groceries, and returned to Old Fort Kearney, arriving there June 16 of the same year. On our arrival we found H. P. ̧* Downs and family occupying the old government hospital and entertaining all who chose to put up with them. The Missouri river at that time and for nearly two months afterwards was bankful, and the land directly opposite the city, where the B. & M. depot now stands, was fully two feet under water. The bottom extending to the bluffs was one sheet of water ranging from two to eight feet deep. Many of the settlers in the bottom were compelled to leave their homes and find a dry location on this side of the river. Among the number who moved over were Andrew Hixon and family, Hugh McNeely and family, John B. Boulware and family, and many others whose names I can not now recall. John B. Boulware went, from what is now the foot of Main street, to the bluffs near where Eli Slusher then lived, four miles above Hamburg, in a skiff, carrying with him the United States mail just in from Ft. Kearney, and Sergeant Mix of the regular army. The trip was easily made after leaving the main channel of the river about two miles above the present ferry landing on the opposite side.

On the 4th of July Lafayette Duncan, myself, and seven Otoe Indians started for the highlands in Iowa in canoes. We left the foot of Main street early in the morning expecting to reach Sidney, Iowa, by 10:00 A.M. in time to take part in the celebration of that place. We aimed to go through the heavy timber directly opposite the city, but after paddling our way for a few hours we found we could not get through on account of the driftwood afloat.

We sent the Indians back, tied most of our clothing around our neck, and started afoot for the Bluffs, a distance of about eight miles, at which place we arrived about dark, traveling in water from two to eight feet deep.

We arrived at Sidney at 1:00 A.M. on the 5th to find the celebration all over and the people in bed.

About the middle of August we got our teams over, and thus ended my experience with Nebraska until the 10th of

May, 1854, when, in company with A. J. Donahue and family and Miss Ruth Ann Wade, we left Sidney for this place, arriving here a little before sundown after a hard day's ride in an ox wagon.

We put up with our old friend, H. P. Downs, with just ten cents in our pocket. We here met T. E. Thompson, C. H. Cowles and family, Simpson Hargus and family, Richard Pell and family, Andrew Hixon and family, Joseph Blunt and family, Wilson Maddox and family, Harvey C. Cowles and family, Ed Sprather, Peter Valier, Charley Bierwagon, and Conrad Mullis. T. E. Thompson and myself, being single men and having come west with a view of making our fortune, held a consultation as to what we should do to accomplish that object.

Thompson made the first raise. He caught a catfish at the mouth of Table creek and sold it to Downs, for which he received fifty cents credit on his first week's board. Next came my time, and I got a job of dropping corn after the prairie plow of Richard Pell who was then breaking all that, portion of the city west of 6th street to 14th street and south to Kansas. For this work I got one dollar per day and boarded myself. After the corn was planted Ed Spratlin and myself were awarded the job by the town company of splitting fence posts and fencing in the field. We got one dollar per hundred for cutting and splitting the posts, and for setting them in the ground and nailing on the boards we got one dollar per day and board, board being the essence of the coptract. The work was completed about the middle of June, after which Downs thought it to the interest of the town to have a street one hundred feet wide cut through from near the crossing of 6th and Laramie streets to the residence of Simpson Hargus in Prairie City. This work-the first toward building a city—was done by T. E. Thompson, George E. Baker, and myself, for which we received the usual fee and board.

The 4th of July being near at hand, it was determined to have a grand old barbecue, and every one set to work doing

what they could to make it a success. Arbors for eating, speaking, and dancing were erected near where the Seymour house now stands. Everybody was invited far and near. There were at least one thousand persons present, Atchison county, Missouri, and Fremont county, Iowa, furnishing most of the white people, while our own locality furnished many whites and a host of Indians. Dancing and eating commenced about one o'clock of the 4th and wound up by a "big injun" dance on the evening of the 6th. And be it said to the credit of the earlier settlers of Otoe county, not a drunken man was seen nor were there any disturbances of any kind during this three days' barbecuing.

The glorious old Fourth having passed off to the satisfac.tion of all concerned, the town proprietors thought it about time to commence the work of building up a great city on the west bank of the mighty Missouri.

