Dakota County, Nebraska - Chapter 19, 1893

Chapter 19

A. IJ. Baker told the following: It was in 1857. when two strangers coming from the steamboat landing at Dakota City found a J$20 gold piece. Both saw it at tlie same insrant. but of course only one of them could pick it up, and the fellow that got left appealed the case to Cliauncy A. Horr, Probate Judge. His Honor, with all the dignity of a judge, agked the man to let him sec the gold coin, wiiereupon he slipped it down into his pantciloou pocket, witli the remark that "this belongs to the t-ountv." and proceeded !o adjourn court.

To Preserve Farm Lands

Col. Baniabus Bates came forward and stated tliat away back in tlie '50s udien every man that came to the county thono^ht he was ordained to be the founder of soiue mighty city, it began to look as if the whole Missouri bottom would be laid off into town sites, and in order to protect the agricultural interests he introduced ;i bill in tlie Territorial Council, while a member of that l)ody, which ^-reserved every tenth eection for farming purposes."

Disturbing The Peace

Charles Reom married Dr. Crockwell's hired giri at Dakota City, and of course the boys - (now ^vay iiaired pioneers,) gave him a charivari. One of the guests told Reom to take a cow bell and go out and iieip the boys - but he liad only begun, when he was arrested for disturbing the peace and lockeil up for the lught in jail.

Dedication

Wm.Cheeney tells about the dedication of tlielir.-.r saloon of Dakota City. The Omadi boys were invited up to manage the ceremonies, and James Dickey, Charlev Kelly. Charley Morse, Robert Alexander, and others of iliiit town met at the Dakota City saloon and with much delii)eration and solemn speeches dedicated it under the nnme of the "Calf's Tail."

over to Covington with hi? team, for wliich they were to pay him $2.50. When they reached the river hank, it was just gettins: dark, and Mr. Iveam remarked that as it had been so warm that day the river was prohably unsafe, wlierenpon the strangeis volunteei-ed to go down and see if the river was safe - which was the last he eve'" saw of the men or tlie n^2.50, that they wei'e to pay him, and to this day JVlarcellus wonders if the river M'as really safe.

A Mill Site

In eaily times Dr. Crookweil located in Sergeants Blnff, Iowa, and tiitd to liocini that ])lHce by extensively advertising it as an e,\ti;,<ii(li!,aiy mill site. One night a Jjarty arrived thtre 1o look njt n location for a mill, and the next mornin;^ incjnintl ot Uroekwell where the mill site wai- - *'l ]> theie. t;eiit U men." he replied, pt)inting to the to]) ot the high bmlit-. "tlieie is one of the finest mill sites in the world - theie is always wind enough np there to I'lin any kind of a mill."

Georoe'S Little Hay Stack

One time in the fall of 18*)^ Samuel AVhitelioi ii had just completed puttiiiu np a lonii' stack" of hay at Dakota City, and his little son (leoige imagined that. he was a tai-mer and pi-oceeded to gatliei- up the loose hay aroinul the stack and built one of hi^ own on a smaller scale. i\fter he had tinished his stack, tho idea dawned unon his mind that it would make an excellent bon-tire - but his fatlu^V great siaclc, where. O, wl)ere was it - go ask of the tlames that devoured it.

ruwii citizens tliat the credit and stability of the place depended on its diinkiii<;- (jnalities - and sent notices out tliit K\KKy man in town had to i^et dniuk. This w.is olorions news to nine-tenths of them, bui: tiie others i-esisied, wheieiipon ''the boys proccedtd to catch them and poui-ed tiie whiskey into tl eir mouths with a funnel; one old man was forced to drink two l)ottlef of castor o"l in lieu of whiskey; Henry ileam --stood them all off," and said, '-gentlemen I am not going- to driid<, and now if you want anything more, just come along;'" but they did not want to tackle his tigiiting qualities,' and then went to the hotels and poured whiskey in all the dishes, in the sugar bowls and over the butter.

