SUPPLEMENT TO NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
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llborton's Rteton of IWebraefca
authentic 1400 to 1906 Complete
(Copyrighted 1000. All rights reserved.) By courtesy of Editors and Publishers o( Morton's History, the Publishers Newspaper Union of Lincoln, Nebraska, is permitted Its reproduction In papers of their issue
INTRODUCTORY.
Tho history of Nebraska was pro
jected in 1897 by tho late J. Sterling
Morton, who was assisted by Dr. Geo.
L. Miller. It was the ambition and
dream of Mr. Morton to havo tho his
tory ho had undertaken completo in
all details. He did not live to see
this wish realized, yet ho worked dil
igently up to tho time of his death,
having assembled a vast portion of
what is now the most comploto his
torical work of any state in the Union.
Mr. Morton vividly realized the task
he had set out to accomplish and In
a prospectus of tho history, written
when it was projected, ho, in enthusi
astically setting forth important fea
tures of a worthy work of that kind
and its great importance, expressed
the following vivid appreciation of the
great labor and expense Involved in 1
,the undertaking, by reason of its mag
nitude and the fact that its field was
as yet unexplored:
"But as yet the story of those stir
ring times and the narrative of the
first struggles betwcen-barbarlsm and
civilization on these plains is unwrit
ten. More thnn thirty years have
elapsed sinco Nebraska ascend6d from
territorial to state government and
was transformed from a federal de
pendency to a sovereign member of
tho American Union. In all those
years no faithful history of tho com
monwealth from its inception has been
essayed and only a few meager
sketches of its morning time and its
pioneers have ever been published.
Tho time and the opportunity for a
history of Nebraska has arrived. It
is our duty to gather together in good
and enduring form all the stories and
heroisms of the frontier territory and
to truthfully portray tho moral and
mental strength of the courageous
men and women who made it so
strong and vigorous that it evolved
the state.
"And then, uniting the forerunners
of the frontier with the pioneers of
the new state, this history shall dem
onstrate the self-reliance, the self-denial,
and the self-respect which char
acterized and glorified those men and
women who relinquished friends, rel
atives, and all the charms and asso
ciations of their dear homes in the
East to become the forerunners of a
new civilization on these plains.
There is a universal demand for a
creditable history which shall give the
youth of Nebraska a correct under
standing of its founders. In almost
every county there are men and
women whose influence and labors
have made them italicized forces in
. .
industrial ana social progress, immy
of these are of relatively recent citi
zenship, but by their superior abilities
and tireless energies they have im
pressed themselves ineffaceably upon
the welfare and growth of their re
spective localities, and in fact upon
the -entire state. Such men and
women not only make the history of
a state they construct and fashion
the state Itself.
. "The editors and publishers realize
that this historical work requires vast
labor and' research and the outlay of
a very large sum of money. But they
have faith in the pride of ancestry,
pride of home, and pride of state
which permeates Nebraska citizen
ship, and therefore enter upon the
work with an exultant assurance of
making it a marked and triumphant
success."
HI8TORY OF NEBRASKA.
CHAPTER I.
Natural Conditions, Traditional, Fanci
ful, and Authentic.
' In the long run physical environ
ment, such as soli, climate, and to
pography, shape tho man and the so
ciety; but human character and social
propensities, formed in older states
and in other and older countries, havo
been transplanted into this new state,
and, while, according to a marked
American instinct or characteristic,
tho people have been quick to adapt
themselves to a somewhat important
change of conditions, yet the time
during which they have been subject
to them, has been too short appre
ciably to change their character or
social aspect. If they had only the
rlchost and most easily tillable soil
In tho world to conjure with, this
might tend to breed mental and es
thetic dulnoss; but they havo been
saved from this influence by tho rare
fled and bracing atmosphere, by the
sunshine in which they are almost
perennially bathed, as well as by cer
tain adverse climatic conditions which
challenge their vigilance and ingenu
ity. While tho people of tho plains
havo missed tho comforting compan
ionship of brooks and hills and groves,
whoso friendly presenco sustained tho
courogo and inspired the esthetic
senso of tho settlers of tho Missis
sippi valley, yet these plains havo a
beauteous aspect of their own which
often inspired tho limning pen of
Irving and engaged Cooper's romantic
eye. The illlmltablo expanse of land
scape, the unrivaled beauty of morn
ing and evening lights and shades,
the marvelous clearness of the - air,
however monotonous, do not fall to
excite the esthetic sensibility and wi
den the spiritual vision of tho people.
