty  rods  of  my  own  house. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  those 
wooden  shoes  1  wouhl  cer- 
tainly have  frozen  to  death 
— so  T  chiim  that  my  mother 
saved    my    life      when      she 

started  me  out  from  Wiscon- 
sin      witli       those       wmidcn 
shoes." 
J 


HUBERT   PETTIJEAN 

With  Coyote,  Weighing  33  Pounds, 
Which  he  Killed  in  1910 


24 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    V 

Jesse  Hadley  Relates  How  He  and    His     Brothers     Failed     as| 

Breeders  of  Buffalo. 


I  think  I  was  the  first  man,  or  boy,  rather,  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  offer  of  Uncle  Sam  to  bet  $14  that  one  could  not  live 
five  years  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  western  Nebraska. 

In  the  spring  of  1872, 
my  In'other,  Manly  E.  Had- 
ley, and  I,  were  victims  of 
the  fever  to  "Go  West  and 
Grow  up  With  the  Country. ' ' 

1  was  19  years  old  on  April 

2  and  my  brother  was  three 
years  older.  We  started 
west  April  12  in  a  prairie 
schooner.  We  had  three 
horses,  four  2-year-old  heif- 
ers and  three  pigs,  the  lat- 
ter being  tied  on  the  back  of 
the  wagon  in  an  Arbuckles 
coffee  box.  There  were  three 
other  wagons  in  our  party. 
AVe  soon  sold  the  heifers,  as 
it  was  slow  work  driving 
them,and  we  were  all  anx- 
ious to  get  to  the  wild  and 
wooly  west  before  good  land 
was  all  taken.  We  didn't 
have  any  particular  place  in 
view  when  we  started  except 

to  go  to  Nebraska.  We  stopjied  at  Crete  for  a  couple  of  days,  and 
there  heard  of  the  Republicjiii  vnlley,  and  decided  that  there  wias 
the  place  where  we  wanted  to  locate.  We  went  south  from  there 
to  the  old  town  of  Meridian  where  we  left  the  rest  of  our  crowd 


JESSE  N.  HADLEY 


FURNAS  COUNTY  25 

except  Wm.  Kinzer.  At  Meridian  they  told  uss  that  this  was  the  last 
place  we  could  buy  anything,  so  we  bought  a  sod  plow%  a  small 
cooking  stove,  and  some  grain.  From  there  to  the  place  where 
we  located  there  was  but  one  house  with  a  shingle  roof,  and  that 
was  at  Franklin. 

The  next  place  we  stopped  at  was  Stockdale,  afterward  called 
Melrose,  about  a  mile  west  of  Orleans.  AVe  were  told  that  if  we 
crossed  OA'er  to  the  south  side  of  the  river  that  the  Indians  would 
sure  get  us.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Cheasman  said  that  for  $5  he 
would  locate  us  on  good  land  with  tine  timber,  lie  took  us  up 
on  Spring  Creek,  20  miles  north  of  Oxford.  The  timber  was  good 
but  the  land  adjoining  was  rough,  so  while  Cheasman  was  out 
with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Cream  and  his  sons,  we  went  back  to 
Stockdale.  From  there  we  went  back  to  the  forks  of  the  Beaver 
and  Sappa  Creeks,  and  there  met  Galen  James,  who  had  been 
with  the  government  surveyors  when  southwest  Nebraska  had 
been  surveyed.  AVe  told  him  that  we  would  like  to  locate  where 
we  w^ould  be  near  the  county  seat,  and  he  said  that  Harlan, 
Franklin  and  "Webster  counties  to  the  east  were  24  miles  square 
and  that  the  next  county  would  likely  be  the  same  size.  We  se- 
cured him  to  go  with  us.  There  were  no  roads  and  we  had  some 
trouble  in  crossing  draws,  but  we  arrived  at  about  where  Beaver 
City  is  now  located  May  10,  1872,  at  about  3  o'clock  in  the  af- 
ternoon. 

"While  we  were  up  on  Spring  Creek,  C.  A.  Danforth.  Bill 
Haney,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Lester  had  located  and  started 
back  to  the  land  office  at  Beatrice.  ]\ly  brother,  M  R.  lladley, 
took  the  claim  where  the  Beaver  City  Mill  is  now  located,  Kin- 
zer the  quarter  just  west  of  town  and  known  as  the  C.  M.  Lew- 
elling  farm,  and  myself  the  S.  "W.  quarter  of  Sec.  17,  being  the 
west  half  of  the  present  site  of  Beaver  City.  I  built  a  log  house, 
16x18 — not  a  nice  hewn  log  house  like  C.  A.  Danforth,  but  of 
straight,  round  logs,  sod  roof  and  dirt  floor.  This  was  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  17.  On  September  l-'Uh.  I  started 
back  to  Iowa  to  get  married.  Got  a  free  ride  to  Lincoln  with 
C.  A.  Danforth,  and  there  took  the  train.  As  stated  by  Mr.  Dan- 
forth, it  so  happened  that  we  were  married  on  the  same  day. 
November  7,  1872. 

I  told  my  bride-to-be  just  what  kind  of  a  home  I  had  pre- 
pared to  take  her  to— the  wild  country  and  the  danger  of  In- 
dians, and  she  bravely  said  she  could  go  any  place  that  I  could. 


20  PIONEER  STORIES 

That  "was  forty  years  ago,  and  tlint  same  <iii-l  and  I  are  going 
together  yet. 

We  startetl  on  our  honeymoon  trip  November  21,  with  a  span 
of  good  horses  and  a  doiihk'-eovered  wagon.  When  we  drove 
into  Red  Oak,  Iowa.  (Hi  a  hri.ulit.  (dear  morning  at  9  o'clock,  it 
was  30  degrees  below  zci-o  In  a  (biy  or  two  it  had  warmed  up, 
and  we  had  pleasant  weather  and  tine  roatls.  We  arrived  at 
Ik^avcr  City  on  Deceml)er  l.S,  and  found  that  brother  i\l.  R.  and 
iJill  Kinzer  had  supper  ready  for  us. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1872,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Williams,  had  a  wild 
turkey  dinner,  with  all  the  neighborhood  invited.  On  New  Year's 
day  ^Ir.  and  .Mrs.  Henry  jMoore  had  the  same  crowd,  and  when 
we  got  together  in  those  days  we  had  a  jolly  good  time. 

Early  in  1878,  the  Armstrong  boys,  M.  R.  and  myself  started 
to  Lowell  where  the  new  land  office  had  been  opened  for  the 
western  district,  and  made  proof  on  our  pre-emptions,  paying 
Uncle  Sam  $1.25  per  acre.  At  the  same  time  all  of  us  took  out 
papers  on  a  quarter  section  homestead  and  a  quarter  section  tree 
claim.  T  then  had  in  my  name  480  acres  of  Uncle  Sam's  land, 
and  was  not  20  years  old,  and  had  not  violated  the  law  either, 
as  T  was  "the  head  of  a  family."  After  paying  out  on  our  pre- 
emptions brother  M.  R.  deeded  to  me  the  east  half  of  80  acres 
of  his  pre-emption,  and  I  deeded  to  him  the  north  80  acres  of 
my   preemption 

The  following  summer,  1873,  J.  H.  McKee,  R.  J.  Denham, 
]\I.  ].',  and  myseif  laid  out  the  town  of  Beaver  City,  A.  Coppom 
doing  the  surveying. 

I  will  say  nothing  about  the  long  bitter  contest  that  we  had 
over  the  countv  seat,  but  as  my  friend  Danforth  said,  tiie  "boys" 
won.  I  never  hekl  a  countv  office  or  had  the  postoffice,  but  the 
last  oi  August,  187.),  1  earned  a  petition  to  have  the  counly  or- 
ganized and  bounded,  and  got  every  settb-r  in  the  south  pa  it  of 
the  county. 

Shorily  afler  layjn,!.'.'  out  the  to"v^■n.  >ve  negotiated  with  Mon- 
ell  and  Lashley  ol'  Ijincoln,  who  biiilt  the  Lashley  block  and  the 
mill.  .Vs  a  boiuis,  McKee,  Denham,  my  brother  and  I  deeded 
them  one-sixth  of  the  320  acres  which  we  had  layed  out  for  the 
to'^  n  My  brother  and  I  also  gave  five  acres  each  for  the  town 
site,  and  brother  M.  R.  gave  the  ground  for  the  cemetery.  Our 
little  girl.  Oral.  14  months  old,  was  the  first  person  buried  there, 
and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Cluster,  the  second. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


27 


I  must  tell  you  more  about  those  pigs  we  brought  out  with 
us.  They  Avere  the  first  swine  brought  to  southwest  Nebraska, 
and  as  my  brother  and  I  had  been  brought  up  on  a  farm,  we 
thought  that  the  only  way  to  make  money  was  to  raise  corn  and 
hogs.  We  had  tine  luck  with  the  hogs.  I  never  saw  hogs  in- 
crease so  fast,  and  one  died.  The  first  year  we  had  a  pretty 
good  crop  of  corn,  and  the  second  year  fine  prospects  until  July 
8,  when  a  hail  storm  came  and  cut  everything  to  the  ground. 
Then  we  had  hogs  but  no  corn.  We  had  to  pay  $1  per  bushel  for 
corn,  and  so  let  some  of  the  hogs  out  on  shares.  We  kept  a  few 
over  and  raised  more  next  spring,  thinking  that  we  would  have 
a  corn  crop,  but  the  next  three  years,  187-1-5-6,  the  grasshoppers 
came  and  took  everything.  However,  by  that  time  we  had  scat- 
tered hogs  pretty  well  over  the  south  part  of  the  county. 

When  we  first  arrived,  we  were  somewhat  disappointed  in  not 
seeing  any  buffalo,  but  our  guide,  Galen  Jones,  said,  "Don't  worry 
about  that,  boys.  It  has  been  a  late  spring  and  they  are  late 
coming  from  the     south,  but     you  will  see     plenty  in     a     short 

time."  We  had  been  there 
about  a  week.  One  of  us 
kept  a  plow  going,  while  the 
other  two  built  our  first 
house,  a  dug-out  with  a  pole 
front  and  sides,  located  on  the 
north  side  of  the  sand  knoll, 
close  to  the  creek  and  a  short 
distance  from  where  the  mill 
stands.  We  let  our  horses 
run  out  at  night  and  usually 
found  them  out  in  the  valley 
to  the  northAvest.  One  morn- 
ing Kinzer  went  up  on  the 
raise  back  of  the  house  to 
look  for  the  horses  and  called  to  brother  and  me  to  come  up  and 
see  a  sight.  About  one-half  mile  to  the  northwest  there  was  a 
herd  of  a])out  500  buffalo.  We  g<^t  our  horses  and  started  on  our 
first  buffalo  hunt.  ]\Iy  brother  had  a  sciuirrel  gun,  Kinzer  a  cap  and 
ball  revolver,  and  I  had  an  old  Spencer  carbine,  that  would  not 
hit  the  side  of  a  barn  200  yards  away.  Before  we  got  in  shooting 
distance,  the  buffalo  galloped  off  to  the  northwest  and  up  a  big 
draw.    We  followed  them  up.  and  the  boys  held  my  hor.se  while 


"Dick,"  an  Early  Settler 


28  PIONEER  STORIES 

J  weut  up  the  draw  to  get  a  close  shot  at  the  buffalo.  I  was  try- 
ing tu  keep  out  of  sight,  and  in  making  a  turn  in  the  draw,  came 
right  unto  a  dozen  big,  shaggy  fellows,  the  closest  not  over  15 
or  2U  feet  away.  1  was  too  scared  to  run  and  stood  and  looked 
at  them.  They  took  a  good  look  at  me,  and  then  scampered  up 
the  draw,  while  1  ran  tlie  other  way  without  ever  tiring  a  shot. 
We  followed  them  up  the  draw  until  we  could  see  buffalo  to 
the  north,  east  and  west.  1  tinally  picked  one  about  75  yards 
away,  and  tired,  lie  came  partly  down  and  i  thought  that  i  had 
him.  But  he  recovered  himself  and  started  on.  We  followed  him 
tu  the  next  draw-  west  wdiere  we  shot  at  him,  one  at  a  time.  1 
had  only  what  cartridges  the  cylinder  would  hold,  brother  had 
four  or  live  for  the  squirrel  gun,  and  Kinzer  six  in  the  revolver, 
;dl  of  which  w^e  used,  and  then  left  the  buffalo  standing.  From 
there  we  w'ent  north  to  the  top  of  the  divide  and  west  to  about 
north  of  llendley.  \Vhen  w^e  started  south  for  the  creek,  we  were 
in  a  seething  mass  of  buffalo  coming  from  the  south  They 
would  part  about  50  yards  for  us,  and  the  balance  of  the  coun- 
try was  one  solid  mass  of  buffalo.  I  think  that  all  of  us  had  serious 
thoughts  of  home  and  friends,  and  we  all  felt  much  safer  wdien 
we  got  down  to  the  creek  where  w^e  were  protected  by  the  tim- 
ber. We  found  out  from  some  trappers  that  the  buffalo  had  been 
crossing  the  creek  all  the  night  before.  I  am  not  going  to  try 
10  tell  you  how  many  buffalo  we  saw  that  day,  but  suffice  it  to 
say  that  wdien  w^e  were  on  the  high  divide  they  covered  the 
ground  in  every  direction  that  w^e  could  see. 

By  the  next  day  the  main  herd  had  pushed  north  across  the 
Republican  and  on  north,  but  all  of  the  rest  of  the  summer  one 
could  go  out  on  the  prairie  and  see  in  any  direction  from  a  few 
hundred  to  thousands  in  a  bunch.  Many  times  during  the  next 
few  months  I  have  gone  out  to  get  our  horses  and  could  not  see 
them  for  the  buffalo,  but  when  I  would  ap})roach  the  buffalo 
would  scamper  off.  The  horses  and  the  buft'alo  had  been  grazing 
side  by  side. 

In  June,  1872,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Craig  settled  3  or  4 
miles  west  of  us  on  the  creek.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when 
some  government  scouts  rode  through  the  country  warning  the 
settlers  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  Indians.  ]\Irs.  Craig  became  so 
frightened  that  she  told  her  husband  that  if  he  W'Ould  not  leave 
that  she  would  go  a  foot  and  alone.  So  he  loaded  their  stuff  and 
started  back  east.     AYhen  they  got  to  our  place  he     was     still 


FURNAS  COUNTY  29 

pretty  mad.  He  had  six  cows  and  two  2-year-old  heifers  he  had 
brought  from  Iowa  with  him.  We  were  wanting  some  cows  and 
my  brother  and  I  h)oked  them  over  and  finally  bought  them  for 
$200.  Our  next  big  idea  was  to  catch  buffalo  calves,  raise  them 
on  the  milk  of  which  we  had  a  plenty,  and  drive  them  back  east 
cind  make  our  pile.  AVe  had  caught  a  few  previous  to  that  time, 
but  they  had  died  in  a  day  or  two,  but  we  thought  that  with 
so  much  milk  we  could  raise  quite  a  herd. 

My  brother  and  I  didn't  know  anything  about  throwing  a 
lasso,  and  had  never  seen  anyone  throw  one  at  that  time.  We 
would  start  out  on  our  horses  after  a  bunch,  and  run  them  4  or 
5  miles  until  the  calves  fell  behind,  pretty  Avell  fagged  out.  Then 
one  of  us  would  jump  off  his  horse  and  catch  the  calf  by  the 
hind  legs,  get  a  rope  around  it  and  start  the  other  way  quick  to 
get  out  of  sight,  while  the  other  would  keep  after  tlie  herd  to 
prevent  the  mother  buffalo  from  turning  on  us,  -which  slie  some- 
times did,  when  we  would  pour  the  lead  info  her.  We  caught 
thirty  or  forty  calves  that  summer,  sometimes  one,  never  over 
two  or  three,  in  one  day.  We  could  have  caught  many  more, 
and  at  last  we  did  it  more  for  sport  than  for  gain.  Some  of  them 
would  die  before  we  could  get  them  home,  others  in  a  d  iy  or  so. 
and  others  lived  for  a  week  and  then  died.  We  caught  them 
from  a  few  days  to  six  months  old.  The  larger  ones  sometimes 
gave  us  a  pretty  good  fight,  after  which  they  would  give  up  and 
afterward  die  from  fright  or  a  broken  heart.  We  only  raised 
one  calf.  At  one  time  we  had  five  for  a  month  or  more,  and 
were  doing  fine.  We  had  them  in  a  pen  where  the  pigs  could 
go  in  and  out,  and  every  morning  and  night  we  would  put  in  a 
couple  of  pails  of  fresh  milk  in  a  trough.  After  tlie  calves  had 
drunk  what  they  wanted,  the  pigs  would  clean  up  the  rest.  One 
very  hot  day  the  pigs  didn't  drink  up  the  milk  and  it  soured, 
and  the  calves  drunk  it  and  all  died  but  one.  So  we  gave  up 
trying  to  make  a  stake  raising  a  herd  of  buffalo. 

The  one  buffalo  that  we  raised  we  worked  with  one  of  fhe 
cows,  as  we  had  bad  luck  with  our  horses.  Tn  August.  1872,  we 
had  two  of  our  horses  stolen  and  never  heard  from  them.  When  T 
went  east  to  be  married  T  brought  out  another  good  team.  Soon 
after  T  got  back  T  traded  one  of  the  cows  to  Elder  IMayo  for  a 
horse.  Only  had  him  a  few  days  when  one  of  the  other  horses 
kicked  him,  and  he  died.  Tn  the  spring,  when  the  grain  got 
green,   one   of  them   took   the   colic   and    died.      Then   the   other 


30 


PIONEER  STORIES 


one  whic'li  I  l)r()Uglit  from  Iowa  ran  out  on  a  cow  shed  that  was 
(Ing  in  the  hank,  and  she  died.  Jirother  M.  R.  then  traded  a 
cow  for  an  ohl  horse,  and  in  a  short  time  she  fell  in  an  old  well 
and  died.  That  left  lis  with  but  one  horse.  In  the  spring  of 
1875  i\I.  K.  rode  the  i-emaining  horse  up  to  North  Platte  and 
worked  while  I  |)ut  in  tlie  erop  with  the  l)utt'alo  and  cow  for  a 
team.  I  ])iit  in  ten  acres  of  wheat,  broke  the  ground  and  har- 
rowed it,  and  took  my  wife  buggy  riding  with  this  same  l)iiffalo 
f-nd  cow.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  I  Avent  back  to  Iowa  and  brought 
out  another  team.  Started  back  in  February.  The  same  fall 
brother  M.  R.  took  the  buffalo  yoked  with  an  ox,  bought  an- 
other team  of  oxen,  and  went  up  to  old  Fort  McPherson,  where 
he  baled  hay  for  the  government.  One  night  the  buffalo  strayed 
away  from  the  oxen,  and  a  hunter  shot  him,  thinking  that  he 
was  a  wild  one. 

Brother  ]\I.  R.  then  went  to  the  Black  Hills  for  a  couple  of 

years.     When  he  came  back, 

he  secured  two  more  buffalo 
and  broke  them  to  work,  and 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen  freighted 
from  Plum  Creek  and  Kear- 
ney, using  trail  wagons  in 
coming  across  from  the 
Platte  to  the  Republican.  On 
one  of  his  trips,  one  of  the 
buffalo  became  footsore,  and 
he  left  him,  going  back  in  a 
few  days  to  find  him  dead. 
The  other  one,  which  he 
called  "Dick,"  and  will  be 
remembered  by  the  old  tim- 
ers, he  kept  until  1882.  He 
was  not  cross  nor  vicious,  but 
the  toAvn  by  that  time  had  a 
population  of  800  or  400,  and 
it  was  a  hard  matter  to  keep 
THE  LATE  M.  R.  HADLEY  Dick  fastened  up,  and  when 

he  got  loose  he  frightened  some  of  the  newcomers  so  that  they 
would  not  go  out  for  fear  of  him.  When  he  was  loose  he  visited 
sheds  and  gardens  and   helped  himself  to  vegetables,   and  peo- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  31 

pie  were  afraid  to  try  to  drive  him  away.  Brother 
31.  R.  concluded  to  kill  him,  and  led  him  down  to  N.  ^l. 
Ayres'  slaughter  house,  where  I  shot  him  and  Xat  Ayers  dressed 
the  carciss.  After  keeping  what  meat  we  wanted  and  supply- 
ing our  friends,  we  sold  the  balance  at  the  store.  Brother  M.  R. 
had  the  head  mounted  and  the  skin  tanned.  The  head  was 
liurned  Avhen  the  Hadley  Opera  Plouse  Block  burned.  I  think  that 
iny  brother's  family  still  have  the  robe  at  this  time. 

1  will  say  nothing  about  the  various  Indian  scares  and  prairie 
rres,  except  that  at  one  time  we  fought  fire  for  two  days  and 
fights,  only  stopping  to  get  a  little  something  to  eat,  just  to  save 
fonie  winter  pasture. 

Tn  September  1876,  my  wife  and  I  went  back  to  Iowa  to  re- 
c]-uit  financially,  and  stayed  until  September.  1879,  on  my  father's 
Parm,  then  drove  back  to  Nebraska,  this  making  five  trips  I  had 
made  back  and  forth  in  a  covered  Avagon,  550  miles,  my  wife 
making  four  of  them  with  me. 

In  1880  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  let  other  people  till  the 
soil.  My  brother  and  I  were  in  the  mercantile  business  for  five 
years,  when  I  bought  him  out  and  continued  the  business  with  tlie 
help  of  my  wife.  IIow  well  we  succeeded  some  of  my  friends 
back  there  know.  For  ten  or  twelve  years  we  made  money,  not  as 
much  as  one  man  wants,  l)ut  as  one  man  needs.  Then  with  bad 
speculation  and  a  Cleveland  administration,  it  went  like  it  did 
with  a  great  many  others.  AYe  are  now  happy  and  contented  at 
Florence,  Colo.  AYe  still  have  a  warm  spot  in  our  hearts  for 
Beaver  City  and  friends  back  there,  many  of  whom  traded  with 
as  for  sixteen  years 

I  enjoyed  very  much  the  articles  of  my  old  pioneer  friends, 
"\Y.  E.  Crutcher.  J.  PI.  McKee,  and  C.  A.  Danforth,  and  hope  to 
read  many  more  in  your  good  paper,  which  we  receive  and  all 
read  every  week. 

JESSE  N.  HADLEY. 


32 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    VI 

Mrs.  N.  M.  Ayers  Relates  Interesting  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  a 

Woman  Pioneer  of  Nebraska 


Words  fail  to  exi)ress  my  thoughts  as  I  gazed  for  the  first 
lime  upon  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Beaver,  thirty-nine  years 
ago.  The  following  news  item  printed  in  the  Nebraska  State 
Journal,  July  Ki  1878.  explains  the  reason  of  our  l)eing  so  far 
from  home. 

''We  are  most  happy  to 
chronicle  in  another  place 
the  wedding  of  our  friend, 
N.  M.  Ayers,  clerk  of  Furnas 
county.  Mr.  Ayers,  being  a 
rising  young  man  of  the  new 
country,  has  done  well  in 
taking  to  his  homestead,  in 
tlu^  great  Kepublican  valley, 
a  l)ride  to  walk  the  prairie 
pathways  with  him.  We  be- 
speak long  life  and  happi- 
ness to  the  fortunate  cou- 
1)1  e. 

West  seemed  farther 
away,  thirty-nine  years  ago 
than  it  does  at  the  present 
time,  and  eastern  people 
thought  of  it  to  be  the  home 
of  the  Indian  and  buffalo. 
MRS.  N.  M.  AYERS  A     neighbor     came     in     to 

say  "good  bye,'  'and  remarked,  "I'd  not  give  up  $50  a  month, 
and  go  and  live  among  the  Indians  for  any  man."  But  that  didn't 
discourage  our  going  to  tlie  Great  West  to  build  a  home  and 
seek  our  fortune. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  33 

Onr  nearest  railroad  point  was  Lowell,  80  miles  from  Beaver 
City,  and  from  that  point  we  proceeded  overland  on  onr  jour- 
ney. We  camped  at  noon  for  dinner.  My  husband  .lid  the  cook- 
ing, for  I  was  not  yet  aecustomed  to  camp  life,  and  we  ate  our 
first  meal  in  the  shade  of  the  covered  wagon.  We  traveled  all 
day  over  the  vast  prairies  without  seeing  a  tree  or  shrub,  not 
even  a  sage  brush.  I  never  longed  to  see  a  tree  as  I  did  that 
day.  The  monotony  was  broken  to  some  extent  by  seeing  the 
l)eautiful  wild  flowers,  a  variety  that  I  had  not  seen  in  Towa. 
and  Nat  had  to  stop  the  team  many  times  for  me  to  gather  some. 
There  was  but  one  house,  and  that  was  at  Walker's  ranch.  Ix'- 
tween  Lowell  and  Turkey  Creek,  a  distance  of  45  miles. 

When  the  boys  came  out  the  year  before  to  take  their  claims, 
they  could  have  had  their  choice  of  land  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  Not  even  a  house  was  on  the  present  site  of  TToldrege 
or  Minden,  but  they  wanted  claims  Avith  timber  and  water. 

Our  second  day's  drive  brought  us  to  Turkey  Creek 
at  noon,  and  there  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  Lowell 
we  beheld  the  beautiful  native  trees  for  which  we  had  !ieen  long- 
ing. A  few  hours'  drive  brought  us  to  the  great  Republican  val- 
ley, and  then  on  to  Melrose,  a  sm;all  town  one  mile  west  of  the 
present  town  of  Orleans,  and  at  that  point  we  looked  upon  the 
Beaver  for  the  first  time.  T  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  pic- 
turesfiue  valley.  We  were  two  and  one-half  days  going  from 
liowell  to  Beaver  City.  T  had  heard  much  about  the  place,  most- 
ly prospective.  And  then  for  the  first  time  T  saw  the  toAvn — one 
small  frame  building  occupied  by  McKee  &  Denham  as  a  store 
and  post  office,  and  a  log  cabin,  the  home  of  th(>  liachelors,  McKee 
&  Denham.  These  were  the  only  buildings  on  the  present  town- 
site  of  Beaver  City. 

My  husband  had  prepared  a  home  before  coming  after  me. 
and  of  course  T  was  anxious  to  see  it.  I  knew  that  it  was  a  log 
house  and  stood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Aldrich.  This 
was  our  homestead,  and  we  lived  there  for  seven  years.  T  took 
as  much  pride  "keeping  house"  in  that  log  cabin  as  T  have  in 
any  house  in  which  we  have  ever  lived.  T  remember  one  even- 
ine-.  W.  Z,  Taylor,  now  of  Culbertson,  called  at  the  door  and 
asked  the  distance  to  Beaver  City.  Tie  said  "excuse  me."  and 
looked  around  the  little  room  and  remarked,  "how  nice  this 
looks."  T  had  just  finished  papering  with  newspapers,  hung  up 
some  pictures  and  other  bric-a-brac,  and  really  it  did  look  home- 


s 


m 

V 


o 
a; 


01 


o 


00 

00 
00 


a 
5" 


03 

be 
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bO 


0) 
03 

23 


FURNAS  COUNTY         121 8205  35 

like  and  cosy.  Many  were  the  happy  days  spent  in  that  little 
log  cabin.  We  hear  much  about  the  high  cost  of  living  now, 
but  if  people  would  economize  as  we  did  in  those  days — yes,  for 
many  years — in  living,  dress  and  means  of  conveyance,  there 
Avould  he  no  occasion  for  talking  that  way.  V\^e  would  look  at  the 
sugar  many  times  before  using  it  to  bake  a  cake  or  a  batch  of 
cookies,  wondering  whether  we  had  better  keep  it  to  sweeten 
our  cofifee.  which  consisted  of  parched  corn  and  rye  with  a  few 
grains  of  cofifee  to  flavor  it.  Two  calico  dresses  a  year  replen- 
ished our  wardrobe,  and  many  had  but  one.  Many  of  the  women 
carried  their  shoes  and  stockings  in  their  hands  until  they  came 
near  to  Beaver  City  and  then  put  them  on.  A  top  buggy  in  those 
days  was  as  much  of  a  curiosity  as  an  auto  was  in  Beaver  City 
twelve  years  ago.  A,  E.  Harvey  and  Mr.  Blackmer  were  the  first 
ones  to  come  to  Beaver  City  with  a  top  buggy  and  everybody 
went  to  the  door  to  see  it. 

We  had  been  "at  home"  only  a  few  weeks,  when  one  day  a 
very  unwelcome  visitor  came  unbidden  and  found  his  way  into  the 
house  before  T  was  aware  of  it.  Nat  had  made  some  larire  wooden 
pegs,  for  nails  were  scarce,  and  driven  them  into  the  logs,  to 
serve  as  wardrobe  hooks.  T  chanced  to  look  in  that  direction, 
and  there  on  two  of  those  pegs  hung  a  big  snake.  Tt  took  me 
only  a  few  seconds  to  go  to  J.  R.  Bowning's,  our  nearest  neigh- 
bor at  home  that  day,  and  got  him  to  go  and  oust  the  monster. 
IMr.  Downing 's  brother,  Charlie,  was  there  too,  and  they  both 
came  and  found  the  reptile  had  secreted  himself  behind  a  cup- 
board, but  it  took  only  a  few  minutes  to  get  him  out  and  end  his 
life.  T  don't  know  whether  the  Downing  brothers  remember 
this  incident,  but  it  is  as  fresh  in  my  memory  as  though  it  had  hap- 
pened but  yesterday.  Governor  Furnas  was  on  his  way  to  Beaver 
City  that  same  day,  and  stopped  with  us  for  supper.  "We  was  very 
much  interested  in  the  snake  story,  and  after  supper  took  its 
measure,  which  was  five  feet  and  seven  inches.  Several  years 
r-ifter  the  governor  told  my  husband  that  he  had  related  that  snake 
story  many  times  as  an  incident  of  pioneer  life. 

Tn  the  spring.  Nat  broke  some  stri]is  of  ground,  and  plantod 
watermelons  and  corn.  T  never  saw  such  melons,  for  size  and 
flavor,  as  grew  on  the  virgin  soil.  The  corn  was  good  too.  Tn 
writing  home  one  day  T  had  much  to  say  in  praise  of  the  water- 
melons, but  did  not  mention  anything  else.  When  an  answer 
came  the  folks  said  they  did  not  care  to  live  in  a  country  Avbcrc 


:jc'  pioneer  stories 

they  grew  nothing'  but  wntormelons.  I  was  more  interested  in 
the  melon  patch,  as  that  was  about  the  only  source  of  revenue 
we  had  at  that  time,  Larpj-e  herds  of  Texas  cattle  were  often 
driven  through,  and  it  rcMpiired  several  cowboys  to  do  this,  and 
they  paid  us  very  liberally  for  the  melons  and  did  not  try  to  steal 
them. 

Our  principle  amusements  were  quiltings  and  all  were  invit- 
ed. We  had  no  cliques  and  clans,  but  were  like  a  large  family.  It 
was  a  novel  way  for  me  to  pass  the  time,  as  I  had  spent  the  gre lit- 
er part  of  my  life  in  the  school  room.  Many  were  the  pleasant; 
days  spent  in  the  home  of  "Tommy  and  Anna."  That  home  is 
now  the  dining  room  of  Mrs.  G  M  Warner  The  bed  would  be 
taken  down,  the  quilt  put  in  the  frames,  and  we  quilted  until  din- 
ner Avas  ready  to  serve,  then  the  quilt  was  hung  up,  the  tal)le 
set,  and  all  did  ample  justice  to  the  good  dinner  that  Anna  had 
prepared.  One  seldom  heard,  "Mr.  and  Mrs."  It  was  "Tommy 
and  Anna,"  "Nat  and  Ilattie,"  etc. 

In  1874,  Nat  took  as  a  timber  claim  the  farm  now  owned 
by  J.  ?I.  Wischmeier.  He  broke  the  required  number  of  acres, 
went  to  the  Republican  river,  secured  trees,  set  them  out,  nnd 
watched  and  waited  for  rain  Avhich  failed  to  come.  The  trees 
died,  and  he  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  reset.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  Snodgrass  came  to  Beaver  looking  for  a  claim,  and  went 
out  to  see  the  land.  He  knew  that  he  could  take  it  as  a  home- 
stead, but  before  doing  so  said  that  he  would  give  us  a  cow  for 
the  land.  We  took  the  cow,  and  she  was  blind  in  one  eye.  Some- 
time after.  Rev.  Bushnell  bought  the  cow,  fattened,  killed,  and 
sold  her  for  beef,  and  we  had  a  piece  of  the  meat  to  eat.  Just 
think  of  selling  a  IfiO  acre  farm  for  a  l)lind  coav.  That  was  38 
years  ago.  '^''^ 

Every  day  we  looked  for  covered  wagons.  We  were  anx- 
ious to  have  the  country  settle  up  and  we  were  glad  when  we 
learned  that  a  large  family  had  settled.  Almost  the  first  question 
asked  when  we  heard  of  a  "new  comer,"  was,  "How  much  of 
a  family  hive  they?"  How  well  do  T  remember  when  Oapt.  J.  H. 
Preas  came  with  his  family.  It  was  the  topic  of  conversation 
for  several  weeks,  and  we  were  so  glad  to  have  them  with  us. 
Later  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yoe  came  with  their  nine  lambs  we 
were  delighted. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1873,  Cluster  &  Brown  opened  a  small 
store  in  Beaver  City,  which  was  sold  the  folloAving  year  to  Crutch- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  37 

er  &  Jones.  The  Cluster  family  was  small,  there  being  but  two 
children,  but  well  do  we  remember  the  name  of  the  eldest,  the 
initials  of  whom  would  exceed  those  of  C.  E.  V.  Smith.  The  full 
name  was  Latino  Casablanca  Harry  Fulton  Cluster.  It  took  some 
time  to  remember  the  order  in  which  the  names  came,  but  it 
was  indelibily  stamped  on  our  memories. 

Our  first  Sabbath  School  was  organized  in  187-1,  with  T.  .M.. 
Williams  as  superintendent.  Soon  after  a  singing  school  was 
organized  with  Mrs.  Garlinghouse  as  teacher.  She  is  now  Mrs.  L. 
H.  Rust,  of  Red  Cloud.  The  first  school  in  Beaver  City  was  taught 
by  a  lady  living  on  the  Sappa,  by  the  name  of  Dunham.  1  had 
the  pleasure  of  teaching  the  second  school,  which  was  held  in 
the  Jake  Young  hotel.  No  doubt  but  the  Freas  boys,  Fred  Down- 
ing and  others  remember  those  school  days.  T.  K.  Clark  was 
county  superintendent. 

It  is  needless  to  tell  how  our  hopes  were  blasted  when  crops 
were  destroyed  by  hot  winds,  grasshoppers,  bugs,  drouths.  The 
time  that  "aid"  was  sent  to  those  who  could  not  get  away  to 
their  ''wife's  folks."  The  prairie  fires  that  threatened  our 
homes.  The  scourge  of  diphtheria  that  came  and  took  so  many 
of  our  little  ones.  Let  me  say  that  the  day  that  our  little  daugh- 
ter was  buried  was  the  nearest  I  ever  came  to  seeing  the  Indians 
that  my  friend  had  told  me  that  we  were  going  to  live  among. 
As  we  were  on  the  way  to  the  cemetery,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see  the  road  was  lined  with  teams  coming  to  Beaver  City  for  ])r()- 
tection  from  the  Indians.  That  was  the  time  of  the  Indian  mas- 
acre  on  the  Sappa  in  1878. 

I  might  add  more  but  for  fear  of  trying  your  patience  i  will 
close,  with  best  Avishes  to  all  of  the  friends  in  Beaver  City  and 
those  in  distant  places  who  are  reading  these  pioneer  stories. 

Sincerely  yours, 

MR^.  N.  M.  AYERS. 


38  i    PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    VII 

Mrs.  M.  A.  Freas  Relates  Incidents  of  Early  Days  When  Snake, 
Prairie  iire  and  Indian  Scares  Abounded 

1  have  been  readiug  the  letters  in  the  Times-Tribune  written 
by  the  pioneers  of  Beaver  City  and  Furnas  county,  and  have  en- 
joyed them  very  much,  as  they  bring  back  to  memory  a  few  of 
the  scenes  we  have  passed  through,  and  know  that  it  is  all  true. 

Talk  about  snakes!  Here  in  an  early  day  they  had  taken 
possession  of  all  the  homesteads,  pre-emption,  and  timber  claims, 
leaving  little  room  for  the  pioneers.  But  we  had  come  to  stay, 
we  commenced  battle  against  our  enemies  with  poles,  pitchforks, 
and  other  weapons  that  we  could  strike  with.  We  fought  brave- 
ly to  hold  the  fort  and  came  olf  victorious  and  held  our  claims, 
afterward  our  happy  homes.  The  first  rattlesnake  that  1  killed 
was  in  the  fall  we  came  west,  September,  1875.  This  rattler  was  a 
very  large  one.  1  w^as  getting  dinner  and  just  stepped  outside 
to  get  some  wood,  when  I  almost  trod  on  it.  I  jumped  back  and 
looked  around  to  get  something  to  kill  it  with.  There  was  nothing 
very  near  but  a  ridge  pole,  which  was  about  twenty  feet  long. 
1  picked  this  up  with  the  strength  of  a  Sampson,  and  killed  the 
snake  with  some  mighty  blows.  The  snake  was  a  furious  fighter, 
and  my  arm  was  so  badly  sprained  that  I  could  not  finish  getting 
dinner,  but  waited  until  my  husband  came  home  to  dinner,  which 
he  tinislied  getting,  lie  scarcely  believed  that  I  killed  the  snake 
with  the  ridge  pole  but  1  did  not  tell  a  lie.  This  is  part  of  a  snake 
story,  but  I  am  not  through  yet.  That  same  fall  I  was  across  the 
prairie  and  near  where  F.  G.  Downing  lives  now,  which  was  all 
unbroken  prairie  then,  I  saw  a  big  snake.  I  had  been  up  to  Mrs. 
Trent's,  who  lived  where  Turners  used  to  live,  and  I  thought  I 
would  come  right  across  to  the  bridge  west  of  our  shanty  on 
the  claim.  I  happened  to  look  around  and  there  was  a  large 
snake  standing  \\\)  i-unning  after  me.  You  better  believe  that  I 
ran,  too.  I  could  run  fast  those  days.  I  kept  on  running,  trying 
to  look  back  to  find  out  if  I  was  gaining  any  headway.    I  surely 


FURNAS  COUNTY     [ 


39 


thought  that  my  time  had  come.  Finally  I  reached  the  bridge, 
and  then  I  missed  the  snake  or  it  missed  me,  for  which  I  was  very 
thankful.  I  then  went  up  to  the  house  and  rested,  and  never 
since  have  1  raced  with  a  snake  of  that  kind.  The  snake  story 
is  finished,  and  it  is  all  true. 

But  Indian  scares!  They  were  something  I  thought  at  the 
time  were  worse  than  anything  I  had  experienced.  I  looked  for 
them  night  and  day,  and  in  September  1878  it  was  trying  times 
for  all  of  us,  more  especially  the  women,  who  had  to  stay  at 
home  and  look  out  for  their  families.    The   people  west  of  us  were 

fleeing  from  their  claims  to 
escape  from  the  Indians, 
which  were  a  sad  reality,  in 
some  oases  taking  their 
stock  and  whatever  they 
could.  I  remember  one  Sun- 
day 1  baked  bread  all  day, 
and  packed  what  clothing  I 
thought  that  we  could  take, 
if  we  had  any  chance  of  get- 
ting away.  L.  Kinsman 
came  over  in  the  afternoon 
to  see  my  husband,  who  was 
very  sick  at  the  time,  being 
the  same  fall  that  he  died, 
November  6.  Mr.  Kinsman 
told  us  not  to  worry.  If  the 
Indians  came  nearer  he 
would  send  and  take  us  far- 
ther east,  as  they  had  horses 
and  wagons.  I  felt  greatly 
Telle ved  to  know  thvtt  we 
had  a  good  true  friend  who 

would  look  out  for  our  safety. 

I  gave  bread  and  butter  and  what  I  could  to  the  family  who 
were  going  east  with  five  small  children.  They  camped  near  the 
bridge  west  of  our  place.  The  woman  told  me  that  the  Indians 
had  murdered  her  husband  and  eldest  son,  18  years  old,  wlio 
were  herding  their  stock,  and  wounded  her  in  the  sluiukler,  and 
cook  all  her  money,  $500.  She  said  that  they  had  a  span  of 
mules  hitched  to  a  wagon  and  she  thought  they  could  get  away, 


MRS.  M.  A.  FREAS 


40  !    PIONEER  STORIES 

but  the  Indians  cut  them  loose  from  the  wagon.  She  then  es- 
caped with  the  chiklren  to  the  timber  on  the  Beaver  and  went 
about  2  miles  to  a  brother-in-law's,  and  he  was  taking  them  hddA 
to  near  Omaha,  where  they  had  lived  before  coming  west.  They 
had  an  ox  team.  1  felt  sorry  for  them  and  did  what  1  could, 
which  was  little.     The  children  needed  clothing. 

And  the  grasshoppers !  They  were  very  hungry  at  times, 
:-,ettling  down  and  eating  everything  green.  (Some  of  you  will 
perhaps  say  that  it  is  a  wonder  that  any  of  us  were  left.)  They 
were  too  numerous  to  count  or  say  much  about;  but  we  knew 
after  they  had  eaten  everything  in  sight  that  they  would  go  on 
and  we  would  stay  on  our  claims.  We  wanted  homes  in  the  live- 
ly west  even  though  we  had  to  fight  for  them. 

The  prairie  fires  too !  They  were  something  to  contend 
with.  The  worst  one  which  1  remember  coming  was  in  1879.  We 
had  very  high  winds  coming  from  the  north.  A  perfect  hurri- 
cane. The  fire  started  up  north  of  the  Republican  river.  At 
times  it  appeared  as  if  the  very  heavens  were  on  fire.  At  that 
time  we  had  very  little  breaking  done  or  plowed  ground.  The 
flames  came  rolling  up  so  high  and  so  swiftly  we  thought  best 
to  try  to  get  to  some  breaking  aibout  eighty  rods  from  our 
shanty.  We  all  ran  for  our  lives  and  arrived  safely  on  the 
plowed  ground,  the  flames  rolling  on  around  us,  and  left  us  safe 
on  the  ground  that  had  been  plowed  I  said  let  us  pray  God  in 
is  goodness  and  mercy  to  save  our  little  home.  We  did  pray. 
Some  will  say  that  God  had  nothing  to  do  w^ith  it,  but  I  shall  al- 
ways believe  that  He  did.  And  when  the  flames  and  dense  smoke 
cleared  away  somewhat,  and  the  burned  grass  had  cooled  off  so 
that  we  could  get  back  where  our  shanty,  as  we  thought  had 
burned,  (some  of  us  w^ere  in  lOur  bare  feet)  to  our  surprise  and 
happiness  our  little  home  was  standing,  but  all  burned  black 
around  it.  I  for  one  felt  like  shouting  for  God's  mercy  and  good- 
ness to  my  family.  As  soon  as  some  of  the  men  could  get  across 
from  Beaver  City  they  came  to  see  what  had  become  of  us. 
Among  the  number  were  W.  E.  Crutcher,  E.  D.  Jones,  A.  E.  Har- 
vey, A.  D.  Allen,  J.  H.  McKee,  and  others.  They  supposed  we 
had  been  burned  and  asked  me  what  I  thought  when  I  came  back 
to  the  house  about  1  o'clock  at  night  and  found  all  safe.  My 
answer  was,  "It  looked  to  me  like  a  golden  castle  filled  with 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


41 


priceless  attire."     We  always  had  a  great  deal  to  be  thankful 


for. 


'11 


As  for  furniture !  We  had  plenty  to  suit  the  houses.  Tal)les 
and  chairs  made  of  pine  boards.  Charles  Clark  made  our  table. 
!  think  that  he  lives  at  Fairbury  now.  The  table  was  very  nice. 
Most  of  us  women  were  our  own  carpenters.  I  thought  that  I 
could  make  a  very  nice  cupboard  and  chairs  to  match.  1  liked 
matched  furniture ;  it  was  so  stylish.  I  had  almost  forgotten  that 
Mr.  McKee  gave  us  one  real  chair,  made  "back  east." 

As  for  dress!  We  had  plenty,  not  caring  to  display  any 
finery  or  diamonds  at  that  time,  our  aim  being  to  get  homes  in 
this  garden  spot,,  the  "lovely  west,"  and  more,  we  succeeded! 

Now  we  sing,  "Home,  Sweet 
Home.  Nothing  great  is  light- 
ly won;  nothing  won  is  lost." 
As  the  women  would  up- 
hold me  in  what  I  say  if  1  eould 
but  see  them.  Some  have 
moved  away,  some  are  still 
here,  and  many  are  sleeping 
their  last  sleep.  But  they  were 
all  true,  good  women.  Among 
the  number  were  i\Irs.  J.  R. 
Downing,  Mrs.  N.  M.  Ayers, 
Mrs.  Ed  Ayers,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Wil- 
liams, Mrs.  J.  T.  Sumney,  .Mrs. 
II.  C.  Fletcher,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Dan- 
forth,  Mrs.  Charles  Clark,  ^frs. 
J.  N.  Hadley,  Mrs.  M.  R.  II ad- 
ley,  Mrs.  Cyrus  Trent,  ^Irs. 
James  Lawson,  Mrs.  C.  .  Laver- 
ack,  Mrs.  A  D.  Allen  and  lier 
mother,  and  others  who  were 
always  kind  and  good  to  us 
when  in  need  or  sickness. 
I  could  write  many  more  pages  about  those  early  days,  our 
ti'ials,  joys,  disappointments,  and  accomplishments,  l)ut  will 
"•lose  with  my  best  wishes  to  all  those  who  ha\  e  written  these  pio- 
noer  stories,  and  to  the  many  more  whom  I  hope  will  follow. 

MRS.  M.  A.  FREAS. 


CAPT.  J.  H.  FREAS 


42  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    VIII 

Judge  J.  T.  Sumny  Taught  School,  Hunted  Buffalo,  Broke  Prairie 
Ran  for  Office — All  in  the  Early  Days. 

I  left  my  home  and  wife  in  Washington  County,  Penn.,  in 
October,  1872,  to  go  to  what  was  then  termed  the  far  west.  A 
neighbor  and  his  family  had  preceded  me,  and  I  had  corresponded 
with  his  sons,  one  of  whom  served  in  the  same  company  with  me 
in  the  war.  He  gave  a  glowing  account  of  Nebraska.  I  arrived 
ill  Plattsmouth  by  train  and  was  soon  with  my  friends  7  miles 
south  of  that  place.  About  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  cast  about 
and  get  employment,  and  being  a  school  teacher  my  friends  told 
me  of  a  school  director  who  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Washing- 
ton County,  Penn.,  who  had  been  looking  for  a  teacher.  I  soon 
met  him  and  secured  the  school  at  $40  per  month  and  board.  1 
had  been  teaching  in  Pennsylvania  for  from  $25  to  $35  and  board- 
ing myself.  I  had  nearly  two  months  to  look  around  before 
school  was  to  commence. 

I  went  west  as  far  as  Crete,  and  looked  over  the  southwest 
part  of  Clay  county  but  1  could  find  no  good  claims  that  had  not 
filings  of  some  kind  on  them,  and  fearing  a  blizzard,  I  gave  up 
finding  a  claim  at  that  time.  I  taught  one  term  of  school  and 
another  in  an  adjoining  district,  which  occupied  my  time  until 
nearly  harvest  in  1878.  In  the  meantime  j\Irs.  Sumny  had  come 
on  from  Pennsylvania  and  we  had  rented  a  house  in  Rock  Bluffs, 
Cass  County.  I  Avorked  during  harvest,  and  then  made  arrange- 
ments to  go  farther  west  in  search  of  claims.  S.  E.  Clemmons, 
whose  mother-in-law  and  her  family  were  living  on  the  Sappa, 
agreed  to  drive  his  team  and  take  three  young  men,  former 
neighbors,  and  myself  to  the  Sappa  valley.  But  one  of  the  young 
men  and  I  being  anxious  to  see  the  Republican  valley  first,  went 
by  rail  to  Crete,  then  afoot,  except  when  a  team  overtook  us 
and  gave  us  a  lift. 

Wc  luid  our  grips,  a  Colt's  revolver  and  a  double  barreled, 
muzzle-loading  shotfiim.     On  our  way,  Mr.  Graham,  my  compan- 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


43 


ion,  was  carrying  the  gun  when  a  jackrabbit  jumped  up,  the 
first  one  we  had  ever  seen.  I  tokl  him  to  shoot  it,  but  he  said 
that  it  was  crippled  and  that  he  would  catch  it.  And  so  after 
it  he  ran,  and  when  it  got  down  to  running  it  was  out  of  reach  of 
phot. 

We  journeyed  along  until  we  came  to  the  Republican  river 
below  Red  Cloud,  where  a  brother-in-law  of  S.  E.  Clemmons  lived, 
with  whom  we  stopped  part  of  a  day  and  night.  We  had  a 
nice  trip  to  Melrose,  near  Orleans,  where  we  learned  that  Frank 
Gapen,   brother-in-law   of   Mr.    (Uemmons,   was   mowing   on   the 

Sappa  and  we  were  soon  with 
him.  When  his  day's  work 
was  done  he  took  us  in  his 
wagon  to  his  mother's — and 
we  soon  learned  that  she  was 
a  mother  indeed,  and  that  she 
and  her  daughter,  now  Mrs. 
John  Rea,  were  as  much  our 
friends  as  though  they  had 
known  us  all  their  lives.  We 
also  found  that  the  sons, 
John,  Joseph,  Daniel  and 
Frank,  were  kind  hearted 
and  accommodating  young 
men.  They  had  been  here 
some  time  and  were  ready 
to  give  us  much  information 
about  the  country. 

Frank  saitl  that  he  was 

glad  that  we  had  a  shot  gun, 

as  he  wanted  to  shoot  some 

wild  turkeys.     He   and   Mr. 

Graham  started  out  and  soon  returned  loaded  down  with  turkeys, 

and  though  it  was  a  little  early  we  had  Thanksgiving  for  some 

time. 

They  told  us  that  the  county  seat  would  be  located  at  Beaver 
City  and  gave  me  the  directions.  I  could  not  wait  for  those  com- 
ing in  the  wagon,  but  started  to  tramp  across  tlic  divide,  and 
soon  found  my  way  to  the  future  capital  of  Furnas  county.  I 
was  desirous  of  getting  claims  as  near  Beaver  City  as  possiltle. 
T.  M.  Williams  told  me  of  one  west  of  the  mill  on  the  south  side 


JUDGE  J.  T.  SUMNY 


44  PIONEER  STORIES 

of  the  creek,  but  it  did  not  suit  me.  i  was  advised  to  ux)  to  Wm. 
Bishop,  who  was  living  on  the  land  owned  now  by  Mr.  lloliiies 
and  his  son  w^as  li\iii^'  on  tlic  hmd  afterward  owned  by  0.  W. 
Clark.  Mr  Kisliop  showed  me  some  nice  land  there,  and  I  de- 
cided that  1  would  take  some  of  it.  T  went  back  to  Gapen's  and 
found  that  Mr.  Clemmons  had  arrived.  Mr.  Clemmons  and  Mr, 
Graham  picked  out  claims  near  Gapen's,  and  my  two  other 
friends  took  claims,  one  that  was  afterAvard  ow^ned  by  Geo.  Dus- 
enberry.    Then  we  made  up  our  minds  to  take    a  little  hunt. 

We  went  west  up  the  Beaver  to  Cedar  Bluffs,  then  across  to 
the  Driftwood  and  the  Kepublican  river  and  down  to  Arapahoe. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  latter  place  they  wanted  us  to  vote  on 
the  co\inty  seat  question,  but  we  did  not  as  we  w^ere  Beaver  City- 
ites.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Beaver  City  they  wanted  us  to  vote 
there.    • 

We  met  several  persons  who  were  after  us  to  locate,  but  I 
told  them  that  I  was  not  fully  satisfied.  Joe  Armstrong  told  me 
of  a  claim  that  had  been  filed  on  by  a  young  man  who  was  but  18 
years  old,  and  who  could  not  possil)ly  hold  it  until  he  was  21 
years  of  age,  and  that  Ed.  Ayers  would  show  me  the  corners. 
Mr.  Ayers  old  me  that  he  was  friendly  with  the  young  man 
and  his  parents  and  would  do  nothing,  but  for  me  to  see  Al.  Kins- 
man and  make  satisfactory  settlement  with  him,  as  he  w^as  the 
young  man  who  had  filed.  I  told  him  that  I  would  do  so  and  then 
he  showed  me  the  corners.  I  then  saw^  Mr.  Kinsman  and  bought 
his  improvements  and  good  will.  Soon  after  I  went  to  Lowell 
and  filed  on  my  several  claims,  and  then  returned  home. 

]My  time  to  make  settlement  on  my  claims  was  April  6,  1874, 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day  w^e  pulled  into  Beaver  City  in 
a  prairie  schooner  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules  with  most  of  our 
personal  effects.  When  I  had  seen  the  land  "the  fall  previous  it 
was  covered  with  a  coat  of  buff^alo  grass  and  an  occasional  patch 
of  blue  stem,  but  during  my  absence  it  had  been  burned  off,  and 
only  the  bare  and  blackened  soil  could  be  seen,  and  on  it  was  the 
crude  dugout  which  Al  Kinsman  had  constructed.  When  I 
viewed  our  future  home  and  realized  how  it  would  look  to  Mrs. 
Sumny,  who  had  never  seen  a  sod  or  a  dugout  until  we  had  come 
into  the  western  counties  of  the  state,  I  asked  her  if  we  should 
turn  around  and  go  back  to  civilization.  She  bravely  answered 
that  we  would  stay. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  45 

During  my  absence  the  wood  rats  had  collected  all  kinds  of 
sticks,  weeds,  and  grass  for  a  nest,  and  weeds  and  thrash  that  the 
wind  had  blown  into  the  dugout,  were  all  there,  so  it  was  partly 
filled  up.  Then  there  were  no  windows  or  doors,  and  none  near- 
er than  Lowell,  75  miles  away.  There  was  no  l)arn  or  shed  or 
well  or  spring  nearer  than  one-half  mile.  The  dugout  was  12x14, 
covered  with  willows  and  coarse  grass,  sod,  and  dirt.  The  floor 
was  also  made  of  dirt.  The  first  thing  that  I  did  was  to  unload 
our  effects,  which  were  not  many,  and  go  and  get  some  hay,  Avhieh 
I  obtained  from  J.  G.  Armstrong,  on  the  Beaver  Creek,  north  of 
our  claim.  As  soon  as  I  could  get  ready  I  went  to  Lowell  for 
some  household  goods,  which  I  had  shipped  there,  and  to  get 
]uml)er  for  a  door  and  sash  for  windows.  I  had  to  dig  a  hole  in 
the  bank  and  put  a  roof  over  it  for  a  shelter  for  the  mules.  I  al- 
so dug  a  well,  but  not  knowing  the  high  water  mark  in  the  draw 
where  our  improvements  were,  I  dug  it  too  low  down,  and  when 
the  floods  came  it  was  filled  up  and  made  useless.  I  soon  went  to 
farming,  and  by  the  last  of  June  had  some  corn  growing  fine  and 
]\Trs.  Sumny  had  a  nice  garden.  As  our  money  was  running  short. 
]  struck  out  for  Cass  county  to  find  work  during  harvest  and 
left  Mrs.  Sumny  to  look  after  the  crop.  She  had  to  fight  prairie 
dogs  to  save  the  corn.  Everything  went  along  pretty  well  until 
the  grasshoppers  came  in  great  swarms.  Mrs.  S.  thought  to  save 
ri  bed  of  onions  and  covered  it  with  bed  clothing,  but  as  the  grass- 
hoppers ate  off  the  clothing  too,  she  let  tliem  have  their  way  and 
everything  green  soon  disappeared.  AVhen  I  returned  there 
wasn't  enough  left  to  make  one  feed  for  the  team. 

The  patrons  of  the  school  which  I  first  taught  in  Cass  county 
urged  me  to  come  back  and  teach  the  school  that  I  taught  in  1872, 
and  T  told  them  that  if  T  had  any  crop  worth  while  that  T  could 
not  do  so.  When  T  returned  home  I  wrote  that  T  would  teach 
the  school. 

W.  B.  B,ass  and  his  son,  Frank,  came  back  with  uic  from 
Cass  county,  as  they  wanted  to  do  some  buffalo  hunting.  They 
had  an  ox  team  and  T  took  my  team.  We  started  up  the  Beaver 
and  when  we  came  to  Cedar  Bluffs  crossed  over  to  the  "Republican, 
and  up  that  stream  to  Arickaree  and  North  Fork,  where  we 
found  some  buffalo.  We  killed  thirty-five,  dried  a  wagon  load 
of  meat,  and  Mr.  Bass  pickled  a  barrel  of  the  meat.  We  dried  the 
hides  and  had  a  wagon  load  of  them,  which  we  sold  near  McCook 
for  nearly  $100. 


46  PIONEER  STORIES 

After  difigingr  our  potatoes,  Avhich  were  about  the  size  of 
walnuts,  and  burying  them,  and  g'etting  up  some  wood  for  our  use 
when  we  returned,  we  started  ])ac'k  east  in  our  prairie  schooner, 
tnldns:  a  lot  of  the  dried  l)uffalo  meat  to  chew  at  and  to  trade  at 
the  stores  on  the  way  for  groceries  and  other  things. 

I  must  now  relate  an  incident  that  happened  in  the  summer, 
that  I  h;ul  forgotten.  I  had  occasion  to  go  to  Mr.  Bass'  place  on 
an  errand.  Mr.  Bass  said  to  .Mrs.  S.  that  he  was  hungry  for  some 
fresh  meat,  and  she  said  tliat  we  were,  too.  He  gave  me  his 
needle  gun  and  told  me  to  look  out  for  an  antelope.  I  went 
home  and  went  to  breaking  prairie  near  the  house,  and  T 
noticed  the  mules  prick  uj)  their  ears  as  they  did  when  they 
scented  any  kind  of  a  wild  animal.  I  looked  around  in  the  south 
about  a  mile  away  I  saw  an  antelope.  T  tied  the  mules  to  the 
wagon,  got  the  gun,  and  started  toward  the  antelope  and  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  it.  I  then  went  to  Bass  with  part  of  it,  but  he 
said  he  had  just  killed  one  on  the  north  divide  and  had  taken  part 
of  it  to  M.  M.  Sturdevant.  and  told  me  to  take  mine  to  the  Ayers 
family,  which  I  did. 

"\Ve  returned  to  our  homestead  at  the  end  of  six  months  with 
provisions,  seed,  and  feed,  and  commenced  putting  in  a  crop  and 
breaking  more  prairie.  AYhen  the  corn  was  knee  high  the  grass- 
hoppers began  to  light  down  and  get  busy,  and  I  could  see  a  stalk 
now  and  then  topple  over  as  it  was  cut  off  by  the  hoppers.  I 
drove  to  the  house  and  told  Mrs.  S.  that  we  Avould  go  over  to 
O^apens'  for  a  visit,  which  we  did.  We  went  tishing  and  hunting. 
AA^hile  there  we  went  to  some  sort  of  a  gathering  and  there  met 
Dan  P.  West,  and  since  then  he  has  told  me  that  he  thought  ]\Irs. 
Sumny  and  T  were  the  slimmest  couple  that  he  had  ever  seen,  I  j 
weighed  then  about  140  pounds,  and  now  about  190.  We  returned 
home  in  a  day  or  two,  and  the  hoppers  had  gone  north  and  I 
went  to  plowing  the  corn  again.  As  soon  as  the  corn  was  laid  i 
by  T  started  east  again,  Ed  Allender  going  with  me.  to  find  w^ork 
during  harvest  again,  which  we  did  in  Seward  county.  The  hop- 
pers came  again  in  August,  but  soon  left  and  the  corn  was  good.  | 
T  went  east  again  in  1876  to  harvest,  and  John  T.  Bro■v^m  went ' 
with  me.  and  we  worked  together.  This  year  I  had  some  wheat 
which  T.  E.  Ayers  cut  on  the  shares.  ]\Trs.  Sumny  wrote  me  to 
come  home  as  we  had  a  splendid  show  for  corn.  But  the  next 
mail  brought  the  Avord  that  the  grasshoppers  had  come  in  greater 
numbers  than  ever,  and  for  me  to  stay  as  long  as  I  could   get 


FURNAS  COUNT.,  47 

work.  I  returned  in  a  short  time  and  found  the  corn  crop  de- 
stroyed, hut  the  small  grain  had  been  cut  and  was  in  the  stack  be- 
fore the  pests  came. 

Now  another  trouble  met  me.  We  had  (|uite  a  nice  lot  of 
hogs  and  no  corn  to  feed  them.  T.  E.  Ayers  and  1  started  east 
peddling  hogs,  trading  them  for  corn  or  anything  tliat  we  needed. 
I  traded  one  at  Riverton  to  a  hardware  man  for  a  dishpan.  "We 
finally  got  rid  of  our  hogs  at  White  Rock,  Kans.,  and  loaded  up 
with  corn  and  returned  home.  We  began  to  raise  better  crops  and 
T  could  stay  at  home.  T  was  elected  county  judge,  much  against 
my  will,  and  employed  to  teach  the  Beaver  City  scliool.  acting  as 
judge  during  the  noon  hour  and  during  the  evening  and  farming 
when  school  closed.  T  found  that  there  was  not  enough  to  pay 
to  justify  me  continuing  as  judge  and  at  the  end  of  a  year  T  re- 
signed in  favor  of  Captain  BroAvn,  who  had  run  against  me.  Tie 
lived  in  town  and  wanted  the  office.  I  was  then  nominated  for 
county  commissioner  and  was  elected.  This  did  not  interfere 
much   with   farming. 

