plattemoutb
TRADE
EXPANSION
EDITION
SECTION
TWO
Pases 9 to 16
omn
VOL. XXXIII.
PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, MOM DAY, JUNE 15, 1914.
NO. 43.
THE CITY OF
PLATTSMOUTH
One of the Most
ed Cities in
ONTHE MISSOURI RIVER
In Cass County,
Counties in
A CITY OF 5000 POPULATION
Who Extend Open Arms to
Here to Locate Beautiful Homes and
Pleasant Surroundings.
Cass county is one of the oldest
counties in the State of Nebraska,
and Plattsmouth is the county-
seat, situated at the confluence of
the Platte and Missouri river
The valleys and hillsides are line
lv timbered and for fruit culture
there is no equal to Cass county
in the. United States. Platts
mouth, so named from its site
at the mouth of the Platte river
may be called the corner stone of
the great State of Nebraska, be
cause from the day that it was
selected as the initial point of the
II. & M. a. R. in Nebraska the
future of the state was assured,
farmers, home-seekers and spec
ulators came in one continuous
string: until today she stands
without a peer in the world's his
tory for development. Every na
tion on the globe has sent their
representatives and they having
been received with open hands
so to speak settled and became
prosperous and wealthy. Fifty
years ago the prairie grass and
wild roses that covered the county
of Cass knew not the touch of a
plowshare nor spade and today its
5 40 square miles produce more
than double its area in any other
section of the Union. It must not
be inferred from this that farm
ing alone is carried on here, such
is not the case. Several towns
and hamlets bear evidence of the
wealth that was hidden beneath
the surface of the soil, manufac
turing1 and financial institutions,
temples of education and religion
that any nation might well feel
proud of dot its area, and from
most every farm in the county
the tall spire of some errand tab
ernacle of the Christian faith
meets alike the gaze of the far
mer when he lifts his hat to wipe
his brow and the innocent child
who watches the flight of the birds
wending their way across the ex
panse of the heavens, reminding
as it were, the farmer that some
day his days of labor will be
crowned by an endless mid-day
rest and peace in that place
where its tall index finger seems
to indicate, and to the latter it
acts as a beacon light directing
its youthful steps in the paths
trod by Him whose mansion is
above.
The people who come west at
the present time are not all till
ers of the soil and for some un
explained reason more than nine
tenths of the editions that have
been published about Nebraska
harp on that one string, "lands
for farms and homes." This is
not said depreciatingly of the
land by any means because some
of the richest men in Nebraska
made their money from yields of
the farms they took up less than
2 score years ago and these farms
are as productive today as ever
they were and no doubt will so
continue, but there are a great
number of people who do not
caje so mucn lor lann as for a
place to locate and invest their
money in some mercantile line
or professional calling, where the
highest state of civilization ex
ists, where good law-abiding peo
Dle reside, where good schools
Beautifully Loca-
Nebraska.
One of the Best
Nebraska
all Those Who May Come
exist and churches are establish
ed, to all those the people of
Plattsmouth say, "Come!"' To
the merchant and manufacturer,
there can be no better place
found; within twenty-one miles
of Omaha, the manufacturers can
escape the high taxation of that
metropolis ami yet can get his
wares into the greatest distribut
ing point in the entire west"; to
the stock raiser this is indeed a
mecca.
The Topography
of Cass county is in keeping with
its location. Any effort to por
tray its charming landscape must
end in failure. If there is a love
lier land between sunrise and
the gold-n gat', the writer has
yet to see it. Fully forty per
cent of the county is valley and
bottoms of the fairest descrip
tion. Indeed, it is a land of val
leys, only equalled in the softness
and beauty of contour by the sur
rounding counties. The remain
ing sixty jter cent of the county
is made up of graceful undulating
prairies, interspersed with pretty
tables, the whole smooth enough
for the plowman. .There are
more good lands, more fine farms.
more genuine happiness, prosper
ity and thrift than in the same
area in any other part or the
union. For Cass County's future
we entertain none nut the most
flattering predictions, and we ex
press only the opinions of every
man and woman who visits this
portion of the State.
Plattsmouth at Present.
Having carried our readers over
a strange, wild and weird route
in the history of Nebraska, and
Plattsmouth in particular, we
will now introduce them to
Plattsmouth of modern times.
A few words concern iner the earlv
history of our citv mav not. come
amiss in this place.