But when Irving undertook to estl-
k mate the material value, and to pic
ture tho future usefulness and devel
opment of this vast prairlo empire,
ho looked with blindfold eyes and
painted a dismal black:
"It is a land whero no man perma
nently abides. . . . Such Is tho na
ture of this immenno wilderness of
the far West, which apparently defies
cultivation and tho habitation of civ
ilized life. Some portions of it along
tho rivers may partially bo subdued
by agriculture; others may form vast
pastoral tracts like thoso of tho east;
but it is to be feared that a groat
part of it will form a lawless Interval
between the abodes of civilized man,
like the waters of tho ocean nnd tho
deserts of Arabia; and like them bo
subject to the depredations of tho
marauders." -
And then, as this polished poot-his-rnrlnn
rnntlniios to eontomnlato the
iuFubrious prospect, his style, In gen
oral tho refinement of graco, dignity,
and self-control, breaks Into an al
most grotesque delineation of tho fate
of a land which was destined within
tho space of a man's lifo to become
"the homo, tho portion fair" of nearly
nn million prosperous and happy peo
ple. And Cooper, the leading roman-
t-to rf tlinf flnvv nhsnrvnr. in Tho
Prairie that the plains are "lit fact a
vast country incapable of sustaining
a dense population in tho absence of
tho two creat necessities" wood and
water. This great story-teller affected
a knowledge or geology, out it was
not profound enough to penetrate to
tho inovhniiarHilG sheet of subterran
ean water which, fed by the eternal
snows of the Rocky mountains, is co
extensive with the great slope between
these mountains and tho Missouri
river and within easy reach of the
modern and post-lrvlng-uooper wina
mills which now dot these plains in
Bnrh nrnfiiRlon that they would set a
whole legion of Don Quixotes in sim
ultaneous frenzy. Nor could the lively
Imagination of these great romancers
fnrpqoft thf nractlcabilitv of the sub
stitution for the lacking wood of the
great deposits of coal In the adjacent
mountains and underlying a large part
of these vast plains, because railroad
transportation was beyond Irvlng's
ken or fancy anu uooper s pracu-uiu
view. 'As to this, Cooper skeptically
vira- "it Is a singular comment
on the times that plans for railroads
across these vast plalnB are in active
discussion, and that men havo ceased
to regard these projects as cnimen
cal." And Long, in the story of his expe
dition of 1819, gives tho following
hopeless characterization to the Ne
braska plains, which, in their easterly
portion at least, fpr prolific produc
tion of live stock and of the forage
which sustains them, including the
staple cereals, and for ease of culti
vation and lasting fertility, excel any
other region of so large an area in
tho world:
"The rapidity of the current of the
Platte river and the great width of
the" bed of the river preclude the pos
sibility of any extensive inundation
of the surrounding country. The bot
tom lands of tho river rise by an
imperceptible ascent, on each side, ex
tending laterally to a distance of from
two to ten miles, where they are ter
minated by low ranges of gravelly
hills, running parallel to the general
direction of the river. Beyond these
tho Hiirfncfi is an undulating plain,
having an elevatjon of from fifty to
one hundred feet, and presenting the
aspect of hopeless and Irreclaimable
sterility."
Logically Long's conclusion as to
tho hopeless sterility of tho plains of
the Platte should be an inference from
the misstatement of fact by Marbols,
made as late as 1830, in his his
tory of Louisiana: "On the two
sides of the river 'Plate' are vast
plains of sand from an hundred to
an hundred and fifty leagues in extent
where no indication of living crea
tures is to bo found." The ignorance
of Marbols is not as inexcusable or
remarkable as tho lame logic of Irv
ing and Long, for the abundance of
wild animals with which they per
ceived the plains were stocked should
have suggested to them that the re
gion would be peculiarly adapted, un
der cultivation, for the sustenance of
domestic animal life.
