USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard Counties, Iowa > Part 34
USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard Counties, Iowa > Part 34
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However, from some canse or other, in September of that year, a command was issued from the office of Judge Upton, and countersigned by Edmund Gillett, as clerk, ordering "that the records of Howard county be removed from Vernon Springs, in said county, to Howard Center, and that the courts of said county be hereafter holden at said Howard Center, until otherwise ordered."
This order was obeyed during that fall, and all the records, and other paraphernalia of the county officers, generally, was removed to that place. Here, however, it rested but for a short while, and then set out once more on its travels, reminding one of the peripatetic government of the so-called confederacy of later years.
When the early frosts of winter had tinged the groves, at New Oregon, with their many-hued garments, and the farmer rested from his harvest labors, the dissatisfaction at the removal of the government again cropped out, and the community was torn by the internecine feud-again the question was agitated with all the warmth that such things always engender. Neighborhood was set against neighborhood, and peace seemed to flee the land.
To calm the troubled waters the county judge appointed M. V. Burdick, G. N. Holbrook, and George Bronson a committee to relocate the county seat at such point as seemed, in their opinion, best calculated to please the greatest majority.
After some investigation in the center of the county these gentle- men came to Vernon Springs and New Oregon, then two rising and rival villages, near "Oregon Grove." Here they were, of course,
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assailed with the volunteered information that both of these places being the center of population, and the largest settlements in the county, should of right be the home of the county govern- . ment. As might be expected, each hamlet upheld its own banner and talked for itself.
The citizens of New Oregon, finally, procured a vehicle to convey the commissioners through the surrounding country to demon- state to them the truth of their assertion, that their town was the center of population, if not that of the geographical county, it being well known that the western part of the county was sparsely settled. The gentlemen were placed in charge of W. R. Mead, then a young lawyer, newly arrived, to show them the vicinity. Through ignorance, on which, perhaps, was counted, or through calculation, they were driven eastward, crossing into Winnesheik county, were shown the thriving farms and settlements of that part of the country, as if it was a part of Howard. This seemed to satisfy the commission, who never dreamed that all this people did not reside in Howard county, and they returned to New Oregon, determined to locate the county seat there, but were met by the delegation from Vernon Springs, who advocated their claim.
These two, between them perplexed the commission, and after a hard wrangle with each, agreed among themselves as to what was best to do. A subscription having been started to build a court house, it was proposed to the two towns that, as both could not have it, and for peace sake, it would not do to give it to either, that they (the commission), would locate the said county seat at a place known as Pike's Peak, a bluff equi-distant from both, on the main road leading from one to the other, provided the said sub- scription should be applied to the building of a court house.
These terms were accepted, and the place designated was made the seat of government.
The court house was built in February, 1859, at this point, by the subscriptions raised by the citizens of both towns, and once more "peace spread her pinions o'er the land."
Thus things remained, until in 1865 it was found that, as the
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
building was built of bass wood the elements and the years had worked their will with it until it was unsightly aud unsafe.
We find recorded that at the session of the board of supervisors, in September, 1865, the following resolution was passed:
"Whereas, The building now occupied by the county officers of Howard county has become so dilapidated by age, as to render it unfit for office purposes, and an unsafe repository for the records of said county;" the resolution going on to state that the county had been tendered the use of a building, owned by L. L. Halstead, and located in the village of Vernon Springs.
The building was built of stone and was in every way fitted for the use of the county, and the board resolved to remove the records and fixtures, together with the county officers, to the building and town aforesaid-that to be considered the county seat and court house. The board met at Vernon Springs for the October session, but owing to the opposition of the New Oregon people, the offices were not removed thither. At this session the offer of Vernon Springs was renewed, but was met by the counter offer of New Oregon, who agreed to build a brick court house, and give the use of it free to the county. Neither of these propositions were accepted, however, by the board, and the offices still remained at "the bluff."
