EARLY HISTORY OF CHERRY COUNTY, NEBRASKA

(169) The sandhills of Cherry County are a biological haven. Wildlife consisting of upland game birds, numerous species of waterfowl, shore birds, and water birds, as well as song and insectivorous birds abound in great numbers throughout the sandhills of Cherry County.

     Luxurious growths of native grasses over hills and meadows have created ideal food and cover conditions conducive to the welfare of the prairie chicken and sharp-tailed grouse, which in pioneer days often graced the table of the early settlers.

     Many sandhill lakes support rich growths of acquatic vegetation and seasonally attract myriads of waterfowl and shore birds, while the dense growth of fruit bearing shrubs such as wild plum, chokecherry, sand cherry, and buffalo berry attract great numbers of insectivorous birds.

     Big game animals native to this county consisted of American bison, prong-horned antelope, white-tailed and mule deer. By the time Cherry County was settled, the American bison had practically disappeared. However, the white-tailed deer, mule deer, and prong-horned antelope, named in the order of their abundance, existed in fairly large numbers, and early settlers depended upon this natural resource to a great extent for their food supply. In later years, some ranchers hunted and shipped game to market to supplement their income and professional market hunters earned their living through hunting waterfowl, prairie chickens and deer for the eastern markets.

     Fur bearing animals consist of muskrat, mink, raccoon, and badger. Predatory animals consist of coyote, skunk, civit cat, and weasel. The seasonal harvest of fur bearing and predatory animals engages many persons from school boys to professional trappers, and the value of the annual harvest reaches a substantial amount of money.

	Table of Contents
	Index
	Memorial On-Line Library of Historical Publications
	Livingston County MI USGenWeb & AHGP Project
© 2003 All Rights Reserved CFC Productions
For more information about any of the sites included under the umbrella of the LivGenMI site please contact Pam Rietsch at:    pam@livgenmi.com