Brown County NE

The winter of 1880-’81 has gone into history as one of the most severe that was ever known. The prairies were covered with snow so deep that the cattle could not graze on the buffalo grass on which the ranchers relied for their winter feed. The snow came early in the fall and laid on the ground all winter. It was so deep that the cattle could not travel, and at times a crust of ice covered the surface of it making travel impossible as the cattle sank into the snow and thousands of head starved to death, sometimes in … Read more

In December, 1882, Frank Sellors and Merritt Griffiths circulated a petition asking that the coming legislature pass an act establishing a new county from unorganized territory lying west of Holt county. The boundaries as set forth in the petition included what is now the three counties, Brown, Rock and Keya Paha, and was a tract forty-eight miles from east to west and sixty-four miles north and -south. It had been under the jurisdiction of Holt County for some years. Two bills defining the boundaries of Brown County were introduced; one in the senate by Moses P. Kinkaid of the twelfth … Read more

Another class of men sometimes came into this wild, new country. They planned their travels carefully that they might leave no trails for others to follow. They were outlaws who lived by stealing horses from farmers in Iowa and eastern Nebraska. The stolen stock was brought to this lonely country and hid until a safe market could be found for it. The canyons afforded good pasture and safety, Plum creek being well adapted to this purpose. (It was there that the notorious “Doe” Middleton and his band of horse thieves had headquarters, though his home was near Mariaville in what … Read more

At the general election of 1883 these special officers were re-elected with the following exceptions: Clerk, B. H. McGrew Treasurer, J. A. Plympton Sheriff, H. J. Simpson Coroner, J. H. Spafford J. F. Burns was appointed county attorney at a salary of $100 per year. In June it was found that the assessed valuation of the entire county (now three counties) was but $649,195.75, of which the railroad and telegraph companies was $240,115. A levy for taxation was made of 9 mills general, 4 bridges and 2 road. The new county was now in fairly good running order. The usual … Read more

The newcomers who followed the cattle men were mostly farmers with a few doctors, lawyers, preachers and merchants, all seeking the free land that could be obtained under the homestead law. The head of a family or any citizen twenty-one years of age could obtain one hundred sixty acres of land by living on it for five years and making a few improvements (building a small home and plowing a few acres of prairie. There were also small fees to be paid amounting to about $18). There were two other methods of obtaining a quarter section of land; the timber … Read more

But all these matters faded into insignificance before two great questions, namely, county division, and the building of a courthouse. As early as October, 1883 residents of the eastern part of the county petitioned for an election to vote on county division, the new county to be called Elkhorn. A year later, October 14, 1884, a petition was presented, signed by Ralph Lewis, John A. Plympton and 243 other voters asking that the question of detaching a portion of Brown county and erecting the same into a new county to be known as Keya Paha county, be submitted to a … Read more

To pioneers the early mills are of great value. The fine running streams on the south side of the Niobrara offered ample water power which was early utilized for grinding grain and sawing lumber. On Pine creek were the Ritterbush mills for both flour and lumber, Richard Upstill, sawmill; Steve Kyner, flour mill. On Bone Creek was Sisson’s mill and people came from great distances to have their wheat ground or to buy flour. It was owned by A. L. (“Gus”) Sisson. Otto Hoefs built a sawmill at the mouth of the Fairfield in 1892 and sold to Wm. Kuhre … Read more

The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley railroad began building westward in the late 70’s. Each year it pushed farther into the new farming regions. To supply the needs of the new settlers the railroad carried freight, mail, express and passengers to its western terminus, Oakdale, then Neligh which it reached in 1880. In the late 70’s the cattlemen came ahead of the railroad. They were attracted by the rich, abundant grasses of the prairies which offered excellent range for their herds, with water, shelter and firewood to be found in the canyons. As a rule these ranchers held a “water … Read more