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::'' "Another of the first trustees, [[Nelson Buck]], who came from near Bloomington, was a widower with three children, and shortly after his coming, was married to the widow of Augustus Fellows who lost her family to cholera a few years before. Mr. Buck was a man of many interesting peculiarities and was always first and foremost in everything that went for the up-building of the town. He was a surveyor and was elected to that position for several terms. Mr. Buck was one of the first trustees of the village of Pontiac, organized in 1856, and was the leading force which brought about the incorporation. He was a ready writer for the press in the early days of Pontiac, and many of the older residents now living remember the caustic articles printed over his signature. In 1869, while engaged in writing the first history of the county, he received an appointment as surveyor from the United States government, with orders to proceed at once to the territory of Nebraska. The history was about one-fifth completed when he left for the west. '' ::''Before leaving for the west, Mr. Buck inserted an advertisement in one of the local papers for eight young men to accompany him on the trip, assuring them of plenty of sport, with an excellent chance to see the country. The opportunity afforded by the expedition for exploring the wilds of western Nebraska attracted the attention of several of the more adventurous young men of this place, who made application to Mr. Buck for employment, and were enrolled as members of the party, and on the [[29 June, 1869]], Mr. Buck, Frank McFarland, Buxton McGregor, John Nettleton, Will McCulloch and James Sager started from Pontiac for the field of their labors. None of these young men were over seventeen years of age. They left Pontiac and proceeded to [[Council Bluffs, Iowa]], by rail, and from that point proceeded to a point opposite Plattsmouth, Nebraska, where they crossed the [[Missouri river]]. At Plattsmouth, they were joined by six others and proceeded without interruption to [[Fort Kearney]], Neb., where they were to receive a military escort. While at Fort Kearney, Mr. Buck was cautioned not to proceed further by the commandant, [[Colonel Pollock]], who stated that the country was full of Indians on the warpath and that they had been engaged but a few days previous by a troop of cavalry from the fort. After waiting for several days for the escort and not procuring one, Mr. Buck decided to push forward, and accordingly left the fort with his party. After journeying two days westward and encountering many of the Sioux tribe, Mr. Buck became alarmed and sent young McGregor and Nettleton back to Fort Kearney with a request to the Colonel that he send an escort at once. The boys returned to the fort and delivered the message, and as no troops were forthcoming decided to remain until one was provided. No troops being available the escort was not provided and McGregor and Nettleton left the fort with their faces turned toward the east and worked their way back to Pontiac, having seen all the Indians they desired. The surveying party, ten in number, had left Fort Kearney about the middle of July, and as nothing had been heard of them, an expedition from North Platte headed by [[Lieutenant Haskins]], U. S. A., with [[William F. Cody]] (Buffalo Bill) as a scout, left that place the first of October in search of them. On the 10th of October, Lieutenant Haskins reported to his superior of having found about thirty miles southeast of McPherson, where Mr. Buck's party was supposed to be, two tripods, a camp and camp equipage, and some canned fruits. The camp had the appearance of being deserted. He also saw some parts of a wagon. Not long after this, a band of Indians were captured, and it was admitted by them that they had a fight with a party at the point above mentioned; that it was a desperate one and that the last to fall was a tall man, who was in charge of the party. The Indians denied that they burned the bodies of the men, but careful search by expeditions sent out in search of the missing party failed to find them, and as not one of them ever returned or has since been heard of, it was generally supposed at the time that after killing every member of the gallant little band, their bodies were disposed of by the Indians in a manner peculiar to their own." '' ==from McCook Daily Gazette== The Nelson Buck massacre Monday, March 1, 2004 Walt Sehnert Though what is now Nebraska had been a trail that one had to cross to get to somewhere else for many years, it was really not considered a part of the United States until the middle 1800s. Gen. Stephen Long had led an army expedition across Nebraska, along the Platte and North Platte Rivers in 1820. In his report