The first settlement made in
Plattsmouth was that of Samuel
Martin, who, at a point which is
now diagonally opposite the pres
ent depot. Mr. Martin, as well
as the early settlers who soon
joined, him, was not slow in rec
ognizing the advantages of this
place for the location of a citv.
and -accordingly they organized
the Plattsmouth Town Co. in Oc
tober, 1855, and caused the town
site to be surveyed and platted.
In November of that year, by a
special act of the legislature, the
city of Plattsmouth was incorpor
ated. Just previous to this the
first frame house was erected
which also had the honor of be
ing the pioneer hotel under the
name of the "Farmer's Hotel."
The city passod through all
the phases a new city in a new
country usually does, without any
great outburst until 1809, when
the B. M. R. R. Co. decided to lo
cate ineir siarnng point here.
Col. T. Doane, chief engineer and
peneral superintendent had
charge of the work from the start
and from a few buildings, the
company has added repeatedly
until at present there is $2,000,
000 invested in the car shops at
this point, but of this we will
speak more in detail later on.
of
in-
th
o
th.
midst, or the consumers or their
products, Plattsmouth offers su
perior advantages that cannot fai
to be ultimately recognized. The
object and aim of this paper shal
be to hasten that recognition
Situated as the citv is, at the
junction of the Platte and th
great Missouri river, at the gate
way of the greatest railway sys
tem that traverses the state, and
being indeed the central point
tippiy, manufacture and repair
of that ambitious and growing
system. Plattsmouth presents
first an assurance that everv .hd-
lar planted in a legitimate busi
ness within her growing limit
will sustain a healthy increase in
the immediate future. The citv
surrounded by highly cultivat
ed agricultural lands as rich and
ertile as can anywhere be found.
the products of which would sup-
ly raw material for countless
industries, and furnish food for
heir mvriad of artizans. The citv
easily accessible from all di
rections, and lines of railroad
laily run t heir trains into and
out of the place to ami from the
north, east, south and west, radi
ating to the great trade centers
and traversing the richest and
most thickly populated portions
of the west. Assurances of addi-
ional facilities are already in
sight for the near future. I. and
s cheap, and the establishment of
a m in u fact tin ng plant does not
invoive the outlav of an immense
ortutie in a simple location. The
alter can. in all probability, be
had for the asking for any worthy
or promising industry. Oood
homes are easily available for the
laborers required to man and op
erate any number of industries
a great desideratum and such is
the city's location among and up
on its seven wooded hills that
every home can be made a bower
of beauty at little expense.
The climate is not surpassed,
nor indeed is it equalled in this
section. her location giving
Plattsmouth effective protection
from the vicissitudes of tin
weather. The food and water are
good and good health always pre
vails to a remarkable degree. The
school facilities are unsurpassed,
as can be .seen by reference to
another column. Of her society
this city may well be proud. It is
marked by a spirit of geniality
and a degree of sincerity seldom
found in cities of the magnitude
of Plattsmouth.
In her prosperity of today there
is none of the element so univer
sally prevalent, lightly termed
"boom," but her stability is ev
erywhere certain and apparent.
She has enterprises sustaining
her that cannot fail. She is
founded upon a rock.
Inducements to Manufactories.
The inducements for capitalists
to invest their means in the en
gagement of manufactories in our
city-are not surpassed in any city
in the state; for the favorable lo
cation of all manufacturing es
tablishments we can point with
pride to a surrounding agricul
tural country peculiarly fitted for
anv industry wherein are manu
factured farming implements.
An excellent opportunity for the
esiaruisnment oi a creamery is
presented here, the surrounding
country being abundantly able to
furnish all milk and cream neces
sary, ami besides their being no
creamery in the entire coun
ty, which is the fifth wealthiest
in the state. A shoe manufactory
would thrive here owing to the
few manufactories in the entire
state. Inducements would be of
fered by the Commercial club to
all capitalists who contemplate
engaging in such industry, and
communications ad dressed to the
secretary of the Commercial club
will receive prompt response and
enlarging upon the advantages
offered.
Publio Kealth.
The high altitude of this por
tion of Nebraska insures to- all
new comers a healthful climate,
free from that atmosphere which,
by reason of sudden changes, in
duces sickness and produces de
pression. The winters, while they are at
times severe, are nevertheless
healthy and when winter sets in
no fear need be entertained that
To the large surplusage
eastern capital now seeking
vestment in the wet, and to
many industries in search
more central location in
sudden changes will occur to ac
casion sickness, such as is prev
alent in other portions of the
country.
