USA > Iowa > Story County > A history of Story county, Iowa: Carefully compiled, from the earliest settlement to the present, March 1, 1887. > Part 23
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
Grant Township is a fair average of soil and its citizens seem to be enterprising people generally. Among its first settlers may be named Jerry Marks, James Mathews, - Rynard, W. B. Womack, George C. Harrison, Joshua Harrison, W. W. Spring, Jeremiah Pressnall, George Green, A. P. Fitch, Nathaniel Appelgate, N. C. Minre, William Tichenor, Lewis Mercer, Noah Berry, George Wheeler, Hymen Halleck and W. C. Shockly.
This township has some flat lands, but most of them are along Skunk River and not quite so easily drained as some other flat lands. There is a great deal of tile draining being done and it of course is making the lands more productive. and more valuable. There are two principal streams and some smaller ones touching and running through the township.
Skunk River comes in on the west line of the northwest quarter of section 19; then passing down through the west half of the southwest quarter of section 19, passing on and near the township line for nearly three-fourths of a mile till it reaches the west quar- ter section corner of section 30. Here it takes a southeasterly
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course, crossing the south line of section 30 some sixty or seventy rods east of the south quarter section corner of section 30. It then passes southerly through the west half of the east half of section 31, leaving the township some seventy or eighty rods west of the south- east corner of section 31. West Indian Creek enters the township at the north quarter section corner of section 1, then passes south- easterly through section 1, and the northeast quarter of section 12, leaving section 12 some fifty rods north of the east quarter section corner of section 12. There is a small creek called Spring Creek running from section 23 through section 25, and the east part of section 36, crossing the township line some fifty or sixty rods south of east quarter section corner of section 36, and empties into. West Indian Creek some one hundred rods east of the southeast corner of section 36. This little creek has a number of springs and springy places along it.
There is but little native timber in Grant Township-a little on sections 19, 30 and 31. There were once a few trees on section 12. That on section 12 has about all disappeared except some under- growth.
This township has a number of good farmers in it and other en- . ergetic citizens. Some I will name, viz: O. K. Alderman, Daniel Philips, Martin Switzer, Joshua Harrison, W. W. Spring, A. A. Humphrey, P. D. Humphrey, W. R. Mason, J. C. Mason, Thos. M. Gossard, Jesse Dinsmore, Bert. Corrington, J. M. Whitney, J. C. Haughsted, Ole C. Haughsted, Benjamin Everets, James Mathews, L. Kingsbury, Henry Kingsbury, Benjamin Kingsbury, Geo. W. Hempstock, W. O. Wilson, N. A. Cole, D. R. Brown, P, Lacy, E. Pierce, W. Hardy, Malary Daily, S. H. Beckwith, - Holdridge, M. Spencer, Lem Blood, G. T. Sherwood, W. V. Kyle, J. W. Mathews, Pat Moran, E. Cooper, Hiram Taylor, C. Mills, Jacob Erb, J. M. Storm, H. Nichols, G. Proctor, Henry Banks, C. Barber, Al. Strat- ton, - Sutherland and W. H. Stevens.
The school houses are not yet placed so as to make regular dis- tricts two miles square. This township has a very fair nursery in it. Mr. A. A. Humphrey is its proprietor. He furnishes nearly all kinds of fruit trees, such as are commonly cultivated in Story County, for transplanting. He has evergreens, grapes, etc. Also is engaged pretty extensively in strawberry culture as well as grapes. It may be that this nursery is not second to any other in the county. This nursery is situated on the north half of the. northeast quarter section 10.
The garden of Mr. James Blackman is in Grant, and is on the south half of the southeast quarter of section 1. This garden does quite an extensive trade. Being so near Nevada that the citizens and business men cheerfully encourage it.
Messrs Lyman & Co's tile factory and brick yard are adjoining Mr. Blackman's garden. The Chicago & Northwestern railway runs between them.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
The Dutton Farm, (now T. E. Alderman & Son,) is in Grant Township and probably when minutely considered is the most val- uable farm in the county. There are about nine hundred and sixty acres in it, all in one body. It is being thoroughly drained by til- ing. A very large and commodious brick building, standing on a beautiful elevation, was built some three or four years ago by Mr. Dutton which cost about $4,700, and the three barns, one of which is one of the good ones of the county, with other valuable improve- ments in the vicinity, will swell the amount to about $8,000. Then add to it the value of nine hundred and sixty acres of land at not less than twenty-five dollars per acre, and it sums up to about $32,000. This is a noble showing for Story County, and will be hard to beat.
