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Morell C. Keith: Freighter, Hotelman and Early North Platte Cattle King

He reportedly started with five cows in 1868 and built one of western Nebraska's larger ranching and business fortunes.

Who was Morell C. Keith?

Morell Case Keith, usually written M. C. Keith, came to North Platte, Nebraska, in 1868 as the Union Pacific built across the plains. He ran a hotel, took government and railroad contracts, and turned a few cows into a major ranching operation. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum honors him in its Hall of Great Westerners, and the museum's page on Keith lists him among Nebraska's first ranchers.

Freighting, Topeka and the move to North Platte

According to an 1899 obituary transcribed by a Nebraska genealogy archive, Keith was born in western New York in 1823, the son of John and Mary Ann Keith. The 1885 census gives 1825, so the birth year is uncertain. He entered the freighting business in St. Joseph, Missouri, with the Western Stage Company and became a superintendent over its stages and freight wagons. He traveled across Nebraska and on to Utah along the California trail, moved to Topeka in 1861 and kept freighting. In the late 1860s he took over a hotel in North Platte and brought his family there in 1868.

The hotel's name differs by source. The obituary says Pacific Hotel, while the museum says Railway Hotel.

Five cows in 1868

The museum says Keith began ranching in North Platte in 1868 with five cows and that within five years his herd was valued at $93,000. Those are reported figures from a museum biography and the sources do not show how the value was set. What they do show is how quickly a freighter with capital and a base on the railroad could move into cattle.

Pawnee Springs Ranch and other holdings

Keith and a partner developed Pawnee Springs Ranch, which the museum says became one of the largest in western Nebraska. The obituary spells it Pawnee Ranche and lists it with North Platte business blocks, residences, and property in San Francisco, Chicago, Topeka and Mexican silver mines. It also says he held grading contracts on the Union Pacific line and government contracts.

He held a large interest in the Union Stock Yards Company in Omaha and invested in the Ogallala Land and Cattle Company, the museum says. He served as president of the Lincoln County Ditch Company according to the transcribed obituary and the museum's summary.

The Key to Keith's Success

Keith's story is less a tale of the open range than of a businessman who put several revenue streams together. He kept the hotel, contracts and cattle running together rather than depending on one.

The obituary says he built his fortune through close attention to business. Beyond that, the sources give few details about his methods, so this section sticks to what he is documented to have done.

  • He started in freighting, a business that taught him logistics, contracts and the overland routes before he owned cattle.
  • He settled in North Platte in 1868, on the new Union Pacific line, where he could ship cattle and sell supplies.
  • He kept income outside cattle, including hotel management, grading and government contracts.
  • He reportedly grew a five-cow start into a $93,000 herd in five years, per the museum.
  • He invested in stockyards and other cattle companies rather than only running his own herd.
  • He diversified outside the region, with property in several cities and Mexican silver mines, which also exposed him to other kinds of risk.

The Platte Valley cattle trade

Keith's years coincided with the cattle trade along the Platte. John Bratt, another North Platte cattleman, formed a firm in 1870 that reportedly ran 10,000 to 15,000 head west of Fort McPherson, according to History Nebraska's finding aid for Bratt. Both men depended on the railroad and on Omaha's growing stockyards, in which Keith held an interest. The Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City recognizes such figures for helping build the western cattle industry.

Death and legacy

Keith died on September 29, 1899, at his home in North Platte of Bright's disease, a kidney illness he had suffered from for years. The obituary says his principal heir was a grandson. The museum inducted him in 1962. For more on ranching history, see the ranching pages on farm.FM and a farm.FM story about early Nebraska cattlemen.

Timeline

  1. 1823Born in western New York (some records say 1825).
  2. 1861Moves to Topeka, Kansas, and continues freighting.
  3. 1868Brings his family to North Platte and, reportedly, starts ranching with five cows.
  4. c. 1873Herd reportedly valued at $93,000.
  5. Later yearsDevelops Pawnee Springs Ranch with a partner; invests in stockyards and cattle companies.
  6. 1899Dies September 29 in North Platte.
  7. 1962Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Morell C. Keith?

Morell Case Keith (1823-1899) was a freighter, hotel manager and cattleman who settled in North Platte, Nebraska, in 1868 and built Pawnee Springs Ranch, one of western Nebraska's larger ranches.

How did M. C. Keith start in cattle?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum says he started ranching in 1868 with five cows and had a herd valued at $93,000 within five years, a reported figure.

What was Pawnee Springs Ranch?

Pawnee Springs Ranch was a western Nebraska ranch Keith developed with a partner. The museum describes it as one of the largest in the region; the obituary spells it Pawnee Ranche.

When was Keith inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted Morell Case Keith in 1962, recognizing him as one of Nebraska's first ranchers.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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