THE OMAHA DAILY BEE , SUNDA JULY 12 , 1891-SIXTEEN PAGES.
townsnlps , thus reducing the county In slzo
by nearly thrco townships and ranking It the
brnallost county In the state , except Sarpy.
In 1870 the southern boundary was removed
Mownwurd to Include for "elective , Judicial
and revenue purposes" the Wlnnobago and n
part of Omaha reservation. In 18$8thu logls-
faturo again icmovcd the southern boundary
to ! t former lines. The extent of the county
proper Is about two hundred nnd twonty-llvo
square miles , or a llttlo less than KiO.DOO
ncrci. The county was named after the la- )
koto Indians , and Its average elevation above
the sou U not fur from 1,100 feet. The bottom
lands , Including those of ttio creek * M well
n.5 th030 of the MUsourl river , which forms
our north nnd eastern boundary , embrace
nearly one-half of Its ontlro extent , nnd uro
of a rich vegetable uiold and very productive.
Ibo upland * nnd vnllcy vlo with the bottom
land In fertility. The loess formation Is
lioro thlcltor perhaps than In any portion
of thn state. On the uplands springs abound
whllo on the bottom the water in wells Is ex
ceedingly clear , and contains but llttlo min
eral juit enough to render It palatable , but
not enough to render It Injurious. Tlioro nro
live crcoks wending their way through the
county. Grasses of all hinds nro being
crown , Kentucky blucgrass prodomlnatlnc.
There Is , however , a very line quality of na-
tlvo pralno grass slough gross on ttio bottoms
toms and blue-Joint on the uplands The
county U remarkable for the variety and
largo si/a of the forest trees , nnd It probably
surpasses In the vuluo of Its forests and
shrubs , miy other portion of the stale of
equal Biro. Of these forest tree * , may bo
mentioned the cottonwood ; trees of ihU kind
having been found live and a half foot In
diameter , over sixty fuel to tno llrst consid
erable limb nnd over three hundred yu.irs
eld ; black walnut which grows to a diameter -
motor of from thrco to flvo feet , and to n
height of forty foot without a limb ; flue ash ,
olm. box-elder , maple , willow , and cedar tree
ofailsl/.cs ; In 18lS. > nml IbM , when this In
dustry woi being looked nCtor. over 00,000
foot of walnut lumber \\as marketed.
Tlioro is a considerable quantity of peat on
both Elk nnd Pigeon crooks , but no use has
yet boon made otlt. Coal has also been
found In small strata In different sections.
Along the bluff's edges good stone quarries
have been opened up for homo purposes , but
within the past month negotiations have
boon pending for the purchasing ofthosnmo
by capitalists , who Intend working them to
their full capacitv. Of fruit trees there is a
largo accrago nnd the most palatable of fruit
la grown , apples and plums predolmuatlng ,
The county contains , according to the ns-
issor's reports Just turned In U174 horses ,
10.S.M hniul nf finttlit. 'l.-t : mules , nnd IU.4SI
. .
liogs.
There are two flouring mills In tha county ,
tun by walorpoworamf two steam saw mills.
For three consecutive years Dakota county
has carried off the honors of the Sioux City
corn palace for the best corn exhibit , com
peting with the best counties In the north
west , nnd now it justly claims thu title of
being the ' 'banner'corn county of Ne
braska. "
The total number of school children in the
county is 1,041. The school children nro pro-
Vldod'with thirty-eight school districts and
good schools In each ono.
The financial condition of the county is ox-
collcnt , all warrants Dolnir readily sold nt 03
cents on the dollar except road warrants ,
Vhlch are par.
The commotion of the permanent wagon ,
foot and railroad bridge across the Missouri
river means much for the advancement of the
northern part of this county , as this place
will be to Sioux Olty what Council Bluffs is
to Omaha , and Investors are eagerly seeking
bargains In reality.
Furnnn County.
Furnas county Is a region of undulating
prairies nnd broad valleys , where nature has
clone her best to make 'a beautiful country.
The charm of be.iuty , liowover. Is not the
only recommendation , the lana being of un-
ourpasscd and rarely equalled fertility.
Many of the first settlers , without capital ,
without energy and patience and loaded up
With clobti , are giving way to a better class
of husbandmen , who build upon foundations
commenced by thu earlier pioneers , and who
will , in tlmo , make these broad valleys the ri
vals of the famous plains of Burgundy and
thu vtillcys of the Rhino nnd Nile.
Furnns'countyls well supplied with flouring
mills tno moro important being the Beaver
City rolling mills of Jackson Brother , which
have n capacity of 100 barrels per day , and
uro among the best of the stato. They are
equipped with latest Improved machinery and
have u largo storage for grain connected with
them They are driven oy water power , but
' liavo a largo automatic engine ready for use
In an emergency. The mills employ six mon.
The Star mills of Arnpahoo have a capacity
of about seventy-five barrels dally and are
fully supplied with the best milling machin
ery. They employ four men.
The Arcade mills are situated In the south
ern part of the county on Snppa crook , which
furnishes thorn power. Their capacity is
twonty-flvo barrels dally and they furnish
employment for tvo men.
The Muln mills are located throe mlles east
of Beaver City and are supplied with power
by Heaver crook. They have a capacity of
thirty-six barrels , furulslng employment , for
three mon.
The only creamery in the county Is located
at Beaver City and has been established for
four years. This establishment hus a capa
city of 3,000 pounds of butior daily , and at
present chums the product of 800 cows. It
has lu connection cold storage for butter and
, eggs capable of containing two cara of butter
aud flvo cars of eggs.
Flllmoro County.
Flllmoro county has developed within the
last ton years the following enterprises ,
called forth by n natural demand of its
B toad lly increasing and prosperous popula
tion :
Geneva roller mills ( steam power ) ,
t Geneva Iron and windmill company and
foundry.
Exeter steam mill.
ICxulor canning factory.
Fairmont steam mill.
Flllmoro mills ( water power ) .
Geneva creamery.
Fairmont creamery.
All these enterprises nro prosperous and
reflect by their success thu general condition
of the county. Thu farmers of this section
have been extremely wlso In planting n largo
nmount of fruit'and forest trees , as the fol-
jlowlng extract from the assessors' books for
flSOl will show.
According to their report there are planted
In this county 113,7110 fruit trees of endless
I variety , and more than 3,500,000 forest trees ,
besides 80,000 grapevines.
Franklin County.
There are In this county six grist mills" ,
employing on nil average Hvo mon each.
Nearly all the mills nro equipped with
( Improved modern machinery , and all have
/been built within thu last tun years.
A creamery nnd butter manufacturing
plant at Bloouilugiou , costing $0,000 , employs
n dozen mon. At the same place a broom fac
tory works half-a-dozen bands or more.
GnrflolU County.
During tha post six months many of the
Improvident settlers have loft the county und
tholr places uro being filled by a different
class of men.
Krlnu precinct in the northern part nf tbo
county is settled by a colony of well-to-do
.Jrlsh people who came lu n body from Boston -
( ton several years ago. It Is their boast that
there Is no poverty In Erina , un > l ono who
jVrill spend a few days umong these thrifty
people will have no difllculty In believing
their assertion.
Bui well was nmdu the county scat of this
county In 1800 , and the records wore removed
from Willow bprlngs on May 1 of that year.
.A very comfortable llttlo court house and
elto woru presented to the conntv as a bonus
'
for locating the county ofllcon at'Burwcll , so
that no heavy debt Is saddled upon our people
for county buildings. In fact Gnrllold coun
ty's tlnmiclal condition Is unsurpassed by
nny new county in the west. Her warrants
ore quoted at nearly par , both tu Lincoln and
Omaha , and are In spirited and constant
demand. Burwell has n steam flouring-
mill of llfty barrels capacity per day , which
has been running without interruption for
the past two yours. A water mill with a
capacitv of IfiO barrels of feed per day also
does duty for our settlers. Indeed Uurflold
county could not bo done ] uitlco without
mentioning the fact that the bond nf the
KOI th Lou p river nt Burwoll furnishes the
lineal water power to bo found anywhere In
the stato. The Burwell water power and Ir
rigation company , recently Incorporated ,
proposes to develop this power and Is now
making careful estimates. The capital stock
of the company is000 , of which 10 per
cent Is already paid In.
W , 1C. Wells , merchant , is the president of
the company ; T. H. IJorau , banker , is
treasurer , aud T. L. Hall , attorney , is score-
tary. The stock supply will bo somewhat
hort this year In consequence of numerous
losses during the pait winter , but Burwell
will no doubt retain her prominence In this
.country as a shipping point. Gurtleld county
fceoda moro lueu of cr-crgy and capital mid a
proper Investment of these will produce
fully as good remits as In nny part of the
west.
