Homestead
soddy
i
Box
Butte
Cou ty.
Sou ce:
Histo y
Neb aska
–
Neb aska.gov
I
1870,
Robe t
Ball
A de so ,
a
fo me
slave
a d
U io
A my
vete a ,
filed
a
claim
fo
a
160-ac e
homestead
i
Butle
Cou ty,
Neb aska.
Seve e
d ought
a d
g asshoppe
swa ms
dest oyed
his
c ops,
fo ci g
him
to
give
up
the
p ope ty.I stead
of
aba do i g
his
goals,
A de so
spe t
yea s
wo ki g
as
a
ail oad
cook
a d
fa mha d
to
ebuild
his
savi gs.
He
late
moved
to
Box
Butte
Cou ty
i
the
Neb aska
Pa ha dle,
whe e
he
built
a
fa m
of
mo e
tha
2,000
ac es.Acco di g
to
histo ical
eco ds
f om
Histo y
Neb aska
a d
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
about
Af ica
Ame ica
homesteade s
o
the
G eat
Plai s,
A de so
became
o e
of
the
la gest
la dow e s
i
weste
Neb aska.
He
ove came
atu al
disaste s,
fi a cial
losses,
a d
acial
disc imi atio
to
build
his
ag icultu al
estate.
Escape
f om
slave y
a d
Civil
Wa
se vice
A de so
was
bo
i to
slave y
o
1
Ma ch
1843
o
the
Ball
pla tatio
i
G ee
Cou ty,
Ke tucky.
I
his
autobiog aphy,
F om
Slave y
to
Afflue ce:
Memoi s
of
Robe t
A de so ,
Ex-Slave
he
desc ibed
his
childhood
i
small
log
cabi s
whe e
e slaved
families
lived
“p etty
much
as
pigs
i
a
pe .”Whe
A de so
was
six,
his
mothe
was
sold
to
a
slave
t ade .
He
eve
saw
he
agai .
Afte
yea s
of
physical
abuse
that
left
deep
sca s
o
his
back,
A de so
decided
to
escape.I
the
autum
of
1864,
du i g
the
Ame ica
Civil
Wa ,
A de so
told
his
ow e
that
he
pla ed
to
joi
the
U io
A my.
He
walked
20
miles
to
e list
a d
became
a
soldie
i
the
125th
U ited
States
Colo ed
I fa t y.Afte
the
wa
e ded,
A de so
completed
his
milita y
se vice
at
seve al
posts
ac oss
the
Ame ica
f o tie .
His
assig me ts
i cluded
Fo t
Leave wo th
i
Ka sas
a d
milita y
posts
i
New
Mexico,
Texas,
a d
Colo ado.
Ea ly
fa mi g
failu e
i
Neb aska
Afte
eceivi g
a
ho ou able
discha ge
f om
the
a my,
A de so
moved
to
Iowa.
He
wo ked
i
a
local
b ickya d
a d
as
a
hi ed
fa mha d.The
Homestead
Act
of
1862
offe ed
160
ac es
of
public
la d
to
citize s
o
people
i te di g
to
become
citize s
who
ag eed
to
live
o
a d
imp ove
the
la d
fo
five
yea s.
Seeki g
fi a cial
i depe de ce,
A de so
moved
to
Butle
Cou ty,
Neb aska,
i
1870
a d
filed
his
fi st
homestead
claim.His
fi st
attempt
at
fa mi g
failed
because
of
seve e
atu al
co ditio s.
Yea s
of
d ought
a d
la ge
g asshoppe
i festatio s
du i g
the
1870s
dest oyed
c ops
ac oss
the
G eat
Plai s.
A de so
eve tually
had
to
give
up
his
claim.The
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice’s
a ticle
Af ica
Ame ica
Homesteade s
i
the
G eat
Plai s
otes
that
ma y
Black
a d
white
homesteade s
aba do ed
thei
claims
du i g
this
difficult
pe iod.
A de so ,
howeve ,
chose
to
stay
i
the
egio
a d
ebuild
his
fi a ces.
Buildi g
capital
a d
acqui i g
weste
la d
To
ea
mo ey
agai ,
A de so
spe t
th ee
yea s
wo ki g
as
a
fa mha d
i
Ka sas.
He
late
etu ed
to
Neb aska
a d
wo ked
as
a
cook
fo
ail oad
co st uctio
c ews.By
1884,
he
had
saved
$1,600.
He
the
moved
to
the
spa sely
settled
Box
Butte
Cou ty
i
the
Neb aska
Pa ha dle.
The e,
he
filed
a othe
homestead
claim,
built
a
sod
house,
a d
late
added
a
log
cabi .A de so
soo
faced
a othe
se ious
setback.
A
ma
who
had
bo owed
his
$1,600
savi gs
left
the
state
without
epayi g
him.
A de so
was
o ce
agai
left
without
mo ey.He
took
out
pe so al
loa s
to
keep
his
fa m
ope ati g
a d
spe t
the
ext
decade
payi g
off
his
debts
th ough
ha d
ma ual
wo k.Reco ds
i
the
Histo y
Neb aska
collectio
(RG2973.AM)
show
that
A de so
co ti ued
acqui i g
la d
th ough
homestead
a d
timbe
cultu e
claims
as
well
as
di ect
pu chases.
Ove
the
yea s,
these
effo ts
steadily
i c eased
his
p ope ty
holdi gs.
Legacy
a d
histo ical
eco d
By
the
ea ly
twe tieth
ce tu y,
A de so
ow ed
mo e
tha
2,000
ac es
of
valuable
fa mla d
i
Box
Butte
Cou ty.
His
fa m
was
fully
equipped
a d
i cluded
ho ses,
cattle,
a d
mode
machi e y.Looki g
back
o
his
life
i
his
memoi ,
A de so
w ote:
“A
slave
at
the
age
of
twe ty,
pe iless
at
the
age
of
fo ty-five,
I
am
a
ich
ma
today.”O
19
Ma ch
1922,
whe
he
was
79,
A de so
ma ied
21-yea -old
schoolteache
Daisy
G aham.
She
helped
him
dictate
a d
p epa e
his
life
sto y
fo
publicatio .A de so
died
o
30
Novembe
1930
at
the
age
of
87
afte
a
moto
vehicle
accide t
ea
U io ,
Neb aska.
He
was
bu ied
i
Hemi gfo d
Cemete y
i
Box
Butte
Cou ty.His
life
emai s
a
impo ta t
example
of
Af ica
Ame ica
la dow e ship
o
the
G eat
Plai s.
His
eco ds
show
how,
despite
slave y,
pove ty,
atu al
disaste s,
fi a cial
setbacks,
a d
acial
p ejudice,
A de so
built
o e
of
the
la gest
Af ica
Ame ica -ow ed
fa ms
i
weste
Neb aska.