Cherry County, NE History - Communities Part Three

(118) After crossing the Adamson Bridge we travel over a good grazing area until we come to Valentine, the county seat of Cherry County. From a pioneer cow town, Valentine has developed into a modern city with all of the conveniences to be found in progressive cities. Both the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and Highway No. 20 pass through Valentine. It is the center of a large trade territory. These factors placed it in a favorable position for both past and future.

Valentine had its beginning in a small way in the fall of 1882. It was known that a town would be built on the present location at that time and a few houses were built before the railroad was completed into the town. With an eye to the future, D. Y. Mears, a railroad surveyor, filed on a homestead which became the site on which Valentine was laid out. The name, Valentine, was selected for the new town in honor of congressman E. K. Valentine who represented the Third Nebraska congressional district of which Cherry County was a part. A special post office was established December 4th, 1882, with D. Y. Mears as postmaster.

In late March of 1883 the first train came into Valentine. The county was organized on April 4th of the same year. By this time it was known that Valentine would become the county seat of the new county and at once business houses began to be erected. The remainder of the year of 1883 was a very busy one for Valentine. It was incorporated as a village on January 8th, 1884. The county commissioners appointed C. H. Cornell, John Little, Peter Donoher, Al Sparks and N. Warner as a board of village trustees.

The first church service was held in the unfinished dining room of the Valentine House on June 10th, 1883, by the Rev. H. Herbert of the Congregational church. At about the same time Father Francis Craft held services for the Catholic people. Until the latter had a church building, Father (119) Lechleitner, who came in 1890, celebrated mass at the home of Professor O'Sullivan or in Cornell Hall. Ground for the first Catholic church building was broken in 1894 but because of depression and hard times, the church was not completed until 1896. The completed church included living rooms for the priest. Father Leo M. Blaere came to Valentine in 1907. The present parish house was built in 1909 and the present church in 1911.

The next pioneer church to be built in Valentine was the Episcopal church. Rev. Lewis, who was chaplain at Fort Niobrara in 1886, organized this church and did much of the labor of laying the stone of the present building. He also made some of the furniture for the church. A home for the rector was built later near the church.

The organization of the Presbyterian church by the Rev. Thomas L. Sexton, D. D., followed the next year on November 2nd, 1887. The original church has been enlarged and a modern manse built which gives the Presbyterian people a most comfortable church home.

The Rev. Skinner held the first Methodist services in 1883. The Rev. S. W. Holsclaw who came to Valentine in 1885 was truly a pioneer. He held services in many localities around Valentine in homes before school houses or church buildings were available. The first Methodist Sunday School was organized on February 10th, 1887, and was held in the school house. The first Christmas tree was also held that year. The Methodist church was incorporated on May 3rd, 1888. The first Methodist church building which stood on the lot now owned by Mrs. Etta Kellogg was built in 1888. The building was later purchased by the W.C.T.U. and now stands on Main Street where it is known as Bethel Hall. The present Methodist church was built in 1894 by contractor Wesley Holsclaw who used native stone secured from the bluffs along the Minnechaduza Creek.

School District No. 1 was organized on August 3rd, 1883. A meeting for the election of school officers was called for August 6th by Dennis Daley, the county superintendent. At that meeting J. Wesley Tucker was chosen director, Charles Oliver moderator, and E. McDonald treasurer. A short term of school was held that fall with Miss Belle Knipe as teacher. Miss Knipe's home was in Illinois.

School District No. 1 has built four school houses. The first was a one-room building which was shortly followed by a larger frame building in the late 1880s. The present brick (120) grade school building was erected in the late 1890s. The high school building was built in 1922. Since the organization of the district, many pupils from other districts of the county have enrolled as students. The first students to enter the school from outside districts were the Misses Hattie Berry, Mattie Kneeland, and Georgia Presho, who entered in the fall of 1886. Miss Berry, who is now Mrs. C. W. Hudson, and Miss Kneeland, who is now Mrs. H. W. Graham, both live in Valentine at the present time.

