Omaha daily bee., 1892-04-24
Reaus Like Romance.

In the fall of 1865 Herman Braasch and
Fred Waggoner came to Madison county
from Wisconsin, to look up q location for
themselves and number of their neigh bors
who desired to make homes in 4 new country
whore lands were cheap. They chose n loca-
tion near where Norfolk now stands. and
went back and made their report. The next
spring thirty-two families, with Herman
Braasch at their head, arrived at the PROM
ised land and prepared to take possession.
At that time there was 10 other white per-
sons IN that part Of the country and Omaha
was the base OF supplies. Madison county,
which had been held back as an Indian reser-
vatlon, had not been surveyed. Accordingly
Mr.. Braasch got Bill Sharp, a Cunning county
settler, who was surveyor, to come over
and survey the portion upon which tho col
ony desired 10 squat Surveyor Sharp had
neither compass nor chain, but some of the
boys in the Immigrant company had pocket
compasses, and the lines from the only
morse team" in the outfit were made to
do service for q chain A school section cor
ner on the line of Cunning county was taken
for starting point and survey made which
answered for The establishment of squatters'
lines, and, indeed, proved afterward to be
an approximately correct survey. In the fall
of the same year the government surveyors
came, and each head OF a family entered 100
acres under the homestead law. To
avoid dispute as to choice of farms,
thirtv-two numbered tickets were
made corresponding with the numbers Of The
land a drawing had which satisfied all par
ties. The entire company OF homesteaders
were worsingmen who had saved enough to
buy yoke Of cattle and some kind of
wagon, Mr. Braasch, who was the acknOwl-
edged leader and the moLeyed man of the COM
pany, had horse Team and six cows, and but
little else. tie had no money. AT that time
common board lumber was worth SIS and
flooring Sl00 per thousand in Omaha. So
lumber was out OF the question. Each fam
lily built a log house with clay floors and
thns hnA Mo,
clay, laid on split willows, aud the ''daubingn
between the logs was protected from the ele-
ments with prairie hay nailed on tho logs in
successive layers, shingle fashion. The men
built their houses, made their hay, and then
struck out for Omaha ana worked through
the winter on the Union Pacific at 81 per
day. Mr.. Braasch says they never could
have got through ii it had not been for this
chance to work, as their money was all gone.
He smiled when asked if man could make
start here now at present prices of land as
easily as when land could be had for nothing.
"Why,n said he, "a yoke of cattle at that
time was worth $3.50, and even 500, and was
hard TO get. We had to go fifty six miles TO
mill, and sometimes had TO wait week for
our grist., There were no bridges and it was
simply an awful trip to mill or TO Omaha for
supplies. Now, II man has no team, he can
work for good wages and buy one, and he can
go in debt for his land and pay for IL, and all
the time can have every convenience
and comfort at his door. / never
feed much stock but raised and sold grain
which hauled TO Sioux City, Omaha aud
Fremont. Stock could not be had for long
time after came here. With the exception
of grasshopper years we have always had
good crops The men who came here with
me- all live around Norfolk and all have done
well-some of them are rich. / have eleven
children and they are all dong we'll. l bad
half section here, but had not enough for
all the children so l sold ffty-fve acres at
$3.50 per acre and l20 for $500 an acre and
have thirty acres here where live.
Mr.. Rraasch has pleasant home just out
side the corporation of Norfolk, where he
first settled. He is now past the age for act
i've farm WORK but 10 fair type Of the