John I!ay started fi-om Julius Floeder's snloon one nigh.t to go down to the liates House, in Dakota City. His steps were not as steady as they might have l)eeii and instead of goiug down liroadway he went to the middle of the block iioi-th ot tiiat street, and then, supposing that he was on the light sti'eet, he proceeded towar(U the hotel, climbing o\er fence after fence. The next morning, looking up the sti'cet he inijuii'ed of the laiidl(jrd "where in thunder are all t!io,-e fences that 1 climbed over la^t nij^ht while 1 was ctmiing down Ib'oadwa > :"'

W. Jiust estaMislied the :)iiiadi ExTKRiM-eisK. whicii was the tirst newspaper ever printed in tlie c-ouiity. In 1858 tlie paper was suld to Griffin ik Tatte and dieii a -'natural death" the same year. Col. J3. iiates, one o. our oldest pioneers, tells tlie following- story in connection with the sad fate of theENTEiiFiiiSKand iiuw jjimlcful citizens honored it withalittini;-and becoming funeral: "-After the last issue had l)eeii published and the sad news heralded over tlie conntry mat the paper was dead, forever dead, a number of men from Umadi gathei-ed together all the copies of the ENrEKPKisE that coulJ be found and proceeded to give the poor dead paper one oi the most imposing funerals ever since given u> a nev.>- paper. The funeral train started north uai'd liom On,- adi. chanting a sad and solemn funeral dirge. As oxen were very scarce in those days and horses scarcely ever seen, it is supposed that the pall-bearers strappe.i the corpse upon ilieir backs. When they reached the place now owned by W. P. Alteinns the p,dl-beai'ei-s '--struck" for a rest, and then and there the ide.i dawned upon their minds that they had gone far enoiti^ii out of town to lay out a cemetery. Some one was chosen as sexton, wno a^ oacj Odga.i co dig tiie gravj. After it was completed tlie pall- bearers walked up auvl gently and tenderly laid the last remains of the O.iiaa. KjsiTEKPiiiSE in its eternal resting place. And ^nch a funeral sermon as was there deli\eied has probably uev. ibeen equaled to the preoent time for its elo(juence and solemnit}'. Then they cnanted a beautiful requium and the soft and gentle btrains were wafted on until they died away in the wild dense timber. Alxnit Lhia i.iiu the pali-oearers snowed signs of uncasiuj^.- and iatigue and one ot' them remarked that -it was getting to be a long time between drinks,' and proceeded to make a motion that the coat/reiiation-was yettincr to be e.\('ee<lingly dry. The motion cari-ied with a -hip-hurrah.'' 1 hen was enacted a genuine liull Itun upon the primeval prairies ot Dakota county. It was a run for the -'Ualf r.iii."' a t^alooii whicli was situated in the soutli-eastern part of Dakota City. The pall- bearers, preacher and all iorojot the dignity of their positions and got 'gloriously drunk,' vvdiich was, as they termed it, an appropi-iate and fitting token in commemoration of the death of the Entekprisk.

Town Stakes

Amos Lan^pson said one day in the summer of 1857 when nearly all of Dakota county had heen laid off into town lots he went down to the river to see a steamboat land. On board the steamer was Frank West, -'about full' as usual. West staggered up to Captain Wyhind and told him that he was a fool for hauling passengers and freight up to this country. The Capt. asked him what he would carry if he did not bring passengers and freight. "Why," replied West, "you could make your fortune hauling up town stakes."

Fish Story

In 1S50 Henry Ream, Col. Warner, Wm. Silence, Ziber Millage and Rev. Munhall dragged Blyburg lake wirh a seine and on the first haul caught enough fish to fill three wagon beds level full. This is a true fish stoi'v.

It was away back in the '50's when A. II. Baker, Samuel Gamble and John J. Trecy were county comniissioiieis, and this MUgust body used to sit upon high benches, look a.s wise as sages, and locate a road in the of an eye." It was sometini'^ along in these that thi- load from St. Johns down along the

