Report on the Platte River Basin, Nebraska Level B Study

Home Browse Search

Various explorers and trappers traversed Ne- braska on their way west to hunt for furs and for- tune. Nebraska became a major thoroughfare for migrants and fortune seekers with the opening of the Oregon Territory and the discovery of gold in California. Between 1841 and 1869 more than 250,000 people traveled up the Platte valley on their way west. The Mormons passed through Nebraska in 1847 on their way to Utah, but few of these migrants stayed. Two important events, occurring almost simul- taneously during the Civil War Period, were to have a significant impact on Nebraska's future settle- ment patterns. Passage of the Homestead Act in 1862 made available vast stretches of land in Ne- braska, and President Lincoln's decision to use the central route for the transcontinental railroad made these areas more accessible and provided an outlet for agricultural products. Statehood was achieved in 1867 when the pop- ulation of 50,000 was concentrated primarily in the area adjacent to the Missouri River, with Omaha the largest city in the state. Water was a determining factor in site selection for the homesteaders and the transcontinental rail- road followed the Platte River for most of its route across the state. The railroad companies also influenced the settlement pattern by providing ac- cess and selling the land granted to them by the Federal Government to help defray expenses in- curred during construction. Settlers who pur- chased the land later became shippers on the railroads. By 1890 Nebraska had over a million people and its maximum share of the nation's population, despite being called a part of the "Great American Desert ". The population concentration was still in the eastern portion of the state where rainfall was generally sufficient for cultivated crops. A drought and a recession in the early 1890's slowed population growth and forced many farm- ers to leave, especially from the marginal lands in the western part of the state. In fact, between 1890 and 1900 many parts of western Nebraska were virtually depopulated. Marginal agricultural lands were replaced by grasslands and large ranches when credit, like land, "dried up". Following the troubles of the 1890's, steps were taken to modify the effects of the weather. Passage of the Reclamation Act and establishment of the Bureau of Reclamation in response to western needs made possible the existing systems of canals and laterals in the North Platte valley fed by Bureau res- ervoirs. The development of extensive irrigation led to increased population in the Scottsbluff vicinity and a sustained agricultural output giving this area one of the highest yield - per -acre rates in Nebraska. Modern irrigation and improved agricultural technology helped the state's farmers stabilize and increase their productivity, but these same factors signaled the beginning of the present decline in the farm population. Adding to this change in farm population was a change in mobility and lifestyle that accompanied the widespread use of motor vehicles and electricity.