Scharf, J. Thomas, ed. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. II. Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co., 1886.

Connoly was the foreman for a number of years, and was a remarkable man, having a grasp upon the details of all the several locations that was almost uncanny. What happened to him never came out clearly, but it may have been the weariness of the grind. At any rate, he quit the ranch work and made quite an extended search of Wyoming, with the hope of locating a bed of "coking …

In 18S4, Ferris was in charge of the State Line ranch, which later went to Colonel Pratt. Al. Smith, in the early days designated "Swearing" Smith, to distinguish him from "Extract" Smith and "Whispering" Smith, had charge of the ranch later, and now I believe his son is managing the place or owns it. Sheldon has a picture of one of the partly dismantled sod houses on this …

In addition to this he sells real estate for the Leiter people, as the town of Lingle is rapidly developing into a city. When Connoly took charge of the Leiter local affairs, Billy Ashby, an Englishman, was foreman of the Bridle Bit ranch, but he left soon after and went to Douglas. While on the cow ranch, he hated sheep "like skunks," but HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA not long …

Miller, who acquired extensive ranch possessions north of Morrill about fifteen miles, has "gone to another range," but the excellent property is owned and managed by his son, True Miller. Chas. Loucomer has the old Wind Springs ranch. E. von Forrell has lately acquired a large acreage north of Lake Alice in Sioux county, where Forrell and son run their fine Herefords. On the …

It was after sundown, twilight settled quickly, and the party became separated, but all headed in the general direction of Soldier creek, making their several ways by moonlight. They were chased for a part of the distance, and one Irishman who arrived safely at dawn declared that he had been pursued all night. The others arrived at an earlier hour, and Inghram had his pants …

CREEK -- FIRST COWT IN WESTERN NEBRASKA -- MENTAL GIANTS OF THE BIG COW DAYS When the west was young, who would have selected W. F. Cody for the historic character of the "Wild West?" Who could have guessed the destiny of Paxton. or Creighton, or Bratt, or Van Tassel, or McShane. or Coffee, or Swan? The other men of the west shifted and strayed abroad, or settled on their …

He then kicked the broncho and it ran away, leaving him suspended. When found he was quite dead. Some of the boys were removing his boots preparatory for burial, when Smith, the foreman of the outfit, accused them of trying to steal a dead man's boots. The others were thinking only of the newer methods of burial, but Smith insisted on the old order being carried out. McFee was …

The storm caught Tommy Chaunavierre ( Shunover), Bob Cavalier, and "Scotty," hunting mountain sheep. The)- had killed one on Wildcat mountain, before the storm struck, n headed for Dicky Brown's place at Kane' Point! Shunover was the one of the three to reach shelter. The other two hardy frontiersmen perished in the drifts on the way. After the storm, Cavalier was found near …

Dicky sold out to Wright a short time afterwards. His brother, Jonathan Brown, built the cabin at the Four-J spring, east of Wildcat, and he made final proof on the land. John Wright's ranch became the center of affairs for a number of years on the valley of the Pumpkin. Will Kelly located near him, and then came Earley, and Livingstons, who secured a postofhce and built a …

But the first domestic cow in western Nebraska, was that which William Sublette trailed after his wagon in the trapper days, when he drove the first wagons into the mountains. When he met Fitzpatrick, and necessity required more speed than they were regularly making, they turned the cow loose, near the present site of Morrill, and she became the first range cow in the …

They were in a measure fixed here several years before any of the others, but it was in the capacity of rangers looking after cattle. They settled down and took land in the early eighties. ■ Runey C. Campbell, who still resides upon his homestead (1919), George Marsh, lately removed to the newer land of Montana, and W. E. Ingraham, who was killed by a colt on his farm in …

One day his boy got his foot tangled in a lariat rope, the other end of which was attached to a wild saddle horse. The animal promptly ran away, and dragged the boy to his death, after which Hanson sold out, and left the country. Perry Braziel, who had been here off and on since 1882, took some land adjoining the old Bay State ranch in Mitchell Valley, about this time. Perry …

proud of the people of the west. Much may justly be said of later people, but I am to speak of them in their turn and place. I refer now to the men of old. Of Creighton, and Paxton, and Swan, and McShane. and Bratt. and Sheedy, and Van Tassel, and Coffee. Of the men who pioneered in their line. Who were unafraid of Indians or personal dangers, and bad men, and roughed it with …

Firm and enduring were the foundations of their fortunes. And so much of their great work was after they had attained middle age. Paxton told me once that some men have youthful minds until they are forty of fifty years of age. He himself was thirty-nine before he had accumulated a thousand dollars. But all the earlier years he had been learning at the University of Nature …

And some of them bid fair to hold him off for many years to come. 1 1 [STORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA VIGI] WTFS II \XG REED AT SIDNEY -- THE GREAT BULLION ROBBERY WHISPERING SMITH GETS TWO The cowman's period of taming the wilderness also included the period of Black Hills gold discoveries, which had a tendency of concentrating rough elements at the terminals of the trails to and …

Gamblers and saloon men of the time always justified any act necessary to get the money, with the following philosophy : "These men are naturally spenders, booze fighter.-, and otherwise dissolute. When they have money, they lay around the towns, drink, and make themselves generally disgusting and disagreeable. Therefore take the money from them as quickly as any device can be …

Reed had lied to the rocks north of Sidney, bul was taken by Sheriff Zweifel and a posse, and incarcerated in jail. About eleven o'clock in the night four hundred masked men arrived ai lb. jail, overpowered the guards, and took Reed to a telegraph pole on the south side of the track opposite the Union Pacific depot. A ladder was procured, and a rope thrown over tin' cross-bar …

This was believed to have been planned some days in advance, and with the co-operation of rbe stage driver and the Sidney express agent. On the day mentioned the stage arrived too late to catch the east bound train. C. K. Allen, a fine-looking man, was express agent. He took four gold bars, valued at twenty thousand dollars each, and several thousand in currency and put them …

After carefully looking over the situation and weighing all the circumstances, it was concluded by the railroad officials that the robbery was committed by four men ; that the leader was a man named McCarthy, who had served as sheriff in 1876 and 1877, and at this time was conducting the Capitol saloon and gambling house. He was a man of considerable political influence and …

