Florence's earliest days sprang from Rock Bottom
Florence hoped Rock Bottom would lead it to the top in Nebraska.
Founded on the footprint of the Mormons' Winter Quarters, one of the state's oldest cities — a part of Omaha since 1917 — had its share of what-ifs.
What if it had been the state capital for longer than a few days? What if the transcontinental railroad had crossed the Missouri River there? What if a river bridge hadn't taken 100 years to get built?
"We would rather be in the right place — on 'Rock Bottom,' than have the Capitol of the Territory," was on the masthead of the Florence Courier newspaper published in 1857 by town founder James C. Mitchell.
Rock Bottom?
Clyde F. Wright, the foremost authority on Florence before his death in 1962, said it was a rockbed island in the Missouri four blocks long between McKinley and Fillmore Streets.
In his preamble to a book never published, but its chapters printed weekly in the early 1950s, Wright wrote: "It is almost impossible to conceive the strange events, full of drama, travail and sorrow, but marked with courage and endurance which staggers the imagination, that proceeded the conception and birth of Florence. Many trails led to this gateway to the West."
After Winter Quarters (1846-1848) was vacated by federal order, the land was misused while wagon trains and gold seekers trekked west. An 1853 sketch in "Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley" (1855), by Frederick Piercy, depicted the last log cabin from the settlement, the land otherwise unimproved, on fire.
On a suggestion by longtime fur trader and entrepreneur Peter Sarpy, former sea captain James Comly Mitchell, from Bellevue, Iowa, in late 1853 had Winter Quarters surveyed for a townsite. When Nebraska became a territory the following year, after a treaty with the Omaha Tribe, Mitchell was elected secretary of the Nebraska Winter Quarters Company.
A post office was established March 24, 1854 — more than two months before the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the formation of Nebraska Territory. Andrew J. Hanscom, namesake of Omaha's Hanscom Park, severed five months as postmaster.
Florence's namesake was Florence Kilborn, the niece of Mitchell's wife, Eliza. The Omaha Arrow newspaper said the name change from Winter Quarters in September or October 1854 was among those that had "an air of foppishness," perhaps under the impression it was for the Italian city and not a young girl.
The original plat had Florence's city limits from the river to Prospect Street (North Ridge Drive) and Bridge Street on the north to Burt Street (Forest Lawn Avenue) on the South. There were 128 blocks, including 16 lots consisting of 21⁄2- to 10-acre parcels.
When the territory was established, the equivalent of Blondo Street was the Washington-Douglas County line. When the lines were redrawn and the county line moved 8 miles north, Florence "switched" from Washington to Douglas.
The Winter Quarters group formed in September 1854 in Council Bluffs, J.B. Stutsman the chairman. It let an existing ferry company remain independent. A mill company was formed to retain water privileges on Mill Creek. Later, a bridge company was incorporated.
Its first tasks were to finish a house and a warehouse, put the ferryboat in operating shape and build a tavern for $600. The Mormon graveyard was to be enclosed by a board fence.
Leonora Amy purchased the first lot sold. Eighteen others went the first day. Among the first-year buyers was William Clancy of Omaha's widely known "Big Six Saloon,'' probably to hedge his bets on whether Bellevue, Omaha City or Florence would become the state's metropolis.
Around this time, the Rock Bottom newspaper was being published for Florence, printed in Council Bluffs with William C. James as editor. James was a short-timer in town.
In 1855 the Winter Quarters Company was incorporated as the Florence Land Company, keeping its officers, and the town subsequently incorporated by the territorial legislature.
James Mitchell's glowing prospectus for the sale of 100 lots in the townsite on Oct. 1, 1855, mentioned two creeks, one (Mill Creek) with a flour mill and sawmill under construction, 8,000 acres of hardwood in the northern hills, the river only 700 feet wide and "ROCK BOTTOM all the way across, at a depth of 2 to 10 feet ... rendering it a small matter to build a BRIDGE at this point," steamboat landings on both shores and stove-grade coal north of the woods.
"With all these advantages (and an easy grade up Mill Creek) ... there is scarcely a doubt that this will be the crossing of the Great Pacific R.R. should it cross north of the Platte."
Around this time speculators from Davenport, Iowa, showed interest in Florence. Among them were Ebenezer Cook, George B. Sargent and James M. Parker.
The Bank of Florence received its territorial charter on Jan. 18, 1856, after a bill introduced by Mitchell, he being an investor and board member, was passed. Very soon, the charter was transferred to the Iowans.
The Greek Revival brick building at 8502 N. 30th, now a museum on the National Register of Historic Places, was two stories because the upper floor was for living quarters for the bank staff.
Florence was a bustling burg from reading the oldest existing issue of the Florence Courier, from Feb. 5, 1857.
Mitchell's office was adjoining the Willet House hotel, built by the land company for $20,000, on State Street. He advertised for laborers at $5 a day. The Willett House, operated by M.P. and S.N. Taylor, included a stable. Viers' House was on Main Street.
Alex C. Pyper's Florence Store and F.M. Baugh's People's Store were competitors. Timothy Donoven owned a boot and shoe store. A.J. Arnold was a watch, clock and jewelry repairer, S.W. Turner the operator of a "select school."
C.L. Faucett was a druggist, L. Harsh and Alexander Malcolm physicians and surgeons, James G. Chapman, R.W. Steele and E.P. Brewster attorneys. M.D. Rapp was a house and sign painter. B.P. Knight was a civil engineer and surveyor. Spring and Hunter were architects. John Biggs' blacksmith shop was on Main near the Mill Creek bridge.
Stewart Wilson and George McLean were builders, Heath and Cunningham's limestone kiln was near W.H. Russell's steam mill in the forest three miles to the north. George Kenedy was a land agent.
Open for food and drink were Leonard Howard's Arcade and Solleder's Florence Exchange. Howe & Co. was a small orchestra. An omnibus, or small stagecoach, ran twice a day to Omaha.
Florence flourished in the 1850s. But the heyday would be ending, as will be recounted in the next installment.
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