(Their Covered Wagon Trip 
from Franklin, MN to Lincoln, NE
1890)
Nebraska Ancestree
Fall 1986
Vol. 9 No. 2 pg.15 - 18
Submitted by Mrs. Joy Shreyer, Pleasant Hill, CA (personal note - all misspellings in the diary are by the person who wrote this diary - namely Effie Woodbury)
By permission of the 
Nebraska State Genealogical Society

JULY 1890
10 - Charlie fixed his tally box on the big wagon. I finished 4 pillow cases. made 2 sheets. Bertha did the sewing on the sheets. We went driving in the evening. Stopped at Emma's.

11 - Charlie worked at wagon all day. I was sick. In evening cut a night shirt for Charlie. Bertha did the machine sewing mostly I did it all but button holes and buttons

12 - Very misty in morning. Lera, Charlie and I went to Redwood to church. It was very hot there was 76? at church the house was full. We staid at mothers till 7 o'clock p.m. Stopped in Morton to see about heading off wagons. Got home at 10 p.m.

13 - Terrible hot. Charlie picked over his things to see what to take to Nebraska. I slept several hours, made button holes and sewed on buttons to Charlie's night shirt and my mother hubbard. Will and Emma came over in p.m. I went home with them. Charlie came after supper, we staid till after 9. Came home had a swim in the tub.

14 - I sent money for pictures. Charlie sent second order for tent. Got cloth for wagon cover. Cut it out, sewed up seams.

28 - Started from Redwood Falls at 2:15 p.m. Lera, Charlie and I for Lincoln, Nebraska. Charlie and I came from Franklin Wednesday, July 23. May Stegner came with us to Redwood. We stopped for dinner and to pick cherries at Minn. River and went in swimming had a splendid time. We staid in Redwood till this p.m. camped 15 miles south of Redwood at Sleepy Eye Creek pretty near devoured by mosquitoes, didn't sleep but very little. It was very windy all p.m. dust blew in clouds.

29 - We drove to Martha's stopped for dinner at Springfield. Charlie traded 1 dozen of traps and got some tin ware.

30 - Stayed to Martha's till 2:30 p.m. Charlie and I slept in wagon last night wind came up very strong and kept us awake most of the night. Very windy this a.m. went down in p.m. and changed to north. We drove 15 miles. Camped in a Russian settlement by a lake. But we couldn't get down to it, it was muddy. Charlie took the horses to a farm house to water. Lara slept good. Charlie and I didn't sleep much. Don't find as much enjoyment in this kind of traveling as I expected.

31 - Lost the new lantern. Charlie got at Springfield. Got into windows at noon. Camped for dinner. Charlie got the horses shod. Circus in town. We camped at the Des Moines River. It was a pretty place. We started away from there at 3 o'clock and camped in the bed of Heron Lake. Making 21 1/2 miles. We didn't put up the tent but all slept in the wagon. It was a terrible hot day.

AUGUST 1890
1 - Drove to Bruster in A.M. camped there for dinner. Very windy all day. In P.M. drove to Worthington camped there to stay over Sabbath by the lake. It is a beautiful lake, sandy bottom. Road from Revon Lake to Worthington was very poor. Drove 23 miles.

2 - Very bright day. We read and sang. Didn't enjoy the place so much as we could if it had been more quiet. It was right on the road and where the men passed to go to the Ice House's to work. We got much rested.

3 - Got up at 5 a.m. Had pancakes for breakfast. Took up tent and got started at 7:30. Cloudy morning. By nine o'clock clouds looked bad. At 10 we were 3 miles north of Biglow and Minn. State line. The storm struck us. Very strong wind and rain, some hail. We got behind some trees, nothing was hurt. We started on at 10:30. The farther we went south the worse the storm had been. At Biglow the west window glasses were all broken out, grain and corn looked bad, we stopped at a deserted farm for dinner just across the state line. When we were a few miles farther on the hail (cont)

4 - Started at 7:30 this a.m. The 8 miles drive to Sheldon was just beautiful. Large groves on both sides of the road all the way. It was a beautiful road, and splendid weather, fine fields and farm buildings, we got into Sheldon at 10:30. Charlie done some trading and I went to see Inez N (W) YKOFF. Had a very pleasant visit. We started away at a quarter to twelve, stopped for dinner 2 miles south of Sheldon. Charlie wrote a letter home and I wrote seven postal cards, while we were stopping for dinner. We camped for night 15 miles from Sheldon. Have drove 27 miles.