"When the case came up for trial Thurston appeared as prosecutor. In relating the story of this affair to me, in the summer of 1916, ex- Senator Thurston told some interesting incidents regarding Whispering Smith, who was assisting him in the case. They occupied Superintendent Law's private car and every night Smith asked Thurston to take a walk up the track to a lonely spot …

That evening, just as Thurston was about to leave for Omaha, Smith took him behind the station and whispered to him : "I told you so, but Pm a-goin' to stay here a day or two, and I think Pll get one or two of 'em." At midnight "Long" Kelly, the train conductor, woke Thurston and handed him this dispatch from Superintendent Law : "Jim got Patsy." At noon the next day Thurston …

Somebody knocked out the lights and I emptied my gun over the heads of the other people and then came away." Patsy was badly wounded, and was a long time in recovering. His wound was at the very place that Smith said the hole would be found. Smith was arrested but was discharged the next morning on the ground of self-defense. A few minutes later as he was approaching the …

That night the prisoner was informed that he was to be hanged in the morning and a friendly informant told him that the best thing he could do was to mount a saddled horse standing outside the jail and leave the country. He took the hint, the jail door being opened for his exit. He was probably allowed to escape by the sheriff with the consent of the vigilantes. McCarthy never …

McCarthy, who fled to Montana, was said to have been a "Molly Maguire" who escaped from Pennsylvania, after the great "Molly Maguire" excitement, in which he was a leader in the coal fields against law and order. Col. A. B. Persinger, owner of Hardscrabble ranch near Lodgepo'.e, was a resident of Sidney at the time of the "great bullion robbery," as it was called, and while in …

He knew Smith very well, and regarded him more as an outlaw. Whispering Smith was a dead shot ; a man of nerve ; cold-blooded, calculating and fearless ; and a man who would cunningly and tauntingly provoke an enemy to commit the first overt act, thus giving Smith ground for self-defense. That was Smith's game. Such is Colonel Persinger's iconoclastic estimate of the hero of …

\ great many people passing along that valley, on the < )verland trains, or the Lincoln 1 lighway, have admired a green oasis near the pretty village of Lodgepole, which is the Oberfelder ranch. < >berfelder Brothers are pioneer merchants al Sidney, and this ranch was a side issue. I [ere was where a demonstration of what hogs would do, if properly handled in alfalfa fields …

seventeen, north of Range forty-four west. He organized the Oshkosh Land & Cattle Company. D. C. Hooper arrived and went into ranching about the same time. Previously, Knowles- Baldwin Company, the Ogallala Company,, Adams, Redington & Company, and the LJsco ranch were in practical control of the range, the Ogallala having taken over many of the _ other ranches. This company …

With the coming of the granger the ranch was abandoned. Earnest Brothers, who located on the Niobrara in Sioux county, in 1882, held the ranch for twenty years or more. Wilse Earnest moved to Scottsblufr about 1900, but Jim was ranching some years later. Both are now dead. Mr. Meeks, who located on the Niobrara, about 1878, fifteen miles up the river from Agate, was at the …

After the burial, a strong board was set up at the head of the grave, and to properly identify it as the burial place of one of the western bunch, it was shot full of holes. Some of these boards marked the graves of departed ones for years, and no doubt some of them are still to be found. Occasionally, to let their sleeping comrades know that those "still on top of the turf," …

In fact, the stories of the others are generally unknown. In the rush of fifteen hundred a day that passed through Sidney, if one fell by the wayside, even though suddenly and violently, it left no lasting impression. Only the passing of someone who was identified with the community, as townsmen or herdsmen, occasioned any extensive remark. Men like Loomis, or Tate, or the …

Many old timers knew Fritzie as the onelegged cowpuncher who, for a time, ran Miner's hotel in Sidney. Fritzie's infirmity was caused by the intoxication, carelessness, and magnified sense of humor possessed by his buddy. Said buddy arrived home late one night, after an hilarious time in Sidney. Fritzie was sleeping when his buddy entered, and buddy decided it would be funny …

out on the prairie somewhere, and Harris said he would ride a wild one. Jerry held the lantern and Harris threw a rope at random into the corral. He caught a wild-eyed mare. They snubbed her up to the fence, saddled her,' and Harris mounted in the saddle. In the lantern light she reared, knocked out the light and disappeared in blackness. Jerry struck a match, and saw Harris …

The boys liked him, but he wasted whatever they liberally bestowed upon him, and in useless dissipation. chapter xxxii Mcdonald hung by vigilantes at sidney-- sheriff trognitz's toke -- practical tokes of old timers By 1881, the gun men of Sidney were again making themselves so generally obnoxious, that a drastic and a lawless exhibition became necessary to show them that it …

Thi soldiers stationed at Fort Sidney were not "t" the lily white variety. An Irishman named John Mathews and his wife ran a joint some distance east of the present site of tin- American Stale Bank, and they got mixed up in an embroglio with a bunch of soldiers. Early in the morning those who had retired, I Sidney was then a town where sale open day and night) wen- awakened b) …

West of the living room was the bedroom, and in front of that was another room occupied by a milinery store and living room, which was owned by a Mrs. Ferguson. Thoelecke had a brothe'r at North Platte, who occasionally shipped hay to Sidney, and Julius attended to the distribution. Sam Fowler was then sheriff, he having succeeded Mose Howard who had resigned. He had a deputy …

Still bent upon his purpose, he turned out of the door and ran around the millinery store towards a side door of the kitchen. But here Mrs. Thoelecke again met him, and demanded that he leave the place "like a gentleman." The story of the event spread like a prairie fire. The gamblers gathered in force on the corner in front of Tobin's saloon, and condemned Mc- Donald for his …

He and Hugh Bean, "the gentleman gambler," Dan Sullivan, Frank Anderson, and some half a dozen others were disarmed, marched to the old Sidney jail, and locked in. Sometime in the night a number of men, some of whom still reside in the new and better Sidney, got their heads together. In the morning McDonald was found near the court house hung to a pole, and the other gambler …

