USA > Iowa > Story County > A history of Story county, Iowa: Carefully compiled, from the earliest settlement to the present, March 1, 1887. > Part 18
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Mr. Bowman, our new justice of the peace, had his first case Tuesday: Goodrich vs. Ufford; verdict no cause of action .- (Jan- uary 17, 1883.) EB.
The first number of the first volume of the Zearing Register" published by Lewis Bros., put in an appearance at this office last week. It is successor to the Northern Light, of Latrobe. It is quite a newsy little sheet and edited in good spirit. We wish the paper abundant success .- (Jan. 31, 1883.)
Quite a number of changes have taken place in Zearing since
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
March 1st. A. M. Williams has moved into the hotel; W. May- nard, from Nevada, has opened up his grocery store in the Snyder building; the Zearing Register has moved into the rooms over A. M. William's implement store. Ira Barnes, one of the grain buy- ers, will move his family from Union in a few days .- (Zearing, Jan. 24, 1883.)
There was considerable excitement in town Monday week at the election. Much feeling was shown, and quite a number of votes were challenged. The result of the election was as follows: Mayor, A. M. Williams; assessor, Dr. F. S. Newton; recorder, J. M. Ingram; councilmen, W. H. Brooks, C. Burgess, Geo. Pat- ton, W. F. Lewis, C. Burkhart, and N. R. Clift .- (Zearing, Jan. 24, 1883.)
Some improvements are going on: D. A. Tooker is putting up a new store building twenty by forty feet on his lots in the east part of town, and N. R. Clift is remodeling his implement ware- house .- (Zearing, Jan. 24, 1883.)
The examination of Arch. Neet for the assault on Charley In- gram was held Tuesday, the sixth instant. John R. Hays appeared for the prosecution and Martin & Sellers for the defendant. Neet was placed under $400 bonds for his appearance at court. Charley Ingram is recovering from the effect of the blow; but it was a close call for him .- (Zearing, Jan. 24, 1883.)
From the Zearing Register we glean the following facts: A whisky case was tried before W. A. Bowman last Thursday, in which case one Herman was defendant. J. R. Hays represented the State and T. L. Sellers the defense. Herman was convicted on two counts and fined including costs something over forty dollars. It is intimated that other parties besides Herman are unlawfully conducting the liquor business in Zearing .- (Feb. 28, 1883.)
Zearing had almost a murder on Sunday the fourth instant. Arch Neet, the section boss, without any provocation, struck Charley Ingram with a heavy iron poker used for the depot stove and very nearly killed him. Neet was arrested and his examina- tion will be held to-day. Liquor was the cause of the assault, as Neet is a quiet peaceable man when sober. Neet and several of the boys had been down to St. Anthony on the hand-car and got full of beer and after their return the assault was made .- (March 7, 1883.)
The new officers of the incorporated town of Zearing are as fol- lows: Mayor, A. M. Williams; recorder, J. M. Ingram; treasurer, J. Johnson; assessor, F. S. Newton; councilmen, N. F. Lewis, W. H. Brooks, C. Burgess, Geo. Patton, N. R. Clift, G. M. Tuttle. -(March 17, 1883.)
The farmers have been busy the past week haying. Timothy and clover is heavier than last year.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
E. G. Richardson returned from Chicago the other day. He had been in with live stock, and he made a visit to his old home in Illi- nois while gone.
A child of Z. Burdick died the thirteenth instant and was buried in the cemetery near Zearing.
The grain warehouse of Clift's will be much more convenient after the changes are completed.
On the afternoon of the fifteenth instant the barn of John Rah- felt, a German who lives about three miles southeast of Zearing, was destroyed by fire. It contained thirty or forty tons of hay, a lot of oats, corn, wheat, and some farm implements. The loss is estimated at $1,500 with some insurance.
Mr. E. Dakins, an old and respected citizen of the Township, was severely injured internally on Wednesday of last week while getting off an ugly horse which he was riding. It is feared that he will not recover from the injury .- ( Zearing, July 22, 1885.) EB.
Zearing is lively and trade good.
Maynard has fitted up the basement under his store for a res- taurant.
J. Q. Burgess has his new house nearly completed.
I suppose there will be a change of postmasters in the Zearing office soon, as it is reported that Bert Hix has received the appoint- ment. The affairs of the office have been well managed by Mr. Burkhart, and I suppose politics is the only reason for the change.
The first issue of The Crucible, a Zearing newspaper, made its appearance Monday. It is quite newsy and spicy. We hope it will prove a success. It is edited by M. Kuhn. Mr. Arthur Lewis and Miss Susie Williams have been assisting Mr. Kuhn in the office during the past week.
