“80 Years in Webster County: A Compilation of Webster County Chronicles” presents an extensive collection of articles that chronicle the history and life of Webster County, Nebraska, from its early days to the mid-20th century. Authored by Dr. Elmer Alonzo Thomas, this compilation draws from a series of writings initially published in the Red Cloud Commercial Advertiser and the Blue Hill Leader, the county’s prominent newspapers. The book, printed in 1953 by Tribune Graphic Arts in Hastings, Nebraska, spans 148 pages and includes illustrations, portraits, and maps, offering readers a vivid portrayal of the county’s evolution over eight decades.
Dr. Thomas, a native of Webster County, provides a firsthand account of the area’s development, reflecting on his experiences growing up and living there. His narrative covers a wide range of topics, from early settlers and significant events to personal anecdotes and reflections. The articles are presented in their original form, preserving the authenticity and personal touch of Thomas’s writing.
Webster County, located in southern Nebraska near the geographical center of the United States, has a rich history marked by the resilience and determination of its inhabitants. The first settlers arrived in 1870, and by the following year, the county was officially organized. Dr. Thomas meticulously documents the county’s milestones, including the establishment of its first roads, schools, and public buildings, as well as the challenges faced by its early residents.
The book not only captures the historical facts but also delves into the everyday lives of the people who shaped Webster County. From farming and education to local politics and community events, Thomas’s articles offer a comprehensive look at the county’s past. The inclusion of stories about notable figures, such as Chief Red Cloud and Governor Silas Garber, adds depth to the narrative, highlighting the interconnectedness of local and national history.
List of Articles
- Where How and When The Land
- The Lure Of The Land
- State Government, 1860 – 1878
- Many Firsts 1871
- 1872 – 1873
- The First County Road
- Blue Hill – Bladen Country
- Sadie Hummel Holdrege Reminisces
- Walnut Creek
- Bobier – Haakes – Murder
- Webster County 1874
- 1876
- 1880
- First Settlers
- Official Beginning
- Lynching
- The Pleasures Of Pioneer Life
- Education In Webster County
- The Gurneys
- The Town Of Blue Hill
- The Pioneer Fuel Problem
- The Horse-Drawn Street Car
- Queen Of Webster County’s Pioneers
- My Parents’ Courtship and Marriage
- Eighty Years Of Progress
- Webster County Schools
- The Past and Present
- Webster County’s Newspapers
- The Good Old Days
- The First Directory Of Red Cloud
- Indians In The Area
- Storms Of The Early Days
- The Honorable Silas Garber
- Honorable William A. Mckeighan
- Closing Of The Morhart Hardware
- My First Train Ride
- My First Date
- I Go To School
- Stories From The Pioneers
- Contentment A State Of Mind
- First Settlers Of Inavale
- Invasion Of The Happy Hunting Grounds
- Who Am I?