One graduate of Valentine High School in the class of 1902, Miss Leta Stetter, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Stetter, won national fame and distinction in the field of psychology. After attending the University of Nebraska she became a professor in Columbia University in New York City. She was the author of several books on psychology and was consulted by members of the nobility of Europe on the care and treatment of members of their families. She was married to Professor Hollingsworth of Columbia University. They worked together in their chosen field until cancer caused her death in the prime of life.

On May 3rd, 1883, Santee and Hill published the first issue of The Valentine Reporter, the first newspaper to be published in the new county. Valentine now has two weekly newspapers, The Republican and The Cherry County News. The Republican has been published for fifty-seven years. Mr. W. S. Barker was its publisher for twenty-eight years; the present publisher, Mr. Luke M. Bates, has been in charge for twenty-nine years. D. W. Reed is the publisher of The Cherry County News. A third paper, The Searchlight, was published for a number of years by the Valentine W.C.T.U.

The Cherry County Bank was organized in 1883 by J. A. and Eldon Sparks. It was later named The Valentine State Bank but continued in operation until its liquidation in 1925. The Bank of Valentine was organized in July, 1884, by Charles H. Cornell. A financial statement dated July 8, 1889, shows a loan account of $10,000 and deposits of $18,772. It was made a national bank in August, 1902, and has since been known as The First National Bank. This bank is the oldest banking house in the county. The late Milton V. Nicholson served as cashier or president of this bank for more than fifty years. H. L. Kuhn is its present president and Miss Jeannette Shepherd is acting cashier. Cashier Fritz Grace is serving with the armed forces.

(121) The Nebraska State Bank was organized in 1915 by E. C. and Harrison Davenport. When the Valentine State Bank was liquidated in 1925 its business was taken over by The Nebraska State Bank. E. C. Davenport has been its president since its organization. Harrison Davenport was cashier until his death. Frank Colburn, who was with the Valentine State Bank when it went out of business in 1925, is its present cashier.

Valentine's first hotel, The Valentine House, was built by Peter J. Donoher on the lot now occupied by the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Jordan. This building was later destroyed by fire. Mr. Donoher built the present Donoher House in 1887. Upon his death his daughters, Catherine and Anna (Wren), continued the business for a number of years. The present hotels of Valentine are The Jordan and The Marion. The first was built by C. D. Jordan in 1913. Mr. Jordan learned the cooking profession in his youth, hence the hotel business came naturally to him. The Marion was built by James Mansour in 1926. It stands on the lots where the first court house of the county was built in 1884.

The early business houses were made of lumber as were the sidewalks. Pioneer merchants of Valentine included Jacob Ludwig, lumber and hardware; Carmen & Hornby, hardware; T. C. Hornby, general merchandise; E. McDonald, hardware, furniture, and farm machinery; E. Elsey, groceries. grain, and fruit; J. M. and C. H. Thacher and Cornell, general merchandise (this firm went out of business in 1886); Edward Davenport and Albert Thacher, general merchandise; J. W. Yeast, hardware; McCafferty and Connoly, hardware and implements; H. Moses and Co., drugs; Dr. Alfred Lewis, drugs; A. Truesdell and Son, dry goods (they founded the Red Front Store which was sold to I. N. Bryan in 1887); Sparks Brothers, general merchandise and machinery; Thompson Brothers, clothing and furnishings; and W. H. E. Fuchs, saddles and harness. George Lang, Hitt and Keeland and Theodore Tillson were the early livery barn owners. Stetter Brothers (J. W., Henry and John) established the first meat market in Valentine. This market supplied meat to Fort Niobrara and was continued by the Stetter Brothers and their relatives for more than sixty years. The last owners were the Tobien Brothers, George and Jacob, who retired on April 1st, 1945.

Pioneer attorneys were J. W. Tucker, O. P. Warner, J. J. McAllister, H. R. Bisbie, W. H. Westover who lived in Gordon (122) and later became district judge, A. F. Wilgocki, and E. D. Clarke, and F. M. Walcott.