"Commencing in the centre of St. Peters and 14th streets, of St. Johns; thence south along 14th street to tlie place where Gerald Dillon upset with a load of hay: thence south to tlic right bank of Elk Creek, in a bend where Jos. IJrannan sliol three ducks; thence south to foot of bluffs where Mike Jjcaconi got stuck in the mud with a load of sand; thence to a stake: thence south along section lines between sections 13 and 14. township 28, range 7 east, to one-fourth col'ner; thence sontli to Pigeon Creek to stake on right bank where there is a l)ig bunch of grass; thence south to a line stone 18x14 inches, opposite E. (t. Lampson's house; thence south along the bluffs till you come to a cottonwood tree twenty inches in diameter, on right bank of creek where Col. Bates killed a crow; thence southeast along Wm. Silence's corn field till it strikes Ziber tillage's lower pig pen and rebounds a trifle to the east when in strikes the corner of Col. Haird's garden, where he used to throw all of his empty bottles; thence along the bluffs to C>maha Creek; (where Uomer now stands) thence east across said creek to the spot where Thomas Smith camped; thence in a southeasterly direction up a long ridge back of lienry Ream's place, to a high point on the bluffs,- (the identical .bluff on which the Homer celebration floated its flag pole so many years afterward;) thence directly east down a sharp pitch and then whoop 'em up a rugged point to the southward; thence in a winding southeast direction up hill and down hill and then up hill and down hill again until your horses are about tugged out, when you come to a stake on Platte River and Running Water military road, on bluff's south of Henry Pilgrim s house, from which a burr oak tree fifteen inches in diameter bears S, 81; E, 1," 37, and containing three notches on to IloiiuT rla Vo\. Baird's and from Homer it run along tlie In'oli ridge of the bluffs back of Henry Ream's, Thos. Ashtoid s and Capt. O'Connor's farins,to military road. (Ill bluffs south of the old Col Warner place. The bunch of gi-as.s. stumps, bottles, trees, corn fields and pig pens liave long since passed away but the road is "still there.'*

It was the 22nd day of April, 1856, wheiu George L. Inuds, jr., plodded along through the mud and brush Irdui the river to Dakota City, with his parents. They 1 cached Dakota City and to their astonishment it contained all of one solitary house - and that was a bacheh)i-\s hall witli Ben. F. Chambers, John McQuilkin and Wm. Adair as chief cooks. Here they remained tliat night and George had always been used to a good warm bed. "but" he says, "their beds consisted of poles laid around a fire and back of this was thrown on the ground «ome slough grass." The next morning he was awakened by the clash of frying pans, etc., and for the fiiv~t time in his life he saw inen doing the cooking. llcstai-fed with his parents for his Uncle George's claim, an<l when they got there a man was sitting by the h're drying his socks. As Mrs. Hannah J. Jjoals stepped into the log cabin the man was struck with terror and ran out of the house and disappeared in Boals' gi-ov(\ She M'as the first white woman he had seen in the county. ;in(l in fact, the (tidy woman in the northern part of tlip county at that time. That winter all the f5oals' of Dakota county crowded into that log cai)- iii (tliev couldn't do it now), and ouf morning, after a, cold and stoi'my night, they thought the king of day was a long time getting around with his light. P'itially. they saw a i-ay of light coming tln'ongh a iiail hole in the roof and on fui'ther examination if was discovered that the entire cabin was envelojjcd in a gieat mass of snow. A liole ',vai< cut thioiigli the roof and a luaii was sent out to dig a tunnel tlirougli the snow to the door. This is one thing that (Jeorge will ne\tr IVu'Met.

