EARLY DAY STORIES. 



CHAPTER I. 



Ignorance of Nebraska History — A Great Thoroughfare — 

 The Different Starting Points — The Overland Stage — 

 Marked by Graves Along the Route. 



This story is written chiefly for the young people, but 

 it may interest also the older ones, some of whom possibly 

 may have a dim and shadowy remembrance of events de- 

 scribed herein, or of the persons who took part in these 

 events, and who helped to make them a part of the history 

 of our state and country. 



There is much ignorance among our young people, 

 and the older ones as well, about the early history of the 

 state of Nebraska. The reason is that this history is not 

 found in full in our books, nor taught in our schools. Im- 

 portant events that transpired in the early days, and that 

 left a lasting impress upon the destinies of our state are 

 either entirely overlooked or have received only mere men- 

 tion in such records as have been kept. Had these events 

 happened in New England or New York or Virginia in 

 colonial times there would have been a record made of them, 

 and they would have become a part of the history of our 

 country, and would be as familiar to our school boys and 

 girls of today as are the stories of Pocahontas, of Red Jack- 

 et, and of Osceola. 



If you will take one of our modern large dictionaries 

 and turn to the list of proper names, you will easily find 

 such names as Pocahontas, Powhatan, Red Jacket, Osce- 

 ola, Tecumseh, Pontiac, Black Hawk and many others who 

 flourished in the early days of our nation, but in some of 

 them, at least, you will look in vain for the name of Black- 

 bird or Red Cloud or Spotted Tail or Sitting Bull, or any 