When some phenomenon which
may havo been an eternal fact or Is
a manifestation of an eternal law of
nature, but which has been hidden
from our Imperfect understanding, is,
from the changing point of view or
In tho natural course of events, sud
denly revealed, wo call it Providence.
And so this vast hidden reservoir of
water and tho man-wrought miracle
of tho steam railroad, which opened
tho way for tho waiting millions, woro
tho Providence of these plains. Be
cause Irving and Cooper arid their
compeers failed mentally or physically
to penetrate to the one and to divine
the coming kingdom of the other, they
consigned the whole region to tho
doom of eternal desolation. God in
deed moves in a mysterious way his
wonders to perform. This "wilder
ness which apparently defies cultiva
tion and tho habitation of civilized
life" is the granary as woll as the
shambles of the world. Of two typi
cal states Iowa and Nebraska which
cut through tho heart of the plains,
tho first is tho imperial agricultural
commonwealth of tho richest farming
country of tho world, and In the pro
duction of tho great good staples the
other lags but little behind.
During Incalculable numbers of cen
turies thoro was a like providential
preparation on tho surfaco of thoso
plains of the rlchost soli in tho world
to cover so wido an area.
CHAPTER II.
Aboriginal OccUpants Spanish and
French Explorers American Expe
ditions Fur Trade First Settle
ments. Tho natural tendency of migration
sinco history began has been west
ward; and tho movements of tho Am
orlnd are not an exception to this
general rule. As tho streams which
drain North America havo a general
trend from north to south, and ns tho
rule for human activity is to proceed
along the lines of least resistance, it
might bo supposed that tho Amerind
would follow up these streams and
chango tho general order by moving
forward from south to north or from
north to south. Thoro was a stronger
Influence than tho mero contour of
tho land which drew tho tide of emi
gration, although this had Its effect
to such an extent that tho route of
travel had a west-by-northwest trond.
The food supply becamo tho main fac
tor in determining tho direction of
migration. Tho buffalo, which though
Indigenous to tho whole central re
gion of North Amorica woro partial
tp tho open country, enticed the In
dian to the Nebraska plains which
they possessed in vast herds. This
useful animal was the source of sup
ply for every want: food from his
flesh, raiment and shelter from his
hide, implements from his bones, ves
sels for holding liquids from hiB in
testines, and fuel from his dung. Tho
buffalo made It possible for great
numbers of Indians to subsist in com
parative ease on tho treeless plains
of Nebraska. How much of tho food
supply of tho aborigines, before tho
advent of tho buffalo, may havo been
derived from agricultural pursuits is
unknown; but It is certain that as
tho tribes spread westward and tho
buffalo becamo more numerous agri
culture decreased, until, when white
settlers first camo in contact with tho
tribes of Nebraska, little attention was
given to It. '
By far the greater number of Indian
tribes, which have inhabited tho ter
ritory that now comprises Nebraska,
followed this general rule of migra
tion from east to west. These tribes
belonged to two linguistic families,
tho Algonklan and Slouan. Both of
these great families sprang from the
region east of tho Appalachian moun
tains and In turn occupied nearly tho
whole of the Mississippi valley.
Tho first occupants of Nebraska did
not follow this rule. Tho Caddoan
HngulBtic family had its home In tho
south near the banks of the Red river,
and migrated northward, occupying
the valleys of the Kansas river, and
reaching northward to the valley of
the Platte river and westward to tho
foothills of tho mountains. Two other
linguistic families, tho Shoshonean
and Kiowan, encroached on our ter
ritory from the west. They hunted
along the headwaters of the Republi
can and Platte rivers, and claimed
part of the territory of this state,
but few, if ai ', ruins of their perma
nent homes are found within its pres
ent limits. Only these five linguistic
families were found in Nebraska, and
but two of them, tho Caddoan and
Slouan, are of importance to our his
tory. Tribes of these- two families
had their permanent habitat within
the state, and fought with one another
and among themselves for supremacy
on our 'eastern border and along the
Platte valley.
