Custer County, Nebraska - The whole text, 1901 (part 9 of 9)

I arrived in Custer county from the northwestern part of the state in April, 1881. My father and the rest of the family had moved from Illinois the previous fall and located on the Muddy about four miles from the park. When I arrived I found them living in a dugout 10 by 12 feet, which had to accommodate the family of seven persons. There being no room for beds, three bunks or shelves, made of i)oles, were erected on the wall upon which the bed clothing was spread. When I arrived the provisions were nearly exhausted, and we had to grind up some seed wheat in a coffee mill with which bread was made; some parched wheat was made to take the place of coffee, while some whole wheat boiled in salt and water came in handv bv wav of variety. T^'O of mv father's horses had alreadv died of starvation and the other two were so poor they could hardly stand up. Our nearest postoflSce was at a x>oint near where Broken Bow now is. In 1884 we organized a school district in the park, and in 1885 the railroad was built up the valley and the town of Berwyn started at the southwestern entrance of the park. This ended the freighting business. Since then the country has filled up with settlers, improvements have been made, and to-day we are a prosperous and happy community, with schools, churches and all the conveniences generally enjoyed by farming communities anywhere. What the future has in store for us, or what great men may spring from our humble and peaceful homes, time alone will tell.

In the early winter of 1880 81 Rev. Asbury Collins, one of the bold pioneer preachers, whose labors are known throughout the whole of western Nebraska, preached the first sermon in or near the settlement of Delight. This service was held in the sod school house, which stood at the foot of the hill, one mile west of the present site of Callaway. At Mr. Collins' next appointment, which was probably in January, 1881, he organized a society of the Methodist ESpis* copal church with nine members, four of whom lived in the immediate neighborhood, the remaining five coming as far as ten miles from their homes in Wood River valley. Mark H. Deems was appointed class leader, which office in the church he held until he moved away from Callaway. Mr. CoUins' work was principally organizing new churches and forming new circnits, and he came to Delight only once a month, during the spring and summer following the organization of the church. In the summer of 1881 Rev. Charles H. Savidge, a local preacher from Wisconsin, came into the community and lived with his son at the Cottonwood ranch about three miles from Delight postoffice. Because of his own heavy work Mr. Collins placed the church at Delight in the hands of Mr. Savidge, who preached regularly for over two years.

In the faU of 1884 the church received for the first time a minister regularly apj)ointed by the annual conference, Rev. D. M. Ellsworth, who had just come from Illinois. Mr. Ellsworth had shipped his goods to Kearney, where the conference was held that year. In order to have a home for his family he filed a homestead on a quarter section of land and put up a little house. The preaching places in the circuit were Delight, Roteu Valley and Cliff. There had been a gradual increase in the membership, and after a protracted meeting held in the sod school house during the winter of 1884-5, the membership was thirty-five. The salary paid this year was |340, to which was added f 125 from the missionary society of the church. In the summer of 1885 the people united in building a neat sod church on the timber claim of Ira Graves, not far from the sod school house where they had hei*etofore worshipped. The trustees were Ira Graves, Mark H. Deems, 1. F. Miller, O. C. Murphy and William Engels, who were elected by the (luarterly conference July 18th. The lumber for the roof and floor of the new church was hanked from Cozad, a distance of forty miles, and the chairs for seating from Plum Creek, now Lexington. The church was dedicated in November following, Rev. George W. Martin, presiding elder. During this year Arnold was added to the Delight circuit.

When the town of Callaway was laid out, in the summer of 1886, the preaching was moved from the church, which was nearly a mile out. to the tiining room of the Deems hotel, then in course of erection. After the hotel ^was completed and occupied the church services were held in Smith's hall over 5i hardware store owned by Smith & Needham. This hall was commonly known as the "Callaway Opera house.-' For its use the church paid $2 each Sunday and the same amount for each prayer meeting or extra service.

Rev. Thomas H. Thurber was the next pastor, coming to the charge in the fall of 1886. His family made their home in a sod house belonging to Mark H. Deems, and reserved bv him when he sold his homestead for the townsite. Mr. Thurber was himself ^'holding down" a claim in Dawson county, and so moved his family back to his claim in the spring, where they remained until he made final proof in the fall. Mr. Thurber was reapjwinted for another year, and immediately after his return from conference the people commenced the building of the first frame church in the town of Callaway. The building cost |1,000 and was considered at that time quite an undertaking, but the trustees and members were determined in their efforts and the people of the community responded generously. The church was dedicated December 4, 1887, by Rev. Leslie Stevens, at that time presiding elder. Only f300 yet remained unpaid, but to those who had already contributed all that they felt able, it seemed like attempting the impossible to ivy to raise that amount. Unwilling to fail at the last moment, eight men agreed together to give each |25 more, and when the call was made and these eight in succession subscribed so liberally, others also responded, and in a few minutes tlie whole amount w^as raised. After returning from their liomestead, the pastor's family had occupied a single room over one of the stores in the town, for which they had to pay $12 per month, and it was not difficult to see that a parsonage was an actual necessity. Accordingly as soon as the church was completed the trustees took shares in the building and loan association and immediately commenced w^ork on the parsonage. It was completed in February, 1888, and from that time a good home - small, but cozy and comfortable - has been ready for the Methodist minister and his family. The securing of a church building and parsonage may be considered as closing the x)ioneer history of the Methodist church of Callaway, and having laid aside its swaddling clothes it has had only the ordinary experience of a church - luu*dsliii)s. opposition and varying degrees of success - important in thems(»lves, but not of sufficient interest for a pioneer history. Author's Note - I am sorrv we do not have the minister's name who furftnished us this article.

