USA > Iowa > Lyon County > Historical sketch of Lyon County, Iowa : and a description of the country and its resources; giving information with regard to the inducements which it offers to immigrants and others desiring to settle in the Northwest > Part 2
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In July, Mr. Rice, accompanied by L. F. Knight, reached the forks of the Rock a second time, where they built a cabin, and began the first settlement on Rock river. In August, Mr. Rice returned to Clay County for his family. leaving Mr. Knight alone at the forks of the Rock. This circumstance gave rise to the name of Doon, which this place now bears. Sitting in solitude on the bank of this beautiful stream, far removed from all human- ity, with naught but the songs of the birds or the murmur of the waterfall to break the silence of the wild, Mr. Knight recalled those touching lines of Burns', beginning :
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HISTORY OF LYON OUNTY
"Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon, How ci ye bloom sae fresh and fair; How can ye chant, ye little birds, And I sne weary, fu' o' care!";
Which suggested the name which he gave to this place, and which it will ever retain. In August, Emerick Erwin and II. W. Reves built a cabin near the forks, where they spent the following winter. Mrs. Rice reached Doon in September, and, moving into their little cabin, was the first white woman to settle on the Rock river. J. B. Harison, of Wisconsin, arrived at Doon the latter part of December, and selected the tract of land where he now resides.
These persons and the little colony at Beliot comprised the population of Lyon County for the winter of 1868-9. This winter was very mild, with little snow. Mr. Rice turned his stock out on the river bottoms early in March, where they subsisted in good order without feed.
The various bands of Yankton Indians hunting through this region seem to have been peaceable, and although almost cut off from the world, these little settlements passed the winter in comparative confort.
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In May, 1869, Charles H. Johnson, of Wisconsin, one of the hard-working pioneers of Lyon County, explored the valley of the Little Rock river. Mr. Johnson was highly pleased with the great natural beauty and fertility of this valley. Hle accordingly selected a homestead at the june- tion of the Little Rock river and Otter Creek, and began the settlement of the Little Rock valley, now one of the best settled in Lyon County.
Soon after this, T. W. Johnson, A. A. Johnson. Emerick Irwin; and Messrs. McGuire, also settled near the forks of these streams, and the settlement of the Little Rock was fairly begin.
Prior to this, no settlement had been made in what is now Rock township, and the Rock River valley on the worth part of the county had never been visited with a view to settlement. In the month of June, D. C. White- head, of Webster County, a live man, who has ever been foremost in the development of Lyon County, proceeded to explore the resources of this region. On his route he was joined by Matthias Sweesy and Delos Towsley. On the Zend of June this party reached the rapids at the junction of the Rock and Kadaranzi rivers, and here stood enchanted
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EARLY SETTLEMENT.
by the sound of the waterfall, which for ages had wasted its power and lavished its beauty upon the wilderness. They were at once filled with enthusiasm and high hopes of the future greatness of the place. Mr. Whitehead here gave it the name of Rock Rapids, which will ever remain unchanged.
The party then selected homesteads, Mr. Whitehead nearly adjoining the present town-plat, and Messrs. Sweesy and Towsley a short distance above, and then left to re- turn with their families. Thus was begun the now thriving town of Rock Rapids and the settlement of Rock Towaship.
In June, Geo. W. McQueen and John A. Wagner, of Lynn County, reached the county. Mr. MeQueen entered several fine tracts of Government land, and settled perma- neutly at Doon. Mr. Wagner selected a homestead on Burr Oak Creek, beginning the settlement on that stream.
In July, S. G. Martin and Justice Martin and family, settled a short distance above Rock Rapids, Mrs. Justice Martin being the first white woman to settle in Rock town- ship, and they were the only family residing in that town- ship during the winter of 1869-10.
While this progress was being made on the Rock, the Sioux valley was not at a stand-still. In July, Am ยป Ser- erson, Thorsten Korsted, Ole Sorenson, Hans. J. Oleson, Simon Tobiason, and others, settled on the Big Sioux in Township 99, and began what is now one of the most pros- perous settlements in the county. And John Albertson started the settlement between Doon and Beloit. In Novem- ber, E. W. Lewis, of Pennsylvania, selected a tract of land on the Big Sioux, in what is now the township of Larch- wood, where he settled the following spring.