to Congress he described the Platte River valley as "almost wholly unfit for farming," and the High (dry) Plains as "The Great American Desert." So naturally, Congress, seeing the region as worthless property, promptly declared the region as "Indian Territory," and forbade any sort of White settlement in what is now Nebraska. Still, many pioneers continued to cross the region, following the Oregon Trail, to settle in the rich farming areas of Washington and Oregon. The Gold Rush of 1849 added thousands of would-be miners to the trek across our region, and caused a popular demand that Nebraska be changed from Indian Territory to a Territory of the United States and open to White settlement. But for several years territorial status was denied because Southerners and Northerners were divided on the issue of allowing slavery in the proposed territory. Finally, in 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas (Abraham Lincoln's old adversary) was able to get the Kansas-Nebraska Bill passed, which allowed citizens in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not slavery should be allowed. The Territory of Nebraska was huge compared to the size of the present state of Nebraska, and included what is now Nebraska, plus parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. But the population of the entire territory, in 1860 was just 2,732. (Whites only, Indians didn't count). (Joe Magrath, formerly of McCook, has graciously loaned some of the old maps of the region, from his fine collection. These are on display at the Bieroc Café, in downtown McCook). When the Union Pacific began building its railroad across Nebraska, settlement followed, and at the end of the Civil War the U.P. sent out thousands of pamphlets to Easterners, even to Europeans, describing Nebraska farmland in glowing terms. This brought a flood of settlers and demand for statehood. But again Nebraska fell into the middle of a political squabble. In 1867 President Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, was fighting for his political life against a movement of impeachment. He figured that two new senators from Nebraska, which he assumed (correctly) would be Republican, might be enough to swing the vote against him, so he vetoed the bill for Nebraska statehood. Nevertheless, Congress passed an act of admission for Nebraska, over the Johnson veto, and on March 1, 1867, Nebraska entered the Union as the Nation's 37th state. David Butler, a Republican, was elected the first governor of Nebraska. At that time the information about Nebraska was still sketchy, so one of Butler's first acts was to bring parties of surveyors into the state, to bring information about just what the state offered in the way of geography and of opportunities for settlement. Nelson Buck, of Illinois, was one of the surveyors who applied for one of the surveying jobs. Buck noted, in a series of letters to Surveyor Gen. P.W. Hitchcock, that he had been in the business of surveying for 34 years, and included letters of recommendation from some of the most prominent men of the time, including Judge Treat and Abraham Lincoln. He felt well qualified for the surveying job. Buck anticipated that there might be trouble with the Indians, and said that he was prepared to "… employ such force as will be likely to protect our party (of 12) surveyors. It is not profit alone that would induce me to make this attempt, but the desire to be employed where I can see the West -- so then as far as the fear of Indians is concerned, that has little or no weight in the matter." According to the Plattsmouth Herald, for June, 24, 1869, " … Nelson Buck, Esq. of Pontiac, Illinois, a brother of John F. Buck, of this county, has a contract … for establishing standard lines in the western part of the state." For some reason Nelson Buck ran into difficulties in obtaining arms and protection when he arrived at Fort Kearney. He wrote to the Surveyor Gen., "I regret now that I did not procure arms, etc. at Plattsmouth. I made application through Capt. Pollock for leave to draw such as were needed (at Fort Kearney), but did not get them. Some, and indeed several of my company, feel discouraged at hearing of Indians … and want arms so that if we must fight Indians, all can take part in the matter. Buck and his party waited at Fort Kearney for some days for the requisition giving them arms and an escort. Finally, growing impatient, they set out alone, poorly armed as they were. After three days travel they pitched camp along the Republican in what is now Red Willow County. Here Buck ordered John Nettleton and H.B. MacGregor to return to Fort Kearney and await the requisition for arms and an escort, and come back with them to that camp. This was the last that was seen or heard from Buck party. Since there were no survivors of the men that stayed on the Republican, just what happened to surveying party has had to be pieced together from several sources. 