Seward County, Nebraska - Chapter 13, 1916

Camden, located in the intersecting vallies of the North and West Blue rivers which unite a short distance below, and also at the freight route crossing of the North Blue, was the first place in Seward county to present an appearance of a village or town. It was a beautiful locality with its expanse of bottom land, the sparkling rivers with their winding beds bordered with rows of timber and the distant hills on either side. This attracting the attention of the public travelers upon the freight route induced early settlement and the formation of a town began as early as 1866. A postoffice had already been established. The first store of the county was opened here in 1866 by Wm. Buckhannan and a saw and flouring mill was erected by H. W. Parker and Fordyce Roper at an expense of $ 1 5,000 the same season. The mill was first class and an enterprise of inestimable value to the town and general public throughout the county. A hotel soon followed and then the second store. A blacksmith had located a shop early and engaged in shoeing freight teams, and added to the ringing music of the hammer and anvil was heard the duller rattle of the carpenter's hammer, adding many dwelling houses. In March 1870 we were a suest over night at the Camden hotel, the name of which with the name of the proprietor we have forgotten, but we remember that he was a very busy business man. having, besides his hotel to oversee, the responsibility of the office of justice of the peace. There were two stores and both were kept in log buildings, and one of them carried a line of drugs and patent medicine in addition to its general merchandise entitling it to be classed as a department store. There were a collection of dwelling houses surrounding the business center, the place appearing like a town of two or three hundred inhabitants. And it is probable that it had about reached its growth limit as it gradually decreased from about that time.

Nine miles north of Camden, where the steam wagon road crossed the North Blue river, the second village in Seward county sprang into existance during the period from 1866 to 1868. Davison & Reed started a grist and saw mill in 1866 and as this mill was located just above the old lord crossing of the river the town was named "Milford. " But while the mill was in line of progress the ford passed into retirement by the errection of a bridge, the second one to span the North Blue river in Seward county. This bridge was what might been called a "wild west bridge." It was a true representation of pioneer art and called to memory the truthful addage, "necessity is the mother of invention." It was made by sinking large piling into the earth upon which stringers of logs were placed reaching from the bank to the lirst pile and continued from one to the other until the opposite bank was reached. Upon these stringers small poles were thickly lain and then covered with a matt of hay and dirt. ]. L. Davison built the bridge to accomodate the travel upon the steam wagon road while he was in the business of keeping a ranch at that place. Milford was located in an attractive area of Seward county territory. The North Blue river here was superior to the Nebraska streams in general, being imbeded in rock. The bottom of the stream was composed of large flag stone, from which we took several perch of flag stone in 1874 for a foundation to the Beaver Crossing school house. This condition of the river affords the place one of the best water power sites in Nebraska and it has been improved. The settlers were progressive and as early as i863 had made apparant signs of future advancement. Doom & Etherly opened the first mercantile store, being followed by S. G. Marriam & Son with the second one in a short time.

In March 1870 we were at Mil ford and took dinner at the Milford hotel, kept by L. D. Laune. We became acquainted with the two professional men of the county capital, D. C. McKillip, attorney at law and Dr. Band who occupied a building perhaps twelve feet wide by about sixteen in length with an assortment of drugs and medicines, and we believe he called it his drug store. He did not remain long at Milford. but moved to Crete when that place was first founded. Dr. J. H. Woodward settled at Milford in 1870 and Dr. G. W. Brandon and Dr. Mitchell came to the place about two years later. Dr. Woodward and D. C. McKillip moved to Seward shortly after the location of the county seat at that place. They were both Union soldiers in the war of the rebelion.

One of the two first newspapers published in Seward county, The Blue Valley Record was started at Milford in December, 1870 by Culver & Parsons. It was a neat and enterprising little local newspaper and appeared regularly every week until 1873 when the publishers moved it to Lincoln and consolidated it with a paper in that city. However Mr. Culver did not remain in Lincoln, but returned to his former home after about one year.