P. W. C. Lawson and Mr. Fenner were the early barbers. John Riley operated the city dray line. E. Breuklander and Mr. Elbert Thorne were early blacksmiths in Valentine. U. G. Dunn and Gustave Carlson were early carpenters. Miss Melora C. Dykeman who came to Valentine in 1883 was the first milliner.

Soon after Valentine was established the federal government built a large warehouse in which to store supplies shipped in for the Indians. The warehouse was just south of the railroad tracks opposite the present depot. A section of it is still standing. Supplies for the Indians were hauled to the Rosebud Agency in horse drawn freight wagons. The Indians were given the right to do this freighting for which the government paid them $10 per ton. This gave them an opportunity to earn good wages.

Fort Niobrara also received its supplies from Valentine. These supplies were hauled to the Fort in large freight wagons drawn by six mule teams driven with a "jerk" line. The driver would ride one of the "wheel" mules and guide the team with a single line which was attached to the bride bit of the lead mule which was on the same side as the mule the driver was riding.

The water supply for Valentine was a real problem for many years. From its founding until 1889 water was hauled from a spring on the Minnechaduza to supply the needs of the people. The "water man" made daily trips to the spring with a "water wagon" and filled each citizen's barrel for 25c per barrel. In 1889 an elevated wooden tank which had sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the town was put up by the village. The water was pumped from the Minnechaduza Creek. This water was never satisfactory and many ways of improving the system were tried, none of which were very successful. This condition continued until 1928 when a contract was made with a well drilling company which resulted in obtaining a splendid well with an abundance of pure water. The old wooden tank was replaced by a steel tank erected on the high bluff north of the Minnechaduza which gave Valentine one of the best water systems in the state. Since that time another steel tank has been erected and another well added to the water system. The pumping is done by electricity and the city water commissioner has charge of the water system.

(123) In 1890 S. F. Gilman of Neligh, Nebraska, built a dam across the Minnechaduza Creek north of Valentine. The dam supplied water power to operate a flour mill which Mr. Gilman built the next year on level ground on the south side of the canyon hill of the Minnechaduza. This mill had a capacity of 200 barrels of flour daily. When the machinery was installed and the mill was ready for business, Frank Hunter was placed in charge as engineer of the power department. Mr. Hunter held this position for many years. His daughter, Mrs. C. A. Daniels, is postmistress at Simeon at the present time.

Two men who came to Valentine to work in the mill when it was completed were W. T. Kincaid and H. W. Hoenig. Mr. Kincaid still lives in Valentine. Mr. Hoenig lived there until he passed away. The mill continued in operation for a number of years. In 1936 it was purchased by Joseph Vanderheiden who wrecked it and used the lumber to build a grain elevator.

The Gilman dam has twice been destroyed and each time has been rebuilt. The lake made by the dam, Lake Minnechaduza, is well stocked with fish and is a favorite place for those who enjoy fishing. The state fish hatchery described in another chapter is but a short distance down stream from the dam.

Valentine's first cemetery was located about one mile west of town and contains the graves of a number of frontier characters. The present Mount Hope cemetery was laid out n 1902 by Irwin Emery. Many bodies were removed from the old cemetery and interned in the new one. Mount Hope cemetery is connected with the water system of Valentine and its appearance is being made more attractive each year.

The first ice house to serve Valentine was built by James H. Ray on the Minnechaduza northwest of town, and just west of the bridge across the stream. It is now owned by C. B. Bachelor. Mr. Ray was a member of the 7th cavalry in Major keno's command at the battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana where General Custer and his command were all killed by the Indians.

The first hospital in Valentine was established by Dr. J. C. Dwyer in the nineties. There was no hospital building. Dr. Dwyer took his patients home to Mrs. Dwyer who took care of them. The present hospital has been in use since 1912. Mrs. Eva Tyler, a Cherry County girl, is the owner who also does her turn as nurse. This hospital has been of great value to the people of Cherry County and adjacent territory. An (124) addition is being made to the building at the present time to provide more rooms for the increasing number of patients.