The original home of tho Caddoan
linguistic family was on the Red river
of the south. Prior to tho year 1400
one band, known as the Skidi,
branched off from tho main stock and
drifted to the Platto valley. Tho ex
act line of migration is difficult to
determine, but a tradition says this
tribo lived as allies of tho Omahas
near tho mouth of tho Ohio river. It
is not impossible that they may have
followed up tho Missouri river In com
ing to the Platto valloy, whero, ac
cording to Dunbar, thoy wore located
in 1400. Prior to 1500 another band
branched off from tho main stock and
drifted northward to a point near tho
present Kansas-Nebraska line. Here
tho Wichitas turned back and went
south, while tho Pawnees moved
northward and occupied the Platto
valley and intervening country. In
1541 Coronado found the Wichitas
near the KanBas river and sent a sum
mons to tho "Lord of Harahoy" (tho
Pawneo) to visit him, which ho did
with two hundred naked warriors.
This is tho earliest authentic record
of Indian occupancy of Nebraska.
This is the first time civilized man
(if wo can call Coronado's followers
civilized) ever saw an Indian from
what is now Nebraska. All history
before this is legendary, and . legen
dary history is so conflicting that wo
may only say that it 1b possibly true.
How far Onato penetrated in his
trip northeastward from Now Mexico,
in 1599, is difficult to determine. Ho
Bays ho visited the city of Quivora,
which was on tho north bank of a
wido and shallow river (very liko tho
Platto). Ho says ho fought with tho
"Escanzaques" and killed "a thou
sand." This battle may havo been in
Nebraska. Penalosa also claims to
havo visited tho same locality in 1662,
to havo met tho "Escanzaques," and
to have beaten them In a like encoun
ter. When theso brief glimpses into
Spanish history nro substantiated by
further research wo may bo able to
add somo early data bearing on Indian
occupancy of Nebraska.
Tho Pawnco3 (proper), consisting of
thrco mnln tribes, tho Choul (or
Grand), tho Pita-how-o-rat (or Ta
pago), and tho Klt-ke-hak-1 (or Re
publican), emigrated to tho Platto val
loy prior to 1500. They held tho coun
try fifty miles west of tho Missouri
river, and oventually conquered tho
Skldl band, which had como hero a
hundrod years before, and ndopted it
Into their own trlbo. Beforo tho Paw
nees camo, however, a band called
Arlkara had drifted away from tho
Skidi band and established itsolf on
tho Missouri rlvor, but out of tho
bounds of Nebraska. Tho Arlkaras
came Into Nebraska and lived with
tho Skldl trlbo ,for thrco years, from
1832 to 1835, when thoy roturnod
home.
In tho Huntsman's Echo of Febru
ary 21, 1861, tho editor thus porsplc
uously describes tho condition of tho
Pawnees on their reserve at Genoa,
as ho had ascertained It by a vlBlt
thero a few days before:
"The Pawnees number at present
about four thousand souls nnd a frac
tion over, and when 'at homo' llvo in
a cluster of huts built with crotches
and poles, covered, top and sides, with
willows, then with grass and dirt, giv
ing tho appcaranco at a little distanco
of an immense collection of 'potnto
hills all of a circular shapo and oval.
The entrance Is throuyh a passage
walled with earth, tho holo in tho
center nt top serving both for window
and chimney, the fire being built in
tho center. Along tho sides Httlo
apartmonts aro divided off from the
main room by partitions of willow,
rush or flag, somo of them being
neatly and tidily constructed, and al
together theso lodges aro qulto roomy
and comfortable, and each Is fre
quently tho abodo of two or moro
families. In theso villages thero Is
no regularity of streets, walks, or
alleys, but each build in a rather pro
miscuous manner, having no othor
care than to tasto and convenience.
