USA > Iowa > Boone County > History of Boone County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 30
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"There are today hundreds of residences in Perry that have been reconstructed out of buildings moved from Angus. Rippey, Dawson and Berkley all have many houses that originally stood in Angus. There are others at Fraser and not a few were cut up in sections, loaded on flat cars and taken to the mining settlements in and around Des Moines. Houses in that period of industrial darkness sold at bargain prices startling to conceive. For a mere bagatelle a pur- chaser could get warranty deeds to a dozen houses and lots. The lots were of no use to him. It was the lumber in the houses that he wanted. The lots were denuded of every stick and left to accumulate taxes until finally sold at county tax sales and reverted back into fertile farm land.
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"The first mine operated in Angus was sunk by the late John F. Dunscombe, capitalist, of Fort Dodge. After a time he sold his interests to the Climax Coal Company, in which James J. Hill, rail- way magnate, was interested. This company was the first to develop the coal resources of the locality to any great extent. Altogether they operated three of the largest mines in the state, hoisting hundreds of tons of coal daily. Other companies were on the ground at once, secretly drilling and securing options on tracts of land. The coal supply every one said was inexhaustible. But time proved that the term inexhaustible applied to the Angus coal fields was like the term impregnable applied to Port Arthur. Nine companies were soon in operation in Angus and its nearby suburbs and with coal rattling down their chutes day and night, in time found the diggings 'worked out.' Then these companies closed their pits, laid off their workmen and moved to greener pastures, as it were.
BACK FROM RAILWAY
"Fate set the Town of Angus back from the railroad and its charms were invisible from the passing trains. But the town, shortly after the advent of the Climax Coal Company, grew with wonderful rapid- ity. Its rough and ready population flocked in from all the coal mining districts of the Union and many from the coal regions across the seas. Great strings of coal cars loaded to the brim with some of the best bituminous ever mined in the middle West, daily wended their way from the various banks and were distributed to all parts of this and adjoining states. The coal was from three to five feet thick, with a good roof and of quality unsurpassed. When Angus coal became known it was saleable by the carload and trainload. The record of production of one of the Climax shafts for one day was eighty cars of coal, fifty-three of which were lump coal.
"The nine companies which operated there were as follows: Keystone, Climax, Standard, Moingona, Panic, Milwaukee, Dalbey, Ohio and Armstrong Coal companies.
"Probably next to the Climax in amount of coal produced in one day's run was the Standard Mine, of which John McKay, Sr., of Des Moines, was superintendent. Mr. McKay states that as nearly as he can remember the largest amount of coal hoisted in one day from the Standard Mine was 650 tons. It is said that this company made as much as $34,000 in one year out of its single mine.
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"The outlook was golden in promise and it was freely predicted that Angus would soon be the metropolis of the state, with Des Moines a mere village in comparison. The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad Company had just built a line from Albert Lea to Angus and had surveyed two or three hundred miles south, headed toward its projected southern terminus-St. Louis. The line was even graded many miles south of Angus and today the old piling for the crossing of the Raccoon River may still be seen. When trouble overtook the M. & St. L. Railroad and extension work was dropped, Angus' enthusiastic population did not lose hope and faith in the future. It was a year of railroad construction and all, seemingly, were headed toward Angus. The populace was inexpugnably certain that the town would be a great railroad center, because of its mineral resources, fine surrounding territory and admirable geographical location. O. M. Brockett, now a prominent attorney of Des Moines, was editor of the Angus Tenderfoot in those days and in his issue of July 24, 1884, he painted quite a beguiling picture of hopes and ambi- tions of this booming town where coal was king. Said the Tender- foot:
" "The Moingona Coal Company has been quietly prospecting ever since the spring in Wirth's Addition, the company owning the coal rights to that tract. The prospecting has been extensive and thorough and it is claimed that the field is one of the most valuable yet found in Angus. The company will begin operations this week sinking their first shaft and expect to be ready to operate on an exten- sive scale in time for the fall and winter trade. The fact that from the thousands of acres of coal fields in and adjoining our thriving city-as fine in quality as any in lowa, and probably from railroad facilities and geographical location the best paying in the state only about eighty acres has been taken out and the further fact that another as strong, wealthy and driving a company as the Moingona is coming here to live with us ought to convince the most skeptical that our coal supply is simply inexhaustible and the permanent pros- perity of Angus is assured.