In January, 1867, however, a new rival for the county seat ap- peared upon the scene, in the shape of the now growing railroad town of Cresco; the rapid rise and progress of which was casting into dim shade all the other towns, and whose pretence of claim for the county seat was warranted by the fact that it then con- tained nearly one-sixth of the population of the entire county.
At the session of the board of supervisors, held during this month, an intimation was given the board that Cresco aspired to the honor of the county government, and in a few days a petition was presented, in which was prayed, that the honorable board would transfer the offices of the county to their town, and making a proposition to erect for the accommodation of the same a build- ing of brick and in every way suitable for the purpose intended.
The board taking the matter under advisement, accepted an in- vitation to view the proposed site of the court house, in Cresco,
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
and from the best reports handed down by tradition, the county fathers evidently had a good time and possibly "saw" the matter in its greatest extent.
However, be that as it may, it was hastily resolved by them to accept the offer, and the following was placed upon the records:
"Resolved, By the board of supervisors of Howard county, that the proposition of Messrs. Beadle and others to build a court house and furnish it, free of any expense, to the county, and also to provide a hall for the meetings of the board, and for court purposes, be and is hereby accepted; the sheriff is directed to remove the records, etc., at the time contemplated, viz: On or before June 1, 1867.
At the June session, again, the board directed the county officers "to remove their offices to the building now being con- structed by the Howard county court house association in the village of Cresco, whenever the committee shall decide to accept it as a safe and suitable place for the same."
This was accordingly done. But, by a legal fiction, the old court house, on the bluff, was still regarded as the county seat, only the offices and records being moved to Cresco for safety and convenience.
At the September session of the board of supervisors, 1876, the following appears upon the minutes:
"There was presented a petition to relocate the county seat at Cresco."
The board, therefore, issued the following proclamation:
"To the legal voters of Howard county, Iowa:
You are hereby notified, that at the regular session of the board" of supervisors of the county of Howard, Iowa, held at the court house in the said county, commencing on the first day of Sep- tember, 1876, a petition of over one thousand of the qualified electors of said county, was presented to the said board of super- visors, asking that the said board order that at the next general election, to be held in said county, on November 7, 1876, a vote be taken in said county by the qualified electors thereof, upon the question of relocating the county seat of said county, which said
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
petition designates Cresco, in said county, as the point at which said petitioners desire to have the said county seat relocated, and it appearing to the said board that due notice of the presentation of such petition to the board of supervisors had been given by three insertions in the Iowa Plaindealer, a weekly newspaper, published in said county, the last of which was more than sixty days before the said September meeting of the said board of supervisors, and it appearing to the board of supervisors by the affidavits accompanying the said petition, that the signers thereof were all legal and their signatures genuine, and that at least one- half the legal voters of said county, as shown by the last preceed- ing census, had signed said petition, it was therefore ordered by the said board of supervisors that at the next general election to be held in said county, on November 7, 1876, the question of re- locating the county seat of said county be submitted to the quali- fied electors of said county, and that said vote be taken, between Cresco, in said county, and the present existing county seat, and that the form of the ballot thereof be as follows:
For the county seat at Cresco; For the county seat at the place designated by the commissioners in 1858, about half way between the villages of New Oregon and Vernon Springs; of all which you will take due notice, and govern yourselves accordingly."
THOS. GRIFFIN, JAMES OAKLEY, A. G. HUBBARD.
Supervisors.
"On looking up the election returns of November 7, 1876, it will be found that, notwithstanding one thousand voters signed the petition, some no doubt changing their minds, the vote stood: 800 in favor of relocating it at Cresco, and 969 against it, or rather in favor of retaining it where it was, in no man's land, off on the · dreary bluff in a tumble down, dilapidated structure, once known : as the court house.
Men now asked themselves the question of what was to be done, and many plans were canvassed, but nothing came of it, until after the burning of the court house at Cresco, and the re-erection of it it was a mooted question. Then was carried into effect the. most feasible plan, viz: The lines of the. incorporated town of
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
Cresco, on the southern boundary, were extended so as to include the old bluff, whose crown lifted heavenward, was the recognized seat of government. When this was done, by vote of the board the court house was legally moved to the court house square, and the present beautiful and commodious building was erected. So ended the county seat question, for the time, at least.
