# The New International Encyclopædia/Nebraska

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​ NEBRAS′KA (North American Indian, shallow water). One of the north central States of the American Union, popularly known as the “Blackwater State.” It lies between the parallels of latitude 40° and 43° N., and between longitudes 95° 20′ and 104° W., the latter meridian and the two parallels forming rectilinear boundaries. It is bounded on the north by South Dakota, on the east by Iowa and Missouri, on the ​south by Kansas and Colorado, and on the west by Wyoming and Colorado. Its shape is that of a rectangle whose eastern end is cut off diagonally by the Missouri River, and whose southwestern corner is overlapped by the northeastern corner of Colorado, its extreme length from east to west is 420 miles, and its breadth from north to south 208 miles. Its area is 77,510 square miles, of which 670 square miles are water, and 76,840 square miles, or 49,177,600 acres, land. It ranks thirteenth in size among the States.
Topography. Nebraska lies in the region of the great plains skirting the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, toward whose foothills it rises in a gentle, undulating incline. The whole western half of the State lies at an elevation of more than 2500 feet above the sea. On the other hand, there are but few eminences rising much above the general level of the plain, except in the extreme west, where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin to appear. The highest point here is Wildcat Mountain, 5038 feet above the sea. As the rivers are deeply trenched in the soft drift material, their flood-plains in the east along the Missouri, the Platte, and their larger tributaries are lined with steep or rounded bluffs sometimes of considerable height. Nebraska is a prairie State.
* COPYRIGHT, 1891 AND 1903, BY DODD, MEAD & COMPANY.
AREA AND POPULATION OF NEBRASKA BY COUNTIES.
Population. :
| County | Map Index. | County Seat. | Area in square miles. | 1890. | 1900. |
| Adams | F 3 | Hastings | 574 | 24,303 | 18,840 |
| Antelope | F 1 | Neligh | 874 | 10,399 | 11,344 |
| Banner | A 2 | Harrisburg | 744 | 2,435 | 1,114 |
| Blaine | D 2 | Brewster | 711 | 1,146 | 603 |
| Boone | F 2 | Albion | 686 | 8,683 | 11,689 |
| Boxbutte | A 1 | Alliance | 1,078 | 5,494 | 5,572 |
| Boyd | F 1 | Butte | 555 | 695 | 7,332 |
| Brown | E 1 | Ainsworth | 1,223 | 4,359 | 3,470 |
| Buffalo | E 3 | Kearney | 985 | 22,162 | 20,254 |
| Burt | H 2 | Tekamah | 476 | 11,069 | 13,040 |
| Butler | G 2 | David City | 586 | 15,454 | 15,703 |
| Cass | H 3 | Plattsmouth | 540 | 24,080 | 21,330 |
| Cedar | G 1 | Hartington | 725 | 7,028 | 12,467 |
| Chase | C 3 | Imperial | 901 | 4,807 | 2,559 |
| Cherry | C 1 | Valentine | 5,891 | 6,428 | 6,541 |
| Cheyenne | A 2 | Sidney | 2,601 | 5,693 | 5,570 |
| Clay | F 3 | Clay Center | 586 | 16,310 | 15,735 |
| Colfax | G 2 | Schuyler | 405 | 10,453 | 11,211 |
| Cuming | H 2 | Westpoint | 580 | 12,265 | 14,584 |
| Custer | D 2 | Broken Row | 2,595 | 21,677 | 19,758 |
| Dakota | H 1 | Dakota | 264 | 5,386 | 6,286 |
| Dawes | A 1 | Chadron | 1,411 | 9,722 | 6,215 |
| Dawson | B 3 | Lexington | 1,002 | 10,129 | 12,214 |
| Deuel | B 2 | Chappell | 2,097 | 2,893 | 2,630 |
| Dixon | H 1 | Ponca | 450 | 8,084 | 10,535 |
| Dodge | H 2 | Fremont | 529 | 19,260 | 22,298 |
| Douglas | H 2 | Omaha | 341 | 158,008 | 110,590 |
| Dundy | C 3 | Benkelman | 921 | 4,012 | 2,434 |
