Custer County, Nebraska - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 14 of those read), 1919

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 14 of those read)

Years, Two Score and Oxe - Horse and Cow Pull the Plow - Corn Wears the Tassel and is King - A Great Alfalfa County - Custer Stands at the Head - Dressed in Green, Custer County Heads the List - An Early Live-stock Association - Live-stock R.msing - Cattle Grades Improved - Hogs, Black and Red - The Porker Pays the Mortgage - The Purple Blood of High Breeding - Sheep in the Wild and Wooly County - A City Man Makes Good - A Sample of Custer County Thrift - Custer County Agricultural Society - Out of Debt - Races Twenty Years Ago - The Lundy Hydro-Electric Power Plant - Custer County' Irrigation - Horticulture in Custer County - J. D. Ream Makes a Find - Fruit Received Too Little Attention - The Milling Industry - The Broken Bow Roller Mills - Electric Lights Everywhere - Towns Have Good Water - No Mininc; Indl'stry - Has Developed Wealth Slowly - Happy and Prosperous Now - "Since He Paid the Mortgage" - The First Settler Tells the Story of the Years

No successful pioneer will despise the day of small things. To commence small and to grow, is nature's way. The agricultural and industrial importance of Custer county to-day has been developed from what the easterner would have called "laughing stock" in the days of the vOs. It has been experiment after experiment, many of which were costly and heroic. It has been a struggle with but little to struggle with. Naught but indominitable courage and ceaseless effort could have wrought the miracle. The man who saw Custer county in 1874 and has had his back turned ever since, can look again to-day and his first word would be the one last in the sentence above - a miracle.

Two score and one years have passed since the first settlers started the plow to fashion the field, and the spade and axe to fashion the dwelling. Then it was virgin prairie, altogether fieldless. and for the most part houseless. The first thing to do was to locate - select the homestead. The level land was first selected, river bottoms - farms with river fronts, .\fter the claim was selected then came the house. Something to live in. as well as a place to live on, must be provided. If the settler had a covered wagon, he must live in that until he could build or dig a house. The homestead was the first thing, but the house must be second. If the place is on the river or one of the timbered creeks he will build a log house. If he has a breaking plow and a team to haul a few logs from the timber he will ere;t a soddy. If he is not rich in these commodities he will rustle a spade, dig a dugout and call it ''Home, sweet Home." The dugout of that day was the cheapest, and perhaps the most plebian, of the primitive habitations. The log house, though held down with a sod roof, was the abode of aristocracy. The sod house was middle-class and commonplace, yet many of those sod houses were comfortable and cozy. They were warm in winter and cool in summer, and if the roof were thick enough to keep out the rain they were not half bad. Generally the walls* were plastered with liill clav or a native stucco, which smoothed up better than the clay and most nearly resembled plaster. This, with a coat of whitewash, if lime could be had. made both interior finish and decoration. Some of the first houses were without floor, other than the native earth. One settler, in reciting the hardships of the early day, claimed that the soil was so rich that they had to cut the grass ofl:' from the floor of the sod house twice every \\eelc, so they could find the baby.

In such houses as these the best citizens of Custer county began their married life, and especially in such houses as these did they launch upon their Custer county careers. In this kind of house many of the present generation, now in active life, were born. Just such humble dwellings, located on a quarter-section of unplowed prairie, have since developed into the modern homes and imjjroved far m s that are the pride of the county today. That fine, white house, with modern light and water equipment ; that big red barn ; that tlock of granaries, sheds, and cribs, together with the hog house, the hen house, the icehouse, and the garage: these productive fields, green in growing time, and gold in harvest time, with acres of waving alfalfa - all have come from that humble beginning.

If the early settler had a team, he was not only fortunate, but also the exception. The most of the settlers were teamless. Some had a yoke of oxen, some were provided with only one horse, and in several instances the horse and cow were harnessed together and made up a sort of complex team. Some men had neither horse nor ox, cow nor plow. With just their two hands, alone and unaided, they commenced the battle of life, and almost a phenomenal success has rewarded their eliforts. They began with nothing, and to-day are the possessors of broad acres, equipped with modern houses, and have to their credit in the bank a competency for old age.

There is no country in the world that affords better advantages to the indomitable spirit who possesses youth, strength, and energy ; no place will more liberally reward labor than the hills and valleys of old Custer county. Nowhere within its borders can you find a man, who has spent here a score of years, that is not singing the county's praises. In fact, most of the old settlers will very cheerfully get up in the night to brag on the resources of Custer county. It has been, from the earliest day, the poor man's opportunity, the young man's hope, and the old man's haven. Its invigorating climate, its altitude, with its almost exclusive outdoor occ u p a t i o n. have made it a healthful land. There are no native diseases. Good health has always been universal. The old saying that the early settlers had to kill a maa to start a grave-yard, might be true of almost every community in Custer county. In the starting days, when evervthing was new and the people young, doctors were hardly needed, and the first who came to the county would have starved to death if thev had depended alone upon poor health and sickness.

The first crop of the first settlers, in which the soil of Custer county had first opportunity to demonstrate its fertility, was sod corn ; the second was rye. The settlers of the first year, and they generally came in the spring time, turned over a few acres of sod. planted it to corn, and spent the rest of the time construct- ing a habitation, and prospecting for water. Some settlers planted beans along with the corn and thus, in the fall, they had demonstrated that the soil was adapted to both corn and beans. In the New Helena country rye was the first fall crop and, nourished by the new, strong soil, made an astonishing yield. We have no record of any oats being sowed until the spring of 1877. From that time forth oats have been one of the standard crops. Spring wheat made its advent about the same time, or perhaps a little before the oat crop. Custer is to-day one of the wheat-producing counties of the state.

The county commenced its wheat industry like most new counties, with spring wheat. The soil was new and rich, and the yield was big. The price, however, prevented rapid accumulation of wealth by the wheat-raisers. Fall wheat came later, when weeds and chinch bugs began to challenge the spring wheat, and fall wheat has made a record during the years, the truth of which is expressed in the closing sentence of the above paragraph.

The great outstanding crop of this county has always been corn. Several years it has led all counties in the state in its production. All varieties will mature in good seasons, but early varieties are most regular in production. The sod corn of the first settlers was a surprise to the men who planted it. If the crop was not eaten up or destroyed by the ranchmen's cattle, the forage was fine fodder and the yield sometimes reached twenty-five bushels an acre. Since the cultivation of land and better methods in farming have come into vogue, Custer has been rated as a corn county. In these days of greater production, every stalk wears a tassel, and every ear is wrapped in silk. When the .stalk puts oflf its summer robes of green and dons the autumn tan. the ears turn to gold and droop modestly at the praise of their own magnificence.

The foregoing sentiment may be rated as stilted praise, but Custer corn deserves all that can be said of it. The real story of the corn, however, is tokl in a few f|uotations of figures which go to make up dry statistics. Statistics of any early day are lacking. If records were kept, the state department of agriculture made no reports. The following figures are given only to show what the county has done in the banner years of the past. The years of 1905 and 1906 seem to be the banner corn years of all the forty-three years that are passed. In 1905 Custer ranked second in the state in the production of corn. The total yield that year was 7,681,863 bushels. That was a great corn crop. The average per acre throughout the county was 36.5 bushels an acre. The average in the state that year was 37.65 bushels an acre. It was the great acreage in Custer that boosted it to second place in the state. The next year was an even better year for corn in Custer. The acreage increased and, although the average yield per acre was just one bushel less than in the previous year, the total crop came to the high figure of 8,251,158. This enormous yield put Custer into first place in the state. In this year the average yield per acre in the state was 35.28 bushels per acre, while in Custer the average yield was 35.5 bushels per acre, which put the county above the average in yield.

