A military post was established, and soldiers were garrisoned there. "Shorter" county, the antecedent of Lincoln county, had tried to organize five or six years earlier, but the only officer who had qualified was Charles McDonald, judge, who did so in order to perform marriage ceremonies. The county seat had been designated as Cottonwood Springs, but the county was re-organized as Lincoln County, and the county seat moved to North Platte, by a total of twenty-one votes cast, on October 8, 1867. The officers were B. I. Hinman, representative ; W. M. Hinman, County Judge; Charles Mc- Donald, County Clerk ; O. O. Austin, Sheriff ; Hugh Morgan, Treasurer; and A. J. Miller, Commissioner. Charles McDonald resided at North Platte until 1919 and was in the banking business, until his death.

In the Indian troubles that followed, the few settlers in that vicinity used to gather at North Platte, and take refuge in the railroad round house. On one occasion, the Indians captured a freight train and after killing the crew, they pillaged the cars, and found some bolts of calico. With this they made merry, tying one end of a bolt to a pony's tail, one would ride out across the prairie with a hundred yards of brilliant calico streamers trailing in the wind.

At another time "Dutch Frank" saw the Indians on the track ahead of him, and feeling sure that it meant death to stop, he opened the throttle, plowing through them throwing them into the air and killing many. He arrived safely into town. This, we believe was the origin of "tank fighting."