Humboldt City

Humboldt City

Surrounded as we are in Richardson county today with comforts innumerable and attendant prosperity, ,so prodigal that its resources seem ex- haustless, many of us are inclined to scorn the achievements of the pasi, claiming, as we do, for ourselves the credit for what our county is today. We would not minimize what is being done nor what has been done, fully recognizing, as we do, the high standard of the present sojourner here; but while giving credit in fulsome measure, it is urged that it should not be carried to the point of forgetting our debt for this heritage from those who have gone before, and that they are responsible to a very large degree for the present happy condition.

While we have grown from a few scattered hamlets on the Missouri river bluffs to a county recognized throughout the state as one among the very first in wealth and importance, we must recognize that these blessings are but the ripened fruit from the sacrifices, privations, labor and forethought of the men, and women, too, who first came to the county and caught the vision of its possibilities. Through all the trials and adversities common to that period, their courage stood firm, and their spirit mounted to a vision that many lived to see in the fulness of its fruition. In the face of all the seemingly unsurmountable difficulties and obstacles, there was ever among them an indomitable spirit which did not falter, but was as proud and true as found in the peoples who liave pioneered any country in the history of mankind.

It is almost impossible for us of this day and generation, to properly visualize the foreboding prospect \\hich faced' the pioneer who came here in the first, second and third decades of the county's settlement. Where we find paved streets, well-defined roads and good bridges, green fields and beautiful groves, they saw only pathless prairies and tangled grasses in the valleys - a part of the center and solitude of the Great American Desert or great plains. Land was the cheapest thing in sight; its expanse and vastness were appalling. The countrv was one open wilderness, trackless, unknown, and the home only of the wild animals and aborigines, whose habitation dates back of written history. Where we retire each night in comfortable, modern homes, protected by an established order of government, at peace with all mankind, they sought slumber under the starry canopy of Heaven, beside the trail, or in the dug-out or sod house, never knowing when their lonely shelter might l>e sought out by the Indian on the warpatli. and their lives made to pay forfeit for their intrusion. Over the same country that they viewed from the heavy, ox-drawn, cumbersome wagon in long, wearisome journey, we speed in high-powered motor, with hundredfold more radius of travel.' With the telegraph, and the telephone in every house, we are enabled to have instant and personal communication with distant friends. where they had to wait for weeks and months for the letter l)rought by the freighter or passing traveler.

But they came ; not because they had been actually crowded out at home - many leaving comparative comfort behind, and staked their all on the caprice of a bare, naked chance that they would be able to survive the rigorous vicissitudes that must come before such a world could be conquered. They found arid ands of the prairie and conquered them; they built towns and villages where before had been a solitude.

White Race Pioneers Of Civilization

The white race, unlike their brethren of other peoples, ha\e been preeminent from the dawn of history as the pathfinders who have migrated to the four corners of the globe and traversed the recesses of the darkest continents in quest of adventure and excitement, with the consequent gain that has always followed in the wake of their undertakings. The stout hearts of this pioneering people have braved every danger, overcome every obstacle incident to travel or climate, conquered the savage wherever found, subdued the wild beast and the land, and prepared and made safe the sections visited for the host that followed. Leaving Europe, they played star parts in bringing dominion over the Americas. Our pioneers were the advance guard of the great movement, which has now penetrated every part of North America. Those coming here were in advance of their time and because the title to the lands were still held by the aborigines, had to be restrained by the government from entering the territory until the spring of 1854. Those pioneers, many of them, had reached western Missouri a year or two previous and had taken up temporary residence there, pending such action by the government as might open the country for settlement to the whites. The Indian titles under the treaties made many years before were not extinguished until 1854, and the act known as the Kansas-Nebraska bill, did not reach its final stage of passage until May, 1854.

This being the case when the settlers arrived in 1854, they found the season far too much advanced for the preparation of the land, so necessary for the successful growing of crops that year. Jesse Crook had taken a claim, included in which was the land now known as the William Nutter farm, the east half of the northeast quarter of section 2. of township 1. uortii of range 16, and had succeeded in breaking up a jiart of it: to be exact, that part south of the present new home of Mr. Nutter; luit what lie or his few neighbors were able to Ijreak that year was very Httle, and the claim is made by some that not one entire section was brought under the plow that year. Under such conditions, those who came in that year, not being able to subsist on what could be produced in the ntw country, were obliged to rel\- on what they had brought, or were able to obtain, fmm the other side of the river. The following winter is said to have been mild compared to what had been expected, and with the coming of spring and the infln.x of a new crop of settlers, a real, earnest effort was made to break up the land. This was a tedious, difficult and slow task to be performed with the farming utensils at hand, but a good showing was made. We, of today, can scarcely gauge the intense interest that must have been manifest among those people, who had the honor of putting in the first crop ever attempted to be raised by white men in this unknown and untried region. But we know they must have had little time to moralize on what they were doing as, the while, their interest was quickened by the ever-present wolf of dire necessity, which stalked their foosteps, and then as now, there were mouths to - feed. Those people, with scanty stores, who had come long distance.^ from friends or loved ones, expecting to wring an existence from the soil, watched those efforts with many misgivings; but the season of 1855 was on its good behavior and all conditions considered, the harvest was ample. What had been regarded in the light of an experiment, had now developed into a wondrous reality - the land properly handled had proved, as it has ever proved, the one Ijest friend to its children. The story of the success of those who had come, quickly found its way Eastward to those who had waited for another to open the gate, and they came in ever-increasing numbers to try their fortunes in the West. The press of the countr\- was solicited in a campaign made to induce settlement in the ne\\- territory and the results were effective in the way of inducing many to join in the development of the country : but the country was new and large and the settlement seemed slow to those from the more densely settled section of the East. Land was cheaj): it seemed like all out-of-doors was lying here awaiting the hand of the plowman - but the market was not good and money was scarce.

Legislative Kklief

It was at this period - in 1856 - that the Territorial Legislature took a hand and thought to alleviate conditions in a financial way, by the introduction of systems of finance, calculated to make money easier to lie had.

I08 Richardson County. Nebraska

have teen the height of folly; but judged from conditions as the\ subsequently existed, notably in 1896, when the entire country was aroused over the nation's finances - the mantle of charity might well be used in consideration of what was done by these embryo legislators, who had thought to ameliorate the condition of a handful of settlers in the western territory.