The last few years have not been so favorable for corn and, like with alfalfa, the acreage has been decreased in favor of wheat. This year's crop (1918) is estimated at 5,000.000 bushels, in round numbers.

The great bulk of the corn crop, and likewise the great bulk of the hay crop, is fed at home, less than five per cent, of the corn raised being shipped out of the county. It is fed to cattle and hogs and thus made to bring an added profit.

The importance of alfalfa as a forage crop canot be overestimated. Alfalfa is one of the standard products, and the one which has done more to bring profit to the farmer than almost any other. The deep-green fields in evidence everywhere, are the gold mines of the county. If the "porker" has been a mortgage-payer, he has had to stuff himself with alfalfa in order to play the role. The dry times reduce the crop, but it is never an entire failure. The prices have been good at all times - in fact, so good that it is safe to say that no crop has been more profitable than Custer county alfalfa. If corn is king, alfalfa is queen, and together they fatten a royal family of beef and pork. Farmers depend on alfalfa, and raise it with less expense than any other forage. The climate and soil of the county have always contributed tlie natural elements to make it the hay crop of the middle part of the state.

of inducing several farmers in different parts of the county to seed a few acres to the new crop for which so much was claimed. Judge Lavender was perhaps the first man in the vicinity of Broken Bow to try a small field, for hay and pasture purposes. The production of alfalfa was very limited for years. Seed was hard to obtain and the price was almost prohibitive. Alfalfa. like everything else, had to buck its way up hill against a field of opposition. As the years went by. it made progress and to-day it has its place and fame established. It ranks in importance with corn and is absolutely indispensable to successful stockraising.

years it was raised only in small patches, and its value as hog pasture, and as winter hay for calves, milch cows, and stock cattle was hardly known. The first record of alfalfa in the county harks back to 1882, when \'irgil Allen, on the South Loup, sent to Sacramento, California, and procured enough seed to experiment with four or five acres. The experin.cnt was successful, and year by year he added to the field until he had in cultivation broad acres of this imported meat and milk producing hay. \'ery early in the "SOs several experiments were tried in the Middle Loup river valley, and these likewise proved successful. In 1886 Robert Hunter began the agitation for more alfalfa and was the means

In the years 1907 and 1908 the acreage was largely increased and in the year 1909 the county came into prominence as an alfalfa producing county. The agricultural reports of this year rated Custer as the second county in the state in the production of alfalfa. In 1910 it again forged ahead and went to the top, with 48,419 acres to its credit. This seems to have been the high year. For the next two years the acreage decreased at the rate of one thousand acres a year. In 1913 the acreage is reix>rted as nearly ?,000 less than in 1910. This year. 1918. the county stands in third place. The hard, freezing winters of later years and the pressure used to increase the wheat production for war purposes, have caused the decrease notetl. In spite of decreased production and increases of other crops, the average value of the Custer county alfalfa crop for the last eight years has been over $1,600,000.00.

race for supremacy as a corn producer, with conditions represented by eighty-eight out of a possible one hundred points. Custer county is also in the high rank for oats, with ninetyfour points, several counties having the same average. The other counties which are of equal rank in this respect are Red Willow, Buffalo, Hall, and Sherman. Custer county again touches the high mark in the wheat average, it being twenty-seven bushels per acre, with Red Willow county, another wes-

"The bureau of labor has, during the past week, completed the work of compiling the crop conditions of Nebraska by counties, and the report presents some surprises. It was only a few years ago when the eastern part of Nebraska was far ahead of other portions of the state, but things have changed, and this year, to see the finest crops in Nebraska the people have to come to Custer county. In speaking of the report of the bureau of labor, the Lincoln Neii-s, of July 31st has the following:

An Early Live-Stock Association

The first live-stock association of which there is any record was organized in 1878. As the story goes, it was time for the spring roundup of 1878, and a meeting to organize for that purpose was called at Custer, which at that time meant the Young ranch and which was also the county seat, for the purpose of organizing for the roundup and for the added purpose of organizing a live-stock association. There were several large ranches represented, by owners and employes. The meeting had all the characteristics of the early day and western stage. The organization for the roundup was effected by electing Phil Dufrand as captain. With the roundup business out of the way, they proceeded to organize the Custer County Live Stock Association, the object of which was to promote the cattle industry and protect herds from cattle rustlers and those engaged in slaughtering "slow elk." The officers of the organization were: President, I. P. Olive ; secretary, Harry Windsor ; treasurer, Jacob Boblits ; inspector. J- D- Haskell.

Most of the farms are conducted with a view to handling- stock. The abundant grasses of the pasture land are strong and nutritious, and cattle in pastures fatten rapidly. The forage crops of the cultivated lands are sufficient to winter all the cattle that the grass lands will summer. This makes Custer county farming very profitable.

The passing of the great herds that roamed over the country in an early day, when everything was ranch and range, has not lessened the number of cattle. If there are no longer

A cr>mmittee, consisting of I. P. Olive, S. C. Stuckey, and E. J. lioblits, to draft a set of by-laws and set a constitution, was formed. This was the first cattle or stock association of any kind ever formed in the county. Their roll of membership has not been preserved, nor are minutes of any subsequent meeting obtainable.

Live-Stock R.Msi.Vg

That much-talked-of. invisible line which divides the grazing from the corn belt runs through Custer county. That makes it incline to both agricultural and grazing pursuits, a combination of farming and stock-raising.

herds of .^,000 head, seventy-five herds of one hundred head each have come to take their place. On the smaller holdings, into which the big ranges have been broken, are better cattle and more to the square mile than in the days when everything was cattle.

On the small farm, where the herd is smaller, more care is given to stock and great l)ains is taken in quality selection for breeding purposes. As a result, cattle are of better grade than formerly. The scrub male no longer heads the herd. In its place is found the kinsr of models, bred in the long lineage

Mrgfil Allen claims the distinction of importing the first blood in the cattle line. His fancy early ran to shorthorns. By importing thoroughbreds he set for his neighbors a fine example in herd improvement. The influence of the example has not been lost. Everywhere cattle have been improved until it is safe to say that no better cattle are found anywhere in the state. The county is full of shorthorns and white-faces, while Polled Angus and other varieties of polled cattle are not uncommon.

The dairy interests have become enormous and milking strains of Durhams bred for the purpose, the famous milk-producing Holsteins, and the cream-producing Jerseys have come to stay. These milkers are in the dairies and in the one-cow barns of the town people.

Hogs, Black And Red

When the early settlers came, some of them brought a few hogs with them. It has been, however, almost impossible to ascertain who brought the first hog into the county. The early hog served his purpose. He had to pioneer and take his chances on short rations, the same as the other stock. The hog was cheap, but the great incentive to raise him spelled lard and bacon.

