The eighth state conference was held at Beatrice October 28-29, 1909. At this conference it was voted to present two marble pedestals to Memorial Continental Hall. It was resolved to vigorously prosecute the efforts to secure an appropriation from the legislature for the marking of the Oregon trail. Mrs. Charles B. Letton, during her last term as state regent, had endeavored to have the legislature of 1909 appropriate money for marking this trail, but no action was taken by that body until the session of 1911, when, through the efforts of Mrs. Oreal S. Ward, who had been elected state regent, $2,000 was appropriated "for the purpose of assisting in the procuring of suitable monuments to mark the Oregon trail in the state of Nebraska." This money was to be expended under the direction of a commission composed of "the state surveyor of Nebraska, the state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the state of Nebraska, and the secretary of the Nebraska State Historical Society." This act was approved April 7, 1911. On April 10th following, the above-named commissioners met and organized as the "Oregon Trail Memorial Commission," with Robert Harvey president, Mrs. Oreal S. Ward vice-president, and Clarence S. Paine secretary-treasurer.
During Mrs. Ward's term as state regent she organized four chapters, St. Leger Cowley chapter, Lincoln, December 3, 1909; Niobrara chapter, Hastings, October 12, 1910; Otoe chapter, Nebraska City, February 15, 1911; Major Isaac Sadler chapter, Omaha, March 1, 1911.
The ninth annual state conference was held in Seward, October 19-20, 1910, and Mrs. Charles Oliver Norton of Kearney was elected state regent, and Mrs. Warren Perry of Fairbury vice-regent. They were reëlected at the tenth state conference, held at Kearney, October 23-25, 1911. The following eleven chapters were organized during Mrs. Norton's administration:
Platte chapter, Columbus, October 20, 1911.
Reavis-Ashley chapter, Falls City, January 5, 1912.
Superior chapter, Superior, January 12, 1912.
Thirty-seventh Star chapter, McCook, February 21, 1912.
David City chapter, David City, March 5, 1912.
Pawnee chapter, Fullerton, March 28, 1912.
David Conklin chapter, Callaway, February 22, 1913.
Josiah Everett chapter, Lyons, February 26, 1913.
Bonneville chapter, Lexington, February 26, 1913.
Nancy Gary chapter, Norfolk, February 27, 1913.
Stephen Bennett chapter, Fairmont, February 28, 1913.
Mrs. Norton attended the third meeting of the Oregon Trail Commission, held May 2, 1911, and was elected vice-president in place of Mrs. Oreal S. Ward whom she had succeeded as state regent. During her term Mrs. Norton vigorously prosecuted the work of marking the Oregon trail, with the assistance of Mrs. Charles B. Letton, whom she had appointed as chairman of the Oregon trail committee. During her administration the contract was made for regulation markers to be used in marking the trail, and several were erected. There were also several special monuments erected ranging in cost from $100 to $350. The first monument to be planned for during this period was the one on the Kansas-Nebraska state line, to cost $350, which, however, was not dedicated until later, and the last monument to be dedicated during Mrs. Norton's term was the one on the Nebraska-Wyoming line, costing $200, for which Mrs. Norton raised the money from the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution in Nebraska and Wyoming. During this time there was also a very careful survey made of the trail and sites for monuments were selected.
In April, 1910, Mrs. Andrew K. Gault of Omaha was elected vice-president general from Nebraska at the national congress and reëlected in 1912, serving, in all, four years.
The eleventh annual conference was held in Lincoln, October 22-24, 1912. Mrs. Mathew T. Scott, president general, was the honor guest. Amendments to the by-laws were adopted in harmony with the by-laws of the national organization and the date of the state conference was changed from October to March. It was provided that all state officers should serve for one term of two years, and the per capita tax was raised from ten cents to twenty-five cents. Mrs. Warren Perry of Fairbury was elected state regent and Mrs. Charles H. Aull of Omaha vice-regent.
The twelfth annual state conference convened at Fairbury, March 17-19, 1914. During Mrs. Perry's term of office there were organized the following chapters:
Oregon Trail chapter, Hebron, October 20, 1913.
Jonathan Cass chapter, Weeping Water, January 23, 1914.
Elijah Gove chapter, Stromsburg, February 16, 1914.
Fontenelle chapter, Plattsmouth, April 21, 1914.
Reverend Reuben Pickett chapter, Chadron, March 4, 1915.
At the close of her administration twelve organizing regents were at work: Mrs. Eleanor Murphey Smith, Crete; Mrs. Capitola Skiles Tulley, Alliance; Mrs. Mabel Raymond, Scottsbluff; Miss Jessie Kellogg, Red Cloud; Mrs. Alice Dilworth, Holdrege; Mrs. Clara King Jones, Wayne; Mrs. C. M. Wallace, Shelton; Mrs. Charles Brown, Sutton; Mrs. Margaret Orr, Clay Center; Mrs. Viola Romigh, Gothenburg; Mrs. Leona A. Craft, Morrill; Dr. Anna Cross, Crawford.