This was the last hanging by vigilantes in the Panhandle, but occasionally the cow-punchers, to give travelers on the Union Pacific a thrill, would pull off a stunt by hanging a dummy to a pole near the railroad, and shoot it full of holes, as a train pulled into town. In the middle eighties, Charley Trognitz was sheriff of Cheyenne county, and he had a bill disallowed by the …

Harper was in Omaha, and he met Colonel Charles Coffee of Chadron and a number of other old timers. They had stopped for lunch at the Millard cafe, and one of the fellows more bibulous than the others, had lingered long over his chops. The others grew tired of waiting and wandered up town. After a time their absent friend joined them and told them of a wonderful work of art …

The fellows looked at each other, ami Cof- HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA fee broke the silence. "Come on, boys, I'll buy." The coming of prohibition will forever end certain of the rough pranks and jollity of men. Much of the good fellowship and humor of the west was where the spirits were enlivened by frequent and sundry libations. Not all of the early men drank, but those who …

The unusual article Valentine suggested could be hid in the stranger's cap, which would be an unlikely place to look for it. Charley was then called in, and he experienced some difficulty in getting his mental apparatus in working order. He maneuverated about, and reached up his arms, for a while, and finally, when it was in the right position, he said : "Well, whatever it is …

GORDON'S AND WHITEHEAD'S RANCHES -- YODER'S BEGINNING AND EX- PANSION -- NEW DEVELOPMENT IN GOSHEN HOLES -- BE- GINNING OF ALFALFA AND SUGAR BEETS On our first trip up Horse creek in the eighties, we stopped at the Gordon ranch, in company with George Whitehead. Gordon was .'in active Scotchman and had built an irrigation plant. He, in one place, had made a tunnel through a …

The building and improving of the ranch involved Gordon in heavy obligations which he was unable to meet in the later money-pinch. He built an ideal, but was unable to retain it. like so many of the ideals which dreamers build. Someone else absorbed the benefits of his genius and industry, because he built on borrowed money. I do not know the present ownership of the old …

Frank Yoder. attended school here in the winter of 1881 and 1882, being the only white pupil in attendance. Five daughters of Goodman attended this school, they being beadyeyed half-breeds of varying ages. At the tap of the bell for intermission, noon or night, these girls would move silently to the door, but as soon as in the clear, they would scatter and run for the brush …

Yoder, about five years ago, acquired the fine old Brown ranch near La Grange. This place had 3,160 acres of excellent land. Here Frank keeps in the neighborhood of one thousand cattle. The Yoder boys are active in banking and finance in the Citizen's National Bank of Cheyenne, the Torrington National Bank at Torrinsrton, and elsewhere. The Hawk Springs Development Company was …

Some excellent alfalfa fields are in this part of the valley, and a sugar factory is one of the early anticipations after the advent of the railroad. It takes a long time to realize dreams, but the west was built by dreams. There are living and active in business in the state capital, Lincoln, Nebraska, men who sat in the shadow of sod houses, and dreamed that some day there …

In that day it was known as Lucerne, Chilan clover, or California clover, the name alfalfa coming into general use later on. It is difficult to estimate the value which Colonel Parks initiation has been to our community and commonwealth. During the campaign of 1920, the output from the four sugar mills at Scottsbluff, Gering, Bayard and Mitchell will be approximately one …

In early granger days, and while the sand hills were passing to title under the section homestead act, we heard stories of feudal despots known as "cattle barons." But always these bold, bad buccaneers were "over the hill," somewhere. They were elusive, and no one ever quite "met up" with one. A few half insane bachelors like John Krause, added a touch of realism to the …

He runs vast herds -- probably more than 10,000 cattle and 1000 horses. In the big storm of March, 1913, fifteen hundred cattle were lost by their drifting into Swan lake. The Avery ranches are also large. Charles has a ranch covering two townships, and well stocked. Sam also has a fine ranch. Fine hay meadows, and a hunting lodge on one of the Avery lakes, built for the …

Neither do we have the stampedes that used to wither the grass as the trampling feet of wild-eyed cattle passed. Those were days when "The Phantom Steer" led herds to perdition. To quote from verse written in the running style of the running cattle: "For at my side with a flaming nose, And eyes that glowed as foxfire glows, With a body of quivering, pulsing mist My rope cut …

A crowd moving about was "milling around." Dancing the old "round dances" were sometimes called "milling." Occasionally dancers and dancing were referred to as "the night herd is a-running," or "the herd, it got to milling when the fiddle got in tune." Wyatt ( Long) Heard, of Uvalde county, Texas, drifted through Banner county, on the last roundup. He liked the social early …

There were a lot of pranks pulled off at parties and dances, and where some "puncher's" horse, or buggy team was tied at the gate or corral of a place where one of the first girls were known to reside. I found my broncho untied late one night when I was starting for home. The "fool critter" traveled ahead of me in the moonlight from fifty to one hundred yards distant, all the …

Also, the ponies failed to pick up any speed, and seemed to be pulling hard on the light rig. Xext morning he discovered the cause. One of the jokes of the ranchmen in north Garden county, whenever visiting Omaha or other markets, was to pose as the "Mayor of Mumper." Mumper was a postoffice at a ranch in the Sand Hill country, and while "Mayor of Mumper" was impressive among …

Bronson moved to the Niobrara in 1879, and located about twelve miles east of Graham and Snyder. He became a writer of considerable note, publishing a book of western adventure. Captain Cook is also a well known character in western Nebraska early life when Indians were a menace. At the Agate ranch has been unearthed and developed one of the most famous fossil beds of the …

Carpenter's boy -- Willie -- arrived in the winter of 1879-1880 and was snow-bound in Sidney for three or four weeks. He was a nice kind of a kid and stayed in Oberfelder's store. Some years later a big, wiskered man with a deep voice came into the store and asked for Bob. When Bob appeared he said: "I want your father," but after a bit he discovered it was the same Bob of …

He had a shaft down about six feet, when one of these fits rendered him helpless. He drowned in less than a foot of water. Tom Sturgis had Whispering Smith employed in the eighties to keep Cheyenne county from going for the herd law. He failed in his efforts for the grangers were strong for it. McGinley and Stover located three miles west of Agate in 1882, and Earnest Brothers …

