Nebraska Newspapers

    i
The Frontier
V0L J IX O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1939. No. 36.
HISTORY OF THE DAYS THAT
ARE GONE, WRITTEN BY THOSE
WHO LIVED AT THAT TIME
First Installment
^ .
For the past year or more Tom
Hannaberry and Dean Selah have
been collecting data from the files
of the county, under the WPA for
the purpose of writing a history of
Holt county. In their research
they have secured many valuable
manuscripts of former residents,
in which the real history of this
city and the county is written.
These stories were written by M.
D. Long, one of the pioneer resi
dents of the county and a former
county clerk and leading demo
cratic war horse of this section of
the state; Monsignor M. F. Cas
sidy, long the beloved pastor of St.
Patrick’s parish in this city and a
resident of this city and county for
many years; Bartley Blain, one of
the pioneer ministers of the county
and John P. Prouty, who lived on
the corner where the Burlington
Roundhouse now stands, when we
f came here in 1877. All of the
* characters in the story have passed
to the great beyond, but they made
history while here. The following
story was written by Mr. Selah,
who copied the diaries and histori
cal sketches of the authors.—
Editor.
It is extremely difficult for one to
write any sort of history fifty or
sixty years after the events have
occured and get it as true as at the
time they actually happened. There
are always many unauthenticated
stories, many of them passed on
from one generation to another be
coming garbled at each telling un
til unrecognizable. They are true
tales and believed even yet, though
many of them ai-e viewpoints of
different individuals who don’t see
^ the same occurence the same way
and ai’e confusing.
Therefore, when men who lived
in that day, when the stirring
events took place and wrote of
them or noted them in their own
personal diary, one is able to get a
more accurate picture.
It is with great pleasure that in
the following article I am able to
give you words from the diary of
John T. Prouty, and from the pens
of M. D. Long, Monsignor Cas
sidy and Bartley Blaine.
Therefoi’e may I submit first the
woxds of M. D. Long, in his “His
tory of Northwest Nebraska and
Holt county,” written in O’Neill,
Nebraska and dated December 6,
1901:
From a historical view point tiolt
county and all that poriton of Ne
braska lying between the counties
west and north boundaries and the
west and north boundary lines of
f the state, and embracing all that
territory comprised in the present
counties of Boyd, Keya Paha, Rock,
Brown, Cherry, Sheridan, Dawes
and Box Butte and Sioux—aggre
gating 16000 square miles of coun
try was primarily identified in its
evolution as a howling wilderness.
It was the home of the bufflalo,
elk, antelope, deer, festive jack
rabbit and their preying enemies,
the lean and hungry coyote, wolf
and wildcat who barked and mewed
to the majectic silence of the lone
ly and unpeopled prairies, together
with the fantastic painted and pic
turesque aborigine who wandered
unmolested by the pale face, before
the companionship of the “sooner
and settler,” who had not yet ar
rived. It was gn arid region where
in it was supposed rains were as
^ .scarce as the proverbial hen’s teeth
and as far between as angels visits
and water more precious than dia
monds.
It is a fact, however, that in a
few isolated instances Holt county
had been penetrated a few miles
along its eastern boundary by some
hardy and invincible pioneers, for
by research it is found that an old
man a Mr. Ford settled upon land
in the spring of 1870 followed in
May of the same year by James
Ewing, C. Gunter, J. M. David
son and S. Clemmens. Then in
March 12, 1872, John Ryan, May 1,
1872, Geo. W. and Mary Howe,
Sept. 1, 1872, Thomas Kieley and
Dec. 1, F. S. Wentworth. In the
spring of 1873, July 13, II. H. Mc
Evory, Frank Bitney, John T.
Prouty, Eli Sanford, John Sanford
t
and Eli H. Thompson "beached the
Elkhorn about a half mile below
the present site of O’Neill.”
J. T. Prouty writes that on the
13 day of July, 1873, we found our
selves after forty-three of travel
ing, settled on a squatter’s right,
housed in a covered wagon in the
beautiful Elkhorn Valley in its
wild and uninhabited state. The
price of government land was $1.25
and you could take all you wanted.
