NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/625084
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 • NEBRASKAland 43 were transferred from Minnesota and Dakota Territory to live on the bank of the Missouri River beyond the town of Niobrara. There, they created the Santee settlement. In Santee lived an Indian girl betrothed to her hard-nosed father, though she loved another brave. Unable to marry the handsome warrior of her choice, she rode one of her father's horses over the cliff and ended her life. The outlaw Jesse James also had connection to this cliff, wrote Pound in Nebraska Folklore. When pursued by Indians, legend has him leaping on horseback from the cliff and swimming across the Missouri River to safety. Nance County Every year newlyweds, picnickers and family reunions gather under the shade of the Lover's Leap in Fullerton, but it is the owners Douglas and Darla Russell who keep Broken Arrow Wilderness's rich history alive. In 1857, Illinois settlers John Edgington, his wife, and daughter Nellie, and two brothers, Frank and John Wickland, camped along the Cedar River, which then ran almost directly beneath the leap. Frank and Nellie were engaged and would have married sooner if Mr. Edgington had not insisted that Frank gain "a start in life" first – homesteading offered a fitting challenge. After dark, Pawnee Indians attacked the camp and captured the small party; the livestock and wagons were burned. The Indians indicated that the settlers would die, however Nellie would be spared to become the chief's "squaw" wife. At this, Frank protested and Nellie begged for death with the rest of the prisoners. Angry, the chief challenged Frank to prove his love by riding "down the bank." If he succeeded, he could have Nellie. The leap, or bank, had a 283-foot drop and the constant cutting from the Cedar River ensured that it remained steep and sharp. Frank agreed without hesitation, bewildering the Indian chief. Despite the outcries from his companions, Frank climbed onto an Indian pony and was led to the top of the hill. He rode over the fringe and leaped to his death, in full view of the party. The Indians silently released their prisoners, and Frank was buried on-site. Other settlers have immortalized this tale, which was rumored confirmed by survivors who returned to the area years later. Another ill-fated story is referenced in a poem by Mrs. A.P. Jarvis, found in Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences, which told of a Pawnee Indian maiden, the chieftain's only child, who fell in love with a "pale-face lad." You can guess what happened next. ■ We hope your Valentine's Day is full of love and laughter – and no cliff- jumping. Dawes Banner Knox Nance Above: Lover's Leap in Fullerton at the Broken Arrow Wilderness park in Nance County. Opposite: Maiden's Leap by Niobrara in Knox County. Photos by Jenny Nguyen.