USA > Iowa > Poweshiek County > Grinnell > Early history of Grinnell, Iowa, 1854-1874 : compiled from the files of the Grinnell Herald of Jan., Feb., and March, 1874 > Part 3
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No brief historical story of Chester would be full without a climacteric-a mention of what will be re-
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garded as a most striking historical incident in the near future-in the fact of furnishing a sample field which was described in a New York Tribune letter, in 1871, by the lamented Greeley, as "what he had in many states and for years looked for, a field of 100 acres of corn kept clean by machinery, and yielding, without mannre, near 100 bushels of corn to the acre."
As old sailors have a decided penchant for mar- velous stories relating to storms, wrecks, and hair- breadth escapes, and not unlike soldiers-not those of the last war-who have boldly marched to the can- non's mouth in order, and retreated without orders, meeting starvation and disease, and have ended their campaigns by valorous charges which routed twice their number, and are fortunate survivors to tell the stories, so it is said the people here gathered the sec- ond year to recount the ludicrous and yet severe ex- periences in their early history.
The opening picture, which gave a straitened con- dition, was a large family moving, in the centre of a wide prairie with no food only flour and bacon which must be cooked, if at all, by prairie grass. Then a cognate fact of a teamster with weary horses, in the mud, in want of hay or grain, sating the hunger of his horse with a sack of superfine flour.
Another gave a stage coach experience which was as paradoxical as enjoying a ride on the Erie canal when walking on the tow-path, paying 10 cents per inile stage fare and walking 50 of the 70 miles ex- ploring the mud holes with a cane, as a pastime, and by handy lifting supplementing the strength of weary horses that had averaged two miles an hour.
Awakening in the morning to find that the snow had sifted to the depth of an inch on your bed was a cool but veritable incident; and, then, mice tracks so numerous that there was no way to account for an attack not being made on the nasal organs of the sleepers, except on the hypothesis of fear on account of the noise made by the reputed champion snorer of the community.
This location on the high prairie enjoys such an
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exemption from mosquitoes that it is regarded as the very Elysium for sleepers; and the following, well authenticated, being located on the road eastward was heard without protest: It was at the tavern known-a palpable misnomer-as Travelers' Rest, that a party staying for the night were routed by the vermin, too numerous for any class of nervous sub- jects, and the visitors were only lessened by fighting a candle; then a rainstorm came which was endured until by reason of a leaky roof the bed was saturated, and it was resolved to hitch up and start out when it was found that the rain had so nearly filled the boots and so contracted them that they could not be drawn on and the owner started out barefoot. Sleepy and weary the party, after a drive of a few miles, turned up where there was a dim light, and stretched them- selves on the floor .- Here neither quiet nor protract- ed slumber were possible, for about the house there were numerous swine and still nearer a number of peripatetic curs, of every degree, which had reared and domesticated such numbers of those pests, that are said when you put your finger on them not to be "thar," that their attacks could not be withstood. Another move was then made, and the travelers turn- ed up to a fence and reclined in their wagon; and here the mosquitoes came down with buzz and bill in such force as to forbid sleep; so just at the break of dawn they set out again, wending their way to Iowa City, soliloquizing on the events of the night and the attacks in detail by that trinity of pests and discom- forts, bugs, fleas and mosquitoes.
It is said that at the conclusion of a relation of these and other trials and adventures, about the most stirring, useful and tallest adventurer, here rose to remark and said: "Gentlemen, I have been cold and hungry while drawing loads here to feed you; I have been lost on the prairies at midnight; sloughed-not in liquor-I never touch it, not even tobacco. I have backed out loads where horses could not stand; drop- ped tears with the poor emigrant that left his favor- ite horse for the buzzards to pick; and been without almost every good thing but hope. Gentlemen, you,
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staying at home, don't know anything about strait- ened circumstances; I have been compelled to sleep with my feet out of bed half the time since I came to the state"-a climax in experience which is said to have silenced and dispersed the voluble story tell- ing company.
CHAPTER VII.
Underground R. R .- John Brown-Cemetery-Dea- cons-A Race-Negroes in Grinnell- Many Deacons.
At an early day some very good but timid men, and others really sordid, greatly feared that the radical people here and their wide repute in aiding the fugi- tives from slavery would forbid Grinnell being, as they expressed it, anything more than a "nigger - town."
