According to one historian, the year before the United States became involved in World War I, the town only had one schoolhouse, a church, and a store.

In 1917, scientists at the University of Nebraska introduced a method of distilling potash from the water of alkaline lakes which dotted the Sandhills.

[6] The land on which the factories in Antioch had been built were state-owned, and the government's leasing them to private companies attracted public scrutiny.

[7] To combat the rumors of favoritism, the Nebraska Secretary of State and Nebraska State Land Commissioner issued a press release claiming that they had leased the land privately rather than publicly to avoid delay because "our country needs the product for munitions.

[2] The machinery was sold for scrap; the factories were demolished for the salvage value of the building materials; and the company housing was torn down or moved.