Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-07-23
LOST TOWNS OF NEBRASKA.
About Three Hundred Have Vanished
From the Map.


or struggling groups Of houses.
Half dozen or more nave dropped
into the Missouri river, through
changes In the channel Of that whim-
steal stream, Others were the
victims or hard luck, the failure to
get huDed-for railroad or the loss
OF the county seat, anu sun others
existed only as measure OF separat-
ing easterners from their money.
IN 1895 when the hrst territorial
legislature met II passed an act To-
caung several county seats. Among
theut was Archer county seat OF
Richardson county, TO-DAY one Ol tne
richest IN the state, Among lts earliest
settlers was parry VI rrencn ad-
NcuturcTs.
Iney nked the land, and settling
down, married Indian squaWs anu
reared numerous families Curiously
enough, II was tins fact that wiped
Arcner on the map. Nnen the gov.
ernment put into erect the roserNN-
ton method OF dealing with the In
ans OF the western prairies II found
Itself confronted with a problem arls-
ing out OF the presence OF 50 many
French halt-breeds. As solution OF
IL the commits. onurs ueClued TO set
aside d special resor, ..un N Richard
son county for these families.
When the survey was made IL was
found that the town of Archer was
included in the reservation. Manifest
~ the whites would not live In
reservation town OF retain II as
county seat, and although Archer men
sought To nave the government change
its lines, they were unsuccessful, and
within a few months there was moth
ing left OF the town.
Fort calhoun. the site Of the Lewis
and Clark treaty with the Indians IN
1904, was in the early sos town
of i20O persons, due In part to the
proximity Of the military post IL was
then the county seat OF Washington
county and strong contender Tor
choice as the capital when the terri
tory became a state. Nebraska uni
Versity was also founded there. The
army post was abandoned, the capital
was located elsewhere, the railroads
passed IL by, II dwindled into a mere
hamlet, anu the university closed It's
doors Its prosperity lasted seven
years.
Fontenelle, another Washington
county town, now a hamlet, had
college once, did mucn trading with
the Indians and freighters, and was
the county seat Of Dodge county. The
politicians changed the county lines
at a legislative session when Fon-
tenelle wasn't looking and threw II
into Washington county which caused
II to be overshadowed and speedily
killed
Bellevue and Florence. both located
near Omaha, the one south and the
other north along the Missouri, were
each at one time much larger than
Omaha. Florence once had 5000 peo-
pie. now II has less than 500. II was
the winter quarters OF q great num-
Der OF Mormons who camped there
while on their way 10 Utah in the late
fortys and early fifty's. Later II was
the westerumost point OF heavy I'M
migration. For time II was doubt
ful whether Omaga or Florence
would win in the race between the
two cities, but when the scales turned
In favor of Omaha by favor Of the
Union Pacific railroad. Florence be-
came almost a deserted village.
In 1882 there were less than 200 In
habitants, but the extension OF Omaha
has made II a suburb Of that CITY, ana
IL is again growing because Omaha,
It's ancient rival. is spreading In that
direction Bellevue was the first ter
ritorial capital but now has less than
100 population.
Omadi, one OF the populous towns OF
territorial days, was located on the
Missouri river almost opposite the
present town OF Sioux city, Ia. The
Missouri changed lts channel one night
and the townspeople woke the next
morning TO ind the swift current rap
idly undermining the townsite. They
moved their houses out TO farms in the
uplands or else abandoned them. With
IN a year the river had complete pos
session OF the townsite.
Decatur. Burt county. was another
victim Of the river. II was once seri-
ousiy considered as the point OF cross
ing for the Union Pacific railroad, but
the Missouri showed signs OF eating
up the townsite. and omaha was
chosen instead. Most OF the town lots
have dropped Off into the stream.
Logan is another Dakota county town
that was wiped out by the Missouri
river IL was prosperous town In the
late sos. but within five years after the
river headed in its direction everybody
had left. and practically all Of the
buildings had dropped into the stream.
Three other towns, located on ad-
vantageous fording places on the river
and Of pioneer Importance. were chased
by the river out OF the bottom lands on
to the bluffs and the transplanting
proved fatal in each instance.
large number of the lost towns Of
Nebraska were located along the great
overland trails There were several OF
these roads The old Mormon trail fol
lowed the Plat rivers windings. Later
there was the California trail. the line
hlazed BY tho miners who took part I'm
the Pixies Peak gold rush and the
trails followed by the freiRhters and
pony express riders. All OF these con-
verged at Fort kearney, midway across
the state. because beyond that was the
hostile Indian country, and safety lay
In travelling in number when the
linton Pacific railroad came through In
ehe later SOS and killed freightlng on
the plains practically every one OF the
trail towns disappeared within a few
months.
number OF the missing towns NJ
Nebraska never existed in fact In the
speculative eras preceding 1887 and
1873 eastern money was clamoring for
investment in the west This demand
was met by the creation OF paper
towns. One OF these towns upon which
n start was actually made was located
on Goodson's island, In the middle OF
the Missouri river opposite Nemaha
county. II was known as Little York.
and Il toppled out Of sight when the
river took IL into its head 10 move the
island downstrcaw
Still others OF n. missing towns were
merely started for the purpose Of be-
ing county seats In the old days
profit and prosperity were believed 10
lie In being a county seat town. a be-
lief that led TO the state being divided
into counties long before there were
a hundred settlers in some OF the new
districts