Having already said something of Mr. Alderman's farm I must now say more about t it. He has just finished a new barn, more valuable than the one burnt July 3, 1886, and which occurred since my first description of the farm. This barn just completed, (December 1886,) cost about $1,600. It has a heavy stone base- ment story and will hold, it is claimed, forty horses placed in regu- lar order. The barn is forty-two by seventy feet-covering 2,940 square feet of ground. Posts twenty-four feet and work well done; and still there are barns in the county covering more ground. He has another one twenty-four by one hundred feet with a stone basement sixteen feet post, covering 2,400 square feet. A third one thirty-six by sixty feet, but does not have a stone basement. He has yet two other barns on the premises. When viewing barns and a splendid brick residence, the view of the group is that of quite a village. Mr. Alderman expects to have a large well so as to furnish water, by pipes or otherwise, to all his barn yards for stock purposes. The water is to be raised by windmill power and thrown into the pipe or conductor so the water can reach the barn yard.
He has also a contract with a party to tile-ditch nine thousand rods of tiling on this nine hundred and sixty acre farm, much of it is already done. When all are considered it is the most valuable farm in Story County.
Yet as good a barn as the new one is Mr. William Golden, of In- dian Creek Township, can beat it, I now believe. Mr. Golden's is octagonel in shape-covering about 3,824 square feet of ground, with a magnificent stone basement. It has a nice spire started for the clouds. It is, however, described elsewhere. It is surely class one as is Mr. Alderman's. Mr. M. Erickson, near Roland, de- scribed in the history of Howard Township, has one of the fine barns of the county. It is thirty-two by one hundred and thirty- two and covers 4,224 square feet, and is high No. 1.
I am aware there are many valuable barns, dwellings, etc., in Story County I could not get round to see-yes many.
But I must say good for T. E. Alderman-the old settler-he
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
who built the first house in Nevada, September 8, 1853, and moved into it October 11, 1853.
The first child born in Nevada, and the first to die, was a daugh- ter of Mr. Alderman's, whom he named "Mary Nevada." Mr. Joseph M. Thrift, of Boone County, who had been one of the locating commissioners of the county seat for Story County, also named a daughter of his "Sierra Nevada." These two gentlemen surely admired the name "Nevada," as was verified by each naming a daughter by that name. Mr. Alderman's daughter, "Mary Nevada," died December 16, 1854-thirty-two years ago.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
A HISTORY OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP FROM ITS ORGANIZATION AND SETTLEMENT TO MARCH 1887-CONTAINING, ALSO,
A. NOTICE OF MANY OF ITS CITIZENS.
POPULATION, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, 821 } AMES IMCORPORATION, 1317 S 2138.
Elsewhere will be found, also a history of the first settlement of Washington Township. Its name, "Washington," was given in honor of General George Washington, first President of the United States. "First in War, first in Peace and first in the hearts of his Countrymen." It is a name familiar with all Americans. Washington Township was organized in 1854-comprising now only township 83 north, range 24 west. The brief items were, in part, culled from our county papers.
AMES ITEMS.
The post-office has been removed to the new brick, erected es- pecially for it, when completed it will be one of the neatest and most convenient offices in Iowa .- (June 5, 1878.)
During the last three weeks grain and stock have been loaded at Ames station, at an average of seventeen cars per day.
We glean from the Intelligencer.
ADJUDGED INSANE .- For several weeks past the family and friends of Mr. John G. Drey have noticed, with solicitude and
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
alarm, that he was devoloping symptoms of insanity. It was hoped that these would soon wear away and that John would be himself again in a very short time. From the start, however, he has grown worse. His ways and actions at first being only a little eratic, grew to be alarming, for the welfare and life of his family and friends are jeopardized by his personal liberty during the ten days previous to Tuesday evening. On Monday of the current week he made two attempts on his own life. On Tuesday the county authorities were called to sit on his case and he was ad- judged insane; on Wednesday morning he was taken to the State Asylum for the Insane .- Intelligencer .- (April 20, 1881.)
THE IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
Professor Thompson, of the Nebraska Agricultural College, re- cently visited our Agricultural College and writes as follows of the farm and stock:
"The sessions of the association are held at the Iowa Agricul- tural College. And every day two or three hours are devoted by the study of the buildings, stock and crops of the college. The College is now keeping Poland-China swine, Clydesdale horses, Short-horn and Holstein cattle. The Holstein cattle are very fine, in some points the finest I have ever seen. Among them are some good milkers, yet there is one native cow in the dairy, that gives more milk than the best Holstein.