| Fillmore | G 3 | Geneva | 568 | 16,022 | 15,087 |
| Franklin | E 3 | Bloomington | 568 | 7,693 | 9,455 |
| Frontier | D 3 | Stockville | 980 | 8,497 | 8,781 |
| Furnas | D 3 | Beaver City | 715 | 9,840 | 12,373 |
| Gage | H 3 | Beatrice | 856 | 36,344 | 30,051 |
| Garfield | E 2 | Burwell | 568 | 1,659 | 2,127 |
| Gosper | E 3 | Elwood | 472 | 4,816 | 5,301 |
| Grant | C 2 | Hyannis | 760 | 458 | 763 |
| Greeley | F 2 | Greeley | 580 | 4,869 | 5,691 |
| Hall | F 3 | Grand Island | 562 | 16,513 | 17,206 |
| Hamilton | F 3 | Aurora | 550 | 14,096 | 13,330 |
| Harlan | E 3 | Alma | 562 | 8,158 | 9,370 |
| Hayes | C 3 | Hayes Center | 725 | 3,953 | 2,708 |
| Hitchcock | C 3 | Trenton | 723 | 5,799 | 4,409 |
| Holt | F 1 | O'Neill | 2,410 | 13,672 | 12,224 |
| Hooker | C 2 | Mullen | 725 | 426 | 432 |
| Howard | F 2 | St. Paul | 574 | 9,430 | 10,343 |
| Jefferson | G 3 | Fairbury | 566 | 14,850 | 15,196 |
| Johnson | H 3 | Tecumseh | 382 | 10,333 | 11,197 |
| Kearney | E 3 | Minden | 503 | 9,061 | 9,866 |
| Keith | C 2 | Ogallala | 1,113 | 2,556 | 1,951 |
| Keyapaha | E 1 | Springview | 772 | 3,920 | 3,076 |
| Kimball | A 2 | Kimball | 960 | 959 | 758 |
| Knox | F 1 | Niobrara | 1,125 | 8,582 | 14,343 |
| Lancaster | H 3 | Lincoln | 868 | 76,395 | 64,835 |
| Lincoln | C 2 | North Platte | 2,570 | 10,441 | 11,416 |
| Logan | D 2 | Gandy | 576 | 1,378 | 960 |
| Loup | E 2 | Taylor | 574 | 1,662 | 1,305 |
| McPherson | C 2 | Tryon | 1,685 | 401 | 517 |
| Madison | G 2 | Madison | 576 | 13,669 | 16,976 |
| Merrick | F 2 | Central City | 460 | 8,758 | 9,255 |
| Nance | F 2 | Fullerton | 456 | 5,773 | 8,222 |
| Nemaha | J 3 | Auburn | 407 | 12,930 | 14,952 |
| Nuckolls | F 3 | Nelson | 572 | 11,417 | 12,414 |
| Otoe | H 3 | Nebraska City | 616 | 25,403 | 22,288 |
| Pawnee | H 3 | Pawnee City | 437 | 10,340 | 11,770 |
| Perkins | C 3 | Grant | 895 | 4,364 | 1,702 |
| Phelps | E 3 | Holdrege | 564 | 9,869 | 10,772 |
| Pierce | G 1 | Pierce | 568 | 4,864 | 8,445 |
| Platte | G 2 | Columbus | 686 | 15,437 | 17,747 |
| Polk | G 2 | Osceola | 432 | 10,817 | 10,542 |
| Redwillow | D 3 | McCook | 720 | 8,837 | 9,601 |
| Richardson | J 3 | Falls City | 548 | 17,574 | 19,614 |
| Rock | E 1 | Bassett | 1,000 | 3,083 | 2,809 |
| Saline | G 3 | Wilber | 576 | 20,097 | 18,252 |
| Sarpy | H 2 | Papillion | 225 | 6,875 | 9,080 |
| Saunders | H 2 | Wahoo | 764 | 21,577 | 22,085 |
| Scotts Bluff | A 2 | Gering | 725 | 1,888 | 2,552 |
| Seward | C 3 | Seward | 588 | 16,140 | 15,690 |
| Sheridan | B 1 | Rushville | 2,179 | 8,687 | 6,033 |
| Sherman | E 2 | Loup | 568 | 6,399 | 6,550 |
| Sioux | A 1 | Harrison | 2,077 | 2,452 | 2,055 |
| Stanton | G 2 | Stanton | 431 | 4,619 | 6,969 |
| Thayer | G 3 | Hebron | 572 | 12,738 | 11,325 |
| Thomas | D 2 | Thedford | 720 | 517 | 628 |
| Thurston | H 1 | Pender | 396 | 3,176 | 8,756 |
| Valley | E 2 | Ord | 578 | 7,092 | 7,339 |
| Washington | H 2 | Blair | 392 | 11,869 | 13,086 |
| Wayne | G 1 | Wayne | 441 | 6,169 | 9,862 |
| Webster | F 3 | Redcloud | 578 | 11,210 | 11,619 |
| Wheeler | F 2 | Bartlett | 582 | 1,683 | 1,362 |
| York | G 3 | York | 588 | 17,279 | 18,205 |
​ Hydrography. The State is drained entirely by the Missouri River and its tributaries. Owing to the gentle and regular slope of the land, most of these rivers flow in nearly straight parallel lines east or southeastward, and they are for the most part wide and also shallow. The three principal rivers, besides the Missouri (on the boundary), are the Platte in the centre, the Niobrara in the north, these two flowing through the whole length of the State, and the Republican in the south, the latter coming from Kansas, and returning to that State to form the Kansas River.
