Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter 11, 1916

The Boyd Ranch

The place known as the "Boyd Ranch" was one of the first landmarks west of the Missouri River on the Utah-California-Oregon Trail, having its initial or starting points at Florence, Omaha and Bellevue on the Missouri River. This ranch was located on what is now the southwest quarter of section 14, township 9, range 14 west, in Buffalo County. As a business point for traffic with emigrants enroute over the trail it was an ideal location. It was located on Wood River at a point where that river approaches nearest to the Platte, less than three miles distant, thus causing the entire travel over the trail to pass close to the ranch. About twelve miles to the south and west and across the Platte River was Fort Kearney, near enough to afford some protection to the ranch but not so near as to cause Dobytown, the business point near the fort, to compete for ' the trade over the trail.

In describing ^le business of a ranch in those early days and of the store sometimes connected therewith, some writers seem to have exaggerated ideas and quite often draw on their imagination in their written description. One writer in describing a ranch and store at Wood River Center, about ten miles east of the Boyd Ranch, says : "At this point he had a large outfitting store for the accommodation of the many who were rushing to the gold fields of California." As a matter of fact, early settlers still living in Buffalo County state that the principal business of this storekeeper at Wood River Center was as a blacksmith and wagonmaker in repairing wagons passing over the trail and that the stock of goods carried by him would not make a wheelbarrow load on a smooth road. Emigrants purchased their outfits, including provisions, before starting on the long journey over the plains and mountains.

Just when a ranch was first established at this point is not known so far as can be learned. Riley Wescoatt states that in the spring of 1853 himself and brother Jonas, with their wives and three children, passed over this trail and camped just beyond what was later known as the Boyd Ranch. The Wescoatt brothers had a herd of 400 heifers which they were driving to California and had with them thirty-five men enroute for California and who assisted in driving the cattle as compensation for board and transportation. In company with the Wescoatt brothers was Capt. John Fuller, who was in command of lOO men whom he had engaged to furnish board and transportation for to California in consideration of $ioo each, $10,000 in all, each man to do his share of guard duty while enroute. These two commands made the entire journey together, and all being fully armed had no fear of successful attack from Indians. Mr. Wescoatt states that the principal business conducted at the ranch was trading in oxen and horses and selling whisky. In the journey over the trail both oxen and horses often became footsore, but after a few days' rest the hoofs would grow out and the lameness disappear. Ranchmen traded for these footsore animals and after they had rested and recovered from their lameness were again in shape for another like trade. Mr. Wescoatt states that the Wescoatt brothers and the Fuller command each purchased at the ranch twenty gallons of whiskey, paying therefor $20 a gallon, $800 in all; that the wives of the Wescoatt brothers carried the money of the firm and they had ciuite a time to convince the women that the whisky was a necessary purchase; but the men in their employ thought they ought to have the whisky on the long journey and as it could not be secured elsewhere the purchase was made. James E. Boyd, governor of Nebraska in 1901-2, after whom the "Boyd Ranch" was named, came to Buffalo County in December, 1858 - Morton History, Vol. I, page 594. Mr. Boyd had been married in August of that year to Miss Ann H. Henry and the family made their home on the ranch. Doctor Henry, father of Mrs. Boyd, made his home with the Boyds and spent some of his time, at least, in hunting and trapping along Wood River. Mr. Boyd says Eleanor, their eldest child, was the first white child born in Bufl:'alo County, Nebraska. Mr. Boyd seems to have begim his ranch business in a very modest manner, as early settlers state that he assisted in breaking the prairie on his ranch and in i860 was often seen plowing in his cornfields. From the first he engaged in the sale of liquor and in the early '60s had begun to raise barley and established a small brewery on the bank of Wood Ri\er where he brewed about ten kegs of beer at a time and which he sold at the fort and at Dobytown for from six to eight dollars a keg. In connection with the brewery he hand an icehouse which he filled from Wood River. This small brewery was on the bank of Wood River, east of the ranch house, and the cellar and part of the building was to be seen when the colony came in 1871. The hole in the ground where the cellar was is still to be seen on the bank of Wood River close beside the public highway. In the early '60s Mr. Boyd had more than one hundred acres under cultivation, on which he raised principally corn and barley, corn bringing a good price from travelers over the trail. Mr. Boyd also trafficked in horses and oxen and had at that date about one hundred head of native cattle.

