Big
Springs, the second. town of
importance in Deuel county. It is located in the southeastern part of the
county on the Union Pacific railroad.
In the Platte valley is the center of a fine irrigated farm district and is a growing town of
progressive people.
Big Springs was platted and
the plat recorded at Sidney, November 6, 1884 and
the Union Pacific railroad
filed the plat.
At an earlier date the station was known as Lone Tree. Big
Springs was known at an early day as it was not far from the present town
that the “crossing” of the famous Oregon and California trails occurred.
In 1883 Big Springs settlement consisted of one adobe house
aside from the railroad section house and depot.
About
the first store in Big Springs was erected by Abbott & Kimball.
Big
Springs had the first organized school district in
Deuel county territory, being No, 2, of old Cheyenne county.
Big Springs once cast an
enormous vote on a county seat election, more than five thousand votes were
returned but failed to get the county seat.
Frank Dixon, one of the leading
merchants of the town has lived here since the early seventies, being one of
the first men to establish a store.
A. E. Phelps built a hotel in 1884, and
opened. it Christmas eve of that year. He has run the hotel for thirty-seven
years, being the pioneer man of his line and one of the oldest
business.
J.
H. Jewett, who was the first State Senator
from the panhandle. His ranch
was located near Big Springs and in
1885 he
induced the bonding of the Big Springs
precinct for a bridge across the South
Platte River.