Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa, Part 25

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 484

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In another line a call was made for an or- ganization in 1879, by Capt. I. L. Smith and others. The meeting was held at Nevada, and the ex-soldiers of the county proposed a reunion. Seventy-eight were present, and at once the Story County Veteran Regiment was formed, with these officers: Colonel, John Scott; lieu- tenant-colonel, H. H. Boyes; major, J. R. Wood, and adjutant, F. D. Thompson. The first enrollment reached 428. Reunions have been held every year in August, and are occa- sions of great general interest. They have been held as follows, and with officers elected

as indicated: In 1879, at Nevada, colonel, John Scott; lieutenant-colonel, H. H. Boyes: major, S. P. O'Brien, and adjutant, H. R. Boyd. In 1880, at Nevada, colonel, S. P. O'Brien; lieutenant-colonel, H. H. Boyes; major, S. F. Balliet, and adjutant, A. H. Buck. At Ames, in 1881, colonel, S. F. Balliet; lieutenant- colonel, W. M. Greeley; major, A. H. Buck, and adjutant, H. H. Boyes. In 1882, at Ne- vada, colonel, A. P. King; lieutenant-colonel, Richard May; major, John O'Neil, and adju- tant, J. M. Brown. In 1883, at Cambridge, colonel, W. A. Weir; lieutenant-colonel, H. F. Ferguson ; major, George Barnard, and adjutant, J. H. Leighton. In 1884, at Story City, colonel, J. R. Wood; lieutenant-colonel, C. H. Dickey ; ma- jor, Jesse Bowen, and adjutant, C. M. Morse. In 1885, at Maxwell, colonel, John Scott; lieuten- ant-colonel, I. L. Smith ; major, C. E. Haverly, and adjutant, In 1886, at Nevada, colonel, T. C. McCall; lieutenant-colonel, D. A. Bigelow: major, J. C. Burkart, and ad- jutant, I. L. Smith. In 1887, at Nevada, colonel, D. A. Bigelow ; lieutenant-colonel, C. E. Haverly; major, Parley Sheldon, and adjutant. Henry Wilson. In 1888, at Ames, colonel, A. P. King; lieutenant-colonel, Richard May; major, S. W. Snyder, and adjutant, A. Ersland. In 1889, at Cambridge, colonel, W. M. Starr; lieutenant-colonel, J. R. Wood; major, C. H. Dickey, and adjutant, C. M. Morse.

The Story County Equal Rights Society was an organization to agitate for equal suffrage, and had a brief existence early in the eighties, and about the same time the various societies of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of the county had a county organization, which exerted a great influence on the public temper- ance sentiment. A county temperance associa- tion flourished about this time also. In Au- gust, 1889, there was a call for a meeting at Ames of all persons who had been residents of

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the county over twenty years. At this meeting steps were taken to organize the Old Settlers' Association of Story County with the following temporary officers: A. J. Graves, president, and T. J. Miller, secretary. Among those active in its organization were A. J. Graves, L. Q. Hoggatt, S. P. O'Brien, B. Brennan, T. J. Miller, et al. The membership has reached about 300, and Col. John Scott has been the only permanent president. Among its oldest inembers are Col. Scott, Wesley Arrasmith, William Arrasmith, Dr. W. H. Grafton, E. Elliott, Jacob Born, Henry Cameron, T. E. Alderman, Otis Briggs, and others. It is to be hoped that this society will take special pains to cull from the memories of its oldest mem- bers that multitude of early incidents which will otherwise perish.