Valentine's street lighting system was installed in 1910. The units which furnish electricity for the city are the Cornell Dam on the Niobrara River east of town; the Minnechaduza Dam north of town, and two diesel engines located in town.

During the depression of the 1930s a post office building and a city hall were built and Main Street was paved with government aid.

The county fair grounds and experimental sub-station are near Valentine. Many successful county fairs have been held by the Fair Association. These meetings have been interrupted by the war. They will not doubt be resumed when conditions are favorable again.

Just north of Valentine on the Minnechaduza is an attractive park with an abundance of shade trees. This is a popular place during the summer where camping, swimming, fishing and boating are enjoyed.

Valentine is the home of a number of fraternal lodges, clubs, and societies. A comfortable lodge room has been provided where the fraternal meetings are held. The Masons, Odd Fellows, Eastern Star and Rebekahs hold regular meetings each month. The Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce have substantial memberships. In 1913 the women of the town organized the Women's Improvement Club which built the present city auditorium. This building provided a meeting place for all kinds of public meetings and filled a much needed improvement in the city.

In the late 1880s Mrs. Caroline Woodward came to Valentine and organized the W.C.T.U. society. Mrs. Amanda Ludwig was the first president and among the charter members were Mrs. M. F. Moon, Mrs. Alice Harvey, Mrs. Effie Anderson, Mrs. M. R. Harden, Mrs. Cora Sherman, Mrs. M. W. Glover, Mrs. Helen Hornby, Mrs. O. W. Morey, Mrs. Edith Jeffers, Mrs. S. W. Holsclaw, Mrs. Jane Morey, and Miss Bina Zarr. This society has had a long and useful life in advocating the cause of temperance. It owns Bethel Hall located on Main Street. As stated earlier, the building was originally the first Methodist Church in Valentine. Bethel Hall is used for society meetings and also provides a comfortable resting place for women visitors from out of town. Through the efforts of the Valentine society, other W.C.T.U.s were organized in (125) the other towns of the county. This gave the members a wide territory in which to advocate clean, wholesome living.

In the Valentine community along the Niobrara and Minnechaduza are places suitable for gardening, dairying and stock raising. Fred Moosman combines gardening with stock raising. The Fred Kramer and Joseph Bush ranches are on the Niobrara and are operated by their sons, Ren and Charles respectively. The C. C. Thompson family lived on the Niobrara. They founded the Kramer ranch soon after the turn of the century. The three sons in the Thompson family, John, Ed, and "Red," all became famous riders. John won the championship of the world. "Red" was injured by a horse falling on him and became blind and a helpless invalid.

John Thompson, Cherry County boy, who was champion broncho rider of the world when this was taken. (Webmaster note: the original owner of this book has noted that this person is Jack Parker, I do not know who is correct.)

"Fredericks Peak," one of the distinguishing land marks of the county, is located on the north side of the Minnechaduza about three miles northeast of Valentine. Origin of its name is uncertain but story has it that a man by the name of Frederick was pursued by Indians and took refuge on top of the peak. One version says that when night came he escaped in the darkness, crossed the Niobrara and eluded the Indians. (126) Another says that when his ammunition gave out, he was killed by the Indians. The time of this incident is not known.

During the Presidential Campaign of 1944 Valentine was host to Governor Thomas E. Dewey, candidate for the presidency on the Republican Ticket, and Mrs. Dewey. Former Governor S. R. McKelvie, campaign manager for the western states, invited Governor and Mrs. Dewey to visit his ranch, "By The Way." The invitation was accepted. Bryan Quigley of Valentine was made chairman of the reception committee. A host of willing helpers had everything in readiness when the special train bearing the distinguished guests arrived in Valentine on September 13th, 1944. They were taken by automobile to By The Way ranch where a large crowd greeted them. Professors Loeffel and Baker of the University of Nebraska had prepared a barbecued beef to be served to the guests at luncheon time. Neighboring ranch women hid the pleasure of serving the crowd. At a reception in the after

Cowboy parade in Valentine, September 13, 1944, in in honor of Governor and Mrs. Thomas E. Dewey, when they visited Valentine when he was a candidate for the presidency.

noon everyone had the pleasure of personally meeting Governor and Mrs. Dewey. They remained at By The Way ranch overnight and next morning were taken back to Valentine where a rodeo was put on in their honor. Late in the afternoon their special train pulled out to continue its journey, leaving a community thrilled at the pleasure of having entertained a candidate for the presidency of the United States.