The Elkhorn river at that time
was very low. One could step ac
; ross it in places and not get one’s
I feet wet. The water was clear and
j pure like the spring brook at its
fountain head. The fish were free,
from mud or foul taste, some so
large that they could be thrown
out of the shallow water with
pitchforks. In the fall and early
■ spring ducks and wild geese were
| plentiful as were antelopes, coy
[ otes, prairie wolves, deer and elk.
Plenty of Buffalo horns were scat
tered about, but no Buffalo. Ow
ing to lack of rain and sweeping
prairie fires the landscape repre
sented a barren waste of the old
American desert. Mirages were
frequent when towns at a dis
tance of a hundred miles could be
seen at a delightful advantage,
Prairie fires, with clouds of smoke
in advance of the fire were so real
that no difference could be told
from the original.
1 ne settlers were mustiy muuc
[ up of large families with a view of
getting homes for one and all. The
i nearest trading point was Norfolk,
ninety miles distant, or Yankton,
about the same distance. The
nearest railroads were Wisner and
Columbus and the nearest postoffice
Frenchtown, in Antelope county
thirty five miles distant. Doctors,
preachers and lawyers were booked
in advance. Houses were of sod
and logs with sod roofs, half doug
outs, hay stables and pole and
brush sheds covered with hay. The
dread of severe blizzards, like the
spring of 1873, which swept the
entire west and held for three days
and nights, klling nearly all the
stock and in which many lives were
lost, was always with them.
The army grasshoppers contin
ued their raids through the years
1874-5-6, devouring nearly every
thing green within their reach. One
year they flew over in great swarms
for nearly three weeks, dropping
down just long enough to devour
crops, appearing like thunder
clouds and obscuring the sun.
The boundary lines of the county
were established by the legislature
in 1873, the act going into effecl
March 3, and it was designated
Elkhorn county. In 1874 Post
master General J. W. Marshal ap
pointed Mr. Prouty as postmaster
at Rockford, Elkhorn county
These names were afterwards
changed to ONeill, Holt county.
The postmasters salary for one
year was $12.00 The distance the
mail had to be carried was thirty
; five miles and back, or seventy miles
once a week, which was also the
duty of the postmaster. To gel
roads established from one settle
ment to another, mounds of earth
were thrown up within seeing dis
tance.
Mr. Prouty says my residence
built after my arrival at Rockford
in 1873, was a large 14x18 foot long
with a peeled log over the centei
named the “ridge pole” to give the
desired pitch to the roof, thus the
inside was 12x16 feet. During a
heavy thunderstorm the beddiing
and clothing was put under the
the bed and covered with oil cloth
Then they would stand under the
ridge pole sidewise to keep dry.
The first Fourth of July cel
ebration was held at Mr. Prouty’?
at Rockford in 1876. The
women of the colony made the flag
from bed quilts, the clothing they
wore and any piecese of cloth they
' could find, while the men found
and selected the flag pole and Old
Glory floated to the breeze for the
first time in trie new county.
In the meantime Monsignor Cas
siday says in his “History of St.
Patrick’s Parish, Holt county Ne
braska,” that in the early seven
ties General John O'Neill, of Irish j
and American national fame as a j
military hero and benefactor of
his race, conceived the idea of lo
cating one hundred or more Irish
j Catholic colonies on the fertile
prairies of the west. With that
laudable end in view, he at once
commenced the agitation of Irish
immigration throughout the east
| ern and northern states.
M. D. Long writes tha., as early
as the year 1871 he, General O’Neill,
had taken to the lecture platform
advocating the immigration of his
countrymen from the mines of
Pennsylvannia to the beautiful
prairies of Holt county, Nebraska.
Father Cassidy goes further and
says that “Imbued with that spirit
General O’Neill, in the year 1874
collected together in the east twen
ty-five families and proceeded with
them in person to the west, crossed
the Missouri river at Omaha and
thence to the northwest up the
beautiful valley of the Elkhorn, es
tablishing them on the govern
ment domain at O’Neill City, Holt
j county. This community pros
pered and continued to grow until
in the year 1888 it contained no
less than two hundred Catholic
families. He continues that St.