There is considerable corn coming to market, for which the buy- ers are paying twenty cents for eighty pounds. Oats being eighteen to twenty cents, flax ninety-one cents per bushel. The merchants are paying sixteen cents per pound for butter and sixteen cents per dozen for eggs.
John Rafeldt has a larger barn built than the one burned .- (Zear- ing, Nov. 4, 1885.) EB.
The Crucible, the new Zearing paper reached our editorial table last evening. It is quite newsy and in every respect creditable. Morton Kuhn is the editor. We wish the little journal success. -(Nov. 4, 1885.).
Very lively in Zearing the past week. Large quantities of corn being brought to market for which the buyers have been paying twenty cents for seventy-five pounds until Saturday, when Brooks commenced to buy corn, and the price soon advanced to twenty- one cents for seventy pounds, which was quite an advance for one day .- (Dec. 16, 1885.)
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
The saloon keeper, John Hurst, was arrested .- (Zearing, Decem- ber 16, 1885.)
Zearing has been rather quiet lately, as the railroad has been blockaded with snow nearly all the time for the past ten days. The last storm which commenced Thursday and lasted four days was one of the worst storms for years, a genuine blizzard and very cold. Some report thirty-five degrees below zero. The regular train run up to Story City on Thursday, and could not get back until Monday, when they succeeded in getting the road clear from Marshalltown to Story City. Ed. Richardson had a car of hogs and John Peck also had one ready to ship from Zearing the day of the storm and had to hold them till Monday. They only lost three hogs by the storm .- ( Jan. 13, 1886.)
C. N. Thatcher, of Lincoln, near Zearing, is just completing a large and convenient barn. It has ample capacity for horses, cows, hay, grain and carriages. An inside well and other modern con- veniences make it a model building .- ( Nevada Representative, July 21, 1886.)
Zearing was laid out as a town in October, 1881; was incorpo- rated in 1883. The Crucible (a newspaper) commenced about No- vember 1, 1885, and quit about April 1, 1886. The Northern Light commenced at Latrobe (McCallsburg) about - 1882; then moved in January, 1883, to Zearing, and took the name of Zearing Reg- ister, and commenced there about January 20, 1883.
It has had three postmasters since the post-office was created, viz: A. W. Squires, John C. Burkhart and A. D. Hix, the present one. Zearing has also had three mayors, viz: A. M. Williams, Joseph Johnson, C. Burgess. Mr. B. is the present mayor (1886).
Lincoln Township has no native timber in it, unless it be brush in the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section one. It is a township of good land; some wet lands, but are being drained and made productive. It is being well settled and good houses are dotting the prairie. School houses of fair quality are being built. Zearing is a place of stir for a young town. It was laid out in October, 1881, and was incorporated in 1883. It is situated on the west half of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 21, township 85, range 21. The population of the town- ship in 1880 was 387, but is now much greater than that. It about to become
is an independent school district. It already has a nice school building two stories high with a bell on it. Zearing must contain a population of two hundred or more, and it is a good point of trade for lumber and stock. See under the head " Directory" elsewhere for its business men. The Iowa Central and Nortwestern railroad passes through it. The road enters the county one and a quarter miles north of southeast corner of Lincoln Township and passes east and west
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
through it near its center. A branch of Minerva Creek runs through sections one and two, crossing into Marshall county a little north of the southeast corner section one. There are some other branches that pass through or near Zearing, coming together east of it and leaving the county a little north of the east quarter section corner of section twenty-five. (See Col. Scott's ac- count of Lincoln Township on preceding pages).
There is one church building in Zearing, the Evangelical church. It is not a large building but would seem comfortable. It has a bell. The membership is fifty-three.
The school house, situated at the east end of Zearing, is a very nice looking building and is two stories high and has a bell on it.
Zearing has two elevators, but no tile factory nor creamery. For its cemetery see "Cemeteries" in index.
The main farmers and stock dealers are some of the following, and other citizens of energy and purpose: L. W. Thomas, J. Ad- ams, G. S. Clift, N. R. Clift, S. S. Ufford, W. R. Haslett, J. Hol- comb, C. Schuyler, A. R. Guthrie, J. B. Conser, J. Q. Burgess, Mr. Bull, H. M. Holcomb, I. Baker, W. A. Ufford, H. C. Wickham, C. E. Stebbins, M. J. Rolfe, S. X. Oakes, A. Lancaster, J. M. Golly, W. Mercer, J. Golly, J. M. Price, D. Dakin, S. W. Dakin, H. O. Norton, J. M. Bunker, C. N. Thatcher, T. Thatcher, J. Carver, C. L. Belden, M. Koch, W. P. Young, J. Rafeldt, W. G. Tremens, T. Blackburn, D. Ufford, W. J. Lightfoot, J. B. Elliot, A. Pollock, J. H. Irwin, A. Orthman, W. F. Kelley, J. C. Craft, F. Tagatoff, C. P. Beam, J. H. Guthrie, J. S. Smith.
