USA > Iowa > Clay County > History of Clay County, Iowa, from its earliest settlement to 1909 > Part 10
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INDIAN VISITS.
"There was a tribe of Indians went through our little settlement in the carly fall, who were on their way to Omaha to visit other tribes. They were very peaceful when they went down. They came in the fall of 1858. and returned February 16th and visited all the houses in the settlement. When they came to our house I went to the door, and when I opened the door our dog ran out and the Indian shot him; then he aimed his gun at me and I laughed at him. The chief of the tribe was standing by him and he touched the young fellow on the arm, when he put down the gun and wanted to be friendly with us. Then
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the Indians came in and ate their dinner at our house and seemed to be all right. We cooked a kettle of meat for them and one of them went into the pantry and got a jug of molasses and poured it into the kettle and they ate all of this. Then they left our house and went up to Mead's, and my younger brother followed them, to see what they were going to do there. They had pitched their tents a little way from Mead's house. As soon as they saw us they came up and spoke to 11s and tried to make friends. My younger brother wrestled with several of the young boys and he succeeded in throwing them all. They called him brave paleface and they all laughed and clapped their hands at the sport. Of course they were his best friends from that time on. This was the next day after they had been to our house. When we went into the house we found out that they had taken the women out to their tents and kept them out all night the night before, and they came and took them again. I told them no; but I was not armed and there were sixty-three of them and they were mostly all of them armed. They took Mrs. Taylor, a settler's wife; Miss Harriet Mead. about twenty years of age, and Emma Mead, twelve years old. Mr. Mead was gone all winter and his two boys, Frank and Harrison, were left to do the chores, Harrison had accidentally shot his limb a few days before, and so I went up to help do the chores for them.
"After a while three Indians came to the door of the house and said that the white people were killing the Indians down in their camp, and that was the cause of all the noise. I said no, because there were no other white people around. Then one of the Indians led me outdoors and held a tomahawk over my head, and one Indian stood on one side of me with a bowie knife and one on the other side of me with a tomahawk. I had nothing to protect myself with. I told them no again, and they laughed at me and let me go. All they did this for was to see if there were any other white men in the house. I had a good gun in the house and they stole this and all they could find that they wanted. They had taken it once before and I gave them $2.50 and bought it back from them. My brother did not have a gun, and one of the boys that he had thrown when they were wrestling took a liking to him and gave Jake a rifle. If an Indian sees a white man running away with a gun he will take after him and try to kill him. So this young Indian went nearly home with my brother and then told him to hurry and not let any Indian see him with the rifle. Jake kept this rifle a good many years and always prized it highly.
"The Indians stayed at Mead's for three or four days. Mead had about twenty good ponies, and they said they belonged to the Indians and so they took the ponies when they went away. We had two good horses and one of them they killed and the other they cut in the hip to see if it was fat. And of course we had to kill it also. They also shot and killed one cow. Then they all left Mead's with the ponies and nearly all the provisions they could find, and went up to Linn Grove, where they killed all the horses and cattle that Frink had, and then they went on to Sioux Rapids to Weaver's .. When they got here about three or four of them went ahead to spy out and see what there was that they could steal from the settlers. They took a large supply of provisions from the Weavers and did other damage to their homes.
"Once in the early fall the Indians stole all the horses we had and a very
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fine span of young horses belonging to Charles Smeltzer. Of course we were very busy and wanted to use our horses in the fields the next day. So, early in the morning, we started out to look-for them and we found a partially eaten ear of corn and some buckskin strings. Toward evening a heavy thunder storm came up and the horses all came home on the run but Smeltzer's nice team. He never got his good team back. Another time they stole every horse we had and took them up to Mankato, Minnesota. We heard through an Indian agent that they were there. So my brother Jake went up after them, and my other brother, Phil, went with him. They got the horses, and the Indian agent told them that the Indians were on the warpath and for them to get home as soon as they possibly could. One of my horses was lame. so they sold it in order to get home quicker.
"Another time I was gone to Sac City for a time and when I returned I went out to hunt for a cow and a young calf of mine. I never found the calf but found the cow a few miles away, where the Indians had killed her and took the best of the meat and left the remains. I hunted around and tried to find some further traces of the Indians, but could not.
