The establishment of the Webster community was centered around this intersection. Beginning in 1871 the village of Webster grew to include a post office, blacksmith shop, telephone company, store, school, and Webster Hall. Webster Hall hosted farmers' meetings, social events, school programs, and a high school from 1915 to 1918. There were also four area churches. Economic changes forced many of these businesses to close during the 1950s. Seven area schools merged with Webster, District #27, before it was closed in 1999.
]]>Ann Young was the 36-year-old wife of George Young and the mother of Seth, the first son born to white settlers in Dodge County. The year was 1856, and after forsaking plans to homestead in Kansas the tiny colony, consisting of the Youngs and her brother's family, the Robert Millars, settled down for the night of July 4th near the location which later became North Bend.
During the remaining summer and fall they built log dwellings and prepared for a difficult winter. It was one of the bitterest on record. These were the conditions into which baby Seth was born in November. Less than a month later he was motherless. Ann didn't recover her strength and died at Christmastide. A coffin was fashioned from kitchen floorboards, and she was buried New Year's Day on the knoll which became this cemetery.
Many of the later burials were moved to the Woodland Cemetery, established at North Bend in 1887, but Ann and a large number of others remain. Seth saw that the burial ground was cared for until his death in 1952. The burial ground is the oldest in Dodge County and represents an important chapter in Platte Valley history. It reminds us, through the presence of Ann Young, of the extreme hardships faced by our early pioneers, particularly by pioneer women.
]]>The north bank of the Platte River, from the 1830's through the 1860's, served as a major overland route to the West. It was used by fur traders, soldiers, gold seekers and other emigrants. The expedition of Major Stephen H. Long passed through this area in June 1820. Just south of the river were the last villages of the Pawnee Nation, prior to their being placed on a reservation. Fremont was named in honor of General John G. Fremont, when settled in 1856. This trail is usually referred to as the Mormon Trail, as they were the first to use it in great numbers. This route was also known as the Omaha-Fort Kearny Military Road, and the stage line between Omaha and Salt Lake City also ran here. It became the line of the first trans-continental telegraph in 1861, and a few years later it became the route of the Union Pacific Railroad, the first trans-continental route. The railroad reached Fremont in 1866, and, in a few years, the Platte Valley of Nebraska ceased to be a frontier, becoming a prosperous farming region. With the development of the automobile, this route became U.S. Highway 30 or the Lincoln Highway, the first trans-continental road. It was completed to San Francisco in 1913, though the portion of the road west of Fremont was not paved until 1920. Begun as a major road to the West, it developed into and remains an important route to the East as well.
]]>Before the Pawnee Indians were placed on a reservation, they located their last earthlodge villages on these nearby bluffs. Pa-huk' hill, one of the five scared places of the Pawnee, was also here. The villages were occupied from 1850 to 1859 by the Skidi, Tappage and Grand bands led by head chief Petalesharo. The Republican band lived some distance up stream. The Pawnee once numbered more than 10,000 people were recorded in history as early as 1541. Often harassed by the Sioux, the erected sod walls to protect their villages. The Pawnee were friendly toward whites, and some later served as army scouts. By 1833 the tribe had given up all of its land north of the Platter River. General John M. Thayer and O. D. Richardson, representing Territorial Governor Izard, held a conference with the tribe here in 1855. In 1857 the Indians signed the Treaty of Table Creek, ceding the rest of their land to the whites. In return they received a reservation along the Loup River near present-day Genoa. In 1875 the Pawnee moved south to Indian Territory, ending their settlement in Nebraska.
]]>In 1872 Dodge County purchased 160 acres at this site to provide relief for the needy. In 1884 a residence was added for those receiving aid; by 1888 the farm comprised 245 acres. Paid stewards oversaw its operation. After 1935, federal and state old-age insurance (Social Security) reduced the need for county assistance to the indigent. The last of the more than 400 residents the poor farm served died in 1944. The farm was rented out in 1945 and sold in 1955.
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