This cache is loacted near where the Republican
City School was located before the town was moved to it's present
location. You will be looking for an ammo can. Read on
for more information about this area.
History.
In 1872, Dr. John McPherson came from Brownville, Nebraska. He
brought lumber and material to start building a town, laid out lots
in "Republican", and built several stores and a flour mill. When
the post office was established, it was called "Republican City"
after the Native Americans in the area who were mistakenly referred
to as republicans by French traders.T
he
Burlington Railroad reached Republican City by 1881 and insured the
town’s future by establishing a concrete trading and travel
route.
The Flood.The "big flood of 1935" hit the Republican River
valley and Republican City with a vengeance. The storm of May
31/June 1, 1935 was unique for two reasons: first, it dumped an
incredible amount of rain (20” to 24” in various
locations) in the Republican River watershed. The entire upper
Republican watershed witnessed an average rainfall of nine inches.
Estimates place the number of lives lost at between 100 and 120
with damages of $26 million dollars placed on the disaster. In
addition to human lives, over 10,000 head of cattle were reported
to have been lost with over 300 bridges and well over 300 miles of
highway and railroad tracks were ruined by the
flood.
Designing the
Dam.Clearly, something
had to be done to prevent this from ever happening
again. Because of the devastation caused, the Corps of
Engineers conducted research in the valley and determined the most
beneficial location of a dam across the valley to be between
Republican City and Naponee, Nebraska. The whole town of Republican
City had to be moved to higher ground as the area would be
inundated after the completion of the dam.
Moving the
Town.Moving the town took
place in 1951-52. Three homes at a time were loaded onto trucks,
moved, and unloaded onto foundations in the new town. The large
Methodist Church, built in 1931, had to be moved in two pieces.
When the Harlan County Dam was dedicated in June 1952, the
relocation was nearly completed however over half of the people had
moved from the area.
The Underwater City.Many
of the foundations from the old town remain under the waters of
Harlan County Lake. During periods of low lake elevation, explorers
can walk through the old streets and explore the foundations of
houses and businesses that were in use prior to the construction of
the dam and the filling of Harlan County Lake.
Preceding information obtained through the U.S. Corps of Engineers
Website
This cache has been place with permission from the Corps of
Engineers. Please respect the area. We'd like to remain
in their good graces. Thanks!!!