This wild-cat money period was initiated by the Territorial AssemJ^ly meeting at Omaha, in the winter of 1856, where it was arranged for the establishment of what was known as "banks of issue," which it claimed would accomplish the ends desired. Six of such banks were soon in operation and represented one for each five hundred of the population in the territory at the time mentioned.

Under the charters given, they were allowed pnwer to issue as many dollars of indebtedness as the circumstances of each individual shareholder might demand for themselves. This country had not. at that time, progressed so far as now, in a knowledge of correct financial methods, and the effect that followed the operations of these banks when they got into business, seemed at first to have solved the problem, and perhaps to a greater degree than was anticipated.

Undertakings, previously forestalled for lack of capital, were now under no such impediment, for money, such as it was, was plentiful. Under this stimulus, the wildest speculation was indulged in; cities sprang up as if Inmagic - townsites were platted and staked out. Beautifully lithographed stock shares in these townsite companies were bandied about, and everyone seemed engaged in boosting for some town which was sure to become the metropolis. Smooth dealers had agents in other states, where many of these lots were sold to unsuspecting purchasers at fabulous prices. Every man who had a claim, became obsessed with the idea that his was the location for the city of the future and interested himself in getting townsite companies formed and spent too much of his time in chasing such phantoms, when hv might better have been employed in looking after the development of his lands

The fe\er for speculation in all manner of schemes jiut afloat, possessed the people of all communities and had the effect of luring men away from the land, and in such a state of affairs, a less acreage, acconling t" the population, was tilled than formerly. The b<wm thus occasioned, lunvexer. was characteristic of similar fluctuating inflations which have visited the stale. Init was temporary. There were a few far-sighted men in the territory at the time who could forecast the results sure to follow what was happening, but the}- were so much in the minority that in 1857 the elections of the fall brought together another legislative assembly, which, instead of gi\-ing relief, was so thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the times that more of the wild-cat banks were given charters, and further aid was extended those fostering schemes for making easy money.

Many new towns were mapped out and more agents were at work selling stock and lots. A period of the wildest speculation existed around those paper towns: but the bubble was soon to burst and carry down the usual crop of fools, ruined and bankrupt. Ruin, poverty and utter desolation were now the common fare of an entire population which had been seduced into strange paths in c|uest of easy money.

Those few not enamored by the glittering prospects so temptingly offered and who had remained with the soil as actual producers, were the ones best pi-epared to weather the storm. The long, dreary, cold winter of 1858 found the people but little prepared as they had produced little and had exhausted the supplies they had. During this period a chance offered for study and reflection and many learned that the new country was more in need of producers and people to till the soil than of real-estate and town boomers. The experience thus gained was read into revision and improvement of the banking laws, which have ever proved beneficent to the people of the state.

The following year was none too good for the real-estate broker and town-lot hawkers, and they quickly di.sappeared as a class. With their going a renewed and rightly directed interest was manifest in the work of improving agricultural conditions, which has since kept a continual flow of gold inward to the people of the state. Thus, for the first time the boats leaving for the South bore away cargoes of grain and live stock, which in turn brought back monev to be used for the further de\elopment of the countr)-.

Right at that time the people became embroiled in one of the bitterest of contests - that of designating a permanent point for the county seat. In all new countries might makes right to a far greater extent than in those more fully systemized. The settlement of the river tier i.f counties, of which Richardson is the farthest south and of the first, so far preceded that of the counties King further west, that much of what was endured here was not repeatetl in the latter.

From the date of the organization of the count}- in Marcli, 1855, when Archer was designated as the county seat, there was a brief period of peace, liut from the following year, when the county seat was removed to Salem, there was for nearly fifteen years a constant strife, which stirred the people from one end of the county to the other and the effects of which was felt in the community for many years.

An act approved by the Territorial Legislature on February g. 1857, provided for an election to determine the county seat of Richardson county and appointed the first Thursday of April, the same year, the date of balloting. The election resulted in the defeat of Falls City and the choice of Salem as the county seat. The county offices were not, however, moved to Salem at once, and before their removal an election for a permanent location of the county seat had been held, the contestants receiving an equal number of ballots each, and the election was virtually undecided. Although the first election had resulted in the choice of Salem, many of the appurtenances of the county seat had not been removed to that point and when the later elections finally determined that Falls City should be the county seat, they took up their final al^ode in this cit}-.

The early summer of i860 was signalized by the advent of the most fatal and contagious disease which has ever visited the county. This was the bloodv flux; something resembling acute dysentery. The disease was supposed to have started at Rulo. having been brought there by emigrants cm smne river steamer. It was not confined to that town, but spread rapidl\-. untd only the sparseness of the population prevented a strong likeness to the scenes of the great plague in London. In Salem as many as sixteen died fnim this disease in one week, but at the other settlements it was not so bad, I'alls City having had scarcely an\- cases. In the newspapers of the time, it was magnified beyond all due proportions, but a careful investigation of the matter robs it of much of its terror. It was epidemic, and caused many deaths, yet ran its course rapidly and disappeared so quickly as to leave little impression on the memory of the busy pioneers.

The process of "claim jum]iing."' or obtaining by means at least questionable, the lands nu which others had made settlement, was frct|uently in practice in 1857. The person who was "jumped." very frequently was a non-resident, and had simply made a claim as a speculation, intending to pre-empt if there seemed a probability of rapid increase in the value of his land, or to allow a lapse if it suited his convenience. Many of those who built claim shanties to hold the land for them until they could return with their families from Missouri or points East, returned to find the claim house demolished and some newcomer fully settled. An apt illustration of the state of things at that time is the case of Mr. Berry, who came to a point near Humboldt and located a claim by building thereon a log affair of legal size. Returning to his former home in Kansas, he loaded his wagons and started out on his return in the spring of 1858. When near Salem, his wife became so ill as imperatively to need rest, and Mr. Berry, accompanied by his son, proceeded up the Nemaha to the location of their claims.

The son's claim was the first visited, and here were found the ruins of the claim hut and evidences of calm usurpation on someone's part. This could hardly be called a surprise, for the son was unmarried, and had small hopes of retaining his claim in any event. Continuing their investigation in the dusk, which had already commenced, the father and son saw a light gleaming from the house, which had been put up on the preceding visit. Without attempting to dispossess the intruders, the Berrys turned to the cabin of a settler on the next claim, where they learned that a young married couple had thought the new nest just what they needed, and had taken possession without the formality of a lease.

