The offices include those of thi il-il. superintendent, assessor, commissioners, surveyor and county judge, which includes an office and court room. The third floor or second story houses the district court ii h i- large and convenient. Connectsix hundred and forty acres, and to such homesteaders under the old law, who had vacant lands adjoining, they could increase their acreage to a section. A thirty day preference was allowed in which to make filing. All the rest was open to the entrymen first coming. This caused a land rush into western Nebraska as hundreds of people wanted to make entries under the new law, Sidney displayed considerable activity some days prior to June 28, when the homestead law took effect. Many new settlers thus came into Cheyenne county who became permanent residents and aided in the further settlement of this section. The enlarged homestead was first introduced by Congressman Wm. Neville for two sections, the fruitful suggestion of Judge Homer Sullivan

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

of Broken Bow. Congressman M. P. Kincaid, followed and reduced the acreage to one section. The law was then confined to Nebraska, but now includes all the western states.

Cheyenne; County Schools

District No. 1, was organized in 1871, with C. E. Borgquist, moderator; D. Carrigan, director, and Joseph Cleburne, treasurer. It included Cheyenne county as it then existed, and unorganized Sioux county which then extended eastward to the present line of Holt county. In a period of less than fifty years twenty-three counties have been formed in this first school district, which originally included all northwestern Nebraska.