GOOD HOUSES — Always catch the eyes of all. The exhibit this
year will be much larger than ever at the Nebraska State Pair, August
31st to September 7th.
I
VAST AND ANCIENT CITY
OF PAWNEES DISCOVERED
AT O’NEILL NEBRASKA
Relics
Elkhorn River.
Three Cornfields, Two of Them Aban
doned, Hide Story of Civilization
of Days Lost in Dim Past.
(By J. B. O’Sullivan in Omaha Bee
News.)
O’Neill, Neb., July 1: For more
than 50 year stone and bones tools
and bone pieces of strange size and
shape have been found over a wide
area in the vicinity of O’Neill. Little
thought was ever given the matter
until a year ago. At that time the
writer accidently came across a peck
ing stone made of a material that
greatly resembled diamond. Since
then a wealth of tomahawk heads,
axes, spear and arrowheads, knives,
scrapers, bones that were boiled in oil
and a myrid of other material, the use
of which seems a mystery, have been
unearthed.
The ancient city of the Pawnee In
dians, who spent hundreds, and per
haps thousands of years here on the
banks of the Elkhorn, now lies buried
beneath three cornfields. Two of
them were abandoned 40 years ago as
the ground is river sand and blew
around like so many feathers. Dur
ing the mamorable year of 1893, sev
eral feet of the top soil w&s removed.
The third field is now in use, but is
weedless, and an ideal suifaee in
which to find artifacts.
Three trails are still to be seen that
leads toward the Niobrara, and one
leading to Dry creek. It is presumed
they lead up to the headwaters of this
creek and then across the sandhills
to the Loup, since the Nebraska His
torical society has found remains of
the Pawnees along this stream.
This town is thought to be a thous
and years old at least. Not a single
sign, such as iron, glass or copper is
revealed. An expert estimates that
about 1,000 people comprised the
population.
The houses seem to have been close ,
to the stream and undoubtedly were
purtly underground. Traces of them
have been discovered half way across
the Jim McDermott field. The village
was a half mile in length by two city
blocks in width.
Arrow heads, pecking stones and
fire Hints have been taken from the
liver bank under six feet of soil that
seems to have lain undisturbed for
centuries. A skull taken from this
sepulcher revealed an arrow head in
the left side that must have caused
death. This specimen crumbled.
Not the least interesting material
taken out is the pottery. Much of it
is highly decorated with the point of
a tooth, and some is basket pottery.
A basket was made of cat-tail stems,
or small willow branches, then the
mixture of sand, ashes and powdered
clamshell was plastered on the inside.
It was baked, and then burned or
fired, and the impression of the basket
remained on the outer side. All this
material found bears a coat of rich
red paint on the inside. It is claimed
that pottery makers of this town
found a secret way of making paint
that lasted indefinitely. Several pieces
plainly show decorations put there
with the thumb nail. The material is
black and brown, with now and then a
piece gray. Nuggets of coarse quartz
sand may be seen in all of this pro
duct of the oboriginal potters.
After examining some of the ma
terial, H. W. Dorsey, chief clerk,
Smithsonian Institute, Washington,
remarks: “It is very interesting to
know that you found this remarkable
hiaterial so far north and west.”
Teeth, in a good state of preserva
tion, are very numerous and are
thought to be those of buffalo, deer or
elk. Some are sharpened like a chisel,
while others seem to have served as
arrow heads. Much glass-like mate
rial, cut to serve as ornaments, has
come to light.
A very interesting find is a petri
fied bone tool about two inches in
length. It is notched and shows
plainly many nicks as though someone
hammered the edge of a sharp rock.
It must have been soft at one time.
Now it is adamant.
Several years ago before this vil
lage was revealed, the writer picked
up an oiled buffalo head near this
mystic city of the hazy past and toss
ed it aside, intending to get it later.
A man from Lincoln came along and
took it to Nebraska’s windy city. It
is a jewel of a speciman. Experts
say it was a sacred head used in some
tribal ceremonial.