Less acrimony was developed in the conflict of later years than is usual in such cases. The present officers (1883), are: John E. Peck, auditor; Charles I. White, treasurer; Carl K. Berg, recorder; Wm. Theophilus, clerk; J. J. Lowry, sheriff; Fred. C. Clark, county superintendent, all of whom may be found at their offices in the above building. The present members of the board of supervisors are: Charles Keefe, A. G. Hubbard, and James Oakley.
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
CHAPTER V.
RAILROADS, THEIR INCEPTION AND COMPLETION; JOURNALISM IN HOWARD COUNTY; EARLY NEWSPAPERS, AND EARLY ADVER- TISERS.
RAILROAD.
The various attempts and projects of earlier days to change the the roads of mud to that of iron, may be but briefly outlined in this chapter.
The Iowa and Minnesota division of that monster corporation, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, that now crosses the county, is simply an out growth of the McGregor Western railroad.
The first account, we find of any attempt to procure a railroad is on record, and in the form of a
PROCLAMATION.
STATE OF IOWA, COUNTY OF HOWARD. SS.
In pursuance of the code of Iowa, and at the request of a por- tion of the people, of said county, an election is hereby ordered to be held in the several townships in said county of Howard, on the third day of August, A. D. 1857, at the places where the last April elections were held, to vote upon the question, whether the said coun-
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
ty of Howard, shall take $150.000 of the stock of the Northwestern railroad company and issue bonds in payment therefore, bearing interest at the rate of ten per cent. per annum; the principal sum to be paid in twenty years; and that a tax be levied upon the tax- able property of said county, for the payment of interest and principal.
The said railroad company to pay the interest on said bonds, until said road is in operation' to the east line of said county of Howard; bonds to be issued when said road shall be in operation to Decorah, Winnesheik county, and permanently located to the west line of Howard county.
The form of the vote shall be, "for the railroad stock" "against the railroad stock."
Every affirmative vote shall be considered for the proposition entire.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said county, this first day of July, A. D. 1857.
JAMES G. UPTON, County Judge.
[SEAL. ]
It would seem, from the absence of anything in the records, that this scheme was a flash in the pan, that nothing came of it, as the Northwestern railroad company never came in the direction indi- cated. The matter was dropped until 1863.
It was at the September session, of the board of supervisors, of the county, that it was proposed to submit to the legal electors of the county, a proposition to donate all the lands in the county known as "swamp lands," to aid in the construction and equipment of the McGregor Western railroad, on the condition, that the before mentioned railroad build a road from North McGregor westward, to intersect the county of Howard, from east to west.
This was ordered to be voted on by the people of the county at the next general election, and the clerk of the board instructed to make proclamation in accordance therewith.
Accordingly at the election, held October 10, 1865, the question being placed before the qualified electors of the county, for their approval or rejection, the donation was ratified by the people by some means which is gathered by subsequent proceedings as the election returns show upon their face that they rejected it by a vote of 390 to 141,but some error must be in the record, as after develop-
**
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
ments show that the swamp lands were donated by the board about this time. The loosely kept minutes of these early times, causes considerable confusion, and leaves much matter to be gathered from the context.
At the Oct., session, we find that the board passed a resolution, that the question of extending the time, in which the McGregor Western railroad contract to build their road, through Howard county, be submitted to the people the railroad company not being able to fulfill the said contract, in regard to point of time, and also on the question of giving the same railroad the benefit of all the swamp lands within the borders of the county.
In October of the same year, an election being holden for the purpose, the vote stood, "for extending time to the McGregor Western railroad" 212, against such extension 20 votes.
On the question of giving the said railroad the entire benefit of the swamp lands 149 were in favor and, 70 against the measure.