In professional lines also there has been co-operation. A preliminary meeting was held at Ames in Dr. D. S. Fairchild's office June 19, 1873, which led to the organization of the Story County Medical Society July 17 follow- ing. The officers chosen were Dr. D. S. Fair- child, president, and Dr. S J. Starr, secretary and treasurer. After holding quarterly meet- ings until 1884 the interest had so increased that monthly sessions were adopted, while the membership, which at first numbered but five, rose in three years to eleven, and now reaches sixteen. The Iowa College of Physicians and Surgeons is represented by one of its profes- sors-Dr. Fairchild, of the chair of principles and practice of medicine and pathology. This society is in striking contrast to the early days of (the early fifties) Dr. Sheldon, of Iowa Center, and Dr. Grafton, of Cambridge, the latter of whom used frequently to boat across the Skunk bottoms in search of a patient who had called him. Those were the ague days, too, when even the dogs "got the shakes." Since then there have been numerous personal

changes in the medical fraternity of Story County, not greater, however, than in other lines of occupation. The offices of this so- ciety have passed from one to another until the presidency now rests on Dr. F. S. Smith, of Nevada, and the records are in the hands of Dr. H. M. Templeton, of Ames.

Literary activity in Story County has been of a varied character, from the scientific papers of learned professors down to the merest "siz- zors " compilation and the spring poet of the local paper. The largest mass of it, however, has been of the nature of college text-books, scientific pamphlets and papers, with a consid- erable amount of editorial and journalistic con- tributions, in which the feminine pen bears a very respectable part. The college community and the remainder of the county present two very natural divisions, and the former, on ac- count of the varied character of its production, is treated alphabetically.

Prof. A. C. Barrows, of the chair of En- glish literature and history, a graduate of West- ern Reserve College, 1861, and located at the Iowa Agricultural College since 1887, has been a contributor to various agricultural and re- ligious papers.

Charles E. Bessey, Ph. D., now acting-chan- cellor of the University of Nebraska and pro- fessor of botany and horticulture, was con- nected with the college from 1870 to 1884. Among his publications are seven scientific pamphlets on the flora, insects, geography, etc., of Iowa and Nebraska, three text-books on botany, one of which reached the sixth edition, and botanical papers in the American Naturalist.

Joseph L. Budd, M. H., of the chair of hor- ticulture and forestry since 1877, has pub- lished fourteen volumes of the Iowa Horticult- ural Society, and the Forestry Annual from 1877 to 1884. Besides this he has been the

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horticultural editor of the Iowa State Regis- ter, a regular contributor to numerous other scientific journals, a lecturer before scientific societies and conventions, such as the Ameri- can Forestry Association, and others, and con- tributor to scientific papers on observations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

William I. Chamberlain, A. B., A. M., LL. D., president, and professor of psychology, ethics and civics, has been a staff contributor for many years to The Country Gentleman (Al- bany, N. Y.), The Rural New Yorker, The Ohio Farmer, and occasionally has written for The Independent (N. Y.), the American Agri- culturist, The Iowa Homestead, The Regis- ter, and other papers devoted to agriculture. Several articles of the American Supplement to the Encyclopedia Britannica, devoted to his specialties, were written by him, and during a six-year service as secretary of agriculture in Ohio, he issned monthly pamphlets (forty pages) and edited the annual Agricultural Re- port. He is now preparing a small volume on " The Rights and Duties of Citizenship."

Gen. James L. Geddes, of the chair of mili- tary science from 1872 to 1883, and for many years treasurer of the college, died in its serv- ice in 1887. His war song, " The Bonny Blue Flag," written while in the army about 1862- 63, has a place among our national airs. Aside from this his chief literary work was confined to sermons, addresses and newspaper articles. He was formerly, for seven years, in the mili- tary service of Great Britain in India.

Byron D. Halsted, Sc. D., now of the chair of botany in the New Jersey Agricultural Col- lege, but from 1885 to 1889 at Iowa Agricult- nral College, published three books of a scien- tific and practical nature, entitled Barn Plans and Out-Buildings, Farm Conveniences, and Household Conveniences. Three scientific pamphlets also appeared, one of which was is-

sued by the Boston Society of Natural History. Among a great variety of other articles were addresses before the State Boards of Agricult- ure, papers for The American Naturalist, Popu- lar Science Monthly, Scribner's Monthly, and others.