The first breeder of a pure strain of hogs, of whom there is any record, was J. L. H. Knight, of Lee"s Park, who as early as 1885, while only a youngster himself, paid thirty dollars for a pure-blood Poland-China gilt. The offspring of this gilt in after years put good hogs on every farm in the eastern part of the country.

To-day hog raising is one of the great industries of the county. The two and three cents per pound price of the early day has improved as much as the breeds. At the time this page is being written, hogs are worth on the market, in any town in the county, eighteen cents a pound. The stock has developed, by select breeding, from the hazel-splitters of pioneer times to the square-blocked types of

Poland-Chinas and Duroc-Jerseys which are found on every farm to-day. These two breeds predominate. They have been found most profitable. They show up best in the pork barrel and in the bank account.

The agricultural reports of the state credit Custer in 1917 with nearly sixty thousand hogs. They constitute one of the greatest assets of the county. The hog crop of 1918 is far in excess of 1917.

The Porker Pays The Mortgage

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 fotmd everywhere, in inexhaustible quantities, at various depths, ranging from a few feet in the valleys to four hundred feet on the highest table lands. It was the home of countless numbers of bufifalo before the advent of the cowboy. With the coming of the cattlemen, the buffalo were driven out, and it became a veritable paradise for the large cattle ranch. After it was opened for settlement, the homesteader claimed its broad and fertile prairies as his right under the law, and the cattle rancher was obliged to vacate. But the number of cattle was 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, and the total number was increased. Much of the land was broken out, and general agriculture became the occupation of the early settlers. 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 requires 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 five hundred head. Of course the keeping of hogs necessitates the growing of corn. With the exception of two years - those of 1890 and 1894 - Custer county has produced a sufficient quantity of corn to mature most of the hogs raised within her borders. The high altitude, the pure atmosphere, and excellent drainage of Custer county make it exceedingly healthful for both human being's and animals. The animal diseases which are so common in most parts of the United S'tates. are almost unknown in Custer county. In recent years there has been a slight loss from disease known (in the common parlance) as hog cholera, but Custer county has never had an epidemic which carried off whole herds of swine.

The farmer, unlike his predecessor, the cattle man, usually markets his cattle in a finished condition. The cattle man of the olden times gathered his beeves from the plains and shipped them in large numbers to the market in Chicago or Kansas City. Those that were fat enough to kill were sold to the butcher ; those that were not finished were 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 distant about 180 miles. The cost of transportation is about thirty-eight dollars per 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 aliout 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 hogs which follow the cattle, and the waste is thus transformed into pork. The hog and cattle industry go together and furnish a considerable profit to the farmer. In good seasons, the average farmer on 160 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. They 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 thus secures the entire profit accruing to the man who raises the cattle, who raises the hogs and who feeds them. Poland-China is by far the most popular breed of hogs, while Jersey Red. Chester Whites, and Berkshires are very abundant.

In some of the valleys farmers have turned their attention to the raising of alfalfa. They are thus enabled to raise their young swine at a very low cost, and are only put into the yard to be finished. In 1887 Custer county shipped 32,640 hog? from the various stations of the railways 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 county.

The low grade of ])oorly selected stock with which the early settlers had to begin operations in the county was, of course, a tremendous handicap to stock-breeding operations. But it has been overcome, and the high-grade, pure strain in every department of live-stock breeding marks a commendable progress. Cattle, hogs, horses, sheep, have been bred for the last twenty years on the lines of best selection, and the fine-stock breeders of the county to-day. with their products, constitute one of our proudest assets. The following are some of our breeders who are making Custer county fine stock famous throughout the state :

Over in the Comstock region. Charles Xielhorn is producing Poland-China hogs and red polled cattle. He is making fine progress and has developed both spe:ies to high-class tyjies.

J. A. Kellenbarger, west of Merna. has some very fine specimen of Durhams. Joe has been in the business for several years and is. first, a good selector of type, and then, a good feeder, both of which characteristics are necessary in fine stock-raising.

Sam Waddington, in Ortello valley, has been breeding white-faced Hercfords for the last thirty years, and it would be hard to find a better marked, more evenly molded herd tlrm bis to-day,

II. C. Grabert & Son are hog breeders who are attracting attention in the region between P)roken Bow and Westerville. They have pens full of the big rangy types of Duroc-Jerseys.

established a reputation as a breeder of Poland-China hogs. He has made a crowning success and has very materially boosted the hog production of Custer county by contributing classy herd-heads to the community in which he is operating.

South of Broken Bow, the Miller Sons, continuing the breeding operations of the late Benjamin Miller, are producing Poland- Chinas of pure strain and acme style.

Teddy Scott, two miles from Broken Bow, is a young, progressive farmer who is making his mark in the Poland-China world. He has scarcely become an extensive breeder, but he has a foundation of fine selects and has already producer some types that might be envied by an older breeder.

John Amsberry, down in the region of Mason City, breeds black Polled-Angus cattle that are blocky types of beef and profitable farm cattle. John and his son are veterans in the cattle business and deserve well the reputation they have established.

Charles Wright, who has a good farm on the Muddy, is in the Jersey cattle business. He breeds the fawn-colored milkers and has some of the finest types of dairy and town Jerseys the country produces.

For years Dr. Brenizer has been one of the shorthorn producers and one of the county's most ardent advocates of selected blood. He has contributed as premiums many of the best Durham males ever bred in the west. Custer county owes much to Dr. Brenizer.

Zachary & Sons, substantial and progressive farmers of the West table, have given their attention to the high types of draft horses and are very successful home breeders. They have a line of home-grown Percherons that would be a credit to most any county.

George StofTer, three miles north of ^lerna. likewise has given much attention to horsebreeding. Years ago he made purchases of classy Percherons, both stallions and marcs, and to-day has produced the most magnificent types.

Ivan L. Leech, a progressive young farmer in the Westerville country, is turning attention to blooded strain? in cattle and hogs, inclining to the Durocs and the Diudiams.

Charles Mytton, of Ansley, is an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jerseys and has reached a place where his annual sales attract attention over the central part of the state.

K. F. Dietsch is a new-comer who brought with him the best blood to be found in the northeast corner of the state. He has purchased a farm north of Broken Bow and named it Cedar Lawn Stock Farm.

H. E. Pressey, of Oconto, is an established breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs. He has been long in the business and has made a very creditable showing. He has on his stock farm everything that makes of breeding a profitable occupation.

If Custer county was ever "wild and wooly." the wool was not furnished in any great quantities by home-grown sheep. If it was a Custer county Marv who had a little lamb with fleece as white as snow, it was before Mary moved west. Tiiere have been a few sheep in the county all of the time since the winter of 1875, but only a few. There are a few good-sized flocks in diiiferent parts of the county to-day, but Custer has never been rated as a sheep county. In the days of cattle, conditions were the same here as in all range countries, and more or less antagonism has always existed between sheepmen and cattlemen. The earlv cattlemen of Custer counstorms have been natural enemies of the flock, yet natural conditions have not been unfavorable to the mutton industry.

