Hall Counnty NEGenWeb Project Presents

A Freighting Experience

This page is the reminiscences, narratives & stories of our local pioneers.

A Freighting Experience

One day a man came along with a freighting outfit, one of those with a large front wagon and its trailer, with six sets of teams, eight pair of mules to the team, each team handling two wagons, the main wagon and its smaller trailer. Anderson narrates: "He came into my place of business, took a few drinks and wanted to know if I would trade my saloon for this freighting outfit. I said I never had anything yet I wouldn't trade, so we went down in the cellar and took a kind of inventory. The building I had built myself. I believe it wasn't two hours until I had traded my saloon for his outfit, and then I went freighting to the hills. We used to get big prices then.

"Then one time the town of Deadwood burned down. Pretty nearly the whole town burned out that time. The news came and then every frieghter was wondering what he could load with to make a trip there. Some got a load of whiskey, some flour, some a load of ham and bacon, and I finally said to myself, what are you going to load with? I tried to think what might be most desired when I'd get there. Anyhow I happened to think of window glass. I didn't have enough money to buy, wasn't able to buy enough window glass for loading my outfit. I went to a man there by the name of Reddington and told him what I'd thought of and asked what he thought about it, what sizes of window glass would be wanted. He said, 'Just you telegraph to Solomon,' who then ran a wholesale glass business

in Omaha; he says, 'If he will furnish the stuff I will back you.' so I said yes. Solomon said yes. I left it to Solomon and told him about what we were going to do. I left it to him as to the sizes for I didn't know anything about that, what sizes we would be likely to want. Didn't have to wait but a few days until Solomon sent a couple of carloads of glass. I loaded up that stuff and went to the Black Hills, though the snow was flying. Before I got there they had a hundred houses or so, temporary houses, put up, with places left for windows, but had just nailed up thr space with boards. Nobody had thought of window glass. I drove into town one morning, and I had to go and get the mayor and police to protect my wagons while I sold out the glass. I had forgotten how much money we made out of that, but it was a goodly sum. Solomon had said to me, we would cut the profits in two. Of course I didn't rob them and might have gotten more for it."

As Mr. Anderson put it, the life in Sidney, as it was then in Julesburg and Ogallala, was too rough to suit him. He continued the freighting for a while, and then sold his outfit to the man, Reddington, who had stood behind him in the window glass venture. Williams went somewhere for a while, but Anderson returned to Grand Island. Williams came along later and they again started a saloon.

Cited Source:

A. F. Buechler and R. J. Barr, editors. "Reminiscences and Narratives of Pioneers: A Freighting Experience," History of Hall County Nebraska (Lincoln, NE: Western Publishing and Engraving Company, 1920): 97, 99. Provided by the Prairie Pioneer Genealogical Society, Grand Island, Nebraska.

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