Early History Of Omaha - Chapters I-VII



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CHAPTER I
THE BOTTOM FACTS

IN the year 1804, which is a long ways back for a western city to go for
the bottom facts of its history, Lewis and Clark, the well known
government explorers, started out on their long, memorable, and
adventurous expedition up the Missouri river and its tributaries,
penetrating the vast extent of territory known as the great North West,
and included in the term "Indian Territory." it was an unexplored country,
and was embraced in what is known as the Louisiana purchase from the
French, which was consummated in 1803. The expedition consisted of about
thirty-five men, well armed and equipped and supplied with three boats for
the undertaking.

   By reference to the journal of Lewis and Clark, published in 1814, we
find that they arrived at the mouth of the Platte in the latter part of
July, 1804, where they laid up two or three days for repairs.

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The following extract from their journal, showing their approach and
arrival at the spot where Omaha was afterwards located, will be found of
interest to the reader:

   "JULY 27,--Having completed the object of our stay, we set sail with a
pleasant breeze from the North West. The two horses swam over to the
Southern [Western] shore, along which we went, passing by an island, at
three and a half miles, formed by a pond, fed by springs; three miles
further is a large sand island in the middle, of the river; the land on
the South [West] being high and covered-with timber; that on the North
[East] a prairie. At ten and a half miles from our encampment, we saw and
examined a curious collection of graves or mounds, on the South [West]
side of the river. Not far from a low piece of land and a pond, is a tract
of about two hundred acres in extent, which is covered with mounds of
different heights, shapes and sizes; some of sand, and some of both earth
and sand; the largest being near the river. These mounds indicate the
position of the ancient village of the Ottoes, before they retired to the
protection of the Pawnees. After making fifteen miles, we encamped on the
South [East] on the bank of a high, handsome prairie, with lofty cotton-
wood in groves, near the river."

   It will be noticed that the chroniclers used the word South, when it
should have been West, and North when it should have been East, with
reference to the river as it runs past Omaha. This is easily accounted for
by the fact that in those days the Missouri river was generally supposed
to run east and west, or nearly so.

   The curious collection of graves or mounds, and the tract of two
hundred acres covered with mounds of different heights, shapes and sizes,
were undoubtedly included in that portion of the city bounded on the south
by Farnham street, west by Eleventh street, and on the north and east by
the river bottoms. At different periods in the history of the city, while
excavating cellars or grading streets in this vicinity,

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Indian graves have been discovered, and bones and trinkets and relics have
been exhumed. Numerous mounds, which have long ago disappeared, were found
here in early days. About three years ago while lower Douglas street was
being graded down, an Indian's skeleton was unearthed on the premises then
owned and occupied by ex-councilman John Campbell, at the south-east
corner of Eleventh and Douglas streets. It was only a few months ago,
while the workmen were engaged in excavating for the foundation of the
Third Ward school house, at the south-east corner of Dodge and Eleventh
streets, that they dug up two Indian skeletons, with a lot of relics,
among which were numerous scalp rings, to which the hair still clung.
Skeletons have also been found outside of the limit above described, but
the evidence is sufficient to convince us that this is the spot mentioned
by Lewis and Clark.

   Here then we have the bottom fact in Omaha's history-the foundation on
which we shall proceed to construct our fabric. We shall now follow Lewis
and Clark up the river for a short distance in order to snatch from
Council- Bluffs some of her glory-to show that she stole her name.

   From the journal of Lewis and Clark we learn that they proceeded up
stream, and on August 3rd, in the morning, they held a council with
fourteen Ottoe (now spelled Otoe) and Missouri Indians, who had come to
the spot at sunset of the day before, accompanied by a Frenchman, who
resided among them, and who acted as interpreter for the council, which
had previously been arranged by runners sent out for the purpose.

   At the appointed hour the Indians with their six chiefs, assembled
under an awning, formed with the mainsail of one of the boats, in the
presence of the exploring party, who were paraded for the occasion. The
change in the government, from France to the United States, was announced
to them, and they were promised protection.

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The six chiefs replied, each in his turn, according to rank, expressing
joy and satisfaction at the change. They wished to be recommended to the
great father, the President, that they might obtain supplies and
facilities for trading. They wanted arms for defence, and asked mediation
between themselves and the Mahas,(1)  with whom they were at war.

   Lewis and Clark promised to fulfill the requests of the Indians, and
wanted some of them to accompany the expedition to the next nation, but
they declined to do so for fear of being killed. Numerous presents were
distributed among the Indians, and on account of the incidents just
related the explorers were induced to give the place the name of the
Council Bluff, the situation of which, as they record it, was exceedingly
favorable for a fort or a trading post.

   Here we take leave of Lewis and Clark. The place of their council-the
Council Bluff-was about sixteen or eighteen miles in a straight line north
of Omaha, and about forty miles by the river-the site of old Ft. Calhoun,
and now the location of the village of' that name. It has been
conclusively settled that this point was the historical Council Bluffs.
Father de Smet, the well known Jesuit missionary, who was considered good
authority concerning any question about the Missouri river country, over
which he had often traveled, and who lived where Council Bluffs is now
located, opposite Omaha, in 1838 and 1839, in a letter to A. D. Jones,
dated St. Louis, December 9, 1867, said in answer to some historical
interrogatories, that Ft. Calhoun took the name of Ft. Atkinson, which was
built on the very spot where the council was held by Lewis and Clark, and
was the highest and first military post above the mouth of, the Nebraska
or Platte river.(2)

(1) The Omahas are called the Mahas throughout the entire journal of Lewis
and Clark, as well as in all other early records. The "O" is a prefix of
comparatively recent date.

(2) Ft. Atkinson was built in 1821, and was evacuated in 1827 or '28.

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   In answer to the inquiry of Mr. Jones, as to where old Ft. Croghan was
located, Father de Smet replied: "After the evacuation of Ft. Atkinson or
Calhoun, either in 1827 Or '28, or thereabouts, the troops came down and
made winter quarters on Cow Island--Captain Labarge states it was called
Camp Croghan. The next spring the flood disturbed the soldiers and they
came down and established Ft. Leavenworth. Col. Leavenworth was commandant
at the breaking up of Ft. Atkinson."

   Mr. Jones also asked Father de Smet if he knew who built or occupied
the fortifications, the remains of which were (in 1868) on the east bank
of Omaha. Father de Smet says : "The remains alluded to must be the site
of the old trading post of Mr. Heart. When it was in existence the
Missouri River ran up to the trading post. In 1832 the river left it, and
since that time it goes by the name of 'Heart's Cut-off,' having [leaving]
a large lake above Council Bluff city."

