Logan county lies just west of Custer and north of Lincoln counties and organized in 1885 by a soldier’s colony of about three hundred members who settled up on government lands under the homestead and timber culture act of Congress. The colony was organized in 1883 at the office of J. S. Hoagland, then a practicing lawyer in Lincoln, Nebraska. Several veterans of the Civil war designing to enter upon government consulted with Mr. Hoagland as to where such land could be found. They were advised that such information could be obtained by organized effort at much less expense than if each one attempted to ascertain such information for himself. A date for a meeting was fixed and the Lincoln papers printed a notice that there was to be a soldier’s colony organized at Mr. Hoagland’s office at a certain time. At this appointed time there were two hundred and twenty ex-soldiers on hand and joined the organization, each paid in one dollar and a committee of five members was selected to go out and find a good location where government land could be obtained. All railroads offered free transportation to the members of the committee and one-half fare and on-half the regular freight rates for members of the colony. The committee after having carefully examined the country in the northwest, southwest and central western portions made its report to a meeting of the colony called to act upon such report and it was decided almost unanimously to locate in the unorganized territory where Logan county is now situated. The south Loup river, a beautiful little stream, runs through the center of the county. The valleys and table lands are very productive, and the prosperity of many members of the colony is shown by the comfortable houses, barns, splendid stock, fertile fields and growing trees. The people have prospered without the aid of a railroad as no railroad company has as yet constructed any line through this county. Land there is selling from ten to thirty dollars per acre because of its great productiveness. The farmers ship but little grain because of the long haul necessitated in the marketing of their product. Mr. Hoagland, the organizer of the colony, went with his comrades to their new home. procured a patent from the government for his quarter section of land in 1885 and is now one of the leading lawyers in North Platte. Logan County will probably have a railroad in the near future and so lands will rapidly increase in value. A daily mail runs between North Platte and Gandy, the county seat of the county, and nearly every resident of the county has his telephone service. The raising of the best breeds of cattle, horses, hogs, and sheep is the principal industry. They have good schools and churches and the people are happy even though they do not hear the whistle of the locomotive and the rumble of the railroad trains. Taken from History and Reminiscence and Biography of Western Nebraska containing a History of Nebraska published in 1909. This book belonged to Judge F. R. Hogeboom. Submitted by Mr. & Mrs. M. Moore.