AN ACQUISITION
" "This is one of the most valuable acquisitions to the place it has vet secured and will be the means of adding many thousands of dol- lars worth of improvements, besides furnishing employment for many more men. The few men already here who were able, but
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were hesitating about investing in property, building and improving will now make a tardy move in the matter while many more will come and build new homes. Business speed will feel an accelerating influ- ence and step with a firmer tread. It has never seen such a boom as the one that will be on before the snow flies. If there are any skep- tical kickers and hangers-on let them hasten to clear the track for the wheels of the juggernaut are rolling and the chariot of Angus' prosperity will move right along until its coal and fine surrounding grain and stock raising country make of it a solid city as far out as its now most remote and scattered suburbs, and the smoke from many a factory, shop and mill shall wreath the spires, belfries and towers of the churches and institutions of learning that shall tower to the pathway of the floating clouds.'
"But in less than two years thereafter the bright hopes of Angus had passed under a cloud of Cimerian blackness. The Tenderfoot had already passed out of existence and its owners, Messrs. O. M. Brockett and G. A. Clark, gone elsewhere. But between the time the Tenderfoot had printed its glowing prophecy and the time the decline began, the paper had assumed the dignified title of The lowa Times, presumably preparatory of the day when it would be the leading city of the state. When it suspended there was but one paper left, the Black Diamond, owned and edited by Robert Lowrey, who later removed to Oklahoma and gained considerable political prom- inence there.
"At the beginning of 1887 the town had begun to show remarkable evidences of decay. Several of the larger companies had closed down, several stores had gone out of business and the population had decimated surprisingly. It was discouraging, discouraging even to the Black Diamond, and Mr. Lowrey found it necessary to publish this ominous warning in his paper :
"'So far, the newspaper business in Angus has been dull. Appear- ances indicate that it will be much more so before the summer season is over. We have no reflections to cast upon our business men for not extending a more liberal support toward the paper. But to attempt to run a paper of any size, such as the Diamond is, and make a living out of it in Angus, is beyond the powers of anyone. We have managed to make expenses, but we are not here for just that purpose, and when we begin to find the necessary expense incurred in running it not forthcoming, we'll lock up and put it on ice for the summer.'
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THE PAPER QUITS
"That was printed in the issue of May 27, 1887. A few weeks later the paper was 'put on ice' and, although many summers have come and gone since then, the paper is still in cold storage.
"The most exciting chapter in the history of Angus was that relating to the big strike which began in September, 1884, and ended with a riot in January, 1885. It was a troublesome period for every one concerned. Backed by the Knights of Labor, every man walked out, demanded the usual fall raise of 127/2 cents in the price of mining, which the operators had refused to grant. It was a complete shut- down. Offers of compromise and arbitration were rejected again and again. After several weeks of complete idleness the operators made an attempt to bring a number of strike breakers into the town. What had been a quiet game of freeze-out at once developed into a serious, belligerent affair. Mischief was afoot in a moment and the miners truculently announced that they would not let the 'black- legs' mine an ounce of coal. They marched from place to place, held open air mass meetings and formulated plans for the reception of the strike breakers. It was a puzzle to the operators how to get the men into town and out to the mines without bloodshed, but after one or two futile attempts they finally succeeded in landing a trainload of men at Snake Creek, three miles west of the depot. But this cunning trick did not baffle the miners, who, when they learned the whereabouts of the so-called 'blacklegs,' marched en masse to Snake Creek, armed and determined. There they found the new men in a lodging house, barricaded against attack. It was the middle of a cold winter night and the attack was somewhat unexpected. The striking workmen, determined 'to drive the rascals out,' partly tore down and finally set fire to the building. This had all been done so swiftly and unexpectedly that many of the cowering 'blacklegs' had to flee from the burning house sans coats and shirts and in many cases sans trousers. Without being given time to complete their toilets, the unwelcome men were literally kicked out of town. Two companies of militia arrived early next morning from Des Moines. The companies were H, Third Regiment, in charge of Capt. Frank- lin DeFord, and A, same regiment, in charge of B. W. Bartlett. But all was quiet when the soldiers arrived and the strike settled by arbitration soon thereafter. Company H remained until a settle- ment was made.