A contention over the matter of the county seat sprang up between Camden and Milford in the early period of their existance, and as Milford was located nearer the center of the couuty it won the contest. While this was a brief and temporary stimulus to Milford it seemed to be almost a death blow to Camden. However Milford retained the prize but a few years when it was relocated at Seward. Miiford's pioneer postmasters were changed several times, the emoluments of the office undoubtedly being the honor more than the salary the desire to hold on to the position was limited only to the time the next fellow would take it. J. L. Davison, the first postmaster, was appointed in 1867 and was succeeded by Mr. Etherly in 1868, J. H. Culver succeeding him in iSyi. Two years later, in 1873, Thomas A. Healey was appointed and held the office till 1876 when he resigned to accept the office of representative in the state legislature, his wife succeeding him in the postoffice, and was succeeded by S. D. I. Emerson in 1879, who held the office six years when it passed from the pioneer period.

Still farther up the North Blue river Seward, the third place to enter upon the stage as a town, became a pretentious village earl}7. The first step towards the formation of a town was taken in 1868 when Thomas Graham was employed by Lewis Moffit to survey the first section of the town-site and lay it out in lots. In the same season Beaty & Davis opened a store, W. H. Tuttle built a small portion of what later become the Commercial Hotel, Dr. L. Walker added a small residence and with prospects of new recruits, in the fall of the same year Seward was marshaling its legions to capture the county seat. And a contest was soon in "full blast" between that place and Milford, the one to gain and the other to retain the seat. The contest was waged with furious energy by both sides; mixed with a little wild west trickery for a long and bitter period. Seward had the advantage of being located nearer to the center of '.he county, and Milford was burdened with the dissatisfaction of Camden on account of the previous county seat contention and when the proposition to relocate the county seat at Seward was finally submitted to a vote on October tenth, 1871, it carried by a safe majority and Seward was on the map as a county seat town. And its developement as a village was rapid. With the assurance that the county seat question was permanently settled new industries began to appear. Professional men - lawyers and doctors were soon mingling with the pioneer homesteaders. And added to the former important feature in the up-building of Seward the B. & M. rail road reached the place early in the spring of 1873. With this enterprise came the estabiishmet of a standard market for farm produce which stimulated other branches of business and the new town, scarcely four years old. could begin to view its future prospects above the support to be obtained from the county seat. Energetic and substantial grain buyers were soon upon the scene of future operations and ware houses were erected in view of handling the coming fall's business. Among the resident grain buyers Beaty & Davis took a prominent part, and as a special grain dealer who came to Seward to make that line his business, E. C. Cams was the most prominent of the early dealers. Whatever may have been the general impression of thought entertained by the public of Mr. Cams, he was an able man in his line of work and was a pillar of great strength to the city of Seward, holding the confidence of the farmers in the purchase of their grain he was an attraction which drew the rural patronage from the entire county. A brick yard was placed in opporation the same year. Joel Tishue erected a large brick store building and opened a general mercantile store which was followed in a short time by the opening of stores by Herman Diers and S. Adler. A store was opened by the Grange along about 1874 which later was made the headquarters for the distribution of aid to the grasshopper sufferers throughout the county. E. A. Polley was an early time jewelry dealer and Cyrus Chapin entered into the music trade about the same time, dealing in organs, pianos, and sewing machines. Phil Unitt opened a meat market, in 1873 and in the same year the State Bank of Nebraska, the first bank in Seward county, was established by Claudius Jones. A court house was an early enterprise. It was an inexpensive structure, but cost more than it was worth to the county as a court house. It stood just west of the present business portion of the city. It passed out of use as a court house before the close of the seventies and court was held in the opera house and other rented rooms. And the rooms for county officials were also rented in one of the business blocks. Whitcomb & Williams were prominent figures in the eariy business of Seward, in the line of livery, feed and sale stable which they conducted for several years. The Seward County Bank, the second bank in the county, was founded in 1876 by S. C. Langworthy. This bank merged into the First National Bank later on. Among the early business we recall to memory A. J. Calender, coal dealer. Dunbaugh Brothers, dealers in drugs and medicines. S. D. Atkins, dealer in and manufacturer of harness etc. J. W. Dupin, a prominent citizen of Seward in early days, and an early homesteader, we first remember as a clerk in the Grange Store in 1874, afterwads in the county clerks office, postoffice and county judge. J. A. Fallen, contract builder for many years, located in 1872. J. P. Gannon, paper hanger and decorater settled in 1875 - a comrade soldier in the war of the reblion. VV. B. Barrett, one of the first lumber merchants in the county, came in 1872. Mr. Barrett was a Union soldier in the war of the rebellion. J. A. Sheely, a bridge carpenter, settled in 1871 and followed his line of business throughout Seward county for many years. Win. Shultz, boot and shoe merchant came to Seward and entered business in 1875. Win, H. W7ait, a stone mason, settled in 1875 and worked at his trade for many years. He was another comrade soldier in the war of the rebellion. Chas. K. Humphrey, a carpenter and builder was a settler in the early seventies. He was a Union soldier in the war of the rebellion - his son, Orson Egbert Humphrey, a Seward boy born July 2S, 1877 - shared his father's patriotism and enlisted in Co. M 1 st Nebraska volunteers and served in the Philippines where he was severly wounded in the battle of Quinga, April 23, 1899. He was brought back to the home of his childhood where death clamed the young soldier bov, from the effects of his wounds, after several months of intense suffering, November 17, 1899. August Kichman, who was for many years a drygoods and clothers salesman, settled in 1875. Jeff Ogg, an 1870 pioneer, was for a long time a gentlemanly clerk for Joel Tishue, and a traveling salesman later for an eastern wholesale house. He was a Union soldier in the war ot the rebellion. Edmund Mclntire, B.& M. railway land agent, settled in 1871. L.G.Johns, city treasurer and twice county treasurer, an 1870 pioneer. He was a Union soldier during the war of the rebellion. J. VV. Gladwish, one of the earliest settlers and the most conspicuous figure in Seward county, has served the city in different official capacities, and is now serving the twenty-seventh year of continuous service as police judge, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. He was a Uuion soldier in the war of the rebellion. J.F. Goehner as one of the later pioneer business men of Seward, opened a grocery store in 1875.