It was during the year, 1866, that the McGregor Western, first crossed the county line, entering on section twenty-three in Vernon Springs township, and instead of fulfilling their engagements, with the people of the county, and intersecting the entire county from the east to west, turned their line northwest passed out of the limits of the county, after running along, for a short distance on the northern boundary, at section ten in the township of Oakdale. The number of miles of track, within the bounds of the county is, as was then built twenty-four and thirty-four one hundredths (24.34) divided as follows:
Vernon Springs township, including the town of Cresco, 8.49 miles; Howard Centre township, .25; Forest City township, 6.40; Chester township, 6.40; Oakdale township, 2.84.
This non-fulfillment of their contract by the railroad, seems to have been a fruitful source of trouble, the officers and people of the county, justly finding fault because the road did not intersect the entire county, which was part of the contract, entered into by the railroad company.
It seems that the action of the county, in donating these swamp lands to the railroad was not entirely legal, and the railroad com- pany, in 1868, went to the legislature of the state asking them to legalize the action.
But at a meeting of the board of supervisors, held February 3d,
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
.1868, a resolution was passed and a petition drawn up in accor- "dance therewith, praying the legislature, not to pass the bill, then before them, legalizing the act of a previous board of supervisors, in conveying to the McGregor Western railroad, all the swamp lands · of the county, on the plea, that the said railroad had failed to carry out the provisions of the orginal contract, entered into with the people of the county.
Suit was entered into against the railroad, for a recovery of the lands and breach of contract pleaded as the cause, but in July, 1869, the matter was adjusted and the suits withdrawn and the lands left in possession of the company, the railroad agreeing to locate a station at the town of Chester, which condition was accordingly carried out and Chester became a depot of the rail- road.
The line passed into the possession of its present owners, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad company, shortly after the settlement of the above question, and still is owned aud oper- ated by them. ...
There are four stations within the limits of Howard county, viz: Cresco, Bonair, Lime Spring and Chester.
Two additional railroads are on the tapis and possibly may be built in the future, one ascending Crane Creek, and passing through the county, nearly in the centre from south to north; the · other on the natural grade of the "Wapsie" in the western part of the county in nearly the same direction.
These roads are as vet in the womb of time, but the general impression prevails, that one or both may be built, and that right speedily. This would be a considerable help to the county giving, them more direct communication with market, and induce the settlement of the waste places of the county.
JOURNALISM
The Anglo-Saxon, where ever he goes seems instinctively to plant, almost the first thing, those mighty engines of civilization, that hand-in-hand go down the mighty corridor of time, with resound- ing steps-the school and the press. No better index as to the state of society-or the thrift of a community can be found, than in the press it supports. Look at the question, and decide the . matter which way you will, whether the press is the power behind
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
the throne, or simply the mirror of public thought-whether it is the leader or follower of opinions of the community, it must be conceded that the newspaper does not spontaneously arise in, nor thrive on virgin soil, but flourishes in a cultivated garden.
The press of Howard county is not in this respect one whit behind the other counties or in the standard that betrays the cul- tnre of the inhabitants.
The birth of the first newspaper, in Howard county, was an event, remembered by all the pioneers. Its initial issue was dated February 18, 1858 and was called the "Howard County Sentinel" and was publshed at New Oregon. The proprietorship was vested in the Howard county printing association, of which S. M. Oole was president; D. D. Sabin, vice president; M. M. Moon, treasurer; W. R. Mead, secretary; and James G. Upton, J. F. Mitchell, J.S. Lawver, E. W. Allen, George W. Schofield, C. M.Munson, and J. J. Clemmer, were directors. The editor was J. Howard Field, one of the bright luminaries of the journalistic corps, and who was more recently, and perhaps is now, connected with the staff of the "Chi- cago Journal" in an editorial capacity. This paper was neutral and independent in politics and religion and was a seven column folio and presented a very creditable appearance, both in the editorial and mechanical departments.
The fortunes of this paper were destroyed, with the office, by fire, during the year 1859 whereupon the association dissolved and did not attempt its resusitation.