Henry Siivll'S Story

After the ''break np" in the spring following theeold and stormy winter of '56 and '57, all streams were Hooded, including the Missouri river, which bi'oke ov^r the banks near old St. Johns and rushed down along tho bluffs. The Shull Brothers spent the winter on Fiddlers creek, and hauled their provisions most of the time on a hand sled from old Omadi. They lived on the old David Shull place. One spring morning Henry and Samuel Shull left their honie to go to Omadi for a load of lumber and provisions, and just as they had crossed the bridge ovei- "'the lake," which stood somewhere in the vicinity of the fork of Elk and Pigeon creeks, it went down the stream, they narrowly escaping n watery grave. Samuel got on a log and recrossed the flooded stieam, and retni-ned to help his friends over there. Tliey at once commenced to build beats so as to be prepared to escape should the watei- coi'tin\ie to rise. In tlie mean time Henrv. a boy of only fifteen years c.f age, proceeded on up b'iddiei-s creek with his load. It was, indeed, a lonesojiie joni-ney for a yi^'ung man. He had taken his boots off while wading in tlir water to get across the creeks, and now they had sh)-ank np so he could not get tnem on again. Then he had wade on through the snow and ice in his stockini,' ftet. when he got to the north foi'k of Fiddlers ei-eek. neaithe farm now owned by B. Gi'ibble he got stuck in tho mud and had to carry the entire load of goods to tluother side of the creek. By this time it was getting dark and he was nearly chilled to death. When jio finally drove up to iiis home he was so cold that lueould not unhitch the team and barely managed to 1«- al)l(' to walk into the house. Fortunately thei-e was some lire in the '*fire place'' and he rolled on some wood and thus saved himself from perishing. The next day he went down to the hill tops on the Louis Blessing place to see if he could discover any of his friends, hut all he could see was a great sea of water (tver the Missouri bottom. For a whole week he remained at his lonely home on Fiddlers creek, the sole inhabitant fi-om there to the Eocky mountains. Fvery day he would go down to the Blessing place to see if any one was coming, but each time he w^as disappointed, until the next Sunday morning, when to his joy and delight his brothers, Samuel and Solomon, succeeded in crossing the raging waters, and found him in ids solitary quarters.

Hat Story

In early times Wm. Cheney, Dr, G. W.Wilkinson. A. 11. Baker and others lived in Omadi. One day John Snyder came up from his brush home in Blyburg and ihese gentlemen and otiiers played a good joke on him. The men all circled around a table on which was placed a hat. At a given signal all were to dive their fore lingers into the hat, and the last one in was to treat the crowd. John got right close to the hat and was positive that he would not have to do the treating. The signal was given and down went John's finger into the hat, while the others jumped back the other way and won the treat on him, as he was the first and last to put his tinger in the hat.

Headless Indian

ol.'e uijjlit iit'hi' v\l;fie lea Gii)\e, Iow,*i. is 'Wow located. Fatliei- Trecy was building the camp-fire while Jk'iineis went upon the hillside to gather up some wood, lie had not gone far when he discovered an Indian sittiniz; up by a large tree. He hailed the Indian and called in vain to attract his attention. Finally he mustered up courage to go and touch him, when hi^^ head rolled ott and down the hill. The Indian was probably killed i)y some hunters and atter cutting his lieaci off had set it on again in this manner. Benners was so frightened that he rushed down tlie hill and right into Father Trecy's cauip-tire and litterally stamped it out. '-Hey I Hey!" cried Father Trecy, '"what is the matter^' "We will all be killed," he replied, 'T found an Indian up there and his head came off." ''Well," retorted Father Trecy, ''How can lieadless Indians harm us - get out of my camp-firel"

Hunting For Ponca

Ill pioneer times Rev. H. W. Kulins, of Omaha, was sent to preach the gospel to the inhabitants of Ponca, wa)rd liaving been sent out tliat it was a flourishing town, in those days ministers traveled horseback and carried their blankets with them and hauled up (»n the wild prairies wherever night overtook them. He was tohl tliat Ponca was about tweniy miles north-west of Dakota City and he expected to make it before night. Put he traveled on, darkness overtook him. There was no one to be found to inquire as to the whereabouts of the town, so he tied his horse to a post that stood by the roadside. He spread his blankets on the ground and went into "quarters"* for the night. The ne.xt morning he noticed a .-igo buard on the top of the post, and got up and read:.

Stories Of Ve Oi.Den Times

It will be reMiembered that Elbridge G. Lanipson was appointed to take the lirst census of Dakota county, but he died before the work was completed. James W. Virtue and others proceeded to finisli it by going downi to the old Bates House in Dakota City and copied all tlie names that had ever been written in the hotel register, including visitors, steamboat men and negro deck liands. They believed in making a big showing in population.

Too Much Whiskey

Years ago there was an old building on the lot now occupied by Marcelhis Ream, in Dakota City, where a crowd of pioneer bachelors lived. One morning Col. Bates' happened over there and they invited him to t)i'eakfast, v\'liich consisted of a large dish pan full of whiskey with a few doughnuts swimming around in it. Re saw a storebiil from one of the merchants which read about like this: "Five pounds of bacon, one gallon of whiskey, one sack corn meal, one gallon of whiskey, salt, one gallon of whiskey, pepper, one gallon ot whiskey, three jngs of whiskey.''