5 - All slept well last night. This morning we went to get a can of gooseberries out of Charlie's clothes chest and they had all leaked. The juice had run all thru the clothes. My black dress and gray flannel, Charlie's socks, scarf and mittens - everything was moldy and in a terrible condition. We fixed up the gooseberries, put the cloths in a bag and went on. At noon we stopped by a creek. Lera washed the clothes and I scalded the berries and sweetened them. We started on again at 3 p.m. Drove thro' Sency and are now camped for the night 4 miles south of Sency in a lovely lane. Trees on both sides and good grass. The country has been most lovely today. It has been cool, quite a wind from the south. We made a drive of 20 miles. Looks like rain tonight.

6 - It was cloudy and cool this morning. Rained some. We started at 8:30 passed thru LaMar. It is a very pretty town, or city. Have met 3 covered wagons today. Charlie talked with one, he came from 50 miles west of Lincoln and was going to Minn. We have traveled most of the time today in the Valley of the Floyd River. It has been very pretty. We are now camping in the outer part of Sioux City. It is a very poor place. No grass to cut. It is very hilly away from the vallie we can see the bridge across the Missouri River from here. Jack got a nail in his foot (note - Jack is one of the horses) yesterday. He has been some lame today. We have drove 27 miles today. Will be in Neb. tomorrow.

7 - Last night we went up a hill overlooking the city. We could see the long lines of St. lamps and the electric lights, and the big Missouri River. Again this morning Lara and I went up on another hill nearer the city about 6 o'clock. The city looked beautiful then. It is somewhat scattered. We heard the mills and factories whistling in looking in any direction excepting toward the city, you can see nothing but hills without a house, tree or anything but hills. It looked fine. Jack was quite lame early this morning. It was bad all day. We all slept quite well last night. The horses had to stay all night on the picket line because there was no grass to cut. We passed through Sioux City and none of (us) received a very favorable impression. It seems to be a dirty city, very much grading was being done. Large hills have been and were being all taken away and filling up the gullies. 

They have electric motors lines. Charlie got a map of Neb. We didn't cross over the river but are following it down toward Omaha. South of the city the road we came of was in places cut through the hills. It is all sandy clay around here. We camped for dinner by a town we don't know the name of. After dinner Charlie had Jack shod on his hind feet because of his sore foot. It was 4 o'clock before we got started again. The gooseberries are all working again. All run over in the can. We are camped for the night one mile south of Selix in a long land. It is windy and looks like rain. We forgot to inquire for mail in Sioux City. They were to address us there. We passed a pink packing house and such a terrible smell it would make a person sick. There are many factories and foundries by the river. In a town south of the city we passed a foundry where crockery was made. There was all kinds of jars, jugs, crocks and everything in that line.

8 - Lera got up and strained all the gooseberries this morning . I didn't get up till quite late. We didn't start till nine o'clock. I walked on ahead for over 1/2 mile. Jack was quite lame. We made a very short a.m. drive. Stopped for dinner in a low place. Skunk Lake. There wasn't a bit of grass. We saw the last grass about 10. All weeds and white soil along form Sioux City to the river at Dekater. We found out there was no grass before we crossed the river and we had to camp somewhere the Sabbath. So we hurried on drove 16 miles and it was poor roads. Charlie got a sack of corn at a farmers. We got 2 miles of the ferry and a man told us the ferry stopped at 6 o'clock. It was then 6:15. We drove on when we got to the road turning down to the landing, we stopped, and didn't know what to do. We were not well fixed for provisions as we expected to go thru Dekater before camping and there wasn't a (one) bit of grass for the horses. Just then a team drove up with a man and boy in the wagon. He stopped and talked with Charlie. He invited us up to his house 1/4 mile east. Said there was plenty of hay and a good place to camp. We came here, was so good hearted but ruff. We had a splendid place to camp only it was near a pig yard. He told us ferry didn't run Sundays and welcomed to stay till Monday. He stayed at our wagon talking till quite late. I know God sent him to the road just then to give us such a good place to spend the Sabbath.