Every little while we now hear of one who has gone "stampedin' on the Old Trail." Yet, today, we find a few anchored to the soil of the wonderful land, which they have helped to tame from the wilderness of old, to the present wilderness of green, done in seventeen shades of glory and productivity. Recently there seems to be a Stampede of the old boys, heading for the Home …

To drift or fade away, Were Jimmy Tate at Sidney, And" Kimball Billy Day. He's put in Boot Hill Graveyard, With boots on, as he died, W7hen Jimmy quit the Lodgepole And hit the Great Divide. And then to take the High Roau Was our old Captain Jenks ; He went with the Rough Riders When shuffling off the kinks. Then Chris Streeks of a sudden Snuffed out the light, and died -- He …

He was trailin' o'er The Ridge. The Maycock brothers, John and Joe, Each passed along The Way. John dropped in from the sagebrush, And Joe from Canada. And boys, a waitin', millin' 'round. For calls to come up higher. Saw Colonel Pratt fade up The Trail A settin' her afire. Then from the Runnin' Water Went the Earnests -- Jim and Wilse, And from the Mitchell valley Went a …

To travel on The Road, A lookin' for old Snodgrass, McShane and Mark M. Coad. He'll find them sittin' in the game In good old fashioned style, And, maybe, lookin' on, he'll find His neighbor, Milton Byal. There's Tusler, and~Sam Fowler, And Laing, who lived upon The "Lorren's Fork" a plavin' With old Doc Middletom It sure is quite an outfit Of saddle boys that goes. Jim …

He crossed the Cheyenne Plain Where Gordon had gone on before, Along with Doc. Tremaine. Sam Lawyer -- arms a flappin' And floppin' like a sail Went foggin' and a fannin' up The Dim and Dusty Trail I faintly hear an anvil, And ringin' blacksmith tools : I wonder if Jack Hilton's there A shoein' Spanish mules. Bronson left the Deadman's\ creek A "Ghost" upon the Wind. Doc …

Wouldn't do at all. So Bratt, he said, no Bogy Could scare one of his stamp, If he had men like Cody Or Likens, in his camp. He'd hunt the scattered Dogies And as he found his pals, He'd round 'em up and drive 'em in To his Home Ranch Corrals. I wonder if the old boys. Join in the "round up mill :" I wonder if the bronchos Are linin' the corral: And girls with merry laughter …

And callin' Collins, bring 'em in An overbrimmin' cup. D'ye reckon that is why they Are tearin' down The Slope. Like rippin' into Sidney, Or down on Antelope. D'ye reckon there's a Camp Clarke, A Hartville or Cheyenne, A waitin' for us yonder where The other boys have gone. Is Jim Moore there a playin' A game of solitaire, Or is he ridin' "the Express," And fannin' through the …

Then later with the voyage of La Salle when he took New France, now Canada, and the region of the Great Lakes and the territory of Louisiana, in the name of Louis the Great, King of France. Spain followed by France thus became the first owners of the territory now comprised in Nebraska ; in 1763, Louisiana Territory was* ceded back to Spain, and what is now Cheyenne county …

Cheyenne county was created by act of the first state legislature in 1867, and at that time contained the territory since erected into Banner, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill and Scotts Bluff counties. At the present time the county lies in the Panhandle section of Nebraska, in the second tier from the western boundary and the south tier north of the Colorado-Nebraska …

In addition to this major stream, the Lodgepole valley has a south branch running northeast from the western line and smaller valleys, many unnamed. Lodgepole valley is generally "level, deep soiled and well watered and in an early day was attractive to the homeseekers. The lands were the first lands to be settled and today are the sites of the oldest ranches and farms. In the …

In 1869 and 1870, cattle were wintered in the country now' comprised in Cheyenne county though the ranges had been used before that time for oxen. For a number of years no taxes were levied against the cattle, no investments in real estate were necessary and the profits were large. Later the cattlemen and ranchers had to pay their taxes to the organized counties adjacent. They …

The first purpose of the soldiers at Fort Sidney was to protect the builders of the railroad; four troops of the Third and Fifth United States Cavalry were stationed there and a portion of the Third Infantry for a time but they were later sent to another post. General Dudley was in command of Sidney Post and remained two years before being relieved by Genera] Merritt. A …

The Union Pacific railroad was built on to the west from Sidney in 1868, and with it went a large part of the population of the town when it was the end of the road. There was a large, nomadic, rough element in the country at the time, which always followed the rail head where it could prey on the laborers. The post was reduced to the mere needs of protection from Indians …

Even at this early day there were indications that a political ring had been formed in Cheyenne county and unless a man was favored by the members he did not succeed in public life. The Cattee Business The stagnation of the town and county continued through the next five years. The trail herds passing through the town and county enlivened life occasionally, when cattle werei …

Some of the most important companies and ranchmen with their holdings are as follows : Adams, Redington & Co., six thousand head ; Codd Brothers, five thousand head ; Creighton Herd, three thousand head ; Tusler Brothers, thirty-five hundred head; Pratt & Ferris, three thousand head ; Bostler & Irwin, twenty-five hundred head ; Bostler & Lawrence, two thousand head ; other men …

A log hut served as the first store building in Sidney and was built by a man called "French Louis." It was located about four miles south of the present town site, but when a station was established at Sidney on the railroad, he moved the store to the town. Most of the stock of goods at that day consisted of necessary supplies and whiskey. In 1868, Charles Moore built a frame …

He became secretary of the Cattle Association of Western Nebraska when it was formed, taking part in the settlement of many of the cattle disputes and diffi- A Fine Residence of Sidney culties of the early days. When the railroad tried to evade paying taxes Mr. Kane siezed an engine on the track. First he order the deputy sheriff, A. Solomonson, to stand in front of the engine …

Sidney one time had twenty-three saloons in one block between First and Second streets west of Rose street, now Center street. Now there is none. The business died of its own excesses and vice. Carrigan went into other business and became one of the progressive citizens, in later years. Saloon business in a "cow town" was vastly different from the same business in the mining …