The  year  1879  was  a  good  crop  year,  but  we  had  hard  work 
to  save  the  grain  as  it  was  so  wet.  That  fall  Crutcher  &  Jones 
prevailed  upon  me  to  go  into  their  store  as  salesman,  and  T  re- 
mained with  them  for  nearly  five  years.  I  was  then  appointed 
deputy  county  clerk  by  Wm.  Howard  Phelps  and  later  by  C.  E. 
Pierce.  At  the  close  of  the  term  of  Mr.  Pierce,  T  was  elected 
cierk  of  the  district  court. 

T  must  tell  a  good  joke  on  my  friend.  J.  TT.  McKee.  ]\Tany 
would  remark  that  this  would  be  a.  great  country  if  we  only  had 
a  little  more  rain,  and  Mr.  McKee  had  a  fixed  habit  of  it.  TTe 
was  visiting  with  -T.  A.  Gibson  at  Wilsonvillc,  who  lived  in  a 
sod  house,  and  in  the  night  there  was  a  licavy  rain  and  tbc  water 
came  into  the  house  and  the  folks  got  onto  the  tables  and  chairs 
to  get  above  it.  While  perched  there  Mr.  McKee  remarked  ^bat 
'this  would  l)e  a  fine  country  if  we  had  a  little  more  rain." 

As  we  had  no  pasture  fenced,  we  generally  staked  the  mules 
out  in  the  draw  near  the  house.  One  night  there  was  a  hea'v'y 
rain,  and  IMrs.  Sumny  heard  the  water  roaring  and  looking  out 
she  could  see  when  there  Avas  a  flash  of  lightning  that  the  mules 
were  at  the  end  of  their  rope  and  trying  to  get  to  higher  ground, 
r  had  to  get  up  and  go  out  and  swim  out  to  them  as  they  Avere 
pn  the  farther  side  of  the  draAv.     There  had  been  hail  and  the 


48  PIONEER  STORIES 

\\i\\rv  was  so  cold  T  could  hardly  s^viin  back  again.     Stock  Wi 
lost  in  this  -vvay  occasionally. 

I  must  relate  an  incident  that  happened  Avhen  I  was  ask( 
to  teach  tlie  Heaver  City  scliool.  1  went  over  to  T.  K.  Clark' 
who  was  tlien  county  superintendent,  to  be  examined.  I  show( 
him  my  certificate  from  Cass  county  and  asked  to  be  examine 
He  said  we  would  have  dinner  first.  After  dinner  I  asked  hi 
again,  and  lie  said  it  would  be  more  like  me  examining  him.  I 
he  got  out  his  eertiticates  and  issued  me  one  without  further  e 
.imination. 

I  Avant  to  say  in  conclusion  that  there  were  many  more  i 
cidents  that  would  be  of  interest,  as  there  were  many  funny  tliiii; 
that   happened,   and   some   serious   things   as   well     Prairie   fit 
did  considerable  damage  and  caused  great  fright  for  some  poopj 
as  did  one  that  came  from  the  north  one  night.    They  say  that 
jumped  the  Republican.     We  backfired  from  the  Beaver,  ])ut 
jumped  the  creek  northeast  of  the  Freas  farm.     Some      of 
hastened  to  see  how  Mrs.  Freas  had  fared.    She  said  that  she  h 
taken  her  family  to  the  center  of  a  piece  of  ground  that  h 
been  plowed,  and  prayed  that  they  might  not  perish,   and  h 
escaped  unharmed. 

We  had  many  good  neighbors  and  friends,  and  often  h 
good  times  visiting  each  other.  T  have  already  written  more  th 
T  fear  will  be  published.  T  hope  to  meet  those  who  still  rem} 
of  the  old  settlers  the  coming  summer,  l)ut  will  feel  sad  to  i 
some  vacant  seats  in  the  church,  lodge,  and  post. 

T  am  cordiallv  vour  friend, 

J.  T.  SUMNY 
Los  Angeles,  Cal 


1 


FURNAS  COUNTY  49 


CHAPTER    IX 

C.  F.  Wheeler  Admits  Coming  Too  Late  for  Buifalo,  but  in  Time 
to  Resort  to  Rabbit  Tracks  for  Grub. 

Paonia,  Colo.,  January  20,  1913. — Editor  Times-Tribune, 
Beaver  City,  Nebr. — Some  time  ago  you  asked  if  I  would  write 
you  something  in  regard  to  early  days  in  Nebraska,  and  I  pre- 
sumed that  you  did  not  understand  that  my  Nebraska  experience 
only  began  in  1878.  The  entire  Sappa  valley  was  settled  when 
I  arrived  at  Precept  postoffice,  kept  by  H.  H".  Clason,  who  had  been 
a  resident  for  three  or  four  years  prior  to  my  time.  If  you 
would  divide  Furnas  county  history  into  chapters  it  might  be 
possible  for  me  to  give  a  few  pointers  on  later  events 

Like  J.  N.  Hadley,  I  located  in  Furnas  county  by  accident 
rather  than  by  design.  As  a  boy,  my  health  was  very  poor,  and 
mother  considered  that  it  would  be  better  for  me  to  leave  school 
and  try  a  change  of  climate.  A  friend  of  ours,  Horace  G.  Clason, 
suggested  that  we  make  a  trip  to  Nebraska,  and  that  he  would  go 
along  as  his  people  lived  somewhere  out  there.  Clason  had  a 
team  and  mother  and  I  fixed  up  a  team,  new  wagon,  and  cam})ing 
outfit.  We  were  to  start  from  Freeborn  ,Minn.,  on  a  certain  Mon- 
day morning,  but  as  fate  would  have  it,  we  met  George  Scott,  a 
boyhood  friend,  and  he  wanted  to  join  the  party  if  we  would 
only  wait  a  few  days.  Of  course  we  waited,  and  I  have  never  re- 
gretted our  action,  as  in  him  I  found  one  of  life's  best  friends — 
true,  honest  and  forgiving.  You  may  rest  assured  that  we  three 
boys  picked  up  all  the  fun  that  was  left  along  the  road  by  others. 

We  arrived  in  Council  Bluffs  one  day  in  September,  and  in 
looking  over  the  town  we  ran  across  an  immigrant  outfit  witjh 
fourteen  wagons,  all  headed  for  Furnas  county.  They  were  go- 
ing to  cross  the  Missouri  river  to  Omaha  that  day,  and  we  decided 
to  go  with  them.  The  crossing  was  made  on  cars  at  tliat  time. 
The  transfer  cars  were  like  ordinary  box  cars,  perhaps  higher, 
with  the  ends  removed.  You  drove  into  the  end  of  the  car,  the 
lead  team  going  through  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  train.    Heavy 


50 


'    PIONEER  STORIES 


chains  were  arrangi'd  so  that  the  wagons  were  chained  fast  to 
the  tioor,  so  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  unhitch  the  teams.  The 
women  and  chihlren  remained  in  the  w'agons,  and  the  vacant 
space  in  the  cars  was  tilled  with  loose  horses  and  cattle.  At  the 
west  end  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  unhook  the  chains  and 
drive  out. 

Clason  liad  left  IMinnesota  with  a  soft  place  under  the  left 
lapel  of  his  coat,  and  Scott  had  taken  advantage  of  the  fact  and 

had  painted  on  Clason 's  wa- 
gon cover  in  large  letters, 
"What  is  Home  Without  a 
I\Iother-in-law?"  Some  cub 
reporter  on  the  Omaha  Bee 
got  his  eyes  on  this  work  of 
art,  and  the  Omaha  Bee 
g-ave  us  a  write-up. 

We  camped  that  night 
four  or  five  miles  east  of 
Fremont.  Along  in  the 
night  sometime,  came  up  one 
of  those  storms  that  is  a  con- 
gjlomeration  of  wind,  k^ain, 
hail,  lightning  and  more 
wind,  and  you  can  talk  about 
moving  picture  shoAvs  of  lat- 
er date,  but  we  had  one  that 
night  that  had  some  action 
to  it.  Tents  were  blown 
down,  wagon  covers  blown 
away.  Men,  women  and  children  were  hunting  cover  luider  the 
wagons,  many  without  enough  clothing  for  a  bathing  suit  for 
a  ])umble  bee.  Geo.  Scott  was  a  very  bashful  young  man,  and 
he  blushed  so  hard  at  the  sights  revealed  when  the  lightning 
flashed  that  his  hair  turned  red  and  it  remained  that  color  until 
time  whitened  it.  We  left  those  people  the  next  morning,  and  in 
twenty-four  years'  residence  in  Furnas  county  I  never  found  a 
man,  woman  or  child  who  would  admit  that  he  was  one 
of  that  party,  and  T  am  thinking  that  tlu^y  turned  back  and  fol- 
lowed their  clothing  ])ack  to  Iowa. 

We  took  our  leisure  and  arrived  at  Hastings  about  Octol)er  5, 
and  just  west  of  there  we  overtook  Frank  Gapen,  who  was  ill  and 


4 

k. 

f 
1 
1 

MHt&lllllM  illf  ■■■■Miiiainrttn 

* 

* 

if 

\ 

2^' 

1 

The  Wheelers  in  Colorado 


FURNAS  COUNTY  51 

on  his  way  home.  He  had  lived  in  the  Sappa  Valley  for  several 
years,  and  being  well  posted  on  life  in  the  west,  he  explained  to 
us  the  meaning-  of  "draws,"  "buffalo  hollows,"  "two-bits"  and 
a  few  other  expressions  that  had  been  causing  us  some  mental 
trouble. 

Just  north  of  AValker's  ranch  we  came  up  with  a  covered 
wagon  and  found  those  in  charge  to  be  a  man  and  wife  and  their 
two  children.  AVe  camped  with  them  during  the  noon  recess,  and 
discovered  our  first  prickly  pears.  Gapen  insisted  that  the  pears 
■were  good  to  eat,  I  expressed  some  doubt.  Scott  and  Gapen  re- 
mained non-committal,  but  the  stranger  was  of  an  inquisitive  dis- 
position, and  after  removing  the  long  needles  from  the  pear,  he 
took  a  mouthful  of  the  delicious  fruit.  It  would  not  be  possible 
to  state  in  numbers  the  quantity  of  small  needles  remaining  in  his 
mouth  and  tongue,  but  as  William  Pruitt,  an  old  buffalo  hunter 
of  Furnas  county  used  to  speak  of  great  numbers,  there  were 
'dead  oodles  of  um."  To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  after  the 
man  got  through  trying  to  spit  them  out,  he  clawed  awhile  with 
his  hands  and  then  put  his  feet  in  his  mouth  and  tried  to  kick 
them  out.  When  W(^  left  liim  he  was  down  on  his  hack  and  the 
lady  was  working  on  him  with  a  sewing  needle,  a  pocket  knife 
and  a  monkey  wrench. 

A-S  we  neared  Orleans,  the  wind  came  up  strong  from  the 
north,  and  the  northwest  sky  showed  a  heavy  smoke.  Gapen  re- 
marked thet  we  might  be  compelled  to  seek  shelter  from  a  prairie 
fire,  but  I  could  see  no  danger  from  fire  in  that  short  2"rass.  It 
came  on  all  at  once,  it  seemed  to  me,  and  was  perhaps  half  a  mile 
from  us  when  we  came  to  a.  field  of  fall  ploAving,  and  we  could 
see  a  homesteader's  improvements  on  the  west  side  of  the  field 
with  fix  or  eight  large  grain  stacks  north  of  the  buildings.  AVe 
left  mother  and  the  teams  in  the  center  of  the  field  and  hastened 
TO  help  save  the  property.  The  only  person  on  the  place  was  a 
little  girl,  about  12  or  13,  and  she  was  drawing  water  from  a  well 
over  100  feet  dee])  with  two  buckets  hung  over  a  pulley  She  in- 
formed us  that  there  were  fourteen  head  of  fat  hogs  in  the  pens 
vfhich  were  located  south  of  the  grain  stacks,  which  were  by  this 
time  in  flames.  Scott  and  Clason  pulled  the  pens  down  .drove 
the  hogs  out  and  then  hunted  for  a  cooler  place.  A\'e  did  not 
know  hog  nature  then  as  well  as  we  do  at  present,  or  we  might 
have  headed  them  onto  the  plowing,  but  as  it  happened  Ave  let 
them  have  their  Avay  and  they  Avent  back  into  the  pens  and  were 


52  PIONEER  STORIES 

burned  up.     We  saved  the  house  and  granary,  and  as  we  drove 
Jiway  the  litle  girl  was  siting  on  the  ground,  resting  her  arms  and      j 
head  on  her  knees  s()])bing  her  heart  out.     If  I  were  an  artist  I 
Avouhl  draw  a  picture  of  th(>  scene  as  \  liave  it  in  my  mind  and 
name  it  "Desolation."  ! 

That  night  we  reached  Orleans  and  found  the  town  filled  with 
people  who  were  running  away  from  the  Indians.  ft  seemed 
that  the  Indians  had  commited  some  murders  on  the  head  creeks 
as  they  were  passing  north  to  Dakota.  While  so  many  people 
were  fleeing  east  the  Indians  were  making  tiie  best  time  possible 
for  the  north.  Scott  and  I  were  quite  determined  to  go  on  to 
Colorado,  but  mother  did  not  like  the  idea  of  going  on  farther 
west,  so  on  October  11,  1878,  we  located  on  the  Sappa  at  the  Pre- 
cept postofjfice.  Scott  and  I  made  arrangements  to  put  in  a  store, 
and  returned  to  Kearney  for  lumber  to  put  up  the  building,  and 
were  hauling  lumber  and  merchandise  off  and  on  all  winter  It 
Avas  on  one  of  these  trips  that  I  met  my  first — and  last — wife.  She 
had  been  a  resident  of  the  Sappa  valley  for  eight  or  nine  years 
at  that  time,  and  I  have  often  told  her  that  eating  so  much  jerked 
buffelo  meat  is  what  made  her  hair  curl  and  gave  her  such  a  dark 
complexion.  She  admits  that  buffalo  steak  was  the  steady  diet 
and  often  speaks  of  one  hunt  taken  with  her  father  when  he 
killed  a  buffalo  just  north  of  where  Beaver  City  now  stands.  Iler 
father,  A.  C.  Robbins,  told  me  in  after  years  that  he  h'ad  the  place 
marked  in  his  memory,  because  he  could  call  to  mind  looking 
south  and  west  and  seeing  the  cMy  bluffs  near  which  the  Lashley 
Mills  Avere  afterward  l)uilt.  This  must  have  been  in  1870  or  1871. 
The  lady  does  not  care  to  give  the  date  as  it  might  disclose  her 
age. 

You  well  knoAV  that  there  is  a  time  each  year  when  we  are 
between  hay  and  grass,  and  it  is  always  a  trying  period  with 
stockmen.  I  came  to  Furnas  county  when  the  people  were  be- 
tween l)ufTalo  and  beef.  Up  to  that  time  in  my  life  I  had  a  strong 
dislike  [or  fat  pork  or  bacon,  and  I  got  so  hungry  for  beef  that 
I  could  kisp  the  cow  every  time  I  went  out  to  do  the  milking. 
It  might  be  called  the  riabbit  period  in  Furnas  county's  history. 
Jackra])bits  were  very  plentiful  and  fences  were  few,  so  that 
a  greyhound  was  good  ];rop(rly.  Yonr  sijiudard  of  citizenship 
Avas  n.casured  ;:.-.-or(iir!g  f)  the  speed  of  your  dog.  C.  E.  V. 
Smith  owned  Ihe  fastest  hound  living,  with  Dan  West's  string 
coming  a  close  .second.     Smith's  dog  was  black  in  color,     and 


FURNAS  COUNTY  53 

when  she  started  a  rabbit  if  you  looked  straight  in  the  direction 
she  had  taken,  fixing  }  tmr  eye  on  the  horizon,  it  would  appear 
that  soine  one  had  drawn  a  black  line  clear  back  to  the  starting 
place.  Some  of  the  boys  used  to  say  that  this  hound  would 
sometiincs  j^o  over  the  hill  and  catch  the  rabbit  on  her  way  back. 
Of  course  I  don't  vouch  for  these  stories.  You  know^  Jay  Clason 
and  Ben  Keed  as  well  as  I  do.  But  I  do  know  that  Ed  Smith 
was  one  of  the  high  livers,  while  I  had  to  satisfy  myself  with  eat- 
ing rabbit  tracks  while  they  were  hot  and  fresh. 

My  first  visit  to  Beaver  City  was  made  one  cold  day  in 
October,  and  the  only  person  whom  I  met  that  day  to  remember 
in  after  years  was  ]M.  R.  Iladley.  Of  course  it  was  only  a  few 
months  until  I  knew  all  of  the  business  men,  as  we  got  acquain- 
ted easily  in  those  days.  As  I  call  it  to  mind,  E.  D.  Jones  has 
grown  considerable  since  that  time.  He  could  have  hid  behind 
a  lead  pencil  when  I  first  met  him,  and  of  my  last  meeting  with 
him  here  in  Colorado  it  would  have  required  a  brick  block  to 
conceal  him  from  view. 

There  were  many  strange  things  to  me,  one  of  which  was  a 
herd  of  long  horns  being  fed  by  N  M.  Ayers  on  hopes  and  per- 
haps. These  were  the  first  Texas  cattle  I  had  ever  seen,  and 
they  were  a  great  curiosity  to  me,  and  they  came  up  to  recom- 
mendations. 

Another  of  the  strange  sights  was  the  large  quantity  of  bones 
one  saw  collected  for  shipment  at  the  railroad  stations.  Coming 
out  from  Kearney  one  would  meet  team  after  team  loaded  to  the 
limit  with  bones.  Most  of  the  wagons  had  two  extra  sideboards, 
and  the  wliite  bones  would  show  up  a  long  distance  before  you 
would  meet  the  teams.  I  was  told  that  the  bones  were  shipped 
east  and  ground  into  fertilizer.  What  a  testimony  to  the  slaugh- 
er  and  natural  death  toll  that  must  have  taken  place  on  the 
prairie.  Every  time  that  I  saw  one  of  those  white  skulls  I  used 
to  speculate  to  myself  as  to  its  history  and  wonder  how  it  met 
death.  AVhat  a  history  was  hidden  there  if  we  could  only  have 
read  it.  It  would  have  told  of  cold  and  lieat;  storms  and  sun- 
shine ;  plenty  and  famine ;  floods  and  drouth ;  battles  for  life 
when  starvation  had  made  flight  impossible  If  one  had  known 
enough  to  have  inaugurated  the  breakfast  food  fad  at  that  time 
and  used  bone  dust  for  a  foundation,  what  a  fortime  he  could 
have  made  and  what  a  field  for  the  ad  writer. 


54  PIONEER  STORIES 

One  of  the  sad  features  of  the  early  days  was  the  death  toll 
aiuony  children.  The  spring  of  79  witnessed  a  terrible  run  of 
diphtheria  and  many  deaths  resulted.  Galand  Northup  lost  all  his 
children,  and  he  and  his  wife  returned  to  their  old  home  in  the 
east,  and  their  recollections  of  pioneer  life  must  be  sad  indeed. 
When  I  think  of  these  cases  1  feel  thankful  that  I  have  nothing 
of  that  kind  to  mar  our  recollections  of  the  past. 

In  looking  back  over  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  in 
Furnas  county  during  the  thirty-four  years  that  I  have  known 
the  country,  I  wonder  if  the  theory  of  theosophy  is  not  true,  and 
and  that  we  are  living  in  another  life.  Note  the  cbanges  from 
Timothy  Hedges'  oxen  to  the  automobile.  And  the  old  mixed 
train  and  your  through  passenger,  that  comes  and  goes  the  same 
"day.  1  used  to  wonder  that  my  wife  didn't  get  a  divorce  on  the 
grounds  of  desertion  while  I  was  going  around  to  Oxford  and 
return.  But  then  the  Burlington  made  it  up  on  the  main  line. 
I  think  that  it  was  W.  T.  Ager  who  told  me  about  an  incident 
that  happened  on  the  main  line.  Some  fellow  grabbed  a  purse 
from  a  by-stander  at  the  Oxford  depot  land  boarded  the  flyer 
just  as  it  started  west.  The  thief  was  arrested  at  McCook  ten 
minutes  before  the  crime  was  committed.  W.  T.  thought  that  the 
Burlington  and  Justice  were  working  hand  in  hand,  until  he 
learned  that  Fults  made  the  jury  ])elieve  that  the  prisoner  had  a 
perfectly  good  alibi. 

It  used  to  be  that  if  you  had  a  pop  jury  and  a  republican  de- 
fendant, or  vice  versa,  that  you  could  almost  guess  on  the  ver- 
dict with  a  hope  of  finding  it. 

And  what  a  change  in  your  political  field.  The  white  and 
yellow  have  again  blended  with  J.  W.  in  the  state  house,  and  W. 
J.  in  the  cabinet.  Norris  wins  his  way  to  the  U.  S.  Senate  by 
cut-popping  the  pops,  and  old  Nebraska  has  the  initiative  and 
referendum,  when  but  a  few  years  ago  they  hooted  John  0. 
Yeiser,  its  lone  advocate,  wherever  he  attempted  to  mention  the 
subject.  And  it  is  true  that  you  are  to  have  an  election  but  once 
in  two  years?  Such  is  life  in  Colorado,  and  it  is  very  tame.  Dur- 
ing two  years  of  idleness  we  often  forget  our  own  party  affilia- 
tions, but  having  woman's  suffrage  we  get  back  nearly  right,  be- 
cause you  can  depend  upon  the  wife  to  remember  when  the  kids 
had  the  measles  and  how  you  claimed  to  have  voted  at  the  last 
election.  Colorado  always  elects  a  fine  looking  bunch  of  officials. 
The  men  vote  solid  for  the  handsomest  lady  candidate,  and  the 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


55 


ladies  for  the  best  dressed  and  best  looking  man  on  the  ticket. 
The  ladies  make  more  distinction  as  to  dress  than  Ave  men  do. 
One  or  two  progressives  just  missed  an  election  by  wearing  the 
wrong  colored  ties.  Some  of  the  ladies  mistook  them  for  repub- 
licans. I  see  that  I  am  getting  back  to  the  present,  so  T  had  bet- 
ter close  this  letter. 

As  to  my  life  in  Furnas,  I  don't  think  I  would  make  many 
changes  if  I  had  to  live  it  over.  The  friendships  formed  there 
were  more  than  any  hardships  or  discomforts  that  I  may  have 
met,  and  my  only  hope  that  is  that  I  may  live  to  repay  some  of 
the  kindnesses  I  have  received  at  the  hands  of  my  Nebraska 
friends. 

C.  F.  WHEELER. 


W^Kft^OOfi'^' 


'X^OO*«uO'^***«AS'W'  ■^       j«Ov'<^fcifc«*uw> 


Old  House  Home  of  Frank  Brouhard  and  Family 


56  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    X 

Mrs.  0.  A.  Harvey  Relates  Experiences  in  Her  Pioneer  Days  ofi 

Thirty-five  Years  Ago 

Beaver  City,  Nebr.,  January  30. — Editor  Times-Tribime. — 
Among  the  first  settlers  in  Furnas  county  were  the  Wilsons,  from 
whom  AVilsonville  derived  its  name.  The  brothers  engaged  in 
stock  raising  and  merchandise,  the  goods  being  hauled  from 
Plum  Creek  and  Kearney.  In  1878  Carlos  Wilson  returned  to 
his  home  at  Hlopkinsville,  Iowa,  to  visit  his  parents.  Being  in- 
timate friends  of  the  Wilsons,  we  were  invited  to  spend  a  day 
with  them,  and  were  highly  entertained  by  the  adventures  and 
possibilities  of  Furnas  county  and  especially  Wilsonville  and 
Beaver  City.  Mr.  Harvey  caught  the  fever  to  go  West,  and  in 
October  1878,  he  left  us  for  AVilsonville,  and  was  soon  busy  at 
his  trade,  which  was  blacksmithing.  Believing  that  Beaver  City 
was  a  more  desirable  place,  he  moved  the  next  spring  and  opened 
the  first  blacksmith  shop  here,  Charles  Laub  being  his  first  cus- 
tomer. Each  letter  I  received  from  him  contained  encouragement 
to  come  to  this  new  country,  and  the  thought  of  160  acres  of  land, 
all  our  own,  made  me  willing  to  come.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
made  a  deal  with  J.  H.  McKee  for  30  acres  on  the  east  side  of 
his  quarter  section  in  exchange  for  our  home  in  Ilopkinsville, 
Iowa.  A  new  frame  house  had  been  built  on  this,  and  is  now  a 
part  of  the  house  owned  by  Mr.  Crommett.  It  with  an  addition 
that  was  built  later  was  our  home  for  many  years. 

The  next  June,  with  my  three  little  girls,  I  started  for  this 
new  home,  Mr.  Harvey  meeting  us  in  Kearney.  He  had  hired 
a  team  from  June  Denham  to  bring  us  and  our  trunks  and  some 
l)edding.  At  the  foot  of  the  first  steep  hill  the  horses  refused  to 
pull,  and  all  of  the  Avhipping  and  co'axing  would  not  make  them, 
so  we  unhitched.  1  led  the  horses  and  Eugene  rolled  the  boxes 
and  trunks  up  the  hill.  This  performance  we  repeated  several 
times  in  the  journey.  Night  brought  us  to  a  sod  farm  house 
where  we  obtained  shelter  but  no  bed.     So,  throwing  down  some 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


57 


bedding  on  the  floor,  we  hoped  to  find  sleep  and  rest.  But  oh, 
oh,  we  soon  had  so  much  company  that  we  had  to  sit  up  and  hold 
the  children  in  our  arms  until  morning.  This  was  my  first  night 
in  Nebraska.  The  next  day,  just  in  time  to  witness  a  prairie  sim- 
set  with  tints  of  blue  and  gold,  casting  its  reflection  over  the 
valley,  we  arrived  in  Beaver  City,  and  I  saw  my  new  home.  I 
was  favorably  impressed.  ^Ir.  Ilarvey  found  plenty  of  work. 
There  was  more  rain  than  usual  and  everything  seemed  pros- 
peroois. 

We  founded  a  Sunday 
school.  T.  M.  Williams  was 
superintendent  and  Mr. 
Bushnell  preached.  AVe 
took  our  organ  to  the  little 
church  which  was  played  by 
]\larie  Harvey,  and  ]\Irs.  Gar- 
linghouse  leading  the  sing- 
ing. We  had  a  good  Sun- 
day school  and  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  the  future  church. 
When  we  all  seemed 
well,  prosperous,  and  happy, 
a  woman  died  in  Kearney, 
leaving  a  child.  Some 
friend  brought  the  little  one 
here,  and  it  sickened  and 
died  with  diphtheria.  From 
that  time  the  disease  spread, 
and  the  next  few  months 
was  a  time  of  sorrow.  ]\[any 
homes  were  bereft  of  their 
loved  ones.  Who  shall  ques- 
tion Grod's  wisdom,  power  or 
to  know  why  it  seemeth  good 


A.  HARVEY 


^^  ■£- '- .;  f 


plan,  but  the  human  heart  longs 
to  deal  with  us  this  way. 

In  this  new  country  we  found  friends.  Mr.  Danforth,  meet- 
ing Eugene  one  morning  asked  after  our  financial  condition. 
He  offered  us  the  means  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  sickness  and 
deaths  that  had  so  suddenly  come  to  us  and  taken  our  two  girls. 
It  was  several  months  before  we  could  pay  it  back. 

One  morning  after  Christmas,  the  giving  of  a  doll  to  a  little 


58 


PIONEER  STORIES 


THE  LATE  EUGENE  W.  HARVEY 


oii-1   who  said   they   \vor('  so  pool"  Santa  Clans  did   not  come  to 
their  house,  will  never  he  forgotten  of  Jesse  N.  Hadley. 

The  first  teachers'  institute  in  the  county,  was  held  at 
Beaver  City,  E.  N.  Allen  and  Miss  Nellie  Kankin  being  instruc- 
tors. There  were  twelve  teachers  in  attendance,  and  all  boarded 
with  me,  paying  -1^1. 5U  per  week.  Again  the  organ  came  into 
play  to  help  in  the  exercises. 

Our    homestead    is    now 
owned  by  Henry  Hester,  and 

1  had  there  my  first  exper- 
ience of  living  in  a  sod 
house.  Its  walls  were  plas- 
tered and  it  had  a  good  floor. 
The  crops  being  a  failure 
that  year,  I  took  up  my 
trade  with  a  needle,  walking 

2  miles,  cutting  out  my 
work,  taking  it  home  and 
finishing  it  and  often  return-  ! 
ing  it.  This  I  did  for  two  i 
years  and  took  anything  | 
that  we  could  ©at,  drink  or  I 
w^ear  for  pay — except  alfal-  I 
fa.  This  came  later  by  pro- 
gressive farming. 

The  first  school  in  the 
district  was  taught  by  Miss 
Samantha  Whities,  in  my 
sod  house.  My  breadboard, 
after  being  painted  black, 
was  used  for  a  blackboard,  and  AVm.  Robinson's  older  children 
received  their  first  lessons  in  mathematics  therefrom. 

There  was  a  large  immigration  of  people  to  this  country  about 
that  time.  Some  of  our  best  citizens  came.  Among  them  were 
the  Careys,  Ehrnmans,  Hicks,  Stubbs,  Strattons,  Inmans,  and 
many  others,  who  have  lived  here  and  raised  families,  who  have 
graduated  from  our  city  schools,  and  are  holding  good  posi- 
tions.    They  are  Furnas  county  products,  and  we  are  proud  of 

them.  -' jj 

Among  those  who  came  to  us  at  a  later  day  was  the  editor 

of  the  Times-Tribune,  who  has  spared  no  pains  to  keep  us  in  touch 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


59 


with  all  that  was  good  and  little  that  was  bad.  And  his  father 
and  mother  who  have  been  a  help  and  an  inspiration  to  all  of  the 
good  enterprises  of  the  city. 

As  I  look  back,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  has  been  a  great 
army  moving  steadily  to  the  cemetery.  There  have  been  many 
changes.  AVhere  the  sod  house  now  stood,  now  can  be  seen  good 
substantial  farm  houses,  and  where  the  buffalo  roamed,  feeding 
on  wild  grass,  the  lovely  alfalfa  fields  bloom  in  season. 

I  never  had  any  experiences  with  snakes,  and  I  never  saw 
but  one  buft'alo,  and  that  was  M.  R.  Hadley's  tame  one.  My  In- 
dian scare  was  when  the  cellar  filled  with  water  and  the  loose 
boards  and  canned  fruit  bumped  against  the  floor. 

As  memory  links  us  to  the  past,  so  hope  binds  us  to  the  fu- 
ture. Our  trials  and  hardships  have  made  us  more  thoughtful, 
kind  and  tender.  The  experience  of  the  past  and  the  hope  of  the 
future  are  the  strong  pinions  by  which  every  life  is  up  bourne  to- 
ward the  goal  of  its  ambition. 

]\Iany  kind  regards  to  all  who  have  helped  to  make  the 
crreater  Beaver  City. 

MES.  0.  A.  HARVEY. 


Lashley  Mill  Pond  Near  Beaver  City 


60 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XI 


John  Keiser  Came  in  1872  and  Has  Seen  the    Beaver    Valltey's' 
Growth— and  Has  Been  a  Factor  Therein 

It  is  said  by  those  who  have  studied  the  question  that  the 
early  settlers  in  a  country  have  the  moulding  of  the  character  of 
that  country  in  their  hands.  That  generations  after,  a  stranger 
could  go  into  a  locality  and  there  read  the  responsibility  of  the 

men  and  women  who  had  budd- 
ed their  homes  and  cultivated 
the  soil  of  that  place. 

We  question  if  there  is  an- 
other locality  in  all  the  mid-west 
where  people  are  so  knit  to- 
gether in  all  the  truer,  deeper 
elements  of  life  than  are  those 
of  Furnas  county.  Friend- 
ships count  above  money-kind- 
ness to  fellow  way-farers  is 
prized  more  than  earthly  ad- 
vantage. 

If  it  be  true,  and  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  it,  that  this 
present  brotherhood  spirit  is 
but  the  fruiting  of  the  early 
seed  planted  in  Furnas  county, 
then  we  shall  give  a  large  por- 
tion of  our  thankfulness  to 
those  early  sowers  who  distri- 
buted the  seed  unstintingly  in 

JOHN  KEISER  *^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  °^  Furnas  county 

and  among  those  who  scattered 
his  priceless  heritage  of  wealth  there  is  none  who  was  so  lavish  as 
John  Keiser,  one  of  the  very  first  upon  the  new  soil  and  one  who 


FURNAS  COUNTY  61 

has  been  faithful  to  all  that  is  for  the  good  and  the  uplift  of  the 
county  durino;  all  the  years  since.  He  alone,  of  all  the  early  pio- 
neers, is  still  living  upon  the  original  homestead  and  has  continu- 
ously dwelt  there  since  first  he  staked  out  his  claim  in  the  early 
part  of  1872. 

Changes  have  come  to  the  country  in  the  way  of  develop- 
ment. The  Keiser  homestead  does  not  look  to  the  eye  as  it  must 
have  looked  forty-one  years  ago  but  still  there  is  the  same  spirit 
of  generous  hospitality,  the  same  "friendliness  to  man"  pervad- 
ing the  home,  and  will  continue  as  its  atmosphere  so  long  as  the 
true  and  staunch  homesteader  remains  to  bless  with  his  presence. 

In  company  with  W.  B.  Bishop  and  B.  F.  Whitney,  we  left 
Ashland.  Xel)r.,  for  the  Republican  valley  on  the  18th  day  of 
March.  1872.  Our  first  stop  was  at  the  U.  S.  land  office  at  Beat- 
rice, where  we  got  platts  of  town  2,  range  21,  and  town  2,  range 
22.  W  came  through  Jefferson  and  Thayer  counties,  crossing 
the  Little  Blue  river  at  Hebron,  and  came  into  the  Republican  val- 
ley some  distance  east  of  Guide  Rock. 

Sammie  Garber  had  a  grocery  store  at  Guide  Rock  and  there 
Avere  half  a  dozen  other  buildings,  all  made  of  sod.  on  the  toAra- 
site.  At  Riverton  there  was  an  abandoned  stockade,  the  settlers 
having  moved  onto  their  claims. 

Tom  Ashliy  had  a  small  grocery  store  where  Franklin  is  now 
located.  In  this  store  one  could  purchase  tobacco  or  a  limited 
variety  of  canned  goods,  and  in  the  back,  if  you  needed  it,  a  bar- 
rel of  "fire-water"  was  on  tap. 

McPherson  held  down  all  of  Republican  City,  and  there  was 
a  postoffice  located  about  half  way  between  where  Orleans  and 
Alma  are  now.  At  this  place  the  first  settlers  on  the  Beaver  and 
Sappa  received  their  mail. 

We  met  Eugene  Dolph  and  Galen  James  near  where  Orleans 
now  is,  and  James  said  if  Ave  came  over  on  the  Sappa  he  would 
ishow  us  a  fine  country. 

It  might  be  of  some  interest  to  some  readers  why  one  creek  is 
called  Rope  creek  and  one  Flag  creek.  Rope  creek  is  so  called 
because  the  first  immigrants  had  to  pull  their  wagons  up  the  steep 
banks  with  ropes,  and  Flag  creek  was  so  named  because  a  certain 
man  became  dissatisfied  Avith  the  Avay  things  Avere  done  at  the 
stockade  and  left  its  shelter  to  camp  doAA-n  on  the  creek,  AA'here  he 
raised  the  United  States  flag  above  his  camp  and  fired  a  salute 


62  PIONEER  STORIES 

every  mornino-  vo  let  the  settlers  know  tliat  he  was  still  alive,  even 
if  he  had  al)andone(l  the  protection  the  stockade  afforded. 

The  winter  of  '71  and  72  was  a  very  cold  winter.  It  froze  up 
early  in  November  with  i-ain  and  sleet  and  snow  on  the  ground 
several  inches  thick,  and  then  one  snow  came  after  another  lying 
on  the  ground  till  late  in  March. 

That  fall  there  were  about  2000  head  of  Texas  cattle  driven 
in  on  the  Kepublican  valley  between  Arapahoe  and  Red  Cloud 
and  in  the  spring  of  72  there  were  only  a  few  remnants  of  the 
herd  left,  the  rest  of  them  having  succumbed  to  cold  and  hun- 
ger. The  valley  was  white  with  gleaehing  bones  for  many  months 
afterward. 

We  passed  the  sod  stockade  where  Ayers  in  his  l)Ook  "Build- 
ing an  Empire,"  says  they  had  to  thin  the  bean  soup  the  second 
time  to  make  it  last  till  the  provisions  got  up  the  river. 


i 


Alfalfa  Field  in  Beaver  Valley  Where  Buffaloes  Formerly  Roamed 

We  crossed  the  Republican  river  above  the  mouth  of  upper 
Turkey  Creek.  There  were  no  fords  and  Whitney  questioned  the 
s-afety  of  crossing  but  I  told  him  I  would  wade  across  and  testj 
the  bottom  of  tho  river  for  (|nieksand  and  I  thought  there  would 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


63 


be  no  dang-er  if  he  followed  me.  In  writing  Pioneer  stories  for 
the  Times-Tnbnne  some  years  ago,  Whitney  said:  "Keiser  was 
a  unique  figure  in  piloting  us  through  the  river." 

We  crossed  the  divide  that  afternoon  and  camped  on  the 
Beaver  that  night.  The  next  morning  while  eating  breakfast,  Old 
Man  Sutherland  came  to  our  camp.  He  had  a  homestead  not  Far 
distant  and  had  seen  the  smoke  from  the  camp  fire  and  had  come 
to  investigate.  He  was  a  Scotchman,  sixty-two  years  old,  and 
the  most  courteous  old  fellow  one  could  find  in  any  of  the  old 
country  houses.  We  gave  him  a  big  cup  of  eofiPee  and  he  drank 
It  with  many  thanks  and  went  on  his  Avay  literally  rejoicing. 


ijiii;  'lull''''," 

iii'''W. 


my' 


"'^«„Mil)lll)»»);;>//A>^-i!K:iiii;)llli|fc>. 


Present  Home  of  John  Keiser 

In  due  time  we  found  Galen  James  and  commenced  run- 
ning out  section  lines  and  locating  our  claims.  James  had  been 
over  the  country  the  year  before  with  the  surveyors  and  knew 
the  land. 

The  second  noon  we  were  here  we  camped  near  where  the 


64  PIONEER  STORIES 

B   &  M  depot  iiuAV  stands  in  Beaver  City,  though  we  had  no  way 
of  forecasting  the  future  destiny  ..f  th<"  spot  Avhere  we  ate  our 

noondav  meal.  ^  -, 

We  went  back  down  the  vaHey  that  afternoon  and  camped 
for  the  night  on  the  SutheHand  claim,  where  Sim  Woodruff  now 
lives  We  went  to  the  forks  of  the  Beaver  and  Sappa  the  next 
day  'and  re-located  our  claims.  At  this  time  there  were  on  y 
th^ee  claims  taken  on  Beaver  Creek.  C4alen  James  had  the  nortlli- 
east  of  23,  Eugene  Dolph,  northwest  of  13,  and  the  Sutherland 
claim,  now  owned  by  Sim  Woodruff.  _ 

Mr.  Bishop  said  to  me:  "Reiser,  you  take  your  choice  of 
these  claims  "  so  I  re-located  the  two  middle  eighties  of  section 
14  town  2  range  21  for  my  own  and  I  want  to  say  right  here  that 
I  was  not  looking  for  a  townsite,because  there  was  a  townsite  and 
a  future  town  located  in  the  owner's  mind  on  almost  every  quar- 
ter section  in  the  whole  valley  as  soon  as  the  claims  were  lo- 
cated Neither  was  I  looking  for  a  county  seat,  postoffice,  or  a 
county  clerkship,  but  I  was  looking  for  a  place  that  would  make 
a  home  and  I  thought  when  I  located  my  claims  I  had  found  that 
place,  and  I  am  still  foolish  enough  to  believe  I  was  right  m  my 

selection.  .  -1,1 

We  started  back  to  Ashland  the  next  morning,  going  back 
about  the  same  way  we  came,  except  the  stopping  at  the  land 
office  to  put  papers  on  our  claims. 

We  moved  up  here  from  Ashland  that  same  spring,  coming 
with  ox  teams,  which  was  a  very  slow  and  laborous  way  of  travel- 
ing at  the  best,  but  Bishop  had  a  little  herd  of  cattle  which  he 
brought  along,  and  vou  can  see  this  made  the  going  even  slower 
as  the  cattle  had  to  graze  along  the  way.  But  we  finally  reached 
the  Beaver  on  the  9th  day  of  ^lay  1872.  and  I  at  once  hired  a 
man  to  help  me  build  a  house,  part  dugout  and  part  sod,  14xlb 
feet  which  we  completed  in  four  days. 

'with  a  place  to  shelter  the  family,  the  next  question  was  a 
orop  The  weather  was  ideal  and  the  ground  in  fine  shape.  I 
commenced  ])reaking  sod  and  planting  corn  as  soon  as  we  got 
moved  into  our  new  home.  . 

AVe  planted  tlie  corn  with  an  ax  or  a  spade  by  striking  the 
ax  or  spade  into  the  sod  and  then  dropping  three  or  four  grains 
of  corn  into  the  mark  thus  made  and  then  setting  our  foot  over 
the  place  to  press  down  the  soil  into  a  covering.  If  anyone 
wishes  to  know  one  of  the  differences  between  that  early  plant-) 


FURNAS  COUNTY  65 

ing  and  the  present  system  of  corn  planting,  he  has  but  to  com- 
pare the  machinery  used.  The  ax  or  the  spade,  every  grain 
dropped  by  hand  and  every  hill  firmed  dovm  with  the  foot,  and 
the  present  four  horse  listers  and  planters  with  driving  the  most 
strenuous  demand  made  upon  the  human.  We  planted,  besides 
corn,  beans,  watermelons,  tomatoes,  pumpkins,  and  about  two 
Imshels  of  potatoes. 

In  June  that  year  Elder  Mayo  and  family  camped  Avith  us 
while  the  elder  put  in  some  crop  and  built  a  log  house  on  the 
claim  he  located  just  a  mile  west  of  me  on  the  west  end  of  sec- 
tion 15.  Elder  Mayo  was  the  first  preacher  to  come  to  the  coun- 
try, but  he  was  too  busy  for  the  first  few  months  locating  his  new 
iKune  to  do  much  preaching.  It  was  not  till  the  fall  of  that  year 
that  he  preached,  and  then  tliere  was  a  little  sod  school  house  in 
the  Ilarman  neig^iborhood,  where  the  elder  first  held  services, 
and  he  preached  to  a  good  sized  audience  at  each  service.  I 
think  that  these  were  the  very  first  religious  services  ever  held 
in  Furnas  county.  A  little  later  than  this  Elder  ]\Iayo  conduct- 
ed a  revival  over  on  the  Sappa  near  where  Dan  West  homestead- 
ed.  One  Sunday  during  this  meeting  the  elder  was  liaptizing 
some  converts  in  the  Sappa,  and  Dan  West  stood  on  the  bank 
and  laughed  at  him.  The  elder  shook  his  finger  at  West  and 
said:  "Never  you  mind,  I'll  have  you  down  here  yet."  And  it 
was  not  long  until  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled. 

.Mayo  was  a  unique  character.  He  said  he  did  not  preach 
to  the  man  who  had  two  coats.  He  preached  only  to  the  fellow 
with  one  coat. 

So  far  as  I  know,  this  revival,  conducted  by  Elder  Mayo  on 
tlie  Sappa,  was  the  first  meeting  of  the  kind  ever  held  here. 

Talk  about  butf  alo  !  The  spring  of  '72  they  were  late  in  com- 
ing on  account  of  the  hard  winter  and  the  lateness  of  the  spring. 
We  did  not  see  many  until  about  the  20th  of  ^lay.  We  first  saw 
some  dark  o]).jects  on  the  hills  south  and  west  and  the  immigrants 
said  they  were  butfalo.  One  day  while  I  was  "breaking,"  the 
oxen  I  was  driving  threw  up  their  heads  and  commenced  to  snort. 
I  looked  over  toward  the  creek  and  tliere  were  from  three  to  five 
hundred  buffalo  going  east  to  a  crossing  on  the  creek  about  a 
half  mile  from  where  I  was. 

One  morning  my  little  boy  came  running  to  the  house  and 
said : 

"Pa,  Pa.  there's  a  buffalo  out  here  on  the  creek  bank  big- 


66  PIONEER  STORIES 

ger  than  old  IJiick.  C'Old  liiu-k"  wciji'licd  sixteen  liundred 
pounds.;  i  went  out  to  see  and  there  on  tlie  hank  stood  a  l)iitt'alo 
that  looked  as  hig  to  nie,  as  a  eovered  wagon.  1  walketl  out  to- 
ward him  and  he  scampered  oflt'  north  to  where  the  main  herd 
was  feeding. 

Ekler  JMayo  returned  from  a  li-ip  1(»  his  homestead  one  day 
earlier  than  usual  and  he  said  : 

"Keiser,  the  buffalo  will  take  you.  They  are  coming  right 
down  on  your  place  five  thousand  strong,  hut  if  you  will  give 
me  your  needle  gun,  I'll  go  and  kill  one  and  we'll  have  some  fresh 
meat,  anyw^ay. 

He  was  gone  till  about  noon  when  he  returned  and  said  he  had 
killed  a  fine  two-year-old.  After  dinner  I  hitched  the  oxen  to  the 
wagon  and  took  the  women  and  children  along  and  w^e  went  and 
dressed  the  buffalo  which  we  found  to  be  as  fine  as  the  elder  had 
said,  and  we  had  plenty  of  fresh  meat. 

The  day  we  raised  Elder  Mayo's  house  we  began  Avork  at 
8  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  the  buft'alo  were  crossing  the  Bea- 
ver on  the  Southerland  place,  crossing  in  single  file,  but  a.s  if 
they  were  being  driven  along  all  the  time  and  in  the  evening, 
at  sundown,  they  were  still  crossing  and  there  seemed  to  be  as 
many  left  on  the  divide  as  there  had  been  in  the  morning.  All 
these  numberless  herds  that  once  covered  the  prairie  are  no  more. 
The  buffalo  never  became  a  part  of  civilization.  AYith  tlie  wild 
freedom  of  the  prairie  disappeared  the  buffalo. 

AVe  put  in  the  siunmer  breaking  out  prairie  and  hunting  buf- 
falo. I  raised  on  my  sod  over  100  l)ushels  of  corn  and  Kome  very 
good  garden  and  a  lot  of  melons.  The  Omaha  and  Pawnee  In- 
dians, coming  liome  fi-om  their  annual  hunt,  helped  themeslves 
to  all  the  melons  they  wanted  and  fed  their  ponies  on  sod  corn. 

In  contrast  to  the  Avinter  of  '71  the  winters  of  '72  and  '78 
were  exceptionally  fine,  scarcely  a  cold  day  during  the  whole  of 
the  seasons  and  we  could  work  all  througli  the  winter  if  we 
chose. 

I  got  out  logs  for  a  house  and  in  the  spring  built  a  log 
house.  The  first  of  Aju-il  I  sowed  al)out  ten  bushels  of  wheat  and 
the  12th  of  April  canu^  the  big  April  storm  which  all  the  early 
settlers  have  cause  to  remember.  AV.  II.  Ilarman  had  come  down 
to  my  place  that  day  for  a  visit.  In  the  afternoon  a  thunder- 
storm came  u|)  and  tlie  wind  blew  a  regubn-  hurricane.  It  was 
almost  impossible  to  see  anything  a  few  feet  away,  but  Harman 


FURNAS  COUNTY  67 

said  he  "would  go  home  by  following  the  creek  around  to  his 
place  and  would  return  for  the  family  the  next  day,  after  the 
storm  was  over.  But  the  storm  was  not  over  the  next  day  and 
IJjrman  did  not  come  for  the  family  till  the  afternoon  of  AVed- 
nesday.  The  storm  was  much  more  severe  in  other  parts  of  the 
state,  but  we  had  as  much  of  it  in  Furnas  eoutny  as  we  cared 
about  and  enough  to  make  it  renuMnl)ered  l)y  all. 

The  summer  of  '78  Avas  a  very  tine  growing  season,  and  I 
raised  a  fine  garden  and  a  good  crop  of  corn,  and  my  wheat 
turned  out  well.  This  was,  so  far  as  T  know,  the  first  wheat  raised 
in  the  Beaver  valley.  I  hired  a  Air.  Alarker  to  cut  it  with  a  AIc- 
Cormick  self  rake  and  we  stacked  it  up  in  fine  shape,  but  there 
was  no  threshing  machine  within  a  hundred  miles  and  no  chance 
of  getting  the  wheat  threshed.  We  cleaned  off  the  grass  and 
made  a  threshing  floor  on  the  sod  and  tramped  out  the  wheat 
with  horses  and  cleaned  it  in  the  most  primitive  way  by  throwing 
it  up  against  the  wind  to  allow  the  blowing  out  of  the  chaff  and 
lirt. 

I  told  one  of  my  neighbors.  David  Brown,  if  he  would  take 
a  load  of  the  wheat  to  the  mill  and  get  it  ground,  I  would  give 
him  half  the  flour.  He  said  he  would  do  this,  though  it  was  some- 
ihing  of  a  journey  to  go  to  a  mill  in  those  days. 

The  nearest  mill  was  in  Thayer  county  at  Aleridian,  and  when 
Brown  reached  this,  he  found  the  mill  out  of  repair  and  unable 
to  grind  the  grist  brought  so  many  miles  to  its  door.  The  next 
;  lace  was  Grand  Island,  where  the  wheat  was  ground  into  flour. 
Think  of  a  1013  housekeeper  waiting  while  the  good  nuin  made 
a  trip  to  Grand  Island  for  a  grist  of  flour  and  forget  about  ffle- 
jiliones  ?nd  automobiles  in  connection  with  such  a  journey,  too. 
Brown  was  gone  just  three  weeks  to  a  day.  but  we  had  flour  all 
the  same  when  lie  returned,  and  we  appreciated  it  to  the  fullest. 

The  Avinter  of  74  was  also  a  fine  winter  and  the  s]n'ing 
opened  up  early  and  the  settlers  were  all  in  high  glee  and  happy 
to  l)egin  the  planting  of  crops  in  the  new  land.  I  sowed  wheat 
again  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  wheat  sow^ed  in  the  valley 
and  a  good  yield  realized.  AYe  ])lanted  corn  ami  liad  a  fine 
garden,  but  on  the  Hth  of  August,  in  the  afternoon,  a  cloud  came 
over  tlie  sun  that  darkened  the  earth,  nuiking  it  almost  as  dark  as 
night  for  a  tinn'.  and  then  the  hoppers  began  to  light  and  such  an 
army  that  it  Avas.  Before  morning  there  wasn't  a  green  thing 
left  -  all   had  been   devoured  by  the  hungry  millions  of  grass 


68 


PIONEER  STORIES 


hoppers.  In  Iwenty-f'our  liours  they  completely  changed  the 
landscape  and  llie  i)r()S])ects  of  the  settlers. 

]-"ortuna1('ly  I  had  iny  wheat  cut  and  stacked  before  the 
grasshoppers  canic  and  hdci'  some  nien  came  up  from  Clay  county 
with  a  threshing  machine  and  threshed  the  wheat  in  the  valley. 
I  liad  seventy-tive  buslicls  oT  ince,  clean  wheat  that  year.  One  of 
the  men  running  the  threshing  machine  was  called  home  on  ac- 
count of  sickness  and  1  took  his  place  with  the  threshing  crew. 

AVe  threshed  at  Beaver  City  and  on  up  the  creek  above  Ilend- 
ley,  then  across  to  Arapahoe  and  on  down  the  Kepublican  valley  to 
Oxford,  when  we  crossed  the  river  and  threshed  some  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Republican.  I  was  with  the  threshers  about 
eighteen  days  and  received  two  dollars  per  day  for  myself  and 
team. 

The  settlers  were  leaving  the  country  pretty  fast,  two  of  my 
nearest  neighbors  going  to  Iowa  and  others  to  other  points. 

As  I  was  going  to  Lowell  for  supplies,  I  took  a  small  load 
of  farming  tools  to  the  station  for  the  neighbors  who  were  going 
back  to  Iowa  and  they  gave  me  three  hogs  to  pay  for  the  hauling. 
Two  of  these  hogs  I  fattened  on  wheat  and  the  third  I  kept  for  a 
brood  sow.  Talk  about  wintering  hogs  on  alfalfa.  I  wintered 
this  hog  on  prairie  hay  and  in  the  spring  had  a  nice  litter  of  pigs 
to  pay  for  the  keeping. 

There  are  many  stories  told  of  the  struggles  and  the  victories 


Sod  House  formerly  on  the  Buchanan  farm  in  Maple  Creek,  now  owned 

by  I).  P.  West,  at  one  time  one  of  the  best  houses  of  its 

kind  in  that  Community 


FURNAS  COUNTY  69 

of  those  early  pioneer  days,  but  there  was  much  happiness  and 
many  pleasures  as  well. 

There  is  one  story  that  will  interest  Bob  Scott.  It  is  told 
about  the  reason  for  aliandoning  the  old  stockade  which  was  built 
near  where  Orleans  noAv  is  and  for  the  protection  of  the  settlers 
in  this  part  of  the  valley. 

It  is  said  that  the  whole  country  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
greenback  agitation  at  this  time  and  everyone  was  discussing 
greenbacks,  as  to  whether  they  should  or  should  not  be  specie. 

Even  a  new  country  must  keep  up  with  national  issues  and 
the  settlers  of  the  valley  were  not  behind  in  the  question  then  be- 
fore the  people  of  their  country  and  knew  all  about  the  value 
and  disadvantage  of  greenbacks,  but  it  was  not  greenbacks.  No, 
it  was  not  the  greenback  question,  but  the  grayback  agitation. 

Philip  French  took  the  claim  directly  east  of  us  two  days 
after  we  arrived  here,  and  we  soon  got  pretty  well  acquainted,  as 
acquaintance  and  friendship  develop  rapidly  in  new  lands. 
French  had  a  horse  team  and  when  we  saw  butfalo  on  the  hills 
south  and  west  of  us,  French  proposed  that  we  get  Mr.  Bishop 
and  that  we  go  out  on  a  butfalo  hunt.  AVe  drove  to  Bishop's 
bright  and  early  one  morning  and  left  the  women  and  children 
there  and.  accompanied  by  Bishop,  B.  F.  AVhitney  and  one  or  two 
hired  men,  we  struck  out  for  the  south  divide.  We  found  only 
straggling  bunches  of  buffalo.  Init  Bishop  assured  us  that  if  we 
went  down  one  of  those  long  "draws"  to  the  Sappa  we  would 
find  plenty  -of  buffalo.  This  we  did  and  when  we  came  where  we 
could  see  over  the  valley,  there  was  an  even  eighty  acres  of  solid 
buffalo,  and  Bishop  advised  our  following  the  draw  farther  down 
so  we  could  get  a  closer  shot.  We  did  this  and  I  was  fortunate  in 
singling  out  a  fine  cow.  The  first  shot  broke  her  shoulder  blade. 
When  we  came  near  her  she  showed  fight  and  came  for  us.  Bishop 
said:  "Don't  shoot  again,  I'll  finish  her,"  and  he  began  pouring 
the  shell  out  of  his  Henry  rifle  and  the  buft'alo  soon  lay  dead  on 
the  prairie.  We  each  cut  a  chunk  out  of  a  hind  quarter,  as  much 
as  we  thought  we  could  carry,  strung  it  on  our  rifles  and  started 
for  the  top  of  the  divide.  When  we  reached  the  place  where  we 
had  left  our  team,  we  found  nothing  but  a  few  straggling  buft'alo, 
the  team  and  the  remaining  hunters  had  vanislied.  We  then  con- 
eluded  that  we  had  twice  as  much  meat  as  we  could  carry  and  so 
divided  it,  leaving  part  on  the  prairie.  When  Ave  came  back  to 
the  Bishop's,  Ave  found  that  Whitney  and  the  hired  man  had 


70  PIONEER  STORIES 

killed  two  buffalo  and  had  taken  the  hind  quarters  home  in  the 
wagon  and  Ave  had  a  tine  dinner  of  fried  buffalo  steak.  That  was 
the  first  and  last  time  1  helped  to  lug  buff'alo  meat  for  ten  miles 
only  to  have  more  than  we  could  use  and  then  have  to  throw  away 
the  supply  we  had  so  carefidly  carried  home. 

The  Carrisbrook  postolftce  was  established  in  1873,  on  sec- 
tion 24  in  Lincoln  precinct  with  James  Lumley,  uncle  of  W.  C. 
F.  Lumley  of  Beaver  City,  as  the  tlrst  postmaster.  The  otfice  was 
named  after  the  Lumley  estate  back  in  England,  Carrisbrook. 
In  connection  with  the  postoffice  Mr.  Lumley  had  a  stock  of  mer- 
chandise such  as  the  new  settlers  might  need,  and  he  did  a  very 
profitable  business  during  the  years  of  '72  and  '73,  or  until  the 
grasshoppers  came  and  the  settlers  had  to  take  aid,  so  there  was 
no  more  need  of  a  store. 

The  postotfiee  was  move>d  south  on  section  36  and  Mr. 
Mitchell  became  the  second  postmaster,  with  C.  E.  V.  Smith  as 
deputy.  The  Lumleys,  the  Mitchells  and  C.  E.  V.  Smith  were  the 
first  Englishmen  to  find  homes  in  Furnas  county  and  some  of  the 
original  families,  many  of  the  children  and  a  number  of  the 
grandchildren  are  still  Furnas  county  citizens. 

But  the  salary  of  the  early  postmasters  was  not  very  re- 
munerative. Mr.  Smith  informs  the  writer  that  in  one  quarter 
that  he  remembers  the  office  took  in  49  cents  and  paid  out  75 
cents  to  get  the  report  certified,  but  it  would  be  hard  to  trace  the 
influence  of  that  49  cents  and  to  gather  up  its  results  today. 

Carrisbrook  was  moved  north  to  the  southeast  of  section  L3 
some  time  in  the  fall  of  '75  and  M.  Z  Schoff  was  the  new  post- 
master. Then  we  had  a  mail  ser\'iee  three  times  a  week,  from  Or- 
leans to  Beaver  City.  This  office  was  not  abandoned  till  after 
the  railroad  camp  came  through.  A.  K.  Crawford  was  the  last 
postmaster  at  (!arrisl)rook,  and  in  connection  with  the  office,  he 
kept  a  nice  line  of  merchantiise  and  groceries  which  was  a  great 
benefit  and  convenience  to  the  settlers. 

It  was  in  1887  that  Carrisbrook  postoffice  was  discontinued 
and  the  new  town  of  Stamford,  two  miles  east  lof  it,  became  the 
postoffice  for  that  section  of  the  county,  but  Carrisln'ook  holds 
a  uni(iue  place;  in  county  history  as  a  point  of  contact  between 
the  new  homes  and  the  old. 

The  first  school  tauglit  in  Lincoln  precinct,  and  so  far  as  the 
writer  knows,  the  fii'st  one  taught  in  the  south  half  of  the  county, 
was  a  subscription  school,  taught  l)y  Mrs.  David  Brown  during 


FURNAS  COUNTY      ,1  71 

the  summer  of  1873.  The  school  house  was  located  on  the  corner 
of  the  S.  E.  quarter  of  section  8  and  was  in  dimension  14x16  and 
built  of  sod  by  volunteers  who  believed  in  starting  out  right 
in  a  new^  country.  The  school  house  had  one  door  and  two 
half  windows  of  six  panes,  one  window  on  each  side  of  the  iiouse. 
There  was  a  dirt  tioor  and  a  dirt  roof  and  the  benches  were  made 
of  Cottonwood  slabs  sawed  at  Carl  Bochl's  sawmill  in  the  mouth 
of  Sappa  creek  in  Harlan  county.  Mrs.  Brown  received  $20  a 
month  pay  for  her  work  and  took  most  of  her  pay  out  in  "break- 
ing" and  from  this  humble  beginning  and  the  education  of  Furnas 
county's  youth  has  been  developed. 

