THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE SOUTH SIDE
OF THE PLATTE RIVER
BY W. J. BURGER

W. J. Burger, the writer of this sketch was married to Martha A. Creason on November 24, 1864, at Glenwood, Iowa. They came west in December, 1864, locating on a ranch on the freight road near thejunction of the two rads, one coming up the Platte River from Plattsmouth, the other from Nebraska City. At that time there were no settlers except a ranchman once in awhile along the Platte river, on the old freight road. There were hundreds of teams of oxen, mules, and horses continually passing, on the roads in those days. A large number of these were hauling provisions to the mining cuntry in the west, with Denver as the central point. Then came the overland stage and mail route, with large stage coaches carrying passengers and mail from Nebraska City to Denver. The Indians were so bad that the government furnished an escort of soldiers for the stage line from Fort Kerny on westward. There were no settlers on the south side at that time, except on the freight road. The government kept about a thousand soldiers at Fort Kearny for the protection of the public.

A STAGE LINE

At this time the writer kept a sage station, where they kept a change of teams. A change of drivrs was also stationed here, as they ran the stage line day and night.

THE VISITS OF THE INDIANS

The occasion of the attack o the Mrtin boys, when two of them wee pinned together with one arrow, somewhat disquieted the situation through our vicinity. The Pawnee and Omaha Indians passed therough from thier respective reservations abut three times each year, going to and from their hunts for buffalo. They were a great nuisnace to the settlers as they begged and stole everything they could get hold of, and when they got a good opportunity they would even kill people, if they could do so and not be caught, although they were supposed to be friendly tribes.

On the 25th day of July, 1867, the Indians made a raid on the settlers and killed a wman by the name of Warren, and carried away four children, two little boys named Campbell and two young women. The prisoners were with the Indians about two months but were eventually recovered by the white people.

There were frequent raids by hostile Indians from 1867 to 1870. A good many ranchmen abandoned their ranches here and went on further east for safety.

THE BUFFALO

In the fall of 1867 the buffalo came in by the thousands. The whole country was so full of buffaloes that the ranchmen could get all the fresh meat they wanted, and there were a great many people from farther east came in to hunt buffalo and get a winter supply of meat. On account of the hostility of the Indians at that time the writer of this sketch took his little family and went to Cass County, Nebraska, in the spring of 1868. We returned in April, 1871, and settled onland four miles west of our old rance. A few settlers came in during 1871 and more in 1872.

EARLY SETTLEMENT AROUND DONIPHAN

The first settlers I can recall who settled in what is now known as Doniphan township were H. C. Denman, C. M. Lowery, S. H. Lakins, Charles Dufford, Samuel Shultz, A. R. thorn, T. B. Robb, Sam Beidelman, W. H. Gideon, Jacob Gideon, George A. Burger, Barton L. Easley, and John Creason, Sr. In what is now known as South Platte township, among the first settlers were John Creason, Sr., George C. Himphrey, E. M. Burger, John Eastman, Nat Martin, W. E. Martin, Joseph Button, and John Britt. The writer of this sketch marked out the first road to the new town of Hastings in 1872, going south on section lines to corners. We went to Hastings with wagon, as at that time there was no traveled road to that point.

STORMS, GRASSHOPPERS AND TROUBLES

In 1873, on the 13th day of April (Easter Sunday), the early setters experienced the worst snow storm of our history. It lasted three days. Many of the settlers lost their tams and their milch cows and other stock in the storm.

The grasshoppers were another serious drawback tot he early settlers. There was not much corn raised anyway during those early days, on account of the stringencey of money through the country. Owing to the money shark's high rate of interest, many a settler had to abandon his claim because he could not get sufficient to live through the panic period of 1873, 1874, and 1875.

EARLY COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

The Methodist church was organize i 1873. A sod church and school-house were built on W. J. Burger's farm. The charter members of the church were George Dempster, E. M. Burger and wife, John Creason and wife, Mrs. Dufford, W. J. Burger and wife. Our first elder was T. B. Lemon. We had a preacher from Grand Island who held service for our first organization; then we had Rev. Woolman. Later we held our meetings in the new school house on the corner west of the present site of Doniphan. In 1884 the first Methodist church was built in the town of Doniphan, and about the same time the Congregationalists built.