It must be remembered that although the Berrys had put up a claim shanty, they had not a scrap of paper to show in proof of their legal right to the land. Armed, then, only with the unwritten code of those early days, voung Berry entered the cabin and demanded of the wife of the "jumper." she being its only occupant, instant evacuation. This was as promptly refused, and after allowing five minutes for the removal of the household goods. Berry, with the assistance of a sister, who had joined him, deposited them in a heap on the ground, just outside the door. This done, the wagons (jf the settlers were driven up, and the goods unpacked and placed in the dwelling.

At about this time young Berry saw the man whose goods he had so summarily evicted, stealing along beside a pile of firewood. On reaching the chopping block he seized tlie ax, which was lying there, and rushed toward the house, pouring out vile epithets upon his enemies and apparentl) intending to drive them out again. Young Berry, however, caught up an old musket, and returned the attack of the ax man with a ba\onet charge.

It was ancient warfare against the modern - the battle ax against firearms : and the latter won the day, the intruder being run down and forced to return and offer an ample apology for his scurrilous language.

Shortly after that young Berry was returning home in the afternoon, when he discovered the rudiments of an adobe hut on his claim, and near it was a boy guarding some tools. Inquiry developed the fact that his enemy was again attempting to gain a foothold on which to get a title to the land. The boy was dispatched to the owner of the tools with a lucid and laconic message to the effect that further building on that site would be unhealthy, and the hint was frankly accepted. In other parts of the county "claim jumpers" were much more harshly treated, and old settlers could probably tell many tales of the vindication of innate right, did not the sense of prudence forbid.

The Jay-Hawkers Of 1862

All through the years of the War of the Rebellion, there were scattered bands of men who went by the name of "jayhawkers." Those bands were plentiful enough along the frontier line of the North and South parties, and although nominally under one flag or the other, had oftentimes a freedom from allegiance to anyone save themselves that was very convenient. Odier bands, while fully as freebooting, were strong in their allegiance to their party. Such a band was raised near the Kansas and Nebraska line early in the war and made constant forays into the vexed and rebellious Missouri border. On one occasion, this band, passing eastward through Falls City and returning to a camp just west of town, were pursued by a force of Union soldiers, who had perforce acceded to the demands of despoiled Missourians for redress. Upon the arrival of the Federal troops at Falls City, the camp of the jayhawkers was in full sight; but while the troops were resting and giving a hearing to the various charges of the "secesh," who had accompanied them in the hope of getting extra advantages thereby, the marauders moved over to the south of the Kansas line. Here no engagement took place, for the simple reason that the jayhawking party had l)een increased to formidable proportions and the handful of soldiers were powerless. It is broadly hinted that the Federalists surrendered with very good grace and without any needless bitterness, and some old settlers make still stronger statements. The fact remains that the troops returned peaceably to their (|uarters in IMissouri, and that the most serious result of their attack was the depleted larders of the l^'alls Citv citizens.

Hon. Jerry Fkntox Rtchardsox Couxtv, Nebraska. Ii3

At the time of tlieir first occupation of Falls Citv, manv of the most pronounced Union men felt anything but easy, and undoubtedly there was considerable danger, as the charges preferred against them by the fire-eating delegation which accompanied the troops were of the most serious character, and had they been acted upon by the troops, would have made matters unpleasant. Other jayhawking- parties made their appearance from time to time, and executed their peculiar tactics, but none of these later forays were prolific of incidents worthy of remembrance. \\'ith the close of the war. fighting and jayhawking for a living fell into disfavor and later was entirehabandoned.

Old John Brown, who died just before the war in a futile attempt to hasten the "good time coming," which had formed so large a part of his life's hopes, spent a large amount of his time in Richardson county. One of his stations was located on the blufif near Falls City, and after a time in the city itself. Many of the older residents ha\e vivid remembrances of the stalwart old hero and his eccentric ways of bringing sinners to book. A sample of his quality comes out in strong relief in the simple story of one of the last trips of his dusky train. On the route a child was born, and, with the grateful courtesy so natural with the race, was named "John Brown."' Arriving at the station near Falls City, the refugees were overtaken by a band of South Carolina rangers, who proposed to reconvey their chattels, without loss of time, to the galling serfdom of the "sunny South." In this, however, the proud Southerners reckoned wrongly, for John Brown's force surrounded them and forced submission to a superior force. What followed must have been a sight for the gods and men, f(jr old John Brown, stepping to the front, deUvered a scathing rebuke for the profanity which had been so freely heaped upon the colored folks, and then forced the rangers kneeling, to repeat the Lord's Prayer after him. Then depriving them of their horses and arms, he started them homeward. It is safe to say that the Lord's Prayer was fully remembered 1)}' them as the\- plodded wearily back to the coast, and that "nigger catching" seemed less amusing by half ere the trip was over.

A little prior to this time, the "nigger catchers" had made a neat speculation out of the avarice of the Indians living nearby. Emancipation was breathed on every wind that blew from the South to the North, and the slaves could not wait for that great boon to come. They must reach out (8) and grasp it for themselves. Thus it came about that the exodus of scattering slaves was nearly constant, and the rewards of their exasperated owners placed at a high figure. It was hardly profitable for a white man to hunt negroes, for the whole sport had acquired a bad, in fact a villainous, odor in the nostrils of the community. Yet, many did not scruple to detain the fugitives under one pretext or another, until the owners could send for them, and some even employed the Indian braves, who were familiar with all the hiding places along the heavily timbered river bottoms, to bring in captives. On one occasion, Sewall Jemison, the editor of the Broad A.vc, came upon two parties who were haggling over the price to be paid for a runaway slave, who stood near them, apparently resigned to his fate. While the Indian buck was explaining that for so fat and large a prize a liberal price should be paid, Jemison captured the bone of contention, and sent him off by a special train of the underground railway. To record a tithe of the exploits of John Brown and his friends on the northern Kansas trail, through Brown county to Richardson county, Nebraska, and thence northward, would require a book of considerable size. Of these daring feats Falls City and points nearby were oftentimes the theater, but the history of the time so recent, and yet so old in the life of a Western town, has already drifted out of the memory of its witnesses, and is written nowhere so fully as in that ledger whose fast-filling pages are ever unfilled and whose balance sheet is perfect.

To the French must be awarded the honor of having been among the very first of the white settlers of the county, and looking backward at this late date, it seems strange that it should have been so from the fact that there now remain so few of that nationality in the county and they but the descendants of those early pioneers.