9 - We slept in the wagon last night but pitched the tent this morning. The man, Mr. THOMAS ORR, was down talking to us a long time. We sang a long time. He came down and took us up to see the little white guinies then we went into the house. They have six boys and two girls. All nice. Mrs. ORR is a very nice lady apparently and we all felt right at home. We came home got lunch then all went sleep. About three we went walking down to the landing. The pilot man invited us to cross and we did on the steam boat. Went over into Nebraska and back again in one. I didn't enjoy it so much because it was Sabbath and it wasn't right for us to do it. When we got home a pig had been in camp and ate up our apples and routed the gooseberry cans around. We read a Bible reading got supper. In the evening Lera and I went up to the house and visited an hour or so. We drove yesterday 26 miles and the day before 22 miles.

10 - Before I was up this morning one of the boys came down to our tent and brought us a big load of bread and a crock of thick milk. They would take no pay for the bread. Lera and I went down in the woods and picked the tin pan full of wild grapes. She made over a quart of jell of them. In p.m. we went up to the house visiting. They had company, a Mrs. TODD from ? Onama or Omaha? MRS. LAMBERT came back to the tent with us. I showed her some of my things, rug and machine pillow shams and sofa pillow. Pretty soon Mrs. TODD came down. We had a good visit. I promised to write to her, and let her know of myself and gooseberries. Mr. ORR brought our two chickens to us in a box in the evening. We have had a very pleasant time here. Charlie gave one of the boys 4 of the traps.

11 - We started away from ORR's at 8:30 very cool day, cloudy in morning. It seemed like leaving old friends when we left them. Stopped for a while at Gold Springs. I carved Charlie's, Lera's and my name in the rock. Saw miles and miles of hay land on bottom today nice country, large orchards on almost every farm. We drove along under the bluffs. There were springs all along. Some very large ones. Came thru Tekama, pretty place, are now camped for the night between Tekama and Herman. Drove 22 miles. Soil is so much better this side of the river.

12 - Rained in the night and this morning. We couldn't start until 10:30 a.m. We left the Missouri Valley and went west. It was all hills and valleys. Fine looking but hard on the horses. We went past 2 country stores and P.O. Camped one mile east of Fontanelle, a country town for night. By a Germans. Two of the women came down to the wagon and brought us some cookies and applesauce. We drove 22 miles it was the most tiresome day we have had yet.

13 - Went thro Fontanelle, crossed the Elk Horn River, it is a nice river. Pretty near as large as the Minn. River and something like it. It is the first clear running river we have seen since we left the Minn. We went thro Fremont. It is a pretty city, very near and clean looking about as large as Mankato. It is on the Platte River. We crossed the Platte on a barge. It was about a mile wide. Just a branch channel of sand with streams running through it and large islands. There was sand as far as you could see to the left as flat and smooth as a floor. Just broken evenly by the streams running thro it. The largest and swiftest channel was to the south side after we had crossed an island covered with trees. We camped 12 miles south of Fremont driving 22. Has been very ruff roads and up and down hills all day.

