Born in 1894, Frank Zybach grew up in Loup Township, Platte County, Nebraska. He began inventing at age 13. In 1948, he developed a prototype of a self-propelled sprinkler irrigation machine. In 1952, the “Zybach Self-Propelled Sprinkling Apparatus” was granted a patent. After receiving the patent, Zybach went into business with A. E. Trowbridge of Columbus. They improved the design and produced 19 center pivots.
Robert Daugherty, head of Valley Manufacturing, purchased the licensing rights to manufacture the Zybach patent center pivot in 1953. In 1954, Daugherty founded Valmont Irrigation, manufacturer of the Valley brand of irrigation equipment. Zybach and Daugherty designed and manufactured center pivots based on the strong belief in conserving water and increasing crop quality yields. After 1969, other Nebraska manufacturers followed in Valmont’s footsteps.
It has been said the center pivot irrigation machine is “perhaps the most significant mechanical innovation in agriculture since the replacement of draft animals by the tractor.” Frank Zybach's center pivot irrigation machine invention has revolutionized irrigated agriculture around the world. Zybach, who died in 1980, lived his final years in this quiet Columbus neighborhood.
]]>While most CCC camps enrolled young men, Camp Platte’s Company 1782V consisted of World War I veterans and a few Spanish-American War veterans whose average age was 46. Throughout the 1930s the men planted trees and grasses and built terraces and check dams to help control soil erosion in Platte and Colfax counties. The camp was built near the Groteluschen farm primarily due to a nearby artesian well, which was credited for the excellent health the middle-aged veterans enjoyed. Recognizing the men’s previous military service, the camp newsletter was named the “Veterans Company Chronicle.” On July 1, 1941, Company 1782V was transferred to Madison, Nebraska, and Camp Platte was closed. The CCC was disbanded in 1942 following U.S. entry into World War II.
]]>The Columbus Powerhouse is one of Nebraska’s largest hydroelectric generating plants and the pulse of the Loup River Public Power District hydroelectric system. The system was financed in 1933 by a $7.3 million New Deal Public Works Administration loan and grant. Built from 1934 to 1937 during the depths of the Great Depression, the Loup Canal project included a diversion structure west of Genoa, 35 miles of canal, and two hydroelectric generating plants, one at Monroe and this one at Columbus.
Water from the intake structure drops more than one hundred feet through three penstocks to the powerhouse, turning three turbines and connected generators. The electric current generated is then distributed through the powerhouse substation transformer and on to the electric grid. Operators are on duty every day around the clock.
Not only did construction of the Loup River Public Power District hydroelectric project create jobs during the Depression, its low-cost and reliable electricity has fueled industrial development in Columbus and the surrounding area. Five public parks located on the District’s property provide recreational opportunities such as fishing, camping, picnicking, and hiking.
]]>During the 1950s and 1960s Paul Zimmerer, working in his auto and farm equipment repair shop in Lindsay, Nebraska, invented a series of irrigation products that changed the landscape of Nebraska agriculture. One was the tractor-towed “Towline” that allowed farmers to move a connected-pipeline irrigation system from field to field. It featured Zimmerer’s patented flexible leak-proof coupler known as the “Quick-Tach.”
In 1968 Zimmerer, with sons Art and Bernie, developed one of the first electric center-pivot irrigators, the “Zimmatic.” Its unique “Uni-Knuckle” joint enabled the system to irrigate rough terrain. The original water-driven pivots were capable of irrigating only relatively flat fields. The Zimmatic also used an external collector ring to transfer electrical power throughout the system. These developments and the establishment of a manufacturing plant on Paul’s farm just east of town made Lindsay an industry leader and major supplier of irrigation equipment throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
The Zimmerers’ entrepreneurship and innovation advanced irrigation technology tremendously, greatly benefiting the town of Lindsay, the surrounding rural community, the state of Nebraska, and the world.
]]>The Granville Cemetery Association was organized in February 1881. Incorporators included Civil War veteran Adin H. Potter, formerly of Granville, New York, who deeded the land. He was one of the few Union soldiers to escape from Andersonville (Georgia) Prison during the war.