One of the most important organizations in the county is the Custer County Agricultural Society. It has done much toward the development of the county and is an institution to which Custer county people point with no little degree of pride. The large scope of territory from which the annual fair draws nmkes it an attraction which brings to Broken Bow an immense concourse of people every fall. It has gained the well-earned reputation of one of the very best fairs in the state. In the summer of 1881 a little band of homesteaders met at the town of Westervilk* and organized what was known as the "Custer County Agricultural Society.*'

The organizers were C. S. Elison, S. C. Beebe, George O. Waters, A. W. Squires, D. M. Amsberry, K. C. Talbot, J. H. Westervelt. J. L. H. Knight, F. D. Miller, John W(4sh, Thomas Blowers, Edgar Varney, Martin Gering, C. T. Crawford and B. E. Lamphear. The first officers were C. S. Elison, president; George O. Waters, vice president; S. C. Beebe, secretary, and C T. Crawford, treasurer. The first fair was held the latter part of August the same year, and while it was a primitive out*, yet it was a great event for a new county, and the attendance included every homesteader within a radius of a good many miles. The attractions were limited, horse racing being the main feature, while a pulling match between Frank Doty of Lillian and H. Weakling of Berwyn was an important event. The exhibits were, of course, light, but nevertheless the dis])lay of corn, wheat and oats was far better than one would expect in a country that was but sparsely populated. The pumpkin and melon show at this fair was something marvelous.

Another fair was held at Westerville in the fall of 1882. The following year Broken Bow had gained sufficient prominence to become a rival of West-

The first fair held in Broken Bow occurred about the middle of September, 1883, shortly after the Westerville fair. It was a great event. The grounds were located where the present court house stands and the race course circled around a couple of blocks, where the exciting races took place. It is hardly necessary to add that in those days, with the population made up largely of young men and the sturdy cowboy element predominating, that favorite horses were backed with plenty of money and plenty of nerve. At both the Westerville and Broken Bow fairs that year a leading attraction was the walking of the tight rope by Eli Armstrong, who, at the time of the publication of this book, is sheriff of Custer county. Bronco riding was a great attraction and the cowboy who could rope, bridle, saddle and mount a wild horse, unaided, and ride to a given point first, was sure of a good purse.

In 1884 the fairs were again held at Broken Bow and Westerville during September and October under the direction of the same society, met at Westerville and voted the exclusive rights to a fair at Broken Bow. Shortly after this the society was incorporated under the laws of the state, its official title being ^'The Custer County Agricultural Society and Live Stock Exchange.'^ Forty acres of land were purchased a mile east of Broken Bow early in 1885 and permanent quarters were established. Suitable buildings were erected and a splendid half-mile track was made. The fair has been held regularly every year and has been constantly enlarged from its small beginning with only a few dollars offered in premiums, until its premiums and purses have, during the past few years, reached ^,500, and its crowds come from fifty miles in every direction. Its list of life members is well up in the hundreds and it is without doubt one of the most progressive agricultural societies in Nebraska. Through the efforts of the agricultural society Custer county captured the gold medal offered bv the state fair for the couutv exhibit which could take three suecessive first prizes. These prizes were won in 1888, 1889 and 1890 and this medal is prized very highly as an everlasting monument to the agricultural resources of the great "State of Custer." A county that can win such a prize in three successive contests with nearly 100 competitors, surely has some merit to its claim as an agricultural county.

The case of the state vs. William Oxli\v was called by Judge Sullivan as the first case on the docket Monday morning. County Attorney L. E. Kirkpatrick, J. S. Kirkpatrick and Charles n. Holcomb appeared for the state, and the accused was represented by J. R. Dean of this city and Judge Aaron Wall of I^up City. The prisoner, accompanied by Sheriff Armstrong, appeared promptly at 10 o'clock. The jury as chosen are as follows: J. L. King, J. n. Cosner, G. T. Robinson, W. II. Mauk, J. E. Evans, Godfrev Nansel. W. P. Trew, H. Wilkie, George Cox, S. P. Young, James May, T. D. Gill.

W. n. Fullhart, an eccentric character, whose brick residence is pictured in this work, was found dead on his ranch, eighteen miles northeast of Anselmo on Saturday, October 24, 1900, with the skull broken, apparently by some blunt instrument. The body was found about a mile from the house, and near it was a sled on which were two rolls of fence wire, with which the murdered man had been building a fence at the time of his death. Xo horse was attached to the sled, but the harness was found in the barn with blood on tlu* traces, lines and snaps. Fullhart was a bachelor, and lived alone, except when he occasionally had some one to work for him. It had been known that about ten days before his death he had a young man working for him, but none of the neighbors could say whether the young man was there at the time the murder occurred or not. Fullhart was reputed to be quite well-to-do, and it was known that he had at least ?1,600 in cash in his possession a few weeks previous to the time his dead bodv was found. Seven dollars and fiftv cents in monev was found on his person, but none about his premises, and of his cattle, of which he had about fifty head, fifteen were missing. A few days later a young man by the name of William Oxley, who had formerly worked for Fullhart, was arrested on suspicion of being the murderer. Oxley had been trying to sell some cattle which he said he had purchased from a man by the name of Crawford, which proved to belong to Fullhart, but his explanations did not satisfy the authorities. The trial commenced at Brok(*n Bow on Mondav, Februarv 11, 1901, and attracted a great deal of notice from the fact that young Oxley had been known in the county for a number of years and bore a good reputation. There were eighty six witnesBps in the ciise aud the legal talent was the best thiii toald be had in thf county. The trial lasted a week and resulted in a verdict iif murder iu the i^et-ond degi-ee. As there was nothing to show that any ptiiiggle had oi-curred at the time of the murder it looked as if the murder must have beeu done iu <old Itlood, but iu the absence of any direct evidence to connect Oxiey with the crime, the jury concluded to give him the benefit of the doubt to the extent of finding for murder in the second degn-e. Oxley protested his inn(»cence all through the trial, but neither himself nor his attorneys made any attempt to explain liow he came into jHissession of Pulbart'B cattle. Oxley was sentenced to serve twenty-sis years in the State Penitentiary.

And Shobt Sketches Of Early Davs In Nebraska

It is thoii^lit by mniiy tliat in-icatiou is a new idea, or something that ^'^toe with the elettrlc tar, the telephoiit-, or as out' of our old ladies in this ^^J^^fty puts it, ''a new faiijjled notion," but to those who have that Impres- ^*«^n, I would suggest a reference to Genesis, 2:10. They will find that the npple wiiich Eve ate. and whieh caused t)ii' downfall of mankind, was grown by irrigation. It reads: "Aud a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from thence it parted and went into four heads." Xow, I believe this is as ancient anthority as we have, and it is pretty reliable. Again, we have it from equally reliable anthority that the yom which Joseph sold to his brethren in Egypt was raised by irrigation. After Joseph was sold into Egypt he had a canal constructed, about ^ioo miles long and abtmt ;{0(t feet wide, for irrigating purposes, and this very Mime canal is slill used for irrigation.