"I had one horse that was always afraid of the Indians and it would always start the others for home when the Indians came near. These things happened in the years 1862 and 1863.
"One time while the soldiers were in camp at the old fort, two of them went to Sioux Rapids to do some trading ; on their return, they were coming along past the place where the Alliance farm is now located, when their horses suddenly took fright. They heard several shots fired at them. The soldiers had nothing but their rifles and they had used up nearly all their ammunition, but nevertheless they took after the Indians. Mr. Whitlock, one of the soldiers, caught one of the Indians right back of the old barns. Of course by this time, he had nothing left to fight with but an empty gun. One of the Indians knocked him down and would have killed him if the other soldier had not ridden up just at this time. He helped Mr. Whitlock on to his horse and they hurried to the old fort, where they got more soldiers and hurried after the Indians, but they could not find them again.'
AN EARLY INCIDENT.
MIr. Gillett, one of the carly settlers of the county, for whom Gillett's Grove bears its name, visited friends in this county and the scene of his former home. During his visit he related an event which the hitherto had never made public. Mr. Gillett was quite aged and in a few years his race was almost run, and, as he said, "it was useless to keep it a secret any longer, as the participants had passed over the silent river of death. The story is substantially as follows: He, with his brother, came to Clay county in the fall of 1856, and located at what is, known as Gillett's Grove, which is a beautiful spot, filled with growing trees and through which courses the Little Sioux river. After deciding upon their location, they agreed to divide the grove equally, and one take the north and the other the south part. This being settled, they at once set to work and in a short time had constructed neat log houses and prepared themselves for winter. Being amply supplied with firewood and their log houses being built not alone with a view to convenience, but as well for warmth, they had no fears of suffering from the
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storms or intense cold weather, which were notable at that time in this section. The only fears they entertained were from the Indians. But at that time the Indians did not make frequent visits to this particular section, for the reason that there was but little game, poor fishing and no settlements. The newly acquired property holders therefore felt themselves safe and comfortable from any intru- sions of the wild savages, whose treachery they so much feared. Everything passed along quietly for several months, until one day a tribe, under Chief Ink-pa-du- tah, came and set up their tepees on the banks of Lost Island lake. The settlers, upon learning of their arrival and location, feared that the Indians would discover the location of their houses and visit them. Their fears were well founded, for in a few days several of the red skins paid them a visit. The white settlers treated them kindly and gave them provisions and they left for their camping grounds, expressing their friendship and thanks for the food given them. In a few days another lot of them came, headed by a stalwart brave, who had been with the others a few days before. After saying their "How," they were sup- plied by the whites and returned to the lake. During both visits it was notice- able that one of them-the one who led the second group-had his eyes fixed constantly in admiration upon Mrs. Gillett. Wherever she went, and whenever she moved, the Indian's eyes were upon her. In a few days he returned, this time alone. He was given a seat and provided with a meal. He went away, but two or three days later he came, and although saying nothing, his looks indicated his admiration for Mrs. Gillett. His visits grew so constant and frequent that they became annoying, not only to Mrs. Gillett, but the two families. He was constantly prowling around and appearing before them at the most unexpected moments, until he became a great nuisance. He was given to understand that his visits were not desired, but to these reminders he paid not the least attention. He was always fed and well treated, for the reason that the settlers did not wish to give any offense to the tribe, or incur their enmity. But becoming emboldened by the kind treatment that had been exended to him, he came one day in the absence of Mr. Gillett and, mastering all the English language he possessed, he made certain propositions to Mrs. Gillett, which she indignantly rejected and warned him to leave. He left the home in a short time, but had not gone a great distance, when Mr. Gillett returned home. His wife immediately informed him of what the Indian had proposed. The husband took down his rifle, and learning the direction the Indian had taken, set out after him. After a few minutes' walk he caught sight of him and drew up his rifle and fired. He did not wait to ascertain the result of the shot but returned to his log cabin and ate his supper. In the morning, in company with his brother. he visited the spot and there found a dead Indian. The brothers, after severing the head from the body-which they subsequently sent to an eastern college- placed it in a hollow tree. They at once packed up their belongings and started for Fort Dodge, knowing full well that the Indians would discover the absence of the young buck, knowing his fondness for Mrs. Gillett, would come there in search of him and finding no trace of him would suspect that they had killed him and would avenge themselves upon the white settlers. They therefore deemed it prudent to make their escape before the arrival of the searching party, which they did. Subsequently, they learned that the Indians did come,
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and not finding him, set fire to the buildings and destroyed everything about the late homes of the Gillett's. In a short time they visited Okoboji lakes and their barbarous, inhuman treatment and cruelty, are matters of history.