Climate. The climate is continental, dry, and exhilarating. The mean temperature for January is 19.7° and for July 74.8°. The extremes are very great, the mercury sometimes falling to -42° and at times rising to 114°. The nights are cool. The climate of the western third of the State is, however, quite arid, and differs considerably from that of the eastern third, where agriculture is wholly successful. The annual rainfall is 23 inches, but this is very unevenly distributed. In the east it is sufficient to support agriculture, ranging from 30 inches on the average to a local maximum as high as 50 inches. In the western half it is below 20, and in the extreme west as low as 12 inches, so that here agriculture cannot be carried on successfully without irrigation. The greatest amount of rain falls in May and June, and more than three-fourths of the annual rain falls during the six months of the growing season, April to September. The prevailing winds are from the northwest, and these generally temper the summer heat, but occasionally the heat is aggravated by the hot winds from the southwest.
Soil. More than half of the State is covered with glacial drift and loess, the drift being confined to the eastern counties. The loess forms a soil of inexhaustible fertility. Its deposits range in thickness from 5 to 150 and even 200 feet, and though soft and easily excavated, it is very compact and able to withstand moisture and exposure. The bluffs along the bottom-lands are composed of this material. The alluvial lands of the river valleys also afford excellent soil, though scarcely exceeding the loess in quality, and as the State was anciently a lacustrine bed, and later a region of peat bogs, large areas are covered with a very black vegetable mold which in some places becomes true peat, and which has given the dark color to the rivers, whence the popular name of the State is derived. Considerable areas in the west, as much as 20,000 square miles, are covered with sand dunes. These are found partly in the southwestern corner, but chiefly in the large and arid area north of the Platte and west of the 100th meridian. In the extreme west the Tertiary marls, even in the Bad Lands, can be made productive by irrigation.
For Flora and Fauna, see the articles Rocky Mountains and United States.
Geology and Minerals. Except in the Bad Lands of the northwest and in some other isolated localities, formations older than the Pleistocene are nowhere exposed. They are composed of nearly horizontal strata outcropping below the drift in wide bands running southwest to northeast. Four principal formations are represented, which in order from southeast to northwest are the Upper Carboniferous, Permian, Cretaceous, and the Miocene and Pliocene Tertiary. The Miocene is the one which crops out in the Bad Lands. Glacial drift covers the eastern third of the State, the remaining Pleistocene formation consisting of alluvial deposits laid down in the lakes which were formed at the close of the glacial period. Clay and a little building stone are the only important minerals. The clay deposits afford material for the production of brick and tile; the product for 1900 was valued at $683,958, three times the value of the product in 1895.