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THE FIRST MOVE
"In less than five years after the end of this strike half the popu- lation had moved away and most of the big mines shut down. Some even returned to 'the old country,' but more sought work in other camps wherever coal was mined in the Union. Hundreds of former Angus citizens are now residents of Des Moines and many of that city's most prominent coal operators were formerly connected with mines at Angus.
"The belief that there is a larger and better vein of coal in the Angus quadrangle is still one of the promissory assets of the town. But years of waiting have about strangled the belief that anyone will ever spend the money to go down for it. In America they do not drill down until they either strike mineral or ashes.
" "There is plenty of coal here,' you can still hear an occasional old timer say; 'all that is needed is some one with capital and confi- dence enough to go down after it.'
"In 1892, after years of declining, the coal business in Angus did take a temporary spurt. The eternal hope in the human breast led many to believe that at last the tide had turned. So flush did times get to be that on January 10th of that year, an ambitious printer, J. Y. Steir, started a weekly paper, the Angus News. In the sixth issue of the paper it was announced in clarion tones that big things were in store for the town.
" 'The town limits of Angus are not quite as large as Des Moines,' said the News, 'but they are not too large for what Angus is likely to be in the next few years. It is believed by many of our citizens that there is a vein of coal a few feet below the vein that is now being worked, that is thick enough to give work to several hundred miners for several years to come. It will not be very long until this coal field will be more thoroughly prospected and if there is a good vein of coal below the one now being operated it will be mined for all there is in it.'
"The spurt lasted one winter, then retrogression began again ; the old despondency returned. The News never saw its first birth- day. It was under four managements the last month of its brief existence, its last proprietor being John Hall, later of Des Moines.
THE BANK BURSTS
"The bank that flourished in the palmy days 'went to the wall,' August 7, 1893. It was the period of the Cleveland panic. It was
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a private bank owned by A. T. Pearson. Its deposits consisted mainly of hard-earned savings accumulated after years of toil. After months of anxiety and waiting they finally got back about thirty-five cents on the dollar.
"There are two churches in the town-Methodist Episcopal and Primitive Methodist, the latter of which is presided over by Rev. William A. Morris. He came to Angus in 1883. The town was then at the height of its hurry and tumult and glow. It had about everything excepting religious services. These the people did not seem to hanker for and Mr. Morris labored against difficulties in starting the first Sunday school and church services. But he was an indefatigable worker in the cause of Christ and soon rallied around him a little coterie of men and women who set themselves to fight the forces of evil which had gained such a stronghold upon the town. In a dwelling house about three miles west of the depot the Methodists had established a meeting place, but the attendance was slim and interest lax. Mr. Morris realized that a more central location was needed. He started street prayer meetings and preached the word of God in the open air. Meetings were also held in school- houses, residences and wherever an audience would congregate. Suc- cess finally began to crown the efforts of this missionary miner and the saloon element found they had a real potent force with which to deal. The first church to be built in the town was built by the Swedish population, and in it Mr. Morris and T. A. Ray started a Union Sunday school. But for church services it was used solely by the Reformed Lutherans, the denomination which had built it. About this time, 1884, the Welsh Congregationalists built a church near the center of the town. This made two houses of worship with services in foreign tongues, but none in English. However, in that year the Methodist Episcopal denomination erected a large, substan- tial building in the southwestern portion of town (Miller's addition). It was then no longer necessary to use the South Angus and Maple Grove schoolhouses for services. Meetings, however, continued to be held in the open air in the heart of the town. Rev. John Elliott, one of the best known Methodist ministers in Iowa at the time, was appointed pastor of the new church, September 22, 1885, and re- appointed in September, 1886. (Bishop) B. F. W. Cozier was presiding elder of the district at the time. Mr. Elliott began revival services that spread a wave of religious enthusiasm over the whole city. This earnest, energetic soldier of the cross and his able lieu- tenants were the means of making many converts. This wholesale
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change of heart was not appreciated by the saloon element, and out of revenge one night in May, 1886, they set the church on fire and it burned to the ground.