In Butcher's history there is a picture of a splendid flock of sheep, marked "Sheep Industry in Lee's Park, in 1887," which is reproduced here. In 1882 the Haumont brothers, Jules and Ed., wintered sheep on the French table. In 1881 the Finlen brothers, Charles, Mike, and Tom, came from Streator, Illinois, and settled on the South Loup. They brought ty did not cncmirage the sheepmen. If one slipped into the countrv there was no reception committees ap])ointed to extend the glad hand and say to him, "Welcome, welcome to our ])rairies. Turn your sheep loose and let them graze at their own sweet will." This was a social function that the cattlemen, not given to formalities, grossly neglected. They acted as if they never cared whether there were any sheep in the coimtry or not. Sheep came, however, and sheep have stayed, and sheep are here to-day. Sheep-killing dogs, coyotes, and into the country 1,000 sheep. They did not stay in the sheep Inisiness very long but merged into the cattle business as soon as possible. Pres Richardson started a sheep industry on his ranch north of Broken Bow and was very successful as long as he stayed on the ranch himself.

In 1910 Custer county had but 3,901 sheep. In the last report, given in 1917, Custer has 2.884, which is a decrease in the last seven years.

a number of years the prominent sheep man of the county. His .ranch is about nine miles southwest of Broken Bow. The Judge has made a success of sheep raising.

A Citv Man Makes Good

An instance that iHustrates how the rich soil of Custer county responds to energy and management, is related by James Pierce, and this is the personal experience and accomplishgood boys and two good girls, all of whom believed, with Benjamin Franklin, that "He who by the plough would thrive, himself must either hold or drive." Improving on this adage, we have both held and driven the most of the time. The house is on the old homestead, and is one of the four frame houses owned by the family. There are also two good sod-houses and one small building owned by an invalid son, who makes his home with us on the old homestead. One son settled in Valley county. The rest are all near Somerford postoffice, ment of a man, city-bred and born, who. together with his family, has conquered the Custer prairie and made toil profitable and land productive. He says:

In the spring of 1880 we moved to Custer county, Nebraska, where we have since made our home. Having no experience in farming, except such as was to be obtained on salt water and on the paved streets of a city, I was not very successful at the new business and brought but little to Nebraska in the way of capital. A part of what we did bring was lo.st in the hard winter of 1880 and 1881. We brouoht with us. however, a faniil\- of six where together we own seven farms, containing in all 1.720 acres. Besides the improvements of all kinds, in the way of barns, hog houses, etc., 480 acres have been bought by earnings of the old homestead. Besides this we have had a comfortable living, without crowding other people.

The farms are all well stocked with horses. cattle, and hogs. Most of the land is fenced and cross-fenced, with yards for dififerent kinds of stock. Roughly estimated, I should say that the family had' last year 10,000 bushels of oats, 12,000 bushels of corn, and perhaps enough of other grain to make up 2.t,000 bushels altogether. One piece of land, bought by a son seven years ag^o. has never failed to produce enough each year to more than pay the purchasing price. Some years, last year for example, the crop brought more than twice what the land cost.

When we took the land in 1880 there was no wood on it, not enough for a riding switch. Now, if we want a load of fence posts, or several loads, we can cut them. Apple trees have been bearing for many years. All this with our own labor. What man has done, man may do. Stand up for Nebraska ! There is room for many more here.

The above statement was written in 1904. The remarkable showing made up until that time has continued since in the same ratio. The writer has since moved to that greater country where all homesteads are river fronts. His sons and daughters are still here and are numbered among our best citizens.

Anton Smock, with his wife and a threemonths-old babe, landed in Custer county in April, 1886, and settled on a quarter-section of land near Oconto. To commence the operation of farming he had a yoke of oxen, a breaking plow, and a stone-boat sled. He had one cow and a calf. The above invoiced all his stock and implements. He had never had hold of a j)low-hantlle in his life. His wife was city-bred. He says tliey did not mak-e much of a success the first few years. He encountered dry years, hail storms, and all the drawbacks and hindrances that the law allows, so that when he got through the memorable hard year of 1894. he had but little more than the amount with which he started. He says he had learned, however, that milking cows and raising hogs was the most profitable thing he could do, and he made up his mind that he would stick to that.

Ten years later he owned and paid taxes on 1,400 acres of good Custer county land, of which 300 acres were imder cultivation and the balance in pasture or hay land, the whole farm fenced and cross-fenced, and equipped with good buildings, ninety head of stock-cattle, twelve head of horses. 100 head of hogs, and thirty milch cows. In addition to stock and improvements, he had fine sheds, filled with all kinds of farming implements. In relating his experience, he says: "!My wife and I worked hard, but we did too much work with our hands and not enough with our heads." He loudly praises Custer county and declares that good soil, favorable weather, helped out with a little hustle, is the Custer county way of spelling success.

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 territor}- from whi:h the annual fair draws, makes it an attraction that brings to Broken Bow an immense concourse of people every fall. It has gained the well earned reputation of being one of the very best fairs in the state.

In the summer of 1881 a little band of homesteaders met at the town of Westerville 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. .Amsberrv, R. C. Talbot, J. H. Westervelt. J. L. H. Knight. F. D. Miller. John Welsh, Thomas Blowers, Edgar \'arney, 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 of the same year, and while it was a primitive one, 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 display of corn, wheat, and oats was far better than one would e.x]iect in a country that was but sparsely jxipulated. 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 Bowhad gained sufficient prominence to become a rival of Westerville, and divided honors with her by the fair being held three days at each place.

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" exciting races took place. It is hardly necessary to add that in those days, with the population made up largely of young men and with 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 was later sheriff of Custer county. Broncho-riding was a great attraction, and the cowboy who could rope, bridle, saddle, and mount a wild horse, imaided, 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, which met at Westerville and voted the exclusive rights to a fair at Broken Bow. Shortlv 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, earlv 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 oft'ered as premiums, until its premiums and purses have, during the past few years, reached $3,500, while 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 capturned the gold medal offered by the state fair for the county exhibit which could take three successive 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 one hundred competitors, surely has some merit to its claim as an agricultural county.

Perhaps a word would not be out of place regarding those who have served as officers of this society. The official roster up to 1902 is as follows :

The board of directors consists of nine members, three of whom are elected every year. This board has always been selected from among the verv best and most progressive farmers, stock-raisers, and business men of the county. The officers during the year 1901 were: President. J. O. Taylor; vicepresident, Thomas Finlcn ; secretary, E. R. Purcell ; assistant secretary, F. \\'. Haves ; treasurer. \\'. D. Blackwell ; directors, Ed ^Ic- Comas, G. R. Russom, John Finch. A. E. Hanna. W. A. George, H. Lomax, C. H. Miller, E. C. Gibbons, and P. F. Campbell.

and have done much to attain the present status of the association : Judge H. M. SuHivan, Alpha Morgan, Emery F. Bush, I. A. Reneau, James S'tockham. Tom Finlen. and Judge X. Dwight Ford.