Agriculture. In agricultural development the State advanced rapidly during the last three decades of the nineteenth century, and at the end of the period ranked as one of the most important agricultural States. In 1900, 60.8 per cent. of the total land area was included in farms, and of this 61.6 per cent. was improved. Efforts at irrigation in the arid areas of the west have been attended with some success, the irrigated acreage reported in 1899 being 148,538, of which about 90 per cent. was watered from the North Platte River. In some regions there are supplies of underground water, which can be utilized by means of windmills and small reservoirs—a system which promises to be of some importance in the agricultural development of the arid regions. Since 1880 the average acreage of farms increased from 156.9 acres to 246.1 acres. This is due to the establishment of extensive live-stock ranches in the western part of the State and the cultivation of large corn-producing areas, and is in spite of the tendency to divide farm holdings which has characterized the same period in the eastern part of the State. The number of tenant-operated farms is increasing very rapidly, and amounted in 1900 to 36.9 per cent. of the total number of farms.
Corn is the leading crop, nearly one-half of the cultivated acreage of the State being devoted to it. In 1880 the acreage of wheat was only slightly less than that of corn, but in the following decade there was an actual decrease of more than two-fifths in the area devoted to it, which, ​however, revived in the last decade of the century, amounting in 1900 to three times that of 1890. There were large increases in the area devoted to oats and rye respectively during each of the last two decades of the nineteenth century; rye, however, is of only minor importance. Grasses cut for hay are chiefly wild, salt, or prairie grasses, but millet, alfalfa, and other cultivated grasses are also grown. Potatoes and other vegetable crops are extensively grown. In the last decade of the past century a rapid increase was made in the cultivation of sugar beets, the census of 1900 reporting a total of 8662 acres devoted to them. The growing of orchard fruits is mainly confined to the southeastern part of the State. Between 1890 and 1900 the number of fruit trees increased from 1,840,704 to 6,240,118, considerably over half of this number being apple trees.
The acreage of the principal farm crops for the census years indicated is as follows:
1890 :
| Corn | 7,335,187 | 5,480,279 |
| Wheat | 2,538,949 | 798,855 |
| Oats | 1,924,827 | 1,503,515 |
| Rye | 178,920 | 81,372 |
| Barley | 92,098 | 82,590 |
| Hay and forage | 2,823,652 | 2,462,245 |
| Potatoes | 79,901 | 106,722 |
Stock-Raising. Every decade since the settlement of the State has witnessed an increase in the number of every variety of domestic animals. In general, the increase was greatest during the ten years from 1880 to 1890. The most noteworthy gain in the last decade of the century was that made in the number of cattle other than dairy cows, amounting to 62.7 per cent. In the census year 1900, $4,137,000 was realized from the sale of dairy products, and the value of the product consumed on farms was nearly as great. In the same year only three States exceeded Nebraska in the number of swine reported.
The following table gives the number of the principal species of domestic animals for the years indicated:
1890 :
| Dairy cows | 512,544 | 505,045 |
| Other cattle | 2,663,699 | 1,637,552 |
| Horses | 795,318 | 626,789 |
| Mules and asses | 55,856 | 46,512 |
| Sheep | 335,950 | 209,243 |
| Swine | 4,128,000 | 3,815,647 |
Manufactures. In manufacturing Nebraska is one of the least developed States. In 1900 there were 24,461 wage-earners, or only 2.3 per cent. of the total population, engaged in manufactures. The State's industries, have developed almost wholly since 1880. In the two decades beginning with that year the number of wage-earners more than quintupled, and the value of products ($143,990,000 in 1900) increased over eleven fold. The lack of cheap fuel has been a serious handicap, but the development of coal fields in adjoining States is helping to overcome this obstacle. The advantages of cheap transportation are afforded by the Missouri River, and Omaha in particular has unusual railroad facilities. As yet the industries are limited mainly to those manufactures that are based upon agricultural and stock-raising products. Thus four industries—viz. slaughtering and meat-packing, and the manufacture of malt liquors, flour and grist-mill products, and cheese, butter, and condensed milk—yielded 89.6 per cent. of the total value for the nine leading industries given in the table below. The value