Tho trlbo Is divided into flvo bands,
each being under a special chief or
leader, and tho whole confederation
being under one principal chief. Each
band has its habitation soparate and
distinct from tho othor, three bands
living in villages adjoining and all
composing one village, the other two
vlllagos, some Httlo distance. Thero
Is frequently somo considerable ri
valry between the sevoral bands In
fighting, hunting, and other sports(
and not infrequently one band com
mits thefts upon the effects of an
other." At this time, we aro told, tho Paw
nees had several thousand horses, but
owing to the hard winter hundreds
had died from Bore-tonguo and other
diseases. Tho animals H'vod out all
tho wlntor upon tho dry grass; but If
tho snow was too deep for them to
roach it, cottonwood trees woro cut
down and tho horses would subsist
upon tho bark. These' horses woro
above tho luxuries of civilized life,
and refused to eat corn when it was
placed beforo them. Thoy woro val
ued at from thirty to sixty dollars
each.
Tho Pawnees at this time usually
took two general hunts each year In
which all tho people, old, young, great,
nnd small participated, abandoning
their villages to go to tho buffalo
range. Prom .the spollB of tho sum
mer hunt thoy made jerked meat and
lodge jkins; and from thoso of tho
fall hunt, in October and November,
they made robes, furs, tanned skins,
and dried meat. Theso Indians had a
flold of considerable extent near each
village where the land was allotted to
the various families, and goodly quan
tities of corn and beans were grown.
With these and a little flour and sugar
they managed to eke out a miserable
existence, sometimes full-fed and
somotimes starved.
"Tho females are the working bees
of the hivo; thoy dig up tho soil, raise
and gather tho crops, cut timber and
build tho lodges, pack wood and water,
cook, nurso tho babies, carry all tho
burdonB, tan the skins and mako tho
robes and moccasins. Tho lords of
tho other sex recline by tho fire or
in tho shado, kill tho gamo and their
enemies, do tho stealing nnd most of
tho eating, wear tho most ornaments,
and play tho dandy in their way to a
scratch. Thoy aro of a tall, graceful,
and athletic figure, ns straight as an
arrow and as proud as a lord, whilst
tho squaws aro short, thick, stooping,
poorly clad, filthy, and squalid. Par
orjrtless children and tho very aged
aro sometimes loft behind, or by the
wayside, to perish as useless."
Pike visited tho Republican Paw
noes In 180C; thoy dwelt near tho
south lino of tho state until about
1812, when thoy Joined the rest of
tho band north of tho Platto river.
Dunbar gives tho location of tho vari
ous tribes In 1834: tho Choul band
resided ou the south bank of the
Platto, twonty miles above tho mouth
of tho Loup; tho Klt-ke-hak-i lived
eighteen miles northwest, on tho
north side of the Loup; tho Pita-how-o-rat,
eleven miles farthor up tho
Loup, and tho Skldl, flvo miles above
theso; and he says thoy changed their
villages every eight or ten years. In
1833 tho Pawnees coded tho torrltory
south of tho Platto to tho United
StateB. In 1857 thoy ceded the torrl
tory north of tho Platto, except tholr
reservation in Nance county. Tho
torrltory ceded, according to Chas. C.
Uoycc, embraced tho central third of
tho ontlro stato. Tho reservation
nbovo montionod wns ceded In 187G,
and tho Pawnees wqro taken to Indian
Territory; whoro thoy now havo a res
ervation. Tho various branches of tho Slouan
linguistic stock havo cotno to this
stato at flvo different times. Tho
first woro tho Mandans, whoso com
ing is shrouded In antiquity. Cntlln
claims to 'havo tracod tholr earth
works and habitat down tho Ohio
river and up tho Missouri. McGee
says the, Slouan family began to cross
tho Appalachian mountains ono thou
sand years ago. Tho Mandans wore
among the first to break off from tho
parent stock, and tho only oxcuso wo
have for including thorn In our history
is tho probability that thoy crossed
our borders on their way up tho Mis
souri river somo tlmo prior to the
coming of tho Skldl band In 1400.
McGee says tho Omaha tribo wan
near tho mouth of tho Ohio river in
1500, so its coming to Nebraska must
havo been aner that dato. It is tracod
quite acctiratoly up tho Missouri and
Dcs Moines rivers to its present home
In tho northeast part of Nobraska.
