Here they have deep channels, which are being rapidly intrenched.

How County Was Formed

Dawes county was formed from a part of Sioux' county in 1885. Settlement had begun a few years before, and by 1886 nearly all the land had been filed upon under the public- land laws. The lowlands along the White river and Bordeaux creek were first taken up and later settlement spread over the entire county. The early settlers were of many nationalities, a large percentage being American born.

In 1910 the total population of the county was 8.254. Approximately 89 per cent of the

population consists of native white persons and nine per cent of foreign born. The principal foreign nationalities represented are German, Irish, English and Swedish. The rural population, including the residents of all the towns except Chadron, constitutes 67.4 per cent of the total and averages four persons to the square mile. The most densely populated areas are in the immediate vicinity of Chadron and Crawford, in the White river valley, on the flat north of Crawford, and on the Dawes Table. The area of Pierre clay soil and the country between the Dawes Table and the Niobrara valley are very sparsely settled.

Chadron, the county seat and principal town, is situated about ten miles northeast of the center of the county. This town is a division point on the Chicago & Northwestern railroad, and the shops operated here furnish employment for quite a large number of men. Crawford is situated at the junction of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad and the Chicago & Northwestern railroad, about four miles from the western county line. This town is noted for its horse markets. It owes its growth partly to the establishment of a military reservation nearby and partly to the development of ' the surrounding farming community.