These facts would go to prove that irrigation is not a new idea, yet in its experimental stage. Irrigation was carried on in all civilized uouutries hun- dreds of years before Columbus discovered America, and even on this continent I have myself seen evidences of its having been used in Iowa, Colorado, Mexico and Arizona by prehistoric x)eople who occupied these portions of the western hemisphere. We have many evidences to prove that they were an enlightened, progressive and prosperous people. It is also a fact that in all countries at the present time the most intelligent and progressive people are those who have the most improveed methods of irrigation. No means has ever yet been devised whereby irrigation can be carried on to any gieat extent except by taking the water from a natural stream and carrying it upon the land by gravitation, and in order to do this succesfully and profitably the stream must have a waterfall of five or more feet to the mile, and then not run too deep below the surface of the land to be irrigated. Nature has evidently **done all things well,'' for in all the arid and semi-arid parts of the country where irrigation is necessary that man may reap the most from his labor, the streams have a fall of from six to 150 feet to the mile, and usuaUv run near the surface. This country lies close to the eastern limit of the semiarid part of the continent, where irrigation may be profitably used every year, and is peculiarly provided by nature for its use in its abundance of water supply, and the ease with which it may be distributed over the land. Another I)eculiar fact is that there is not another stream on the continent east of the Loup rivers where irrigation may be carried on to any great extent, for the reason that they run too deep and the fall is too slight. Again nature is in the right, for east of these rivers the continent is supplied with a sufficient rainfall.

There is no question about it. we have in Custer county, taking into con sideration our climate, soil, proximity to market, abundant supply of pure water and water for irrigating purposes, one of the best parts of our grand country, and capable, under scientific management, of sustaining a dense dgricultural population. When more people come here who are willing to assist in utilizing the advantages that God has placed in our hands, our valleys will be filled with prosperous towns. Already many thousands of dollars have been expended in the country for irrigating purposes, but owing to causes that it is not necessary to mention here, the plans were abandoned Defore completion. We will hope for a bright future for the country when it is placed under the benefits of irrigation.

While dairying in Custer county is yet in its infancy, enough has been done along this line to demonstrate by the most elaborate and exhaustive tests that the native grasses of this county produce butter and cheese of the highest and best quality, and although conditions are not at this time favor-

And Short Sketches Of Eablv Dav9 In Nebraska

Biography of \\'. S. \\t's.:ot(.--A\'. W. Wtscotl was born in Wethersfield, Wyoming county, New York, in ISL'.S, and iiu migrated with his parents to Wisconsin in 1843 when a boy uf lifiecn. He went immediately into the "cattle business," which had been a lifelong hobby - that is. be hired out on a farm and invested his first earnings in ii calf, from which his herds increased until he has since connted his cattle by tht thons^inds. While a citizen of W'isconsin he oceupifd many positions of trust and honor, among them being four terms in the Wisconsin Ijegislatiire, two in the Assembly and two in the Senatt-. He located in Custer county, Nebraska, in 18S0, at what was then known as the Big Spring. In 1S85 the iirni of Wescott & Ciibbona was established. Id 1887 they located and started tlie town of Weseott on the Middle Loup river, built a large store. t<)wn hall and other buildings.

able enough to warrant farmers in making sudden or expi'nsive changes in iheir modes of farming, yet the fact remains that the farmers of Custer county must eventually adopt this branch of industry to insure certain and profitable returns for their labor. If Custor county has any crop that is sure and certain under all cin-umstances, that never fails in time-of drought, that grows on the hiphest and driest land nearly as well as on the lowest, that crop is grass, which by this particular mode of farming can be turned directly and certainly into money. Then how long will the farmers of Custer county go on in Ihe old way of plowing and sowing grain, trying to beat natural conditions in the attempt to raise crops that will not grow. Buying reapers and binders and threshing machines, working themselves to death to enrich machine builders and their agents, and impoverishing their land and themselves at the same time, when by this sure and certain method of farming, with small outlay for milk pail and stool they can soon get out of debt and have money to loan? This is not idle talk, speculation or conjecture. What man has done man may do, and in the experience of dairymen or the history of the business there is no record of failure. Can as much be said of any other business? Then it ought not require much argument to induce farmers to engajire in the business of turning these vast acres of grass into money.

Forty years ago conditions in Green county. Wisconsin, were very similar to those existing in Custer county to-day. Green county comprised an area of twenty-four miles square, and the land was cultivated very much the same as the land in this county at the present time. But now all is changed and Green county is one of the most prosperous in the state of Wisconsin. Land that then sold for ?30 per acre is now worth and readily sells for )?100 per acre and there is very little of the land that is not devoted exclusively to the production of grass and forage crops. As a consequence the most of the farmers are prosperous and wealthy. Conditions in Custer county may be changed similarly if farmers will stop buying machinery and arrange their farming so as to utilize all this vast sea of grass which now goes to waste. Tlie whole question of dairying hinges upon, and is determined by. the fact that the native grasses of Custer county produce butter and cheese of the finest and best quality. Neither the cheapness of the land, the certainty and great surplus of the grass crop, nor the favorable climate* are taken into account at all in making up a verdict for or against this proposition. But when these facts will impress themselves upon the minds of the farmers suftlciently strong as to induce them to make a cliange and engage* in this work, is uncertain.