GdRC County.
The assessors of Gage county report the
following number of acres under cultivation
for the current yean Wheat , 80,730 acres ;
corn , 157,281 acres ; oats , flO,887 acres ; rye ,
8,800 acres ; flax , 10.SW acres ; n grand total
of 2I7IU5 acres. There nro further enumer
ated 247,501 fruit trees , 1,031,103 forest trees ,
and 73,501 grape vines , besides many thou-
Hands of various fruit shrubs , Nineteen
thousand flvo hundred nnd nineteen horses.
J.1,500 head of cattle , 1,017 mules , 15,003
sheep and M,111 hogs form the animal popu
lation of the prosperous county.
Tbcro nro in Gngo county about fifty man
ufactories of all kinds , which employ In the
aggregate not less than 1.000 persons. The
amount of canltal Invested In these several
enterprises Is $1OSO00. Of these Institu
tions the following are located In and aru In
nctlvo operalion In Beatrice , the county scat
of Gngo county :
Barb wire , T. J. Howe , proprietor ; men
employed , 3 ; capital. M.OOO ; Beatrice paving
and building brick company , men employed
05 ; capital f.91,000.
Beatrice sewer plno and brick company ,
men employed " . ' 1. capitt.1 f 117,000.
J. Clnyo-r brickworks , men employed 15 ,
capita ) ' $10,000 ; J. F. Jackson brickworks ,
men employed 10 , capital fH.OOO ; Boutrlco
canning company , men nnd women employed
150 , capital $75,000.
Beatrice paper company , men employed " 0 ,
capital $50,000 ; Beatrice oatmeal company ,
men employed 5 , capital $ 'J7,000 ; Boatrlco
stared factory , men employed HO , capital
$155,000.
Buggies , Carriages nnd Wagons Lou
\Vobn , men employed 22 , capital $ ' , ' 5,000 ; J.
W. Mayer , men employed y , capital $7,000 ;
D. S. Zimmerman , men employed 12 , capital
l , ! > 00.
Beatrice fence company , woven slat nnd
wlro fencing , men employed 3 , capital $4,000.
Beatrice flouring mills , Black Brothers
I Beatrice nnd Blue Springs ) , men employed
12 , capital $127,000.
Blue Vnlloy Iron works , Foldcn Brothers ,
men employed , 2 ; capital $3.000.
Dempster mill nnd manufacturing com
pany , men employed SO , capital $140,000.
Boatrlco galvanized iron and cornlco com
pany , men employed 0 , capital $13,000.
Boutrlco novelty works , F. D. Koot , mon
employed 2 , capital $3,000.
Boatrlca chcoso factory , men employed 25 ,
capital $50,000.
Beatrice iron works , H. Longdon , men em
ployed 10. capital $7,000.
A. J. Pethoud A : Co. . sash , doors nnd
blinds , mon employe ! 5 , capital $11,000.
Gcorgu Soeloko. mineral water , mon em
ployed ! 1 , capital $3,000.
Asldo from thcso are a vinegar factory , two
broom factories , thrCo cigar factories and
several minor manufacturing establishments ,
employing in the aggregate 100 men and In
which a capital of not le.ss than $ 10,000 Is In
vested.
At Filloy. Gage county , Is an extensive
flburing mill , and another nt Holtccsvlllo.
The two employ ton mon.
At Blue Springs Is N. S. Spencar's wind
mill factory , which employs four men and
has a capital of $10,000.
At Cortland is the Cortiand corn harvester
manufacturing establishment , Just estab
lished , which employs 10 men nnd starts out
with a capital of $0,000.
In addition to the Beatrice list of manufac
tures Is the butter and egg packing company ,
which employes 25 m&n and has a capital of
$50,000.
The Boatrlco book bindery employs s > lx mon
and operates under a capital of $7.000.
In tills city are also seven millinery estab
lishments , employing BO persons , having an
aggregate capital of $10,000 ; nine black
smith shops , employing 18 mon , augro-
gate capital $15,000 ; twelve dross mak
ing establishments , employing 80 per
sons , capital $14,000 ; sovou merchant
tailoring establishments employing 21 men ,
capital $7,000.
Boatrlco murbo works , C. Neldhart , mon
employed 5 , capital $5,000.
Shane Brothers , marble works , men em
ployed 4 , capital $3,000.
Beatrice electric and power company , mon
employed 15 , capital stock $250,000.
Beatrice rapid transit and power company ,
mon employed 12 , capital stook $250,000.
Beatrice street railway , men employed 10 ,
capital Invested in road $1)0,000. )
J. S. liuthorford , general paving con
tractor , now engaged ou public city improve
ments , men employed 80.
Wymoro & Blue Springs railway ( street ) ,
men employed 10 , capital Invested In roads
$35,000.
The railroads traversing the county nro :
The B. & M. with rouud house aud shops at
Wymoro employing 100 men , and round
house nnd freight department at Beatrice
with fifty men. They receive on on average
$4.000 wapos each month. The Union PuciHc
railway with shops and round house nt Bea
trice , and giving employment to 1)0 ) mon , who
earn on an average $7,750 per month. The
Chicago , Rock Island & Pacific railroad with
roundhouse and shops nt Beatrice , with 20
mon nnd n payroll of about $1,200 monthly.
Groeloy County.
Greeloy county , although ono of the small
est counties in the state , is ono of the best.
The county had a population of nearly 5,000
at the tlmo of the census of 1600 , but has in
creased in the last year at least 25 per cent.
Most of the farming lands are of excellent
quality the percentage of poor land being ex
ceedingly small. There are four flouring
mills In the county employing about fifteen
men and ono mill building'and Hearing com
pletion.
Ilnll County.
There are in this county flvo mills employ
ing all the year nround about twonty-flvo
moil , aud two foundries with about twenty
men. The boot sugar factory of Grand Island ,
with Its different brnncos , employ over two
hundred mon. The canning factory of the
same place employs during its business
season 250 men , corn and peas being the
principal products canned. A oroom factory
keeps four men busy the year rouud. There
nro lu the county ten or twelve
cigar manufactories , each , on an
average , employing flyo mon. The
state central brewery , also located at Grand
Island , works a crow of twenty mon. The
Union I'aeKlc railroad shops have on nu
average soventy-flvo employes , while three
brickyards in the county occupy the same
number of hands. Keener & Co.'s creamery
also employs ton mon the year round. The
growth of these industries have increased tit
least 150 per cent since 18b2 , and most of
them are loss than ton years old.
Special mention roust bo made both of the
sugar and canning Industries , because they
nro comparatively now ventures. When the
canning factory was started agriculturists
did not take kindly to its support. It took
much earnest solicitation und hard work before -
fore they could bo prevailed upon to enter
into n contract for raising corn which at the
beginning was the only crop canned. They
thought there was too much work counocted
with it. At present , even-thing goes well ,
actual experience having overcome the farm
ers' prejudice. Peas are now being hauled
to the canning works by the ton , nnd the
producers nio well sntlslled with the
proceeds of their labor. Wo can
confidently look for the same outcome in re
gard to the sugar boot. Though there are
2,500 acres planted for the factory in this
couuty , tuoro mlgut have been a greater acre
age. It U now un established fact that the
sugar-beet will thrive hero. Tno fecundity
and the special qualities of the soil make ft
most adaptable to Its culture. According to
suuh high nu authority as It. W. Wiley of the
agricultural department , soil and cllmuto of
this county are the most perfect for the suc
cessful raltlnir of this crop. The proper
knowledge of how to raise the beet seems the
only thing lacking. All in all , Hall county
bus n rosy future before her and. she will
doubtless meet the expectation * of its indus
trious citizens In duo time.
Hamilton County.
This county Is located lu n rich agricultur
al section , containing 315.000 acres of land of
unsurpassed fertility. The following esti
mate of the crop acreage for the present .tear
is based on careful estimates received from
all parts of the couuty , There are plumed in
wheat 22,000 acres ; In con ) , 110,000 acres ; lu
oats , 45,000 acres ; in barley , 1,500 acres ; lu
rye , 2,000 acres , und In tame grass , 60,000 , a
total of 230,500 , acres.
Whllo agriculture Is the leading Industry ,
other branches havu uot been entirely neg
lected. There are now in the county four
flour mills , ouo foundry , one machine shop ,
one creamery and ouo knitting factory. Of
these the creamery is the most important. In
1837 a stock company was organized at Au
rora , the county sent , for the purpose of
erecting and operating a creamery , the plant
costing about $3,000. In September , 1S&S , the
the buildings wore entirely destroyed by lire.
The stock was thou bought up by E. J.
Halnor , J , H. Smith and W. A. Carpenter.
