Morrill county has no need of an alms house and there is not a pensioner on the bounty of the county today. By cultivating a portion of the section of land which Uncle Sam in his bounty bestowed upon him. and by pasturing milch cows on the remainder of his land, the homesteader has attained a degree of independence which a landless man in the older sections of the country would labor years before reaching.

Camp Clarkf.

In pioneer days of Nebraska the name of Henry T. Clarke was known from the Missouri river to the Black Hills. Endowed

with remarkable courage, an indomitable will, and energy, he was the man to step into the breach and conquer the obstacles to advancing civilization. In 1875 and 1876, he built the Camp Clarke bridge, three miles west of where the city of Bridgeport now stands, and there are still a few of the oldtimers left who remember that event. For weeks the surging tide of humanity had been gathering on both sides of the river, awaiting the completion of that now historic structure, and when at last the gates were thrown open, it was necessary to divide the day into halves, permitting those from the south to pass northward for half a day. and then those from the north to pass soutbward for an equal length of time. Foot passengers paid a dollar each for the privilege of crossing the bridge, while teams were charged at the rate"of from $5.00 to S10.00. The tolls collected on the day of the opening of the bridge amounted to more than $10,000, and for several years the bridge was a mint for its owner and' a great convenience to the restless pioneers who struggled for gold and gain in the unexplored fastnesses of the great west.