E. R. Hutchins, M. D., State commissioner of labor statistics, but formerly of the chair of chemistry, has published a professional volume -Obstetrical Aphorisms (fourth edition), and three volumes of biennial reports as labor com- missioner, together with various other writings of a general character. His work in the cause of temperance is well known.

George W. Jones, A. M., now of the chair of mathematics at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., but from 1868 to 1874 in this chair at Col- lege Farm, has published four volumes, two being interest and logarithmic tables, and the others treatises on algebra and trigonometry, the latter in connection with Profs. Oliver and Wait. He also edited and published the Pa- tron's Helper.

Herbert Osborn, M. Sc., a teacher in the col- lege for the past ten years, has written numer- ous papers on insects for the State Horticultural Society, the College Quarterly, Western Stock Journal and Farmer, Iowa Homestead, Regis- ter, Leader, New York Tribune, Germantown Telegraph, Chicago Herald, Orange Judd Farmer and others. He has also published a large number of scientific pamphlet reports, bulletins and addresses of a professional nat- ure, edited posthumous scientific papers of the late J. Duncan Putnam, of Davenport, and published several volumes of a scientific ento- mological nature.

Louis H. Pammel, B. Agr., and professor of botany, has written numerous botanical works, issued independently and by the Torrey Botanical Club, the Minnesota State Horti- cultural Society, the St. Louis Academy of

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Science, the Botanical Gazette and others. Some of them were illustrated. Besides these and others he has contributed to the Prairie Farmer, Iowa Homestead, Colman's Rural World, Texas Farm and Ranch and the Ameri- can Bee Journal.

A. S. Welch, A. M., LL. D., for nineteen years connected with the college, as president and professor from 1869 to 1884, and after that to 1889 as professor only, had the depart- ments of psychology, economics and history of civilization. His books are well known-Ob- ject Lessons, Welch's Analysis of the English Sentence, Teacher's Psychology, and Talks on Psychology. He was also editor of the Progressive Farmer and the College Quarterly, while his lectures and sermons were of a high order.

Mrs. Mary B. Welch, the president's wife, held the chair of domestic economy from 1875 to 1884, and published her well-known cook and receipt book, which has passed through several editions. She was also on the editorial staff of the Iowa State Register for many years, and among other general writings pre- pared numerous papers and addresses before the National and State Woman's Suffrage Asso- ciations.

William H. Wynn, Ph. D., now of Midland College, Atchison, Kas., was for fifteen years at College Farm, in the chair of English literature, Latin and history. During his first year he conceived the idea of issuing annual pamphlets on current literary and philosoph- ical topics, a practice he has kept up for nine- teen years. Among those who have commend- ed them are Dr. George S. Morris, Dr. James B. Angell, W. D. Howells, Dr Noah Porter, and Dr. W. T. Harris, while copies have been solicited for the library of Johns Hopkins University. Some of these have also ap- peared in the New Englander and the Gettys-

burg Quarterly, both scholarly periodicals. He is an associate editor of the latter organ. A volume of poems sprang from his facile pen also, and a collection of his students' sermons are now awaiting issue. Besides being on the editorial staff of two weekly papers, he is a stated contributor to the New and Old, a monthly magazine.

It is a delicate task to speak of men now living, and as a large proportion of literary work is done sub rosa-at least as far as the public eye is concerned, no effort is here made except to gather the plain obtainable facts.

But there have been Story County writers not so peculiarly identified with the college. Col. John Scott, of Nevada, whose pen has dipped very pleasantly into local history, has also done a more pretentious literary work. His Encarnacion, or the Prisoner in Mexico, was a pleasant volume published after his re- turn from the Mexican War. He has also had considerable editorial experience in Kentucky and Iowa as editor of local and agricultural papers, and for a time edited a column of the latter nature in the Davenport Gazette. Besides this he has read numerous addresses before national and State associations on his favorite branches of agriculture. His work on this volume embraces the first, second and third chapters, while his centennial address on the local history of Story County will be a standard source of reference in the local archives.

Mrs. Mary S. Scott, the wife of Col. Scott, has issued an artistic little volume, on Indian Corn as Human Food.

