This scenic overlook provides a clear view of the valley of the Missouri River, the longest waterway in North America. To the west is the Gavins Point Dam and the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area. The dam was built to harness the fury of the river whose potential for havoc has been repeatedly demonstrated. In 1881 a torrent of crushing ice and water swept away the small village of Green Island on the Nebraska bottom opposite Yankton, South Dakota.
Across the river near Yankton may be seen the red bluffs and juniper trees which covered the "Butifull Plain" described by Lewis and Clark in 1804. Later observers indicated that the unusually thick stands of timber in 1804 had been thinned, possibly cut to provide fuel for steamboats. This region provided abundant game and natural vegetation to support the nomadic Sioux and the more sedentary Ponca and Omaha. The continued richness of the alluvial soil is reflected in the cultivated fields surrounding this point.
Today the beautiful plain depicted by Captain Clark flourishes under the protection of modern conservation and agricultural practices.
]]>During their exploration of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, Lewis and Clark held councils with the Ponca, Omaha, and Sioux Indians inhabiting this region. The council with the Sioux occurred August 28-31, 1804, at Calumet Bluff, now the southern abutment of Gavins Point Dam. By 1857, the Ponca and Omaha tribes had signed peace treaties and had been removed to reservations, but peaceful relations with the Sioux were still some years distant. In 1862-1863, General Alfred Sully, provisioned by steamboat, campaigned against the Sioux in Dakota Territory. Many local inhabitants took part in the expedition as members of the Second Regiment, Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry, leaving the Northern Nebraska settlements unprotected. On July 23, 1863, Indians, alleged to be Sioux, invaded the area, killing the children of Henson Wiseman who lived near present-day Wynot, Nebraska.
]]>Paragon Lutheran Church evolved from Bow Valley Evangelical Lutheran Church, established in 1873. Founding families were Albert Erdenberger, Bernhard Olsen, Martin Bottolfsen, and John Anderson. Services were conducted in homes, the District 24 schoolhouse, and in Hartington until Paragon Lutheran Church was built in 1904. Bernhard and Maren Olsen donated the cemetery ground in 1876; Nils Seim was the first burial. Along with the church, cemetery, and school, the Paragon community once included a gristmill, post office, and general store.
]]>This marker, dedicated on the 100th anniversary of Hartington High School, June 25, 1988, is in honor of two graduates who became governors of Nebraska. Dwight Burney, born in 1892, graduated from Hartington High School in 1910. Burney attended the University of South Dakota and was School Superintendent in Turtin, South Dakota. He served in the Nebraska Legislature for twelve years; as lieutenant governor for eight years; and became governor of Nebraska upon the death of Ralph G. Brooks, September 9, 1960. Burney founded the Pleasant Dale 4-H Livestock Club in Cedar County, and he was co-founder of the Nebraska Livestock Feeders Association. Charles Thone was born in 1924 and grew up on Thone Farm five miles north of Hartington. He attended District 108 grade school and graduated from Hartington High School in 1940. After World War II service, he received a law degree from the University of Nebraska. Thone was congressman for four terms and served as Nebraska's 34th governor. He was chairman of the Midwest Governors Association, chairman of the National Governors Agriculture Committee, and chairman of President Reagan's Export Commission for Agriculture.
]]>Much of the early history of Cedar County involves the Indian inhabitants, the Ponca, Omaha, and Sioux. Several prehistoric and historic Indian villages were located in the region. In 1804, Lewis and Clark ascended the Missouri River near here during their exploration of the Louisiana Territory. From August 28-31, they held a council with the Sioux at Calumet Bluff, now the southern abutment of Gavins Point Dam.
Permanent settlement occurred during the 1850's and 1860's and formed the basis for Cedar County's future development. The county was organized by act of the territorial legislature on February 12, 1857. St. James was the county seat until 1869, when it was moved to St. Helena. Hartington, near the center of the county, was selected as the permanent county seat in an 1885 election.
The Cedar County courthouse was constructed at a cost of $19,000 in 1891-1892 during the terms of County Commissioners John Lorang, Theodore Beste, and Joseph Morten. Designed by J. C. Stitt, the building is an example of a simple Romanesque style of architecture and was constructed of brick manufactured locally. One of the contractors was Henry Stuckenhoff of Hartington, who also helped build many of the churches and early commercial buildings in Cedar County.
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