My paternal grandparents homesteaded on 150 acres in Sioux County in 1889.
Grandmother was 16 when she married my grandfather in Dec 26, 1888 in Dixon
County.
Their first child - a girl was born on Oct 7, 1889 when her mother was
17. Shelter was very poor and the little girl died of exposure and was buried on
the banks of Hat Creek in located on East half of the NE and East half of the SE
quarter of Sec 23, Twp 35, Range 54 of 6th Meridian.
The Grand Island-Wyoming
Railroad purchased a corner of their property in 1890.
At age 31 she became
a widow In 1903, responsible
for six children. Roy is
my father.
She married her first
husband's uncle and they had
two children.
My grandparents were
Henry A. and Lillie Ankeny.
My
Grandmother wrote the following
story, relating to her Sioux
County experience in 1889-1890; in
1953 at age 81 from Long Beach,
California where she had moved
from Laurel, Nebraska in 1921.
"My
Memory of Traveling west to
Sioux County, Nebraska"
We
started for Sioux County and
the homestead about 350 miles
across the plains. No houses,
only a shack or an Indian colony.
I
wondered where we were going
to live in such a country. One
night we came to the house on
the claim. Mr. and Mrs. Kappen
were there. They had a baby
about six months old.
His
claim joined ours and the house
was on the property line. He
had gone out with Bert in the
summer. They had built the house
on the line to "hold"
both homesteads. That winter,
they built ours and moved theirs
where they wanted it - about
one-fourth mile from ours. That
winter we all lived together.
About three miles on Hat Creek
where they had to winter the
cattle - a sheltered place with
water and feed. Also, a warm
place for us to live.
There
was some wood there, so we had
wood to burn in the cook stove
which was the only stove we
had. It was only one room about
14' x 20' with a bed in opposite
corner with sheets hung up for
privacy. We were there three
or four months, and then we
had our house.
The
men had to break up some of
the land and put in some crops.
That summer, Bert's father Charles
and Bert's brother, Frank came
out.
Men
from Coleridge, who had taken
a claim near ours, built a "claim
shack" on their places.
Frank and their father lived
and boarded with us.
After
they put in some flax in the
sod, they all needed some money.
They had several horses, so
they decided to go up and work
on the railroad being built
up in South Dakota in the Black
Hills, up across the Cheyenne
River (about 25 miles north
of their claim).
We
pitched our tent in a spot near
a big outfit, not a blade of
grass in sight. We just had
land dust. We had a covered
wagon and we had a trunk in
it to keep my clothes. Our bed
was in there too. The cook
stove
and table was in the tent.
I
had four or five men to cook
for, and Bert's father helped
me part of the time. About every
other day he had to haul water
from the well three miles away
at a ranch to get water to use
for drinking and cooking. He
got what he could haul in a
barrel.
It
was hot and dusty and there
were only three other women
in camp. I stayed in the covered
wagon
most of the time as it was the
only place that was cool at
all.
It
was a big outfit, making the
grade on the Burlington road
down into Nebraska. One day
a windstorm and rain came up.
The dishes were on the
table covered with a table cloth
and the wind and dust was terrible.
It blew the cloth off. The dust
covered the table and dishes.
The rain started and the men
came
inside
the little tent and it was full.
After awhile the rain stopped
and it was supper time. The
wood was wet and everything
was such a mess. The men said
they would clean up and get
something to eat. So I went
to the wagon and got out of
it (out of cooking supper).
We
were gone from home about three
or four weeks when we had gone
up to the camp north of the
Cheyenne River the water was
low and we had no trouble crossing.
But when we came back the water
was high and we had watched
some of the teams and wagons
go over. We were kind of afraid,
but we watched a bunch of Indians
ford over. We thought if they
could do it, so could we. Grandpa,
that's what I call Bert's father,
had a fine Hamiltonian mare
and buckboard. He followed Frank
and his team and wagon and the
water came up over the seat
of the cart and the horse had
to swim out of the way. We were
the last across and something
went wrong. One of the horses
pulled the whole load. We drifted
down stream about 200 feet.
We thought we would never get
over. When we got out, (we found)
the double tree was caught and
the one horse didn 't have a
chance to pull. The water came
into the wagon and the trunk
had about two inches of water
in it.
Well,
we got home all right. After
that it was hot and dry and
the hail had taken the crop
the boys had put in.
