The settlement of Frontier County

Susan Doak

Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society

Frontier County was organized on Jan. 17, 1872, and its boundaries were redefined by an act approved on March 3, 1873.

The following persons were instrumental in its organization: Henry (Hank) C. Clifford, John Bratt, Mortimer (Monte) H. Clifford, William H. Miles, Samuel F. Watts, John D. Jones, James D. Kerr, Ellias Miller, E. G. Nexbitt, Ambrose S. Shelley, Robert Cooper and Asa McManus. They met in early January 1872 at the Indian lodge of Henry Clifford. According to John Bratt, who authored the book, "Trails of Yesterday," published by the University Publishing Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1921: "Being anxious to make a stock country of the territory south of the Platte, west of Plum Creek (now known as Lexington), north of the Republican River and east of Julesburg, we organized Frontier County. Hank Clifford, W.H. Miles and I were appointed by acting Governor James to be the board of commissioners. Levi Carter was treasurer and I acted as deputy (treasurer). Kirby (John W.) was appointed county clerk, and others, all friendly to the stock interests, were appointed to fill the other county offices. Stockville was name the county seat."

As you see, the main purpose of organization was to restore the rights of the stock raisers to free range for their cattle for according to Bratt: "Nearly every settler had a few cattle or horses or expected to have some shortly to thrive and fatten on the rich native grama and buffalo grass, as did the numerous fat and sleek buffalo, elk, deer and antelope that ranged in this country both winter and summer."

The "Andreas History of Nebraska," published in 1882 by R.R. Donnelley and Sons of Chicago, gives a slightly different version of the first people to hold county offices, showing Monte Clifford as a county commissioner and Hank Clifford as sheriff. John D. Jones was the coroner; John Y. Nelson, surveyor; Arthur Roff, justice of the peace; James D. Kerr registrar; Elias Miller, assessor; and E. G. Nesbitt, county superintendent. Nesbitt is named as also being the first postmaster at Stockville. Sheriff Clifford also held the first liquor license issued in Frontier County.

Organized in January, the Frontier County Commissioners had their first meeting in February and by April 1, 1872, a special election was held to vote on whether each cattle owner must "herd his stock." In total, 29 votes were cast: 28 to suspend the herd law and one to retain it. From that election on, for several years, the "stock" owners from which the name "Stockville" originated, could let their cattle range without fences on any land within Frontier County.

This would, as it did throughout the Great Plains, set the cattlemen against the farmers as the prairie sod was tilled for crops and farmers fenced their land against the cattle destroying their corn and wheat. Range wars erupted throughout the Midwest as the plow went up against the powerful ranches. But, that is a story for a different time.

One interesting note about the Clifford brothers, Hank and Monte. They both came to the Midwest working for the firm of Russell, Majors and Wattles as drivers for the "bull trains," which were wagons of supplies and merchandise shipped westward. The Nebraska City News of Nov. 28, 1860, estimated that from April 25 to Oct. 13, 1860, these oxen pulled "freight trains" and transported nearly three million pounds of goods to either Utah or Pike's Peak. Hank and Monte found the trapping and hunting in Nebraska to be too good to ignore, so they left the company to hunt with the Sioux tribe. Eventually, they married two sisters from the tribe and settled in Frontier County with their families.

Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society's monthly meeting is set for Saturday, Sept. 12. Open library will be Sept.19. Both take place at 1 p.m., at 110 West C, Suite M-3.