The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-03
LOST TOWNS OF NEBRASKA
ABOG v uEb HAIE lNINHED
IROu THE NsP
count, seat Wars kIlIed seine: others
DrOpp~d Into the River Wand~r'nEs
% Prairie TSuR- Eastern NonrS IN
Town, ENIsIInE Merely "n Paper.

A tho state PerhaI~ atty more east
Only ~ railroad Whlstlng posts or straE
gting groups Of houSs's
Half a dolssn ~ NOR" have drnpp.'i
into the Missouri River through changes
~ the channel Of that ~himsc. stream.
taheru were the victims at hard luck
Vie failure To g~t hop"d for railroad
ar the losA of the county ssat. and stall
Others existed only - "A means ~ sepa
rating Easisrners from their money
In 1855 when the first Territorial Legs
latur- met II passed AN act locating several
county seats Among :h"fn WAS Archer.
county neat of Richardson county. to-day
one Of the richest in the State Among
We earliest settlers ~Is "a party of French
Adventures
They liked tho land. and settling down.
married Indian squaNs ana reared ma
naerous families Cur,ouslv enough. n
Was this fact that WIPED Archer "a the
map When ths Govern msnt put into
sfect the reservation method Of dealing
With the Indians ot IN" Western prairies
- found itseh confronted with a problem
ARISING ont Of the preseno" of 50 many
French halfbrc~ds. A. a solution Of II
The commissioners decid~d to set aside
q STrNftai RESERVATION IN flcnaruHOn
county Tor these families
When the survey Was made u Vas
Io,nd that the town of Archer was in
e.uded in the reservation. Manifesfly the
whites would not live IN reservation
town or retain It as 4 county seat and al
though Archer men sought 10 have the
GoverumSnt chang. it, lines. they were
unsuccea-ful. and within a few months
there was nothing left OF the town.
Fort Calhoun. the site - the L-wiI
and Clark treaty with the Indians m
isOs. vas IN the early '0ns town %
200 persons. due in part To the proximity
~ the military post u was then the
county seat ~ Washington county and
. strong contender Tor choice as the
capital when the Territory became
State. Nebraska University was also
founded there. The army post wAs ahan-
doned. the captAl was located elsewhere.
the railroads passed IL by. 4, d~indIed
into Q mere hamlet aud the university
closed its doors Its prosperity lasted
seven years.
Fontsnelle. another Washing ton county
town. no~ a hamlet. had college once.
did much trading with the Indians and
freighters and was rho county seat ~
Dodge county. The politicians changed
the county lines at a Legislative session
whe1 Pontenella wasn't looking and
thrsW " into Washington county. which
caused Il Co b. OvershadOwed q nd speedily
killed
Bellevue and Florence. both located
near Omaha. the one south and the other
north along tho Missouri. were each at
one time much larger than Omaha.
FlorenOs OnOe had 800 people: nov 10
has lea than COZ. Ia Vas the winter
quarters % . great number ~ Mormons
Who camped there while on their way IA
Utah In the late 'tDs and early 'Jnu. later
~ vas the west@rnmost point ~ heavy
immigration For = titn. " was doubt
I'll whether Omaha or Flor~n~s would
win IN the race between the two citi..s
but when the scales turned m favor ~
Omaha by favor ~ the Tnion Pacific
Railroad Florence became almost a de.
ssrted village
in 1852 there were less than 200 inhabI-
tAnfs. hut the extension ~ Omaha has
MAZE Il a suburb of that city and u -
egAin growing because Omaha - ancient
rival. is spreading IA thar direction
Rell-vue was the first Territorial capital
bur now has less than I'O population.
Omadi. one Of the populouS towns
~ Territorial days va, located On the
Missouri River almost oppo.t.. the pres
Snt town " Sioux city. In The Missouri
changed ito chanr"l ore. night and the
iowuspeopls woke The nsyt morning
IN ind the swift current rapidlv under
mining IN. townSts They moved their
HOUSE, oft TO farms IA the uulaud- or
s~e abandoned them WITHIN v-ar
the-river had cUrnplrI. pos s.---iuu 81 IA.
toEnsu~
DScaiVr. Burt county WIS another
victim of tho river. {, va. once, SER.
OIIsiy considered a. the point 81 crossing
for the Uninn PaClhc Railroad. hut The
Missouri showed signs Of "IUug up
The toWnSif~ and Omaha VS. chosen
i'IaLasOt Most OF ~" town lots have
droppst ~ INTO the stre..u
, Logan IL anOth-r Dakota county town
that was WIPED s'Ii by h. Missouri River
u WS~ prosperous town IN The late 'J'S
Dut within nv" veH-- after m" river
he..sieh ~ ~ dir"ctIop "v"rvbOGV had
leEs afrd IRA ~tiCaily ell Of th.. binding.
hal dropped INTO the stream Three.
other toSn- l'caisd a. adVauta gs.JtIg
f0TCtng places oU th" river art - uIOn..er
Importance. were chased =. the RIVER
out Of The ppttom lands on 20 IA" bIur-
and ia" iran-ptHn'ing proved fatal m
Zach instance
large numil"r ~ ih.. lust towns ~
Nssrasks W-r,. lDo't,.d ,lnnE the greet
overland trails There were several II
thees r,ada The old Mormon trad fol
low~d.th~ Platte Rivers wIudiug- Later
there was the California trail. the. line
kle Eesi w she mins.-~ Who took part ~ the
Pixies Peas gold rush and th,. re H. fol-
l"Se't Nv the fr~ight"rs Iud PONY express
riderS, All ~ ttIs--.' CIi4verg~d ~ Fort
hea rnsy. midway a"ro-z the ~ 10 ns.-
csase b~yDnd that WIS tu" h,-'Iis Indirn
country. and -tt~ty lfv w tIsy-l,InR ~
nuriberr When ~. Union Parifr Ral.
rad came through m the Lt~r Np- and
sIlled frrigitIng ~ ~. plains practically
every IN" ~ the tad towns dlsfpp... rel
Ntthin - few fnunt's
nutuber II TN. messing towns = Ne
eras,tt never "Ni-tsi ~ faC' Ia th.
aISeTIlF'iv~ eTa- preceding 49, and Is7a
ktAteFN rpun'sy ws- ''iatunriuR fuT invest
pent IN the Ne-i Iht- dem. nd wa- met
~ the creation - plp"r t"wn- Ona -
those towns upon winch = start WH- aCtu-
slly mad" was lpcaiad ga GoodzDu.-
Island. m tho niddl" ~ th" Missouri
River Operate N-Hiahs county II Na-
known ~ Lrttls Nprk and ~ '.,i,Iil..,i ,ut
- sight when ~" river i.uF u INTO -
head - NOV" The stand down stream
SIN others g the missing t,,xnz we're
merely started Tor ~. pury.s,. II l..InE
county -szt. ~ th,. Old dty- rrnRt and
HHHaaH a