Until about the year 1864 the buildings at the Boyd Ranch were of logs with dirt roof. Soon after the stampede in 1864, it is related, Mr. Boyd went to Missouri and purchased twenty-four mule teams, all young mules ; he also bought new harness and new wagons with the intention of engaging in the freighting business. Among the first freight brought out from the Missouri River by Mr. Boyd's teams was lumber with which a frame house was erected on the Boyd Ranch. This would not be considered a very pretentious structure

On December 2, 1863, ground was first broken, near Omaha, for the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, but it was not until 1865 that much progress had been made in the grading and construction of this road. In 1865-66 Mr. Boyd secured a large contract for grading on the railroad in which work he found profitable use for the mule teams he had purchased in Missouri. At the close of the first year's work of grading Mr. Boyd informed one of his neighbors that he had cleared $20,000 on his contract that season. This neighbor states that Mr. Boyd cleared at least one hundred thousand dollars on his contracts for grading on the Union Pacific Railroad. The land comprising the Boyd Ranch was first purchased from the United States by Joseph Boyd, his deed from the United States bearing date of December 10, 1867, and is signed by Andrew Johnson, President. Joseph Boyd paid for this land in "land script," issued to Private Thomas Davis in Captain Henry's company, Georgia Militia, War of 1812. This land script was first assigned to William Henly and by him to Joseph Boyd. Land script, as here mentioned, was issued by the general Government to soldiers of both the Revolutionary war and War of 1812 for services in those wars. This script was negotiable and could be used in securing title to Government lands. Joseph Boyd deeded this land to James E. Boyd for a consideration of $500, the deed bearing date of April 5, 1867. O'^ April 8, 1874, James E. Boyd deeded the Boyd Ranch to Asahel Eddy for a consideration of $2,500. From the first establishment of this ranch, at least as early as 1853, continuously until its sale to Mr. A. Eddy in 1874, it is believed the sale of intoxicating liquors formed a regular part of the business of the ranch. After the arrival of the colony at. Gibbon in 1871 there was a saloon located close beside the old brewery cellar on this ranch.

Few people realize the immense number of emigrants that have passed over the Califomia-Oregon-Utah Trail across what is now the State of Nebraska. A very large per cent of these emigrants traveled the trail north of the Platte River and thus passing the Boyd Ranch, though it was probably not known Ijy that name until about the year 1858 when the Boyds first came to Bufifalo County. In order to give at least some idea of the emigrant travel over this trail we quote a few illustrations from Morton History, Vol. II: 'Tn 1845 C^l. S. W. Kearny estimated that 850 men, 475 women, 1,000 children, with 460 wagons, 7,000 cattle and 400 horses had emigrated by the Oregon Trail that year. Major Cross, in the report of the march of the regiment of mounted riflemen to Oregon in 1849, estimates that from 8,000 to 10,000 wagons passed over the trail that season, with an average of 4 people and seldom less than 10 oxen to each wagon, nearly all bound for California. In 1852 an agent of the Indian Department reported passing at least 500 wagons on the trail each day. In 1859 the secretary of the Columbus Ferry Company at Loup Fork (this ferry w^as over the Loup River near the present City of Columbus) reported that up to June 25th of that year 1,987 wagons, 20 hand carts, 5,401 men, 424 women, 480 children, 1,610 horses, 406 mules, 6,010 oxen and 6,000 sheep had crossed at that point. This statement included no portion of the Mormon emigration, but merely California, Oregon and Pike's Peak emigrants. It was thought that not less than

James E. Boyd

In i860 a stage line - Western Stage Company - was established from Iowa to Fort Kearney, via Omaha. The Boyd Ranch was a stage station on this route. In 1866 came the Union Pacific Railroad, following the identical trail past the Boyd Ranch first follow^ed by emigrants as early as 1845, so that it will be seen that for more than sixty years there has been a daily stream of travel over this trail and passing a point locally knowni as the "Boyd Ranch." The early emigrant, with his ox teams and prairie schooner was satisfied if he accomplished fifteen miles a day on his journey. He cooked his meals beside the trail, sometimes his fire was of wood, at other times of ''buffalo chips," but no matter how cooked, he relished and enjoyed his food, for he was blessed with a good appetite. At night he slept in his wagon or on the ground and complained not that he "could not sleep," or that he "did not rest well."