USA > Iowa > Adair County > History of Adair County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 17
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R. W. Hollembeak settled early in Walnut Township and engaged in raising fancy stock, having a large herd of Hereford cattle at one time. He served as representative in the General Assembly. He was accidentally killed at Casey by a railroad train while he was crossing the tracks.
Abram Rutt was born in Lancaster County, Pa., October 3, 1831, a son of Samuel and Susan (Whistler) Rutt. He was educated there and in the fall of 1853 came west, and in the spring of the next year located in Adair County. Here he helped to lay out Fontanelle, the first county seat of the county. In the '70s he engaged in the lumber business. In February, 1906, he organized the Abram Rutt National Bank of Casey and was the first president of this strong
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institution. The bank opened for business in March, 1906. The bank is now erecting one of the handsomest banks in the state outside of the cities. Mr. Rutt married Sarah Valentine of Adair County in 1866. He also founded the Farmers Bank, a private institution, in February, 1886, which was merged with the Abram Rutt National Bank in 1906. "Uncle Abe," as he was known, passed from this earth on January 6, 1913, after an honorable and noble life. In his will Mr. Rutt bequeathed several thousands of dollars to various educational institutions.
William Valentine was born May 6, 1843, in Tippecanoe County, Ind., the son of John W. and Rebecca (Kinkennmon) Valentine. In 1855 he went west and bought cattle on an extensive scale, and in 1863 came to Fontanelle, Adair County, with his brother, J. K. At this time he pursued the agricultural vocation, continuing until 1877, when he went to Casey and engaged in the lumber business, in which he has remained until the present time. In 1866 he married Naomi I. Taylor, of Fontanelle.
CHAPTER XXVI LEE TOWNSHIP
TOPOGRAPHY
The land in Lee Township is rolling, consisting almost entirely of prairie. The main waterways comprise three small creeks; the Nine Mile, Marvel and Battle. These supply water for all practical purposes. Nine Mile Creek rises in the southern half of section 19, Greenfield Township, and flows in a southeasterly course through sections 30, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36, Lee Township, and on to its main body of water. Marvel Creek has its origin in section 17, Greenfield Township, passing southwest into section 21, Lee Town- ship, thence northeast through sections 22, 15, 14, 13 and 12. The beginning of Battle Creek is traced to sections 4, 9, and 10, and also takes a northeasterly course through sections 11, 2 and 1.
EARLY SETTLEMENT
S. K. Mallory and his son, Eri, were the first to settle in the territory now known as Lee Township, coming in the fall of 1857. They moved a log cabin from Grand River Township to section 26, where they took up their residence, this being the first dwelling house in the township. Through some doubtful tactics the son succeeded in getting possession of his father's property before a year had passed and the latter, with his wife, removed to Greenfield. Eri continued to farm the land for some time and later sold to a Mr. Marble. After the removal of S. K. Mallory to Greenfield, he resided in rented property. He grew very feeble and his wife was forced to make their living, a very meagre one, by her knitting. Several years later, after his son had left the country, the old man attempted suicide on Sunday morning, by climbing upon the machine used for weaving and placing a stick across a hole in the ceiling which led to the loft above. He tied a rope to the stick and also about his neck and swung from under
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the machine. His wife came home from church in time to raise the alarm and neighbors cut the old man down and succeeded in reviv- ing him.
The second to seek a permanent residence in the township was Samuel C. Vance, who came in the summer of 1859 and entered land upon section 16. In the fall of this year he erected a house, which was the second structure in the township. He afterwards moved to Summerset Township, this county.
As the permanent settlement did not commence for several years after those mentioned above, Thomas J. Shinn was probably the next settler, coming in September, 1868, and locating upon section 16. He was a native of Fulton County, Ill.
S. E. Morris was also among the early residents of the township.
EARLY EVENTS
The first house in the township was a log cabin moved onto section 26 by S. K. Mallory and son, Eri.
