A HALT AT OMAHA, 447 



Quarters." The Indians, however, insisted that the 

 Mormons should not remain. So pressed, the saints 

 divided their little party. A few families, under the 

 leadership of Elder Kane, crossed the Missouri and 

 started a settlement destined to become Council Bluffs. 



The balance of the inhabitants of *' Winter Quar- 

 ters" placed themselves under the leadership of 

 Brigham Young, and with one hundred and eight 

 wagons migrated to Utah, where they immediately 

 staked out Salt Lake City, and began to build their 

 Temple. 



By so slight a circumstance Omaha missed being 

 next door neighbor to, or even becoming herself, the 

 New Jerusalem of the Saints. 



William D. Brown is conceded to have been the first 

 white settler who staked out a claim on the plateau 

 now occupied by Omaha. He started for the Califor- 

 nia gold fields. On his way it occurred to him how 

 profitable it would be to establish a ferry across the 

 Missouri to accommodate the thousands passing west- 

 ward. Putting in practice his idea, in 1852, he 

 equipped a flatboat for that purpose. He named this 

 venture of his " Lone Tree Ferry," from one solitary 

 tree on the landing, just east of where in Omaha to* 

 day stand the Union Pacific Shops. 



In the spring of 1853, Mr. Brown* staked out a 

 claim embracing most of the original town site of 

 Omaha. 



Julv 23, 1853, Brown became a member of the 

 Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, whose 

 object was to open a steam ferry, and to estab- 

 lish a town on the west bank of the river. Despite 



protests from Indians and without consent of the 

 22 