   Right here, in the above paragraph, we are made aware of the
interesting fact that the ever-shifting Missouri river ran close up to the
bluffs on the west side; whereas, now the channel has changed its location
fully half a mile to the eastward--at least that far from the foot of
Douglas and Farnham streets, leaving between it and the bluffs a vast
tract of sandy bottoms, now occupied by lumber yards, railroad tracks, the
Union Pacific Shops and the Smelting Works.

   These fortifications were near the junction of Capitol avenue and Ninth
street, and Dodge and Tenth streets. The well defined outlines of a fort,
or some other kind of defensive works, were plainly visible until
obliterated by the government corral built there during the war. This
fort, as has been well maintained by A. D. Jones in opposition to
different opinions, was built by the Otoes for protection against hostile
tribes. Some have held that these now extinct fortifications were none
other than old Ft. Croghan, indicated upon the

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early maps, but Mr., Jones, who is the best authority in our opinion, and
he is sustained by numerous other old settlers beside himself, is certain
that Ft. Croghan was upon the east side of the river between Council
Bluffs and Trader's Point, the latter point, the original place being no
longer visible to the naked eye, having been washed away by the Missouri.

   Another inquiry which was propounded by Mr. Jones, who, while secretary
of the Omaha Old Settlers' Association in 1867-68, evidently faithfully
performed his duty and was frequently engaged in hunting up the records of
the past, was: "Do you know of either soldiers or Indians ever having
resided on the Omaha plateau ?" Father de Smet's answer was: "I do not
know. A noted trader, by the name of T. B. Roye, had a trading post from
1825 till 1828, established on the Omaha plateau, and may be the first
white man, who built the first cabin, on the beautiful plateau, where now
stands the flourishing city of Omaha."



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CHAPTER II
THE MORMONS

RIGHT here we wish to bring in a brief chapter of Mormon history. The
Mormons, driven to this western country, came to Iowa, and finally, after
looking around for a short time, they all, with the exception of some
stragglers, crossed the Missouri river during the years 1845 and 1846, and
located a settlement of over 15,000 people, six miles north of Omaha,
calling the place Winter Quarters, by which name it went until seven or
eight years afterwards, when it was changed to Florence, which it has ever
since been called.

   The Indians in their neighborhood complained to their agent that the
Mormons were cutting too much timber, and they were accordingly ordered
off the land, which belonged to the redskins. A large number of them then
recrossed the river to the Iowa side, and temporarily settled in the
ravines among the bluffs. An expedition consisting of eighty wagons, with
four men to each wagon, was sent westward to bunt up a permanent location.
They stopped not at any point, for any great length of time, till they
arrived at Salt Lake. The expeditionists were here charmed with the
beauties of the spot, and were pleased with its remoteness from their
religious

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persecutors. Having made a settlement there, they sent back for the
remainder of the Mormons, the most of whom proceeded on their pilgrimage
to the New Jerusalem--Salt Lake--between the years 1853 and 1860. Nearly
all their trains were started from Florence. A few of the Mormons still
reside at Florence, Omaha and Council Bluffs, but none of them practice
polygamy.

   While the Mormons were the principal population of Council Bluffs it
was called Miller's Hill for a short time, and then changed to Kanesville,
in honor of a Mormon elder named Kane, which name it retained for several
years.

   In 1852 the citizens of Kanesville sent for A. D. Jones, who was a
surveyor in his younger days, and was then residing at Glenwood, Iowa, to
come and survey their town for them. At Trader's Point, below Kanesville,
was a post-office called Council Bluffs, and everybody coming to this
country at that time, would, upon being asked, say that they were going to
Council Bluffs. After Kanesville had been surveyed as a town by Mr. Jones,
the citizens wanted a new name for the place, and agreed upon a change.
The question then arose as to what it should be. Mr. Jones, it is said,
suggested the name of Council Bluffs, on the ground that they ought to
have a name that would catch all the mail matter as well as the emigrants--
scattered all the way from Sioux City south to Sidney--to whom it was
directed. As nearly all the letters for these emigrants were being
directed to the Council Bluffs post-office at Trader's Point, the
suggestion to steal that name and add to it the word "City," making the
new Kanesville post-office Council Bluffs City, was accepted. The place
was accordingly called Council Bluffs City for a while, thus securing
control of all the mail matter of the rival office, which was finally
broken up. When Council Bluffs City got strong enough, the citizens
demanded and obtained a charter, and then the "City" was dropped out, the
bill being introduced

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by Hadley D. Johnson, who was a member of the Iowa legislature, and who
afterwards became a resident of Omaha.

   Thus it will be seen that Council Bluffs stole her name. It has also
been clearly demonstrated that she is not the original Council Bluff of
Lewis and Clark. Gen. Estabrook truly says, "This, if the first, is not
the only good thing tributary to her notoriety that Council Bluffs has
stolen from this side of the river."



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CHAPTER III
THE PIONEERS

OMAHA, as it has been aptly said, had a history before it had a name. In
the opening chapter of this work, we have given the history--as much as
was in our power to obtain--of the spot where Lewis and Clark landed in
1804, and on which Omaha was destined to be founded, fifty years
afterwards. The intervening period is not known to have been marked by any
other important historical incidents than those already related. Taking a
jump, as we might say, of about half a century, we come to the time when
Omaha sprang into existence.

   The majority of the founders, or first inhabitants of Omaha, came over
from Council Bluffs and vicinity, where they had resided one, two, or
three or more years. The California emigration, which had been in progress
for three or four years, was then at its height, and many of the emigrants
who had started for the occident with golden dreams and visions halted by
the wayside in Iowa, attracted by the natural beauties and the fertile
resources of that State. Council Bluffs thus became the stopping place of
many who abandoned

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the idea of making the long, tedious and dangerous overland trip to
California, and of these there were many who afterwards came to Omaha and
permanently located here.

   William D. Brown, a pioneer, who had from his youth always been a
little in advance of civilization in its westward march, was one of the
many who started for California during the years 1849 and 1850. He had
been for several years a resident of Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa,
of which county he was, the first sheriff, having been elected to the
office in January, 1837. He stopped at Council Bluffs, and seeing that
there was money to be made in the ferry business across the Missouri river
at this point, to accommodate the California travel, which was being
ferried at Florence, Bellevue and at other places, he embarked in the
enterprise shortly afterwards, either in 1851 or 1852. Obtaining a charter
from the Pottawattamie County Commissioners, he equipped his new ferry
line with a flat-boat which was rowed with oars. This ferry was for a long
time called the "Lone Tree Ferry," from a solitary tree at which the boat
arrived and, departed, on this side of the river.