About
a month after that my first
baby was born - a little three
and one-half pound girl. She
lived to be three months old
and died of lung fever they
called it. (It was) 30 miles
to a doctor. A man went to get
some medicine but the doctor
was drunk. When the neighbor
got back with the medicine the
baby had died. She had pretty
brown eyes and brown hair and
she weighed twelve and one-half
pounds then. We named her Gertrude
Myrtle and she was buried at
Hat Creek.
About
a month later, Bert and I drove
over to the Indian reservation
and talked to some Indians.
They told us where we could
get some hay as that was what
Bert was after to feed the horses
and cow.
A
few days after that, I was alone.
All the homesteaders had gone
to Harrison, the county seat
to prove up on someone 's claim.
I saw two horseback riders coming
and I knew they were Indians,
but I wasn 't afraid. They came
up to the wagon out in front
of the house and came toward
the door. I went to the door
and stood, holding the door
partly open and spoke to them.
They just grunted and pulled
the door open and walked in.
They didn't talk -just begged.
They
wanted tobacco and sugar and
something to eat. I told them
we never had tobacco and I didn't
have any coffee or sugar - that
I would give them some bread
and milk which I did. They stayed
awhile then left. Some
of the women on the places said
when they came they were so
afraid they pulled down the
curtains and locked the doors.
The
next year there was an Indian
uprising about 40 miles from
us and some of the settlers
went to the Fort but they didn't
come near us.
Note:
The year she refers to was
1890. The Indians at Pine
Ridge, South Dakota
were
objecting to failed treaty
agreements and the bad conditions
in which they were
forced
to live.
They
objected for months and
on December 29,1890, the
terrible Indian massacre
at
Wounded Knee occurred.
The
"Fort" Lillie
refers to, was probably
Fort Robinson about 25 miles
south of
their
home near Hat Creek on the
South Dakota - Nebraska
border.
However,
Lillie had returned to Cedar
County in July 1890.
The
Burlington built the railroad
down into Nebraska and it came
right across our place and the
men worked on it there too.
It was so near that I could
hear the men talk. They were
a tough bunch of men.
We
had men working for us and the
men who slept up stairs got
body lice. We had to boil
all the blankets to get rid
of them.
The
Olince Land Company hired a
lot of men to file claims. They
would pay them "so much"
after they "proved up.
" So a lot of the men lived
on the claims.
The
Company had a Commissary store
which furnished them food and
anything they wanted to buy,
up to a certain amount. Some
of these men bought lemon extract,
vanilla and sarsaparilla and
tonics. There was no place they
could buy anything to drink.
By the time (they had) to "prove
up, " most of them had
no money left and had to bum
a ride. Anyway, Olince Land
Company got the majority of
the land there.
We
didn't make any money out there.
We had our land in corn in Cedar
County. The corn didn't sell
- was only offered 12 or 15
cents per bushel. So Bert shipped
a car out to Sioux County as
there was no corn out there.
But it didn't sell for enough
to pay expenses of shipping
it, so we lost money on that.
The
cowboys and some two or three
who were not far away, hung
up their belts with the "six-shooter
" and hat and played cards
with the men. (They played)
mostly poker, but not for high
stakes because none of them
had much money.
One
Saturday evening, we had company.
A nice looking young man in
a store Western suit, a big
Texas hat and fancy. We liked
to have company and the men
asked him to stay. He admired
the horses.
Grandpa's
driving horse and a riding horse
that Bert thought a lot of.
About noon he left walking.
We thought that was strange,
but he would catch a ride.
The
next week-end he and a pal came
back. Saturday evening, as he
told us later they waited around
for us to go to bed, then they
got the two horses and saddles
and left. Sunday morning we
all got up late and the first
thing - Frank wanted to know
where the horses were.
Because
the two light-weight horses
got to fighting, so they changed
the horses around and put one
of Frank's heavy horses in with
the riding horse. Well, we didn't
know who took them, but the
men went to the sheriff of the
County. They went across the
Dakota Territory line toward
the Black Hills. They found
where they had gone up into
lthe foothills and there they
got trace of one of them - the
one who had stayed all night
a couple of weeks before.
Then
one morning they saw the horse
in front of an eating place
and she looked so tired and
worn out. She just stood there
and soon the man came out and
greeted them with a "six
shooter, " and asked
what
they were looking at. They told
them they were looking for that
horse and why he stole it.
He
said he bought it the day before.