Those gentlemen Immediately erected now
brick buildings and began operating the
creamery ou a business basis. They have
iluco Incorporated , under the numu of tbo
"South 1'latto Creameries , " and own nnd operate -
orate creameries at York , Ulysses nnd Osco-
ola In addition to their principal ono nt Au
rora. The company has n paid up capital of .
} 50,000. The dally output of their creameries
Is 7,500 pounds of butter , which commands
the highest prlco in tbo market , having tnken
thrco first premiums at the Chicago live
stock and dairy exhibition in 1880. Their
monthly payroll Is $18,000 ; number of em
ployes , HO.
Jlltolicook County.
Hitchcock county , of which ( julbartson Is
the county seat , has three flouring mills , nil
equipped with modern roller machinery.
They nro : The Culbortson roller mills ,
seventy-live barrels dally capacity , employIng -
Ing from four to eight hands ; the Trenton
roller mills , soveuty-llvo barrels capacity ,
and the Palllsado roller mills , of forty bar
rels capacity. There are ulso two ImrntMs
manufacturers , eight blacksmith shops nnd
three wagon shops. Ten years ago there was
nothing of the kind In the county.
Eighty-live inilei of Irrigation canals and
ditches ore nearly completed ns follows :
The Culbcrtson canal. llfty tullns long , will
Irrigate 50,000 acres of land contiguous to
Culbortson. and this canal will cost $ 00,000.
This canal will furnish first-class water
power at Culbertson , which will bo given
free to any manufacturing enterprise on
favorable conditions. This water power will
not Interfere with the Irrigation Interest ,
The south side ditch diverts the water of the
Republican river , terminating nt or near
McCook. This ditch will place 1U.OOJ acres
under water , and will cost In the neighbor
hood of $1ooiX ) . The Trenton ditch receives
its water floin the Republican In the western
part of the county and extends to the east
line of the same. It will bo twenty miles
long , irrigate 10,000 acres of cholca land , aud
Will cost about $30.000.
In addition to thcso ditches there are a
number of smaller ones , constructed by en
terprising farmers which will Irrigate several
thousand acres.
Holt County.
In the confines of Holt county are located
twelve mills , two creameries and ono brew
ery , In nil employing between llfty and sixty
men , There is un nbundauco of undo /eloped
water power that would furuish power
enough for almost any number of mills and
factories. In addition to this , the citizens of
O'Noil , the county seat , are now prospecting
for artesian water for power as well as for
supplies for the city. The well Is already
close unto eight hundred feet in tha ground ,
and It la confidently expected that a flowing
well will bo secured before the end of this
month.
The finances of the county are In excellent
shape. .With the exception of a bonded in
debtedness of $30,000 , it is free of debt , nnd
Its warrants command a price near to par
and nro eagerly bought up by eastern
brokers.
Howard County.
Thrco roller mills in this county , with a
combined capacity of 250 barrels per day , do
n largo and profitable business.
St. Paul , the couuty seat , is possessed of
three national banks and a representative
class of business men in all linoi all doing a
profitable and Increasing business.
The business of seven villages in the sur
rounding country is also vcrv creditable.
The two great railways , the Union Pacific
nnd B. & M. . traverse the couuty , giving it
excellent facilities for shipping.
Taking everything into consideration , our
people , schools , climate , soli and natural ad
vantages. It Is safe to say that no ono who
casts his lot with Howard county will bo dis
appointed.
Ilnrlun County.
This is pre-eminently a farming nnd stock
growing country , manufactories are there
fore almost exclusively confined to flouring
mills , eight in number , most of them having
improved roller machinery , and making a su
perior quality of flour , etc. They employ
probably fort ) men. Wo have an excellent
opening for flouring mills , canning factories ,
sugar factories and packing houses , und cap-
tnl invested in cither of these industries
would pay a profitable dividend.
Johnson County.
Johnson county Is situated lu southeastern
Nebraska , twenty miles from the Kansas and
twonty-four miles from the .Missouri line. It
contains 378 square miles of territory lu the
Nemaliu valley , one of the finest and most
productive in the htuto. Tlio Nunmha rUur
audits tributaries drain the entire county ,
furnishing good water power all the year
around. Among the Industries of thuuouiity
may bo mentioned three flouring mills ent-
ploylun oUliteen men , a foundry employing
six men , ono canning factory employing 1UJ
persons during the season , one creamery with
twelve men , and u broom factory with five
hands. The county has a good > eln of coal
nnd the Ncmulia > .illey Mono und nuairy
company Is prepared to furnish line bulldlm.
stone , six newspapers Inform the people of
the weekly happenings In the county , the
Teeumsoh Chieftain being the oldest.and uiiuli
and all have contributed In no small degrou
tu the bulldliiK up of the county.
Teuiiinsch. the county beat , boasts of water
works , olcetrlo lightscity hall and all modern
ImiirovementH , seldom equalled in towns of
twice Us slzu in the eastern status.
.TdlVrHoii County.
There are several flouring mills In the coun
ty all of them loss than tun year.In operation
They have all laid aside their former machin
ery and adopted the newer process of rollers.
ThoQ. J. Carpenter nursery company located
hero Is the largest suetlllni ; nursery In the
world , having about 8JO acics under cultiva
tion , und employing about eighty men. The
Mid-Continental nursery Is another institu
tion wlnoh employs twenty-llvo men and has
SJO acres of ground under cultivation.
The county possesses un Inexhaustible sup
ply of fire clay , which only needs capital for
development. Quite u number of farmers nro
raisins sugar beets this season as an experi
ment , und there Is t > omo prospect of having a
bout sugar factory located hero this fall. Jef
ferson county In rapidly gaining "notoriety'
as u fruitgrowing section us the crop of fruits
of all kinds has been unubunlly large und fine.
Knox County.
ICiiox county Is situated in the northeast
ern part of the .state , the Missouri river forin-
lii'r , ' Its northern boundary and the Nlobruru
river running through the northwest corner.
The principal Indnstiles or the county are
the packing nouso at Nlobraru. and the two
merchant flouring mills , eapaolty seventy-
live burreU ouch dully , nt lluzlle .Mills. The
prodnctsot these establishments aru princi
pally exported west. The Croij'htun ( louring
mills with n capacity of llfty barrels also does
some merchant milling. Custom mills are
ulso successfully operated nt Verdlare , Vor-
dlgro Itrldge , Armstrong und 1'lshelvllle. A
canning factory , u breweiy und bottling
\\orksarodolngiiilnc business In Nlobraru ,
and an artesian well Is about to bosnnkthere ,
that will combine to furnish a lyntcm of
waterworks and power for a llfty baritil mill.
The giowtli of manufacturing has all been
within the lust ten years.
Knox county furnishes many advantages
for the practical farmer not possessed by
any other county in the state. Its lund.s are
excellent. Its railroads uro pimhlng Into un
developed territory und the shipping facili
ties uro growing batter every your. Along the
Missouri and Niohruru rivers Immense du-
poslts of chalk reek an- clay beds abound ,
furnishing unlimited quantities of material
for the mamif.iuturo of Portland comeiit. The
numerous streams lira unsurpassed for water-
Don er und the county ut largo Is u mostdo-
slrublo stook country.
Kcnrnoy County.
This countT bus 174,8D. > acres of land under
cultivation , divided us follows : Wheat , 4S,7t
acres ; corn , &O.U7U acres ; oata , 121KM acres ;
barley , 17,081 acios ; rye , 1.104 acres ; Max , Wi
acres ; lame grasses. 7.K.W acres ; broom corn.
&UO ncrcs ; potatoes , I'.ILH ) acres : timber , garden
and orchard , I.I.IUI acres , und miscellaneous
crops , 1,4) . acres. There are further 01,470
fruit truus , 4.'J7f,3X ) forest trens , MATO crape-
vines und 10,410 rods of hedge growing luxur
iantly In the county's rich soil. The assessors
report further that the citizens of the county
own 6,017 hor-.es , 17l' & > head of cattle , Sol
mules , I0."iu4 sheep und : M.bu4 hogs.
The manufacturing industries of the county
are :
Two ( louring mills with a capacity of 2J5
barrels pcrdny.
One planing mill ( steam ) ,
Cuoatuum pressed brlok and tile factory.
Konr brlek yards with u capacity of 5,000,00 }
per buuson.
One creamery with u capacity of 1.000 pounds
of butter pur duy , bolng operated the year
round.
There are sixty-nine school ( Hitriots In
Kearney county , nlxty-nlno school houses ,
sixty-seven of wnlcli uro frame , ono brick und
one sod.