(127) During the summer of 1945 the Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Company obtained the permission of Mr. S. R. McKelvie to make a film for the picture "The Sea of Grass" on his By The Way ranch. The company employed many local people in addition to those brought from their studio in California. When all of those with the proper equipment were assembled to make the picture, they must wait until the wind, sun and grass were just right. Finally the ideal day came along and the picture was made. The company had searched for a long time to find a place where the grass really represented a Sea of Grass. In time the picture will be shown and be a splendid advertisement for the sandhills of Cherry County. One of the meadows on the ranch made an ideal setting for the picture.

We shall now travel east from Valentine on highway No. 7, the first improved highway in Cherry County. Just before crossing the Niobrara River (the word "Niobrara" is an Indian word meaning "running water") we pass the Cornell Dam. This dam is the result of a desire in the heart of Charles H. Cornell, one of the pioneers of Cherry County, to harness the Niobrara and make it work for the people. He took out a "water right" many years before he was able to develop it. This water right required that he do a certain amount of work each year in order to maintain the right. This he accomplished by hauling some stone each year to the site upon which he proposed to build the dam. Much of the stone was secured from a canyon on the farm of Mr. Josiah Gaskill near the dam. Mr. Gaskill's daughter, Mrs. John Helzer of Billings, Montana, has a large collection of extinct and modern Indian articles.

Mr. Cornell had completed plans for the building of the dam when World War I broke out in Europe. This delayed its construction but in 1915 the dam was built and put into operation. It helped to furnish electricity for Valentine. Wallace Thackrey, son of a pioneer, J. E. Thackrey, was one of the first electrical engineers in charge of the dam. The dam was of a financial success at first and Mr. Cornell suffered severe losses. The dam is now one of the units which furnishes power for Valentine and surrounding territory.

A monument marking the place where the first election (128) in Cherry County was held in 1883 has been erected near the Cornell Dam.

Soon after crossing the Niobrara we pass the site of old Fort Niobrara. The buildings now house the headquarters of the Niobrara National Game Preserve. The Preserve is surrounded by a strong woven wire fence and inside may be seen buffalo, elk, deer, and long horned Texas cattle.

About ten miles east of Valentine we pass what is believed to be the first homestead selected in Cherry County. Charles Sears, father of Edward Sears and Mrs. John Dambly of Valentine, made the selection and established his residence on the land in April, 1880. This land is Lots 5 and 7, N½ SW¼ Sec. 21, Township 34, Range 26. Mr. Sears first filed on this land as a pre-emption and later changed his filing to that of a homestead. He made final proof on the land in 1886 and received his patent. This homestead was the home of the Sears family until Mr. Sears passed away at a ripe old age.

The next point of interest is the bridge on which we again cross the Niobrara, this time to the north side. The present bridge is built on the site where the first bridge across the river in Cherry County was built in 1882. The south end of the bridge rests on a solid stone bank over which originally flowed a fine water fall. The course of the river over the fall was changed so that the south end of the bridge could be built on the solid rock. The present bridge and the falls were named for Mrs. Susan Berry whose homestead was located nearby on the north side of the river. It was on this homestead that the first white child, Richard Cleveland, was born in the county on October 15th, 1882.

Near the Berry bridge on the south side of the river was the homestead of T. J. Ashburn. Mr. Ashburn built a flour and a saw mill on his homestead in 1885. The sifting machinery of the flour mills of that day was quite crude and the flour made by Mr. Ashburn was known as "T. J.'s Iron-grey." However, the settlers were glad to be able to have their corn and wheat ground into meal and flour and welcomed the mill as a useful improvement. Lumber from Mr. Ashburn's mill was much in demand by incoming settlers. Mr. Ashburn's daughter, Mrs. Mont Bishop, and her husband now live on a ranch northeast of Valentine.

