USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Dickinson County, Iowa, together with an account of the Spirit Lake massacre, and the Indian troubles on the northwestern frontier > Part 32
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Two weeks later the Beacon says:
"With his lot purchase Mr. Stevens gets the Beacon Block, the Variety Store and the Snyder building. The first named will be torn down and the others moved to other sites."
The issue of March twentieth notes the execution of the plans, and says :
"They provide for five storerooms with basements of equal floor dimensions. On the corner is located the First National
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STEVENS BLOCK.
. I. A. Miller's Store at the right ; Van Steenburg's at the left.
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
Bank, under which is planned an elegant barber shop with bath rooms; on the second floor, beginning at the alley on the west, are located rooms for the Masonic Lodge and next are quarters of equal dimensions for the Knights of Pythias. An opera house with a capacity for about four hundred seats comes next, and against the Hill Street side are located two elegant suites for office purposes." *
The issue of April fourteenth notes the tearing down of the Beacon Block and the Snyder building to make room for the new improvements. Work was commenced at once and the block was ready for occupancy about the first of February, 1894.
The first occupants were the First National Bank; Berg- man & Farnham, drugs and groceries; E. C. Renken, drugs and stationery; John Dimond, general store, and Copley & Blackert, hardware. The opera house was opened on the even- ing of February twenty-fifth, by the [Woodward Theatre Com- pany, in the play of "The Galley Slave." The lodge rooms were occupied, as planned, by the Masons and the Knights of Pythias, and are still so occupied.
Closely connected with the building of the Stevens Block is the electric light enterprise. It was Mr. Stevens' design to heat his building by steam and light it by electricity. He accordingly submitted a proposition to the town council stat- ing the conditions on which he would put in a plant of suffi- cient capacity for lighting the town and furnishing steam heat for several public buildings. His proposition was that he should be granted a twenty year franchise and assured that for three years he should receive $600 a year for street light- ing at rates paid by Iowa towns of like character. Under the law such a proposition would have to be submitted to a vote · before the council could act on it. The proposition was accord- ingly submitted, and out of a poll of two hundred and six votes there was but one cast against it. The plant was erected
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OTHIER IMPROVEMENTS
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E.
A. M. JOHNSON'S STORE.
and so far completed that the light was turned on for the first time February 5, 1894. Six years later Mr. Stevens made an unconditional gift of the power house and the heating and lighting plant to the town, without any reservations or condi- tions whatever. In 1900 the Board of Supervisors arranged to have the courthouse heated by steam from the electric power house boiler. This plant is said to represent a value of about fifteen thousand dollars.
In the spring of 1894 Mr. A. M. Johnson decided to erect new quarters. The old store had been in use now twenty years, and although, when built, it was counted equal or su- perior to the best in this portion of the state, it now began to look a little shabby when compared with the recent structures.
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In May the old store was moved from its foundations to the corner of the courthouse lot on the opposite side of the street and work at once commenced. The new building is forty-five by one hundred feet and two stories, the lower story being fourteen feet in height and the upper one twelve: basement full size of the building. The store room proper occupies the entire ground floor and is divided into three departments. The walls were up and the building under cover about the twentieth of September, and ready for occupancy about the first of De- cember.
In 1898 Messrs. Lovesce and Hurd erected a first-class steam flouring mill. Their machinery was all new and of the most modern and improved variety. They spared no pains or ex- pense to get the best that money would buy. They asked no bonus or subsidy, but simply stipulated with some of the more prominent business men that they should have their exclusive patronage so long as they produced as good an article as could be obtained elsewhere, and the result has proven entirely satis- factory all around.
Another of the later day improvements out of the ordinary in towns the size of Spirit Lake, is the cold storage plant. This is another enterprise of B. F. Stevens, and is far reaching in its scope and design. Indeed, there is nothing like it in this part of the state. In addition to the facilities usually fur- nished by cold storage plants for handling perishable goods, he had put in a butter renovator, whereby rancid butter is put through a process of renovation that so improves it that it ro- quires an expert to detect the difference between this and the genuine creamery article. The entire product of this plant is shipped East and the demand is much greater than the supply.