Patrick’s Parish comprised nearly
all of Holt County and that the
early history of the colony is prac
tically the history of the Parish.”
First Catholic service was held
by Father Redard at the residence
of John Hannigan in the O’Neill
Colony in the summer of 1875.
| Father Bedard was pastor of a
French-Canadian Colony at
Frenchtown, Antelope county, Ne
I braska. He located at that place
aboue two years before Gen.
O’Neill’s first colony at O’Neill and
continued his visits, celebrating
mass in log houses and dugouts,
until the year 1877. Then a small
frame building 18x36 was built at
a cost of $1200.00, material being
i very high owing to the long haul
by ox team of 125 miles. General
John O Neill contracted a latai
disease in the winter of 1877-78
and died at Omaha, Nebraska.
Father Cassidy says of him that,
“In the death of Gen. O’Neill the
Irish race lost a true, valiant, and
j noble hearted champion of the
freedom of the Irish people from
i English domination. He was a
counseler and benefactor, who ever
held in view, the broadening and
elevating of the national character
and aspirations toward the better
ment of the social and religious
condition and welfare of his
countryment.”
Again Mr. Long writes that,
about the time of the arrival of
, Gen. O’Neill’s first colony and for
some years thereafter, trails lead
ing to the Black Hills were estab
lished from some of the towns
along the Missouri river, notably
Omaha and Sioux City, which
passed through the little villiage of
O’Neill City. Many picturesque
caravans traveled over those high
ways of commerce, heading for the
land of gold and fabulous wealth
and rivaling in grotesque equip
ment the historic caravanasaries
of the Orient, read of in ancient
i
• aniuuo,
Even our own loved and famous
Gen. Custer passed through here
with a part of his command in 1876
on his way to his last and fatal
campaign against old Sitting Bull
in the Big Horn and Yellow Stone
country. Reaching O’Neill City he
called upon Gen. O’Neill, whose
1 guest he was for a short ftne at the
O’Neill homestead. General Custer
entertained a very high regard for
; the soldierly, brave and intrepid
General O’Neill.
After Governor Silas Garber
and Secretary of State Bruno Tzs
chuck had declared this a county
l by proclamation on June 29, 1876
and named the acting county of
ficials, Mr. Long says, the first
meeting of that body was held on
| October 21st, and that the tempor
j ary county seat remained at Twin
i Lakes near the present town of
Inman until Febr. 6, 1877, when it
was removed to Paddrock, remain
ing there, under many vicissitudes
until August 1, 1879, then being
moved to O’Neill City. The first
meeting of the county board at
O’Neill City occurred on August 4,
1879. Previous to the organization
of the county and while it was yet
unorganized territory it was at
tached to th counties of Knox and
(Continued to Page 5.)
SOUTHEAST BREEZES
By Romaine Saunders
—
Remember when they threw in
a pair of “galluses” with the new
suit you bought.?
It is said the radio will not be
quite perfected until you can hurl
an egg instead of turning a knob.
With over six and a half million
families classed as indigent, Amer
ica seems to be moving in a body
“over the hill to the poor house.”
Holt county at one time was good
for a front page half or full column
most any day in the big papers,
whereas now the only mention it
gets is of a measily basket ball
match or a line about the weather.
The Frontier Editor probably
had a Waterbury watch on him the
morning that Jan. 12 blizzard
struck as he states it was 11:30. It
was just after 10 at our house. Of
course, after 51 years, hours and
minutes are not important.
Sniffling noses and sore throats
again reminds us that medical
science is still helpless in the treat
ment of a “common cold.” As Doc.
Eiseman, an early day O'Neill
physician, used to say a woolen
sock soaked with kerosene around
your neck was as good as anything.
One Nebraska county is said to
have 95 per cent of its rural fami
lies on some form of federal relief.
If the present mood for curtail
ment of spending prevails in Con
gress we are going to have to again
learn the priciples of the pioneers
—root hog or die.
