Mrs. M. L. Rogers, known in the earlier days as Mrs. Roper, came
with her husband to this neighborhood in 1873, locating on what is
now the McGhie farm; they built a sod house with a roof through
which the rain made its way; this roof fell in one night, much to
the discomfort of the family. In their district the people used open
wells these were from seven to ten feet deep, on one occasion a
horse fell backward into a well, and as a result of the great strain
necessary to pull it out, it died.
Dogtown lying to the
southwest of Exeter was inhabited at that time, the Ropers had to
come that way to church, and Mrs. Roper thought that often it looked
as though the prairie dogs were having a service of their own; it
was interesting to see them squatted around with one of their number
sitting on a hillock as though having a confab with the others; no
doubt the dogs were good listeners.
In March 1877 Mr. Roper
had gone to the unhappy task of digging a grave for a young
theological student who had died of pneumonia. Mrs. Roper heard
their dog bark and on looking out of the window saw about twenty
Indians coming into their yard; many were dressed in scarlet
blankets and carried gleaming rifles, a sight quite startling to a
lonely woman. She fastened the doors and ran into the stairway from
whence she could see them, but they could not see her. They looked
through the windows and tried the doors then concluding there was no
one at home, they went away; their absence being the best company.
It was evident that these Indians were traveling from the Turkey
Creek to the river Blue.
Another interesting event of those
early days was a trip taken by Mrs. Roper with Mrs. T. B. Farmer in
a lumber wagon to the town of Crete to have their babies
photographed; they sat on sacks of grain to Pleasant Hill where the
grain was delivered, and then they passed on to Crete with the usual
comforts of pioneers. The pictures of the baby boys were duly taken
to the delight of the fond mothers, and are no doubt precious
possessions in these days. The Roper boy is now in Lincoln and has a
large undertaking business. The Farmer boy is the well known singer
of Denver, Colorado; their callings in life are very dissimilar, but
they have made good; each in his own way serving the general public.
Pioneers of Fillmore and Adjoining Counties
Source: Pioneer Stories of the Pioneers of Fillmore and adjoining Counties, by G. R. McKeith, Press of Fillmore County News, Exeter, Nebraska, 1915