of the products of the slaughtering industry alone was nearly equal to that of all other industries combined. The rapid growth of the industry began in 1884, and South Omaha, as a slaughtering centre, is surpassed only by Kansas City and Chicago. The factory production of butter has developed wholly since 1881. Other leading industries are printing and publishing, and car and other railroad shop construction, the manufacture of saddlery and harness, brick and tile, and lumber and planing mill products. The last two suffered a decrease during the last decade of the century. South Omaha and Omaha are the only large manufacturing centres. The following table shows the relative importance of the leading industries, and their development during the decade 1890-1900:
Value of products, including custom  work and repairing :
| Total for selected industries for State  $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 1,520 | 13,386 | $92,372,460 |
| Total for selected industries for State  $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 1,045 | 10,467 | 42,260,093 |
| Increase, 1890 to 1900 | ...... | 475 | 2,919 | 50,112,367 |
| Per cent. of increase | ...... | 45.5 | 27.9 | 118 |
| Per cent. of total of all industries in the State $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 28.1 | 54.7 | 64 |
| Per cent. of total of all industries in the State $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 34.7 | 51.2 | 45 |
| Slaughtering and meat-packing, wholesale $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 8 | 6,083 | 71,018,339 |
| Slaughtering and meat-packing, wholesale $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 6 | 1,863 | 24,026,876 |
| Cheese, butter, and condensed milk, factory product  $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 93 | 333 | 2,253,893 |
| Cheese, butter, and condensed milk, factory product  $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 58 | 428 | 1,183,000 |
| Flouring and grist-mill products $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 305 | 698 | 8,100,794 |
| Flouring and grist-mill products $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 185 | 690 | 6,365,492 |
| Liquors, malt $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 19 | 200 | 1,433,501 |
| Liquors, malt $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 14 | 172 | 1,079,865 |
| Brick and tile $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 106 | 855 | 839,815 |
| Brick and tile $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 155 | 2,586 | 2,173,632 |
| Cars and general shop-construction and repairs $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$  by steam railroad companies | 1900 | 23 | 2,458 | 2,624,461 |
| Cars and general shop-construction and repairs $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$  by steam railroad companies | 1890 | 9 | 2,041 | 2,067,908 |
| Lumber, planing-mill products, $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$  including sash, doors, and blinds | 1900 | 21 | 293 | 886,333 |
| Lumber, planing-mill products, $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$  including sash, doors, and blinds | 1890 | 24 | 497 | 1,112,412 |
| Printing and publishing $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 554 | 1,883 | 3,431,582 |
| Printing and publishing $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 443 | 1,771 | 3,222,368 |
| Saddlery and harness $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1900 | 391 | 583 | 1,783,742 |
| Saddlery and harness $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | 1890 | 151 | 419 | 1,028,540 |
Nebraska enjoys adequate railroad facilities, and three lines, the Burlington and Missouri River, the Union Pacific, and the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley, cross the State from east to west. The western part of the State has no north and south lines. The principal era of construction was in the decade 1880-90, during which the mileage increased from 1953 miles to 5407 miles. There were in 1900 5695 miles in operation. There is a State Board of Railroad Commissioners. The Missouri River is not used for purposes of navigation.
Banks. The first session of the Territorial Legislature in 1855 pronounced currency banking a crime, and no banks were chartered. The necessity for currency, however, was such that insurance companies issued a disguised form of paper money. In 1856, under special charters, certain institutions did a banking business, in spite of the laws to the contrary. The general panic of 1857 swept all such institutions out of existence. For almost a decade all the banking business was performed by private banks; then national banks began to be organized.