Shippers of stock and grain from Zearing, in part, are as follows: E. G. Richardson, J. Peck, W. H. Golly, N. R. Clift, Granger, Hawley, Roark and Dawson.
The number of cars of stock and grain shipped from Zearing during the last four months are, eight cars of stock and 109 cars of grain. C. E. HAYES, Station Agent.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
WARREN TOWNSHIP.
A HISTORY OF WARREN TOWNSHIP FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO MARCH, 1887 .- CONTAINING, ALSO, A PERSONAL NOTICE OF MANY OF ITS CITIZENS.
POPULATION 591.
Elsewhere will be found a history of the first settlement of Warren Township. It received its name from Maxwell-J. W. Maxwell. The Township was organized in 1872, comprising all of Township eight-five north, range twenty-two west.
The brief items, with dates, were partly culled from our county papers.
M'CALLSBURG.
There is a town about half a mile east of the center of Warren Township named McCallsburg, in which there is a post-office named Latrobe. Should the reader ever want to visit this place by rail he should be careful to procure a ticket for McCallsburg; but should he write to a friend to meet him at McCallsburg he should be par- ticular to address his letter to Latrobe. Great inconvenience often occurs to shippers because of the different names of the town and post-office; and the sooner this matter is settled by giving the town and post-office one name the better it will be for all concerned. -(Jan. 17, 1883.)
The severe snow storm on Wednesday last blockaded the rail- road, which up to Saturday was impassable. Two engines were ditched between here and Zearing Friday by the deep drifts on the track .- (Jan. 17, 1883.)
J. W. Smith, our genial postmaster, was out the other day to lend a helping hand in getting a ditched engine on the track so his mail sack might get through; but he got no mail .- (Jan. 17, 1883.)
Business is lively. N. B. Churchill has sold his entire stock of hardware, dry goods and groceries to J. A. Boston, who is con- ducting the trade in these goods and has a good run of custom. Mr. Boston will build a new store room in a few days .- (March 28, 1883.)
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
John Peck has purchased N. B. Churchill's stock of lumber and will keep a supply of lumber at this place .- (March 28, 1883.)
A large amount of pressed hay is being shipped from here .- (Mc- Callsburg, March 28, 1883.)
McCallsburg expects to have a church, another railroad, and no saloon by the first of next March .- (March 5, 1884.)
John Peck, J. S. Smith, Charles Wolfe, and B. E. Wells went to see the railroad superintendent, but as he was not at home they had their trip for nothing .- (Sept. 2, 1885.)
Grain is coming in very fair for the time of year, all circum- stances considered. Oats are worth eighteen cents, corn thirty cents, rye forty cents, flax ninety-four cents .- (Sept. 2, 1883.)
The new firm of Smith Bros. are having quite a trade; and why should they not have? They are selling goods clear down at bot- tom prices. Prunes fifteen pounds, Arbuckle's coffee seven pounds, dried peaches fifteen pounds for one dollar; cotton batting fifteen cents per pound, and prints from five to nine cents per yard. -(McCallsburg, Sept. 2, 1885.)
I have been interested in a decree of the superintendent of the Iowa Central railroad for some time, in regard to taking the authority to say how many men, and who, shall buy grain in Mc- Callsburg. That is, they stopped John Peck from building an ele- vator and say they do not intend to have but one elevator here, nor to allow men or man to load on track. We think this shot-gun policy .- (Sept. 2, 1885.)
The Armstrong & Brackett elevator is hoisting grain, which came in pretty lively last week .- (McCallsburg, Sept. 2, 1885.)
During the storm we have only had four mails in nine days. The railroad is blocked badly, but it was opened Monday. Two cars of hogs were shipped from here Monday night that have been here since last Thursday. The train was snowed in at Story City" Thursday, and did not get out until Monday about three o'clock, -(McCallsburg, Jan. 13, 1886.)
There is a coal famine at this place, but we hope to-day will bring relief .- (Jan. 13, 1886.)
We had a heavy wind here last Thursday, but little or no damage was done .- (April 28, 1886.)
Easter went off quietly .- (April 28, 1886.)