1. In September of 1869, an Army unit, under Gen. Duncan, captured a squaw who told that a party of four young Indians in advance of the main band, under Pawnee Killer and Whistler, were attacked while crossing the Republican near Frenchman's Fork and Red Willow Creek. Three Indians and one white man were killed. The Indians pursued, captured the party's horses, destroyed two wagons, and killed five whites. The rest of the whites escaped toward the Beaver Creek. 2. Willard Buck, son of Nelson Buck, led a search for the missing party in the fall of 1869. He found parts of two or three wagons on the Beaver Creek (just west of the present town of Marion). He found some scraps of paper, which belonged to his father, and also two tripods belonging to the party. 3. In an interview with the Omaha Herald, Jan. 1870, the Sioux Chief, Pawnee Killer reported that on their way to camp on Beaver Creek they discovered a party of six white men, with wagons and horses. A charge was made at once, in which three Indians were killed. The whites made a stand in the timber on Beaver Creek. Gradually, the Indians increased their force to 200 warriors. The battle lasted the entire afternoon and at sundown the last of the six white men were killed and scalped. Pawnee Killer had led the fight in person. He was pleased with the amount of ammunition that had been captured. He claimed that the whites were very brave and many of his warriors were wounded. When asked about more white men that should have been in the surveying party, Pawnee Killer speculated that they might have escaped from the battle at Beaver Creek, only to be set upon by another war party of Indians and killed in another location. At any rate, no survivors of the Nelson Buck surveying party were ever found -- only the bleached bones of some bodies in the vicinity of the battle, a grim chapter in our history; a story of bravery and over confidence, which led to disaster -- but part of our struggle to transform Nebraska from worthless "desert" to "Our Home on the Plains". Source: A series of articles by John Cordeal in the McCook Tribune during the summer of 1911. ==NEGenWeb== Nelson Buck Massacre 1869 Nebraska As Compiled In 2001 By Dr. Leo L. Lemonds For years, the fate of the Nelson Buck surveying party has been clouded in mystery. Now from comparing a collection of written articles and eyewitness reports, what happened to Nelson Buck and his surveying crew seems reasonably clear. There have been many articles written about the Nelson Buck massacre. Most of the articles had obvious errors. They failed to recognize that the Buck party was attacked at three different locations. From the many articles written and verbal histories, this article is an attempt to present the facts about the Nelson Buck massacre as well as can be recorded from the information available. NELSON BUCK The "Biographical Records of Livingston County, Illinois" was published by the S.J. Clarke Publishing Company in 1900. According to that article, Nelson Buck was born in Cheming County, New York on April 10, 1808 and was the son of Aholiab and Annis (Drake) Buck. Nelson grew to manhood in his native county and there received a good literary and musical education. He was for some years a teacher of vocal music. He first married Miss Fidelia Withey, of Port Byron, New York. They made their home in that place until her death. With his father's family, he then came west to Peoria County, Illinois and later married Miss Annis Knapp, daughter of James and Margaret Knapp. The Knapps were from Homer, New York. After his arrival in Peoria County, Mr. Buck learned surveying and followed the occupation of a surveyor during the remainder of his time in that county. He was a careful and methodical man. The correctness of his lines was seldom questioned. He continued to reside in Peoria County until 1840, when he moved with his family to Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois. Here he continued his profession of surveying. He also established one of the first nurseries in that vicinity, in which line of business he was quite successful. IN 1844, While residing in Bloomington, his wife died leaving him and five children. Mr. Buck continued living in Bloomington and resumed his business there until his marriage in 1850 with Maria Fellows of Pontiac, Illinois. He then moved to that city and took charge of her estate, which consisted of a farm, hotel, many town lots and undivided real estate. By his sound judgment, he put the estate into good shape which later realized a handsome return. In the various places where he made his home, Mr. Buck became prominent in business, social