On the south side of the river between the site of old Fort Niobrara and the Allen Bridge are several beautiful water falls, most of which are to be found in small streams (129) which flow into the Niobrara. The first of these below the Fort is the "Stinard Falls" which were named for David Stinard, a pioneer merchant who had a store on the highway between the Fort and the Berry Bridge. Next is the "Sears Falls'' named for Charles Sears whose homestead was nearby. Smith Falls," the next, were also named for an early settler.

Smith Falls-highest falls in the state. On the south side of the Niobrara east of Valentine.

"Berry Falls" mentioned above are next and below them are "Parry Falls" named for Samuel and Edward Parry whose claims were near them. When not restricted by war many tourists visit these interesting places along the Niobrara.

After driving up the steep Berry hill we continue our journey through the Kewanee neighborhood and on into the Sparks community. As far as is known, Theodore Tillson was the first settler to visit the Sparks community. He spent some time as a trapper along the river in 1876 and returned in 1881 to file on a homestead. In the spring of 1882 his wife and daughter, now Mrs. George Foster, came to join him in the log house he had prepared for them. Mr. Tillson's claim was about seven miles southeast of Sparks on the north side (130) of the river. The first bridge built across the Niobrara by the county, the Widup Bridge, now known as the Allen Bridge, was near his place.

Other settlers came rapidly and soon a post office, Penbrook, was established with Mr. Tillson as the first postmaster. Mail was brought from Fort Niobrara and later from Valentine three times a week. Mr. Tillson also had a cane mill, a saw mill, a blacksmith shop and a small stock of merchandise.

A school district, No. 14, was organized in 1884 with Miss Emma Mapes as teacher. The school house was made of logs and each family furnished its own seats and books. The school house served as a meeting place for all community activities including Sunday School and church services.

In 1890 Mr. Tillson moved to Valentine where his children could have better school advantages. He kept a popular livery barn until after 1900 when he returned to his homestead to spend the remainder of his life. His daughters, Mrs. George Foster and Mrs. Orville Conner now live in the community which has been their home since childhood.

(131) The years of 1883, 1884, and 1885 were years of rapid settlement in the Sparks community. Early settlers included Henry Barker; James Harvey; John Heleboldt; G. E. and Frank Tracewell; Jacob and Aetna Brechbill; John Grooms and sons, Robert, Joseph, Aaron, Jacob, John, and Newton; M. G. House; C. W. James; Tom James; Marion and Andy Graham; Henry and H. K. Brown; J. M. Clarkson and sons, William and Abner; Hark Ogle. Richard Osburn; Perry Sweringer; Charles Maxwell; A. K. Kuskie; Edward Parry; Nelson Polen; James Culp; Henry Kellogg and sons, Dewey, Roscoe, Lester and Don; George H. Sawyer; John Hudson and sons, James, Charles, Tom and Napoleon; F. M. Rowley and five sons and one daughter; Albert Haley; J. A. Brewer; J. A. Hornback; L. D. Lincoln; Gustave Carlson, and Solomon Anderson.

Some of these early settlers rendered useful public service. G. E. Tracewell served two terms as state representative in the Nebraska Legislature during the sessions of 1917 and 1919. He introduced the bill which provided for the building of our fine new state capitol building. Nelson Polen served as county commissioner. James Harvey's son, John W., is manager of the Fullerton Lumber Company and is the present mayor of Valentine.

William and Abner Clarkson had a saw mill and supplied lumber which was in great demand. H. K. Brown had a cane mill and made molasses for many neighbors. His son, Edward, and daughter, Mrs. Frank Thompson, still live near Valentine. Solomon Anderson had the distinction of having the deepest well of which we have any record. It was 300 feet deep and was dug by an expert well digger from Pennsylvania. A horse was used for power to draw the water. Mr. Anderson also imported seed for oats from Sweden which he grew very successfully.

