The story of the settlement of Martin township can best be told by the incorporation in this chapter of an historical narrative prepared about twelve years ago [1907] by Stephen B. Binfield:

Along the south of the Platte through Hall County there had existed a well worn trail of traffic and travel. Not only the government mail service and transportation to the western forts and stations, but the overland traffic to the western mining camps and the Mormon emigration from Illinois and continued acccession of foreign emigrants had made this an established route of travel. But notwithstanding all this travel no settlement along this south side appears to have been made until August 2, 1862, when Mr. George Martin, an Englishman by birth, and in England a professinal racing jockey, but who had been living in Illinois and Iowa, crossed the Des Moines River with a party led by W. Stolley and came to section 12, town 9, range 11, and made there the first homestead with his family, having selected his location some two years previously. Inquiring how it was that he passed over all the eastern portion of this state, so large a portion of it being vacant at that time, and came so far west, I was told that it was Mrs. Martin's influence and power that determined that matter. So disgusted had she become with saloons and otherwise vicious influences of frontier life as found in Iowa--Des Moines was then a mere frontier village--and having quite a family to bring up she determined she would get far enough away from all such associations, and at the same time, having a sharp eye to business, secure what she regarded as an inexhaustable supply of free open land for a cattle ranch. But "the best laid plans of mice and men gang oft awry."

For she soon learned that they had located right in the track of the main travel for the west, and their house was soon made the stopping place and hostelry for the daily stream of traffic going through to the mines and territories, and so crowded at times that it could not be kept free from a large share of those objectionable features which Mrs. Martin had hoped to get away from. She certainly was no ordinary woman. A God-fearing woman, with an intense force of character, immense courage and very great business capcity she must have been; for her descendants, representing two families on the paternal side, are all and each strongly marked with her distinctive features and character. To illustrate her capacity it was her constant practice summer and winter about every three or for weeks to make the journey to Nebraska City, the nearest trading place, with two teams and wagons for supplies of all kinds with only her youngest son William, then a mere boy, to drive the rear wagon.

In other respects the Martin house and family will remain the one distictive historical feature of the south and west portion of this county. Mrs. Martin's eldest son, George Weaver, was I think the first preacher to proclaim the gospel as he understood it in this part of the county. The first house in Adams County was begun in May, 1871, and in the autumn of that year he was holding religious services and organizing in a newly built house, and missionary enterprise seems to have been the principal pursuit of his life from that day to this.

On this side of the river they apper to be the only family that got involved in actual fights with the Indians. On the first occasion, two years after settlement, Wm. Martin and his two sons, Nat and Robert, were returning home with two loads of hay. Mr. Martin was driving ahead when a party of Sioux and Cheyennes without any provocation attacked them, apparently with no other purpose than securing their horses. Mr. Martin was shot with arrows in the neck but not severely enough to disable him from getting home with his wagon. The two boys were frightened and left their hay and jumped onto a horse they were leading behind and tried to get away but were both shot, the arrow just tearing the side of Nat under the arm but entering the back of his brother Bob. Falling off the horses, the Indians took the horses and left the boys for dead. Nat was not so severely wounded as his brother who appears to have suffered from his wound the remainder of his life, dying in Kansas from spinal meningitis some years ago.

Mr. Martin's daughters figured in the second attack. Visiting one day at Mr. Jerome's, but a little way from their own place, they had just started home when they were set upon. But Mr. Jerome was but a little way with his gun and in defending the two girls he brought down one of the Indians which put an end to that affair, the Indians turning to look after their comrade and carry him away.

The younger son William who was a herd boy, on two separate occasions lost his pony, which appears to have been the extent of his personal sacrifices in that line. Game in the shape of deer and occasionally buffalo were abundant in those days, buffalo appearing in sufficient numbers to damage the pasture and then disappearing and not showing up again for many months or a year.

But few of the early settlers have had the chance to kill a buffalo without going very long journeys after them, at too great a sacrifice. Passing over the ground between Lincoln and Adams counties three times in the month of May, 1871, not a glimpse of one could be seen. They are shy and quick to forsake the neighborhood of human habitation.

Before 1870 quite a few people had taken claims south of the river, many of whom as usual proved to be more or less transient. Some, however remained as permanent fixtures, stamping the impress of their superior qualities, activities, and character upon the history of both their township and county. Chief among such may be named W. J. Burger, Oscar Foote, Seth Wilson, and other very worthy men too numerous to mention. Elm Island offered to many of these an extra choice lot of the finest farming land which they were not slow to see and acquire, for on the few occasins when the uplands have suffered more or less from a dry season the river settlers have never failed to reap their reward.

The first work of a public nature undertaken west of south Platte township was the organization of school district. It is hoped that few districts have found this proceeding so heavy a burden as they have proved in this case. The school house was built in '72. The bonds have been subject to litigation, the district suffering for the means to maintain school, the bonds not being finally cancelled for upwards of thirty years.

Bridging the South Platte in 1874 must have been a much more satisfactory and profitable bit of public business and a credit to all concerned in its promotion.

Favorable indeed were the conditions attending the frist settlements a-

long this river. Fort Kearny and the continuous stream of emigrants to the western mines and territories furnished them a market for all the produce of any kind that they could raise, and at almost any resonable price. Some other besides Mr. Martin learned how to make hay while the sun shone. But some are not built that way and are often ready to sell out or strike for other fields that always look more green because they are further off.

But as in nature the sun does not always shine, so in human effort misfortune and disappointment will somtimes overwhelm the best endeavor.

