The Red Cloud chief., 1904-07-29

cayations marking the barrack cellars.
deep pits. once powder magazines, n
| noble locust grove planted In the early
| fort DAYS, whose seeds have given life
to n multitude Of other locust groves
i'm the state. Every year the farmers
pillow and the gardeners rake reaps n
harvest Of military buttons n early
coins. Spanish coins OF the seven
tccnth and eighteenth centuries make
the bulk of the crop. showing how
close the connection with Spain and
how long after American purchase and
occupation her mintage maintained its
supremacy. Somewhere.-within a Few
, hundred yards OF this field bearing Its
annual harvest OF relics.-is the spot
where Lewis and Clark sat vis-a-vis to
Nebraska Indians in the first Louisiana
purchase council. No student OF the
place is yet bold enough to drive n
stake and cry Eureka" At the base
Of the plateau ran the river In 1904
and in 1919, whose waters are now
three miles away toward the Iowa
bluffs. with marsh and lake and culti-
waited farms between.
In the days of Fort Atkinson the hill
above the plateau was occupied by the
fort cemetery. where we're buried sew
eral hundred soldiers and others.
After the military abandonment the
h%eadstoncs were broken. scattered n
lost, except parts OF two with the date
1923, now in the museum of the Ne
braska State Historical society. The
very mounds themselves were for the
most part obliterated, and on the
slopes where the rains wash the pillow
now and then throws out a fragment
Of a human skeleton.
In November, 1901. J. A. Barrett and
A. f. Sheldon. Of the Nebraska State
Historical society Office stan. explored
and photographed the features Of both
, sites under the guidance OF w. II.
, Woods. who has lived on the ground
[ for thirty years and has a passion for
!, historical work. On our return the
e suggestion was made that the centen-
Q NAL Of the council ought to be cele.
y brated. In June, 1902. Mr.. e. Il. Black.
n nan Of the historical society visited
I the site and in discussion with Mr.
I Woods proposed the erection Of
v monument. These were the prelim
q mary steps by the Nebraska State His
!, torical society.
n On the other hand, the Daughters o
the American Revolution. Independent
g of any outside Suggestion. were NOV
n ing In the same direction. In the sum
q mer Of 1899 ladies of the Omaha chap
n ter visited the site of old Fort Atkin
son. were charmed with Its beauty an
associations. and discussed plans 70
erecting a monument to mark it's site
In the summer of 1901, Mrs. s. I
% Pound. OF Lincoln, state regent OF tn
). d. A. r.. noted the report Of the eret
ton of the Pie monument in Kansa.
N This stimulated her zeal to do tn
"A same by the historic sites in Nebrask,
She read up he early records an
"A finding that the Lewis and Clark
council was held On the Fort Atkinso
~ plateau, proposed at a meeting hel
in October, 1901. the project OF mari
:, ing the site. At n general meeting
the state chapter Of the ID. A. X. 1
the summer Of 1902 IL was resolved
ask the state to take the initiativ
!. According. in the legislative sessio
:. OF 1903, Representative George ]
~ LoOmis OF Dodge county introduced
=. bill approlriating $4,000 to erect a
.m appropriate monument. After q hal
fight the bill was lest.