Tho Osago trlbo branched off and re
mained at tho Osage river. Tho Kan
sas tribo camo on to tho Kansas river,
nnd thoro established Its permanent
habitat. Tho dato of tho arrival of
tho Kansas trlbo is sufficiently early
to allow tho "Escanzaques" of Onate
to be regarded as Kansas Indians.
Tho OmahaB and Poncas remained to
gether until about 1650, whon the lat-
tor moved northward and occupied the
country from tho moutji of tho Nio
brara west to tho Black Hills. By the
treaty of March .16, 1854, the Omahas
ceded tho northeast third of tho pres
ent stato to tho United States, except
ing that part north of a line drawn
duo west from tho mouth of tho Aoway
river. That tongue of land which was
added to Nobraska in 1890, by author
ity of tho act of Congress of March
28. 1882, and which lies botwecn the
Niobrara, Koya Paha, and Missouri
rivers, was ceded by tho Poncas In
1858, excopt a small reservation. In
1877 tho Poncas woi'o moved to Indian
Torrltory.
Tho Dakota City Herald, in noting
that the Omahas had just received
tholr annuity on their reservation
from Captain Mooro, Indian agent,
makes the following observation as
to their condition: "Thoy aro bolng
gath.ored to their fathers fast, very
fast, as thoy now number only 064
savngo souls. The amount of tholr
payment was $23,000 and averaged
about $24 a head. Sinco Undo Sam
supplied them with a fqw 'scads' thoy
havo paid frequent visits to. our town
and laid something out for tho pur
poso of laying something In." From
tho observant editor's remarks it ap
pears that tho Indians did not confine
their inebriety to alcoholic drinks. He
relates that "five of those rod son
of the forest, two red squaws in red
blankets, and ono pale red papoose
put up at the Bates house on Sunday
night for supper," Thoy had a table
by thomselves, by courtesy of the
landlord, and, "in the language of the
Arkansas bride, 'they sot and sot' un
til thoy stowed away everything eat
ablo within, reach or sight. Seventy
seven cups of coffee wore drank at
the sitting, and but one, a young
squaw, gave out. After getting down
soven cups she failed on coffee; the
others kept on until tho kettle gave
out. When tho meal was ovor they
paid tho landlord two bits apiece and
departed."
The third detachment of the Slouan
family to occupy Nebraska conslstod
of three tribes, tho Otoo, Missouri,
and the Iowa. Tho Otoes and Iowas
havo always been closely related.
Th.y woro first seen at the mouth
of tho Des Moines river by Marquette
in 1673. Thoy aro said, by tradition,
to have sprung from the Winnebago
stock. It is stated that in 1699 they
wont to llvo noar tho Omahas. The
Missourls have had a very checkered
career. Thoy were first Been In 1670
at tho mouth of the Missouri rivor.
Soon after 1700 they woro overcome
by tho Sac and Fox and othor tribes.
Most of them joined tho Otoe tribe,
but a few wont with the Osage and
somo Joined tho Kansas tribe. They
havo never ceded land to tho United
States excopt in company with the
Otoes, but thoy havo been a party
to ovory Otoo transaction. To all In
tents and purposes tho Otoes and Mis
sourls havo been ns ono tribo during
their occupancy of this stato.
Tho Otoes and Missourls coded the
southeast portion of tho stato to the
United States in 1833; this cession
embraced tho land south and west of
the Nemaha. Tho remaining portion
of land which thoy claimed lay be
tweon tho Nemaha, Missouri, and
Platto rivers, reaching as fart west as
Soward county. This last tract was
ceded In 1854, when they roturnod to
their reservation south of Beatrice.
This thoy relinquished in 1881, and
thoy now livo in Indian Territory.
Most of tho Iowas remained east of
our bordor until 1836, when they were
given a tract of land along tho sooth
bank of tho Nemaha, This they re
tained in part in individual allotment,
but thoy remain undor tho Great
Nemaha agency. This tribe was al
ways closely associated with the Otee,
but was never undor tho samo tribal
organization as was tho Missouri
trlbo. All three tribes belonged to the
samo branch of the Slouan family as
tho Winnebago.
