Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-04

they made little effort to cultivate the soil
to any greater extent than to have 1t bear
enough for their subsistence. Speculation
seemed to possess all. More claims were
staked out with a view Of selling as soon
as land values increased, than for the
purpose Of home building. Town lots in
Calhoun, De Soto, F~ontanelle, and Cunning
City changed hands rapidly between the
years of 1856 and 1857. One thousand dollars
for a business lot, was a medium price in
De Soto, and the same in Fontanelle and
Cunning City. Some spectators made
money, the majority lost, especially when
the panic Of 1857 came. and many found
themselves without ready cash, and loaded
down with town lots, which had deprecated
sadly in value.
The business of the county prior to 1860
was represented by the stores and black
smith shops, the banks, newspapers, etc,
in the towns; the lime kiln, saw mill. grist
mill and shingle factory. They had a saw
mill on the river bank close to Cunning
City, and one at Elkhorn and Fontanelle.
Stock growing was in it's infancy, there
being but a few head in the county, which
were brought In by the settlers. With the
settling up of the county business changed.
Agriculture received more attention, new
business enterprises were started, and the
new county gradually assumed the bust
ness like ways and aspects of the older
settled country to the east.
The winter of 1S57-57 was very severe.
The price of provisions became exorbitant;
potatoes. from "a to IS per bushel, and
bacon and pork could not be had at any
price. Harlow Carpenter OF Fontanelle
bought a hog of a neighbor for which he
paid $45. The seller of the hog bought
with the $5 an eighty-acre tract Of land
on the Elkhorn bottoms that could be
sold today for sl25 an acre.
Only a few of the pioneers came to Wash
ington county with much more than money
enough to pay their way and keep them
for a year or so and many came with only
sufficient funds to carry them across the
Missouri or up by from St
Louis. The spirit of speculation died out
and many left the county. Only those re-
mained who were determined to make q
home for themselves, and a few other:
who were too poor to leave. Gold was
discovered at Pixies Peak, and westward
went thousands of seekers after wealth
Freighting across the plains became ar
important INDUSTRY. Inns was lnb Dtblu'
ming of a new era, one OF almost continued
prosperity. Among the prosperous wealthy
residents Of the county are those who IN
the hard times suffered the keenest.
In 1854 when Nebraska had been admitted
as a territory. steamboating was reaching
its greatest Importance on the Missouri
and a dozen years later its decadence com
menced. Along the Missouri, town sitei
were selected according to the river and
ngs. and the founders of the town o.
De Soto had this point in view when they
chose a location for their town. The bee
of the Missouri, both above and below
Omaha, is strewn with the hulls OF steam
boats, wrecked by running into snags anC
sandbars, In the early eos, two steam
boats were sunk opposite De Soto; one
sthe Bertrand, which sunk near the landing
opposite the town; the other, the Cora
which went down near the bar on the op
posite of the island" The flood Of 1875
spread from bluff to bluff, the river ii
places being from eight to ten miles wide