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Jalapa, Nebraska

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Coordinates: 41°33′54″N 96°32′54″W / 41.5650544°N 96.5484314°W / 41.5650544; -96.5484314
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This article is about a bygone community in Dodge County, Nebraska. For other places, see Jalapa (disambiguation).

Jalapa, Nebraska
Abandoned village
Jalapa is located in Nebraska
Jalapa
Jalapa
Location within the state of Nebraska
Coordinates: 41°33′54″N 96°32′54″W / 41.5650544°N 96.5484314°W / 41.5650544; -96.5484314
CountryUnited States
StateNebraska
CountyDodge
EstablishedMarch 13, 1855
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
0
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code402

Jalapa (aka Jalapa City aka Jalappa) is a bygone town in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. Located about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Hooper on the north side of Maple Creek (a tributary to the Elkhorn River) in Section 5 of the Nickerson Township. It is about 9 miles (14 km) north and nine miles west of Fremont.[1][2][3]

History

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Nebraska Territory, Dodge County, and statehood

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The Nebraska Territory was established by the United States May 30, 1854. Nebraska was admitted to the Union as a state, March 1, 1867. Dodge County was organized by an act of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature during the winter of 1854–1855. Its initial boundaries were established by legislation dated March 15, 1855. The county was named for Augustus Caesar Dodge, then a U.S. senator from Iowa (1848–1855) and a prominent supporter of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. As a member of the Senate Committee on Territories, Senator Dodge introduced the bill that created the Nebraska Territory.[4]

Incorporation of Jalapa

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Jalapa was incorporated as Jalapa City by an Act and Bill, House File No. 164, of the First Nebraska Territorial Legislature, March 16, 1855.[5][6][7][8]

Early settlers of Jalapa

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Orlando Allen Himebaugh[9] – who moved from DeKalb County, Indiana, to Jalapa in June 1856 – was the proprietor of the Jalapa townsite and later became the first settler in Hooper. He and his brother, Pierson ("Pierce") C. Himebaugh,[9] initially lived in a small log cabin built of local cottonwood on what later became Orlando's farm, located on the north side of Maple Creek in Section 5, Township 18 North, Range 8 East of the 6th Principal Meridian in Dodge County, as defined by the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). On February 5, 1859, in Dodge County, he married (his second marriage) Elsina Canaga.[10][9]

Jalapa Post Office

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Jalapa P.O.
Jan. 18, 1859
————
Fremont, Omaha
and Fontenelle
Volunteer soldiers
assembled here
in Paunee War
July 5, 1859
————
Erected by
Dodge County
July 5, 1928
————————
(41°33′22″N 96°32′28″W / 41.5561544°N 96.5410114°W / 41.5561544; -96.5410114).

The Jalapa Post Office was established January 18, 1859,[11] at the home of Henry Clay Campbell, who served as its first Postmaster. It was discontinued on July 11, 1870, and its operations were transferred to the Hooper Post Office. The closure coincided with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in the Platte Valley (Fremont and North Bend by 1867), when stage-served way stations were consolidated as postal routes shifted to the railroad.[12]

The Jalapa Post Office was where, on July 5, 1859, the Omaha, Fontenelle, and Fremont Companies met and selected Captain William Kline – of 1st Company, Fontenelle Mounted Rifle Rangers – as their commander in what became known as the Pawnee War of 1859.

Campbell's home was torn down sometime before 1928 by Jacob Garman Shaffer, owner of what had been Campbell's land.[13]

Postmasters

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Campbell moved to Fontenelle around 1868 or 1869 and was appointed Deputy U.S. Marshall. Campbell later became warden Nebraska State Penitentiary.[23] He died August 5, 1873, while serving as Warden.

There is a monument, "Jalapa P.O. – Jan. 18, 1858" — "Fremont, Omaha and Fontenelle Volunteer Soldiers Assembled Here In Paunee War, July 5, 1859" — "Erected by Dodge County, July 5, 1928".

Jalapa School House

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The site of the Jalapa Post Office Monument is about a quarter mile north of what was the present Jalapa school house, on the east side of the road.[13]

Toponymy

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The name "Jalapa" derives from the Nahuatl word Xalapan, composed of xālli ("sand") and āpan ("water place"), and is commonly interpreted as "sand by the water."[24][25]

Pawnee War of 1859

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The historical marker (see transcript at right) near the former site of Jalapa recalls that volunteer soldiers assembled there during what was known locally as the "Pawnee War" of 1859.

