1870’s Buffalo County Board Activity
A. Fire & Roads
Oct 27, 1877
1. Offered a $100 reward for
detection and conviction of any parties setting prairie fires in Buffalo
County with damage “has or may be done” to property since 15 October
2. Road from east end of Smith Avenue
[24th Street, a section line]
In 1875 had
been extended east 6 miles from the edge of town to a point 1 mile south & 2
½ miles east of Kearney Station (Buda)
Now extended
further east to the intersection 3 miles south of Gibbon
B. People
Mary Walker
July 1875 - Mary A. Walker requested
and received a tax reduction for losses in ’73
(3 day blizzard in April)
According to the 1870 Census:
Mary was living near Kearney Station
with husband, Charles, and 7-year-old John Stuart
This is probably Mary’s second
marriage.
Both she & John were born in Penn.
Charles was born in Germany
Charles was occupied as a country
merchant
Which means there must have been a
general store there at Kearney Station
Also living with them:
George Cook –
30, day labor, born in Ireland
James,
Jenkins – 21, teamster, born in Mississippi
Not found in 1880 census
Andrew Smead
June 1877 - A. J. Smead request to
have 1874 taxes stricken since the property was destroyed by fire.
Rejected.
According to Louisa Collins in her diary
Apr 1, 1874 – “The first fire in our
town today Smeads building burned to the ground three families lost
nearly all their goods But there is sweet with the bitter the worst
whisky & gambeling hole in town burned with it.”
According to the Nebraska Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1879-80
In 1879 A. J. Smead lived in Nebraska
and his occupation was meat
According to the 1880 United States Federal Census
Andrew J Smead, 49, was living in
Kearney where he was occupied as a butcher
He had a wife, Lydia, and 3 children,
Geneva, 13, Chester, 12, and Lizzie, 8
C. Proposed Railroads
Sioux City & Kearney Railroad
26 Oct 1875 – Vote scheduled for
27 Nov 1875 on $75,000 in bonds to be used to complete Sioux City & K RR
20 Nov 1875 – Some citizens
petitioned to cancel vote on railroad bond, approved
Kearney, Bloomington, and Republican Valley Railroad
August 1877 – This railroad was
proposed and an election on bonds was approved, but then rescinded.
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