14 - At Orr's we were camped by a pig yard for 2 days. Monday night camped by a pig pen. They kept us awake considerable these three nights and especially in the morning. At Orr's we had to get up to keep them out of things. We skipped one night, then last night we got by a pig yard again. Charlie was up just past daylight fighting with them. They stood just the other side of the fence and squeeled. We got an early start. Drove nine miles to Wahoo. Nice town on the Wahoo Creek. It is quite a stream. After we crossed the creek it was very hilly up and down all the time. We drove thro Swedbury and Ceresco, two small towns on the R.R. Camped by a school house between Ceresco and Darry. Splendid place, by school house and a well. Charlie drew water with a two quart pail and ? of the lines. We drove 25 miles, will be down to Lincoln tomorrow. We met a man from Martin Co. He had seen Joe. He had been to Redwood. We didn't ask his name.

15 - We started at 8 o'clock. Nice cool day. We could see Lincoln when we got just west of Darry. Twelve miles from the city. The country was pretty till we got about 1.0 miles north of Lincoln then it was a rough hilly country, grass and corn all dried up. Thickly settled, no trees and sandy sloughs. It was very fine white sand and covering large barrs along the creek and water in the creek was salty. There was a place fenced in by the road. Charlie went to see what it was and there was a spot as large as a wagon box of soft mud. He ran a piece of board down several feet but found no bottom. We came on thro the east end of the city and out to the college grounds. 4 miles southeast of city a quite a settlement of our people. 

BRO. BOYNTON helped us find a camping place on a vacant lot. Went 21 miles making in all of the drive 377 1/2 miles. Had very pleasant weather all the way. Was not hindered in our trip more than 4 hours. All kept common well and enjoyed the trip. The horses didn't seem to get poor any. Stood the trip well. Jack has a sore neck , that and getting the nail in his foot has fretted his considerable. I counted the school houses on the way for something to do. I counted 28 school houses. It was a poor part of the state thinly settled in some place and Russian settlement in others. In Iowa we went 141 miles and passed 52. In Nebraska 116 1/4 (miles) and passed 45 making in all 125 school houses in all. We have been met with great kindness from the Brethern. The following are a list of the distances we traveled.

July 1890

23 Franklin
23 Redwood Falls 15 1/2 miles
28 Sleepy Eye Creek 30 miles
29 Springfield 42 miles
29 Harris 49 1/2 miles
30 Little Cottonwood 57 1/2 miles
30 Swan Lake 64 1/2 miles
31 Windom 73 1/2 miles
31 Heron Lake 85 3/4 miles

August 1890

1 Brewster 99 miles
3 Night 138 3/4 miles
5 Night 185 1/4 miles
1 Worthington 109 1/2 miles
4 Sheldon 150 miles
6 Night 212 3/4 miles
3 Biglow 120 1/2 miles
4 Haspers 159 1/2 miles
7 Sioux City 215 miles
3 State line 120 3/4 miles
4 Night 165 3/4 miles
7 Selix 233 miles
3 Ashton 137 1/2 miles
5 Alden 170 miles
7 Night 234 3/4 miles
8 Sloan 241 1/2 miles
8 Night 261 1/2 miles
11 Missoura R. 262 miles
11 Golden Spr. 267 miles
11 Tekama 276 1/2 miles
11 Night 283 miles
12 Fletcher 292 miles
12 Night 305 miles
13 Fontenelle 306 miles
13 Fremont 318 miles
13 Night 330 miles
14 Wahoo 339 2/4 miles
14 Night (school house) 35 miles
15 Salt Creek 366 miles
15 Lincoln 373 miles
15 College 377 1/4 miles

16. All took baths and went to S. S. and church services. S.S. at 9:30. Every face was strange to all of us. But all were kind and friendly. In the afternoon it rained very heavy. It was needed very much. In evening Bro. MURRY came to see if C. would work on building for a few days. He said he would come to work in the morning.

17. Charlie went to work at 7 o'clock. I cut rug rags. Twas very cold in a.m. Bro. BOYNTON came in a.m. to take us around to see the lots. Charlie was away so he came again in p.m. Charlie was to be at home. We had a long ride and enjoyed it. We decided upon a 2 1/2 acre lot, 1/2 mile east of the college. We made cake and biscuits and baked them in Sr. EARL's oven for dinner. Had lots of callers. Wrote letters home and to Bertha. Charlie got hay in evening