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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1907)
The Frontier. VOLUME XXVII. O'NEILL. NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, APRIL 25. 1907 NUMBER 44. IN SANDHILL COUNTRY Homesteaders Settling Up New Lands Where Grass Grows Abundant. OBSERVATIONS ON A TRIP SOUTH Development Begun in Grazing Re gion of Northern Wheeler County. —A Good Cattle Country. A trip across the grass-covered val leys, undulating plains and drear sandhills to the south of the fertile and famed Elkhorn river country is worth the price to the newspaper man accustomed to the weary and monotonous routine entailed by per petual confinement within the city’s gates. Breaking away from the cry lor “copy,” the click of the type and the rumble of presses, a representa tive of this public intelligencer ac cepted an invitation from an old and esteemed friend to spend a week at his 640-acre empire in northern Wheeler county. Some changes and alterations have marked the ceaseless and remorseless march of time even in a “big country” like the sandhill and grass valley re gion forming the southern division of Holt county. The irrepressible wire fence is rearing its jagged lines in hitherto untouched territory. The sandhills dividing the Dry creek and South Fork valleys, that were once the property of any herdsman who cared to turn the marks of his brand ing iron loose there, are now pretty well under fence and the inclosed pasture takes the place of the sombre roed and bespured herder. South Fork valley, straight south from O’Neill, is sadly in need of road and bridge work. The roads are in a state of mire that renders travel hazardous. The ground is so thor oughly water-soaked that a horse may drop in limb deep any minute or your vehicle sink to the axle. The worst places might be made good by grading so as to afford a drain from the road. Incidentally, O’Neill is deprived of some business because of bad roads in this direction. The Ewing and In * man routes are much better and those towns are profiting thereby. It would pay O’Neill people to take up the matter of improving the roads leading this way. The matter of roads is a big item with the man living fifteen or twenty miles out. He will take the best road to the other town even if it be five miles further. Road conditions in the Cache creek valley are similar to that described » above. There is a story of frontier ^ days connected with the name of this creek. Back in an early period when the moccasin track in her sands and the wigwam on her banks were the only signs of human habitation, a party of government surveyors were sent out into the unorganized ter ritory now known as Holt county. They were encamped along this creek when they learned that a band of bloodthirsty Siouxs were planning a massacre. To expidite their “get away,” the whites buried their money and equipment in the sand and took a hasty flight eastward. They were followed as far as Stanton county, where the Indians gave up the chase. The whites later returned for their equipment and cash—hence the name Cache, or Cash, was applied to the stream. Northern Wheeler county is of the sandhill formation, yet producing a good growth of grass. The 640-acre homestead act has put a homesteader on every section of a country that otherwise would never have been settled. There are two ways that the homesteaders will ma«e a sand hill country pay them for their trouble —by engaging in cattle raising and re Don’t Hesitate! to come to this store when you want the right sort of Wall Pa pers. You’il find them here in the greatest variety, at the right prices We’ve given special thought to the choosing of our Wail Paper stock and are pre pared to offer for your approval some unusually attractive pa pers for the parlor, bed room, hall, library, in fact for any room in the house you’re think ing of having papered. Come in and let us show you the new styles. GILLIGAN & STOUT t5he Druggists / maining there permanently, or hold their claims long enough to obtain title and sell to some rancher who wants the land for grazing. It is an ideal place for the grass-fed steer. Bunch grass grows tall and abundant, and the hills are indented with a thousand lakes. The distance from railroad makes it impractical at pres ent as a hay or dairy country. It is aho a Mecca for the man with a shot gun. Wild duck and fast-flying chick ens are numerous—and hard to hit. Guy Green, to whom we are indebt ed for the week’s pleasure, with his mother and brothers, possess a little kingdom of their own. They have homesteaded nearly five sections that gives them a good location for a ranch or a large contiguous body of land to put upon the market