Custer Cily. am . route may 3U,ip \|pad flt Sidney, Care_6f.H._T._CLARKE, Sidney, Neb.; -ac-sStl^of. js.vvKU.PE fsjiD I-', Tii I^viV^ESS_DC5rNt;SS. pill lilt SIDNBY SHOR'Ii ROXFtW THI BLACK BXLXil ISKOW OPEN FOR TRAVEL. AND, WITH THS ROAD.lS " . Guarded £y the United ^States Troops'! v ONLY 167 MILES TO CUSTER CITf , TOOa THE BSIOll PACIFIC BAIUOAD. _ la'.y. aEd^Ctmp …

of city government and a permanently platted city engaged much attention, although gold was the item of paramount interest to everyone. It was not until May 1, 1877, that a plat of the town was filed. In 1876 and 1877, there arrived and departed from Sidney about fifteen hundred people daily in the rush to the Black Hills for gold. People were going to and from the Black …

MOORE' H'lTEL cJLl operated the Star Clothing House which for a time rivalled the Oberfelder store. P. J. Cohn was the original senior member. His nephews operated the store. Louis and Mike Cohn were cousins and Louis later became sole owner. Mike sold his interest for $40,000, took it to Chicago, and lost it. William France had a hardware store here in 1876, and among the …

Grant and John Carrier were the first men to run barber shops, the called "fashionable barbers," soon followed by J. H. Surles and Charles M. Rouse. Pratt and Ferris, well known as the "P F" were the early freighters, doing an extensive business in Cheyenne county and the Black Hills, while G. W. Dudley advertised "Dear's Stage Line to the Black Hills." The main HISTORY OF …

Sidney Probst was the driver from 1876 to 1878, and his many experiences of those early days are interesting and instructive, telling of the life of the vanguard of civilization. Probst died a few years ago in Colorado. This route did not compare in peril with that to the north on the Black Hills' route, for that line ran through hostile Indian country, and the stages were …

Charles Fordyce, one of the pony express riders, was killed by Indians a little north of that station. In 1877, a white man who had been selling or trying to sell trees in the Hills drove into the Newman station. It was snowing and the Newman outfit tried to persuade him to stay until the storm was over but he pressed on. Later appeared an advertisement asking Pony Express and …

The Indians then seemed to rise out of the prairie and the surveyors "dug in" making a hole about eight feet square into which they put the provisions and water, then crawled in themselves. The Indians circled about on ponies, swinging over their sides and shooting under the animals necks; but the soldiers heard the firing, returned in haste, and the Indians fled. No one was …

The bridge was built, however, and was used by the people passing north and south. SIDNEY'S WILDEST DAYS Sidney had by this time become a boiling caldron of humanity, some serious and hurried, others serene, methodical and unruffled, all with the one object, gold. The town was wide open, and day and night business houses, saloons, dance halls and theatres were thronged with …

The men committing these offenses were "Three-finger Jack," "Hold-'em-up Johnny" and others of their kind. Jack made a tactical blunder in a storm and held up a citizen of the town, following which he and some of the worst citizens "dusted," as a result of public sentiment. A number of incidents, some tragic, and others nearly so, and some of boisterous humor, are here …

Newman was nearby in the corral on a horse when the wild animal attacked him, knocking horse and rider down. It then reared, and was on the point of setting his forefeet down on the prostrate man and stamping him to death, when R. S. Van Tassell seized the rope which was trailing from the wild horse's neck, and '"set on it," swerving it from its objective by a few feet. Quick …

About the time of Sidney's last lynching episode, that of McDonald'in 1881.' frightful orgies were common at a road house some dist iiiii' north of town, at one of the spring creeks leading down to the Platte river. One night, a dance and carouse was going full '•win- when a soldier accidentally shot himself dead. The others deposited the body in a corner of the room and …

A hastily selected jury heard the boy's story that Wild Bill had killed his brother in Kansas the year before. He was found "not guilty," according to the code of the times, but was told to get out of the Black Hills. Before the event, Wild Bill had heard that a kid was looking for him, and he had said, "a kid looking for me, is the only kind I am afraid of : he may get me." A …

Evidently the painter was unhappy, and took an unkindly departing shot at his neglectful spouse. According to codes then prevalent, either the Black Hills wagon boss or the painter would have tarried permanently somewhere beside the Trail. One or the other failed to measure up to the standard required by the red-blooded men of the period. True, it was probably better thus, for …

According to Reynold's story it started at the supper table over a difference of five dollars in wages, whether the amount due was seven dollars or twelve dollars. He said the Pinkstons attacked him with clubs and he used the axe in self defense. His first story, however, told at Trognitz barn, which then occupied the present site of tht U. S. A. Theatre at Sidney, was that a …

Never discouraged by adverse circumstances, for the darkness of the night meant to them the sun was soon to rise. "Whitie" was one of these genial souls. "Whitie" had a run of luck that put him "down upon his uppers," and conceived a scheme for a moderate stake. He invented a calf and valued it at ten dollars. He told three companies he had such a calf, and if they would give …

They selected the names of several hundred people in all parts of the United States, and wrote letters on "Lockwood House" stationery, of similar import to each. These were to the effect that someone had died in the hotel owing a little bill. Upon examination of his effects they were led to the opinion that the deceased was a relative of the one addressed, that the deceased …

They reasoned that the recipients of the letters would send the money to get the goods, even though not expecting any legacy, and not having any relation, who would likely be in Sidney to die. They were not mistaken in the weakness of their fellow men. The money came by check, draft and money order. After they had accumulated about forty thousand dollars. Postmaster Fred Clary …

He wanted three thousand cash immediately, and would leave the other five thousand on deposit. There was little cash available HISTORY < >F WESTERN NEBRASKA and the bank did not accept the proffer. Henry St. Rayner and Mr. Donaldson, were at Cheyenne at the time, and when they returned to Sidney, told the local bankers of "the preacher with the eight thousand dollar draft." As …

However, Trognitz found four of the Bickel five dollar bills in the end of his spectacle case, and some silver in his pockets. The papers headlined a story of "cowboy Sheriff arrests a preacher." Two days later Cashier Stone of Sioux City Savings Bank, arrived and identified Benton, as a swindler named Simpson. His method was to get part cash on a large draft, drop his …