The earliest marked grave dates from 1880. Many interments were infants and children, including Edith, daughter of Adin and Diana Potter, who died February 18, 1881. Francis H. Baker is the only known Civil War veteran buried here.
]]>The Lincoln Highway Association was founded in 1913 to promote a coast-to-coast, toll-free automobile route. The Lincoln Highway, which followed existing roadways through thirteen states, was dedicated on October 31, 1913. The route was marked by the letter "L" within red, white, and blue bands, painted on telephone poles or signs. In Nebraska the Lincoln Highway continued the evolution of the Platte River Valley as a significant travel corridor in American history. Used by fur traders, the U.S. Army, overland emigrants, and the transcontinental railroad during the nineteenth century, the valley remains an important modern railroad and highway route. This 1.2-mile Gardiner Station section of the original Lincoln Highway and the Pratt pony-truss bridge spanning Prairie Creek were in use from 1913 to 1928, when this highway section was rerouted south of the Union Pacific tracks. By then the Lincoln Highway had received federal designation as U.S. Highway 30. The original highway section and bridge are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
]]>Alfred Maximilian Gruenther, four-star general in the U.S. Army, was born in Platte Center, Nebraska, on March 3, 1899, to Christian and Mary Shea Gruenther. He graduated fourth in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1918. Between 1941 and 1953 Gruenther served as chief of staff of the Third Army, Fifth Army, Fifteenth Army Group, and Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers in Europe. A protege of General Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II, Gruenther was a principal American planner of the allied invasions of North Africa in 1942 and Italy in 1943. He received many high military honors from the United States and other countries.
After World War II Gruenther became deputy commander of U.S. forces in Austria in 1945, and was appointed supreme allied commander in Europe/commander-in-chief of the U.S. European Command in 1953. In retirement he was president of the American Red Cross from 1957 to 1964 and served on four corporate boards and three presidential commissions. Gruenther died in Washington, D.C. on May 30, 1983, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
]]>Andrew Jackson Higgins, designer and manufacturer of World War 11 landing craft known as "Higgins boats," was born August 28, 1886, at Columbus, Nebraska. His parents were John Gonegle Higgins, a prominent lawyer and judge, and Annie Long O'Connor Higgins. Both parents are buried in Columbus. Higgins attended schools in Omaha and served in the Nebraska National Guard. In 1906 he moved to the South, entering the lumber and shipping business.
Higgins's expertise would win him fame in World War II, when Higgins Industries of New Orleans produced more than 20,000 boats. Many were LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel), a key to the success of Allied amphibious invasions, including D-Day on June 6, 1944. Higgins boats were also used in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
Higgins died on August 1, 1952, and is buried at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. In 1964 Dwight D. Eisenhower said Higgins was "the man who won the war for us." In 2000 the National D-Day Museum opened in New Orleans, honoring Higgins and the city for their vital contributions to the war effort.
]]>This cemetery north of Genoa in Woodville Township is the center of Platte County's West Hill area. Land for the cemetery was first purchased in 1876 from Will Irwin. The first grave was opened in 1878 for Joshua Middleton, victim of a prairie fire. His grave was marked by four pine trees.
Nearby are several other sites of historical interest. North of the cemetery was the West Hill post office (established, 1875; discontinued, 1900), named by postmaster Hiram Eley for West Hill, England. Area residents once gathered here to receive their mail and discuss community affairs.
One mile south and one-fourth mile east of the cemetery is the site of the former West Hill Methodist Church, organized in 1877 by the Reverend James Linn. The West Hill Baptist Church, organized in the early 1900s, was formerly located one mile directly west of the cemetery. Three-fourths mile beyond the Baptist church was the District 68 schoolhouse. The West Chicago General Store, built one mile east of the cemetery in the 1900's once served as the chief grocery supplier for the community.