The early professional settlers of Seward were R. S. and T. L. Norval, D. C. McKillip, George W. Lowley, William Leese, and H. Lewis, attorneys. Doctors L. Walker, J. H. Woodward, Dillon, Beechly and Reynolds. Five of these were Union soldiers during the war of the rebellion; Dr. J. H. Woodward, Dr. Beechley, attorneys D. C. McKillip, G. Lowley, and Wm. Leese. In regard to this we will say that the city of Seward will never again have as large a precentage of veteran soldiers on its list of business and professional men as it was honored with in its pioneer era. However we hope and trust that comrade Gladwish may remain

A saw mill, which was the fifth one in the county, was built at Seward by H. L. Boyes in 1867-68. To this Mr. Boyes added a flouring department in 1870. This mill was a beneficient enterprise to the pioneer settlers along the North Blue river and through northern portions of the county. It was a popular bread-stuff factory and was known throughout the county as the Banner Mills, being decorated in the national colors. But its foundation seemed to have been faulty and becoming overloaded with farmers' grists the bottom fell out one night in 1871, letting the scores of grists, loose grain and mill machinery drop into the river. This was an unfortunate loss to the proprietor of the mill and also to its patrons. In those times of limited supplies the loss of a grist meant to many persons almost a calamity, and the loss of the services of the mill was no small item in the misfortune. Mr. Boyes did not become entirely discouraged, but went to work with energy and perseverance and soon had the burrs in motion again.

What might be termed the second Seward flouring mill was built on the North Blue river two miles below the city, in 1874 by Cooper & Henderson. Captain Robert T.Cooper was a resident of Seward, a veteran of of the war of the rebellion.

Seward's pioneer postmasters were frequently changed, the position undoubtedly becoming burdensome was resigned whenever a new one was found that would take it. Lewis Moffit was appointed in 1867 and was suceeded by W. K. Davis in 1868. Mr. Davis held the office three years and resigned when E. L. Clark, the one armed mail carrier was appointed, and was succeeded by L. G. Johns in 1873, and Mr. Johns held on to the office four years when Win. Redford was appointed, being succeeded by Chas. VanPelt in 1 88 1. During this period the increase in the mail handled was extensive and the increase in the postmaster's compensation may be marked by the seeming increase in the postmaster's inclination to hold on to the office.