RECOLLECTIONS OF A PIONEER.
Samuel Gillespie came to Peterson, Iowa, which was the county seat of Clay county at that time, in 1871. He came from California. The town of Peterson contained only three or four families. The county courthouse was there and the county officers formed the most part of the population. The courthouse was a small one-story building, consisting of three rooms, and the offices were doubled up into these three rooms and court was also held in them. Samuel Gonser was county auditor; Samuel Dubois, treasurer; J. G. Dodd, recorder ; Joseph Crozier was clerk of the court, but Mr. Gonser was deputy, and did most of the business for him. Judge J. Snyder was from Humboldt county. The county had three supervisors at that time: J. J. Davis, J. C. Taber and J. F. Calkins. Charles Carner was county superintendent.
The town of Peterson was the only town in Clay county at that time and the people came from a long distance to do their trading there. The village had a grist mill and a blacksmith shop. J. A. Kirchner run the grist mill and had a fair patronage, owing to the large scope of country surrounding. The blacksmith shop was conducted by William Brown. There were two small general stores; one conducted by Thomas Bevin and the other by Robert Roberts, deceased. There were two or three residences and a small hotel. Mr. Gonser was an attorney and there was a Mr. L. M. Pemberton, also an attorney, who now lives at Beatrice, Nebraska, who has become district judge and is a very eminent jurist.
M. E. Griffin had his land and real estate office in the courthouse at Peterson. The same M. E. Griffin now of Spencer.
The county then, in 1871, contained about fifteen hundred people. With a very few exceptions they were people who had come here to locate on govern- ment lands. In the spring of 1871, most of the homesteaders erected sod houses and sod barns for their stock and broke up some of their land. Some of them planted wheat and oats on the breaking. The country was covered with a large growth of prairie grass, some of it as high as ten feet and most of it at least six feet high. In the following spring a fire started and burned the entire country over, carrying everything before it. Most of the frame buildings were burned, but those who had sod buildings did not suffer any loss.
Homesteaders continued to come in during the summer and built for the most part small sod houses, but some of them built frame ones. Most of theni brought grain enough for their horses and enough to plant in the spring. Those who did not bring anything with them found it difficult to make a living here.
In the fall of 1871 a number of schoolhouses were erected in Clay county, mostly of sod. A number of these were erected in Clay, Lincoln and Peterson townships. There were more sod buildings at that time than any other. . The sod buildings were erected by taking a breaking plow, going into the low land where the sod was heavy and plowing a furrow of sixteen to eighteen inches in width, and then cutting it into sections, eighteen to twenty inches long, and
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laying them up like brick. The cabins usually had board floors in them. The roof was usually made of large rafters, covered with prairie hay or grass, and covered again with sod, making quite a tight roof, lasting for several years. Usually the structure had one door and one window, the latter about one-half size with glass in it. If they were carefully built they were quite comfortable houses, especially if a good fire was kept in them. Water would not freeze in them in the coldest of weather, even when the thermometer stood at 40 degrees below zero. Some of the schoolhouses were provided with patent desks but a number of them and perhaps most of them were made of large slabs bought at Peterson.
Several towns often constituted a school district in those days. The carly pioneers were always willing to do anything to help along their schools. The revenue for school purposes was not very high at that time but was more than sufficient to keep them in running order.