   The Lone Tree stood for several years, and the immediate vicinity
became quite a notorious spot, owing to the ferry landing being continued
there. Although it may be getting a little ahead of our narrative, it will
not be entirely out of place to relate an incident that occurred near the
Lone Tree in 1860. A noted desperado named Bill Lane had established a
saloon and dance house of very loud character there. It had become a very
rough place, and was working a great deal of harm. One night a crowd of
men went to his "ranche," and gave him twenty-four hours to leave town. In
a few hours he packed up everything, even the lumber of which his shanty
had been constructed, and putting his effects on a steamboat he left for
Leavenworth.
   Not withstanding his poor facilities for transportation, the ferry

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business proved a profitable undertaking to Mr. Brown, the pioneer
ferryman, who was also the first pioneer of Omaha. He also engaged in the
hotel business at Council Bluffs, being for some time a half partner in
the Bluff City House.

   The beautiful and commanding position of the future site of Omaha; its
plateau, where now stands the business portion of the town; its numerous
hills, especially Capitol Hill, one and all now thickly dotted with
magnificent residences and picturesque grounds; all these attractive
features combined, impressed upon the far-seeing Brown the fact that this
spot was destined to be the location of a great city at some day.
"Westward the star of empire takes its way." The great tide of travel was
then, as it is now, towards the occident. The site of Omaha was west of
Council Bluffs, and it was a well known fact that for years the cities on
the line of the western emigration which were located on the west bank of
the streams had always soon eclipsed those on the east bank in growth. The
site was near the river, and at that time the head of navigation on the
Missouri. These facts also had great weight with the men who were to found
the city.

   Mr. Brown, while superintending his ferry, frequently came over, to the
Nebraska shore and looked over the location of the proposed town, the idea
of starting which originated with himself. He made a claim in 1853, which
about covered the town site as it was afterwards laid out. His claim was
the first made, and it was located at a time before any treaty was
effected with the the Indians, which important event did not transpire
till the next year.

Of course many of the people of Council Bluffs, who afterwards located at
Omaha, undoubtedly took advantage of Mr. Brown's ferry to visit this
lovely spot, either in excursions for pleasure, or in small prospecting
parties, to get an idea of the situation with a view of making claims, and
of carrying out, at the earliest practicable

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moment, the project of Mr. Brown--the idea of which he had imparted to
others--of founding a town, the future great city of the Missouri Valley.

Among those, besides Mr., Brown, who favorably considered the enterprise,
were Dr. Enos Lowe, Jesse Lowe, Jesse Williams, and Joseph H. D. Street,
all of whom resided at Kanesville or Council Bluffs. This was in June,
1853, and on July 23rd, 1853, a steam ferry company, under the name of
"The Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company," was organized under the
general corporation laws of Iowa, their charter to continue twenty years.
The president was Dr. Enos Lowe, and the other members were Tootle &
Jackson, S. S. Bayliss, Joseph H. D. Street, Henn and Williams, Samuel R.
Curtis, Tanner and Downs, and others.

   Mr. Brown, not having means enough to carry out his scheme alone, had
previously sold six-eighths of his ferry interest and of his claim to most
of the above persons, and the organization of the Ferry Company was the
result, Mr. Brown still retaining his interest, which consisted of two-
eighths. He afterwards sold one of these eighths to S. R. Curtis, who did
not comply with the terms of purchase, and the land included in this share
was accordingly reclaimed by Brown. Curtis, in the course of events, set
up his claim to it again, and the result was, in after years, a long and
tedious law-suit, which was finally compromised.

   Among those who crossed the river in 1853, to prospect, was A. D.
Jones, Tom Allen and Bill Allen, who came over in November, in a leaky
scow, borrowed from Mr. Brown. One rowed, one steered, and the other had
all he could do to bail out the water as fast as it came in. They landed
down the river in the vicinity of where Boyd's packing house is now
located. They there staked out their claims, the north line of Mr. Jones'
claim being marked out on the north side of the present residence of
Herman Kountze. All that

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land was long ago attached to the city proper in an addition. Mr. Jones
maintains that his was the first claim, and that he is entitled to the
honor of being called the pioneer squatter and first settler; but there is
a difference of opinion on this matter, as will be shown in the course of
this truthful history. He was notified to leave by the Indian agent, Mr.
Hepner, as the Indian title to the land had not been yet extinguished.
Other claimants, too, were served. the same way, we suppose, and the
command was obeyed.

   Mr. Jones then applied for the establishment of a post-office here, a
piece of strategy to enable him to hold his claim. The application was
made through J. D. Test, of Council Bluffs, and resulted successfully in
the spring of 1854. We have seen the original documents, and therefore
know of what we write.

The correspondence was as follows:

WASHINGTON CITY, May 6, 1854.

Dr. TEST:--Yours of the 10th ultimo, relative to Omaha City post-office,
has been received. I got the office established to-day, and had A. D.
Jones appointed postmaster. Yours truly,

BERNHART HENN.


WASHINGTON CITY,  May 6, 1854

A. D. JONES, Omaha City, Nebraska Ter.,

   Dear Sir:--Yours of the 15th instant has been received, but as the post
route bill has already received final action, I cannot carry out your
suggestion as to the route from Council Bluffs to Omaha City at this
session. Perhaps, however, it is not necessary, as it is already covered
by the route I had established, last Congress, from Council Bluffs to Ft.
Laramie, and although said route has not been let, you may get that part
put in operation by petitioning the Department to do so; which course I
would suggest be adopted at

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once. If you do so, send me the petition directed to Fairfield, and I will
forward them.
Yours truly,

BERNHART HENN.


   This then must have been the very first letter directed to Omaha City,
and that, too, at a time before there was anybody living here, and before
the town was surveyed.



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CHAPTER IV
THE INDIANS

URING the month of February, 1854, Maj. Gatewood, Indian agent for the
tribes in this vicinity, called them together at Bellevue, which had been
for a long time an Indian mission, and there discussed the subject of
their making a treaty by which they would yield up the title to their
land. The treaties were made in March and April, which resulted in the
passage of the enabling act of Nebraska Territory in 1854. Franklin Pierce
was then President, and George W. Manypenny, Commissioner of Indian
Affairs.

   The tribes who signed the treaties were the Otoes, the Missouris, and
the Omahas. The terms of the treaty with each were liberal and
satisfactory, and little or no trouble was experienced in their removal to
the reservations provided for them, the removal being effected gradually
within a year or two.

   Shon-ga-ska, or Logan Fontenelle, who was the chief of the Omahas at
this time, was a very intelligent man, and the history of the Fontenelle
family, in this connection, will prove an interesting chapter to the
reader.

