"Brief Story of Early Settlement of South East Valley County"
Quote from: E.J. Babcock, June 21, 1923
The Ord Quiz
One other service Elder Babcock performed for Ord and North Loup, not generally known, should be cited. When the railroad company commenced building up the valley, Scotia was made a station, and the survey was not run to North Loup, but far east of town, the plan being to locate the next and principle town of the county in the big bend, and the next principle town up above Elyria, where the railroad company could secure in advance the entire townsite. This would have killed Ord and North Loup. To change this plan, Elder Babcock had to arrange and give one-half of all lots in Babcock's, Pope's, A.J. Davis' and T.C. Davis' additions to the railroad company, and then one-half of the remainder to E.A. Allen, the O. and R.V. Railroad company right-of-way man. This being done, the survey was changed, and the towns of Ord and North Loup protected and assured.
The Cost to Construct a Dugout Home
from "The Trail of the Loup"
by H. W. Foght
Elder Oscar Babcock in speaking of the dougout says: "It required by little money to build one of these houses and to finish it in all its parts. i herewith produce a duplicate of an itemized account of money actually expended in building one of the structures 14 x 14 feet on the ground and one story high: 1 window, 8 x 10 glass $1.25: 18 feet lumber for front door $.54: 1 latch and hinge. no lock. $.50: 1 joint pipe to go through roof $.30: 3 lbs nails to make door etc. $.19: Total $2.78."