Omaha daily bee., 1917-08-19
By 7. T. BELL,

Blair. Neb., Aug. 1S.-Day before
yesterday l came to this city over a
railroad that | used to know as the
Omaha & Northwestern, the trains
drawn for a number of years, by an
engine labelled 81. Z. Boyd" in honor
of the first president of the company.
Great change in the appearance of
the country along the line of road. |
was surprised to see the hills between
Omaha and Calhoun lined with native
forests of dense growth. Formerly
that region was covered with hazel
brush and small shrubs. The explana-
ton as to this condition instead of that
land being devoted to farming pur-
poses is that it is held for higher
prices by SPECTATORS.
What these owners have in mind
as to '.high prices" for farm lands is
something of mystery for it takes
from $l00 to 5000 an acre to buy
farms in this section of the country
now. But these are real farms with
a wonderfully productive soil adapted
to growing anything that can be
grown in this latitude and with mar
ket at Omaha which assures certain
sale for all that can be raised and at
profitable prices.
Locates Old Landmark.
Coming over the road I looked to
see if | could locate the former home
of the late Judge Grouse. He had a
fine orchard and / remember OF his
telling me about his taking young
son to Florida on account of the poor
health of the boy. There was no gain
in this respect and the lad got home
sick and told his father that he wanted
to go back home, that he would not
give one apple from their own Or
chard for all of the fruit produced in
year by the entire state of Florida.
| find many old friends here, among
them the man who, with his father, YES
tablished the first newspaper in Blair,
that was published in Nebraska west
of Omaha and north of the Platte
Frank Hilton. His father, B. F. Hill
ton, was a member of the state SEN
ate that set as court of impeachment
when Governor David Butler was i'm
peached. The paper was the Register
and after number of years success
full management of it the paper was
sold and for ten years was the pub
Usher of the Dovers' Journal of South
Omaha. He is booster of boosters
when this particular part of the
earth's surface becomes the topic of
conversation. He is now the pub
Usher of the Blair Enterprise. He
came to Blair in July 1869 and has
made this his home large part OF
the time since that date.
Blair Plated in 1868.
This town was plated in 1868 by
the Land and Lot company of the
Sioux City and Pacific Railroad COM
pany. In the following spring there
was an auction sale of lots and Mr..
Hilton says his recollection is that
$l1G&rHH was realized from that sale.
The Company bought large tract of
land here, only a small portion OF
which was then plated, but additions
have since been made and some of the
company's land has been sold for
farms.
1t is beautiful residence town with
a population of about $500. 1t has
wide streets, beautifully shaded; deep
lots in the residential district lined
with comfortable looking homes and
well-kept lawns. Indeed so many
trees have been planted on the streets
that hundreds of cords of wood have
been obtained from those cut down.
The city owns the water system; has
a fine court house and city hall and a
high school building which would be
a credit to a community much larger
than this.
Farms Easily Worked.
Speaking of the fertility of the soil
hereabouts Mr.. Hilton says it is so
easily worked that it seems to him
the farmers have much time for get
ting service out of their autoes. And |
there is an abundance of machines
here. On one street, in distance of
a block, l counted twenty-five of them
parked and with many more in motion
IN other blocks. Mr.. Edward c. Jack
son, who has lived here since along
in the seventies and who has been
honored by his fellow citizens by be-
ing elected to numerous terms as as
sistant county treasurer, as county
treasurer, county clerk, probate Judge
and clerk of the district court, says
he has seen a great change in methods
on the part of the farmers of this
county. Where formerly thousands
Of dollars worth of farm machinery
would be left unsheltered from one
year to another, now buildings are