In  1875  I  went  to  Fillmore  county  for  a  load  of  furniture 
for  a  Mr.  Spehr.  1  left  home  at  noon  and  drove  8  miles  north 
of  Orleans  that  afternoon.  The  next  forenoon  I  drove  to  Walk- 
er's ranch  and  the  afternoon  to  "Dirty  Man's  Ranch,"  intend- 
ing to  take  a  new  road  just  opened  to  Hastings,  The  next  morn- 
ing there  was  a  regular  blizzard  on  and  the  new  road  not  l)eing 
much  used  I  concluded  to  go  by  way  of  Lowell.  The  next  morn- 
jng  was  clear  but  oh,  how  cold.  I  stayed  with  a  farmer  between 
Inland  and  Harvard  that  next  night  and  the  next  I  reached  the 
home  of  Mr.  Spehr 's  father,  about  four  miles  from  Geneva.  For 
four  or  five  days  it  stormed  every  day  but  I  managed  to  get  over 
to  Geneva  and  have  my  horses  rough  shod.  The  first  good  day 
that  came  I  started  for  home  and  reached  Harvard  where  I 
stayed  with  a  Mr.  Smith,  l)rother-in-law  of  S.  S.  Therwechter, 
during  another  two  days  of  storm.  Then  I  started  on  and  reached 
Juniata,  where  I  took  the  new  road  to  avoid  the  sandhills.  The 
second  day  from  Harvard  I  arrived  at  about  where  the  city  of 
Minden  now  stands.  Here  was  a  group  of  four  sod  houses  on  tlie 
corners  of  four  claims.  I  asked  here  to  stay  all  night  but  the 
Avoman  who  came  to  the  door  told  me  they  did  not  keep  anyone 
but  that  a  Swede,  a  half  mile  farther  'on,  kept  travelers  and  that 
I  could  stay  there.  I  drove  to  the  Swede's  and  watered  my 
horses,  but  I  could  see  no  one  around,  but  found  that  tliere  Avere 
three  children  in  the  house.  They  told  me  tlieir  folks  hatl  gone 
to  the  Blue  River  for  wood  an^l  would  not  be  home  that  niglit  and 
that  they  could  not  keep  me  It  was  14:  miles  to  the  next  ranch 
and  a  blizzard  was  on,  l)ut  I  drove  back  to  the  four  houses  and 
when  a  Avoman  came  out  and  asked  Avhat  I  wanted,  1  tohl  her  1 
wanted  to  stay  all  night  and  that  T  had  gone  to  the  Swede's  and 
could  not  stay  there  and  it   was  14  miles  to  the  next  rancli.     J 


72  PIONEER  STORIES 

iinhitehed  ray  team,  dug  some  straw  out  of  a  snow  bank  to  feed 
them  after  i)iitting  them  in  the  l)arn  and  went  into  the  house.  I 
was  well  entertained.  The  men  returned  about  10  o'clock  that 
night  from  the  Blue  Kiver  where  they  had  gone  for  wood,  and 
they  said  it  was  fortunate  for  me  that  I  did  not  attempt  going 
on  to  the  ranch,  as  I  would  have  lost  my  way  over  a  new  road 
in  the  blinding  storm  and  would  probably  have  frozen  to  death. 
I  reached  the  ranch  the  next  day  at  about  11  o'clock  an;l  Charley 
Boehl  and  the  late  Judge  Robbins  of  Harlan  county  arrived 
soon  after  and  we  journeyed  together  for  the  larger  part  of  the 
rest  of  the  way.  The  next  day  at  noon  we  camped  on  Turkey 
Creek  and  that  evening,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  dowii,  w'e 
crossed  the  Republican  river  on  the  ice  west  of  Orleans.  Here 
Charley  turned  east  to  go  to  his  ranch  on  the  Sappa  and  the  judge 
and  1  journeyed  on  till  we  came  to  his  home  on  "High  Toned 
Flats,"  where  he  left  me  and  I  came  on  alone  to  the  Keiser 
ranch.  One  mile  west  of  where  Stamford  now  is  I  had  to  cross 
a  draw  and  the  banks  were  so  steep  and  my  horse 's  shoes  so  worn 
that  I  could  not  pull  my  load  over  and  had  to  unhitch  and  leave 
my  load  in  the  draw  and  lead  my  team  home.  The  next  morning 
T  got  a  neighbor  to  help  me  and  Ave  got  the  load  safely  home  but 
this  is  a  picture  of  some  of  the  vicissitudes  of  early  tra,v'el  and 
of  what  it  cost  to  have  ' '  store  furniture ' '  in  your  homes. 

There  were  many  laughable  incidents  of  those  early  days  and 
T  will  relate  a  few  of  them  as  I  recall  them.  A  man  who  was  once 
well  known  in  Beaver  City  shot  a  buffalo  and  he  thought  he  was 
dead.  The  man  laid  his  gun  down  on  a  little  mound  and  with 
butcherknife  in  hand  ran  to  the  fallen  buffalo.  He  laid  the  knife 
on  the  wooly  hump  and  stepped  back  to  shed  his  coat  prepara- 
tory to  the  skinning  when  the  buffalo  jumped  up  and  away  he 
ran  and  was  out  of  sight  before  the  hunter  could  reach  his  gun. 

One  man  came  from  the  east  to  hunt  buffalo  with  a  srpiirrel 
rifle. 

After  I  had  lived  on  my  homestead  four  or  five  years  and  had 
made  some  improvements  so  that  it  looked  a  little  homelike,  a 
man  drove  up  one  day  witli  a  fairly  good  team  and  wagon.  I 
was  just  watering  my  team  at  the  end  of  the  day's  work  and  he 
asked:  "Do  you  live  here?"  I  said  yes.  "How  long  have  you 
been  here?"  was  tlie  next  question.  I  said  I  had  always  lived 
here.  "Did  you  homestead?"  and  I  said  yes  I  had  homesteaded. 
Then  he  declared:  "I  wouldn't  mind  taking  a  homestead  if  I 


FURNAS  COUNTY  73 

could  get.  as  good  a  one  as  you  have,"  and  drove  off  without  fur- 
ther comment. 

A  good  many  years  ago  we  used  to  grind  cane  and  boil  sor- 
ghum molasses  One  day  a  moving  wagon  stopped  and  a  man 
came  in  with  a  jug  to  get  some  sorghum.  Wliile  I  tilled  liis  jug 
he  related  a  story  about  as  follows : 

"I  came  from  Iowa.  Left  there  on  a  certain  day.  Lived 
there  all  my  life  till  then.  Am  so  many  years  old.  Was  married 
so  many  years.  Have  three  children.  Iowa  is  not  as  good  a  state 
as  it  used  to  be.  Am  going  to  Kansas  to  get  a  ranch.  Think  we 
will  like  it  all  right." 

I  had  a  neighbor  girl  helping  with  the  sorgluim  making  that 
day  and  she  said : 

"Mr.  Keiser,  if  that  man  had  told  you  one  more  thing,  you 
could  have  written  his  biography." 

I  asked  what  that  one  thing  would  have  been  and  she  re- 
plied: 

"If  he  would  have  told  you  the  name  of  the  womnn  ho  mar- 
ried. ' ' 

In  conclusion  I  would  say  that  I  did  not  think  the  Garden 
of  Eden  was  ever  located  in  southwest  Nebraska,  but  I  do  be- 
lieve that  this  was  the  hunter's  paradise  of  America.  The  writer 
has  hunted  in  the  woods  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Micliigan  in  the 
early  '50s,  and  we  thought  it  was  great  hunting  and  it  was,  but  it 
was  no  comparison  to  southwest  Nebraska.  Here  were  herds  and 
herds  of  buffalo ;  droves  of  elk  and  deer  in  every  grove  and 
thicket ;  antelope  on  every  flat  and  hillside ;  turkey  all  along  the 
creeks ;  geese,  brants  and  wild  ducks  in  season ;  grouse  and  prai- 
rie chicken  in  endless  numlKn-s.  And  what  a  field  for  the  trai)i)('r. 
There  were  coyotes  and  timber  wolves  and  along  the  creeks  were 
beaver  and  otter,  mink  and  racco'on,  badger  and  skunk  and,  if 
you  wished,  you  could  trap  the  festive  prairie  dog.  But  the 
white  man  is  a  destructive  animal  and  in  a  few  short  years  this 
immense  aggregation  of  wild  animals  was  all  wantonly  destroyed 
— was  wiped  off  the  earth  as  if  it  had  never  lieen.  so  that  m.m 
might  be  satisfied  in  his  desire  to  sla3^ 

On  a  Monady  morning,  the  latter  part  of  November  in  1875, 
Philip  French,  Charley  Rosenlx-rg,  Orin  Ross  and  myself  started 
down  the  Republican  valley  for  corn.  We  arrived  at  Riverton 
Tuesday  afternoon  and   inquired  of  a   merchant  if  he  knew  of 


74  PIONEER  STORIES 

any  corn  for  sale  in  that  vicinity.  He  told  ns  there  was  a  man 
in  town  who  had  corn  and  potatoes  for  sale  We  soon  lound  the 
man  and  he  said  he  lived  four  miles  down  the  river  and  that  his 
corn  and  potatoes  were  yet  in  the  field,  but  that  we  could  help 
him  husk  his  corn  and  dig  liic  potatoes  if  we  wanted  them.  We 
accepted  liis  invitation  and  began  husking  Wednesday  and  by 
Friday  night  we  had  his  corn  all  husked  and  his  potatoes  all  dug 
and  were  started  for  home  on  Saturday  morning  with  full  loads. 
Up  to  this  time  the  weather  had  been  tine  but  Saturday  morning 
was  cloudy  and  the  wind  was  from  the  east,  which  soon  developed 
into  a  mist,  and  when  we  camped  in  an  oak  grove  near  Naponee 
that  night  it  was  snowing  and  by  morning  we  were  snowed  under 
and  it  was  cold  with  the  wind  from  the  northwest.  AVe  got 
breakfast,  fed  our  teams  and  in  all  due  haste  started  homeward. 
AVe  drove  down  to  the  river  next  morning  but  did  not  think  the 
ice  was  strong  enough  to  hold  up  our  teams  and  loads,  so  we 
unhitched  and  led  the  horses  across  'on  the  ice  and  then  we  run 
the  wagons  out  on  the  ice  as  far  as  we  thought  it  would  hold, 
when  Ave  tied  a  long  rope  on  to  the  end  of  the  Avagon  tongue  and 
hitched  a  team  to  the  other  end  of  the  rope.  In  this  way  we 
could  keep  the  wagon  going  pretty  fast  so  it  would  not  break 
through.  My  wagon  was  first,  then  French's,  and  then  Rosen- 
berg's and  all  three  were  brought  across  in  safety.  Finally  Ross' 
wagon  was  drawn  across  till  the  front  wheels  were  on  the  bank 
when  the  hind  wheels  went  through  the  ice  and  we  had  to  unload 
part  of  tlie  load  before  we  could  pull  the  wagon  out  but  this  was 
finally  accomplished  and  we  reached  home  with  our  loads  about 
noon  tliat  day. 

JOHN  KELSER. 


FURXAS  COUNTY 


75 


CHAPTER    XII 

Byron  F.  "Whitney,  Now  of  Ashland,  Was  One  of  Beaver  Valley's 

Earliest  Pioneers,  and  Writes  of 

the  Old  Days 


(The  following  series  of  articles  were  written  by  Byron  P. 
Whitney  of  Ashland,  Xelir..  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Beaver  Valley,  than  whom  there  is  none  better  able  to  give  a 
vivid  recital  of  the  stirring-  times  of  early  settlement  and  the 
early  settlers :) 

Forasmuch  as  many  have 
taken  in  hand  to  set  forth  in 
order  a  declaration  of  those 
things  and  conditions  which 
occurred  and  existed  in  those 
early  days  of  the  settlement  of 
Furnas  county,  even  as  they 
happened,  it  seems  to  me,  also, 
having  had  perfect  understand- 
ing of  all  tilings  from  the  veiy 
first,  to  write  unto  thee  in  order, 
most  esteemed  editor,  that 
those  might  know  the  certain- 
ty of  those  things  of  which  thou 
hast  been  instructed. 

The  first  time  that  the 
writer  visited  the  territory  af- 
terward organized  as  Furnas 
county,  was  by  horse  and  wag- 
on in  company  with  Wm.  B. 
Bishop  and  John  Keiser.  in  the  latter  part  of  IMarcli  and  April, 
^872.  Leaving  Asliland,  Xebi-.,  we  passed  through  Lincoln  and 
Beatrice,  and  struck  Hebron,  i-eaching  the  Bepul)lican  valley  east 
of  Guide  Rock,  and  following  the  valley  west  as  far  as  Oxford. 
The  weather  was  moderate  most  of  the  journey,  although  some 


BYRON  F.  WHITNEY 


76  t    PIONEER  STORIES 

days  were  very  windy  and  cold.  Tlie  journey  presented  many 
novel  and  intcrostinfr  sif^lits  for  the  writer,  as  he  had  never  be- 
fore ibeon  in  a  eoiuitry  composed  entirely  of  prairie  land.  Soon 
after  passing  Guide  Rock,  we  found  the  country's  surface  spotted 
with  the  carcasses  of  hundreds  of  dead  Texas  cattle,  and  the  air 
disagreeably  impregnated  with  the  effluvia  of  their  decaying 
bodies.  They  had  been  driven  from  Texas  the  preceding  autumn 
and  herded  there  to  winter  through,  being  designed  for  Indian 
su])plies  or  to  stock  some  cattle  king's  ranch  in  AVyoming  or 
Montana  the  following  spring.  But  the  winter  of  1871-2  was 
ione  of  the  most  severe  ever  experienced,  and  for  several  months 
the  country  west  of  the  ^lissouri  river  was  covered  with  a  sheet 
of  ice,  preventing  all  stock  from  grazing  and  these  poor  cattle  had 
starved  and  frozen  to  death.  Besides  this  nearly  the  entire  route 
after  reaching  the  eastern  border  of  the  short  grass  country  re- 
gion, was  thickly  dotted  with  the  bleaching  bones  of  mules, 
horses  and  oxen  near  the  trail,  which  we  followed  the  remains  of 
teams  belonging  to  immigrants  and  overland  traders  between 
river  points  and  Denver,  while  on  every  side  in  all  directions 
were  the  bones  of  countless  buffalo.  These  were  all  gathered  by 
the  settlers,  after  the  advent  of  the  railroads,  and  shij^ped  east, 
and  converted  into  fertilizer. 

I  was  interested  and  amused  when  I  first  saw  the  prairie 
dogs.  The  little  fellows  appeared  so  bright,  so  intelligent,  and 
yet  so  wary  and  cautions,  and  withal  so  indignant  at  having 
their  communities  invaded  by  strangers,  that,  sitting  at  the  en- 
trance of  their  dens,  they  would  ^-igorously  protest  bv  a  short, 
sharp  liark,  resembling  the  bark  of  a  young  puppy — and  accom- 
panying each  yelp  with  a  comical  jerk  of  the  tail  that  excited 
my  mirth.  John  Keiser  asserted  that  the  barking  was  produced 
by  the  jerking  of  the  tail.  Perhaps  he  believed  it — being  of 
German  descent — but  it  failed  to   convince  me. 

We  also  passed  many  evidences  of  Indian  encampments,  and 
at  one  time  the  site  of  an  Indian  village,  long  since  abandoned. 
A  huge  pile  of  buffalo  skulls,  fully  ten  feet  in  height,  occupied  a 
prominent  position  visible  a  long  ways,  and  at  a  distance  re- 
sembling a  monumental  pile  of  marble. 

At  or  near  the  present  town  of  Franklin  we  visited  John 
Harman,  a  brother  of  AVilliam  and  Otto  Ilarman.  We  remained 
with  him  over  night,  and  we  had  for  breakfast  the  next  morn- 
ing, some  steaks  of  elk  meat,  a  trophy  of  Mr.  Harman 's  rifle. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  77 

We  continued  westward  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  dili- 
gently inquiring  of  the  few  settlers  for  land  claims  containing 
timber  and  water,  with  hay  land,  such  being  our  desire,  until  we 
reached  the  present  town  of  Oxford.  AVe  concluded  to  cross  the 
river  and  search  for  vacant  land  in  the  Jieaver  and  Sappa  val- 
leys. Finding  a  place  on  the  river  bank  that  appeared  to  oflPer  a 
chance  for  fording,  Keiser  removed  his  boots  and  pants  and 
carrying  them  in  his  hand,  with  a  dry  stick  for  a  statf  in  the  other, 
proceeded  to  wade  into  the  stream,  trying  the  depth  with  the 
stick  as  he  cautiously  advanced.  Finding  the  bottom  safe  for  the 
team  and  wagon.  Bishop  drove  in  and  by  vigorous  driving  suc- 
ceeded in  crossing  safely  without  any  mishap.  As  soon  as  Keiser 
had  been  "reinvested  of  what  he  had  been  divested"  he  climbed 
into  the  wagon  and  we  struck  out  in  a  southerly  direction  until 
at  the  setting  of  the  sun  we  descended  into  the  valley  of  the  Bea- 
ver, and  went  into  cam])  on  the  present  site  of  John  Keiser 's 
homestead. 

The  country  had  been  burned  over  by  a  band  of  Indians  on 
a  hunting  expedition  and  presented  a  blackened  and  entirely 
desolate  prospect.  However,  with  tired  bodies  and  ravenous  ap- 
petites, we  built  our  camp  fire  in  a  sheltered  grove,  prejiared  our 
supper,  spread  our  blankets  and  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just. 

Just  as  we  had  finished  our  breakfast  'on  the  following  morn- 
ing, we  were  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  an  old  ntan,  vener- 
able in  aspect  and  polite  in  bearing,  coming  to  us  with  a  cordial 
greeting.  iTis  few  scattering  locks  of  hair  were  silvery  white, 
his  cheeks  ruddy  with  health,  his  eyes  keen  and  sparkling  with 
intelligence.  His  voice  was  modulated  and  his  countenance 
wreathed  in  smiles  and  his  steps  quick  and  active,  as  those  of 
a  young  man  of  thirty.  He  informed  us  that  his  name  ^^■as  Suth- 
erland and  his  speech  betrayed  his  nativity  to  be  of  Bonnie  Scot- 
land. He  said  that  he  had  been  in  search  of  land  and  had  selected 
a  claim  one  or  two  miles  farther  up  the  creek.  He  had  slept 
there  the  night  previous  and  was  now  on  his  return  journey  to 
the  land  office  at  Beatrice  and  to  his  people  in  Towa.  In  reply  to 
our  inquiries  he  told  us  of  another  man  still  farther  down  the 
creek  who  was  well  versed  in  the  Location  and  numbers  of  the 
government  survey  whom  we  could  readily  get  as  a  guide  in  se- 
lecting our  claims.  At  our  offer  he  readily  accepted  breakfast 
and  offered  to  show  us  the  way  to  find  our  guide.  Bishop  and 
Keiser  left  camp  in  his  company,  while  I  remained  to  inick  up 


78 


PIONEER  STORIES 


and  await  tlicir  return.     While  they  were  absent  I  took  the  rifle 
and   pi'occedcd   to  reeonnoitci'  the  vicinity. 

As  1  cnier^-ed  t'l'oni  Ihe  sliclter  of  the  yro\'e  anil  eiiuibed  on- 
lo  the  hi<iher  land  I  saw  a  deci"  spi-ing  from  the  woods  on  the 
ereek  south  of  nic  and  disa|)|)(';ir  ai;ain  in  the  tind)er.  I  started 
in  tlijit  direction  hoping  to  obtain  ;i  shot  at  it,  but  as  I  descended 
into  a  small  draw  or  ravine  I  discovered  a  number  of  footprints 
iiuide  by  feet  wearing  moccasins,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  per- 
haps I  might  be  an  object  hunted  as  well  as  the  deer,  so  I  deferred 
following  the  deer  and  contented  myself  Avith  a  very  cursory 
survey  of  the  locality,  and  returned  to  the  camp  fire  to  quietly 
await  the  return  of  Bishop  and  Keiser.  They  soon  made  their 
appearance,  and  with  them  the  guide.  T  Avas  rather  fascinated 
liy  his  ai)])earance.  A  tall,  slender  form,  straight  and  erect  as  an 
Indian;  a  face  lean  and  gaunt,  eyes  of  steely  grey,  steady  and 
calm  in  their  gaze;  hair  of  an  auliurn  tinge  and  complexion  to 


From  Photo  Taken  From  Court  House  Cupola  in  1888 

Residence  of  Mrs.  Mary  Simmons  in  foreground.  Hadley  Opera 
House  on  right  and  buildings  of  Wade  &  Davis  in  the  center,  below  which 
is  the  livery  stable  burned  in  1889.    West  and  south  sides  in  distance. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  79 

match ;  in  speech  slow  and  delil)crate.  He  was  thinly  clad  as  to 
nether  garments,  and  with  a  threadl)are  army  overcoat,  minus  the 
capes  and  skirts  and  Inittoned  closely  up  under  his  chin.  Keiser 
tohl  me  afterwards  that  the  poor  fellow  had  no  vest  or  shirt  be- 
neath the  fragment  of  an  overcoat.  This  was  Galen  James,  re- 
membered I  presume,  by  all  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Beaver 
and  Sappa  creeks  as  the  first  white  settler  in  the  then  unorganized 
territory,  afterward  named  Furnas  in  honor  of  the  governor  of 
tlie  state,  but  it  was  to  James  that  this  honor  riglitfuUy  beb)ng(Ml. 
While  he  was  not  be  counted  among  the  refined  and  cultured, 
yet  nature  had  endowed  him  with  a  keen  intellect  and  a  l)rave 
lieart  as  well  as  a  generous  mature.  His  early  life,  as  lie  re- 
lated it  to  me,  had  been  spent  on  the  high  seas  and  mostly 
on  board  of  whaling  ships,  with  the  exception  of  three  years'  ser- 
\ice  on  a  man  of  war  during  the  civil  war.  As  an  index  to  his 
character  I  will  relate  an  incident  that  he  told  to  me.  While 
serving  in  the  navy  he  was  placed  in  the  "gig"  as  a  punishmeni 
for  a  break  of  discipline,  for  which  he  alleged  he  was  not  to 
Idame.  He  submitted,  of  course,  as  he  had  to,  but  there  ever 
rankled  in  his  heart  a  bitter  enmity  toward  the  officer  who  sen- 
tenced him.  He  served  his  time  and  when  he  was  discharged  from 
Ihe  services  his  papers  of  discharge  were  tendered  him  he  re- 
fused to  accept  them,  and  when  asked  why  he  replied,  "I  want 
nothing  to  show  that  I  was  ever  fool  enough  to  enlist  in  the 
United   States  service." 

Our  team  was  soon  hit(died  and  with  ^Iv.  James  W(>  started 
up  the  creek  to  inspect  some  claims  that  Bishop  had  ol)tained 
the  numbers  of  at  the  land  office  in  Beatrice.  At  noon  we  stopped 
and  cooked  our  dinner  on  or  ne.ir  the  land  afterwards  entered  ])y 
Bishop  After  eating  our  dinner,  I^ishop,  Keiser  and  dames  pro- 
ceeded to  locate  corners  of  the  government  survey,  while  T 
amused  myself  by  simply  looking  at  and  admiring  the  beauti- 
ful landscape.  Oif  to  the  south  and  east  appeared  some  rocky 
headlands  or  "Bluffs,"  and  near  their  ])ase  several  large  "la- 
goons" or  ponds,  wnth  their  surfaces  sliglitly  ruffled  l)y  the  gen- 
tle breeze,  and  their  margins  thickly  covered,  and  the  air  above 
filled  with  ap]iarently  hundreds  of  wild  waterfowl.  Taking  the 
rifle  and  finding  a  place  to  cross  the  creek,  I  went  to  investigate 
the  rocks.  As  I  came  near  the  waters,  the  wild  fowl  took  alarm 
and  rose  in  the  air  in  myriads,  eacdi  trumpeting  their  fi-ight  in 
their  own  peculiar  manner,  with  notes  and  sounds  rivaling  the 


80  PIONEER  STORIES 

confusion  of  tongues  at  the  dispersion  of  the  Builders  of  Babel. 
1  found  Ihe  roeks  to  be  a  sort  of  decomposed  limestone,  unfit  for 
uuildiny  purposes,  or  any  other,  except  to  help  maintain  the 
bulk  of  mother  earth.  Yet  1  noticed  mingled  in  this  rock  evi- 
dences of  tlie  remains  of  marine  life,  consisting  of  fragments  of 
shells,  and  even  petrified  forms  of  once  living  creatures,  and  in 
nuagination  I  could  behold  the  distant  past,  -when  this  ])eautiful 
land  gradually  rose  from  among  the  rolling  billows  of  an  an- 
cient ocean,  and  the  receding  waters  formed  the  beautiful  valley 
thai  now  lay  spread  before  me, 

AVe  went  still  farther  west  and  ate  our  supper  on  the  present 
sjte  of  Beaver  City.  Keiser  took  the  numbers  of  the  claim  where 
we  first  camped,  and  we  returned  to  the  location  of  James'  domi- 
cile, and  I  with  the  others  continued  the  search  on  the  Sappa 
ereek  above  its  juncture  with  the  Beaver.  Our  progress  had 
been  very  slow,  as  we  were  obliged  to  make  long  detuors  in  or- 
der to  find  places  to  cross  over  the  various  ravines.  We  went 
into  camp  in  the  shelter  of  timber  not  far  below  the  junction  of 
the  Sappa  and  Beaver  near  the  James  dugout.  It  had  begun  to 
snoAV  Avith  a  cold  wind  from  the  northwest.  The  next  morning, 
Easter  Sunday,  1872  with  chilled  and  shivering  bodies,  we  start- 
ed on  our  return  to  Beatrice,  over  a  landscape  white  with  snow. 
We  filed  at  the  land  office  on  our  claims,  I  taking  the  ne  14  of 
r:ection  35,  town  2,  n  range  21,  W.  Gth  p  m.,  at  present  owned,  I 
believe  by  ]\Irs.  Deaver,  mother  of  ]Mrs.  C.  E.  V.  Smith  of  Beaver 
City. 

After  reaching  Ashland,  rapid  preparations  were  made  for 
jnoving  families  and  goods  to  the  new  country.  This  was  ac- 
complished by  ox  teams,  and  was  a  slow  and  tedious  task,  a 
\reary  journey  of  about  two  weeks,  cooking  our  meals  by  the 
roadside.  However,  in  due  time  we  reached  the  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Beaver,  finding  it  changed  from  a  blackened,  desolate 
waste  to  a  country  of  lovely  verdure.  Trees  were  putting  on 
their  coats  and  the  prairie  a  velvety  green  carpet  decorated  with 
many  new,  strange,  but  really  beautiful  flowers. 

On  the  6th  of  ]\Iay  we  halted  at  the  end  of  our  jiourney,  with 
hearts  full  of  happiness  and  minds  filled  with  visions  of  the  future. 
And  why  not?  Here  is  a  land  of  surpassing  beauty,  a  soil  of  the 
highest  fertility,  ])ure  water,  plenty  of  timber,  and  a  most  salub- 
rious climate,  and  all  merely  Avaiting  for  the  hand  of  industry 
to  convert  the  whole  into  happy,  prosperous  homes  for  thousands. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


81 


On  every  side  beauty  reigned  supreme,  with  gentle  and  frequent 
showers,  balmy  breezes,  the  trees  vocal  with  the  songs  of  birds. 
Droves  of  antelope  always  in  sight,  occasionally  a  deer  swiftly 
Heeing  across  the  creek  lowlands,  and  wild  turkeys  showing  them- 
selves occasionally,  and  each  morning  ushered  in  by  the  crowing 
or  booming  of  the  prairie  chickens.  A  land  to  rejoice  the  heart 
of  a  sportsman,  to  interest  the  naturalist,  to  enrich  the  homeless, 
to  exchange  the  glory  of  the  country,  to  become  a  power  in  the 
future  of  the  nation.  AVhy  should  not  our  hearts  be  happy  with 
all  these  pleasing  prospects  and  the  reward  to  be  gained,  sustain 
us  with  courage  to  dare  and  to  do?  With  such  sentiments  we 
worked  with  energy  to  build  our  new  domiciles,  to  break     our 


Looking  south  from  the  court  house  cupola  in  1888.  Schoolhouse, 
built  in  1884, — now  Times-Tribune  office — in  center.  Former  residence  of 
Judge  J.  T.  Sumny — now  occup  ed  by  W.  C.  F.  Lumley — in  foreground. 
First  brick  building  in  Beaver  City,  built  by  W.  J.  Kinsman  in  1886,  at 
northeast  corner  of  the  square.  Across  the  square,  at  the  southeast 
corner,  is  the  old  frame  building  on  the  present  site  of  the  Bank  of  Beav- 
er City  or  Xorris  block.  This  building  was  used  for  offices  for  county 
oflScials  and  various  commercial  purposes  until  it  was  torn  down  in  1893. 


82  i     PIONEER  STORIES 

lands,  to  plant  our  crops,  witli  hope  and  faith  in  our  hearts  and 
son<rs  on  our  lips,  rejoicing?  every  day. 

We  had  reached  our  future  home  and  now  it  behooved  us 
to  l)uikl  liouses  of  some  sort.  The  only  available  building  mater- 
ial was  either  a  clay  bank,  prairie  sod  or  logs.  As  I  was  fortunate 
to  have  timber  I  determined  to  build  a  log  cabin.  Before  doing 
this  1  assisted  my  brother-in-law,  ^Ir.  Bishop,  to  complete  a  dug- 
out and  then  left  my  family  to  go  to  the  haul  that  1  had  selected 
to  break  out  some  land  and  plant  sod  corn.  This  was  seven  miles 
distant  from  Bishop's.  I  had  an  ox  team,  a  covered  wagon,  a 
few  loaves  of  bread,  some  cotfee,  a  chunk  of  salt  pork,  a  rifle  and 
a  breaking  plow;  also  about  a  bushel  of  seed  corn  and  a  hand- 
planter,  as  well  as  camp  utensils.  At  night,  after  staking  out  the 
cattle  and  eating  my  supper  I  would  sit  by  the  camp  tire  smoking 
and  building  castles  in  the  air  while  I  listened  to  the  howling 
of  the  coyotes.  One  day  I  found  a  man  with  a  ritie  awaiting  my 
arrival  at  the  end  of  one  of  my  furrows.  lie  told  me  that  some 
scouts  from  Fort  Hayes  in  Kansas,  had  passed,  and  were  sent  to 
inform  the  settlers  that  a  band  of  Indians  had  left  their  reserva- 
tion, had  killed  one  soldier  and  several  settlers  in  Kansas,  and 
were  on  the  warpath.  On  this  information,  I  hitched  the  oxen  to 
the  wagon  and  returned  to  my  family  at  Bishop's.  I  learned  that 
the  scouts,  so-called,  had  stopped  at  Bishop's  the  day  before,  had 
had  dinner  there,  and  told  practically  the  same  story.  Many 
settlers  had  arrived  in  the  country,  and  had  located  their  claims, 
all  on  the  streams.  A  council  was  called  and  means  of  protection 
discussed.  Among  the  number  gathered  was  an  Englishman 
named  James  Lumley,  who  claimed  that  he  had  held  a  captain's 
commission  in  the  English  army  and  had  seen  service  in  Cashmere 
in  the  East  Indies.  Another  man  named  Charles  Rosenberger  had 
served  as  a  private  in  the  civil  war,  and  Galen  James  had  served 
in  the  navy.  These  three  were  the  only  ones  at  that  time  who  had 
any  military  experience.  It  was  the  opinion  of  the  majority  that 
a  stockade  should  he  built  where  the  women  and  children  could 
be  protected.  But  there  came  the  division,  as  every  one  seemed 
to  desire  the  location  of  the  stockade  to  be  very  convenient  to  his 
own  claim.  Finally,  I  appealed  to  the  Englishman  for  his  opinion. 
He  gave  it,  but  it  met  with  no  more  hearty  endorsement  than  any 
of  the  others.  1  then  proposed  that  we  select  some  one  of  us  as 
a  commander  and  ol)ligate  ourselves  to  obey  his  orders,  and  pro- 
posed the  name  of  Mr.  Lumley,  but  he  declined  the  position.    We 


FURNAS  COUNTY  83 

then  elected  Mr.  Rosenberger  and  dispersed  with  the  agreement 
to  meet  the  next  day  prepared  to  go  to  work  under  his  orders 
However,  the  next  day  arrived  with  less  than  six  men  reporting. 
Some  had  started  east  with  their  wives  and  children  rather  than 
take  the  risk  of  an  Indian  massacre.  Others  professed  to  believe 
that  there  was  no  danger  from  Indians.  Rosenberger  was  dis- 
gusted and  manifested  it.  He  was  an  Indiana  Dutchman,  and  as 
he  left  our  company  he  expressed  himself,  "If  dey  don't  vant 
to  obey  orders  dey  can  go  to  h — 1.  I  can  take  care  of  mine  own 
folks  and  dey  can  do  de  same."  So  occurred  the  first  general 
Indian  scare,  and  so  it  ended. 

As  my  corn  was  now  planted,  I  began  to  cut  timber  for  the 
cabin.  The  talk  of  Indian  outbreaks  and  my  belief  in  their  meth- 
ods, induced  me  to  select  the  highest  elevation  on  my  claim  for 
the  location  of  the  cabin.  From  it  I  had  a  perfect  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  and  felt  sure  that  no  lurking  savage  could 
approach  without  observation  Buffalo  had  made  their  appearance 
and  could  be  seen  every  day  grazing  in  herds  and  gradually  trav- 
eling northward.  Settlers  continued  to  arrive  and  the  country 
was  being  taken  along  the  borders  of  the  streams.  ]Many  spent 
much  time  in  slaughtering  the  buffalo.  A  great  deal  of  it  was 
done  in  mere  wantonness  and  the  innate  love  for  killing.  It  is 
true  that  we  all  feasted  on  buffalo  steaks  and  used  the  hides  to 
make  ropes  wherewith  to  stake  or  tether  our  stock.  But  it  was 
so  easy  to  go  out  any  time  and  enjoy  the  excitement  of  killing, 
and  meat  was  so  abundant  that  it  was  useless  to  be  sparing  of  it. 
So  we  took  the  choicest  cuts  and  left  the  bulk  of  tlie  carcasses 
for  the  wolves  and  buzzards.  The  air  was  so  dry  that  we  used 
to  simply  hang  a  ham  of  buffalo  meat  to  the  branches  of  a  high 
tree  and  it  kept  perfectly  sweet  until  we  used  it  all.  and  then 
went  after  more  from  the  herds  all  about  us.  It  was  n  carnival 
of  feasting,  bragging,  and  adventure — and  so  time  passed. 

I  finally  had  enough  logs  gathered  to  complete  my  cabin, 
and  called  on  my  neighbors  to  help  erect  it.  In  less  than  a  day 
the  enclosure  was  completed,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Keiser  helped 
me  cover  the  roof  with  sods  and  dirt.  The  earth  formed  the 
floor.  While  I  was  completing  the  cabin.  I  was  impressed  with 
the  intense  heat  of  the  wind  from  the  southwest.  It  seemed 
as  hot  as  the  heat  from  an  oven  and  the  grass  on  the  prairie  be- 
came brown,  dry  and  brittle.  Nothing  on  the  uplands  remained 
green  except  the  cactus  plants.    The  flowers  disappeared,  and  the 


84  I    PIONEER  STORIES 


\ 


country  appeared  a  broAvn  waste  with  no  verdure  except  on  the 
herders  of  the  streams.  I  moved  my  family  into  the  cabin  and 
continued  to  work  at  "chinking,"  tilling  in  the  interstices  be- 
tween the  logs. 

One  day  I  had  occasion  to  go  to  Bishop's,  7  miles  away.  It 
was  a  yery  hot  day,  and  as  all  thoughts  of  Indians  had  passed  i 
out  of  ray  mind,  I  went  without  a  gun  or  other  arms.  On  my  re- 
turn, as  I  neared  the  headlands  at  the  junction  of  the  Sappa  and 
Beaver  Creeks  and  almost  in  view  of  my  cabin,  I  saw  what  I 
thought  to  be  an  Indian  sitting  at  the  head  of  the  ravine  some 
distance  to  the  south  of  me.  Presently  he  stood  up  and  I  know  | 
that  he  was  looking  at  me.  He  descended  into  the  ravine,  and  I 
did  not  feel  that  I  desired  any  closer  acquaintance.  I  saw  that 
he  had  a  bow,  but  I  had  no  gun.  So  I  simply  walked  along  until 
I  came  to  a  point  where  I  could  see  for  a  mile  or  more  down  the 
Sappa  valley  on  the  south,  and  beheld  Indians  on  foot  and  on 
horseback,  hundreds  of  them,  and  traveling  to  the  northeast  in 
the  direction  of  my  cabin,  but  they  were  already  between  my- 
self and  that and  see,  there  goes  Mary  and  the  children  run- 
ning away  from  it,  and  going  in  the  direction  of  Rosenberg- 
er's.  I  can  not  save  them  «r  myself.  An  Indian  on  horseback 
is  close  by  me.  He  stops.  He  has  a  bow  and  arrows,  but  he  does 
not  unsling  them.  He  has  a  tomahawk.  Evidently  he  consid- 
er me  his  victim  without  resistance  as  I  am  unarmed.  I  walk  up 
near  him  looking  at  his  face.  He  sits  calmly.  I  say  ''How."  ■ 
He  replies  "How."  I  say  "Pawnee."  "N'o,  Otoe."  I  say, 
"No,  I  believe  Pawnee."  "No,  no,"  land  patting  his  breast  he 
says,  "Otoe  good  injun,"  and  fumbling  in  his  bosom  he  pulled 
out  a  paper  and  with  a  grunt,  handed  it  to  me.  It  stated  his 
name,  which  I  can't  remember,  but  said  he  was  a  good  mian,  and 
it  was  signed  by  some  one  alleged  to  have  authority.  I  said, 
"Where  is  your  chief?"  He  pointed  to  the  rear  of  the  column 
of  Indians  filing  past.  I  felt  much  better  and  returned  the  paper, 
and  as  he  took  it  he  said,  "watermelon."  I  shook  my  head,  but  he 
grunted  and  said  "Avatermelon, "  making  a  motion  of  eating.  I 
had  no  melons  planted  but  Rosenberger  had,  so  I  pointed  to- 
ward his  patch  and  said,  "There  is  watermelon,"  and  turned  my 
Fteps  in  that  direction  myself.  I  passed  or  was  passed  by  many 
Indians,  and  most  of  them  said  "how,"  and  asked  for  water- 
melon. I  simply  pointed  to  Rosenberger 's  melons  and  passed  on. 
I  found  my  wife  at  Rosenberger 's  and  badly  frightened.  I  asked 


FURNAS  COUNTY  85 

her  what  she  had  done  with  my  rifle  and  bottle  of  alcohol  on  the 
slielf  in  the  cabin.  She  said  that  she  liad  not  moved  them,  l)ut 
that  she  had  thrown  all  of  the  knives,  forks  and  spoons  into  my 
tool  chest,  and  closed  the  lid.  It  had  a  spring  lock,  so  the  eon- 
ionts  were  safe  unless  the  Indians  took  chest  and  all.  As  I  looked 
toward  my  house,  I  saw  a  large  group  of  Indians  about  it.  There 
was  nothing  to  prevent  their  entering  if  they  chose  to  do  so.  I 
feared  that  they  might,  and  I  did  not  want  them  to  take  the 
I'ifle  or  drink  the  "firewater."  Assuring  my  wife  that  the  In- 
dians were  friendly  and  would  not  harm  any  of  us,  I  went  to 
our  place  and  greeted  those  there  with  "How"  and  a  hand- 
shake with  several,  opened  the  door  and  said,  "come  in."  Sev- 
eral of  them  complied.  I  said  "Indian  hungry?"  "Uhh!  Heap 
hungry."  "My  squaw  gone  away.  Heap  afraid  Injun."  "Uhh, 
Injun  no  hurt  white  squaw,  good  injun."  I  took  the  cover  oflf 
from  the  wash  boiler  where  my  wife  had  put  several  loaves  of 
oread,  and  proceeded  to  feed  them.  They  continued  to  eat  un- 
til there  was  but  one  loaf  left,  and  I  told  them  that  there  was 
no  more.  They  smiled,  and  w^anted  to  swap  buffalo  meat  for 
salt  pork.  I  made  several  exchanges.  An  old  grizzled,  white- 
headed  Indian,  a  giant  in  size  and  build,  came  in  and  offered  a 
large  piece  of  elk  meat  for  a  small  piece  of  salt  pork.  I  changed 
with  him.  He  talked  at  me  in  Indian,  patting  me  on  the  breast, 
irind  then  patting  himself.  I  asked  some  ^of  the  others  what  he 
said,  but  they  only  smiled  and  would  not  reply.  Finally  he 
shook  hands  and  pointing  toward  the  reservation  got  on  his 
pony  and  left.  Two  of  them  placed  their  hands  on  their  sto- 
machs and  said,  "Sick,  heap  sick."  I  mixed  one  of  them  a 
dose  of  Ayer's  Ague  Cure  and  he  swallowed  it.  To  the  other  I 
gave  a  dose  of  Ayer's  pills.  They  nearly  all  shook  hands  as 
they  left,  and  one  said,  "Good  white  man."  They  were  the 
cleanest  Indians  that  I  have  ever  seen  that  still  wore  blankets. 
They  were  Otoes  and  were  on  their  way  home  from  their  animal 
buffalo  hunt.  Their  reservation  was  then  in  the  southern  i)art 
of  Gage  County. 

The  weather  continued  hot  and  dry.  I  noticed  my  corn  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  seemed  to  have  changed  its  color 
to  a  light  tinge  but  had  not  taken  time  to  visit  it.  Finally 
one  day  it  began  to  rain.  I  sat  at  the  window  gazing  at  the 
corn,  wondering  what  had  changed  its  appearance.  A  flock  of 
wild  turkeys  came  into  view  west  of  the  corn.     I  took  my  rifle 


86  I    PIONEER  STORIES 

{'.nd  crossed  the  creek,  coming?  out  on  the  east  side  of  the  corn. 
T  soon  knew  what  was  the  matter  with  it.  Every  blade  was 
eiaten  except  the  central  stem  and  every  ear  except  the  tiny  cob. 
Grasshoppers !  Grasshoppers  by  the  millions.  ]\Iy  heart  went  to 
the  bottom  of  my  boots.  Not  an  ear  of  corn  in  spite  of  my  labor 
and  happy  anticpations.  But  I  got  one  of  the  turkeys,  although 
I  didn't  carry  it  very  exultantly. 

It  was  a  serious  case  to  me.  I  had  relied  so  much  on  that 
crop  of  corn.  But  it  was  gone  and  the  season  over  and  provisions 
for  the  winter  and  seed  for  another  season  had  to  be  provided  for. 

T  obtained  some  work  during  the  winter  helping  settlers 
ijuild  sud  houses,  dig  dugouts,  and  sold  some  hay,  and  managed 
to  live  through  until  spring  when  I  obtained  some  work  with  my 
carpenter  tools  on  buildings  in  the  town  of  Melrose,  one  mile 
west  of  the  present  town  of  Orleans. 

And  so  ended  the  first  year  in  Furnas  county  to  the  writer. 

It  was  during  these  first  months  that  the  writer  for  the  first 
,and  lonly  time  felt  the  impulse  of  murder  in  his  heart.  It  oc- 
curred through  the  following  incident.  A  young  man  working 
for  Bishop  was  set  at  breaking  land  with  a  yoke  of  oxen.  Bishop 
bad  returned  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  on  business,  and  on- 
ly this  young  man.  myself,  wufe  and  children  were  left  on  the 
land  selected  by  Bishop.  The  young  man  told  me  he  needed  a 
sharpened  plow  share.  I  i)repared  one  for  him  and  took  it  to 
him  where  he  was  breaking,  accompanied  by  tw^o  of  my  children, 
a  little  girl  8  years  old  and  a  Ijoy  about  5.  While  adjusting  the 
plow  share  the  man  said  he  would  go  to  the  camp  to  get  a  drink 
of  water  and  some  tobacco.  AVhile  he  w'as  absent  I  started  the 
team  and  went  one  round  on  the  land  he  was  plowing,  followed 
by  the  children.  As  I  was  turning  the  oxen  at  the  corner  I  saw 
liim  i-eturning  mounted  on  the  herding  pony,  with  a  rifie  in  one 
liand.  1  asked  him  what  w^as  the  matter,  and  where  he  was 
going.  He  said,  "There  are  five  Indians  armed  with  guns  coming 
from  the  hills  towards  our  camp,  and  I  am  going  to  get  out 
of  here."  I  said,  "You  are  not  going  to  leave  ^lary  and  the  chil- 
dren here  with  no  one  but  me  to  protect  them,  are  you?"  He  said, 
"I  am  going  to  take  care  of  myself,"  and  giving  the  horse  the 
spurs  he  started  oflf  on  the  run.  It  was  then  that  I  w^anted  to  kill 
him  and  if  I  had  had  my  gun  I  fear  I  would  have  done  it — but, 
thank  God,  I  was  only  armed  with  an  ox  goad.  Stepping  to  the 
head  of  the  cattle  I  unhooked  the  chain  from  the  yoke,  and  taking 


FURNAS  COUNTY  87 

each  child  by  the  hand,  I  said,  "Come,  let  us  go  to  mamma,"  and 
we  started  for  the  camp,  situated  ion  ground  higher.  The  children 
kept  saying,  "Pa,  you  wont  let  the  Indians  kill  us,  will  you?" 
"Pa,  are  the  Indians  going  to  kill  us?"  "Will  the  Indians  kill 
mamma  and  all  of  us?"  My  feelings  can  l)e  more  easily  imagined 
than  described.  Reaching  the  eamp,  I  met  my  wife  with  the  baby 
in  her  arms,  and  our  oldest  girl  by  her  side.  My  wife  was  as  pale 
as  a  corpse.  I  said,  ' '  Where  are  the  Indians  ? ' '  She  pointed  south- 
westerly without  speaking.  I  could  see  and  count  five  men  coming 
towards  our  camp,  single  tile,  as  is  customary  with  the  Indians. 
]  thought  they  carried  guns — they  did — but  they  were  too  distant 
to  tell  positively.  I  picked  up  the  Henry  ritle  and  filled  the  cham- 
ber ^vith  sixteen  cartridges  and  buckled  my  belt,  with  a  Reming- 
ton revolver  with  six  loads  in  its  chamber,  about  my  loins.  I  then 
sat  down  on  an  empty  box  and  watched  the  approaching  men. 
I  believed  they  were  Indians  and  believed  they  would  kill  all  of 
us.  I  knew  we  could  not  escape,  and  I  expected  to  die  pretty 
soon  too,  but  I  was  determined  to  die  the  first  one,  before  ]\Iary  or 
the  babies.  I  thought  of  my  friends  in  the  East.  IIow  will  they 
feel  when  they  hear  of  the  manner  of  our  death,  and  when  will 
they  hear  of  itf  There  are  five  of  the  Indians  and  one  of  me.  I 
cannot  fire  rapidly  enough  to  escape  them  all.  I  thought  of  the 
stories  I  had  read  and  heard  of  the  Indians  torturing  their  vic- 
tims— all  this  and  much  more  passed  through  my  mind  as  I  sat 
there  watching — and  singular  as  it  may  seem — I  felt  no  IVar.  I 
was  not  afraid,  I  realized  there  was  very  slight  hope  for  us — I  ex- 
pected to  die — and  that  the  family  would  be  killed  or  reserved  for 
a  worse  fate,  but  my  nerve  was  steady  and  I  thought  of  it  and 
knew  I'hat  I  could  take  a  steady  aim  when  the  moment  came  for  it, 
an  I  I  watched — waiting.  The  men  had  ceased  walking,  they 
gathered  in  a  grou})  and  sfood.  I  saw  tlicy  had  guns.  1  saw 
tiu'iii  point  Avith  their  liands  towards  us,  and  they  pointed  west- 
wardly.  anil  eastwardly,  and  stood.  They  moved  on  again  in 
single  file  au'l  continued  to  approach.  They  are  about  SO  rods 
from  us,  they  again  stop,  they  stand,  they  sit  down  on  the  ground 
in  a  group.  I  can  see  they  have  guns.  They  continue  to  sit.  Per- 
haps they  are  waiting  for  another  party  from  another  direction, 
})ut  they  still  sit.  I  tell  JMary  I  am  going  out  to  meet  those  In- 
dians. She  protests  and  begs  me  not  to  go.  The  children  join 
with  her.  I  tell  her  I  can  shoot  as  well  tliere  as  here,  land  you 
can  see  us,  and  if  you  see  I  am  gone,  you  can  do  the  best  you  can. 


88  i    PIONEER  STORIES 

I  can  do  no  more  for  you  if  I  remain  here  than  if  I  go,  and  you 
will  have  a  better  chance  l^han  if  I  stay  here  until  they  get  here. 
1  started  toward  the  Indians,  as  I  drew  near  my  rifle  was 
cocked  and  my  finger  on  the  trigger,  with  my  .eyes  on  the  Indians. 
They  remained  sitting.  I  came  still  closer  and  sould  see  that  they 
had  caps  and  hats  on  their  heads.  They  are  not  Indians !  I 
';\'alked  up  to  them  and  said:  "^len,  are  you  aware  that  you  came 
near  being  fired  upon."  Several  of  them  laughed.  One  of  them 
said:  "Bioys,  didn't  I  tell  you,  not  to  do  it,  that  you  would  fright- 
en the  settlers."  And  to  me  he  explained  that  the  others  had  per- 
sisted in  acting  as  they  had  against  his  protest.  This  man's  name 
was  Mattack.  He  claimed  he  had  lived  with  the  Indians  and  was 
an  experienced  trapper.  That  he  was  a  good  trapper  he  demon- 
strated while  he  sojourned  in  our  neighborhood.  All  of  these 
men  took  claims  in  the  vicinity  of  wdiat  w^as  afterwards  Beaver 
City.  Singular  as  it  may  seem — and  I  was  surprised  myself — 
after  I  discovered  that  we  had  been  in  no  danger  whatever,  I 
fou^'-d  that  my  nerve  suddenly  collapsed,  and  I  was  trembling 
and  felt  Ihat  1  was  in  danger.  At  other  times  since  then  I  have 
had  the  same  experience.  I  am  more  excited  and  nervous  after  a 
danger  is  past,  than  during  the  existence  of  the  danger.  The 
reader  may  explain  this  seeming  inconsistency  in  his  own  way, 
but  I  am  sure  it  is  true  in  my  case. 

During  the  winter  of  1872-3,  I  worked  for  John  ]\Iannering 
digging  dugouts  on  four  claims  filed  on  by  four  of  his  sisters, 
and  also  built  a  small  frame  house  for  Mrs.  Matthews,  a  very 
estimable  woman,  who  with  her  son.  Park  Mathews,  came  in 
during  the  fall  months.  During  this  time  our  mail  was  sent  to 
Alma  City,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles.  We  sent  Galen  James 
with  our  mail,  and  received  it  sometimes  in  one  and  sometimes 
in  two  weeks.  Our  nearest  railroad  station  was  at  Lowell,  about 
sixty  miles. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  there  w^as  another  excitement 
in  regard  to  Indians.  Some  time  in  January,  1873,  three  Sioux 
Indians  were  killed  by  two  white  men,  partners  known  as  AVild 
Bill  and  "Jack"  somebody.  The  Indians  were  a  Sioux  Chief, 
"Whistler,"  and  his  son,  "Fat  Badger."  Wild  Bill  claimed 
that  the  Indians  had  run  off  his  mules,  but  the  hunters  recovered 
them  and  moved  their  camp.  Then  three  Indians  came  into  their 
camp  at  night  and  ordered  supper  and  coflfee.  Bill  put  the  coffee 
pot  on  the  fire  but  did  not  put  in  enough  coffee  to  suit  Whistler. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


89 


k^^^t*C\ 


A  view  from  the  Court  House  cupola  in  1888,  looking  east.     Residence  of 

C.  D.  Stearns  in  the  foreground 


Whistler  then  tried  to  open  the  provision  box  and  take  coffee 
out,  when  Bill  jumped  on  it  and  pinched  the  Indian's  fingers. 
The  Indians  muttered  in  Sioux,  not  thinking  the  whites  could  un- 
derstand but  they  did,  and  to  save  themselves,  killed  the  Indians 
lirst.  The  Sioux  then  tried  to  throw  the  blame  onto  the  Pawnees, 
who  wre  hunting  in  the  same  country.  In  the  meantime  the 
Sioux  had  run  off  thirty  or  forty  ponies  from  the  Pawnee  and 
scalped  one  Pawnee.  The  Pawnees  fled  down  the  riA-er  and 
camped  in  the  vicinity  of  jMelrose,  a  mile  east  of  the  present 
town  of  Orleans  and  twelve  miles  east  of  my  claim.  It  was  re- 
ported that  the  Pawnees  had  killed  the  Sioux,  and  a  company  of 
cavalry  came  out  to  return  the  Pawnees  to  their  reservation, 
but  on  arriving  at  the  camp  it  was  learned  that  it  had  been  the 
white  men  who  did  the  killing,  so  the  Pawnees  were  unmolested. 
The  Sioux  then  demanded  that  the  government  deliver  Wild  Bill 
to  them.  But  that  could  not  be  done  until  he  could  be  caught, 
and  I  do  not  believe  that  any  very  strenuous  efforts  were  made 


90 


PIONEER  STORIES 


to  catcli  him.     Tlie  Sioux  Ilii-c;i1ciic(l 


i-cvcnge,  aud     there  were 
some  who  feared  danger,  Iml  most  of  iis  ai)i)n'hended  no  danger. 

"Dashing  Charlie,"  Whistler's  son-in-law,  a  white  man,  came 
down  with  the  soldiers,  and  said  Ihat  he  did  not  think  that  the 
Indians  wo\dd  make  trouble  The  I'awnees  remained  camped  at 
:\relrose  a  large  part  of  the  winter.  The  scjuaws  tanned  buffalo 
hides  for  many  of  the  settlers,  while  many  of  the  men  trapped 
along  the  river  and  begged  of  the  settlers.  They  were  crest- 
fallen l)y  their  niisfortunes  at  the  hands  of  their  hereditary  foes,! 
the  Sioux,  but  \vould  not  talk  about  it  At  this  time  :\Ielrose  seemed! 
destined  to  be  a  permanent  station  on  the  hoped-for  railroad  to 
Denver.  Several  buildings  were  erected  there.  I  was  employed 
here  as  a  carpenter  during  February  and  March.  On  Easter 
Sunday,  1873,  there  occurred  a  blizzard  lasting  nearly  three 
days,  and  was  only  exceeded  by  the  blizzard  of  1887.  Many  cattle 
were  lost  during  the  storm,  and  it  was  reported  that  there  were 
human  lives  lost  also.  With  a  companion  I  was  compelled  to  re- 
ii.ain  confined  in  a  harness  shop  in  Orleans  during  the  storm,  and 
suffered  much  agony  of  mind  solicitous  for  the  condition  of  the 
family  left  alone  on  the  homestead  twelve  mile  away.  As  soon 
as  the  storm  passed  I  went  home  and  found  the  family  all  safe. 
1  merely  mention  this  to  illustrate  some  of  the  trials  of  the  pi- 
oneers. 


A  view  from  the  Court  House  cupola  in  1888,  looking  west.     Residence  o 
John  Plowman  in  the  foreground 


FURNAS  COUNTY  91 

That  spring  1  hired  more  ground  broken  and  planted  it  to 
corn.  I  sowed  the  previous  year's  breaking  to  wheat,  planted 
potatoes  and  garden  seeds,  and  worked  for  other  settlers  as  they 
needed  me. 

The  buffalo  returned  this  season,  but  in  greatly  diminished 
numbers,  and  their  meat  was  more  of  a  rarity.  Settlers  contin- 
ued to  arrive,  and  but  a  very  few  took  claims  on  the  uplands.  A 
few  gangs  of  antelope  still  lingered,  and  occassionally  a  flock  of 
wild  turkeys  were  seen.  Rattlesnakes  and  prairie  dogs  still 
maintained  their  numerical  strength.  A  man  named  Jacob  Wolfe 
settled  on  a  claim  one  mile  east  of  me  in  Ilarlan  county  and  put 
up  a  sod  house  and  a  ])lacksmith  shop.  One  of  his  children,  4 
years  old,  passing  from  the  shop  to  the  house,  was  l)itten  l)y  a 
rattlesnake  and  died  from  the  effects  of  it.  Tliis  is  tlic  only 
death  from  snake  bite  that  I  recollect. 

Like  the  previous  season,  April  and  Mny  and  part  of  June 
gave  us  plenty  of  rain,  and  the  country  assumed  all  of  the  l)eau- 
tiful  and  fascinating  appearance  of  the  previous  year.  But  the 
dry,  hot  winds  from  the  southwest  again  set  in.  and  the  country 
became  crisp  and  l)i-ittle,  and  so  continued  for  weeks,  only  var- 
ied at  long  intervals  by  terrific  thunder  storms.  Tlie  ravines 
would  become  raging  torrents  and  the  creeks  overflowed  their 
banks.  These  storms  att'orded  l)ut  temporary  relief.  Dui'ing 
July,  by  looking  towards  the  sun,  the  air  could  be  seen  filled  with 
locusts  or  grasshoppers  winging  their  way  northward.  Tn  August 
the  wind  shifted  slightly  to  the  north,  and  straightway  the  "hop- 
pers" descended  upon  our  crops,  and  what  slight  hopes  still 
remained  for  a  light  crop  of  corn  vanished  in  a  few  short  hours. 
Again,  after  a  year's  struggle  and  hopes,  T  found  myself  really 
in  a  worse  condition  than  the  year  previous.  Out-  clothing  was 
worn  out  and  all  our  means  exhausted,  except  my  individual  ef- 
forts, and  no  opportunity  in  sight  for  even  an  eff'ort.  1  had  har- 
vested enough  wheat  to  provide  l)re:ul,  and  T  had  a  large  stack 
of  hay,  some  of  wliich  I  could  sell 

In  the  fall  of  1878  an  election  was  held  for  county  officers 
and  the  selection  of  a  site  for  the  county  seat.  The  i-iv.ilry  was 
between  Arapahoe  and  Beaver  City.  1  was  ajipointed  clerk  of 
election  for  our  election  district.  The  place  of  election  was  at 
the  old  Spring  Green  i)ostoffice,  eight  miles  up  the  Sappa  from  my 
place.  I  wa^s  late  in  arriving  and  another  had  been  sworn  in  in 
my  place.     T  went  to  work  writing  ballots.     T  soon  went  outside 


92  PIONEER  STORIES 

lO  electioneer  for  Beaver  City,  hut  learned  tliat  the  parties  with 
whom  I  had  ridden  to  tlic  polls  had  returned  home  as  the  whole 
country  south  of  us  was  on  fire.  Sure  enough,  dense  columns  of 
smoke  were  rolling  up  driven  by  that  strong  south  wind.  Filled 
with  fear  and  anxiety,  I  lost  no  time  in  starting  on  a  run  for 
home,  and  continued  to  run  until  I  had  reached  within  about  a 
mile  of  home  when  I  saw  fire  ahead  of  me,  and  all  means  of  es- 
cape apparently  cut  off.  I  felt  that  my  time  had  surely  come.  I 
Avas  in  despair,  when  a  few  rods  south  of  me  I  sa-\v  a  team  and 
wagon  with  several  men  in  it.  1  yelled  and  put  on  all  speed 
possible  to  attract  attention,  and  succeeded.  Frank  Gapen,  a 
neighbor  was  driving,  and  slackened  as  he  saw  me.  I  clambored 
in  and  he  again  applied  the  whip  to  the  already  frantic  team, 
and  seizing  an  opportune  moment,  rushed  through  the  burning 
grass  onto  ground  already  liurned  over.  Gapen 's  stables  and 
stacks  were  on  fire,  and  they  lost  all  of  their  crops  in  that  fire. 
I  hurried  on  home  to  find  my  house  still  standing,  but  deserted, 
my  wife  and  children  having  gone  to  a  neighbor's  across  the 
creek,  where  the  fire  had  passed.  This  was  a  Mr.  Spencer,  wdio 
lost  his  stables  and  stacks.  Another  neighbor,  Mr.  Lathrop,  see- 
ing me  at  home,  came  over,  and  with  his  assistance  we  succeeded 
in  burning  a  guard  around  my  stack  of  hay  before  the  fire  reached 
it.  Galen  James  and  Ellis  Hewitt,  on  their  way  to  the  election, 
when  arriving  at  my  place,  had  seen  the  approaching  fire,  and 
had  kindly  set  a  back  fire  around  my  wheat  stack  and  thus  saved 
it.  I  was  the  only  settler  in  the  neighborhood  who  lost  nothing 
in  that  fire. 

Many  families  loaded  their  goods  in  wagons,  and  left  the 
country  permanently.  Others  returned  to  the  eastern  part  of  the 
;-itate  and  worked  for  farmers  until  the  following  spring,  or  lived 
with  relatives,  returning  the  following  year  to  renew  the  struggle 
of  subduing  the  wilderness. 

That  winter  I  resorted  to  many  expedients  to  obtain  the  nec- 
essities of  life.  I  remember,  during  a  mild  spell  of  weather,  I 
took  off  my  clothes  and  waded  into  the  cold  waters  of  the  Sappa 
clear  to  my  chin  in  order  to  set  trap  for  beaver.  I  would  hurry 
into  my  clothes  and  take  a  run  along  the  creek  to  warm  myself, 
and  then  repeat  the  operation  at  the  next  discovery  of  a  beaver 
sign.  T  would  not  do  so  again  for  all  the  beaver  that  ever  bore 
fur.  T  was  glad  to  even  get  a  shot  at  a  rabbit  or  a  prairie  hen, 
anything  to  help   satisfy  the   hunger  of  the  family     We  lived 


FURNAS  COUNTY  93 

through,  and  again  planted  in  hope  in  the  spring  of  1874.  Hope 
that  ever  springs  eternal  in  the  Jjuraan  breast  was  surely  the  slieet 
anchor  of  our  souls,  and  thus  in  raggedness,  l)ut  withal  also  rug- 
gedness,  I  began  the  third  year  of  my  pilgrimage  in  the  laud  of 
my  air  castles  and  ardent  aspirations. 