and musical circles. Mr. Buck never lost his interest in musical affairs and while residing in Bloomington, he was one of the most prominent musicians of the place. He was a leader of the choir in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally, he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a well-known citizen of Pontiac, Illinois from 1850 to 1869. Mr. Buck's skills as a surveyor secured him the appointment as a government surveyor in 1869. He received a government contract to do surveying in Red Willow and other counties in Nebraska for the purpose of resurveying the line between Kansas and Nebraska. For a crew he hired five young men from Pontiac, and later picked up six more men in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. They left Plattsmouth, Nebraska, July 5, 1869 for Ft. Kearny. There he left for Red Willow County to begin surveying. His party was never heard from again. THE TRAGEDY OF BUCK'S SURVEYING PARTY Contrary to a lot of the written stories, the massacre happened at three separate locations. The surveying party began their story 14 miles south of McCook, Nebraska, near the Beaver Creek in Red Willow County. This was a half a mile from the Kansas-Nebraska border near the town of Marion, Nebraska. Some of Buck's crew members had spotted Indians and proceeded to shoot some of them. One Indian escaped and undoubtedly this precipitated the attack by the Indians against Buck's surveying party. They were attacked at this location and some of them were killed, but several of them escaped and got as far as Hollinger, Nebraska, about 50 miles east, where they were attacked again. Buck and four other men escaped this attack and fled southeast down the Beaver Creek to the confluence of the Beaver and Sappa Creeks. Two of the men were killed in Wildcat Canyon and Buck and the other man were killed near the junction of the Beaver and Sappa Creeks. This whole scenario could appropriately be entitled the "Nelson Buck Massacre." The Nelson Buck surveying party was massacred through what might be referred to as "a comedy of errors." Buck probably underestimated the potential danger of an Indian attack and failed to wait for a military escort. Then two members of the Buck party while out scouting ran into two or four Indians and proceeded to kill them. However, one Indian escaped and undoubtedly reported the attack to his tribe. It can be certain that this unwarranted attack resulted in the massacre of the Buck surveying party by the Indians. The following story of the massacre is taken mostly from the Stamford Star (Stamford, Nebraska) ca 1930. In June of 1869, Nelson Buck, then about 60 years old, with five young men, none of whom were 20 years old, left Pontiac, Illinois, for Nebraska. Buck had received a government contract to survey in the southwest part of Nebraska. The party reached Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and was present at the formal driving of the first spike in what is now the Burlington Railroad on July 4th. From there they went to Grand Island and on to Ft. Kearny, having added six more members to the party. At Ft. Kearny they asked for additional arms and an escort, but were unable to get them at this time. They started out without them. After about ten days journey, the surveying party located the place where they were to begin running lines, and pitched camp about a half mile from the Kansas-Nebraska border, which was surveyed in 1854, close to the dividing line between Danbury and Gerver Townships in Red Willow County. This was near what later became the town of Marion, Nebraska, on a curve in the Beaver Creek. From there, Buck sent John Nettleton and H.B. McGregor back to Ft. Kearny for arms and soldiers. But when they arrived at Ft. Kearny, they were unable to secure either, so they both got a job with other parties and heard no more about the surveyors. The only information of the massacre was gleamed from questioning the Indians, "Spotted Tree," "Swift Bear," "Pawnee Killer," and an Indian squaw, who told of attacking and killing part of the surveying party and destroying two of their wagons. They reported that the rest of the party escaped with the other wagons. The rest of the story must be gleaned from the gruesome remains that were found by the early settlers, who came a few years later. These remains told them that those who escaped the first slaughter started back to Ft. Kearny. They had reached a point south of where Hollinger now stands on the Harmon farm on the northwest corner of the Southwest Quarter of Section 9, Township 2 North, Range 21 West of Furnas County, where they were again attacked. This was about 50 miles east of their first camp. Their wagons were burned at this place, but at least four of the men left the wagons and continued