The source of the Calamus River is spring-fed Moon Lake, 60 miles northwest of here, and the river took its name from a common marsh plant eaten by muskrats. Archeological evidence indicates that prehistoric Indians camped in the valley as early as 3,000 years ago, and in historic times it was the hunting ground of the Pawnee, Sioux, and Omaha. Explorer James Mackay, the first European to visit the region, reached the Calamus near its source in 1796 and followed it downstream to its confluence with the Loup River. The arrival of settlers in the valley in the 1870s led to occasional conflict with Indians, culminating in the last skirmish, the Battle of the Blowout, just north of here in 1876. Sergeant William Dougherty of the 23rd Infantry and one Indian were killed, while Lieutenant Charles Heyl and Corporals Patrick Leonard and Jeptha Lytton received Congressional Medals of Honor for bravery. These soldiers were from Fort Hartsuff on the Loup River 15 miles to the southeast, and the fort’s active period from 1874 to 1881 marked the beginning of the modern era of settlement and development in the Calamus Valley.