The first death which occurred in the township was that of Mrs. L. D. Parker in 1866 at her home in section 16.
The first election occurred in November, 1880, at Lett's school- house.
It is not positively known who was the first born in the township, but probably in the family of S. K. Mallory.
ORGANIZATION
Lee Township was organized in the fall of 1880. It was for- merly a part of Greenfield Township. A petition was granted at the September meeting of the board of supervisors which took from Greenfield Township the following territory: All the territory within the limits of the territory of Greenfield Township, outside of the incorporated Town of Greenfield. Another change in the boundary of Greenfield and Lee townships took place by petition at the Sep- tember meeting of the board of supervisors in 1881. There was taken from Lee Township and added to Greenfield Township sec- tions 8, 17, 19, 20, north half of section 7, all of section 18, except ten acres already a part of Greenfield Township. After the organiza- tion of Lee Township was effected George C. Havens acted as first constable, and E. S. Chenoweth was the first clerk.
CHAPTER XXVII MISCELLANEOUS
RAILROADS
The development of railroad facilities in Adair County has been very slow, owing to many circumstances. Many unsuccessful attempts were made during the early days to get a road to run a line through Adair County and on the 3d of September, 1866, the board of supervisors passed a resolution appropriating about $800 toward making a railroad survey through the county of Adair and appointed three of their number, A. P. Littleton, F. M. Corr and James McMasters, as a committee to fix the time of the beginning of the survey, superintend its execution and pay the bills. Nothing tangible came of this, but in the year 1867 the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific laid out a road along the line dividing Adair from Guthrie County and partially in both of them. ` This, which was built the following year, became a great transportation medium for the stock and prod- uce of the county. This road continued alone in the county until 1879, when the branch of the Burlington road was constructed from Creston, entering the Town of Fontanelle in April, 1879. In the year 1884 the line was projected on through to Cumberland in Cass County and completed in the year 1885.
Numerous attempts have been made in the last fifty years to run east and west lines through or into the county, but railroad rivalry has had largely to do with the failure of these enterprises. Also, several interurban lines have been proposed, but for one reason or another have been abandoned.
A railroad was projected from Creston to Macksburg in Madison County, through Orient and Union townships in Adair County, in the early years of the '00s. After many discouragements the farmers along the proposed way determined to secure the desired outlet. A tax was voted in Union Township, Adair County, and Grand River Township, in Madison County, and a company of farmers formed to
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build the road. The Burlington road, with whom they were com- pelled to make connection at Creston, refused any accommodation or assistance, but the officers of the new road, notably A. L. Lynn and Jerry Wilson and sons, were men of intense energy and they suc- ceeded in putting it through at large personal sacrifice.
In 1902-03 a promoter at Des Moines organized a company with the avowed object of building a railroad from some point on the Great Western south of Des Moines to Greenfield via Winterset. A survey and location was made and right of way secured, taxes voted through Harrison, Grove and Lee townships, and property bought in Greenfield for depot grounds in the north part of town. When it looked as if it might be accomplished the Rock Island Railroad Com- pany surveyed a line parallel to it and a few miles south of the line chosen by the Des Moines Southern, and purchased the right of way through to Greenfield by way of Grand River and Lee townships. They accumulated a large amount of material and to all appearances were about to commence building, when the bottom dropped out of the whole project; the promoters of the Des Moines Southern had sold out to the Rock Island and the latter had accomplished its object of preventing a new road.
TELEPHONES
The growth of the telephone system in Adair County has been remarkable in the last score of years. Now practically every person in the county has telephone connection with the entire world, either from his own telephone or public one. The first local telephone system established in Greenfield was a private line connecting Ed A. Teague's residence and his store. It was put in by A. Rivenburgh and consisted of two cigar boxes and a string of wire. Some time later a telephone line was strung between Creston and Macksburgh, and later a line from Creston to Spaulding. The latter line was taken out and the line extended from Spaulding to Greenfield and then on to Fontanelle, Stuart and Winterset. C. E. Hall from Davenport engineered the work. A. Rivenburgh and others assisted. The first long distance office was at the Teague drug store on the west side of the public square and E. A. Teague was the operator. Later on, as business increased, and Teague had moved to California, the Bell telephone moved the office to a small building on the south- east corner of the square where William Romesha conducted a news stand and that gentleman, assisted by his daughters, operated the
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system. This building burned and the long distance office was again moved and later conducted by Beatrice Romesha in connection with the Lincoln Mutual Company.