Custer county is in the geographical center of the state of Nebraska. Its elevation is about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. and the average rainfall is not far from twenty inches per annum. It produces a large variety of nutritious grasses, and is well watered. Although streams are not very abundant, water is to be found everywhere in inexhaustible quantiti^^s at various depths ranging from a few feet in the valleys to 400 feet on the highest table lands. It was the home of countless numbers of buffalo before the advent of the cowboy. With the coming of the cattlemen the butfalo were driven out, and it became a veritable paradise for the large cattle ranch. After it was opt^ned for settlement the homesteader claimed its broad and fertile prairies as his rig:ht under the law and the cattle rancher was obliged to vacate. But the number of cattle were increased instead of diminished. In place of a few men owning hundreds and even thousands of head, a large number of men became the owners of small herds, ^nd the total number was increased. Much of the land was broken out, and general agriculture became the occupation of the early settl(»rs. Then it was that a more intensive agriculture became necessary, and the farmers turned their attention to the poor man's friend - the hog. The hog is essentially the friend of the poor farmer because it re<iuires very little capital with which to make a start. The number of hogs in Custer county has increased very rapidly, until nearly every farmer owns from ten to four or tive hundred head. Of course the keeping of hogs necessitates the growing of corn. With the exception of two years - those of 1890 and 1894 - ('ust('r county has produced a sufficient quantity of corn to mature most of tlie liogs raised within h(»r borders. The high altitude, the pure atmosplic^re and excellent drainage of Custer county makes it exceedingly healthful for both human beings and animals. The animal diseases which are so common in most j)arts of the Tnited States are almost unknown in Custer county. In recent years there lias been a slight loss from disease known (in the couiuion ]>arlance) as hog cholera. But Custer county has never had an epidermic which carric^d off whole herds of swine.

The farmer, unlike his j>red(Messor, the catth* man, usually markets his cattle in a tinished condition. The* cattle man of the olden times gathered his beeves from the plains and shipjKMl them in large numbers to the market in Chicago or Kansas City. Those that were fat enough to kill were sold to thr butcher; those that were u^ot tinished w(*re sold to the feeders in Iowa, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas and Illinois. The farmer and cattle man of the present day feeds his own cattle and ships them, ready for the block, to the market in Omaha, which is <listant about 180 miles. The cost of transportation is about ?38 jxm- carload. In preparing his beef, the farmer finds a large saving in the use of the hog. The cattle are put in yards and fed all the grain they will eat; at the same time hogs are put in the yard to follow the cattle, cleaning up the waste. The cattle usually absorb about one-half of the nutritive value of the corn that passes through their stomachs, the other half would be wasted were it not for the hog which follows the cattle and the waste is thus transformed into pork. The hog and the cattle industry go together and furnish a considerable profit to the farmer. In good seasons the average farmer on 1(50 acres of good land is able to turn off a carload of cattle and a carload of hogs each year. The cattle are pastured on the grazing lands of the county. Tliey are fed in winter on the rough feed produced on the farming land, consisting of cornstalks, straw, millet, etc. The hogs are raised usually during the summer season and in autumn the two are placed together, the farmer secures the entire profit accruing to the man who raises the cattle, who the hogs, and who feeds them. Poland China is by far the most jiopular breed of hogs, while Jersey Ueds, Chester Whites and Berkshircs are very abundant.

In some of the valleys farmers have turned their attc^ntion to the raising of alfalfa. Thev are thus enabled to raise their voung swine at a verv low cost, and are only put into the yard to be finished. In 1887 Custer county shipped 32,640 hogs from the various stations of the railway within her borders. Allowing for a reasonable number that were shipped from stations outside of Custer county, but contiguous thereto, it is safe to estimate the number of hogs at 50,000. The future of the swine industry of Custer county is very promising and it will always be one of the most important industries of the countv.

Perhaps there is no department of the farm where so many men fail as in this. The horse is fine in organism, spirited by nature, and requires most careful, intelligent and constant attention. There is no wider field in farm economics for the exercise of mature judgment and sound practical attainments than raising horses for profit. There are so many factors upon which the business depends that every man, before he enters upon it, should make a careful survey of the whole field and accurately weigh each proposition, and if possible determine whether or not he can meet all of its requirements. Every man should determine the amount of capital that will be required and whether he possesses it. The element of time must ever be uppermost. Can he wait for returns? It takes longer to get a developed horse on the market than any other farm animal. The expense measured in labor and money must rent expenses and the result is invariably an inferior product The necessary and best forage plants must not be lost sight of by the breeder, pure and abundant water is absolutely necessary to the horse's well-being, and at all times must be inaccessible to him. Well ventilated and clean stables should be prepared in order to prevent disea.se and to insure a healthy condition. Accessibility to good sires is quite necessary. The best sire accessible should be mated with your females if you improve your horses. The above are some of the more important items for the breeder to ronsider and he must meet their demands. Attention should be given to the demand of the market. Most men breed horses here, as elsewhere, to please their fancy, and when the time comes to market them they find their horses do not pay for the cost of production. They then conclude that the business is not profitable. This country is a grand country for the successful breeding of hoi*ses for profit. We have here an ideal climate, pure water, abundant and nutritious forage plants, dry soil and hardly any insect pests.

To the farmer and breeder there should be but a single ideal, and that ideal should be the horse that will bring the greatest returns for the time and expense required for his production and the labor necessary to break and fit him for the market. The horse that will bring the greatest returns for necessary expenditure is the horse that should be bred. To the farmer there can be but one class of profitable horses and that is the draft. In an agricultural country, as ours is, the constant demand will ever be for a large-sized, shortbacked, strong, flat-legged, docile animal. The demand for useful farm horses in the great agricultural districts east of Nebraska will constantly increase as population thickens up in the already congested country. That market will absorb all our surplus horses for years to come. A farmer who has three or four large-sized brood mares can do his own work with them, can raise colts enough to take their places when they are sold or w^hen they die, and still have a surplus for the market. The labor of breaking and fitting them for market is quite trifling, and attended with slight expense, and while this is being done the colt can be put to work and made to earn what he eats.

Few men possess sufficient means to exp>oriment in breeding horses, or, for that matter, in any other kind of stock. No man can afford to breed trotting and runnning horses except a man of large means and unbounded leisure. Few farmers have either. The horse is the noblest animal God has given to man, and the higher bred, the more perfectly developed, the higher price he will command, but the farmer's business is to farm, to attend to his stock, and to carefully educate his children. As it requires years of hard study and close application to specialize upon any subject none but the rich can indulge Their taste for breeding and developing fancy driving horses. A farmer must neglect other business in order to develop a horse and to bring him to a standard of excellence where he will bring a remunerative price for the time, labor and expense necessary to develop him. The successful man along this line has been so far an accident. Can we, as farmers, afford to risk our future upon so uncertain a proposition? I say no. Then let us breed nothing but first-class draft horses. Give them abundant and nutritious food, break them when colts when we have the most time to spare from our other work, work them carefully and when old enough finish them for market. Breeding for profit will then be a certainty.

