Fremont Points with Pride to Its Many Attractive Churches
V
Spzscopsl ClturcA
s
BWc" : X - WWTS )W .a -Xlx-ft ft F 3 J f 3 f&r , . .T t - V
mmm wmwAH fwMMv Will lfJti
xAnst CAztsiiatiJIJtvrcA
NOTABLE CAREER OF
JOHN OjREMONT
Something About the Soldier
and Explorer After Whom
the Town Was
Named.
.Of French ancestry on his father's
tide and of English ancestry on his
mother's side, John Charles Fremont,
named after his father, was born in
Savannah, Ga., January 12, 1813.
Young Fremont was as talented as
his parents and very fond of study.
'The death of his father was a great
loss to him, but he depended all the
more upon his mother, and she was
everything to him. He was inclined
to the study of law and his mother
favored his choice.
Accordingly, at 14 he entered the
law office of John W. Mitchell, a dis
tinguished lawyer of Charleston, who
was particularly drawn to the brilliant
youth by his ability and gentlemanly
bearing. It was a coveted opportun
ity for John Charles, and he com
menced the study of law with the
ardor of an enthusiast. He was al
ways industrious, ready to take hold
of any necessary work, and do it with
all his might. His application was
intense. His will appeared to com
mand his mental faculties with ease,
and he could concentrate them upon
the work in hand with Napoleonic
skill. Obstacles dwindled away be
fore his onward step. He was born
to conquer, and this spirit was mani
fest in his daily eiTorts. The result
was decided advancement in master
ing lawf just about what Mr. Mitchell
anticipated. His intellectual strength
developed rapidly.
Romance Nearly Blights Career.
He entered college when he was IS.
Some time in the first year he be
came a Christian, and united with the
Episcopal church. Then his mother
desired that he should enter the min
istry, and began to plan with refer
ence to that event.
t When he was about half through
his college course he became ac
quainted with a beautiful young lady,
a native of the West Indies, and her
attractions proved a match for those
of the college. He fell in love with
her. very much as his father did with
his mother twenty years before, and
he could scarcely endure being out of
her sight. He loved with despera
tion, so that he lost interest in books
and preparation for ripe manhood, the
girl of his choice absorbing his whole
being. The consequence was that he
neglected his studies and lowered his
scholarship. The faculty interposed
and warned him. but to no ouroose.
"Love is blind," it is said, and it cer
tainly blinded John Charles to his
own interests and caused him to act
without discretion, reason or good
sense. He persisted in havinir his
own way and would absent himself a
whole day, and even longer, to enjoy
the society of the girl. At length the
faculty became indisnant over his
reckless disregard of their require
ments and they expelled him. Per-
naps the punishment was unexpected
to him, but he presumed too much
upon the patience and forbearance of
his teachers.
Teacher of Mathematics.
His expulsion was followed by the
sudden death of a younger brother
and a sister, to whom he was most
ardently attached. It was a stunning
blow to him, and it proved a fortu
nate one, too. For the expulsion and
the sorrow together brought him to
his senses, and he began to reflect
and ask himself some plain questions.
He was soon lifted out of the slough
into which he had fallen and, taking
in the situation, he resolved to amend
his ways and be a man. That de
cision meant much to him at this
juncture. It saved him, no doubt,
from going to the bad. He resolved
to return to his studies, not in the
college, but to a course of private
studies that would fit him for teaching
or political life. He put his .resolu
tion into practice at once, giving spe
cial attention to mathematics, in
which he ultimately became one of
the ripest scholars in the land. This
proficiency gained for him an excel
lent position as teacher of mathe
matics on board the sloop-of-war
Natchez. Jackson was then presi
dent, and he determined to conquer
the "nullifiers" of South Carolina, for
which purpose the Natchez was com
missioned, and set sail. Over two
years young Fremont remained on
board, and proved himself remarka
bly efficient as a teacher. He was
but 20 years of age when he began
his work on the Natchez, but he took
speedy and high rank for reliability
and true manhood. He was loved
and respected by all. At the close of
the voyage he returned to Charleston
to see nis moiner. jii me meantime
the faculty of the college had heard
of his success and noble character
and they bestowed upon him the de
gree of bachelor of arts, and, after a
few years, master of arts.