Out Of Debt

The organization is in splendid financial condition. The 1917 fair was pronounced a successful event by all who attended, and the Thursdav crowd was conceded to be the largest in the history of the fair. All of the stock premiums were paid to the winners on the

Its present officers are: E. R. Purcell, editor Custer County Chief, president; Tom Finlen, retired farmer, vice-president; N. Dwight Ford, county judge, secretary ; Alpha Morgan, lawyer and banker, treasurer. Directors - E. C. Gibbons, banker and rancher; C. H. Zachary, rancher and horseman ; B. J. Tierney, rancher and stockman ; J. O. Taylor, merchant ; Charles Wright, rancher and stockman ; James Stockhain, farm-machine expert : J. J. Douglass, rancher and banker; Charles Melham, rancher and stockman ; Herman F. Grabert, rancher and stockman.

last day of the fair, and premiums in the other departments were paid in full within one week. After the business of 1917 was closed, all expenses of the fair were paid and all debts and judgments cleaned up, so that the organization stands to-day with a substantial balance to its credit and with every stockholder and 1917 attendant as boosters.

The 1918 management has made a special effort to carry out all of the instructions and requests of our government in regard to the stock and agricultural departments, which will be instructive and educational in every way and of great value to all. It will be Custer county's school of agriculture and stockraising.

Races Twenty Years Ago

Just as an exhibit of the old-time fair held in the day when the horse was king and "Fords" unknown, the race program is here given of one of Custer county's fairs, just as it took place twenty years ago.

The program of races was exceptionally good this year and the field of horses large, while the minor sjiorts created the usual amount of interest. The \Mld West show was the main attraction and pleased the crowd.

The management of the fair honestly endeavored to give the people some genuine attractions, and advertised nothing that did not take place. Below we give a list of races and winners:

Three-]\Iinute Trot; Purse, $75.00 1st - Gold Dollar, owned by E. C. Gibbons. 2d - Maud M., owned by F. C. Embree. 3d - Dr. Keeley, owned by E. B. Harper. 4th - Prairie Queen, owned by Daniel Sweeney.

Pony Running- Race; Purse, $10.00 1st - Crickett, owned by William Sailing. 2d - Baney, owned by J. AI. Landers. 3d - Louie S., owned by William Spear.

One-Half Mile Running Race; Purse, $50.00 1st - John Corbin, owned by W. L. Cramer. 2d - Alice G., owned by C. A. Bailey. 3d - My Trump, owned by John Webb.

Free-for-all Trot and Pace: Purse, $75.00 1st - Fib. owned by R. J. Vinton. 2d - Pocahontas Billy, owned by J. Knight. 3d - Jesse Jewett, owned by Jesse Gandy. 4th - Gold Dollar, owned by E. C. Gibbon.

Two-Year-C)ld Special Running Race; Purse, $20.00 1st - Crickett. owned by William SalHng. -d - ]\Iidnight. owned by Isaac Reed. 3d - Baney, owned by J. W. Landers.

Colt Trot and Pace; Purse, $25.00 1st - Ed. L., owned by E. K. Litzenburg. 2d - Satshaw, owned by Savage Brothers. 3d - Lady Winks, owned by J. N. Auble. 4th - Buck, owned by D. W. Laterman.

Equestrianship

( )ne of the most promising industrial developments ever inaugurated in the county is the so-called hydro-electric plant which is in course of construction at Doris, Nebraska, by James W. Lundy. Mr. Lundy is enthusiastic over the project and feels confident that he has power enough to transform Custer county, and central Nebraska as well, into a manufacturing center. Mr. Lundy is the owner of 1,600 acres of land abutting both banks of the river for a distance of nearly three miles. All of I'.is land is under irrigation tlitches, and this in itself constitutes a valuable asset. Although the average width of the river is 700 feet, Mr. Lundy has narrowed the river-bed through his land until it is confined to a channel 100 feet wide. The Middle Loup river, which is the main fork of the Loup, has an average velocity, at the Lundy point, of about 600-second feet.

The fall of the river generally averages six feet to the mile, but at Doris the fall is eight feet per mile, which makes this one of the best locations on the river to develop water power. The Loup is a very remarkable river, in that its flow is always regular. The average variation in rise and fall, at Doris, in drouth or flood times, is not more than twenty inches. The reason for this is found in the fact that there is no long, clay, valley drainage from surrounding hills leading either into the river or into the streams which feed the river. The volume of water in the river is maintained by springs and sand-seepage from distant lakes.

Lundy has arranged to divert from the river as much water as will be necessary for ]5ower purposes at this time, but has it so arranged tliat a larger volume can be diverted at any time. The construction of his plant is so arranged that the present unit can be added to at any time without disarranging the plant. The power canal which brings power water from the head-gates down to the side-gates and spillway is fifty feet wide and is capable of handling 400-second feet of water, while to operate the plant in its present proijortions will require only 200-second feet.

It is arranged, however, so that the spillway will take care of the surplus water. The present plant unit is supposed to develop 225 horse-power, but its power can be easily increased at any time, with but slight alterations.

The dam proper is seventy-three feet wide and nearly fifteen feet high, which gives a twelve-foot working head of water. The foundations, which are necessarily on sand formation, are from sixteen to thirty-four feet below the level of the river and are made of solid cement, reinforced with steel. In the construction of the dam are 400 running feet of Wakefield sheet piling, six inches thick, tongued and grooved. One hundred and five round-piling, twenty-five feet long, help to fasten the dam to its moorings, and to stay the flood tide. Also used in the construction of the dam are 42,000 feet of hard-pine, two-inch lumber: 13,000 pounds of steel reinforcements: 250 loads of gravel; and 1,650 sacks of Pordand cement.

The head-gates and ice-control are constructed from 2.800 feet of two-inch, hard- pine lumber, .spiked to fiftv, twenty-five, and thirty-five foot piling. In the con.struction of the side-gates and spillway, 35,000 feet of twoinch, hard-pine lumber was used. The sidegates are anchored in their places by cedar piling, ranging from sixty to twenty-five feet in length. More than 12,000 pounds of steel reinforcement is used in the cement part of the side-gate construction. For the cement work of the side-gates were required 175 loads of gravel and more than 500 sacks of cement. In this connection there should be noticed a device which is ]\Ir. Lundy's invention. Heretofore, all river constructions or attempts to harness the river power have been hindered by large deposits of quicksand or silt-sand, which creeps along the bottom of the old channels. The new contrivance automatically separates the silt-sand in the bed of the stream from the vokime of flowing water and allows only clarified water to pass through the turbine. It is said that this is the only automatic device of the kind ever constructed. Mr. Lundy assures us that the design is simple and that it never fails to work out the results for which it was intended. It is so constructed and so simple that it requires no attention and is ready at all times to separate the sand. This contrivance means much for the future development of water power, not only along the sandybedded Loup river, but also along all quicksand streams as well. Formerly the sand has been removed or overcome by expensive mechanical devices which have made water power too expensive.

Mr. Lundy will use a fifty-six-inch Lettel turbine wheel which is especially constructed for a low-water head and which develops in the present unit 225 horse-power. The power is transmitted from the turbine to a new Samson cable drive, which is the most effective power harness for turbines yet invented. The turbine is controlled by a Woodard oil governor. The generator is 100 K. W. ; 125 K. \'. .A. ; six-cycle, three-phase, generator electric dynamo and switch-board, which will generate 175 K. W., on peak load.