The proposal of northwest Ne
braska’s Congressman Coffee for
increased tariff rates is a retreat
from the traditional free trade
ideas of his party. But the presi
dent has not retreated but repudi
ated his platform A and election
pledges of ’32 and ’36, introducing
that new thing in federal spending
known as pump priming. Mr. Cof
fee favors a stiff tariff on farm
products.
Since the story of the wild cats
got into the papers I have been
asked if Holt county is a frontier
region infested with beasts of
prey. It is astonishing how you
can “get away with it,” when you
say we have grey wolves, grizzly
hear, now and then a cougar and
deer and elk abound. Notwith
standing it is the age of the auto
mobile and trailer, many are in
blissful ignorance of anything be
yond the street they live on.
A barber on east 0 says he has
been trying for seven years to
make enough money to get back to
Keya Paha county. I haven’t
taken the trouble to investigate
whether his estimate of the finan
cial outlook of the trade is repre
sentative of the profession
throughout the city, but he makes
it definite, unmistakeable and un
derstandable by saying “fifty cents
is lots of money to a barber.” At
any rate, barbering is not what it
once was, when a rack covered half
the side of the room with such sen
timent as “Forget-me-not” in fancy
lettering engulfed in floral decora
tion. You might have to sit from
half an hour to an hour awaiting
the call “next,” but there was the
Police Gazette and other similar
publications to hold the interest of
customers. All these are absent
from the present day barber shop
and may have something to do with
the cash receipts.
Continental Oil Company
Favors Newspaper Adv.
Newspaper advertising will
again be the backbone of Contin
ental Oil Company’s 1939 adver
tising program, the largest in the
company’s history, it was an
nounced at Ponca City, Okla., last
Monday by A. J. Rabe, advertising
manager.
“While we feel that we have a
well-rounded program for the
year,” said Rabe, “assigning a fair
appropriation to every important
advertising medium, by far the
largest share of our 1939 budget
will be spent for newspaper space.”
Continental’s current newspaper
advertising presents the new form
of “Zig-zag” reading. In this pro
posed reform for relieving eye
strain, the type of each second line
of copy is arranged with the words
in reverse order—so that the eye
can read from left to right on the
first line and from right to left on
the second line—avoiding the
strain of long eye sweeps between
lines. This “Zig-zag” advertising
is not intended as a reform, but is 1
presented merely as an interesting
game or contest for readers.
Almost a Unit in Protest
Against City Spending
Petitions have been circulated in
the city the past week protesting
against the proposed improvements
in the northern part of the city
advocated by the city council and
most of the property owners affect
ed have signed the protest. It is
proposed to gravel the streets and
put in a curb and gutter of cement.
Some say that the cost for both the
curb and guter would be 35 cents
per running foot. We do not know
where they get their information.
We had a curb and gutter put in
front of our building when the
street was paved a couple of years
ago and it cost us $40.00 for 28
feet, which amounts to considerable
more than 36 cents per foot, in
fact over four times that amount.
If they get their new' curb and gut
ter for thirty-five cents per foot
those of us who were stung for
four times that amount should have
a rebate coming.
The Alpha Club
The Alpha Club met with Mrs.
George Robertson on Wednesday,
June 11 with all members present
and one guest, Mrs. Clarence Wrede.
This meeting was for the election
of officers and the following were
elected: Mrs. Lillian Drayton,
president; Mrs. Laverne Robertson,
vice president; Mrs. Ruby Morton,
treasurer; Mrs. Louise Robertson,
secretary. Mrs. James McNoulty
was taken in as a new member.
jThe hostess served a delicious lunch.
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Widtfeldt
entertained the Alpha Club memb
ers and their husbands also at a
large number of their friends to an
oyster supper Friday evening at
their home.
St. Mary’s Cage Team
Has A Busy Week
St. Mary’s basket ball team play
ed five games in the last four days
1 of last week with rather indifferent
success. On Thursday they play
ed Orchard and lost 26-22. Friday
and Saturday they were at the Holt
County Tournament, where they
won two out of three. They defeat
ed Chambers 25-16, lost a 21-20
decision to O’Neill and beat Page
31-24. On Sunday they played
Spalding Academy and Spalding
kept its winning streak unbroken
by carrying off a 23-17 decision..
