Most
of the territory that is
now Boyd County, Nebraska
was originally Indian land--a
part of the great Sioux
Reservation. The rest
of it consisted of the part
of
the Fort Randall Military
Reservation that was in Nebraska,
and the original Turtle
Creek Precinct. The
part of the Fort Randall
Military Reservation in
Nebraska
was bounded by the Military
Line., which ran from Section
3, Twp.
35, Range 10 diagonally
southwest to Section 31 to
section 31, Twp. 34, Range
11, then diagonally north
to Section 21, Twp. 35,
Range 12. The original
Turtle Creek precinct was
the territory between the
Keya Paha and Niobrara
Rivers in western Boyd.
It was a part of Holt
County and was settled
before the rest of this
county.
In
1889 a treaty was made between
the Indians and the United
States government,
whereby the Indian Land
would be thrown open for
settlement by
the "squatters".
Adolph Reiser of Butte
recalls when the government
officials
came from Washington to
get the Indian Chief to
sign the treaty. The
Indian Chief refused to
sign and quarreled with
the officers for some time.
He would pick up a
handful of dirt and let
if fall through his fingers,
saying
as he did so, that they could
not eat dirt. However,
the chief was finally
persuaded to sign the treaty.
The Indians were given
six months to
make their selections for
their homes, and most of
them from here went to
Gregory County, North Dakota.
President
Harrison proclaimed the
territory open for settlement
in the middle of
February, 1890. Boyd
County was not officially
proclaimed a county in Nebraska
until August 1, 1891, when
Governor Thayer issued the
proclamation
which was as follows:
Governor's
Proclamation
Executive
Office, Lincoln, Nebraska
August
1, 1891
Whereas,
a large number of citizens
of the unorganized county
of Boyd
had united in a petition,
asking that said county
be organized and that Frank
Morse, Howard Ware and L.
L. Dudley be appointed special
County Commissioners and
John C. Santee be appointed
special County Clerk of
said county, for
the purpose of forming a
temporary organization,
and the temporary county
seat be located at Butte
City, and it appearing that
the said county contains
a population of not less
than two hundred (200) inhabitants
and ten
or more of said petitioners
are taxpayers and residents
of said county.
Now,
therefore, I, John M. Thayer,
Governor of the State of
Nebraska, in compliance
with the memorial of said
petitioners and by virtue
of the authority
in me vested by Section
1, Article 1, Chapter 17,
of the Compiled
Satutes of Nebraska, do
hereby, declare said county
of Boyd organized
for the purpose of effecting
a permanent organization,
and do commission
the persons above named
as Special County Commissioners
and
the person above named Special
County Clerk of said county,
and do declare
the place or town of Butte
city as the temporary county
seat of said county.
In
testimony whereof, I have
hereunto set my hand and
caused to be affixed the
great seal of the State
of Nebraska.
Done
at Lincoln, this 1st day
of August, 1891.
(Seal)
By
Govenor,
JOHN
M. THAYER
Source: History of
Boyd County, Nebraska 1938