"Some of our friends in Nebraska who think our college farm large, may be interested to know that the farm of this college con- tains eight hundred and forty acres, and they are to buy one hun- dred and sixty acres more. This institution is doing much more in the way of teaching agriculture than formerly, and the drift now seems set strongly, in that direction. The board of trustees were in session and from conversation with some of them, I learn that it is their settled determination to make it truly an agricultural and mechanical college, and not merely a scientific school with an agri- cultural attachment .- (August 23, 1882).
The Chicago & Northwestern Company has notified the authori- ties that it, the company, will proceed at once to grade up for more side-track room south of the new freight house, and suggests that the city sewer be extended south of the contemplated track. The suggestion will be complied with at once .- Ames Intelligencer.
During the thunder storm of Saturday night last tlie barn of William McMichael was struck by lightning, and a pair of horses, which were in the barn, killed. Very little damage was done the building, as the current hit the northwest corner, tearing off but one board. The principal part of the charge grounded outside of the barn.
About the same time, during the same storm, the house of J. T. Shepherd, of Lafayette Township, was struck, and both Mr. and
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Mrs. Shepherd considerably injured. Mr. Shepherd was rendered senseless by the shock for nearly twenty minutes, and up to Mon- day of this week experienced considerable difficulty in breathing. Mrs. Shepherd was knocked down and somewhat injured by brick falling from the chimney, besides being badly burned by the lightning. The house was not materially injured .- (August 16, 1882).
Monday evening during the storm the house of Will Staves, and a dwelling owned by W. D. Lucas, occupied by a Mr. Peterson, were struck but not much damaged, and none of the inmates hurt. A discharge came down, too, in the north part of the city, striking the fence near Charlie Taylor's house .- (August 16, 1882.)
Ames has begun rebuilding the burned district.
We wanted to sit out of doors and sun ourselves the few sun- shiny days of last week.
Brown, the clothing man, has a big lot of hat cases on his side walk just in from market.
The absorbing question is, when will the Supreme Court re-open the Amendment case ?- (March 7, 1883.)
James A. Bain, of the Southern Hotel, Cedar Rapids, and formerly proprietor of the old New York House here, was found dead in an out house, Friday evening, at six o'clock. The Coroner was notified and a post-mortem examination was made by Dr. Fairchild, assisted by Dr. Merideth, Saturday afternoon. The coroner's jury gave a verdict of death "from an overdose of chloral -- taken by himself, with no intention to commit suicide,-and a diseased state of the heart. His body was taken to Tecumseh, for interment.
I. L. Smith, J. A. Mills, C. G. McCarthy, F. D. Thompson, L. W. King and George Child, of Nevada, were in town Sunday to attend the funeral of Uncle Tommy Jones. Mr. Jones died Fri- day morning in the eightieth year of his age. The funeral was at the Baptist Church at 2 P. M. Sunday, under the charge of the Ma- sonic fraternity. The interment was at Ontario .- (May 30, 1883.)
The Intelligencer speaking of the retirement of Mrs. Lucas from the Ames post-office pays her the following deserved compliment: "She proved herself, in the long years that she filled the position, an efficient and obliging officer-certainly without a superior in the State. She takes with her, in her retirement, the esteem of a host of warm friends, who will remember her with many pleasant recollections."-(Nov. 5, 1884.
George H. Maxwell, of Ames, arrived home Saturday night from France, bringing with him four fine Percheron stallions. He came by way of the State Fair where, notwithstanding they had been
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
three weeks enroute, one of them took the red ribbon. He will have them all on exhibition at the County Fair .- (Sept. 9, 1885.)
On Friday night burglars tried to get into the safe in the freight office here, but were frightened away before they got any booty. The safe was badly used and a new one will be needed .- (Sept. 11, 1885.)
IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
Commencement exercises will be held on Wednesday, November 11. The present class will outnumber any that has yet graduated. Quite a marked change has been made in the courses of study, making the Junior and Senior years almost entirely elective with a fixed minimum and maximum amount of work. Other changes have been made and some new studies added. Altogether it will be a de- cided improvement and of great advantage to the students.
Last Sunday Mrs. Julia Ward Howe lectured on "Human Ap- pearance, Experience and Influence." Her lecture was highly ap- preciated and all feel grateful to President Hunt for taking advan- tage of the opportunity to secure this address.