Peck & Sowers shipped stock Monday .- (April 28, 1886.)
From August, 1885 to April, 1886, over 853 tons of coal were shipped to this station .- (McCallsburg, April 28, 1886.)
For the early history of the settlement of Warren Township see Col. Scott's account of it on a preceding page.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
Among the names of the present shippers of live stock and grain from the Township may be named John Peck, T. J. Sowers, Daw- son & Roark, J. P. Hesson.
Stock raisers, farmers, and other citizens of energy and stir in the township may be named as follows: W. M. Hardin, B. E. Wells, Patrick McLain, F. W. Bumgardner, Fred. Schauper, J. J. Holm, S. & A. Erickson, Lars Hanson, M. Moyer, H. N. Rogers, Andr. Egnes, P. Egnes, Adam Ruxton, Martin Erickson, Jesse Thatcher, A. K. Guthrie, Henry Keiwitt, Chas. Mencel, Chas. Mencel, Jr., Jacob Smith, A. D. Griffith, W. Shickell, Chas. Wolf, Ed. Wells, J. F. Sanders, Ed. Elliot, H. H. Jondall, Ole Twedt, W. F. Lewis,-(Mr. Lewis is mainly engaged in the nursery business, such as evergreens, ornamental trees, small fruits, etc.)-J. W. Smith, C. H. Hendrickson, G. Johnson.
Warren Township has no native timber, but is a township of prairie. It has some ponds and wet land, but tile draining is believed sufficient to make it very productive. There is very nice undulating prairie land in Warren, but no mountains. It is drained by the main head branch of east Indian Creek and its branches. The main creek passes from and through its northwestern part, and leaves it on the south line near the south quarter section corner of section 34, township 85, range 22. Good farms are appearing, and good farm houses and barns also. School houses are not all in place yet, but will be before long. McCallsburg is its capital, and is situated on the south- east quarter of section fifteen and the northeast quarter of section twenty-two, and is on the Iowa Central & North- western railroad, which passes through the center of the township east and west. On the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 13, township 85, range 22, there were many years ago many large and beautiful white lime rocks which made a singu- lar and delightful appearance. Twenty-five or thirty years ago they were visible for miles; but time and other mishaps may have robbed this lovely spot of much of its beauty. A small branch of the headwaters of Minerva Creek runs near this, then, sightly place.
The business men of McCallsburg will be noticed, elsewhere, under " Directories."
Warren and the east half of Howard Townships are much alike as to soil. Howard is better improved because of its early settle- ments.
They have a post-office, telegraph office, express office, and a rail- road ticket office at McCallsburg. Mr. Robert Cadden is the ticket agent, and A. B. Griffith postmaster.
No printing office now at McCallsburg.
The cemetery near McCallsburg is situated in the southeast cor- ner of the northeast quarter of section twenty-two.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
HOWARD TOWNSHIP.
A HISTORY OF HOWARD TOWNSHIP FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO MARCH, 1887 .- CONTAINING, ALSO, A NOTICE OF MANY OF ITS CITIZENS.
POPULATION, ROLAND AND TOWNSHIP, 1191,
Elsewhere will be found a history of the first settlement of Howard Township. It is presumed to have been named in honor of General W. O. Howard, a very distinguished Union General in the late Rebellion. The Township was organized in 1859-com- prising all of township 85 north, range 23 west.
The brief items, with dates, were partly culled from our county papers.
ROLAND.
The following township officers were elected: Justices, R. K. Garard and E. E. Evans; Constables, H. Osmundson and R. P. Sheffield; Trustee, Jeremiah Olson; Assessor M. Olson, and Clerk, J. Evenson.
Roland is improving right along. It has of stores, two general, one hardware, one furniture, one dress-making and millinery, and one grocery. It has also a restaurant, and a hard and sweet cider establishment. Those who wish to get drunk can be accommodated at the latter institution. It has also three blacksmith shops, two shoemaker shops and one harness shop; one grain buyer and coal dealer, a lumber yard, a creamery and two farm implement houses. The people can usually get what they want in the way of trade. Roland needs a hotel, a drug store, a doctor, and perhaps a lawyer, and some other necessary evils, to make it a complete town .- (November 22, 1882.)
The farmers are very busy picking corn. Boardman Brothers are now ready for picking turkeys and chickens which the farmers will bring in by the wagon load.