]]>In June 1720 a Spanish military force led by Sir Pedro de Villasur left Santa Fe, New Mexico, to gather information on French activities near the Missouri River. The contingent included 45 veteran soldiers, 60 Pueblo Indian allies, some Apache scouts, and a priest. Indian trader Juan L'Archeveque, and Jose Naranjo, a black explorer who had reconnoitered Nebraska's Platte River, accompanied the expedition.
Near present Schuyler, Nebraska, Villasur's command encountered large numbers of Pawnee and Oto Indians, who were allies of the French. The Spanish withdrew to approximately this spot and camped. The next morning, August 14, 1720, the Indians attacked. In only minutes Villasur, L'Archeveque, Naranjo, 3l soldiers, 11 Pueblo Indians, and the priest lay dead. The survivors escaped across the prairie and reached Santa Fe September 6. The Spanish losses were the greatest suffered by white men in any battle with Indians on Nebraska soil.
The Villasur expedition was the deepest official penetration of the Great Plains by Spanish explorers. Villasur's defeat ended Spanish exploration of the Nebraska country until the 1806 Melgares expedition visited the Pawnee village on the Republican River.
]]>Due to the generosity of Mrs. Albert Gehner, Mr. Theodore Friedhof, and many other benefactors, this site has become a focal point of agricultural activity in Platte County.
The donation of this land, formerly known as the Browner Farm, and a large sum of money enabled the dreams of several area residents to become reality on June 3, 1941. On that date, a non-profit organization was formed for the purpose of "encouraging improvement in all things pertaining to agriculture, industry, merchandising, domestic science and good citizenship in Platte County."
Since that date, county fairs have been held annually under the supervision of a 15-member board of directors, elected from throughout the county. Numerous activities promoting livestock breeding and the work of 4-H and F.F.A. clubs are also held frequently. Thoroughbred horse racing meets are held each summer. Hundreds of college scholarships have been awarded to deserving students of the county since the inception of this society, and many donations have been made to worth-while civic projects.
]]>The history of Duncan, Nebraska has been closely associated with overland routes through the Platte and Loup River valleys. The Mormon Trail passed nearby during the mid-19th Century and the first transcontinental railroad was completed to this point in 1866. The early settlers in the area included Swiss and Polish immigrants. In June, 1869, Cherry Hill Post Office was established here. Two years later, in 1871, officials of the Union Pacific Railroad platted the town of Jackson on this site.
In 1879, Jackson was selected as the location for the junction of the Union Pacific and its subsidiary, the Omaha, Niobrara, and Black Hills Railroad. Union Pacific financier, Jay Gould reportedly chose Jackson for the junction because he was angered at the nearby town of Columbus which had promoted construction of a rival railroad into the region. However, an ice jam destroyed the Loup River bridge on the Omaha, Niobrara and Black Hills line in 1881, and the tracks were later relocated to join the Union Pacific at Columbus.
In 1880, Jackson was renamed Duncan and the Village was formally incorporated on March 4, 1913.
]]>The West produced many fighting men and ranking high among them are Frank and Luther North of Columbus, leaders of the legendary Pawnee Scouts. The Pawnee, located at their nearby reservation, were eager to cooperate with the Army in fighting their hereditary enemies the Sioux and Cheyenne. Organized as a fighting unit in 1864, they participated in the Powder River Campaigns of 1865 and 1876-1877 and the Republican River Campaign of 1869. They also guarded the builders of the first transcontinental railroad, 1867-1869. William F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill," later Frank North's ranching partner, first became associated with him in the campaign which culminated with the battle of Summit Springs, 1869.
Frank North was the commander of the Scouts and one of the West's most successful Indian fighters. The Pawnee revered him and knew him as Pani Leshar or Pawnee Chief. He was assisted on most of the campaigns by his brother Luther. The two brothers spoke Pawnee and a mutual respect and affection existed between them and the Indian soldiers. A number of other Columbus men, including Lt. Gustavus G. Becher, served as officers of the Scouts.
The Pawnee moved to Oklahoma in 1875. The North Brothers lived in Columbus the remainder of their lives after having contributed a colorful chapter to the story of the West.
]]>