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   Lucien Fontenelle, born in New Orleans about the year 1800, of French
parents, was a gentleman of good education, and one that possessed every
indication of having been well raised. He came to this western country
about the year 1824, in the employ of Major Joshua Pilcher, and took an
Omaha squaw--a high-toned belle of the tribe--for his wife. He was engaged
in the Indian trade in 1835 in the vicinity of Fort Laramie with a Mr.
Drips. The building was standing at Bellevue until a few years ago, and it
may be there yet, in which they stored their goods for the mountain trade.

   He treated his Indian wife very kindly, and gave his children a good
education in St. Louis. The children left St. Louis in 1836 or 1837, and
resided at Bellevue with their mother. There were four boys and one girl.

   In 1839 Lucien Fontenelle abandoned his mountain trade, and lived with
his family till his death, which occurred in the spring of 1840, and was
caused by the too excessive use of liquor, which brought on delirium
tremens.

   For the following interesting facts concerning the Fontenelle family we
are indebted to an "Old Pawnee," who has written several chapters of the
early history of Nebraska for the Omaha Herald, at various times, and it
is from one of these sketches that we quote:

   "Logan, the oldest son, was a remarkable boy; active, with quick
perception, and beloved by all who knew him, but he imbibed something of
the habit of his father, and was finally killed by the Sioux, but not till
he had fought bravely to the last. Albert was a fine boy, of good
disposition, had partially learned the blacksmith's trade, and at his
death was Pawnee government Smith, with John Snuffen. He was thrown from a
mule, which caused his death. Tecumseh was killed by Louis Neal (brother-
in-law) in a drunken frolic. He was an intelligent man, but not naturally
as agreeable as the other children. Henry and Susan (Mrs. Neal) were still
living in 1870

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or 1871, when this sketch was written. Henry served as an apprentice to
the wagon business in St. Louis, and is very handy with tools; in fact,
they were a remarkable family, had been well raised and were gentle in
their manners. The mother was a remarkable woman, and in 1834 performed a
brave act.

   "There was an Iowa Indian who headed a party of Iowas to pay the Omahas
a friendly visit, who were then living at or near the present site of
Omaha City. After being well received and kindly treated by the Omahas
they left the village to return home, and near Bellevue met a small party
of Omahas and killed some four of Mrs. Fontenelle's relatives, and stuck a
spear through a half breed Omaha boy (after killing his mother) by the
name of Karsener. They stuck the spear through the left breast, and pinned
him to the ground. Some of the Indians said 'Don't kill that boy; he is a
white boy.' The Iowa Indians replied, 'A white man's blood is the same to
us as an Omaha's,' and left the boy pinned to the ground.

   "Mrs. Fontenelle from that time sought revenge on that Iowa, and made
some two or three attempts to kill him, but did not succeed. At length the
time came. At the Bellevue landing stood an old trading post, in which
there were several buildings, with the Otoe, Omaha and Pawnee smith-shops
and the houses of the employes, and Rev. Moses Merrill and family. This
same Iowa, with others, was there, and one of the assistant smiths, by the
name of Shaw, had procured a keg of whisky, of which he was so extremely
fond that he took too much of the article, and the Iowas broke open the
shop and stole his keg. They imbibed so freely that they were getting up a
jubilee, when Hannibal Dougherty, the agent's brother, took an axe, and
broke the keg and spilled the whisky. There was an old, Frenchman, by the
name of Sharlo Malice, who got dead drunk sucking up the dirt. The Iowa
Indian above mentioned, lay

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drunk in one of the buildings of the fort that stood endwise to the river,
when Mrs. Fontenelle deliberately took an axe and knocked his brains out,
then jumped some ten feet out of a four-light window, down the bank, and
ran home. That night war was expected, but the Iowas showed no fight,
cowardly returning home after burrying him who received his just fate.

   "Mr. Fontenelle was then up at his fort, in the mountains, and Major
Pilcher had her taken to the village of the Omahas, who were then living
at the Black Bird hills, near where they now dwell. Some two months after
Mr. Fontenelle came to Bellevue and sent an escort of Omahas for his wife,
to whom he paid about $1,000 worth of presents for bringing her down."

   Logan Fontenelle, the son of Lucien Fontenelle, became chief of the
Omahas. He was of medium height, of swarthy complexion black hair and dark
piercing eyes. At the time of his, death, which occured while bravely
battling against the Sioux, he was thirty years of age. Concerning his
death and burial S. D. Bangs' Centennial History of Sarpy County contains
the following account:

   "In the middle of the summer of 1855 a procession might have been seen
wending its way towards the old home of Logan Fontenelle on the bluffs
overlooking the Missouri river and above the stone quarries at Bellevue.
It moved slowly along, led by Louis San-so-see, who was driving a team
with a wagon in which, wrapped in blankets and buffalo robes, was all that
was mortal of Logan Fontenelle, the chief of the Omahas. On either side
the Indian chiefs and braves mounted on ponies, with the squaws and
relatives of the deceased, expressed their grief in mournful outcries. His
remains were taken to the house which he had left a short time before, and
now, desolate and afflicted, they related. the incidents of his death. He
had been killed by the Sioux on the Loup Fork thirteen days before, while
on a hunt with the Omahas. Having left the main

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body with San-so-see in pursuit of game, and while in a ravine that hid
them from the sight of the Omahas, they came in contact with a band of
Sioux on the war-path, who attacked them. San-so-see escaped in some thick
underbrush while Fontenelle stood his ground, fighting desperately and
killing three of his adversaries, when he fell, pierced with fourteen
arrows, and the prized scalp-lock was taken by his enemies. The Omahas did
not recover his body until the next day."

   "It was the wish of Col. Sarpy to have him interred on the bluffs,
fronting the house in which he had lived, and a coffin was made which
proved too small without unfolding the blankets which enveloped him, and
as he had been dead so long, this was a disagreeable task. After putting
him in the coffin, his wives who witnessed the scene uttered the most
piteous cries, cutting their ankles until the blood ran in streams. An old
Indian woman who looked like the Witch of Endor, standing between the
house and the grave, lifted her arms to Heaven and shrieked her
maledictions upon the heads of his murderers. Colonel Sarpy, Stephen
Decatur, Mrs. Sloan, an Otoe half breed, and others stood over the grave
where his body was being lowered, and while Decatur was reading the
impressive funeral service of the Episcopal church, he was interrupted by
Mrs. Sloan, who stood by his side and in a loud tone told him that 'a man
of his character ought to be ashamed of himself to make a mockery of the
Christian religion by reading the solemn services of the church.' He
proceeded, however, until the end. After the whites, headed by Col. Sarpy,
had paid their last respects, the Indians filed around the grave, and made
a few demonstrations of sorrow; the whites, dispersing to their homes, and
the Indians to relate their own exploits and the daring of their dead
chief."