"The National salute of one hundred and one guns was fired by Sidney's battery at sunrise. Let it be stated, for once, that more than a hundred shots were fired in Sidney without in a< ' ident." "Fitzpatrick was ruled out of the greasedpole climbing contest because of his great length. He was too near the top of the "pole :ii the start." "C K. Allen came within an ace of …

A friend of the Oberfelders from New York had come to Sidney, and Bob, while showing him around, dropped in Zobel's place. At one table sat three distinguished characters ; Hank Clifford, from the Stage station on the Niobrara river ; Ben Tibbets, beef killer and squawman from Red Cloud agency, and "Arkansas John" Wyseckler. Their bibulous feast had reached a stage of …

Contemporaneously others made it a business, using the settler as a "Smoke screen." As often as possible they made the granger an accomplice, giving him meat for domestic needs, which needs were frequently sufficient. Occasionally cowboys and near cowboys became cattle detectives, and sometimes outside detectives were empolyed. Jack Crittendon's services were presumed to be on …

Talbert apparently decided to join in homing making, and as brought out at Nunn's trial, he made the suggestion and induced Nunn to' join him in killing a range beef. There was no dispute as to fact, but the question of the value would settle the sentence, whether a fine or the penitentiary. Talbert was the expert witness for the cattlemen who wanted the accused "sent over the …

The lean years of the early nineties, broke many cattlemen, and the grangers were "not yet upon their feet." Intense privation and heart-aches covered the broad acres of Cheyenne county. The prices of merchandise dropped very low in Sidney and elsewhere. Brilliant financiers and politicians call it back to normal, and helpless mortals echo the apology for the crime of …

A deformation, or structure points to oil land, and an old surveyor's report shows oil seeps east of Sidney but up to the present no well has been brought in. United States Land Office The United States Land Office was established in Sidney in July, 1887, with the first officers as follows: John M. Adams, register and G. B. Blakely, receiver ; G. B. Blanchard, register and L …

In 1870, Thomas Kane went to Lincoln, the state capital, to prevail upon Governor David Butler, to call an election for choosing officers for Cheyenne county, which was done by a proclamation in August, 1870. The following officers were chosen: Thomas Kane, treasurer; John Ellis, sheriff; C. A. Moore, Fred Glover, and H. L. Ellsworth, commissioners, and H. A. Dygart, clerk …

The offices were not as attractive as they are now and not sought. A list of the officers of the county down to 1918, follows: 1872, the commissioners were Henry Newman, and Joseph Cleburne; Judge, G. W. Heist; sheriff, J. J. Ellis; coroner. P, Bailey (refused to qualify) ; treasurer, Thomas Kane; superintendent of schools, George R. Ballou; surveyor, John Griffin i refused to …

H. Troelstoup, W'illiam Codings and J. L. Reed. County Treasurers A complete roster of the county officers has been hard to obtain. Some of the offices have been created since the organization of the county but the persons who have been trusted with the public funds are as follows : Thomas Kane. Henry Snyder, C. K. Allen, Carl E. Borgquist, James Sutherland. C. D. Essig, Adam …

Ballou, being succeeded in September, 1874, by I_. Jenkins, then in 1875, by L. H. Bordwell. Since that time the following men have filled that office: Daniel Hirlihy, E. M. Day, Joseph Oberfelder, Leslie Stevens, Mrs. Julia Shelton, Mrs. E. O. Lee, Mattie McGee, C. P. Chambers, Otis D. Lyon, Mrs. A. B. Knox, Minnie E. Chase, William Ritchie, Jr., Edith H. Morrison, and Anna …

In 1873, precincts for the first time took on importance and elected officers and from this time have continued to elect the necessary officers from time to time. The first county surveyor was elected in 1872, being John Griffin who refused to qualify; Joseph Callihan was elected in 1873, and refused to qualify, since which time the surveyors elected have served. The first …

Samuel Savage next sat upon the bench but his were not the years of stress that preceded or followed as he held office from 1880 to 1884. From 1884 to 1888, Francis G. Hamer, afterwards a member of the Nebraska supreme court, served in this district. His record is written in the hearts of the people whose homes he saved by delay of process of law in the interests of justice …

Judge Grimes still presides when court meets in Cheyenne, Deuel, or Kimball counties. He starts now upon his twenty-fifth year as judge of the district in which Cheyenne county is located, which is evidence of a satisfied people. From 1868 to 1885, the statutes provided for the election of district attorneys. During those years one name stands alone to the credit of the …

There are three full stories including the basement which is light and airy and contains the jail, the furnace room, and two convenient rest rooms for the public. eel with it is an office for the judge. On this floor are jury rooms, counsel chambers and the caretaker's apartments. The old county buildings were sold and wrecked when the new court house was placed in use so the …

The offices include those of thi il-il. superintendent, assessor, commissioners, surveyor and county judge, which includes an office and court room. The third floor or second story houses the district court ii h i- large and convenient. Connectsix hundred and forty acres, and to such homesteaders under the old law, who had vacant lands adjoining, they could increase their …

The law was then confined to Nebraska, but now includes all the western states. Cheyenne; County Schools District No. 1, was organized in 1871, with C. E. Borgquist, moderator; D. Carrigan, director, and Joseph Cleburne, treasurer. It included Cheyenne county as it then existed, and unorganized Sioux county which then extended eastward to the present line of Holt county. In a …

Districts Nos. 2 and 3 were organized in Sioux county with John Tucker and W. V. Pennington directors of the two districts, in the order named. There seems to have been no county superintendent in Cheyenne county until January, 1871, when George Ballou assumed the duties of that office. He was the first county superintendent of a territory covering nearly a third of the state …

J. Walrath, director; a man named Green was treasurer, but the district was abandoned as no school was held. On August 4, 1879. a petition for reorganization of district No. 2, was filed and asked that the following officers be named : R. J. Coerdon, moderator; E. W. Ormsby, director; A. J. Walrath, treasurer. No. 2 district was created by E. M. Day, superintendent, who had …