The first settlement was made in the summer of 1855, when E. H. Johnson together with William Kenceleur, Charles Rouleau, Eli Bedard and Eli Plante reached the present site of Rulo, coming thereto from Sioux Cit}-, Iowa. This party stopped overnight, as they entered the county at the north, and were guests of John B. Didier, also a Frenchman, who then resided in what is now Barada township. It is worthy of note that j\Ir. Didier. who had preceded them as a resident of Richardson county, has outlived them all, and now at tlie advanced age of more tiian ninety years, is still among us and a resident of the identical farm on which these early pioneers found him.

Their visit was made for the purpose of inspecting lands allotted to their wives under the treaty of 1831, made with the Indians at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Under the terms of this treaty the wives of these men, being classed as partly Indian blood or mixed bloods, were entitled each to a half section of land in what is known as the half-breed tract, in the east part of the county, along the Missouri.

At the time of their arrival they found but two white men resiiling here, and they the husbands of Indian women. One of the two was U. X. DuPuis, the husband of the widow of "White Cloud," the noted old head chief of the Iowa Indians. "White Cloud," the last and most famous of die real and regular chiefs of this tribe had died but a short time prior to the arrival of this party and was interred in the Rulo cemetery, located a little to the north and west of the village. The other of the two "whites" was Charles Martin, tlian whom, there never lived a more pict.urescjue or chivalric character of the old plains and mountains. Martin was a daring and wonderful hunter, who had spent years on the plains and Western mountains, before there had been any thought of settlement by the white people in this section of the country. He was possessed in full measure of distinguishing traits, which marked him well, even at a period and among a class of people not at all lacking in great personal courage. He was remarkable even in his person and appearance and is described like most of the great plainsman type, tall and straight, like the Indian with whom he had spent much of his life, and was of commanding figure, Roman-nosed and keen of eye. In his life on the plains he had spent many years in the tractless solitudes of the great prairies as a trapper and hunter. In the late forties he had, while hunting high up in the mountains of Utah, come accidently upon a camp of an Indian tribe, who had lately lost their chief in battle with another hostile Indian band, and had captured an Indian maiden of the enemy people. According to custom with them, the Indians were at the time engaged in the work of making a sacrifice of the dusky captive partly to appease the spirit of the departed chief and in retaliation for the great loss they had suffered. The ceremony, which was of a highly religious order had been viewed for some time by the hunter at a safe distance, but when he realized the ghastly significance of it all and saw that thev really meant to destroy the life of the maiden, who had already been bound to the pyre, he at once interceded and after much parley succeeded in effecting her purchase, explaining to them that the ends would all be served bv her utter banishment from the land, as he would carr\- her away

When the French party of settlers led by Rouleau and Bedard. and Plante. arri\ed at Rouleau, or Rulo, as it is now called, they found Martin and his captive, who had but recently journeyed thither and she was his wife. It is attested b\- those who knew them in the many }-ears that followed. that she made for him a most estimable helpmate. Martin was one of the pioneer merchants of Rulo, putting up the first store and engaging in business with F. I,. Goldsberry, the latter for many years a prominent figure in the county.

In the year following - 1856 - this party made permanent settlement at Rulo and the town took its name from Charles Rouleau, the h>enchman, and member of the expedition. Rouleau and Bedard had married sisters and were the chief founders of the city. At that time Stephen Story was the other I inly wliite settler of the county, e.xcept John B. Didier, known to this part}- and he was found near the site of what was afterwards the village of St. Stej.hens founded and named by him.

Alany people of many lands, impelled to leave their old homes through persecutions and misrule at various periods in their mother countries, have sought and still continue to seek new and peaceful homes in this land of the free. But nf all these, few, perhaps have a histor\- so dramatic, e\en tragical as it has often been referred to, as the Bohemian immigrant.

The first Bohemian to locate near the present site of Humlx)ldt was Charles Zulek. Leaving his native home with his family in 1854 he came direct to America, spending the first winter in Illinois. In the winter of 1855 he started west in search of a home, arriving at St. Joseph, Missouri. in the early days of June. Proceeding thence by Jioat to .\rago. in tiiis county, where they were attracted l)y the fertility of the country, they decided to settle. The early hardships of this pioneer family were typical of all the settlers of that period. It is said that Zulek often walked to St. Joseph (a distance of seventy miles) for ins iirovisious. carrying them home on his back. And when the l)urden became too heavy, he divided it, carrying a part foi- ^ome distance, then returning for the other ])art, and so on until he reached lionie.

Later, when the homestead law was put into effect, a number of liohemians came to Xeliniska. I'"irst among them was b'rank Skaiak. who was also tlie first to take a homestead on the prairie. Skalal< left Bohemia in iS(>5, coming- West by way of Chicago, where there was a flourishing Bohemian settement. At St. Joseph, Missouri, Frank Skalak with his farnily took a Ijoat for Arago, where they accidentally became acquainted with Zulek. On that day Zulek had come to Arago to secure, if possiljle, a loan to pa\- off an obligation he was owing a party in Missouri. Being a countryman he immediately secured the loan from Skalak, although they had never met before. Thereupon, Skalak with his family returned with Zulek to locate in this section of the country. Wenzel Skalak, then a boy, now one of the prominent Ijusiness men of Humboldt, declares that the loan then made was a most fortunate one indeed, as it was the means of causing- them to locate here. However, he does not advise so hazardous a method of curbstone banking as that was.

In recounting- those early clays he related that he hired out to Zulek for the munificent sum of forty dollars per year, Ijreaking sod barefooted in grass, waist high, using a twenty- four-inch plow and driving from four to six yoke of oxen. He had to walk to Arago or \eliraska Cit)- to have his plow sharpened. Their provisions were also secured at those places. In 1867 Ruel Nims & Company opened the first store in Humboldt, occupying the old stone store facing the old bed of the Long Branch, a short distance south of the present business section of Humboldt. Young Wenzel at once secured a position as a clerk with this firm, receiving five dollars per month salary. Being an efficient clerk his salary was soon increased to ten dollars per month, the following year. He afterwards was in the employment of various firms in the city until he engaged in business for himself, n(3w owning- the large hardware and implement business on the west side of the public square in the city. John Wohoun, another pioneer, setlleil on the prairie with the Skalaks and in\ited their friends (Bohemians) and soon had a nucleus, from which grew one of the largest settlements of foreigners in the county. Those who secured homesteads at this time were : Anton Eis, M. Nemechek, Ferdinand I'idermutz, John Petrashek. \'acia\ Prachal, Vaclav Holechek, Jan Janata, Ferd Blecha, Fr. Xemecliek, Jos. Musil, Jno. Cizner, and X'aclav Hlavaty. All of these men who braved tlie hardships of the early pioneer are n(jw dead, save one, b'rank Xeniechek, Sr.. who still resides on the place he chose when coming to the state. The Bohemian settlement at Hunijjoldt is without doubt the oldest of that peoi)Ie in the state. One of the chief factors in holding the settlement together was the organization of a fraternal society known as the C. S. V. S. (Bohemian

