Welcome to Haigler, Nebraska
Haigler 1906
Haigler, The Cornerstone of Nebraska
Haigler, Nebraska, located in the southwest corner of the state on the
40th Parallel bordering Kansas on the south and only 6 miles from the
Colorado line to its west calls itself "The Cornerstone of Nebraska".
"The location began in 1876 when Jacob Russell Haigler established his
cattle ranch near the fork of the Arikaree and Republican Rivers in
what was known at that time as Nebraska Territory. The area was
unsettled country and still had Indians living nearby. It was near the
"Texas Trail" that originated in Texas and ended at the Union Pacific
Railroad at Ogalalla, Nebraska 75 miles north. Because of the abundant
grass and rolling sandhills to the north and the Arickaree Breaks to
the south, it was ideal for raising cattle. ["--Yost, Nellie Snyder. The Call of the Range: The Story of the Nebraska Stock Growers Association. Denver: Sage Books, 1966.]
The "Haigler Ranch", then known as the "3 Bar Ranch" because of their
brand, was the mail stop for the area until Haigler resigned because no
one would be around during roudups. When the U.S. Post Office told him
he couldn't resign, he packed up the post office materials and what
mail he had on hand and shipped it to Washington D.C. with the comment
"I'll show you".
Jake Haigler, the son of Ely and Elizabeth Ann (Hinkle) Haigler, born
in Missouri on February 7, 1836, was never married and by 1883, he sold
his ranch to Tom Ashton and moved on to Arizona Territory where he set
up another ranch near Young, Arizona.
[--Genealogy of Anthony Jacob Hinkle, as transposed by LeRoy Hinkle, Fortescue, Missouri (1976 Haigler Centennial Book, p. 3)]
At this new location, he also had run-ins with the Indians. this was during the time that Geranimo was on the war path.
Jake lost several hundred head of cattle to them. He died on September 29, 1905 from injuries inflicted upon him by a mule.
[Morton's History of Nebraska, by Julius Morton]
His tragic death, as taken from The Silver Belt, a paper published at Globe, Arizona, states the following:
Jake R. Haigler of Pleasant Valley, near Young, Arizona,
was thrown from a mule he was firing on Sept. 26th or 27th, 1905. He
had gone to fix a watergap up the creek a short distance from his home.
He had been warned to be careful about this mule, as she was tricky. W.
J. Young had told him that morning before he left for him not to ride
that mule. After Young left, Jake saddled up the mule and went to fix
the watergap. Mr. Young was away that night and Jake did not return.
His going and coming was not unusual for he would often go to some of
the neighbors. The mule came in next morning without the rider and an
alarm was put out. A party composed of W. J. Young and others started
looking for him. He was found near the water gap. Near this place stood
a leaning tree where a cattle trail passed. The supposition is that
when passing under this tree, Jake leaned over to one side and the mule
jumped. He being old and quite feeble, it is thought when the mule
jumped that Jake fell off and his foot hung in the stirrup. The mule
probably kicked him and going around, his head struck a sharp edged
rock, on which was found matted blood and grey hair. He had crawled to
the water edge of the creek to get a drink. He was unconscious when
found. A physician was sent for, which was some sixty miles. He rallied
for a short time, but passed away soon after. Death came September 29,
1905.
[--Haigler,John W. Jake Haigler, The Benkelman Post, Sept. 9, 1949]
At one time, the town of Haigler was the trade center for the area from
Burlington, Colorado to the south, Ogalalla, Nebraska to the north and
Culbertson, Nebraska. to the east. It was a large cattle town with a
population of over 500 and boasted a large Sale Pavillion where stock
shows and sales were conducted with people attending from many miles
around.
One of the early settlers were J. R. Porter and his family. Even though
it was not his plan to establish a store, when he realized that the
ranchers i
n the area had to travel a long way for goods and services. This first
little store drew people from a wide area of Cheyenne County in Kansas
and what later became Yuma County, Colorado. All roads led into Haigler
where they were welcomed by the Porter family to stay at their home
since there was not yet a hotel in town.
During the late 1880s there was a devistating drought that caused many
of the settlers to give up and go back east. This situation caused Mr.
Porter to realize that if there was not irrigation available to the
farms, the area was doomed. His idea to build an irrigation canal to
divert water from the Republican River across state lines had never
been done before, but was a great success. Mr. Porter oversaw the
building of the Pioneer Irrigation Canal and personally financed it to
ensure it would be done. Later, in 1917, there was a lawsuit against
the Porter family filed by the state of Colorado, claiming that it was
not legal to divert water from one state to another, however the US
Supreme Court deemed it legal and it is still in effect. (No. 147 -
October 1917).
The first woman to be given the position of Postmaster happened in
Haigler, Nebraska in 1882. The first postmaster was Jake Haigler, but
on October 5, 1882 Arabelle Porter, J.R. Porter's wife, was appointed
second postmaster. The third was her daughter Dorthy Porter, then her
grand-daughter Belle McGregor. [ Benkelman Post & News Chronicle Sept. 16, 1949]
The first bank was the Empire Loan & Trust Company organized in 1887 by Wm. H. Larned and Harry Dunlap.
Lee West who was from "the South" and had been a Conferate Soldier before becoming a cowboy in Colorado and Nebraska.
He settled in Haigler and built the first livery stable in town. He was known as a refined man with a high moral character.
Another person who wandered into town after the Civil War was Uncle Jimmy Gray.
He drifted into Colorado as an Indian scout where he froze his feet and lost all his toes so walked with a hobble.
He followed the railroad into Haigler and stayed out his life there as one of the most beloved citizens.
If you were to visit, you would find a statue of Uncle Jimmy in the Women's Club park on Main Street.
W. F. Wood did many things to improve the town of Haigler. He was the
first village clerk, he installed the power plant, established a lumber
business, operated the first grain elevator, and built a flour and feed
mill. He was a county judge and was well known for his support of the
community school, churches and worthy activities. He was known as the
"mainstay" of the Methodist church which was organized after a series
of revival meetings in 1888. In the following years, the town had
several denominations build churches; Zion Luthern - 1910, Seventh-day
Adventist 1941, Holiness and Catholic.[--1976 Haigler Centenniel Book]
This quiet little town tucked in the corner of the state has a rich
history that the residents are very proud of. In September 2007, one of
the counties rural one-room schools was rescued from the corner of a
corn field and moved into Haigler. It is being restored and will become
"The Cornerstone Museum" by displaying historical facts and items from
the area's many defunct one-room schools. |
 "Here
is the Water Works tank at Haigler which is 63 ft. high and 12 ft.
across. They have curbs 10 ft. from the side walks and have this sown
to blue grass which they water from the tank, it certainly looks fine
in the summer, it and the trees together ".
| Haigler, Nebr., is home to the first female postmaster in
the United States--Mrs. Arabelle Porter. Mrs. Porter was appointed
postmaster in 1882.
Haigler is also home to the James R. Porter
family who developed and financed the Pioneer Irrigation Canal, one of
the first irrigation systems completed in Nebraska.
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