The Nebraska State Grange

James D. Ream was born near Newcastle, Pennsylvania, in 1852 and raised in Iowa. In January 1880 he rode out on horseback from Polk County, Nebraska, looking for land, chose this valley, and by April had dug a well and built a sod house. He ringed Cedar Lawn with windbreaks of red cedar and Black Hills spruce. After the 1911 organizing he served eight years as state master and edited the Grange Journal, then sat in the legislature and the 1919-1920 constitutional convention. The Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement honored him in 1925, and he died in 1933.

What the plaque says

The Nebraska State Grange The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was organized in Washington, D.C. in 1867. During the 1870's, it was the major voice of the American farmer and its social, educational, and fraternal activities brightened farm life. "Granger Laws", enacted by state governments, established the pattern for modern America's regulated free enterprise economy. The Nebraska State Grange was organized in 1872, but errors in its co-operative ventures and the rise of the Farmers Alliance led to its decline. The Grange movement was reestablished with the organization of Custer Center Grange near here in February, 1911. The State Grange was reorganized in Broken Bow, November, 1911. Local Granges have spread over the state and are noted for contributions to community life and sound farm policy. Custer Center Grange continues as the oldest Grange organization in Nebraska. James D. Ream--first Master of both the Custer Center and Nebraska State Granges--was one of Nebraska's leading agricultural pioneers. One of the first settlers in this valley in 1880, he developed his homestead into the beautiful Cedar Lawn Farm. Nebraska State Grange, 1967 Historical Land Mark Council

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Broken Bow — 4.5 mi
• Broken Bow Town Square — 4.6 mi
• Anselmo — 15 mi
• Custer County's First Courthouse — 15 mi