If the terrible drought of 1894 was responsible for the construction of Che Douglass Grove irrigating ditch it has proven to be a blessing in disguise to the people of the Middle Loup valley, as it was in that year that the ditch was located, surveyed and active work commenced, and it was by means obtained by working on this ditch that a large number of the people of this township were enabled to live throngh tbat memorable winter and to eke onl a miserable existence until another crop could be rallied. An attempt was made to induce the township to help in tbe woi-k. ai> tbe sum asked to be voted would return to the taspa.Ters in rt-nmnerntinn for their work on the ditch, and thus b<'lp all com-eiued: but this aid was refused and tlume livin;; onder the proposed ditch were compelled to organize a comptiny and vote bonds upon themselves to obtain money to cany on and complete the undertaking. I will say nothin» about their rciM^ated discouragements and failures, but after one of tbe most desperate 8ti-ug;:les, like llnice"a spider, they overcame all obstai^'es and the ditch has lit-eu tinisbcd from the Sargent bridge to Spring creek at ijouglass Grove, a distamv of thirteen and one-half miles, and covering an area of about 7,000 acres of valuable land.

As this is the only canal in this section of tbe country that has been successfully completed and is now in successful operation, blessing its buildere with it benefactions, it must be stated that its completion is due to the uremitting and untiring efforts of a very few men who stood by it through evil report as well as good report until it was an accomplished fact, and the wonderhd results obtained from the nse of tin- water it furnishes hare compelled those who were hitherto lukewarm supi>orters to become the most enthusiastic and generous friends of tbe enteii^isr. The ditch company is at the present time ofHcered as follows: K. ('. Gibbons, pi-esidrnt: W. H. Comstock, secretary; Charles Wescott, treasurer.

We thought perhaps some of your reailfi-s might be interested in some of the country we have x>tts<^ed over, so have jotted down a few items. With ohp photo outfit we left Hroken Bow for a nm of six or seven weeks through the sand hills of Cherry t-ounty, Nebraska, among the enttle ranebes. Our first stop was at We»l f^tar, in the beuutifiil Middle l..oii]> valley, twenty-two miles north of llroken Itow, where a Uuuring mill is to l»e erected in Ihe near future. Then northwest to Brewster, thirty miles, a wmall village on the North Loup river. WesI, on aonlh side of the river, twelve miles, is the I. S. Northup ranch, one of the old land marks of Blaine county. We cross the river here and go northwest up (loose creek, which gradually widens ont into a beautiful hay valley, with snuill cattle ranclies aboni every three lo five miles apart, they having claims mi the valley In cut grass for winter and using the wand hills for range in the siininu'r, luaking raising caltle easy. The first ranch in Cherry loiinty is a snnill sheep raucli owned by .Icdin (jood. N<'xt is a sheep and caltle ranch, owned liy (he Wysong lirothers. From here we arrive at a fine cattle ranch wilh abiliii 4011 (-atlle owned by the Body brothers. They range north several miles and southwest seven miles lo the North Loup, where they have another ranch. From here we go to the J. F. Chappels ranch, owning about loO calth' with Hue range. They own two claims and a school section. They out about .100 tons of hay on "the opposite side of the valley.

Northeast three-fourths of a mile is J. B. StolFs ranch, with about 300 head of fine Shropshire sheep. He has five claims in the valley, with three miles of running water; cuts about 500 tons of hay.

Thence northeast to the King ranch, running about 500 head of Shorthorns and Herefords. Appearances indicate that Mr. King thoroughly understands the cattle business.

Thence to the O. Keller ranch, who runs about 150 cattle and cuts 1,500 tons of hav. Then to the Smith ranch, where about 500 head more cattle are found. Young Smith and his sister seem to be enjoying ranch life.

From there we went northeast about thirty-five miles to the big Alkali lake, where is located the cattle ranch of C. A. Austin, one of Custer county's old pioneers, and one of the largest hearted men in Cherry county. Here we made our headquarters while canvassing the adjoining country, and we shall always remember with pleasure the days spent with Charles and his family.

Mr. Austin and son, N. J., and son-in-law, H. S. Savage, have from 400 to 500 head of very high-grade cattle, fifty head of registered Herefords, besides high-grade Durhams and Polled- Angus, and seventy head of horses. They cut 400 tons of hav and have twentv miles of fence. Postoffice, Simeon.

John A. Gee, well known in Custer county in 1878-9, is now a prosperous ranchman near Kennedy with about 150 head of cattle. Postoffice, Kennedy.

James Steadman came to Westerville, Cherry county, in 1879. Mrs. Steadman is now running a general store at Kennedy. Her four boys are all in the cattle business and prospering.

C. F. Cooper, fine Shorthorn cattle, 200 head; cuts 400 tons of hay; seven miles of fence; is correspondent for the division of botany, Washington, D. C; has forty acres of red top; he claims it is a grand success. Postoffice, Oasis.

Rake Ranch, Anderson & Rounds, on Dewey lake; 1,600 cattle, mostly Herefords; fifty miles of fence; cuts 2,500 tons hay. Postoffice, Simeon.

We now come back to William S. Kennedy, northeast of Elsmere. Mr. Kennedy is an old Custer county man; settled ten miles west of Merna in 1883; is now located in Lakeland township. Brown county; 600 head of cattle, Herefords and Durhams; forty miles of fence; cuts 700 tons hay.

About two miles further south is the Hinkson Bros, ranch; 600 head mixed cattle; Preston Hinkson, manager; cut 300 tons hay; the cattle raised in the sand hills and taken to Hall county, Nebraska, sixteen miles west of Grand Island, on a farm owned by the brothers to be fattened for market.

C. W. Bennet ranch at Simeon, Cherry county; 600 head cattle, mostly Galloways and Herefords; cuts 900 tons hav; twentv miles fence; settled in 1885.

