USA > Iowa > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 8
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The Chicago & Northwestern railroad through Division Superintendent Head, is making arrangements to establish a stock-yard at Carroll. One or two dealers will ship hogs from that point this season.
The first load of new wheat arrived in Carroll July 16th and was bought by Cooke & Brooks.
August 23-At the late term of court E. H. Kimball, of Glidden, was admitted to practice law in the courts of Carroll county.
September 9-The peoples' convention convened at Carroll with Luke Reed as chairman and W. L. Culbertson as secretary. A committee on res- olutions was appointed consisting of Thomas Roderick, James Hobbs, Henry Stevens, P. H. Hawkins, J. H. Prettyman, H. Baumhoover, D. J. McDougal and L. A. Jennings. The convention nominated W. L. Culbertson for au- ditor ; J. C. Kelley, treasurer ; R. Reed, sheriff ; D. Wayne, coroner, and L. A. Jennings, superintendent of schools; W. F. Staiergerwalt, surveyor ; supervisor, O. J. Soper.
Resolutions were passed as follows : Resolved, That we believe the true policy of the county is, not to draw party lines, but to put men in office who will best serve the people. Resolved, That taxation should be reduced to the lowest possible amount to meet the necessary expenses of the county.
September 16-The republican convention convened at the court house and I. A. Beers called to the chair. The following delegates were present : Carroll township: J. B. Cooke, J. E. Griffith, Geo. Wetherill, W. A. Moore, Robert Stevens, E. R. Hastings; Glidden township: Sexton Dockstader, John Burley, Robt. Dixon, J. E. Merines, W. H. Drew, L. G. Bangs, W. E. Potter ; Jasper : I. A. Beers, T. A. Cochran, J. Strum ; Sheridan : L. Gee ; Newton : J. A. Sawvel, J. L. Grooves, T. Roderick, W. S. Winnett, S. L. Andrews, A. G. Leach; Roselle: S. W. King; Richland : Lambert.
The convention adopted resolutions as follows :
Whereas, The county affairs have in years gone been conducted in a manner to bring great discredit upon the county. Therefore, be it
Resolved, That we are in favor of a set of officers who shall be
First. Men who will advocate republican principles.
Second. Men who will be faithful in the discharge of their duties and who will see personally that the duties of the respective positions are con- ducted on a basis of judicious economy.
The ticket nominated was: Auditor, W. L. Culbertson ; treasurer, A. G. Leach; sheriff, H. C. Stevens ; superintendent, I. A. Beers ; surveyor, W. S. Winnett ; supervisor, Wm. H. Drew.
September 28-President Grant passed through Carroll on the ten o'clock express, enroute for Cedar Rapids, where he will take train for Dubuque. It had been noised about early in the evening that the distinguished official
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was to pass through and quite a crowd of men and boys assembled at the depot, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. In this they were not disappointed, as the president came out on the platform and was introduced to the crowd by a gentleman of his party. The president greeted all pleasantly, but re- fused to talk to a reporter who undertook to interview him. The train remained at the station ten minutes. Grant refused to respond to calls for a speech.
October 4-Rev. Mr. Synder has been reassigned to Carroll by the con- ference of his church. A new circuit has been formed for him with appoint- ments at Carroll, Glidden and the Gee and Higgins schoolhouses.
October 10-At the election of this date W. H. Price (Dem.) was elected treasurer, the republicans electing the following candidates: Auditor, W. L. Culbertson : sheriff, H. C. Stevens ; superintendent, 1. A. Beers ; surveyor, W. S. Winnett ; coroner. D. Wayne. W. H. Drew was re-elected supervisor. Of the four special propositions submitted to the voters two were carried and two were lost. The stock act (making all owners of stock permitted to run at large responsible for the damage caused by such animals) was carried. The proposition to increase the number of supervisors from three to five was carried. Prohibition and the proposition to levy an additional tax of two mills for county purposes were defeated.
October II-There has not been a day for the past week that prairie fires could not be seen burning in every direction. Last Wednesday night the fires came very close to town on three sides and it took great effort on the part of the population to resist it. The atmosphere was thick with smoke and it was impossible to see half way across the street. On Sunday the fires were still raging, driven by high winds. Three bridges between Carroll and west side were burned and trains delayed twenty hours. One of the bridges burned was one hundred feet in length. Over the county to the north the people fought fire all day and had hard work to save their prop- erty. Many losses are reported, the aggregate of which is considerable.
October 19-Dr. Smith and Miss Soule will have charge of the Carroll public schools for the coming six months.
