He died some time ago Next along the river there was Olaf Lift". He hired a man to haul him out there from a ranch though he did not know where he was going. He made an application for filing but did not know wdiere the land was. He told a fellow to just unload him there. The next day he went to town and found out where the land was and then made for himself a dug-out and lived in it. That was about 1884.

"The next pre-emption down, there was taken by Otto Baumgarten. He was an old cook on the Cedar Creek ranch, formerly on the South Platte at Shiedley's. He later left this country and went north. The next one to come was Geo. Haxby who filed about the same time, and Charles Gifford filed about that time. A year or two later the Rogers came. 1. T. Rogers has been living in

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

Bridgeport in recent years: Douglas has been living at Alliance, and Wesley is dead.

"This now brings us up near the middle of Morrill county, east and west. The next place was the F. H. Putman place, taken in 1884, as was that of Ora Remsburgh. Mrs. C. Nelson filed on a quarter about 1886. Andrew Hansen came about that time and three of the Adams' filed just about then. Mr. Lape and his two sons-in-law, Jake Amer and Dick Meredith, came about the same time and the two Van Gorder brothers filed three miles below the present Bridgeport on what is now the Mark Iddings place. This places us up into the vicinity south of Bridgeport.