[Let Us Have A Couple
Of More Whistles
O’Neill is nothing if not up to
date. We now have two fire
whistles, but they are both in the
Second ward. What is the matter
with the other wards in the city?
The first ward should have a couple
and the Third ward, where most of
the firemen reside, should have at
least two. How about it?
O’Neill Woman’s Club
Woman’s club met at the home
of Mrs. C. J. Malone Wednesday
afternoon with a large member
ship present. Mrs. Elmer Stolte
gave two very fine musical selec
tions, “He was a Cinderella” and
“He Stoops to Conquer.” Mrs. Ira
George reviewed “Dark River.” It
was a splendid review. Discussion
was general. The next meeting in
February will be at the home of
Mrs. E. E. Parkins.
The Weather
This section of the state has en
' joyed nice weather the past we<jjt
with a little snow that gave us .15
hundreds of an inch of moisture,
j Following is the chart for the
week: H. L. M.
Jan. 12 _43 30
Jan. 13_41 23
Jan. 14 ...„.36 20 .07
Jan. 15___20 10 .03
Jan. 16 20 9 .05
Jan. 17 . _ 27 15 .02
Jan. 18_+_37 5
J. O. Walker left Wednesday for
Omaha on a business trip.
Another Pioneer Passes
R. P. Wagers Dies
Rufus P. Wagers died at his
home in Page last Saturday, after
an illness of several weeks of ail
ments incidental to old age, at the
age of 81 years, 2 months and 15
days. The funeral was held last
Monday afternoon from the Metho
dist church in Page, Rev. Carpen
ter officiating and burial in the
Page cemetery.
Deceased was born in Grant
County, Wisconsin, on October 10,
1857. He came to this county
about 1882 and located on a home
stead near Page, where he lived for
several years. On December 24,
1886, he was united in marriage to
Miss Clara Kendall. To this union
five children were born who, with
their mother, are left to mourn the
passing of a kind and affectionate
husband and father. The children
are: Mark Wagers, Newman
Grove, Nebr.; Agerty, Page;
Blanche, Page; Nellie Snyder,
Page; and Gladys Sterner, O’Neill.
Mr. Wagers was one of the real
pioneers of the.eastern part of the
county and for many years took a
prominent part in the civic affairs
of his section of the county and
the county as a whole. He was a
good citizen and had the respect
of a large circle of friends in his
section of the county, who will re
gret to learn of his passing.
Omaha Brags, But
O’Neill Has the Goods
The Wednesday World-Herald
carried a double deck head an
nouncing that four Omahans se
cured numeral grid sweaters at Ne
braska. These sweaters were is
sued to Athletes who were regular
at practice sessions and scholasti
cally eligible at the close of the
season. Omaha, with a population
'of over 200,000 and several hund
1 red students at the University se
cured four in the honored roll,
while O’Neill, with a population of
3,000, and with a little over a half
dozen in school, secured one of the
honored trophies. The winner was
Jack Vincent, of this city, and we
i will all be looking for Jack to do
something for Nebraska U. when
the next foot ball season comes
' around. Jack is a real foot ball
player and we look for him to enter
the name of O’Neill high in the
sport line before he finishes his
course at Nebraska University.
_
Albion Restaurenter
Will Open Cafe Here
Mr. and Mrs. Drew Murphy, of
Albion, were in the city Wednesday
and Thursday and this morning
rented the Horriskey building on
Douglas Street, recently vacated
by the O’Neill Food Center, and
will open up a resturant therein
in about six weeks.
Mr. Murphy has been engaged in
the resturant business in Albion
for a good many years and has a
reputation in that section of the
state of operating one of the finest
restaurants in Nebraska. He is still
in business in Albion but we under
tand that he intends to move to
this city and will make his future
home here. The writer has eaten
in his resturant in Albion many
times and he is the kind of a citi
zen that is a real asset to any city
and The Frontier welcomes him to
the business ranks of O’Neill.