when deeded. A number of railroad men have tiled on homesteads in that vicinity. Their families hold the homesteads while they continue railroading. As a county, Wheeler is yet unde veloped for want of railroad facilities. The county seat and chief town, Bartlett, has no lailroad and a popu lation of less than 150 in 1900. In taxable property the county can show little more than a well settled town ship in this county. Homesteaders there have an abiding faith that a railroad will venture through the hills at no distant date, and it is rumored that the multi-millionaire Allerton, who owns large ranch inter ests in Boone and Wheeler counties, has got behind the Midland Central project with the purpose of giving them a railroad. Educational Notes. House roll number 356, state aid for weak districts, having become a law, Holt county will need more teachers than ever before. Many school dis tricts which heretofore have been able to sustain less than seven months of school when voting the maximum levy of twenty-flve mills will now be aided, through a state fund appropriated for that purpose, which will enable them to have seven months. Many teachers who have been available for work in two or three districts during the year will now be unable to contract for tended length of terms. We will probably have use for two hundred and twenty-five teachers in Holt county. At present we have on our list one hundred and five who are and will be available and eligble Sep tember 1,1907. This number excludes all holding third grades issued last summer, all who taught on emergen cies, and all who have incomplete cer tificates. This report means we must raise our list of teachers one hundred and twenty or send out of the county for teachers. The law made two years ago raising the standard for teachers has been closely followed by four others placing the opportunities for obtaining the required higher standard within the reach of all. Senate file number 232 by Hanna and Phillips provides for eight junior normals, and names three of them leaving the other five to be located by the state superintendent. Superin tendent McBrien has named O’Neill as a suitable location for one of these schools and his official notice will be given soon. No county in the state will make better use of a junior normal than Hole county and the surrounding counties will take advantage of a school near at home on account of the inexpensive railroad fare and no tution to be paid. The faculty will consist of some of of the best educators of the state and classes will be arranged to suit every one wishing to attend from eight grade pupils to those wishing to take the higher branches for a life certificate. The term will begin June 10 and continue seven weeks. For in formation write to the county super intendent. Holt county has four schools in which free high school priviliges may be secured: at least one high school In which normal training will be given, and the junior normal at O’Neill. These advantages, together with the state aid in weak districts giving them seven months school, should in a few years raise the educational standard of the county several degrees. Eight grade examinations will be held May 9th and 10th at Stuart, At kinson, Middlebranch, Chambers and district number 58 Florence E. /.ink, Co. Supt. Astr ,togy. Madam Brown is here at room 16, Evans hotel. Crowds of people are to see her. Be sure and get your lucky days and months written. Street lecture Saturday afternoon. For Sale. I have a registered Hereford bull for sale. See me at my place six miles north of Emmett. I 44-4p Henry Winkler. M. DOWLING. President JAS. F. O'DONNELL. Cashier SURPLUS $55,000.00 I O’NEILL NAT’L BANK Safety Deposit Boxes for Rent. This Bank carries no indebtedness of Officers or Stockholders - LOCAL MATTERS. Have The Frontier print it for you. Fred Barclay was down from Stuart Tuesday. Dill pickles, fifteen cents a dozen at C. C Reka. For tirst-class printing see The Frontier. Dill pickles, fifteen cents a dozen at C. C. Reka. 43-2 W. E. Scott was down from Atkin son Tuesday. Dill pickles, fifteen cents per dozen at C. C. Reka. 43-2 Col' Barney Stewart, of Page, was in town yesterday. J. M. Hunter, of Willowdale, was in town Wednesday. John Alderson was over from Chambers Tuesday. Home grown alfalfa seed for sale at J. P. Gallagher’s store, 44-2 Will Purdy, of Inman, was an O’Neill visitor Monday. Mrs. Mary Thompson visited at Inman Friday and Saturday last. J. A. Wood and Jake Roll, of Ewing, had business in O’Neill Tuesday. For Sale—Three hundred bushel of choice millet seed.—J. D. Kelley. 