October 25-At many towns not far from Carroll the railroads are troubled for want of water. Here the company obtains its water from the Coon river. A steam pump forces the water through three-inch pipes into both tanks at once and both can be filled at the rate of six inches per hour. The engine used has a history. It exploded once at Dixon, Ill., after which it was cut down for a switch engine and taken to Chicago, where it exploded again, killing several men.
November 22-At the last term of court Bowers & Culver of Glidden received a permit to run a saloon and sell intoxicating liquors. The petition was signed by nearly all of the leading citizens of the town.
M. W. Beach, of Glidden, had several cases in court which he handled with the ease and skill of a seasoned practitioner.
J. C. Kelley has taken a partner in the land and banking business in the person of W. T. Minchen of Lyons, Iowa.
December 31-Improvements in Carroll during the year 1871 : L. Kniest,
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two-story building, 26 frontage, 60 feet deep. Cooke & Brooks, one-story warehouse 50 x 100 for storage of implements ; Wetherill & Hoyt, two-story wagon shop ; D. Wayne, store building, south side of Fifth street ; Guthrie & Bowman, spacious land office, Main street; J. H. Colclo, addition to Carroll House. J. H. Underhill meat market; F. E. Dennett, addition to storeroom. New residences: Wm. Lynch, F. A. Warrick, Wm. J. Lundy, Benj. Mer- redith, W. A. Moore, J. C. Kelley.
1872.
January 25-A Good Templars' lodge was organized at Carroll, to be known as Carroll Lodge, No. 618, with the following officers elected and installed : W. C. T., Rev. Snyder ; W. V. T., Mrs. D. Wayne; W. R. Secre- tary, O. R. Gray : W. F. S., I. W. Collomore : W. T., Mrs. F. E. Dennett ; WV. C., H. C. Deinham; W. M., W. A. Moore; W. I. G., Mrs. Collomore ; S .W., N. E. Lewis. The purpose of the organization is to crush out the sale of intoxicating liquors in the town and county.
February 21-I. A. Cory is teaching a successful school at Coon Rapids. He has twenty-five advanced pupils under his charge. H. W. Kester is teaching the school just east of Coon Rapids, Jas. M. Gilbert, ex-member of the board of supervisors, is teaching at the Hupp schoolhouse.
A petition is in circulation requesting that the town of Carroll be set off as an independent school district.
February 20-At a meeting of the bar of the county at Carroll for the purpose of organizing a county bar association it was determined to delay the enterprise for a time because of the limited attendance and interest.
March 4-At the Carroll city election 107 votes were cast for mayor and distributed between three candidates, as follows: J. C. Kelley, 53; J. F. Tuttle, 40; H. I. Sutton, I. Kelley's majority, 13. D. Wayne was elected treasurer, and A. S. Curtis street commissioner. Councilmen, E. R. Hast- ings, Robt. Sweet, F. E. Dennett, E. H. Brooks, Wm. Gilley.
March 5-Died, Mrs. Sarah Blizzard, sister of Mrs. J. H. Colclo. The remains were taken to Carrollton for burial.
March 24-The newly constituted independent school district of Carroll held its first election and the following members of a board of education were chosen : J. B. Cooke, D. Wayne, F. E. Dennett, F. M. Cole, J. W. King and E. R. Hastings.
April 8-The case of Carroll county against Guthrie county, relating to the taxes levied by the former on the indemnity swamp lands belonging to the latter and situated in this county, has just been decided by the supreme court in favor of Guthrie county. It will be necessary for Carroll county to refund a considerable amount on account of this suit.
April 13-The officers of the district townships of Carroll and Arcadia met on the 13th inst. to adjust their financial affairs, the latter township having been recently divided off from the former. The fact that there was considerable indebtedness against the district township of Carroll makes this rather an important settlement. The representatives from Arcadia in-
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sisted, inasmuch as their township had never received any benefit from the money expended, and as the district composed of Arcadia had contributed largely to the general township fund, they should be discharged from paying toward cancelling the present indebtedness and offering, if this could be done, to waive any claim they might have to any property Carroll township might own. After considerable discussion, which was friendly at all times, the following settlement was made: Arcadia is to assume 17 per cent. of the indebtedness now existing and is to have a credit of 17 per cent. of the assets. No difficulty in making the settlement could have arisen if the af- fairs of Carroll township had always been honestly conducted, but when corrupt men involve a township in debt by paying $40,000 for a schoolhouse not worth more than $2,000 some one must suffer. The present judgment indebtedness is $21,000 with an offset of $17,000 due on delinquent judg- ment tax, which, if collected, would leave about $4,000. There are now claims outstanding to the amount of $20,000, but the probability is that nine- tenths of them are fraudulent.