Mcintosh as a saloon. This served until the school grew and required more room and better quarters, which were provided. The old frame structure was sold to the Swedish Lutheran church and in 1920, was still used for church purposes though remodeled and with additions. District No. 4, was organized at Lodgepole, August 19, 1879, by E. M. Day. county superintendent. H. Barrett …

Districts Nos. 8 and 9, were "formed on the railroad at Bronson and Colton. District No. 10, the first organized away from the railroad, in Cheyenne county, was on Pumpkin creek at the old Wright ranch, while Leslie Stevens was superintendent. It came into existence in March, 1885, and the district comprised practically all the territory now embraced in Banner county, and all …

The district was organized March 7. 1886, with George Williams as director. Cheyenne county has since been divided and retains only a small part oi it- original territory but the schools have maintained a high standard of efficiency in tional work. 'I'l'<- firsl school in unorganized territory later Sioux county, and now Sheridan county Wished by fas. i Iberfelder in 1882 It …

There are consolidated schools at Sunol and Gurley, the first having five teachers and twelve grades, while Gurley has seven teachers and eleven grades. The rural schools, sixty-five in number do, not seem to be following the extreme consolidation plans of some other counties, it being the general opinion in Cheyenne county that schools of two or three rooms and a teacher's …

Its quality is of the purest. It is pumped to the reservoir on the hill and from there distributed to the town by a fall of a hundred and twenty feet. The reservoir will hold a hundred and twenty-five thousand gallons. The system is owned by the city and was put in at a cost of $25,500. Consumers get a water rate that is very reasonable. A sewer system has been a badly needed …

located in the Cleburne Block and enjoys a large patronage. More than four hundred subscribers are served and have connections with about any place in the world. Four girls are busy throughout the twenty- four hours. Sidney has more than sixteen miles of cement sidewalks, much of it twelve feet wide. These lead to all the better portions of the town town and take the …

The payroll for the current months has amounted monthly to $15,000. The round house, car department and coal heavers received $5,800, monthly, while the roadmaster's office and the five sections within the county total $2,0^7.07. There are thirteen passenger trains on this road each day and at this point two local freights carrying passengers. An attractive depot of stone …

A dam was built across the creek and the waters thus impounded were used to irrigate the tracts of land alloted to the companies. Rivalry existed between the companies is growing the best gardens. Let it be known to the credit of this early tillage that the soldiers raised nice gardens, but the grasshoppers discouraged their efforts. The first produce was intended to supply …

This is explained by the fact that the stream is fed from numerous springs along its entire course and also by the fact of the valley being from one to three miles in width. The irrigation of such land thus being very close proximity to the stream that water reappears promptly, after being spread over the bordering land. It has been observed frequently that when all the flow …

They have adopted the newer standards of an ownership of acreage, instead of the open range. There arc the first grangers also, who came and remained through the years of stress, a number of which are ye< residents after the lap e of a third of a century. Here was horn the first white boy in thai part of the county; Guy C. Newman. Here also is Col. V B. ■ and his I …

Lodgepole also had to its credit one of the state's best members of the legislature in 1917- 1919, and who in 1921 became regent of the State University, William L. Bates. Fred Lehmkuhl is another Lodgepole name HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA that runs steadily through the progress of town, county, and community welfare, from the very beginning. J. R. Young is still another long …

After its incorporation and the good years of plenty, sidewalks were laid. Miles of concrete walks were laid, and an electric light plant and water system were established that render excellent service and give Lodgepole a metropolitan aspect. The electric plant and water works are housed in the same building. Lodgepole has a modern school house of cut stone and it is rated …

the grain, hardware and implement houses have been started and furnished the country side with all machinery and articles needed by the farmers. The leading mercantile house was started in 1888 by a Mr. Young and a large fine building was erected to house the store in 1892. It is an establishment of which Lodgepole may well be proud. A furniture store was one of the early …

William and Andrew McAdam built on the corner where the James Lumber Company now has an office. They were engaged in the furniture business. The Mc- Adams also built the old school house which stood for years on school house hill, whkh was later remodeled and used for a hotel on Main street. This old school was built about 1887 or 1888, but after being removed from the station …

One of the first postmasters was Fred Nelson. The old livery barn was built by Frank Hyde and was one of the oldest buildings in Potter outside the section house and depot. He dug a well, the first in Potter and put up a tank and windmill, and even went so far as to pipe water to some of the buildings and houses, installing the first water system in the town, though it is …

Stevens was hired by some enterprising men to reestablish the Review and has been published ever since under that name. By 1890 the farmers who had settled around Potter began to raise grains, mostly wheat and oats and as 1892 was a good year, Potter had to build grain storage houses but not of the type used today. Everything seemed bright for the young village of Potter but …

The Union Pacific railroad built a new station and tank, while the farmers organized and put up a large grain elevator; later they also erected a flour mill. Mr. Seyfang projected a theatre building and hall for the growing town. New additions were laid out while many fine homes were constructed. Farming was prosperous and was reflected in the growth and development of the …

I am sure our little pony team was the first to go up that hill with a wagon out of Big Horn canyon on the east side of the place where the principal road now runs. We crossed Lawrence Fork at the same point this road now occupies. We were unable to sell or trade the posts in Potter and drove to Sidney, where we made the necessary exchange with A. Pease, then in business …

It was taken out to Pumpkin creek, the first domestic cat in the present Banner county limits. The Potter Review calls that town the "biggest little city in Nebraska," which is emphasized by the character of its numerous business houses of today. Among these are Farmers Union Trading Company, Johnson-Cords Company, Thornburg & Hager, Housen-Seyfang Mercantile Company, Potter …

In 1920 Potter shipped 375 cars of wheat, of a value of approximately $700,000. a drop of probably one-third from last year's total cash, but twenty-five percent of the wheat is yet in the fanners' bins. Dalton The high divide north of Sidney was traversed by the overland stage, pony express, and western bound emigrants, before Sidney existed. The Jules Cut-off from the South …