The first local system was established by A. Rivenburgh in the year 1896 and began operation in July of that year. It was a 50-drop system and the office was at the Rivenburgh residence, the operator being Myrtle Rivenburgh. This system operated for two years and one month, when the expense of keeping up the phones and lines became so heavy that it was discontinued. There were only four patrons the first month, J. G. Culver, Darrah & Culbertson, O. A. Tuttle and the depot. The number increased to twenty telephones and about thirteen patrons. Several residence telephones were included in this number.
The Hawkeye system and W. E. Rivenburgh, its first manager, took charge from 1902 to 1909. His successor, Clyde Miller, served after him until the present manager took charge, Mr. Belt. C. E. Hall, who engineered the putting in of the first long distance tele- phone line, later became manager of the whole southern Iowa system.
The first rural telephone company was the Farmers' Mutual .. formed at Adair to build a line south seven or eight miles. This com- pany was incorporated January 26, 1900. The next company was the Hawkeye, which built a line from Stuart to Greenfield with a center at the latter place. They also built several rural lines. The next company to be incorporated was the Lincoln Mutual in 1902. There were twenty-eight different companies and individual lines returned for taxation in September, 1914, aggregating 912 miles and assessed at $38,575.25. As this assessment is supposed to be at less than one-fourth of the real value and as the value of the telephone instruments, of which there are several thousand in operation, is not included, it is reasonable to suppose that there is at least $200,000 invested in the telephone systems in the county.
COUNTY BRIDGE AND ROAD WORK
One of the most notable facts concerning Adair County is that all of the bridge and road work is done by the county itself; the bridges are constructed and placed, paid for, and the roads improved by county labor and money. It has been with no little profit to every- one who lives in Adair County to know that officials of the state in bridge and road work have selected this county as the main one that is up-to-date and leading the procession along these lines, and have
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sent the officials of several other counties of the state to Greenfield to investigate the methods used here and view the county plant for the manufacture of concrete culverts. To the members of the board of supervisors and to Charles Lehmkuhl, county engineer, also super- intendent of the work, much credit should be given for the saving to the county of thousands of dollars. The system has been in operation for six years and during the first five years' operation 390 bridges were constructed. In this time $111,562 was spent for bridges, but a great part of the money went to citizens of the county for labor given.
THE GRANGE
In the early '70s the Patrons of Husbandry had a remarkably successful run in all the northern states of the republic, and especially in Iowa hundreds of granges were formed and almost every township in Adair County had at least one. S. C. Vance of Greenfield, Thomas Ewing of Richland, C. N. Schnellbacher of Grand River were prom- inent in grange work. Co-operation in buying supplies was under- taken to a limited extent, but the social features were the most impor- tant. There were several conditions which combined to destroy the efficiency of the order and which caused the granges to surrender their charters, though one or two continued for a number of years.
In the early '80s a new order, the Farmers' Alliance, took the place of the grange. This was not a secret order, but its object was to consider and discuss in public meetings those things which would make for the best interest of the agricultural community. There were several alliances in this county which did good work in advancing public opinion. The many co-operative insurance companies, cream- ery associations and mercantile establishments in Iowa sprang from grange and alliance teachings.
When the Knights of Labor were at the zenith of their prosperity about 1890, several lodges were formed in Adair County, but they were never very popular among the farmers and did not long survive the drain for dues exacted by the supreme officers of the order.