The writer has in his possession a
wolf, snake, bear and man’s head cut
true to life from red' jasper flint
that seems to have been taken from
the quarries along the Republican
river. It is believed these were used
by Pawnee children.
The work on the arrowheads of
these people is marvelous. Body, tang
and barbs are cut as neat as a jewel
er would fashion them. Some spear
heads, scrapers and knives are made
by the chipping method, while the
pecking stones are all made by the
stroking process. They are cut as
you would shape a piece of soap.
About 100 of these stone fingers have
[A MAN doesn’t have to plead 8
with creditors for extension of 8j
time when he has established 8
credit at his hank by maintaining 8
a substantial account 8
The O’Neill National I
Bank I
been picked up.
One striking fact about this old
town is that no suitable supply of
stone is in the vicinity. Some arch
aeologist maintain this was not true
at the time the town was inhabited.
It is supposed by some that the
sandhills may have been stone and
since disintegrated. If this sup
position is wrong, it is certain, then,
that all the stone used by them for
artifacts was carried a hundred miles
or more. The closest known quarries
belonging to the Pawnee Indians is
located near Franklin, Nebraska. The
fact that the Pawnees had possession
of this dark brown jasper flint, which
is easily worked, gave them a great
advantage on the battlefield and gave
them great prestige. Some whites
have asserted that these Indians could
lie on bare ground and vanish. Others
claim the whites did the vanishing.
Some lumps of ocre, charcoal, ashes,
natural glass from Colo., bird points
of chert, moss agate awls, needles,
punches, two and four-bladed knives,
a badly broken statue of some form
that looks like a flapper in chalk rock,
pieces of pipe, hammers, tommy
hawks and chips of a dozen kinds of
material comprise most of the speci
mens. Many of the knives will cut
like a razor.
The water is plentiful and cool.
Wood is abundant and the ground
high. The earth is very soft and
agriculture would have been a sine
cure without stirring the soil. Cut
ting the town in two sections, from
north to south, and worn six feet
deep by travel and erosion, lies a
trail that appears ideal for the mi
gration of wild animals, as well as
being a highway for man. Here, on
both sides, one could lie in the blue
stem and pot a buffalo, deer or ante
lope. This may account for the enor
mous number of broken artifacts
found here
A representative of a nationally
known archaeological society has
promised to vist the site this fall. His
opinion, after looking at some of the
material, is that the village may be
one of the oldest ruins ever found on
the continent.
SUPERVISORS’ PROCEEDINGS.
O’Neill, July 7, 1928, 10 a. m.
Board of Equalization met pursu
ant to adjournment. All members
present but Skidmore.
Board called to order by the Chair
man. Minutes for board of Equaliza
tion for June 26, 1928, read and ap
proved.
Mr. J. A. Donohoe appeared before
the board in response to notice to the
Northern Nebraska Power Company
to appear on this date to show cause
why the valuation of the one-half of
the power on the Niobrara river as
sessed in Holt County should not be
raised.
On motion of McKim seconded by
James the valuation of the above
power dam in Holt County was fixed
at $120,000.00.
At 12 o'clock Noon, on motion board
of equalization adjourned until £
o'clock p. m.
JOHN SULLIVAN, Chairman.
E. F. PORTER, Clerk.
O’Neill, July 7, 1928, 1 p. m.
Holt County Board of Equalization
met pursuant to adjournment. All
members present but Skidmore.
Board called to order by the Chair
man.
O’Neill. Neb., June 27, 1928.
To the Honorable Board of Supervi
sors of Holt County, Nebraska.
Gentlemen: Your petitioner, the
undersigned, respectfully avers that
she is the owner of the E% SW*4 and
S% 35-33-13 in Holt County, Nebras
ka, and that the assessed valuation on
jsaid land for the years, 1924-1925
1926 and 1927 has been greatly in ex
cess of the actual calue of like prop
erty in the same vicinity for the rea
son that the Assessor made an error
in assessing said land as cultivated
land, when it should have been asses
sed as pasture land.