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VIEW OF SPIRIT LAKE.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE SPIRIT LAKE POSTOFFICE-POSTMASTERS- THE SPIRIT LAKE BEACON, THE PIONEER NEWS- PAPER-THE EARLY ADVERTISERS-EARLY HIS- TORY OF THE PAPER BY J. A. SMITHI-ITS SUB- SEQUENT HISTORY-OTHER VENTURES IN THE
NEWSPAPER LINE-THE DICKINSON COUNTY JOURNAL-THE SPIRIT LAKE DEMOCRAT-"HUCK- LEBERRY'S PAPER"-THIE SPIRIT LAKE PILOT- THE DICKINSON COUNTY HERALD-CIVIC SOCIE- TIES-A. F. & A. M .- O. E. S .- ROYAL ARCH -- KNIGHTS TEMPLAR-I. O. OF O. F .- PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY-GOOD TEMPLARS-K. OF P .- A. (. U. W .- G. A. R .- M. W. OF A .- AMERICAN YEO- MEN.
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U. WHEELOCK was postmaster from the time the office was established in February, 1858, until up to the time he left the county in 1863. When he left he did not expect to remain away permanently, consequently did not resign, but turned the office over to Mr. Parmenter, who conducted the office in Wheelock's name. He kept the office at his residence, which was at or near the present site of the Pres- byterian Church. After about two years he moved to Boone and turned the office over to G. Blaekert, who was the next regularly commissioned postmaster. Mr. Blackert being in trade at the time, kept the office at the store until he quit busi- ness and went to farming, when he moved the office to his resi- dence which was on the block now occupied by E. D. Carlton. He remained postmaster until the fall of 1869, when he re- signed and was succeeded by Eber Palmer. A year or two
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THE SPIRIT LAKE POSTOFFICE
previous to this time a second store had been erected by Oliver Compton, and the postoffice was now moved to the new store, where it remained about a year and a half, when Mr. Comp- ton sold out to 1. Willard, and embarked in the precarious enterprise of building a first-class fouring mill to be run by the water drawn from Spirit Lake through a race dng for that pur- pose. The old race is there yet, all else having disappeared long ago.
The disastrous collapse of that enterprise has already been noticed. Compton lost all he had and Barkman lost heavil .. although it did not break him up, but they both found out i! takes lots of water and some cash to run a gristmill. In the meantime Mr. Palmer had moved the postoffice into the build- ing which he and Mr. Barkman had been constructing, which afterwards came to be known as the postoffice building. The postoffice was kept here until the building was sold to Henry Baxter and he commenced overhauling it for a hotel, when it was moved to the New York Store. Mr. Palmer held the office until 1883, when he was succeeded by Hon. A. B. Funk, who held it until after Cleveland's first election. Since that time the postmasters have been A. F. Heath, E. L. Brownell, A. F. Bergman, Joseph A. Smith and A. F. Bergman for a second term. It was made a presidential office in 1883.
The Spirit Lake Beacon was the first newspaper in the county, and with the exception of the Northern Vindicator, published at Estherville, was the first in the state west of Al- gona and north of Sioux City. The oldest copy that can be found is No. 14, Vol. 1. and bears date December 6, 1870. This would indicate that the first number was issued Septem- ber 6, 1870. But few numbers of the first volume were pre- served. This can be accounted for by the fact that the paper was edited in Spirit Lake and printed in Estherville, and cach party supposed the other was taking care of the files. The
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regular file commences with the first number of the second volume, and is dated November 10, 1871. There was a break of several numbers between the first and second volumes inci- dent to the buying of a printing outfit and other contingencies. The scattered numbers of the first vohunne show the Spirit Lake advertisers for 1871 to have been as follows: A. M. Johnson, general store; A. Willard, dry goods; J. T. Whitlock, dry goods ; Jemerson & Chisholm, blacksmiths: Orson Rice, attor- ney : R. L. Wilcox, attorney, land and insurance : A. A. Mosher, attorney and land agent; W. S. Beers, physician ; George C. Bellows, boots and shoes; E. Pahner, hardware; E. F. Hill, surveyor; W. B. Brown, notary public, surveyor and clerk of district court ; O. Compton, Spirit Lake flouring mills, Bailey stage and express: O. Crandall, Crandall House. A. W. Os- borne was associated with Mr. Rice in the law business before the close of the year. Of the above list two, A. M. Johnson and D. R. Chishohn, still advertise in the Beacon, and it is only natural to suppose that their advertisements varied, of course, to suit the varying conditions, have appeared in every num- ber of the paper from first to last.
