This is the county seat and largest town
of Webster County, and is situated on the Burlington & Missouri River
Railroad in Nebraska. The location is
a very pleasant one on level terrace, on the north side of the Republican
River, and about midway between that
stream and the bluffs that ascend to the upland prairie. The elevation
of
the town-site is about twenty-five feet
above the river level. It derives its name from the famous Sioux Chief
Red
Cloud, who up to the time of settlement
by the white people, held his war councils, on what is now the town site.
The history of Red Cloud begins with
the settlement of Capt. Silas Garber, and others, in 1870. The site of
the
town was entered under the homestead
laws on July 17th, 1870. In August a stockade was built, that the settlers
might protect themselves against the
Indians. Among the first settlers were ex-Governor Silas Garber, Dr. Peter
Head, Albert Lathrop, George M. Taylor,
W. E. Jackson, James Calvert, Dr. T. B. Williams, Wheeler Wicks,
A. H. Roat, D. Hefflebower, Ed. and
John Parks, and L. F. Munsel. The first white women in the settlement
were Mrs. W. E. Jackson and Mrs. James
Calvert, who arrived with their husbands, on August 9, 1870.
After the stockade the first building
was by Silas Garber, and constructed by digging a hole in the ground, then
laying a few logs around the banks,
and putting on a dirt roof. This dug-out became of historic importance.
Mr.
Garber was a widower and lived there
alone doing his own cooking. Whenever public meetings were to be held
that was the place selected. Meetings
to take measures to organize the county were held there, and so was the
first county election. For some months
afterward it was occupied as the court house. The dug-out was on the
bank of a small draw, west of them magnificent
residence of ex-Governor Garber, and on the east side of the
street, leading from the business part
of Red Cloud to the depot.
At the election of April 19, 1871, the
county seat was located on the homestead of Mr. Garber, on the east half
of the northeast quarter of Section
2, Town 1, Range 11, west, upon which a portion of it was at once laid
out as
a town-site, by Silas Garber. This was
not platted and filed in the office of the county clerk until November
12,
1872. Since that time several additions
have been made. The first of these were, one on the northeast by T. B.
Williams in November, 1873, another
in October, 1873, by W. N. Richardson on the north of the old town;
another in March, 1874, still farther
north, by Ed. Smith and Levi Moore, which in extent was nearly as large
as
the original town-site. Sometime afterward
Jas. LeDuc laid out an addition on the northwest. Since that time
additions have been laid out as the
growth of the town required.
The first store in Red Cloud was opened
in the spring of 1871, by Smith Brothers, and in a short time sold to
Fennemore & Penny, who sold to Silas
Garber in November, 1871.
In the spring of 1871, G. M. Taylor built
a log house, just in the rear of where Dr. R. R. Sherer's store now is,
and occupied it as a hotel.
The first physicians were T. B. Williams and Peter Head, who were among the settlers of 1870.
The first school in Red Cloud was taught
by Miss Fannie Barber, now Mrs. Edward McCune. The term of
school began June 3, 1871, and the wages
paid were $12 per month.
The first child born was Frances, daughter of G. M. and Carrie Taylor, in the year 1871.
The first attorney to locate in the new
town was J. R. Willcox, from Brownville, Nebraska, who settled in July,
1871. He was soon followed by H. S.
Kaley.
In the fall of 1871 David Lutz started a drug store.
In March, 1872, the first blacksmith
shop was started in Red Cloud by Ira Sleeper, who removed from his
homestead about a mile east of town
where he had a small shop for about a year before.
During the summer of 1872 J. Q. and J. Potter opened a saw mill in the southern part of town.
In the spring of 1872 Silas Garber built the stone store now occupied by Samuel Garber & Bros.
In November, 1872, John Parks built a small shoe shop.
The above comprises nearly all the improvements
made in 1872. The next year, however, the town began to
grow quite rapidly, and continued to
progress until the summer of 1874, when the grasshoppers came.
During the fall of 1874, and the year
1875, business was dull, and the town grew but very little. But during
the
year 1876 there was an increased immigration
to the county and Red Cloud began again to improve and steadily
progressed until the year 1878, when
the prospects for an early completion of the line of railroad, brought
settlers
to Red Cloud in large numbers. During
the years 1878 and 1879 there was a grand rush of business and
professional men and mechanics to this
town. So fast did the town settle during those two years that the
population numbered over 600.
Ever since that time the town has continued
to improve steadily, and the population will now number about 800.
There are many very fine buildings,
neat in design, that give the town an attractive appearance. Besides this,
many
of the residence lots have been planted
with shade trees, which have already attained considerable size and add
much to the beauty of the town.
In the history of Red Cloud there have
been but few exciting events. There was, however, a storm in the summer
of 1879 that came near destroying the
town. About seven o'clock of the evening of June 10th a heavy, black
cloud was seen in the west. As it steadily
came up it assumed a terrible aspect, rolling and tumbling along. About
eight o'clock the storm burst upon Red
Cloud, and lasted about three-quarters of an hour. The rain fell in
torrents, and the wind blew a hurricane,
eddying and whirling about, blowing down some buildings and unroofing
others. A great many people were blown
and tumbled about until quite badly bruised, while about twenty
received severe and dangerous injuries.
A great many buildings were leveled to the ground, and the only way
their occupants were saved was by flying
to their cellars. Altogether more than $10,000 damage was done. The
Methodist church was blown down; Mrs.