Children of school ago 3 , 70 : males , 1,703 and
females 1.771 ; total amount paid teachers
lust year , 411V-4.VJ7 : total amount expended
for huhuulij , * .U,4JiRlj number of distrl s
having alx months' school , M ; mule tenohcrs ,
1 ; fumulu , IU | number of graded schools , H ;
total value of school property , fr3i.lt.0tl.
Koltli lounty.
This county Is eminently u stook raising
community , but with the opening of Irrigat
ing ditches an Increasing amount of Ninull
grain und vegetables Is being raised. There
uro now completed llfty miles of Irrigating
ditches which wuio constructed ut u com of
twj.000. The Ogalulla milling company U to
far the only mill lu the country.
Imnuiibtor County.
There are n number of rising young manu
facturing Industries In Ilnenlu , that at pres
ent furnish employment fur various oltmm of
workmen , first und foremost are the now It.
A ; M. shops now being constructed at lUvo-
look. The plant utonn Is to cost KOO.OOJ. U
will consltt of thirteen liulhlliua. the tire
iiiuln structures-tho machine nnd blacksmith
tthop , the power house und boiler room und
HatorworUn with atundplpu-ure already erect
ud , The machine nhop U tUOxiJO fuoi.ihu lart
est on the Chicago. HurHn lo i fe Quiney sys
tem , The blaoksmltlijiiliiip Is'JMxS ) feel. Pro-
Durations nro being t flg for the lioller shop ,
which will boKmtM fvnt * The holler room Is
already erected nun Is HUM foou All the
other bulldlius are to'tid ' of equally mammoth
proportions. Them wilt bo an electric llijht
plant , a waterworks plitut , the standplpo 110
foot high being iilreiiilyirrectRil , a sewer two
miles long has been cqnetruutrd nnd other ar
rangements made for one of the most exten-
filto manufacturing plants In the west.
An appropriation Of over Jll-O.OW
has been mndc for niftclilnory alone Un ac
count of the present iilMmpeil facilities of the
roud the now shops uman assured permanent
fixture. When tno sslxjps KOI to runnuii nt
full capacity , they will employ an tinny of
: iWK ) men. ' 1 bo groundsel nslilo for the shops
nnd yards comprise ' & 0 acres. The water
facilities nro unstirpMssod. The location Is
destined to he a sucnild Ktuln.
'I ho Lincoln sto\o and furnace company
himiin nutliorlred capital of tluD.OOO and em
ploys llfty men. The force will eventually bo
iniTuatoii to 100.
Tim Hull stove and rinse company Is doing
a prosperous buslnrsi nnd has the only nickel
' " Imps In thn state. There are twenty-
Hvo men on the payroll.
The plant of tno l.lcctrle manufacturing
com pan v cost $20W > 0. The company Is doing
u most Muttering business and now employs
ne.irly twenty men.
The Lincoln carriage top fiictory has also
been winning a reputation for Itself and the
last payroll showed ovrr thirty employes.
The Haslo urnca company hast become fully
established und Rives employment to twenty-
two men. There Is t50WO Invested in this
enterprise.
The Lincoln ncrapor compiny , which suf
fered only from lack of capital. Is being re
vived , us a number of wealthy capitalists
have become Interested In the enterprise und
will take hold of the enterprise and run lion
n larjo sculo. 1'rom llfty to one hundred men
will bo employed.
The Western mattress company of Lincoln
Is an Intunt enterprise , but bus nnccccdud
f run : the start. Only $ li,0nj ) was Invested In
the establishment , but there are now n dorun
persons employed and more will have to bo
added soon.
The Lincoln paper box company employs
nearly n hundred bunds und they uro kept
busy lining all orders ,
Iilnuoln County.
A company has been organ'zod ' in North
1'latte called the Thomas potato harvester
company , for the nmiiuf.icturlnv of the
Thomas potato ( figging machine , which was
Invented und patented by n citizen of this
county. It digs , .sorts and sacks the potatos ,
setting them down In two-bushel sac Us , ready
for market. A machine has been constructed
and tested and gives complete satisfaction.
Of course the principal occupation of the
population of Lincoln county Is farming nnd
stocit raising. The county is said to have the
loust rule of taxation or any county on tno
line of the Union I'aclfle railway , nnd the
lowest rate of any In ttio stuto except one.
The rullroad shops at North L'lutto employ
u largo force of men , langlng according to the
needs of the road.
Tlioro are four towns of Importance In the
county : North I'lutte , Wallace , Wolllleot nnd
llrady Island ; In the sumo wo IIml six banks , a
number of small manufactories , a steam grist
mill , with a capital stook of $80,000 , und sev
eral elevators. The growth of the county has
boon rapid nnd steady for ton yours. There
has never been a retrograde movement either
In the towns or In the county during that
period.
Mcrrlck County.
There nro throe good mills In this county ,
ono at Silver Greek , ono at Central City and
one nt Chapman. Two creameries , ono at
Archer nnd ono In Moml township uro doing
an Immense business , shipping their product
west. Thuro uro undoubtedly good oppor
tunities for mills at Clarks and I'almor , nnd
the creamery business could bo profltubly
followed around Clarks and Silver Creek , us
thn Hold there Is unoccupied.
There nro Hundreds of instances where men
with scarcely a dollar eniuo to Meirlck
county , commenced farming Inn small way
and uro now comfortably well llxcd. The his
tory of Mcrrlck county In that respect Is alj
most Identical with that of every other
county in the state.
The towns or Mcrrlok county are Central
City ( the county seat , ) , Clarks. Sllvor Crook ,
I'almor , Chapman und Archer , of relative Im
portance und size In the order Rlvod.
The county seat claims to bo ono of the pret
tiest In the state and to have the best und
handsomest business buildings of nny town
of its size In the west. Us business men uro
prosperous and enterprising and are pleased
to extend every courtesy to prospective In
vestors o-s well as to the people of the entire
county. ,
There are eighteen chtirchs In Mcrrlck
county. Tlioro uro hlsrh t-chools utOlarks and
Central City and the latter Is also the seat or
the .Nebraska Central college established by
the Methodist churclrin li-3V
Mndiaou County.
Madison county has live flour mills nnd six
grain elevators , the latter with u storing ca
pacity or 100,00) bushels.
Slxty-sovon mlles of railway glvotho county
good transposition facilities east irnd west.
'J ho schools uro In excellent condition , at
tended by nourly 5,100 children. The North
Nebraska normal eollogo Is one or the Institu
tions or learning or which thn citizens are
justly proud. The bootsugar faatoiy Uiuatad
ut Norfolk will cost , when completed , * 750.000 ,
and will furnish employment to several hun
dred men during the summer season. The
Norfolk electric light und street railway com
panies further show the enterprise of the citi
zens of that city ; whllo the asylum for the lu-
s.ino Is an Illustration that Mudlson count v's
political Influence Is not to bo Ignored. To
further facilitate business between Madison
und Norfolk , the citizens have subscribed for
u suIllcient amount of stock to Induce the Ne
braska telephone company to supply and con
nect these points with telephones.
Nnnoo County.
This county was organized In 1870 from what
was then the 1'uwnuo Indian reservation , und
la , without question , ono of the finest section
of country In central Nebraska. It Is located
In the lower Loup valley , 113 mlles due west
from Omaha.
Of the 8StOO acres composing the county ,
220,000 uro the fluent farm aud the rest finest
pasture and hay land.
The county Is particularly blessed with an
abundance of running streams. The most Im
portant of these uro the Loup and Us tribu
taries , the Cedar , f'lum , Heaver , llor.se. Cot
tonwood und Council creeks , the Timber
creeks und 1'rulrlo creek. These streams give
the county 100 n lies of never falling running
waterof the finest quality. The county lias
forty-live school houses nnd a line class of
sealers , mostly fiom Iowa , Indiana und
Illinois.
Kullorton Is the county seat , located at the
Junction of the Cellar and Loup valleys. It
was platted In 1H7II und bus u population ot
1,500. U Is beautifully .situated uoth with
respeet to natural advantages und the .sur
rounding country. It has a school which em
ploys hoivn teachers , three hotels , three
chnrch'js , twenty-four mercantile houses , two
bunks , besides lumber und coal yaids. eleva
tors and the shops of the various mechanics.
U Is the home of the fastest trotting hoises of
the .state , lu , stables of blooded horses In the
town und vicinity containing eighty-seven
blooded horses , estimated to be worth $10,000.