THEREFORE, petitioner asks for a
reduction in valuation on said prop
erty to $1,000.00 which would equalize
said property with other properties of
like actual value and that the County
Clerk be directed to retax said land
for said years on a valuation of $1,
000.00.
Matemrnt verifying error by As
sessor is hereto attached.
LAVONA GALLAGHER.
By R. E. Gallagher, Agt.
O’Neill, Neb., June 27, 1928.
To the County Board of Holt County,
Nebraska.
Gentlemen: In assessing the EV&
SW*4 and SW% and SE% 35-33-13 in
Saratoga Township I made an error
in assessing it as Cultivated land
when it should have been assessed as
pasture land: Therefore, I ask that
same be corrected accordingly for
years 1924-1925-1926 and 1927.
OTTO NIELSON,
Township Assessor.
On motion the prayer of the peti
tion was granted and clerk instructed
to rewrite the taxes in accordance
trviewith.
O’Neill, Neb., June 27, 1928.
To The Honorable Board of Supervi
sors of Holt County, Nebraska:
Gentlemen: Your petitioner, the
undersigned, respectfully avers that
she is the owner of Lots Number 9
10-11-12 in Block 26 in O’Neill, Ne
braska, and that the assessed valua
tion on said lots for several years Inst
past has been grently in excess of the
actual value, and if like property in
the City of O’Neill.
THEREFORE, petitioner asks for
u reduction in valuation on said prop
erty to $800.00, which would equalize
said property with other properties of
like actual value.
Respectfully submitted,
MRS. AGNES NKYENS,
By R. E. Gallagher, Agent.
On motion prayer of the petition
was granted.
On motion the improvement on lota
19 block 7, Hallocks Addition to Stu
art was reduced from $400,00 to
$300.00.
On motion the valuation of Camp
bell A Son’s Stock of Lumber in At
kinson city was reduced from $12,
400 to $10,000
At 4:30 p. m. on motion the Hoard!
of Equalisation adjourned to the call j
“Get it off your chest,
Doc, tell ’em what
you mean by vis
cosity.”
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The new motor cars spell higher compression, higher engine speeds, higher tem
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Abo Deep-Rock Burning Oils, Deep-Rock Naphthas, Stoddard Solvent
SHAFFER OIL AND REFINING COMPANY
O'Neill Gas & Oil Company, Distributors
of the Clerk.
JOHN SULLIVAN, Chairman.
E. F. PORTER, Clerk.
O’Neill, July 10, 1928, 10 a. m.
Holt County Board met pursuant to
adjournment and according to Stat
ute. All members present.
Board called to order by the Chair
man. Minutes for June 27, 1928, read
and approved.
Mr. Chairman: Whereas, under the
provisions of Chapter 169 of the Ses
sion Laws of Nebraska for the year
1927, the First National Bank of
O’Neill, Nebraska, The O’Neill Na
tional Bank of O’Neill, Nebraska, First
National Bank of Stuart, Nebraska,
and the First National Bank of At
kinson, Nebraska, was assessed upon
the shares of stock on a basis of 70%
of the actual value of said shares:
AND WHEREAS, each and all of
said banks heretofore paid the taxes
so levied and assessed against them,
at the same time claiming part of the
assessment, thereof was invalid, and
each of said banks did therefore, in
accordance with the Second Subdi
vision of the Section 6018 of the Com
pile Statutes of Nebraska for the year
1922, serve a written demand upon
the treasurer of the state, county city
village, township, and school district,
for the benefit or under the authority
or by the rejuest of which the same
was levied for a refund of the pro
portion thereof which said banks
claimed to be invalid, which said writ
ten demands are now on file with this
Honorable body.
AND WHEREAS, the Supreme
Court of the State of Nebraska has
recently held in the case of The Stat«
on the relation of O. S. Spillman, At
torney General, Plaintiff, vs. Ord State
Bank, Ord, Nebraska, defendant,
County of Vallew, State of Nebraska,
Claimant and Appelle, vs. I. A. Kird,
Receiver of the Ord State Bank of Ord,
Nebraska, Appellant, Case No.26047,
(Continued on page nine)
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