43-5 Hay McClure came in from his ranch Tuesday going to Sioux City Wednes day, Dr. Corbett, Dentist, in O’Neill 2nd, 3rd and 4th Mondays, 4 days each week. Mrs. L. G. Gillespie visited with friends at Atkinson a few days last week. Early Ohio seed potatoes for sale. Four miles northwest of O’Neill. 44-lp W. J. Gray. Judge Malone spent Saturday, Sun day and Monday on his farm near Inman. W. P. Mohr, of Spencer, and F. W. Brown, of Lynch, were in O’Neill Monday. J. P. Gallagher is behind the count ers at his store again, after several wee k’s illness. The VV. C. T. U. will hold their next meeting at the home of Mrs. F. Bowen May 1, 2:30 p. m. M. R. Sullivan, of Atkinson, made his regular weekly pilgrimage to this city last Sunday. Surveyor Norton of Bliss had busi ton before the board of supervisors a daylor two this week. A hundred envelopes with your name and address printed on them for 50c at The Frontier. F. M Tyrell, of Lincoln, county attorney of Lancaster county, was an O’Neill visitor Monday. Editor Benson, of the Ewing Advo vate, was a pleasant caller at these headquarters last Friday. Mrs. F. M. Pixley and son returned last Friday evening from a protracted visit with relatives in Iowa. William Finch has home grown alfalfa seed for sale, at the Gallagher farm one mile east of town. 4s-2 Jerry Delaney, of Harvard, Nebr., proprietor of a flouring mill at that place, was in the city last Saturday. A cement foundation is being laid for a dwelling house just south of the Catholic church for R. R. Morrison. Twenty-live head of horses wanted to pasture. Address John Grutch, O’Neill, Neb , R. F. D. No. 1. 41-tf Last Saturday Judge Malone issued a marriage license to Grover Shaw and Miss Julia Carney, both of O’Neill. Mrs. B. S. Gillespie and daughter, Mrs. Whitney, visited at the home of Lloyd Gillespie and family last week. Henry Martfelt was down from Emmett yesterday, for the first time since his recovery from a severe attack of pneumonia. Dan O’Connor, who has been attend ing college in Omaha, returned home last Sunday evening and will develop his muscle tilling the soil on his fathers farm north of this city. M. F. Jones, of Wayne, and Miss Bessie Cherry, of Page, were granted a marriage license by the county judge last week. Arbor day was about the only nice spring day we have had this month and several O’Neillites took advant age of it to set out a few trees. S. D. Thornton, of Neligh, one of the leading members of the bar of our sister county on the east, had legal business in this city last Friday. William Blake and Maud Fluckey, both of Chambers, and Lewis P. Moss and Etta Mann, both of Amelia, were granted marriage licenses the 23rd. For .Sale—If taken within thirty days, I will sell ray residence property in O’Neill at a much less figure than it is actually worth. Call on S. J. Weekes. 42-ft Newton Carson, one of the pioneer Holt county residents, and an old time reader of The Frontier, was in from Horsey Monday and made a busi ness call at tills office. Strayed—From my place north of O’Neill, one dark red yearling steer. Liberal reward will be given for infor mation leading to its recovery. 44-2 H. W. Cook. James F. O’Donnell, Harry Dow ling, Ed F. Gallagher, J. F. Gallagher and Clarence Campbell were in Nor folk Monday attending a meeting of the district bankers association. Dr. Gilligan reports a son born to Mr and Mrs. R. A. Baker, of Emmet, on April 20; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Alex McConnell, of Emmett, on April 23, and a son to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Roseler, on April 24. George McLeod is located at the fair grounds with his trotting horses and they all appear to be in the pink of condition. His horse, Lucky Jay. is an excellent individual, a square trot ter and a royally bred fellow. Residence for sale: Good repair, 7 rooms arfl closets, nice batli room, ce ment wa,ks, large cistern, furnace, fine double cellar, maple floors. One block from schools and court house, nice shade and grass. Bargain for cash. Address Box “C” O’Neill, Neb. 43-4 D. Burr Jones, Held secretary of the state executive committee of the Yonng Men’s Christian Association, was in the city yesteraay and today in the interest of the association, of which D. B. Grosvenor is the local representative. The remonstrators in the matter of the county board granting a saloon license to James Armstrong and Bert Freed, at Emmett, have appealed to the district court from the decision of the county board. E. H. Benedict is the attorney of record for the remon strators. County Assessor Cooper says there are several Holt county citizens who have their surplus earnings invested in real estate mortgages and other securities, and upon which they have been evading the payment of taxes. He says he uncovered $500 last week and is on the track of some