   As this chapter is headed "The Indians," we know of no more appropriate
place than right here to relate an event that occurred

Page 29

about 1852, at a place on the military road, about five miles beyond the
Elkhorn. It was the actual skinning of a man alive by the Pawnee Indians,
and, as it is the only act of the kind probably ever performed in this
vicinity, it is well worth recording. Gen. Estabrook informs us that he
happened to know the man, who was the victim of the Pawnees' wrath. His
name was Rhines, a silversmith, who was once a resident of Geneva,
Wisconsin, but who shortly previous to his coming west, en route to
California, lived at Delavan, in the same State. A man bearing the same
name as Gen. Estabrook, of whom he was a distant relative, was one of the
party, and wrote back to Wisconsin an account of the horrible affair
before Gen. Estabrook ever expected to reside so near the scene of its
occurence.

   It appears that Rhines had made a foolish boast, before starting from
home, to the effect that he would shoot the first Indian he saw. In due
time the party arrived in Nebraska, and camped one evening on the bank of
a stream, which at that time was nameless. As the train was about ready to
move out the next morning, a small party of young Indians, who had come
across the river from the Pawnee village on the opposite side, approached
the encampment. These were the first Indians the party had seen, and
Rhines was thereupon reminded of his boast. He immediately picked up his
rifle, took aim at a young squaw, and shot her dead. The news was carried
to the Pawnee village at once, and the party of whites were soon
surrounded by the exasperated Indians who demanded and obtained possession
of Rhines. After stripping him, they tied him to a wagon wheel, and then
commenced to skin him alive. The poor wretch piteously begged of both his
own party and the Indians to shoot him and thus end his terrible
sufferings, but the remainder of the whites were compelled by the Indians
to stand by and witness the torture of their comrade without being able to
render him any assistance except at the risk of their own lives. The
skinning process was

Page 30

finally completed, and the unfortunate man survived the operation but a
few moments, during which he was cut to pieces by the squaws with their
mattocks.

The emigrants were then allowed to move on. Since that day the stream,
upon the banks of which this barbarous deed occurred, has been called the
Rawhide. This story is known to nearly all the old settlers of Omaha and
Nebraska to be an actual fact.



Page 31

CHAPTER V
OMAHA'S BIRTH

THE bill organizing and admitting Nebraska as a territory soon followed
the extinguishment of the Indian title, it being passed by Congress May
23rd, 1854, after a fierce and angry struggle, the circumstances of which
have not yet been erased from the public mind as this fight was but the
forerunner of the efforts soon afterwards made to dissever the Union, the
result being the great civil war.

   The time had now come, after the passage of the territorial organic
act, for the Ferry Company to lay out their contemplated town. For this
purpose they employed A. D. Jones to make the survey of the site, covering
the claims of the company. Mr. Jones surveyed it from North Omaha Creek to
South Omaha Creek as these small streams are now called. The Omahas had
lived along the former, originally named simply Omaha Creek, and the Otoes
along the latter, which was formerly called Otoe Creek. The work of
surveying occupied the greater portion of June, and the first part of
July. Mr. C. H. Downs assisted in the work by carrying the chain and
driving the stakes. The city was laid out in 322 blocks each being 264
feet square; the streets 100 feet wide, except Capitol

Page 32

Avenue, which was made 120 feet wide, but which was given no alley in the
blocks on each side of it. The lots were staked out 66 by 132 feet, with
the exception of business lots which were made only 22 feet wide. Two
squares were reserved--Jefferson Square, 264 by 280 feet, and Capitol
Square, on Capitol Hill, 600 feet square. A park of seven blocks, bounded
by Eighth and Ninth, and Jackson and Davenport streets, was laid out, but
was afterwards given up to business purposes, being now occupied by the
Union Pacific Headquarters, Wyoming Hotel, the Cozzens House, and other,
buildings.

   During the latter part of the survey, the 4th of July, 1854, was
celebrated by a picnic on Capitol Hill by a quite a party of excursionists
from Council Bluffs, among whom were several persons who soon afterwards
located in Omaha--Hadley D. Johnson, A. D. Jones and wife, A. J. Hanscom
and wife, William D. Brown and wife, Harrison Johnson, Mr. Seely and wife,
Thomas Davis and wife and children, Fred. Davis and his sister, who is now
Mrs. Herman Kountze, and several others. Addresses were made by Hadley D.
Johnson, A. D. Jones and one or two others. It has been handed down to
posterity that a general good time, as the phrase goes, was had by
everybody, and the event still lingers in the memory of those who
participated.

   The map of the survey was lithographed in St. Louis, and one of the
original copies is now in the possession of Byron Reed. In one corner is
the following note: "Lots will be given away to persons who will improve
them--private sale will be made on the premises. A newspaper, the Omaha
Arrow, is published weekly at this place; a brick building, suitable for
the Territorial Legislature, is in process of construction, and a steam
mill and brick hotel will be completed in a few weeks." Dated, September
1st 1854.

   Omaha was the name given to the new town!

   Gen. Estabrook is our authority for saying that it was probably

Page 33

adopted by, the Ferry Company simply because it was pretty and was borne
by the nearest tribe of Indians in the vicinity, the Mahas. it is said by
some that the honor of suggesting the adoption of the name belongs to
Jesse Lowe, now dead, while others claim that to J. E. Johnson, then of
Kanesville, is due the credit of naming the town.

   Aside from its prettiness it has a meaning full of significance--"Above
all others upon a stream!"

   Mr. A. D. Jones, when secretary of the Omaha Old Settlers' Association,
now extinct, wrote in 1868 to the Rev. William Hamilton, who was the first
missionary in Nebraska, inquiring as to the origin and meaning of the word
Omaha. Mr. Hamilton says in his reply, dated Omaha Mission, March 4, 1868:
"The Omahas encamped above on the stream, E-ro-ma-ha, contracted into O-ma-
ha, which means 'above' with reference to a stream, or, 'above on a
stream.' To understand the word, I must add that they have three words
translated 'above.' Mangre, with reference to height, air; Amer-e-ta, with
reference to a country bordering on or near a stream; E-ro-ma-ha, with
reference to where your position is."

   Hence the natural inference is that Omaha is "E-ro-ma-ha--above all
others upon a stream."

   "And so we were," said Gen. Estabrook, in his Centennial historical
address on the Fourth of July, 1876, "and so we have been from that day to
this, and so we are now, above all other towns in importance, on the
stream, and so, aided by the same good genius, we shall ever remain."

   In this connection it will not be out of place to give the meaning of
the name Nebraska. The Platte river was also called Nebraska, which is an
Indian word signifying Ne water, and braska, wide or shallow. So we have
"shallow-water" as the meaning, which is very appropriate as applied to
the river referred to, and from which the Territory took its name.