Our batallion and band, under the direction of Captain Lincoln, visited Boone last Friday and took part in the sham battle.
Yesterday morning, between three and four'o'clock, the alarm of fire was given, and it was soon discovered that the hog barn was on fire and under such headway that nothing could be done to save it.
Kilbourn, the photographer, from Marshalltown, visited the Iowa Agricultural College again and took some very fine pictures of our good looking (?) Seniors. We hope next time he comes he will take the mustaches that grace the Junior class.
The erection of a Ladies' Boarding Hall is one of the improve- ments now being contemplated. Admission cards for '86 are already issued to more students than can possibly be accommodated by the present capacity .- Ames Intelligencer .- (Oct. 21, 1885.)
Final examinations are now the order of the day.
The Baccalaureate sermon will be preached next Sunday; Class Day exercises will be held next Tuesday afternoon, and Commence- ment Wednesday following.
The Senior session and graduation, of the Agricultural Society, was a marked success. The establishment of this society, with museum and library was the first enterprise of the kind in the West and that it should be so successful is highly gratifying to our agriculturists.
J. E. Durkee was the successful contestant of the Oratorical
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
Contest; W. B. Hunter taking second place, and Miss Molten third. The orations, taken as a whole, were exceptionally good, and three speakers were a tie for first place.
President Hunt will organize farmers reading clubs over the State this winter .- Ames Intelligencer .- (Nov. 4, 1885.)
NOTES OF THE LATE FIRE.
The Barroll building is in ruins. The west wall of the Brown building fell on it and mashed it into kindling wood. We under- stand that Mr. Barroll had about $300 insurance on it.
There was no insurance on Mr. William Hulitt's building. We were in error in stating last week that it was insured.
Mr. Rogers has moved his shoe shop into the Peterman building,. adjoining the Barroll ruins.
Miss Dix occupies the west room of the Cook block. The Insur- ance companies paid her $96 for damage to her stock of goods.
The Thomas Brothers are in the old Sisson & Green store room. They received $675 for damage to stock.
Bigelow & Huntington obtained $200 for damage to the west wall of their block, and D. A. Bigelow & Co. $60 for damage to stock.
The Booth and Brown insurance has not been adjusted yet.
Miss Dix had a ton and a half of hard coal in her cellar when burnt out, which is still burning.
The Telephone Company has done nothing yet to repair its lines. It is rumored the company will take out its instruments in Ames and remove its lines. We hope not.
Insurance on the property destroyed was as follows:
On K. W. Brown's building-$1,000 in State; $1,000 in Mon- arch; $500 in Globe; all of Des Moines, A. P. Condit, Agent. On stock-$2,500 in Sun Fire, London; $1,000 in State; $1,000 in Globe; A. P. Condit, Agent.
On the Booth building, $1,000 in the Home. C. M. Soper, Agent.
Miss Dix-on stock $1,500 in Des Moines, M. Hemstreet, Agent. On the Thomas building-$1,000 in the Des Moines and $1,000 in the Home; on the stock, $1,100 in the Home.
Bigelow & Huntington-on building, $3,000 in the Underwriters and $2,000 in the North American, M. Hemstreet, Agent.
$500 on store fixtures in Sun Fire, London, A. P. Condit, Agent.
D. A. Bigelow & Co .- on stock $2,000 in the Phoenix and $3,000 in the Home, C. M. Soper, Agent; $2,000 in North British and $2,000 in Continental, M. Hemstreet, Agent; $500 on store fixtures in the Sun Fire .- (January 28, 1886.)
The Agricultural College opened yesterday for the year .- Nevada Representative .- (February 22, 1886.)
The Ames High School graduated ten girls and boys Friday evening. The young ladies were tastefully dressed in calico. T
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was a display of good sense, as commendable as it was rare, and in pleasing contrast with the extravagance which is becoming quite too conspicous a feature of High School commencement days .--- Nevada Representative .- (March 31, 1886.)
Captain John E. Duncan and wife arrived in the city Saturday of last week and are visiting friends and relatives. They are the guests of F. C. Duncan and John Bray. They will remain in the city several days. Captain Duncan came to Darlington in 1861. He served in the army with honor and distinction and was for sev- eral years editor of the Republican and has many warm friends in this county .- Darlington Republican .- (June, 1886.)