The colony at Beloit had received considerable addi- tions to its numbers, and this season raised the first crop, of any importance, in the county, which was a good one. The dam at Nelson's mill, which had been carried off by the high water in the spring, was replaced, and Beloit wore a lively appearance. 1
During this summer, H. D. Rice built a large frame house on his place at Doon, which was the first frame build- ing built at Doon, or on Rock river. A large share of the lumber for this bailding was hauled from Sioux City, seventy miles. But the protection which it afterward afforded settlers as they reached the county, amply repaid for the great labor in its construction.
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HISTORY OF LYON COUNTY.
During this summer, large tracts of Government land in Lyon county were entered by speculators, which is much to be regretted, as these lands would have soon passed into the hands of actual settlers, under the Homestead law.
In the fall of 1869, the Dubuque and Sioux City Rail- road was completed to LeMars. This brought markets and mail thirty miles nearer; but it can hardly be said that crossing a prairie forty miles in width, for a sack of flour or a letter, are " excellent facilities."
At the close of the year 1869, the population of Lyon County probably did not number more than a hundred souls. This may seem strange, as the first settlement in the county had been made three years before. But this region of country had as yet scarcely been heard of, and the few settlers who were there came almost by accident, or were brought in by the exertions of those who had settled first. The country, for a hundred miles to the east and south, was unsettled, and received the heavy immigration then passing westward, or it passed on to the extensively advertised re- gions to the south and west.
The winter of 1869-70 was mild, with the exception of two or three storms, which were of the severest kind. This and the preceding winter having been pleasant, these storms came unexpectedly, and in many cases caused ex treme suffering. Some incidents of this kind are worthy of mention.
In January, S. G. Martin, with his daughter Lilly and son Clay, were crossing the prairie, from LeMars to Lyon County, with horses and wagon. While out on the open prairie, miles from the timber, a house, or shelter of any kind, they were overtaken by the terrible storm of that month. The snow, driven by a high wind, came so thick and with such force as to completely blind man or beast, making it impossible for them to keep their course or to proceed against the storm. The thermometer sank rapidly, the cold became extreme, and they seemed likely to all soon perish. With great presence of mind, Mr. Martin, assisted by his son, unloaded some sacks of flour and grain which he had with him, and stood them up in circular form, covering the top with blankets. He then unhitched the team and tied them to the wagon, and, with his son and daughter, crawled into the slight shelter they had so hastily prepared. Here they lay for two days and three nights, the
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EMILY SETTLEMENT.
wind howling, the snow blowing through the crevices, and packing around them so closely that they were mal ke to move. Who can comprehend the anguish of that father, when, during the third night, after lying in that terrible situation for nearly sixty hours, without having tasted food and suffering unutterable anguish from the cold. the daughter exclaimed: " Father, I am freezing!" Happily they lived through the night, and the next morning, the storm having ceased, succeeded in making their way to Doch. Here they were kindly cared for in the family of H. D. Rice, where, although badly frozen, they finally recovered.
During the month of February of this winter, H. T. Helgerson selected a homestead at Beloit. where he now resides. C. Il. Moon also selected a homestead adjoining the present town plat of Rock Rapids, where he settled the fol- lowing spring, and D. C. Whitehead moved to Rock Rapids with his family, enduring great hardship and suffering from a terrible storm which came on at the time of their arrival.
The spring of 1870 opened with brighter prospects for Lyon County. The settlers put forth exertions to secure a share of the immigration of the season, and a much larger population was added than on any previous year. Large additions were made to the settlements in the west part of the county, and the good work of opening new forms was carried vigorously on.
Early in the spring, James H. Wagner, Wm. Wagner, Jas. 1. Taylor and Robert Parks settled on Burr Oak creek, and J. S. Smith. Christian Larson, Isaac hester, John Mon- lux, Abram J. Hamlin and Win. Hamlin, near Rock Rapids.
While the settlement of the central and western part of the county was now fairly bagni. the eastern part was the tirely vacant. This is embraced within the limits of the Sioux City and St. Pani Railroad, and the even numbered sections were held by the Government, for actual settlement only, at $2.50 per aere, or homestead's of eighty acres each.
