291] The Condition of the Western Farmer. 13 



idly increasing security of person and property, and the per- 

 ception of the real value and fertility of the soil, this state of 

 affairs quickly changed; speculators gave way to settlers, and 

 the border line of cultivation advanced rapidly toward the 

 west. This progress and its conditions will now briefly be 

 Considered: 



As we have noticed, the first emigrants to Nebraska had 

 no better title to their chosen lands than squatters' rights, 

 and they had to combine and often make use of force to 

 secure peaceful possession. As this was prior to the time of 

 the homestead acts, 1 the emigrants had to rely mainly on the 

 pre-emption acts for acquiring lands, and it was not until 

 1859 that a general public sale was ordered. The progress 

 of settlement was greatly retarded by the number of specu- 

 lative claims that had been staked out as soon as entrance to 

 the territory had become a possibility; fora new-comer would 

 soon find himself forced to go eight or ten miles back from 

 the river, or pay some speculator an exorbitant price for the 

 opportunity to settle on the better situated piece of land 

 which the latter had in his clutches. As a result a large 

 amount of land remained unimproved in the midst of the 

 newly opened farms, and permanent damage was done the 

 country. 



During the early part of the fifties there could be found 

 here and there along the overland trail to the coast, so-called 

 " ranches " kept by pioneers, typical border characters, whose 

 greatest pleasures were incident to their remoteness from 

 civilized life. At these ranches, the wearied wagoner could 

 rest himself and renew his store of provisions if he so desired, 

 or could perhaps have necessary repairing done to his wagons. 

 But as these ranchmen had no thought of permanent resi- 

 dence the very nature of their occupation, in fact, limiting 

 their activity to the period prior to the introduction of rail- 

 ways, and as they paid practically no attention to farming, 

 it would not be proper, in summing up the advance of settle- 



1 See Appendix A. 