Negro Story

A M. Ilolman, of Sergeants Bluff, Iowa, being requested told the following comical story, which is a sam})k' of how our pioneers used to "boom" their towns and sui'rt)\in(lini); country : "The history of the 'Negro Story' I consider one of considerable importance to the early history ot Dakota City. Tlie importance of the scheuie in stealing the negro bore the same relation to a "boom" in those days that the more modern means does in these times, and it shows to me that such men a^ Col. Bates, Col. xMason. Dr. Croekuell, \V. P. IL.liiiaii, Mr. Lockwood, Col. Warner and a few others of our early pioneers had advanced ideas of which this country iiad in its possibilities, and foresaw tlie fntnre. And really they were 30 years in advance of the times. To bear me out in this, note the formation of an organization of the Sioux City and Columbus Ry. by these same men nearly 30 yeai's ago, I think. Tlie time was not ripe for it then, but the same scheme was taken uj) in later years by others and successfully carried through. When Kountz put ins steam ferry l)oat into play between Dakota City and Sergeants Bluff before they had one at Sioux City, these two towns were the leading towns in the Northwest. When on the wane, these men I have mentioned, rallied their energies to keep alive the interests of the two towns, as so went one, went the other. SiouxCity was going ahead slowly. In antislavery times, in the winter of 1860, 1 l)elieve, after several corjf'erences and tlie last of which was held in father's hotel at Sergeants Bluff, 1 remember the circumstance from the fact as a boy I came into the room during the conference, and was at once ejected and my curiosity was very much aroused. I think there were eight men from Dakota City, those mentioned being a part, closeted with my father nearly one whole afternoon. The Slavery (juestion and the Fugitive Slave Law engrossed and was the leading topic of all newspapers. To get any notoriety from the public press a scheme having an outrage perpeti'ated, involving a negro was the only way to make Dakota City and Sergeants Bluff take a prominent place in the newspapers. Uncle Bill, a negro who had been the servant of Gen. Harney for years, and with him in his Indian campaign, and whom my father hired in 1856; and being the only negro in this part of the country, had to be the victim. This negro was known by all the people in this as well as Dakota county, and being so well known and known to liave lived in our family tor nearly four years, to have a sla've ou iier eume and claim him as a '--nigger'' who had run away from Ids home in Alabania was too transpai-ent a fraud, and evidently an attempt to take a free negro into slavery. Following the interview mentioned, just how long I do not remember, my father. I'ncle Bill (Wm. Pliillips) and myself were hanlinu' wood from the sand bar between Dakota City and Ser geants Bluff. On the retnni for the last load in the afternoon father told me that Uncle Bill and hiniself would go after that load and I should have the '"ehores" done up. While on the bar, Dr.Crockwell and a stranger came up to them. Dr. Crockwell asked tiie stranger if that was the ''Nigger." He said it was. Then Di-. Crockwell, as constable, took out a warrant and lead it, describing Uncle Bill perfectly, claiming him as a runaway and arrested him. My father objeced to the |)roceedure, claiming him to be on Iowa soil and his warrant not good, being issued in Nebraska, etc., etc. Father gave Uncle Bill assurance that our people would be over and bring him safely away. Father ran his team home. Men were dispatched in all directions, and in a short time about IDO meu with guns and revolvers were on their way to Dakota City. Meanwhile the news liad gone out over there and by the time our people reached the Bates' house, crowds had congregated from that side as indignant as our folks. Speeches were made, etc. Dr. Crockwell representing the majesty of the law, claimed his prisoner must have trial etc. Cries were made for tlie man from Alabama; but he, one of the citizen?, had taken off his false whiskers and was mingling with the crowd. Violence would have been done him could he have been found. Several deputy constables were guarding Uncle Bill upstairs in the Bates' house. The demand lor Uncle Bill being refused, a rush was made for the stairs and in a few moments men appeared with Uncle Bill and he was seized and tiorne on tlie shoulders of his friends to the hotel in