In June, S. C. Hyde, of Wisconsin, settled on Otter Creek, in the southeast corner of the county, making eforts to secure immigration for that region. The Soldiers' Homestead Act, approved in July, added a strong stimmmus to the settlement of these lands. In July, Messrs. Schultz and others settled near the mouth of Otter creek. Later, John F. Thompson, Eli Baker, John Thompson and William Mead, with a number of families from their respective neighborhoods in Illinois and Wisconsin, made selections
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HISTORY OF LYON COUNTY.
further east on Otter creek. In November, Jacob Hinshaw, Harmon Cook and Isaac Lawrence, made the first selections for the Quaker settlement on Otter creek, and the founda- tions for the settlement of the east part of the county were Row laid.
In July, G. R. Badgerow, of Toronto, Ont., located at Doon, engaging in the real estate business. and buying sev- eral tracts of land on Rock river. In September, J. A. Carpenter and sons, of Beloit, Wisconsin, bought a half in- terest in Halvor Nelson's mill and real property on the Big Sioux. The name of Beloit was then given to the town, and the building of a first-class flooring mill begun.
Later in the fall, J. S. Howell, of Cherokee County, selected his present location at Rock Rapids, and became interested in that town.
During the summer of 1870, Lyon County shared with the whole West in a severe drought, lasting from the first of July until the close of the season. For a time the set- ders were almost discouraged, yet where land was fairly under cultivation, crops were excellent.
In the fall, the citizens of Lvon petitioned the Board of Supervisors of Woodbury County for a county organiza- tion. This was refused, but a township organization granted, and two townships, Lyon and Rock, embracing the whole of Lyon County, were organized January 1st, 1871.
In September, the Federal census was taken in Lyon, giving a population of 221 persons, probably about the actual number.
On the 28th of May, 1871, was born the first child in Lyon County, Odena Lee, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. K. Lee, of Lyon township.
The first sermou preached in Lyon County was deliv- ered by Rev. Ellef Oleson, of Dakota, on the 6th of Sep- fember, 1870, at Mr. Nelson's residence in Beloit.
At the same time and place were married, by Mr. Ole- son, Ole Torberson and Petrina Peterson, the first marriage in Lyon County.
As winter closed upon the inhabitants of Lyon, they were called upon to record the first death in the county, Being that of Lyman A. Wagner, son of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Wagner, who died on the 26th of December, 1870, aged 4 years and 2) days. This event cast a gloom over the little community in Lyon, and rominded them that as with indi-
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EARLY SETTLEMENT.
viduals, so it is with a community, a county, or a nation, no sooner do we begin to live than we begin to die.
The winter of 1870-1 was the most remarkable for its mildness of any within the memory of men in the west. There was not more than three inches of snow on the ground during the winter. Men worked out of doors in their shirt-sleeves, and stock could have wintered without shelter or feeding. A peculiarity of the weather was the prevalence of northwest winds, accompanied by warm, thawing weather, a feature peculiar to Northwestern lowa.
During the latter part of the winter of 1810-1 the first school was taught in Lyon County by Mrs. D. C. White- bead, at Rock Rapids.
With the opening of the spring of 1871, Northwestern Iowa received the largest immigration in its history, and Lyon County received its full share. This was greatly owing to the construction of the Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad, then begun. Settlers crowded in and took the last of the vacant Government lands. One company from Appleton, Wisconsin, under the leadership of W. B. May and Anson Tolman, numbering twenty-five families, settled . upon a fine body of land on the Little Rock river. This spring a mail route was opened from LeMars, via Doon and Rock Rapids, to Luverne, Min., which event was hailed with joy by the inhabitants of this so long isolated region. During this spring a fine frame school building, the first in Lyon County, was built at Rock Rapids.
At Beloit, Messrs. Nelson and Carpenter erected several fine buildings, and continued the work on their flouring mill. Messrs. Goetz & Thorson engaged in the mercantile and real estate business, opening the first merchandizing establishment in Lyon County.
During the summer, J. W. Fell, of Bloomington, Ill., commenced improvements at the present town of Lareb- wood, which had been laid out in 1870, and planted over 100,000 fruit and forest trees on his lands adjoining the town.