Brigg's house blown away; Joseph Warner's livery stable torn to
pieces; the Red Cloud hotel unroofed;
the front of Sherer's store blown out; the front of Putnam's store blown
out
and the building wrecked; the front
and roof torn from the jewelry and clothing store; the Boy's Home livery
barn
unroofed; the windows broken from the
Argus office; the front of J. G. Potter's store torn out; Mr. Gibb's house
blown away; Smith's carpenter shop in
ruins; C. W. Springer's house demolished; the Chief office badly racked
and several hundred pounds of type pied;
the roof torn from Mr. Miner's residence; Sherer's house blown from
the foundation; Mr. Smith's house ruined;
Reed's furniture store badly damaged; Sleeper's paint shop blown
down; portions of the roof of the Boy's
Home Hotel and Carr's billiard hall unroofed; Beekman's and Jackson's
houses badly blown around; Perin's house
blown from foundation; Joseph Garber's house badly damaged; the
front of McFarland's store torn out;
the plow factory torn down; Dr. Tulleys' house and granaries badly blown
around; Mr. Crook's house carried away;
the livery stable and a number of buildings around the depot blown
away. Besides the above mentioned, all
the smaller buildings in the town were overturned or demolished, and
nearly all the chimneys blown down.
It was the most terrible storm ever known in the Republican Valley.
Manufactures.--The Red Cloud flouring
and grist mill was built in 1874 by Potter & Sayre. This mill has four
run
of buhrs and an excellent quality of
flour is made. There is a saw mill attached.
The Red Cloud Brewery was established in 1875, by Berenzen & Co. A large quantity of beer is made.
Banks.--Smith Bros.' Bank was organized
in 1879, and has always had a very large general banking and
collection business. It is a branch
of the First National Bank of Beatrice, of which Smith Bros. are the principal
members.
The Webster County Bank was established
in the fall of 1881. Though just beginning with the enterprise at Red
Cloud, this bank has already a large
and paying patronage. It does a general loan and collection business.
Hotels.--Besides the boarding houses
and restaurants, the hotels are five in number. They are the Holland House,
the Boys' Home, the Valley House, the
Commercial House, and the Kirby House. The two first named are first
class hotels, while all are very good
houses.
Churches.--The religious element is well
represented in Red Cloud. A number of the different denominations
have organized societies, but the only
ones having church edifices are the Methodist Episcopal and
Congregational, who have large and comfortable
buildings, well furnished.
Schools.--From the date of the first
settlement, the school has been the pride of the village, and has always
been
well sustained by the public spirited
citizens. The old school house has proved too small; and another one is
now
in process of erection, which will,
when completed, cost about $6,000. The school is now divided in four
departments but another is soon to be
added.
Charity Lodge, No. 53, A., F. & A.
M., was organized under dispensation on March 6, 1874; and on
September 4, 1874, organized as a chartered
lodge. J. A. Tulleys was the First W. M.
Red Cloud Chapter, No. 19, R. A. M.,
organized under dispensation, May 25, 1879, and was chartered on
February 4, 1880. J. A. Tulleys was
the first High Priest; and David M.. Platt, Scribe. The Masonic lodges
are
both in a prosperous condition with
a good membership.
Red Cloud Lodge, No. 64, I. O. O. F.,
was organized on January 20, 1877. This lodge has a large membership
and is in a flourishing condition, with
finances ahead.
The Grand Army of the Republic organized
in September, 1881, on the day of President Garfield's funeral at
Cleveland. The organization was made
with twenty-nine members and with N. B. McNitt, Post Commander.
The Women's Christian Temperance Union
organized in 1881. It has a large membership, who are working
hard in the interests of their order.
The Red Cloud Lodge, I. O. G. T., was
organized on January 23, 1874, with A. Maxwell as Grand Worthy
Chief Templar.
The Webster County Argus was established
in August, 1878, by A. J. Kenney. The Argus is Republican in
politics, and is an able newspaper.
In size the paper is an eight column folio. It has a large circulation.
The office is
well fitted up with news and job material.
The Red Cloud Chief was established in
July, 1873, by C. L. Mather, who published it until July 1, 1875, when
he sold it to M. Warner, who continued
its publication until October 19, 1876; he sold it to M. L. Thomas. After
publishing it until November, 1877,
Thomas sold it to Borin & Springer, but bought it back again on February
18, 1879, and still continues to publish
it. The Chief is ably conducted, is Republican in politics, and has a good
circulation. It is printed on a Washington
hand press on which the oldest paper in Nebraska, the Brownville
Advertiser, was first published in 1856.
It is said that the first issue of the Lincoln Daily State Journal was
printed on the same press.
M. L. Thomas came to Nebraska, with his
parents, in the fall of 1866, and located at Plattsmouth. Attended
school until the spring of 1867, when
he went with his parents to a ranch owned by him, about twelve miles west
of Plattsmouth. In the fall of 1869
he left there and spent about a year in Missouri and Kansas; then he went
to
Glenwood, Iowa, where he was joined
by two brothers, and in the spring of 1871 they located on Elm Creek, in
Webster County, Neb., and built a stockade.
He ploughed the first land in that part of the county. Left the farm in
October, 1876, and bought the Chief.
In November, 1877, he sold it and went to Louisville, Neb., and bought
the Chronicle, which he soon removed
to Plattsmouth and published there until the fall of 1878. In February,
1879, he returned to Red Cloud and bought
the Chief again, which he has published ever since. He was born on
a farm in Monroe County, Ohio, March
21, 1849. Removed from there to Nebraska. He was married in August,
1874, to Miss Sarah A. Lewis, of Plattsmouth,
Neb. They have two children--Albert, born July 27, 1875; and
Roy, born April 18, 1877.