Among the challenges for the new residents was that the nearest water was about half a mile away in the Katzer Canal, and obtaining needed supplies was difficult, as the closest general store was in Mitchell, Nebraska, about 15 miles to the east. Most of the settlers did not originally own horses, and walked to Mitchell to purchase supplies—carrying flour, sugar, beans, rice and salt back to their homesteads in knapsacks. About a year later, however, Baron de Hirsch's fund sent five hundred dollars, a huge sum in those days, to each family. With this generous financial support from de Hersch, the settlers were then able to purchase horses, wagons, machinery, a milk cow, and tools. And, before long, Huntley had a post office, a church, a grocery store, and a lumber yard.