The first bridges to span the Blue river at Seward were somewhat in the line of architecture with the Milford bridge and were relics of pioneer ingenuity until along in the seventies.

Going back from the early settlement of the three first towns in Seward county to 1864 the first saw and grist mill of the county appears, nine miles west of Camden on the West Blue river, and known as West's Mills. It was small in size, but great in the minds and hearts of the people of the scattering settlements of Seward county. Upon the proprietor of this enterprise, Mr. Thomas West, they looked with overflowing gratitude and their patronage was sufficient to make it a financial success. While there was never any town at West's Mills Mr. West kept a general supply store in early times before other stores were opened.

Twelve miles farther west at Beaver Crossing a store was opened in the fall of 1869 by Thomas H. Tisdale, and the present village of Beaver Crossing was formed in 1871 with two stores, a hotel built by John Osborn, a blacksmith shop under the management of Edward Maule, a sod school house and residents to the number of about fifty people. Smith's flouring mill was built the same season. The pioneer postmasters were Roland Reed from 1867 to 1869; Daniel Millspaw from 1869 to 1870 and T. H. Tisdale from 1870 to 1884. The pioneer bridges in the vicinity of Beaver Crossing were similar in construction to J. L. Davison's bridge at Milford with the exception that they were generally made in one season and washed out the next, being the main damage the community sustaind by annual high waters. During the high water seasons citizens residing south of the river experienced much difficulty in crossing the river for mail and other necessaries at the stores in the village. One season about 1872 or 73, there was a continued high water for several weeks and some enterprising genius substituted a wagon box for a ferry boat. This ferry became quite popular and occasionally transferred young ladies form one side or the other to attend dances and other entertainments. Two young ladies were being transferred on one of those pleasure trips by a young gentleman and when the craft got about to mid-stream one of the ladies lost her balance and fell overboard. She could not swim and as she was pretty solid in make-up the young man had extreme difficulty, requiring all of his strength and endurance to rescue her. But strange as it may seem the hero did not marry the girl and it is doubtful if she ever crossed the ferry with him again, but she is still a resident of Beaver Crossing.

One of the prominent and familiar objects that is certainly imbeded in the memory of all early settlers of the vicinity ot Beaver Crossing is the form of T. H. Tisdale in his accustomed appearance mounted upon a dry-goods box or other elevation upon the arrival of the mails, with his hands full of letters and a crowd of anxious settlers surrounding him on all sides and silently waiting while he calls the name of the one each missive is addressd to and at the replv "here," tossing it into the audience in the direction from which the response came. At first this was a weekly attraction, then a tri-weekly and a little later on one of daily occurance. The mail route to Beaver Crossing was from Lincoln and was served weekly until after the arrival of the rail road at Seward in 1873 when it was changed and delivered from Seward three times a week for a time and in due course of time was increased to a daily. Where Mr. Tisdale got his novel mode of delivering the mail we have never been able to learn, but it certainly had some commendable features. It was convenient and with the limited room in all business buildings of that date the modern way of delivering mail to a crowd of anxions patrons was a difficult matter. It had one advantage, at least, of the later manner of distribution in country postoffices - the quiet which should prevail around the office during the distribution of mails was not disturbed by hoo.dlums or (?) ladies - everybody attended to their own business and listened to hear their name called.

Marysville in C precinct was a pioneer town early in the seventies with an excellent grist mill built by Luke Auger in 1870. Also a store, postoffice, school and church. A Lutheran church was established here early, making it a popular place for members of that denomination to gather with their families.

The first and only exclusive saw mill and the only mill to run by steam in Seward county was built at Oak Groves in 1868 by Kirkham & Hughes. This was in H precinct, there being within the precinct an abundance of oak and other excellent saw timber which was an inspiration to the projectors of the saw mill enterprise. In addition to its fine timber supply, Oak Groves were noted for superior lime stone from which lime was made and sold in different localities of the county and state.

Gormantown, in H precinct, on the line of railway from Lincoln to Seward was surveyed and platted into village lots in 1874 by Hiland Fraisure. F. Bick was the first store keeper but was shortly followed by Charles Howland as a mercantile competitor. Its school and postoffice were early establishments. The early postmasters were John Westerhoff, Benjamin Walker, Charles Fetterman, Charles Hans and L. S. Callahan. An early grain market was opened which was followed by the errection of two elevators.