The summers are pleasant and
autumn extends into November
and at present writing the weath
er is charming. Invalids desir
ing a healthy location should live
m tins location.
Plattsmouth presents to man
ufacturers, who may be wise
enough to forecast the futur.
triking advantages which the-x-
lui hardlv afford to overlook.
Exceptionally good mill and fac
tory sites can be seeured on oi
near the Burlington and Missouri
Pacific sites. The opportunity
dlVred here are as i:reat if not
neater than at any place in th
middle west. Land can be secur-
'd a! a nominal price some of
our citizens standing readv t
tnate desirable ground in ordei
i encourage the coming- jn ,,f
Miterprises of the richt sort.
Flour, corn, and alfalfa mills
would be sure to reap a rich har
vest. There i a great wheat.
orn and alfalfa country all
around us, and most oj tins tug
yield is being shipped to other
toints, because there are no fa
ilities for handling it at home.
The city of Plattsmouth today
s distinctively a retail and distri-
uting center, which makes a
clear field for the manufacturer-.
he town needs a planing mill
adiy and a good gram elevator
would be a fine investment. south
of the city is one of the best un
developed lime stone quarrys in
America. There is also a splen
did deposit of high-grade clay,
.-uitable for vitrified brick, which
will make the fortune of the man
slio starts a brick ard here.
The shipping facilities are the
best. The Burlington ami Mis
souri Pacific railway systems
traverse the entire middle west.
The proximity of the city of
Omaha is also a valuable asset.
II gives our manufacturers a
near market for his products.
The manufacturer who locates
here will receive a heart v wel
come. Our business men are
hr-spifable progressive and
are ready to extend a helping
hand to any worthy enterprises
that seek to locate. The banking
facilities of the town are excel
lent and all the local banking
houses are under the manage
ment of men who are liberal i:i
their dealings and do all in their
power to foster home enterprises.
Plattsmouth at the present
time has about five thousand peo
ple, composed entirely of whites.
They are unassuming in every
parficular, yet active, energetic
and business like. You will find
the same culture and refinement
as exists in the larger cities, and
the men and women are, perhaps,
more extended and expansive in
floor views Their- llosnitalitv to
the stranger is proverbial and
they make good neighbors and
friends.
The principal
oughfare of the
street. This is
broad highway.
business thor
citv is Main
an unusually
running west
from the Burlington depot to the
corporate limits, with wide ce
ment sidewalks all the way. The
street is well lighted and like all
the rest, of the business district,
is paved with brick.
On Main street, between the
depot and Sixth street, are locat
ed the banks, most of the big re
tail stores and the leading hotels.
Sixth street, also, has some fine
establishments. The location
could not be better for the retail
er, and in the opinion of many it
will eventually become the great
retail center.
Stores and Storekeepers.
The desirability of a locality
as a home depends largely upon
the character of its stores ami
storekeepers. No one can find
much comfort in a town where
the necessities and comforts of
life are not within reach. There
fore, high-class stores and store
keepers do much to draw people
into a community and develop it.
Most development s of Plat tsmout h
may be credited to the business
men and women of the city, who
have either instigated or loyally
supported every movement that
would benefit the commercial or
social interests of the communi
ty. .The mercantile establish
ments conducted by these gentle
men equal, and in many cases,
surpass those found in other lo
calities, not only in the magni
tude and variety of their stock,
but in the handsome appoint
ments of their stores and in the
artistic display of the merchan
dise. The show windows that line
Main and Sixth streets are a great
ornament to the thoroughfares,
and give the city a metropolitan
appearance. ine mereiiauts. as
a whole, are a representative
bodv of men cacti of whom is a
master of his line, striving in th.
best way to cater to his trade
J hat they have pleased the puma-
is evidenced by the great volume
of business done in this territory.
Beautiful Homes.
Home life in Plattsmouth is at
its bes(. The elevation of the
residential sections overlooking
the river, make this an ideal
place for a summer home or per
manent residence. There are
many fine streets with beautiful
dwellings, splendid trees, well
kept lawns and out-buildings.
which reflect the taste and pros
perity oi our people. iranie
tructures naturally predominate
though there are some good ex
amples of brick, sioiie and con
crete construction. Nunc line
parks have been laid out in the
home section, which with the ex
penditure of a little time ami
money will add much to the neau
ty of the city and the pleasure of
the people. The home section is
well lighted and the same fine
system of cement sidewalk runs
from ttie business district to
everv part.