The schools were of a very crude character and, consequently, good teachers were very scarce. The wages were not very large, but the teachers received more than enough for their labors. The average salary of the rural teacher was from fifteen to twenty-five dollars, according to the size of the school. It was often payable in warrants much below par. A good many of the schools were conducted in private houses. A director often employed his wife to teach the school in his own home, thereby securing fuel for his own use and for the school as well. This condition of affairs continued to exist up until the year 1880, when the railroad lands were opened up and more revenue for school purposes became available. The county was then divided into more uniform shape for school purposes. More and better buildings were erected and usually provided with better desks, seats and other useful and necessary things now found in the modern schoolroom. The first independent school district was established in Spencer in 1874, and was composed of about six sections, includ- ing the village of Spencer. This constituted the district when it was established. The schoolhouse was a frame building 16 by 24. After the establishment of the district an addition 16 by 30 was added to the south end of the old building. The first school teacher in Spencer was Miss Maggie Thompson. The above described building continued to do service until 1880. After the coming of the railroad a new four-room, two-story building was erected. This was quite a building for that time, but it was properly built and the first graded school was established in the county with M. M. Gilchrist as principal.
In 1882, the Chicago & Northwestern railroad came through Peterson and soon after that a very nice four-room school building was erccted there. It was larger than needed at the time, but in two or three years an addition was necessary.
In 1882, the one school building in Spencer had been outgrown and it became necessary to erect another one on the east side. There were about twelve hundred inhabitants in the town of Spencer at that time. Only two rooms of the new building were occupied, but they were soon all in use. These two buildings continued to serve the town for school purposes until 1893, when the present west side building was erected, at a cost of about twenty-five thousand dollars, exclusive of furnishings. In 1902 an additional four-room brick build-
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ing was erected on the north side and a one-room frame building on the south side. The schools at the present employ about twenty-four teachers and are maintained at an expense of approximately twenty thousand dollars per year.
REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT.
At the meeting of the board of supervisors, consisting of three members in 1871. it was voted to submit the removal of the county seat of Clay county from Peterson to Spencer. Peterson was in the southwest corner of the county. being within a half mile of the south line and two and one-half miles from the west line, thus making it necessary for a large part of the people to travel a dis- tance of thirty miles to reach the county seat. . \ railroad had recently been surveyed about six miles north of the forty-third parallel and eight miles from the north line of the county and in the exact geographical center east and west with its more central location and probability of a railroad in the near future. It was finally decided to remove the seat of government to the new town. The latter part of October the last of the records were removed to the new town of Spencer, where the people of the town or village had provided a courthouse free of expense to the county. The new courthouse was a building about 20 by 40, two stories high. The first floor was subdivided into county offices and the second floor constituted the courtroom. This room was used for all public gatherings as well as all the court proceedings. The building was erected on lower Main street. This building continued to serve the county until 1882, when another two-story frame building was erected. This building was about 40 by 48 and was erected on the present courthouse site.
FIRST GRASSHOPPER INVASION.
The first grasshopper invasion occurred in June. 1873, when the pests came down in countless millions like so many snowflakes. They devoured the most of the crops and later devoured all the growing grain. They left nothing for the poor settlers for the winter food or the spring seed. In fact many of them were left in destitute circumstances and they found it necessary to appeal to friends in other states for aid. A great many aid societies were organized and solicitors sent to Illinois and Wisconsin, to solicit aid for the poor and destitute of the county. These people furnished the homesteaders with food and clothing for the winter; but what troubled the settler the most was the grain for seed for the next spring. They formed themselves into parties and drew up petitions and sent them to the legislature, asking for grain for the coming year. The legislature sent out men with the authority to distribute seed grain among the destitute people. The quantity of grain furnished to each family depended largely on the size of the family and the amount of land they had. The grain provided was sown in the spring of 1874, came up nicely and gave promise of a very good crop; but by the middle of May the grasshoppers began to appear and devour the coming crop. For a time it looked as if everything was lost: but the season being favorable. the grain came again and about the first of June the grasshoppers obtained wings and flew away. The farmers' crops were saved for that year at least.
CLAY COUNTY'S FIRST COURTHOUSE
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR. LENOX TILDEN FOUNDA . InA.
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SECOND GRASSHOPPER INVASION.