A very painful and distressing accident occurred on Tuesday last, about 2 o'clock, P. M., to the little four year old son of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Burgess, of Ames. By some means the little fellow procured a number of matches and went out to the lawn to play. A few minutes after the servant girl was attracted to the spot by the piercing cries of the child, whose clothing she found in flames. Seizing the sufferer she hastened with him to a tub of water, in which she immersed him and extinguished the flames. Upon ex- amination his right leg, side, arm and back were found severely burned, parts of the skin sloughing off. Dr. Plumb dressed the child's injuries, and at the present writing (Wednesday) he is rest- ing comfortably, and has a good prospect of recovering. Mr. and Mrs. Burgess were not at home at the time of the accident. The girl who rescued the boy was severely burned on the hands .- (July 22, 1886.)
Thursday last several boys went duck hunting and communi- cated fire to Mr. Cole's fence, destroying a portion of it, and also consuming eight tons of hay for the Widow Baker. How would it do to make the boys pay for the damage done? It might in the end prove a valuable lesson to them. There is too much careless- ness-probably lawlessness is a better word to use-among some young men, who need one or two wholesome lessons to make them respect the rights of others. - Ames Intelligencer .- (October 28, 1886.)
The Public Library is in the room above Maxwell & Son's, and is now ready for public use. Citizens can have the use of the books by calling on the librarian .- (Ames, November 4, 1886.)
AMES.
Ames was laid out in 1864, plat and deed of lands for the public use filed for record January, 1865, and was incorporated in 1869. It was named "Ames" in honor of Oakes Ames, of Massachusetts, and in return for this Mr. Ames, donated to the Congregational Society a fine bell for their church building. The lots on which the building stands were donated to the society by John I. Blair,
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
of New Jersey, and W. W. Walker, of Iowa, accompanied by a gift of $30,000 in money to aid in the construction of the building. These donations were greatfully acknowledged.
About this time, or prior, Mr. Blair, also, donated grounds to the Methodist Episcopal Church Society upon which a church building was to be erected. Rev. J. R. Williams, of Indiana, gave $100 to aid in the building of the church. Many others of Ames and vicinity, also, made generous donations for this object.
In July, 1868, the Baptist Society was organized. Fourteen per- sons were in the organization at first. They now have a good church building and a membership of one hundred and twenty-five; at Kelly, twenty-five members. The Methodist Episcopal Society was organized in 1862, in the township, consisting at first of only six members. They afterwards built a fair church building, as well as a good society in Ames. The membership now numbers two hundred, November, 1886. The Congregational Society was organized November, 1865, with a membership of nine persons. They now number one hundred and fifty members and have a good church building. The Episcopalians and Disciples have no regular church building in Ames. For futher information as to church service, see the Church Directory.
There is a new church house, built in 1886, in the southwest cor- ner of the northwest quarter of section 25, township 83, range 24. This is "a United Brethren Church." Is three and a half miles south of Ames.
Hon. William West was the first mayor of Ames, but soon re- signed and was succeeded by W. D. Lucas, Esq. See Ames Direc- tory for the year 1886.
THE PRESS.
The Weekly Intelligencer, a live paper, was first published by Mr. A. McFadden, an experienced newspaper publisher and editor. Its first issue was about April, 1868-nineteen years ago-and is still being published. J. E. Duncan, Esq., is editor and propri- etor, and gets up an excellent paper.
The Monitor, a weekly paper, commenced in August, 1885, pub- lished by E. W. Clark, who died March 20, 1886, but it ceased be- ing published in August, 1886. The Monitor made a very good appearance. The Aurora, a monthly paper, published at the Iowa Agricultural College, was commenced some fifteen years ago.
Ames is a point of considerable railroad stir in freighting and passenger interest. It is surely a lively place when different pas- senger trains arrive in connection with each other. The Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad was located through the central part of Story County, east and west, in 1863. Therefore Colo, Nevada, Ames and Ontario are situated on this road. The road now is known as the Chicago & Northwestern road; and surely is one of the best business roads in the western states. At nearly right-an-
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gles the Des Moines & Minnesota road crosses the Northwestern at Ames. These roads so accommodate as to have passenger trains connect here, so passengers can take trains for the south, north, east or west, with but little delay. On return to Ames, the passen- ger can generally, with but little delay, return north, south, east or west, as may be desired.
. There are fourteen passenger trains passing through Ames daily at this time, and about - regular freight trains. The Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad passes north from Ames through Franklin and Lafayette Townships-passing through Gilbert station and Story City. Going south from Ames the road passes south westerly through Washington and Palestine Townships-passing through Kelly and Sheldahl -- crossing the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad nearly one mile and a half north of Sheldahl at what is called Sheldahl crossing.
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