Shelton Township
Location
Last township on the east in the bottom row
Platte Township in the river is south of it.
South boundary is the north bank of the north channel of the Platte
Only parts of three west sections in the bottom row
Rest are lost in the river
In second row from the bottom
Curve of the river takes the
southeast corner of sec 27
About half of sections 26 and 25 are
left
North boundary is 115 Road
West boundary is Pawnee Road on east side of Gibbon
East boundary is Wiseman road on east side of Shelton
[Now we know how far apart Gibbon and Shelton are
Gibbon is 2 miles south as well as six miles west]
Physical Features
Platte River valley
Row of hills
Wood River in valley Very curving, Ό to ½ mile loops north/south as it
flows east
Second stream parallels the Wood on the north [call me with its name]
More hills
Transportation routes
Roads within the township
Highway 30
I-80
Shelton Road - Road runs on section line a mile west of county line
Along west edge of Shelton all the way north to Highway 2 at
St. Michael
South to the Shelton interchange and across the Shelton
bridge over the Platte.
Then the name changes to Denman road.
Railroads
Union Pacific
Gibbon Cutoff
Leaves the main UP track about Ύ mile east of Gibbon
Puts it in Shelton Township.
Angles south east to go under the Interstate at the Shelton
interchange.
Schools
Dist. 1 south of highway and railroad, one mile west of Shelton
Dist. 8 Riverside
2 miles west of Dist. 1, north side
of highway, north side of Wood River.
On Sodtown Road Nutter property
here
Dist. 18 Sharon or Moffett Down by the north channel of the Platte,
north side of I-80
Gone by 1919
Dist. 19 Shelton the town district
Dist. 22 in middle of township (near the Gibbon Cutoff route)
On George Strearley farm
Church
½ mile south of Dist. 22
United Brethren - Organized in Dist. 22 school in 1873
Church building constructed in 1897
Called the Zimmerman Church
Zimmermans & Stearleys charter members
Stearley was licensed preacher
First preaching service in the county in Dist. 1 school
By Rev. D. Marquette, a Methodist missionary, in winter 1869-70
"The weather being cold, the people who crowded the house laid down
buffalo robes on the floor and hung shawls up at the sides of the house to
keep out the cutting winter wind and make the room endurable."
Present
was a very pious German by
the name of George Stearley
could not preach in English but was
the only one who could lead in public prayer. When called upon to do
so he would usually, in deference to his English-speaking brethren, begin
his prayer in English, but would soon cut loose and pass over into German
and make an excellent impression by his earnestness and sincerity, although
no one could understand a word he said.
Class meeting in Dist. 1 school in 1871-2 evolved into the
Methodist Church in Shelton
Other churches in Shelton:
Seventh Day Adventists (1885)
Evangelical (1896)
Catholic (1908)
Cemeteries
-
Shelton Cemetery is 1 mile east across the county line in Hall County
First burials (in days when this was
Wood River Center) apparently south of town where the high school is now
located.
1883 Constitution and by-laws for the present cemetery were drawn up
People buried in the old cemetery
were moved to the new one.
1899 R. Fieldgrove & JW Weaver went to Merrick County brought back two
wagon loads of cedar trees.
Cemetery has 544 lots which are divided into 7,000 plots. (in late 1970s
half used)
Wood River Center
Joseph E. Johnson settled here on the Mormon Trail (Bassett says he came in
1839)
Established a store
a blacksmith and wagon repair shop
a tintype gallery
a bakery and place where meals might be had
1860 Name Wood River Center appeared on maps and publications of that date
Good reason for believing that an
even earlier date there was here a hamlet, a way station,
- for travelers over the Overland
Trail,
- doubtless dating from the
establishment of Fort Kearney in 1848.
1860, April to February 3, 1873, the name was officially and otherwise Wood
River Center.
- newspaper (The Huntsman's Echo)
published, as announced in its columns, at Wood River Center, Nebraska
Territory
1860, August 20 first post office in the county was established, Joseph E.
Johnson, postmaster
1860 Fall, - election for county officers - forty-two votes were cast
[But county business was done in Hall
County]
first school district was organized, the first schoolhouse provided, the
first terms of school held.
Changing the name Wood River Center
to Shelton
A
post office at Wood River Center was established October 11, 1872 [again??]
Patrick Walsh was postmaster
Kept in Walshs home, a log house
Later moved
to the Oliver store, with E. Oliver as deputy postmaster.
February 3, 1873 date of letter informing P O Dept. of name change
Mr. Postmaster General,
"Washington, D. C.
DearSir:
You are hereby notified that the name of this postoffice has been changed
from Wood River Center to Shelton and you will govern yourself accordingly."
Said to be named in honor of N. Shelton, an auditor in the land department
of the U P
1876 - the Union Pacific established a station.
1879 - Patrick Walsh had a town site surveyed on his homestead farm
Additions were soon after surveyed by the Union Pacific Railway Company
and by Michael Coady, who had a claim on an adjoining section.
The Village of Shelton was incorporated January 6, 1882
Events in Shelton Township
Buffalo County
1869 - Citizens of Wood River Center petitioned Governor David Butler to
reorganize Buffalo County
January 20, 1870 - Done in the Dist. 1 schoolhouse
Wood River Centre was the county
seat.
First fourth of July picnic, 1872
-- held in Dugdale grove
-- Sunday Schools from Buffalo and Hall counties participate
-- 500 children in attendance
Childrens exercises in morning
Picnic dinner
Orators and group music all afternoon
Settlement
Squatters at first (Dugdale, Nutter, Oliver)
Families in the immediate vicinity in the early '60s
Mrs. Sarah Oliver, James Oliver [next door west(?)]
James Owen (also came from England)
(Henry) Dugdale,
Nutter,
Patrick Walsh,
Thompson,
Martin Slattery Section foreman for UP, first lived at
Kearney for a few months in 1860
George Stearley
August Meyer - Great Western Stage Company, extending as far
west as Fort Kearney,
established a stage station, with August Meyer in charge.
August, 1864 Indian threat
Settlers north of the Platte gathered at Wood River Center
August Meyer, had served in US army, in command
Barricaded themselves in an unfinished log building
Later all journeyed to Omaha and Iowa
-- except August Meyer and "Ted"
Oliver [Edward, Jr.], who remained to care for the stage company horses.
Claims filed
1870 2
1871 34 (includes Soldiers Free Homestead settlers)
Includes - S. C. Bassett, James
Oliver (Sarahs married son), M. Stearley,
187218
Includes - Edward Oliver, Ephriam
Oliver (oldest and youngest sons of Sarah)
Henry Dugdale, John Haug, Fred Haug,
(Rev.) George Stearley, A. W. Zimmerman,
18733
Includes Joseph Owen (married one of
the Oliver girls)
18747
Includes Patrick Walsh,
18752
One being Wm. Nutter
18762
18771
187822
Includes - L. Vohland and 2
Winchesters
18793
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