The second grasshopper invasion occurred the latter part of July, 1876, just as the wheat and oats were ripening and the corn coming into tassel and silk. The grasshoppers ate the heads off of the grain and settled down on the corn, until they broke it down with their weight, literally destroying all of the small grain. This was the most complete destruction ever known. The settlers began to abandon their homes, many of which were mortgaged heavily. Some of them turned their homes over to their creditors while others sold them for little or nothing and left the country. Some of them had their horses and other stock mortgaged, but they were leaving in such great numbers that the officers were powerless. There was great destitution the following winter, but kind friends again came to their aid and supplied the necessary food and clothing to the needy. Friends also supplied the necessary seed grain, and the settlers paid for the grain when the crop was harvested. The crops came up fine in the spring but the latter part of May the grasshoppers began again to devour the growing crops. They flew away, however, the early part of July. Many farmers, particularly on the border lands, lost all of their crops, while in some parts of the country the crops matured and were excellent. The oats went as high as one hundred bushels to the acre. Corn was also very good, averaging about thirty to thirty-five bushels to the acre, wheat about twenty-five bushels to the acre. That was the last grasshopper invasion and the country has never been troubled by one since.
THE TOWN OF SPENCER IS PLATTED.
In April, 1871, J. H. Hale, who then owned forty acres which constituted the original town of Spencer, conceived the plan of platting it and establishing . town.
The first two small general stores in Spencer were conducted by John W. Masten and M. M. Peeso. They were erected on the site of the present court- house, which at that time was railroad land. There was a mill on the river about a mile below town, conducted by C. D. Marcellus. There was also a small blacksmith shop run by A. Tatroe. (Joe). It stood on the present site of the Clay County News office. The shop was a one-story low building, fifteen feet wide and about twenty feet long; for a long time it had no roof. It was constructed of sod. Tatoe had a rude forge, an anvil and such other tools as an early blacksmith used. There was another blacksmith shop erected later on, near the corner of Main and Fourth streets, by David Skinner.
Mr. Hale associated with him in the town enterprise J. F. Calkins, an enterprising homesteader, who had located near the present Spencer cemetery ; his home being on the present site of Dr. Knight's fine residence. They pro- ceeded to have the town platted, by John Edmands, surveyor. On the 10th day of May, 1871, the plat was filed for record. Lots were placed on sale and several of them on Main street were sold. The two general stores, then standing on the present courthouse site, were moved down to the corner of Main and Second streets. About the same time a small hotel was erected on the corner of Main and Second streets, now the site of Union Hall. A hardware store was also CLAY 6.
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erected about this time on the southwest corner of Main and Second streets. Another store occupied the corner of Main and Third streets, now the site of Union Block. A new frame store building was also erected on the corner of Main and Third streets, on the present site of W. B. Cruver's grocery. A drug store was also established, by Dr. S. J. Eggleston, on the west side of Main street, between Second and Third streets. This constituted the business portion of the town until 1871. Jacob Rood, deceased, and his son, W. I. Rood, erected a small building on the west side of Main street, between Third and Fourth streets, using it as a book store and a photograph gallery. About this time the building now occupied by Mack Bros. & McConnell as an office, was erected for a store. These buildings constituted the business houses of the town until the railroad came. The first residence on the original town site was erected by J. W. Masten, located on the present site of the residence now occu- pied by F. X. Maurer, on East Fourth street. Mr. Masten afterward sold this property to Julius H. Hale, the owner of the original town site, who continued to occupy it for a number of years. In 1871, after the town was platted, the first residence erected was that which is now occupied by L. A. Hammond, on . East First street. It was erected by A. G. Martin. The second residence was erected on West Third street, by Henry B. Wood, the county's first repre- sentative in the legislature. This was a modest one-story, one-room building, which he continued to occupy for several years after. The present residence of Julia Wood now occupies the site. The third residence was that of Samuel Gillespie, who was associate editor and proprietor of the News, at that time. The next residence was that of John F. Ford, associate editor and proprietor of the News; this was just opposite Mr. Gillespie's residence. The fifth resi- dence was erected by J. H. Stilson, who edited a paper known as "The Land Dealer." The first residence of any pretensions was erected on the south side of West Fourth street, about one block west of Main, in 1875, by J. H. Grout ; it is now the home of A. G. Hardin. From that time until the railroad came no residences of any pretension at all were erected.
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