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Early
Settlement
The
first United States Government expedition
was made in 1819, under Major Long,
who traveled up
the north side of the Platte, and crossed
just above the forks of the two rivers;
thence going up
the valley between the two rivers about
two miles, and then traveling south
they passed over the
present site of the town North Platte,
and crossed the South Platte about two
miles below the town,
probably near where the Iron Wagon
Bridge is now, and then proceeded up
the south side of
the South Platte.
Titian
Peale, the naturalist, now living in
Philadelphia at an advanced age, was
with this expedition. The
Peale family, now living at North Platte,
are relatives of his.
In
1835, Colonel Henry Dodge visited this
country in the United States Government
employ, with an
expedition of 117 men, for the purpose
of persuading the Arickaree Indians,
then occupying this
region, to leave their wild life and
become civilized. He had the authority
from the Government to
give aid to them should they accept
the offer. Colonel Dodge camped
with his men at the Cottenwood
Springs, afterward called Fort McPherson,
and attempted to hold council with the
tribe, but they feared the soldiers
and fled to the timbered region at the
head of the Fremont
Slough.
On
July 5th, Colonel Dodge finally held
a council with the indians at this place,
near what is now
known as the Scherz Farm, ten miles
southwest of the town of North Platte.
The object of
the meeting was to have the indians
accept a reservation; the only real
result was the usual presents
from the whites; and promises of good
will and friendship from the indians.
In
1843, Colonel J. C. Fremont, making
his expedition up the Platte. Traveling
up the south side
of the Platte until he reached the forks,
he crossed the South Platte at the place
which is now
the farm of Alex Struthers, about two
miles from the present town of North
Platte. He marched
west between the rivers, camping for
the night about eighteen miles west
of the forks near
what is now known as Keith's ranch.
During
1844, travel up the Platte River became
quite frequent, and the first building
in the county
was built by an unknown Frenchman near
the present resident of Mrs. Burke,
at Fort
McPherson. The building was made
of cedar logs, with iron doors, and
was used as
a trading post, but was abandoned in
1848.
In
1852, a man named Brady settled on the
south side of the island now bearing
his name, and
built a house of cedar logs, about one
quarter of a mile from the present residence
of
Mrs. Burke. Brady was thought
to have been killed some time during
the following year by
Indians.
In
1858, the first permanent settlement
in the county was made at Cottonwood
Springs, and the first
building was built by Boyer & Robideau
in the fall of that year, to be used
as a trading post.
The place was named Cottonwood
Springs, made up of about one hundred
acres, surrounded
by heavy growth of cottonwood trees.
Also,
in 1858, another trading post was
started at O'Fallon's Bluffs, located
on the south side of
the river and several miles above the
town of O'Fallon's.
Several
trading posts were established at convenient
distances all the way from Fort Kearney
to
the mountains.
In
1859, a second building was built in
Cottonwood Springs by Dick Darling,
but it was purchased
by Charles McDonald. He put in
a large stock of supplies for the freighters
and
emigrants, and in fact a supply of everything
that would sell to white men or Indians.
In
the winter of 1860, he moved his wife,
Orra McDonald, from Omaha, she
then became the
first white woman to settle in the county.
It was three years before another
white woman
came to Cottonwood Springs. Although
during 1860, several white women came
to
the county with their husbands. Mrs.
Davis, living a few miles from Cottonwood
Springs, was
the second white woman in the county.
Mrs. McDonald is now living at
North Platte, where
her husband is engaged in banking. She
is the most intelligent and refined
of ladies, and
was responsible for must of the information
given about the early history of the
county.
In
the spring of 1860, J. A. Morrow built
a ranch about twelve miles west
of Cottonwood Springs,
and the mail company established a mail
station on Box Elder Creek.
The
cause for the establishment of all of
these posts was the increased travel
and freighting carried
over this route during the great rush
of emigrants and gold seekers to the
Rocky Mountains
and on to California. It was necessary
for these posts to be built at
convenient distances
so that the freighters and emigrants
could purchase their supplies. These
posts were
at first some distance apart and were
soon increased in number until it was
only about
ten to twelve miles distance between
stations, the larger staions had multiple
trading posts.
Mail
and stage lines were established along
the routes.
In
1861, Edward Creighton, of Omaha, completed
his telegraph line. For many years,
until the
completion of the Union Pacific Railroad,
the entire route had a constant stream
of travel
pouring up this valley. It was not uncommon
to have hundreds, maybe a thousand wagons
pass on a single day.
In
June of 1861, the first white child
was born in the county. His name
is William H. McDonald, he
now lives with his parents at North
Platte.
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