The business mon of the town urn
making a thorough to.st of the sugar
boot In the surrounding county , with the
ussiminco of a factory In the near future ,
aituated us the town Is , It remains only a
question of u few months , when It wilt bo on
the short main line of the Union 1'nollle rail
road , lly building up the Loup valley
through to North 1'latto , the road will shorten
its line forty miles und open up as fine u ter
ritory ns the sun over shone upon , This" will
give the town n now outlet and bring Its re
sources moro Into prominence , ! ! principal feat
ure being tbo Immense wuter power afforded
by Cedar river which Is hoiolOO foot wide with
average minimum depth of two foot. A prom
inent water power engineer says ; " \ \ Ithln
throe mlles of the mouth of Cedar river
there Is power , which. If utilized , would bo
equal to that produced by the consumption
of JJOO.UtO worth of euul , per annum , und all
this power lies within ono und one-half mlles
of thu business center ( if Fnllerton. 1'owor
Is now furnished from Jt for ono ot thu llnest
Hour mills located Inside the corporation llm-
Itfl. This will have n Capacity or 150 barrels of
flour und two carloads'Of ' food per duy. It
uses only a small fraction of the power ut Its
command und the blilanco is ready for anyone
ono to hitch too at anytime.
The next town of Importance In the county
Is Genoa a lively place of about six hundred
people. The Indian Kfhool Is located hero.
It has its shnro of business houseschurche.s
nnd shops und a flno school house. Surround
ing It uro some ut tlu > best lands lu the
county. | i
llolgrado , a small HtijUop about nine miles
above Kullorton , started three years URO , bus
about u population of onti hundred and Is a
market for the product of the surrounding
country. ' "
There uro no rorouhtor vegetables thut can
not be grown In the rich black loum which
Is from one to thrnu fqQVtlituk and underlaid
with u sub soil ot loosii yellow clay , which ab
sorbs like u sponge tl0 | abundant showoiu ,
which follow list many "water courses , There
has never boon u total fulluro ot crops of
small grain und hay. The stoeUmen , breed
ers and feeders have taken udvunt igu of this
und It Is rare thut any corn Is shipped out of
the county. It Is all consumed at homo und
marketed in the tdiupo of beef and pork.
Fruit trees whllo still young , will prove to
bo quite u rovonno u the abundant yield of
the elder orchards gives assurance of Im-
matiso crops.
The various crops now growing nro divided
about us follows. Wheat. 4,31:2 : acres ; corn ,
40.417 acres ; outs , r..ocs acres ; millet , I'.U-VJ
acres ; miscellaneous. 1,1W acres ) land to
bo mowed , 7I.U.V ) acres.
It Is estimated thut the above acreage will
yield 1.VCB.OCO bushels , orDMU our loads , or 1UJ
trains ot v'4 cars each ; nearly eleven carloads
of grain for each day of the year !
'lhIs tti a county only f.'years old , which
wra not Hltod bo settlers In u few mouths , but ,
by reason of the lands bulng purchasable
only. It took u number of yearn to uttlo.
1 o every man , woman and child in the coun
ty thuiu U onn hurao. three head of cuttle- und
nine lions , lly the hamo return * tbero Is u per
oupitu woallhof tll.iiS. The yield of hay la
oil I mated lo Le at bast lOJ.nOj tons.
In short , thu full und winter of ib'Jl will wit
ness the beginning of the greatest growth ,
Nance county ever experienced. '
.N'rinnliu County ,
There are six flouring mills In tbli county
ns follows ! "Star in Ills" at U roc Us "llonnot1
Nomithii " " " Itouk " "Auburn "
; "Curtis , "lllon , ,
and "I'rerlch's A" nt Auburn. Ilrownvlllo has
ono olttur nnd ono broom factory. Auburn
bouius of Wheeler's eombln lion fence fau-
tory. Auburn tank factory. Auburn bedspring -
spring factory , nnd Annum automatic rubber
stamp machinefactory. . All of thcso Institu
tion * have been established In the lait four
years , und nil are in u flourishing condition.
A largo Increase in the acreage of nil grain
over last year Is noted. NiMiialui county has
un agricultural fnlr nssoolittlon , which Is In
u prosperous condition , The exhibit by this
association at the st'ito fair at Lincoln each
year shows this to bo ono ot the banner coun
ties of Nebraska.
At I'oru Is situated the State normal school ,
nn Institution of luiiriilng which U the pride
or not only Nomnhn county , tut of the stato.
NiK'kollH County.
Wo hive In our county two good llourlng
, mills run by water power. The mill of IJutli-
rlo Hros. , ut Superior has u dally capacity of
IV ) barrels , the Kdur , u mile north of NcUon ,
b < Mng not quite so l.ir-to. Theio are no loss
than ton elevators nnd two cro.imorlns. both
of wh'cli uro runnlni , thoiKh slim t of thulr
oapanlty. Wo have also got good bilokyards.
both nt Nolion nnd Superior. The wealth or
tno county has more than trebled In the lust
decade , whllo Inncl that ton yo rs ago wont
begging in Han acre can hardly bo bought
today tor ) > .
Otoo County.
Otoo has been for years the bnnnor county
cf the state. Crop * never full In this vicinity
and stock thrive und grow fat from the
gifts of nature. Moro berries wcro shipped outer
or this county up to dulo th.in out or uny
other In this p irt of the west. Thu Omaha ,
Kansas Olty und Denver markets got the bulk
of the growth. The commission merchants
have sent out of Nebraska Cltv alone 150.0UO
quarts of strawberries nnd ourly raspberries ,
with the black raspberries vet to come ; also ,
5.00J bushels or cherries. The present Indica
tion ! ) uro thut Otoo county will have the larg
est crop of peaches , pears and plums she has
e\er hud , nnd the apple ciop Is simply break
ing the limbs ot the trees they aioso ho.ivlly
laden.
The natural resources or old reliable Otoo
are Imtiicnse , plenty of water , plenty of tim
ber , n thrifty county seat , lively villages , en
terprising und wealthy farmers , largo sleek
farms , the best race course In Amerieiand u
do7onflrst-cluss newspapers. The growth or
all the villaeiwandbiislnesslntorcstslhrough-
out the couuty during the last few yours has
been wonderful. It Is true that Otoo Is n
county that has boon settled for a long tlmo ,
but she Is rich not only In nature's gifts , but In
her pouplo The county Is thickly populated ,
tbo schools uro well managed , the
citizensuro Intelligent nnd liberal nnd all
laws are enforced. 1'our r.illro.ids give good
service through the county : there nro small
flouring mills scattered all over and larger
ones nt Nebraska Olty. The Rovlow r.u-o truck
nt Syracuse Is considered to bo the fastest In
the country ; It Is w.itorlovol und has nil mod
ern Improvements.
The Turlington steen farm owned by T. W.
Harvey of Chicago , Is ono of tno attractions
of Otoo. The stock bred there Is hard to bout
nnd commands fancy prlcos all over the
United States.
The distillery In Nebraska City employs llfty
men nnd bus a capacity pf U.OOO bushels per
duy ; this will bo Incro.isoJ to ! > , OJO bushels
this fall. The plant represents nn Investment
of iJjJ.OOO. Work hus begun on u building to
bo used by the Nobrusku City sturcli factory ;
whan completed forty men will bo employed ,
The owners of this enterprise represent a cap
ital orl,5fO,000.
The Mcllhlnney manufacturinz plant has
been Increased m every way. At first only
eight workmen und two traveling mon wore
employed , wboro now twonty-Ilvo mon uro
kept continually busy und flvo traveling men
uru on the road selling the goods manufac
tured by this successful firm.
The Nebraska City light and water and the
gas company each employ u lar o number of
men.
Tbo Consolidated tank line company keeps
ton men busy In the cooper shops nnd
flvo In the oil rooms. Councilman
Krosso'i 1ms recently Increased his w.igonshop
which gives employment to three moro mon.
.Tho Nebraska City plow manufacturing com
pany Is a busy place , ton hours u day. Wales
& Kccles. who started n row yours ago In n
shanty repair shop , h.ivo now ono or the llnest
foundries In the stuto. Tholr now brick build
ing was completed a few weeks ngo. W. V.
Welch , the builder and contractor. , linn within
the lust throe years Increased his help from
two to eight mon ; I'lphor , tlfo cigar manufac
turer , gives steady employment to eight
clgnrmakors. The Nebraska City cereal mills
Is u iilant which takes close to a quarter of
u million to operate. Tholr now elevator has
Just boon completed by Sully , Son & Co..u firm
of 1'romont which has the reputation of bolm ;
the best elevator builders of the west , The
elevator has u capacity of ll > ,000 bushels and
100 men will bo employed In this enterprise.
The now warehouse Is three stoilcs high , 50
by 10J feet , nnd will hold firty carlonds or pro
duce. The reed mill , four stories high , Is 50 by
50 feet , ground dimensions , with u capacity of
1,001,000 pounds. A bnttory or Tour steam
boiler ; ) furnishes power for u 250 hoi so power
Corliss engine and other engines .icgroiutlns
llfty horse power. In the main mill building
the most modern machinery Is used In the
inunufnutory of the best grade of roroiils In an
economical way.