- Webster and Adams Counties
- Bill Cress First Trapper and Hunter
- 1870 – 1953
- Religious Experience
- I Teach A Country School
- Spor Dy S. Earsoinidental Practice
- D0 Phorses Get Homesick
- Webster and Adams Counties
- Bill Cress First Trapper and Hunter
- 1870-1953
- Religious Experience
- I Teach A Country School
- Forty Years in Dental Practice
- Horses Get Homesick
- Politics and Politicians
- The Rileys and Lairds Of Oak Creek
- Personal and Otherwise
- Pet Crows
- Red Cloud Daily Chief
- The Indian Buffalo Hunt
- Nebraska – Kansas Inter – Relations
- Memoirs
- Discovery Of The Pawnee Village
- Pike’s Memorial
- Hill Straightens Record
- Guide Rocks Foremost Citizen
- Guide Rock
- Wells – Bladen
- Old Settlers Day 1955
- Webster’s Industry
- Early Experiences of the Wheats
- Author’s Farm Experiences
- Depression 1932
- Banks and Bankers
- The Cave Man
- A New Auto
- Willa Cather As I Knew Her
- Red Cloud Stockade
- Newspaper Items Of The Past
- A Pioneer Picnic Is History
- Webster County’s Mining Craze
- A Tribute To The Oldest Citizen
- A Visit To The Nebraska Asylum Of Incurable Insane
- Nebraska Develops Its Hospitals
- I Become An Attendant
- The Life of an Attendant
- Insanity My Avocation
- Retrospect
- A Fight For Dental Service
- Ignorance
- Cowles The Town That Was
- The Corners Of Webster County
- Doctors and Doctoring
- Republican River
- W. C. Frahm Exemplary Citizen
- Pioneer Churches and Ministers
- Three Township Supervisors
- Railroads
- Webster County Health Resort
Threshing By Horse and Steam Power
Early Pioneers
1953 Webster County Court House and Jail
The Elm Creek Stockade and First Children
Webster County’s Oldest Store and Owners
Illustrations
Louisiana Purchase (map)
Geographical Center Monument
Hub of U.S. A. 1870 – 1953 (map)
Namesakes of Webster and County Seat
Silas Garber and His Dugout
M. L. Thomas Election Clerk Certifies
L. D. Thomas Filing Paper 1871
County Historian The Author
A Pioneer Home of Native Logs
Webster’s Old Frame Court House
They Built of Buffalo Sod
First Settler Emanuel Peters
They Built of Native Rock
Red Cloud’s First School Teacher
Red Cloud After Eighty Years
Hog and Cattle Population Since 1878 Topography Changes With Time
Newspapers Consolidate
Red Cloud and Blue Hill Newspapers’ Family
Sod School House Where Author Started His Schooling
1935 Republican River Flood and Hunters’ Ranch at Inavale
Author Does Acting While on Vacation
Grand father’s Home in 1873
Where The Author Tried School Teaching
The Red Cloud Chief and It’s Publisher 80th Decade
Eckley’s Consolidated Country School
A. T. Hill The Discoverer of Pawnee Village
Guide Rock’s Harry Vaughan
The Guide Rock as it Appears in 1953
Early Milling at Amboy and Red Cloud
Blue Hill Creamery and A Cream Jack
Inavale Cheese Factory
Horse and Mule Industry
Nebraska’s Asylum for Incurable Insane When Red Cloud’s Doctor Damerell was Superintendent
The Old Time Doctor of Horse and Buggy Days
An Old Steel Bridge Across the Republican
Webster’s Pioneer Dean W. C. Frahm
Webster’s Most Distinguished Pioneer Preacher
The Small Community Church of the Past
Township Supervisors During Township Organization
The County, A Health Resort, With Examples, Peirce and Griffith
Centralized Horse Drinking Fountain and Horse Street Cars
Horse Power and Steam Power Threshing
A Varied Community Representation of Pioneers
The Present 1953 Court House and Jail
The Elm Creek Stockade, Builders and First Born
Webster County’s Oldest Store, Founder and Owner, Mother and Daughter
Webster County Nebraska
Webster County lies in the southern tier of counties 150 miles west of the Missouri River. It is twenty-four miles square and comprises 368,640 acres, all of which was prairie except along the streams. On April 19, Donald McCallum and Emanuel Peters settled under the shadow of a large rocky bluff called Guide Rock, 1870, the first in the territory of Webster County. The U. S. Census for 1870 showed but sixteen in the territory. However, by April 19, 1871, there were enough to organize the county, the first to so organize in the Republican Valley and southwest Nebraska. There were many first things in this first year. After the stockade the first building was by Silas Garber and constructed by digging a hole in the ground and laying a few logs around the banks and putting on a dirt roof. This dug-out became of historic im-portance. Mr. Garber was a widower, and lived there alone, doing his own cooking. Whenever public meetings were to be held, that was the place selected.
Source
Thomas, Elmer Alonzo, 80 years in Webster County: a compilation of Webster County chronicles written for and published in the Red Cloud commercial advertiser, and the Blue Hill leader, the county’s outstanding country newspapers, Hastings, Nebraska : Tribune Graphic Arts, 1953.