The American Protective Association had a flourishing organiza- tion in the northeast part of the county about 1894 and built a hall for meetings in the south part of Jefferson Township near Turkey Creek. This order never extended to other parts of the county.
BRICK AND TILE INDUSTRY
The early settlers of Adair County were seriously handicapped for building material on account of the lack of stone, and the distance
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to haul brick for the foundations and flues of houses. There was limestone along Middle River, but nowhere else in the county was there any stone to be found except a few scattering boulders left by the glacial drift, and these were worn so smooth and round as to be practically useless for any purpose. The first houses were of logs, with stick and mud flues. When native lumber became obtainable the houses were built on blocks of oak or walnut and the flues mostly stove pile, as stoves had then come into use.
About 1868 a couple of small kilns of brick were made in Jackson Township about three miles west of Fontanelle. The whole thing was crude in construction, but enough brick were made to supply material for flues to the houses then being built. A company with H. Grass as the head worked one summer at Fontanelle and burned several kilns of brick and constructed the brick block north of the square, which was the first brick building in the county. The county hired a geological expert to investigate as to the condition of the various soils and their adaptability for use. Some beds of sand were found underlying the surface soil, which was generally a black clay loam of varying depth, but the sand was mostly too fine for cement manufacture, although considerable has been used for plastering and building chimneys. The clay which composes the substance of the soil to a depth of several hundred feet was not workable to any large extent for manufacturing purposes. Pockets of varying extent were found which, under expert workmanship, made fairly good brick and tile. About 1890 J. H. Day manufactured brick for several years southeast of Fontanelle which supplied the local demand for the product. About the same time several kilns of brick were made at Greenfield and brick construction became the rule for business houses. A little later J. W. Darby was extensively engaged in making brick and tile for six or seven years in Greenfield. None of these efforts to make clay products have been financially successful. A large busi- ness in brickmaking has been carried on in Bridgewater for several years. More of the brick industry may be found in the geological chapter of this volume.
ROADS
In the early days there were few located roads; the trails followed as much as possible along the divides, which considerably increased the distance between places. With the exception of the increased distance, they made good roads with very little work. When com- pelled to cross streams and sloughs they were bad, except during the
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dryest weather. With the advent of the farmer the roads were forced upon section lines, which meant hills and sloughs. Had the early authorities had the good sense and foresight to locate roads as the railroads do, where the ground was naturally adapted to good roads, an immense cost would have been saved and all future generations been benefited. As it is the roads have at large cost been gradually improved and cement culverts gradually taking the place of the log and lumber ones and steel bridges being constructed until the roads of the county are very creditable.
COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION
Iowa has always been liberal in its encouragement of agricultural fairs and has given aid to county fairs for more than fifty years. In the early years of Adair County an annual fair was held in the school- houses of Fontanelle and Greenfield, alternately. After the removal of the county seat to Greenfield, land was rented in the east part of town and some buildings and a race track constructed and for several years the fair was held there. Later this was bought and laid off into lots by Martin & McCollum, and no fair was held until 1892. In the summer of that year the project was revived and an associa- tion formed of which D. A. Patterson was president; T. M. Neely, vice president : A. E. Teague, secretary; and A. R. Oldham, treas- urer, with directors from the different townships according to the number of shares held by the people in them. Between three hundred and four hundred shares at $10 each were sold and forty-two acres of land northeast of Greenfield purchased, permanent buildings con- structed and a good race track laid out. For a number of years very successful fairs were held, with good exhibits of stock and agricul- tural products, pantry stores and exhibits of school work. The county contains a large number of excellent cattle, hogs and horses and a good representation of these have always been exhibited at the Adair County Fair. For several years the fair had hard luck owing to rainstorms and fell considerably into debt, but in the winter of 1914, 240 additional shares of stock were sold, the floating debt cleared off and the association is in good shape for future action.