April 16-A society has been organized in Union township and the southern part of the county for the suppression of lawlessness, the organi- zation of which has been the subject of severe criticism by persons who are probably unacquainted with its purposes or have reason to fear that it will interfere with certain doings in that section of the country. Law abid- ing citizens generally have joined the organization, which they have called the Home Protection society. The preamble of the society's constitution declares that, "Finding ourselves surrounded by a worthless and degraded portion of humanity, whose criminal acts are constantly annoying the community, therefore, the more effectually to resist such conditions we have banded ourselves together in a secret society and agree to pay an equal portion of the expenses incurred by the prosecution of any case originated by the organization."
April 17-Baseball season opened by a meeting at the office of H. E. Russell and the election of E. R. Hastings president, O. R. Gray secretary and W. L. Culbertson treasurer. Ethan Akin of New York, the owner of a large amount of Carroll county land. is here and may remain to look after his interests.
May 1-Geo. W. Paine, formerly of Brooklyn, N. Y., now of Carroll county, has arrived with the intention of becoming a citizen. Mr. Paine was a prominent New York lawyer and will practice his profession here. Mr. Paine has bought the residence of L. C. Bailey, on the corner of Fifth and Clark streets in Carroll, paying therefor $2,000.
May 18-Judgments and warrants aggregating $35.469.03. represented by F. M. Hubbel of Des Moines, were compromised by the board of supervisors for $16,000 and paid by county bonds of an equal amount to run ten years with interest at ten per cent. This reduces the debt of the county to $125,418.44. The outstanding claims against the county in suits and under injunction amount to $58.872.35.
June 26-Guthrie & Bowman, the Carroll real estate agents, are doing probably the largest land business in the state. The land sold by them is
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HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
taken by actual settlers only. During the last ninety days they have dis- posed of over fourteen thousand acres of land, besides a large number of town lots in several railroad towns of the vicinity. The average price of this land has been about $7.00 per acre, aggregating $98,000.00, and for the first payment on which Messrs. Guthrie & Bowman have received in cash, $25,649.00. Counting a family to every quarter section of land, ninety families or four hundred and fifty persons have located in our county within that time. If the firm keeps up its average of sales for the year it will have the satisfaction of having secured an addition to the population of the county of over 76 per cent of the census of 1870 and of having located over 1,500 people on its lands.
July 3-More or less excitement has been created in the county by parties passing through on their way to the Council Bluffs land office, in- tent on filing claims to homesteads on certain lands in Audubon and Shelby counties south of the limits of the Northwestern's twenty-mile grant. These lands are claimed by the Rock Island, but are claimed to be forfeited. About fifteen citizens of Carroll county have placed filings on these claims. There are 200,000 acres in the tract to which settlers are now rushing.
July 13-The crops promise unusual excellence. Farmers expect 18 to 25 bushels per acre from their wheat. A large amount of new breaking was done last year and nearly all of it was sown to wheat this season and the area of the crop is greater than ever before. The yield of other small grain promises to be good also. Nothing is now likely to prevent an enor- mous crop of corn.
July 20-Baseball between Arcadia and Carroll; score, Arcadia 7, Carroll 92; umpire, O. H. Manning. Batteries-Carroll, Hastings, Russell, Arcadia, Agnew, Lemoiner.
August 7-Baseball between Carroll and Glidden; score, Carroll 37. Glidden 12; umpire, L. C. Bangs. Batteries-Hastings, Russell, Locke, Hinman.
August 21-Return game-score, Carroll 33, Glidden 15; umpire, W. L. Culbertson ; same batteries.
August 21-I. N. Voris of Arcadia, has in cultivation, one hundred acres of forest trees. He receives an exemption of $100 worth of property for every acre of timber, and is thus excused from paying taxes on a valuation of $10,000. Farmers are taking readily to the idea of tree culture.