The  year  1874  opened  with  as  delightful  and  bi-illiant  pro- 
mises as  any  of  the  preceding.  With  hope  still  strong,  and  with 
undiminished  ardor,  I  again  succeeded  in  putting  in  crop  all 
the  land  I  had  broken,  and  worked  for  other  settlers  in  breaking 
new  land,  and  with  my  tools  at  whatever  trifling  little  jobs  were 
available,  waiting  and  hoping  for  an  abundant  return  at  the  end 
of  the  season.  Vegetation  grew  most  luxuriantly,  and  occasion- 
ally a  stray  and  lonely  bufifalo  made  an  appearance,  only  to  be 
soon  killed  or  scared  out  of  the  country  by  the  hungry  settlers. 
With  an  occasional  wild  turkey,  and  an  antelope  killed  to  diver- 
sify the  staple  diet  of  biscuit,  bacon  and  beans,  we  struggled  on, 
hoping  and  longing  for  the  maturing  of  vegetables,  and  watch- 
mg  the  ''hoppers"  that  returned  with  the  southerly  winds  that 
set  in  with  the  usual  regularity,  and  accompanied  with  the  same 
sultry  heat,  with  only,  if  any  difference,  an  additional  intensity. 

Again  the  refreshing  and  verdant  colors  of  the  prairie 
changed  to  the  sombre  brown  and  gray,  and  the  crisp  and  dry 
buffalo  grass  would,  and  did,  burn  and  turned  the  surface  of 
the  country,  for  long  distances,  into  the  dismal  color  of  the 
raourners  for  the  dead.  The  brilliant,  glittering  wings  of  the 
■'hoppers"  bespangled  the  blue  vault  of  heaven  with  their  sil- 
very sheen,  as  they  in  countless  millions,  winged  their  journey 
northward,  with  the  steadily  blowing  winds  from  the  parched 
plains  of  the  southwest.  With  anxious  and  fearful  hearts  we 
could  only  watch  and  wait,  with  mental  prayers  that  we  might 
by  some  unknown  and  miraculous  means  be  delivered  from  their 
rapacious  jaws  but  as  we  contemplated  the  corn  withering  under 
the  hot  and  dry  blasts  of  the  wind,  we  felt  little  hope  of  gar- 
nering any  fruits  of  our  toil,  even  if  the  "hoppers"  disappeared 
as  suddenly  as  the  locusts  of  Egypt  during  the  oppression  of  the 
Hebrews.  We  had  not  many  days  to  wait  and  watch,  and  as  our 
prayers  were  not  accompanied  vdih  faith,  they  availed  nothing. 
The  wind  shifted  and  the  "hoppers"  halted  and  liegan  a  forage 
on  everything  green  that  remained.  The  country  was  full  of 
them ;  they  covered  the  short  cornstalks  with  such  numbers  that 
they  bent  under  their  weight.    The  trees  along  the  streams  were 


94  PIONEER  STORIES 

soon  denuded  of  tlieir  leaves  and  stood  as  ])are  of  foliage  as  in  the 
dei)ths  of  wintei".  and  the  waters  of  the  creek  assumed  the  color 
of  strong  coffee,  stained  witli  the  excrements  of  the  insects,  and 
conld  even  be  smelled,  and  cattle  refused  to  drink,  until  com- 
pelled to  ]\y  extreme  thirst.  "Hoppers"  were  so  thick  in  the  air 
ihat  I  could  succeed  in  grasping  several  by  a  quick  motion  of  the 
hand.  They  remained  longer  this  season  than  at  either  of  the 
previous  ones,  and  the  females  began  to  deposit  their  eggs  in  the 
ground,  and  in  many  localities  the  earth  was  honey-combed  with 
the  holes  made  by  them  for  this  purpose.  People  became  frantic. 
]\lany  immediately  abondoned  the  country  never  to  return. 
Three  failures  in  succession,  all  attributed  to  the  same  cause,  had 
entirely  disheartened  them.  IMany  more  would  have  left  if  they 
had  had  the  means  wherewith  to  go.  Meetings  were  called  to 
devise  means  of  relief,  and  it  was  determined  to  appeal  to  friends, 
relatives,  and  all  people,  and  also  to  the  state  and  general  govern- 
ment for  aid.  Committees  were  chosen  to  go  to  the  eastern  states 
and  appeal  for  and  receive  contributions  for  the  stricken  and 
suft'ering  settlers.  Committees  from  the  east  also  visited  the 
state  and  reported  the  situation  as  it  presented  itself  to  them. 
Letters  were  sent  to  friends,  and  it  was  not  long  ere  words  of  en- 
couragement and  contributions  were  received  from  our  country- 
men, who — God  bless  them — have  never  yet  failed  to  respond  with 
generosity  to  appeals  for  help  from  those  who  have  been  the  vic- 
tims of  unavoidable  distress  and  suffering.  The  contributions, 
while  gratefully  received,  did  not  consist  of  many  delicacies,  but 
of  substantial  food,  mostly  of  low  grades  of  flour,  corn  meal, 
l)acon,  cast-off  and  second  hand  clothing,  old  blankets,  cheapest 
kind  of  dry  goods  and  groceries.  But  whatever  came  was  wel- 
comed and  thankfully  received  by  those  who  Avere  the  recipients. 
It  is  trn  y  said  that  the  best  sauce  is  hunger.  I  know  that  during 
this  distressful  time  many  ate  with  a  relish  food  that  in  ordinary 
circumstances  they  would  have  spurned  with  disdain.  Some  few 
(if  the  settlers  had  the  fortune  to  possess  a  hog  or  two,  and  as 
there  "was  not  wherewith  to  feed  them,  they  were  slaughtered, 
an  1  actually  they  were  so  lean  and  A'oid  of  fat,  that  the  only 
method  w]jerel)y  the  meat  could  be  rendered  eatable,  was  to  boil 
it.  It  '^•ould  not  be  fried,  baked  or  broiled.  Water  was  the  only 
means  of  nre venting  it  becoming  an  indigestible  mass  of  burnt 
charcoal. 

In  the  latter  part  of  winter  the  government  sent  an  army 


K  FURNAS  COUXTY  95 

officer  to  investigate  and  report  the  amount  and  kind  of  seeds 
the  country  wouhl  need  to  replant  in  the  spring.  We  received 
most  of  our  seeds  the  ensuing  spring  from  Washington.  Brigluim 
Young,  the  Mormon  leader  at  that  time,  also  contributed  liher- 
?lly  to  the  needs  of  the  settlers.  The  government  also  sent  in 
army  clothing  and  shoes  for  the  settlers  and  many  recMved  gifts 
from  relatives  and  friends  in  the  east,  and  thus  the  vast  majority 
of  us  subsisted  on  the  charities  of  our  countrymen  until  we 
could  once  more  demonstrate  or  try  to  demonstrate  wliether  we 
could  wring  a  subsistence  from  the  delectable  land  of  false  pro- 
mises, and  thus  we  began  again  the  campaign  of  IS?."). 

During  the  winter  of  1874- '75,  I  taught  the  district  school 
in  our  home  district,  and  by  this  circumstance  was  more  fortunate 
than  many  others.  It  is  not  always  an  agreeable  retlection  to 
realize  in  such  times  of  mutual  distress,  the  selfishness  of  human- 
ity, as  was  sometimes  manifested,  and  yet  such  reflections  are 
often  enlivened  by  recollections  of  generous  deeds  of  self-denial 
[and  kindly  acts.  But  it  is  not  surprising  that  envy,  jealousy  and 
false  vicAvs  should  become  visible,  antl  undoubtedly  many  accusa- 
tions of  partiality  and  preference  should  be  made,  and  perhaps 
in  some  fcAv  instances  be  well  founded.  But  in  a  general  way 
I  many  of  the  noblest  attributes  of  the  human  heart  were  revealed 
among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Furnas  county  and  will  ever  aV)ide 
in  my  heart  as  refreshing  fountains  of  water  in  a  desert.  ]\Iany 
deeds  of  mutual  kindness,  as  well  as  many  of  the  basest  ingrati- 
tude and  despicable  selfishness  could  be  related.  But  thanks 
to  Fortune,  fickle  as  she  may  l)e,  or  to  Providence,  whose  cluirity 
never  fails,  those  days  are  past,  and  thougli  in  turning  memory's 
tablets,  they  again  reveal  some  things  sad  and  lamental)ly  wrong, 
it  is  l)ut  to  remember  that  they  are  past,  and  in  \ho  dead  past  to 
let  them  remain. 

I  hope  in  reciting  incidents  of  the  following  year.  1,'^7."\  to  be 
able  to  jiresent  brighter  colors  to  the  reader. 

I  believe  my  former  chapter  ended  in  the  year  187.").  Tn  tlie 
spring  1876,  I  rented  part  of  my  land  to  Silas  demons,  to  plant 
in  corn,  and  planted  the  balance  myself.  As  during  all  the  i)re- 
i-eding  years  the  corn  made  a  vigorous  and  promising  growth, 
but  in  the  latter  part  of  -Tune  and  early  July,  the  "hoppers"  again 
made  their  appearance,  bespangling  the  sky  with  their  shining 
wings  and  we  waited  with  anxiety  Avhether  they  wouM  again 
•epeat  their  ravages.    But  the  wind  was  propitious  and  they  re- 


96  ,     PIONEER  STORIES  ' 

juaincd  in  the  ;iir.  and  the  corn  grew,  tasseled  and  gave  good  pro- 
mise of  yielding  a  fail-  ci-op.  \  am  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order 
and  at  the  time  was  an  officer  in  the  lodge  at  Melrose,  and  at 
one  of  onr  regular  meetings  in  August,  the  brethren  deferred  the 
opening  of  the  lodge,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  several  of  the  l)reth- 
ren  from  Beaver  City.  Myself  and  several  others  were  in  the 
lodge  room  passing  the  time  in  conversation,  when  a  brother  en- 
tered the  room  and  announced,  "The  l)oys  from  Beaver  City  have 
arrived  and  rep'ort  that  the  grassh()pi)ers  have  alighted."  On 
my  way  home  that  night  T  rode  with  Brother  A.  C.  PJiol)ins  as  far 
at  his  home  and  refused  his  invitation  to  tarry  with  him  until 
m^orning,  Init  walked  on  in  the  moonlight  toward  my  own  cabin, 
looming  to  Brother  Robins'  cornfield  adjoining  the  road,  I 
walked  into  it  a  few  paces  and  heard  the  roar  of  the  hoppers' 
wings  as  my  presence  disturbed  them,  and  they  flew  blindly 
among  the  corn  stalks.  The  next  day  was  Sunday  and  early  I 
began  to  carry  old  hay,  chunks  of  wood,  and  place  them  on  the 
eastern  side  of  my  corn  field,  and  set  fire  to  them,  and  as  the 
wind  bore  the  smoke  among  the  corn,  the  insects  arose  in  clouds 
from  off  the  corn  and  for  a  short  time  I  thought  the  victory  i 
was  mine.  But  I  was  soon  undeceived.  T  noticed  that  the  smoke 
soon  arose  entirely  above  the  corn  and  underneath  that  the  hop- 
pers remained  undisturbed,  and  that  those  who  had  been  first  dis- 
turbed, immediately  settled  down  again  on  the  corn,  as  soon  as 
they  were  out  of  the  cloud  of  smoke.  It  was  a  vain  attempt.  I 
gave  it  u]),  and  turned  my  attention  to  fighting  fire  on  the  dry 
grass  hat  had  carried  it  into  the  timber  of  my  neighbor,  but  I 
did  not  even  succeed  in  saving  much  of  his  timber.  Afterwards 
i  called  on  him  and  asked  him  how  much  I  owed  him  for  the  dam- 
age the  fire  had  done  to  him.    He  replied,  "I  don't  think  it  would 

have  done  any  damage  if  it  liad  burned  the  whole  d d  country 

up."  I  felt  very  much  the  same  way  myself,  and  besides  some 
relief  that  T  would  not  be  called  on  to  pay  for  it.  I  remember 
talking  to  Elder  ]\[ayo  shortly  after  the  last  visitation  of  the 
grassho])pers.  He  insisted  with  much  vehemence  and  earnest- 
ness that  it  was  a  judgment  of  God  upon  the  people  for  their 
many  sins.  I  referred  him  to  my  belief  that  the  sins  of  the  people 
Jn  other  localities  were,  in  my  opinion,  as  great  as  ours,  and  yet 
they  escaped,  while  we  suffered,  and  that  he  himself,  as  righteous 
man,  leader  and  teacher  of  holiness,  had  been  included  in  the 
condemnation,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  us,  but  my  words  failed  to 


FURNAS  COUNTY  97 

f;hange  his  attitude  as  my  efforts  had  failed  to  save  my  corn. 
Many  people  left  the  country,  thoroughly  disgusted,  and  never 
returned.  I  remained  because  I  had  to,  but  I  told  ray  wife  I 
would  never  put  in  another  crop  in  that  country,  and  I  did  not. 
I  struggled  on  the  best  I  could,  and  during  the  next  year  succeed- 
ed in  living  as  well  as  I  had  during  the  preceding  ones,  and 
made  final  proof  and  received  certificate  of  same,  and  sold  the 
homestead  with  the  intention  of  permanently  leaving  the  country. 

I  had  now  made  arrangements  to  emigrate  to  the  western 
coast,  even  to  an  agreement  with  John  Keiser  to  move  my  family 
rnd  goods  to  Kearney,  wdiere  I  was  to  take  the  train  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. As  I  have  stated  before,  iMrs.  AYhitney  had  long  been  in 
poor  health,  although  she  had  apparently  improved  during  the 
tAvo  first  seasons  after  coming  to  Nebraska,  but  at  this  time, 
just  prior  to  our  intended  departure,  she  took  a  severe  cold  and 
was  attacked  with  lung  fever,  and  could  not  be  moved.  I  was 
under  obligation  to  give  possession  of  my  house  to  the  pur- 
chaser, and  as  soon  as  the  physician  would  allow  us,  I  ol)tained 
another  and  we  moved,  but  the  cold  season  was  far  advanced 
and  my  wife  was  not  in  a  condition  to  endure  so  long  a  journey, 
so  we  concluded  to  wait  until  the  following  spring. 

I  taught  school  in  oiu-  home  district  thinking  thus  to  pay 
our  expenses  dimng  the  winter.  During  the  winter  my  two 
youngest  children  were  for  a  time  under  the  care  of  the  doctor, 
and  also  my  eldest  daughter.  In  the  spring,  after  paying  my 
doctor  bills,  I  had  just  enough  money  to  pay  our  fare  to  Port- 
land. Oregon.  I  dared  not  attempt,  with  an  invalid  wife  and 
five  small  children  to  land  in  a  country  of  strangers,  without 
money.  I  moved  into  a  sod  house  in  the  neighborhood  of  "Wm. 
Ilarman.  bought  some  cows  and  worked  with  my  tools  in  Beaver 
City,  and  lived  in  more  comfort  than  ever  previously  in  that 
country.  But  in  the  summer  of  that  year,  an  epidemic  of  that 
dread  disease,  diphtheria,  prevailed,  and  my  children  were  at- 
tacked vriih  hundreds  of  others.  I  can  not  remember  of  scarcely 
a  family  Avho  escaped.  Some  lost  every  child  in  the  household. 
It  was  indeed  a  time  of  mourning.  My  children  all  recovered. 
We  were  one  among  the  very  few  who  escaped  without  a  death 
in  the  family.  Any  of  the  early  settlers  who  may  still  remain 
in  that  vicinity  surely  can  recall  this  sad  calamity  that  left  so 
many  hearths  desolate.  During  this  time  I  had  filed  on  another 
claim  as  a  pre-emption,  and  had  partly  completed  a  dug-out,  but 


98  PIONEER  STORIES 

during  the  sickness  I  Avas  detained  from  completing  it  and  the 
time  elapsed  allowed  i'or  having  a  residence  upon  it,  and  ere 
]  could  arrange  to  move  on  it,  a  former  trusted  friend  filed  a 
contest  on  my  claim,  and  proceedeil  to  build  a  sod  house  and 
moved  his  family  on  it.  This  occurrence  caused  a  wave  of  indig- 
nation among  the  neighbors,  who  knew  all  the  circumstances 
?nd  after  much  consideration  1  consented  to  defend  my  claim 
before  the  land  department.  It  resulted  in  the  department's  de- 
cision in  my  favor  and  confirming  my  prior  right. 

During  the  fall  and  before  the  epidemic  had  ceased,  there 
occurred  another  Indian  scare,  and  the  greatest  of  any.  Wild 
accounts  reached  us  of  the  number  of  Indians  and  of  murders 
they  committed.  And  some  of  these  stories  Avere  afterwards  con- 
firmed. Some  settlers  were  killed  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Bea- 
ver. The  settlers  became  frightened.  Many  moved  into  Beaver 
City,  camping  on  the  public  square.  One  evening  when  I  came  in 
from  work  my  family  were  much  excited  over  reports  they  had 
heard  of  the  Indians.  I  had  but  little  faith  in  the  stories,  but  to 
satisfy  myself  and  them,  I  went  to  the  house  of  Frank  ]\Iattliew% 
"which  was  situated  on  the  traveled  road,  to  make  inquiries.  I 
found  no  one  there  except  the  women  and  Will  Mayo.  Both 
.\Iatthew  and  his  father-in-law,  Elder  Mayo,  had  gone  to  Beaver 
City  to  learn  the  ncAvs.  I  returned  home  and  found  my  own 
house  deserted,  the  beds  robl)ed  of  everything;  dishes  gone;  and 
the  lamp  left  burning  on  the  table.  I  soon  discovered  that  my 
carbine  had  been  left.  I  took  it  and  stepped  outside  the  door, 
wondering  where  my  people  were  and  what  had  happened  during 
the  brief  hour  of  my  absence.  I  heard  a  confused  noise  of  voices 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  in  the  direction  of  a  neighbor's 
house,  Patrick  Kennedy.  I  went  there  and  found  several  wa- 
gon loads  of  women,  children,  beds,  blankets  and  excited  men, 
and  all  talking  and  urging  each  other  to  hurry.  I  asked  the 
reason,  and  was  told  they  were  running  from  the  Indians  and 
were  going  to  cross  the  river  and  camp  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
I  heard  my  wife  calling  me.  T  told  her  that  she  must  not  go  to 
the  river  and  made  them  all  promise  to  leave  her  and  our  child- 
ren at  John  Keiser's  if  Keiser  had  not  left  when  they  got  there, 
and  I  returned  home  with  ray  carbine  to  look  after  our  cattle. 
AVhile  engaged  in  this  work,  Henry  Keiser  came  to  me  on  horse- 
back telling  me  that  my  people  were  at  his  brother's  and  wanted 
me  to  come  there.     So,  I  went.     I  asked  Henry  if  his  brother  in- 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


99 


tended  to  leave.  He  said  "No."  I  asked  him  if  they  had  any 
ammunition.  He  said  "No."  I  had  none  either.  I  wondered 
how  we  would  fight  without,  but  at  the  same  time  I  did  not  think 
we  would  have  the  chance  to  fight.  And  I  am  confident  that  if 
The  Indians  had  been  in  such  numbers  as  reported,  and  had  been 
inclined  to  do  so.  they  could  at  this  time  have  scalped  every  set- 
tler in  the  county,  with  slight  loss  to  themselves.  And  I  believe 
this  to  be  true  at  all  times  during  the  early  days  of  that  settle- 
ment. Few  of  the  men  ever  had  but  a  scant  supply  of  ammuni- 
licn.  and  much  of  Avhat  they  had  was  wasted  in  wanton  and  reck- 
less shooting.  However,  I  went  to  Mr.  Reiser's  and  we  all  sat 
{iwake  all  night,  except  the  children,  waiting  to  hear  the  war 
\'»hoop  of  the  savages,  and  surrender  our  scalps  gracefully,  after 
making  as  huge  a  bluff  as  possible  with  dur  empty  rifles.  It  is 
true  that  the  state  did  supply  several  cases  of  rifles  and  a  sup- 
ply of  ammunition,  but  I  believe  the  guns  were  ruined  by  neglect, 
and  most  of  the  cartridges  used  to  kill  ])uffalo. 

This  was  the  worst  and  the  last  Indian  friglit.  On  June 
ISth.  1880,  in  company  ^Wth  Daniel  Kimes,  I  started  for  the 
eastern  part  of  the  state  to  obtain  work  if  possible.  At  tliat 
tniie,  June  18,1880,  the  plowed  and  seeded  fields  in  Furnas 
county  were  as  bare  and  void  of  v-^-getation  as  they  were  when 
the  farmers  drove  their  harrows  off  of  them  at  seeding  time, 
and  t)ie  unbroken  prairie  as  brown  and  gray  as  in  the  middle  of 
December.  Xo  verdure  or  greon  thing  except  along  the  borders 
of  th'  creeks,  and  ihe  wild  cactus  plants  of  the  prairie.  1  w;!.>. 
absent  during  the  summer  until  called  home  by  the  illness  of 
ruy  wife.  Xo  rain  to  any  amount  fell  in  the  vicinity  of  our  home 
until  .some  time  in  July.  Many  sowed  millet  and  that  was  all  the 
c>'op  worth  mentioning  that  year.  I  again  taught  school  the 
winter  of  1880-1881.  During  the  winter,  which  was  very  severe, 
we  lost  our  youngest  child,  and  the  following  ]\Iay.  ^Mrs.  Whitney 
"lied. 

I  took  my  tool  chest  and  went  to  Xorth  Platte  to  obtain 
work,  leaving  my  children  in  care  of  a  sister-in-law,  who  pro- 
mised to  remain  with  them  until  the  following  August.  I  came 
JKime  in  the  fall,  settled  my  children  in  the  care  of  another  and 
Icr  some  time  was  employed  by  L.  Kinsman,  then  county  clerk, 
to  assist  his  deputy  in  keeping  the  records  of  the  office.  ^ly 
work  comprised  the  copying  of  the  transfers  of  real  estate  and 
the  mortgage,  records — mostly  mortgages — and  mostly  in  favor  o^' 


100  {    PIONEER  STORIES 

eastern  loaning  companies.  Tlie  amonnts  usually  loaned  on  160 
acres  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  .^300. 00.  The  fact  is  simply 
this,  these  mortgagors  had  obtained  papers  on  their  land,  and 
thus  could  mortgage  them,  and  they  did  it  with  the  intention 
of  obtaining  sufficient  funds  wherewith  to  leave  the  country, 
and  many  of  them  did  thus  leave  and  are  still  away.  And  I 
believe  many  of  these  mortgaged  lands  were  forfeited  to  the 
mortgagees. 

I  sold  my  preemption  to  the  man  who  wanted  it,  and  again 
endeavored  to  go  west,  l)ut  again  was  lield  back  by  the  sickness 
of  the  children,  and  finally  returned  to  the  eastern  part  of  the 
state,  where  I  still  remain,  without  a  regret  for  leaving  Furnas 
county,  and  have  never  since  revisited  the  place  but  twice.  T 
have  heard  much  of  the  prosperity  that  now  abounds  there.  If 
it  is  true,  no  one  rejoiced  more  over  it  than  I,  but  1  am  content 
that  the  residents  there  shall  enjoy  all  of  it. 

I  have  hastily  drawn  these  chapters  to  a  close,  ^lany  in- 
cidents of  a  thrilling  nature  I  have  left  out,  and  many  a  tearful 
one,  and  some  of  the  most  ludicrous  character.  I  can  truthfully 
say  that  during  my  sojourn  there  I  came  in  contact  with  as  noble 
characters  as  I  have  ever  met,  and  some  of  the  most  base.  Hu- 
manity in  all  its  phases  was  revealed.  AA^liile  the  recollection  of 
some  is  ever  accompanied  with  a  feeling  of  pleasure,  I  am  sorry 
that  it  is  not  true  of  all. 

BYRON  F.  WHITNEY. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  loi 


CHAPTER    XIII 

Rufus  Trowbridge  Lost  Everything  Coming  West  in  1873,   So 
Traded  Buffalo  Meat  for  His  Filing  Papers 

Grand  Juuction,  Colo.,  February  21. — Editor  Times-Tribune, 
— The  spring  that  I  was  twenty-one,  I  crossed  the  plains  with  a 
company  of  thirty-five.  We  all  had  ox  teams.  When  uur  com- 
pany got  Avithin  3  miles  of  Fort  Laramie,  we  camped,  and  some 
of  us  heard  that  Horace  Greeley  had  been  there  and  made  a 
(■speech,  and  some  of  our  company  wanted  to  join  the  exodus  for 
California.  This  divided  the  company  and  seventeen  of  us  went 
to  Boulder,  Colo.,  which  was  the  starting  of  that  place.  Eigliteen 
started  for  California.  Horace  Greeley  was  honest  but  of  coui'se 
he  was  deceived  about  finding  gold. 

We  had  trouble  with  Sioux  Indians.  They  came  upon  us 
and  demanded  our  grub,  but  we  were  brave  and  would  not  give 
it  up,  and  finally  bluffed  them  out.  But  it  did  look  scary  for  a 
while,  as  they  had  fresh  scalps  attached  to  their  saddles,  and  it 
jooked  as  though  our  time  had  come,  especially  when  they  sur- 
rounded us. 

I  returned  to  Iowa,  and  in  1873,  with  my  wife  and  four 
children,  started  from  Black  Hawk,  Iowa,  for  Furnas  county. 
When  we  reached  the  Republican  river  I  had  the  worst  time  in 
my  travels.  I  had  had  bad  luck  all  the  way,  and  only  had  fifty 
cents  left  to  help  get  us  across  the  river.  The  river  was  comiug 
u})  l)ut  it  was  told  us  that  the  crossing  was  safe,  and  so  in  we 
went,  team,  wagon  and  load.  I  saw  that  I  would  have  to  jump 
out  and  swim,  which  I  did,  hanging  on  to  the  lines.  My  team, 
ilie  front  wheels,  and  myself  got  ashore,  but  the  rest  of 
my  new  wagon  had  gone  down  the  river  and  settled  in  (piick- 
sand.  I  and  the  ferryman  got  that  out  piece  by  piece  all  but  the 
king  bolt.  Of  course  the  wagon  box  tipped  over  and  all  of  my 
goods  had  gone  down  the  river  and  were  never  recovered  by  me. 
In  this  were  my  tools,  worth  $100,  besides  my  other  goods.  We 
got  rigged  up  and  reached  my  claim  in  Furnas  county,  December 


102 


PIONEER  STORIES 


18,  1873,  which  was  section  27,  range  24,  town  2,  east  of  Wilson- 
ville.  I  went  to  the  land  office  without  a  cent  of  money,  but 
took  105  pounds  of  dried  l)uft'al«  meat.  I  must  tell  you  how  we 
<i;ot  lliis  UKmt.  There  were  nine  of  us  in  the  compMny  wlio  went 
on  a  hunt  and  were  gone  three  weeks.  We  killed  twenty-five 
i)utfala,  dried  the  meat  and  took  care  of  tlie  hides  to  sell.  When 
I  went  to  the  land  office  with  my  meat  1  went  to  several  stoi'es 
iiiid  finally  got  5  cents  a  pound  for  it.  I  told  the  register  of 
the  land  office  that  I  had  come  to  file  and  on  account  of  hard 
luek  and  sickness  that  T  had  no  money,  but  could  get  lum  a  due 
bill  fr-om  one  of  the  stores  on  account  of  the  buffalo  meat.  After 
studying  a  while  he  said  that  he  would  make  out  the  papers  for 
•1^3.25.     So  I  went  and  got  a  due  bill  for  that  amount. 

1  hauled  back  a  load  of 
salt  and  lumber  to  Orleans 
juid  got  $12  for  that  and 
had  $2  left  from  the  meat, 
which  I  traded  out  for  gro- 
ceries as  we  were  so  far  from 
a  trading  point,  and  we  had 
to  watch  out  for  provisions 
in  those  days.  I  have  seen 
the  time  in  my  house  that 
we  would  have  cooked  bran 
to  eat  if  we  had  had  it.  But 
something  would  turn  up  be- 
fore night  and  we  got  some- 
thing to  eat. 

About  July  4th,  400 
Pawnees  came  and  camped 
on  my  claim  four  days.  1 
talked  with  the  guide  and 
he  told  me  that  the  first  day 
•SOO  warriors  in  a  circle  of 
ten  miles  had  killed  150  buf- 
falo. People  always  had 
better  luck  hunting  buffalo  on  the  Beaver  than  anywhere  else. 

Millie  Trowbridge,  now  j\Irs.  DeWitt  of  Omaha,  was  the  sec- 
ond white  girl  born  in  Furnas  county. 

Now  for  a  snake  story.     I  had  made  a  Lincoln  bed  for  the 
hoys.     My  wife  went  to  make  up  the  bed,  and  there  was  a  big 


RUFUS  TROWBRIDGE 


FURNAS  COUNTY  103 

rattler  in  the  bed,  and  by  the  time  she  could  get  a  stick  it  had 
crawled  out  through  the  cracks  in  the  log  house.  Another  time 
Baby  Millie  was  just  so  she  could  toddle,  and  we  found  her  out 
playing  peek-a-boo  with  a  big  rattler  over  a  log.  This  one  was 
curled  ready  to  strike,  and  we  got  him  in  time.  Another  time 
my  wife  and  a  neighbor  woman  killed  a  l)ig  rattler  with  an  ax. 

Well,  one  thing  I  can  say  and  that  is  that  my  children  never 
liad  to  cry  for  bread,  and  I  would  rather  face  Indians  and  snakes 
lhan  to  hear  children  crying  for  bread. 

I  will  wind  up  by  saying  that  I  am  well  and  can  use  myself 
Tiretty  well  after  having  sucli  a  siege  of  rheumatism. 

RUFIIS  TKOWIiRIDGE. 


104 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XIV 

William  T.  McGuire  Was  a  Boy  When  He  Sailed  Into  the  Beaver 

Aboard  a  Prairie  Schooner 

William  T.  McGuire  grew  from  early  childhood  to  sturdy 
manhood  in  Furnas  county  He  passed  through  all  the  stirring 
times  of  the  early  days.  He  also  was  a  stalwart  among  stalwarts 
in  political  activities  after  he  arrived  at  manhood's  estate.  The 
Times-Tribune  requested  him  to  write  the  political  history  of  the 
county,  but  instead  he  gave  us  a  most  vivid  and  interesting  ac- 
count of  his  earlier  years,  touching  upon  the  settlement  of  a 
fcection  of  the  country  not  hitherto  described  by  our  intelligent 
and  truthful  historians.  We  are  glad  to  get  it  and  print  it.  But 
we  shall  be  pleased  to  receive  another  article  from  his  pen  relating 


Looking  Southeast  trom  the  Court  House  Cupola  in  1888.    Present  Home 
of  Postmaster  Boyd  in  the  foreground 

some  of  those  other  victories — no  less  renowned  than  war — when 
the  activities  of  the  pioneers  turned  from  the  plow  to  tliat  no  less 
honorable  profession  of  "saving  the  country"  at  the  county  con- 
vention. 

Editor  Times-Tril)une. — I  have  been  reading  with  interest 
and  profit  the  Pioneer  stories  written  by  the  boys  and  girls  who 
first  resolved  to  change  the  buffalo  trail  into  the  plow  furrow 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


105 


Looking    east    along    the    North    Side 
in  1888 


L<ud  the  paradise  of  the  hunter  and  his  game  into  productive 
fields  and  herds  of  thoroughbreds  fed  on  alfalfa.  'Though 
miles  separate  and  high  mountains  divide  many  of  us  now,  tho°se 
letters  bring  back  to  memory  tlioughts  of  the  strenuous  days 
when  we  Avere  satislied  with  little  and  endured  much.  Your 
request  to  write  about  my  early  days  reminds  me  that  1  was  11 
years  old  when  I  first  set  eyes  on  Beaver  City. 

When  the  summer  be- 
gan to  fade  into  fall  with  its 
murky  days  and  starlight 
nights  there  were  some  that 
viewed  with  alarm  the  near 
approach  of  a  long,  dreary 
winter,  with  perhaps  no  mail 
at  all,  and  80  miles  to  the 
nearest  railroad.  But  there 
was  a  large  number  of  live, 
social  wires  who  did  not  en- 
tertain one  gloomy  thought. 
Their  presence  was  like  la 
ray  of  sunshine  and  their  hospitality  knew  no  bounds.  There  were 
no  clans  in  those  days.  All  were  on  equal  footing.  The  purpose 
of  one  was  the  purpose  of  all — to  make  a  i)ormanent  home,  tlie 
woof  and  warp  of  the  fabrics  of  civilization.  The  reader  may  be 
interested  to  know  who  our  neighl)ors  were  the  first  winter.  On 
either  side  along  tlie  creek  for  a  distance  of  6  miles  from  mem- 
ory's roster  I  will  supply  the  list:  John  O'Brien  and  family.  John 
Huft'  and  family,  Billy  DeForest,  John  AVines,  Edgar  and  Billy 
Page,  Mr.  Severn  and  family,  John  DelMotte,  who  homestcaded 
the  land  on  which  old  Lynden  mills  were  located  and  Devizes  now 
stands,  Mr.  Coleman  and  family,  John  P.  Dopps  and  family, 
John  Stevenson,  a  sturdy  young  Scotchman  who  develoi)ed  stay- 
ing qualities,  Mr.  Brightman  wlio  homestcaded  what  was  Chas. 
Crommett's  old  place,  Stukey  Harding  and  family,  and  his  fath- 
er's family,  the  ^IcKaster  family,  John  and  W.  T.  McKinny  and 
families,  the  latter  has  made  good  and  is  still  on  the  job. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  there  was  much  sickness  among  tlie 
settlers  The  scurvy  Avas  the  most  ])revalent,  caused  by  a  lack  of 
vegetable  food,  but  wild  onions,  which  grew  in  abundance  over 
the  prairies,  proved  to  be  a  panacea  for  this  ill.  About  this  time, 
Mrs.  John  O'Brien,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  after  a  short  illness 


106 


PIONEER  STORIES 


(lied,  which  east  a  <;l(»()iti  oxer  the  settlement.  In  sickness  and 
need  she  was  a  ministering  angel.  The  darkest  shadow  cast  by 
clouds  of  grasslioppers  could  not  clumge  the  lustre  of  her  cheery 
t-milc.  The  community  followed  all  that  was  mortal  of  their 
irientl  to  a  point  on  the  praii-ic  where  they  laid  her  to  rest  beneath 
i.he  earth  of  the  hillside.  'I'his  was  the  first  grave  of  what  is  now 
the  Devizes  cemetery. 

One  and  a  half  mile  east  of  our  house  the  Texas  cattle  trail 
crosses  the  Sappa  over  which  numy  thousands  of  horses  and  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  those  long  horns  wended  their  way  to  the 
Indian  agencies  and  the  big  ranches  of  the  northwest.  It  seemed 
1o  me  that  the  horns  and  the  head  would  weigh  more  than  the 
body.  This  specie  of  cattle  is  now  almost  extinct.  Such  noted 
cattle  kings  of  the  south  as  the  Olives,  Ilolliday,  Richard  King, 
,[oel  Collins,  Sam  Bass,  and  many  others  followed  this  trail.  The 
latter  two  named  sold  their  herd  at  Custer  City.  After  a  gam- 
Ming,  drunken  debaucli,  they  squandered  the  price  of  the  herd. 

On  their  return  they  robbed 
a  Union  Pacific  Express  at 
Big  Springs,  east  of  Ogalal- 
la.  The  unique  way  in 
which  a  part  of  the  plunder 
was  recovered  and  two  of 
the  party  captured  I  speak 
of  later. 

Cowboys,  scouts  and 
plainsmen  in  passing  often 
stopped  for  refreshments, 
buttermilk,  notably  Buffalo 
Bill  who  would  empty  his 
glass  with  a  relish  and  ask 
for  another.  Many  troops  of 
cavalry  passed  close  to  our  place.  Aside  from  being  pleasing  to 
look  at,  they  had  a  very  salutary  effect  in  impressing  the  set- 
tlers with  confidence  that  Uncle  Sam  was  looking  after  their 
>>^afety. 

During  the  early  settlement  of  the  Sappa  a  farm  had  no  more 
of  a  cash  value  than  a  barrel  of  water  on  the  bank  of  the  Platte 
river  during  a  flood.  When  some  people  beeame  discouraged  and 
could  stand  it  no  longer,  they  would  load  their  personal  effects 
and  hike  out  to  their  wife's  folks,  and  in  time  new  settlers  would 


Livery  Stable  at  Northwest  Corner 
of  Square,  burned  in  the 
winter  of  1889 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


107 


take  their  place.  You  ask  how  they  could  do  this  and  avoid  a 
contest?  For  the  reason  they  did  not  file,  but  held  their  claims 
l.y  the  right  of  squatter's  sovereignty.  They  could  file  at  a  more 
convenient  time,  which  they  never  did.  I  have  in  mind  a  setth'r 
wlio  traded  his  right,  improvements,  and  good  will  for  a  ^20 
Texas  pony.  The  new  man  got  tlie  blues  and  moved  away,  only 
to  be  laughed  at  for  being  shy  a  small  horse.  But  I  am  sure  you 
VnOuUI  make  the  present  owner  of  the  farm  very  angry  if  you  of- 
fered him.  less  than  $6,000  for  it. 

A  view  of  the  settlement  of  the  tributaries  and  divides  is 
too  lengthy  for  a  newspaper  article,  however,  it  is  amusing  to  re- 
eiall  hoAV  the  first  settlers  talked  about  the  valleys  might  be  set- 
tled by  stockmen,  but  that  the  divides  never  would  be.  West- 
ward the  tide  of  home  hunters  wended  their  way  and  long  since 
the  government  has  issued  letters  patent  to  every  foot  of  it. 

j\Iueh  excitement  was  caused  when  it  was  reported  that  a 
young  man  who  had  just  settled  on  one  of  the  triljutaries  of  the 
Sappa  had  been  found  dead  under  his  wagon.     After  reviewing 

the  remains  it  was  decided 
that  an  inquest  would  be  un- 
necessary, for  it  was  plain 
that  during  the  night,  whcu 
a  rain  had  come  up,  he  had 
reached  out  for  his  gun  and 
pulling  it  toward  him  it  had 
been  discharged  witii  fatal 
cfFcct.  Out  of  his  wagon  box 
a  rough  casket  was  made, 
and  then  strange  but  kind 
lijinds  l)uried  him  on  his 
claim  he  had  chosen  for  his 
home.  The  creek  is  known 
lo  this  day  as  (Will)  Jones" 
branch. 

I  will  omit  speaking 
about  my  pioneer  school 
days,  but  iu  passing  I  can- 
not refrain  from  paying  a 
compliment  to  ^Mrs.  John 
Brainard,  Mrs.  Cornelius 
WM.  T.  McGUIRE  Decker,  and  Miss  Ally  Hill- 


108  PIONEER  STORIES 

\ 
man,  who  were  my  instructors  for  five  years.  They  labored 
hard,  faithfully,  and  capably  in  teaching  me  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  three  K's,  and  wasted  no  time  on  the  fads  and 
ge-gaws  as  teachers  do  today.  After  a  few  months  at  Norton 
imder  Prof.  Joel  Simmons,  conditions  made  it  necessary  that  I 
quit  the  common  school  and  finish  my  education  in  the  academy 
of  experience  and  the  university  of  hard  knocks. 

Lest  I  forget  I  will  state  how  two  of  the  Sam  Bass  bunch 
were  captured  as  told  to  me  in  later  years  by  Tug  AVilson,  one 
of  the  detectives.  (Perhaps  W.  T.  Collings  will  recall  Wilson  who 
worked  for  the  Anglo-American  Cattle  Co.)  In  substance  he  said 
that  one  afternoon  a  number  of  men  were  seated  on  the  porch  of 
a  hotel  in  Hayes  City,  Kas.  Among  them  was  a  U.  S.  Marshal. 
Two  cowboys,  heavily  armed  and  leading  a  pack  horse,  rode  up. 
Dismounting,  they  threw  the  bridle  reins  to  the  ground,  walked 
in  and  ordered  something  to  eat.  Soon  they  reappeared,  mounted 
and  rode  away.  It  was  then  noticed  that  the  pack  horse,  the  larg- 
est and  fattest  of  the  trio,  showed  great  weariness,  almost  to 
the  point  of  collapse.  This  should  not  have  been  as  the  bed-pack 
was  small  compared  with  the  riders,  saddles,  and  trappings  which 
the  two  smaller  horses  carried  with  ease.  The  marshal  said, 
"Boys,  we'll  have  them  return  as  our  guests  for  tonight  and  get 
better  acquainted."  He  swore  in  four  aides,  armed  and  dressed 
in  the  role  of  cowboys,  to  throw  off  suspicion  of  attack.  They 
made  a  big  detour  far  in  advance  of  the  riders,  and  then  turned 
and  met  them  from  the  front  with  a  cordial  greeting  of  cowboys. 
After  a  brief  talk  tliey  were  invited  to  spend  the  night  at  the 
cow  camp,  a  fcAv  miles  away.  This  they  consented  to  do.  Well  at 
ease,  chatting,  rolling  cigarettes,  completely  off  their  guard,  six- 
shooters  clicked  with  the  order  "hands  up."  There  was  nothing 
to  do  but  obe.y.  Disarmed  and  searched,  two  deputies  led  their 
horses  while  three  rode  behind.  Arriving  in  town  the  bed  pack 
was  removed  and  found  to  contain  $60,000  in  gold  in  the  original 
sealed  packages.  The  two  men  captured,  without  the  firing  of  a 
gun,  proved  to  be  Joel  Collins  and  "Old  Dad,"  two  of  the  most 
desperate  characters  that  ever  camped  on  the  Sappa  or  that  Texas 
ever  knew. 

The  Indian  scare  of  1878  has  Ijeen  spoken  of  by  other  Avrit- 
ers,  and  I  would  not  allude  to  it  had  it  not  been  for  an  incident 
of  much  concern  to  me.  In  that  raid  I  lost  a  boy  comrade,  as  fine 
a  lad  as  I  ever  knew.     The  fall  of  tliat  year  was  featured  with 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


109 


ideal  weather.  Sister  and  I  were  going  to  school  at  Norton. 
It  was  at  this  time  a  small  pioneer  village  Avithout  railroad  or 
telegraph  eommiinieation,  but  no  longer  will  her  people  be  start- 
led M'ith  the  thrilling  news  that  "the  Indians  are  eoming,"  as 
they  were  thirty-tive  years  ago.  It  has  been  reported  for  several 
days  that  about  300  Cheyennes  liad  left  their  reservation  in  the 
Indian  territory  with  their  war  paint  on,  and  were  coming  north 
to  help  their  old  friends,  Setting  Bull  and  Crazy  Horse,  who  were 


'liip^ 


-i?^: 


Looking  southeast  from  the  Court  House  cupola  in  1888.  The  C.  I). 
Stearns  residence  in  the  foreground.  The  E.  D.  Jones  residence,  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  is  now  occupied  by  W.  O.  Butler.  Residences  of  C  H. 
Wilson,  G.  S.  Williamson,  and  H,  F.  Merwin  in  the  distance. 

getting  what  they  richly  deserved  from  Generals  Terry  and 
Miles.  Early  in  the  morning  scores  of  teams  began  to  come  into 
town  on  a  dead  run.  Some  drove  on  through  to  beat  tlu-  l)and 
and  never  did  retiu-n.  From  north,  west  and  south  people  con- 
tinued to  flock  in  during  the  day  the  scare  was  on.  About  1 
o'clock  my  mother  and  brother,  a  lad  of  eight  years,  drove  in.  By 
This  time  mother  had  caught  the  fever  antl  was  as  mucli  excited 
as  any  of  them.  She  asked  me  to  get  a  horse  and  go  out  after 
father,  who  would  not  come  with  her.  Some  thought  it  danger- 
ous, and  others  said  it  would  be  alright  if  I  had  a  gun.  So  Mr. 
Kenyon,   the   blacksmith,   offered   me  his  six-shooter,   and   said. 


110  PIONEER  STORIES 


'  J 


"Kid,  if  you'll  get  powder  and  caps  I'll  mould  some  bullets. 
Wlieii  ready,  he  handed  me  the  gun  and  1  rode  away.  I  met 
more  teams  eoming  pell  mell.  They  had  some  betkling  in,  Avith 
the  family  piled  on  top,  who  were  geting  the  joy  ride  of  their 
lives.  Some  stopped  and  incpiired  where  I  was  going  and  ad- 
vised me  to  turn  back.  Others  seemed  to  have  troubles  all  their 
own  and  drove  hurriedly  by.  The  twenty-one  miles  was  made 
in  short  time.  I  forded  the  Sappa  on  a  gallop  and  rode  up  to 
the  house.  Father  was  not  there.  I  noticed  that  the  chickens 
were  digging  around  on  a  plot  of  ground  where  they  did  not  dare 
trespass  before.  The  cattle  were  scattered.  I  went  to  several 
(if  the  neighbors.  All  were  gone.  I  hastened  back,  and,  going 
down  a  draw,  the  head  of  Robinson  branch,  I  rode  upon  two  an- 
telope. They  jumped  up  not  more  than  ten  feet  away  and  gazed 
at  me  with  their  black  beady  eyes.  I  thought  how  nice  it  would 
be  to  give  my  seat  in  the  saddle  to  a  dead  antelope,  and  walk  to 
town  a  few  miles  away.  I  slipped  off  and  took  sure  aim.  There 
was  an  awful  report  followed  by  a  cloud  of  smoke  that  made  one 
think  of  a  prairie  fire.  After  collecting  myself  I  discovered  that 
the  antelope  was  unhurt,  although  all  six  shots  had  gone  off  at 
once.  Disgusted  Avith  such  a  gun  in  a  supposed  Indian  country, 
I  caught  my  horse  and  rode  to  town.  Later  it  developed  that 
father,  in  company  with  others,  had  gone  west  as  far  as  Oberlin 
to  reconnoiter.  There  was  a  great  hub-bub  in  town.  The  fall 
term  of  court  was  on.  That  day  they  had  on  trial  the  Cummings 
and  Landis  murder  case  from  the  Solomon.  Court  had  just  con- 
vened for  an  evening  session  when  two  men  rushed  in  and,  in 
an  excited  way,  told  the  judge  that  in  coming  down  the  Prairie 
Dog  from  old  Leota  they  had  passed  south  of  the  Indian  camp  of 
about  TOO  lodges  and  tepees.  The  usual  dignity  of  court  was 
abandoned,  and  all  joined  in  the  fright  of  the  moment.  Women 
t-nd  children  were  ordered  assembled  at  the  rock  house  of  AVil- 
iiam  Rogers.  ]\Ien  got  their  teams  and  grouped  their  wagons 
around  it.  The  attack  was  not  looked  for  liefore  daylight.  Out- 
side guards  were  posted.  I  have  no  idea  of  the  number  of  peo- 
I)le  there,  but  it  was  a  helpless  mass  of  humanity  in  the  event  of 
an  attack.  An  inventory  of  the  firearms  emphasized  the  fact 
that  the  energies  of  the  people  had  been  more  devoted  to  the  de- 
velopment of  a  new  country  than  that  of  war.  There  were  two 
f.hotguns  of  the  loose  powder  type,  and  the  Colts  I  have  spoken 
about.     Louis  K.  Pratt,  afterward  district  judge,  had  the   dis- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  111 

tiiiL'tion  of  being  the  only  man  who  carried  a  Spencer  carbine, 
that  had  in  its  magazine  only  two  shells,  which,  happily,  he  did 
not  have  the  occasion  to  use.  ^lany  amusing  things  happened 
that  night,  but  I  will  spare  the  mirth  of  the  reader  by  not  re- 
ferring to  them.  After  sun  up  a  detail  accompanied  the  two  men 
to  the  place,  where  they  had  seen  the  Indian  camp.  And  lo,  there 
stood  the  silent  olijects  of  their  scare — about  150  shocks  of  cane. 
During  this  time  the  Indians  passed  north  and  about  fifty 
miles  west.  They  did  not  travel  in  a  ])ody,  but  in  squads,  which 
gave  them  a  wider  range  for  pillage.  At  one  schoolhouse  they 
culfed  the  little  ones  about  and  maltreated  the  teacher,  whose 
name  1  will  Avithhold.  When  found  slie  was  more  dead  than 
alive.  After  long  suffering  in  a  hospital  in  Kansas  City,  she  re- 
covered. They  crossed  the  Beaver  in  the  morning  at  head  water, 
vrhere  Mr.  Abbott  and  his  son  Arthur,  my  friend,  were  holding 
a  bunch  of  cattle.  It  was  the  custom  to  keep  up  one  saddle  horse 
at  night,  which  Arthur  used  to  round  up  the  day  horses  while 
his  father  got  breakfast.  Shortly  after  Arthur  rode  away,  Mr. 
Abliott  went  to  the  spring,  a  tew  rods  from  the  dugout.  Sud- 
denly leaden  pelletts  began  to  buzz  around  him.  Looking  south 
he  could  see  the  reds  on  a  hill.  Stepping  inside  the  liouse  he 
worked  his  Winchester  rapidly  as  long  as  there  was  an  Indian  in 
fcight.  Then  he  waited  and  watched  for  Arthur  to  come,  but 
Arthur  did  not  come.  In  the  afternoon  some  boys  from  the  K.  V. 
ranch  rode  up  to  break  the  neAvs  to  the  gray-haired  father  that 
they  had  found  Arthur  down  the  valley  shot  and  scalix-d.  his 
new  Denver  saddle  cut  to  Ints,  and  a  poor,  sore-backed  pony  tin' 
jndians  had  left  instead  of  his  horse.  At  a  deserted  homestead 
■hey  cut  feather  ticks  open,  in  which  tliey  mixed  flour  and  mo- 
lasses. At  another  place  they  picked  the  feathers  ofl:'  of  chickens 
and  those  that  had  not  died  were  running  about  in  a  nude  condi- 
tion when  the  owners  returned.  This  was  ju-esumably  tiie  work 
of  the  squaws  for  they  seem  to  have  that  cruel  desire  to  torture 
and  mutilate.  At  still  another  place,  wliere  the  peoi)le  fled,  on 
their  return  they  could  locate  their  former  home  Ity  tlie  sev- 
tral  heaps  of  ashes.  So  it  was  across  the  states,  a  distance  of 
over  500  miles,  the  rascals  left  a  trail  of  murder,  arson  and  tlu^'t. 
fn  the  summer  of  1S79  the  renegad(^s  were  taken  back  to  the  In- 
dian territory  under  a  colored  military  escort,  ^NFajor  North  in 
command.  They  camped  for  the  night  on  Squaw  creek  in  full 
view  of  our  place.     The  Indians  received  no  greater  punishment 


112  PIONEER  STORIES 

(M-  .lil  of  their  deeds  than  lold  to  he  "heap  good,"  and  they 
Avouhl  he  eh)thed  and  fed  hy  the  generous  hand  of  Uncle  Sam. 

Father  sohl  his  farm  near  Wankon,  Towa.  and.  I)eing  a  reader 
of  the  New  York  Trilnine,  assimilated  enough  of  its  teachings  to 
undertake  the  task  of  chasing  the  setting  sun  toward  the  free 
government  lands.  He  had  no  particular  destination  in  view, 
hut  a  slight  leaning  for  Colorado.  On  May  2nd,  the  start  was 
made  west.  A  long  tedious  trip  across  the  state  to  the  Missouri 
rvier  opposite  Nel)raska  City.  A  hoat  landed  us  on  the  Nebraska 
side.  After  many  stops  and  delays,  we  camped  one  night  at  the 
forks  of  the  Beaver  and  Sappa.  The  next  morning  the  large 
prairie  schooner,  drawn  l)y  four  big  oxen,  moved  slowly  west- 
ward toward  the  divide  between  the  creeks  last  named.  The  day 
was  very  hot,  and  the  water  supply  on  hand  limited,  so  the  thirst 
of  three  "kids"  grew  amazingly.  At  a  i)()int  directly  south, 
father  stopped  the  team  and  i)ointing  north  said  to  mother,  "That 
is  Beaver  City  over  there  in  the  Beaver  valley,  the  only  town  be- 
tween here  and  Denver."  For  a  better  view,  I  got  u{)  on  a  wheel 
and  looked  with  eyes  keener  of  \ision  than  now,  and  could  see  no 
churches,  lirick  blocks,  high  school  building,  or  court  house  with 
well  kept  grounds.  Through  the  hazy  mist  of  the  prairie  I  could 
not  discern  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  from  the  cupola  of  the 
Times-Tribune  building,  or  the  beautiful  park  with  its  stately 
trees  and  the  bandstand  where  Bryan  stood,  or  other  evidences 
of  thrift  and  progress  that  would  attract  the  eye  of  the  stranger 
now.  I  could  see  only  a  few  small  ob.jects  that  father  said  were 
houses,  and  that  was  Beaver  City  in  August,  1873. 

Some  buffalo,  elk  and  antelope  crossed  the  trail  ahead  of  us 
that  afternoon,  but  I  didn't  see  any  moose.  (I'm  told  that  they 
are  plentiful  now.)  We  made  a  dry  camp  for  the  night  about  six 
miles  southwest  of  where  Hendley  now  stands.  The  night  was 
musical  with  the  sound  produced  by  buffalo  or  lobo  wolves.  The 
morning  dawned  hot  and  sultry.  ]\Iore  buft'alo  were  in  sight 
and  many  antelope.  Father  thought  best  to  pull  farther  south 
on  the  creek  and  wait  a  few  days  until  the  weather  got  cooler, 
and  then  continue  our  trip  to  Colorado,  Denver  being  the  initial 
point.  AVe  went  down  the  ridge  where  the  fine  farms  of  John 
Jones  and  S  F.  Parsons  are  now  groAving  crops  more  valuable 
than  prairie  dogs,  prickly  ]K?ars,  and  buffalo  grass,  into  the 
Sappa  valley.  The  only  habitation  in  sight  was  that  of  John 
O'Brien,  a  log  house  on  the  creek.     This  place  is  now  owned  by 


FURNAS  COUNTY  113 

Ben  Miller.  There  were  a  few  dugouts  up  and  down  the  stream, 
init  could  not  be  seen  until  you  were  upon  them.  For  some  rea- 
son the  days  lengthened  into  two  Aveeks.  In  the  meantime  hunt- 
ers brouglit  the  news  that  a  hunting  party  of  Pawnees  had  met 
their  old  enemy,  the  Ogalallas,  one  of  the  seven  branches  of  the 
great  Sioux  nation,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Frenehinan.  After 
iwo  days  of  fighting  the  foniuM-  were  defeated  and  many  <»f 
Uieir  ponies  taken.  Sore  and  sullen  over  the  misfortunes  of  war, 
they  headed  west  and  south  and  tried  to  cover  their  loss  by  steal- 
ing stock  from  the  immigrants.  So  father  concluded  that  he 
might  go  farther  and  fare  worse,  and  to  use  his  own  Avords,  "The 
longer  I  stay  in  this  beautiful  valley  the  better  T  like  it."  In  it 
ho  nu!d('  his  liome  for  nearly  forty-one  years,  uiilil  llic  |iii;il  sinii- 
mons  came  to  cross  the  Great  Divide. 

Father  pre-empted  a  quarter  section  less  tiian  eighty  rods 
horn  our  camp.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  E.  Unxpiet.  A  few 
y(>ars  liter  he  homesteaded  a  (piarter  on  the  Sai)pa,  which  is  still 
(twn^^d  by  mother.  Between  looking  after  the  stock  afoot,  swat- 
tina  rattle  snakes,  and  picking  eactus  out  oC  my  feet.  I  got  pretty 
well  acquainted  with  all  the  swimming  pools  foi-  (|uite  a  disttnce 
ilong  the  creek.  ]\Iany  of  thes(^  plunges  were  more  tliaii  fifteen 
I'eet  deep;  something  that  would  hardly  seem  possible  now.  This 
deep  Avater  was  the  home  of  good  sized  fish,  otter  and  beavei-.  'i'he 
I'^-eek  contained  many  drifts  of  wood,  and  the  l)usy  beaver  kept 
aMing  to  them  every  night,  by  cuffing  trees  along  the  banks.  A 
\ery  rank  groAvth  of  bluestem  covere<l  the  first  bottom,  out  of 
w  hich  Avild  turkeys  Avould  come  to  take  a  strut  on  the  slioi-t  grass 
of  the  upland.  The  Sappa  Avas  the  most  heavily  timbered  of  all 
of  the  tributaries  of  the  Republican,  and  a  fcAV  years  later  porta- 
ble saAV  mills  Avorked  the  largest  trees  into  lumber. 

One  day  AA^hen  father  Avas  building  our  first  log  house,  Ave 
lieard  shooting.  Looking  south  avc  saAv  a  herd  of  liuffalo  coming. 
Some  hunters  Avere  concealed  in  the  fiml)er  on  the  Sajipa,  and  shot 
info  the  herd  as  it  crossed.  'On  they  came  and  passed  Avest  of  the 
liouse  a  fcAV  rods.  We  watched  the  big  shaggy  fellows  lo|)('  by. 
One  big  one  stopped,  Avalked  in  a  cii-cle  and  fell.  The  rear  of  the 
h.erd  AA^as  made  up  of  coavs  and  calves.  The  cows  Avere  pushing 
jome  of  the  younger  calves  along  Avith  all  of  their  might.  The 
last  one  no  sooner  ])assed,  than  I  scampered  out  to  what  I  sup- 
posed Avas  a  dead  one.  I  no  sooner  jumped  on  his  avooI  Inimp, 
than  up  he  jumped  and  Avith  high,  uncertain  step  made  another 


114  PIONEER  STORIES 

circle,  and  then  ci-aslicd  to  carlli  to  I'isc  no  more.  1  shall  not  for- 
get my  first  l)utifalo  I'ide,  and  a  ^ood  \\;ii-ming  that  night  for  being 
so  adventurous  helped  to  fix  it  in  my  memory.  About  40  rods  an- 
other buffalo  dropped,  and  a  little  farther  on  another.  The  hunt- 
ers came  up  -with  a  wagon,  and  father  helped  them  with  the  skin- 
ning, and  got  the  hides,  which  came  in  good  use,  as  you  will  see 
later  on.  The  hunters  took  only  the  hind  quarters.  We  had  all 
the  meat  we  wanted  and  the  coyotes  got  the  rest.  The  poor  bison 
were  sorely  worried  that  fall  by  hunters,  both  foreign  and  domes- 
tic. They  carried  on  this  merciless  slaughter  in  many  cases  not 
for  food  or  any  useful  purjiose.  but  for  the  sport  of  the  chase.  By 
the  spring  of  1874  the  buffalo  and  elk  had  disappeared  from  this 
part  of  the  Sappa  valley. 

I  discovered  an  Indian  cave,  which  when  opened  revealed  a 
niotley  assortment  of  trinkets,  such  as  Avere  b\u"ied  with  redmen 
in  the  early  days — tomahawks,  bows  and  arrows,  leg  and  arm 
bracelets,  blankets,  beads  and  other  articles,  some  of  which  were 
in  the  last  stages  of  decay  and  others  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion. There  were  four  skeletons  in  this  cave.  The  Indians  also 
buried  their  dead  in  trees,  of  which  I  found  two.  One  must  have 
been  a  chief  or  brave  of  some  note  judging  from  still  apparent 
evidences  of  state  with  which  he  had  l)een  interred  and  the  num- 
ber of  ponies  which  had  been  killed  under  the  tree  to  carry  him  to 
the  happy  hunting  grounds. 

When  father  got  his  new  house  finished  it  was  16x20,  plast- 
ered inside  and  out.  Mother  wdiitewashed  the  walls  with  native 
lime.  We  were  shy  windows  and  lumber  to  make  doors,  so  buffa- 
lo hides  were  used  the  first  winter,  and  the  earthen  floor  was  car- 
peted with  the  same  kind  of  material  and  a  few  coon  and  anteloi)e  j 
hides  to  give  it  a  rich  setting.  A  large  fire  place  added  comfort 
and  cheer  to  the  home.  For  a  light  we  used  a  saucer  and  wick 
filled  with  badger  oil,  and  when  com]) any  came,  candles  made 
from  buffalo  tallow  were  used.  Tlun*e  being  no  school,  father 
bought  me  a  l)unch  of  traps  from  a  hunter,  and  suffice  to  say  the 
nrst  shipment  of  furs  to  Kearney  netted  ^^88.  The  same  amount 
and  quality  would  bring  $800  now. 

One  morning  as  mother  was  getting  breakfast,  and  not  know- 
ing anyone  was  near,  the  l)uff'alo  hide  door  was  pushed  open  and 
in  ste]i])ed  five  Indians.  A  big  plate  of  steaming  griddle  cakes 
caught  their  eyes,  and  they  forgot  to  say  ''how  'co-lo."  The 
cakes  and   a   dish   of  juicy   antelope     meat     soon     disappeared. 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


115 


Mother  kept  on  baking  cakes  and  the  batter  dongli  was  soon  gone 
and  her  patience  also.  JMaking  a  pass  at  the  nearest  Indian 
with  the  batter  spoon,  he  backed  toward  the  door  trying  to  ex- 
plain, "Heap  friends,"  but  she  didn't  take  kindly  to  his  talk,  as 
they  had  eaten  her  breakfast  and  she  had  to  prepare  another. 
They  had  a  camp  on  the  creek  and  did  not  return.  That  after- 
noon they  moved,  for  which  we  were  thankful,  as  father  was  away 
down  the  creek.  While  gone  he  bought  some  cattle  of  John 
Manning  and  Moses  IMcCarthy.  For  some  time  we  enjoyed  the 
luxury  of  receiving  our  mail  al)out  once  every  month  and  it  was 
received  with  profuse  thanks.  Now  the  rural  carrier  must  l)e 
Johnny  on  the  spot  every  twenty-four  hours,  and  gets  no  thanks 
tor  it. 

