Conservative. 9
on the top of this Hill is oppon prarie. "
If "Crys Creek" is not the Weeping
Water , what is it ? The spring ought to
identify it to some old-timer. Further ,
"passed a Creek on the N. ( Iowa ) Side
Called Piggen Creek , the Land is Low ,
that on the South is High prarie Land ,
passed Several Bad Sand Bares , Campt
on the South Side under a Large Hill. "
Rock Bluffs , perhaps. There is no
Pigeon Creek on the map today.
This takes them out of our district ;
but the painfully conscientious entries
of the honest sergeant continue to bo of
interest. The next day they' 'passed the
mouth of the Grait River Plate on the
South Side , it is much more Rappided
than the missorea , it is about from one
mile to 3 miles wide , the Sand Roles out
and formes Largo Sand Bares in the
middel of the missorea. Up the Plato 2
nations of Indians lives vie the Souttoes
the Ponuey. " The Otoes and Pawnees ,
of course. "This river is not navigable
for Boats to Go up it. "
A few days later they were reposing
on the Iowa side , somewhere below
Council Bluffs. "We made a Larg and
Long fage ( flag ) Staff and Histed it up ,
Histed ouer Collars in the morning for
the Reseptions of Indians who we ex
pected hear , when the Rain and Wind
Came So that wo wase forst to take it
down. "
On the 27th , "Swam ouer Horses over
on to the South Side on account of the
travileu is better ; pressed on under a
Jentell Brees from the South Este. "
July 31st , " We Lay By for to see the
Indianes who we expect Hear to See the
Capteus. I am verry Sick and Has ben
for Sometime but have Recovered my
helth again. ( He has not seen fit to
mention it before. ) The Indianes have
not Come yet , this place is called
Council Bluff. " This is , of course , Old
Council Bluffs , Nebraska ; Fort Calhouu.
But this is a very singular statement.
It has always been said that Lewis &
Clark were the ones who named this
place , and that they named it by reason
of a council they held there with the
Otoes ; but one would infer from this
saying of Sergeant Floyd's that it bore
the name before there was any council
held by his commanders.
August 2nd ; "to day the Indiaues
Came whou we had expected , thay fired
meney guns when they Came in Site of
us and we answered them with the
Cannon , thay Came in about 2 hundred
Yardes of us , Capt. Lewis and Clark
met them , at Shakeing Handes we fired
another Cannon. This is the ottoe and
the Missauries , the Missouries is a verry
Small nathion , the ottoes is a verry
Large nathion , So thay Live in one vil
lage on the Plate River ; after the
Council was over wo took ouer Leave of
them and embarked at 8 oclook P. m
under a Jentell Brees from the South
" M" '
Est.
Floyd's testimony concerning the
giving of names is as follows : "passed
a Creek on the South Side , as it has no
name and the Council was hold below
it about 7 miles wo Call it Council Creek
or Pond. "
On the llth they came to Black Bird's
hill. "Prosed on , passed a high Bluff
wharo the Kingo of the Malms Died
about 4 yeares ago , the Hill on which
he is berried is about 800 feet High , the
uathion Goes 2 or 8 times a year to Crye
over him , Capt Lewis and Clark went
up on the Hill to See the Grave , they
histed a flage on his Grave as iionor for
him which will pleas the Indianes. "
On the 17th they arrived at the Malms
village ; "thes Indians has not Live at
the town Senco the Smallpoks was so
bad abut 4 years ago , they burnt their
town and ouley live about it in the
Winter and in the Spring Go all of them
in the praries after the Buflow and doe
not Return untill the fall to meet the
freuch traders , thay Rase no Corn nor
aney thiug , excop Som times thay Rase
Som Corn and then the Ottoo nation
Comes and Cuts it Down while they are
in the praries. " Naughty Otoes !