About ? . )0OOC ) ims been fpont during the last
two months on improvements nt the Mattes
browory. The Stur mills , owned by Hon. 1'uul
Sehmlnuo hus grown until now the capacity U
150 barrels u day.
Pacific * between No-
The Missouri cut-oft -
br.iska Olty und Omaha Is completedshorten
ing the distance about twenty mllos.
The Chicago Packing and Provision corn-
puny employstOO : mon und the plant runs the
your round. The capacity for killing and
packing hus trebled within the last three
ye.irs. The Nebraska City stockyards rank
second In the state und probably fifth In the
United States. In ono month recently 11,000,000
bus boon paid out for stock. It Is u plant that
takes soverul million dollar * to operate. The
highest market prlco Is paid for hogs , und the
business has doubled within two yours ,
1'lutto County.
In the ( nst decade throe steam roller mills
have boon erected In the county , with all the
latest Improved machinery nnd a capacity of
-LO burrels oitch per duy. Two water mills
with thrco sets of burrs o toll , two creameries ,
one foundry , ono wind mill nnd farm machi
nery fiictory , two chcoso fuotorlos , ono brew
ery , bottlinj ? works , u wood bottom
shoo factory , two broom factories , un
electric light plant.two mlles of well equipped
street railway und wuterworksut Columbus
those , nnd many other minor Industries , have
nil been completed In the lust half n do/on
years , and are giving steady omp oymont ut
the present tlmo.lo over tno hundred artisans
und laborers.
A company bus been for.r.ed , the necessary
stock subscribed , surveys made und adopted ,
and actual work Is about tn be commenced
upon ue.tnnl tapping the Loup river ten miles
above Its mouth Priming to the county neat
un utmost unlimited water power not excelled
In thoontlro west. What Is actually needed
to consume the vast products or this fertile
county , Is a woollen mill , staroh factory , eu
ro tl und paper mills. Lund und ample power
will bo f urnibhed for either or nil ( if these en
terprises for u nominal consideration.
Good schools and school buildings are In
every ono of the seventy-six districts , und
over J-WD.OOJ uro Invested In academy nnd sem
inary buildings , where higher branches uro
taught. Various religious denominations
have organizations und commodious house's of
worship at convenient locutions throughout
the county. Ht , Mary's hospital nt Columbus
Is n lur a nnd well built structure , costing
$ H.UOOO. It Is noted throughout the country us
ono of the best constructed and best conduct
ed Institutions of the kind.
The county Is well watered by thn 1'latto
and Loup rivers , Shell creek , the Looking
( Jluss , and various other small stro.uns , The
country roads ura well graded and bridges
well constructed. Ono Iron bridge over the
Loup ut thn county boat , consisting of four
spans of 2.W foot each , was erected two yours
ugo ut u cost of $4OJO.
l'lioH ] ] County.
Like so mnny other counties of this state ,
I'holps county Is essentially nn agricultural
community. There are. However , some iiille |
Important Industries wltldn Its eonIIlies , of
which the lloldrego manufacturing company
Is the most prominent. It manufactures
windmills and woodtanks , giving employment ,
to fifty artisans und doing a line und Increas
ing business. The lloUlreuo creamery nnJ
cold storage company ulso docs u large busi
ness. The various divisions of the It. ft M.
railroad ennterlng in lloldregu give employ
ment to n largo number ot men who IIUIKO
their homo hero. Ton years ago there wcro
no railroads nnd no towns In this county , und
but n few farms were Improved , Now every
quarter Boctlon In the county Is taken and
nearly ull uro Improved. The number of notes
of ull crops this year Is slightly greater than
last your , but the orop will bo thu largest In
the history ot the county. The principal
wealth of the county la Its rich black soil. Its
level , arable land , und Us wonderful ability
to stand drouth. This was fully demon
strated lust your , when wo had u good crop ,
while there was n total failure In counties
west uud louth of us.
1'olk County.
I'olk county hus nt present nno normal
school and business college , three high schools
und seventeen churches.
The u rowing maniifuuturln ? Interests are
three llourlng mills , ono elgar factory , ono
eruamery , making u ton of butter u day ; two
windmill nnd pump factories , flvo harness und
two fcnco factor i DM , und there are doyen
blacksmith und mttchlno Hhop .
The towns In the county uru Stronisburg ,
Osieolu and thelby ,
I'iofcu County.
1'lerco mllls.loea ted at I'leroo , the county Hflat
of I1 erco enunty.la owned nnd operated by the
1'lurcu mill company Incorporated with u cap
ital at 41,000,01)J. ft Keeps twenty-llvo men
employed all the year round. The Osmond
mill ut Osmond employs three mon. The
1'lfrco county oioumery nt I'lercu has nine
men ut work turning out- the finest article ut
butter in thu market.
HluImrilHon County.
Tie following mills. facUirieg , etc. , are lo-
cuiua lu Klchurdsou couuty aud are ail lu a
prosperous condition : SU flouring mills nil
roller system Uolntolmnnn's , Thuouers' .
Iliimboldt's. lllntou and Son's. Shrlmpton nnd
foil's and Dawton'si two browerlcm both lo-
anted In I'nlls I'ltyt Sedlonmyor and Co's. hot-
tcllng work * In Falls City : three cigars fnc-
lorlo , two In KalixCllr and nno In llumlioldti
nlno newspapers vlti Tno Journal , The Now * .
Tim I'lobelun. 1'nlU City : Tno Standard , The
nntoriirlse , llumlmldti The I'resv Hlollni The
Vedette , Verdnnt The Index , Sixlonti The
Newsboy , Dnwson.
Ono ereamorjr. sltimtnl at Pulls City has n
working force of 40. riu > business done Is
double thut of Its first year , 1SM > . Strong Urns ,
are the proprietors. A canning factory om-
ployli.g 200 people eiirrles on a lur o amount
of business In nnd a round Culls Olty , Indeed ,
f aimers from ull over the county pntronl/e It.
The Calls City cunning company is rapidly In-
enduing In Imli'irtance. '
The Tanner renee fuelorv of Calls Olty , Is a
a growing Industry , A steve f.tctory , The
Shnyler manufacturing compuiy , proprietors ,
Is doing a good buslnesH tn Culls City , with
sales rooms In Denver , Col ,
Itouk County.
Rook county was organized January 8 , IBS ! ) ,
being originally . . pint of Drown county.
Thuro nro nt present operated In t hi * county
t o grist mllK one siw : mill and ono butter
and cheese factory , The farm land In this
county Is very productive und us there Is only
about 10 per cent of It under cultivation.there
Is plenty of room for Industrious farmers hero
Huw tiind can still be bought for from * lo JIO
pur nero There nro u tinmbor of i.i rs known
where furmeii lust , your bouaht land In this
county und put up enough hay on It to pay for
the sumo.
Hicridnn County.
This eounty was organized In 1W. Up to
that time the cattlemen held undisputed pos
session of Its territory. The llrst railroad
the Cromont. Klkhoru ft Missouri Vulley
wus completed through the county the sumo
year and the II. k M Is running through the
southern part for about two yenri.
The pretty nnd thrifty town or Hushvlllols
the county sent , uhllo Hay Springs , twelve
miles west , und Gordon , llttei'ii ml'es east , nro
prosperous and growing places. Sovor.il now
villages lire ulso springing up on the II.V M.
roud In the southern p.irtof the county.
With the exception of some land In the
southern pirt , which , however , furnishes
splendid p.isturo nnd liny , Sheridan eounty
possesses u soil unsurpassed In forllllty. with
a bona fide rncord of ftom twenty to forty-
tno , und ( none Inst nice llfty-two bushels of
wheat per acre , with plenty or live-pound
potatoes und other grains und vegetables In n
like ratio. With the exception ot n rush of
settlers In IW the Inerenso ot our county In
population from Immigration has been stonily
und nothing like n boom In the price ot real
estate has ever been experienced. Our growth
In that respect has been sto.ulv , healthy und
permanent.
It Is a noteworthy fnet , nnd ono which Is be
coming widely known , thut wo hnvo an ux-
ceptlounlly mild , equable und healthful ell-
mate. Malaria Is absolutely unknown. Cy
clones uru unheard of , eson by c.ittlomon
who huvo boon hero twenly-llvn yours. The
water both In thu streams und wells IN or the
choicest nnd purest quality , no traces or
alkali or othorobjootlonublosubstances bolni ;
present. With ull the other eonntlos border
ing on South Dakota , wo share In the turnouts
or the strip or plno timber which oxlonits
nearly thoontlro length or our stuto. In our
county It IH about eight , miles wide und fur
nishes un abundance of fuel and u goo.I qual
ity of lumber.