Sei'geaiits Bluff, wlitre nmid rejoicnig lie was the hero of the hour, and a iiiigbty happy negro. The paper in Dakota City came out in glaring headlines and devoted a great deal of space and hundreds of copies were sent all over the north. The JS'ewYork Tribnne copied with copious comments as did other papers. The feeling was so strong that the inside facts of the scheme were not known for years. The man from "Alabama" was a young man in Dakota City. He went to Omaha, doned false beared, put up and registered from Alabama; told he was looking for a valuable runaway "ISIigger," gave the description of Unele Bill, and was told that sucli a negro was in Sergeants Bluff. He then got out his warrant and started for Sergeants Bluff.'''

That Snow Ball

In early times Gerald Dillon was the Jackson school teacher, and on one occasion he severely chastis. ed William Mann, M'ho is living at Lyons, Nebrask.-i. Mr. Mann, like all the boys, was full of mischief, in those days, but he did not think he was exactly entitled to a flogging, so after the close of school, he "laid'' for Gerald Dillon with a large icy snow ball, and as lie came along, let him have it right on the side of the head. Mr. Dillon dropped to the ground and after "coming to" rose to his feet and gazed around to see who threw the ball. But lie never found out and he is wanderincr to this day "M'ho in thinidci- threw that snow balH"

Cradle Story

A certain prominent gentleman, who lived in Dakota City in pioneer times, and who afterwards became a state officer, came liome one night "full" as usual. His wife had left the cradle in front of the door and of cduix' lie ^t^,llll)lc(l (iNcrir. :iii(l when he cj;ot up lie >t;ii'fc(l I-i^-llr l):ick \\\v (i]i[)()>ite way, {ju>t like a <iniiik man) and went over rlit- ri'adle again. He kept this up nnril lie had tiiniMe<l over the cradle i'oni- times, when he lit a match, and eNclaimed to his hetter half: --wilV'. what in the world are ymi doiiiii' with all these cradhs ill the house:! i ha\'e tnnihled o\er four of them an! hei'c is another one of tiiem rioht in front of mel"

A nunilx r of years aero one of .Iack?on"s leadino lights had occasion to visit Dakota City, nnd his wife told him to be sure to get sonu; knitting needles - "and not to foi-get it." The iirst tiling lie did when he got to Dakota City was to "fill up"' on 'vhiskey, tiiiie through the day. when lie would sohei he would reniemher his wife's order, not to needles, and would call at one of the stores supply of knitting needles, until he had ali his pocket:; full of packages of needles. Thus loaded down lu went home, to astonish liis wife with se\-eral hundiiei knittino' needles.

Cabbaoe Axd Stakcii

1 ears ago tliei'e was a prominent poliriciaii living in the south-eastern part of 'Dakota City, and one time his wife told him that she was going to have cahhagc for dinner, as he was very fond of it. Well, hmg hefore 12 o'clock Imd an-ived he was so drunk he could not go home for dinnei'. He sohered up sometime (luring that night and staggered down home, still reinenihering something about the cabbage, and when he entered the house, he went to the cupboard and gor what he supposed was tlie cabbage, and ])rocee<.led to sample it. His wife had retired for the night but she heavcl him chewing very hard and asked liini how jio liked the cabbage. "The gravy is pretty good, hut the cabbage is awful tough!" was his reply. His wife now came out to where he was and in amazement exclninied : --William, you are chewing my collai's and cuffs that 1 put in a bowl of starch!"

Large And Intelligent Audience

Rev. W. II. Kuhns the pioneer Lutheran minister of Dakota county was cauglit in a great blizzard at Dakota City many years ago. It was Sunday and he felt that he must fill his appointment storm or no storm. When he got to the church he found C. F. Eckhart and J. B. Zeigler there, which constituted his congregatit>ii for that day, but he went on and delivered a very impressive sermon, just as though the honse was full. After his return to Omaha he was asked how lie got along at Dakota City. '-Weil," replied Mr. Ivuhns, ''I had a very large and intelligent audience." Mi\ Zeigler being a very large man and Mr. Eckhart a very intellio^ent man corroborated him in his assertion.