About  this  time  the  young  ladies  of  the  neighborhood  were 
casting  sly  glances  at  a  dashing  young  collegian  from  Tladdon- 
field,  N.  J.,  Avho  had  come  to  ride  on  the  ranch  of  liis  uncle  on  the 
head  waters  of  the  Sappa.  lie  was  straight  as  a  gun  barrel  and 
(^f  perfect  physique.     The  soft  fresh  complexion  that  he  brought 

from  the  east  was  soon  ex- 
clianged  for  the  tan  of  the 
])hiins.  He  was  an  aj^t  pupil 
and  took  (|uickly  to  the  new 
conditions.  His  unerring 
aim,  cleverness  with  the 
I'ope.  ;ind  the  skill  with 
which  he  handb'd  his  mount. 
ti-enllc  or  ctherwi><e,  caused 
old  knights  of  the  saddle  to 
sit  \\\)  and  t;ike  notice.  I  'ni 
suic  that  an  article  from  his 
pen  wouhl  be  interesting 
to  tile  l)ig  family  of  readers 

of  the  Times-Tribune. 

As  1  have  a  trip  in  prospect  for  the  coming  summer,  and 
hope  to  meet  many  of  the  old  friends.  I  say  adieu  until  such  time 
as  I  can  extend  to  them  the  glad  hand. 

w:\i.  T.  :\icririRiv 


BiiildinK  "t  tlie  hoiitheawt  corner  of 
tlie  sciiiare  used  for  a  <'<>urt  house, 
hotel,  and  store  roonjs  at  various  times. 
Torn  down  in  IH.'>4  when  the  Xorris 
hlot'k    was   ereeted. 


116 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XV 


I.  S.  Meyers  Started  Out  For  "Nebraska     or     Bust," 
Safely  and  Has  Not  "Busted"  Up  To  Date 


Arrived 


I  h:ive  l)een  eagerly  reading  the  stories  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
(if  Furnas  eounty,  although  I  elaim  to  he  an  early  settler,  and 
further,  I  elaim  to  have  done  my  part  manfully  in  the  development 
vA'  our  eounty.     And  the  people  of  Furnas  county  have  honored 


I.  S.  MEYERS 

me  by  electing  me  to  the  office  of  coiuity  commissioner  for  two 
terms  (six  years),  and  I  sure  filled  my  office  with  honor. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  117 

Having  sold  my  farm  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of 

1871,  1  concluded  to  be  a  homesteader.     In  the  spring  of  1872  1 

started  in  company  with  my  brother,  J.  11.  Meyers,  and  a  young 

man  by  the  name  of  Reybuck,  for  Nebraska,  this  being  <m  tlie 

29th  day  of  April.    Having  four  horses  on  a  new  wagoti,  chicken 

coop  bolted  on  the  side  and  two  cows  leading  behind.     (Yes   the 

finest  cows  I  ever  owned).     We  put  an  inscription  on  our  cover 

"Nebraska  or  Bust."    After  traveling  three  days  our  cows  gavJ 

out.     Too  fat  to  travel.    What  to  do  we  did  not  know.     "Well," 

I  said,  "Boys  1  must  sell  ray  fine  cows,  that  is  all."    So  I  began  to 

look  for  a  buyer.    1  stopped  where  a  man  had  a  lot  of  cattle  and 

offered  my  cows  for  sale.     He  did  not  even  want  to  come  out 

in  the  road  and  look  at  them,  but  1  insisted  so  hard  for  him  to 

look  them  over  that  he  did  so.     He  said,  "They  are  better  than 

anything  in   my   herd."     "Well,   he   said,   "What   do  you   want 

for  your  cows?"    I  told  him  I  was  offered  .1^75  for  the  two  Ixd'ore 

I  started,  but  I  thought  I  would  sure  make  a  sale  so  I  s;ii(l.  ••  I  will 

take  .1^60  for  the  two."     He  saw  I  was  stuck  and  nuist  sell,  as  1 

could  not  take  them  any  farther,  so  he  offered  me  i^'M)  for  the  two. 

What  could  I  do  but  take  this  offer?    So  I  said,  "Now  boys,  our 

:nscription   will   surely   conu'   true   at    this   rate."     But   we   felt 

free  and  relieved  .just  the  same,  and  then  we  could    roll   on    in 

fine  shape. 

About  central  Iowa  we  caught  up  with  a  sti-jng  of  seven 
teams  all  headed  for  Nebraska.  They  were  driving  about  thirty 
bead  of  cattle,  loose.  We  traveled  together  for  a  few  days,  and 
1  found  out  that  two  teams  were  coming  to  the  Beaver  ami 
Sappa  valleys.  The  people  are  the  ones  that  had  tlic  licrd  of  cat- 
tle. Their  names  w'ere  John  and  Eiley  Craig.  They  said  to  me, 
"Why  did  you  not  bring  cattle?"  I  said,  "I  started  with  two 
leading  behind  and  had  to  sell  them."  He  says,  "Tf  you  buy  a 
few  cattle,  my  boys  will  drive  them  and  it  will  cost  you  nothing." 
So  I  began  to  inquire  for  cows  and  soon  had  two,  one  for  ^IJ.S.OO. 
the  other  for  $35.00,  and  then  we  were  fixed  to  come  ahead. 

We  landed  in  the  Sap]ia  Valley,  near  Stamford,  about  the 
8th  day  of  June,  1872,  stopj^ing  with  a  friend  of  Mr.  Craig's,  .lolin 
Jones.  Here  we  concluded  to  make  our  camp  until  we  located, 
so  we  unloaded  our  wagon.  We  hired  a  surveyor  by  th(>  name 
of  Galen  James,  wh(^  HvcmI  not  far  from  i\Ir.  Jones,  and  started 
U])  the  Sappa  Valley.  We  went  as  far  west  as  where  Devizes 
now  is.  Not  liking  the  Sappa  valley  for  the  reason  the  stream 
had  such  deep  banks,  and  the  tiud)er  so  hard  to  get  out.   we 


118  PIONEER  STORIES 

crossed  over  the  (li\i(l('  to  the  Px'avei-  valley.  We  were  more  fa- 
voi-ahly  impressed  with  tlie  ci-cck  and  timber,  the  land  and  soil 
being  the  same  on  both  streams,  so  we  all  located  in  the  Beaver 
valley,  just  west  of  wher^  the  town  of  Ilendley  now  is.  The  day 
of  our  location  was  the  Tith  day  of  June.  1872,  and  I  have  re- 
sided on  that  land  ever  since,  until  the  year  1900.  when  1  moved 
to  Ilendley,  but  I  still  own  my  homestead  and  other  lands  that 
I  purchased  after.  So  the  inscription  on  the  wagon  has  not  come 
true,  for  I  am  not  busted  yet. 

After  locating  our  claims  and  liaving  them  sur\'cyed  out  l)y 
Galen  James,  whom  we  hired  at  ^1^5  per  day.  we  returned  to  Mr. 
Jones'  place  where  we  had  left  our  cattle  and  all  our  outfit.  We 
then  started  west  to  our  claims.  The  first  night  we  camped  on 
]\Ir.  Craig's  place,  the  farm  now  owned  by  G.  D.  Meyer.  That 
night  a  very  large  herd  of  buffalo  came  down  across  the  bottom 
Avhere  our  cattle  were  bedded  down,  stampeding  the  whole  herd. 
My  two  yoke  of  work  cattle  (I  had  not  yoked  them)  were  in  the 
bunch.  Next  morning  we  found  our  cattle  in  small  lots  from 
r>  to  7  miles  up  and  down  the  Beaver  valley.  None  seemed  to 
be  hurt,  but  after  searching  and  hunting  for  three  or  four  days, 
we  were  short  two  head.  One  of  these  being  one  of  my  cows,  and 
{»ne  of  jNIr.  Craig's  best  cows.  We  gave  up  the  hunt  for  cattle 
and  went  on  our  claims,  and  began  the  preparations  for  building 
log  houses.  I  had  left  my  wife  and  child  in  Illinois  and  was  anx- 
ious to  get  a  home  ready  for  them  to  come.  I  hired  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Jenkins,  who  lived  just  east  of  Stamford,  to  help 
me  build.  The  house  I  built  was  14x16,  one  and  one-half  stories 
high,  with  an  addition  of  one  story  10x12.  It  took  until  about  the 
21st  or  22nd  of  July  to  complete  the  same,  excepting  door  and 
windows.  These  I  Avould  bring  from  the  railroad,  when  I  brought 
my  wife  from  Grand  Island.  We  had  just  nicely  started  to 
build  when  there  came  a  big  Indian  scare,  and  the  settlers  flocked 
together,  Init  it  soon  passed  over.  This  so  annoyed  ^Ir.  Craig  and 
family  that  they  would  not  stay  in  this  country.  I  bought  a  few 
of  his  cattle  which  were  sore-footed ;  some  of  his  implements ;  a 
stove,  and  l)edsteads,  and  he  turned  back. 

We  were  camped  on  my  farm  on  a  small  flat  in  the  timber, 
at  the   iuouth   of  a   big  draw.     I  built  my  cattle   corral  in  this 
timber.     One  night  wliile  we  were  building  there  came  a  lieaAy 
rain,  and  "V'^e  b"ing  so  tired,  did  not  hear  it.     We  were  sleeping    I 
in  covered  wagons,   iiaving  a  tent  outside,   where  Ave   kept   our 


FURNAS  COUNTY  119 

stuff.  The  next  morning  when  we  awoke  the  water  was  ovi*r 
hub  deep,  and  mj  cattle  corral  was  floated  away.  Our  cow  was 
tied  to  a  hea\y  pole,  she  being  "boss"  of  the  rest,  and  she  was 
nearly  drowned.  A  young  man  by  the  name  of  John  Foss  swam 
in  and  cut  her  loose  aud  saved  her.  We  then  began  to  look  after 
the  things  in  our  'ent.  1  found  that  my  trunk  in  which  all  tin 
money  I  had  brought  with  me  (over  $]/2()0.()0  in  cash;  had  floated 
away.  The  trunk,  ijed.steads,  and  everything  Ave  had  in  tlie  feni 
were  gone.  1  ran  (l;.wn  along  the  creek,  and  finally  siw  my 
trunk  floating  down  sh-eam.  I  called  Mr.  Foss,  as  1  could  no^ 
swim,  and  he  soon  had  it  ashore.  That  was  sure  close  to  a  "busi 
up"  and  1  began  to  lliink  ilu^  ins'-rii)tion  on  our  wagnn  cover 
was  ill  luck  to  me.  I'uf  ^^e  ket)t  on  building.  One  day  thert 
canu-  a  l)unch  of  buffalo  so  (dose  to  the  house  where  n'e  Avere 
chopping  and  Arorking  iluit  I  took  the  gun,  took  a  rest  on  the 
corner  of  the  house  and  killed  one.  He  was  .standing  on  the 
ground  Avhere  the  Lynden  cemetery  now  is  located. 

After  completing  my  house,  and  not  having  doors  or  win- 
dows, I  nailed  buft'alo  hides  over  the  doors  and  wintlows.  and 
started  for  Grand  Island  for  my  wife.  T  had  written  hei-  when 
to  start  from  Illinois.  I  took  two  teams,  as  I  had  a  lot  of  house- 
hold goods,  floors,  windoAvs  and  doors  for  the  house.  That  Avas  a 
long,  Aveary  journey  of  about  140  miles.  When  Ave  got  ba(d<  to 
fhe  Republican  river  the  river  was  up  so  high  Ave  could  not  cross, 
and  were  obliged  to  stay  there  tAvo  or  three  days.  Finally  Ave 
reached  our  "log  mansion"  and  felt  like  it  Avas  a  deai-  home  to  us, 
and  have  ahvays  felt  that  Avay. 

My  few  head  of  cattle  did  Avell,  and  Avith  a  fcAv  other  pur- 
chases, I  soon  had  a  good  herd,  but  the  sheep  craze  came  to  us, 
p.nd  I  Avent  into  the  sheep  business,  having  then  some  small  l)oys 
to  do  the  herding.  But  I  found  out  it  Avas  too  confining  to  have 
my  children  herding  sheep  every  day,  so  I  closed  them  (tut.  with 
less  profit  than  I  could  have  made  in  the  cattle  business  in  tlm.se 
days. 

I  proved  up  on  my  pre-emption  the  loth  day  of  December, 
1872,  and  took  a  homestead  the  same  day,  joining.  Then,  it  Avas 
i>uild  again,  so  by  that  finu'  we  had  learned  that  sod  houses 
could  be  built,  and  I  built  me  a  part  sod  and  part  dug-out  hou.se 
14x42,  Avith  three  rooms.  I  lived  in  that  for  six  years,  then  con- 
cluded to  build  me  a  good  sod  house,  all  on  top  of  the  ground. 
This  is  the  one  that  the  picture  is  shown  in  this  pajier.     I  lived 


FURNAS  COUNTY  12i 

here  until  the  summer  of  1887,  when  I  built  me  a  good  frame 
house,  16x26,  one  and  a  hUf  story,  with  an  additiim  16x18,  one 
and  one-half  story  with  a  cellar  under  the  whole  house,  rocked 
up.  I  lived  in  that  till  1900,  then  purchased  me  a  home  in  llend- 
ley,  where  I  now  reside.  The  picture  of  my  present  home  I  give  in 
this  paper. 

As  cur  writing  is  compo.sed  of  frontier  life,  1  believe  it  is 
appropriate  to  tell  of  a  hair-breadth  escape  I  had  with  a  herd  of 
butfalo.  In  the  spring  of  187-3  I  took  my  horse  team  and  started 
to  go  to  Lowell,  Nebraska,  95  miles  from  our  place,  for  provi- 
sions. I  had  seen  lots  of  herd  of  buffalo  that  spring  from  fifty 
to  as  high  as  two  hundred  in  a  herd,  but  I  did  not  dream  of  run- 
ning into  a  herd  of  thousands  of  them.  When  1  got  about  six 
Diiles  away  from  home,  on  the  big  flat  where  William  Taylor  now 
jives,  there  I  came  into  a  herd  of  buffalo  that  covered  the  whole 
iiat  and  reached  as  far  north  as  I  could  see,  and  as  far  south  as  I 
could  see,  all  a  solid  mass  of  walking  buffalo.  What  to  do  I  did 
not  know,  })ut  finally  concluded  that  if  I  would  push  on  they 
would  make  an  opening,  which  they  did.  My  team  was  not  badly 
-frightened  from  the  sight  of  buffalo.  After  crowding  into  the 
I'.erd  some  80  or  100  yards  the  herd  began  to  split,  and  intsead 
ci  making  a  circle  around  me  in  front  they  began  to  1ui-ii  and 
come  around  back  of  me,  and  the  Avhole  herd  started  to  run, 
leaving  me  on  an  island,  with  a  sea  of  buffalo  around  me,  not  over 
-10  to  50  yards  away.  Then  my  team  was  frightened,  nnd  I  sure 
luid  a  time.  I  finally  got  off'  my  wagon  and  took  my  team  tiy 
ihe  bits  and  stood  there  to  take  what  might  conu%  almost  snu)th- 
cred  in  dust,  made  by  the  herd  in  the  run.  I  am  sure  I  was  on 
that  island  nearly  half  an  hinu*  before  I  could  see  an  opening  V) 
get  out.  I  truly  believe  tliere  was  as  many  as  40,000  buffalo  in 
lliat  one  herd.  I  had  a  good  gun  with  me,  but  my  better  jmlg- 
iiient  told  me  1  must  not  wound  a  ])uff'alo  there,  if  1  \alued  iii\- 
life  for  anything  I  wanted,  and  came  out  without  a  scratch. 

In  1873  a  man  settled  by  the  side  of  me  whose  name  was 
Frank  Grif^th.  He  had  first  settled  east  of  Beaver  City,  where 
]>illy  Sturte\ant  now  owns  his  first  claim.  Xot  having  :i  place  to 
go  into,  I  invited  him  to  stay  with  us,  in  our  «'ozy  log  house  which 
he  lid.  In  -Tune  his  rich  l)rother-in-law.  a  ])anker.  and  wife,  came 
out  from  Johnstown,  Pa.  Gee!  but  they  were  dressed  in  silks, 
satins,  and  broadcloth  and  Mr.  Griffith,  not  yet  having  com- 
pleted his  building,  which  was  a  sod  dug-out.  they  slopped  with 


122  PIONEER  STORIES 

u«.  There  cainc  a  i-ainy  si)ell  in  .hmc,  and  it  rained  every  night 
ior  about  tliree  weeks.  It  was  impossible  to  keep  a  dry  spot 
in  the  house,  or  to  keej)  provision  or  beds,  or  anything  dry.  A 
few  sheets  of  table  oil  elntb  served  well  to  keej)  a  bed  dry,  and 
TO  keep  our  dour  dry,  but  we  could  not  supply  the  banker  and 
iiis  wife  witli  oil  ch^th.  and  it  was  comical  to  me,  for  all  it  was 
hardship,  to  see  them  sit  in  bed,  when  the  rain  was  pouring 
through  the  roof,  holding  an  umbrella  over  themselves  to  keep 
their  fineries  from  getting  soiled.  I  thought  it  was  as  good  an 
initiation  as  anybody  needed.  Laying  all  jokes  aside,  1  had  the 
same  thing  to  go  through  with,  only  I  think  with  more  anxiety 
on  my  mind  for  fair  weather,  than  they  did,  for  my  wife  was 
confined  during  that  rainy  spell,  and  on  the  20th  day  of  June, 
1873,  my  oldest  son  was  born.  Possibly  most  of  our  readers  know 
him,  S.  L.  Meyers.  It  was  a  task  for  me  to  keep  my  vrife  a  dry 
bed,  but  I  assure  you  that  is  the  place  where  most  of  the  oil  cloth 
was  used.  Wife  and  child  got  along  fine,  never  even  took  cold. 
\  will  say  as  for  the  banker  and  his  wife,  they  were  really  as  fine 
folks  as  I  ever  met,  and  while  it  was  comical,  I  felt  sorry  that  T 
could  not  give  them  better  accommodations. 

As  this  is  frontier  life,  I  believe  it  is  appropriate  to  give  my 
experience  in  putting  up  our  hay  in  the  fall  of  1872.  There  was  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of  Crawford,  a  bachelor,  who  took  a 
claim  not  very  far  from  me,  and  he  had  a  big  yoke  of  oxen.  He 
boarded  with  me  most  of  the  time,  and  he  proposed  that  he  and  I 
put  up  hay  together,  and  that  we  do  it  with  a  grass  scythe.  I 
said,  "Yes,  if  you  are  a  good  mower,  we  can  do  it  all  right."  In 
a  short  time  after  T  went  to  the  railroad  at  Lowell,  Nebraska,  and 
])urchased  two  scythes  and  a  grind  stone  and  a  whet  stone.  A 
lew  days  after  I  got  home,  I  said,  "Well,  Mr.  Crawford,  let's 
grind  up  our  scythes  and  go  to  putting  up  our  hay,"  so  we  went 
at  it.  We  found  some  old  grass  in  the  bottom  and  willows  and 
buffialo  too  numerous  to  mention.  We  could  not  keep  an  edge 
on  a  scythe.  We  slaved  about  tbree-foui-tlis  of  a  day  and  had  not 
cut  as  much  as  one  man  ought  to  cut  in  one-half  day,  so  I  said, 
"Mr.  Crawford,  do  you  realize  that  we  can  never  make  this 
hay  this  way?"  "Yes,"  he  said,  "I  do,  but  Avhat  will  we  do?" 
"Well,"  I  said,  "1  nuist  go  to  the  railroad  again  and  buy  a  grass 
mower,  as  there  is  no  grass  mower  in  our  country."  I  had  my 
wife  bake  me  up  some  provisions  next  morning  and  I  rolled  out 
for  Lowell  again.     When  1  got  there  there  was  not  a  mower  in 


FURNAS  COUNTY  12:j 

Lowell,  so  I  was  obliged  to  roll  on  to  Grand  Island  There  I 
l)oiight  a  Buckeye  Grass  Mower,  paying  $123.00  spot  cash  for  it. 
rind  a  wooden  hay  rake  for  which  I  paid  $10.00.  We  were  then 
fixed  out  to  put  up  our  hay.  As  luck  would  have  it  I  bought 
two  boxes  of  extra  sections,  as  I  knew  buflfalo  bones  were  a  ter- 
ror on  the  scythe.  We  soon  had  our  hay  up  and  the  news  spread 
like  wild  fire  that  I  had  a  grass  mower,  and  men  came  from  the 
8appa  valley  to  get  me  to  mow  for  them.  I  knew  they  could 
not  put  up  hay  with  a  scythe,  so  I  went  and  mowed  <:'or  a  good 
many  of  the  early  settlers.  I  will  nanu^  a  few  of  the  mo.st  pro- 
minent ones  that  had  the  most  stock :  Adam  Keith,  George  Keith, 
Jasper  Keith,  :\rr.  Lauver.  Dr.  ^Malory,  James  Brouhard  and  Mr. 
Garlinghouse,  and  others  that  I  just  can't  call  to  memory  now. 
But  at  any  rate  I  mowed  grass  until  it  was  as  dead  as  hay  and 
did  not  need  any  curing,  but  they  all  said  we  must  have  it.  It 
will  beat  a  snow  bank  for  our  stock  this  winter,  and  so  it  did, 
PS  we  had  a  fairly  hard  winter. 

Our  nearest  postofifice  then  was  Republican  City.  But  soon 
after  an  office  Avas  kept  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Painter.  We 
.>50on  had  neighbors  by  the  name  of  Blackburn,  Griffith  and  Jen- 
kins, and  we  used  to  take  it  turn  about  getting  the  mail  for  the 
whole  neighborhood.  We  saw  that  this  would  not  do,  so  took 
steps  to  get  a  postoffice  established.  It  fell  on  me  to  take  the 
office,  this  being  the  fall  of  1873,  and  we  called  the  postoffice 
"Lynden."  I  held  that  postoffice  eight  years,  then  turned  it  over 
to  my  brother,  Philip  ]\Ieyers,  he  in  a  few  years  turning  it  over 
to  Daniel  Donahue.  Our  precinct  was  named  after  our  po.stoffiee. 
"Lynden."  After  the  railroad  came,  in  the  fall  of  1SS7.  we 
fought  hard  to  have  our  town  called  ''Lynden,"  but  fhese  big 
railroad  officials  regard  themselves  more  worthy  of  the  name, 
than  the  homesteaders  choice,  so  we  lost  Lj'nden  postoffice  for 
the  name  of  Hendley. 

But  to  return  to  the  early  days  ]My  friends,  Craig  and  Mr. 
Keybuck  did  not  stay  only  a  very  short  time,  there  being  a  big 
Indian  scare,  and  they  could  not  stand  the  i)ressure,  so  they 
pulled  east  again.  We  did  not  know  anything  about  building 
sod  houses  then,  so  all  the  first  settlers  built  log  houses,  which 
might  answer  weW  for  a  fort,  which  it  was  our  luck  not  to  have. 

ISly  first  piece  of  land  I  claimed  under  the  pre-emption  act 
and  deed' d  it  on  the  13th  of  December,  1872,  taking  my  home- 
stead  the   same    dav.    adjoining   it.      This   country    was   covered 


124 


PIONEER  STORIES 


with  all  kinds  of  game  tlicii ;  l)ufi['al()  l)eing  more  niimoroiis  than 
any  other  kind.  Antelo])e  were  also  numerous;  some  deer  and 
elk:  A\ild  turkeys  by  the  liundreds;  l)eaver,  coon  and  otter  were 
])lenty  too.  We  did  not  \i\ck  for  our  choice  of  meats.  1  often 
think  wliat  a  shame  it  was  to  see  so  much  nice  meat  going  to 
Avaste.  I  often  killed  a  buifalo  and  did  not  take  over  forty  or  tifty 
pounds  of  the  meat,  and  some  tine  tallow,  as  we  had  no  way  of 
saving  more,  and  could  get  it  wherever  we  wanted  it.     I  bought 


'Dugout"  Near  Beaver  City,  Early  Residence  of  Late  Eli  A.  Richards 


two  yoke  of  work  cattle  at  Republican  City  to  open  my  farms 
with  and  they  sure  were  a  saving  to  me,  as  they  did  not  need  grain 
when  in  good  pasture.  They  were  ready  to  ploAV  any  time,  and  I 
used  tJKMn  to  freight  with  also,  to  Lowell,  Kearney,  and  Plum 
Creek.  One  time  I  was  cauglit  at  Plum  Creek  with  sore-footed 
exen.  An  Englishman  liad  a  blacksmith  shop  there  and  stan- 
( liions  to  shoe  oxen  in,  so  I  was  obliged  to  have  them  shod.  He 
(diarged  me  $1(1  for  the  yoke.  I  wanted  to  kick,  but  he  said, 
"  lleic.  young  man,  there  are  32  claws  to  shoe,  and  I  would  sooner 
shoe  a  horse's  foot  than  to  shoe  an  ox  claw  at  50c  a  shoe."  So  I 
was  in  for  it.  Rut  before  I  got  home,  I  thought  T  "was  in  for  it 
worse.  We  freighters  used  to  Avater  at  Vaughn's  ranch  and  at 
another  ran(di,  Dad  Dice's,  ten  miles  south  of  Plum  Creek.  AVhen 
J  Avent  out  I  had  no  trouble  in  getting  Avater.     (This  Avas  in  Aug- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  125 

list  of  1874  or  1875;  I  don't  remember  which.)  But  as  I  was 
coming  in,  loaded  with  over  two  tons  of  freight,  I  came  as  far 
Ks  the  Dice  ranch  the  first  evening  and  got  some  Avater.  but  not 
all  my  cattle  needed,  as  he  was  short  of  water.  When  I  got  to 
the  Vaughn  ranch  I  could  not  get  a  drop  of  water,  either  for  my- 
self or  cattle,  so  all  1  could  do  was  to  push  on.  I  found  out  that 
!ny  cattle  were  getting  too  hot  and  dry  to  ever  make  Arapahoe 
alive,  and  T  found  that  my  tongue  was  beginning  to  swell  in  my 
mouth,  but  what  to  do  I  did  not  know.  It  would  not  do  to  give 
up  so  I  went  on  slowly.  When  I  was  witliin  eight  inih-s  of  Ara- 
pahoe, I  was  just  about  ready  to  give  it  up,  when  I  saw  a  strip  of 
cane  about  80  rods  away.  I  went  to  it  and  sucked  the  juice  out 
of  the  cane,  until  I  was  wonderfully  relieved,  then  T  cut  all  I 
coidd  carry  and  took  it  to  my  cattle.  After  they  had  eaten  that 
in  less  than  half  an  hour,  they  were  wonderfully  revived,  so  I 
could  go  on  to  the  Republican  river  for  water.  1  took  the  pre- 
caution to  unhook  them  from  my  load  nearl\'  a  half  a  mile  be- 
fore I  got  to  the  river  for  1  knew  when  they  smelled  the  water 
no  man  could  hold  them  from  running  rigid  in,  and  so  they  did, 
but  there  was  no  load  to  be  stuck.  After  they  had  their  drink 
then  I  could  cross  the  ford  where  it  was  fairly  good  to  cross. 
These  are  part  of  the  hardships  of  jiioneer  life,  but  not  one- 
tenth  a  part  of  mine,  though  that  was  as  bad  as  any  I  had. 

In  the  spring  of  1874,  my  bi-other  sent  me  a  load  of  sacked 
seed  grain  to  Kearney.  1  took  my  horse  team  to  haul  it.  When  T 
got  back  to  the  Ivepublican  river,  which  we  had  to  foril,  tl<e  i-iver 
was  raised  a  little,  but  not  enough  to  run  in  the  box,  so  1  tried 
to  ford  the  river  and  got  stuck  wlien  I  was  about  two-tliirds 
across.  I  had  to  unhitch  and  carry  every  sack  out  on  my  back 
and  then  the  team  could  not  pull  the  wagon  out.  So  I  liad  to 
float  the  box  out  and  take  the  wagon  ai^art,  carry  it  (Uit,  and 
then  put  it  all  together  again  and  load.  It  was  so  cold  that 
icicles  were  on  my  clothes.  That  was  another  experience  of  early 
life;  all  to  develop  a  home  :)nd  l)uild  up  our  country.  Is  it  any 
wonder  so  many  homesteaders  got  tendei-  feet  and  went  back  to 
their  wife's  people?  My  great  hunting  experiences  will  join 
with  this.  I  hunted  lots.  IMy  last  butl'alo  hunt  was  in  1877.  It 
lasted  from  the  20th  of  November  to  the  12th  of  January.  Our 
game  on  that  hunt  was  eight  buffalo,  twenty-one  coyotes,  one 
grey  wolf,  coon  and  skunks.  T  can't  remember  the  amounts,  th(\v 
Avere  too  numerous. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  127 

Well  I  have  written  a  r.imbling  story,  but  could  keep  on  for  a 
whole  day  telling-  of  our  early  life.  :\Ir.s.  :\Ieyers  was  then  a 
brave  woman,  now  an  invalid.  Lots  of  times  from  7U0  to  8(K»  In- 
dians would  ccme  by  our  place — Pawnee.  Otoes  and  Omnha 
tribes.  They  Mere  not  hostile,  but  would  frighten  people  if  they 
could  and  take  possession  of  the  house  and  provisions.  Mrs. 
Meyers  drove  them  out.  and  I  told  her  never  to  give  them  any- 
thing and  she  never  did.  This  happened  when  T  was  ;way  and 
she  was  alone. 

I  Avill,  for  the  benefit  of  our  readers  of  the  Times-Tribune, 
[ell  ycu  a  few  more  of  my  hunting  experiences — as  all  the  large 
{<:ame  has  gone  from  the  country,  so  there  is  no  excitement  in 
hunting  in  these  days,  only  a  little  sport.  Pardon  me.  for  not 
si)eaking  about  my  nearest  neighbor.  Dick  Rogers,  often  cUIed 
"']\Ian  Killer  Rogers"  on  account  of  the  big  army  tales  he  used 
to  tell.  However,  he  was  l)rave,  yes,  I  dare  say,  foolhardy  brave. 
He  settled  neighbors  to  me  in  1873,  in  [March.  T  located  him  on  a 
farm  joining  south  of  me.  Your  last  Tribune  writer,  Willi  iin  iNTc- 
Guire.  was  well  acquainted  with  him.  Why  do  I  say  ""foolhardy 
brave?"  Well,  T  will  explain  how  men  do  eagei-ly  seek  after 
homesteads.  He  came  with  an  old  lim-h  pin  wagon  with  a  jinney 
and  an  Indian  pony  for  a  team;  wife  and  three  childi-cn.  He 
had  an  old  tent  along  which  he  squatted  in  the  timber  until  he 
could  build.  The  second  day  after  he  landiMl  there  came  an  awful 
heavy  fall  of  snoAv,  so  I  went  down  to  see  how  he  was  fixed.  Tlu-y 
teemed  cozy  in  their  tent  but  T  could  see  they  wcvo  poor.  T  asked 
him  how  he  was  fixed  for  provisions  and  he  jiiswrred.  "'T  landed 
here  with  15  cents  and  one  bushel  of  cornmeal."  Xow,  was  in- 
not  a  pioneer?  I  say  "yes."  I  told  him  to  come  and  get  pota- 
toes and  meat  until  he  could  get  out  to  kill  meat:  and  he  did.  1 
give  him  credit  for  being  more  gritty  than  T  ever  was.  but  not 
using  the  best  judgment  for  himself  and  family. 

Now  comes  the  hunting  that  T  was  ufoing  to  tell  you  aboiit. 
This  ^Ir.  Rogers  and  T  went  out  to  hunt  buffalo,  his  nephew 
having  arrived  from  ^Missouri,  wanted  a  hunt.  We  oidy  liad 
two  large  guns,  so  the  nei)hew  said,  "l  will  fake  .Mi-.  Rogers' 
big  Colt  navy  revolver."  Out  we  went,  and  were  not  gone  long. 
Avhen  we  ran  onto  a  herd.  We  shot  into  the  herd,  but  only  crip- 
pled one  cow.  She  left  the  herd  and  soon  laid  down,  so  now  Mr. 
Rogers  said.  "'That  was  your  shot,  now  let  me  finish  her."  "'All 
right,"  I  said.     We  advanced  until  she  got  on  her  feet,  then  he 


FURNAS  COUNTY  129 

shot  and  she  dropped  in  her  tracks.  We  all  thought  she  was 
dead  and  walked  up  to  her.  I  said,  "Old  Lady,  you  will  never 
hurt  any  one."  No  quicker  than  T  spoke,  she  was  on  her  feet, 
with  head  down,  right  for  us.  We  both  fired  in  her  head,  and 
this  nephew  of  Rogers'  never  took  aim  but  just  shot  in  her  body, 
lie  happened  to  strike  the  heart  and  down  the  cow  went.  When 
he  examined  her  we  saw  that  neither  of  our  shots  wouUl  have 
dropped  her;  both  shot  too  low.  Well,  we  were  just  a  little  ex- 
cited, you  may  guess,  as  it  is  not  nice  to  be  hunted  by  a  wihl 
beast,  but  lots  of  fun  when  the  danger  is  over. 

The  l)est  hunter  I  was  ever  with  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
WilliamThatcher,  who  has  l)een  dead  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  a  crackerjack  and  a  fine  marksman,  but  he  had  a  mean  gun. 
A  good  shooter  but  so  often  his  cartridge  shells  would  stick  fast 
in  his  gun,  then  he  was  done  until  he  dug  them  out  with  his  knife, 
or  I  would  give  him  my  gun.  lie  could  beat  me  shooting.  Aft- 
er we  had  made  a  run  for  a  position,  his  nerve  was  more  steady. 
I  remember  of  one  morning  in  1875,  in  November,  avc  wci-c  out 
hunting  buffalo,  over  one  hundred  miles  from  home,  for  our  win- 
icr's  meat.  We  had  to  walk  from  our  eamp  nearly  eight  miles 
to  where  the  buffalo  generally  l)edde(l,  in  the  heads  of  draws, 
where  we  could  get  to  them.  We  struck  a  herd,  and  having  to 
make  a  long  shot,  both  missed.  As  they  started  to  run  I  said. 
"My  run  has  unnerved  me  so  that  I  can't  hold  my  gun  still." 
"Well,"  said  he,  "I  have  a  cartridge  fast  again,  give  me  your 
gun."  So  I  did  and  sure  enough  he  wounded  a  fine  cow.  She 
took  right  off  from  the  herd,  and  six  young  ones  Avent  with  her. 
We  watched  and  figured  all  that  day  to  get  close  enough  for  an 
other  shot,  and  just  before  sundown,  the  cow  laid  down,  then  the 
rest  also  bedded  down  by  her,  in  a  fine  place  for  us  to  get  them. 
They  were  west  of  us,  and  just  as  we  got  into  position  the  sun  was 
so  low,  it  gleamed  over  our  gun  barrels,  so  we  could  not  shoot 
with  any  accuracy,  so  I  proposed  to  have  them  all,  and  wait  until 
the  sun  went  down.  We  did  so,  and  got  the  Avhole  bunch.  We 
took  the  cow  first  and  the  young  ones  would  not  leave  her,  so  we 
had  a  fine  slaughter. 

Well,  I  guess  you  have  too  much  of  this  now  so  I  will  "ring 
off."    With  best  wishes  to  all  my  pioneer  friends. 

I.  S.  MEYERS. 


130 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XVI 

Wood  Rodents  Caused  the  Pioneers  Great  Grief,  and  E.  A.  Smith 
Says  They  were  as  Greedy  as  Grasshoppers. 

E.  A.  Smith,  one  of  the  sterling  farmers  of  the  southeastern 
part  of  the  county,  contributes  the  following  Pioneer  Story,  and 
touches  upon  some  things  whicli  have  not  l^efore  been  mentioned 
in  this  series : 

Editor  Times-Tribune : — I  have  been  much  interested  this 
winter  in  reading  the  pioneer  stories.  It  brings  to  mind  many 
Things  that  have  been  well  nigh  forgotten.  That  the  early  set- 
llers  of  this  country  had  a  hard  time  holding  down  their  claims 


Early  Residence  of  E.  A.  Smith  and  Family 

goes  without  saying,  and  they  richly  deserve  the  pleasant  homes 
ihey  have  built  up  for  themselves. 

T  landed  on  the  banks  of  the  Sappa  in  Furnas  county  early  in 
the  spring  of  1873  and  located  a  claim  on  a  tributary  to 
that  stream  where  the  Midway  postoffice  was  afterwards  estab- 
lished.    I  don't  claim  to  have  killed  the  bear,  neither  do  I  claim 


FURNAS  COUNTY  131 

to  be  the  first  settler  in  Furnas  county,  but  I  was  here  in  a  rather 
early  day  and  know  something  of  the  hardships  the  early  settlers 
bad  to  contend  with. 

As  to  snakes,  I  never  killed  any  with  a  ridgepole,  but  T  killed 
[hem  with  about  everything  else.  I  was  cutting  sod  corn  near  my 
house  one  day,  and  went  into  the  house  to  pull  off  my  boots  but 
forgetting  what  I  went  for,  T  returned  to  my  work.  The  first 
ching  that  I  did  was  to  step  on  a  huge  rattler,  which  was  coiled 
up  under  a  leaning  hill  of  corn  and  he  struck  me  throe  times  on  the 
l)oot  leg  before  T  could  get  off.  Had  I  pulled  my  boots,  as  T  in- 
tended doing,  I  might  have  gotten  a  bite.  I  slew  him  with  my 
corn  knife  and  I  still  have  his  rattles  as  relies. 

I  stayed  here  a  short  time  in  the  spring  of  1873  and  helped  a 
neighl)or  make  a  dugout  and  do  some  other  work,  and  then  went 
to  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  to  engage  in  work  for  the  summer. 
[  returned  in  the  fall  and  Iniilt  a  cabin  on  my  claim  ;  part  dugout 
and  part  log.  The  log  part  and  all  of  my  belongings  were  after- 
wards burned  in  one  of  those  fierce  prairie  fires  that  Mrs.  Freas 
so  graphically  describes  in  her  story.  Tn  the  same  fire  myself  and 
two  others  fought  for  their  lives.  We  were  burning  a  fire  guard, 
and  if  we  got  it  burned  in  time  we  were  safe,  if  not,  it  looked  as 
if  we  must  burn,  for  there  was  not  a  breaking  near  to  which  we 
could  retreat.  We  got  it  burned  but  none  too  soon  to  save  our- 
selves. 

My  next  effort  at  house  building  was  the  sod  house.  At  that 
time  we  set  forks  in  the  ground,  laid  poles  in  them,  and  laid  tlie 
sod  under  them.  I  borrowed  a  team  and  bi'oke  some  sod.  but  as 
^  could  get  the  team  no  longer,  T  cut  the  sod  and  cirried  it  on  a 
!)oard.  T  had  never  laid  any  sod  before,  but  did  what  I  tliouglil 
v,as  a  ]U"etty  good  job.  However,  in  a  fcAv  days  l)oth  sides  of  my 
bouse  fell  in.  T  built  it  up  again,  and  it  then  stood  for  a  nunilxT 
.)f  years.  We  did  not  know  then  about  native  lime  to  plaster  with 
so  T  begged  some  papers  of  the  neighbors,  and  with  a  liberal  sup- 
ply of  flour  paste  I  pa])ered  the  walls  of  my  shanty  and  it  looked 
good. 

The  wood-rat  was  a  great  pest  along  the  streams.  Tliey 
would  carry  off  everything  they  could  get  their  hands  on  (if  it 
niay  be  said  they  had  hands,)  whether  they  had  any  use  for  it  or 
not.  They  cut  the  suspenders  off  my  pants  one  night,  and  T  have 
not  seen  them  since.  However,  I  was  glad  to  have  the  pants  left. 
as  it  Avas  all  I  had. 


132  PIONEER  STORIES 

The  tirst  things  i  had  iu  my  shanty  1  bought  of  Crutcher  & 
Jones.  I  think  theii 's  was  the  only  store  in  Beaver  at  that  time. 
I  worked  oni  until  I  got  a  little  money  ahead,  then  I  thought  1 
would  farm  for  myself.  I  bought  a  team,  some  seed  and  feed ;  put 
in  what  I  had  broken  on  my  own  place,  and  rented  some  of  a 
neighbor.  The  grass]ioi)pers  had  l)een  here  the  fall  before  and 
i.dd  their  eggs,  and  when  warm  weather  came  they  hatched  out 
in  such  numbers  that  they  soon  ate  up  all  I  had  put  out.  Having 
invested  all  my  money  in  this  enterprise,  I,  in  company  with  an- 
other young  man,  started  out  on  foot  to  look  for  work  among 
the  cattlemen.  We  carried  our  grub  in  grip  sacks  on  our  l)acks 
and  camped  out  nights. 

We  crossed  over  to  the  Platte  river  and  followed  that  stream 
las  far  as  Fort  McPherson  ;  (there  were  soldiers  stationed  there 
tiien,)  but  found  no  work.  The  country  was  full  of  ]nen  in  the 
same  fix  as  we  were,  so  we  hoofed  it  back  to  our  claims  again. 
After  resting  awhile,  I  started  east  to  look  for  work  again,  which 
I  found  in  Fillmore  county.  I  was  here  off'  and  on  until  I  ])roved 
U})  on  my  claim ;  then  I  returned  to  my  old  home  in  ]\richig.in, 
where  I  took  me  a  wife  and  soon  returned  to  furnas  county,  where 
I  have  resided  ever  since.  I  have  not  been  as  fortunate  as  some 
of  the  old  settlers  in  the  laying  up  of  this  world's  goods,  but  I 
have  a  place  I  can  call  home  and  expect  sooner  or  later  to  be  laid 
beneath  the  sod  of  old  Furnas  county.  E.  A.  SMITH. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  133 


CHAPTER    XVII 

Mrs.  John  Harmon  Tells  of  Many  Expedients  Resorted  to  by  the 
Pioneer  Women  of  the  Beaver  Valley. 

,The  following  letter  is  from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  John  Ilarman, 
of  Garey,  Okla.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harmau  were  pioneers  of  this  coun- 
ty, locating  in  Lincoln  precinct  early  in  the  70 's.  The  letter  adds 
an  interesting  chapter  to  the  Pioneer  Stories: 

Editor  Times-Tribune: — The  first  night  in  Furnas  county  we 
stayed  with  AVilliam  Harman  and  family.  After  staying  with 
them  for  a  few  days  we  moved  to  a  dugout  across  the  draw,  which 
was  covered  with  poles,  hay  and  dirt.  I  said,  "What  can  I  do 
with  my  baby  in  a  house  like  this? "But  I  soon  studied  out  a  ])lan 
to  keep  him  from  crawling  on  the  dirt  floor.  1  l)iMided  a  htrge 
rug  out  of  rags  and  got  a  strap  and  buckled  it  around  liis  waist 
and  tied  it  to  the  bed  post  so  he  could  go  the  length  of  the  rug. 
i  felt  real  blue  thinking  of  the  nice  home  we  would  have  in  a  few- 
years,  but  I  would  pick  up  courage. 

The  first  Sunday  we  were  invited  to  church  in  a  sod  schDol 
liouse  close  to  Grandma  Matthews'.  Elder  j\Iayo  preached.  I 
went  to  church  but  John  went  fisliing.  AVhen  I  got  home  lie  was 
home  and  had  caught  four  nice  fis.h  I  was  mad  and  woubln't 
cook  them,  so  he  put  the  skillet  on  and  looked  around  at  me  and 
laughed.     I  told  him  T  didn't  approve  of  such  worlc  on  Sunday. 

A  few  days  later  I  got  up  early  to  get  breakfast,  and,  bioking 
down  in  the  pasture,  I  saw  two  black  objects  down  there.  [ 
called  to  John  to  come  and  see,  and  he  said  it  was  buffalo.  I  went 
across  the  draw  to  tell  his  brother,  Will  Ilarman,  and  they  tried 
to  kill  one,  but  both  got  away.  I  was  so  afraid  that  I  went  in  the 
house  and  .shut  the  door.  Our  door  had  one  of  thinse  patent 
latches — when  you  were  out  you  had  to  pull  the  string  to  get  in — 
so  I  was  scared  and  pulled  it  inside  the  door.  John  risked  me 
what  T  did  that  for,  and  1  told  him  I  wanted  to  l)e  on  the  safe 
side. 

Crop  time  soon  came,  and  we  put  in  a  piece  of  corn.     It  grew 


134  PIONEER  STORIES 

fine  and  we  soori  had  roasting  ears.  1  just  told  our  neiglibors 
wliat  iine  corn  we  had.  By  and  by  Mrs.  Fruit  came  along  and 
wanted  nie  to  go  to  Beaver  City  with  her,  so  we  got  in  the  wagon 
and  started.  We  got  as  far  as  the  Frank  Nickle  place  when  we 
looked  up  and  saw  a  cloud  in  the  northwest.  It  wasn't  more  than 
said  and  done  until  our  horses  stood  dead  still  and  wouldn't  go  at 
all.It  wasn't  a  storm,  but  grasshoppers,  and  we  had  to  turn  around 
and  go  back.  They  ate  the  towels  off  the  butter,  and  so  many 
got  in  the  butter  that  Mrs.  Pruit  had  to  make  soap  out  of  it.  I 
Thought  they  would  eat  our  clothing  before  1  got  home.  1  never 
saw  anything  like  it  before.  AVe  got  home  all  right  and  1  went 
to  gathering  roasting  ears.  1  gathered  a  sack  full  and  carried  it 
mto  the  house.  The  next  morning  when  I  got  up  there  was  no- 
thing left  ])ut  stubs  sticking  out  of  the  ground.  I  also  had  a  few 
nice  cabbages,  and  I  thought  I  would  save  them.  I  went  out  and 
covered  them  up  with  old  clothes,  but  the  grasshoppers  ate  clothes 
and  cabbage  too.  But  we  had  grub  enough  to  last  a  year.  The 
most  trying  time  I  had  was  Avhen  John  would  go  to  hunt  or  work 
and  I  had  to  be  alone.  I  had  written  him  how  nice  our  corn  was 
and  the  next  letter  I  had  to  tell  him  we  didn't  have  corn  now^ 
The  trees  were  as  bare  as  winter.  The  next  year  we  did  not  raise 
a  thing. 

I  remember  one  Sunday  we  were  lonesome,  so  we  went  over 
and  took  dinner  with  0.  Y.  Ilarman  and  family.  AVe  were  eating 
dinner  when  we  heard  someone  coming  on  horseback.  They  rode 
up  to  the  door  and  told  the  boys  to  get  their  families  out  of  there 
— the  Indians  were  coming — and  they  had  killed  several  families. 
AVe  all  jumped  up  and  began  to  put  the  things  in  the  wagon,  and 
no  one  needed  to  tell  us  to  hurry.  I  carried  my  baby  in  my  arms 
and  helped  load  the  wagon.  I  had  two  children  at  that  time. 
We  finally  got  started  and  went  by  Pat  Cavany's  to  take  his  fam- 
ily with  us.  My  sister-in-law  and  I  got  out  of  the  wagon  to  help 
them  get  ready.  I  was  hurrying  around  to  get  started,  and  his 
wife  told  me  to  go  into  the  kitchen  and  get  some  bread,  and  when 
I  went  in  there  was  Pat  eating  out  of  a  pot  of  cabbage.  I  was 
tired  to  death  to  see  him  stop  and  eat  cabbage  and  the  rest  all 
scared  until  we  couldn't  talk.  AA^e  soon  got  ready  and  started.  I 
could  hardly  breatbe  or  talk.  AVe  went  to  Orleans  to  the  hotel. 
I  held  my  two  little  boys  all  night  in  my  arms.  The  next  morning 
we  went  to  an  old  school  house  to  eat  breakfast.  AA^e  found  some 
of  our  neighbors  there  and  all  were  laughing  and  talking  and  all 


FURNAS  COUNTY      (4^ .  135 

ate  but  me.  I  told  them  if  they  felt  like  1  did  they  wouldn't  be 
so  funny.  In  a  few  houi-s  John  came  and  told  us  it  was  Texas 
cattle  going  across.  1  Avouldu't  have  been  scared  that  bad  for  a 
whole  section  of  land.  I  told  John  the  next  scare  1  would  go 
farther  than  Orleans.     The  country  sure  looked  tine. 

We  went  back  home  and  the  next  thing  we  had  was  rattle 
snakes.  I  could  not  kill  one  so  it  kept  me  busy  running  most  of 
the  time.  We  linally  got  settled  on  a  homestead.  Juiin  hauled 
goods  from  Kearney  and  helped  to  haul  the  lumber  for  the  tirst 
church  in  Beaver  City.  Our  homestead  was  northeast  about  five 
miles  from  town.  We  homesteaded  in  79.  We  built  a  dugout 
and  moved  in.     At  this  time  we  had  four  children. 

In  "80  we  had  another  dry  year,  and  John  said  he  would  have 
to  hunt  Avork,  so  I  told  him  I  would  go  home  and  stay  awhile.  I 
went  east  and  -lie  went  west.  I  stayed  three  montlis  and  got  grub 
enough  to  last  another  year.  I  was  glad  to  get  back  to  the  old 
dugout  in  the  spring.  John  commenced  breaking  sod  with  a  yoke 
of  cattle.  I  would  sit  in  the  door  and  watch  him  awhile,  and  see- 
ing the  troulile  he  was  having  with  them,  I  laughed.  As  1  was 
walking  up  to  him  he  said  I  wouldn't  laugh  if  I  had  those  cattle 
to  contend  with.  I  told  him  that  all  went  in  life.  We  had  to 
take  the  bitter  with  the  sweet.  He  said  he  couldn't  see  anything 
L-^weet  around  there.  I  said  "our  home,"  and  I  got  a  smile  on  his 
face,  so  I  went  to  the  house  to  tinish  my  cupboard.  I  made  it  out 
of  goods  boxes.  All  the  women  those  days  made  their  furniture. 
We  just  had  two  chairs  in  the  house.  The  rest  were  goods  boxes, 
but  they  answered  the  purpose  all  right. 

Finally  we  got  our  place  all  broke  out  and  1  thought  lots  of 
our  home,  but  we  had  to  mortgage  it,  and  it  took  everything  we 
could  rake  and  scrape  to  keep  the  interest  up.  Some  years  we 
A\-ould  raise  a  piece  of  rye.  I  picked  rye  straw  and  braided  the 
boys'  straw  hats.  In  the  winter  I  would  make  them  caps  out  of 
cloth.  I  tried  to  save  all  I  could  and  not  go  in  debt.  .Mr.  Arm- 
strong had  a  herd  of  sheep  and  several  died  on  account  of  cold 
weather,  so  he  told  John  if  he  would  pull  the  wool  off  the  dead 
ones  he  could  have  it.  He  asked  me  if  I  could  use  it.  1  told  him 
yes,  to  go  get  it.  I  washed  and  picked  it  and  carded  it  in  two 
rolls  and  spun  it  into  yarn ;  colored  the  yarn  and  knit  stockings 
lor  the  children,  and  mittens.  We  had  eleven  children,  who  are  all 
alive  and  all  married  but  three,  so  you  see  we  didn't  have  any 
time  to  play.    We  had  lots  of  sickness,  having  six  children  down 


136  PIONEER  STORIES 

at  one  time  with  diphtheria.  Children  were  dying  all  around. 
The  neighbors  were  so  afraid  they  would  not  come  in,  and  we 
stood  over  the  children  night  and  day.  The  doctor  would  not 
even  come  in,  but  would  leave  the  medicine  at  the  door.  I  just 
had  my  heart  and  hands  full,  but  through  God's  mercy  He  saved 
^hem  all.  I  told  John  we  lived  off  the  skimmed  milk  and  saw  the 
other  fellow  get  the  cream.  As  I  can  bring  to  memory,  one  Sat- 
urday night  as  the  children  and  I  were  sitting  around  the  stove 
(I  had  washed  their  feet  for  bed)  I  looked  at  them  and  they  looked 
sweeter  to  me  than  ever  before.  I  just  thought  how  I  would  like 
to  have  things  to  supply  their  little  needs.  I  had  to  ask  the  Lord 
to  help  me  and  take  away  that  heavy  heart.  That  piece  of  scrip- 
ture came  to  me,  ''Ask  in  faith,  believing  thou  shalt  receive,"  and 
!  felt  better.  I  was  sitting  by  the  stove  rocking  the  baby,  when 
r  heard  a  rap  on  the  door.  Somebody  had  sent  me  a  basketful  of 
groceries  and  $1.20  in  money.  I  was  so  thankful  I  cried.  I  could 
see  the  good  things  as  well  as  the  bad  ones.  We  went  through 
Uiick  and  thin.  Finally  the  mortgage  took  our  home.  AVe 
stayed  there  three  years  longer,  then  moved  to  Oklahoma. 

I  would  like  to  see  the  old-timers  and  neighbors  and  have  a 
hearty  hand-shake,  but  I  have  gotten  something  the  mortgage  can- 
not take  and  a  clear  title  to  it,  and  that  is  salvation,  waslied  in  His 
precious  blood.  But  the  toil  of  the  road  will  seem  nothing  when 
we  get  to  the  end  of  the  Way. 

MRS.  RUPHENIA  HARMAN. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  137 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

Hubert  Petti  jean  and  His  Honeymoon  Journey  of  a  Thousand 

Miles  in  a  Prairie  Schooner — and  a  Ruined 

Shanty  at  the  End 

Hubert  Petti  jean,  who  recently  told  of  some  of  the  hard- 
f^hips  he  endured  in  the  early  days  of  Furnas  county,  has  cun- 
sented  to  tell  how  he  happened  to  come  to  Nebraska  in  the  fol- 
j  owing  interesting  article. 

Editor  Times-Tribune: — I  am  going  to  tell  how  I  happened 
to  come  to  Nebraska.  Five  families  from  Northern  Wisconsin 
were  coming  in  covered  wagons  and  wanted  me  to  come  with 
til  em  as  their  guide.  There  was  Anton  Delimont,  his  family 
team  and  wagon;  Anton's  mother  and  her  two  gii-ls,  and  myself 
in  one  wagon.  I  was  driving  the  team.  The  other  three  families 
had  their  own  teams  and  wagons,  but  not  liking  the  country, 
they  went  back.  Anton  Delimont 's  brother  had  taken  his  liome- 
stead  in  Harlan  county  in  the  summer  some  time,  and  he  had 
to  be  on  his  place  before  New  Year's.  We  got  here  the  first 
part  of  November,  and  commenced  to  dig  his  sod  house.  We 
had  it  dug  six  feet  deep  when  it  commenced  to  snow  and  the 
wind  to  blow.  We  were  staying  in  the  covered  wagon  whilr 
l)uilding  the  house. 

I  remember  in  the  spring  of  1881  we  were  planting  corn 
(Bill  Frazer,  who  now  lives  in  Harlan  county,  and  myself)  with 
a  two  horse  planter.  It  was  a  hand  di^opper;  one  dropped  tin- 
iever  land  the  other  drove  the  team.  The  first  day  we  i>laiiti'(l 
corn  it  was  cold  at  night.  We  put  the  team  in  the  shed  and 
fed,  then  we  took  our  sujiper  and  went  to  bed  at  80 'clock.  Wlim 
v/e  woke  up  next  day  it  was  1  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  When 
the  storm  came  w^e  worked  no  more.  We  had  to  make  shelter  for 
the  horses  so  we  took  the  ridge  logs  and  laid  them  the  best  we 
could  on  the  dug  house,  then  we  put  the  cover  off  of  one  wagon 
on  top  and  put  our  teams  in  the  dug  house.  There  were  seven 
horses   and  fourteen   persons  living  together  in   tlie   dug  house, 


188 


PIONEER  STORIES 


12  feet  l)y  16  feet  long.  We  had  to  stay  in  one  corner.  AVe 
stayed  in  there  till  the  weather  was  better,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1878  and  the  first  part  of  187!)  it  was  awfully  tough,  but  we  were 
always  healthy  and  happy. 

I  was  a  young  man  at  that  time.  1  took  my  claim  in  1878, 
worked  on  it  and  worked  out,  and  in  1885  I  proved  up  on  it, 
got  my  deed,  and  went  hiwk  to  Wisconsin  and  got  married.  I 
put  a  cover  on  my  wagon,  and  my  wife  and  I  started  back  to 
Nebraska  in  a  covered  wagon,  the  1,000  miles  alone.  When  I 
got  back  the  fire  had  passed  and  had  burned  my  dug  house,  so 
we  built  a  sod  house.  12x16.  We  built  sod  bedrooms  on  the  ends 
and  used  ridge  logs  and  poles  for  rafters,  and  willows  for  shing- 
les, and  the  sod  to  cover  the  willows,  and  also  used  canvas  for  the 
ceiling.  Sod  house  walls  are  good  places  for  mice.  Sometimes 
we  could  see  them  run  on  the  canvas.  We  had  a  mouse  trap  that 
would  catch  four  at  one  time — one  of  these  round  ones — and  one 
night  I  said  to  my  wife,  "I  am  going  to  put  that  mousetrap  on 


Present  Fine  Home  of  Hubert  Pettijean,  in  Maple  Creek  Precinct,  Which 
Has  Replaced  the  "Dugout"  to  Which  He  Brought  His  Bride  in  1885 


the  canvas  and  catch  some  mice.''  Before  going  to  bed  I  put 
the  trap  on  the  canvas  and  the  next  morning  we  could  see  that 
trap  moving  above  our  heads,  and  we  thought  that  this  was  the 
four  mice  in  a  trap.  1  got  out  of  the  bed  to  look  at  the  trap 
and  there  was  one  mouse  in  it  and  a  snake  twisting  himself  around 
the  mouse  and  the  trap,  and  it  was  the  snake  above  our  bed. 
This  is  a  true  story  of  some  of  my  early  times  in  Nebraska. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  139 

It  makes  a  person  feel  thirty  years  younger  when  he  reads  all 
those  hard  time  stories. 

One  thing  I  had  forgotten  is  al)out  tlie  wooden  shoes  Anton 
Delimont  had.  He  had  a  pair  of  them  and  we  went  to  Blooming- 
ton  before  New  Year's,  1878,  and  he  had  them  on.  When  we 
were  at  Bloomington  we  put  the  horses  in  the  barn  and  stopped 
there  for  the  night,  sleeping  in  the  office.  Anton's  wooden  shoes 
had  some  ice  on  the  bottom,  and  during  the  evening  there  were 
iibout  a  dozen  men  around  the  stove.  Anton  got  up  to  fix  the 
fire  and  his  wooden  shoes  slipped  and  he  landed  on  top  of  the 
stove,  knocked  down  the  stovepipe,  and  he  came  very  near  smok- 
ing the  rest  out  of  the  barn. 

HUBERT  PETTIJEAN. 


140 


PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XIX 


B.  F.  Goble  Came  to  the  Beaver  Valley  in  1879,  and  Even  Then 
There  Were  Some  Rattlesnakes  in  the  Land 

Editor  Times-Ti'ibuue : — After  reading  the  pioneer  stories  in 
our  Beaver  City  paper,  I  find  them  very  interesting.  I  don't 
Irnow  as  you  can  call  me  one  of  the  pioneers,  but  if  you  knew 
of  my  experiences  after  landing  in  Furnas  county,  I  might  pos- 
sibly be  called  an  early  settler. 

Having  started  ray  wife  and  two  children  back  to  Illinois  "to 
my  wife's  folks,"  I  started,  in  company  with  my  brothers,  George 
and  Jeif,  and  Paul  Paulson,  from  my  home  in  Grimdy  county,  la., 

in  February,  1879,  thinking 
to  get  me  a  home  in  Nebras- 
ka, for  that  was  about  as 
far  west  as  I  cared  to  go. 
Brother  George  and  I  each 
had  a  team  and  wagon  and 
that  was  about  all,  finan- 
cially. AVe  found  the  rail- 
road went  no  farther  west 
than  Franklin ;  so  we 
tht)Ught  we  surely  could  find 
homesteads  near  Blooming- 
ton  ;  l>ut  kept  on  coming 
west  until  we  arrived  at  Or- 
leans. There  we  met  a  Mr. 
Griffith  who  accompanied  us 
to  .Mr.  Troxwells,  northeast 
of  Arapahoe,  But,  oh,  my; 
wlmt  a  dismal  looking  coun- 
try ;  the  prairie  for  miles  and 
miles  was  as  black  las  it 
could  be,  for  the  Indians  had 


B.F.  GOBLE 


burned  it  over  the  fall  before. 

Mr.  Troxwell  said  we  could  find  a  man  over  near  Beaver 
City  by  the  name  of  Tryon,  who  would  locate  us.     At  last  we 


I 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


141 


j'ound  our  man  Tryon  living  abont  a  mile  east  of  where  Hendley 
now  is.  Mr.  Tryon  told  us  there  was  no  land  along  the  streams, 
but  wdiat  had  been  taken,  for  the  settlers  had  eome  and  taken 
it  the  fall  before ;  and  taken  the  six  months  act,  and  gone  back 
east  for  the  winter.  That  was  a  disappointment  for  we  had 
Thought  to  get  land  along  some  stream.     So  now  it  was  divide 


House  on  the  Goble  Farm  in  Vincent  Precinct,  Built  by  Mr.  Goble  in  1886 
land  or  nothing.  At  last  we  got  located  eight  miles  north  of 
Hendlev,  right  on  top  of  the  divide  between  the  Beaver  and  Re- 
publican valleys.    AVe  got  the  ])apers  on  our  homestead  on  ^March 

27,  1879.  "  M  ,1     • 

AVe  must  have  shelter  for  our  horses  so  Ave  built  a  stal)le  ni 
the  bank  of  the  eanvon,  made  a  stall  for  the  horses  in  one  end. 
and  had  our  kitchen,  dining  room  and  bed  room  n.  Ihc  other. 
^i'hen  we  thought  we  were  pretty  well  fixed,  except  we  had  it 
so  unhandv  to  get  the  water  we  had  to  use.  We  had  to  go  seven 
miles  to  Isaac  Mevers'  for  water,  and  haul  it  every  .lav  in  a  salt 
barrel,  and  Avhen  we  got  home  the  horses  would  drink  the  most 
of  it  What  spare  time  we  got  we  broke  prairie,  put  in  sod  corn, 
and  was  digging  a  well ;  got  it  one  hundred  and  three  teet  deep, 
when  one  rope  gave  out,  and  money  too ;  so  we  had  to  hunt  work. 
Our  first  job  was  a  house  to  build  for  William  McKinnny 


142 


PIONEER  STORIES 


on  the  Sappa.  The  next  job  was  to  make  a  log  house  over  into  a 
irame  house  for  Harry  liemington,  on  the  Beaver;  there  I  earned 
my  first  cow. 