Mrs. Matilda M. Turner, of Ames, began writing early in the seventies for The Lakeside, a Chicago magazine, by the present editor of The Dial. Among the serial stories that ap- peared were "Seven Years' Service," "The Fall of Eve," "Saluting the Gods," " The

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Ruined Shrine," and others. She afterward wrote for Hearth and Home, The New York Graphic, American Homes, and Chicago and Milwaukee dailies. The Graphic compli- mented her stories by illustration. For sev- eral years she edited three departments in the Western Farm Journal. She is now an edi- torial writer on a prominent Iowa daily.

Rev. Isaiah Reid, of Nevada, editor of The Highway, has published two doctrinal pam- phlets and numerous tracts which have a con-

stant sale. "God's Way and Man's Method of Becoming Holy," is a volume of sixty-eight pages, issued in 1880. " Holiness Bible Read- ings," a larger volume, and " Highway Hym- nal " are his other works, the latter the joint effort of himself and G. L. Brown, of David City, Neb.

A little volume of clippings from local newspaper files was issued by W. G. Allen, of Nevada, an old resident of the county, and had quite a circulation.

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CHAPTER XVII.

A SKETCH OF STORY COUNTY'S TOWNS, VILLAGES AND POST-OFFICES-EARLY COMMERCIAL CENTERS- DEFUNCT TOWNS-NEVADA-ITS INTERESTING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT-FROM THE BEGINNING UNTIL THE PRESENT-FIRST BUILDINGS - EARLY ARRIVALS-INDUSTRIAL ADVANCEMENT- INCORPORATION-HISTORICAL REVIEW-AN OUTLINE OF STORY CITY'S UPBUILDING -- IOWA CENTER-ONTARIO-CAMBRIDGE-AMES-ITS REPUTATION-PRESENT INTER- ESTS - COLO - SHELDAHL - KELLEY - COLLINS-ZEARING-HUXLEY-MAX-

WELL - OTHER PLACES OF LOCAL IMPORTANCE - GENERAL .

COMMERCIAL INTERESTS.

How blest is he who crowns, in shades like these, A youth of labor with an age of ease .- Goldsmith.

ENERALLY speaking, the post-office is the embryo village or town. It usu- ally follows the settle- ment. The old laws of The result has been the following towns and post-offices, which have survived the changes of years, and mentioned in the order of their estimated size: Nevada, Ames, Story City, Maxwell, Cambridge, Slater, Colo, Roland, Zearing, Collins, Gilbert, Sheldahl, Iowa Cen- settlement along water- courses have become al- most obsolete in these western prairies with their railways. There are new elements that now enter in to determine where a town shall , ter, McCallsburg, Kelley, Ontario, Huxley and Elwell.

be. The almost universal excel- lence of the land and the compar- ative absence of barriers to easy transit in any direction likewise distribute the population more evenly, so that it is safe to say that the location of towns in Story County has been governed comparatively little by water- courses, except in probably the first decade. For the most part, the railways have been the decisive factor, and to such a remarkable de-

tablished to their own sites, until but one place in all the county now remains off the railway, namely, Iowa Center, one of the oldest towns in the county.

Among those that were attempts and are -- now defunct are Dayton, which was to be a rival of Iowa Center; Smithfield, near Roland; New Albany, southwest of Colo; Prairie City, about two miles northeast of Ames; Blooming- ton, once called Camden, southeast of Gilbert; Sheffield, northwest of Nevada; Defiance, in Collins township; and these post-offices: Col- byville, Willow Grove, Story, Sunset, John- gree that they have moved towns already es- , son's Grove, Boardman, Camden, Point Pales-

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tine, Latrobe and others elsewhere mentioned. The only post-offices now are the towns first mentioned, exclusive of Sheldahl. There are seventeen in all, and it is thought best to treat them according to the dates of their plat rec- ords, in chronological order. No attempt is made to give business directories, as those are very changeable, and may be found either in the personal department of this work or in other works devoted to that purpose. Story County has seventeen live shipping points, and all of them are live, progressive, wide-awake towns, that any county may well be proud of.