Utica, in E precinct, fourteen miles west of Seward on the B.& M.rail road is the last village or town in the countv that might be termed a pioneer town. It was founded in

1877 upon the completion of the railroad to the place. The business and future prosperity of the town seemed settled upon advanced lines from its first introduction to the public. The town was laid out by Hon. Geo. A. Derby upon a part of his homestead. Geo. Liggett was an early grain buyer and Oscar Ragan helped this business in the new town. T. E. Stanard was the first postmaster and Joseph Jones opened the first store in 1877. Following closely upon the introduction of these business enterprises George Goodbrod built a hotel, Fritz Beckard started a lumber \7ard, Goehner & Wilkens established the second store and C. C. Turner built a blacksmith shop.

The established roads of the pioneer era were "high" allmost any way the greater number cared to travel. And to stop, or turn that travel to other lines was somewhat like stopping or turning the course of a tornado. Roads on section lines or straight in any direction were problems to be considered upon the fundamental basis of whether that was the best road or not. Of course the practice of selecting the most choice routes for roads insured as good roads as the country could afford. And it would have been about as difficult to convince a settler that highways would be forced to run on section lines in the near future as it would to convince a wild Indian that the world is round. It didn't appear to be to the interest of any one in those days, to discontinue the short cuts across sections to town, especially when the cross cuts were the best roads. We made a drive from Beaver Crossing to Fairmont in 1873. After we had traveled, as we supposed, so far that the town we were looking for ought to be in sight, we met a gentleman near the corner of a section and asked him if he could tell us the road to Fairmont. He said he thought he could and pointing to the sec- tion corner said: "You angle cater cornering across that section and then go west a quarter of a mile and angle cater cornering across the section south-west," and this "angling cater cornering" was the continued instruction until he had us angling about twenty sections. And before we got to our journey's end we concluded he was about right. We have seen teams plowing in fields and trains of loaded wagons "angling cater cornering" right through the plowed ground, and no change could be made for growing crops or blasts of winter. If a farmer had the temerity to place an obstruction in the track to turn the travel in some other direction the teamsters would either get off of their wagons and throw it out of the way or drive around it. While this may seem to be a lawless procedure, in reality it was right. In the wild state of the country when the first settlements were made there was no established system of highways and they become established by general usage. People traveled long distances to mill and to market and were many times in strange localities and to be forced to leave the established road bed and hunt a new way was very discouraging and unjust. Man}7 times in trying to pass around a plowed field the route would prove to be impassable. In those days of "pioneer highways" there was no such thing as road funds, road tax nor work on the roads, but there were no bad roads.

The pioneer storekeepers are worthy of more than a passing notice. Their stores were all, as W. W. Cox invariablv calls each one, "a little store," but little as they were, their mission for wide spread good to the early settlers was as large and boundless as the prairies upon which their enterprising hands had placed them. They formed one of the strongest links in the chain that connects the settlements of the savage wilds of Seward county with their modern civiliza- tion. No department store of the present day so unselfishly supplies the general needs of the public as did those "little stores" in the almost disparing dark days of pioneer life. They were large enough to supply the needs of their patrons and many times supplied more needs than those patrons had sufficient means to pay for. We have just one of those benefactors to the needy homes of Seward county to consider and firmly believe that the one represents the others. Thos. H. Tisdale was never known to turn a customer away empty handed of needed goods regardless of inability to pay. He helped any and all who needed his help and it is to be regretted that he so many times suffered Joss as a reward for his kindness that he was crowded to the limit of his resources to keep the wolf of dispare and destruction from closing the door of his business. This partially apparent failure was not on account of lack ot business ability. Mr. Tisdale was the ablest business man Beaver Crossing ever had and bv his wise and careful management extricated himself and busness from the troubles brought upon him by his kind hearted treatment of others with a clean record and good credit. He did more to aid the early settlement in his locality than all others combined and while he reaped a very small reward in this world it is to be sincerly hoped that he has reaped the full measure in that eternal world to which he passed July 7th, 1 838. There were no class of men in pioneer times more deserving of kind and thankful rememberance than the early store keepers, now all gone to their final rest.