They had to believe him or seemed
to, but they left and got a
sheriff
from Sundance to get him and
they got him the next day.
He
told them the heavy horse gave
out and they turned him loose
and hid the saddle. On the way
back he showed them where he
tied the horse, so they got
the horse and saddle back. At
the same time they brought him
back to Sioux County they stopped
at our place and I had to get
dinner for the sheriff and the
thief.
He
laughed and said to me, "You
don't get around as well as
you did when I was here before.
" I was so mad because
I had a week of real worry,
with the boys gone after horse
thieves. I imagined all kinds
of things might happen to them.
They put him in jail at Harrison
and before his trial, he got
out. We thought the other man
helped him. Anyway, he didn't
bother us again.
"We
Decided to leave Sioux County
and Move Back to Cedar County"
Lillie
takes a train on April 21, 1890
from their home in Sioux County
to their home in Laurel in Cedar
County.
Bert
continues to work as a freighter
for the railroad that is being
built.
Below
are two letters he wrote to
his beloved wife. The people
he refers to are their homestead
neighbors
and fellow railroad workers.
Collins,
SD
4.24.1890
My
Own Dearest Wife
You
have been gone 3 days and I
am still on deck. Am I lonesome!
I don't know what you call it
in English, but I would give
"a mule" if I could
step in and visit with you this
evening.
You
surprised them (their family
in Laurel) no doubt. Hope you
got through all right. I have
not been alone any yet. Joe
was here the first night. Henry
Roseberry and brother the next.
Tom Flannagan tonight with Davis,
Pat and Harvey through the day.
That's regular ain't it - seems
awkward for me to cook, but
I guess I will get used to it.
Zemus
came over to plow on the timber
claim - two of them. One of
the boys went home by Harvey's
and broke the lock on the door
- stole the teacher's gold watch
and chain. That is, we supposed
it was him. He was riding a
mule and tracked him up to the
door and seen where he stopped
there. She feels real bad about
it.
The
Engineers were up Tuesday and
staked out two side tracks one
mile south of the Dakota line
-
by the school Marm's house.
Will do the grading next week,
so they say. That spoils our
calculations
don't
it.
The
man that owns the timber claim
will be here next week. I am
waiting anxiously for him. If
I could sell the claim to him
I would start east tomorrow.
Will
Koppen went over to Will Gordons
and got everything that was
there - said Will told him to.
When you write to Will
ask him about it. Will Gordon
wishes he had went back with
you after you had
gone.
Mable and Will thought you would
come back with me.
It
has been snowing for the last
two days. Snowed hard all forenoon.
I'm almost out of hay again.
I
don't know much more to write.
I have told you all the news.
Take good care of yourself and
try
and earn your feed! I am thinking
of you all the time, but Darling,
you are better off there than
here.
Much
as I would like to have you
with me, I am glad you are away
from that outfit.
I
am going to Collins Sat 4th.
I will probably get a letter
from you - hope so anyway. Kiss
all the
children
for me and give my love to all
the rest with lots of it for
yourself.
Say
Pet, I did not think I ever
could love anyone so much as
I do you now. Wish I could send
you a kiss, but I will make
up when I see you.
Your
loving Bert
Collins,
SD
5.17.1890
My
Own Dear Lillie:
Yours
of the 9th rec'd. Was so glad
to hear from my Pet. I am going,
up to the crossing today. I
could
not get any money and will have
to go. The grass is big enough
now, so the mules can rustle.
I have
not got time to answer all your
questions now but will soon.
Uncle
Henry can do as he thinks best
about selling Bobby (one of
his saddle horses). He isn't
good
for anything, but I would like
to keep Bird. Now I would like
to be starting East instead
of North today.
You can't imagine how lonesome
it has been for me. Perhaps
I can sell the mules up there,
then I will
be with you dear. I will finish
this in Collins as I go through.
On
the road waiting for Pat -he
is down to Halls. Seems funny
we should both write and tell
each other
what we were doing last Sunday,
don't it Pet? We must have the
same thoughts. I told you all
the news
in that letter so won't write
much.
Mrs.
Williams was down yesterday
and got the cupboard. She bought
you a pillow - said she was
awful
sorry. She wants you to write
to her too, Pet. If I can get
freighting to do I will not
get the mail very
regular, so don't be alarmed
if you don't hear from me but
once a week.
Love
to all and lots of it for you.
Your loving
Bert
Transcribed and Contributed
by: Harold Ankeny
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