Slavonic Benevolent Association), which was organized in the United States but a few years before their coming here. The local lodge was organized May 31, 1879, with the following charter members: Fr. Novak, F. A. Witt, Wenzel Skalak, Fr. Hubwa, Vaclav Pracheji, Jos. Hon, Fr. Hon, Jos. Novak, \'ojta Kohn, Vojta Blecha, Vac. Wiesner, Jas. Blecha, Fr. Hnizda, J. J. Dvorak, Jos. Rousek, and R. \^ertisaka. But three of the charter members now reside here and only half of them are still living. The lodge was organized for fraternal, beneficiary, educational and social purposes. For many years a Bohemian school was maintained, so that the younger generation might have opportunity to learn something of the mother tongue and the history of the great men among the people, the pictures of many of whom adorned the walls of the homes beside those of Washington and Lincoln, and to whom they were often compared. A library was also established, from which Bohemian books could be had free by those desiring the same. In later times other Bohemian societies were formed among which were the J. C. D. (Bohemian Ladies Society) and among the young people the Sokols and Komensky Club; the former, an organization of Bohemian Turners and the latter, a literary society. The C. S. P. S. is in the most flourishing condition of them all at the present time, having a membership of more than a hundred and owns its own home and grounds.

Inasmuch as the chief industry of the Bohemian in his native land was that of agriculture, so it has been here, and they are today numbered among the most industrious and successful of the farming community here. Vet all along the Bohemian has been well represented in the business circles of Humboldt. All are prosperous and well-to-do and more than ordinarily successful in the various occupations in which they may he found engaged. All along they have taken a keen interest in the upbuilding of the community to which they gave a large impetus for settlement. Although at first, many of the customs and traditions of the old world were adhered tn, yet they have now been discarded and even the most typical Bohemian immigrant has been transformed into a patriotic, peaceful, contented American. Although they still cling to their mother tongue, even that is giving wa\ to the language of the new world. It will be, too, only a matter of time when even this pioneer settlement will lose its Bohemian characteristics altogether and become thoroughly Americanized. Only the old Bohemian cemetery in the west end of the county will bear testimony to the fact that here the Bohemian settler had once found that haven which he sought and in return gave birth to a newer, happier posterity.

First Colony Of Irish Pioneers

Daniel Webster, at the dedication of the Bunker Hill monument, immortalized the Pilgrim Fathers for their heroism in the settlement of New England, but not less worthy of commendation was the love of home and spirit of lofty independence that animated the pioneers who crossed the Missouri river half a century and more ago.

Michael Riley and Thomas F"arrell, brothers-in-law, found conditions in their native land as intolerable as did the "Mayflower' Pilgrims, and the saine aspiration for freedom and manly independence impelled them to join in the wake of many thousands of their countrymen who were immigrating from Ireland in the middle of the last century. After a few years residence at Salem, New Jersey, they and their equally plucky young wives determined to go West in quest of homes and independence.

They landed in Richardson county in 1859 practically penniless. From the first observation of the country they were impressed with its future possibilities and they wisely decided to cast anchor and grow up with it. In the meantime they continued to correspond with relatives in New England, with the result that in the spring of 1867 Bryan Riley and two sons, and Thomas, Dennis and Nora Fenton proceeded West, on the strength of the pioneer representation. St-. Joseph, Missouri, was at this period the nearest point by rail, and after passage on the river steamboat to Aspinwall and a drive across the boundless prairie, at last the humble but hospitable log cabin home of Michael Riley was located on the bank of the Nemaha, not far from the site of the present village of Dawson. On entering the home of his long-separated brother, Bryan Riley was first awakened to the changed conditions of Western life: the door of the log house was too low to admit of a tall man's entrance without making a low bow, and as Mr. Rilev was of an unbending spirit, he received a bump on the forehead that made him declare forcibly that he was ready to go back to civilization on the return steamboat. After breakfast on the following morning and a look through the yards of fine cattle and fat hogs, not overlooking well-filled smoke houses and bulging corncribs, the lump on his forehead gave way to a desire to possess a portion of the rich soil, and after perfecting titles to as much of it as their means afforded, Thomas Fenton at once returned to his home in Norwich, Connecticut, to report progress and organize a colonxof neighbors and relatives for the following spring.

and daughter and grandson, M. B. Miller, proceeded \\'est, and landed at Dawson in June, 1867. The missionary labors of Thomas I~enton. backed Ijy encouraging letters from those on the ground, resulted in a colony of about twenty families setting out for the West in April, 1868. They were: The Ryans, Rileys, Fentons, O'Gradys, Murphys, Clancys, Carvers, and O'Donnells. besides a number of young people who located in (3maha. Those old neighbors and relatives and the Rothenbergers and Tiehens constituted what was termed the Irish settlement, or the Dawson Catholic colony.

The radical change from the New England factory villages to the boundless plains of Nebraska caused the young people to feel like Robinson Crusoe on his island, but the elders of the colony recognized a soil and climate very like their native Ireland, and like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, they agreed to stand or fall together. The loss most keenl\- felt by the younger members was the social life so much accustomed to in the Eastern factory villages, but even in this matter the Yankee spirit asserted itself, and spelling schools, lyceunis, etc., were started to dispel the ennui of frontier life. The inventive genius of the Yankee, coupled with the native wit of the transplanted son of Erin, found a rich field in the early days of the little colony and a judicious application of these traits surmounted many an obstacle that would perplex settlers of greater wealth. As an instance we may cite the case of Commodore O'Grady. After purchasing his first eighty acres and a little mule team, he had left for working capital just five dollars and a shot-gun, with which to provide a house and tide his little family over until a crop was raised. As an old sailor he had weathered too many rough seas to be discouraged and he went about putting on as bold a front as a millionaire. He made a deal with a timber owner for some old trees that leaned into the river, for the shot-gun, and the timber man at once went chuckling among his neighbors telling how he had beaten the sailor out of his gun for the trees that never could be gotten out of the river bed. It suited the sailor to be taken for a lamb, while making similar deals, Ijut when the river was frozen over the next winter, he appeared on the ground with a gang of neighbors with whom he had exchanged summer work The trees were felled on the ice, and to the surprise of the timber lords, the "old sailor" with his mules rolled the logs out of the river like so many empty barrels. The logs were next hauled to a saw-mill and ripped into himber, that made a plain l)ut comfortable house, in which w;is reared a family of robust boys and girls, and whose tinited industry while minors, built up an estate that would excite the envy of an English liaron.

