Cameron Township

Cameron Township

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.

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

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.

The Pawnee Indians wandered across the country from the Loup to the Platte River, frequently camping for considerable time on Prairie Creek. They were not particularly troublesome except that they were great beggars and had very little regard for the rights of property, and in particular from begging and stealing corn for their ponies and provisions for themselves, caused more or less annoyance.

After the grasshopper period, closing about 1874 or 1875, the settlement of Cameron was very rapid and such of the older settlers who remained and attempted to develop what is now one of the richest and most productive townships in the county lived to reap the rewards of their early struggles and privations.

In the early day there was considerable game, deer and antelope, but no bufl^aloes, after the settlement of Cameron township. The coyotes, however, stuck closer than a brother and even yet a few scavengers of the plains remain to remind the settler of his early combat to save his poultry and young pigs from these wolves.

A roster of some of the early landholders in Cameron township, prior to 1890 will furnish a more complete list of those who helped to develop this township after it was settled:

Great American Desert with a view to making homes m its bosom if our investigations proved satisfactory. Two days later we arrived in Omaha, on the western limits of civilization. After consulting with Colonel Noteweir, who was then immigration agent for the state, and obtaining from that excellent gentleman much valuable advice, we started the next morning for the heart of the desert. After brief stops at Columbus, Osceola, Lone Tree, and Chapman, we finally reached Grand Island, having explored much intervening territory but found no place that exactly filled the requirements. On the morning of September 19, after having been advised by the late E. W. Arnold to go to Prairie Creek, we secured a team and finally reached our destination. As we entered the limits of township 12, range 11, the first settlement that we discovered was that of Hans Kruger, on the southeast quarter of section 34. Proceeding a mile farther we pulled up at the residence of the late Carl Schaub. We also found Judge Garn there. They were delighted with the prospect of our stopping with them and did all in their power to show us the surrounding neighborhood. We soon decided to look no farther and at once returned to Grand Island and filed declaratory statements on the north half of section 32 and all of 28. The following day we started on our return to the east where we were to spend the winter. Arriving in Omaha we found one member of the party whom we had lost a day or two before. He had gone back to Osceola and taken up a very desirable quarter section which laid a short distance outside the village. Our six months of furlough having elapsed on March 10, in the following year we started again for the west, this time intending to remain. The number was slightly increased over that which had gone before, and consisted of John E. Lewis, L. and William C. Calvert and wife, John Sandford and four year old son Jack, Jacob P. Phipps, Thomas A. Blythe, and myself. Phipps and myself had left our families among friends and they were to follow as soon as arrangements could be made for their residence. We arrived safely at Grand Island and procuring a small supply of lumber from G. H. Bush, and a few provisions from Cornelius & Peterson, we hit the road for what has since developed into Mayfield precinct. We found the place and within two hours after arrival had built a shanty and were eating supper. Investigation proved that during our absence Peter Clausen had settled near us, also that W. W. Mann, Edward Bussell, E. D. Kent, and possibly others had taken up land and begun improvements. There was also a little settlement started below us by George Dean, Z. B. Partridge, and others. The summer of 1873 was very seasonable and we broke and planted considerable patches of sod com which yielded well. During the summer Alex Thompson and C. Lozier settled very near us. I think there were also a few families on and near the bluffs. We did well the first year and the next season a number of people joined us, among them were J. H. Hulett and C. L. Alford. Soon after our arrival we were visited by the school director in the person of H. C. Streator. He informed us that we were a part and parcel of the present Cameron district. I think the unmber is 14.

During the latter part of the summer of 1873 we had built some sod houses and in the last days of September the families of Phipps and myself joined us. We felt then that we were at home. As the time for election of county officers approached we decided that we would exercise our right of suft'rage. So we drove to the site of old Wood River station and saved the nation. I do not remember the names or the candidates.

The next year the grasshoppers devoured the corn crop. At this we realized that everything was not coming our way, but necessity is a stem master and we had but to wait for the opening of another spring and begin hoping for better crops. This was another year of but moderate success but we raised enough grain to subsist on. Notwithstanding the failures people kept coming in, and we soon had quite a settlement and most of them provded to be excellent people. For a few years times were somewhat better, but little progress was made in financial conditions.

About 76 or 77 eff'orts were made to have some kind of religious services and for a time Rev. Trefran exponded the Word in the old sod school house in district 36. Later Charles Ridell served for a time but when Mrs. E. C. Avery bought a half of section 29 and settled on it she went to work to have regular services and soon had a Methodist class organized and Rev. Jeptha Marsh was, I think, the first pastor who was regularly appointed. In the fall of 79 it was decided that a church building was needed and in July, 1880, the old Berwick church was dedicated. It was situated on the southwest corner of J. L. Hulett's farm and was used till Cairo was built and the present edifice erected there.

The necessity for school privileges was soon recognized, and during the winter of 73 district 36 was organized. I think, however, the school in the Partridge district was provided for first. At any rate in the spring and summer of 74 we had two schools in our immediate vicinity. The voting places were soon made much more convenient. For several years Harrison and Mayfield voted as one precinct and the polls were held at Runnelsburg. There ware many hard tussels in the caucuses and elections of those days. Mayfield particularly was about equally divided between the Democrats and the Republicans and battles of national importance were often fought out here.