A considerable increase in the number of banks came about in 1880, when the era of railroad building commenced. The number of State banks almost doubled in one year, and in the following decade (1880-90) increased from 83 to 513, but diminished somewhat after the panic of 1893. The national banks during the same period increased from 10 to 120. An act regulating banks was passed in 1889, establishing a State Banking Board, and providing for reports and examinations. In 1893 there were eight savings banks in Omaha, but only one existed in 1900. The following table is compiled from the official reports of 1902:
State and private banks :
| Number of banks | 124 | 458 |
| Capital | $10,088,000 | $7,521,000 |
| Surplus | 2,068,000 | 1,271,000 |
| Cash, etc. | 4,436,000 | 2,437,000 |
| Loans | 44,198,000 | 28,527,000 |
| Deposits | 41,093,000 | 35,069,000 |
Finances. The State Constitution forbids any bonded debts of over $50,000 except in case of war, but when the disbursements have exceeded the receipts. State warrants have been issued which drew interest. In 1891 an act was passed by the Legislature relating to registration of unpaid warrants, which practically made them a bonded debt. Besides, special relief bonds were authorized and so a funded State debt created which in 1894 amounted to more than $500,000. This funded debt was paid out by 1898. On December 1, 1902, the floating indebtedness of the State was $1,989,328, but the educational trust funds held $1,457,351, so that the net indebtedness was small. The income for the preceding twenty-four months was $6,742,551, and the expenditures $6,925,315. The educational expenditures constituted almost two-thirds of the whole.
Government. The present Constitution was adopted in 1875. If three-fifths of the members of each House approve a proposed amendment, it is submitted to a vote of the people, and if approved by a majority of the electors voting, it becomes a part of the Constitution. Every male person of the age of twenty-one years and upward who is a citizen of the United States, or has declared his intention thirty days previous to an election to become a citizen, and who is neither insane, an idiot, nor an unpardoned felon, shall be entitled to vote, provided he has resided in the State six months and in the minor districts a term prescribed by law. Registration of voters is required by law in cities of over 2500 inhabitants. The State elections are held biennially on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Legislative. The Constitution places a maximum limit on the Legislature of 33 Senators and 100 Representatives. It meets biennially in odd-numbered years on the first Tuesday in January. Each member is elected for two years and receives $5 a day and mileage, but salary is allowed for only sixty days at any one sitting. Unless at the request of the Governor, bills cannot be introduced after the fortieth day of the session. The power of impeachment rests with the Senate and House in joint convention; the trial of impeachment, with the judges of the State district courts.
Executive. The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Attorney-General, and Commissioner of Public Lands and Buildings each hold office for two years. The Governor's veto extends to any item or items of appropriation bills. He has the usual pardoning power, subject to legislative regulation.
Judiciary. The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, district courts, county courts, justices of the peace, police magistrates, and inferior courts created by law for cities and incorporated towns. The three Supreme Court judges are elected by the State at large for six years. The State is divided into six districts, in each of which a district judge is elected for four years. The county judges are elected for two years.
Local Government. No county can be created with or reduced to a less area than 400 square miles, nor can any county be divided without the approval of a majority vote of the people. The Legislature provides by law for township organization.
Statutory Provisions. Property acquired by a wife after marriage remains separately hers. Women who own assessed property, or who have children of school age, may vote in school meetings. The liquor laws provide for high license. The legal rate of interest is seven per cent., ten being allowed by contract, and the penalty for usury is forfeiture of interest and cost.
The State has six Representatives in the National Congress. The capital is Lincoln.
Population. The population of Nebraska by decades was: 1860, 28,841; 1870, 122,993; 1880, 452,402; 1890, 1,058,910; 1900, 1,066,300. In the decade 1880-90 Texas was the only State west of the Mississippi whose absolute growth was as great as that of Nebraska, but in the following decade the population remained almost stationary, its increase being exceeded by that in every other State in the Union but one. Many of the northeastern counties of the State made large gains in the last decade of the century, but elsewhere decreases were common. Owing to its ​aridity, the western half of the State contains but few people. The foreign-born population in 1900 numbered 177,347, the Germans exceeding any other nationality. In the same year there were 6269 negroes and 3322 taxed Indians. There are 13.9 inhabitants to the square mile. Nebraska is one of the two States which suffered an actual decrease in urban population during the last decade of the past century. In 1900 there were eleven cities which exceeded 4000 inhabitants each, and together constituted 20.8 per cent. of the total population. The largest three cities in 1900 were: Omaha, 102,555; Lincoln, 40,169; South Omaha, 26,001.
