When the Scotchmen were becoming excited over the bonanza ranching in the high plains region, the Oelrich brothers, Harry and Charlie, came out from Cheyenne, and acquired a small holding of hay meadows, on the north side of the river in the vicinity of the present site of Morrill. This they fenced like the Sturgis & Lane hay meadows were fenced, with native cedar and pitch pine posts, and barbed wire.

There was no bridge at this point, but the river was generally in good condition to ford,

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

and there was a ford here that was used for a great many years. Land seekers looking for claims north of the river on the now famous Dutch Flats, generally crossed at Oelrich's ranch.

The brothers were of the wild sort of fellows, and had no conception of the value, or the endurance, of horseflesh. Often they would make the drive from the ranch to Cheyenne in less time than they should, and would ruin a good horse or two in the operation. Driving out they observed about the same judgment. They were inclined to indulge in the flowing bowl more than discretion would approve, and that was perhaps one of the reasons for their rapid driving.

This ranch was located about the time the Union Cattle Company was inaugurating its campaign for separating Uncle Sam of many valuable acres of land. The Union Company, had a large number of filings made by men who were to work in the railroad shops, and by women, some of whom it was said had not the best of reputations. Some of these claims were desert claims where a pretence of developing irrigation was possible, and there are yet the marks of the old ditches that run up and down the hills along Horse Creek, in Wyoming, that were used to make Desert "proof of irrigation" to secure patent to the land.