A fair article of building slono Is found In
various parts of the eounty. I/Iko no.uly ull
other p.irtsof N'obraskii. us well us portions
of other stutos our county , lust year , sli.ired ,
to a certain extent , In the drouth , and suf
fered u partial failure , but the depression und
stagnation uro rapidly vanishing before the
magnlllcont crop prospect , whluh Is now every
where manifest. K very body U In line spirits
especially the farmer , who hud faith In the
country und tolloil.ourly und lute putting In
crops und putting them In right.
Shcnnnn County.
Sherman eounty Is situated geographically
In the center of tno state of Nebraska Ills
ono ot the host counties In the state for agri
cultural purposes , having u soil of rich black
loam , good drainage and a splendid climate.
There uro Hvo villages In the county , the larg
est of which Is Loup City , the county soul , the
others being Lltehnold , Ashton , Kockvillo und
lluzurd. There uro ulso flvo bunks In the
county two ut Loup Olty. two at Liltuhflold
und ono ut Ashton.
At Loup Olty there Is about to bo const riiBlod
a canal of thirteen miles In length , which will
furnish water for Irrigation purposes fornbout
flvo thousand acres of hind that lies under the
ditch. A dam will also bo constructed across
Dead llorae draw , OX ) foot long , which wlllglvo
n head or wuter or forty feet for factory pur
poses. Tlioro Is also n llonring mill und u oioam-
ory In LoupOlty.tlioluUoremployliiKolghleen
men and seventeen teams In collecting cream
and making butter. Tholr dully output aver
ages l.-tW pounds of the Unest butior.
Scolts I lutt" County.
This county wus llrst opened to settlement
about , flvo yo.irs ago. Crops huvo only been
rulsod to any extent In thn lust tw"o yours nnd
since. Irrigation ditches woroeomplotod. This
veur the acreage under Irrigation will bo
doubled. The Item of Irrigation ditches now
piobibly represents an Investment of not
less than $150.000 In this county , which Is ox-
omut fiom taxation.
Not much over one-third of the land Is
proved up on , that Is , It Is still in shape or
claims or government land. Without doubt ,
when Scotts IJIulT county's Irrigation is Hilly
developed It will bo or gro.it importance to
thn state as well us Itself.
Snlino County.
Rased on the assessors' returns the following
estimate of acreage tn ernns will go to show
thut Saline county Is ono ot the most prosper
ous agricultural counties of the stuto. There
uro 3. > ,701 aoies In wheat , Ml..W In corn , 40.000
In oats , ! ! ,000 In flax , 1,000 In rye and 7,000 In
millet.
The assessors reports further show that
there are 44.0.'C hogs , .I'J.BJl head of cattle and
111,108 horses In the county.
ThurBton County.
Of n population of 3,470. over two-thirds nro
Indians. The Increase of white settlers dur
ing last year hus , however , been considerable ,
nnd In consequence of It a great deal of land
has boon brought under cultivation , over
ten thousand ucronot Indian lands huvo noon
broken nnd put Into Hux this season. This
crop has nn elegant stand and promises an
Immense yield.
Vnllcy County.
Valley county ( a situate in the confer of the
state In whut Is known us the "Lonpconntry. "
It Is well wulered by the North und Middle
Loup riven and the numerous crooks tribu
tary to them. The soil Is ilch onO produces
large crops of corn , wheat , outs , potatoes ,
barley und rye , \\hloh nro the Htaulo crops ,
lleans , pens , broom coin , llax , hemp , buck
wheat nnd sorghum do well also , ( iarden
\o'otables und small fiuits nro also culti
vated with succnss. Thn natural grasses grow
luxuriantly on the blulTs nnd In the valleys ,
and thn tiimo grasses , such us millet , timothy
nnd clover , uru being Introduced und prove
well adapted to the .soil and climate To say
whut constitutes un average yield Is randy
accepted ns satisfactory , but u farmer who
has raised crops hero for the pust ton yours
authorises the following statement of his ox-
poilenco with staple * during that tlmo : Av
erage wheat , -1) ) bushels per acre ; outs 5) )
bushels und corn 40 bushels ; exceptional
Years huvo given ; U bushels wheat ,
SO bushels of oats and CO bushels
ot corn , und In no year since the
country's settlement has there boon n failure
or props.
The ollniuto Is healthy and Invigorating and
sickness Is rare.
IMuo.ittonul advantages are IIH good as In
any of the middle states.
vulloy eounty Is settled by nn orderly and
law-abiding people. ( Janes of potty orlino are
uncommon , nnd capital crime unknown.
The various religious denominations-
well represented , und weekly services are hold
throughout the county.
Ord Is the county seat und chief town. Has
u population of l.tuO [ estimated ] and Is a city
of the second class.
Is situated near the cantor or the county In
thu vallov of the North Lnun rivur. It llos nn
a high bench at the foot of the bluffs which
skirt , the valley on the south. From the toper
or the bluirs the view Is ono or the finest in the
btato , a distance of twenty-live mlles of the
river valley being visible ,
Ord Is tbo terminus of the Omaha & Ite-
nubllunn Vulley railway ana the Lincoln &
Illuok Hills railway PURS through It. It hus
two elevators with n united capacity of
1110,000 bushels ; a Htoam roller llonring mill ,
capacity 73 barrels per duy , Alliance linmo
Company.broom and pop factory , two national
bunks und u state bunk : two good hotels ; two
lumber yards ; It publishes four weekly news
papers und bus four churches : Molhodlst ,
1'rosbytorlan , llaptlstund Episcopalian.
lit * waterworks system Is ono of the best of
Its site In the stuto. It hus n volunteer lire
department , consisting of hose ourt unit truck
and ladder hoys.
The openings hero for capital nro mnny nnd
Promise good return * . Gunning factory ,
erouinery (11.000 ( pounds of butter In boln.c
shipped weekly from Ord ) , breuery , cracker
factory , nursery , oat meal mill , paper mill.
Max factory , cheese factory , bo t siuar fac
tory , starch factory , Hlr.iw board factory ,
brlek yard , chicken-raising for the Omaha
und Denver markets , offers largo returns on
Invested capital.
Ita rl\or when utilized will furnish a mug-
ulllcont water power.
\Volwtor County.
Webster county belir- entirely an agricul
tural county Its munilfuuturlnv enterprises
mostly limited to milling nnd dairy produce.
The lied Cloud roller mills loomed ut Hod
Cloud , the county seat , has a capacity of im
burro * dally. There are fnithor Hour mills ut
IJ u Id o Hoc k. A m boy and Illuo Hill. All are
equipped with roller machinery nnd turnout
us line u product us any In Iho country. There
uru waterworks ut Hod ( 'loud und Illuo Hill ,
the Illuo Hill croumory turns outivu pounds
of thu finest butter dully , and nt limvi.u u
cheesa factory Uoos n thriving business. Ten
years mo there were only three mills In Iho
county doing n limited amount of buslnum
with old-fashioned machinery ,
Wnyno County.
Wayne county , although Hiuall as compared
with sorno of h r slater counties U especially
fuvurud by rua ou of thu rloliuoi * of bur noil.
There I * not nn ncranf waste land ) all can b
ullllted for farming purpon'i.
With the completion of the Norfolk branch
ot the Chicago , Ht. I'nul , Minneapolis and
Onmha railroad thn settlement and develop ;
incut of the county began and nil Its prvaenl
wealth and Improvements are the product of
the lust ten years. Kxeopt m to variety of
oorvalsgrown , Wayne eounty cannot bonst of
nny are.it variety of Industries , farming nnd
stock-raising are the principal features. Th
rich p.ntunuo. certainty of crops and lurga
yield per nero have given considerable prom *
inonco to stock-raiding und cattle feeding.
Iteportsof the freight agents nt the illirorent
shipping points In the county show , thut slnoo
the llrst tiny ot .January Ian nn lets than 'kV )
carlo ids of t it cuttle nnd 150 enrlo ids of hogs
luvo boon-cut to market all fed Inayna
eounty. It iiiuy bo Incidentally mentioned
Hint moit of this stock was marketed lu
Omaha.
