About the Eagles Nest The Wind Mills
El Paso Sam, Indian Agent Chapter 1: Sam & Callie Get Married
By: Stan Jordan
El Paso Sam and Slim Jim Martin arrived in North Platte, Nebraska Territory right at Christmas time in 1851.
The fellows had to go to the livery stable and take care of the animals and equipment. When Billy Metzger was with them, he always did that chore and they sure miss him now.
After they took care of the animals, they walked down the street to the North Platte Hotel. When they walked through the front door, Callie looked up from her job and ran to Sam and gave him a hug and a kiss that was a little more than friendship. Everyone stood around and shook and howdied for a bit then things settled down.
If you will remember, Callie is the hotel owner’s niece but she is also Sam’s girlfriend and more than that even. Things was sort of slow in the hotel lobby, so Callie could spend a lot of time with Sam.
All went into the restaurant and got a table in the corner and the happiness flowed like spring rain.
They all had the evening meal and talked quite a bit. Slim went on upstairs to bed, but they all agreed to meet for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. right here at the same corner table.
Callie Thorton was born in Cape May, NJ in 1825. She graduated from high school there and had a year at the Community College.
Cape May is on the sea shore and damp most of the time. She didn’t like anything about this area, so she went west to North Platte to work for her uncle in his hotel. That is where she met El Paso Sam Rivers.
If you will remember, Sam was born in Como, Mississippi in 1824. He went on west in his late teens and worked for the El Paso Devil’s Gate Stage Coach Line. He got quite serious with a girl there, but she wasn’t so serious and Sam left El Paso and worked his way on west to the desert southwest and was a civilian scout for Colonial Stockton in California Territory. He left that outfit and worked his way back to Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory. He caught a ride with a wagon outfit going back to Independence, MO. He met Slim Martin there and signed on with a wagon train going west to Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory. That was in 1848, and he and Slim are still together having just disbanded the 3M Wagon Train.
So, Sam proposed to Callie and she accepted readily. Those two just seemed to be made for each other. The wedding was set for the day after tomorrow in the hotel lobby at 11:00 a.m. on December 31, 1851. Slim Martin was the best man and Callie’s Aunt Nellie stood up with Callie. Aunt Nellie also gave her mother’s wedding ring to Callie because there was no jewelry store in North Platte.
After the wedding there was a fine dinner for all the folks and friends, and it lasted well into the evening.
Jim, Callie and Sam all discussed when they would head east to Fort Kearney. Callie could be ready in three days, and then the boys could load all her belongings in Sam’s wagon. Jim was ready to go anytime.
Sam wanted to be in Fort Kearney before the first of February so he could start his new job by February 1st. Sam is to be the Indian Agent for the Lakota Nation. It was located in Broken Bow, Nebraska Territory. The building was already built and ready for occupancy.
Callie had all her clothes packed in a few trunks and bags, and she had some furniture and a dandy bed complete with mattress and bed clothes. That is just fine because Sam doesn’t have hardly any possessions because he has been on the road in a wagon train for about three years.
Well, they left North Platte and headed east to Fort Kearney. Jim’s wagon went first and broke a trail for Sam’s wagon. Callie sat with Sam’s buffalo robe and was plenty warm, but she wasn’t used to all the bouncing the wagon got from the holes in the snow on the trail, but it really wasn’t all that bad.
She was a good rider, she knew she would have to get used to the trail riding as it is around two hundred miles to Fort Kearney.
Next Week: On the Trail to Fort Kearney
See ya!
About the Eagles Nest
By: Stan Jordan
In issue 39 of the West Bend News there was a letter to the editor concerning a suggestion that I made to the A.C.D.C.
It was to have the workers to trim up some of the trees and bushes so that the observers could see the eagles nest better, and to get better pictures.
I guess I forgot to say that the look out point that needed to be trimmed was on top of the south bank of the Maumee River and the eagles nest is high in the trees on the north bank, probably a good hundred yards or more.
Now, I certainly agree with that man’s concern about molesting the area around the eagles nest and I appreciate him expressing his opinion, but I don’t think it will bother the eagles if we trim the trees on the south bank.
The eagles seem to get along with people. The observation point is right on the edge of old US 24. About eleven years ago the eagles built that nest there with all the hub-bub, noise and commotion of the traffic on the highway there.
Here at West Bend News we made a traffic count when US 24 went through Antwerp, and from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. we counted 1600 trucks and 2600 automobiles using 24. The eagles built their nest there anyways.
It seems like the birds have learned to get along with the everyday noises and commotion of people, and I’m glad of that.
Mr. Figert, I thank you for reading our paper and taking the time to make your feelings known. I was glad to hear your feelings about the eagles.
See Ya!
The Wind Mills
By: Stan Jordan
I know there are people who don’t like the presence of the windmills in our area. They claim that the blades are noisy and the whole wind farm clutters up the scenery.
Now, yes, that is true, but to my way of thinking the good points of having them here out weigh the bad points.
A lot of our homes are heated with oil, propane gas, natural gas and some with coal. All of those are elements from under the ground and sooner or later that supply can run out. Whether you realize that or not, it can happen.
I understand that in 49 of the states, there are 112 atomic energy power plants that manufacture electricity for our daily use. Now that is what we’ve been using many years as a power supply but there is a bad by-product to these atomic plants, and that is atomic waste.
Atomic waste is left after the ingredients that cause atomic reaction is over. The ash is still very dangerous and will always be that way, there is no way of neutralizing the explosive and volitile atomic waste. Down the road, atomic waste is going to be a world wide problem.
Maybe these windmill farms will replace the number of atomic power plants.
There is also some unsubstantiated talk that the windmill blades kill a lot of birds. So far that has not been proven, just that it could happen.
There are no windmills in Carryall Township so we haven’t received any tax money from them. I understand that each windmill pays about $18,000 each year into Paulding County.
All the recipients of Paulding County get some help from the windmills when they pay the county taxes in some form or other. There is no direct tax relief to Carryall, because there is no windmill in Carryall Township.
There are about 13 schools, townships and other groups in Paulding County that Timber Road II Wind Farm has given $2,795,000.00 so far since its existence.
The Blue Creek Wind Farm has given Paulding County $1,175,000.00 since its existence. I would say that is pretty good revenue.
It is estimated that nationwide, windmills off set 1.6 billions pounds of carbon dioxide a year. The windmills help our nation in other ways besides financially.
See ya!