Then new plant now in course of construction, replaces the old plant, which has been used for a flouring mill for over thirty years. It is the opinion of those who have investigated the plant, and also the opinion of the assistant state engineer, that the new ideas used in construction by Mr. Lundy will make this plant a decided success and a remarkable power contribution to all the region of Custer county. It is claimed that the power generated here can be economicalh- distributed for a distance of 400 miles, which radius will cover all central Nebraska. When it is understood that the Loup river is capable of developing 150 to 200 horse-power per mile, it requires no prophet to understand what a valuable asset the river is to the contiguous territory. With the power properly developed, Custer county need not depend upon her agricultural resources entirely. The opportunity to become

In constructing the new power plant Mr. Lundy has done all of his own engineering and constructing work, and has been assisted in the construction work by Harry Gardner, foreman, and John WykofT, assistant foreman.

Custer Couxtv Irrigation'

Once irrigation was the scheme and dream of all farmers in the county living along the river valleys. The dry year of 1894 brought the project of irrigation to the front, as the cure and prevention of crop failure. Two irrigation districts were formed, one in Lillian precinct and one in Douglas Grove. Both districts bonded themselves in order to construct ditches, flumes, and side-gates, but owing to a series of very favorable years the ditches have lapsed into disuse and are badly out of repair. Recently the Douglas Grove district was in litigation. A suit was brought by some of the water-right holders to compel the officers of the district to repair the ditch and furnish water to complainants. The suit was lost and at the present date the ditch is not used.

The Lillian ditch is practically abandoned, although in the vicinity of Gates a few farmers - George W. Dewey, estate of the late Ed. Bishop, Bert Gates, and others - are using water on their land. These men and J. W. Lundy, of Doris Lake, are the only Custer county farmers using water for irrigation purposes to-day.

"If the terrible drouth of 1894 was responsible for the construction of the Douglas Grove irrigation ditch, it has proved 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 through that memorable winter and to eke out a miserable existence until another crop could be raised. .\n attempt was made to induce the township to help in the work, as the sum asked to be voted would return to the taxpayers as remuneration for their work on the ditch, and thus help all concerned ; but this aid was refused, and those living under the proposed ditch were compelled to organize a company and vote bonds upon themselves to obtain money to carry on and complete the undertaking. I will say nothing about their repeated discouragements and failures, but after one of the most desperate struggles, like Bruce's spider, they overcame all obstacles and the ditch has been finished from the Sargent bridge to Spring creek at Douglas Grove, a distance of thirteen and one-half miles, and covering an area of 7.000 acres of valuable land.

"As this is the only canal in this section of the country that has been successfully completed and is now in successful operation, blessing its builders with its benefactions, it must be stated that its completion is due to the unremitting and untiring efforts of a very few men, who stood by it. through evil report as well as good, until it was an accomplished fact, and the wonderful results obtained from the use of the water it furnishes have compelled those who were hitherto lukewarm su])porters to become the most enthusiastic and generous friends of the enterprise. The dit:h company at the present time is officered as follows : E. C. Gibbons, president ; W. H. Comstock, secretary ; Charles Wescott, treasurer."

The topography of the South Loup valley is so unfavorable to irrigation that no extended attempts to use the river water on adjacent land has ever been made. In this vallev. hilllieadlands project into the valley, coming up to the river banks in high cliffs, thus making the construction of ditches very expensive, if not impossible.

The horticultural jiroducts of Custer comity are not suffi.-ient to warrant any extravagant claims concerning this being a great fruit country. The overwhelming preponderance of cereal crops causes the fruit industry to be neglected. .\ great variety of fruits, however, have been produced in the county and some varieties are extremely well adapted to both soil and climate. Cherries seem to be the most prolific bearers and are most regular in the production of a crop. It is, perhaps, owing to the fact that the cherr}' is a hardy tree and matures early, that it has come into prominence and received more than its share of cultivation.

The early settlers planted small orchards as soon as they were able to procure the trees, and in most of these home orchards the cherry was the leading variety. Some few very large cherry orchards were put out for commercial purposes, but while the cherry is hardy and an early bearer it is likewise a short-lived tree, and the large or.-hards passed into decay. The owners did not feel that the profits of cherryraising warranted them in replacing the dead trees and maintaining the orchards intact. But to-day. on almost every farm and on almost every residence lot in the cities and villages, can be found a few choice cherrv trees which generally jiroduce well.

Apples rank next to cherries as a Custer county fruit. The hardy varieties do exceptionally well if proper attention is paid to them. But in many instances the small farm-orchards receive little care and attention, and consequently it is not to be expected that they will produce large crops of well developed commercial fruit. Thus far the county has not raised enough apples for home consumption.

In this latitude the peach tree does not stand the hard winter, and very few bushels of |)ea:hes have ever been raised in the county. Small fruits and berries do well in the low lands where they have sufficient moisture. Grapes are admirably adapted to the county's climatic and soil conditions and if given more attention could be raised in great abundance and with good profit.

The whole county was full of wild fruit in an early day. .\n article written by James D. Ream thirty years ago will give an idea of the character and al)imdancc of Custer couiUy w ild fruits : conditions found here at the time of the tirst settlement of the county may be of interest to some. While camping in the canyons with Wilson Hewitt, in January, 1880, I chanced to leave my gloves lying by the camp-fire in the evening, and when I looked for them in the morning I could not find them. After thorough search about the camp, Mr. Hewitt suggested that if I would tear down a pile of brush and trash that was about three rods from camp and that was three feet high and four or five feet broad, I would probably find my gloves, as it was a wood-rat's nest, and these rats had often carried off such articles for him while he was camped in the canyons. I immediately tore it down, and to my pleasant surprise I found my gloves, and nearly half a bushel of nice wild grapes, dried upon the stems, as clean and bright as when they were taken from the vines in the fall, and beneath these quite a quantity of dried plums. The rats had evidently provided the fruit for winter use, as they had eaten some of the plums, having gnawed the pits open and eaten the kernels out, but had not commenced upon the grapes. Here I obtained my first practical knowledge of the horticultural products of the county. I at once began to inquire regarding them, and to my surprise I heard some wonderful stories as to their variety and quantity. It was with great interest that I looked forward to the fruiting season, and. to my surprise, I found in the canyons, early in June, an unlimited supply of black currants, which, when stewed, with a little sugar added, made a sauce that was quite an addition to the meager fare of the average Custer county homesteader. We did not have very long to wait for the wild gooseberries to get large enough to stew, and of these, like the currants, there was an unlimited supply. Following these came the wild blackcap-raspberries, which, although not scattered all over the county, were very abundant in some of the canyons, and often bore large quantities of luscious fruit, one woman having picked and canned eighty quarts in one season. By the time these were gone, the earliest varieties of plums and choke-cherries were ripening. It would be useless to attempt to estimate the quantity of these two fruits produced that season, as every plum thicket was loaded with plums, the quality of many of the varieties being e.xceptionally good, while every clump of choke-cherry trees was black with the ripeningfruit. I neglected the little wild strawberry that we occasionally find in the canyons. It is small, and not much of a bearer, but the flavor is verv fine. The buffalo-berrv is a fruit know n only in the western part of the state, growing on the sides and near the top of the steep canyons, and often bearing large quantities of very bright red and yellow berries, somewhat smaller than the tame currant. The bush or tree is a slow-grower and very thorny. The fruit is very sour and often hangs on the tree until winter, making a very pretty sight. It makes a fine jelly, and its juice is a valuable aid in making jelly from the more acid fruits. The wild dewberry was found on the Middle Loup river valley, but has not been extensively cultivated. In addition to all this we found some sections of the sand-hill country covered with what are known as sand cherries. The sand cherry is a low-growing bush or shrub, seldom reaching over eighteen inches in height in its native condition, but it is a very prolific bearer, a twig one foot high often bearing almost half a pint of fruit, which very often grew the size of tame cherries. The pits are large, the skin thick, and the flesh not so juicy as the tame cherry. The fruit has a peculiar, pungent taste that is disagreeable to many people, but this characteristic is much less prominent in some varieties than in others. For a long time it was supposed to be the sand-cherry of the east, Prunus Pumila, but Professor Bailey, in a bulletin issued by Cornell University in 1894, deiend this, and named it Prunus Besseyi, in honor of Dr. C. E. Bessey, of the Nebraska L'niversity, who had made extended experiments with this shrub.