Errickson's, three miles west uf Kennedy, Cherry county, Nebraska. Tliis ranch is located on (iordon creek, about seyenty-fiye miles from the head waters. Mr. Errickson is a prosjK^rous ran<-hman, has GOO head of cattle, controls about one township of land and cuts about 1,000 tons of hay. His lange is north on Bordman creek and on the Snake riyer, two of the most beautiful streams in the state. Rordnuin creek is stocked with salmon trout, which is the ranchman's delight.

Kennedy is a beautiful little village, having a general store, livery and feed stable, hotel and blacksmith shop. It has a daily mail from Valentine, northeast about forty-five miles, and one from Tliedford, southeast fifty miles. The ranchmen here are talking of running a tt^lephoue line to Valentine from Kennedy. If successful it will be extended to Pass, a distance of fifteen miles southeast to a ranch owned by the Standard Cattle Compjiny, who have already fifty-two miles of telephone line connecting their ranches, and extending to Pullman and to (\arver ranches west. This com[>any expects this siimraer to extend their line from Pullman, their j»resent headquarters, to Whitman, southeast about forty miles. This telephone system is destined to be one of the great(*st <onveni<^nces the cattlemen will have, and soon all the ranches will be connected, which will save them thousands of dollars annually. Mr. Errickson went with us as a guide.

The next stop was at the Bachelor ranch, about two miles northeast on the Bordman. This ranch controls about s(*ven miles of hav land on the Bordft.

man valley and about one township of land. The land is fenced and croesfenced. He runs about 1,000 head of SlHuthorn cattle, has frame building, and can cut probably 1,500 tons of hay.

From here northeast we go to the Nels Rowley ranch, with about 500 head of PoUed-Angus cattle, on the Bordman. He cuts from six to eight hundred tons of hay and controls about 1\\e miles of running water and about ten sections of land.

The Ball ranch is three miles northwest, up a beautiful hay valley; runs from 1,500 to 2,000 head of cattle, Herefords and Shorthorns; they cut probably 600 tons of hay and range 31, 32 and 33, about eighteen miles long.

Southwest four miles is the W. E. Waite ranch on Bordman creek. Mr. Waite has about nine hav claims, cuts 1,500 tons of hav, is well fitted with frame buildings suitable for a fine cattle ranch, but no cattle at present. Here is the end of the Kennedy and Valentine mail route postoflice, Chesterfield.

Next is a bachelor by the name of Charles Lilebrink, who has a claim south half mile, has a few cattle. From here uj) the Bordman to one of the Glespie Bros, and Stutter ranches, where they are wintering about 600 head of mixed cattle. From here we went to their home ranch, '^Arkansaw Bob-' and his brother, Jim, taking great pk^asnre in showing us over their extensive ranch. They have about 1,000 head of cattle at t\w home ranch, cut about 1,500 tons of hay. This ranch is located on the Bordman. Their range is on the Grordon, Bordman crei^k and Snake river.

Soulhwest three miles is Mr. Clemens, a small ranchman with about fifty head of f\m* Shorthorn cattle. From here* back northeast on Gordon creek, about two miles, is the Gorsuch Bros, ranch, who have about 200 head of Shorthorns and Herefords.

West up Gordon creek about three miles is the Newton postofllce, on the I. W. Russell & Son ranch, which is quite a fine place, with several hundred head of cattle. Mr. R. claims 600 tons of hay on two quarter sections of land; do not know the amount on the ranch.

From there, four miles northw^est, is the Charles Kime ranch, trimmed up with frann* house and ma uy modern improvements. He has probably 200 head of Shorthorn and Hereford cattle.

South one mile is the (r. W. Ladely ranch; Shorthorn and Hereford cattle, about 800 in nnmb(*r. He controls the range from the Gordon to the north fork of the Xorth T^up, a distance of seven miles.

Northeast two miles is the* A. Burr ranch, one* of the most j»rosperous small ranchers in the state, running about HOO head of mostly Shorthorn cattle. Mr. Burr is one of the county commissioners of Cherry connty.

Six miles northeast is the Carver ranch, the home of the Standard Cattle Company, who have been putting in many modern improvements. They have installed as cook, Billy Simmons, one of Custer county\s most popular bachelors. We photographed Billy and his dogs. One of these dogs, a bloodhound by the name of Jess, cost the company 1250.

Four miles northeast is the Phil Pullman ranch, another Standard Cattle Company ranch. This company has about 7,000 cattle distributed at their different ranches, fifty two miles of telephone, controls about fifty miles of North Loup river.

The Charley Hoyt ranch is about fifteen miles southwest from Pullman. This is a tine place and Mr. Hoyt has about 500 head of fine cattle, controls about oue township of land.

Southeast four miles is Wright's ranch, with <a nice little bunch of cattle. From here* back to Pullman, where we photographed Mr. John Porter, foremau of th(» Standard Cattle Company, and his little span of Shetland ponies.

Northeast is the Yearing ranch three miles. Mr. Tearing runs about 400 head of cattle, has about nine claims valued at f 1.500, each cutting about 1,500 tons of hav. F'rom here we retui'u to Mr. Ericksou's. From here to the Steadman ranch, ten miles south of Kc^nnedy, situated on the head of Wanmaduce creek. This is a beautiful hav countrv. Mr. Steadman cuts about 2,000 tons of hay; summers about 3,000 head of cattle.

For The Business Man

~|N 1858 the Pike'B Peak gold excitement i;aused a rueh from the East to Colorado, and a camp wa« pitched at the June ? j tioQ of Cherry Creek and the - ' Platte Kiver, which shortly after wa^ rhrixtened Auraria. From this Rmall beginninf! HpraDK Denver, the 'Queen City or the Plains." This beautiful oieCrop olis of Colorudo is the tirKt point of interest to the tourist from the Kast.

Manitou is but live miles distant from Colorado Springs, being connected by Irath railroad and electric lines. Of all nature's lovely spots, few e<|ual and none surpass id beauty of location, grandeur of surroundings and sublimity of scenery this veritable "gem of the Rockii's," As a pleasure resort, it presents to the tourist more objects of Bceoic interest than any resort of a like character in the Old or New World, while its wonder ful effervescent and mineral springs - soda and iron -make it the favorite resting-plKce of the scenes li> come on this oever-to-lietorgotten trip. Leaving Denver on the Den ver A- Kio (irandi^ Railrotid. the mountaloM are (iradually approached until Palmer Lake is reai-hed. This lieautiful sheet of water is located about midway between Denver and Puelilo, upon what is called "The Divide." The delightful little city of Colorado Springs Is next approached. This is essentially a city of homes, where the families of many of the most influential business men of the state reside. It was laid out as a ituated imniediiUely at the foot of Pike's Ceak. the summit of which may lie attained on foot, on horseliack, or by rail. The last named, "the cog wheel route," is, of course, the most popular, two round trips a day being made during the summer months.