Wayne , the county sout Is a I HO the inetrop-
Jlls of the county nnd l > n nourishing llltlo
I'lty with u Moadlly Increasing population. A
llni ) Nystuin of waterworks Is In course of con-
slruetlon und HID wooden bulldlnits uro nip-
Idly giving way to solid brlok blocks , Wlnsldn
Is also noteworthy us n possible future rival
of Wayne The growth of Ibis Ullau-o during
the four years since It was platted has been
mm vinous
Since .Tnniiury. Isoi. twonty-oUht ears ot
lumber have been nold there ; .suvunteon
honvi , flio burns und tno churches nro u < iumi (
tbo Improvements mndo ; the Herman Lulher-
nn elniMt w.ia dedicated lust Mindiiy the
frame of Ho Methodist church Is up und uoik
pronrosilnc rapidly. Thin will bo the Hiost
church in W.iyne eounty when completed
Over ten thousand acres of good farming
land , as vet unbroken nnd mostly In the li nidi
or speculators ( the biuie or this country ! , can
Mill bo Improved und made trlbutury lo this
point.
( Ireut activity Is manifested In \ \ uyno re.il
cstsito In town und county , und property Is
constantly changing bunds. Nn netter evi
dence of prosperity could bo mentioned than
that In the history or the eounty but two or
three sales under morljnin huvo t ikon place.
This certainly Is not an Indication of pauperIsm -
Ism ; in fact there Is not n piiipur within Iho
eonllnrs of the county. The farmers as a elasa
nro progressive. Industrious und thrifty , us n
drive through the county demonstrates , und
business men uru correspondingly happy and
prosperous.
York County.
York eounty , like moil ull other counties In
the ttlHlo , Is largely agricultural , ranking
among the llrst as a producer of urops. Since
Us llrst settlement , twenty-four yours ugo ,
there has never biuni a total failure of crops
nnd no ono your hus passed In n hloh the prod
ucts rnlsoil huvo not been sn.llclont to supply
Its own needs.
The soil averages from two to four root of
black sand mixed with n rich vegetable mold ,
and has produced Immense yields , year utter
your , without the addition of nny fei till/or ,
Its loose , porous condition readily admits uny
quantity of water , which penetrates Into the
subsoil , so that , soon after the hardest rains
the ground Is In shape to bo worked nnd there
ro nls uro good.
The month or Juno. 1601 , showed u deeronso
In farm mortgages of.J-V.lt. " > M which shows tlu.t
the farmers uro gaining ground tlnuiiel.illy
The city of Voru , the county sent. Is situated
In the valley of the Ito.iver , and Is surrounded
on ull sides by hills , which gradually i Iso to u
hi'liht of about llfty feet , ntloidlng u delight
ful v e v ot the city below. It has n popula
tion of .US.'mil Ueiinlppod wllheleelne Ugh' ,
waterworks , ulo. The city und connt > h ivo
sever.u young und growing manufacturing
enterprises which roaoh far out and enjoy u
prosperous buslnoHs. The York foundry and
engine eompiny lias been Incorporated for
Boverul years und does uery successful busi
ness. It stalled about ton yeirs use ns u
small repair shop und now In addition to man
ufacturing nil kinds of light und heavy east
ings , tbo works turn otlt nn cnmns. whluh U
rapidly gaining In popularity. The Marshal
> Y Collins carriage works and Tlldun wagon
and' carriage factory uro mooting with n de
mand for tholr output und uiu employing u
largo forceof men , The headquarters of ( ho
South I'lutto creamery company Is located ub
Yoik us nro nlso their Hlor.mo rooii'S nnd
main erouinery. It Is > imong the best equipped
In the stale und bus nn Increasing business. A
cunning fuctory nnd roller mills uro nlwu
nourishing Institutions und the Harrison nur
series nro operated from this point.
As un odui'utlonul ecntor the eounty ufl'or Is
splendid Inducements. The United Ilrotliien
oollugo was loe.ited hoio u year ugo und bus
already established u firm foundation. A now
oollego building Is being pushed to completion
nt n cost of MUM ) . Thn Ursnlmo convent of
Nu/uroth Is an Institution whleh affords every
facility for thorough und complelo education
of young womi'n , Its property consists ot
Hovon norosof ground.on u bountiful eminence
In Iho oustorn part of the city nnd several line
two und tin co-story brick und stone buildings
valued ul W.OOO. Tbo publlo suhools nro up to
n high ? tandanl of excellence. A largo , hand
some cent ! al school building was creeled In
Ifc-Siit u oust/of $ jr > ,500. Tim ward schools uro es
tablished In commodious brick bul.dlnus.i in ]
nil In ulltho elty h.is u public school Hystom 10
be proud of. York has ulso nine churches ,
that cost iixMOP. The National orphan.mo of
Iho women's homo missionary nouloty of the
Methodist church Is located upon n INl-nuru
tract ono-hulf n mile northwest of the elty und
has pioperty and buildings or the value or
441.0W.
York county bus boon termed the "rdon of
the West , " us It Is a model county ; Its growth
hus been steady und substantial though phe
nomenally rapid ,
COXX VII l.lfjl TIES.
When n youns man asks n young woman to
bo his wife , ho almost Invariably "proisus"
her for an answer.
A Colorado man hm recovered the snug
sum of $ IUUOOU for the alienation of the
nlToctlon of his wife.
At a recent Boston woddinR , as the newly
married pair were marching down the alslo ,
the organist played for a recessional the well-
known hymn ' 'Oiuvard , Christian Soldier ,
Marching as to War. "
If the catching of Indian husbands be
comes a fad among American women , the
cooking school curriculum should bo so en
larged as to include Instruction lu chopping
wood nnd hoeing corn.
The English nmrrlngo licenses pnss grace
fully over the question of ago us one should
say , "Miss Josephine Doaro , spinster , nnd rilr
( Jrogory Gray-1'urplo , of ago. " Wh.it more
need Drying society Inquire *
' Love laughs at locksmiths , " ills true , but
the Chicago couple who spent their honey
moon in practicing the art of burglary upon
the domiciles of their neighbors seem to have
jlven ; the old saw a new Blgnlllcnnuo.
Minister ( In Chicago ) Will you take this
woman to ho your wedded wife , and keep
her ! " IJrldogroom-IIold tipl I'll keep
her if I can , remember , but six otliois have
failed , you Know. Won't ' promise for sutoi
A young Irishman , native of Kilkenny ,
meeting a handsome milkmaid , lemnrkcd :
"What will you take for yourjolt and your
milk , my dear ! " " 'Yourself ana u ring , "
smartly replied the maid. So they went to
church and woru married.
The engagement is announced of Miss
Dona Post , thu daughter of Charles A , I'oyt ,
of No. "I Washington square , North , to Ham
ilton Fish Webster , son of Sidney Websto *
aud grandson of Hamilton Fish. Miss Post
is the grealgraiiddaughtor ot Mrs. Mary
Mason Jones and granddaughter of Mine , Da
Trobrmnd. No date has yet boon sot for tha
wedding.
There Is a paradise awaiting n largo num
ber of marriageable young men up In eastern
Oregon. A correspondent of a union paper
says : A lady friend Informed mo recently
that thorn wore over fifty marriageable !
young ladles In Union nnd no men worth hav
ing. Thu Union girls nil say tnut the saddest
words of tontniu or pen , are those aad words ;
we're snori oj men. "
How many people know that the custom of
throwing.rlco at u wedding nymboIUos not
the expression of good luck , but Is n inctii-
phorlcal Ilight of nrrowH shot nt thu bride
groom. In uncivilized ages most nations
were accustomed to thu forcible capture of u
brldo by her lover , nnd the attempts on thu
part of her mule relatives to prevent her hus
band from carrying her away is typltled by a
volley of rlco instead of moro fatal missiles.
Ho- After wo are married , darling , I trust
your wealth won't Incessantly bo thrown up
to mo. " Hho No , I rely upon you to keep It
clownuoar , , "
/ . \ Vlt.l ItlTIKH ,
A brovvn rnt with a blue tall lias boon .seen
in Cincinnati.
An Ohio man has a colt that Is Jot bliiclc
save Its mane , tall uud loot , which are millc
whlto ,
In Lancaster , Pn. , there U on exhibition n
perfectly whlto cattish , nine iiirtios long nnd
weighing over a pound.
A Tin Cup ( ArU. ) hen recently swallovvod
n pack of toy torpedoes , and ninco then she
has laid a cracked egg every day.
A convict In Ohio , in giving his wife a partIng -
Ing kiss , blipped Into bur mouth n note toll
ing bur where some of his booty wtis hidden.
A tooth weighing eight undone-half ouuuos
nnd sup | > oaul ( to belong to uu nnclont masto
don , hus been unearthed noarMoncow , U'uili.
Near Buchanan , ( in. , n day or two ago , \V
A Koltli found n solid Hint rock near thu cen
ter of the heart of a pmo tree. How the reck
got there is a mystery.
One of thu moit peculiar marine uurlositlos
found ut the bottom of the sea Is the biutu
htono , which In many ways resembles tha
head of a human being , with Its many brul-
llku furrow * .