The  post  office  at  tliat  time  was  at  Isaac  Meyers'  in  a  sod 
liouse,  called  Lynden  P.  0.  Later  it  was  moved  to  the  sod  store 
of  T.  L.  Jones,  now  our  Representative  to  Congress.  The  first 
lew  years  our  trading  point  was  at  Beaver  City  with  Crutcher 
&  Jones. 

In  June  Brother  Jeff  and  Paulson  got  tired  of  pioneering  and 
started  l)aek  with  team  and  wagon  for  Iowa.  And  T  lost  one  of 
my  horses.  Iler  feet  commenced  to  come  off,  so  had  to  kill  her. 
In  August  we  started  to  put  up  our  sod  houses,  for  I  was 
getting  anxious  to  see  my  family.  After  we  got  the  houses  ready 
for  the  lumber,  we  took  the  three  horses  left,  and  had  to  go  to 
Bloomington  for  it.  We  had  a  good  load,  for  we  got  enough 
flooring  for  1)oth  houses,  besides  the  rest  of  the  lumber  that  we 
needed.  It  took  us  five  days  to  make  the  trip.  I  finished  the 
nouse  by  plastering  the  sides  and  tacking  muslin  overhead.  AVe 
thought  it  qinte  cozy  and  comfortable. 

Brother  George's  wife 
came  from  Iowa  about  the 
first  of  September,  and  my 
family  came  September  2r)th. 
W(^  had  to  meet  them  at 
IMum  Creek,  oi'  where  Lex- 
ington is  now.  Having  my 
family  now  to  provide  for, 
I  liad  to  make  a  trip  to  Bea- 
ver Creek  for  fuel.  AVhile  I 
was  gone  there  came  up  one 
of  tliose  liiii'd  raiti  storms, 
tliis  eliniatc  was  noted  for  at 
that  time.  When  I  got  home 
wluit  did  I  find,  but  my  wafe 
and  children  huddled  up  on 
a  dry  goods  box,  the  only 
dry  place  in  the  house  (the 
roof  being  made  of  willows 
across  the  rafters,  and  hay 
and  sod  on  top  of  that.) 
That  night  all  the  place  we 


.> 


MKS.   H.    F.   GOBLE 


FURNAS  COUNTY  143 

)iad  to  sleep  was  to  lay  the  sideboards  of  the  wagon  lengthwise 
on  the  bedstead;  hang  comforts  over  them  and  crawl  in.  We 
slept  as  snug  and  dry  as  could  be. 

A  few  days  after  brother  George's  wife  came,  we  were  all 
out  one  evening  after  sunset,  and  she  called  our  attention  to 
•something  moving  out  in  the  sod  corn.  We  watched  and  waited, 
and  as  it  did  not  get  any  closer.  I  caught  up  the  ax  and  said. 
"I'll  fiud  out  iP  that  is  an  Indian,  or  what."  I  started  out  with 
a  sort  of  creepy  feeling  down  my  spine  and  found — a  big  corn- 
stalk moving  back  and  forth  in  the  evening  breeze.  That  was 
our  only  Tnclian  scare.  AYe  saw  no  Indians  or  buffaloes,  except- 
ing the  tame  one  ]\Ir.  Hadley  had.  AVe  were  told  the  Indians  and 
buffaloes  left  here  the  fall  of  '78,  but  the  prairie  Avas  covered 
with  trails  and  wallow  holes.  We  were  the  first  to  strike  a  fur- 
row on  the  divide. 

The  first  Christmas  in  the  sod  house,  we  had  (|uite  a  family. 
for  A.  B.  Wolfe  came  from  Iowa,  bringing  his  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren, all  living  in  our  little  sod  house  of  two  rooms,  until  he 
built  him  a  dugout  on  his'  own  place.  How  bright  the  future  did 
Jook ;  every  one  was  happy,  thinging  of  their  homes  they  had 
come  to  find  in  the  west.  We  think  now  that  the  happiest  times 
01  our  lives  was  wltile  living  in  "nur  Little  Old  !->hanty  on  tlic 
riaim." 

Tlie  sirnimer  of  'SO  we  boys  Iniilt  several  houses  in  ricklcvillf. 
LOW  kuoAATi  as  Cambridge,  having  to  ford  the  Republican  river 
whenever  we  had  to  cross  it.  In  the  spring  of  '81.  I  traded  my 
one  horse  for  a  pair  of  Texas  steers.  1  brought  thi-m  home  and 
tliey  Mere  so  ]ioor.  1  thought  to  give  them  the  l)est  chance  for 
grazing.  1  would  fasten  one  on  a  rope,  and  let  the  other  run  loose; 
and  if  he  didn't  fall  in  the  unfinished  well,  then.  1  only  had  the 
one  after  vM.  I  had  to  have  a  team,  and  having  a  large  white 
cow.  1  broke  In  r  in  with  the  ox  and  worked  tlu'in  all  summer.  1 
h-dd  to  milk  the  cow  three  times  a  day  wliile  working  her. 

After  the  ox  fell  into  the  well.  1  ft)und  out  what  it  was  t<^ 
have  good  neighbors,  if  they  were  few  and  scattering.  I  had 
some  ploM'ing  to  do  and  one  morning  here  came  A.  B.  Wolfe.  Jeff 
McKown,  ]\lal  AVolfe,  J.  H.  Roberts,  .^nd  others  that  I  cannot  r.'- 
call  to  name,  and  did  my  i)lowing  all  in  one  day.  I  surely  did 
appreciate  it. 

The  fall  of  '81.  Ave.  with  our  neighbois.  got  a  school  started, 
in  a  small  sod  house,  that  had  been  vacated  by  William  I'ryor.    It 


144  PIONEER  STORIES 

was  about  two  miles  from  us.  Our  teacher  was  a  one-armed 
man,  Martin  Reynolds  by  name,  and  we  paid  him  individually. 

About  this  time  brother  George  completed  a  well  on  his 
place,  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  deep.  Then  we  had  plenty 
of  water,  but  had  to  draw  it  with  a  horse  and  fifteen  gallon 
bucket. 

In  May,  1884,  we  had  a  three  or  four  days'  rain,  and  the  sod 
house  commenced  to  go  to  pieces,  great  loads  falling  at  a  time.  I 
thought  it  was  not  safe  to  remain  in  it  over  night.  I  had  a 
small  granary  or  grain  bin  covered  with  straw.  I  first  took  some 
(iiiilts,  then  while  it  was  raining  torrents,  I  carried  ray  wife 
and  children  to  that,  and  we  crawled  in  and  slept  without  fear. 

After  that  I  built  a  part  of  the  house  that  is  standing  on 
the  homestead  now.  In  the  meantime  it  was  not  all  plain  sailing. 
AVe  had  prairie  fires,  dust  storms,  drouth,  coyotes,  rattlesnakes — 
yes,  rattlesnakes  galore,  for  we  boys  killed  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  the  first  summer.  This  is  a  fact,  for  we  saved  the 
rattles. 

j\Iy  wife  had  a  little  scare  with  one  of  the  reptiles.  It  hap- 
pened in  the  cellar  in  the  new  house.  I  will  give  it  in  her  own 
words.  "I  had  a  cupboard  in  the  cellar  where  I  kept  the  milk. 
When  the  sun  was  in  the  west,  it  was  rather  dark  in  the  cellar. 
I  went  down  after  a  pan  of  milk  for  supper  and  had  just  picked 
up  the  ]ian  when  I  heard  a  rattle,  nearly  at  my  feet.  What  to  do  I 
(lid  not  know,  for  there  was  no  one  in  the  house  at  the  time.  I  made 
a  dash  for  the  stairs,  got  a  light  and  spade,  and  there  not  four 
feet  from  the  bottom  step  Avas  a  large  rattlesnake  coiled  up. 
AVhat  little  strength  I  had  left  I  put  onto  that  snake.  It  had 
eight  rattles  besides  the  button." 

But  such  things  were  forgotten  when  we  would  see  the  beau- 
tiful antelope  scurrying  by  in  twos,  threes  and  sometimes  six  in 
a  group. 

Of  course  we  went  through  hardships,  and  had  drawbacks, 
but  with  good  health  and  energy,  interspersed  with  hard  work, 
iaith,  hope  and  happiness,  we  lived  on  the  homestead  until  Jan- 
uary 9,  1907,  when  we  moved  to  Beaver  City.  As  settlers  came 
in  we  made  many  friends,  and  our  time  being  taken  up  in  im- 
proving our  home  and  visiting  and  entertaining  our  neighbors, 
ihe  time  soon  passed  away. 

B.  F.  GOBLE. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  145 


CHAPTER    XX 

M.  C.  Perkins  Landed  in  the  Beaver  Valley  in  1873,  "Bled  and 

Dried,"  Won  Out,  and  Now  Lives  in  the  Boyhood 

Home  in  Maine 

Oakland,  Me.,  June  7,  1912.— Editor  Times-Tribune— Dear 
Sir: — You  may  think  I  am  butting  in  where  I  have  no  business, 
but  I  have  been  greatly  interested  in  reading  some  of  the  pioneer 
letters  of  the  early  settlers  of  Furnas  county.  T  claim  I  am  eli- 
gible to  be  classed  as  one  of  them  that  "bled"  and  "dried"  in 
the  Furnas  of  Nebraska.  I  was  born  down  here  in  the  "Pine 
Tree  State,"  sixty-one  years  ago  (not  with  a  silver  spoon  in  my 
mouth.)  I  left  home  at  thirteen  years  of  age  to  become  self-sup- 
porting, and  landed  75  miles  northwest  of  Chicago,  Eochelle,  Ogle 
county,  Illinois.  I  was  there  about  three  years,  making  two 
trips  to  Maine.  I  went  from  there  to  Seward  county,  Nebraska, 
in  1872,  and  the  spring  of  1873,  I  stai-ted  for  the  Republican 
river.  We  struck  the  river  at  Red  (Jloud,  and  traveled  up  the 
I'iver  to  Melrose,  near  where  Orleans  now  stands.  We  were  fer- 
ried across  the  river  by  some  Swedes,  who  ran  the  ferry  just  to 
accommodate  those  who  happened  to  ha\e  money.  From  there 
T  went  southwest  of  Melrose,  six  miles  on  the  Prairie  Dog. 
There  I  took  my  homestead,  never  seeing  that  piece  of  iand  after 
that.  We  started  back  to  Ijowell  for  the  land  office  was  there  at 
that  time.  It  was  the  month  of  June  and  very  hot.  In  crossing 
1he  divide  north  of  Melrose  we  saw  a  black  cloud  off  in  the  north- 
west that  did  not  seem  to  cover  more  than  a  few  sections  of  land 
and  it  seemed  to  stay  in  one  ])lace  for  an  hour.  We  drove  to 
Turkey  Creek  where  we  camped  for  dinner.  Stakincr  out  our 
horses,  we  got  our  slapjacks  ready  to  eat,  when  we  heard  a  terrri- 
ilc  commotion  up  the  creek.  We  thought  it  was  a  herd  of  buf- 
lalo  coming  down  through  the  ])uslies.  In  less  than  two  minutes 
there  was  five  feet  of  water  standing  over  our  camp  fire.  We 
made  out  to  save  our  wagon,  harness  and  horses,  bnt  lost  the 
most   of  our   grub   and   cooking  utensils.     We   drove   on   to   the 


146  PIONEER  STORIES 

Walker's  ranch  and  ate  our  dinner  and  supper  at  the  same  time. 

At  that  time  AValker's  naneh  was  the  only  phice  we  conld 
get  water  from  jMelrose  to  Lowell,  for  at  that  time  the  dirty  man's 
ranch  did  not  liave  their  well  finished.  1  went  back  and  worked 
ihat  summer,  intending'  to  go  onto  my  homestead  that  fall,  bnt 
I^Vank  Gapen  came  back  there  to  work  in  the  fall  and  he  told 
me  that  liglitning  had  set  fire  to  the  prairie  and  burned  the 
whole  country  over,  and  there  was  nothing  for  stock  to  live  on, 
r.o  I  did  not  dare  to  go  on  my  land  that  fall. 

The  next  spring  I  put  out  a  crop  and  the  grasshoppers  took 
cdl  of  my  corn  and  a  part  of  my  wheat.  The  people  said  there 
was  not  a  bushel  of  corn  raised  in  Seward  county  and  I  guess 
it  was  true.  Half  of  the  people  in  the  country  went  east  to  their 
"wife's  folks"  and  half  the  people  who  remained  on  their  claims 
lived  on  aid,  that  was  sent  there  from  the  east.  T  pncked  up  my 
little  greasy  bundle  and  hit  the  trail  for  California.  T  came  l)ack 
the  next  summer. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  I  started  for  Furnas  county  and  this 
lime  I  had  "blood  in  my  eye."  T  Avas  bound  to  become  a  free- 
holder of  some  of  Uncle  Sam's  domain.  At  this  time  the  creek 
liind  along  the  Beaver  Avas  taken  up,  so  T  went  on  the  divide  and 
took  a  timber  claim  on  Section  26,  south-west  quarter.  Town  8, 
Range  22  west.  After  that  T  took  up  a  pre-emption.  As  T  said 
above  T  lost  my  homestead  right  in  Harlan  county.  For  four 
years  we  raised  little  corn  and  some  wheat.  The  year  of  1880 
came  nearest  to  ])eing  a  total  failure.  There  were  eight  months 
there  was  no  rain  fell  and  I  hope  that  no  country  will  ever  ex- 
perience the  like  again. 

I  recall  some  very  funny  things  that  occurred  during  my 
homesteading.  We  all  became  expert  sod-house  builders  land  well 
diggers.  One  of  our  best  well  diggers  was  John  Bickford,  but 
sometimes  he  ran  up  against  hard  luck.  He  had  been  away  at 
work  and  was  on  his  way  home  Avith  the  proceeds  of  the  day's 
work  in  groceries.  He  laid  them  doAvn  on  the  prairie  Avhile  he 
went  off  the  road  to  speak  to  someone,  and  some  stock  came  along 
and  ate  them  excepting  his  tobacco.  John  Mosher  Avas  the  best 
homesteader  of  ^all.  He  hauled  water  from  one  to  five  miles  for 
over  five  years  for  stock  and  house  use.  Yes,  John  Avas  on  the 
water  wagon,  and  AA'-hen  Ave  Avould  see  his  Avagon  coming  Ave  knew 
he  had  something  to  take.  T  hired  an  old  man  by  the  name  of 
Goodwin,  and  also  his  boy  Wialter,  to  dig  a  well  on  my  timber 


FURNAS  COUNTY  147 

claim,  and  they  were  all  winter  at  it.  It  would  sometimes  happen 
that  Walter  would  be  very  late  in  the  forenoon  and  I  asked  him 
what  made  him  late.  He  siaid  he  was  out  late  the  night  before 
"to  see  his  gal."  I  said,  "Walter,  you  should  get  married."  He 
replied,  "I  shall  marry  next  New  Year's  if  I  can  only  sell  my 
turkey. ' ' 

I  made  a  trip  east  to  get  work.  I  was  making  a  trip  from 
Seward  county  in  company  with  John  Biekford,  with  one  span 
of  horses  aiul  two  loaded  wagons.  As  we  were  within  a  few  miles 
of  Minder.,  we  met  a  young  man  with  a  span  of  mules  loaded  witli 
barley.  He  saw  we  were  heavily  loaded  and  lie  gave  us  all  the 
road.  When  he  was  getting  into  the  road  again  his  wheel  tire 
came  off.  AVe  went  back  and  helped  him  replace  it.  We  thought 
there  was  something  wrong  by  tlie  way  he  talked  and  litt-r  we 
found  that  he  was  the  man  who  the  night  before  had  killed  a  wo- 
man and  three  little  children  near  Walker's  i".;nch.  and  a  few 
Aveeks  later  killed  Anderson  the  SAvede,  and  was  hung  in  .Mindcn. 
His  name  was  Richards. 

The  fall  of  the  Indian  raid,  I  started  east  foi-  ;i  load  of  pro- 
vi:^ions  in  company  with  several  men.  One  of  their  names  was 
Ireland.  He  lived  near  Arapahoe,  and  I  have  seen  him  since  and 
talked  about  this  instance.  We  drove  the  fii-st  one-balf  mile  cast 
of  \"7alker's  ranch  and  cani])ed  close  to  the  old  freight  trail. 
There  were  three  teams  of  us  and  after-  it  became  a  little  dark  an 
old  man  and  woman  came  along  in  a  buggy.  They  asked  us  where 
there  was  a  good  place  to  camp.  We  told  them  about  twenty 
rods  ahead.  They  camped  there  and  staked  their  horses  out,  and 
about  midnight  several  horsemen  came  galloping  into  camp. 
They  seemed  to  be  excited  and  told  us  to  get  out  of  there  for  the 
Indians  had  burned  Orleans  and  were  coming  i-ight  on  up  tlie 
trail.  We  got  up  and  geared  u{)  our  horses  and  pulhnl  for  Jun- 
iata, for  the  old  man  and  woman  were  not  there.  I  ha\e  always 
believed  that  the  old  couple  were  murdered  that  night.  1  liave 
seen  some  things  that  looked  queer  at  Walker's  ranch.  I  could 
tell  lots  about  the  fleas  and  bedbugs,  snakes  and  drouths  in  the 
years  of  1880,  1890.  and  1894,  however,  it  has  all  beeu  tc^ld  and 
that  must  suffice. 

After  all  the  hardships  and  disappointments  of  a  frontier  life 
rhere  is  one  bright  spot  in  my  memory  for  the  good  people  of 
Furnas  coun  ty.  A  great  many  of  them  have  passed  on  to  the  Be- 
yond, and  the  same  will  soon  be  said  of  us.     As  Job  of  old  said. 


148  PIONEER  STORIES 

"Man  that  is  born  of  woman  is  of  few  days  and  full  of  trouble." 
When  I  had  just  gotten  into  my  first  sod  house  a  man  came  along 
about  dark  and  asked  if  he  could  stay  all  night.  "We  are  not 
fixed  for  keeping  travelers,"  I  said,  "but  I  feel  sorry  for  that 
pony  you  are  astride,  guess  you  can  stay."  As  he  sat  there  on 
the  pony  his  toes  almost  touched  the  ground ;  his  hair  hung  to 
his  shoulders,  and  his  voice  was  like  the  "king  of  beasts."  I 
thought  he  was  the  biggest  man  I  ever  saw.  He  sang  and 
prayed  for  our  souls'  welfare,  and  ever  after  that  Elder  IMayo 
and  I  were  fast  friends.  The  elder  was  a  diamond  in  the  rough. 
If  this  seems  worthy  of  space  in  your  valuable  paper,  pub- 
lish it,  if  not,  toss  it  into  your  waste  basket. 

M.  C.  PERKINS. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  149 


CHAPTER    XXI 

Frank  Brouhard  Gives  a  Number  of  Thrilling  Reminiscences  of 

Early  Furnas  County  Experiences  Which  Have 

Never  Before  Been  Published 

To  begin  my  story,  we  started  from  Iowa,  June  14,  1872, 
father,  mother,  six  children,  my  brother  and  wife,  two  teams, 
one  saddle  horse  and  little  eolt,  and  fourteen  head  of  oattle.  1 
came  horseback  and  drove  the  cattle.  AVe  went  to  Des  Moines 
and  from  there  to  Nebraska  City,  crossing  the  Missouri  river 
<"here.  I  had  never  seen  a  ferry  boat  and  it  was  quite  a  sight. 
From  there  we  went  to  Beatrice  and  from  there  to  Sandy  Creek, 
where  Alexandria  now  is,  camping  there  for  three  weeks.  While 
we  were  there  father  and  brother  went  west  to  look  for  land  and 
to  hunt  buffalo.  They  were  gone  three  weeks  and  when  they  came 
back  they  said  they  had  found  the  Garden  of  Eden.  Whik'  they 
were  gone  about  800  Indians  camped  80  rods  from  our  camp,  and 
you  bet  we  were  pretty  badly  scared.  They  stayed  two  days  and 
the  squaws  would  come  over  to  our  camp  to  trade  calico  and  rib- 
bon for  meat,  lard  and  tobacco.  Mother  had  plenty  of  butter 
land  she  offered  a  squaw  some,  but  the  squaw  put  her  finger  in 
and  tasted  it  and  shaking  her  head,  said  "No  good."  1  thiui^ 
Those  were  the  same  Indians  Mr.  Whitney  spoke  about,  the  Otoes. 

Here  we  lived  in  the  first  dugout  we  had  ever  been  in,  it  be- 
ing an  old  one,  and  mother  was  pretty  much  disappointed.  Talk 
about  snakes,  it  seemed  to  be  full.  They  were  sticking  tiieir 
heads  out  all  over  the  house.  ]\Iot]ier  said  wlien  the  folks  came 
back  we  would  pull  for  Iowa;  but  when  they  came  back  and  told 
what  a  nice  place  they  had  found,  she  was  better  satisfied  and 
when  she  saw  the  Sappa  valley,  she  was  willing  to  try  it  a  while. 
iMother  was  afraid  to  sleep  in  the  dugout  so  we  cookeil  and  ate 
in  the  house  and  mother  and  the  smaller  children  slept  in  the 
wagon.  I  slept  under  it.  One  night  a  big  storm  came  up  and  we 
moved  our  beds  in  the  dug  out,  but  we  did  not  sleep  nuieh,  as 
rhere  seemed  to  be  something  crawling  and  biting  us.  Wf  did 
not  know  what  it  was,  but  we  found   out    later.     The  cliildren 


ir,o 


PIONEER  STORIES 


ea 


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O  w   t? 


FURNAS  COUNTY  151 

squalled  and  mother  and  my  brother's  wife,  I  won't  tell  what 
they  did,  but  there  was  a  jubilee  about  all  night. 

The  folks  finally  got  back  and  we  pulled  across  to  the  Re- 
publican river  to  Superior.  1^  rom  there  we  went  up  the  river  to 
Alelrose  where  we  forded  the  river  and  went  up  the  Sappa  to 
the  forks  where  Mr.  James  lived.  Tliere  we  crossed  the  Beaver 
Creek  and  come  up  the  divide  about  twelve  miles,  then  we  pulled 

on  down  the  Sappa. 

1  am  a  little  ahead  of  my  story.  When  we  got  to  Guide  liock 
iather  traded  his  team  of  horses  for  two  yoke  of  oxen,  so  you 
see  we  did  not  travel  very  fast,  l)ut  we  got  as  far  as  the  Sappa 
about  the  24th  or  25th  of  August,  1872.  We  camped  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  18,  township  1,  range  22,  two  days  and  then  we 
.lOved  west  on  the  north-west  quarter  of  section  13,  township  1 
range  23  where  we  stayed  two  days,  and  then  pulled  tor  Lowell, 
where  the  United  States  laud  office  was  located  at  that  time 

We  started  one  morning  and  got  about  eight  miles  down  the 
divide  when  we  saw  a  buffalo.     Father  got  his  ritie  but  found  he 
did  not  ha,ve  his  cartridge  l,elt.    He  had  hung  it  on  a  tree  a    the 
place  where  we  had  camped  and  forgotten  it.     He  sent  me  back 
Ser  il  but  I  did  not  find  it.    About  half  a  mile  from  the  wagons 
I  saw  dght  Indians  coming  up  out  of  the  dnaw,  and  you  bet  I 
began  to  apply  the  whip.     I  thought  I  could  outrun  them    bu 
when  1  got  a  little  ways  eight  more  headed  mo  ort.     1  did  not 
know  what  to  do,  but  they  .just  asked  me  if  I  had  --n  any  bu  - 
Mo.    I  told  them  1  saw  some  going  south,  so  they  wen    after  them. 
T  fp  t  relieved      There  must  have  been  more  than  a  hundred  be- 
ore  I  got  to  the  wagons.    We  were  visited  every  day  by  them, 
and  they  gave  us  all  the  butl'.do  meat  we  wanted.    They  were  al- 

"-^-^^  ::;;t  Fr^?:::rhad  to  ham  wate.  as  there  was 
onlv^i!:;i:^  -  could  get  any  for  45  or  50  -^es^  The     rst     ay 

ahout  three  o'clock  an  Indian  and  his  ^^-^'^^Z'l^Tl^^^^^^ 

.ode  up  to  the  wagon  and  wanted  s.nne  water  t^^j^""^^^ J^*' ^j 

gave  him  a  quart     and  he  wanted     ««"-  %^^^j  ^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

1       V  ..  -,n«rt  iTid  then  wanted  some  more,     father  tola  mm  m 
hid  ton  ir  n        n  .„.!  ho  tl,o„«h.  he  did  not  have  any 

nte  r:pL.  but  the  Indu.,,  .,i,,.  ''O"--';  '.^P  ^^:^  ^n 

::-h:;::rret:ie?r^ir;r;>;.:^';-:;;; 


152  PIONEER  STORIES 

it  all  up,  but  we  camped  there  and  used  the  water  even  if  it  was 
pretty  thick. 

The  next  morning  we  hooked  up  and  went  to  Lowell.  It 
rained  all  forenoon,  but  we  never  stopped,  las  the  men  wanted  to 
get  their  papers  on  their  land.  A¥e  got  there  about  8  o'clock  and 
left  about  4  o'clock,  driving  about  a  mile  w^here  we  camped. 
Indians  were  all  around  us  and  were  there  before  sun-up  the 
next  morning.  We  left  there  about  one  o'clock  the  next  morning 
and  headed  for  the  Blue  river.  It  rained  for  three  days  but  we 
kept  going  until  we  got  down  the  river  where  there  was  plenty 
of  wood.  We  took  the  cattle  and  dragged  a  big  pile  of  logs  up 
and  dried  our  bedding  and  clothing.  The  next  day  Ave  started 
down  the  river  seventy-five  miles,  and  after  that  we  did  not  see 
any  more  Indians.  We  went  into  camp  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  on  some  state  land ;  made  us  a  dug  out,  and  w^ent  into  win- 
ter quarters.  Father  and  my  brother  went  to  work  there.  Work 
was  scarce,  but  they  worked  for  what  they  could  get.  Some- 
limes  it  was  75  cents  and  sometimes  more,  and  take  anything  in 
pay  that  we  could  eat  or  feed  the  stock.  Father  got  some  steel 
tmps  and  began  trapping.  There  were  beaver,  mink  and  otter,  so 
we  got  through  the  winter  pretty  well,  until  the  big  snowstorm 
that  started  Easter  Sunday.  I  think  it  was  the  18th  day  of 
April,  1873.  Hundreds  of  cattle  perished.  We  lost  four  head,  and 
lather  said  that  we  were  lucky,  for  some  lost  all  they  had.  We 
did  not  see  ours  for  about  three  days  after  the  storm,  when 
lather  and  I  Avent  out  Avith  the  oxen  and  pulled  the  dead  cattle 
out  of  the  drifts  and  skinned  them  for  the  hides  and  sold  them. 
AVe  got  from  50  to  75  cents  for  them.  Now  they  Avould  be  Avortli 
.1^6.00  to  $8.00  apiece. 

AVe  loaded  our  goods  about  the  1st  of  May  and  started  for 
the  Sappa  valley.  It  Avas  a  long  and  tedious  trip,  as  the  road 
was  bad.  AVe  struck  the  Republican  river  at  Superior,  then  up 
the  river.  Father  had  one  yoke  of  my  brother's  cattle,  as  they 
were  rather  Avild,  and  he  let  brother  take  a  yoke  of  his,  that  Avere 
jientle.  They  Avere  Texans  and  as  quick  as  horses.  AVe  came 
along  pretty  well  until  Ave  got  west  of  Red  Cloud.  We  camped 
on  a  little  creek  called  Farmer's  Creek.  When  we  camped  that 
night  I  could  step  across  it,  but  the  next  morning  it  Avas  a  half 
mile  Avide.  A  big  thunderstorm  came  up  and  at  about  3  o'clock 
in  the  morning  the  Avater  commenced  running  into  the  bed  un- 
der the  wagon,  Avhere  father  and  mother  were  sleeping.     They 


FURNAS  COUNTY  I53 

got  up  and  the  bed  began  to  float.  He  called  to  the  rest  and  I 
jumped  out  and  started  for  my  saddle.  It  was  gone,  so  I  ran  out 
nhere  my  horse  was  lariated,  or  started  to,  and  got  into  water  up 
to  my  waist.  I  called  to  her  and  she  came  as  near  to  me  as 
she  could,  and  1  went  a  step  farther  and  I  could  reach  her  halter. 
]  untied  her  and  climbed  on  her  back,  and  she  took  me  to  dry 
land.  Father  and  brother  were  getting  the  oxen  and  taking  the 
wagons  about  8U  rods  away,  where  we  stayed  until  daylight. 
'Chen  a  woman  came  down  to  camp  and  told  mother  to  bring  the 
children  up  to  the  house  and  dry  their  clothes.  I  went  with  the 
rest.  They  had  a  big  fireplace,  and  you  bet  I  enjoyed  it.  Nearly 
everything  we  had  was  washed  away,  even  the  cooking  utensils. 
I  found  my  saddle  over  a  mile  from  where  we  camped,  in  a  big  pile 
of  drift.  Some  of  the  things  we  never  found.  By  the  time  we 
'.;ould  get  out  of  there,  there  were  about  20  or  25  teams  there  to 
cross.  They  were  afraid  to  put  their  horses  in  the  creek,  so 
father  hauled  the  wagons  over  with  the  cattle.  He  had  one  ox 
he  could  ride,  and  he  would  ride  him  and  drive  the  others.  We 
finally  got  out  of  there  and  went  on.  We  came  to  a  little  creek 
east  of  Republican  City.  At  this  place  the  Texas  cattle  were 
afraid  of  the  dirt  bridge  and  turned  so  short  they  broke  the 
tongue  rod.  Father  sent  me  up  to  the  town  to  get  it  mended.  1 
told  the  blacksmith  we  would  pay  him  the  next  morning  as  we 
came  along.  He  did  not  like  to  let  me  have  it  at  first,  but  he 
said:  "Be  sure  and  stop,  and  pay  it."  The  next  morning  father 
stopped  and  paid  it,  and  had  just  10c  left. 

We  came  on  up  to  Melrose  and  if  I  remember  sightly,  it  was 
west  or  northwest  of  Orleans.  There  we  forded  the  river  and 
went  across  the  creek  and  started  up  the  divide,  where  we  had 
better  road.  There  had  been  quite  a  change  here  since  we  were 
here  in  August  the  year  before.  When  we  reached  the  claims 
we  found  the  company  organized  and  a  postoffice  near  us  called 
Richmond.  Henry  Brown  kept  it.  There  seemed  to  be  lots  of  peo- 
ple here  and  the  country  did  not  look  so  wild.  We  landed  00 
our  homestead  the  25th  or  26th  of  ^lay.  The  first  thing  was 
meat  so  father  started  the  next  morning  out  on  the  south  divide. 
He  soon  came  back  and  said  he  had  killed  a  buffalo.  We  hooked 
up  the  cattle  and  went  after  it.  He  had  caught  a  calf  and  cutting 
some  hide  off  the  cow  had  tied  it.  When  we  got  close  to  it,  it 
went  kicking  around  and  got  its  feet  loose  and  away  it  went,  so 
.  did  not  have  a  buffalo  calf  after  all,  but  we  got  our  meat  and 


154  PIONEER  STORIES 

went  home.  We  had  plenty  of  meat,  and  also  some  of  the  neigh- 
bors. We  also  had  plenty  of  lariats,  as  we  cut  the  buffalo  hide 
into  what  we  called  rope.  They  were  better  than  rope  and  lasted 
longer  than  any  rope  you  could  buy  for  the  grass  did  not  cut 
them  out.  We  used  the  hide  for  various  things,  rugs  and  chair 
bottoms,  and  I  have  made  shoes  out  of  them.  My  brother  was 
out  hunting  and  he  wore  his  shoes  all  out,  so  he  skinned  the 
hocks  of  a  buffalo  and  put  them  on  green.  He  did  not  pay  much 
attention  to  them  and  they  dried  to  his  feet,  so  he  did  not  take 
tJiem  oft'  at  night.  The  next  day  he  felt  something  crawling  on 
iiis  foot  and  he  began  looking,  and  come  to  find  out,  the  flies  had 
blown  his  feet.  Then  he  was  barefooted  again.  This  is  no  joke. 
You  ask  Harve  Brouhard,  he  was  there.  We  had  plenty  of  buffalo 
meat  for  two  years,  then  they  were  more  scarce  as  the  hide  hunt- 
ers killed  so  many.  I  have  seen  hundreds  ol  dead  buft'alo  in  one 
day,  which  bad  been  killed  just  for  the  hides.  Lots  of  them  had 
not  taken  a  bit  of  mea.t  and  sometimes  had  cut  out  enough  for 
one  mess.  1  believe  I  have  seen  more  than  10,000  buffalo  in  one 
day.  We  saw  them  go  /rom  one  divide  to  another  the  first  year 
we  were  here  I'y  the  liundreds.  Talk  about  rattlesnakes,  I  have 
seen  plen+y  and  have  killed  thirty  or  forty  in  one  day,  and  they 
aren't  all  gone  yet.    I  killed  two  last  summer. 

Well,  the  next  day  after  we  got  the  meat,  we  began  to  fix  a 
place  to  stay.  We  went  to  work  and  finished  the  dugout  and 
moved  in.  AYe  did  not  have  any  doors  or  windows,  but  we  lived 
m  the  house,  as  we  called  it,  until  fall,  or  until  I  went  away  in 
July.  I  did  not  get  back  until  December.  The  folks  had  a  door, 
but  w^e  never  had  any  windows  for  about  a  year  and  a  half.  We 
did  not  raise  much  that  year,  as  we  got  there  too  late  to  put  in 
anything  but  a  sod  crop  and  some  late  garden. 

I  remember  the  first  celebration  in  Beaver  on  the  Fourth  of 
•Inly,  1873.  I  went  on  horseback.  We  had  a  splendid  dinner  and 
everybody  seemed  to  have  a  good  time.  That  was  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  Nat  Ayers.  He  came  around  looking  after  the 
'ooys  and  marched  us  up  for  dinner.  My  folks  weren't  there 
and  nearly  everyone  was  a  stranger  to  me,  and  of  course  I  was 
somewhat  bashful.  I  always  knew  Mr.  Ayers  after  that.  T. 
M.  Williams  and  some  of  the  others  did  the  speaking.  They  had 
had  quite  a  lot  of  sport  and  had  a  bowery  dance.  I  could  play 
the  violin  and  there  were  others  that  could  play.  That  was  the 
first  time   I   met   June   Denham    and   John   McKee.      I   had   met 


FURNAS  COUNTY  I55 

Charlie  Kinsman  before  and  they  were  about  all  I  knew,  until 
that  beautiful  fourth  of  July. 

I  went  east  and  earned  enough  so  we  got  through  the  winter 
all  right  and  had  plenty  of  sport  chasing  jack  rabbits  and  going 
to  parties.  I  played  for  a  good  many  dances.  We  had  to  dance 
on  the  dirt  floor,  and  they  seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  well  as  though 
IJiey  had  a  good  smooth  floor.  Everyone  had  a  good  time  in  those 
days, 

W.  T.  MeGuire  spoke  about  that  man  shooting  himself,  a 
Mr.  Jones.  I  was  well  acquainted  with  him  and  we  missed  him 
greatly  at  the  parties.  AVe  used  to  always  have  something  going 
on  all  the  time,  camp  meetings  in  the  groves  in  the  summer  and 
meetings  in  the  little  sod  school  houses  in  the  winter,  and  it  did  not 
cost  anything.  We  had  good  preaching  and  good  times  in  gen- 
eral. Some  of  the  writers  spoke  of  the  value  of  a  homestead  in  the 
early  days.  I  knew  a  man  to  trade  his  homestead  and  improve- 
ments, a  small  crop,  and  his  wagon  for  the  other  felloAv's  wagon 
as  he  got  would  be  worth  about  $25  or  $30  today.  I  own  the 
land  at  present  and  it  would  be  worth  from  .$40  to  $5!)  per  acre. 
T  bought  it  for  $220  and  homesteaded  it.  The  tir.st  man  traded  it 
in  1876,  and  I  bought  it  in  1877. 

In  the  spring  of  '71  we  began  our  work  as  usual  and  put  out 
all  the  land  we  had  broke,  and  as  before  it  was  dry,  but  not  as 
r>ad  as  we  had  in  the  years  liefore,  but  it  was  mostly  blamed  to 
the  hoppers,  but  the  drouth  killed  the  corn  before  the  lioppers 
alighted.  We  did  not  raise  much  that  year.  Some  ])eople  sold 
out  for  what  they  could  get  and  went  back  to  their  wife's  folks, 
and  some  just  went  and  left  without  selling  out,  and  otliers  came 
in  and  took  their  places.  That  was  the  way  the  tide  went.  The 
man  that  traded  wagons  and  gave  his  claim  to  boot,  stayed  for 
three  or  four  years  in  the  east  (I  think  in  Xew  York  s.tate  "land 
then  came  back  to  Nebraska  on  foot  and  homesteaded  south  of 
Beaver  City.  Henry  Dierker  owns  his  claim  at  present.  Ills 
name  was  Mr.  Kendall  and  most  of  the  settlers  will  remember 
him. 

^Ir.  "Whitney  spoke  about  drawing  aid.  I  remember  about 
That,  but  of  that  aid  that  was  sent  here  some  got  plenty  and  some 
did  not  get  very  much.  The  people  were  just  like  they  are  now. 
AYhen  the  officer  was  in  Beaver  City,  everybody  went  over  and 
be  would  take  their  names  and  ask  them  how  many  potatoes 
they  wanted  to  plant.     Some  would  say  one-half  acre  and  some 


156  PIONEER  STORIES 

would  want  three  or  four  acres,  and  one  or  two  wanted  five 
acres,  so  they  did  not  get  any.  They  had  some  elotliing  and  we 
got  some,  i  got  a  blue  overcoat,  which  was  the  best  aid  we 
ever  got.  The  next  spring  there  was  some  seed  grain  sent  in  and 
some  got  plenty  and  some  got  very  little.  Tliiat  was  the  spring 
of  1875.  We  had  the  best  crop  we  have  ever  raised  and  the  coun- 
try began  to  go  ahead  and  we  thought  we  were  strictly  in  the 
push.  The  divides  began  to  settle  up  and  everything  was  lively 
all  that  winter. 

We  started  out  in  the  spring  of  1876  with  a  good  heart,  and 
everything  that  we  planted  came  up  fine  and  grew  fine.  AVe  got 
our  wheat  cut  and  began  cutting  the  barley.  Before  we  were  done 
cutting  the  grasshoppers  began  to  light  and  they  soon  wound  up 
the  corn  and  everything  that  looked  green,  even  the  timber. 
They  stripped  the  ash  and  began  eating  the  elm  and  boxelder. 
A  storm  came  up  and  it  began  to  thunder  and  lightning  and  we 
had  a  big  rain  and  hail,  and  the  creek  raised  22  feet  in  less  than 
one  hour.  The  hoppers  were  mostly  in  the  timber  and  it  washed 
them  down.  In  some  places  in  the  drifts  they  were  3  or  4  feet 
deep,  but  they  had  eaten  everything  before  the  storm  came.  We 
had  stacked  our  crop  of  grain  on  the  bottom  and  the  Avater  was 
idl  around  it  and  about  four  or  five  feet  up  on  the  stacks,  so  we 
lost  most  of  our  crop.  AVe  tore  down  the  stacks  and  dried  them 
out,  but  the  grain  was  spoiled  for  anything  but  hog  feed.  Those 
were  the  last  hoppers  we  ever  had,  only  the  few  we  have  had 
lately. 

Mr.  Whitney  spoke  about  Brigham  Young  responding  when 
Ave  asked  for  aid.  1  don't  remember  anything  about  that.  I  don't 
think  there  was  anything  came  in  our  neighborhood  from  the  west. 
We  had  several  aid  meetings  and  we  did  get  some  aid  from  the 
east.  My  brother  went  over  to  Plum  Creek,  (now  Lexington) 
ii.nd  hauled  a  load  over.  It  Avas  in  the  spring  and  cold  and  snow 
Avas  on  the  ground.  There  were  several  teams,  mostly  oxen. 
Some  of  the  men  did  not  have  any  socks,  but  they  Avent  and  were 
glad  to  think  they  Avere  getting  something  for  their  families. 

About  the  1st  of  September  I  Avent  to  work  for  Mr.  Lashley 
and  worked  for  him  for  four  months.  I  kept  the  family  in  provi- 
sion, so  we  got  through  the  Avinter  all  right.  Of  course  we  did 
not  have  any  knicknacks,  and  not  many  fine  clothes,  but  we 
stayed  and  Avere  healthy  and  hapi)y.  Sometimes  people  Avould 
liave  the  blues  but  not  in  the  spring.     Generally  about  the  mid- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  157 

clle  of  June  to  the  1st  of  July  we  nearly  always  had  some  hot 
winds.  At  this  time  there  were  always  people  wanting?  to  sell 
out.  Nearly  always  they  would  say:  "I  want  to  stay  but  my 
wife  won't  stay."  Usually  they  would  stay  away  one  year  anil 
maybe  two,  but  they  generally  came  back  worse  off  ttian  when 
they  went. 

Talk  about  hard  times.  T  knew  young  men  who  had  only 
one  shirt,  and  I  was  one  of  them.  In  the  summer  of  7(i  I  useil 
to  take  my  shirt  off  and  wear  some  old  dress  waist  whUe  mother 
washed  my  shirt,  and  sometimes  she  would  wash  it  three  times 
a  week,  owing  to  the  num])er  of  parties.  Sometimes  we  would 
have  that  many  parties  in  one  week.  All  1he  same  wc  would  en- 
joy ourselves. 

We  started  out  in  the  spring  of  77  with  new  eourage  and 
had  a  pretty  fair  crop.  Plenty  of  most  everything.  Tn  July  I 
bought  my  claim  and  in  the  fall  T  took  me  a  companion.  Then 
1  started  in  working  for  myself  and  wife.  In  the  spring  we  put 
out  a  big  crop  and  raised  plenty  of  everything.  Land  began  to 
advance.  Everything  in  the  shape  of  a  piece  of  land  was  getting 
to  be  worth  a  good  price,  and  nobody  wanted  to  sell.  In  '70  we 
did  not  have  quite  so  good  a  crop,  l)ut  we  got  a  good  i)rice. 
AVheat  went  up  to  $1.00  per  bushel,  so  it  was  not  very  bad.  Peo- 
ple stayed  that  winter  and  went  to  work  in  the  spi-ing  with  a 
good  heart,  and  put  in  big  crops,  and  did  not  raise  very  much  of 
anything,  and  the  tide  began  to  roll  east  and  west,  mostly  east 
to  wife's  folks.  In  June  I  hired  out  to  my  uncle  at  50c  per  day. 
That  did  not  look  very  big.  T  worked  53  days  and  then  hooked 
up  my  team  and  drove  east  and  stayed  all  winter.  In  the  spring 
of  '81  I  came  home  and  brought  provisions  to  last  me  nntil  har- 
vest. We  raised  a  pretty  good  crop  that  yeai-.  Then  the  coun- 
try began  to  boom  again.  We  never  had  any  moi-e  failures  until 
1890,  when  the  Sappa  went  dry  for  the  (irsi  lime.  Wc  had  been 
here  for  over  seventeen  years.  Well.  T  think  Nel)raska  is  the  finest 
country  to  live  in  on  the  globe.  Of  course  I  have  spent  most  of 
my  time  here,  never  living  any  place  else  since  I  was  fifteen  years 
old,  so  of  course,  I  would  naturally  tliink  this  is  the  onlv  place. 

Some  of  the  writers  spoke  about  the  herds  of  Texas  cattle. 

"There  were  hundreds  went  through  here.     Ask  Tlay  Fletcher  if 

he  ever  caught  any  Texas  calves.    He,  Ad  Lashley.  an<l  Al  Ilor- 

ton  bad  quite  a  lot  of  experience  with  them.     They  went  down 

east  of  Beaver  to  get  one  and  the  cow  chased  them  back  to  Bea- 


158 


PIONEER  STORIES 


vor.  Ilortoii  had  ;i  steer  he  ('(iiild  i-ide,  so  he  told  them  he  would 
ride  him  down  and  In-ing  the  calf  up  to  Beaver.  He  went  down 
and  put  the  calf  on  the  street,  got  on  and  rode  to  town,  and 
\vhen  he  got  there  they  could  not  get  the  cow  in  the  corral.  She 
ran  everybody  out  of  the  street.  June  Denham  had  a  big  dog,  so 
he  got  the  dog  took  the  cow-  by  the  ear  and  led  her  to  the  corral. 
Maybe  you  wont  believe  this,  but  this  is  no  "josh,"  ask  Clay 
Fletcher.    He  Avas  there. 

Some  writers  spoke  of  the  game  that  was  here  in  the  early 


Sod  House  Built  by  C  W.  Mallory  in  1872.     It  formerly  had  a  dirt  roof. 
The  shingle  roof  was  put  on  by  Mr.  Brouhard  in  1887 


days.  I  remember  the  last  wild  turkeys.  Some  one  started  the 
flock  down  the  creek  about  ten  miles  and  I  and  a  German  by  the 
name  of  Judge  Altman,  killed  the  last  one.  They  were  the  last 
ones  I  ever  heard  of  here  on  this  creek.  T  think  this  was  the  fall 
of  74. 

Tn  speaking  of  aid,  father  did  draw  some  meat.  T  think  that 
was  in  the  spring  of  '74.  Our  neighbor,  Mr.  Malloi-y,  or  as  they 
used   to  call   him,   Dr.  Mallory,  lived   one-half  mile  west  of  my 


FURNAS  COUNTY  159 

lather's  lie  went  up  there  and  got  his  aid.  Each  one  drew  ac- 
cording to  his  family.  lie  drew  among  the  other  things,  twit 
shoulders  of  pork.  They  weighed  about  four  pounds  each,  and 
that  was  not  very  much  for  so  hirge  a  family.  So  father  would 
lie  one  up  to  the  ridge  log,  and  we  would  begin  at  the  oldest,  get 
up  on  a  stool  and  swallow  the  slioulder  and  jump  off  the  stool 
and  so  on  down  to  the  smallest.  That  wiiuhl  make  the  meat  la.st 
until  the  next  aid  came. 

About  the  Indian  scare,  I  will  say  I  was  there.  T  got  up 
early  one  morning,  or  rather  I  was  uj)  nearly  all  night,  my  wife 
being  very  sick.  I  went  out  very  early  and  I  saw  three  or  four 
teams  going  down  the  road.  They  were  hollering  at  me  l)ut  1  did 
not  pay  much  attention,  as  my  wife  was  so  sick  that  was  on  inv 
mind  more  than  anything  else.  ]\Iy  brotlu-'r's  wife 
v^'as  with  me  and  T  was  getting  read.N'  to  go  to  the  neighbor's  to 
Dorrow  a  wagon  to  take  lier  home,  so  [  hat-nessed  my  team  and 
went  after  the  wagon.  T  stopped  at  one  neighbor's  and  there  was 
no  one  at  home:  so  T  kept  going  until  T  had  gone  to  the  sixtli 
jdace,  and  there  I  found  aliout  twenty  had  gatlKM-ed.  They  want- 
ed to  know  if  I  hadn't  heard  about  the  Indians.  I  told  tluMu  I 
liad  heard  nothing.  T  did  nt)t  stop  to  get  the  wagon  but  hur- 
ried back  home.  "When  T  got  there  my  bi-othei'  and  \V.  .1.  Keith 
V  ere  there,  and  they  told  me  not  to  worry,  tlu'y  Avould  not  leave 
me.  I  was  afraid  it  would  sea)"e  my  wife.  Keitli  said  there 
wasn't  hardly  anyone  up  the  creek  above  where  he  lived.  There 
v.ere  teams  going  back  west  for  several  days  after  that. 

One  of  the  writers  spoke  aliont  the  Avood  rats.  Ills  story 
sounds  all  right,  as  T  hs\e  known  tliose  rats  to  carry  off  case 
knives,  spoons,  and  tin  cups,  shoes  and  all  such  thinsrs.  They 
iiever  carried  oft'  my  trousei's  oi"  suspenders,  but  they  were  sure 
pests.  I  have  killed  buft'alo,  antelope,  and  wild  turkey,  and 
V.unted  and  shot  at  many  a  deer  but  never  killed  one.  T  have 
seen  as  many  as  100  in  a  day.  T  remember  the  first  wheat  we 
raised.  AVe  got  a  neighbor  to  cut  it  with  an  old  self  rake  and 
bound  it  ])y  hand,  and  cleaned  off'  a  jdace  on  the  ground,  and 
1  rode  the  horses;  that  is,  T  rode  one  horse  and  led  two  others 
and  tramped  it  out  and  cleaned  it  in  the  wind.  Father  and  Mr. 
Kendall  went  to  Grand  Island  to  get  it  ground.  They  were  ffone 
four  or  five  days.  The  wheat  we  raised  made  our  bread  and  we 
thought  it  was  pretty  good.  It  was  not  long  after  that  until  we 
had  mills  near  us.    I  used  to  freight  from  Lowell  and  Kearney.    It 


160  PIONEER  STORIES 

would  take  five  or  six  and  sometimes  seven  days  to  make  the 
trip.  AVe  "would  get  I'yc  per  hundred.  That  was  in  goods.  We 
■■vould  haul  from  16  to  25  hundred.  Some  would  haul  40  or  more 
with  yoke  of  cattle. 

I  will  tell  you  a  little  of  my  experience  hauling  corn  from 
Egypt.  B.  II.  Reed  and  Jay  Clayson  and  myself  and  H.  Brouhard 
.started  sometime  in  December,  1874.  We  went  as  far  east  as 
<.-uide  Rock,  where  we  camped  out.  Ilarve  had  a  light  team.  One 
was  a  i^ony  mare  and  she  was  a  cripple,  and  the  other  a  little 
horse.  AVe  had  just  traded  a  day  or  two  before  we  started  and 
every  time  we  went  down  a  little  hill  he  would  kneel  down.  We 
kept  laughing  at  Ilarve.  He  said,  never  mind,  he  would  trade 
him  off,  but  he  would  not  trade  with  a  preacher.  The  second 
night  we  were  out  we  camped  close  to  the  river  in  a  patch  of 
willows.  We  cleaned  off  a  place  large  enough  for  our  blankets 
and  built  a  big  campfire  that  warmed  the  ground,  then  we  put 
some  straw  and  all  rolled  in  together.  About  12  o'clock  it 
began  to  snow,  but  we  kept  covered  head  and  heels.  We  did  not 
dare  to  move  or  the  snow  would  blow  in  on  us.  We  slept  quite 
warm.  I  guess  Ilarve  liegan  dreaming,  for  he  yelled  out.  "Boys, 
'hat  little  mare  is  a  dandy,  but  I  will  trade  that  horse  for  any- 
thing before  we  start  home."  After  we  got  through  laughing  at 
Ilarve,  we  all  went  to  sleep  again  and  pretty  soon  he  began 
dreaming  and  this  time  he  yelled  out,  "Well,  boys,  if  you  want 
corn  for  that  watch,  haul  it  out,  it  belongs  to  the  crowd."  One 
of  the  boys  had  a  watch.  Ilarve  wanted  to  know  what  we  were 
laughing  at.  Just  say  to  Ilarve,  "If  you  want  corn  for  that 
watch,  just  haul  it  out,  it  belongs  to  the  crowd,"  and  he  will 
know  what  you  mean. 

I  believe  I  have  written  enough  of  this,  so  will  draw  to  a 
close,  for  fear  it  will  be  monotonous.  I  want  to  say  this  for  Fur- 
nas county.  I  will  stand  up  for  Nebraska.  I  have  lived  here  41 
years  and  I  never  saw  one  year  just  like  this.  Everything,  last 
spring,  indicated  a  big  crop  of  corn,  but  it  doesn't  look  it 
now.  The  Sappa  is  almost  dry  at  this  writing,  the  30th  of  July, 
1913.  It  looks  as  though  feed  would  be  pretty  scarce,  but  I  still 
think  there  will  be  a  good  fall  pasture.  It  has  got  to  rain  pretty 
soon. 

Will  close,  with  best  wishes  to  everybody. 

F.  P.  BROUHARD. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  161 


CHAPTER    XXII 

J.  W.  Turner  Gives  Interesting-  Account  of  His  Pioneer  Experien- 
ces, and  Tells  of  the  First  School  Held  in  Furnas  County 

On  lor  about  the  first  of  September,  1872,  father,  with  his 
ramily  of  six  children,  left  AViuterset,  Iowa,  for  Nebraska,  in  cov- 
ered wagons,  crossing  tlie  iMissonri  river  at  Plattsmouth,  and 
father,  thinking  perhaps  it  would  be  better,  left  the  family  at 
Plattsmouth,  while  he  went  and  found  a  location.  So,  after 
renting  a  house  and  getting  the  family  comfortable,  be,  with  the 
writer  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ballard,  set  out  in  a  prairie 
scho^'uer  for  southwestern  Nebraska,  stopped  a  short  time  in  Lin- 
coln, then  followed  the  B.  &  ]\I.  railroad  to  Lowell,  wliere  the 
TTnite.l  States  land  office  w^as.  After  getting  some  maps  and  mak- 
ing some  inquiries  about  our  route  we  started  south  for  the  Re- 
publican river.  My !  This  was  a  desolate  trip,  over  forty  miles 
with  scarcely  any  settlement.  About  half  way  across  this  des- 
ert was  "Walker's  Ranch."  Here  we  paid  ten  cents  for  a  bucket 
of  water.  Mr.  Walker  had  not  yet  finished  his  well,  and  had  to 
haul  w^ater  from  the  Blue  river,  many  miles  away.  We  camped 
here  all  night  and  started  out  early  the  next  morning  for  Repub- 
lican City,  arriving  just  before  sunset.  The  next  day  being  Sun- 
day we  drove  a  few  miles  Avest  of  town  where  we  stayed  until 
Monday,  camping  near  a  man  by  the  name  of  Friday.  Along 
about  eleven  o'clock,  Mr.  Friday  came  down  to  the  wagon  and 
invited  us  to  take  dinner  with  him.  We  accepted  his  invitation 
without  an  apology.  After  entering  the  house,  I  noticed  a  large 
kettle  sitting  over  the  fire  in  the  fire  place.  A  little  later  :^rrs. 
Friday  came  in  from  an  adjoining  room  and  with  a  large  spoon 
vas  putting  dough  in  the  kettle,  and  then  T  knew  what  was  com- 
ing, my  mouth  fairly  watered,  for  if  there  is  anything  1  do  like 
it  is  chicken  dumplings.  Soon  it  Avas  put  on  the  table  steaming 
hot,  and  we  w^ere  asked  to  sit  up.  We  certainly  did  eat  our  fill. 
I  shall  never  forget  that  dinner.  T  was  a  lad  of  only  fourteen 
years  and  had  a  boy's  appetite.  After  we  were  through  eating. 
Mr.  Friday  asked  each  of  us  how  we  liked  our  stew,  as  he  called 


162  PIONEER  STORIES 

it,  meaning  the  (Uimpling  dish.  All  praised  it  highly.  He  then 
asked  ns  what  kind  of  meat  it  Avas.  Father  said  it  was  squirrel, 
Mr.  Ballard  thought  it  was  rabbit,  and  I  said  T  knew  it  was 
prairie  chicken.  "Well"  he  said,  "you  have  not  gviessed  it,  it 
i.s  prairie  dog."    AVell,  tliat  is  the  first  good  dog  I  had  ever  eaten. 

Monday  morning  we  started  up  \\\v  river,  crossing  at  Mel- 
rose. We  went  west,  camping  near  the  forks  of  the  Sappa  and 
Beaver.  Next  day  we  drove  up  Beaver  Creek  to  W.  B.  Bishop's, 
to  wdiom  we  had  been  directed  from  the  land  office  at  Ijowell,  as 
a  man  who  would  show  us  land.  After  getting  numbers  on  several 
pieces  of  land  we  Avent  back  to  the  land  office  where  father  home- 
steaded  the  sei/4  of  section  18,  townshij)  2,  range  21,  on  Noa  ember 
2,  1872.  The  next  spring  after  the  Easter  snow  storm  was  over  and 
the  roads  were  good  again,  father,  with  his  family  loaded  in  two 
AA  agons,  left  Plattsmouth  for  the  new  home  in  Furnas  county. 
All  went  well  until  we  got  to  Juniata.  Here  father  was  taken  ill 
and  we  had  to  lay  over  two  weeks.  As  soon  as  he  was  strong 
enough  we  Avent  on.  The  roads  Avere  muddy  and  traveling  slow, 
but  finally  Ave  reached  the  Repul)lican  river,  Avhere  Ave  found 
the  river  banks  full  and  fording  impossible.  The  only  Avay  Ave 
could  cross  Avas  wnth  a  small  skiff,  so  everything  Avas  taken  out  of 
the  wagons  and  a  little  at  a  time  Avas  taken  over  in  the  skiff. 
The  wagons  were  taken  apart,  the  running  gear  was  taken  over 
a  piece  at  the  time,  and  the  Avagon  beds  were  floated  over.  The 
horses  had  to  SAvim.  one  at  a  time,  l)ehind  the  l)oat.  l)ut  all  got 
over  safe  after  a  hard  day's  Avork.  We  had  supper,  then  loaded 
our  Avagons  again  and  Ave  pulled  out  for  our  land,  arriving  there 
;i  little  l)efore  midnight.  May  12,  1873.  Here  we  camped  until 
morning.  Early  the  next  morning  all  were  up  scattered  over  the 
prairie,  viewing  our  new  home. 

After  getting  a  place  to  live  in  and  doing  some  breaking  the 
next  thing  Avas  a  school.  Father,  with  William  Tlarman,  W.  B. 
Bishop,  John  Keiser  and  others  got  together  and  found  Avhere 
they  could  get  a  person  to  teach  and  take  the  pay  in  lireaking. 
This  Avas  Mrs.  Lucy  Brown.  The  first  school  AA'as  held  in  Ben 
Reynold's  sod  house,  which  Avas  located  in  the  northAvest  corner 
of  the  ne  Va  section  17,  tOAAm  2,  range  21.  We  had  a  three  months 
term.  The  scholars  at  this  school  as  near  as  T  can  remember  Avere : 
Allie  and  Rhoda  Harman,  ]\Targaret  and  Blanche  Martin,  ]\rinnie 
Paul,  Alice  Tompkins,  IMollie  Tompkins,  Josie  PreAvett,  James 
Prewett,  Charlie  Martin,  IaiIu  BroAvn,  I)a\nd  BroAA-n,  Bud  Crittle- 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


163 


bough,  Prior  French  and  the  four  Turner  boys,  Gill)ert,  George, 
Lewis  and  the  writer.  There  may  have  been  others  tliat  I  can- 
not recall.  There  were  several  more  in  the  neigliburhood  but 
they  did  not  come  to  this  tirst  school,  which  was  a  fall  term. 
After  this  school  closed,  ]\Irs.  Brown  was  engaged  for  a  winter 
term.  Before  the  next  school  commenced  we  had  built  a  new 
sod  school  house  just  across  the  road  from  the  Reynolds  house. 
The  new  building  was  l-l:x2J:  on  the  inside.  There  were  two 
half  windows  on  the  east  and  west,  a  door  in  the  south  and  a 
tire  place  in  the  north  end.  with  ;i  large  post  in  the  center  of  the 
room  to  hold  up  the  ridge  pole,  no  floor  and  covered  with  a  dirt 
roof. 

The  seats  were  made  of  slabs  Avith  holes  bored  and  sticks 
driven  in  for  legs.  These  seats  were  put  against  the  wall 
around  the  room.  Books  were  scarce  and  often  two  or  three  pu- 
pils would  study  out  of  one  book  at  the  same  time.     There  were 

only  two  spelling  books  in 
school.  (^McOufFey's).  two 
Ray's  third  jnirt  arithmetics, 
one  geograj>liy  and  several 
odd  readers.  Imagine  a 
teacher  now  a  days  trying 
to  teach  under  these  condi- 
tions. At  this  term  there 
were  added  to  our  school 
several  new  scholars.  Among 
them  were :  Park  ^lathew, 
]\rillie  Re^Tiolds,  Alice  and 
Frank  Keiser.  Odell  and 
]\raud  Therwechter.  George 
and  Jennie  Hatfield.  In  this 
old  sod  school  house  we  held 
literary  society  and  spelling 
schools.  Such  times  as  we 
(lid  have  at  our  spelling 
matches.  "We  made  it  a  rule 
that  no  one  should  come 
J.  W.  TURNER  who    would    not    spell    and 

thev  came  from  Beaver  City  on  the  west  to  below  Carrisbrook 
east,  and  from  the  Sappa  on  the  south,  and  everyone  must  sp.'ll 
or  get  out.  old  or  young.    I  wonder  if  John  Keiser,  Wm.  llarman, 


164  PIONEER  STORIES 

and  Billie  Sturtevant  remember  these  spelling  matches.     It  is  all 
fresh  in  my  mind,  although  it  is  nearly  forty  years  ago. 

