EARLY HISTORY OF CHERRY COUNTY, NEBRASKA

     (42) The coming of the railroad and the organization of Cherry County were almost contemporary. The railroad was completed to Thacher in the fall of 1882. During the early spring and summer of that year an advance construction crew had stationed itself on the east side of the Niobrara River near where the present railroad bridge crosses the river about three miles southeast of Valentine. The big task was to cut through a very large hill in order to make an approach to the point where the bridge was to be built across the river.

     This place was called the "big cut." The camp was in two divisions. Broom's division was on the north side of the hill and Brown's encampment was on the south side. There were eating shacks, several saloons, and the railroad company maintained a store there. The night watchman at the camp was a young man named Thomas Kearns who later became a wealthy United States senator from Utah. The bridge over the Niobrara and the track from Thacher to Valentine were completed the latter part of March, 1883, and the first train came into Valentine just a few days before the organization of the county which was April 4, 1883.

     Valentine was the end of the railroad until 1885 when it was extended westward into Wyoming. By the fall of 1885 it had reached Gordon in Sheridan County about eight miles west of the Cherry County line. During the years of 1883, 84 and 85 Valentine was a frontier "cow town" from which cattle from the great open range ranches were shipped to market.

     Of the families who lived in the camp on the Niobrara River while the "big cut" was being made, Peter J. Donoher's remained when the work of the camp was finished. Mr. Donoher became a popular hotel owner and operator. He built the first hotel in Valentine, The Valentine House. In 1887 he built the Donoher House where he lived until he passed away. His daughters, Catherine and Anna (Wren), remained in Valentine and became active in public and charitable affairs. They contributed generously to the city auditorium which was built by the Women's Improvement Club, the cemetery and the County Historical Society. Miss Catherine prepared the History of Cherry County in "Who's Who in Nebraska." Miss Anna (Wren), now Mrs. A. N. Compton, has gladdened many homes where her doctor husband rendered service regardless (43) of the financial condition of the family in need of medical care. Miss Catherine passed away on November 2, 1944. It is fitting that after knowing life in the pioneer days with all of its inconveniences, the later years of these two sisters should be spent in a comfortable modern home among friends they love and by whom they are highly respected.

     Of the men who made the survey for the railroad through the county, C. M. and Frank Kime remained after the work was finished. They filed on homesteads, gradually added other land and became substantial ranchmen. C. M. Kime later moved to California. His granddaughter, Miss Eldine Paige, a Navy nurse with the rank of lieutenant, was taken prisoner by the Japanese and held captive for three years in the Philippines. She was released when American troops took Manila.

     Frank Kime lived in Cherry County until he passed away at the age of 75. He was respected by his host of friends. Of his five sons, three, Ernest, Allan, and Leslie, have followed their father's footsteps in the cattle business. The other two, Lyle and Otho, are serving their country in the armed forces, the latter having resigned his position as Sheriff of Cherry County to enter the army. His daughters, Mesdames Lawrence Junod, Donald Hoisington, Harold Paynter and Boyd Isom are living in Cherry County when this history is being written.

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