August 30-An excursion party composed of General Phil Sheridan and other gentlemen from New York and Chicago, arrived in Carroll, coming through from Chicago, without stopping, to this destination. The party traveled in good style and has two cars and a full corps of servants. One of the cars was a Pullman palace car. The party consisted of twelve, among whom were several distinguished persons. The most prominent was, of course, General Sheridan, who joined the party at Chicago. On Sunday evening a party of citizens called on General Sheridan and asked the privilege of holding a reception in his honor. He named Monday even- ing as a suitable time. The courtroom was decorated with flowers and
GLIDDEN HIGH SCHOOL
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HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
draped with flags, and when the general arrived the room was crowded to its utmost capacity. A condition of his presence was that there should be no speech making, but a gentleman of the party was introduced by Mayor Kelly, and he briefly thanked the people of Carroll for their courtesy, and the General shook hands with all in the audience. He is a short, stoutly built man whose features would not attract any special attention. The party was arranged by General Stager, superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph company. General Sheridan was attended by Lieut .- Col. Crosby of his staff, and another of the prominent guests of the party was Recorder Hackett, of the New York courts. While here the party attended strictly to the hunting of chickens and lived luxuriously in the cars.
September 14-The physicians of Calhoun, Crawford and Carroll coun- ties met in Carroll to form a permanent medical society. The following officers were elected : President, Dr. H. H. Hoagland, of Carroll ; vice presi- dent, Dr. F. C. Stewart, of Lake City; recording secretary, Dr. J. Oliver Stanton, of Denison ; corresponding secretary, Dr. Smith, of Carroll ; treas- urer, Dr. Iseminger, of Denison; on Medical Ethics, Dr. Hildebrand, of Carroll. Dr. McVay, of Lake City, was proposed as a member of the association.
September 18 The valuation of Carroll county property as returned by the township assessors is as follows: Jasper, $110,068; Sheridan, $92,- 658; Kniest, $190,464 ; Arcadia, $180,775 ; Carroll, $460,169; Carroll (city). $171,764; Glidden, $238,935; Richland, $101,645; Roselle, $184,042; New- ton, $131,716; Union, $102,656.
October 12-The republican county convention was presided over by J. E. Griffith as chairman and W. T. Minchen, secretary. An economy and retrenchment platform was adopted. The following candidates were nominated: Recorder, H. E. Russell; clerk, E. M. Betzer; supervisor, W. S. Winnett, O. J. Soper, Geo. W. Paine.
October 26-The democratic convention selected for its chairman F. D. Gifford; secretary, Frank Krause. No resolutions were indulged in. The candidates are: Recorder, A. E. Smith ; clerk, H. L. McMann ; super- visors, O. Horton, Daniel Cooper, D. Keffeler.
November 5-At the general election the republicans cast 411 votes for the state ticket; democrats, 192. The following county officials were chosen : Recorder, H. E. Russell ; clerk, E. M. Betzer ; supervisors, Oliver Horton, O. J. Soper.
December 3-The express company's safe was broken open and robbed of $478 at 3 o'clock in the afternoon while the agent, E. G. Holiday, was absent on business with the key to the safe in his pocket. The thief shortly afterward restored the money and was not prosecuted.
December 4-The Germans of Carroll have formed a society to assist one another in time of need. with officers as follows: President, Christ Burk; vice president, L. Kniest; secretary, Dr. L. Rick; treasurer, Wm. Arts; committee for relief, John Lemuel, Rudolph Sommermyer. The society meets monthly.
Vol. 1-5
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HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
December 27-Geo. N. Young, of Carrollton, was found in his room at a hotel in Pomeroy, Calhoun county, dead; death having probably been caused by apoplexy. He left home the day before he died with $1,000 in his pocket with which he intended to buy cattle. The money was fully returned to his family. Young was a son of Thos. N. Young, postmaster at Carrollton, and had a family of a wife and two children.
1873.
January 13-Carroll County Teachers' institute in session with an at- tendance of forty-five.
January 18-The weather for ten days ranged from 12 to 18 degrees below zero, reaching the low mark of 27 below.
January 29-A special election for representative in the legislature in the district (composed of Carroll, Cherokee, Sac and Buena Vista coun- ties) results in the election of Edward R. Duffie, of Sac county (413 votes), over O. H. Manning, of Carroll county (398 votes).
February 26-O. H. Manning sells his interest in The Carroll Herald to E. R. Hastings and O. R. Gray.
March 5-The city election was spirited, J. F. Tuttle being elected mayor over Fred M. Cole. Number of votes cast, 113. Wm. Lynch, Jr., was elected recorder, W. O. Sturgeon treasurer, W. B. Crabbs marshal, and C. H. Dunham assessor. Councilmen-John W. King, Wm. Gilley, L. A. Lewis, C. L. Bailey, J. L. Berger.
