Biography / Administrative History
John Bratt was born in Staffordshire, England, on August 9, 1842. He came to the United States in July 1864, settling in Nebraska City, Nebraska Territory. From 1866 to 1870, he worked as a bullwhacker with a freighting team boud for Fort Phil Kearney, Wyoming. In 1869, he was hired as a bookkeeper by Coe and Carter Cattle Company, which was headquartered at Fort McPherson. He was married to Elizabeth Burke while at Fort McPherson. In 1870, he founded a cattle ranching company, the John Bratt and Co. He kep a majority of his cattle on Birdwood Creek, northwest of North Platte, Nebraska. He retired from this business in 1898. Between 1898 and his death in 1918, Bratt served on the North Platte School Board, served two terms as mayor of North Platte, acquired interests in stock yards, and worked with his son-in-law E.R. Goodman in real estate and insurance. John Bratt's autobiography has been published as Trails of Yesterday in 1921.
From the guide to the John Bratt Collection Ranching Records and Biographical Material, 1869-1941, (Autry National Center. Institute for the Study of the American West)
