The TRAIL BOSS was able to control his cowboys on the Texas Trail but, when they had shipped the herds, look out as they let off steam. They were not alone. Railroad crews, transient gunmen, seasoned explorers, gold seekers, and determined pioneers heading for land along the Columbia River were in the mixture of temporary residents of Sidney in the later1800s. One can imagine the results.
An estimated 48 to 76 bordellos lined the dusty, muddy paths they called streets. Disagreements were settled by bullets. Reckless gunplay could include shooting at a person just to see how close you could come without actually hitting him. One reported gunman delighted in shooting at melons offered for sale on a makeshift table, but hit the salesperson, instead. The sheriff was accused of being on the side of the bad guys.
Passengers on the Union Pacific Railroad were advised not to get off at Sidney. Eventually, the doors of the trains were locked and no one could leave. Finally, 64 of the town's upstanding citizens had enough and issued the notice excerpted here:
All murderers, thieves, pimps, and slick-fingered gentlemen .. must go. They are given due notice to do so, Law and order must henceforth prevail. The law will guide us where the law is possible; where it is impossible the power of right will be invoked.
Well, it WAS invoked. Authorities rounded up the worst of the lot, who included a seven-foot rowdy named Red McDonald, and hung hem high on the trees next to the railroad, where passengers could see the results of the change in Sidney. The Trail Boss above may be pondering the fate of those buried on Boot Hill, a place where -- years later -- four skeletons were found, thought to be four others of the worst.
A good thing, too, despite the fact that, less than three years later, the largest gold bullion robbery in the USA to that time was in Sidney. The gold arrived on a stagecoach from the Dakotas and, during the transfer time, simply disappeared.
Today the lively small town of Sidney is home to the World Headquarters of the outdoor supplies manufacturer Cabela's, with its stores springing up swiftly. Citizens live peacefully as one would expect in Nebraska, and travelers go both ways through the gap that saw so many travelers headed toward the Pacific or the Columbia River country in the 1800s
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