THE DIARY OF ELIZA GILLESPIE
This county, Taylor, is in the Loup Valley, a fertile flood plain which narrows and fades into the Sandhills, which aren't so fertile and are essentially grasslands.
Established July 23, 1883, Loup County (once called Taylor County) was named for the Wof or Skidi band of Pawnee Indian. Loup is the French translation of the Pawnee word skidi, meaning wolf.
The Loup Valley was one of the overland travel routes westward in the settlement years of the 1880-90's into this century. Not everyone found a bonanza "out west". Perhaps you'd like to know about the Gillespies who gave up out west in 1899, re-traced this valley, and headed for a hopped-up eldorado in Oklahoma.
Josiah Gillespie; his wife Anna Eliza Cook Gillespie; children Harry, Mose, Jake, Violet, and Joe (and other family members) left Ida Post Office (Dawson Co.) August 17, 1899, their belongings piled on horse-drawn vehicles, one of which was a spring wagon, Mrs. Gillespie kept a diary.
In traversing the Sandhills uplands she mentions both Bartlett Richards, the rancher and Jules Sandoz, the farmer-horticulturist.
On August 24 they were in Loup Valley in SE Cherry County. Listen to what Eliza Gillespie says:
"We might have been on the road just one week to a day. It was a very cold night. Cold enough to frost...We passed the Falls (of the Loup) this morning. It looked so familiar that I turned, half expecting to see the Figure 4 Ranch house, and the group of girls from Lincoln (probably summer campers). We camped at noon on the Loup and will remain in camp the rest of the day to let the horses feed.
August 25, 1899.. We came over some of the roughest roads I ever saw this morning. In fact, there was little or no road at all...nothing but cow paths. We crossed the North Loup twice. Joe had one of his grumbling spells. It must do man good to grumle at what he cannot help...I shall ride in the spring wagon until the atmosphere clears a little. (Evening) We have camped for night in the Loup and are close to the bridge. I am afraid to tell how many grouse we had tonight...Jake's gun is a great help in the way of providing meat to eat. We are all pretty tired of fish.
Saturday, August 26, 1899....Five of the horses got away yesterday. We did not miss them until this morning, a little after we had started. Mose and Jake went back after them. After waiting awhile, we went into camp and after dinner the boys started out again. We drove on, Violet and Duff driving the horses....We camped at Brownlee.
Sunday, August 27, 1899....It is an old camp ground, and the dirty shirts, old tincans and other trash was not conducive to improve our appetites. Mosquitoes and flies were bad. Violet and her father went to Sunday School at ten o'clock. Brownlee is quite a nice little (negro) town....there are also a store, livery stable, blacksmith shop, hotel and about a dozen dwelling houses... They say here that a quarter section of good hay land is worth $1,000.00. Joe found some old friends at Brownlee.
Monday, August 28, 1899....we left Brownlee this morning and continued on our way down the river...We passed several corn fields, and I think we are getting to a farming country at last. I am getting tired of canned tomatoes and hungry for potatoes and corn. The children waded in the river at noon for the first time. The river is quite wide here.
Tuesday, August 29, 1899....The mosquitoes and gnats nearly devoured us last night and the flies are very bad this morning....The children have found some pretty wild flowers. We are beginning to pass corn fields again...We stopped at a little store and got some butter.
Wednesday, August 30, 1899....The mosquitoes and gnats did there best last night to make life a burden. We are obliged to put the horses on the other side of the river to keep them out of the corn fields. Two boys came to our camp last night. One of them proved to be a nephew of Mrs. And. We passed N****r Amos's camp this morning and left the lame horse with him...Amos rode with us until noon and ate dinner with us. We left cornfields behind sometime after dinner and there did not seem to be anything raised from there to Brewster, neither hay, corn or cattle. There were many sod houses......We got caught in a bad thunderstorm and could not get any supper. We ate some crackers and cheese and went to bed.
Thursday, August 31, 1899...It rained all night and everything was wet and disagreeable. This is some of the romance of traveling.We are well provided with rubber blankets and shakers, but as usual they could not be found....We passed through Brewster this morning. Joe met Troy Hale there. Brewster has grown some in 14 years and is quite a town...We are again camped on the Loup for dinner. Mose has just thrown a branch of Sumac in the wagon. I did not know that it grew in Nebraska.
Friday, September 1, 1899....We crossed the river last night, but the sand was so heavy that Joe thought we had better cross over again. We crossed at Almeria. This country is irrigated and corn is good. We passed some fine groves. We camped at noon by the side of a splendid willow fence. The farmers seem to be pretty well off and have good buildings. (Evening) We are again camped on the Loup. We drove for quite awhile through an avenue of trees, We passed Taylor this evening. It has grown and is quite a nice town. One thing I notice...the people seem to know enough to attend strictly to their own business and do not stare and surround the wagons as if we were some wild animals on exhibition. I like the appearance of the country, especially the fine groves.
The farmers seem prosperous and have some very fine farmhouses and barns.
I leave Eliza Gillespies diary here....
source: excerpt from the Loup County Centennial Book 1893-1983
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