Cass County History

On April 17, 1854, the Indians relinquished their rights to the lands west of the Missouri river and May 30, 1854, an act created the Territory Of Nebraska.

Beginning at the line between Kansas and Nebraska and westward to the Rocky Mountains, along the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the west line of Minnesota, down the west line of Minnesota and the Missouri River.   

In the early fifties a startling head line appeared in the eastern papers, "Gold Discovered In Nebraska."

At that time the Territory of Nebraska included much of Colorado, all of Wyoming, Montana and the two Dakotas.

June 24, 1854, by a proclamation of President Pierce the Territory of Nebraska was thrown open for settlement and land seekers hurriedly crossed the Missouri on many kinds of make shift rafts and staked out their claims.

Cass County was named in honor of Lewis Cass, the son of Jonathan Cass, a Revolutionary soldier.

Lewis Cass started life as a school teacher in Delaware, was admitted to the bar at Zanesville, Ohio, was secretary, of war under President Jackson, minister to France and served two terms as U. S. Senator from Michigan and took an active part in the fight over the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. He died at Detroit June 17, 1866.

The county is bounded on the north by the Platte River, on the east by the Missouri River, on the south by the Weeping-Water, westward to the west boundary ceded to the United States, and north to the Platte river. This takes a strip along the north side of Colorado and the south side of Wyoming to the crest of the Rocky Mountains.

There were two places of voting in Cass County.   One at the house of Col Thompson in Kanosha.

G. S. Griffith, Thomas Ashley and L. Young shall act as judges of election in Kanosha and Benjamin R. Thompson and Wm. H. Davis clerks.

The other at the house of Samuel Martin in Martin.. James O'Neil, Thomas L. Palmer and Stephen Wiles shall act as judges of election in Martin and T. S. Gaskell and Levi Todd, clerks.

T. B. Cumming, Acting Governor, November 23, 1854.

The county official organization in the beginning was very inefficient and to give the settlers justice, claim associations were formed with rules and regulations. The following Claim Club was organized at Lewiston, two miles southeast of Murray:

A meeting of the citizens in the neighborhood of Rock Creek, Cass county, Nebraska Territory, was held on the 31st of August for the purpose of protecting settlers in their claims.

T. B. Ashley was chosen president and Wm. H. Davis, secretary, after which the following resolutions were passed:

A claim is known by actual settlement.

A claim may embrace 320 acres 80 acres of which may be timber and may be in detached parts (and no more.)

That when the claim lines do not run with the survey of the government, that the person having the over-plus will deed over to the other person, provided they cannot agree to the survey line of the government and the person having the same deeded shall furnish the money necessary for the entrance thereof at Congress price.

That a committee of five be appointed to settle difficulties in relation to claims and claim intrusion either by persons at home or abroad.

That the following persons be entitled to hold claims: Men 21 years of age or the head of a family, widows and all boys who are 16 years old, but boys are prohibited from taking up more than one claim.

Boys are required to build a house or break five acres of prairie on their claim within eight months and if they sell their claim the person purchasing the same are required to conform to the obligations of the Association.

The bounds of the organization are as follows: On the north by Rock Creek Precinct, the west by the head of Rock Creek, south to include the John C. Rakes settlement, on the east by the Missouri river.

The committee chosen are as follows:

T. B. Ashley

Wm. Young

Elza Martin

John Carroll

Martin Neff

The president may call a meeting of the association at any time but the regular meeting of the association shall be the last Saturday in each month at Lewiston.

The proceedings of this meeting shall be published in the Nebraska City News and we hereunto set our hands:

Benedice Spiers

Wm. Frans

Augustus Spiers

Wm. D. Wiley

Lewis H, Young

Wm. T. Ashley

Lawrence Purvis

Elza Martin

A. C. Towner

John Carrol

A. Towner, Jr.

H. M. Clousen

Wm. T. Laird

G. W. Winder

John Clemmons

A. Towner

Martin Neff

Thomas Patterson

William R. Ellington

John Louisignont

Samuel Winthvow

Frances Young

John R. Rakes

Isaac Rakes

Benjamin K. Davis

James Gordon

Thomas Ashley, president

Wm. H. Davis, secretary

 

By Wm. H. Daivis, Register of Deeds.   Filed for record, September 1, 1855

Among the above named members of the Rock Creek Claim Association we have:

A. C. Towner the first sheriff of Cass County, by appointment

Wm. R. Ellington, the first sheriff by election in 1855

Lewis Young platted the paper town of Lewiston

Augustus Spiers platted Granada, a suburb of Rock Bluff

Elza Matrtin and Sarah Morris, first marriage in Cass County

Thomas Patterson, the first resident of Rock Bluff and as government surveyor

Wm. H. Davis as the first recorder of Deeds in the county

Thomas Ashley, blacksmith, outside of Rock Bluff, was elected the first justice of the peace in Kanosha.

Cass County Historical Society Magazine