Cameron, Nebraska

Before the advent of the railroads the west was settled, first along the rivers and later on the line of overland trails, the pioneers invariably remaining as closely to one or the other of these means of communication as possible. This was true of the settlement along the Platte Valley, and altho several colonies were established between Fort Kearny and Grand Island prior to 1871 no one ventured to locate permanently in what is Cameron township until that year.

Passage source: History of Hall County, Nebraska; a Narrative of the Past with Special Emphasis Upon the Pioneer Period of the County's History, and Chronological Presentation of Its Social, Commercial, Educational, Religious, and Civic Development from the Early Days to the Present Time, and Special Analysis of Its Military and Civil Participation in the Late World War, published 1920.

A man named William Shelton located in Cameron township in 1871, coming from Missouri, but evidently thought it too remote from the railroad, timber, water, and neighbors to ever become valuable and he failed to make any filing or purchase. He, however, was not so considerate of prospective settlers of whom he spoke as "tender feet," but spent most all of his time in locating them upon the land in his vicinity, finding corners and performing the services of the modern real estate agent. His location fee was five dollars in each instance and he doubtless thought while placing settlers upon government land v/hich is now worth from sixty to seventy-five dollars per acre (in 1919 that would be considerably advanced) that he was getting much the best of the bargain when his fee of five dollars was paid. The first bona fide settlers in this township were John B. Stevens and Samuel Rode, both taking soldiers' homesteads in 1871. In the spring of 1872 William Dubbs, Seth Lee, Edwin S. Lee, O. E. Palmer, Lester Houghton, John Peebles, Henry Streator, James Cannon (afterwards sheriflf of the county), a Mr. Carlson. S.. Reider, and others whose names are not preserved, located on government lands in Cameron. Of this number only the Messrs, Edwin S. Lee and Samuel Reider are now living in that township (this was written in 1907). :\Iany of the settlers of 71 and 72 afterwards became discouraged on account of the failure of crops, drought, grasshoppers, and the failure of the new settlers to understand the methods successfully to till the new

Passage source: History of Hall County, Nebraska; a Narrative of the Past with Special Emphasis Upon the Pioneer Period of the County's History, and Chronological Presentation of Its Social, Commercial, Educational, Religious, and Civic Development from the Early Days to the Present Time, and Special Analysis of Its Military and Civil Participation in the Late World War, published 1920.

In the fall of 1872 the new settlers met at the house of William Dubbs and organized school district number 13, of Hall County, which was nine miles scjuare. Seth Lee built the school house and after it was completed an itinerant minister named y\llan preached the first semion in Cameron township. A year later Rev. Mr. Marsh, a Methodist circuit rider, established a class and held regular services in the school house.

Passage source: History of Hall County, Nebraska; a Narrative of the Past with Special Emphasis Upon the Pioneer Period of the County's History, and Chronological Presentation of Its Social, Commercial, Educational, Religious, and Civic Development from the Early Days to the Present Time, and Special Analysis of Its Military and Civil Participation in the Late World War, published 1920.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Cameron Township - it names this place 4 more 4 times.