Charitable and Penal Institutions. The Governor, Commissioner of Public Lands and Buildings, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction constitute a Board of Charities and Correction. The State institutions are as follows: Asylums for the insane at Lincoln and at Norfolk, Asylum for Incurable Insane at Hastings, Soldiers and Sailors' Home at Grand Island, Soldiers and Sailors' Home at Milford, Home for Friendless at Lincoln, State Industrial School at Kearney, Girls' Industrial School at Geneva, Industrial Home at Milford, State Penitentiary at Lincoln, Institution for Feeble-Minded at Beatrice, Institution for Deaf and Dumb at Omaha, Institution for Blind at Nebraska City. About one-half of the counties have poor farms (1902), the inmates at these aggregating about 800, while half as many other persons receive continuous aid from the counties, and as many more receive partial aid.
Education. Nebraska bears the distinction of having the lowest proportion of illiteracy in the United States (2.3 in 1900). In 1902 the State had 6813 public schools (465 graded), with 9629 teachers, of whom 1862 were males. The school population (five to twenty-one years of age) amounted, in 1902, to 375,340, the enrollment to 290,543, and the average daily attendance to 185,755. The average length of the school term in the same year was 138 days. The average monthly salary for male teachers increased from $39.24 in 1871 to $49.15 in 1902; of female teachers, from $36.64 to $38.51. The expenditures on education in 1902 amounted to $4,435,338, or about $23.90 per pupil in average attendance. It is reported that only about 5.5 per cent. of the teachers of the State are graduates of a college or a university, about 40 per cent. have a high-school education or its equivalent, 29 per cent. are without high-school training, and less than 16 per cent. have any professional training. To improve the professional standing of the teachers, a number of union normal institutes have been organized, giving a four weeks' summer course for teachers. The only normal school of the State (at Peru) has an attendance of about 400.
In 1900 there were in the State for purposes of secondary education 250 public high schools, with 15,208 secondary scholars, and 19 private high schools and academies, with 684 students. The chief institutions for higher education are the University of Nebraska (q.v.), at Lincoln; the University of Omaha (Presbyterian), at Bellevue; Cotner University (Christian), at Bethany; Doane College (Congregational), at Crete; Nebraska Wesleyan University (Methodist Episcopal), at University Place.
Religion. The church members or communicants in the State form only about 20 per cent. of the total population. The principal denominations, in order of their importance, are the Methodist, comprising over one-fourth of the church members, the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran, the Presbyterian, the Baptist, and the Congregational.
Militia. In 1900 the State had a population of militia age amounting to 235,572. The aggregate strength of the militia in 1901 was 1595 men.
History. The territory now constituting the State was originally a part of the Louisiana Purchase, and afterwards a part of Missouri Territory. Coronado (q.v.), setting out from Mexico in search of the seven cities of Cibola and of Quivira, claimed that in 1541 he journeyed on the great plain as far as latitude 40° N., the southern boundary of the State. There are stories of other Spanish explorations, but little is known of them. In 1673 Marquette passed the mouth of the Missouri and marked the Platte from Indian stories. Pierre and August Choteau, brothers engaged in the fur trade, went beyond the forks of the Platte in 1762. Lewis and Clark, in 1804-06, skirted the boundary of the present State. The first known settlement was a trading post founded at Bellevue by Manuel Lisa in 1805. The American Fur Company placed a post here in 1810, and posts were established at Omaha in 1825 and at Nebraska City in 1826. Fort Atkinson was established in 1821, but abandoned in 1827. With the admission of Missouri as a State in 1821, the territory was left practically without government. In 1834 part of the region was attached to Arkansas, the jurisdiction of the district court of Missouri was extended over another part, and a third portion was joined to Michigan Territory. The next year Col. Henry Dodge, with a force of dragoons, encamped at what is now Fort McPherson, and commenced negotiations with the Indians looking toward their removal to reservations. Many tribes of the Eastern Indians were then being transferred to this ‘Indian country.’ The Mormons in 1845-46 wintered within the territory, and the next year troops destined for service in New Mexico spent the winter at old Fort Kearney. New Fort Kearney was established on the Oregon trail in 1848. Thousands of gold seekers passed through the territory in 1849-50, and some stopped on the way in defiance of the law which forbade settlement among the Indians. In 1844 Stephen A. Douglas, then a member of the House of Representatives, introduced a bill to organize a Territory, but the bill was never reported from the committee. Another unsuccessful attempt was made in April, 1848, and still another in December. The Indians, who foresaw the inevitable extension of white settlement, wished for a Territorial government in order to sell lands to better advantage. The Wyandots, led by their half and quarter bloods, in 1851-52 petitioned Congress to establish a Territory, with no success. A Territorial Delegate, Abelard Guthrie, was chosen in October, 1852. A bill to organize Nebraska Territory passed the House February 2, 1853, but did not reach a vote in the Senate. In order to force action, a Provisional Government was organized by the residents, and William Walker was elected Governor July 25, 1853. Senator Douglas reported a bill in January, 1854, providing for the erection of a ​Territory, based on his principle of ‘squatter sovereignty.’ It was amended to provide for two Territories (see Kansas-Nebraska Act), passed both Houses, and was signed by the President May 30th. By this act the boundaries of the Territory of Nebraska were defined as the 40th and 49th parallels of latitude, from the Missouri to the summit of the Rocky Mountains. In 1861 all the region north of the 43d parallel was constituted part of Dakota Territory, a small part from the southwest corner was added to Colorado, and the western boundary was extended to the 110th meridian. With the creation of Idaho Territory in 1803, the State was reduced to its present limits except for a slight addition in the northwest in 1882.
The question of Statehood came up with the organization of the Territory. In 1860 the people voted down a proposal to call a constitutional convention. Congress passed an enabling act in 1864, but not until 1866 was a constitution adopted. The act of admission passed by Congress July 18th was not signed by the President. In February, 1867, he again vetoed a similar bill, but it was passed over the veto, and on March 1st the State was admitted. The history of the Territory and State has been one of peaceful development, though during the Civil War the Indians were restless, and in August, 1864, a notable rising occurred.
Politically Nebraska has been Republican in national elections, with the exception of the year 1896, when it was carried by the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, a resident of the State. The following is a list of the Governors of the State, with their party affiliations:
TERRITORIAL :
| Francis Burt | | 1854 |
| T. B. Cuming (acting) | | 1854-55 |
| Mark W. Izard | | 1855-57 |
| T. B. Cuming (acting) | | 1857-58 |
| William A. Richardson | | 1858 |
| J. S. Morton (acting) | | 1858-59 |
| S. W. Black | | 1859-61 |
| A. S. Paddock (acting) |
| Alvin Saunders | | 1861-67 |
| STATE |||
| David Butler | Republican | 1867-71 |
| W. H. James (acting) | | 1871-73 |
| Robert W. Furness | Republican | 1873-75 |
| Silas Garber | “ | 1875-79 |
| Albinus Nance | “ | 1879-83 |
| James W. Dawes | “ | 1883-87 |
| John M. Thayer | “ | 1887-91 |
| James E. Boyd | Democrat | 1891 |
| John M. Thayer | Republican | 1891-92 |
| James E. Boyd | Democrat | 1892-93 |
| Lorenzo Crounse | Republican | 1893-95 |
| Silas A. Holcombe | Dem.-Populist | 1895-99 |
| William A. Poynter | “ | 1899-1901 |
| Charles H. Dietrich | Republican | 1901 |
| Ezra P. Savage | “ | 1901-03 |
| John H. Mickey | “ | 1903 — |
Bibliography. Hale, Kansas and Nebraska (Boston, 1854); Butler, Nebraska, Its Characteristics and Prospects (Burlington, 1873); Curley, Nebraska: Its Advantages, Resources and Drawbacks (New York, 1875); Pound and Clements, The Phytogeography of Nebraska, vol. i. (Lincoln, 1898); Johnson, History of Nebraska (Omaha, 1880); Barrett, History and Government of Nebraska (Lincoln, 1891); id., Nebraska and the Nation (Chicago, 1898); True, History and Civil Government of Nebraska (Fremont, 1892); Connelly, Provisional Government, Nebraska Territory (Lincoln, 1899); Nebraska Historical Society, Transactions and Reports (Lincoln, 1885-93); Proceedings and Collections (Lincoln, 1894-1902).