Document text
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Cirounstanoes of Illterview
MANE OF e0FIEN•••••••.firktoffittitif .ADDRESSMOrtrio.f0t.
DATE fgat.16.1414, SUB•INCT..MCAILT9141111.
1. Name and address of informant B. A. Houston, NiObrara* Neb.
2. Date and time of interview Nov. 11* 1936 1 P. N6 to 4 PA.
3. Plaos of interviow In Niobrara at B. A. Houston's offioe
4. Name and addross of person, if any, cho put you in touoh with
informant Everett J. Houston
6* Name and address or person, if any* aoodmpanying you None
6* Description of room* house* surroundings, eta. Just an old frame buildini
for arias on in strait d000ratird with deer loads mounted tilber owl
and other birds has all shelves full of books and many pictures of old
hunting parties on the calls.
FM
Porional History of lifornont
NAME OF WORM, PilitLif#MIK
*ADDRESS UMW*. hbo
DATE,* 0000000 !Menton", 000000 m0000g,004,414. 0000000 JUSJECTJOrlYiDOY44441414
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFOhMANTofteffs/VVOONNAMS49.440110444,rns, 00000000
1. Ancestry Amorioan
2. Fla.0 and dote of birth Marion, Iowa. Do's not oars to give date of birt
N. Fanny A. Po Houston, Dither; Cithorine Houston (mother) Path** we. a
farmer
4. Flame lived in otrith dates Lim! in Iowa until how moved to Nebraska
at Niobrara, ino. County, in Oot. 1884. Has
been here ever sines.
4
5. Education, with dates Iowa Public Sehools„ Cornell College, situated at
Mount Vernon, Imam 18794.80•81.
6. 000upations and aosomplishments, with dates lawyer, admitted to the
bar in Iowa in Oat. 1883; admitted to
the bar in Neb. in late fall of 1884.
County Attorney Eno. Co. Nib. 1890-91
At present City Attorney, Niobrara, Nob
7. 9pocialkokills and interests Took groat interest in basoball in younger
days. Played to Niobrara team (shortstop)
in 188647048. Enjoyed hunting when younger
8. gonmunity and religious aotivities °bobber of Csmooroo„ Mason, Supports
ohurehes but do*. not belong to any
particular denomination.
9. Desoription of informant Height 5 ft. 8 in; Weight 160 pounds; dark blue
oyes; blaOk halt when youner„ now grey, light oomplexion; heavy set.
Extraordinary *pima strength for mall Nan *dm* younger. Nano among
Indians vas: 'little Stout.'
10. Other points gained in interview Family in this oourtry originated from
two brothers who Game to this country from Ireland before Amerioan
revolution, being fwrood to flee to Ireland to esoape hanging for
attempting to start rebellion in Ireland against the British. One
broth.** (southern brans& of family) settled in Virginia and retained
spilling of name as in Ireland, vies *Houston!. Other brother went to
New York and in hops of deosiving the British dropped tto 'co' from hSs
hang, spelling it hog.
SAM Houston of Texas fans). A son of
A. Houston, Everett T. Houston is practising law with hin at Niobrara.
MN
Text of IAterview (Umedittal)
NAME OF !WESER
DATE
Karin Andersen
Nov. 17 19
NAME AND A KIRK S MO MAW
ADDRIS8.11111ittei.ttb
SUBJEGT.haratl.1:241°r
N. A. Houston* Niobrarasillitstrt0a
I came to Nobraska from IOW* in the fall of 1884. Was born and brought
up in foi*. my father being a farmer, 1 probably would have been one
myself but for a dishoatening exparionoo oommon to farmers in those early
days. OY father had a mortgage on his ram and was figuring on paying
it off by raising and selling hogs. H. had a nioe hunch of them all
ready for the market but the night before he was to take them to town
they got the cholera.' In the morning practically all were dead. My
father lest his farm and I resolved to become a lawyer, and did.
When I arrived in Niobrara in the fall of 1884 it was a typical
western irontier town full of cowboys and 'Indians. It vas a plat,. of
about 700 people with six saloons, throe gambling palaces and twOohurches,'
Methodist and Presbyterian. It was at that time the cotInty seat of Knox
County, Nebraska.
diokrabbits were thick and it was a frequent occurence to see a
hunch of bowbeys rasing their ponies after them dawn the in street.
The cowboys were pretty good fellows, but rAdeless with guns.
One night a bunch of them were °arousing in the barroom of a
hotel here. Direotly above the barroom was a bddroom where a traveling
man was trying to get some sleep. The odbtoys out loose with their
fotty.fives, the bullets going through the oiAing of the barroom and
vhissing all around the traveling man. He got out of there in short
order.
CoWboys mum through here frequently with large herds of cattle
longhorns from Texas.- and they usually SWILM the cattle across the
Wssiouri river with the coy/boys an either side of the herd trying
to guide them. It was dangerous work, but the cowboys didn't seem
to mind it.
Some interesting things come up in law practice in a place like
this. I ramcnbir aa6 case where land boundaries were involved. There
was a jog in the range line of about eighty rods and it became necessary
to establish in court as to how this came to be.
It seems a certain Government surveyor ran a range line to the
licbrara river near the mouth of the Verdigre creek. it was necessary
to Aetablish in court as to how this came to be.
,Straightvoy the surveyors forgot all about surveying and turned
the boat downstream to regain the 414 of whiskey. They tot it but by
the tine, they 'raised to the other site they more about eighty rods
downstream from where they started.
.Instead of going beck to a place opposite to where they started
the surveyor is reported to have said, "This is a d..n good place to
start a rung° lino." And he ran it from there vhinh of course mode
a Sig of about SO rods in the range. line.
0ne of the interesting sights here in the early day* was to watch
the Ponoa Indians cross the Niobrara river on the toe when the river
vas ;meson and yet not frozen so solidly that it was safe to cross.
The Ponca Indian reservation was west of the Niobrara river, the
river being between it and the tom, and the only way the Indians
could get to Niobrara was by eressin# the river.
The current of this river is very wwift and in places the water
is deep, and if a person broke through the ice.orust and was ww.fot
underneath the ice by the swift current.. it ims just too bad4
To make the crossing as safe, possible the Indians were in
the habit of outting V-emselves a ten foot pole. They would grasp
this in the middle and held it in front 110 them when crossing on the
and if they did happen to break through the ends of the pole would
oatoh on so7.id ioe and they could pull themselves out without being
swept under the iee by the currently
Nevorthless it was risky proposition, and in order to eliminate
it the Government build the firut bridge morons thc. V,lebrarc river
in this vieinitys That was dons in 1885.
Mr. Houston will permit his picture to be taken.