What swarms of swarthy emigrants were pictured here, if slavery were at an end, perfuming the school houses, stealing, and governing the country with such a gross rule that white people would rebel and have to give away their property. It was answered, "We will take in the fleeing fugitive and if he chooses to stay he shall be protected; for a postoffice we will not vote the slavery ticket, nor for popular favor will we repress our convictions, let what will come to the town." The war: several worthy colored men enlisting for the Union, and the legal destruction of slavery, together with the general good behavior of the colored people wiped out any supposed reproach.
Several colored persons gained respectable stand- ing as students, and two of their number, Dennis Thompson and Willis Rogers, are now south in their native country teaching. Emma Morgan, from New Orleans, the ladies of the Congregational society for several years supported, who gave good promise but was prematurely cut down by death, She was a light quadroon, and not easily distinguished from her com- panions as this incident shows. On one occasion a stranger in the Sabbath school remarked upon the number, good order, etc., to which it was replied: we
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have young and old, and all colors, some very white for colored, and the stranger was asked to designate the colored girl in a large elass; and on guessing the one at the end of the seat, of not unusual complexion, the response was, "No, no !! that is my daughter."
It is, not denied that Grinnell was a notable Under- ground Railway station, which is estimated to have passed safely on to the Canaan of Canada a thousand persons. It was known from Texas' to the Lakes, by the quiet Quakers and the consignees at Chicago and Detroit. It is safe to talk about it now, yet the spies have hastened the flight of many, helped on by mon- ey, horses and men, at least to the Quakers in Cedar county. At a large meeting in a slave state, in a place from which word had gone back of good treat- ment here, a reward of several thousand dollars was offered for the abduction or the head of one of the active abolitionists of Grinnell; and it is a curious fact that the person for whom the reward was of- fered, not five years later, met and served on a com- mittee in congress with the president of that meeting offering that reward, who had become a staunch ad- vocate of freedom, and to whom it was jovially re- marked that he was ready to be abducted then, volun- tarily, for half the reward offered.
It was here that John Brown staid several days, passing east, with a company of some 16 persons and as many horses. He was then on his way to Vir- ginia, but it was not here known, though, with a flashing eye, he proclaimed that he "had a commis- sion direct from God Almighty, which he was sworn to fulfil." It was evident that he was in deep thought, and, at a publie meeting, scouted the idea of his course being dangerous, for it was a small concern when a man died if it was God's time. His equip- ment here, the arms, baggage, and proper border out- fit, called to mind the story of the brigands and the strifes of feudal days. All were stacked and stored in what was then the Reed House, south of the rail- road. If the rumors of the time had been credited we should have looked for carnage in our streets. Brown was prepared and had sent word to Workman, the Iowa City postmaster, and other valorous "Union-
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servers" in that city that "if they wanted to take him he would be that way when his horses were rested." His leaving here is well remembered. It was like the moving of an arsenal, so numerous were his guns and side-arms. Taking a sick child in his arms, whose sable mother was ill, and taking a front seat in a canvas covered wagon he waved a good-bye to Grin- nell and a "God bless you for your money and your prayers."
The place of sepulture has a relation to the history of a town and is peculiarly associated with the tastes and sensibilities of a refined people. Those un- fenced, neglected homes of the dead where there is not a designating memento, mound or a stone, are suggestive of gross materialism if not criminal neg- lect. In the year 1855 Mr. Grinnell donated the pres- ent cemetery site, of 12 acres, to the town, and George W. Crain, with others, laid out the lots. The aged Mr. and Mrs. Heald, the first deceased, were buried on the Bixby farm.
The first born child in the town was Frederick Samuel, son of Dr. Thomas Holyoke; during that same year he was buried on Dr. Holyoke's grounds. Mrs. Christina Patterson, living west of Sugar Creek, was stricken with apoplexy, and deceased in the win- ter of 1855, was the first interment in our cemetery. How vivid is the remembrance of climbing up the steep hill to the summit, and how solemn that hour, placing the sod in the bitter winter blast on the first made grave in our new cemetery! Through all the tall hazel thicket the chill wind seemed to sigh in sympathy with a mourning family, and sing a dirge to the departed, in solemn dedication of a sacred spot to be the home of our dead.