All this time Floyd was a sick man ,
though he says nothing of it. His mal
ady must have been growing on him ,
for his spelling becomes worse , if any
thing. There were two pleasures in
store for him , however ; they recovered
a vile deserter , which was a great satis
faction to the brave sergeant ; and on
August loth "Capt Clark and 10 of his
men and my Self went to the Malms
Creek a fishen and Caut 300 and 17 fish
of Difernt Coindes. " What though on
the day following "Capt Lewis and 12
of his men went to the Creek a fishen
and Caut 709 fish Differnt Coindes ? "
One may be sure there was no jealousy ;
we may hear the shouts of mirth echoing
along the river still.
Three days later Floyd was ' 'seized
with a bilious colic , " writes Captain
Clark , and 011 the day following he died ;
they buried him on the summit of one
of the Sioux City hills , the first soldier
of the United States to lay his bones
west of the Mississippi. Several land
marks ha the vicinity bear his name , and
they have lately laid the cornerstone of
a goodly monument for him.
A. T. RICHARDSON.
EARLY BOOM TOWNS OF NEBRASKA.
EDITOR CONSERVATIVE :
This morning my daughter brought
me No. 81 of Vol. HI of your excellent
paper , THE CONSERVATIVE , and pointed
out to me on page 4 , an item headed :
"Historical Inquiry. " It will do no
harm , if I tell you , what I know about
the matter in question. The town site of
Nebraska Centre , which Mr. Wool-
worth's map shows , was merely a
scheme which never amounted to any
thing.
The town site was staked out , it ap
peared , and I have seen stakes there ,
which , presumably , wore those driven
by the parties who interested themselves
in this enterprise , but that was the first ,
as well as the last , of that town. Some
time later on , nud nearly at the same
time , when we located our colony at
Grand Island , another party of four
men took possession of nearly the identi
cal spot. I can only give the names of
two of them , William Roberts and Wil
liam ( or Billy as ho was called ) Painter.
These men changed the name of Ne
braska Centre to that of Mendotte.
Quo of the Mondotto party ( Billy
Painter ) perished in a snowstorm when
out on a duck hunt on Prairie Crook in
the night from November Gth to 7th in
1857 , as related by mo in my history of
Hall county on page 7. The town of
Mondotto never amounted to anything ,
except on paper , and soon was aban
doned. Next Enos Beal took up the
land and built a nice two-story frame
building , but the speculation in town
lots did not materialize.
The location of the above-mentioned
town is not at the mouth of Wood river
where it empties into the north channel
of the Platte river , but is from three-
quarters to one mile up stream. Pre
sumably in 1849 to 1851 a masfeacro of
white people on their way to California
( twenty-two wagons ) by Pawnee Indians
took place about one mile west of the
above-named old town site , on the
right bank of Wood River. The
spot where this must have taken place
was noticeable by quite a lot of wagon-
wheel hoops and other iron parts of
wagons , which evidently had been des
troyed there by fire. Something more
reliable in evidence I was not able to
obtain from an old Californian who told
me about the nms&acre. Our blacksmith
got a great lot of iron as mentioned ,
lying scattered about.
Thanks to your influence and work ,
the old six-pounder cannon is now
properly mounted in front of our court
house in Grand Island , the undisputed
property of Hall county for all time to
come. WM. STOLLEY.
Grand Island , Neb. , March 21 , 1901.
WINGS.
To fly from dull , unsatisfying things ,
From stagnant streams that fester In the sun ;
From works that never should have been
begun ;
From noisome dens ; fit but for beasts , wings I
wings I
To fly from fools , and low-bred underlings ;
Their sordid ways and vanities to shun :
To breathe pure air when the clear heights
are won ;
For this my spirit longs , and cries , wings 1
wings !
Strong aspirations for the good and true ;
A soaring zeal faith can alone impart ;
And buoyant hope which its own rapture
brings.
No timid flutter , nor short-sighted view ;
But , love's broad pinions serving the full
heart.
Thou canst fly far , my soul I with such-llke
wings I
E. EMEUSON
Paris , France , March 10,1001.
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