Chase County, NE
The Chase County Historical Society, located in Champion, Nebraska, has since it's inception in 1938 collected personal histories of residents of Chase County, Nebraska. These oral histories provides a history of Chase County that goes beyond facts and information about the state. Listed on these pages are transcripts of interviews of many early settlers of Chase County, Nebraska. I am grateful to the Historical Society for the work it's researchers did in preserving these stories, and for permission to share them here with other researchers. These stories and other important historical information about Chase County can be found in their published Histories of Chase County, copies which can be purchased from the Society or viewed in the Imperial Republican Library.
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Andrew, James
The very inception of our pioneer
experience was a visit from our nearest neighbor, John Van Dyke, in northern Missouri.
He had just returned from several months sojourn in western Nebraska. He
related that after much travel and investigation, he had decided upon a choice location
consisting of 160 acres of level, rich, prairie land not far from a small village called
Imperial.
After numerous family councils, my parents decided to migrate to
western Nebraska. This was the year 1886. We soon joined company with many
other homesteaders. Our rate of travel was about 25 miles per day depending on our ability
to locate camping sites for the night. At such place groups of travelers would
gather around the camp fire and engage in animated conversations about the great
opportunities to be found in the Golden West.
Father succeeded in finding a vacant 160 acres near the head of the
Frenchman River. The other men returned to their eastern homes somewhat
disenchanted. Our journey had been completed after five weeks of tiresome travel, a
distance of about 450 miles.
My parents seemed quite jubilant over the acquisition of 160 acres of
land and even spoke of another 160 as a tree claim. To them that would be deemed a
king's domain.
My father made a trip to Haigler for his lumber and supplies. Two bachelor
homesteaders, skilled laying sod, were employed. Kindly ex-cowboy Levi Kunkel showed
them where to get the best sod on his creek bottom homestead and with the help of my
brother John, a lad of 18 years, and a pal of his who had come from Missouri with us, the
one-room sod house was soon completed.
Soon after we moved into our new house, my brother John and his pal, who each owned a good
saddle horse, took Dutch leave and returned to Missouri. They made the return trip
in ten days. My middle-aged parents and their lonely 11- year-old boy were left to
face the future. The outlook was gloomy indeed. There were just a few
scattered homesteaders, many of them single men.
Just one mile north of us lived a family named Dishman. A boy in this family named
Alter Dishman was just my age. Their homestead is now Wayne Lee's home. We two
boys formed a friendship that lasted for years. We spent much time together looking
for old Indian camp grounds where we picked up numerous arrowheads and some other Indian
artifacts. Or we tramped over the pastures in search of buffalo horns. During
the bad weather, we would spend hours dressing them down by scraping them with pieces of
glass. When finished, they would be a shiny, coal black. Then we would mount them in
pairs and hang them on the wall for ornaments.
In the years of 1887-88, the real development of Chase County began. Hundreds of
acres of prairie land were broken by the use of "grasshopper" plows. These
were light walking plows with removable share and then sometimes four long curved rods for
mold board. Crops planted were not always too successful because the farmers had not
yet learned to adjust their efforts to the natural conditions.
The years of 1891-92 were splendid crop years. The Burlington completed their road
construction by laying track as far as Imperial in 1982. They delayed further work
and finally abandoned their 40 miles of grade between Imperial and Holyoke.
There was a short period of comparative prosperity, then the roof fell in. We had
five consecutive years of drought and hot wind. This was a period that really
separated the men from the boys. The years of 1893-94-95-96-97 were a time of
hardship and heartbreak. There was almost a complete exodus from town and country.
Our population decreased more than 60%. People sacrificed their homes and
everything they had for just enough to get out. To illustrate: W. S. Bailey
bought a choice quarter two miles northeast of lamar with a complete set of improvements
for $160.00. Henry Blanke traded a team, wagon and harness straight across for a
quarter three miles southeast of Lamar. This included a good frame house, all out
buildings and windmill. They estimated the property at $250.00.
I taught school in 1896-97-98 for $20.00 per month and was tempted to buy a quarter one
mile south of Lamar for $200.00 but was advised against the deal by men in whom I had
great confidence. I tell of these instances to show how everyone was so completely
disillusioned.
In the 1940's rural electrification was established throughout the county. Great
progress was made in the development of all rural areas. Fine modern farm homes now
occupied the place of homestead shacks of former years. In those new homes are found
the exact duplication of the ultra modern appliances and conveniences that are used in the
homes of the aristocracy of the land.
Ellsworth E. and Bella Epperson Arterburn
Ellsworth and Bella Arterburn both homesteaded in Chase County, and that is where they met
and got married. They were married in the home Bella Epperson Arterburn's parents in
Rio, Illinois on January 10, 1889.
Ellsworth Arterburn left is home in Kansas
shortly after his graduation from college and went to Chase County. He had a
homestead, a preemption and a timber claim. During his life he served as Deputy
County Clerk, County Treasurer, Register of Deeds and Clerk of the District Court.
He transcribed the recorded from Hayes County when Chase County was established. He
was a bonded abstractor and had the only set of abstract books other than those held in
the Court House.
E. E. was very active in the real estate
business and was responsible for bringing new settlers to the areas. He bought many
hundreds of acres of grass land which he developed into cattle ranches, wheat and alfalfa
fields.
His daughter reported to the Chase County
Historical Society that he first started the Arterburn Ranch west of Imperial, near Lamar.
The area had been open range where cattle had grazed freely. When he fenced
the ranch the barbed wire was cut between the poles. He replaced the wire and it was
cut again. He then sent for bloodhounds, and when word got round about this, there
were no more fence cutting.
Bella Epperson came to Chase County shortly
after graduating from Lombard University. She took the train to Benkelman, Nebraska,
and then to Imperial. She had a homestead next to the homestead of her
brother, J. Frank Epperson. They built one house on the borderline between the
homesteads, and they were then able to sleep on their own homesteads, which was required.
Bella Epperson kept house for herself and her brother.
The Eppersons became interested in Christian
Science and Church services were held at their home or at the Millie Flieisbach home.
The Arterburns sold their real estate interests
in Chase County and moved to Lincoln in 1905, where Mr. Arterburn believed there would be
greater educational opportunities for his family.
(Information provided by Lucille Arterburn
Henry, daughter of Ellsworth and Bella Arterburn, and published in 1965 by the Chase
County Historical Society in Chase County History Volume II)
Harve Athey
H. E. and Gordon Athey owned the Wauneta Mill. After the mill burned down, they installed a generator and sold electricity in the town of Wauneta. Athey also bought the Champion light plant from Jay Hoke. He did some work on the dam after his purchase. A little building housed the generator and a man by the name of Frank Norman took care of the plant in Champion for Athey. The building eventually burned down and Athey sold the distribution. Athey was taught surveying by A. Cunningham and was the Chase County Surveyor for many years. (Information provided to the Society by Marvin Athey, son of H. E. Athey.)
email Linda Banks at: [email protected]