A fence was soon built, and family enclosures were made, tombstones erected, trees and flowers taste- fully set by the hands of affection, where before only chance wild flowers were rooted, when a sweeping prairie fire brought sad desolation to the grounds which it required several years to recover. Later substantial improvements began under the mayor- alty of Hon. H. G. Little, by whose energy and su-
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pervision the grounds were enlarged to give sym- metry and diversity; new streets and alleys were worked, trees set, and such tasteful adorning entered upon that to Mayor Little, more than to any other person, is lasting gratitude due. The cemetery now, regarding seclusion, elevation and undulations, is a spot of rare beauty, every year becoming more at- tractive as the flowers bloom, the evergreen borders are set, and tasteful monuments erected, indicative at once of a refined taste and a pleasing recollection of the honored dead, not less than a proper concern for that spot where we shall all soon sleep our last sleep.
It should not be omitted that the carpenters of Grinnell erected the tasteful cemetery cottage and that the ladies gave the proceeds of a fair towards ornamentation; nor should the artistic labors of J. G. Dodge, Esq., and others, be forgotten.
The marked and at least nominal religious charac- ter of the people is illustrated by an unusual num- ber who have held some official position in the church. For some time the race in numbers, deacon and ministerial, was not unequal. An accession would occasion the jovial remark, the ministers are ahead; and then a new arrival, the deacons are ahead. Since one class may have found a mention it will not com- port with strictly historical fidelity, to leave the other class of officials undesignated; and should these sketches find their way eastward the parties named will be more readily recognized by the honored pre- fix.
If any below are improperly classed it may be as- cribed, in compliment, to their coming up to the Pauline standard, to-wit: "The deacons must be grave; not double tongued, nor given to much wine; not greedy of filthy luere, the husbands of one wife." In this array, in which it is hoped-in the one de- nomination of which we now speak-there are no omissions, we find: Deacons A. Whitcomb, Wm. N. Ford, S. N. Bartlett, James Hubbard, Sumner Bixby, I. H. Marsh, G. Gardner, S. Meacham, T. B. Clark, P. G. C. Merrill, S. Sherman, J. S. Dawes, E. L. Lit-
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tle; and of those arriving since comparisons were made there are B. Timmerman, M. Chafee, Charles Platt, and J. Clement, making a total of 17. This array of heads of families-we have no bachelor dea- cons-gives occasion to deny the old proverbial com- parison as to deacons' daughters and to dispel the popular apprehension as to their waywardness; for, so far as is known, they have not only escaped the discipline of the State Reform School, but, conduct- ing themselves with becoming gravity, have attained eminently respectable positions in society.
That this is no faneiful numerical comparison, as every early resident will observe, I have but to name the other class, which we have here, in their chron- ological order of arrival; Grinnell, Hamlin, Loomis, Herrick, Rouse, Hathaway, Reed, Cleaveland, Coch- ran, Kasson, Chamberlain, Brainard, Woodworth, White, Kennedy, and Leavitt, being 17, just a numer- ical counterpart to the deacons; making no enumer- ation of the College Faculty and the land owners whose interests were here, as Campbell, of Illinois; Lane, of Belle Plain; Fraser, of Ohio; Cushman, of Massachusetts; Mr. Jones, and now deceased Dr. Day, Professor Ripley, and Rev. Mr. Barton. .
CHAPTER VIII.
The First School-More Arrivals-The Wool Industry.
The arrivals in 1855 were many and the improve- ments significant of energy and a promise of ma- terial growth. A second store was built and located on the corner east of the then Bailey House which has had many occupants, among the number A. K. Low- rey, Charles H. Spencer, and Geo. W. Crain, and was, in its present aspect, enlarged into a dwelling by Mr. Ellington. The stone house now occupied by Mr. Scheiller, that of Mrs. Hays, Mr. Thomas, David Sutherland, Deacon Bartlett, Deacon Whitcomb, J. B. Grinnell, S. E. Harris, Wm. N. Ford. The T. B. Clark residence, now owned by Mrs. Carney, and the Twin House south of the railroad, and several others were erected which were hardly tenantable for the winter
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and looked, in the distance, like specks on the tree- less prairie expanse .- Clark's Steam Saw Mill, near the grove, supplied much of the hard lumber re- quired, and the Bailey saw and grist mill, near town, was set agoing.
