Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-20
little c}ourneps to KaasAy Towns
A BY edward Black 9

If you should chance to visit Te
kamah, county seat of Burt county,
and wish to let the folks know that
you are in town, walk up the main
street, and exclaim, Potash! who
will buy my potash"
Potash is a word to conjure with
| in this busy little town which is
in the center of one of the garden
spots of the great west. A year or
so ago Victor Jeep was clerk in
dry goods store, and his friend,
Harry Show, was employed by
packing company in South Omaha.
Show formerly had been in the liv-
cry business in Tekamah and he
had knowledge of chemistry
which he turned to good account.
While in the northwestern part
of Nebraska on a business trip.
Show became impressed with the
potash-producing possibilities of the
alkali lakes. He confded to Jeep,
whom he advised to get in early
to avoid the rush. With seven
or eight other men they organized
a company in Omaha. Jeep gath
cred up all of the money he could
obtain and invested $4,000 in the
enterprise. His friends in Teka-
NAH tried to save him from what
they believed was financial indis-
cretion.
Example of Early Worm.
AS the potash industry grew, Te-
kamah people became interested,
and many Of them invested. Jeep
and Show are reported today in Te-
kamah as. being millionaires.
Whether they are as wealthy as
credited is not generally known,
but a man of large financial inter-
ests stated that they were offered
100000 each a few weeks ago for
their potash stock. Jeep lives in
$4,000 home in Omaha and Show
owns a fine home in Pasadena, Cal.
They were pioneers Of an industry
which now receives 80 to 90 per
cent of its product from this state.
The potash industry is only two
and one-half years old in Nebraska.
Potash is extracted from numerous
alkali lakes in northwestern Ne
braska. These bitter-water lakes
were the bane of cattlemen in days
gone by, but after the establish
ment of the potash industry, the
ranchman who had a lake on his
land did not have to worry whether
the cows came home.
So much for two Tekamah boys
who flew in the face of advice from
older heads, and won out.
Another Valley of the Nile.
1t is not necessary, however, for
Tekamahites to leave home to ac-
cummulate their share of wealth, for
Burt county lies within an area
which has been said to be among the
most productive regions of the state.
An irrigation and drainage expert
has estimated that the 60-mile val
ley stretch, between Decatur, at the
north of Burt county, to Omaha on
the south, if properly farmed in an
intensive manner, could be made to
produce enough food to supply the
state of Nebraska. He expects that
an electrified railroad line will be
operated along this valley country
after the war, carrying milk, garden
truck and other commodities.
The action of erosion has carried
much valuable soil from the hills to
the lowlands, and an extensive drain
age project Of recent completion has
brought 10000 acres of farm land to
high point of productivity. The
drainage project extends through
Burt and Washington counties, cost
100000, and is the largest project
of its kind having flood water d.
version system in connection with
drainage bitches. The food-waters
are carried through the established
channels. such as Silver and Plum
creeks. This system has added mil
lions Of dollars to land valuation.
First of IA Kind in U. S.
A concrete instance of the effect
of this drainage system was OBJ
served near Herman, where a 100
acre tract, formerly wet bottom land,
yielded AZ bushels of wheat to the
acre this year, and the wheat was
sold for more than 81 asbushel. This
wheat was second to none raised in
the district. The system has 20 set
ting basins, from three to $50 acres
each, where the waters are impound-
ed for deposting silt and making it
possible for the bitches to carry only
clear water without being clogged.
1t is said that this is the first place
-, The I1p,taj C+ota, ,,,b 90 II, ~.oI