Desirable building lots can be
purchased at a reasonable price
and there is no question of the
fact that they will greatly in
crease m value m the next lew
years. When the interurhan rail
road connecting Plattsmouth with
Omaha is completed the price of
these lots will go .up by leaps and
hounds, and now is the time to
get in on the ground floor.
Public Schools.
The people of Plattsmouth are
justly proud of their public
schools. Recognizing the part
played, by education in the life of
the community, the citizens of
Plattsmouth early made provi
sion for the schools of the city
and have always followed a liber
al policy in maintaining them.
Owing- to the steady and constant
growth of the city the schools
have continually been enlarged
until at the present time sevei
modern brick buildings are re
quired to house the children.
These are located at convenient
points. No city in this section of
Nebraska has better equipment
as to buildings. Each building is
modern in architecture, and pro
vides the proper amount of light
and are well ventilated and heat
ed. The courses offered in the
high school are such that the
school is ranked among the
highest. The equipment for lab-
ora,,,r" w,,rk in each P"1' m'nt
is exceptionally complete mak
ing it possible for the students
to pursue' their work under the
most modern methods of instruc
tion. New equipment is purchas
ed each year that the newest de
vices may be followed by the pu
pils. Three courses of study are
offered the Latin, German and
Normal training. The Normal
training department has been
one of the strong features of the
work of the school. Many of the
rural teachers of this section are
graduates of the Plattsmouth
high school. Each year this de
partment enrolls many pupils
preparing to teach. The grades
also are maintaining well bal
anced courses of study and what
is being accomplished in every
department is a source of satis
faction to the patrons. To the
man of family who is seeking a
location where his children may
have the best of educational ad
vantages Plattsmouth has as
much to offer as any town of its
size in the country.
An Astor Family Custom.
It Is said that, according to the
custom of the Astor family, Mrs. Vin
cent Astor renounced her dower rtgtiw
in the vast Astor estate before oer
marriage. k This lias bee'- done for rsn
erations in lieu of a settlement. Tb
settlement is seldom generous In p
portion to the vast wealth of the fam
ily. Vincent Aster's grandmother. Mrs.
William Astor. renounced her dower
right; so did Mrs. Ava Willing Astor
r.nd Mrs. Madeleine Force Astor. Exchange.
THE EARLY DAY!
IN
When the Early Settlers Crossed the Plains
With
ENCOUNTER NARROW ESCAPES
Plattsmouth the Starting Point, Where the
Wagons Were Loaded With Goods
(By Bassil
In the early pioneer days of
Nebraska, it is a well known fact
that many farmer's in the eastern
counties were, to a certain ex
tent, engai.-.-'l in freighting on the
plains. The products of the farm,
peciallv that of corn, were
hauled in wagons with oxen,
mules and horses, out to military
forts, such as Fort Kearney. Fort
Juiesburg. Fort Larimer and to
Denver, Colorado, and to the
mining camps.
It was a common practice with
many farmers, that as soon as
corn was '"laid by." hay in stack
ami Harvesting complete, ana in
many instances threshing done,
to load up as many wagons as
were available, with farm prod
ucts, especially that of shelled
corn, raised the previous year,
and with ox. mule or horse team
haul the same over the plains to
some point mentioned above.
where there was always a ready
and remunerative market. Often
the government at Washington
was the purchaser of large quan
tities oi corn ior me use m uie
soldiers at the different forts.
At that time there were no
railroads running much farther
west than Eddyville. Iowa, but
there were numerous steamboats
running on the Missouri river,
which conveyed large quantities
of Nebraska-grown spring wheat
to southern markets.
Concerning the stationing of
the soldiers at the different
points mentioned above ami at
other points, it was necessary for
the government to do so. for the
protection, not only of the large
freighting element, but also for
the protection of the large im
migration then seeking homes or
fortunes in the mining regions
of Colorado. Wyoming. Montana
and far-away California. It was
re. uncommon occurrence for a
band of thieving, marauding In
dian to rush from their conceal
ment in bushes or ravines, upon
a small train of freighters or
emigrants and kill the men, make
prisoners of the women and chil
dren, if any, and then take the
oxen, mules or horses, empty the
wagons of such goods and
articles as they wanted and then
leave the wagons in flames.