Page 34

CHAPTER VI
FIRST INCIDENTS

HAVING laid out the town site of Omaha, the Ferry Company's next move was
to give it the other important features of a town, namely, people and
buildings. They induced Benjamin Winchester, of Kanesville or Council
Bluffs, to start a brick-yard-which was the first on this side of the
river-for the purpose of supplying the brick for the already contemplated
building of the State House, for the Ferry Company felt pretty confident,
even then, of having their embryo city designated by the first territorial
legislature, as the capital of Nebraska, and they did not go amiss, as
after events proved.

   Winchester, being overcome by misfortunes, was not able to carry on his
contract, and soon sold his yard to the Ferry Company, who were afterwards
obliged to obtain the necessary brick for the State House from Kanesville,
from which place they were hauled by Harrison Johnson, who is now a
prominent citizen and an honest granger in this county.

Page 35

   It was on the morning of the 11th of July, 1854, that Mr. and Mrs.
Newell came over from Kanesville. Mr. Newell had been engaged to work in
the brick-yard, and his wife to cook for the laborers. William P. Snowden
and wife followed them over in the afternoon of the same day. Both parties
crossed the Missouri river on William D. Brown's flat-boat ferry, a fact
that both Mr. and Mrs. Snowden distinctly remember, as the steam ferry
boat had not then begun running.

   Mr. and Mrs. Newell remained only three weeks, which left to Mr. and
Mrs. Snowden the honor of being the first actual settlers in Omaha, a fact
that no one can deny. They had come to stay, and stay they did, even unto
this day, being both honored and respected citizens and the parents of a
large family of children.

   Let it be borne in mind by the reader, that previous to the arrival of
the above mentioned persons, there had been no one living here at all,
although there were many who had claims staked out.

   Cam. Reeves and family came next, then P. G. Peterson, and then others
followed rapidly. Many of our old settlers, however did not locate
permanently at Omaha till late in the fall of 1855, and many did not come
till 1856 and 1857. Although they had been on the ground before, more or
less frequently, they had lived at Kanesville in the meantime. Some, who
are nevertheless considered old settlers, did not come till after the
above dates.

   The Ferry Company built the first house in Omaha. It was a rude log
structure, and was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Snowden, who kept it as a sort
of hotel or boarding house during that summer and fall, more especially
for the employes of the company. It was located on Twelfth and Jackson
streets, and was called by the high sounding name of the St. Nicholas, but
was better known as the "Claim House." Besides being the first house, this
was the first hotel in Omaha.

Page 36

   The first religious services in Omaha were held at the St. Nicholas
hotel, the residence of Mr. Snowden, at whose solicitation the Rev. Mr.
Cooper came over from Council Bluffs to preach. He was a Methodist
preacher, and hence that church can justly claim the honor of being the
first religious organization represented on the ground. The first services
were held Sunday, August 13th, 1854. There was a small but appreciative
congregation, there being not over twenty-five persons in attendance, and
they mostly resided at Council Bluffs, intending, however, to remove to
Omaha in a short time. Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. Snowden, A.
D. Jones, who led the singing, Mr. Leonard and wife, and "Aleck" Davis and
daughter, the latter two gentlemen being brothers-in-law of Samuel
Bayliss, of Council Bluffs.

   Rev. Mr. Cooper labored in the vineyard of the Lord on Sundays, and
worked in Mr. Jones' stone quarry, now owned by John Green, on week days,
having obtained permission to open it, and the stone was used in the
foundation of the Western Exchange building, now occupied by Caldwell,
Hamilton & Co.'s bank.

   Mr. Davis, in company with Mr. Bayliss, built and owned the first saw-
mill, which was located in the vicinity of where John Green's flour mill
now stands. Mr. Thomas Davis, the father of Fred Davis of this city,
afterwards became the owner of this mill.

   The second house in Omaha was built by Mr. Gaylord, at Burt and Twenty-
second streets; the third was the "Big 6," a sod-house or "dug-out," which
was occupied as a grocery and saloon by Lewis and Clancy, north side of
Chicago, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets.

   The fourth house was the log dwelling erected by Mr. Snowden, on the
west side of Tenth street, just south of Thiele's garden, the brick house
of Mr. Crowell now covering the spot. The lot was given to Mr. Snowden by
the Ferry Company on condition that he would

Page 37

build on it. It was the first private dwelling house that was completed,
and Mr. and Mrs. Snowden moved into it after having kept the St. Nicholas
for three months. The pioneers had a grand housewarming there, tripping
the light fantastic toe with more grace and agility than they do now, and
some of them have not yet forgotten their fancy steps or how to cut the
"pigeon's wing." The first dance was at the house-warming held in this
house, under the auspices of Mr. and Mrs. Snowden.

   Quilts and aprons answered the purposes of doors and windows and for
seats they had rough boards. It was a very primitive affair, Quite a
goodly number of persons assembled to join in the festive dance.

   Among those in attendance besides Mr. and Mrs. Snowden, were A. D.
Jones, Ed. Burdell, who afterwards built the "City Hotel," at the south-
west corner of Eleventh and Harney streets, Alex. Davis and daughters, and
Mr. Leonard and wife. Mr. Leonard, who was an amateur fiddler, furnished
the music for the occasion and did the "calling off." The ball opened with
the "French Four," a popular figure in those days, and it was led by Mr.
Snowden and Mr. Jones, and all went merry as a marriage bell, there being
no sleep till morn.

   Mr. and Mrs. Snowden lived in this house for two years, and the
building was standing up to 1870. The Ferry Company had offered a lot to
the first lady who settled in their new town, and Mrs. Snowden in due time
secured the prize, and afterwards disposed of it.

   The next house put up was built by P. G. Peterson, on the west side of
Tenth street, between Farnham and Harney. It stands there yet, and is
occupied as a laundry by some colored people.

   The sixth house was erected by Samuel E. and William Rogers, south side
of Douglas, between Tenth and Eleventh streets.

Page 38

   The old State House on Ninth, between Farnham and Douglas, was the
first brick structure. Other buildings followed, and many of the old
landmarks remain, to which we shall refer in another chapter.

   The first white child born in Omaha was Miss Margaret Ferry, who came
into the world in the month of October, I854. She was the daughter of
James Ferry, who laid the first stone for the foundation of the old State
House.

   It is claimed by some, however, that the honor of being the first white
child born in Omaha belongs to William Nebraska Reeves. He was born in
that portion of the city known as Park Wild--Herman Kountze's place--and
which spot is still indicated by Park Wild avenue. Reeves is now a young
man and lives with his mother out on the Elkhorn.

   The first marriage was that of John Logan to Miss Caroline Mosier. Mr.
and Mrs. Logan still reside in Omaha, at present at the northeast corner
of Fourteenth street and Capitol avenue.