southeast three or four miles down the Beaver Creek. Two men were killed in the canyon that is now called "Wild Cat Canyon." Later Isaiah King buried their remains in 1880. It was located in the Southeast Quarter of Section 23. This land was later owned by Maria Jane Forsythe Newton. Captain Buck and one other of the party crossed the Beaver Creek near the fork of the Beaver and Sappa Creeks and started northeast. Here the Captain's horse was killed and he took refuge in a plum thicket, where he was slain. The other man made it several hundred yards north, where his skeleton was found. The verification of the events that took place in Red Willow County, were given to Mr. A.C. Furman by Tom Plumb an early settler in that section, who located near that place in 1873, when he was a lad old enough to remember the events. He tells of their camp and where the fire had killed out the buffalo grass and the charcoal left, "All around here their stakes were scattered, six or eight big native timber stakes about three or four inches square, which seemed intended for section stakes. There were a lot of smaller stakes about like picket pins, which I suppose were to be used for inside corners. The big stakes had been hewn square and letters and figures carved on the sides. They would have been three or four feet above ground after being driven. We found two wagons in the creek bed in some driftwood, one was a heavy old boy and the other a light spring wagon. Lem Daniels got most of the wagons. I got a spring seat, minus the springs. It had bows over it to make shade for the driver, but they had broken off. Right over there (pointing to the southeast) on the bank of the creek, Bill Shockley and I found several feet of surveyor's chain and 20 or more Spencer rim-fire cartridges, in a wood-rat's house. Bradley Buckworth found the skull of a white man, around here somewhere, and had it on his mantle piece while he lived there on the creek. Lem Daniel's little boys found an old compass, all brass, on the quarter west of this. I used to work for Lem, and I've looked it over hundreds of times. I think it must have belonged to the Buck party. Lem finally sold it to some junk dealer for the brass there was in it." From the Nebraska Herald in 1869, in reporting the loss of the Buck party says, "Lieut. Jacob Almy, under Gen. Duncan, reported the capture on September 26, 1869, of a squaw who told of an encounter between a party of white men and a band of Indians under Pawnee Killer and Whistler. She said that four young Indians in advance of the main body were attacked by whites and that three of the Indians and one white man were killed. The Indians pursued the aggressors in the direction of the Beaver Creek, took their horses and rations, destroyed two wagons and killed five of the whites, the rest of them escaping. This with other government reports substantiated the fact that part of the Buck party were killed in Red Willow County and that the rest escaped to be massacred in eastern Furnas County. Some writers had the entire massacre happening in Red Willow County, while other writers of the events that took place in Furnas County, ignore the events that took place in Red Willow County and seemingly cast the whole story in Furnas County. When we look at the whole matter, we find one story simply supplements the other. That some of the Buck party were massacred in eastern Furnas County is verified by early settlers. The principle of whom is Mrs. Daniel McInturf, upon whose farm, was found the bones of Captain Buck and another man. The bones of Mr. Buck were identified by his saddle and revolver, which had his name on it. Mrs. McInturf said, "We found parts of the saddle and pieces of his clothing. The saddle had Buck's name on it. There were also many gun balls and arrow heads. A boy by the name of Parks Gribble found the revolver. It also had his name on it. The saddle was cut to pieces, little by little by people wanting souvenirs of the massacre. The metal stirrups were in the possession of the McInturf family for many years. Later they were given to the Hastings Museum, Hastings, Nebraska." The exact location of the spot where the things of Caption Buck were found is 47 rods and 1 yard north; 14 rods and 4 rods east of the fork of the Sappa and Beaver Creeks in the Southwest Quarter of Section 24, Township 2 North, Range 21 West. These measurements were made by Guy Newton and the McInturf boys after Mrs. McInturf had located the exact spot, saying she had been to it many times. Mrs. McInturf tells of her husband going to the spot where the wagons had been burned to hunt bolts and iron from the wagons, as hardware was scarce in those days. This then was the fate of the Nelson Buck surveying party
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