A notable illustration of this
species of savagery was what is
known in history as the Plum
creek massacre, in ISO 5, just the
year before the writer of this
sketch made his trip as a '"bull
whacker" to old Fort Juiesburg.
The flourishing city of Lexing
ton, Dawson county, Nebraska, is
located near where this terrible
massacre by the Sioux Indians
took place ;"or:v-niii" years ago.
But the writer has commenced
to write a condensed history of
that trip as a "bull-whacker" to
Fort Juiesburg in 1805. and we
shall have occasion to refer again
to that Plum creek massacre.
It was in August, 1805, and the
writer at that time lived on a
farm just east of the old ML
Pleasant townsite. He was just
past 21 years old and had lived
in Nebraska a little more than a
year, engaged in farming and
teaching school. His health was
very poor and doctors had failed
to cure him. He was advised to
take a trip on the plains if he
were physically able to do so, and
this he concluded to do. A noted
plainsman, who for a number of
years had made at least one trip
each year with his ox teams
hauling freight to some "point
"out west," was recommended
NEBRASKA
Ox Teams
S. Ramsey.)
to the writer. This
was also one of the 1
mers of Cass County.
plainsman
ading far-owning-
a
large and well improved farm,
south west of old Factoryville on
the south branch of Weepiuy
Water and his name was William
Altaffer. The writer was intro
duced to Mr. Altaffer and stated
his business, that he wanted a
job of "bull-whacking" with him
in his train of ox wago;-, soon to
start for a trop to Fort Jules
burg; that he knew nothing about
driving four voke of oxen to one
wagon: that his health was ery
poor and that he wanted to lake
the trip for two objects, to recu
perate in health and to make all
the money he could. Phomptly
and very frankly Mr. Altaffer em
ployed the writer as driver of a
team of four yoke of oxen at 7
per month with board, lodging
and washing. He also said to the'
writer in substance as follows;
"Mr. Ramsey, in view of the con
dition of your health, all you
need to do, is to xoke your oxen
when jn the eorrall. hitch them to
your wagon and drive. When we
-top to iro into camp, just un
yoke your oxen and the oihers
will take care of them. All you
need then t do is to cook and
prepare the meals, the older boys
will carry fuel and build
camp f!re, and also carry
necessary water for cooking
washing dishes." The writer
Mo
tile a Mil
said
to him: -"Why Mr. Altaffer,
I
know nothing about cooking
nexer cooked a thing in my life."
His reply in substance
"Nexer mind. 111 soon teach oii
the way and how. we freighters
bake biscuit, potatoes, cook oni
ons, fry sow-belly.' make coffee,
even with 'buffalo chips for find
if we can't get any other kind."
That settled the matter and we
.were fo start within a few days.
Now as to the personnel of the
"bull-whackers." The drivers
were as follows; Payloii. Aimer
and Eli Dillon, members of a pi
oneer family of Otoe county. Neb..
. Wilson and . Clark whose
first names the writer has for
gotten if h ever knew. He is
certain however, that they were
neither Wood row Wilson imr
Champ Clark. fins Blume. Jo
seph and Finney Tempest and
the writer, Basil S. ltamsey, com
pleted the lit of the young "hull
whackers." Of course the big
outfit was the owner
one of
th.
and boi
Altogef her
Joe Tem-
William Altaffer.
there were ten of us.
pest had no (earn to
drive: his
business was to fend the oxen at
night when unyoked and turned
out to graze, while he would sleep
during the day. Finney Tempe-I
had charge of the grub wagon
which xvas hauled by two yoke of
oxen, while to each of the other
seven wagons four yoke were
used in hauling the same. Of
course. Boss Altaffer exercised
general supervision over every
thing and especially over us boy
drivefs. The grub wagon was
filled with an abundance of vari
ous kinds of food material, such
as flour, corn meal, potatoes, oni
ons, "sow belly," as it was call
ed, which consisted of the fattest
smoked bacon the writer ever
saw or heard of and was the only
kind of meat we had except as
we could capture wild game. The
grub wagon also contained a
small keg of spirits fermenfi
which xvas the only medicine we
took with us. Boss Altaffer ad
( Continued on Page Six.)j