Returning to Colorado Springs and continuing southward, Pueblo is next reached. This is the second city of Colorado, and is Doted for its great iron and steel industry, as well as its important smelters for the ore nhicb is brought down from tbe niouatuins. Every tourist should make it a point lo Ktop off and inspect these works, wbiob liave given to Pueblo the name of the "Pittsburg ot the West."

At Pueblo a turn to the vrestward is made, and in a short time the thrivinf^ (.'ommerciul tovTD of Florence appears, nitb Its numerous; derricks, this being the great oil region oF Colorado.

A few mileM further on is Cafion City, situated at the eastern end of the Grand Canon of tbe Arkansas. From this |)oint a direct connection is made for the great goldmin ine region of Cripple Cr«-k.

Just be)ond Canon City the railroad enters the Graod Canon of the Arkan.-ias, tbe narrowest portion of whifh ia known B:i the Boyal Gorge. When first esamined it seemed impossible that a railway could ever be con structed through this stupendous cafion to Leadville and the West. There was scarcely room for the river alone, and granite ledges blocked the path with their mighty bulk. In time, however, these obstructions were blasted away, and to-day the cafioti is a wellused thoroughfare. But its grandeur still remains. After entering its depths, the train moves elowly along the side of thi' .Arkansas and around projecting shoulders of darkhued granite, deeper and deeper into the heart of the range. Tlie crested crags grow higher, the river madly foams along its rocky bed, anon the way beicomes a mere fissure through tbe heights. Far above the roiid the sky firms a deep blue arch of light; liut in the gorge hang dark and somber shades which tbe sun's rays have never penetrated. Hert; the granite cliffs are one thousand feet high, smooth and unbroken by tree or shrub, and there a pinnacle soarsskyward for thrice that distance. No flowers grow, and the birds care not to penetrate the solitude. The river, somber and swift, breaks theawful stillness with its roar.

Soon the cleft becomes stilt more narrow, the treeless cliffs higher, the river closer confined, and, where a long iron bridge bangs suspended from the smooth walls, the grandest portion of the cafion is reached. Escaping from the gorge, the narrow valley of the upper .\rkansaa is traversed, with tbe striking serrated peaks of the Sangre de Cristo close at hand on the west, until Sal Ida is reached.

From this point the tourist can continue westward over Marshall Pass or northwesterly toward Leadville, which is one of the most interesting' cities in the world to the tourist. It is the highest in tbe United States, its elevation being 10,200 feet above sea level. Here will be found tbe beat opportunity for visiting some of the mines that have made Colorado famous.

Leaving Leadville, the ascent ot Tennessee Pass is made and soon Eagle River Canon ia entered. Nowhere can the traveler find a more interesting and Instructive illustration of mine methods than is here presented by the shaft -scarred sides of Battle Moun tain and the pinnacle- perched eyries of Eagle River Cafion.

Tbe canon of tbe Grand River is approached through tbe Valley of the Eaete. Gradually the valley narrows, high bluffs bem us in on the left, the river ia clr>Ee to the track ontheright.andite fertile hanks suddenly change into a tumbled. twisted, black, and blasted black, an inheritance of fire, the waters under the black banks and reflecting the blackened trees, take on a swarthy hue - a Stygian picture I Jaat beyond, a distant glimpee of fertile country, and tbe dear waters ot the Kagle are lost Id the muddy current ol the Graod aai\ a ca&oii greater Id extent and more varied ia character than that ot the Arkansas opens before us. Suggestions of the sphinx and ot the pyramids can be caught in the severe and gigantic ruck-piled structures oq every hand. These are- not mudo up of lioulders, nor are they solid monoliths, like those in the Royal Gor^e. On the contrary, thiry are columns, l>aBtions, buCtretisea, walJH. pyrumidn, tnwers, turrets, even statues of stratilied stone, with sharp cleavage, not in the least weatherworn, presentinn the appearaiiL-e ot Brobdignatjian masonry. But ne leave Bgypt, with her shades of iftay and her frowning, massive and gigantic forum. We arc in a region of glowing colors, where the Vermillion, the maroon, the green and the yellow abound and mingle and contrimt. What strange country was the prototype of this? Ah! yonder is something characteristic - a terraced pyramid bounded with brilliant and variea colors the teocali of the Aztecs. Whirling urotind a headland of glowing red ruck, which it seems ought to be called Point," we are in a region of ruddy color and of graceful forms. Minarets, is^iree, towers, columns, airy pinnacles, infinite in variety, innunieriibie, indescribable. We now arrive at Glenwood Springa, which ia the county -scat of GarHeld County, and is situated at the junction of the Grand and Roaring Fork Rivera. Here the tourist finds himself in a valley or jwrk, folly ."1,000 feet above sea-level, protected on every aide by lofty mouutaina, which holds within its limits a series of hot aulphur springs bursting out of the mountain rocks and forming lakea of large proportions, making natural bathing pla<.-es which, by artilieinl means have bfen rendered very convenient for the

Ijenvhig Glenwood Springs and continuing westward along the ever-widening Grand River, the city of Grand Junction is soon reached. This is the point at which the standard and narrow gauge lines of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad meet. Leaving Grand Junction, the richly colored BookC^iffs come into view, while away to the southward the anowy groups of the Sierra la Sal and San Rafael glisten in the distance. Between them may be distinguislied the broken walls which mark the Grand Canon of the Colorado, scarcely fifty milos iiway.