Becomes Civil Engineer.
In the interim, however, interested
friends called his attention to another
field of labor. The public demanded
railroad between Charleston and
Savannah, and certain men, who were
specially interested in our hero's fu
ture success, advised his appointment
as civil engineer to survey the route.
He accepted the position, and so
thoroughly and promptly did his work
as to merit the highest commendation
of his employers; and, in consequence,
t J 3 . iMI L.il
ne was iniroaucea io a mil oeiicr
position that of "assistant engineer
in a corns organized under the direc
tion of Captain G. W. Williams of the
united states topographical engi
neers, which was commissioned to
make a survey of the route of a pro
posed railway between Charleston
and Cincinnati."
Hia First Exploitation.
Here young Fremont "began the
life of an explorer, for which his in
dustry and daring nature well quali
fied him. The mountainous region
between South Carolina and Tennes
see was little known, and Fremont
was offered an opportunity, by his
position, to become "more familiar
with it. Being disposed to seize op
portunities, he embraced this, ana dis
tiniruished himself by exploring vari
ous mountain passes on the route of
the proposed railway. Although so
young, he proved himself to be a
man of genuine sagacity and pluck,
having a patrotic pride in the develop
ment of his country. From this time
he seemed bent upon- discovering
mountain passes in the most remote
and perilous parts of our land. His
ability as an explorer developed rap
idly. The amount of information he
added to what was known of South
Carolina and Tennessee was so great
that he I egan to be famous for ele
ments of character that made him
candidate for president of the United
States twenty years after.
Two Trips Northwest
Immediately after his work between
Charleston, and Cincinnati we find
him "employed in two separate ex
plorations (in 1838 and 1839) of that
vast region which lies between the
Missouri and the Upper rivers, and
north to the British line." Very little
was known of this part of our country
at that time. The hardships and dan
gers attending these exploring ex
peditions only served to strengthen
the courage and determination of
Fremont. He was now "principal as
sistant to M. Nicollet, a French sa
vant of distinction, whom the illus
trious Alexander von Humboldt char
acterized as one of the brightest orna
ments of science. Fremont felt
highly honored and privileged to en
joy the society of so distinguished a
scholar, and it proved an exceedingly
profitable school for him. For, after
completing the expeditions in which
he was engaged, he was occupied a
whole year with M. Nicollet in ar
ranging their material for government
use, preparing maps and other scien
tific illustrations. The benefit of this
kind of mental labor to a young man
like Fremont was beyond computa
tion, ana ne always so regaraea u.
Meets Jessie Benton.
It was while he was arranging for
publication the material gathered in
the two aforesaid expeditions in
Washington that he met with the
young lady who became his wife, Miss
Jessie Benton, daughter of the cele
brated Senator Benton of Missouri.
She was a highly educated and ac
complished girl tor one of her age
(only IS or 16), as beautiful as she
was accomplished. Mutual attach
ment sprang up between them that
resulted in their marriage, October
19, 1841. Before their marriage, how
ever, the government sent him to
make an "examination of the river
Des Moines, in Iowa, upon the dis
tant banks of which the Sac and Fox
Indians still retained their insecure
homes." Some of the friends thought
that Senator Benton caused this or
der of the government to be issued,
sending Fremont away into what was
a vast wilderness then, that his
daughter might ,grow older, because
he was. decidedly opposed to her mar
rying so young. He had no objec
tion to the handsome, manly, gifted
young government officer, but he felt
tnat one or two years, at least, snouia
be added to her age before entering
into matrimony. They were married
after his return from the expedition
to Iowa. i
Just now an event transpired that
wonderfully enlarged the views of our
young explorer. Marcus Whitman,
a.missonary to the Indians of the
great Northwestern Territory, out of
which several states have been carved
since, fearing that our national gov
ernment would relinquish its claim
upon that vast empire to Great
Britain, made a journey on horseback
to Washington, more than 2,000 miles,
in the winter season, at the peril of his
life.
Puts Flag on Snow Peak.