March 12-E. R. Hastings has been appointed postmaster to succeed W. R. King, and the postoffice removed to the building known as the Herald building. The new quarters are an improvement over what they were, the office being fitted with boxes, lock boxes, drawers, etc., and it is much more convenient for the public. There is among a few some oppo- sition to the appointment of Mr. Hastings. This in nearly every instance is due to friendly interest in his predecessor or through a mistaken idea that he desired the position to the development of a real estate business.
March 19-The Presbyterians at Glidden are organizing themselves to build a church and a subscription paper has been started and is being circulated by P. H. Hankin, chairman of the board of trustees. Good suc- cess has attended the movement so far.
J. J. Wieland is the most recent acquisition to the mercantile circle of Carroll. He comes from the eastern part of the state. Mr. Wieland is now in Chicago buying goods for a new store which he will soon open.
March 26-William Barron, a young actor thirty-five years of age, whose home was in Boston, died at this place of tuberculosis. During his previous career he filled responsible positions in eastern theatres and was regarded as a young man of much prominence, playing with Booth in Horatio and Hamlet. After a severe cold he lost his voice, came West and during the several months of his stay in Carroll formed a wide ac- quaintance and many friends.
April 9-The farmers of Roselle township have organized themselves
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HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
into an order to co-operate with each other in the matter of their farming interests. They have elected J. Todd president, J. James vice-president, and S. C. Quint secretary and treasurer. The club is a very interesting and profitable institution and meets at the only schoolhouse in the town- ship once a week to discuss farm topics.
April 17-The Grange movement has been making progress in Carroll county for some months and several lodges have been successfully launched. It is a farmers' secret society and is suspected of having political tenden- cies, though members are admitted freely from all parties, and the organ- izers declare the order has no such object but rather that its purpose is to facilitate various plans of co-operation among farmers. The lodges thus far formed and their principal officers are : Glidden Grange, L. Mereness, master; J. A. Culbertson, secretary; Carrollton Grange, Oliver Horton, master; W. A. Young, secretary; Liberty Grange, F. J. Beers, master ; M. Kimball, secretary; North Coon Grange, Daniel Cooper, master; F. A. Cochran. secretary.
A tax having been levied for the purpose, the board of supervisors will order the erection of several bridges in the county during the coming sum- mer. There are many places where bridges are needed. It has occurred in several instances that the county has furnished the lumber and the offi- cers of the township have furnished the labor.
April 20-The report of the Iowa Railroad Land company for the year ending March 31, 1873, shows the number of acres of Carroll county land sold in the year then at an end to have been 32,577. The nearest approach to this figure of any of the counties in this vicinity is reached by Craw- ford county. However, the sales are over 8,000 acres less there than in this county. What is more remarkable in this land showing is the fact that the sales in Carroll county were all made by one firm, while in Crawford the company has agents at Vail, Denison and West Side, besides a salesman on salary. The rapid settlement of the county is a matter of congratula- tion upon all of its present inhabitants. From present appearances the county will have a population of; 5,000 by the first of next year. Most all of the recent arrivals are Germans, most of whom have lived in this country for years and are acquainted with our language and customs. Their principal settlements are in Kniest and Wheatland townships, with quite a number in Sheridan, Carroll and Roselle.
June 5-Married, on Thursday, June 5, at the residence of the bride's father in Carroll, Iowa, by Rev. J. M. Phillips, Mr. W. L. Culbertson, auditor of Carroll county, to Miss Ruth Johnson. The bride and groom left for an extended trip to St. Paul, Chicago, Davenport and other places.
June 7-In response to a call issued by O. H. Manning for a meeting of citizens at Carroll to organize a county agricultural society a well at- tended meeting at the court house on the 7th inst. arrived at a plan of permanent organization. The board of directors as chosen is as follows: W. S. Winnett, J. M. Boyce, W. F. Steigerwalt, J. A. Coppock, A. Gee, J. W. English, L. G. Bangs, Alex McArthur, P. H. Hankins, D. Wayne, W. H. Rue, T. L. Bowman, W. E. Potter, H. C. Stevens, E. M. Betzer,
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HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY
and O. H. Manning. The following officers were then chosen by the board of directors: President, L. G. Bangs; vice-president, D. Wayne; secretary, T. L. Bowman; treasurer, O. H. Manning. Later T. L. Bow- man, secretary, purchased for the society forty acres for fair grounds of the Iowa Railroad Land company and on which he made the first pay- ment. The land is just one mile east of the depot on the south side of the track. The location is a very choice one. Over two thousand shares have been subscribed on the stock of the society and the first payment made.
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