Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter 29: Bridging the Platte at Gibbon and Kearney Junction - Contract Price for, 1916

For The Kearney Bridge

The first bridge across the Platte River in Buffalo County was south of Gibbon and completed in the spring of 1873. The contract price for this bridge was $16.50 per running foot, including approaches, and H. T. Clark of Omaha was the contractor. The bridge was built at the joint expense of Buffalo and Kearney counties. The contract was let at Lowell, county seat of Kearney County, at a joint meeting of the county commissioners of both counties, the two commissioners on the part of Buffalo County being W. F. McClure of Center Precinct and B. F. Sammons of Shelton Precinct. The county bonds voted to build this bridge bore 10 per cent interest and are not at this date (1912) wholly paid, but have been refunded by bonds bearing 3 6-10 per cent interest. The settlement of the Republican Valley to the south began in 1872-73 and the nearest railroad point for all that section, for at least one hundred miles, was at Lowell on the Burlington and at Gibbon and Kearney Junction on the Union Pacific, the Burlington having also made junction with the Union Pacific at Kearney Junction in September, 1872. Large quantities of lumber and household supplies were needed by the settlers south of the Platte and Kearney Junction business men were greatly handicapped on account of lack of a bridge across the Platte.

A proposition to vote county bonds to build a bridge south of Kearney Junction was twice submitted to the voters and defeated, the defeat creating much bitterness of feeling as between Kearney Junction and the eastern portion of the county. In the Central Star, Moses H. Sydenham, editor, published at Centoria (near old Fort Kearney), under date of January i, 1873, appears the following: "The people of Buffalo County are to vote a second time on the issuing of bonds for the purpose of building a bridge across the Platte River between Kearney Junction and Centoria. The first proposition not being satisfactory to the people generally was voted down.

"* * * Enterprising men have commenced to do business at Kearney Junction and it is only natural that they should seek to command all the trade

On March i8, 1873, the county commissioners submitted to the voters of Kearney Junction precinct a proposition to bond that precinct for $25,000 to build a bridge, the bonds to bear 10 per cent interest.

This proposition carried and after litigation in the courts a contract was let by the county commissioners, W. F. McClure, Patrick Walsh and D. A. Crowell, to build a bridge of like specifications as the one south of Gibbon, the lowest bid being $8.50 per running foot. It was T. H. Clark, who received $16.50 per foot for building the Gibbon bridge, who bid to build a like bridge at Kearney Junction for $8.50. The writer does not believe, and neither was it generally believed, that the county commissioners who let the contract for the Gibbon bridge were paid by Mr. Clark to award him the contract, but rather that there was little or no competition in bridge building at the time the first contract was let and that Messrs. McClure and Sammons had no knowledge as to a fair price for the work. As a matter of history of the times and the rivalry that existed as between the citizens of Gibbon and Kearney Junction it is interesting to read the following editorial found in the Buffalo County Beacon, published at Gibbon, A. J. Price, editor, which appeared in the issue of March 22, 1873. First is quoted the petition for voting the bonds : "We, the undersigned citizens of Kearney Junction Precinct, Buffalo County, Nebraska, are in favor of Kearney Junction voting bonds for $25,000, for the purpose of building a bridge across the Platte River at or near Kearney Junction," _ The editorial reads : "The above statement was presented to the commissioners on Tuesday last, numerously signed, and, though it is not a petition for an election, yet Walsh and Crowell issued proclamation for an election to be held in said precinct, Commissioner McClure voting no and ordering his protest to be recorded. These bonds have been twice defeated by a large majority in the whole county, the people having sense enough to keep their property free from such a damaging incumbrance ; and we shall be astonished if the small territory of Kearney Junction Precinct votes to issue these bonds. If they do it will certainly bankrupt them as badly as several counties in Iowa are bankrupted, where many have sold their property for half its worth to get rid of the ruinous tax. But it is their own skunk and they must skin it.

"We warn them that they can safely console themselves with the idea of any trick or catch, for 'eternal vigilance' shall guard the people's interests, and so sure as they rush into this speculation, recklessly determined to dance, so surely they shall themselves pay the fiddler."

After many delays, caused by injunctions and other court proceedings, work was begun on the Kearney bridge. It was a great day when the first pile was driven. Kearney Junction had a population of 245, according to a census taken that year by J. W. Leland, and every male citizen of the town was in attendance at the ceremony attending the occasion.

The following account, published in the Central Nebraska Press, Webb <& Rice H. Eaton, editors, gives an interesting report of the proceedings:

"Yesterday at 3.30 P. M. was the hour appointed to commence the operations of driving- the first pile for the bridge over the Platte River. Most of the male inhabitants of the town assembled on the bank of the stream by the appointed time, all anxious to see a commencement made. The route had been surveyed and under the direction of Capt. L. R. Moore, the first pile was placed in position immediately south of Colorado Avenue, and at 4.56 o'clock, September 24, 1873, the ponderous cast iron hammer of the pile driver came down for the first time upon the first pile driven for the bridge that is soon to connect the north and south banks of the Platte opposite this point. The Stars and Stripes had been nailed to a staft', and by Mr. Keens (F. G. Keens) was nailed to the driver. Everyone felt glorious and even the appearance of Sherifif Thompson (O. E. Thompson) with his pockets full of injunctions did not aft'ect or stay matters in the least, for our folks have become so used to these little documents that they consider them part of the program on all important occasions. After the pile had received four or five hard thumps from the driver, Judge Hemiup (N. H. Hemiup) was called for and in a neat little speech of fifteen minutes told the people of the importance of this internal improvement, alluded to the trouble we had experienced in getting as far as we have, counseled obedience to the laws of the land and prophesied a bright future for Kearney and the surrounding country.

"He was followed by Judge Connor (A. H. Connor), who spoke about the same length of time. The judge spoke with much emphasis, denounced the enemies of the bridge in strong language, said we had been fought step by step in this bridge matter, but we had defeated the enemy wherever we had met them, and closed his remarks amid loud cheers from the assembly. The crowd then dispersed and the driver proceeded to finish the work of driving the first pile."