THE REVIVALS
"Meetings were then held in a store building and later in the Welsh Church. The revival broke out again with fresh warmth. At that time a Mrs. C. Watson, revivalist, was holding meetings in Grant County, Wisconsin, for the western conference of the Primi- tive Methodist Church and she was induced to come to Angus and deliver her wonderful exhortations. People flocked to the church like sheep, and on the strength of this the erection of a Primitive Methodist Church was begun in 1887. The star of prosperity was then sinking and it was difficult to get funds, but the church was finally completed. Three or four years later the Methodist Epis- copal Church was rebuilt, though on a much smaller scale. All the religious leaders have gone, all save Mr. Morris, and he has not changed, nor cared to change his place.
"The last blow that avenging fate took at Angus was at the first of the present year, when the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad assumed control of the Des Moines & Fort Dodge line, formerly operated by the Rock Island. Previous to that time Angus had been the terminus of the M. & St. L. and the engine and train crews of both lines made their headquarters there. This only meant a half dozen or so families, but it seemed to be the climax of bad luck and quenched forever the hope of the M. & St. L. ever extending south- ward and making the town a division point.
"The traveler would never suspect that he were in a town, for the original incorporation lines were large and widely apart and when the denuding process began it left a house or two here and there, miles apart from extreme points. The company houses on Red Hill are all gone; the yellow houses of the Standard Company are all gone; the Milwaukee Company houses are all gone. All, all are gone, the old familiar houses. What few buildings remain are cut off from one another by stretches of land under the plow that sold for fabulous prices when the bull movement was on. Where roads and streets once were there are now barbed wire fences. Here and there are heaps of useless mine machinery, rusty old boilers, enfenced pitholes and slack dumps.
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"Such is Angus today. A desolate, anomalous picture to look upon. A town with considerable past but not much present or future to speak of."
A visit to the old Town of Angus on the 18th of May, 1914, fully confirms all that is said in the foregoing article in relation to the decline and fall of this historic town. The scattered condition of the buildings, showing the outlines of the streets, prove that it was once a town of considerable size. Although Angus is surrounded by a good farming country and has two railroads, its decline still continues. Its population in 1886 was 3,500. In 1900 it was 333 and in 1910, 248. Angus, however, still has a postoffice, two stores, one grain elevator, two churches and one schoolhouse. One of the churches is of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, which has a church building, a fair sized membership and a Sunday school. But it has no local minister and is supplied from Rippey. The other is a Primitive Methodist Church, which has a church building, a fair sized congregation and a Sunday school. They have a local minister in the person of Rev. William A. Morris, who came here in 1883 and commenced preaching and is still there and still preach- ing for the same denomination.
Angus has had for a number of years some old buildings which are empty much of the time. These buildings often become the abode of bad citizens, which is another bad thing for the town. For a few years past what has been known as the Burns gang has made Angus its headquarters. The towns for miles in all directions have been visited by burglars and thieves, who have committed many depredations, but no trace of them has been found until very recently. About the ist of April of the present year a burglary was committed in Madrid and Sheriff John Reed of Boone County got on their trail and found them located in a building at Angus. He arrested three of them and they are now in jail at Boone. One of these is thought to be the ring leader of the gang. They had in their pos- session a large number of articles of stolen goods.
To look over Angus in its present condition it is hard to believe that it ever had a population of 3,500 and supported two newspapers, but there is plenty of evidence to prove that such was the case. One of these newspapers was issued under the name of The Tenderfoot and edited by O. M. Brockett, now one of the leading lawyers of the City of Des Moines. During the editorship of Mr. Brockett the paper was changed to the Angus Times, which was a good change.
