Purple Cane is an unincorporated community in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States.[1]

Geography

Purple Cane is located at 41°31'30.0"N 96°53'28.1"W (41.5250052, -96.8911424) at an elevation of 1,381 feet (421 meters).[2] It is located five miles west and four miles north of North Bend[3] on the bluff north of the Platte River near the intersection of County Road P, and County Road 2 in Dodge County.[4] Between 1872 and 1902, Purple Cane appeared on most Nebraska maps.[5] All that remains of the community today is a cemetery and two historic markers.[3]

History

The site of Purple Cane was settled in 1858 by Irish immigrant Edward Johnson.[6] Johnson constructed a dugout on the south bank of Maple Creek and resided there during the winter of 1858–59.[3] He was soon joined by his brother Michael Johnson and brother-in-law David Scott.[6] Between 1861 and 1867, five additional households were established in the area.[6] The rural community was officially named in 1872 when Samuel R. Mason applied for a post office permit for the area.[7] Mason chose to name the community after the Purple Cane raspberries that grew in his garden.[6] In the 1870s most of the land in the area was claimed.[3]

School

In 1867, School District #7 was established[6] next to the Old Fur Traders Trail.[3] A school house was erected with lumber brought from Fremont, Nebraska.[6] Thomas Spence, was the first teacher.[6] In 1875 the school was relocated to the nearby Hughes farm, and enlarged in 1894.[6] In 1904, the school was moved to land owned by George Thrush[6] and a new school building was erected.[8] In 1932, the school had an enrollment of 9 students.[9]

Post Office

Samuel R. Mason applied for a post office for the community in 1872.[7] The request was granted on April 15, 1872.[7] The post office was a box with a hinged lid that hung on the wall of the S. R. Mason Home.[7] Mail was delivered from nearby North Bend to Purple Cane twice weekly.[6] The post office was eventually moved to the home of Jane Avery[7] who acted as post master from 1886[10] to 1892 when the post office was closed.[11] A monument marking the site of the original Purple Cane post office was erected in 1928.[5]

Churches

The Purple Cane Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1869.[3] Andrew Quigley donated land for the organization, and a church building was erected and dedicated in 1886.[3] The church was destroyed by fire in 1894, and rebuilt the same year.[6] In 1925 a large gymnasium was added to the property for community use.[6] By 1920, the church reported a membership of 160 people.[12] Declining membership caused the church to close in 1964.[3] The church and its contents were auctioned off on October 12, 1980.[13] The location of the church is marked by a stone marker.[3]

The Plymouth Presbyterian church was organized by Edward Johnson, John Ruff, and J. G. McVicker in September 1890[14] and built on the Edward Johnson property.[6] It was an active church until 1912.[6]

Cemetery

The first burial at Purple Cane cemetery was of Mrs. John McCarthy in 1873.[15] The Purple Cane Cemetery Association was organized in 1881 and property for the cemetery was purchased just south of the site for the Purple Cane Methodist Episcopal Church.[15] In 1916, Alexander Legge, then president of the International Harvester Corporation, gifted $1,000 to the Purple Cane Cemetery Association to assist with the establishment of a perpetual care fund for the cemetery.[16] Residents raised matching funds, and the cemetery was improved with sidewalks and a fence.[6]

Notable person

Alexander Legge (1866-1933), prominent American business executive.[17]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Purple Cane, Nebraska
  2. ↑ "GNIS Detail - Purple Cane Church". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A 150 Year History of North Bend, Nebraska 1856-2006. Marceline, MO: Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. 2006. p. 114.
  4. ↑ Arneal, Mary Le (November 10, 2003). "History is Never Very Far Away". Fremont Tribune. Fremont, Nebraska. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Dedication of Purple Cane Monument". North Bend Eagle. North Bend, Nebraska. June 28, 1928. p. 8.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 McVicker, George G (November 10, 1927). "Early History of Purple Cane and Community". North Bend Eagle. North Bend, Nebraska. p. 4.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Heitz, Mrs. Joseph P. (September 20, 1956). "Purple Cane Lives On, Long After Post Office Closes". The Schuyler Sun. Schuyler, Nebraska. p. 2.
  8. ↑ "County News: Purple Cane". Fremont Tribune. Fremont, Nebraska. October 4, 1904. p. 3.
  9. ↑ "Purple Cane News". The Weekly Schuyler Sun. Schuyler, Nebraska. September 8, 1932. p. 7.
  10. ↑ "Nebraska Postmasters Appointed". Omaha Daily Bee. Omaha, Nebraska. January 28, 1886. p. 2.
  11. ↑ "For Nebraskans: The Latest State News in the Briefest Form". The Lincoln Evening Call. Lincoln, Nebraska. July 12, 1892. p. 1.
  12. ↑ Sheldon, Addison (September 1920). "Nebraska History and Current Events". The Nebraska Teacher. 23: 174 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ "Auctions". The Schuyler Sun. Schuyler, Nebraska. September 18, 1980. p. 21.
  14. ↑ "Local Brevities". Fremont Tribune. Fremont, Nebraska. September 24, 1890. p. 1.
  15. 1 2 A 150 Year History of North Bend, Nebraska 1856-2006. Marceline, MO.: Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. 2006. p. 460.
  16. ↑ "Gift for Purple Cane". Fremont Tribune. Fremont, Nebraska. August 19, 1916. p. 7.
  17. ↑ "Alexander Legge, President of the International Harvester Co., a Colfax County Farm Lad in His Youth, Died Sunday at His Home in Chicago". The Weekly Schuyler Sun. Schuyler, Nebraska. December 7, 1933. p. 1.

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