   The first grave in Omaha was dug by William P. Snowden, where Turner
Hall now stands, for the remains of an old Otoe squaw, who had been
abandoned to die by the roadside. How appropriate are the words of
Whittier:

 "Behind the scared squaw's birch canoe
 The steamer smokes and raves;

 And city lots are staked for sale
 Above old Indian graves."

   The first burial among the whites was that of Mr. M. C. Gaylord's
child, at a spot on Capitol Hill some little distance north-west of where
the High School building now stands.

   The first case of delirium tremens was that of Mr. Todd, who erected in
the vicinity of the St. Nicholas the first frame house or rather shanty,
and stocked it with groceries, "dry and wet," principally, the latter,
whisky being his chief article of trade. Todd used to say, in

Page 39

a rather pompous style, that he "went 'East" for his goods--and so he did,
for he purchased them in Council Bluffs. He was his own best customer, and
he drank so much of his own whisky, that his nose soon became as red as
the red flag that he hung out for a sign. He drank early and often and
late. The "ardent" soon got the better of him, and gave him the "shakes"
so fearfully that it shook the life out of him so that one day he had to
lie down and die. He was buried near where the Union Pacific track crosses
Thirteenth street. To him belongs the honor of being the first drunkard in
Omaha, as well as the first man who died here--and his memory is entitled
to some respect as he exhibited some decency in ceasing to exist under the
circumstances. The following obituary poetry was written by George W.
Childs, of the Philadelphia Ledger, at our special request in a letter to
him stating the circumstances, and that we wanted something in his best
style to honor the memory of Mr. Todd in this history:

 "Poor old Mr. Todd,--he
 Loved too well his "toddy;"
 'Twas the intoxicating cup
 That made him turn his toes up;
 'Tis sad to think
 He died of drink
 And was buried 'neath the sod,
 Gone to meet his God."

   Dr. George L. Miller was the first physician. He came here in the fall
of 1854, from Syracuse, N. Y., accompanied by his father, Col. Lorin
Miller. Dr. Miller's first patient was an Omaha Indian pappoose, and it is
said that the child died.

   The Doctor upon being summoned to attend the case, answered the call
with alacrity, being guided to the camp on the bottoms by the redskin who
had been sent for that purpose. The Doctor gives his reminiscence of the
affair as follows: "Exactly how the aforesaid brave jumped from the path
and disappeared in the grass without

Page 40

a word of explanation, not even so much as a grunt; how moments seemed
hours that we stood, speechless and motionless, 'each particular hair'
sadly agitated at the roots, waiting for his return, or for death, or for
whatever else might come; how he did return, and with the wave of the hand
beckoned us to follow on among the wigwams, and how we followed
accordingly, not daring to run, until we reached the right one; how Mr.
Indian shot through the triangular door, like the arrow from the bow--and
how diligently the medicine-man struggled to get through the little
opening, by main strength and awkwardness, and finally did it; precisely
how powerful was the sense of relief from ugly, creeping sensations around
the head and throat, when a unanimous grunt from two squaws and the three
Indians gave him welcome, with smiles, to a cushion on the ground, as a
seat of state; how the inevitable pipe and kinnikinick was passed from the
mouths of the aforesaid Indians (who had just dined on dog - soup,) to our
own; and how sweet was the taste of friendship through its fumes, we
cannot stop to particularize. It was the case of a young physician, just
out of city life, practicing among the Indians for the first time."

   A. J. Poppleton and 0. D. Richardson were the first practicing lawyers,
and they both took an active part in making the first laws of the
Territory, as they were members of the first legislature, in which they
did good work for Omaha. Gov. Richardson arrived here in October, 1854 and
was soon followed by Mr. Poppleton, both coming from about the same
vicinity in Michigan. They roomed together during the first winter in
Omaha, and therefore have been called the first law firm. A. D. Jones, who
was a little of everything in those days, was also a lawyer, and was here
before either of the above gentlemen, but as we understand the matter, he
was a lawyer more in name than in practice.

   The first steam ferry boat put in operation here by the Ferry

Page 41

Company was the "Gen. Marion," which they had purchased at Alton,
Illinois, and which superseded Brown's flat-boat ferry. It was not until
late in the fall of 1854, that it began running. It was "of ample power
and dimensions to clear the track from day to day" as we learn from an old
newspaper advertisement.

   The first dry goods store in Omaha was that of Tootle & Jackson among
the other general stores that followed were those of James Megeath and
John R. Porter.



Page 42

CHAPTER VII
THE ARROW

AMONG the institutions that aided greatly to give Omaha a more than local
notoriety in her infancy, was the Omaha Arrow, the first newspaper
published here, the first number of which is dated July 28, 1854, soon
after the survey had been completed. It was a fourPage, six column sheet,
the columns being rather wide, and we are informed in a line immediately
under the head, that it was "a family newspaper, devoted to the arts,
sciences, general literature, agriculture, and politics;" its politics
being Democratic. It took in a wide field certainly, and if these general
features are any criterion the Arrow was a paper that circulated among
people of social refinement and literary culture even at that early day.

   The Arrow was printed at Council Bluffs at the office of the Bugle,
probably with the same type, and hence we find a large number of Council
Bluffs items and advertisements in it. It was distributed to the few
persons in Omaha on the day of its publication, and sent abroad as an
advertisement of the place. We notice that it is dated "Omaha City," which
reminds us, in this connection, of

Page 43

a paragraph in Hon. J. M. Woolworth's volume, "Nebraska in 1857," He says:
"The process of making a town, and forming a company is very simple.
Three, four, or half-a-dozen men form a company, claim a tract of vacant
land, whenever they can find it, give the spot some name with I 'city'
attached to it, as a tail, fill up one, two, three hundred, or any number
of certificates of stock, and then enter upon their traffic in them. This
forms a fancy stock which is worthy of Wall Street itself. Not that there
are not towns gotten up in this way, which will have merit. How true is
this of Omaha City, and Bellevue and Nebraska City and many other towns,
where lots are of great value, and of towns like Omaha, whose stock is yet
in market. We speak of these towns, called 'kiting' towns, and which out
here, where land is abundant, answer the same purpose as the coal
companies of New York."

   So it is with nearly all new western towns. In their infancy they fly
"their kite," to which is attached the word "city" as a tail; but when
they grow to some size and importance, when they can speak for themselves,
they cut off the tail. Omaha retained her tail even up to 1857, and
probably a year or two later.