An Early Breaking Team

The breaking of the prairie sod was a matter that tested the patience of the primitive farmers, but after the usual experimenting it was accomplished, as in the case of getting the logs out of the river, by the doubling up of the neighboring forces. Here a description of an earl\- breaking team may be of interest to those who may imagine the early settlers had nothing to do but sit and watch their land grow into value. Commodore O'Grady's little mules alone could no more break the tough sod than a span of goats, and after all the teams in the settlement were paired, there was no match for the mules but a yoke of oxen, possessed by the Hon. Jerry Fenton, and as Hugh O'Grady hated oxen and Jerry distrusted mules, there was no harmony of action between the team or drivers. At this stage William Fenton, who had found empoyment in the quartermaster's department in Omaha, invested his first season's wages in a span of cavalry horses at a governent sale, and hitching them on in the lead of the mules and oxen, the latter, recognizing true leadership, struck out in a manner to excite the admiration of the joint-stock company.

The year previous to the arrival of the colony from Connecticut, there were an equal number of congenial spirits who had moved into the settlement from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa; notably, the Drapers, Libbees, Aliens, Biisers, Bennett, E. C. Hill, Sr., George Smith, I. H. Burr, H. S. Belden, Ben Miles, and S. C. Barlow. While this aggregation of early settlers earned the jocular title of a community, "half Irish and half Yankee," it is to their credit that from the date of their first ac(|uaintance to tiie present time they were a unit in everything of a progressive nature.

In the autumn (if 1867 the hearts of the settlers were elated at the sight of an ox-train heading toward the ford of the Xemaha. Their joy was caused bv the knowledge that the nnmigrant train consisted of Joshua Dawson and a son, with material for building a saw- and grist-mill on the Nemaha. The completion of the mill in 1868 attracted a .store, postoffice and blacksmith shop and from this date on "Dawson Mills'' on the map has had as prominent a space as towns of greater aspiration. While the present village that was platted with the advent of the railroad is officially styled "Noraville." Xora, herself, would not recognize any reference to the present village than the good, old-fashioned name of Dawson. The mill and store afforded the early settlers a convenient center to congregate and discuss all matters pertaining to public welfare and que.'^tions of a hcrtl law.

The breaking up of the land, the building of houses and stables, humble in their day, and the planting of groves, orchards, and hedges engaged the time and attention of the early settlers, but they did not lose sight of the importance of providing the schools and churches for the education and religious training of their children. In fact, since the date of the first settlement the writer can testify that there has never been aught but a friendly rivalry among the citizens in their generous desire to keep the Dawson schools up to the highest standard of excellence. The character and zeal of the colonist in this respect were subjected to the severest test at a time when their financial ability was very limited. The first attempted church edifice was wrecked by a storm, when only partially completed. A vear later saw it rebuilt and immediately destroyed by fire. A third time it was built stronger and better and after serving its usefulness it was destroyed by an electrical storm and replaced by the present substantial brick structure. But the aged and many youthful members of the colony have long since pre-empted claims in the silent city on the hill, while a few surviving members, who, as romping boys and girls, served an apprenticeship in New England factories, are waiting their turn to be ferried across the river. No doubt many of them fell short of attaining the goal of their highest aspirations, but they came west in quest of homes and independence, and they succeeded in leaving their children far better equipped to grapple with the battles of life than they were on landing in Richardson county.

The Dunkard Colony At Silver Creek

The settlement of people from Illinois and Somerset county, Pennsylvania, four miles north of Falls City, began in 1868, with the arrival of Francis .Shaffer, C. Forney, J. Johnson, and Philip Meyers. They were soon followed by Samuel Kimmel, the Lichtys, Pecks, J. ^Meyers and others. Elder Samuel Stump, who came with his family from Ohio, was (|uite an acquisition to the colony. He was considered a fearless expounder of the old Gospel until he died.

At that time these people paid from seven to ten dollars an acre for this one-hundred-and-fifty-doUar land, and being before the days of either railroad, there was much tedious hauling to make the needed improvements. Wiien the frightful drought and grasshoppers came in 1874 the Silver

Any history of that part of Richardson county would be incomplete without reference to Rev. John Forney. He was not only a builder of the community, but served faithfully as a preacher and medical doctor for a great number of people, for a very small consideration.

The school house was built in 1870. For many years it served for church services, school and literary societies. Many weighty problems of national importance have been threshed out on this old school house floor, by the lyceums that met weekly during the winter months.

Silver Creek Brethren church was built in 1878. The cemetery was laid out years before and the first burial there was in 1870. Most of the old settlers of the Silver Creek neighborhood have now removed to the city, while their descendants are occupying the well-improved homes they built. All are living and dying as American citizens, except Joseph Meyers and family. They moved to Jerusalem, Palestine, years ago, where nov*' in the hills of Judea, Uncle Joe and some of his family lie buried. Mrs. Meyers and the other children are still living.

First Register Of Settlers' Claims

The claims of the first settlers, together with the dates they settled on the lands of the United States, on the Great Xemaha river, were as follow :

Early Sl'Rn'Eys Of Richardson' Couxty

The reser\ation known as the Half-Breed Tract, which was set aside for half-breeds and mixed bloods of the Omaha. Iowa, Otoe and Yankton, and Santee bands of Sioux, by a treaty concluded at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin on July 15, 1830, was surveyed by John C. McCoy, a son of a Rev. Isaac McCoy, an early Baptist missionary among the Indians, in 1837-38, the former working under directions of his father.

This work was the first surveying done in this territory and preliminar\- to the movement of the Indians to the above tract. Under the terms of the above treaty the reser\-ation was located in the east part of this county and Nemaha county and was bounded on the east by the Missouri ri\-er. which also was and has always been the boundary lietween the territories of later states of Missouri and Nebraska.