Fremont saw this expedition of
Whitman's start, and expected just
what resulted triumph. It turned
his thoughts to scaling the Rocky
mountains, or finding a pass for emi
grants to the Pacific slope. Senator
Benton, his father-in-law, introduced
a bill into congress, under which Fre
mont organized and led his first ex
ploring party into that unknown
country. It was on this expedition
that he raised the American flag upon
what was then supposed to be the
highest peak of the Rocky mountains,
and which he named Snow Peak, be
cause its summit bore a burden of
snow under a bright August sun.
But Fremont desired to complete
his survey across the continent and
explore that vast unknown region
lying between the Rocky mountains
and the Pacific ocean, and he asked
the government for orders to under
take the expedition. In May, 1843,
when he was 30 years of age, he
started, with twenty-five men under
his command. He had been on the
way but a short time when an order
came fron. James M. Porter, the fussy
secretary of war, countermanding the
expedition. His devoted and noble
wife read the order with surprise. She
might have sent it forward and inter
cepted and turned back her husband.
But, taking a much more statesman
like view of the matter than Secretary
Porter did, she laid the order on the 1
shelf and allowed her husband to con
tinue his journey, for which act the
people of the United States have ever
been under obligations to her. Fre
mont proceeded to the tide-water re
gion of the Coliunbia river, thence
proposing to travel from -the lower
Columbia to the upper Colorado, on
the Gulf of California.
Through Upper Mexico.
By this time our government had
gained so great treasures of knowl
edge from Fremont's daring exploits
that it wanted more. In May, 1845,
with sixty men and two hundred
horses, he led another expedition that
involved much more of sacrifice and
suffering than those that preceded it.
He was to pass through a province of
the Mexican republic, and soon after
his expedition was fairly under way
the war betweerj, the United States
and Mexico broke put, though he was
not aware of the fact until Mexican
opposition forced him to change his
Course and march for Oregon.
He lost no time in reaching Cal
ifornia. On coming into the Sacra
mento valley he found the American
New Fall Shoes
Are beginning to arrive. We carry some of
the very best of makes, such as
Hanan & Sons, The Florsheim Shoe Co.,
The Walk-Over line for Men.
(Continued on Pane Nine, Column One.)
When you come to the Tractor Meet, come
in and let us fit you in a p'afr of comfortable
shoes. , ,
RHOWLES k "
FREMONT, NEBR.
jflilfWiiiii;!'!!!!'!
iiiiiuit:iu:;i!:imi
wmmm
m
i
m
Golden
Uillllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllillllllllllti:
I HALL'S GARAGE I
j 122 East 4th Street I
We Solicit Your Patronage.
Open Day and Night.
Special Attention Paid to
Tractor Show Visitors.
Phone 304 j
riiiiiiiiiiuiiKiiiinitiHmiiiiHiiiiiiiuiinnuiiMiiiiiimuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiimiimiint;
Let Us Make Your
Home Comfortable
Your home will radiate 'comfort and good clteer if you select
your furnishings from our stock. Quality home furnishings
cost you less here, and we deliver the goods right into your
home.
Baldwin Pianos Brunswick Phonographs
i BADER BROS. CO.
COMPLETE HOME FURNISHERS
Fremont - - ' - - - Nebraska
od Gf earner y
Fremont, Neb.
m
li
m
m
i
i
IIIIBII11IIIB
Called by thousands of farmers "The Place" that has
made them enjoy dairying. ' J
We deal direct, thus saving for the producer all there J
is to be had in selling cream. . ' J
Spot Cash, Prompt Service, Cans Insured and the Highest I
Price Paid in the State, is what we do to make dairying pay,
A TRIAL CONVINCES
la
liiBSS!
SMSRBl
Golden Rod Creamery
F. E. PRATT, Proprietor.
wiwnmwramww
66
J
n
The Great Thirsty Quenching Beverage
v .
WHOLESOME AND REFRESHING
Be Sure and Ask for "FREMO"
at the Tractor Show
Made and Bottled by
remnidinilt'BeveFage Co0
FREMONT, NEB.
1-4
i m mt m i n aiMiyi cti.ummlli ijji xhtmijji mmm mm mmm mm nwu mm ntm mf origin tiit w twtti mr ir T-r , ji rr- ti rri mn mi tmw m"mmnmvnwnwrnmM:mnm.twii-
i
m
j
Hi