   But let us return from our little digression to the subject in hand,
the Arrow.  J. E. Johnson and J. W. Pattison were the editors and
proprietors. Johnson was the business man of the concern. He was a Mormon
and had three or four wives. He lived in Council Bluffs and was engaged in
several kinds of business at the same time. He practiced law, ran a
blacksmith shop, was an insurance agent, and carried on a general
merchandizing business, by all of which he was enabled to support his
three or four wives and their poor relations. He was a lively man on
general principles. He left this part of the country in 1856, and went to
Salt Lake, where he now resides.

   Pattison remained in Omaha for some two or three years, and

Page 44

then disappeared from the scene. He was married to a Miss Henrietta
Redner, and the marriage took place during a heavy rainstorm under a large
tree on the Elkhorn, the Rev. Silas J. Francis tying the knot. Another
couple, Frank Fox and Harriet Whittier, were married at the same time and
place. This programme was in accordance with the' ideas of the romantic
Pattison, but the double wedding was not quite so romantic an affair as it
might have been had it been all sunshine instead of clouds and soaking
rain. The last heard of Pattison was that he was editing a paper somewhere
in Missouri.

   There were only twelve numbers of the Arrow published, covering the
period from July 28th to November 10th 1854, which shows, that it
occasionally skipped a week, probably when the supply of paper ran out,
which is not an unusual occurrence in a pioneer printing office. Mr. Byron
Reed has in his possession the whole series, with the exception of No. 6.
He purchased them of a gentleman now residing in Salt Lake, formerly
living in Omaha paying the high price of $30 for them. He has had them
bound into a volume, and prizes them very highly as being among his most
rare and valuable historical records. He has allowed us free access to
them, and we have thus been enabled to obtain a great deal of interesting
history.

   The first number of the Arrow contains on the firstPage a portion of
the Kansas- Nebraska bill, which is concluded in the second issue. Turning
to the editorialPage we find the motto, "The people--the sovereigns of the
soil," at the bead of the column.

   Pattison, who was the real editor of the Arrow, was a lawyer and
general business agent. His card in the Arrow informs us that he was
located at Omaha, but the fact is that he then lived at Council Bluffs. We
have every reason to suppose that his practice did not in the least
interfere with his editorial duties, to perform which he

Page 45

evidently had ample time. He was a vivid and entertaining writer, as some
of his articles in the Arrow prove.

   Pattison was a fanciful writer, as will be seen by his salutatory
editorial, as follows:

   "Well, strangers, friends, patrons, and the good people generally,
wherever in the wide world your lot may be cast, and in whatever clime
this Arrow may reach you, here we are upon Nebraska soil seated upon the
stump of an ancient oak, which serves for an editorial chair, and the top
of our badly abused beaver for a table, we purpose editing a leader for
the Omaha Arrow.

   "An elevated table land surrounds us; the majestic Missouri just off on
our left goes sweeping its muddy course adown towards the Mexican Gulf,
whilst the background of the pleasing picture is filled up with Iowa's
loveliest, richest scenery. Away upon our left, spreading far away in the
distance lies one of the loveliest sections of Nebraska.

   Yon rich, rolling, wide-spread and beautiful prairie dotted with timber
looks lovely enough just now as heaven's free sun-light touches off in
beauty the lights and shades to be literally entitled the Eden land of the
world, and inspire us with flights of fancy upon this antiquated beaver,
but it won't pay. There sticks our axe in the trunk of an old oak, whose
branches have for years

Page 46

been fanned by the breezes that constantly sweep from over the oft-times
flower-dotted prairie lea, and from which we purpose making a log for our
cabin claim."

   Pattison's editorial, "A Night in our Sanctum," is a well written
article, and is well worth reproducing, in order to show by way of
comparison how truly the predictions concerning Omaha in his "dream" have
been fulfilled. The article is as follows:

   "A NIGHT IN OUR SANCTUM--Last night we slept in our sanctum--the starry
decked heaven for a ceiling, and Mother Earth for a flooring. It was a
glorious night and we were tired from the day's exertions. Far away on
different portions of the prairie glimmered the camp fires of our
neighbors, the Pawnees, Omahas or that noble and too often unappreciated
class of our own people known as pioneers or squatters. We gathered around
our little camp fire, talked of times of the past, of the pleasing
present, and of the glorious future which the march of civilization would
open in the land whereon we sat. The new moon was just sinking behind the
distant prairie roll, but slightly dispelling the darkness which crept
over our loved and cherished Nebraska land. We thought of distant friends
and loved ones who stretched upon beds of downy ease little appreciated
the unalloyed pleasure, the heaven-blessed comfort, that dwelt with us in
this far-off land. No busy hum of the bustling world served to distract
our thoughts. Behind us was spread our buffalo robe in an old Indian trail
which was to serve as our bed and bedding. The cool night wind swept in
cooling breezes around us, deep laden with the perfume of a thousand-hued
and varied flowers. Far away upon our lea came the occasional howl of the
prairie wolves. Talk of comfort; there was more of it in one hour of our
sanctum camp life and of camp life generally upon Nebraska soil, than in a
whole life of fashionable, pampered world in the settlements, and
individually we would not have exchanged

Page 47

our sanctum for any of those of our brethren of the press who boast of its
neatness and beauty of artful adornment.

   "The night stole on and we in the most comfortable manner in the world--
and editors have a faculty of making themselves comfortable together--
crept between art and nature--our blanket and buffalo, to sleep and
perchance to dream, 'of battles, sieges, fortunes and perils, the imminent
breech.' To dreamland we went. The busy hum of business from factories and
the varied branches of mechanism from Omaha city reached our ears. The
incessant rattle of innumerable drays over the paved streets, the steady
tramp of ten thousand of an animated, enterprising population, the hoarse
orders fast issued from the crowd of steamers upon the levee loading with
the rich products of the State of Nebraska and unloading the fruits,
species and products of other climes and soils greeted our ears. Far away
from toward the setting sun came telegraphic dispatches of improvements,
progress and moral advancement upon the Pacific coast. Cars full freighted
with teas, silks, &c., were arriving from thence and passing across the
stationary channel of the Missouri river with lightning speed hurrying on
to the Atlantic seaboard. The third express train on the Council Bluffs
and Galveston R. R. came thundering close by us with a shrill whistle that
brought us to our feet knife in hand. We rubbed our eyes, looked into the
darkness beyond to see the flying train. They had vanished and the shrill
second neigh of our lariated horses gave indication of the danger near.
The hum of business, in and around the city, had also vanished and the
same rude camp fires were before us. We slept again and daylight stole
upon us refreshed and ready for another day's labor."

   Pattison's dreamy predictions have been more than fulfilled in the
building and completion of the great trans - continental railroad, the
Union and Central Pacific, and half a dozen or more other lines;

Page 48

and in the rapid growth of Omaha to an important and beautiful city and
commercial metropolis of 25,000 inhabitants.