The north boundary being the Little Nemaha river, in what is now Nemaha county; the west by a line known as the "Half-Breed line." which was drawn, starting at a point west, ten miles from the mouth of the Little Nehama river and running direct southeasterlv to a point ten miles west from the mouth of the Great Nemaha in Richanlson county, which latter river formed the south boundary of said reservation.

It was here that a dispute arose after the first survey had been made, as there was a difference of opinion as to whether the distance from the mouth (jf the Great Nemaha river west, should be measured in a direct line from the mouth of the river ten miles west, or whether the ten miles should be ascertained Ijy following the meanders of the stream.

This difference of opinion did not become a matter of vital importance until \ears afterward, when, in 18^^ t'le matter of the location of Archer as a county seat became a moot question and the jealousies of other [Mjints desiring the honor, caused an investigation to be made. It was claimed that if the line were correctly run, Archer would be inside the reservation and therefore not eligible as a site for a city, much less a county seat, and the question also involved the right of white settlers- to lands. The dispute all hinged on the manner of calculating the distance west from the Great Nemaha river, the ten miles. The new survey was begun by William H. Goodwin in December, 1856, and was concluded in October of the following year.

The Half-Breed or west boundary line, as established bv the first survey made by McCoy, struck the Great Nemaha at the north quarter section corners between sections 16 and 17, in what is now known as Jefferson township, its north point intersecting the Little Nemaha river in Nemaha county, at about the center of section 15, just east of the city of Auburn, in what is now known as Douglas precinct.

The change as made by the later survey of Goodwin, moved the Half- Breed line to the west and its south point of intersection with the Great Nemaha river was placed in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 25, in what is now Falls City township. Archer had been designated by the governor as county seat of this county and might have remained so until this day but for the change of this line by the early surveyors.

In the interim between the running of the first and second lines, a number of settlers had come into the country and settled on land which, like Archer, was efifected by the change of this selfsame line, and hoping to hold the same, carried the controversy to the halls of the national Congress at Washington.

The following memorial to Congress, passed by the Territorial Legislature shortly after the abrogation of the McCoy survey, and the making of another, asked Congress to relieve the settlers who had been surveyed into the Half-Breed tract, if within its constitutional power to do so.

Preamble And Joint Resoiation

Whereas, A portion of the inhabitants of Richardson county in lliis territory, have in good faith, settled upon, and made all the improvements, many of which are highly valuable that were required by neighlxirhood, territorial and the L^nited States laws, to enable them lo acquire title to the same, bv strict conformitv with law, and

Whereas, Such settlement and improvement was made after the surveys made by authority of the United States, had determined that their settlement and improvement did not encroach upon, or include any portion of the public land reserved from sale, or settlement, by reason of any treaty then known to exist; and,

Whereas, It has since such settlement was made, been ascertained that the authorized surveys were erroneous, and that the correction of such error, will include within the boundaries (of the Half-Breed Reservation), a portion of the lands so settled upon, therefore placing an inseparable barrier to their acquiring title thereto, by pre-emption or any other known law, and summarily depriving them of their homesteads, taking from them the fruits of their toil and labor without redress, except the same can be given them by a special act of Congress, for their relief and believing it to l>e a duty incumbent upon us, as the representatives of the people, to aid them in obtaining redress for grievances, which in no wise resulted from any disregard of law on their part, so far as it may be legitimately within our power, and believing as we do, that the hardships and losses that must inevitably result to the inhabitants aforesaid, makes it an imperative duty for our most earnest effort; therefore, be it

Resolved, By the council and house of representatives of the territory of Nebraska, that our delegate in Congress is hereby respectfully requested to present to that honorable body a bill, setting forth the hardships which must result to a portion of our inhabitants, and to urge the immediate passage of such bill, for their relief, so far as they may have power to do, and strict justice to the parties agreed, demand; and be it further

Resolved, That the secretary of the Territory be requested to transmit a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolution forthwith to our delegate in Congress.

The mouth of the Great Nemaha in 1838, at the time when the first survey above referred to, was made, was located in the southeast part of section 25, township i, north of range 18, and was likewise at the same point when the later survey was made in 1856, but in more recent years the Missouri river broke through an old bed of- the Nemaha at a point further north and about two miles west of the older point indicated first by Lewis and Clark in notes of their journey up the river in 1804, and the later survey of 1838.

over the same ground, from the same point on the ^lissouri, but by some process extended the initial point of the west boundary of the Half-Breed tract, two miles further west than did the McCoy survey and about two and one half miles to the south of that point. The effect of the change was to push the entire line further west.

The resolution above was sent to the Nebraska delegate in Congress at the time, Fenner Ferguson, who bad been in the state at the Lime the later survey was made and he took the matter up and succeeded in having a bill passed in June, 1858, which settled the matter by readopting the old or first survey. This action settled the location of the Half-Breed line, but did not save Archer. It was claimed that some sixty settlers were on the land in question. A bill, which was passed in 1859, gave the proceeds of the land between the two lines, to the half-breeds who had not received allotments, which amounted to about $400 each, as the land was sold at one dollar and a quarter per acre, the government price for a half section, as long as the fund lasted.

First Sitrveys Made

The survey and sectionizing of Richardson county, was of the lands of Nebraska Territory commenced first, for the reason that the initial p(Mnt of all the surveys of Nebraska lands is located at the southeast corner of Nebraska, which, likewise, is the southeast corner of the county. This work was commenced in 1854, the year of the arrival of the first of the Richardson county pioneers, who arrived here on April 17th, and the surveyors began their work in the month of November of that year.

The first party sent out by the government were charged with the work of running the base line west from the Missouri river for a distance of one hundred and eight miles. The fortieth parallel of north latitude, the dividing line between the states of Nebraska and Kansas, was designated as the base line and required to be marked.

The first party arriving at the point where the survey was t<> be commenced, went to great pains with the instruments they had at hand and their knowledge of the business, to locate the exact line r.f the fortieth parallel. The first thing to be done was to establish the initial point and mark the same; this was done bv the erection of a large iron monument.

The Iron Monument

A large iron monument was intended to be placed at the exact southeast corner of the state of Nebraska (which also marks the southeast corner of Richardson county), but this would have been on the river's edge between the states of Nebraska and Kansas, and because of the habits of the Missouri river was not deemed a practical location for a permanent marker, hence it was placed on the bluff nearly one hundred and fifty feet above and overlooking the river. It marks a dividing line between the states, and was placed there under directions made by Surveyor-general John Calhoun, of the territories of Nebraska and Kansas, at that time located at Wyandotte, near Kansas City, Missouri.