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BERKLEY
The third town to be laid out in Union Township was the Town of Berkley. It was laid out in 1883 and is situated on section 4, township 82, range 28, and on the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad. It is now claimed that Berkley has a population of 150. It has a postoffice, two stores, one implement store, a bank, a grain elevator, a blacksmith shop, one restaurant and a number of nice residences. There is one church of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, with regular services and a live Sunday school. There is one school building, with an enrollment of forty pupils.
The country around Berkley is nice and inviting, the soil is rich and good crops are produced every year. Much grain is also shipped from herc. Besides Peter Mower and L. W. Fisk, who have held ยท county offices, as already mentioned, A. L. Mace also held the office of county supervisor for two terms.
But few crimes have ever been committed in Union Township outside of the Town of Angus. The records of the county show but very little criminal procedure against the permanent settlers of Union Township.
The present officers of the township are: Trustees, R. G. White, R. P. Mower and Joseph Hager; clerk, Ira Johnson; justice of the peace, Robert Fuller ; constable, J. J. Moore.
The population of Union Township, according to the census of 1910, including the Town of Angus, was 904. Not including Angus, it was 656.
Vol. 1-22
CHAPTER XXXI
DES MOINES TOWNSHIP
In the original division of Boone County into the three townships of Pleasant, Boone and Boone River, it will be seen that the present Township of Des Moines was divided as follows: The south two- thirds was contained in Boone Township and the north one-third in Boone River Township. This division of the county continued until March 8, 1852, when Boone River Township disappeared from the county map and Dodge Township was established. In this division Dodge Township included the north tier of sections of the present Township of Des Moines. The next change in the townships took place in 1857, when Jackson Township was established and named, by which the east line of the present Township of Des Moines was established. This was a year before the township itself was established.
In January, 1858, S. B. McCall was again installed into the office of county judge. In March of that year he made many changes in the townships of the county, among which were the discontinu- ance of Boone Township, which had been on the map of the county about nine years, and the establishment of Des Moines Township in its stead. The boundaries given it at that time were almost the same as the present ones. Des Moines Township was named after Iowa's greatest river, which divides Boone County into nearly two equal halves.
Des Moines Township is bounded on the north by Dodge Town- ship, on the west by the Des Moines River, on the south by Worth Township, and on the east by Jackson Township. It contains about three sections more than a congressional township. One advantage which this township enjoys over any of the others is the fact that it contains the county seat.
The first settler in this township was John M. Crooks. He came in April, 1846, and located a claim in section 33, township 84, range 26. His claim is a part of what has long been known as the Michael
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Myers farm. The next year Montgomery McCall and his sons, S. B. and William McCall, Samuel H. Bowers and R. S. Clark located in the township.
At the time of the Indian raid on the Lott family at the mouth of Boone River, Henry Lott came down from the scene of the raid soliciting help to go to the rescue of his family. He made it appear that the Indians were coming south to murder the settlers and ad- vised them to prepare to defend themselves. Lott went further south to secure help and the few settlers at and near Pea's Point and vicinity gathered at the house of John M. Crooks, with their guns and ammunition, and made ready to give Si-dom-i-na-do-tah, the Sioux chief, and his band a warm reception should they come within the range of their rifles. Lott succeeded in getting about four white settlers, and Johnnie Green and twenty-six of his band, who were then camped at Elk Rapids, to go north with him to chastise the Sioux Indians. The next evening after the settlers had met at the house of John M. Crooks they saw Lott and his Indian confederates coming across the neck of prairie from Pea's Point, and not knowing there were any Indians camped south of them, they at once took them to be the Sioux Indians, who were coming to attack them. They took up their rifles and made ready to defend themselves till the last man should die. As they approached, one Indian made a dash upon his pony toward the house in advance of the others, and as he approached John M. Crooks raised his rifle to his shoulder and was in the act of firing when John Pea, his father-in-law, recognized Henry Lott among the Indians as they approached. This convinced the settlers that the Indians were of a friendly tribe and not the murderous Sioux. The expected battle was now over, but one inno- cent Indian came near losing his lite. This was the nearest to a battle between the settler and the Indians that ever occurred in the county.
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