Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 45 of those read), 1916

(Note - The following article on the "Resources of Btift'alo County was published in a "Booster" edition of The Ravenna News in the year 1913.)

Buffalo County contains 985 square miles, and while there were many squatters on land within its borders at the date of this first election, January 20. 1870, only three claims (homesteads or pre-emption) had been filed upon in the general land ofiice. These claims were the Boyd Ranch in Gibbon Township, pre-empted in 1867 by Joseph Boyd, two homestead claims in what is now Shelton Township, one by Andrew Buest, the other by O. E. Thompson. Between the date of January 20, 1870, and January i, 1880, a period of ten years, 1,265 homesteads and pre-emption claims located in Buffalo County were filed upon in the general land office.

In discussing agricultural resources of Buffalo County we can, therefore, begin with a fixed date, January 20, 1870, when the county was settled, its agricultural resources unknown and, of course, undeveloped.

The soil of the county is largely a sandy loam of great depth and exceedingly fertile. There are thousands of acres in the county which have been continuously cropped for forty years, the crop yield at the present time equaling that of earlier date. Where proper crop rotations are observed, the fertility of soil seems well nigh inexhaustible.

Next to fertility of the soil the most important agricultural resource is an abundance of wholesome water for domestic purposes. In this respect Buffalo County is supremely blest. In addition to the Platte, the Loup, the Beaver and Wood rivers there is beneath the surface at varying depths, according to surface elevation, a continuous and unfailing supply of water, having an average temperature of 52°. The waters of this underflowing river are easily and cheaply brought to the surface to be made use of for domestic purposes and to some extent irrigation purposes.

In 1870 Buffalo County was a treeless plain, the only timber being narrow belts along running streams. Today groves of timber are seen in great abundance and in every direction. In the forty-two years trees have been planted which have grown to such size and maturity that they have been sawed into lumber suitable for building and other commercial purposes.

While not advising that the growing of commercial orchards would prove profitable, yet it is easily possible to raise all the fruits needed for home consumption. In its virgin state in the county there were numerous orchards of plums, large in size and delicious to the taste ; white grapes abounded, and at any early date one writer in describing Wood River said, "Wood River is a vast serpentine vineyard, literarlly festooned with wild grapes."

Apples, cherries, plums, peaches and small fruits, such as gooseberries, raspberries, etc., thrive and yield good returns. There are in the county orchards of apple trees planted in the early '70s in which the trees are still healthy, vigorous and bearing fruit annually, some of these trees yielding thirty bushels of matured fruit in a season. The varieties which seem to have best stood the test for all these years and are still bearing annually are the Ben Davis, Whitney, Wealthy, Winesap, Duchess. Red June, Early Harvest, Jonathan and Siberian crab. There need be no lack of abundant fruit for all family purposes on any Buffalo County farm if the owner will plant suitable varieties and properly care for them.

In the matter of crop production, such as corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye and vegetables, it can be said that for forty years the farms of Buffalo County have been producing these in great abundance. Totaling these crops into millions of bushels gives no adequate idea of their value and importance, but when we take into consideration that Buffalo County has at the present time a population of 21,907 people, that vast improvements have been made, that great wealth has been accumulated, public buildings been erected, rivers and streams bridged, thousands of happy homes established, that the people are prosperous, happy and contented, and that real poverty is practically unknown in our midst, and when we consider that all of these things are dependent on the one question, profitable crop production, it is self-evident that our agricultural resources in this respect are great and can be depended upon in years to come.

In a natural way, ours is a grass country, that is, natural grasses cover our bluffs and valleys and the tame grasses and clovers are easily cultivated and prove profitable.

Since first settlement, the greatest discovery in the development of our agricultural resources is that of the alfalfa plant and its adaptability to our soil and climatic conditions. Buffalo County is in the very heart of that portion of our state and nation in which the alfalfa plant seems best to thrive. There are in our county fields of alfalfa which for more than twelve years have produced annually three, and sometimes more, cuttings a year. This without re-seeding, cultivating or fertilization of the soil. It would seem that there is almost no limit to time in which profitable crops of alfalfa can continuously be produced from our soil. When our people come to realize the importance of the value of this crop and its cultivation becomes more general it will add an annual income of millions of dollars to our agricultural resources.

It seems to the writer that the increase in population in the county and the growth and development of its agricultural resources can most correctly and forcibly be expressed by comparisons based on valuations of property in the county for assessment purposes and comparisons showing amount paid for public purposes. It is generally conceded that the real value of our property is at least seven times that value taken for purposes of taxation. On this basis let us illustrate the increase in wealth in the county by decades. The following table show^s the value of all real and personal property in Buffalo County by decades since 1870:

The following table shows the amounts of state, county, township, village and school taxes paid in Buffalo County on certain specified years since organization of county:

The total state, county, township, village and school district taxes paid in Buffalo County since its organization in 1870, including the year 1912, amounts to $7,747,803.

Buffalo County has 604,800 acres. Two thousand four hundred and fortysix farms and the value of all crops produced in 1909 (U. S. census) amounted to $3,725,724. The value of all livestock in 1909 (U. S. census) amounted to $4,305,243.