The contract for the erection of the monument had been let to Charles A. Manners & Company, a firm which had some surveying contracts in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Orders from the surveyor-general, land office, Washington, D. C, set forth the point at which a monument should be erected. The matter of officially fixing a spot where the monument should be placed was given by the land commissioner in the following language, contained in instructions forwarded to those who were to determine the corner and erect a monument marking same :

"Your township corner binding on the Missouri river will be the southeast corner of township or fractional township No. i, north of the base line of range number i8, and at the intersection of the point on the Missouri river, a conspicious and enduring monument is to be erected by your deputy.

The first work done in this locality was that of a party in charge of a surveyor, John P. Johnson, who, with his men, surve3-ed the Kansas and Nebraska dividing line on the fortieth parallel west for a distance of sixty miles and they had marked the starting place with a wooden stake surrounded by a pile of stones which they had gathered nearby. The work done by this party was highly unsatisfactory and had not fulfilled the requirements of the government and Manners & Company had been employed to go over the work and rectify the mistakes. A party consisting of twentyfour men in the employ of this company, were sent to St. Joseph, Missouri, with instructions to get the iron post or monument which had been sent to that place a year previous and haul it to the point southeast of Ruio and erect the same on a permanent foundation. (9)

Description Of The Monumen1

The monument is of iron and was cast in the form of a pyramid, measuring fourteen inches square at the Ijase and eight inches at the top and is seven feet long. It bears on its sides in raised letters the following words and figures: On the north side the word, "Nebraska," and on the opposite, or south side, the word, "Kansas," and on the west, "40'' in latitude," and on the east, "1854," which represented the year the monument was erected. The words Kansas and Nebraska run perpendicular with the post, while the figures of the date are horizontal.

This party arrived at St. Joseph and after loading the monument in a wagon, hauled it north to a point on the ^Missouri side of the river opposite from the point where it was to be erected.

There were no ferries in operation in this vicinity at that time and they must depend upon other means of conveying it to the western shore. An Indian was found, who owned a canoe and he agreed to take them o\er. His boat was small and he could take but eight men on each of the three trips. On the third trip the monument was loaded in for passage and its weight, together with that of the liien, really overloaded the light bark. The Indian, however, was skilled in the use of his oars and while the top of the boat barely missed the water two inches and although the river was quite rough, yet he succeeded in landing them all safely on the Nebraska shore, but not before the men, some of whom could not swim and who were riding astride of the iron monument, had the scare of tlieir lives, fearing death in the tur1)id and muddy water.

The monument was hauled up to the summit of the bluff and in due time placed on a firm foundation, where it remained through all the years until 1890, when David D. Reavis and Fred W. Miller, both of Falls Cit\-. who were employed in the work of making a resurvey of some lands on the Io\\ a Indian Reservation, found it lying upon the ground.

.Vfter the first party had completed the work of setting up the monument, the\- were compelled to wait for some time pending further instructions, which were not received until June. 1855. \\'hen these were received it was learned that the\- were to make corrections on the entire base line as far as it hatl lieen surveyed, wliich they proceeded to do.

Soon after the completit)n of the work of establishing correctly the l);ise line, work was commenced on making sur\e\s to" the north in Richardson cipuntx'. The accurate sur\e\" and markings jjlaced at section corners greatly facilitated the matter of describing the lands taken by settlers. The orders for the survey instructed that the land be surveyed in divisions or blocks, six miles square, to be designated a township, and the townships were divided into blocks one mile square and known as sections, containing six hundred and forty acres. The townships were numbered beginning at the northeast corner with number one; on running west six miles the last section on the west side was numbered six; the one immediately south being numbered seven, and thence eastward to number twelve, the one immediately below being thirteen; this sytem of numbering being continued as before described until number thirty-six was reached in the southeast corner of each township. The rows of townships from east to west are known as ranges. The townships run consecutively from a meridian and a base line, which were first run with great accuracy, at right angles to each other, forming a cross, the north and south line being a meridian, the east and west a base line. All lands east of the meridian line are described as range east; all lands west of the meridian are described as range west. All lands north of the base line are described as township north ; all lands south of the base line are described as township south.

From the intersection of the meridian and base line begins a survey. and also the numbering of the various townships and ranges. I'^ach six miles square is called a "congressional township," and are numbered from one up, thus, township number i, 2, 3, etc., south of the base line, and i, 2, 3, etc., north of the base line, and range i, 2, 3, etc., east of the meridian, and range i, 2, 3. etc., west of the meridian. Each township, or six miles square, has, therefore, two numbers on its face - a range number and a township number. Each of these townships is subdivided into thirty-six scjuares, called sections, and are, as nearly as ma\- he. each one nn'le square.

These sections contain six hundred and fortx* acres of land, except the north and west sides of the township, which are al\va\s fractional, owing to the fact that it is impracticable to make a township precisely six miles square. The surveying of a township always began at the southwest conier of section thirty-six.

The state line between Kansas and Nebraska is the Ixise line for all the surveys in these two states; hence the entire state of Nebraska is township north, while the entire state of Kansas is townshi]> south. The meridian line for these two states is called the sixth principal meridian, and runs north from Oklahoma, passing a little east of Wellington, Sumner countv. and a little west of ^\'ichita, Sedgwick county, and on north through the

Each section in a township is divided into four equal parts, called quarter sections, the lines running north and south and east and west through the center of the section are called the one-half section line, and at their intersection, in the center of the section by a long-established custom the section number is placed. Each quarter section contains one hundred and sixty acres, except the following sections on the north and west sides of the township, viz: i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 30, 31. The fractional lots of either more than or less than forty acres are usually numbered from I to 4. \'ery frequently they are not numbered at all, and never when the lot is a full forty-acre tract.

The work of the early surveyors, under the efficient service of Charles A. Manners, in establishing and correcting the base line, was completed for a distance of one hundred and eight miles by June, 1856. The work of carrying the line on west to the summit of the Rocky mountains was done later, being completed in 1859. In this work were employed at different times, Charles A. Manners, N. P. Cook, Jared Todd and William Witherow, the latter being a resident of this county. Rulo township, located in the southeast corner of the county, was the first surveyed, the lines being run by Meriwetiier Thompson, in the month of September, 1855. the work of subdividing the township being done by Michael McManus, a resident of St. Stephens in this county, in June of the following year.

The work of surveying the county was completed, or practicallv so, by 1858, and Maj. ^^'. H. Keeling, still a resident of the city, was among those employed in the work.