The St. Joseph and Grand Island railroad had been built through in 1879 nad the town of Doniphan laid out. I want to say a word about the village of Doniphan. Forty years have come and gone since the bith of htis community and there are not many of the old settlers left to tell the story. I think I can modestly say that we can point with pride to the achievements that have been made in that time. I think we will all agree that Doniphan is one of the best towns in the county, outside of Grand Island. It has a population of over 600 people, and the country surrounding Doniphan is as fine a country as there is in the state, and it is populated and cultivated by as fine a class of people as you will find anywhere. Those of us who have lived here during these forty years have seen the land surrounding Doniphan that was worth in those early trying days $3 to $4 an acre develop to a value of $150 to $200 an acre.

TO THE SECOND GENERATION

In fact now a new generaton is in the saddle, in the place of the pioneer settlers of 45 or 50 years ago. Well may this new generation of people be proud of the splendid legacy that has been handed down to them by their fathers and predecessors. Instead of the sod house of half-century ago, we now have splendid farm mansions and fine, magnificent homes. Instead of ox-teams of the 'sixties or 'seventies, we have automobiles and airplanes. Our educational system is second to none, and in the late world conflict our nation has provern that our boys are ready, willing, and able to defend our free institutions, and that democracy must and will prevail in this great country of ours.

Early landholders in Doniphan township prior to 1890:

H. C. Denman, W. J. Burger, Chas. Dufford, S. H. Lakins, Al Thorne, Geo. Burger, S. S. Shultz, S. Beidelman, Tom Robb, John Creason, Sr., Olthoff Brothers, Clearnce (?) Lowery, Anthony Goetsch, D. J. Boring, Solomin White, Wm. H. Marsh, G. W. Snearley, Kate A. Cook, Sarah E. Somers, J. H. Scudder, B. F. Scudder, Geo. H. Lamonte, Chas. J. Humphrey, M. V. Marsh, Frank Virgil, Wm. Harrod, George Lowell, Alfred Elwick, R. L. Caldwell, Wm. Harrod, Chas. Harrod, Wm. S. Shultz, E. L. Harrell, C. C. Gideon, B. L. Gideon, James Leach, J. H. Quigle, Emery Quigle, Dix Ryan, F. J. Ryan, Henry N. Martin, Wm. Rapp, J. C. Gregg, R. T. Varrah, Wm. Neal, A. H. Orcutt, Jacon Bernhard, Geo. B. Loucks, A. A. Stone, G. Grantham, R. Bellis, G. E. Magee, C. M. Richamond, John Gallacher, Edward Hooper, L. Lasher, Wm. Whyte, G. W. Lowell, B. A. Marsh, J. R. McIntosh, W. B. Guild, B. M. Orcutt, P. L. Prime, H. J. ring, Eliza Westfall, G. M. Taggart, J. M. Fisher, Jas. F. McCumber, M. B. Holly, Wm. L. Sheaf, Benj. Page, John Coleman, C. D. Houck, E. B. Canada, Jas. A. Cochran, D. A. Beale, G. A. Lowe, M. V. Hossler, H. W. Hossler, W. H. Welch, A. R. Hemenover.

Doniphan township--North end:

Fred Roby, W. H, Denman, A. C. Denman, H. W. Beers, Wm. Moorefield, T. Heitz, F. Cole, Peter Herlien, Jacob Winternute, Alex. Graham, H. C. Metcalf, Morris Madison, A. Hebel, H. Bruner, E. D. Stout, C. M. Lowery, L. A. Harvey, J. B. Hilton, F. Haines, L. Wulf, T. Heitz, Matt Ley, Geo. Valerius, Chas. Happold, W. Parks, A. Deisel, A. Volner, Wm. H. Hendrich, L. R. Ennis, H. Littler, R. M. Bennett, Wm. Graf, Alonzo Koch, H. D. Koch, John Sullivan, A. F. Bloomer, Solan Strawn, G. A. Lyon, Robert Brown, Wm. P. Taggart, M. Brown, E. E. Whittcar, W. M. Jones, August Woulffe.