The second paper was ephemeral in its duration, expiring of inanition within a year. It was a rival of the above named Senti- nel and was established in 1858. The name was the "North Iowa Gazette' and the first issue is dated from Vernon Springs, March 26,1 and was also a seven column paper, owned by Harrison and Peck and was democratic in politics.
Immediately upon the burning of the office of the Sentinel and the dissolution of the association, H. Lick and W. R. Mead adven- tured their bark upon the stormy seas of pioneer journalism, in the form of the "New Oregon Plaindealer", the former as publisher and the latter as editor. Shortly after its inception F. J. Mead became possessed of the interest of Mr. Lick and the paper was then issued under the firm name of W. R. and F. J. Mead under which head it continues at Cresco to this day. It was a straight
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
democrat sheet until quite lately, it having for some time advo cated greenback sentiments. This paper was continued success- fully until in May 26, 1867, when it was transferred to the town of Cresoo.
It has a circulation of about a thousand and is well conducted. It has also in connection with the newspaper office, a good job de- partment, and enjoys a liberal share of the public patronage. W. R. Mead still fills the editorial chair and is the terror of evil-doers for his pen knows no mercy to the criminal against society and law.
Among the advertisers in the first issues of the Plaindealer in 1867, on its location at Cresco we find, the Empire house; B. Isaacs, manufacturer of wagons, buggies, etc .; Mrs. Knowles, mil- linery and dressmaking; Mrs. J. T. Donahue, millinery and fancy goods; Bones & White, dry goods; J. J. Clemmer, drugs; B. Cha- pin, Hardware and stoves. W. H. Alleman, boots and shoes; D. Bean, harness; Mrs. F. H. Jewett, photographer; T. Miller, har- ness. G. A. Purdy, stoves; Perry & Conklin, agricultural machin- ery; E. B. Sloan, merchant tailor; Burdick & Clouse, general mer chandise; Price and Lowry, drugs; Parnell and Myers,'blacksmiths. N. H. Knowles, M. D., and J. J. Clemmer, M. D., are also repre- sented among the advertisers with Strother and Kirkpatrick, gene- ral merchandise.
W. R. Mead, the editor, one of the representative men of the jour- nalistic fraternity in this section, came to the state of Iowa, in 1854, and employed his time on the "Daily Northwest," then a paper published at Dubuque, by General Geo. W. Jones; he came to Howard county in 1857, intending to resume the practice of law, for which he had been educated, but journalism claimed him for her own and the fates so willed it,
The following, in regard to the press used in printing the New Oregon Plaindealer, is of historical value, as it is related by W. R. Meade, one of the owners of that paper, and is clipped from a late issue of the journal he so ably edits.
"The identical press that Lovejoy had at Alton, Ill., and which was thrown into the Mississippi at the time Lovejoy was killed by a mob, is said to be printing the Belmond, (Iowa), Herald. The editor will ship the press to the Illinois Historical society if they
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HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY.
will ship him in return a new improved power press. Fair enough. -[Austin Transcript.
The press mentioned is the one used in this office when the . Plain Dealer was established twenty-four years ago; was shipped by steamboat from the scene of its years of submersion, direct to McGregor; was used by us until our enlargement in 1869, when it was sold to G. E. Frost, of Clear Lake, and we understand was transferred by him to its present ownership. It is a press unlike in its construction, any other that we ever saw. In size it is for a six column paper, though we made a seven column paper by re- ducing the columns to narrow width. In Illinois the democrats threw it into the Mississippi, because it advocated abolitionism; in Iowa the abolitionists threatened to throw it into the Turkey river because it advocated democracy through the Plain Dealer."
In 1858, George W. Haislet, who in later years carried on the Decorah Radical, but now numbered with the dead, established a six column folio paper at Howard Center, called the "Northern Light". This journal was of but one years growth, when it met its demise. From a perusal of its issues we find that Royal O. Thayer, kept a livery stable and John W. Walters, was a carpenter and builder at that place.
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