Despite the name, this was not a formal war but a brief frontier conflict sparked when a settler near Fontanelle, Uriah Thomas, reported that, on June 27, 1859, a group of Pawnee stole from him, money ($136; equivalent to $4,759 in 2024), land papers, and whiskey – and drove off a yoke of oxen (2 oxen). Rumors of widespread "marauding" quickly spread, with exaggerated reports that as many as 10,000 Pawnee were preparing retaliation. Governor Samuel Wylie Black (1816–1862) ordered militia companies to muster, and a volunteer expedition under Col. John Milton Thayer (1820–1906) (later governor of Nebraska) marched toward a large encampment of Pawnee, Omaha, and Ponca.

When confronted, Native leaders surrendered seven young Pawnees accused of theft to avoid escalation. An escape attempt led to several deaths and injuries among the prisoners, after which the militia dispersed. Contemporary settler accounts remembered the episode as the "Pawnee War," but later historians note that the Pawnees' relations with settlers and the U.S. government were generally more cooperative than hostile, and that the 1859 conflict was more a reflection of settler fears than a sustained military campaign.[26][27][28][29]

Notable people

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  • Reuben Gaylord (1812–1880), Congregational minister and one of the early missionary pioneers in the Nebraska Territory. After pastorates in Iowa and Omaha, he served from 1876 to 1880 as minister of the Congregational churches in Fontanelle and Jalapa, Nebraska. Gaylord has been described as a "father of Congregationalism in Nebraska."[30][31]
  • Fannie Brown Patrick (1864–1939), musician and women's suffragist, married Frank Goodwill Patrick (1854–1922) April 4, 1888, in Jalapa.[32][33]

Bibliography

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Notes

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  1. ^ Cram, 1879.
  2. ^ "Map ...", 1876.
  3. ^ "Official State Atlas ...", 1885, p. 78.
  4. ^ Village Record, Jan. 3, 1854, p. 2.
  5. ^ Senate Journal (Act), 1855, p. 129.
  6. ^ Senate Journal (Bill), 1855, p. 129.
  7. ^ House Journal (Act), 1855, p. 125.
  8. ^ House Journal (Entitled), 1855, p. 130.
  9. ^ a b c Hooper Sentinel, Mar. 30, 1944, p. 8.
  10. ^ Marquette, 1904, p. 105.
  11. ^ a b Register of Officers, 1862, p. 442.
  12. ^ Guide ..., 1872, p. 38.
  13. ^ a b Hooper Sentinel, Jun. 28, 1928, p. 1.
  14. ^ Jalapa P.O.: "Campbell" (a), January 18, 1859, p. 243.
  15. ^ Jalapa P.O.: "Campbell" (b), January 18, 1859, p. 1280.
  16. ^ Register of Officers, 1864, p. 699.
  17. ^ Register of Officers, 1866, p. 416.
  18. ^ Register of Officers, 1868, p. 515.
  19. ^ Jalapa P.O.: "Wilson", February 11, 1868, p. 1280.
  20. ^ Register of Officers, 1870, p. 518.
  21. ^ Andreas, 1882, p. 670.
  22. ^ Jalapa P.O.: "Himebaugh", December 22, 1869, p. 1280.
  23. ^ Gibson, May 15, 1959, p. 7.
  24. ^ Karttunen, 1992, pp. 11 & 22.
  25. ^ Partridge, 1961, p. 171.
  26. ^ Burr, Buck, Stough, 1921, pp. 42–43.
  27. ^ Sorenson, 1876, pp. 142–160.
  28. ^ Cook, May 23, 1976, p. 1B.
  29. ^ Scoville, 1892.
  30. ^ Bulletin, Oct. 1, 1922, p. 51.
  31. ^ Andreas, 1882, p. 769.
  32. ^ Brown–Patrick Marriage, April 4, 1888.
  33. ^ "Fannie Brown ...".