On the 25th of July, at Rock Rapids, was commenced the publication of the Rock Rapids Journal, C. E. Bristol, editor. This was the first issue of a newspaper iu Lyon County, and although the publishers were, for the time, obliged to procure their printing from outside the county, it performed a good work in making known the superior inducements which this region offered to immigration.
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HISTORY OF LYON COUNTY.
During the fall a large settlement was made throughout the county, especially in the eastern part, and by the begin- ning of the winter of 1871-2 the population of the county was probably one thousand.
On the 10th of October, 1571, was held the first election in the county. Ninety-seven votes were polled at this elec- tion, all of which were given for the Republican ticket.
On the 1st of January, Lyon severed its connection with Woodbury County, and was organized as an independent County, and the county officers elected at the preceding election, whose names are given elsewhere, entered upon the discharge of their duties.
Lyon County shared with the whole West in the ex- tremely hard winter of 1871-2, and the record of that period would form a painful chapter in its history. A large share of the settlers had but just reached their claims, were un- prepared for winter, and many of them were obliged to haul their fuel a long distance from the timber. In this condition winter set in upon them very early, was uncommonly cold, accompanied by severe storms, and caused much hardship and suffering.
With the spring of 1872 came the beginning of a new era in the history of Lyon County. A large amount of land was broken the year previous, the season has been an exceedingly fruitful one, and a bountiful harvest, with health and prosperity, has rewarded the pioneer for his toil. The Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad has been completed. open- ing up the great lumber markets of Minnesota and Wiscon- sin and the coal fields of Iowa. With the railroad have come the telegraph and the printing press, and noble men and women to build happy homes and people our lands. Capital has begun to join hands with the labor of the pioneer in developing our natural resources, and the sun- shine of prosperity has beamed upon us. We are no longer contending with savages and wild beasts for the land we occupy. The blessings of art and science, the school and the church, society and fraternity, and all that contributes to the usefulness and happiness of man we now enjoy.
Thus have a band of hardy pioneers, enduring the perils and privations of frontier life, laid the foundations of Lyon County. They have organized society in the wilderness; Erst the cabin, the field, and then a neighborhood; then a school, & village, a church and a county.
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SURFACE FEATURES.
They have erased the landmarks of the red man, and made the plow to take the place of the bow and arrow in obtaining a livelihood, and intelligence and humanity to supersede barbarism and war.
Standing at the front in an age of progress, through en- ergy, endurance, and a strong faith in the future, they have paved the way and created a heritage of wealth, prosperity and happiness for those who are to come after them.
Happy that their perils, their hardships and sufferings have not been in vain.
" They crossed the prairies as of old the pilgrims crossed the sea To make West as they the East, the homestead of the free."
GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
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SURFACE FEATURES.
Lyon County, as before stated, is about thirty-seven miles in length, east and west, by seventeen miles in breadth; and we doubt if anywhere in the United States may be found a mere fertile and beautiful region of country than is embraced within these limits. The surface of the country may be said to be smoothly undulating. There are no hills or stone to interfere with the most successful culti- vation, and yet there is sufficient elevation and depression of surface to admit of perfect drainage. Nowhere is there to he found flat land or stagnant water, the whole country being gently rolling, or a succession of broad plateaus sloping to the southward.
By looking at the accompanying map, it will be seen that the country is well watered. These streams, unlike those in many portions of the West, are rapid, their waters clear and pure. The smaller ones meander through all parts of the county, furnishing excellent stock water, and giving a proper proportion of pasture, meadow and field. The larger streams flow through broad valleys of rich bottom lands, and are bordered by fine groves of timber. They abound in fi-h, furnish valuable water powers, and delightful scenery. But the most striking topographical feature of
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HISTORY OF LYON COUNTY.
Lyon County is our grand prairie. Here there is a vastness, a beauty and sublimity that no pen can describe. From April to October there is one vast sea of green, varied in hue with inyraids of wild flowers. Away as far as the eye can reach, stretches a boundless expanse of rolling prairie, till fading imperceptibly into the distant horizon. The esthetic beholder is lost in wonder and admiration, and mourns that there is no hand to transform these green slopes and rich valleys into productive farms and happy homes.
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.
The first inquiry of the intelligent pioneer regarding any particular locality will be, "What are its climate and soil ?" and we are aware that upon climatic conditions, as well as composition of soil, depends not only the producing capacity of a country, but the character and prosperity of itsi nhabitants. But the former will be considered further on.
