We proceeded to make our way to the city of Grand Island, for my father had an old acquaintance who had come out from Dane County, Wisconsin, in 1858, in old Squire Land [note: Squire LAMB], who kept a stage station 35 miles east of Fort Kearny. We really came out on the urging of Mr. Lamb, who had written my father that there would be a letter with money at the Grand Island post office. When, therefore, we arrived at Grand Island, we were unable to find the city, but saw a lone shack on the north channel of the Platte, south of where Grand Island is now located. When we asked how far it was to Grand Island the man said we were there, and informed my father that he was post master. His post office was a cracker box partitioned off. His name was John Schuler. He declared that there was one letter in the post office and that was for my father. It contained $2.00 "Shin Plaster."

There were very few settlers in Wood River Valley at that time, and they were five to eight miles apart. We selected a site and with the aid of my father's neighbors, he was not long in putting up a log cabin 22 feet long and 18 feet wide with a thick roof of Nebraska shingles (sod). Fort Kearny, 35 miles or so west, was the nearest trading point, there being the settlers' store, controlled by the government, and the only trading place until Mr. Koenig and Mr. Wiebe erected a large, log store  at  Grand  Island  /(O. K.

Store). To the west, the early settles who came in 1860 and took up claims on Wood River, were Richard, Anthony, and Patrick Moore, and James Jackson, Judge Beal and his family, settled on Wood River, a man by the name of Townsley, foster father of Mrs. William Eldridge, with his family, settled on what is known as the Gallup farm. Mrs. Eldrige's parents had died when she was seven years of age, and an aunt took her to raise when she was twelve. This aunt joined a colony of Mormons and left England bound for St. Louis, but died on the way over. The Mormons brought the waif with them on a steam boat bound for Florence, Nebraska, just north of Omaha, where a church train of Brigham Young was waiting for them. A church train consisted of thirty wagons and a Mormon preacher to each train, holding services each evening on the journey. At Florence this orphan child was noticed by Mr. Townsley, a government interpreter, who received the consent of the Mormons to adopt her and took her to his home on the reservation. She lived with the Townsley family among the Indians, learning their language, customs, and tricks. The adoped child moved to Wood River with the Townsley family. There she met William Eldridge, who had settled in that locality in 1858. A romance formed and their marriage was one of the first in the county.