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Had
the lonely sentry on duty one night in 1864 known that the fortification which
he guarded would be a booming, bustling town in less than 25 years, he most
likely wouldn't have called the mound of earth surrounding the two oak buildings
“Fort Banishment.” Of course, he had no way of envisioning the arrival
of settlers to this lonely, treeless plain populated only by American Indians,
buffalo, and occasional herds of antelope. Nor had he any way of seeing the
steel rails of the Burlington Railway threading their way through the
lush grassland of northern Buffalo County to finally cross the South
Loup River and establish a division point on the homestead of Erastus
Smith. Erastus Smith moved to a homestead near the juncture of the Loup
and Beaver Rivers in 1874, carting his family, furnishings, and
registered cattle from Iowa. He chose his homesite with a railroad in mind;
and when the Burlington and Missouri Railroad sought a division point
on its new line running from Lincoln to the mineral fields of Wyoming, Smith’s
choice of a homestead seemed the most likely spot.
The Lincoln Townsite Company, whom the Burlington favored with a job of purchasing and platting the new town, approached Smith with an offer of purchasing a substantial section of his farm for a townsite. Smith agreed, and the company was sold two-thirds interest in the area required, with Smith retaining every third lot. When the question of a name arose, a representative of the company suggested Ravenna after Ravenna, Italy, and the name stuck. The streets in the original plat, drawn in June of 1886, were named after noted cities in Italy.
A bank, newspaper, hotel, and many business establishments were soon in operation. When the Burlington began its regular run from Ravenna on July 1, 1886, it left a busy, booming town. By fall the town was large enough to seek incorporation; and on October 12, 1886, Ravenna, Nebraska, became an official reality.
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Sod house of Erastus Smith. First settlers in Garfield Township, later known as Ravenna, Nebraska. (March 1874) |
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300 block, western side of Grand Avenue when it was Appian Way. Notice the buggys and horses. The sidewalk was wooden, and the clock was created by Father Joseph Macourek. It told the time in several time zones around the world. The clock and big tree were removed in 1921. There was a watering tank by the tree for horses. The tree and clock have been guideposts to identify locations and dates. | |||
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On the left is a steam engine stopping at Burlington Hotel in Ravenna, Neb., before 1906. Notice the street lights and "park" in front of the hotel. The children are sitting on the railing of the underpass where Appian Way (main street of Ravenna) went under the railroad.The Burlington Hotel was known from Chicago to San Francisco as a wonderful place to break your journey. Remember this is before passenger trains had dining or sleeping cars. The Burlington Hotel burned in 1906 due to sparks from a train during a strong wind. Ravenna school children climbed up on the roofs of Ravenna businesses to put out the burning embers and saved the town. |
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A 1907 street scene of Ravenna before the streets were paved. Notice the horse rail used for rigs while visiting friends. | |||
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This 1910 postcard shows the east side of the 200 block of Grand Avenue. Notice the Corner Tavern on the right and the wooden walk across the dirt street. | |||
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The Ravenna School District was organized in 1884. Mrs. Alva Adams was the first employed high school teacher. |
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For further information, contact Marty Russell, Ravenna Genealogical and Historical Society.