The soil is generally a drift deposit, covered with a black sandy loam and vegetable mold, from two to four feet deep, but, in the valleys, partakes more of an 'alluvial character, and is frequently ten feet thick, with a gravely subsoil. Formed largely fromthe decay of the vegetation which has flourished on thes prairies fer unnumbered years, the soil is exceedingly rich and is easily cultivated. We would not have it inferred that there is sufficient sand to, in the least, impair its fertility, but, in fact, there is just enough to give it warmth and mellowness. We quote from the report of Dr. C. A. White, State Geologist, vol. 2, p. 204, where, in treating of our soil, he says:
"This fortunate admixture of soil-materials give a warmth and mellowness to the soil which is so favorable to the growth of crops, that they are usually matured, even in the northern part of this region, as early as they are apon the more clayey soils of the southern part of the State, although the latter are two hundred miles further southward. Such a soil has also the additional advantage of becoming sufficiently dry to cultivate sooner after the frosts of early spring have ceased, or the rain showers of summer have ended, than those do which contain a greater proportion of clay."
Besides these excellencies in our soil is the important one of its remarkable capacity for enduring severe drought. This is to be attributed not only to the looseness and depth of the soil, but to the nature of the sub-soil which under-
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SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.
lies it. This is a clayey loam from sixty to two hundred feet thiel:, and is very porous, allowing the moisture to work up through it from an indefinite depth. Thus, during the great drought of 1870, which extended throughout the whole West, while in Kansas there was an almost total failure of crops and pasturage. and large numbers were leaving the State, in Lyon County what farms were them under cultivation produced abundantly, and the county was clothed in luxurious verdure.
Whatever inducements Lyon County may offer to the manufacturer, the merchant, or those engaged in the various pursuits of life, the essential fact remains that in our soil there lies a sure foundation for future wealth and greatness. ITere alone is there not only the source of abundant material wealth, but the capitalist, foresceing what the future is to bring forth when the hundreds of thousands of our unplowed acres are brought under culti- vation, will not hesitate to invest his treasure in the various enterprises necessary to our growth and prosperity. And the husbandman has reason for his faith in a soil which never fails to reward him generously for the labor bestowed in its cultivation. But we shall speak of some of the staple productions of our agriculture, beginning with
WHEAT.
We donht if any where since being transported from its native plains in Central Asia, has this great cereal found a more congenial soil and climate than in Northwestern Jowa and Lyon County. The great essentials to successful wheat-growing, a rare atmosphere with a soil rich in lime materials, here exists in the most favorable conditions. The variety principally grown is that known as spring wheat, which is sown as soon as frost disappears in spring, and is harvested in July. Its growth is heavy, the straw strong and berry plump. During the four years of its eulti- vation in Lyon County, it has never been affected by any disease whatever. With regard to yield, good judges place the average of the whole erop in the county, the present season, at from twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre, and many fields at thirty-five to forty bushels per aere. These estimates will appear like exaggerations in many portions of the East, but we believe they will not vary much from the actual vield. It is true that the pres- eut year is unusually favorable, but the crop has never fallen
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HISTORY OF LYON COUNTY.
below twenty-two bushels, and it is safe to calculate the average yield at twenty bushels per acre, or over.
The land is broken in May and June, and the next spring is ready for sowing without being plowed. Sowing, reap- ing, raking and threshing are all done by machinery, there being no hills, stumps, rocks, or other impediments to its use.
It may be objected that the long transportation which it must bear will seriously reduce the profits of its growth, but we believe that its easier production, certain and greater yield than in the East, much more than overbalance the greater cost of its transportation. Beside the increas- ing demand for breadstuffs in the mining countries to the West, we have a choice between the Chicago and Duluth wheat markets. Adding to these advantages the fact that it always finds ready market and sells for cash, it is believed that the growing of wheat in Lyon County is one of the most favorable opportunities now presenting itself to the agriculturalist. Some idea of the importance which it will asume in the future may be gathered from the fact that if one-fourth of the tillable land in Lyon County was sown to wheat, vielding fifteen bushels per acre, low estimates, a single erop would amount to 1,390,000 bushels.
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