In 1920 Potter shipped 375 cars of wheat, of a value of approximately $700,000. a drop of probably one-third from last year's total cash, but twenty-five percent of the wheat is yet in the fanners' bins.

Dalton

The high divide north of Sidney was traversed by the overland stage, pony express, and western bound emigrants, before Sidney existed. The Jules Cut-off from the South Platte valley at Fort Sedgewick (now Julesburg) went up Lodgepole creek to near the present site of the town of Lodgepole. Here it crossed the divide to Mud Springs (now Simla) then up the North Platte river on the other old trails.

After the coming into existence of the town of Sidney cattlemen locating in the "North River" county opened new roads across the empire of buffalo grass. Then the Black Hill's trade made one of them of high importance.

A handicap to this territory from the settlement point of view was lack of water. "The Water Holes" offered the one spot where it was possible to obtain shallow water. The freighters and stage routers had located this spot and put down some wells.

So the first locating on the divide aside from timber claims, was in this vicinity, that they could haul water until such a time as they could dig a well. As water was two hundred to three hundred feet below the surface, welldigging was no small undertaking.

These "Water Holes" were some distance southwest of the present town of Daiton. Eventually such beaut ful lands were destined to become homes ; they were settled upon by homesteaders, many of whom are yet to be found in the prosperous community. At first wells were dug at rare intervals', but later the drill, the windmill, and the gasoline engine have solved the water problem.