A rude building, 16x24 feet, was erected on con- tract by J. B. Grinnell in six days, at an outlay of $150, which was for the joint use of the school and the Congregational Society. Miss Louisa Bixby, now Mrs. Wolcott, taught the first school in town. This edifice was on the present church lot where the fire company building now stands, and is now removed, standing on the rear of Mr. Hatch's cabinet building, which pioneer edifice, with the history of the church- es, will be noticed hereafter.
In addition to the before mentioned, the following were some of the new arrivals: Rev. Samuel Loomis and family, with aged father, soon deceased; D. W. Critzer, A. P. Cook and family, Robert Chambers, N. W. Clark and family, Rev. S. L. Herrick and family, J. Bodertha, Frank Wyatt, C. L. Gambell, deceased, Mr. Brande, brother of Rev. Thos. Brande, John Ful- ler, Geo. W. Benjamin, H. A. Wolcott, A. G. Bixby, for colored, and the stranger was asked to designate John Baxter, L. P. Grinnell, H. W. Williams, Wm. Beaton and family, N. T. Clark and J. M. Ladd, de- ceased, who were more or less conspicuous in pur- chases and improvements.
The prairie broken in 1854 was well used this year and it will be remembered as one of the most fruitful seasons on record. Wheat was raised that year by D. Sutherland, on what is now Mr. Hobart's land, which yielded thirty-three bushels to the acre, and corn grown on the present college campus yielded over 90 bushels to the acre, and potatoes fairly as- tonished the natives; new seed, new land, no bugs, and Yankee methods, by John Fuller, an Englishman, who did the hoeing and now follows good farming in Chester, secured an ordinary pail full from a single hill; to which almost incredible story there are liv- ing witnesses.
Contracts for breaking large tracts of land were
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made and the cars not being nearer than Iowa City, and wheat at 50 cents and corn 20 per bushel-slow of sale at that-it was deemed best to concentrate the future grain crops into wool, pork being relatively lower than corn. Mr. Grinnell brought on the first flock, purchased of Win. H. Bacon, of Michigan. Their growth, increase, heavy flecees, and scavenger like service in the weedy fields created quite a mania for flocks, which continued for years. One man here owned 6,000 head, gained the first premium for an essay, and for the best fleece from a buck which was killed on the C. R. I. R. R., and valued at $1,000. Here was held the first sheep shearing festival in the west; and from two bucks, owned by L. J. Chat- terton, deceased, and Grinnell, of little more than one year's growth, 49 pounds of wool was clipped, surpassing, so far as is known, the famed Vermont merinos as there bred by royal flock-masters.
For one clip as high as $100,000 has been paid out in town and quite reconciled the owners to the cog- nomen of "sheep town" when wool brought from 60 cents to $1.00 per pound. So long as the war con- tinued and farmers were content to raise their own flocks and made common cause against hungry, worthless dogs, there was great satisfaction in rear- ing the animal which "behaved so well under all cir- cumstances."
Later an eagerness to increase the flocks led to bringing in from the older states the culls, the old, the ill-bred and diseased in such numbers, that taken with the low prices of wool, and consequently less motive to care, and in the curing of diseases this branch of husbandry was generally abandoned. Dogs had increased, become wanton and bloodthirsty, leav- ing often from 20 to 50 of their vietims slain in one flock in a single night, and in 1868 Grinnell was no longer the special home of shepherds whose lands were enriched and whitened with flocks. A. J. Blakely by a noble flock still illustrates what skill and adherence to and useful and external occupation will command-being eminent in success even here.
The early philosophy of condensation is now felt to be sound political and domestic economy, and a
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cheering advance is made where there is a policy of diversified industry and home fabrication which brings producer and consumer near together. The days of the $1,000.00 and $5,000.00 "gold drops and silver mines" with monster fleeces may and ought to be over, and our richest flatlands may not be the paradise for the flock, but when worthless curs have had their day and farms are better hedged and set with grasses aesthetic tastes will give a new esti- mate to the flocks and place them in the foreground of our rural pictures of domestic scenes, where will be found domestic favorites, now engrossing atten- tion the Messengers, the Durhams and the Berk- shires.
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CHAPTER IX.
Spotted Fever-The Draft-Assassination.
We were all warned against fever and ague, and ague as a common visitation, during acclimation, where a large area of prairie was broken, but there are residents here in Grinnell, for near 20 years, who have not seen a case of ague, nor been confined to the house by sickness for a single day.