As water was two hundred to three hundred feet below the surface, welldigging was no small undertaking. These "Water Holes" were some distance southwest of the present town of Daiton. Eventually such beaut ful lands were destined to become homes ; they were settled upon by homesteaders, many of whom are yet to be found in the prosperous community. At first wells were dug at …

Twenty -five years ago this site was a field of grass ; a wagon road leading from the river country wound through this territory, and the location was visited by a party of eastern men. as they passed over the divide in a freighter's wagon, for Sidney was then the first town south of Alliance. On reaching the "highest point," where Dalton, "Queen of the Prairie," today lifts …

Other farmers questioned why large fields would not yield as well as small ones. Macaroni wheat was introduced, which had drouth resisting qualities. Farmers remembered the years of 1893 and 1895, which were well nigh rainless. The pioneer merchant. W. S. Woolsey, became busy and prosperous and another man ventured into the station town to establish the Clough store. During …

The busy blacksmith shop was conducted by Herman Martin and a hardware and furniture store by Charles Veith ; a confectionery store by H. C. Christensen and a livery and implement house by C. W. Handley. J. B. Hire managed a restaurant while A. P. Gustin operated a pool hall and barber shop. The garage of Dalton was opened by Ben Carter, while his wife was in charge of the …

Jones & Company are large realty dealers of Dalton ; they have handled several hundred families in farms and also deal in city property. Due to the growing business Mr. Jones took into partnership in 1913, A. J. Jorgenson, who had been the local manager of the McNish Land Company. The Western Realty Company was organized in 1906 with W. E. Swartzlander as president. This …

Dalton now has a population of about three hundred and fifty, two excellent banks, and four elevators. Its mercantile interests are well represented. The Farmers and Merchants Bank, and the Dalton State Bank look after financial affairs, which is an undertaking in a wheat town where elevators of the capacity of those at Dalton are in evidence. Three hundred and forty-one cars …

This year's crop is only seventy percent marketed, thirty percent being in local elevators and farmers' bins. The character of the country about Gurley is a continuation of the Dalton community. Huntsman I [untsman lies still further south on this tableland, and nearer to Sidney. The town has a bank and mercantile facilities. There being no station agent the grain shipments …

It has a bank, stores and garage, being on the Lincoln Highway- Government statistics put the total wheat product of Cheyenne county at 2,900,000 bushels for 1920. Shipments, however, were in excess of that amount. Conservative figures show a total of 2,111 cars of wheat shipped out, or about 3,100,000 bushels, and that represents but seventy percent of the crop. The other …

The territory of Lyons, Taylor and Monroe counties later erected into Cheyenne county and the "Beavais Terres" to the north, was included in the district represented by V. Krummer, of Columbus, in 1866, or the last territory legislature. This district included all of western Nebraska. The representative district was limited in 1873, to all territory west of Hastings and Grand …

The law at the time required a petition of two hundred of whom ten must be "taxable inhabitants," to organize a county. Sioux county, then unorganized, was attached to Cheyenne for administrative, judicial and taxation purposes. In the Senate and Legislature G. H. lewett, of Sidney was state senator in 1879 ; G. W. Heist, of Sidney, in 1883 ; D. Carrigan, of Sidnev, was …

A private bank, the first in this part of the state, was established by Raynolds and Wallace and was called the Cheyenne County Bank." A. H. Raynolds was from Canton, Ohio, and was a relation of President McKinley. William Wallace was for years connected with the Omaha National Bank, and a figure of prominence in the financial world. After establishing and operating their bank …

Mcintosh, president of the American Bank, was made receiver of the Exchange. Edwin M. Mancourt, of Terre Haute, Indiana, a proficient banker, established the Merchants Bank. He was more conservative than had been his predecessors in Sidney's banking circles. After a few years he liquidated and went east, being a large banker in Detroit, Michigan, today, and also vice-president …

The First National Bank came into existance in 1902. It has a capital and surplus of $75,800, and its present officers are: W. E, Swartzlander, president ; A. K. Greenlee, vicepresident ; Leslie Neubauer, cashier ; Charles L- Mann and Lena L. Jensen, assistant cashiers. The men who were influential in its organization were B. A. Jones, J. W. Harper, Charles Callihan, Milton …

The bank has a capital and surplus of $54,670. The Liberty State Bank came into existence in 1919, with F. N. Slawson, president ; H. R. Fuller, vice-president ; R. A. Barlow, cashier; and Marius Christenson, assistant cashier. It has prospered since organization and today has a capital and surplus of $33,000. The oldest bank in Cheyenne county, outside of Sidney, was …

The Citizens State Bank, began business in 1917. It has a capital and surplus of $18,000, with the following officers : G. A. Roberts, president ; Clarence Johnson, vice-president ; R. A. Babcock, cashier and D. F. Enevoldsen, assistant cashier. Dalton has two banks, both established in 1908. The Dalton State Bank has $33,800 capital and surplus, with W. J. Ewing, president …

The Farmers State Bank of Sunol, was organized in 1914, and has a capital and surplus of $24,930, and the following officers : T. W. Rogers, president ; W. G. Nielton, vice-president and G. W. Barlow, cashier. The Huntsman State Bank, six miles north of Sidney began business in 1919, and now has a surplus of $4,500 and a capital of $10,000. Its officers are : W. A. Sparks …

Lukins and Frank Connell, the former acting as lookout while Connell took the money. He locked C. W. Smith, the cashier in the vault and started away with the loot, but two men were in the road. He shot through the windshield and killed them both. Others headed him off, and he ran his car into a corn field. Lukins was arrested in the town and Connel was captured in the willows …

It was then bought by Joseph B. Gossage in the autumn of 1874, and the next year George C. Darrow became a partner in the ownership. The Telegraph was then published under the firm name of Joseph B. Gossage & Company. In 1878, a rival newspaper appeared, the Plaindcaler, which was started by W. H. Michael. In 1881, this paper was sold to A. C. Drake who consolidated it with …

It was supported by some politicians who were dissatisfied because the Telegraph sold space to the Democrats. They declared that the Telegraph, which was then managed by Charles Callahan, "had sold its birthright for a mess of pottage." The new paper won official patronage during 1890-1891, but its owner sold out. The paper was not successful and its publication ceased. The …