Shoemaker Island, a large island just east of Elm Island, so maned after one of the first settlers in Grand Island, furnishes an example. It was thickly studded with valuable timber, the best of which the U. P. R. R. Co. cut and appropriated for construction purposes furnishing an abundant supply of good timber for building and fuel to the early homesteaders, and Mr. Shoemaker discovered on it a most excellent cattle range for summer pasture and took a claim on it, for several years with good results until 1873. On November 14, 1871, a fearful blizzard of snow and wind came up suddenly which lasted three days without cessation, but his cattle had been taken off and safely housed or the disaster which occurred later might then have happened. But in April, 1873, the weather had been exceptionally warn and the grass early and the cattle were placed on the island when on the 15th another blizzard as severe as that of '71, but continuing for only two days, drove the cattle into the river. Of the exact number that perished I am not sure. Nothing in any way approaching the character of these two storms has since occurred, and the range has continued in use with success and profit.

History is made chiefly from ideas and events that tend to mould and shape the future, for which reason I ought perhaps to notice somewhat the Farmers' Grain Company of Prosser, an institution capable of indefinite extension and pointing the way of future development, promising to solve some of the perplexing problems of the age. The chief promotor of the organization and its sucessful manager until a year ago, (about 1906 that would be), was Charles Mertz, one of the most capable business men ever resident in Martin township. But it is an inter- or bi-county institution and does not belong to the early days. It is located in Adams County, and Mr. Mertz is no longer a resident of this county.

Since the early days here noticed only in one year has the harvest in any degree failed to follow seedtime, and in that year only on the dry upland.

Early in 1863 George Martin became owner of a celebrated Buffalo hunting horse properly trained and well used to that business, and was anxiously looking for an opportunity to use the horse for that purpose. June had come when they were informed that there was a large herd of Buffalo some forty miles or more to the southwest. So on June 10 Mr. Martin, taking his two boys, H. N. and Will G. Martin, and a stout and strong man by the name of Nabin, started out on the hunt with two wagons and teams, leading the buffalo horse along. Travelling all day they came in sight of the herd just before night--hundreds--grazing on the side of a hill in the neighborhood of where the town of Minden is now located on the line of the B. & M. to Denver, here they camped for the night. In the morning they were all there, not more than eight rods away. "Now," said Nabin, "take your prize horse and go shoot that one there," pointing to one somewhat apart from the rest. So Mr. M., jumping on his trained horse bareback and taking his double barrel gun, also a pepper box loaded pistol in his pocket, went after the buffalo which started to run from him a short distance when it suddenly turned about and showed fight, starting rapidly toward him. Mr. M., being a totally green hand at the business, was trying to pull the horse around in a way contrary to the habits and customs of the horse in such cases but the horse would not consent to be thus managed, and in the contest Mr. M. lost his gun and fell to the ground, the animal running over him, treading on and badly bruising one of his legs. Taking his pistol from his pocket he used it with some result. Shooting the buffalo in the head he knocked out one eye, this causing the animal to turn around a number of times, giving Martin an opportunity to get up and get to the horse which had not attempted to go away. Grasping the horse around its neck the horse fought off the buffalo, whose attentions were concentrated on attacking the man rather than the horse, which continued to turn around following the movements of the buffalo, striking at it and kicking it in the head with its hind hoofs. This contest ended by the horse starting for the camp, Mr. Maring hanging from its neck and the bufalo following, but only for a short distance, when it swung around and started back toward the herd. Nabin began instantly to jeer and ridicule Martin, calling him a d--d fool for falling off and not shooting the animal as he ought to, saying that he could do better than that by going on his own mule. Getting upon his mule with his musket he rides off after the bufalo and shoots, either missing it entirely or having no effect for the buffalo swinging around took after him and the mule. The buffalo proved faster on foot than the mule, and hooked the mule behind with his horns, the mule braying at each poke. Nabin's bragadocia was clean gone, when, dropping his gun, he took off his hat to whip and urge on his mule, he was so scared. But getting within a few yards of the wagon the buffalo stopped and began pawing the ground when the oldest boy Henry undertook to challenge the buffalo on foot and with his single barrel shot gun killed the animal on the spot.

William G. Marin says this was as dear a buffalo meal as they ever ate but very sweet, though they shot hundreds after that quite as good.

Early landholders prior to 1890 in Martin township:

Geo. Martin, Chas. Jerome, ---?--- Maben [the above "bragadocia" Nabin??], Chas. Montz, John T. Mott, Fred Donner, John Wettstein, Chris Petersen, John Whitehouse, George Weavers, Stephen B. Binfield, Stephen Findley, Oscar Foote, F. Wescott, F. C. Dodge, Geo. Burmood, P. E. Burmood, S. L. Tracy, H. Binfield, F. Buckmyer, Jos. English, M. Abbott, R. A. Binfield, Seth Wilson, Geo. Kindig, A. H. Stuart, Wm. D. Floyd, L. A. Stecher, Benj. Speith, Geo. Weavers, Wm. J. Bilslend, J. Williams, I. N. Mead, Z. Avery, John C. McConnell, Peter McMakin, W. B. Ingraham, Wm. M. Lowman, B. F. Taylor, H. J. Madsen, Geo. H. Madsen, James Madsen, Henry Bonson, W. E. Lorenzen, C. Reintanz, Dav. Schauck, F. M. Tutt, Rudolph Wenger, John Eggman, A. L. Richards, Henrietta Mintz, Jos. C. Philbrick, J. Bohnett, Sam W. Smith, J. P. McKinney, M. Ellington, Geo. H. Light.