Since 1841, Nebraska's Platte River Valley has been the historic highway of westward migration. In this area, the overland trail divided into two branches, one which followed the North and the other the South Forks of the River. Emigrants bound for Oregon or California crossed the South Platte near here and proceeded up the North Platte Valley past such milestones as Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluffs. After gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains in 1859, an increasing number of travelers followed the South Fork of the Platte to Denver and the mining camps.
Although the South Platte could be forded at several points, most frequently used was the "Old California Crossing," several miles east of present Big Springs. No matter which crossing was chosen, the wide, sandy river proved a formidable obstacle for the emigrants and their heavily laden wagons.
Today, the Platte Valley remains an important thoroughfare across Nebraska and the Nation. A few miles east of here I-80 divides into two major routes, recalling the role of the South Platte Region as a junction for overland travel in the 19th Century.
]]>Julesburg, Colorado, visible to the southwest, was established as a road ranche, trading post, and stage station in 1859. Located near the junction of several overland routes, Old Julesburg became an important transportation and military center during the 1860s. On January 7, 1865, more than 500 Sioux and Cheyenne attacked Julesburg in revenge for the Sand Creek Massacre of November 29, 1864. The small military force at nearby Camp Rankin, established in 1864, was unable to prevent the Indians from burning the settlement and killing 18 defenders. Julesburg was rebuilt on a new site. The military post was enlarged and later renamed Fort Sedgwick.
Until it was abandoned in 1871, Fort Sedgwick was a focal point for military activities in the region. During construction of the Union Pacific across western Nebraska in 1867, troops protected the construction workers from the threat of Indian attack. Julesburg was rebuilt near the railroad. The town lasted less than a year and was noted for vice and violence. The fourth and present Julesburg was platted as Denver Junction in 1884. It was renamed Julesburg when it was incorporated two years later.
]]>During World War II Nebraska was home to eleven air bases, which filled the sky with planes engaged in training aircrews. On June 7, 1944, fifteen B-24 bombers departed from the Lincoln Army Air Base en route to the west coast.
During a thunderstorm B-24J #44-40758 caught fire, descended to 500 feet, and began circling the town of Chappell, Nebraska, when it exploded about two miles southeast of here. All personnel aboard were killed instantly.
The ten airmen who made the supreme sacrifice while serving their country were: 2nd Lt. Donald S. Wallace, Peculiar, MO; 2nd Lt. Colon A. Holland, Waynesboro, MS; 2nd Lt. Frank K. Duffey, Cranford, NJ; 2nd Lt. Paul E. Rose, Mammoth Springs, AK; S/Sgt. Robert E. Rogers, Camilla, GA; S/Sgt. Vance C. Johnson, Stromsburg, NE; Sgt. Bernard T. Clark, New York, NY; Sgt. Ralph A. Young, Anadarko, OK; Sgt. Peter L. Zamboto, Rochester, NY; and M/Sgt. William E. Webster, Oneonta, NY. All were members of the 866th Bombardment Squadron (H), Seventh Air Force.
]]>Here is the valley of Lodgepole Creek through which passed historic trails, telegraph lines, and railroads. The famed Pony Express followed the valley in 1860-61. "Nine Mile" Pony Express station was located just southeast of present Chappell; "Pole Creek No. 2" station was a few miles west of here. Near Sidney, the Pony Express trail turned northwestward, passing Mud Springs station and Courthouse Rock en route to the North Platte River. In 1861 the first transcontinental telegraph line was built through the valley. Stagecoaches of the Central Overland Route soon followed, carrying passengers and mail. Former Pony express stations continued to serve the stage line, providing lodging and provisions for travelers. When the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad reached here in 1867, wagon and stagecoach travel declined. Today modern highways retrace historic trails through the valley. Two miles east is Chappell, at first only a railroad siding. The townsite was surveyed in 1884 and a post office was established two years later. Chappell became the county seat of Deuel County in 1894.
]]>The Wallace W. and Libby King Waterman sod house, located nine miles north of here on the Day Road, was built about 1886. The original dwelling had three rooms. In 1925 it was enlarged and remodeled by Virgil and Helen Burke Waterman, and the sod walls were covered with concrete. The family lived in the house until 1989, and it was donated to the Deuel County Historical Society in 1993. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
]]>The Phelps Hotel was built in 1885 by the Edwin A. Phelps family, who were among the first settlers in the Big Springs area. Also known as the "House of Three Chimneys," the hotel was the most important nineteenth-century landmark in Deuel County. It served as a house of worship when church services were held there, and it became the center of community activities and a haven for early landseekers, travelers, and pioneers. The hotel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
]]>The history of Big Springs, northeast of here, has been closely associated with the Union Pacific Railroad since 1867, when a station was established at that point. A nearby spring, from which the station derived its name, provided an abundant water supply for the railroad's steam locomotives. On the night of September 18, 1877, Nebraska's most famous train robbery occurred at Big Springs. After capturing the station agent and destroying the telegraph, Sam Bass and five companions stopped a Union Pacific express train and escaped with a reported sixty-thousand dollars in gold and currency. No permanent settlement occurred at Big Springs until 1883, and the townsite was platted by the Union Pacific Railroad the following year. One of the first structures in the community was the Phelps Hotel, opened in 1885 by Edwin A. Phelps. Little changed since its construction, the hotel has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite droughts and severe winters, settlement of the area continued in the 1880's and 1890's. On May 15, 1917, the village of Big Springs was incorporated by act of the Deuel County Commissioners.
]]>The first and greatest robbery of a Union Pacific train took place near here on the night of September 18, 1877. The legendary Sam Bass and five companions, after capturing John Barnhart, station-master, and destroying the telegraph, forced Union Pacific express train No. 4 to halt.
A reported $60,000 in new $20 gold pieces and currency was taken from the express car, while about a thousand dollars and a number of watches were taken from passengers. The accumulated loot from this, the Big Springs Robbery, it is said, was then divided by the outlaws, beneath the Lone Tree then growing on the north side of the river. After making the division, the robbers then split into pairs and fled their pursuers.
Joel Collins and Bill Heffridge were killed at Buffalo, Kansas. Jim Berry was killed near Mexico, Missouri, while Tom Nixon and Jim Davis were never located. After forming another band and robbing four trains in Texas, Sam Bass was killed by Texas Rangers at Round Rock, Texas, on July 21, 1878; it was his 27th birthday. His epitaph reads "A Brave Man Reposes in Death Here. Why was he not true?"
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