FARMERS' INSTITUTE
About 1890 some of the progressive farmers of the county formed an association to hold an institute of several days' duration at Green-
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field. A very successful session, with President Chamberlain of the State Agricultural College, Henry Wallace and others prominent in agricultural education present, was held. This association con- tinued for several years to hold a successful institute, but farmers found it difficult to get the time from their work and attend in suffi- cient numbers, and with the feeling among the townspeople that the institute did not belong to them, caused it to be discontinued, although the state offered generous support.
For two or three years since 1910 the people at Adair and Fon- tanelle have held an annual corn show and institute which has aroused considerable interest in the territory tributary to these towns.
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Previous to the coming of the railroad, the Rock Island on the north and the Burlington on the south, in 1869, there had been very little interest in crop production, the distance from market making the raising of surplus grain a burden rather than an asset. The people lived in, or in close proximity to, the strips of timber along the streams and most of the vast prairie land was unbroken. Land sold from two and one-half dollars to ten dollars per acre. With the coming of the railroad settlement rapidly extended to the prairies, which were found to be more desirable than the timber and rougher land near the streams. The first settlers depended entirely on wild hay and let their cattle range unrestrained, fencing their small cultivated plats with rails. It was the accepted opinion of the early settlers that the cultivated grasses would not grow on the prairie soil and could not survive the rigor of winter freezing. But there are always skeptics, and soon some of the farmers found it necessary to find a substitute for the wild hay and began to experiment with the tame grasses. J. H. Hulbert in Washington Township, L. M. Kilburn in Summerset, and others, found that this was one of the best coun- ties for tame grasses in all the world, just as natural for the cultivated as for the wild grasses. Blue grass, the best of the pasture grasses, came in naturally with civilized settlement until it covered all the land not in cultivated crops; while clover and timothy meadows have practically crowded out the wild grasses, and in some seasons a large surplus of hay has been shipped for use elsewhere. The main crops raised at first were spring wheat, oats and corn, with sufficient pota- toes for local use; corn next to grass being the most important crop, largely consumed on the farm and shipped out in the shape of cattle,
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hogs, horses, butter and cream. In the last few years winter wheat has become a very important crop, proving the most remunerative for its cost of any crop raised. With the cultivated crops, however, came evil weeds, formerly unknown, which like the last state of man in the parable makes things worse than the first. Dandelions cover the hills with a yellow bloom in the spring and defy all efforts at eradication : the varieties of dock and cockleburr are ever increasing in persistent occupation of the soil; while the native varieties of rag- weed. foxtail. wild morning-glory and many others increase the farmer's labors to preserve his crops; and yet the average product per acre is considerably more than fifty years ago, owing to better implements and more intelligent culture. Almost every settler put out a grove of forest trees for a windbreak and a small orchard about his dwellings. David Coffeen in Washington Township, Jacob Bruce of Jefferson, L. C. Elliott of Harrison and J. Bush of Grand River were among the first to have bearing orchards in the county. While many apples, plums, grapes and some peaches have been raised in the county and while it is little trouble for any family to grow more than they can consume of any of these fruits, together with all the small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blackber- ries and currants, the conditions are not the best for tree growing. High winds, lack of sufficient moisture and other conditions unite to dwarf the size, and shorten the life of both orchard and farm trees, except in close proximity to the flowing streams.
In the early days the sloughs, of which there was an abundance, were very wet and such land was accounted almost worthless. Most of these sloughs have been drained, some of the first with ditches which proved a failure, and later with clay tile which has made the slough land the most productive of all. With the coming of the years and better improvements the value of land has advanced until an average of one hundred dollars an acre is a very conservative estimate.
EARLY TIMES IN FONTANELLE
Every person in the West understands the danger of being over- taken by snow storms in thinly settled country, where the ordinary landmarks of the more thickly settled regions, houses, barns, fences, groves and cultivated lands, are found only at long intervals.
There have been several such cases attended with fatal results in Adair County, but the most interesting case of the kind, although not attended with serious consequences, occurred in the Town of Fontanelle in the winter of 1850.
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