The first published schedule of the arrival and departure of · mails at the Spirit Lake postoffice appears in the issne for March 28, 1871, and is as follows:
"The Blue Earth City mail arrives every Wednesday at six o'clock p. m., and departs every Thursday at seven a. m. Cher- okee arrives every Friday at eleven a. m. and departs every Monday at twelve m. Jackson arrives Monday at eleven a. m. and departs Friday at twelve m."
In the issue of June sixth a change is noticed whereby the Cherokee and Jackson mail is carried each way three times a week. Another change was ordered to take effect February 1, 1878, whereby the mail was carried each way daily over this route. Inasmuch as the Beacon is the pioneer paper of the
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SPIRIT LAKE BEACON
county it is entitled to a more extended notice. The following account was written by J. A. Smith, one of its early editors, and was published in the issue of December 9, 1875:
"Five years ago the people of Spirit Lake and Dickinson County made up their minds that a newspaper was necessary to promote their interests. The county then contained about twelve hundred inhabitants. Spirit Lake boasted of a dozen buildings and Milford had just been platted. Not a very prom- ising field truly but the project was disenssed pro and con and finally decided in the affirmative. The question then arose as to who would stand sponsor for the literary Hedgeling. The responsibility was a grave one. It entailed much labor without remuneration and the chances were about nine in ten that the publisher would sink money.
"Finally Messrs. Orson Rice and R. L. Wilcox agreed to make the venture, Mr. Rice to attend to the financial arrango- ments and Mr. Wilcox to do the editorial work. Another im- portant problem was the choosing of a name for the embryo journal. This took some hard thought and was for several days the subject of grave deliberation in the Crandall Honse bar- room, George Bellows' boot and shoe shop and Roscoe Brown's saloon, which were the three principal places of public resort. It was the general feeling that there is everything in a name. and common titles, such as Gazette, Times, Journal, Reporter, etc., were maniously and indignantly rejected. Who was the first to suggest. the 'Beacon' cannot be satisfactorily deter- mined, for at least half a dozen different persons claim the honor. However, the name "took" as being remarkably appro- priate. Why it is so appropriate we cannot explain better than to give the language of an enthusiastic gentleman who had a hand in the parturition. Said he, The position which Diskinson County occupies geographically, being the most elevated portion of the state, together with our facilities for navigation,' here he paused and wet his throat with some of Roscoe's distilled Jako water, 'makes it peculiarly fitting and meet that we should hav. a Beacon to shed its light upon the world and serve as a guide to the weary emigrant seeking a homestead, and by the way, I will show a man a devilish good claim for ten dollars.'
"This last sentence, however, is foreign to the subject and is only introduced for the sake of euphony. The management and name being settled, the question of ways and means was
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
left to the newly installed journalists who decided to commence by getting patent outsides and having the inside printed at the Estherville Vindicator office. Accordingly the arrangements were thus made and in due time the Beacon appeared in seven column folio form with about three columns of home advertis- ing and some two hundred subscribers, including exchanges and deadheads. In a few weeks Mr. Wilcox retired, leaving the whole burden on Mr. Rice. During the balance of the first year the editorial work fell upon the broad shoulders of A. W. Osborne, Esquire, who performed the onerous task faithfully and well. At the end of the first volume Mr. Rice found the balance on the wrong side of the ledger. The cost of having the printing done was greater than the income and he was obliged to have a new deal or give up the game altogether. So he took the other horn of the dilemma, bought a second-hand outfit of Warren, of the Algona Upper Des Moines, and after several vexations delays the Beacon com- menced its second volume with the outside printed at home.