References

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    1. "Dodge County". pp. 630–677; → "Biographical Sketches". pp. 669–677; → "William E. Wilson". p. 670 (digital image no. 649).
    2. "Douglas County". pp. 678–817; → "Biographical Sketches". pp. 754–817; → "Rev. Reuben Gaylord". p. 769 (digital image no. 748).
    1. Via Ancestry.com → "Fannie W. Brown".
    2. Via Ancestry.com → "Frank G. Patrick".
    3. Via FamilySearch → "Fannie W. Brown".
    4. Via FamilySearch → "Frank G. Patrick".
Original record: Marriage Record – Dodge County. Vol. 5 (February 5, 1886 – February 20, 1889). Book printed by Herald Printing, Nebraska. p. 391 of 574.
    1. Vol 1 (Wisconsin Historical Society).
    2. Vol 2 (Yale University).
    1. "Description of Counties": "North Bend". pp. 34–48.
    1. "Historical Monument to be Dedicated July 5". Vol. 44, no. 16. June 28, 1928. p. 1 (column 3). Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
    2. "Biographical Sketches of 44 Years Ago – O.A. Himebaugh". Vol. 58, no. 54. Hooper, Nebraska. March 30, 1944. p. 8 (column 5, bottom). Retrieved September 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    1. "Jalapa P.O.: Campbell (appointed January 18, 1859). Vol. 21. Volume Year Range: 1855–1867. p. 243 (digital page 463 of 502).
    2. "Jalapa P.O.: Campbell (appointed January 18, 1859). Vol. 33. Volume Year Range: 1867–1874. p. 1280 (digital page 465 of 502).
    3. "Jalapa P.O.: Wilson (appointed February 11, 1868). Vol. 33. Volume Year Range: 1867–1874. p. 1280 (digital page 465 of 502).
    4. "Jalapa P.O.: Himebaugh (appointed December 22, 1869). Vol. 33. Volume Year Range: 1867–1874. p. 1280 (digital page 465 of 502).
    First Nebraska Territorial Legislature
    Hiram Pitt Bennet (1826–1914), President Pro Tem
    (Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. with a unicameral [one-house] legislature)
    Tuesday, March 13, 1955. Morning Session:
    1. "Mr. President – I am instructed to inform you that the House of Representatives has passed the following bills, in which the concurrence of the Council is respectfully requested: ..."
      1. "H[ouse] F[ile] No 164, An Act to Incorporate Jalapa City in Dodge County". p. 129.
    2. "The following bills were taken up and severally disposed of as follows: ..."
      1. "H[ouse] F[ile] No 164, A Bill to Incorporate Jalapa City in Dodge County". p. 130.
      "On motion, read a first, second and third time, passed, and title agreed to."
    First Nebraska Territorial Legislature
    1. Thursday, March 15, 1955. "Afternoon Session".
      "Message from the Council.
      Mr. Speaker: — I am directed to inform you that the Council have passed the following bills, iu which the concurrence of the House is respectfully requested. ..."
      1. "H[ouse] F[ile] No 164, An Act to Incorporate Jalapa City, in Dodge County". p. 125.
        G[eorge] L[aForest] Miller, Chief Clerk
    2. Friday, March 16, 1855: "Afternoon Session".
      "Message From the Executive by His Private Secretary, Mr. [Mark Whitaker] Izard:"
      "Mr. Speaker — I am instructed by the Governor to inform your honorable body that he has approved and signed the following bills, viz:"
      1. "H[ouse] F[ile] No 164, entitled an Act to Incorporate Jalapa City". p. 130.
    1. "Xāl-li" (sand). p. 22 – via Google Books (limited preview).
    1. Via host website (David Rumsey Historical Map Collection). Free access icon
    2. Via HathiTrust (Cornell. 1927 reproduction by the Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society). Free access icon
    3. Via Google Books (Cornell. 1927 reproduction by the Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society). Free access icon
    1. 1862 (Michigan). p. 442. OCLC 476664625.
    2. 1864 (Chicago). p. 699. OCLC 317697533.
    3. 1866 (Princeton). p. 416. OCLC 835780759.
    4. 1868 (Cornell). p. 515. OCLC 835780759.
    5. 1870 (Minnesota). p. 518. OCLC 835780796.
    1. Via Wikimedia Commons (UCLA; California Digital Library). Free access icon
    2. Via Internet Archive (UCLA; California Digital Library). Free access icon
    3. Via Google Books (Wisconsin Historical Society; University of Wisconsin–Madison). Free access icon
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