but the altitude, and the better grasses in the vicinity of North Platte, made a change in his plans and he was almost as early in that vicinity as Keith & Barton. His first ranch there, however, was south of the river and east of North Platte city, and the high posts a little east of the state experiment farm, indicate the gateway of the original ranch. He later moved to the Birdwood, twenty miles northwest of North Platte, on the north side of the "North river."

Next in the order of seniority, but in fact the first ranching in the Panhandle of western Nebraska, was started by H. V. Redington, in 1870.

Mr. Redington still lives at Sidney (1919). In 1870 he landed at Sidney, and he located his ranch on "Lorren's" fork, about a mile from its junction with Gonneville or Pumpkin creek. This ranch was not far distant from the identical spot where Gonneville, the French trapper, lost his life years before.

The nearest ranch to the westward at that time was Creighton's Horse creek ranch -- over sixty miles. The nearest to the south was Iliff's ranch on the South Platte river -- seventy-five miles. And the nearest ranch to the east was Keith & Barton's at O'Fallon's -- one hundred miles. And the whole country to the north was Indian land.

His ranch dates the same year that Coad Brothers took over Scottsbluff Stage station for their cattle operations, but earlier in the year.

The country along the Platte was a year or two later than Mr. Redington in the matter of seniority of ranch locations. But north of the river into the Black Hills remained Indian domain until some years after when gold discoveries in the Hills brought about a transformation. Stage routes from Sidney and Cheyenne, and the tremendous freight transportation opened up this new country in 1876, and later.