Nevada, the metropolis of the county as well as capital, lies with beautifully shaded avenues very near its exact center. From the dome of her court-house the "county fathers " may behold, spread like a park before them, laid with lawns and winding streams, dotted with groves, and striped with highways and iron bands, the whole of their broad domain. The eye would fall on the neat court lawn, too, and a few blocks to the south the thick foliage of evergreens, maples, and the like of the park, or run a hasty glance along the metropolitan proportions of Nevada's main thoroughfare- Linn street-to the tracks of the great North- Western railway to the north. This capital of Story County contains nearly 2,000 people, and is the growth of only thirty-seven years.

It was July 1, 1853, that the bare site was entered by a non-resident-Dr. Jenkin W. Morris, of Des Moines-for speculative pur- poses. The locating commissioners for the county seat of justice, however, seemed to be ignorant of this, and, notwithstanding the "slough " and numerous prairie ponds, they proposed to enter the same site. Dr. Morris soon satisfied them by a generous offer, else- where mentioned, and, in September following the entry, the first town in the county was laid out by the commissioners and Surveyor John

M. Barnard, of Polk County. The plat em- braced all bounded by Seventh, East, South and West streets, and, like all prairie towns, was laid out in regular squares, but, unlike most towns, was provided with two public half squares on both sides of the "slough," which thus became a sort of Mason and Dixon's line to the new town's early business men. A name was suggested by Commissioner Joseph Thrift, of Boone County, an old miner in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the adjective part of the name being chosen -- Nevada or "snowy," a Spanish name, which became very appropriate, as the plat lay all the succeeding winter with only a single log house upon it. On the 8th of September, the day of lot sale, the lots of the south side seemed to attract most attention, but Dr. Morris gave the first buyer, Mr. T. E. Alderman, a lot on Main street, immediately south of the present court yard, on condition that he build there. This was agreed to, and forthwith arose a log cabin, 16x20 feet, with one door facing Main street, and all complete and occupied by October 11. This was the only building for nearly a year, and Mr. Alder- man's family, embracing himself, his wife, mother, son Oscar and infant daughter, Mary Nevada, were the only inhabitants for a similar period. The daughter's birth in January, 1854, and her death in the following December, were the first birth and death in Nevada, while the marriage of Mr. Alderman's mother to James W. Smith was probably the first event of that kind in the place.

This one-roomed cabin was the first store, post-office and tavern or inn of the county, and Mr. Alderman the first merchant, postmaster, and host in the midst of this unfenced prairie. The old house now stands on the Cessna farm northeast of town. The second house was built in Angust, 1834, by the next arrival, John H. McClain, aud was erected on the

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southwest corner of Sixth and Chestnut Streets for a hotel.

Mr. George Childs and family were the next arrivals, soon after. During the autumn of that year about twelve families were added, among whom were those of Isaac Romane (the first lawyer ), A. P. Fitch, George Helphrey (the first blacksmith ), John Harris and T. J. Adam- son (both early merchants). Of these, Messrs. Fitch, Harris and Adamson located about the north, east and west sides of the south half- square, and forthwith arose that rivalry for the location of business that did not end for over a decade. Mr. Adamson and others succeeded in securing the post-office on the south side. A second tavern was opened opposite the north- west corner of the present park by Israel Hel- phrey, and Mr. Alderman and W. W. Rhodes opened the first hardware store on a site imme- diately south of the present court-house. Charles Smith, the first shoemaker, located on Linn Street. Dr. V. V. Adamson, the son of T. J., was the first of his profession, and was soon followed by Dr. Kellogg. The county buildings, as has been mentioned elsewhere in this volume, were on the north side, but that did not prevent the south side from securing almost two-thirds of the entire business of the place at the end of fifteen years.