Our  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  early  in  the  fall  of 
1873,  in  Alex  Paul's  dugout  down  on  the  creek  bank  east  of 
Mrs.  Eldred's  house.  The  first  officers  were  E.  B.  White,  super- 
intendent ;  Mrs.  Paul,  assistant  superintendent ;  Mollie  Tompkins, 
secretary;  J.  AY.  Turner,  treasurer;  and  Wilber  White,  chorister. 
The  Sunday  school  was  kept  up  for  over  twenty -five  years  contin- 
uously, but  was  moved  for  room  to  David  Brown's  sod  house  near 
where  Mrs.  Eldred  now  lives.  Here  it  stayed  until  taken  to  the 
school  house.  We  also  had  preaching.  The  first  preacher  was 
old  father  McDougal,  wlio  lived  near  "Sappa  Peak."  He  came 
once  la  month  at  first,  then  every  two  weeks,  and  finally  organized 
a  class  that  met  for  services  every  Sunday. 

The  first  summer  we  w-ere  in  Furnas  county,  Indians  were 
quite  numerous.  A  band  of  fifty  or  more  Pawnees  were  camp- 
ing on  the  creek  on  the  land  now^  owned  by  Frank  Coleman.  They 
were  friendly  and  never  did  us  any  harm,  but  they  were  a  nui- 
sance begging,  especially  the  squaws.  It  was  interesting  and  ex- 
citing to  see  a  bunch  of  fifteen  or  twenty  bucks  kill  buffalo.  They 
would  get  the  buffalo  to  running  in  a  circle,  then  they  yould  pick 
out  the  ones  they  wanted  to  kill  and  make  a  dash  for  them  Mr. 
Buffalo  was  pretty  sure  to  come  down.  Often  he  would  have  sev- 
eral arrows  in  him  and  sometimes  a  spear  or  two.  They  would 
only  kill  each  day  what  they  would  use.  They  kept  this  up  for 
about  two  months,  drying  the  meat  and  tanning  the  hides.  The 
young  Indian  boys  taught  us  how  to  make  and  shoot  the  bow  and 
arrow.  They  were  so  accurate  that  some  of  them  could  hit  a  pen- 
ny every  time  fifty  feet  away.  The  Indian  was  not  like  the  wdiite 
man  with  the  buffalo,  as  they  killed  only  what  they  could  save 
while  many  white  men  killed  them  for  sport.  I  remember  one 
lime  seeing  Jim  Labar  kill  six  in  less  than  half  an  hour  and  only 
one  was  a  knife  put  into.  At  times  in  the  summers  of  1878-74, 
the  buffalo  were  so  thick  that  we  had  to  keep  them  off  our  corn 
I'lelds  or  they  would  have  trod  it  down,  but  it  was  only  a  few  years 
until  they  were  all  gone,  much  to  our  regret,  as  we  always  wel- 
comed a  quarter  of  a  buffalo.  Buffalo  meat,  at  one  time,  was  the 
■■'staff  of  life'  to  us  as  w^e  never  tired  of  it.  At  one  time  we  had 
two  buffalo  calves  which  gave  us  much  sport. 

Game  was  quite  plentiful  the  first  few  years  and  we  boys 
spent  much  time  hunting  while  not  busy  on  the  farm.  There  were 


FURNAS  COUNTY  165 

lots  of  quail,  grouse,  some  wild  tnrkey,deer,  antelope,  a  few  elk 
and  the  buffalo,  all  of  which  helped  to  sustain  life.  Then  we  had 
the  coyote,  a  few  gray  wolves,  and  occasionally  a  mountain  lion 
would  come  down  from  the  mountains  and  make  his  presence 
know^n  by  killing  young  calves  and  sometimes  causing  our  stock 
that  was  lariated  out,  to  break  loose.  Then  there  was  the  wild 
cat,  which  was  hard  on  the  chicken  house.  There  were  (juite  a 
lot  of  beaver  and  coon  along  the  creeks.  All  of  which  made 
sport  and  helped  to  take  away  the  monotony  of  life. 

After  we  had  lived  a  few  years  in  a  dug-out,  father  built  a 
new  sod  house  and  fixed  up  to  keep  travelers,  built  stable  room 
tor  twenty  horses  and  put  up  hay.  He  turned  the  old  dug-out 
over  to  immigrants  to  cook  and  sleep  in  and  dug  a  well  near  the 
camp  grounds.     Here  many  a  traveler  has  camped  for  the  night. 

I  doubt  if  there  are  many  old  settlers  in  Furnas  and  Red 
Willow  counties  in  Nebraska,  and  Decatur  and  Thomas  counties 
in  Kansas  that  have  not  stayed  over  night  in  this  camping  place, 
i  have  known  twenty  teams  to  be  camped  on  this  ground  at  one 
time,  all  going  west.  Other  times  I  remember  when  all  were  go- 
ing east  to  visit  "wife's  folks." 

For  fear  I  may  tire  the  readers,  I  will  close,  but  want  to  say 
in  conclusion  that  the  ties  of  friendship  formed  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Furnas  county  are  not  easily  broken.  I  wish  to  say  also 
that  the  first  five  years  in  Furnas  county  was  the  happiest  period 
of  my  life,  and  the  most  sacred  spot  on  earth  to  me  is  the  old 
homestead  in  the  Beaver  valley. 


166  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

John  T.  Brown  Writes  of  His  Early  Days  as  a  Pioneer  in  the 
Beaver  Valley — Forty-two  Years  in  Nebraska 

Editor  Times-Tribune : — As  nearly  all  of  the  old  settlers  have 
told  of  their  trials  and  troubles  in  coming  to  and  living  in  this 
county  I  guess  it  is  about  my  time.  1  left  Illinois  on  the  6th  day 
of  December,  1870,  in  company  with  a  friend  named  Harry  Wink- 
ler. We  made  our  first  stop  in  ^Missouri  at  his  uncle's.  I  left  him 
there  and  came  on  to  Thayer  county,  Nebraska,  where  I  had  a  sis- 
ter living.  After  visiting  with  her  a  few  weeks  I  started  on  a 
buft'alo  hunt  up  the  Republican  river,  but  got  only  as  far  as 
Red  Cloud,  when  it  snowed  and  turned  so  cold  that  we  turned 
back. 

I  stayed  in  Thayer  lill  liie  last  of  June,  and  then  my  friend 
came  out  and  we  went  clown  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  We 
Vvalked  nearly  all  over  the  country  south  of  the  Platte  river. 
There  was  not  much  work  to  be  had  so  we  returned  to  Thayer 
county.  AVe  decided  to  take  homesteads  if  we  could  find  some 
to  suit  us.  About  the  middle  of  August,  in  company  with  Charley 
Roseuljcrger  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Frank  Anson,  we  started 
for  tlie  Republican  valley.  Red  Cloud  was  the  first  town  we 
came  to.  It  was  not  very  large,  having  only  three  buildings. 
Then  we  went  up  to  Franklin  Center.  It  had  one  frame  store 
building,  that  was  all.  Republican  City  and  Alma  were  not 
started  yet.  We  crossed  the  river  east  of  where  Orleans  now 
stands,  at  what  is  called  the  Rock  ford.  All  of  the  good  claims 
along  the  river  were  taken,  so  we  came  up  the  Sappa  valley,  and 
the  first  man  Ave  met  was  a  tall  German  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten,  and  the  next  M^as  the  late  Judge  Robbins.  He  and 
J.  A.  Palmer,  of  Stamford,  had  selected  claims  close  together 
and  were  living  in  tents,  not  having  had  time  to  build  houses. 
AVe  asked  about  the  show  for  getting  claims  and  they  said  there 
was  no  one  living  west  of  them,  but  the  claims  on  the  main 
streams  were  all  selected  and  would  be  settled  as  soon  as  the 
people  could  get  there.     At  that  time  the  only  way  you  could 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


167 


hold  a  claim  was  to  move  onto  it,  as  the  county  had  just  been 
surveyed  and  the  office  at  Heatriee  had  no  record  of  the  survey 
yet.  Mr.  Robbins  went  with  us  up  to  the  line  between  Harlan 
and  Furnas  counties,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  section  25,  town 
2.    He  showed  us  how  the  corners  were  num])ered  and  then  went 


The  Brown  Residence  Replacing  the  Old  Sod  Shanty 


home.  We  drove  o\er  to  about  tlie  eeuter  of  section  2')  and 
camped  for  the  night,  it  being  nearly  sun  down.  We  had  wihl 
turkey  for  supper  and  breakfast.  The  next  day  we  iiuntt'd  buf- 
falo and  I  killed  one  on  the  place  Jolin  Keisci-  now  owns,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  creek.  Tlie  buffalo  wore  scarce  as  the  survey- 
ors and  soldiers  had  run  them  out.  The  country  was  covereil 
with  the  carcasses  of  dead  buffalo. 

After  we  had  looked  the  country  o\cr  on  boih  the  Beaver 
and  Sappa  we  decided  to  locale  on  tlie  Sa])|)a,  as  our  wagon  was 
there,  and  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  cross  tbe  streams  in  tliosc 
days.  Rosenberger  selected  the  one  wh(Te  we  fii'st  camped  in 
section  25,  and  tlie  rest  of  us  on  up  the  Sapjia.  We  then  went 
back  to  Thayer  county  and  Winkler  and  I  decided  to  eonie  back 
and  work  on  our  cbiims  and  keep  the  Indians  off  and  the  other 
settlers.      We   were  young  then   and    pretty   green.      We   l)ought 


168  PIONEER  STORIES 

a  team  and  carai:)ing  outfit  and  provisions  to  last  about  three 
months.  Anson  decided  to  not  come  back  and  Rosenberger  had 
corn  to  gather  and  coukl  not  come  then,  so  he  hired  us  to  make 
a  dugout  on  his  phice.  We  got  back  about  the  10th  of  September 
and  went  to  work  on  Rosenberger 's  place  first.  We  made  a  dug- 
out to  live  in  and  one  for  the  horses.  I  will  say  in  passing 
that  this  was  the  first  dug-out  on  the  Sappa.  John  Gapen,  Mrs. 
John  Rea's  brother,  made  the  next  one.  After  we  got  the  stable 
done  we  saw  that  we  would  need  some  hay  to  feed  our  horses 
li  we  put  them  up  during  a  storm.  There  was  plenty  of  wild  hay 
but  we  had  no  way  to  cut  it,  so  we  went  down  to  Mr.  Palmer's 
to  see  how  he  cut  the  hay  that  was  stacked  on  his  place.  We 
borrowed  a  scythe  and  pitchfork  and  went  to  work.  Neither  of 
us  had  ever  mowed  hay  with  a  scythe,  so  we  did  not  cut  many 
tons. 

After  we  got  the  hay  stacked  we  took  a  trip  up  the  Sappa 
to  see  what  the  country  looked  like.  We  met  three  hunters  up  at 
•he  head  of  the  creek  and  they  were  the  only  people  we  saw  all 
rhe  time  we  were  in  this  country  except  Mr.  Robbins  and  Mr. 
Palmer.  We  were  gone  on  that  trip  about  ten  days  and  when 
we  got  back  to  our  dugout,  a  prairie  fire  had  passed  along  and 
burned  our  hay  and  all  the  grass  for  miles  around.  AVe  never 
iliought  of  fire,  did  not  think  the  buffalo  grass  would  burn,  it  was 
so  short.  The  fire  did  not  burn  the  dugout  or  stable  as  the 
loose  dirt  we  had  left  lying  around  protected  them.  Now  we 
thought  that  fire  had  about  ruined  our  prospects,  as  we  expected 
to  make  a  small  fortune  trapping  beaver  and  killing  buffalo,  but 
it  was  a  good  thing  we  got  burned  out.  We  went  back  to 
Thayer  county  and  had  been  there  but  a  few  days 
when  there  came  the  deepest  snow  I  ever  saw  in  Ne- 
braska, and  it  stayed  on  the  ground  until  the  last  of  February. 
The  snow  was  just  as  deep  in  this  county  and  the  settlers  had  a 
hard  time  getting  something  to  eat.  That  snow  scared  my  part- 
ner and  he  wouldn't  come  up  here  any  more,  so  I  bought  his  half 
of  the  team,  wagon  and  outfit.  It  took  all  the  money  I  had  ex- 
cept a  few  dollars,  but  1  had  a  good  supply  of  powder  and  lead, 
fiour  and  bacon. 

The  15th  of  IMarch  Rosenberger  and  I  started  for  the  Sappa 
with  our  wagons  loaded  with  shelled  corn.  After  a  hard  trip 
we  got  to  Judge  Robbins  place.  We  left  our  wagons  there  and 
went  to  our  claims  on  horses.     The  country  looked  pretty  bleak 


FURNAS  COUNTY  169 

up  there  on  the  Sappa.  We  dug  some  pits  large  enough  to  hold 
our  corn  in  Mr.  Robbins'  yard,  and  covered  it  with  hay  and 
dirt.  AVe  went  back  after  Rosenberger's  family  and  did  not 
get  back  until  the  first  of  May.  I  helped  Rosenberger  build 
some  more  house  and  then  went  over  on  the  Beaver  to  see  if  I 
could  find  a  claim  that  suited  me  better  than  the  one  I  had  select- 
ed on  the  Sappa,  but  I  did  not  find  any  but  what  had  been  filed 
on,  so  I  went  back  to  the  Sappa.  hitched  onto  my  plow,  and  have 
never  turned  back.  There  was  no  one  west  of  me  on  the  creek. 
It  will  soon  be  forty-two  years  since  I  first  saw  Furnas  county, 
and  I  have  done  all  T  could  in  my  humble  way  to  make  it  a  county 
any  state  might  be  proud  of.  T  have  seen  all  the  good  years  and 
all  the  bad  ones  and  am  still  here. 

This  story  looks  pretty  long,  and  this  is  my  last  sheet  of 
paper,  so  I  will  have  to  stop  just  at  the  beginning  of  things  in 
this  county,  but  will  write  again  if  the  editor  will  stand  for  it. 

JOHN  T.  BROWN. 


I 


170  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

Charles  A.  Clark  Was  One  of  the  First    to    Sense    the    Coming 

Glories  of  Pumas  County,  and  He  Tells  of  His 

Pioneer  Days 

I  have  been  reading  the  stories  of  pioneer  days  in  Furnas 
county,  so  I  thought  I  wouhl  add  my  mite.  My  brother  in  hiw, 
Cyrus  Trent,  and  I,  started  from  Waterloo,  Iowa,  to  Nebraska,  in 
May,  1873.  We  got  as  far  as  Lincoln,  where  we  met  N.  M.  Ayers, 
who  told  us  about  Furnas  county.  Later  we  met  Monell  and 
Lashley.  They  were  going  out  west  to  look  up  a  location  for  a 
fJouring  mill  and  they  wanted  us  to  go  along,  so  Lashley,  TreQl 
and  1  started  for  the  Land  of  Promise.  We  went  by  train 
from  Lincoln  to  Lowell,  where  we  hired  a  pair  of  ponies  and  a  bug- 
gy, and  we  drove  to  Republican  City.  There  Mr.  Lashley  and 
John  ]\IcPherson  went  on  a  scout  for  a  mill  site,  but  not  finding 
any,  we  went  to  Orleans.  There  we  met  a  man  and  his  wife  by 
iJie  name  of  Dibert  from  Johnstown,  Penn.  They  had  a  brother- 
in-law  living  west  of  Beaver  City,  so  we  took  them  along  and  all 
went  to  Beaver  City.  There  Mr.  Lashley  found  a  mill  site.  We 
each  found  a  claim  just  north  of  Beaver  City  and  went  to  Lowell 
and  filed  on  them.  May  22,  187-3  Lashley  went  to  Lincoln  to  send 
lumber  to  build  his  mill,  and  I  went  to  Waterloo  for  my  family. 

We  left  Waterloo  in  September  and  got  to  Beaver  City  Octo- 
ijer  10,  1873  We  were  like  Trowbridge,  we  had  some  bad  luck, 
but  we  got  there.  The  first  thing  was  a  dugout.  We  slept  in 
our  wagon  box  till  the  dugout  was  finished.  We  needed  some  sod 
so  we  went  down  town  and  borrowed  a  breaking  plow  and  start- 
ed to  break  sod.  That  is  as  far  as  I  got  as  one  of  my  mares  would 
not  work  on  a  plow,  so  I  took  the  plow  back.  I  met  Wayne  Car- 
penter and  agreed  to  trade  my  mares  for  two  yoke  of  cattle. 
He  thought  1  had  to  throw  in  the  wagon  box,  but  I  told  him  I 
couldn't  spare  tliat  as  it  was  our  bedroom.  Trent  and  T  made  two 
looms,  he  living  in  one  room  and  1  in  th(>  other.  That  winter  I 
got  out  logs  and  built  a  log  house. 

Trowbridge  said  their  daughter  was  the  second  white  child 


FURNAS  COUNTY 


171 


.)orn  in  the  county.  I  don't  know  who  was  the  first,  but  our 
daughter,  Maggie,  now  Mrs.  Pixley,  was  born  November  29, 
187:3,  in  the  dugout.  I  will  send  you  a  photo  of  her  two  boys  and 
me. 

In  March  1874  we  moved  into  our  log  house.  I  liad  broken 
five  acres  the  summer  before.  I  stirred  up  and  put  in  some 
wheat  and  corn  and  did  some  more  breaking  and  planted  some 


Mr.  Clark  and  Two  Grandsons 


fr-od  corn.  I  did  pretty  well  lliat  suinimf.  I  built  a  house  for 
Adam  Keith,  12  miles  southwest  of  Heaver  city  on  the  Sappa,  and 
I  did  most  of  the  mill  wrighting  on  Lashley's  mill.  Hverytiiiiig 
was  looking  well  so  we  must  have  a  Fourth  of  -luly  picnic.  We 
built  a  large  bower  on  the  s(|uare.  and  put  down  a  dancing  tloor. 
In  making  arrangements  we  found  that  we  had  no  flag,  so  the 
merchants  furnished   the   material   and   my   wife   made  the   first 


172  PIONEER  STORIES 

ting  in  Beaver  City.  We  had  a  first  class  picnic  and  a  good  time. 
The  orators  were  Lee  Ilobson,  T.  J.  DeKalb,  T.  M.  Williams,  W.  E. 
C'ruteher  and  Mrs.  Mallory. 

Everything  went  all  right  until  the  8th  of  August,  when  the 
grasshoppers  came.  They  soon  got  away  with  the  corn.  I  had 
a  pretty  good  garden  and  the  hoppers  left  that.  Some  time  in 
October  there  was  a  camp  meeting  four  miles  east  of  Beaver  City, 
On  Sunday  morning  I  took  the  family  and  went  down  there. 
When  we  left  home  in  the  morning  there  were  125  fine  heads  of 
cabbage,  40  or  50  fine  squashes,  about  6  bushels  of  rhutabagoes 
and  a  lot  'of  other  vegetables.  AVhen  we  got  home  at  night  there 
was  nothing  there.  Ilobson 's  herder  had  lain  down  in  the  shade 
and  gone  to  sleep  and  let  the  cattle  eat  up  the  garden,  so  a  good 
share  of  our  winter's  living  was  gone.  I  had  to  work  that  winter 
at  Lashley's  mill.  That  fall  Frank  Caterton  chased  a  buffalo  onto 
our  claim  and  killed  it  so  we  got  a  pretty  good  chunk  lof  meat. 
We  got  through  the  winter  fairly  well. 

In  the  spring  of  1875  I  put  in  a  good  crop  of  corn  and  oats, 
and  the  grasshoppers  were  coming  down  thick.  They  got  all 
the  grasshoppers  cleaned  up  two  acres  of  my  late  corn.  I  thought 
I  would  get  the  rest  of  my  crop.  On  the  8th  of  August  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Freas  came  to  our  house.  Joe  Postlewaight  was  there, 
and  after  dinner  he  suggested  going  after  some  jackrabbits.  As 
we  went  by  my  corn  I  said,  "I  guess  I  will  get  the  rest  of  my 
corn."  We  hadn't  gone  very  far  when  the  sun  was  darkened 
and  the  grasshoppers  were  coming  down  thick.  They  got  all  the 
corn  and  the  squash,  melon  and  pumpkin  vines.  They  left  the 
squashes  and  melons,  but  they  were  not  ripe.  We  had  mighty 
slim  picking  that  winter,  but  we  got  along  some  way.  Some  of 
our  .neighbors  had  som'C  things  left.  They  got  together  to 
talk  up  an  old  fashioned  farmer's  picnic,  and  invited  all  the 
neighbors  but  us.  One  night  we  had  a  pretty  slim  supper  and 
expected  to  have  a  slimmer  breakfast,  but  we  were  happily  dis- 
appointed. Just  after  dark  some  of  the  neighbors  from  the  creek 
came  in  with  bushel  baskets  of  potatoes  and  cabbage  and  other 
good  things.  Well,  I  want  to  tell  you  we  had  a  feast  and  a  glor- 
ious good  time.  Some  of  the  neighbors  are  still  there,  Mrs.  Freas 
and  Jake  Downing.  Most  of  them  are  scattered,  and  some  have 
gone  to  their  reward. 

We  did  not  have  any  Indian  scares,  but  we  had  something 
just  as  bad.    The  Texas  cattle  trail  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east 


FURNAS  COUNTY  I73 

of  our  house.  Three  or  four  herds  went  up  every  summer.  The 
cowboys  were  a  rough  set.  They  woukl  come  to  the  house  ami 
.lemand  things  and  if  we  did  not  have  them  to  give  they  woukl 
swear  terribly  and  threaten  to  shoot.  They  camped  three  miles 
north  of  us  and  sometimes  a  heifer  would  get  out  of  the  herd  and 
come  down  to  our  cattle  and  I  would  have  to  shoot  it  l..-i",.n'  T 
could  get  to  my  cattle. 

The  spring  of  1876  I  put  in  my  crops  and  as  usual  the  gras.s- 
hoppers  did  the  reaping.  I  was  elected  assessor  and  served  for 
three  years.  I  got  no  pay  at  all  for  the  first  two  years,  and  sj^o 
lor  the  third.  I  was  treasurer  of  the  school  l)()ard  two  years.  I 
got  some  carpenter  w^ork  and  some  saw  mill  wriglit  woi-k  tliat 
summer.  In  August  our  Ixty  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake  and  we 
had  a  terrible  time  getting  him  cured. 

The  spring  of  1877  opened  up  pretty  good.  I  put  in  some 
wdieat  and  corn  and  rye,  and  had  a  good  crop.  On  the  19tli  of 
June  our  twins  Avere  born.  The  girl.  ]\Iary  Edith,  is  now  Mrs. 
E.  A  Shrove  of  Denver.  The  boy,  Charles  Ernest,  is  a  traveling 
salesman  for  Kingsbaker  Cigar  Co..  of  Kansas  City,  lie  makes 
Beaver  City  in  his  travels. 

Everything  went  pretty  Avell  until  we  began  stacUing  our 
grain.  Lee  Hobson,  A.  J.  Ilorton  and  1  were  exchanging  work. 
We  were  working  at  my  place  and  had  one  stack  of  grain  finished 
and  Hobson  was  working  on  another.  In  putting  some  poles  on 
the  top  he  lost  one  of  the  ropes,  and  after  my  little  boy  had 
helped  him  get  it  he  set  the  fork  against  the  stack  and  forgot 
it.  When  Hobson  got  through  he  slid  down  the  s\iu-k  onto  the 
fork  handle,  and  was  badly  hurt.  AVe  had- a  hard  time  until  he 
got  so  he  could  be  taken  home. 

]\Iy  wife  and  five  children  had  the  diphtheria.  My  wil'e  was 
rery  sick  for  over  a  week,  but  they  all  got  over  it.  1  iiad  i|uite  a 
hit  of  carpenter  work  in  1878  and  raised  a  good  crop,  so  we  got 
along  pretty  well. 

The  spring  of  1879  I  rented  my  land  and  worked  ;i1  my  tra«le. 
There  was  quite  a  lot  of  luiilding  and  we  raised  another  good 
crop,  so  I  began  to  think  Xehr  iska  was  all  right.  But  it  stopi^ed 
raining  and  there  Avas  no  rain  from  September  until  the  next  July. 
The  spring  of  1880  I  rented  my  ground  again,  but  the  ground  was 
so  dry  that  they  could  not  plow  it  so  I  got  no  crop.  I  had  to  go 
.';way  to  get  work.  The  summer  of  1881  the  drouth  and  cinch  bugs 
took  everything. 


174  PIONEER  STORIES 

1882  was  the  same  way.  Tluil  fall  I  came  to  Fairbury  to  get 
work.  My  folks  did  not  like  to  stay  alone  so  much  so  I  moved 
them  down  here,  and  we  are  liei-e  yet.  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  T  was  not  built  for  a  farmer,  so  I  ga\e  away  my  claim  and 
quit  it. 

There  is  one  thing  I  would  like  better  than  anything,  and  that 
is  to  see  the  old  pioneers  all  together  again  at  a  farmers'  picnic 
Jike  we  had  then.  They  are  scattered  all  over,  some  are  still  in 
Furnas  county. 

Mulshing  them  a  happy  and  iirosperous  year  I  will  leave 
+hem  for  the  present. 

CHAS.  A.  CLARK. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  175 


CHAPTER    XXV 

When  M.  N.  Jenkins  First  Saw  Beaver  City  It  Was  Inhabited  by 

Prairie  Dogs,  Rattlesnakes  and  Buffalo, 

Now  Look  At  IT ! 

Editor  Times-Tribune. — Perhaps  it  would  l)e  of  interest  tu 
the  old  settlers  of  Furnas  county  to  hear  fi-oni  one  who  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  those  early  days  with  tlie  grasshoppers,  rattle- 
snakes and  Indians. 

It  is  forty-one  years  the  tenth  day  of  July  since  1  tirst  saw- 
Beaver  City.  At  that  time  the  toAvn  Avas  inhabited  by  prairie 
dogs  and  butfalo.  The  two  TIadley  boys,  ^1.  R.  and  Jesse;  Will 
Kinzer,  Tommy  Williams  and  Danforth  had  taken  (daims  around 
the  prospective  townsite.  T  was  traveling  in  company  with  Kd 
Lyon.  AVe  ate  our  lunch  here  and  then  steared  oui-  tbjuble  header 
oxmobile  on  up  the  creek,  dodging  the  dead  butfalo  carcasses  by 
the  way,  and  camped  that  night  with  I.  8.  and  Jonathan  Meyers, 
who  were  shingling  their  first  cabbin  with  elm  bai'k  and  sod. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  the  present  site  of  Wilsonville. 
Here  wc  found  Coilas  AYilson  and  Russel  Johnston  camped  under 
the  shade  of  an  old  elm  tree  on  the  banks  of  Beaver  Creek.  Cor- 
1,1s  Alexander  soon  made  us  welcome.  A  few  days  later  John 
McKee  joined  our  company.  Tie  was  looking  for  a  location  to 
start  in  business.  Uncle  John  was  third  assistant  cook.  His 
part  was  to  grind  the  coffee  with  a  sledge  hammer.  We  had 
huge  appetites  in  those  days,  it  required  a  st:udv  of  flapjacks 
almost  knee  high  and  a  disli{)an  full  of  buffalo  steak  to  till  us 
iip  to  the  collar. 

Our  camp  was  the  frontier,  no  other  station  except  a  mili- 
tary post  at  Red  AVillow  and  Wild  Bill,  who  camped  near  us  a 
Jew  days  and  then  moved  on.  We  had  a  few  Indian  scares  that 
summer  Init  lost  no  scalps,  and  later  in  the  fall  a  big  fire  wifli 
high  wind  which  licked  up  the  hay  stacks  and  a  few  cabins  ami 
rhe  clothes  that  happened  to  be  off  our  backs. 

Our  nearby  postoffice  at  that  time  was  Alma,  but  later  on 
we  heard  of  Arapahoe,  and  then  we  thought  that  we  had  things 


176  PIONEER  STORIES 

convenient.    Lowell  and  Kearney  were  the  nearby  railroad  towns. 

As  the  country  began  to  settle  we  felt  the  need  of  mutual 
association.  Accordingly  the  Beaver  Valley  Home  Guards  was  or- 
ganized, the  object  of  which  was  not  only  to  make  our  presence 
felt  in  case  of  mischief,  but  that  we  might  make  our  wants 
known  and  invite  horse  thieves  to  '"keep  off  the  grass."  Our 
association  together  called  forth  a  discussion  of  our  need  of 
public  improvements,  such  as  postoffices,  public  highways,  or- 
ganization of  the  county,  locating  county  seat,  starting  public 
schools,  and  appealing  to  Uncle  Sam  for  protection  against  the 
encroachment  of  the  red  skins. 

Our  first  effort  to  be  heartl  by  the  legislature  was  to  send 
John  McKee  to  Lincoln  to  lobby  for  us  in  forming  and  naming 
the  county.  At  this  time  all  the  territory  west  of  Harlan  county 
was  known  as  Lincoln  county  and  was  represented  by  Buffalo 
Bill  in  the  legislature.  After  Furnas  county  was  bounded  and 
named  then  came  the  county  seat  question,  and  some  of  you  know 
what  happened  in  some  of  those  bob-tailed  conventions. 

Well,  we  "left  our  footprints  in  the  sands  of  time"  and  we 
can  never  pass  that  way  again.  My  mind  often  reverts  back  to 
the  days  of  making  history  in  Furnas  county,  but  space  will  only 
[)ermit  me  to  hit  a  few  of  the  high  places.  We  often  got  short 
on  rations,  and  did  not  have  much  tcf  live  on  but  faith  and  ])uffalo 
grass  until  the  team  would  get  back  from  the  railroad.  Then 
came  the  hot  winds  and  the  grasshoppers  that  ])lasted  our  pros- 
pects for  a  crop,  and  then  the  going  down  into  "Egypt"  after 
corn.  Then  came  the  Indian  raid  of  '78,  followed  by  the  de- 
structive prairie  tire  which  licked  up  the  grain  and  hay.  Perhaps 
some  of  you  have  not  forgotten  the  old  "funding  bonds"  tliat 
were  issued  by  the  county,  and  sold  for  "spot  cash,"  but  the 
cash  never  came.  Many  times  we  found  ourselves  up  against 
a  dark  proposition.  Those  were  days  of  anxiety  and  excitement 
such  as  we  shall  not  be  called  to  pass  through  again. 

It  may  be  now  that  not  many  of  the  old  settlers  are  left. 
Some,  no  doubt,  have  gone  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  some 
to  the  silent  city  of  the  dead.  I  have  been  away  from  Furnas 
county  eighteen  years,  having  lived  in  Colorado  since  leaving 
there.  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  any  of  you  who  are  interested 
jn  me,  or  to  have  you  call  on  me  when  visiting  Boulder. 

M.  N.  JENKINS. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  177 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

L.  B.  McComb  Tells  the  Story  of  the  Foimding  of  Lebanon,  and 
Relates  Incidents  in  the  Lives  of  the  Pioneers 

Editor  Tiines-Tril)ime. — It  is  witli  much  interest  tliiit  I  have 
read  the  different  stories  of  pioneer  days  puljlishcd  in  the 
Times-Tribune.  Altliough  there  will  be  a  siniiliarity  in  some 
respects  to  the  other  contributions,  I  feel  that  T  Avoidd  like  to 
r.dd  my  little  mite  to  those  already  handed  in.  so  T  wi-itc  and  if 
you  consider  this  not  worthy  of  publication,  commit  it  to  the 
waste  basket. 

It  was  in  tlie  spring  of  1872  that  my  father  took  the  western 
fever,  and  it  proved  contagious  inasmuch  that  one  nei«;hbor  and 
himself  fitted  out  a  prairie  schooner  and  started  overland  from 
Green  Lake,  Wisconsin,  little  knowing  what  their  destination 
would  be.  They  came  on  and  on,  until  landing  at  Lowell, 
Kearney  county,  they  concluded  that  they  were  far  eiioiigh  west 
for  the  time  being.  Lowell  was  a  thriving  little  town,  where  the 
land  office  was  then  located,  and  father  and  ^fr.  Elkiiis  secured 
work  as  carpenters  and  worked  until  fall.  Once  in  tlie  summer 
father  got  quite  homesick  because  he  found  some  "ei-awlers" 
in  his  clothes.  He  immediately  packed  his  grip  to  start  for 
home,  when  some  one,  finding  out  what  Avas  the  cause  of  his  sud- 
den change  of  movement,  told  him  what  to  do  to  rid  his  clothes 
of  these  inhabitants,  so  instead  of  carpentering  for  a  while,  he 
proceeded  to  have  a  wholesale  massacre,  and  when  it  was  over, 
instead  of  going  home,  he  wrote  home  telling  us  of  his  experienee, 
and  also  told  us  to  sell  out.  pack  up  and  come  to  him. 

Ro  on  the  1 4th  day  of  November,  with  three  wagons  erpiipped 
with  a  stove  and  other  things  suitable  for  winter  traveling,  and 
with  nine  people  in  our  company,  we  started  for  the  west,  travel- 
ing all  the  first  day  in  a  glorious  snoAV  storm,  and  staying  tlie 
first  night  with  my  uncle  and  family,  who  considered  it  a  very 
foolish  move.  Uncle  told  mother  that  she  was  going  where  she 
could  not  find  a  stick  large  enough  to  whip  a  child  with.  She 
was  not  of  the  disposition  to  be  easily  "lilu(Ted."  so  her  reply 


178 


PIONEER  STORIES 


to  this  remark  was,  "I'll  use  my  hand."  lie  then  said,  "You 
will  have  to  live  in  a  dngout  out  there,"  Her  reply  to  that  re- 
mark was,  "No,  1  won't.  I'll  not  go  under  ground  until  I  go 
for  good."  Tn  this  she  was  mistaken,  as  later  on  my  story  will 
reveal. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  all  the  trials  and  hardships 
of  that  six  weeks'  trip  in  midwinter,  camping  out  every  night 
but  two.  Some  may  say,  "Surely  it  did  not  take  six  weeks  to 
make  the  trip."  No  it  did  not,  for  two  weeks  of  that  time  we 
were  camped  at  IMaringo,  Iowa,  M'ith  sick  horses.     We  arrived  at 


,..vM...&A  .....ite.. 


yy^vistfy^. 


Former   Home  of  James   McComb 

Plattsmouth,  December  ^U.     There  we  were  told  that  we  would 
surely  perish  if  we  tried  to  cross  the  plains  in  our  wagons,  so  we 
chartered  a  car,  loaded  our  goods  and  came  by  rail  the  remainder 
of  the  journey,  arriving  at  Lowell  the  first  day  of  January,  1873. 
Father  had  already  prepared  a  little  home  for  us,  so  we  were  not| 
long  in  getting  settled.     My  introduction  to  the  new  town  wasj 
the  acquaintance  of  a  tame  buffalo  that  would  persist  in  follow-j 
ing  me  to  school,  which   was   anything  but   pleasant   for   me,   ll 
was  so  afraid  of  him.     He  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Valentine,  one  ofj 
the  merchants  of  the  town,  and  he  would  dodge  into  the  store! 
^"^  henever   an   opportunity   presented    itself,    always   expecting   a] 
treat  of  candy  and  apples. 

"Well,  I  must  pass  on.     Our  stay  at  Lowell  was  only  during! 
the  winter.    In  the  spring  of  1873,  father  pushed  on  farther  west! 


\ 


FURNAS  COUNTY  I79 

and  located  at  Avliat  is  now  Lebanon.  Father  in  later  years  sold 
the  townsite  of  Lebanon  one  40  of  the  land  being  a  part  of  our 
old  homestead. 

Just  as  we  were  about  ready  to  pack  up  and  move  to  the 
Beaver  the  big  April  storm  broke  upon  us  with  all  tlie  force  of 
a  genuine  blizzard.  Any  of  the  pioneer  settlers  will  distinctly 
remember  it.  We  were  shut  in  for  three  or  four  days,  not  dar- 
ing to  venture  even  a  few  steps  from  the  door,  and  before  the 
end  of  the  third  day  all  we  had  to  eat  was  crackers  and  water, 
for  everything  was  so  wet  inside  and  out  of  the  shanty  that 
mother  could  not  make  a  fire.     We  had  to  stay  in  bed  in  order 


Present  Home  of  James  McComb 

to  keep  warm.  The  morning  of  the  third  day,  father  thought  he 
must  try  to  go  to  the  stable  to  see  how  the  horses  were  faring, 
so  in  a  lull  in  the  storm  he  started,  and  for  a  wonder,  found  the 
stable,  or  what  was  left  of  it.  The  wind  had  blown  the  straw 
cover  all  oft",  and  the  horses  had  trampled  snow  until  their 
heads  could  be  seen  above  the  stable.  All  must  of  course  know 
that  the  house  and  stable  were  both  poorly  constructed  or  they 
would  have  better  withstood  the  force  of  the  storm.  They  were 
put  up  only  for  temporary  use.  Father  soon  got  the  horses  out 
of  their  snowy  bed  and  took  them  to  the  livery  barn.  Then  he 
went  to  the  hotel  and  got  dinner,  but  did  not  dare  venture  home 
until  nearly  night,  for  if  he  had  missed  the  house,  he  could  have 
gone  for  miles  in  that  direction  without  finding  a  house.  It  wis 
an  anxious  afternoon  for  the  ones  shut  in,  so  when  father  came 
walking  in  a  little  before  sun  down,  there  was  gen<M-al  rejoicing. 
When  the  storm  Avas  over  we  started  for  our  own  home,  be- 
ing ten  days  on  the  road  from  Lowell  to  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  17.  toAvnship  1.  range  26  west.  It  rained  nefirly  ever>' 
day  we  Avere  on  the  road,  so  when  we  arrived  at  the  Republican 
river   near    Arapahoe    the    river   banks    were    flowing    full,    and 


180  PIONEER  STORIES 

nothing  could  l)e  done  but  sAviiu.  Just  as  we  were  about  to 
start  in  a  Mr.  McGill,  who  lived  near  the  present  town  of  Hendley, 
came  to  our  rescue  with  an  ox  team  and  helped  us  across,  then 
loaded  the  little  folks  into  his  wagon  and  went  ahead  with  them. 
AVhen  we  arrived  at  their  home  a  good  warm  supper  a^\'aited  the 
whole  company  of  us.  I  shall  never  forget  that  meal  nor  the 
people  who  were  so  kind  to  us  that  night. 

We  immediately  proceeded  to  make  a  house  by  pitching  our 
tent  and  using  some  boards  that  father  had  on  hand,  setting 
them  up  tent  fashion  and  using  a  tree  at  each  end  of  the  build- 
ing for  the  upright  poles  and  some  good  heavy  joice  for  the 
ridge  pole,  with  not  "a  blanket  for  a  door,"  but  a  piece  of  car- 
pet. Such  wias  our  home  for  the  first  five  months  of  homestead- 
ing,  as  there  was  no  time  to  build  a  better  one,  for  some  breaking 
had  to  be  done  and  a  crop  put  in.  which  with  my  brother's  help 
father  went  about  doing  without  delay.  In  swimming  the  Re- 
publican river  everything  in  our  wagons  got  wet,  so  we  had  to 
have  a  general  unpacking  and  drying  out  time.  Added  to  that 
we  had  to  have  another  gray-back  massacre,  for  somewhere  on 
the  road  they  had  crept  in.  AYhat  a  time  we  had,  washing  up 
and  getting  rid  of  the  pests. 

One  day  not  long  after  we  were  settled,  we  heard  a  noise 
outside  like  the  grunting  of  hogs.  We  went  out  to  see  where  the 
noise  came  from,  and  just  a  few  rods  from  the  house  we  dis- 
covered a  herd  of  about  60  l)uffalo  leisurely  feeding  along. 
The  men  happened  to  be  away  from  home  that  day,  so  we  missed 
getting  a  good  shot  at  them. 

I  have  told  you  what  our  house  was  like,  but  not  what  other 
belongings  we  possessed  besides  our  household  goods.  Well, 
they  consisted  of  three  horses,  one  cow,  a  hen  and  a  rooster,  the 
latter  a  present  to  mother  when  she  left  Lowell,  and.  by  the 
way  she  raised  that  summer  from  the  ]iair  30  chickens,  the  old 
hen  setting  three  times. 

Buffalo  and  antelope  hunting  was  the  favorite  pastime  for 
those  days,  but  that  soon  came  to  an  end,  for  we  were  only  nicely 
settled  and  the  crop  well  started  when  we  were  visited  by  a 
band  of  Pawnee  Indians  out  for  a  buffalo  hunt.  There  were 
three  hundred  of  them  and  our  place  was  alive  with  them  for 
three  days.  Their  camp  was  only  a  half  mile  from  our  house. 
and  while  there  they  killed  300  buffalo  in  one  day.  They  dried 
and  packed  the  meat  ready  for  use  in  three  days,  putting  it  in 


FURNAS  COUNTY  181 

hails,  as  near  as  I  can  remember  21/2  feet  long,  li/o  feet  wide, 
and  perhaps  a  foot  thick.  The  bails  were  covered  with  raw- 
liide.  They  carried  their  meat  on  pack  ponies,  loading  them 
down  until  they  would  almost  stagger  under  the  load.  When 
coming  in  from  the  hunt  the  same  ponies  were  loaded  with  the 
raw  meat,  thrown  over  the  ponies'  bare  backs,  and  an  Indian 
sitting  on  top  of  the  meat.  We  visited  their  camp  one  after- 
noon and  saw^  them  working  at  then-  various  kinds  of  employ- 
ment. One  old  Indian  was  making  himself  a  ruffled  bosom 
shirt,  and  on  sight  of  mother,  called  on  her  for  assistance,  which 
she  freely  gave.  Some  were  making  bead  ornaments,  some 
piecing  quilts,  some  preparing  the  evening  meal  by  cooking 
brown  beans  over  a  camp  fire,  and  some  were  busy  tauuing  buf- 
falo hides  and  packing  meat.  In  the  company  were  two  old  sol- 
diers holding  honorable  discharges  from  the  government,  who 
came  and  begged  the  privilege  of  having  dinner  with  us.  How 
they  did  eat !  They  surely  fulfilled  the  proverbial  saying  that 
'an  Indian  can  eat  enough  in  one  day  to  last  him  a  week."  We 
traded  with  them  in  many  different  ways,  exchanging  their 
wares  for  groceries,  for  father  had  already  established  a  trading 
post,  supplying  the  few  settlers  with  the  necessaries  of  life,  am- 
munition included,  as  no  person  at  that' time  woukl  liave  felt  that 
he  could  live  here  without  his  gun  at  his  right  hand. 

Giving  the  Indians  a  rest  I  must  now  return  to  the  subject 
of  building  a  home  in  the  west.  After  the  excitement  of  the 
Indian  company  was  over,  father  began  hewing  logs  preparatory 
to  building  us  a  permanent  home.  The  house  was  ready  for  the 
roof  when  father  was  called  upon  to  accompany  a  young  friend 
to  his  home  in  Wisconsin,  who  had  come  here  in  hope  of  regain- 
ing his  health,  but  in  vain,  for  he  died  soon  after  his  arrival 
home.  When  father  returned  from  his  trip  he  brought  more 
supplies  for  the  little  store,  adding  to  the  stock,  prints,  ginghams, 
shoes,  and  some  rough  articles  of  clothing,  such  as  were  needeil 
for  the  time  and  place  in  which  Ave  lived.  It  was  late  in  the 
fall  when  he  returned,  and  too  cold  to  try  to  think  of  finishing 
our  house  in  time  to  he  comfortable  for  the  winter,  so  he  pro- 
ceeded to  dig  a  hole  in  llic  hillside  and  before  many  days  a 
dugout  with  a  tent  for  a  roof  was  completed  for  our  winter 
quarters.  Thus  mother  had  to  submit  to  going  un(h>rgn>unil, 
much  against  her  pride  and  will,  at  the  same  time  admitting  that 
it  was  a  comfortable  place  to  be  on  a  cold  day. 


182  PIONEER  STORIES 

The  spring  following  our  sojouru  iu  the  dugout,  several 
changes  took  place.  Our  home  was  completed,  and  the  dugout 
converted  into  a  little  store.  Lebanon  postoffice  was  established 
at  our  home.  My  brother  carried  the  mail  from  Beaver  City  the 
first  six  months  free  gratis,  later  he  was  given  the  job  of  over- 
land mail  carrier  and  paid  by  the  government. 

Time  waits  for  no  one,  neither  does  the  tide  of  immigration. 
Nqw  settlers  are  locating  all  along  the  Beaver  valley.  Among 
the  first  besides  our  people  to  grace  the  land  of  butfalo  grass 
with  homes  were  the  following  families  and  bachelors :  R.  P. 
High,  Dr.  Isaiah  Bennett,  Frank  Galusha,  W.  D.  Johnston,  James 
Springer,  George  McClure,  Bruce  Cummings,  Charlie  and  Wm. 
Johnson,  George  and  Piatt  Kinne,  John  and  Wm.  Townley,  Wm. 
Jlalsej^,  and  the  Lyon  brothers,  four  in  number.  West  in  this 
vicinity  of  Danbury  were  the  Ashton,  Royar  and  Dolph  boys,  and 
east  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wilsonville  were  Robert  McComb  and 
sons,  Daniel  Crooks,  L.  M.  and  Castar  Wilson,  Geo.  IMiller,  JNIr. 
Soper,  A.  A.  Plumb,  Henry  Remington,  Marion  McDonald,  and 
Mr.  Thatcher,  the  latter  being  the  only  blacksmith  for  miles 
around. 

About  this  time  the  first  marriage  in  this  new  country  took 
place,  that  of  John  Townley  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Springer. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  Red  Willow  county  was  organized. 
At  the  primary  elections  arrangements  were  made  for  each  pre- 
cinct to  write  out  their  own  tickets,  there  being  no  printing 
O'i'u-e  in  the  county  at  that  time.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
do  the  work,  and  it  was  a  tedious  task,  there  being  only  enough 
settlers  for  the  comity  to  legally  organize.  Though  only  thirteen 
years  old  at  this  time  I  had  the  honor,  through  perr^iission  of 
father,  of  helpnig  write  the  ticket-;,  ^\y  father,  B  F.  B-^adbury, 
was  ^^lected  one  of  tlie  first  county  commissioners,  and  made  his 
monthly  \  isits  io  the  coi'nty  seat,  Indianola,  20  miles  away,  to 
attend  commissioners"  meetings. 

The  first  school  in  this  vicinity  was  taught  by  Mr.  Galusha, 
the  schoolhouse  hciiiy  a  dugout.  Thi  school  furniture  '.onsisted 
of  a  home  made  table  for  the  teacher "s  desk,  and  benches  for  the 
ten  pupils.  The  heating  plant  was  a  little  alcove  in  the  back  of 
the  dugout,  called  a  fire  place,  the  chimney  walled  up  with  sod. 

The  first  religious  (ii7.:anization  was  a  Sunday  school,  held 
at  the  home  of  Frank  (in  Ins  ha,  where  most  of  the  religious  met 
each  week  to  study  tiie  Avord  of  God  together,  and  every  two 


FURNAS  COUNTY  183 

weeks  we  were  vi.sited  Dy  Elder  Stewig,  a  Campbellite  minister 
from  Jiidianola. 

The  Tirst  birlli  to  be  recorded  was  that  of  my  nephew,  F.  F. 
West. 

The  tirst  social  gathering  that  I  remember  was  in  honor  of  a 
birthday  of  :\Irs.  R.  P.  High.  Both  old  and  young  were  present, 
an  1  then  the  company  was  not  large.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tom  Wil- 
liams of  Beaver  City,  came  all  that  long  distance  to  make  merry. 

The  first  death  to  bring  sorrow  into  our  midst  was  that  of 
Grandpa  Remington,  who  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  \Vm.  Rem- 
ington. The  funeral  was  held  in  the  sod  school  house,  and  in- 
terment was  made  on  a  plot  of  ground  just  back  of  the  school 
house.  The  casket  was  made  by  Daniel  Crooks  of  plain  pine 
boards  covered  with  black  calico.  In  later  years  Mr.  Reming- 
ton's remains  were  moved  to  the  Hamburg  cemetery. 

In  the  years  of  1874  and  1875  grasshoppers  made  such  rav- 
ages on  the  crops  that  little  was  left  for  the  settlers  to  subsist 
on.  In  order  for  them  to  stay  and  hold  their  claims,  the  govern- 
ment came  to  their  rescue  by  sending  aid  by  way  of  provisions 
and  clothing.  Second  hand  clothing  was  also  sent  by  eastern 
people  which  Avas  gladly  received  by  the  really  destitute.  The 
clothing  from  the  government  consisted  mostly  of  army  clothes, 
so  wiien  the  men  were  fitted  out  with  their  new  clothes,  a  stranger 
coming  into  the  community  might  have  thought  the  regular  army 
was  here  in  full  force. 

Grasshoppers  and  drouth  also  made  other  changes  in  rural 
affairs,  for  the  majority  of  the  settlers  now  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  stock  raising,  as  there  was  plenty  of  free  range  ami  the 
native  butfalo  grass  was  found  to  be  excellent  feed.  Many  are 
the  days  when  I  have  taken  my  paper  or  crochet  work  and 
acted  the  part  of  shepherd  boy  or  sadled  my  pony  and  taken 
charge  of  the  herd  of  cattle. 

It  was  not  uncommon  at  that  time  to  see  a  tame  buffab- 
with  the  herds  of  cattle  grazing  contentedly.  At  one  time  my 
father  owned  six.  three  of  which  grew  to  be  foui-  years  old  be- 
fore he  sold  them.  One  of  them  took  a  particular  dislike  to  me. 
and  of  course  I  was  afraid  of  him.  One  time  he  pushed  me  down 
and  was  about  to  trample  me  when  mother  came  to  my  rescue 
and  drove  him  away.  He  was  such  a  pet  that  he  would  often 
step  into  the  house  and  take  a  morsel  off  the  table  if  he  saw 
anything  he  liked.    He  would  follow  us  to  school,  remain  all  day. 


184  PIONEER  STORIES 

and  return  with  us  at  night.  Finally  we  grew  tired  of  such  a 
troublesome  pet,  so  father  made  a  rack  in  the  wagon,  loaded 
him  in,  and  started  east  to  sell  a  buffalo.  He  went  as  far  as  Gib- 
bon, where  he  sold  "Buffy"  for  $10  and  15  bushels  of  potatoes. 

My  story  now  brings  me  up  to  the  centennial  year  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  This  was  a  notable  time  for  us 
here  in  the  west  as  well  as  for  those  at  the  Centennial  Exposition. 
We  began  preparations  a  month  before  the  notable  day  to  cele- 
brate in  loyal  style.  The  first  thing  we  did  was  to  send  to  Mont- 
gomery Ward  &  Co.,  then  called  the  Grange  store,  for  goods  for 
flags.  Mother  made  these,  one  large  one  four  yards  long,  and 
six  small  ones  six  inches  in  length.  The  large  one  was  to  be 
carried  by  a  flag  bearer,  the  small  ones  to  decorate  the  bridles 
of  the  horses.  On  the  morning  of  the  Fourth,  the  neighbors, 
22  in  number,  old  and  young,  met  at  father's  for  a  start  across 
the  divide  to  Indianola.  A  w^agon  had  been  especially  fitted  up 
for  the  occasion,  w4th  seats  all  around  the  box  and  a  high  spring 
seat  for  the  driver  and  flag  bearer.  It  took  a  well  equipped  four 
horse  team  to  haul  the  load  and  the  provision  prepared  for  the 
journey.  Father  had  gone  to  Indianola  the  day  before  to  attend 
commissioners'  meeting  and  he  met  us  one-half  mile  out  of  town, 
escorting  us  in  grand  style.  We  really  were  given  credit  for 
having  the  best  equipped  outfit  on  the  grounds.  The  day  was 
spent  in  a  real  patriotic  way,  and  we  remained  until  the  morn- 
ing of  the  5th. 

The  next  incidents  worthy  of  note  were  the  Indian  raid 
and  big  fire  in  the  fall  of  1878.  The  morning  of  October  1,  peo- 
ple all  along  the  valley  were  notified  that  the  Cheyennes  were 
on  the  warpath  and  that  all  must  flee  for  their  lives,  so  we  Avent 
with  the  rest  to  "Stone's  Fort,"  just  west  of  Wilson ville. 
Mother  loaded  the  two  younger  children  into  a  passing  wagon, 
then  she  and  I  hid  a  few  of  our  most  valued  treasures  in  the  tall 
grass  near  our  home,  then  saddled  our  ponies  and  started  east. 
Father  was  in  IMinnesota  on  business  at  the  time,  so  did  not  have  a 
chance  to  participate  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  chase.  Brother 
Charlie  and  our  herder  remained  at  home  to  guard  the  stock. 
They  stayed  until  time  to  corral  the  stock  and  then  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  refugees.  Mother  and  I  had  not  gone  far  when 
we  came  upon  Mrs.  W.  D.  Johnston  and  her  little  boys,  who 
were  driving  their  stock  to  where  they  could  be  better  protected 
than  at  home. 


I 


FURNAS  COUNTY  185 

We  fiually  arrived  at  Fort  .Stone,  where  men,  women  an. I 
children  to  the  number  of  between  200  and  300  were  crowded  to- 
gether, scarcely  a  man  knowing  where  to  lind  a  weapon  of  de- 
fense had  the  enemy  arrived.  Scouts  were  soon  sent  out  to  in- 
vestigate the  real  situation  and  it  Avas  found  that  the  Indians 
had  simply  gone  across  country  from  Oklahonui  to  their  former 
reservation  near  Fort  Kobinsou  in  northwest  Nebraska.  The 
raid  was  a  rebellion  against  being  moved  south  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  only  damage  they  had  done  or  intended  to  do  was 
m  the  direct  trail  from  one  reservation  to  another.  That  in- 
deed was  plenty,  for  murders  were  committed,  horses  stolen, 
homes  pillaged,  and  crimes  committed  too  awful  to  narrate.  Tlie 
husband  of  one  poor  woman  in  our  company  was  among  the 
victims  and  it  was  heart  rending  to  witness  the  scene  when  news 
of  his  death  was  brought  to  her. 

After  the  Indian  scare  was  over  and  all  had  returned  to 
their  homes,  beginning  work  where  they  liad  left  it  three  or 
four  days  previous. 

Following  the  scare  came  the  disastrous  prairie  fire  of  Octo- 
ber 15,  claimed  to  have  been  set  by  tlie  Indians  as  they  made 
their  run  across  country.  The  fire,  accompanied  by  a  liigh  wind, 
liurst  upon  the  settlers  like  a  cyclone,  sweeping  all  before  it. 
^lany  lost  stock,  feed,  some  even  their  home,  and  the  etuuitry 
was  left  looking  desolate  indeed.  Those  who  had  any  amount 
of  stock  had  to  move  it  to  where  they  could  find  feed.  The 
winter  proved  to  he  the  most  severe  we  had  experienced  since 
coming  Avest.  Many  lost  half,  and  some  nearly  all  the  stock  they 
!uid.    Father's  loss  was  100  head  of  cattle  and  400  head  of  sheep. 

I  could  tell  of  the  social  gathei'ings  at  the  various  liomcs 
and  also  of  the  rattlesnake,  wild  cat,  porcupine  and  wodd  rat 
battles  that  were  fought  in  those  early  days,  l)ut  I  must  Itriug 
my  story  to  a  close  lest  T  weary  you  with  too  nuich  of  pioneer 
iife. 

L.    H.    M.'COMfi, 

Shipci'.    -Nc'ir. 


L 


186  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

Mrs.  E.  J.  McDonald,  Wife  of     a  Pioneer     Who     Homesteaded 

Near  Wilsonville,  Writes  of  Stirring  Incidents 

In  Early  Days 

Editor  Times-Tribune. — 1  have  read  many  of  the  pioneer 
stories  with  interest  and  feel  that  I  would  like  to  add  my  pioneer 
experiences  to  the  series. 

My  husband,  Marion  McDonald,  in  company  with  L.  Scribner 
and  K.  Van  Steinberg,  started  from  Marcellon,  Columbia  county, 
Wisconsin,  the  last  day  of  October,  1872,  to  find  homes  in  the 
west.  Having  only  a  yoke  of  oxen  for  a  team,  he  loaded  our 
household  goods  in  a  wagon  and  started  out.  The  family,  con- 
sisting of  two  children  and  myself,  was  left  behind  until  he  had 
•1  home  prepared  for  us.  He  was  not  out  of  the  county  when 
his  oxen  became  footsore.  He  traded  them  for  a  horse  and  with 
an  extra  horse  belonging  to  one  of  the  other  men  he  was  again 
able  to  move  on.  After  six  weeks  of  traveling  and  camping 
they  reached  Gibbon,  where  the  other  men  took  homesteads. 
But  this  was  not  the  home  my  husband  was  looking  for.  He 
wanted  a  piece  of  land  with  natural  timber  and  water  on  it,  so 
he  followed  Horace  Greeley's  saying,  "keep  going  farther  west," 
and  after  a  few  days  more  travel  he  found  what  suited  him, 
lying  12  miles  west  of  Beaver  City  and  4  miles  east  of  Wilson- 
ville on  Beaver  Creek.  There  he  used  his  homestead  rights  on  a 
quarter  of  section  28,  township  2,  range  24  west.  He  had  to  go 
to  Lowell  to  take  out  his  homestead  papers,  as  that  was  the 
nearest  land  office  at  that  time.    This  was  in  December,  1872. 

He  then  started  to  building  a  home  for  us.  It  was  built 
of  logs,  12x26  feet,  with  a  dirt  roof.  We  had  our  sleeping  rooms 
upstairs  and  one  large  room  downstairs  for  a  living  room.  The 
stairway  consisted  of  a  ladder. 

After  the  house  was  completed  in  April,  1873,  he  sent  word 
for  us  to  come.  AVe  started  the  21st  of  April,  the  week  after 
Easter  and  the  great  blizzard  that  so  many  will  remember.  We 
came  by  rail  as  far  at  Lowell,  where  my  husband  met  us  witli 
a  team.  While  at  Lowell  we  met  Al  Crawford  and  his  mother, 
who  wanted  to  go  to  Beaver  Creek  also,  as  he  had  located  there 


I 


I 


FURNAS  COUNTY  187 

near  the  Gill  place.  tSo  we  took  them  on  the  load  witli  us.  We 
were  three  days  making  the  trip.  At  .Melruse,  near  Orleans,  we 
had  to  iord  the  Kepubiican  river.  The  third  night  we  reached 
1.  JS.  ^leyers,'  where  we  stopped  tor  two  nigiits  and  a  day  to  rest 
up  after  such  a  tiresome  journey. 

AVe  then  went  to  our  new  home.  Xo  place  will  ever  look  as 
good  to  me  again  as  that  humble  home  did  then. 

At  this  time  the  settlers  were  breaking  sod  ami  phinting 
seed  corn  and  beans  and  making  garden.  We  soon  louud  out 
that  it  was  not  the  place  to  raise  beans.  .My  thouglits  were  "Oh, 
such  a  country,  where  beans  won't  even  grow."  liutt'alo,  ante- 
lope and  wild  turkeys  were  numerous.  We  always  had  plenty 
ot  wild  meat,  as  our  neighbors  hunted  and  then  divided  witli 
us.     We  were  all  on  an  equal  then,  financially  and  socially. 

The  next  year  after  our  arrival  a  drove  of  Pawnee  Indians, 
3UU  in  number,  came  to  our  locality  and  camped  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  our  homestead.  They  were  hunting  buffalo  and 
while  here  killed  a  great  many,  15(J  in  one  forenoon  They  were 
a  great  curiosity  and  1  was  very  anxious  to  visit  them  in  camp. 
So  1  went  to  their  camp  in  company  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thatcher. 
We  found  them  very  kind  and  friendly.  They  were  staking 
down  the  hides,  cutting  the  meat  and  placing  it  on  the  liides, 
and  then  Indians  dancing  on  it  preparing  it  to  eat.  After  four 
days  they  pulled  up  camp  for  Arapahoe.  Nothing  would  grow 
on  the  land  where  they  had  camped  for  more  than  a  year  after- 
ward, not  even  grass. 

Everything  looked  favorable  for  a  good  crop  the  next  two 
years  until  just  before  harvest  when  the  drouth  came,  then  the 
grasshoppers,  which  devoured  everything  in  the  shape  of  vegeta- 
tion. The  last  year  the  hoppers  stayed  four  days  as  the  wind 
was  not  favorable  for  them  to  raise  and  leave.  W^henever  they 
raised  or  settled  it  put  one  in  mind  of  a  snow  storm  when  the 
flakes  are  large.  The  next  spring  millions  of  little  white  hoppers 
liatched  out,  taking  every  spear  of  grass  or  wheat  as  soon  as  it 
was  up.  But  about  the  ioth  of  April  came  a  cold,  sleety  storm 
which  froze  the  ground  and  the  young  hoppers  witli  it.  So  that 
year  we  had  a  Itountiful  crop  and  no  hojipers.  We  liatl  plenty 
of  rain.  Several  times  the  creek  raised  out  of  its  banks,  wash- 
ing our  temporary  bridges  away.  At  such  times  it  was  necess- 
ary to  call  on  Mr.  Remington  to  milk  our  cows  and  we  milked 
theirs,  as  they  were  on  opposite  sides  of  the  creek. 