On the 10th, the following persons could be seen standing near the present crossing of 6th and Main streets: S. F. Nuckolls, Allen A. Bradford, Hiram P. Downs, C. H. Cowles, T. E. Thompson, A. M. Rose, A. B. Mayhew, Charley Bierwagon, George H. Benton, Dr. Dewey, and others whom I now forget. Dr. Dewey was the surveyor, J. W. Pearman flagman, A. M. Rose and, A. B. Mayhew chainmen, and T. E. Thompson axman. The first stake was set where the northwest corner of Robert Hawke's store now stands, and was firmly driven in the ground by a heavy stroke of the ax from each one present, and with a few appropriate remarks from Messrs. Nuckolls and Bradford, wherein the gentlemen called the attention of those present that in a few years we should see a city built up here containing at least twenty thousand inhabitants, the corner stake was set, and from that stake the survey of the city commenced. A line was then surveyed east to the river on the south side of Main street, then on the north side west to 6th street, at that time the western boundary of the city. As soon as the lots were numbered so that parties could tell where to build-houses commenced going up very rapidly. II. P. Downs built the first hotel on the

It was a

grounds where now the Seymour House stands. large frame building two stories high, and was the only hotel in the city until the Nuckolls House was built, which burned down in 1860. I should have stated before this that C. H. Cowles erected the first dwelling-house some time in March or April, previous. It would have been built on lot 7, block 25, directly north of the Christian church. Mr. Cowles also built the first storehouse opposite where the Seymour House stands and kept the first store. He continued in the business until late in the fall of the same year, when he sold out to H. T. Walker & Co.

Mr. Cowles and George H. Benton, who built the Downs hotel, were the first carpenters in the city. James H. Decker made and burnt the first brick and built the first brick house for S. F. Nuckolls, now used by the Nebraska City Transfer Company for office purposes. Joseph Blunt made the first shingles, which were used in covering the Downs hotel. William B. Hail & Co. sawed the first lumber. The mill was near where the gas works now stand. Price of lumber $2.50 por hundred feet.

C. H. Cowles built the first bridge across Table creek, about the same place where the Main street bridge now stands.

The first white child born after the city was located was a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. George H. Benton. I understand the child is yet living. Its mother's death was the first that occurred after the child was born, and she was buried near the residence of William R. Craig. This was in August, 1854. Mrs. Joseph Blunt died in the country during the same year.

The first old fashioned "ho-down" was danced at the residence of William B. Hail-in the old government hospital which I have before mentioned. Laura Hail, Celia Hail, Phil and Tabby Hail, Susan and Anna Pearman, and two Miss Kennedys and Mary Pell were the ladies present. C. C. Hail, Frill Hail, Floyd Hail, George Nuckolls and some more Hails, and myself also, were present. A pleasant evening was spent in the old way of dancing, and the mother of all the Hails said this evening's entertainment reminded her of "Old Vir

ginny" more than anything she had seen since she left there.

John A. Gilman was the first butcher. He opened a shop in the old block house. Col. C. B. Smith, U. S. deputy marshal, took the first census of the county. I accompanied him with a petition for signatures, asking the governor to convene the first legislature at Nebraska City. The first day out we found Joe Helvey, William Anderson, better known as "Black Bill," Dr. William T. Fowlkes, George Gline, and Gideon Bennett. We stayed all night with Mr. Bennett at Otoe City. Next night we camped with old man Jameson and son, on Camp creek, where the old man now lives. All four of us slept in a wagon-box, and next morning after eating breakfast we gave that little stream the name of Camp creek, which name it has ever gone by to this day. From here we struck out for Brownville, arriving there about sundown, found the proprietors of the town, Dick Brown and a few others, skinning a beef. Stayed all night and next morning crossed the river and stopped over night at Senora, Missouri, where I got a large number of signers to the petition. On our return to the city I delivered the petition to Mr. Nuckolls, who gave me lot 6, block 5, where John K. Gilman's house is. now located, for my service rendered. Soon after this an election was held for members of the legislature and delegates in Congress. There being no party lines drawn at that time, every man ran for office that wanted to. Those elected to the lower house were William B. Hail, James H. Decker, Harvey C. Cowles, Wilson M. Maddox, H. P. Bennett, and Gideon Bennett. Those to the upper house or council were Henry Bradford and Charles H. Cowles. At this election a tie vote occurred between C. H. Cowles and H. P. Downs. A new election was ordered; Cowles was elected by one majority. Napoleon Bonaparte Giddings, who lived then and does now in Andrew county, Missouri, was elected delegate to Congress, beating Bird B. Chapman, of Ohio, a few votes. Atchison county, Missouri, and our neighbors across the river assisted us very much in polling a heavy vote at that election.

Dr. John C. Campbell was the first practicing physician.