others which he expects to locate. T. N. Bureau, a photographic ex pert from New York City, was in O’Neill Friday last and conducted some photo demonstrations at the studio of T. E. Ilalldorson. The dem onstrations pertained to chemical action, posing, lighting and printing by the late methods and were a source of instruction to heal photographers. After a lingering illness Henry Ger rard died at his home in Bellwood, Nebraska, Tuesday evening, April 16, aged 73 years and 11 months. He was one of the Nebraska pioneers coming from Mickigan to Butler county in 1869, where he lived until 1880. Then he moved to Holt county where he made his home until march 1, 1906, when he returned to Bellwood. He leaves a wife and three chileren, two daughters having preceded him to the grave. The funeral service was held at the M. E. church and was attended bp a large number of friends and rela tives. *** Miss Ida B. Schwinck resinged as compositor in The Frontier ofilcc last week and departed on Sunday foi Wisner, the home of her parents. The Frontier regrets to lose Ida, but extendes congratulations in view ol the purpose for which she quits the printing business. We are also glad to note she doesn’t intend stay ing away from Holt county. The remains of E. S. Gilmour were taken to Ewing last Saturday morn ing and interred in the cemetavy at that place. The remains were accom panied from this city by about seventy O’Neill citizens who went to pay trib ute to the memory of their departed friend and neighbor. The funeral services were conducted by the Ewing Masonic lodge. The funeral was one of the largest ever seen in that village. Allen B. Donaldson brings suit In the district court to recover $1,068.20 from the Chicago and Northwestern Railway company, the amount of dam age alleged to have been sustained by tire said to have been set last Decem ber by a northwestern engine which burned over a portion of his land In section thirteen, township twenty-six range nine. He claims $78 for the loss of thirteen tons of hay, $982.20 for 1637 trees and $8 for a hay rake. That Holt county has been and is the place for a poor man to get a start in life is exempli tied in the case ot Fred Martens, of Atkinson, who was an O’Neill visitor last Monday. Mr. Martens came to nolt county twenty one years ago with just enough money to pay the homestead tiling fee on a quarter section of land on Holt Creek, about twelve miles south of Atkinson, where he still resides. He now owns, dear of all encumbrances, 2400 acres of land, has 300 head of cattle and twenty head of horses, property that is easily worth $50,000, and made in Holt county in twenty-one years. This is a little over $2,300 for each year. Where can you make money any faster than that? T ___*- * V, nnnn nf Jill VVUlllIf VUUI U UVUUUJ VMPWV V* J. S. Walker against P. T. Stevens was tried. Walker sued for $35, the value placed upon a steer he claims belonged to him and which got Into Stevens’ herd and was shipped by him to Sioux City and sold. The evidence was to the effect that Walker bought fourteen head of steers of It. P. Pear son, all bearing Pearson’s brand. Pear son claimed he bad sold cattle to no one but Walker. _ One of Walker’s steers was missing and it appears a steer bearing the Pearson brand was among a bunch shipped to Sioux City and sold. Mr. Dickson appeared for the plaintiff and Mi. Mullen for the defendant. Judge Malone took the case under advisement. Advertised Letters. The following letters remain uncall ed for in the O'Neill postotfice for the week ending April 20, 1907: Sammel Taft, Emil Furgeson, Mrs. C. E. Uommer, Minnie Davies, Mrs. Ella Clark, M. J. Finnegan, Farr & Cunningham, Ella Govin, J. N. Kloke, John Matthews, Matej Cuhes. In calling for the above please say “advertised.” If not called for in two weeks will be sent to dead letter office It. J. Marsh, Postmaster. Seed Potatoes. I have for sale 400 bushel of seed potatoes, Early Rose and Burbank Seedling, at forty cents per bushel. Call at my place ten miles east ol O’Neill. 44tf R. H. Murray. Card Of Thanks. We desire to express our heartfelt thanks for the many acts of kindness shown us during our recent loss. Mrs. E. S. Gilmour and family. Miss Lou Gilmour. Lost—Set of garnet rosary beads, strung on gold chain with gold cross attached bearing initials “A. C.” Re ward. Call at Frontier office. SOME BARGAINS -ilN.