The fertile soil of the Sparks community attracted those who wanted to engage in farming in the new county they had selected for a home. During the eighties crops were good and the new settlers made progress in improving their condition. Vegetables grew remarkably well and hog raising added to their income. The nineties brought drouth and depression and life for the early settlers became very difficult. Proximity to Fort Niobrara proved to be a fortunate coincidence; the Fort provided a ready market for wood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products as well as oats and hay when they were produced. When delivering butter in warm weather, the pioneer (132) women packed it in vessels around which they placed dampened green grass. Had it not been for this market at Fort Niobrara, many of the early settlers could not have remained on their homesteads.

Along the Niobrara as along all other streams and lakes and in the hills of the county, when not killed by late freezing weather, here is an abundance of wild fruit. Grapes, plums, currants, choke cherries, June berries, buffalo berries, and sand cherries make up the list. Early settlers obtained a portion of their food from wild fruit. Today many residents gather a sufficient quantity in good years to supply them during years of crop failure.

The Sparks post office was named for the Sparks Brothers who laid out a town site when it was thought that a railroad would be built through the community. The present store and post office are on the site which was plotted by Sparks Brothers. Both have been maintained continuously since first established. George H. Sawyer was the first postmaster and merchant. John Simons is the present store owner and postmaster. The post office is served by a daily mail service which comes out from Valentine.

The Sparks school district was organized in 1885 with Miss Bina Miller as the first teacher. Her salary was $17.00 per month and she boarded around among the families. This district now has ten grades which enables pupils to finish the first two years of high school without leaving their home district. Sparks now has a frame church building where Sunday School and church services are held.

In 1891 the Sparks people organized an "Old Settlers" society which has held an annual meeting every year since that time. On October 12, 1892, a celebration was held in honor of Columbus Day. Horse racing, horse shoe pitching, and a ball game furnished the entertainment of the day. At a recent meeting of the "Old Settlers" one ball team was made up entirely of grandsons of Albert Haley, one of the original settlers. Mrs. Hattie Hudson of Valentine has the distinction of having attended all of the "Old Settlers" reunions but one.

Today the Sparks community is one of the most prosperous sections of the county. Improvements in the homes and on the farms and ranches have kept pace with other sections. The farm and ranch units have been enlarged as time passed. The present trend is toward more stock raising and less toward grain farming. During the drouth and depression of the (133) 1930's the farm program with its payments for specified farm practices enabled many residents to continue on their land. It is generally true that the settlers who stayed on their farms and ranches during both good and hard times have made a success and are in comfortable circumstances at this time.

The Kewanee community joins Sparks on the west. We shall visit it next as we continue our journey.

Adjoining the Sparks community on the west, is the Kewanee community. At a meeting called for the purpose of selecting a name for this settlement, Joseph Bristol suggested the name Kewanee, which was accepted. This site is one mile east and one mile north of the present Kewanee school house, but the town never came into being.

Before the Kewanee Post Office, with Mrs. John Shelbourne as Postmistress, was established, the settlers received their mail at Fort Niobrara.

This community had its beginning when Charles Sears selected a homestead in April, 1880. It has the distinction of having the first bridge across the Niobrara River, and also having the first white child born in Cherry County. This child was Richard Cleveland, born on October 15, 1882, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harper Cleveland. Mr. Cleveland was a cowboy during the open range days.

In many districts, the first term of school was a subscription school, which meant that the teacher's salary was paid by the parents of the children attending that term. There was little personal property in the districts which made the financial condition of the early districts one of low income. Hence teachers' salaries were low. Only the districts along the railroad, which collected tax money from that source, could pay anything but the most meager wages.

The task of breaking the sod for crops, building homes of sod, logs, or native lumber, and digging deep wells, required strong healthy bodies, and the rank and file of the early settlers were either young people or were in the prime of life. The result was that there was little sickness and few doctor bills.

In the Kewanee Community, Charles Tinker secured the first well, which was 180 feet deep. David Bristol purchased (134) a saw mill in 1886, which he operated by steam power. There was also a planing and small shingle mill where matched flooring could be milled, and this was a great convenience to the new settlers.

