acres of school land at this point in addition to section 36, and they expected to be able to purchase the whole tract. They built their headquarters ranch near the east side of section 35, purchased section 36, and applied to purchase the balance of the tract. They soon found that the whole tract outside of section 36 was government land, so they filed on as much as possible and were able to have and hold a good sized ranch, which was soon cut

and postoffice named Oshkosh. This building is now the Miller hotel. It was just before this time that Hartman postoffice was established about eight miles north of Oshkosh on Lost Creek. Sebastian Hartman was the first postmaster. He had started a small store in 1888 and secured a postoffice in the spring of 1889. Fred Teppert was postmaster for about one and one-half years just before it was discontinued in 1899. The mail was brought up from

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

Ogallala three times a week, via Lewellen and Ramsey. Hugh Boggs of Lewellen had the contract for carrying the mail to Oshkosh, and employed Charley Ransom to drive part of the time. They used a span of vicious mules that were always hard to hitch up and always looking for a chance to run away. Hartmans carried the mail from Oshkosh to Hartman. Before securing the postoffice they had been obliged to go to Ramsey for their mail.

In 1890 the Oshkosh public school was organized in a sod building up on Lost Creek.