— Real Estate 1. Residence property across stree from Presbyterian church. A 6-roon cottage, with barn, buggy shed am coal sheds; three large lots, rich soil young trees, and fenced; two wells Desirable neighborhood. Price $1400 2. A partly improved quarter sec tion 24 miles from O’Neill; 60 acre in cultivation; tine young grove. Lam rented for 1907. Price $22.60 an acre one-half cash. 3. The Bowen residence propert in southeast part of town; two nic lots and cottage. $600 cash required or will trade for land. 4. A good quarter section 2 mile north of Inman. $1600, one-half casl: 6 NWi of 24-25-13, $450—snap! Have other good propositions also. 42-4 E H. WHELAN, O’Neill, Net MeCafferty Writes About Experience of Early Settlers. 1876 AND 1877 WERE EVIL DAYS Retrospective View of Vicisitudes of Early Pioneers Penned by Local Historian. [A scrap of manuscript fromMcCaff ert’y History ot Holt county describ ing Holt county’s worst grasshopper scare. ] In the summer of 1876 Gen. O’Neill brought his fourth and last colony to Holt county, and they arrived in time, too, to meet and witness an unlooked for and very unwelcome surprise, as they came just after the grasshoppers were leaving after devouring every thing green and growing. There were70 people with O’Neill that time but as they learned, down the valley, that everything in the upper Elkhorn was “grass hoppered” only a very few of them got as far as O’Neill. They scattered in all directions, many of them returning to their homes In the east; and the people who had thecour age to come on to Holt county soon went back dlsgusted’and were accom panied by some of “the old settlers,” whose patience and hopes were ex hausted by a seemingly endless chain of disasters. in speaKing or tne grassnoppers ana grass hopper times let me say that be fore 1 came here I, and many others, thought they were natives of and con* lined to a certain and limited habita tion in the high and dry regions of the Rocky Mountains. I read in the gov ernment reports that their natural and native home and habitat was comprised and compressed between latitudes forty-three and fifty-three north and one hundred and three to one hundreed and fourteen west long titude; but you may guess at the de gree of my surprise and astonishment when I tell you that one afternoon in the latter part of July, 1876,1 went to the house of Mrs. P. Murray, who lived on the farm where Mrs. Dan Cronin now lives. We were nearly all bachelors and young men In those days and Mrs. Murray was our laund ress and baker. On my way to the Murray house I passed a field of grow ing corn, on second breaking, and, I think, it was the most luxurant growth I’ve seen since or before. I may have been in the house ten min utes when all of a sudden every thing turned murky dark and when we rushed out of doors to see what was the matter we found ourselves ankle deep in a living, seething mass of frightful “Rocky Mountain locusts,” and they were still lighting. We were all awed and dismayed, when we look ed in the direction of the beautiful and healthy field of maize I passed and admired only a few moments before— not a vestage of green growth was left nor even a semblence of the stalks that so recently supported the rich and abundant supply of green and healthy leaves—all was gone and de voured in less time than It takes to describe the heart sickening scene and relate the story of the settle ment’s grasshopper calamity, a calam ity that paralized the entire county and other communities as well. vvuviuuvu UV llguu . for hours till the ground was covered to the depth of from four to six inches, and the alreal flight of the pests was from two to three thousand feet high, i That time they were passing to the 1 south and I cannot tell, as 1 don’t know, how far they extended east and west, but it took them two and a half days to pass over. Only a very small fraction of the main body lit here as the massive body of living and dreaded clouds passing on to the south was ■ seemingly undeminished by the bull ions of millions that paid us their un ■ welcome visit. How extensive was the plot of ground covered by that living, moving carpet of destructive pests 1 don’t know but it was at least two miles wide east and west and ten or twelve north and south, the worst , part of which was along the west half ' of the M urray and Cavanaugh farms and along by where now stands the Great Northern water tank and round house. The Murray field was the only ' growing corn that I personally knew I of them lighting on and entirely con ; suming; but all kinds of garden truck, ■ grass and weeds, and even willows for • miles around were badly destroyed be ‘ fore the pesky “hoppers” took their J departure. ; They lit at "about half past three on the afternoon of July 27th f and remained to ten or ten-thirty the 3 next morning when they resumed ’ their fight to the south and comming s led with the cloud streams of wayfar ing and maurading locusts. The next spring countless billions of young “hoppers” were hatched out to the (Continued on last page.)