Joseph Bristol, who helped his father in the saw mill, states that there were many fine logs brought to the mill to be made into lumber; one 12 foot log made more than 500 feet of good lumber. The slabs from the logs were saved for building material and Joseph Bristol built his homestead house of such slabs.

It was to this slab home that he brought his bride. They had an ox team hitched to a buggy, and on the way, the oxen ran away, which incident gave them many amusing thoughts in after years, when they recalled their honeymoon trip.

Mrs. Joseph Bristol taught the first term of school in District No. 8 in their slab home.

Later they built a frame home of native lumber sawed in their saw mill, and only doors and windows were purchased for the home. Both day and Sunday School were held in this home, until a school house was built. Many of the settlers took an active interest in Church and Sunday School, and for many years they held regular church services conducted by the pastor from Valentine.

The settlers of the Kewanee community were fortunate in that they selected a fine farming section of the county for their homes. They also had fine grasses for pasture, which enabled them to have cattle and horses. Also they were in a favorable position as they were near Fort Niobrara with its market, and near the Niobrara River where timber was available, and also near the Indian Reservation where settlers for a number of years could graze their cattle without cost. In addition to these advantages, they had fertile virgin soil. Their water problem was the same as Sparks.

The young men found work on ranches on the reservation. These ranches were operated by white men who had married Indian wives and were known as "squaw men."

There was a home on every desirable quarter section of land, and with their homes established, the settlers started on a trail that led those who remained despite drouth and depression, to comfortable circumstances.

Mr. John Shelbourne estimates that at this time, when the history is being written, only one fourth as many people (135) are now living in this community as there were when it was fully settled.

The Indian uprising of 1890 gave the settlers much anxiety, and the difficult years of the nineties tested their endurance. Then during the good years that followed the turn of the century, prosperity blessed this community. Good crops were grown and the sale of livestock and grain enabled the settlers to make improvements in their homes, and on their farms.

As the years passed, the farm units were made larger and the numbers of livestock were increased. Better homes were built and modern conveniences added, which made life more enjoyable.

The community now has a daily mail which goes from Valentine to Sparks. Highway No. 7, the first improved highway built in Cherry County passes through this community.

Dairy and poultry raising are profitable side lines of many of the Kewanee residents.

The early settlers of this community were: Charles Tinker, Harper Cleveland, Lockin Cleveland, Ernest Bowden, who was the first County Surveyor of Cherry County, David Bristol and sons, Ervine, Joseph, George, and Elmer; John and William Shelbourne, T. J. Ashburn, Charles Presho, J. A. Hitt, Sam Parry and sons, Sam and Edward, Dr. Zenner, Susan Berry, John Foster, Harry Dodson, William and Charles Calwell, Victor Sterling, Martin and Henry Becker, Conrad Becker, G. W. Smith, George Gates, Sam Barker, David McDonald, Peter Simons, Fred Copeland, L. W. Taylor, John Simpson, Isaac and John DeTour, Lewis Moser, Adelbert Kneel, N. B. Johnson, Lewis Dawson, Lewis Archer, Edward, George and William Foster, Felix Nolette, William Epke, and son, William, Jr.

Mrs. Ernest Bowden is now living on the original homestead which is farmed by a son. Messrs. Hitt and Kneeland moved to Valentine in the early nineties and operated a livery and feed barn for a number of years. Peter Simons moved to Valentine where he served as Sheriff. His son, Frank Simons, is County Chairman of the County AAA Committee.

John Shelbourne is living on his homestead, being one of the few original residents of the county who has been spared, to see the many changes take place since he filed on his homestead, soon after the County was organized. His (136) sons, Charles, Ray, Dewey, and Walter are substantial farmers of this community, where they spent their childhood.

Adolph Nollette, son of Felix Nollette, now lives in a modern home near the homestead taken by his father.

Modern farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Nollette of the Kewanee community. Mr. Nollette is a son of Felix Nollette, pioneer of the community.

From the Kewanee Community we shall visit the North Table Community, which joins it on the west.

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