YORK COUNTY NEBRASKA
OLD SETTLER'S HISTORY

     (18) One great event in the early history of York County that stands out most prominent of all, and never to be forgotten while an early settler is alive, is the awful Faster Storm that began the evening of Sunday, April the 12th, 1873. The spring had been early and small grain was all up, and farmers had their spring work well under way; the weather had been dry and the wind blowing strong from the south for more than a week, and Sunday, April the 12th, the wind quieted down and the day was pleasant until in the afternoon a bank of heavy clouds made their appearance in the northwest; soon there began a heavy rain and as night approached the rain turned into sleet, and then to snow, then for three days and nights without a moment's cessation the storm raged in all its fury, with the air so full of whirling snow, it was impossible to see an object scarcely a rod away. Fortunate for the early settlers that their dwellings were mostly sod houses, or dug-outs, and in the place of being blown away they were more likely to be snowed under, which happened in many cases; in several instances the settlers took their meager stock in the sod houses with them and all lived together for three days. Many interesting incidents have been related by persons who experienced such a strange make-up of families, and although the milk and eggs were handy none have desired a repetition of the novelty. After the storm was over the neighbors who were not snowed in had interesting experiences digging their neighbors out of their dug-outs; one family that was snowed under in a dug-out held a conversation with their rescuers through the stove-pipe that stuck up through the snow, and showed there where to dig down for the door by running the broom handle up through the snow. The writer went to one dug-out where nothing but the stove-pipe was visible, and hollooed down through the stove-pipe and asked the owner what he was doing, he promptly answered he was reading the B. & M. advertisements about the beautiful climate of Nebraska. Mrs. Capt. Read tells us that Andy Hansen, a Dane, had a homestead on Section 32 in Thayer Township, and had built him a comfortable sod house on the south side of the draw, front door opening to the north, and that he was away from home (19) when the storm came, and that the storm blew the front door open, and when Mr. Hansen came home after the storm his house was so full of snow he could not find place for a dog to crawl in. In Thayer Township a band of Pawnee Indians came along after the storm and discovered some stock that had drifted to the creek in the storm and perished, the Indians immediately went into camp and remained as long as the supply of meat lasted. The Blue, near the west line of the county, was literally full of dead stock that had drifted as was supposed, from the Platte River bottoms. Mr. John Davis, who had settled in Leroy Township, did not have his stable up when the storm came, and his stock which was tied to the wagon all perished; much stock was lost under similar conditions. Our townsman, N. A. Dean, had his stable built under a bank; in one end of the stable end were two mules, in the center horses, and in the other end hogs and chickens; the snow kept drifting, in, and the mules tramping to keep on top until they got up to the roof and broke through and went out; the hogs and chickens in the other and were snowed under at least 25 feet deep, and Mr. Dean was surprised when on digging them out a week later found them all alive and hungry. As far as known only three lives were lost in the storm in York County; one, the 15 year old son of J. S. Gray, in Arborville Township, the boy was trying to carry a sack of corn from the barn to the house, missed the house and was not found until the storm was over; the other two deaths occurred in Henderson Township, a. Mr. Frank Kailey had built a log house, but had not had time to chink it up when the storm carne, and the first night of the storm the house drifted half full of snow, the stove and beds were under snow; they thought they must go to one of the neighbors and they started, Mr. and Mrs. Kailey and their baby boy, Mrs. Kailey soon gave out in the deep snow and awful storm, and Mr. Kailey tried to carry his wife and baby on his back but only went a short distance and gave up exhausted, then left his wife and baby and went for help but never found them till he found their dead bodies in the snow drift where he had left them when he went for help. His homestead was the S. W. ¼ of section 30, township 9, range 4.

     A project for building a narrow gauge railroad had been advanced by some of the leading citizens of the county, (20) the stockholders to he residents of the county. This created quite a stir and so some enthusiasm was manifested. It was meeting with some favor and endorsement when another proposition was received from Dr. Converse which ran the narrow gauge scheme entirely off the track. The second proposition was submitted in 1874 and demanded only $94,000, in county bonds in consideration of which the Midland Pacific road was to be extended to York. The bond campaign of 1875 was a very warm one and meet with some opposition. Eleven hundred and seventy-five votes were cast at this election and the proposition was favored by a sufficient majority in the county, while the precinct of York voted to issue it bonds to the amount of $10,000 as in an additional bonus. The company fulfilled its promises and the first train reached York in August, 1877. In the fall of 1875, at the general election, Liedke, Gandy, Miller and Brooks were re-elected. W. B. Cummins, Probate Judge; J. E. Cochran, Superintendent of Public Instruction; A. B. Codding, Surveyor;

     At this election Hon. George W. Post, at this time a young and promising member of the York bar, was elected Judge of the Fourth Judicial District, and was re-elected in 1879. The first representatives to the State Legislature from York County were elected in 1876. The Senatorial District included York and Hamilton counties.

     Well known men such as Hon. S. V. Moore and Hon. Lee Love were chosen to serve the people as Representatives, and Hon. W. M. Knapp as Senator. Benjamin Woolman was this year elected Commissioner. 

     In 1877 Messrs. F. W. Liedke, J. P. Miller, L. J. Gandy, W. B. Cummins, J. E. Cochran, and A. B. Codding were re-elected, and Thomas Gray as Commissioner

     At the general election in 1878, W. T. Scott and W. H. Keckley were elected to the State Legislature and F. W. Liedke as State Auditor. Mr. Liedke resigned his position as County Clerk, and the Commissioners appointed Hon. Lee Love to fill the vacancy caused.

     At the election of county offices for 1879, W. B. Cummins, J. P. Miller and A. P. Codding were again reelected. J. A. Eatherly was elected County Clerk; (21) A. J. Bell, District Clerk, E. F. Armor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Charles W. Wullbrandt, Commissioner.

     In the fall of 1850 Hon. S. V. Moore and Albert Wilsey were elected as Representatives; Martin Burns as State Senator, and Jesse Love, County Commissioner.

     The election of 1881 gave the county the services of the efficient officials who were elected as follows: Milton Sovereign, Clerk; J. W. Bennett, Treasurer; W. W. Giffen, County Judge; James H. Hamilton, Sheriff; E. E. Armor, Superintendent Public Instruction; A. B. Codding, Surveyor; J. W. Wells, M. D., Coroner; S. A. Myers, Commissioner.

     In the spring of 1873 the county was encumbered by a debt of $44,000 caused by the erection of bridges and other internal improvements, and funded its debts by issuing bonds to that amount.

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