After the coming of the railroad, there were increasing numbers of homesteaders and in time they counted by the hundred to the cattlemen's one. The southeastern and southwestern parts of Deuel county settled first as the railroad crossed the southeastern corner of the county, ran to Julesburg, Colorado, then turned across the southern boundary of the county a little west of the center and ran northwest, leaving a little north of the center of the western boundary. The first towns and stations for supplies were on the railroad and the settlers naturally located within the area where they could obtain necessities, though this was not always true and many settlers scattered throughout what is now Garden county as well, for there was water to be had there.

Early Trials and Bitter Years

From 1884 to 1887, the tablelands of Deuel county filled up, and many and varied are the stories of pioneer hardships of the people who came here at that time. For a time the farmers or permanent settlers managed to live and a few made a little money. However in the later eighties most of the grangers went broke ; in fact it may be stated without exception that the high plains went broke all together, and of the aristocratic grangers not one remained in the western part of the state of Nebraska. Among the settlers there was practically no money and all business was carried on by barter. Posts, wood, or the bones of dead animals were traded for groceries and supplies, as the merchants of the early days took anything for which they could find a market. Out on the north divide, there were hundreds of people in the same condition, among them Herman Kuehnn, Anton Hatterman, August Fonnarder, Syver Johnson, John Elmquist, Peter Soderquist, Frank Johnson, and many, many others.