Space will not permit mention of all the many points of interest to be seen before Salt Lake City is reached. This, the interesting city by the great salt sea, ia in a veritable garden. Low and picturesque adob£ houses harmonize in their cool, quiet tones with the extensive orchards of truitand gardens of flowers which surround them, and the business blocks in the center of the city are imposing and strong. Back upon a "bench," and several hundred feet above the city, ia Fort Douglas, the flag of the republic standing out in bright relief against the Wasatch. Strong and rapid mountain streams come rushing through the cafions and are led into the city where the clear, cold, limpid waters sing a pleasant song as they sport and play along the sides of the streets, where they are conducted through the entire city. The great object of interest to the tourist and stranger is Temple Square; here are situated the great ecclesiastical buildings of the Mormon Church.

The return trip from Salt Lake City may be made through Gunnison anil toward the world-fnmed Marshall Pass. Gradually the view becomes less obstructed by mountain sides, and the e)e roams over miles of coneahuped summits. The liniberlesa tops of towering ranges show that one la among the heights, in a region familiar with the clouds. Slowly th(> steeps are conquered, until at last the train hatta upon the summit of Marshall Pass, A halt of ten minutes or so gives an opportunity to ascend to the obaervatory constructed aluve the stiition, which elevation couimiinds a view of lioth .Atlantic and PacJKc Slopes, one of the most inspiring

December 31st, 1900, closed the seventeenth year's business of the I'nion Stock Yards Company of Omaha, and where, in the spring of iv^, \va< simply a cluster of farms, ha> been built up one of the Ix'^t appointe<l and most coramt»dious stock yards, tive mammoth packinir liou>»*s and .-everal smaller enterprises*, thrttu^h which employment is iiriverj to a larjije number of people, cr»'ate<l a town which, starting a> a villacre, has

?rrown int<) a thriving city of over 2).0 inhabitants, all of whom, dir«*ctly or indirectly, derivr their inc«>iiie rem these industries, which hav»'»;r»»wn in im|M)rtanc«' until ranking thini in the list «»f packing centers of the world. With a natural hnration une«iualled by any other j.oint in this c«>untry as central for receiviuiBr live stock, t)r the raw material, and as a distributing point for both ihi- product of this industry and for feedersto the great corn l>elt of the central west, it enjoys facilities not fonn«l eln-where. au<l which have been the secret of its rapid strides into prominence. Ni-braska. Iowa. Kansas and Missouri, the four leading cornproducing states of the west, surround this common center and find a market h«r«' for their finished stock, while it is at the same time the nearest great market to the range> of ('olora(i;». Wy<»ming, I'tali. Nevada, ibe Dakotas, Montana, Oregon. Idaho and Indian Territory, which furnish y<arly al?nost unlimited suoplies of both cattle and sh«^*pto be slaughtere«l here. The>e four great corn feeding >tale- all l«M»k to tliis market for their supplies of feeiiing cattle, which are furnish'Ml to them for fee<ling purpose* in unlimited <iuantitie^ by theareat western and northwestern ranges.

The present capacity of the yards is estimated at »V2iJ cars of catti*', l').(;<iO li»*ad: 37 '» cars of hogs. 25.0ft > head; 70 double decks of she»'p. I'i.mM) head: and "idj car- of l»ors«s. l.<0» liead. Fully eighty acre- are n*»w covered with i>eus. barn-, sln^ds and other buihlings re«iui-it«- forcarryin:: on the business, while fully twentv acres more are graded and b+'ing covered rnj)i(lly w ith pens and >lie«ls. The whoh' is surrounded by a network of tracks and switches, which track.- an* owne<l by the >tock yards company, who. with their <»wn locomotives and train crews, handle all <)f the stock. Ix»th coming in and going out. as well a- all of the stock yards and packing house supplies and pnxluct. which insures the nn»st careful an<l satisfactory -ervice. »* hile the nandling of cattle and hogs was receiving so much attention, the devilopnient t>f the -Im*op industrj' was not overlooked, and the completion t)f a sheep barn and dii>ping plant liav«* increas«*d the business.lOO |»er cent, and added a large amount of territory to that already acquired. The barn accommodates l'>.'ii)«J sheep. i» a mammoth fire-proof structure covering o<'.<XK) square feet where, under on«' roof, are scale.-, sorting pen*, complete feed station and everything necessary to the rapid transaction of busine-s. The supply «»f water for the use of both the yards and packing houses is fiirnishe<l from the city mains, is always ad«H]uate, and as is well known, b*»ing taken from the Mis.-ouri river, catuiot Iw excelled. Every i>en i- supplied with a trough and hydrant, so that under no circumstance- is st<»ck at any time obliged to either Iv moved or go w ithout. Careful attention has been paid to the .-ew«'rage and drainage, residting in as perfect an<l complete a system as is known anywhere in the country. No charge whatever i- made for the use of the yard-, and one charge for weighing, usually called yardage, covers the whole cost to the shipper. ni» nmtter how l«mg his stock may remain on the market, and the weighing charge is oidy collected when stock is sold, so that if it is shipped from this market to some other by liim.the only expense to be incurred here i- for -uch an amount of fee<l as may be given to the stock by his orders.

Starting in 18S4 and 1885 with a small frame plant built for The G. H. Hammond Company by the st<»ck yards C4>mpaiiy the packing industries have steadily grown in -ize. completeness and in the number of products manufactured until at the close of 1900 there were five c<implete plant- iri operaticm, the Cudahy Packing Company, Swift and Companv, The Hammond Packing ('«»mpany. the Omaha Packing Company and Armour & Company. These five packing houses are as finely e«^uipped as any in the country and are making yearly additions as the increase of their business demands. \N ith an aggregate slaughtering capacity of lO.tOO cattle, 25,000 hogs and 8.000 sheep per day, which gives employment to T.'jOO men, these five houses turn out an enormous product, going to all parts of the world and taking a large territory to furnish them supplies, but good prices and the best of facilities for handlingall stock received i- con-tantly opening up new territory, all finding a home market much more advantageous to ship to.

Tlie hors<* and mule department is rapidly forging to the front as one of the principal features of the market, the busine."^s for 1900 being one hundre<l percent greater than for the prt»ceiling year. Handsome brick barns, well ventilat*»d and lighted, have b»*en erected, and one of the finest pavilions in the country for the accommodation of all those attending sale-, of which three are held weekly, are among it- attraclit'us. There are numert>us buyers fr()m the east, north ;ind south constantly on the market, and price- realized have been fully up to the best paid at more ea-tern «»r southern market-.