188 


PIONEER  STORIES 


In  1877  we  took  more  land  so  had  to  move  onto  the  new 
land  north  of  the  half  section  line.  We  lived  in  a  duiioiit  on  one 
of  the  quarters. 

About  this  time  came  the  Indian  scare,  ^^'e  had  to  go  east 
for  safety  as  far  as  Jake  Downing 's.     Henry  Remington  and  my 


Sod   House   Where  300  Whites  Gathered  During  Indian   Scare, 
One-half   Mile   West  of   Wilsonville 

husband  stayed  to  look  after  the  stock  and  fight  the  Indians  if 
necessary.  The  next  day  we  got  word  that  there  were  no  In- 
dians in  sight,  so  returned  home  feeling  perfectly  safe. 

We  were  not  safe  long,  however,  for  only  a  few  days  after 
the  Indian  scare  came  the  big  prairie  fire  supposed  to  have  been 
set  by  the  redskins.  It  burned  everything  within  reach,  jumping 
the  Repul)lican  river  in  many  places.  Many  a  family  was  left 
homeless  and  without  feed  for  their  stock.  My  husband  h.ul 
gone  to  Beaver  City  that  day,  so  I  was  alone  with  the  three  chil- 
dren. Realizing  the  danger  that  was  coming,  I  took  the  children 
to  a  piece  of  plowing  south  of  the  dugout  for  safety.  When  I 
returned  to  the  dugout  everything  was  in  ffames  as  the  fir(^  had 
caught  under  the  roof.  There  was  no  chance  to  save  anything. 
Among  other  things  were  several  loaded  guns  that  the  men  had 
left  when  going  to  fight  the  Indians.  When  my  husband  re- 
turned he  found  his  family  safe  but  in  no  home  to  welcome  him. 
We  were  forced  to  find  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  night,  and  until 


FURNAS  COUNTY  189 

arrangements  for  a  home  could  be  made  We  were  weleomed  at 
I.  S.  Meyers,'  with  whom  we  were  conipeUed  to  stay  almost  a 
month.  We  shall  never  forget  tlie  .Meyers  for  their  kindness 
«ind  hospitality  at  this  needful  time. 

My  husband  fixed  up  a  log  house  again  for  us,  and  with  a 
box  for  a  table  and  a  pile  of  straw  witli  a  (|uilt  on  top  for  a  bed, 
we  managed  to  survive  until  we  eouhl  get  supplies  from  Kear- 
ney. AVe  used  the  old  stove,  which  we  dug  out  of  the  ashes,  to 
cook  on,  and  the  burned  knives,  forks  and  plates  until  we  .-(.idd 
get  more.     It  was  certainly  real  hardship. 

Aliout  this  time  our  school  district  was  organized  as  dis- 
trict No.  5,  by  county  superintendent  T.  K.  Clark.  The  first 
school  was  taught  by  Mrs.  Anna  Jenkins.  She  took  the  pujiils 
to  her  home,  teaching  for  $1.50  a  week,  and  boarding  hersell'.  .\ 
school  house  was  built  soon  after  the  district  was  organized. 

The  schoolhouse  was  converted  into  a  i)lace  to  worship  not 
long  after  it  was  finished,  as  a  Baptist  preacher  came  to  our 
vicinity  to  conduct  a  revival.  AYe  had  some  grand  meetings 
and  many  came  out  taking  a  stand  for  Christ.  After  the  meet- 
ings closed  he  continued  to  come  once  a  month  to  preaeh  to  us. 
A  church  was  organized  under  the  name  of  Beavei-  Valley  Bap- 
tist church.  After  the  church  was  organized  the  i^astor  Itap- 
(ized  several  by  immersion.  That  niglit  he  preached  a  I'towerfnl 
sermon  to  a  packed  house  He  stayed  with  us  tliat  night,  and 
the  next  morning  he  was  all  broken  out  with  the  measles.  Every- 
one who  had  never  had  them  took  them,  so  there  was  not  enough 
well  ones  in  the  neighborhood  to  take  cai'c  of  the  sick.  Tiater 
on  he  brought  whooping  cough  to  our  family,  and  still  later  he 
brought  crawlers,  which  it  took  a  fine  comb  to  catch.  The  f<d- 
lowing  month  he  came  again,  asking  if  he  might  come  in.  "We 
said,  "Yes,  if  you  haven't  the  smallpox  or  Hie  iteli."  Of  eourse 
we  Avelcomed  him  for  he  was  a  fine  man. 

Our  neighbors  within  a  radius  of  four  miles  Avere  Remingtons. 
Rowleys,  AA^hitneys,  Thatchers,  Trowbridges  and  .Teid<ins.  Grand- 
ma Jenkins  will  be  remembered  by  all  as  a  i-eady  ai^d  willing 
servant  in  time  of  need,  in  sickness  or  death.  Those  who  knew 
her  longest,  knew  her  best. 

A  half  has  never  been  told  of  the  experiences  of  the  pioneers, 
but  not  wishing  to  tire  you  with  too  long  a  story,  T  will  close. 

I  MRS.  E.  J.  ]\TcDONAT.D. 


190  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XXVIII 

INDIAN  STORY 
Mrs.  McComb  Tells  of  a  Visit  From  a  Pawnee  Hunting  Party 

One  quiet  afternoon  in  the  month  of  June,  1873,  the  mono- 
tony of  a  pioneer  life  at  our  home  was  broken  by  the  appearance 
of  an  Indian  who  came  riding  up  to  our  very  door.  As  moth(^r 
appeared  at  the  door  she  was  saluted  with,  "Where  is  your  In- 
dian?" Mother  understood  that  he  had  reference  to  father  so 
she  replied,  "A  short  distance  from  the  house  chopping  wood. 
Do  you  want  to  see  him?"  Their  conversation  ran  ns  follows: 
"No,  I  want  some  ])read."  Do  you  want  to  buy  it?"  "Yes." 
Mother  went  into  tlu^  house  and  returned  with  a  loaf  of  bread 
which  she  told  him  he  could  have  for  10  cents.  Said  he.  "Give  it 
to  me,"  to  which  she  replied,  "No,  I  won't.  You  told  me  you 
wanted  to  buy  it  and  that  is  all  the  way  you  can  get  it."  "Give 
it  to  me,"  lie  repeated  with  emphasis.  She  left  him  and  went  into 
the  house.  He  rode  away  but  soon  returned  with  company,  for  i1 
proved  that  he  was  one  of  a  company  of  800,  who  were  out  from 
the  reservation  for  a  buffalo  hunt,  and  were  camped  about  one- 
half  mile  from  our  house. 

AVhen  they  returned  father  was  there  to  meet  them,  so  they 
were  not  rpiite  so  much  on  the  bluif.  They  came  into  the  house, 
looked  around  and  then  took  a  general  survey  of  everything  sur- 
rounding the  house.  That  which  seemed  to  attract  their  attention 
more  than  anything-  else  was  a  new  grindstone.  They  must  have 
gone  straight  to  camp  and  reported  that  it  was  there,  for  before 
the  close  of  the  day  scores  of  Indians  came  to  sharpen  their 
knives  ready  for  dressing  buffalo.  All  moved  along  nicely  until 
they  got  too  lazy  to  turn  the  grind  stone,  when  one  of  them  fixed 
a  treadle  to  work  it  with  their  feet.  Father  had  told  my  brother 
to  stay  around  where  they  were  to  keep  things  straight,  and  see 
that  they  did  not  pick  up  what  did  not  belong  to  them  He  soon 
saw  that  it  would  not  be  long  before  they  would  have  the  crank 
of  the  grind  stone  worn  off,  and  showed  them  what  thev  Avere  do- 
ing,  and   that  they  must  return   to   hand   power.     All   willingly 


FURNAS  COUNTY  191 

gave  up  the  treadle  plan  except  one  old  fellow  whom  I  will  call 
Bluffer,  who  told  Charlie  if  he  took  the  treadle  off  they  would 
put  it  on  again.  They  had  some  words,  l)ut  brother  woii  out,  at 
the  cost  of  that  one  Indian's  friendship. 

No  more  trouble  occurred  until  the  third  day  of  their  so- 
journ with  us,  when  Bluffer  came  to  the  store  with  a  riding  l)ridle 
to  sell  or  trade  for  groceries.  Seventy-five  cents  was  to  he  the 
price  of  the  bridle,  and  he  wanted  coffee,  sugar,  flour  ammunition, 
etc.,  for  it.  He  wanted  so  many  different  things  that  each  i)ar- 
eel  of  course,  would  be  small.  Father  commenced  weighing 
out  the  dift'erent  articles  for  him,  and  each  time  he  woidd  see 
the  scales  balance  he  wnuld  say.  "little  more,  little  more." 
Brother  sat  watching  the  whole  transaction  with  not  a  very 
amiable  feeling  toward  the  Indian.  Finally  he  remarked.  "If 
he  can't  be  satisfied  I  would  tell  him  to  take  his  bridle  and  go." 
The  words  were  hardly  said  when  the  Indian  put  his  whip  to 
brother's  mouth  as  much  as  to  siy.  "Keep  your  miiith  shut." 
Charlie  took  bold  of  the  wlnj).  then  the  Indian  dropped  it.  drew 
his  bow  and  reached  for  an  arrow.  Then  brother  took  hold  of 
both  his  arms  and  held  liim.  Father  stepped  uj)  between  them 
and  said  to  the  Indian,  "Xo  more  of  this."  The  Indian  re|)lied, 
"All  right,  I'll  tell  you  what  I  will  do.  I'll  ffo  to  camp  and  get 
my  chief  and  a  heap  of  Indians  and  come  back  and  settle  it." 
"All  right,"  said  father,  "  1  Avoiild  like  to  see  your  chief."  When 
he  saw  he  could  not  bluff'  father,  he  calmed  down,  accepted  what 
had  been  weighed  out  to  him,  and  seenu'd  satisfied  with  the  trade. 
When  he  left  he  shook  hands  with  all  but  brother.  .\s  he  l)id 
mother  goodbye  he  said,  "I  don't  like  your  boy..  I  ha\e  been  here 
heap  days,  heap  talk.  I  don't  like  him. 

The  next  day  the  government  agent  who  was  vr\\h  the  In- 
dians came  to  the  house  and  wIkmi  father  related  to  him  the  ad- 
venture we  had  with  Blutt'er.  and  his  threat  to  go  and  get  his 
chief,  he  said  he  was  the  most  troublesome  Indian  in  the  company. 
but  that  his  chief  was  a  good  man.  aiu1  said  it  wonld  have  been 
the  last  thing  he  Avould  have  told  the  chief,  for  hid  he  known  it. 
Bluffer  would  have  gotten  a  whipping.  We  had  been  informed 
by  those  Avho  had  had  previous  experience  with  the  Indians 
that  if  we  did  not  Avant  to  be  run  over  by  them  to  st md  up 
for  our  rights  from  the  start  in  dealing  Avith  them,  and  that  was 
what  mv  brother  ti-icd   to   do.   but    be  being  a   young  boy  only 


192  PIONEER  STORIES 

eighteen  years  old  at  the  time,  it  seemed  that  the  Indian  did  not 
care  to  accept  his  decision  in  business  transactions. 

They  wonld  blufif  every  time  they  couhl  One  incident  I  re- 
member of  was  tliat  they  went  to  one  of  the  settlers  to  borrow  a 
tnb  and  washboard.  The  man  told  them  that  they  could  take  the 
tub  but  not  the  washboard.  'I'hey  said  to  liim,  "Don't  you  know 
that  all  the  land  on  these  hills  and  prairies  belongs  to  us?"  Mr. 
TIaak  did  not  take  the  bhifiP,  but  replied,  ''That  may  all  be,  but 
the  washboard  is  mine."  The  Indians  accepted  the  decision  of 
]\[r.  Ilaak,  took  the  tub,  used  it  and  returned  it,  and  seemed  sat- 
isfied. 

We  were  not  surprised  when  the  Indians  came  for  we  had 
heard  that  they  had  been  given  permission  from  the  government 
to  go  out  for  a  hunt,  their  territory  being  all  land  in  Nebraska 
south  of  the  Republican  river.  At  the  same  time  a  l)and  of  the 
Sioux  tribe  were  out  for  the  same  purpose,  their  territory  being 
north  of  the  Republican  river.  From  here  the  Pawnees  seemed 
determined  to  go  northwest.  The  settlers  told  them  they  had 
better  turn  back,  that  the  Sioux  were  u])  west  waiting  to  fight 
them  if  they  went  over  the  boundary  line.  Their  reply  to  the 
warning  given  was.  "White  man  heap  lie,  white  man  want  buf- 
falo," but  they  found  to  their  sorrow  that  white  man  did  not 
"heap  lie,"  for  one  morning  early,  while  they  camped  in  a  can- 
yon near  the  Frenchman  river,  the  Sioux  stationed  themselves 
at  the  head  of  the  canyon  in  a  way  that  they  had  the  appearance 
of  a  herd  of  buffalo  lying  down.  When  the  Pawnees  saw  them 
they  went  out  in  high  glee  to  capture  the  supposed  herd.  As  they 
came  close  to  them,  the  Sioux  threw  off  their  disguise  and  rushed 
upon  the  Pawnees  and  through  their  camps,  massacring  nearly 
the  whole  company.  Thus  their  liluffing  disposition  proved  a 
sad  defeat  for  them.  I  expect  brother's  Indian  friend  went  with 
the  rest  of  them  to  their  happy  hunting  ground.  The  wail  of  the 
few  who  did  escape  with  their  lives,  as  they  wandered  back  to  the 
reservation  was,  "Heap  Sioux  kill  Pawnee,  heap  Sioux  kill  Paw- 


nee." 


LOLA  B.  McCOMB, 

Shipee,  Nebr. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  193 


I 


CHAPTER    XXIX 

Another  Early  Day  Settler  Takes  His  Pen  in  Hand 

Editor  Times-Tribune. — I  have  taken  so  much  interest  in  all 
the  old  time  stories,  that  I  thought  I  miglit  add  a  mite  to  wliat 
has  already  been  said.  I  am  well  aware  that  my  memory  will  not 
serve  me  as  it  has  some  of  the  writers,  but  nevertheless  I  was 
right  there  among  the  beginners. 

I  will  start  out  by  saying  that  we,  our  family,  consisting  of 
father,  mother,  two  sisters,  and  four  of  us  boys,  left  Winterset, 
Madison  county,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1872,  for  the  wild  and 
wooly  west.  We  came  as  far  as  Plattsmouth,  Nebr.,  and  there 
wintered  over  to  the  spring  of  1873,  when  we  loaded  all  of  our 
belongings  into  two  wagons  and  hit  the  trail  for  Furnas  county. 
Xebr.  AVe  did  not  find  the  wagon  roads  as  good  as  they  are 
today.  ''I 

Well  do  I  remember  the  day  we  put  in  getting  across  the 
Republican  river  at  Melrose,  near  where  Orleans  is  now  located. 
The  only  possible  way  of  getting  across  was  a  small  hand  ferry 
boat  which  would  hold  only  about  three  or  four  hundred  pounds 
at  a  time.  We  unloaded  all  of  our  fine  furniture,  took  the  wa- 
gons all  apart,  and  put  in  the  whole  day  in  getting  over  onto  the 
Avest  side  of  that  old  measly  river.  I  think  the  same  stream  is 
there  yet,  but  I  think  they  have  better  accomodations  now.  T 
did  not  appreciate  the  way  they  handled  the  passengers,  but  T 
think  mother  was  a  little  the  Avorst.  She  did  not  expect  to  land 
on  the  other  side  alive,  but  she  did,  and  stayed  witli  us  just  as 
a  good  mother  always  does.  We  went  into  camp  again  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  almost  in  sight  of  where  we  camped  the 
night  before,  rising  Avith  the  sun  the  next  morning.  Father  said 
we  would  see  our  homestead,  the  place  we  were  longing  to  sec.  be- 
fore night,  and  sure  enough  we  did.  on  the  12th  day  of  May,  1873, 
forty-one  long  years  ago. 

There  is  where  I  have  spent  the  most  and  best  of  my  days. 
T  lived  on  this  old  homestead  continuously  for  thirty-seven  years, 
and  was  never  oif  the  place  for  more  than  thirty  days  at  a  time. 


194  PIONEER  STORIES 

We  went  through  hot  and  cold,  thick  and  thin,  wet  and  dry,  good 
and  bad,  we  took  things  coming  and  going.  It  certainly  was  wild 
for  miles  and  miles  around.  We  had  buffalo,  deer,  elks,  -mtelopes, 
wild  turkey,  wild  cats,  coyotes,  some  lions,  and  no  limit  to  rattle- 
snakes. Some  of  the  other  writers  have  mentioned  snakes,  for  we 
sure  did  have  an  abundance  of  them.  In  fact  I  guess  we  had 
nearly  everything,  from  a  buffalo  down  to  a  chintz  bug. 

I  well  remember  the  first  buffalo  hunt  I  had.  I  was  only 
about  12  or  14  years  old,  and  my  brother  George  and  I  got  the  no- 
tion that  we  could  kill  buffalo,  so  we  loaded  up  our  old  army 
musket  and  out  for  a  hunt  we  went.  We  did  not  travel  over  a 
mile  from  the  house  until  we  saw  our  game  coming  right  toward 
us.  We  found  a  hiding  place  which  happened  to  be  a  buffalo 
wallow  and  a  big  old  ragged  buffalo  nearly  ran  over  us.  How  we 
did  wish  for  our  hiding  place  to  sink  just  a  little !  The  way  we 
did  hug  the  earth  was  no  small  thing  to  think  about.  Did  we 
kill  any  buffalo?  No,  we  didn't  know  we  had  a  gun  until  we 
got  back  home.  I'm  not  sure  but  what  it  was  a  part  of  the  herd 
from  which  Elder  Mayo  got  his  buffalo  calf  which  he  baptized 
in  Beaver  Creek  so  as  to  increase  the  number  in  his  Sunday 
school  class. 

In  those  days  we  used  to  go  from  three  to  five  miles  to  Sun- 
day schools,  but  now  it  seems  that  we  can  hardly  get  across  the 
street  to  a  fine  mansion  costing  thousands  of  dollars,  with  fine 
seats,  pipe  organs,  and  nearly  everything  that  heart  can  wish. 
Just  look  back,  dear  old  friends,  40  years  ago.  An  old  sod  house 
Avas  shingled  with  buffalo  sod,  a  fire  place  in  one  end,  windows 
with  glass  10x12,  long  slabs  10  to  16  feet  long  with  four  legs  in 
for  seats  a  sawed  elm  or  cottonwood  block  for  a  teacher's  desk, 
one  book  for  three  or  four  scholars,  blackboard  four  feet  square, 
and  an  old  married  woman  for  a  teacher.  Grood  enough,  the  boys 
were  not  all  after  her.  I  Avell  remember  one  day  at  school  in  the 
above  described  fine  schoolhouse  that  the  old  lady  seemed  to 
have  been  out  late  the  night  before  and  was  somewhat  sleepy, 
so  she  crowded  the  scholars  up  a  little  closer  together  on  the 
itatent  benches  and  she  occupied  about  seven  feet  of  one  end 
and  took  an  old  fashioned  Furnas  county  nap.  While  she  was 
enjoying  her  end  of  the  slab,  we  kids  had  a  few  games  of  ball,  had 
a  fight  or  two,  went  down  to  the  creek  and  had  a  bath,  and  then 
decided  to  go  in  and  get  our  lessons.  My  brother  finally  ran  up 
against  a  word  in  his  book  that  none  of  us  knew  how  to  pro- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  195 

noiiDce.  He  went  to  the  teacher  for  instructions.  "Wake  up. 
What  is  this  word?  I  can't  pronounce  it."  After  cla^^^ng  her 
eyes  awhile,  she  rolled  over  on  the  side,  raised  a  small  prrunt,  and 
!ier  reply  was,  "Oh.  call  it  something  and  let  it  go."  Talk  about 
education !  We  had  nearly  all  kinds  in  our  little  sod  schoolhouse 
in  Lincoln  precinct. 

Rchoolma'ams  were  not  so  plentiful  in  those  days  as  fleas 
and  grasshoppers.  Some  years  we  had  more  grasshoppers  than 
rain,  and  other  years  we  had  more  rain  than  hoppers,  but  I  re- 
member only  one  summer  that  we  had  hoppers,  rain  and  hail.  T 
cannot  remember  the  exact  date,  but  perhaps  some  of  the  old 
timers  will  bear  me  out  in  the  assertion  which  T  am  about  to 
make.  The  grasshoppers  were  on  the  ground  first  and  they  did 
not  wait  for  an  invitation  either.  They  were  devouring  our 
crops  that  we  had  worked  so  hard  for  faster  than  a  Jersey  hog 
could  eat  corn,  and  by  all  appearances  they  had  come  to  stay  while 
crops  lasted,  but  there  came  that  night  one  of  the  worst  rain  and 
hail  storms  we  ever  had.  All  the  streams  and  small  creeks  were 
out  of  their  banks,  and  there  were  not  enough  life  boats  to  Ruve 
the  hoppers.  They  were  washed  down  from  the  high  lands  into 
the  creeks  and  lodger  in  the  timber  in  drifts  four  feet  deep.  One 
can  imagine  the  smell  we  had  to  endure  for  months.  N(nv  this 
is  no  fish  story,  but  a  small  hopper  story. 

Chintz  bugs  were  another  pest  which  certainly  tried  the  pa- 
tience of  the  early  settlers.  Maybe  you  later  settlers  don't  think 
we  old  ones  had  some  patience  to  stay  with  and  undergo  what  we 
did.  Grasshoppers  one  year,  then  for  a  change  next  year  chintz 
bugs,  then  swap  off  to  hot  winds  and  no  rain,  then  drowned  out. 
and  so  on.  To  live  on  hopes  from  one  year's  end  to  another  is 
not  what  most  people  now  days  call  high  cost  of  living. 

I  could  write  much  more,  but  for  fear  of  tiring  the  readers  T 
will  close,  hoping  to  see  letters  from  others,  which  will  help  in- 
crease the  number  of  pages  in  the  book  which  is  to  be  printed. 
I  wish  to  say  that  the  happiest  days  of  my  life  were  spent  in  the 
old  dugout  and  sod  house  in  Furnas  county,  and  it  is  the  most 
sacred  spot  on  earth. 

L.  T.  tttrnt:r. 

Montrose,  Oolo. 


196  PIONEER  STORIES 


CHAPTER    XXX 

Mrs.  Philip  French,  Wife  of  a  Pioneer  Who  has  Been  Called  to 

the  Great  Beyond,  Adds  Some  Interesting  Incidents 

to  the  Collection  of  Reminisences 

Forest  Grove,  Ore.,  June  19,  1914.— Editor  Tinu's-Trihmie.— 
The  last  week  in  April,  1872,  my  husband  and  myself,  in  company 
with  C.  A.  Danforth,  my  brother  Will  Haney,  and  Felix  Lester,  a 
cousin  of  my  husband,  Philip  French,  whom  all  pioneers  will 
remember,  started  from  Seward  county,  Nebraska,  for  the  Re- 
publican river  country,  where  we  could  homestead  160  acres  of 
land  and  get  timber  and  water.  TVe  drove  across  the  country  to 
Fairmont,  then  followed  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  to  where 
Hastings  is  now  located.  At  that  time  the  country  was  sparsely 
settled.  The  St.  Joe  and  Denver  Railroad  Company  had  just 
laid  their  rails  across  the  Union  Pacific  tracks.  There  were  two 
sod  houses  near  there  and  a  little  board  shack  put  up  temporarily 
for  an  office.  We  drove  around  the  end  of  the  grade  and  up  to 
one  of  the  sod  houses,  as  it  was  time  to  camp  for  dinner  nnd  we 
we  could  get  water  for  the  stock  while  we  Avere  getting  dinner 
and  looking  over  the  country,  which  is  prairie  as  far  as  eye  can 
see.  T  thnusrht  it  was  a  very  pretty  country,  and  said  to  the  men. 
"T  think  that  we  had  better  stop  here,  this  will  be  a  big  town 
some  day."  Then  Dan,  as  we  called  him,  laughed  and  said,  ''No. 
don't  you  get  tender  feet  and  want  to  stay  here.  "We  must  have 
timber  and  water  and  1R0  acres  of  land  before  we  stop."  T  think 
T  was  beginning  to  get  a  little  tired  and  blue  for  we  traveled 
slowly  and  we  had  a  cow  behind  our  wagon  and  Lester  had  an  ox 
team,  so  you  see  we  did  not  go  quite  as  fast  as  the  automobile 
of  nowadays.  We  went  from  Hastings  to  Spring  Ranch  on  the 
Little  Blue  and  crossed  it  near  Wild  Bill's  ranch,  and  after  pass- 
ing there  we  headed  southwest  toward  the  Republican  river. 
We  were  all  glad  when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  timber  on  the 
river.  We  came  down  to  the  mouth  of  Elm  creek.  Inte  in  the 
pvening  and  went  into  camp  for  the  night,  near  where  Ambny 
now  is.    We  began  to  hunt  for  a  place  to  get  water  with  which  to 


FURNAS  COUNTY  197 

cook.  We  did  not  like  to  use  the  water  in  the  creek,  as  the 
country  was  strewn  with  carcasses  of  dead  cattle.  Texas  cattle 
had  starved  to  death,  as  there  had  been  a  heavy  snow  and  sleet. 
We  found  there  was  a  house  np  the  creek  a  short  distance  and 
they  had  a  well  where  we  could  get  water  which  was  greatly  ap- 
preciated by  us,  as  we  were  all  tired  and  thirsty,  not  having  had 
water  to  drink  at  noon. 

The  next  morning  we  followed  up  the  "Republican  valley, 
reaching  Red  Cloud,  there  ])eing  only  one  house  and  a  blacksmith 
shop  there  at  that  time  and  a  few  other  houses  in  sight  along  tho 
road,  but  I  think  the  land  was  all  settled  along  the  river.  "When 
we  came  up  the  valley  to  Painter  creek  we  met  an  old  man  living 
in  a  dugout,  who  kept  a  little  postoffice,  and  when  we  reached  the 
Old  Stockade,  there  had  been  someone  living  there  for  the  win- 
ter, but  they  had  moved  onto  their  claim.  There  was  a  store  kept 
by  Bryan  and  Vibkins  in  a  log  house  where  old  "Melrose  was  later 
located.  There  we  crossed  the  river  and  followed  up  the  Sappa 
creek  to  the  forks  of  the  Beaver  and  Sappa.  There  we  stopped 
for  the  nio'bt.  Some  time  in  the  afternoon  we  found  two  dogs 
running  along  the  dim  road.  We  had  no  dogs  so  we  thouirht  we 
would  get  these.  We  called  them  up  to  the  wagon,  deciding 
they  Avere  lost  dogs,  we  took  them  in  and  let  them  ride.  One  was 
a  bird  dog  and  the  other  Avas  a  big  yellow  chap,  T  guess  he  was 
just  dog.  I  said  I  Avanted  the  bird  dog  but  we  had  not  been  in 
camp  long  Avhen  he  started  off.  We  called  bini.  but  no  stopping 
him,  so  one  of  the  men  took  a  gun  and  folloAved  him  to  the  creek. 
He  had  crossed  by  that  time  and  was  going  toAvard  home.  We 
learned  l?ter  he  belonged  to  Jim  Lumney.  As  Ave  were  getting 
settled  in  camp  a  man  came  around  the  wagons  and  said,  "TTello, 
•TaAvbone,  you  got  home,  did  you."  and  we  found  the  dog  was 
right  at  home  AA'ith  the  stranger.  Avho  introduced  himself  as  Galen 
James,  so  Lester  loosened  the  dog  and  the  others  had  the  joke 
on  us,  said  Ave  Avere  good  ones  to  try  and  steal  dogs  and  take 
them  right  home.  We  had  to  have  a  little  fun  as  we  journeyed 
along  the  lonesome  road. 

James  told  us  of  the  vacant  land  near  there  and  we  wanted 
to  get  near  where  the  center  of  the  county  Avonld  be  Avhen  it  Avas 
organized.  The  next  morning  we  started  up  on  Beaver  Treck. 
and  before  noon  we  came  to  Reiser's  camp.  T  think  this  was  the 
first  day  of  l\Tav.  They  had  landed  there  the  day  before.  We 
stopped  and  talked  aAA'hile  and  Danforth,  Will  Haney  and  Felix 


198  PIONEER  STORIES 

Lester  decided  that  they  would  drive  on  up  the  creek  and  Philip 
and  I  would  stay  where  we  were,  until  they  would  see  what 
could  be  found  in  vacant  land  that  suited  our  needs.    They  would 
mark  their  claims  and  also  one  for  us.     I  think  they  were  gone 
three  days  and  when  they  came  back  and  reported  their  find 
they  had  claims  for  all  of  us,  as  they  supposed.     The  next  day 
Philip  went  liack  with  them  to  see  the  land,  but  the  claim  they 
had  picked  for  us  was  on  the  school  section.     None  of  them  had 
thoug-ht  to  look  out  for  that,  until  they  went  back  the  second 
time.     Danforth's  homestead  was  very  near  the  present  townisite 
of  Beaver  City.    Felix  Lester's  was  what  is  known  as  the  Tommy 
Williams'  place.     Will  Haney  owned  the  land  where  the  depot 
now  stands.     Mr.  French  and  T  were  a  little  disappointed  when 
we  found  the  choice  for  us  was  school  land,  but  Philip  then  de- 
cided we  would  homestead  joining  Mr.  Keiser  on  the  east.     We 
hitched  up  and  pulled  our  wagons  across  the  line  and  set  the  bed 
of  the  wagon  off  for  our  bed  room.     Then  we  stretched  the  tent 
at  the  end   of  the  wagon  bed,   and   that  was   our  kitchen   and 
(lining  room  for  a  while.     We  lived  there  until  we  got  a  little 
breaking  done,  or  until  the  first  of  June.    Then  my  brother,  Will 
Haney  came  down  and  helped  us  build  a  little  log  house,  just 
one  room,  one  door  and  one  window  with  four  panes  of  glass  and 
a  sod  roof. 

Buffalo  ranged  the  hills  in  great  herds.  Tn  fact,  it  seemed  at 
that  time,  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  buffalo  to  have 
disappeared  in  less  than  forty  years,  as  they  have  done.  The 
hills  w^re  blaek  -with  them  as  far  as  you  could  see.  We  had 
plenty  of  fresh  buffalo  meat  all  of  the  time.  Sometimes  when 
the  men  went  out  for  a  hunt  they  would  hitch  up  the  horses 
and  oxen  and  drive  over  the  hills.  T  would  go  with  them  cjuite 
often.  One  time  Lester  drove  his  oxen,  and  he  and  Philip  and 
Dan  were  all  going  (Vr  a  hunt  so  T  said  T  would  go  too.  We  went 
V.J)  on  the  divide  toward  the  Pepublican  river,  and  when  we  got 
up  there  the  buffalo  seemed  to  be  all  on  the  move  going  south. 
Philip  and  Dan  got  down  in  the  canyon  out  of  sight  so  they 
could  shoot  as  they  came  by.  Lester  and  T  stayed  in  the  wagon. 
The  buffalo  were  so  thick,  and  then  they  came  on  a  run  with  their 
heads  down.  We  thought  they  were  going  to  run  over  the  wagon, 
team  and  all.  But  when  they  got  real  close,  they  divided  and 
some  went  in  front  and  some  behind  the  team  and  thus  missed 


FURNAS  COUNTY  199 

annihilating  us.  But  they  never  halted.  Another  time  I  remem- 
ber I  went  with  Philip  and  Will  out  in  the  hills  for  a  hunt.  They 
shot  a  buffalo  and  got  it  down  and  Will  ran  up  to  the  wagon, 
took  an  ax  and  struck  it  in  the  head.  It  jumped  up  and  ran 
away.  Will  followed  for  five  miles,  and  then  came  back  without 
any  meat.  We  were  all  excited  when  the  animal  jumped  up,  for 
we  thought  it  was  going  to  fight.  That  fall  there  were  flocks  of 
wild  turkeys  and  we  could  have  a  roast  any  time  we  wanted  it. 
We  thought  we  had  found  the  garden  of  P^den,  l)ut  later  we  de- 
cided it  was  Eden  of  the  prairie  dogs,  rattle  snakes  and  fleas. 
I  remember  one  time  we  were  talking  al)out  the  country  and 
Lester  said,  "I  tell  you  folks,  this  is  God's  country,  but  He 
wasn't  ready  for  us  to  settle  out  here  yet.  He  hasn't  finished  it 
up."  There  are  many  more  instances  T  oould  speak  of,  l)nt  I  fear 
my  letter  would  be  too  lengthy. 

MRS.  FRENCH. 


Q 


01 

S 
'J 


-2 


FURNAS  COUNTY  2OI 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

Mrs.  W.  H.  Vining  Was  a  Pioneer  Woman  Who  Endured  the  Early 

Day  Hardships  With  Her  Husband,  Coming  Here  With 

Seventy-Five  Cents  in  Cash 

Stamtord,  Nebr. — Editor  Times-Tribune — Tlierc  have  been  a 
number  of  articles  written  by  pioneers  of  Furnas  county,  but  as 
none  seemed  to  write  about  this  part  of  the  county  except  0.  F. 
Wheeler,  I  will  try  to  tell  some  of  my  experiences  here  in  early 
days.  My  husband,  William  11.  Vining  and  1  caiut'  to  Furnas 
county  in  November,  1877.  We  came  from  Scribner,  Nebraska  in  a 
prairie  schooner,  and  were  on  the  road  seven  days.  We  stopped  at 
Grandma  Gapen's  and  stayed  all  night.  The  next  day  my  huS' 
band  came  on  to  the  dugout  and  cleaned  the  cobwebs  and  rat's 
nests  out  so  we  could  move  in.  The  next  day  we  moved  over. 
It  was  the  first  dugout  or  sod  house  I  liad  ever  soon,  but  I  found 
a  large  room  with  one  lialf  window  and  a  door,  a  dirt  tloor  and  a 
dirt  roof.  We  put  muslin  overhead  and  it  made  a  very  nice  abode. 
My  husband  laid  up  a  log  house  but  it  had  no  roof  on  it  yet,  so 
we  lived  in  the  dugout  that  winter.  Just  before  Christmas  we  had 
a  three-days'  rain  and  oh,  how  that  dirt  roof  did  leak  I  My 
husband  wanted  to  take  me  over  to  Dan  West's,  as  they  had  a 
log  house  with  a  shingle  roof,  but  T  said  that  1  woukl  stay  with 
him.  We  set  pans  and  buckets  under  the  worst  leaks,  and  we 
piled  our  clothing  and  everything  else  in  a  heap  and  covered  them 
with  a  quilt.  Then  came  the  question  of  how  to  sleep  without  get- 
ting wet.  AVe  took  one  piece  of  a  quilting  frame  and  fastened  it 
to  the  logs  overhead.  1  put  the  bed  slats  on  the  chairs  and  then 
placed  the  bedding  on  them,  and  then  we  pulled  the  wagon  sheet 
up  over  the  piece  of  quilting  frame  and  down  to  the  chair  backs, 
and  we  had  a  small  tent  right  in  the  dugout.  The  water  ran  off 
into  the  pails  and  pans  and  we  were  quite  comfortable,  even 
though  we  had  to  crawl  into  bed  from  the  fciot.  as  the  head  was 
against  the  wall  and  the  sides  tied  to  the  cluiir  backs.  We  had 
lots  of  wood  land  kept  up  a  good  fire  in  the  fire  place,  so  we  were 


202  PIONEER  STORIES 

quite  comfortable.  The  next  summer  we  put  a  sod  roof  on  our 
log  house  and  got  windows  and  a  door  and  a  tloor,  which  made  it 
somewhat  better  than  a  dugout. 

My  husband  had  75  cents  when  we  got  to  our  claim,  and  he 
worked  for  75  cents  a  day  and  paid  75  cents  a  bushel  for  corn. 
We  lived  on  corn  bread  a  good  share  of  the  time,  but  always  tried 
to  have  some  flour  in  the  house.  We  got  a  cow  from  one  of  the 
neighbors  to  milk,  as  we  didn't  have  anytliing  to  buy  a  cow  with. 
We  raised  a  good  crop  that  summer  and  the  next  summer  we 
raised  a  big  wheat  crop  and  we  bought  our  first  cow.  We  also 
had  a  good  crop  of  potatoes,  and  it  was  lucky  we  did,  for  in  1880 
it  was  dry  and  windy  up  to  June  11, so  there  was  but  little  raised. 
My  husband  liked  to  hunt  and  he  kept  us  supplied  with  rabbits 
and  we  had  our  wheat  for  flour,  so  we  lived  through  all  right. 

The  first  hogs  we  had  I  earned  by  doing  some  sewing  for  Eric 
Hanson,  who  was  then  a  bachelor.  I  got  two  pigs  but  one  of  them 
died.  The  other  one  I  would  lariet  out  on  the  grass  and  with  what 
slop  we  had  1  managed  to  keep  it  and  raised  seven  nice  pigs. 
That  year  we  raised  some  corn,  and  we  fattened  our  hogs  and  had 
our  own  meat.  Usually  a  quarter  of  a  beef  a  winter  was  all  the 
meat  we  had,  but  beef  was  not  so  high  priced  then  as  it  is  now. 
People  talk  of  hard  times  now,  but  little  do  they  realize  how  the 
old  settlers  had  to  live.  I  had  a  neighbor  come  to  me  and  ask  for 
a  meat  rind  to  grease  her  bread  pans  with.  That  was  in  1880. 
There  were  lots  of  people  got  aid,  but  we  got  along  without  it 
through  all  the  hard  years  and  never  starved  either. 

The  buffalo  were  nearly  all  gone  when  I  came  here,  but  I  saw 
several.  Finn  Michel  and  Dan  West  each  had  one.  I  had  a  few 
encounters  with  rattlesnakes.  One  day  in  '78  I  was  going  from  the 
dug  out  to  the  log  house,  and  in  the  path  lay  a  big  rattler.  I 
called  my  husband  and  he  soon  made  away  with  it.  During  har- 
vest time  in  the  summer  of  '79  I  went  out  to  gather  the  eggs.  I 
reached  into  a  nest  and  got  the  eggs  and  something  seemed  to  tell 
me  there  might  have  been  a  snake  there.  I  looked  and  there  he 
was.  I  got  a  stick  and  killed  him  and  found  that  he  was  a  rattler 
about  two  feet  long. 

I  saw  a  number  of  prairie  fires  but  never  helped  fight  one. 
I  used  to  always  look  around  to  see  if  there  were  any  fires  before 
going  to  bed.  My  husband  helped  fight  fire  at  Eric  Hanson's 
that  came  near  taking  his  home.  The  young  people  of  today  don't 
realize  how  we  had  to  bear  with  privations  in  order  to  stay  with 


FURNAS  COUNTY  203 

our  homes,  and  many  who  have  become  dissatisfied  with  old  Fur- 
nas county  would  be  glad  to  be  back  on  the  old  homestead.  I  have 
never  yet  been  the  one  to  say  sell  out  and  go  somewhere  else. 
Good  health  and  a  home  is  Avortli  all  the  hardships  we  liave  to 
bear. 

The  first  time  I  was  in  Beaver  City  w'as  in  78.  There  was  not 
a  house  in  sight.  If  any  one  had  a  claim  they  lived  in  a  dug  out 
down  out  of  sight.  In  all  thirty-six  years  in  Furnas  county  I 
have  found  good  neighbors;  but  as  I  look  around  I  find  there 
are  but  few  of  us  left.  I  can  count  but  three  living  near,  who  were 
here  when  I  oame.  They  are  John  Brown,  Eric  Hanson  and  Eric 
Smith. 

On  March  3,  my  oldest  and  only  child  died  of  membranou.s 
croup.  She  was  just  one  year  old  that  day.  I  was  lonely  and  my 
husband  wouldn't  leave  me  alone,  so  he  got  a  little  girl  to  stay 
with  me.  Her  mother  was  dead  and  she  was  living  with  her  sister, 
Flora  Northrop.  She  had  been  here  about  a  month  when  she 
took  sick  with  diphtheria.  We  did  all  we  could  for  her,  but 
death  claimed  her.  Then  Mrs.  Northrop 's  children  took  it  and 
they  all  died.  JMrs.  Northrop  also  had  it,  but  she  was  stronger 
and  got  over  it.  The  Dan  West's  children  took  the  disease  and 
two  of  them  died.    Those  were  serious  times  for  many  of  us. 

In  1885  my  little  boy  died  and  I  Avas  made  sad  again.  Then  in 
1907  my  husband  was  called  away  and  the  home  circle  was 
broken. 

Our  first  school  was  taught  by  Cassie  Barber.  I  well  remem- 
ber the  big  revival  meeting  held  by  Elder  Mayo  at  the  Carpenter 
school  house.  Then  I  hemcmber  when  the  Congregationalists 
started  a  church  at  Precept,  and  when  Scott  and  Wheeler  started 
a  store  at  Precept. 

I  just  recalled  the  Indian  scare  of  1878.  My  husband  was 
going  to  start  to  Kearney  on  Monday  and  had  got  a  girl  to  stay 
with  me  while  he  was  away.  He  had  heard  about  the  Indians  but 
said  nothing  to  me.  Mrs.  Hiram  Barber  had  come  that  Sunday 
evening  and  she  said  something  about  them.  I)ut  I  said  notliing 
to  my  husband  about  what  she  told  me.  About  3  o'clock  Monday 
morning  the  father  of  the  girl  staying  with  mo  came  to  the  doi»r 
and  knocked.  i\Iy  husband  went  to  the  door  and  they  talked  for 
a  short  time  in  low  tones.  Then  ray  husband  told  us  t<>  get  up 
and  we  would  go  to  Grandma  Gapen's.  He  said  the  neighbors 
were  gathering  there  and  the  Indians  were  coming  down  the  creek. 


204  PIONEER  STORIES 

When  we  got  to  Mrs.  Gapen's  we  found  a  crowd  of  excited  people. 
At  daybreak  the  men  mounted  horses  and  started  up  the  creek  to 
see  if  there  were  really  were  any  Indians.  But  when  they  got 
above  Precept  their  hearts  failed  all  except  three.  These  were 
C.  E.  V.  Smith,  Dan  AVest  and  my  husband.  They  went  up  the 
creek  until  they  met  a  preacher  who  told  them  that  there  had 
been  Indians  farther  up  the  creek  but  the  soldiers  were  after 
them. 

I  was  not  much  afraid  so  Mrs.  Barber,  the  girl  and  I  went 
home.  In  a  few  days  a  big  herd  of  cattle  came  through  here. 
Many  people  thought  that  some  one  up  the  creek  had  seen  the 
cattle  and  spread  the  word  liefore  there  was  really  any  danger. 
But  it  was  certainly  an  exciting  time  at  Grandma  Gapen's.  Ask 
Leva  Rea  of  Beaver  City  about  it.  She  had  to  work  pretty  hard 
to  get  anough  for  all  of  us  to  eat  and  no  doubt  remembers  it  well. 

This  was  written  in  1913  but  perhaps  will  be  of  interest  to 
the  old  settlers. 

MRS.  W.  H.  VINING. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  205 


CHAf Itk   AXAil 

iMai  ivjL  £Lyeis  Vvas  one  ui  tne  xuisi  rioneers,  ana  ±j.e  is  oeiecieu 
AO  oiose  xnis  vuiume  ui  iceininiscensies 

Editor  limefci-inbuue: — 1  have  been  reading  iur  niontiis  pubL 
witn  niucn  intereyc  me  articles  wriiieu  by  past  and  present  resi- 
uencs  01  r  urnas  county,  ana  in  tnese  articles  niucn  iias  oeen  aUd- 
ea  10  tne  written  nisiory  oi  tue  couniy  ana  soutuwesieru  Ae- 
urasKa.  iNeariy  all  tne  -wriiers  were  early  day  seiners  witu  wiiuui 
we  nau  a  neignuorly  inierest  and  personal  acquainiunee  aud 
liienasnip  tliat  can  never  be  lorgotten  while  tne  iiie  Uloud  tlows 
through  our  mortal  veins. 

And  i  Deg  pardon  tor  reierring  to  some  of  tne  articles,  not 
to  criticize  them,  but  to  call  tne  writers'  attention  to  tiie  taci 
that  they  could  have  said  more  of  historical  interest.  One  of  the 
articles  of  my  old  time  friend,  15.  i^ .  W  liitney,  was  not  complete, 
as  he  ought  to  have  written  of  a  trial  he  had  while  he  was  a 
justice  of  the  peace  of  four  parties  who  were  charged  with  tlie 
murder  of  an  orphan  boy  on  the  iSappa,  where  Lucas  and  Demp- 
ster of  Republican  City  conducted  the  prosecution  aud  Morlan 
and  Harvey  for  the  defense.  The  defendants  were  charged  with 
the  murder  of  an  orphan  living  witli  a  family  on  tlie  Sajipa,  but 
the  evidence  produced  at  the  trial  eame  nearer  convicting  the 
prosecuting  witnesses  than  the  defendants.  The  trial  was  held 
under  a  big  elm  tree  on  the  Seager  place  on  the  banks  of  the 
Sappa  and  was  wittnessed  by  Dan  West,  Silas  (Jlemmons,  and 
eame  near  resulting  in  a  riot,  which  was  only  averted  by  strategy 
and  cool  judgment. 

Mr.  Whitney  and  the  writer  were  members  of  the  old  Mel- 
rose Lodge  No.  60,  and  I  believe  we  are  the  only  charter  meni- 
hers  living  at  the  present  time. 

It  has  looked  strange  to  me  that  with  all  these  ■irticles  but 
very  little  has  been  said  of  the  organization  of  the  county,  but 
as  I  have  written  of  this  subject  in  previous  articles  f  will  only 
mention  the  matter  yet  it  was  one  of  the  important  events  of  the 
early  days,  and  in  my  book  I  have  gone  over  the  subject  thor- 


206  PIONEER  STORIES 

ouglily,  and  will  now  leave  it  one  of  the  early  important  events 
:n  making  a  new  empire. 

Mrs.  Jb'reas  wrote  of  the  prairie  hre  and  of  hustling  her  fam- 
ily out  to  the  plowed  held,  but  perhaps  she  did  not  know  that 
Judge  Sumney,  Ed  Ayers,  Frank  Nicholson,  and  the  writer 
'.vhipped  out  the  side  fire  east  of  the  house  while  she,  with  her 
family,  was  out  on  the  plowed  ground. 

Neither  do  I  see  in  any  of  these  articles  anything  about 
the  stolen  bonds  which  were  issued  under  an  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture for  the  purpose  of  funding  the  indebtedness  of  the  county, 
and  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  in  years  gone  by,  and  on  the 
subject  of  which  Elder  Mayo  preached  sermons,  and  John  Man- 
nering  dreamed  dreams  and  had  visions. 

Billy  McGuire  speaks  of  Joel  Collins  and  Sam  Bass,  who 
with  four  others,  held  up  the  Union  Pacific  train  at  Big  Springs, 
in  October,  1877,  and  will  say  that  if  he  will  get  a  copy  of  the 
August  number  of  Will  Maupin's  Midwest  Magazine  he  will  get 
a  complete  story  of  the  hold-up,  the  names  of  all  six  of  the  des- 
peradoes and  a  description  of  the  men  and  their  final  capture. 
J  was  in  the  Black  Hills  that  summer  and  lived  close  neighbors 
to  the  whole  gang. 

John  Reiser's  trip  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn  was  characteris- 
tic in  those  days  and  many  of  us  did  the  same  thing;  farther 
east  in  Nebraska  and  southeast  in  Kansas  were  called  Egypt 
whither  we  often  went  to  buy  corn.  C.  A.  Danforth  gives  a 
hne  description  of  the  country  and  of  the  people  who  first  in- 
vaded that  portion  of  the  Indian  country. 

The  conditions  now^  and  when  the  first  settlers  came  to  the 
country  are  very  different;  then  our  associates  were  the  scout, 
the  soldier,  the  Indian,  the  frontier  homesteaders ;  now  the  asso- 
ciations are  the  schools,  the  churches,  the  mingling  of  town  and 
country  people  and  holmobbing  with  the  politician  and  the  states- 
man ;  then  a  top  buggy  was  a  curiosity  and  when  the  first  one  was 
driven  to  Beaver  City  in  April,  1873,  by  a  Mr.  Blackmar  and  A. 
E.  Harvey,  it  was  viewed  with  admiration  and  was  as  much  of  a 
curiosity  at  that  time  as  the  automobile  was  thirty  or  forty 
years  later.  Then  to  deliver  a  message  officially  or  otherwise  to 
a  friend  in  another  county  or  state,  it  must  be  carried  by  horse 
or  wagon  for  many  miles,  requiring  days  for  delivery,  while 
now  a  fla-sh  of  electricity  clicks  the  wire  or  conveys  the  sound  of 
your  voice  for  hundreds  of  miles  and  in  an  instant  your  mes- 


FURNAS  COUNTY  207 

sage  is  delivered,  while  forty  years  ago  it  would  have  taken  days 
or  weeks  to  deliver  the  same  message 

The  ox  team  that  then  traveled  twenty  miles  a  day  has  beei' 
succeeded  by  tlie  ciVitomob'le  that  travels  ton  times  the  dist'inec 
in  a  very  few  hours.  The  doctor  came  with  his  calomel  and 
quinine  and  called  appendicitis  intlamation  of  the  stomach,  an-' 
now  a  case  of  appendicitis  calls  for  an  operation  with  the  sur 
geon's  knife  and  all  ordinary  diseases  are  treated  on  the  germ 
theory,  and  Ihus  the  practice  of  medicine  has  been  revolutionized. 

Then  the  immigration  moving  from  one  state  to  another 
went  in  covered  wagons  while  now  the  conditions  are  so 
changed  that  one  moving  any  distance  load  their  effects  in  a 
car  and  go  by  rail.  Then  we  burned  wood,  hut  now  we  patronize 
the  coal  trust  and  burn  coal  brought  in  from  other  states;  tlius 
through  a  succession  of  the  years  the  conditions  have  been 
changed  in  many  essentials,  from  an  Indian  country  iniiabited 
by  buffalo  and  other  wild  game,  together  with  the  wolves,  i)rai- 
rie  dogs,  rattlesnakes  and  other  reptiles  to  a  country  of  civiliza- 
tion. 

One  reason  that  there  were  so  many  snakes  in  tiiis,  as  all 
other  new  countries,  is  that  the  Indian  will  ncNcr  kill  a  snake, 
probably  from  some  superstition,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  no  Indian 
will  kill  a  snake  of  any  kind.  T  beamed  years  ago  to  believe 
any  reasonable  snake  story,  and  many  of  them  have  never  been 
told,  but  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  country  rattlesnakes  were 
almost  as  plentiful  as  fleas,  and  T  can  assui-e  you  that  there  were 
plenty  of  the  latter,  and  the  nights  were  made  hideous  l)y  the 
howling  of  coyotes  and  wolves. 

Individual  experience  of  the  conditions  existing  in  \e- 
braska  in  the  early  days  that  would  fill  volumes  have  never  been 
told  for  there  are  stories  and  experiences  of  the  early  days  yet 
untold,  and  there  are  but  few  of  the  early  settlers  now  r<'main- 
ing  to  tell  the  story. 


208  PIONEER  STORIES 

MOVING  WEST 

When  I  decided  to  go  west  a  homestead  now  in  view 

Was  just  the  thing  for  all  young  men,  and  with  some  neighbors 

few, 
AVe  fitted  out  in  pilgrim  style  Avith  wagons  for  our  craft 
Propelled  by  weary  ox  teams,  in  this  there  was  no  graft. 
I  filed  upon  a  homestead  there  and  built  a  small  log  den. 
Where  snakes  and  lizards  by  the  score  went  in  and  out  again, 
The  prairie  dogs  outside  the  house  would  bark  and  run  around, 
While  buffalo  and  antelope  in  plenty  could  be  found. 
The  hoppers  came  in  right  good  will  and  ate  up  all  in  sight 

A  cornfield  then  was  naught  to  them,  they  ate  a  field  at  night. 
And  in  the  morning  nothing  left  except  a  cornstalk  stump. 
Homesteads  then  went  down  a  bit  and  prices  took  a  slump ; 
Some  went  here  and  some  went  there  for  work  of  any  kind, 
While  Mayo  went  oft'  preaching  to  ease  his  troubled  mind ; 
•Tess  Hadley  lost  his  horses  to  a  thief  from  off  the  plains. 
And  rode  them  off  no  one  knows  where,  the  thief  made     all    the 

gain, 
Jake  Young  turned  all  his  hogs  adrift,  and  Danforth  took  a  shot, 
He  killed  but  three  and  wounded  one  and  Jake  got  fighting  hot ; 
Judge  Jenkins  of  the  probate  court  tried  to  case  per  slug ; 
Cap  Brown  done  all  the  pleading  then,  but  Jenkins  signed  kerjug. 
rke  IMyers  bought  a  mower  his  neighbors  for  to  please, 
And  Tommy  Williams  had  one  that  mowed  the  grass  with  ease, 
Rut  all  this  trouble's  passed  and  gone  some  forty  years  gone  by 
Some  few  abide  to  tell  the  tale,  some  in  the  church  yards  lie. 

N.   M.   AYERS, 

Fairmont,  Nebr. 


FURNAS  COUNTY  209 

LOOKING  BACKWARD 
By  Nat  M.  Ayers 

The  following  article,  Looking  Backward,  was  left  among 
ihe  papers  of  the  late  Nathanial  M.  Ayers,  addressed  to  the 
Times-Tribune.  It  is  probably  the  last  manuscript  written  by 
him  for  publication. 

Turning  backward  to  the  western  border  of  civilization,  to 
scenes  in  Nebraska  when  it  was  younger  than  it  is  today ;  when 
travel  was  chiefly  by  the  prairie  schooner  route,  with  an  occa- 
sional pilgrim  crossing  the  state  on  foot  or  on  horseback ;  when 
Texas  beef  and  buffalo  meat  were  more  pk'ntiful  than  packing 
house  products  are  at  the  present  time,  and  prices  were  so  differ- 
ent that  the  high  cost  of  living  was  not  the  vital  importance. 
"\Ye  are  going  to  turn  back  to  some  of  the  holiday  dinners  and 
festivities  that  will  not  be  forgotten  so  long  as  the  vital  spark  of 
life  shall  animate  the  mortal  part  of  those  participated  in  the 
luxuries  to  be  had  when  Nebraska  was  wearing  its  rompers. 

In  1872  a  settlement  along  the  100th  meridian  was  consid- 
ered as  far  west  as  a  settlement  along  the  OBth  meridian  ten  years 
earlier,  and  it  was  in  1872  the  first  settlers  loeati'd  along  the 
Beaver  west  from  Orleans  to  where  is  now  located  the  towns  of 
Beaver  City,  Wilsonville,  and  other  towns  of  less  importance, 
and  your  correspondent  with  others  located  homesteads  near 
where  the  town  of  Beaver  City  is  now  located.  There  was  no 
town  there  then,  no  railroads,  no  telegraph,  no  telephone,  no  elec- 
tric light,  no  water  works,  no  automobiles,  no  bridges,  no  houses, 
no  stores,  no  mail  routes.  30  miles  to  the  Alma  po.stoflRce.  and  the 
early  settlers  were  greatly  delighted  to  learn  that  the  B.  &  ^f. 
railroad  had  located  a  town  on  their  line  from  Lincoln  to  Kear- 
ney, only  80  miles  away  to  be  called  Lowell,  and  here  wns  to  ho 
located  the  United  States  land  office. 

All  the  first  homesteaders  were  located  along  the  streams 
where  they  could  have  plenty  of  timber  and  water.  Wild  iiu*at. 
such  as  buffalo,  antelope,  and  wild  turkey  could  be  had  for  the 
killing.  The  cattle  trail  had  been  opened  from  Fort  TTayos  to 
Fort  :\rcPherson  and  North  Platte,  and  this  afforded  a  little  help 
for  the  homesteaders,  as  the  herd  usually  dropped  a  few  cattle 
in  crossing  the  streams,  they  would  hide  in  the  brush  and  tim- 
ber and  were  often  passed  without  being  seen,  but  the  homestead- 
er soon   found  them  after  the  herd   had   passed,   and   of  eourse 


210 


PIONEER  STORIES 


NATHANIEL  M.  AYERS 


FURNAS  COUNTY  211 

claimed  them  unless  the  real  owner  called  for  them,  Imt  this  nev- 
er happened. 

Time  dragged  along,  prairie  sod  was  being  broken  for  crops 
the  next  season,  log  and  sod  houses  were  being  built,  and  people 
moved  from  their  covered  wagons  to  their  new  houses,  hay  was 
cut  and  stacked  to  provide  for  the  stock  during  the  winter  months, 
and  the  holidays  coming  on  to  l)e  celebrated  in  the  new  west. 
Neighbors  visited  back  and  forth,  (mostly  on  Sundays)  and  niueh 
discussion  was  had  as  to  how  the  holidays  would  be  celel)r:ited, 
and  it  was  finally  decided  the  Ed  Ayers'  folks  would  give  a 
Thanksgiving  dinner,  Henry  Moore's  to  give  a  Christmas  dinner 
and  T.  M.  AYilliams  a  New  Year's  dinner,  and  bachelors  and  all 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  should  be  invited  guests  at  these  din- 
ners. 

The  writer  was  not  married  then  but  was  living  with  his 
brother  Ed.  and  the  responsil)ility  rested  on  his  shoulders  of  pro- 
v-iding  some  of  the  luxuries  for  the  feast.  AYe  could  not  go  to  the 
store  for  turkey,  cranberries,  raisins,  and  such  other  luxuries  as 
lould  be  had  farther  east  in  the  towns  and  cities,  for  tlu'  reason 
that  we  had  no  store  handy,  and  when  a  store  was  started  its 
principal  stock  was  bacon,  flour,  soda,  and  ammunition.  l)ut  wp 
had  plenty  of  liutfalo  meat,  both  dried  and  fresh,  and  we  h:id 
killed  a  fine  Texas  steer  that  we  had  picked  up  durimr  the  sum- 
mer, so  to  complete  the  list  for  the  feast,  Rob  Armstrong  and 
your  correspondent  went  down  in  the  timber  and  killed  a  fine 
Turkey  gobbler,  making  three  kinds  of  meat  for  our  Tlianks- 
giving  dinner.  Then  we  had  potatoes  hauled  in  from  rrrmd  Is- 
land in  a  wagon,  plum  pudding  uuide  from  wild  plums,  dried 
peach  sauce,  dried  apple  and  mince  pies,  plenty  of  milk  and 
butter,  besides  such  other  articles  as  could  be  assemi)led  from 
^he  cupboard  and  improvised  cellar.  There  was  jilenty  and  let 
me  say  that  no  one  on  earth  had  better  appetites  than  the  early 
settlors  had  in  western  Nebraska,  and  this  feast  was  enjoyed  by 
about  thirty  grown  people  and  half  as  many  children.  The  af- 
ternoon was  spent  in  athletic  sports  and  such  other  amusements 
as  could  be  brought  to  mind,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  his- 
tory in  the  new  west.  Two  men  had  come  in  the  day  before, 
one  an  old  friend  and  the  other  from  Chicago,  wlio  enjoyed  the 
dinner  hugely,  and  those  two  men  located  near  by.  and  both 
became  honored  citizens  and  held  positions  of  trust  in  the  county 
for  many  years. 


212  PIONEER  STORIES 

Then  came  the  Christmas  dinner  at  Henry  Moore's,  which 
was  about  the  same  fare  we  had  at  the  Thanksgiving  dinner, 
consisting  principally  of  buffalo  meat  and  wild  turkey,  A  small 
store  had  been  started  in  the  meantime,  and  the  guests  at  this 
dinner  decided,  to  have  a  town  started  there,  and  petitioned  for 
a  mail  route  from  Alma  and  a  postoffice,  the  office  to  be  named 
CresAvell  as  first  choice,  and  Beaver  City  as  second  choice.  Cres- 
well  was  postmaster  general  at  that  time,  and  he  turned  down 
our  first  choice  of  a  name,  and  gave  us  Beaver  City.  No  doubt  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  joke  to  have  a  little  office  named  for  h'm 
away  out  in  the  wilds  of  Nebraska. 

Then  came  the  New  Year's  dinner  a  week  later  at  ?Lr*.  Wil- 
liams,' but  he  had  the  others  beat  a  mile.  He  had  been  to  Grand 
Island,  130  miles  away,  and  brought  back  a  load  of  provisions, 
and  in  this  load  was  a  fine  dressed  hog.  A  nice  piece  of  pork 
well  roasted  was  a  real  luxury.  It  had  been  nearly  a  v. jar  since 
any  of  the  party  had  tasted  a  piece  of  fresh  pork,  and  this  was 
certainly  fine.  The  guests  took  to  that  pork  as  eagerly  as  a 
nigger  at  campmeeting  would  take  to  a  con-pone  and  possum. 

These  were  a  few  of  the  entertainments  that  were  enjoyed 
on  the  frontier  in  the  early  days,  and  the  way  those  three  women 
worked  and  planned  to  make  those  three  dinners  presentable 
and  palatable  was  enough  to  wreck  the  nerves  of  a  savage,  but 
they  survived  the  ordeal  and  two  of  them  are  still  living.  It 
is  seldom  that  any  of  the  few  now  living  who  enjoyed  those 
three  dinners  get  together  but  something  is  said  about  those 
three  dinners,  and  with  all  the  trials  and  disappointments  of  a 
frontier  life,  there  are  a  few  happy  recollections  that  help  bright- 
en the  path  of  the  homesteader  in  his  declining  years. 

NAT  M.  AYERS. 


8713 


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