Messrs. Sowers and Minkler and Lockwood and Bechtel, are busy buying and shipping hogs and cattle from Roland at the rate of five and six cars loads a week, and are spreading the money at the rate of six and seven thousand dollars per week.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
John H. Queal & Co,, are closing out their lumber yard at this place and will quit in a short time. That will leave a good chance for somebody that has capital and wants to go into business, as there can be a great deal of lumber sold at this point if a good assortment of kinds and qualities is kept .- (December 13, 1882.)
A ROLAND SALOON DEMOLISHED .- Last Saturday night week about thirty men, after drinking freely in Ole Johnson's saloon, turned crusaders and destroyed his entire stock. Tobacco and cigars were scattered about the room and the floor flooded with beer. The men agreed that the saloon was doing them harm and were determined to do away with it. Mr. Johnson began business here the 21st inst, in a building he had formerly used for dry goods and groceries. This he did against the wishes of many citizens. Two men, it is reported, remained with him over Thursday night being too drunk to return home .- (April 3, 1883.)
Tuesday morning, the twenty-third of January, 1883, about eight o'clock, the house of Erick Jacobson, in Howard Township, caught fire from the same old cause, a defective stove pipe, and burned to the ground. Everything in the house was saved except an old bed- stead and an old bureau. Mr. Jacobson being in moderate circum- stances, the neighbors started a subscription and raised forty dol- lars on the spot. They also appointed a committee to go round and get what they could in addition. They met with willing hands; so the prospect is good that money enough will be raised to furnish lumber for a new building. Mr. Jacobson will proba- bly build as soon as the weather will permit. He has a large fam- ily and needed the house. Although it was not worth over three or four hundred dollars it had served him well for many years .- (January 31, 1883.)
This Tuesday, November 4, is the morning of election day. The stars and stripes are floating over our voting place which should inspire every man to vote. The ballot box should not be a place to vent personal spite. We should all vote for principle and right, and elect the whole ticket.
Business is pretty good. Merchants are busy and happy. Stock is beginning to move a little more freely. Farmers are more in- clined to sell, as they have given up getting higher prices for the present .- (November 4, 1885.)
While snow storms, tidal waves and cyclones have visited various parts of the country, Iowa has had the finest kind of weather.
Farmers have been busy gathering their immense corn crop. Some are already through but the majority have considerable yet to gather; and they will need the most of it for their cattle and hogs. Hog cholera has not troubled the hogs up this way yet, and we all hope they may escape the plague.
We are shipping many good hogs from this point if the price is low.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
Roland has two churches-one, the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, about one or one and a half miles southwesterly from Roland, and has about four hundred members. This building cost about $2,000. The other church is in Roland, and is a large build- . ing, built in 1873, and cost about $6,000. It is the Lutheran Church, of Roland and is just like the St. Peter's Lutheran Church of Story City, and claims a membership of one thousand. The St. Peter's Lutheran Church, of Story City, is a type of the Lutheran Church in Roland, and was built in 1875 at a cost of $6,000. Nine hundred and sixty member, old and young, are claimed for it. These two Lutheran Churches are probably the largest in the county. The Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church at Story City is not a large building, but cost about $2,000. They claim a mem- bership of only one hundred and fifty, I presume mostly adults.
The Cemeteries-one in the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 32, called "Sheffield Cemetery." There is one in the north west quarter, section 22, one half or three-fourths of a mile west from Roland. There are a few graves at or near the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter, section 18, township 85, range 23. See Index for Cemeteries.
Mr. Jonas Duea has been postmaster at Roland ever since the postoffice was placed at Roland. Mr. H. E. Carpenter is the sta- tion agent, and has been for years.
Samuel Bates was postmaster for Sheffield from 1857 to 1866, when the office was vacated.
The School Houses are all at regular places so as to form school districts two miles square, at least I believe so.
A new drug store is being opened in Roland by Helvig & Jensen.
Howard Township, elsewhere has been described as to the early settlements and the early settlers. The Iowa Central and Northwestern Railroad passes through near the cen- ter of Howard, east and west, and enters Lafayette Township eighty or one hundred rods north of the southeast corner of sec- tion 12, township 85, range 24, and terminates, for the present, at Story City-connecting with the D. & M. Railroad. Howard is a township of good land. Roland was surveyed and platted in October, 1881, and is now a thriving, lively town. It is on the the railroad and has considerable trade; is the capital of Howard, has a postoffice, express office, telegraph office, and, of course, a fair depot building. Although Roland was surveyed in 1881, it was a point of considerable business eight years before that. Its business men will be found under the head of "Directory," as per index. The Skunk river, (now Chicaqua,) enters this township, crossing the north line of the northwest quarter of section 6, and passes through section 6 into section 7 near one-third of a mile, then crosses into section 12, township 85, range 24; but returns to
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