From 1855 to 1860 the place built up slowly but considerably, but still clung largely to the south side. During the war little progress was made, although all this time Nevada continued the leading place in the county. Railway agi- tation began early, and was vigorously cham- pioned by the citizens of Nevada, but it was not until July 4, 1864, that the first train en- tered from the east. All the usual accompani- ments came about the same time, the telegraph, daily mails and the express companies. The depot was placed on the north side of the track, just two blocks east of its present site, with

warehouses on the south side of the track. This gave business a tendency toward the de- pot, though not appreciably until later. In two years the population had increased until it was estimated in 1866 at 1,000 people. The rivalry over the location of the permanent business center continued to distract the town until in 1868 a number of citizens united in a private movement to grade Linn Street and induce business men to locate upon it, from the pres- ent court-house site to the railway. The mat- ter was so energetically pushed that it was soon acknowledged that Linn Street was the main thoroughfare, although its sides did not bristle with brick blocks, as at present. To further determine this street as the main one, another private movement to widen it from seventy to ninety feet arose in 1872, and was effected by the property owners of the west side giving twenty feet and those of the east side paying the cost of moving back the buildings. Linn Street was greatly improved and steadily built up, but during the next few years, as business about the depot began to increase, there arose a movement, along with the platting of Blair's Addition, to lead it down East Street. A counter effort began in 1877 to defeat this by securing the re-location of the depot at the head of Linn Street, as at present situated. The petitioners for this had their committee, composed of Messrs. Briggs, Lockridge and Thompson, ne- gotiate with the railroad authorities, whose con- sent was secured on condition that they should receive fifty feet of the land just south of their track, between Linn and Main Streets, and a diagonal half of fifty feet for side-tracks simi- larly from the blocks east and west of this, to- gether with $1,500 in cash. All of this was effected and the depot moved in 1877 to its present site, and for over a dozen years busi- ness has continued to line Linn Street with its solid and commodious fronts, which can hardly

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be surpassed by any town of similar size in the State.

Among those in business in 1871, just be- fore the widening of Linn Street, were O. B. Dutton and T. Cree, bankers; I. A. Ringheim, W. S. Garrett, Liddle Bros., and James Haw- thorn, general stores; John Schoonover, E. D. Fenn and C. Burdick furnished groceries; heavy hardware was handled by E. B. Potter and T. E. Alderman; O. Briggs and V. A. Ballou kept drugs, while John Dowling cut broadcloth to fit, and footwear could be found with D. S. Snyder, J. A. Ross, G. Hutchinson, or O. G. Hegland. Mr. Ruefly was jeweler. Travelers found a home with O. B. Dutton, T. J. Bartlett and Mr. Blackman. Attorneys flourished in the persons of F. D. Thompson, J. S. Frazier, Morris L. Wheat, J. L. Dana, S. F. Balliett, J. R. Gage, L. Irwin, S. L. Cal- vert and George A. Kellogg, and the sick were cared for by Drs. A. Patton, P. Cook, A. C. Shelldon and George Stitzell. In the furniture line were John Barr, W. H. Harmon and Aumoth & Company, and Wakeman & Linkfield made wagons, while the anvil rang under the strokes of William Gates, J. Q. Leffingwell, D. L. Beach and J. Schermerhorn. C. Heald & Co. were foundrymen. C. C. McManus and "Old Sol" took photographs. Miss Mary A. Bamberger and Mrs. Sanders were milliners. The firms interested in real estate were McCall & Thompson, Ross & Irwin, Davis & Allen and J. A. Fitchpatrick. Farmers bought ma- chinery of J. R. McDonald & Co., J. C. Mitch- ell and A. E. Aumoth. Bunker & Wood and Becktil & Thompson were butchers, while livery barns were owned by George Childs and George W. Hall. The elevator and steam flouring-mills belonged to J. H. Talbot, and lumber was handled by S. H. Templeton and Letson & Lockridge. Those who wanted paint- ing done called on Davis & Coe, J. O. Elwell,

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Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa, Part 25

Author: Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed Number of Pages: 484

Author:
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 484