Baby Dies of Pneumonia
Baby Barnes, the month-old son
of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Barnes,
living about ten miles north of this
city died last Monday night after a
short illness of pneumonia. The
funeral was held Tuesday after
noon at 2 o’clock and burial in
Prospect Hill cemetery.
Births
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cearns,
of Dorsey, announce the birth of a
son on Monday, January 16.
Wasteful Governments
Tax, Tax and Tax!
“Many oil companies advertise
the price of gasoline in this
fashion: “Gas, 15 cents a gallon;
state and federal tax, 6 cents; total
21 cents.”
If similar methods of illustrating
the price of all products were em
ployed, we, the consumers, would
get the shock of our lives.
When we buy a five-dollar pair
of shoes, a dollar or more is for
taxes. When we pay a three-dol
lar electric bill, 50 or 60 cents
represents taxes. When we buy a
forty-dollar suit, close to ten dol
lars goes for taxes.
You can’t dodge taxation—unless
you’re a hermit living in the hills.
On a normal day, you pay taxes a
dozen times, though you may not
know it—when you drive your car,
ride a trolley, eat lunch, or make
a purchase. When the American
people get this truth through their
heads, there will be a drive for
economy in government that will
get somewhere. For ignorance of
the facts is a wasteful govern
ment’s best friend.—G 1 e n c o e
(Minn.) Enterprise.
George Says He Has
Observed A Robin
George Robertson is sure spring
is about here. George says that
he saw a robin last Tuesday morn
ing, the first of the year, but he
was fearful that it might have its
toes frozen before spring really
arrived.
%_
Getting An Early Start
In the Cattle Business
Eddie and Freddie Rector, six
teen months old twins of Mr. and
Mrs. George Rector, of Middle
Branch, are starting out early in
the cattle business. Last week
each one of the twins became the
owner of a pure bred heifer pur
chased from the Lucas Herford
ranch. This no doubt will prove
a profitable increase in their invest
ment and by the time they are of
age they can be owners of a large
herd of valuable cattle.
Adjudged Insane
Mrs. Meta Middlestadt, of this
city, who was being held in the
Antelope County Jail for forgery,
was before District Judge Adolph
, Wenke, of Stanton, Nebraska on
Monday of this week, on that
charge and to which charge she
pled guilty. She was placed in the
custody of Sheriff Duffy of this
county, the conviction of the dis
trict judge there being that she
was insane, with instructions to
hold an insanity hearing, and if
she were found not insane, to be
returned to Neligh for sentence.
She was called before the insanity
commission of this county on Wed
nesday morning and was adjudged
I insane, and given into the custody
of the sheriff, pending her remov
al to the State Hospital at Norfolk.
Atkinson Wins The
Basket Ball Tournament
Atkinson won the Holt County
Tournament by defeating O’Neill
22-20, in an overtime period. St.
Mary’s won third, defeating Page
.‘11-24. In the semi-finals O’Neill
squeezed through with a 21-20 vic
tory over St. Mary’s while Atkin
son chalked up a easy 29-17 win
over Page.
Inman won the consolations, de
feating St. Joseph, of Atkinson
26-10. The Sportsmanship Trophy
was awarded to Amelia.
A player from each O’Neill
school was picked on the all Tour
nament team. Bob Shoemaker, of
St. Mary’s and McKenna, of
O’Neill, each won guard posts,
while Boucher, of Atkinson,
Stevens and Lewis of Inman com
pleted the team.
Grattan Project Club
The Grattan Project Club met at
the home of Mrs. Charles Lawrence
for a very enjoyable afternoon
meeting, Tuesday, January 10
The lesson on “Storage of Cloth
ing” was read and generally dis
| cussed. This was the most inter
esting lesson so far. There were
J also demonstrations of hat holders,
clothes and laundry bags and other
interesting articles. A delicious
lunch of pie and coffee was served
at the end of the meeting. The
next meeting will be with Mrs. Ed
Leach.
Marriage Licenses
Floyd H. Vequist and Miss
Edythe B. Miller, both of O’Neill,
were granted a marriage license in
county court last Saturday.
John Krieger, of Atkinson, and
Miss Florence Schneider, of Stuart,
were granted a marriage license in
County court last Tuesday.