With all this array of varieties of fruit, and every bush and vine loaded to its utmost, is it any wonder that we entertained high hopes of the tame-fruit industry in the future? Whenever the pioneer turned the black loamy soil and planted and cultivated with reasonable care, he was richly rewarded with enormous production of grain and vegetables.

But while the farmer pioneer was imbued with the spirit of push and perseverance, while he refuses to give up hope when met by disappointments, he is not a careful observer or a diligent investigator. In this case he did not stop to observe that all these fruits, in every instance, were found growing under peculiar conditions. They were always found where moisture was abundant, and ofttimes where protection was afforded from sun and winds.

written a message in every canyon, on every hillside, and in every valley. She had written it in large, plain letters, telling how and where to grow trees, fruits, berries, vines, and big weeds.

Did we read Nature's handwriting, and interpret her message of instruction? No, our untrained eyes failed to see the handwriting, and our undeveloped reasoning faculties failed to catch the lesson she had tried to teach iis. We remembered the luscious fruit that grew in the orchard on the old home farm, in the eastern states where we used to live. \\'e did not stop to question whether or not the varieties that flourished there, would stand this acrid climate, of hot sun, winds, and small rainfall. We planted what we thought we wanted to grow, and planted it where we happened to think we wanted it to grow, regardless of any laws of Nature, or any message that the good old Dame had sent us. We did not recognize that the location, the kind of soils and subsoils, the preparation of the ground, and the aftercultivation, were all basic problems that must be reckoned with.

The ever-present itinerant tree-peddler was on the ground, and, supported by the great variety of wild fruits found growing here, as well as aided by glowing pictures and full description of the wonderful fruits that he said could be grown here, he caused the pioneer's eyes to glisten and his mouth to fairly water, as he imagined he could see himself picking the ripening fruit from his own trees and vines, in the near future. Trees were planted galore, planted hither and yon - all laws of nature were disregarded and. in most cases, all known laws of cultivation aiul care were unheeded.

Failures, yes, ninety per cent, of the early attempts at fruit-growing here were failures. But sufficient success has been attained to prove that many kinds of the tame fruits can be grown here with reasonable success , when there is given an intelligent compliance with nature's laws. But the splendid fruit-growing sections of the eastern part of the state. where the hardier varieties of all kinds of fniits can be easily grown, and the equally successful sections of the inter-mountain country to the west of us, have supplied us with such great quantities of splendid fruits, at reasonable prices, that the problem of fruitgrowing has lost much of its interest and has not received the attention that it would otherwise have received, .\nother resulting loss is that many of our farm homes lack much of the attractiveness and homelike appearance that a well-cared-for orchard and a few flowers would have given them. The careful investigation and study required in successful fruit-growing under our conditions would have proven of great value to us in

Milling has been one of the industries of Custer county that has reached large proportions. In nearly every community a goodsized flour mill has been erected, and in most communities they are doing business at the present time.

The first mill built in the county was at Westerville. In 1885 a man named Grierson located in W'esterville and put up a waterpower mill on Clear creek. In this mill the first grists of the county were ground, ^^'ith the building of other towns, at the expense of Westerville's ambitions, the mill ceased operations, and high water destroyed the race and dam. Other mills of the county were built at Milldale, Callaway, Ansley, ^lason, Arnold, Conistock, Sargent, Ansclmo, and Broken Bow. Some of these mills have been destroyed by fire, but six are in operation to-day - those at Callaway. Arnold, Sargent, Comstock. Mason, and Ansley. Further reference to these mills will be found in chapter IX, under the respective histories of the towns in which the mills are located.

The Broken Bow Roller Mills

The Broken Bow Roller Mills were erected in 1887. Messrs. Frey and Shoup, of Grand Island, Nebraska, commenced tlie work of building, and operated the mill for a short time. Owing to the liens filed by those who furnished the machinery - ainounting to about $11,000 - it was closed. The property at the time it was closed was valued at $20,000.

S. J. Lonergan. who located in Broken Bowin the spring of 1887, was induced to take the mill over on trial for three months, after which he decided to buy the controlling interest in it and made several needed improvements, costing about $9,000. Thereafter he paid all the liens against the property and incorporated the bu-siness for $29,000. ' Within this time George Frey purchased Mr. Shoup's interest in the company, but he later sold to the Central Nebraska National Bank, owned and controlled by John Inman and O. J. Coleman.

After this exchange of interests, the company continued to operate the property for several years at a profit, capital to do this being furnished by the stockholders, who received notes executed by the company, for money advanced. During the '90s the Central Nebraska National Bank failed, but before doing so it sold the milling company and paper to an Omaha bank, also disposing of their stock to some eastern parties. This action threw the propert}^ into court, and when it was sold it was bought by the Omaha banker who held the largest claim against it. Later on the Omaha banker sold the property to S. J. Lonergan, who immediately reincorporated the business, under the name of the Broken Bow Roller Milling Company. He proceeded to enlarge the plant, by building an elevator, with a capacity of '30,000 bushels, and also installed several thousand dollars' worth of needed machinery, expending in all for these betterments. $13,000. which made the cost of the milling companv's property up to and including that time, $42,000.

S. J. Lonergan continued to run the mill for several years after this time, at a profit - u]) to the time of the panic of 1897. In fact, the mill was running night and day at the tinre of the panic, and was doing a profitable business. This panic came like a thief in the night ; in the morning every banker in the country had crept into his cyclone cave, but the business man was left, like the private soldier on the firing line, to stop the onrush of this calamity or perish trying. Checks were valueless, money out of sight, property values were withered, and thousands of business men were carried out on the crest of this tide, to find themselves in the status from which they started in bygone years.

Electric Lights Everywhere

In striking contrast to the lights used in the homes of Custer county forty years ago are the electric lights with which every town and village in the county is lighted. Forty years ago, candles were common and the oil-lamp of small, smoky burner was the major illumination. It was a fortunate farmer that had a lantern with which to do chores in the barn after and before daylight, but to-day things have changed. Not only do the dwellers in the towns have homes lighted by electricity, but many of the farmers have their own electric-lighting plants and thus are enabled to have every modern convenience on the farm, as well as in the city. The first lighting plant in the county was established at Ansley. The second was in Broken Bow. After several attempts, Broken Bow finally secured a splendid plant, put in and operated by the Custer electric corfxiration of which Charles S. Martin is president and manager. This plant was established in 1909 and is a large, modern plant, well eciuipi^ed to meet the needs of the community.