Still there was a remarkable visitation, in the spring of 1862 of which medical books then gave no description. Many fled in fear, others sought an excuse to be on their distant farms, and, amidst op- pressive gloom, the boldest talked in whispers at the street corners and wondered who would be the next victim of an attack which baffled all medical skill. In robust health seven persons were swept off in as many days, exceeding the usual mortality here of this class for a year. Mrs. Norman Whitney was the first victim; then Miss Malvina Sears, Dr. Pulsifer, a dentist, and E. Dickey, son of Squire Dickey, both robust young men followed. In one family, that of Mr. Van Schoonover, there were three deaths. Dr. Patton, of Rock Creek, who had been faithful in at- tendance on the sick, and his son were numbered
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with the victims; also, Mrs. Carson and child of Mr. Covert are remembered of the number.
To Dr. Thos. Holyoke, who was here in profes- sional attendance on the sick, we leave a description of this remarkable visitation;
At this distance from the occurrence of the fearful pestilence many interesting facts connected with its history cannot now be recalled, though its many features can never be effaced from the memory of those who witnessed the march of the "Destroying Angel" as he swept through the place.
Its epidemic form did not last over ten days, though the disease lingered about for months. Many physicians from the neighboring towns came and saw some of the cases, but confessed that they had never seen or heard of any disease answering to this. The suddenness of the attack, its rapid prog- ress, and fatal termination were fearful and unac- countable. The manner of attack was not alike in all, but might be classed under two forms.
The most common form was ushered in by a slight chill, with no reaction; pulse small and frequent, and not felt at the wrist after one or two hours; ex- tremities cold; an exceeding anxious and shrunken expression of the face; vomiting immediately fol- lowed the chill, and continued to the last. The mat- ter thrown up was generally of a lightish color; little or no thirst; no cramping; breathing quite natural, and little or no pain in any part of the sys- tem; nothing could be retained upon the stomach, either food or medicine. The vomiting was peculiar. The stomach seemed to act under spasmodic contrac- tions, and with a good deal of force, throwing the ejected matter to a considerable distance. Nausea did not precede the act of vomiting. Cases of this kind generally sank in from twelve to twenty-four hours; mind clear to the end.
In the other class of cases the attack was more violent, being ushered in by a hard chill, followed by a high fever, quick full pulse, with a strong de- termination of blood to the head; mind wandered, and in an hour or two the patient became uncon-
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scious; sterterous breathing, as in apoplexy; face almost livid; dark, purple, elevated spots made their appearance, in diameter from four to half inch, all over the body .- These spots remained after death. Vomiting in these cases began soon after the chill, but did not continue after unconsciousness; pulse kept up full and strong almost to the final termina- tion. Temperature of skin high; rather restless, and in some cases convulsions. Death ended the scene in some of the cases in less than eight hours from the first well marked symptoms.
In cases of recovery the convalescence was always slow, and in a few eases with the loss of the sight of an eye, hearing, or speech, and in one case of speech and locomotion. These latter returned in course of a year and a half, the sight never. The spotted cases were generally fatal. The treatment was to meet the indications. In case of chill, with no reaction, warm bath, brandy and quinine, and mustard freely applied all over the body; and if the patient could be made to sweat, which seemed almost impossible, recovery generally followed. In the more active form, with high fever, hot application to feet and cold to head, and such remedies as would allay the fever.
We ventured to call this disease spotted fever, though no disease of that name could be found in our medical books at that time, but have learned that a disease of similar character prevailed in some parts of New England from 1812 to 1815.
All our later medical works treat of a disease called cerebro-spinal meningitis, which doubtless, in an epidemic form, might be called spotted fever; but of the disease single isolated cases rarely are spot- ted.
During the latter years of the war the military headquarters and the Provost Marshal's office of the Fourth district was at Grinnell in charge of Capt. Mathews. The time of drafting came, owing to a clerical blunder at Washington and the township of Sugar Creek being behind in its quota two honored soldiers, Capt. Bashore, of Centerville, and Woodruff
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of Knoxville, were sent down to make a notification. After taking dinner 15 miles south, at James A. Craver's, now deceased, they were informed that a military company was drilling some two miles dis- tant and were advised, as resisting the draft had been threatened, not to go near the company that day.
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