In I''15 tile city installed a municipal plant and took over the city lighting, besides which it is now doing some commercial and residence lighting. Broken Bow is the only town in the county where two lighting plants are doing business.

Over and again it has been mentioned that Custer county has the best water in the world. This is true not only, of the country districts where hydraulic wells go down to gravel and tap the under-stratum of sheet water which is always found on the river levels, but it is also true of all the towns and villages in the county. Every town has a water plant of its own. and good, healthful, pure water is pumped out of a deep municipal well and forced into some adequate reservoir, from which it is distributed in mains and laterals all over the town. Because of the abundance of water and the easy and comparatively inexpensive method of putting down deep wells, all of the smaller places have been enabled to procure water plants that might well be en- \ied by the larger cities of the east.

No Mixixg Ixdustrv

With all her resources, no deposits of coal, iron, or other minerals have ever been found in the confines of Custer county. Indications of salt, potash, and othei" lesser productions of the earth have been found, but no investigation of the deep, underlying strata has ever been made. Down on the Charles Humphrey place, some five or si.x miles west and north of Callaway, oil indications are so prominent that talk of prospecting has been indulged, but to date no determined effort has ever been

Uuried underneath the surface of Custer county, are, beyond doubt, rich deposits of minerals, oil or gas, which await discovery and the push and pluck to develop and bring to the surface for man's utility. What may be the result of future reseach and investigation can now be only conjectured.

The |)henomenal wealth described in the last chapter of this volume and attributed to the thrift and energy of Custer county citizens, has been th« product of years. Soil has yielded rich reward to ever}' persistent tiller, but the jirocess has been slow - so slow that perhaps it is safe to say that thousands became discouraged and abandoned their attempts long before their labors could possibly be rewarded b\ nature, who weaves her pattern slowly and awaits her time for rewarding labor.

In 1878, one year after the organization of the county, the first tax-roll was made up and, notwithstanding the fact that a great many cattle still were in the county, located on extensive cattle ranches, the taxable jjroperty amounted to only $136,054.30. This, of course, was the tax valuation of the property and in reality only one-fifth of the cash value of the property at the time of its' assessment, but even at the actual value the i>roperty was far short of one million dollars - about one-seventy-fifth of the actual amount of property in Custer county today. It took seven years for the county to pass the million-ilollar mark in pro]ierty valuation, which it reached in 1886, when the taxable ])roperty was valued at $1,131,507.20. The next year was a prosperous year, and more than a half-million dollars was added to the jniblic assets. Two years from the time they crossed the million-dollar line, or in 1888, they crossed the two-million-dollar line, with an assessed valuation of $2,256,281.00. Then for seven years little progress was made in the accumulation of property, Then came the memorable vear of 1804, which found them with only $100,000 more than they possessed in 1888. But the notable change comes the next year, 1895, when, owing to removals and depreciation of values, there was a decrease instead of an increase. The years 1894 and 1893 are the only two years in the history of th.e county in which a decrease in taxable property is disclosed. In all other years small progress was made and some addition noted. In 189.5 values depreciated below the two-mil!iondollar mark and stood for that year at $1,970,- 300.95. The next year, however, thev again passed the two-million-dollar line, and held the two million and a little more for nine years. Then, in 1904, they crossed the three-milliondollar-line, and the next year, 1905, crossed the four-million-dollar line. For two years more they stayed below the foiir-million-doUar line, and then, in 1908, a wave of prosperity seemed to strike them, or else increased valuations brought the holdings up to $7,114,658.52. They stayed below or close to the seven-million line for seven years, or until 1916, when the assessed valuation of $8,060,249.00 put them into their present place, above the eight-million-dollar line. In 1917 they added more than a halfmillion to the county prosperity, and from this time forth increases, on a larger scale than in the past, may be expected. The last report of the state auditor, for 1917, gives the Custer valuation at $8,594,451, which, multiplied by five, would give us the actual valuation of property at $47,972,253, which is manyiuillions below a conservative estimate of property if it should be apjiraised at present high valuations.

Forty years of trials, hardships, and experiments are over. The farms are developed, homes established, the towns are located and permanent, the railroads are in vigorous operation and prosperous years have come to the Custer countj^ people. The working over debts unpaid and mortgages that threaten to take the homesteads, are in the main part things of the past, and the feeling now of the old settlers is well described in R. F. Green's poeti:al lines in the JJ'all Street Journal: least one crop of corn. An' oats an' rye - it swallowed in its lifetime, as sure's you're born. Besides the work an' worry, ere its appetite

In 1915 Lewis R. Dowse, one of Custer county's first settlers, visited the home of his childhood, Sherborn, Massachu.setts, and while there was entertained by a historical society before which he paraded the experiences of a pioneer

.\n interesting paper was read at the October meeting of the Sherborn Historical Society by IvCwis R. Dowse, of Comstock, Nebraska, in which he said :

"After five years in Iowa we pulled out for Nebraska. We went in a regular prairie schooner. Some put the motto 'Nebraska or bust" on their wagons. I put up no sign, but have been bursting out there in Nebraska for forty-two years. I finally located in what is now Custer county, in the middle I-X)up valley. As we were the first and only settlers in the valley, we had our choice of some fine lands along the river. The soil there is ver\' rich, but very different from that in Iowa. Those were days of real pioneer hardship. We had to go seventy miles to railroad and I had to make that trip to get provisions. That first winter the nearest white settler was twenty-five miles away. There were no roads, and elk, buffalo, and other wild animals were very numerous. We had some visits from friendly Indians, and once four startled my wife, coming to our camp when she was alone with the children. .\11 they wanted was plenty to eat. and of course they got it.

"As soon as I could, after selecting my land, I rolled over the sod and got in a little corn. Then the grasshoppers came and ate it all up, and we were out for that year. The next year we raised a little, but the following year the grasshoppers again kindly harvested our crops. From that time on we gained a little, got more

"Then came our Indian scare, some time the last of the '70s, when General Custer and his men were massacred. Fearing that Indian war parties might wander into the valley of the Loup, the few settlers organized a company called the Rangers, and received arms from the government. They built a sod fort, with embrasures at the corners, so arranged that riflemen could gather there and sweep the sides of the fort with their volleys, and thus prevent storming parties from scaling the walls. Many of the settlers fled to the states farther east, but the dreaded redmen did not come to attack us. At last the Indians were overpowered and the scare was over. Our county was named in honor of General Custer.

"Years of prosperity followed. All through the "SOs we had good crops and, with the exception of the drouth of 1804, things have been growing better and better. Then came the railroad, and now we are very comfortably situated, ^^'here once was a free range, is now cultivated land. AVhere once I saw only wild animals, I now see the railroad train. The automobile goes over the old trail. Comstock has more people, more stores, more business than Sherborn. Such are the changes of forty vears. 'Sly daughter Alice was the first white child born in Custer county.

"I am glad to revisit my old home and see the few now living who were here fifty years ago. I wish I could have with me my seven children and thirteen grandchildren. We will soon make Nebraska the real 'Dowse's Corner.' "