"From the commencement of the second volume the concern began to be self-sustaining and in May, 1872, Mr. Rice sold out to O. C. Bates, the founder of the Estherville Vindicator. *
In October, 1872, Mr. Bates disposed of the office to Lamborn & Owen. During the succeeding winter they made extensive additions and improvements. In April, 1873, Mr. Lamborn disposed of his interest in the Beacon and was suc- ceeded by J. A. Smith. In April, 1874, Mr. Owen retired and was succeeded by A. B. Funk."
Harmoniously and helpfully Smith & Funk pulled together until the fall of 1879, when the latter retired. In the spring of 1881 A. B. Funk bought the paper of Mr. Smith and has ever since been owner or part owner of the same. In 1886 he sold a one-half interest in the Beacon to E. G. Blockert. who has with the exception of two years steadily retained his con- nection with the paper.
There have been made at different times in the past several efforts to establish a second paper in the town but in the earlier days these efforts remind one of the old nursery rhyme of "Three little bugs in a basket with only room for
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OTHER NEWSPAPER VENTURES
two." While it was possible for one economically managed paper to eke out a precarious existence on the limited and some- what uncertain patronage which the carlier days afforded, it was very much of a conundrum whether a second venture could be made a success. The first attempt at a second paper was made by Carl Eastwood, who in 1880 established the Dickinson County Journal. As in all new settlements there were times when personal and political rivalries ran high and each party felt the need of an organ, or at least they thought they did. Mr. Eastwood was industrious and loyal to his friends and worked hard but it was uphill business. A part of the time he conducted the paper in his own name and a part of the time in the name of the firm Eastwood Brothers. It was republican in politics and had as liberal support as could have been expected considering the surrounding conditions.
In 1884 the Eastwoods disposed of it to J. O. Stewart. Mr. Stewart was an old soldier, and a first-class man in every way, and tried hard to make his venture a success. He gave the pub- lie a good, clean paper, of more than average ability, and iden- tified himself with the best citizens in all enterprises caleu- lated to advance the interests of the town, but the fact soon be- came apparent that there was not legitimate business enough to support the two papers, and he got out of it as best he could.
In 1885 the paper came into the hands of C. H. Avers and A. F. Heath, who changed its name and politics, calling it the Spirit Lake Democrat. Mr. Heath was the same year appointed postmaster. Indeed, after Cleveland's election in 1884 the founding of a democratic newspaper at Spirit Lake was one of the chief factors in the controversy to determine the appoint- ment of the new postmaster, and the Spirit Lake Democrat was the result. But even with the prestige and patronage of the postoffice the load was larger than he could carry and before he realized how he stood he became hopelessly involved and the
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
outfit fell into the hands of the sheriff, and was sold at sheriff's sale.
After various vicissitudes it came into the possession of G. A. Getchell, better known as "Huckleberry," who for a while conducted the publication under the name of "Huckleberry's Paper." This was in the summer of 1887, and he suspended publication in the fall. For two or three years now there was no second paper. About 1890 V. B. Crane bought the old out- fit and established the "Spirit Lake Pilot," and continued the publication of it about a year, when he moved to Jackson tak- ing the outfit with him. In December, 1891, Caswell & Clark shipped in a new press and attempted to resurrect the "Spirit Lake Democrat," but with indifferent success. At the end of four months they threw up the sponge, and there was anot! or interval of some three years of but one paper.
In July, 1894, Messrs. Reycroft & Flower shipped in another outfit and commenced the publication of the "Dickinson County Herald," but finding themselves handicapped for want of capital, Mr. Flower soon went out of the concern and his interest came into the hands of William Hayward in February, 1895. Mr. Hayward took hold of the enterprise with his usual energy, and soon worked up a good circulation, but finding that it interfered too much with his regular business, he sold out to HI. Van Steenburg, having previously bought Mr. Reveroft's interest. This was July 1, 1896. Mr. Van Steenburg, not be- ing a newspaper man, engaged the services of J. L. Dunham as editor and conducted it as an independent republican paper until March, 1898, when he disposed of it to L. F. Stowe, who leased it to Mr. Dunham for one year, after which an arrange- ment was made by which G. A. Taft came into possession and control of the paper, and conducted it until the spring of 1901.
Under his conservative management much of the earlier hit- terness has been eliminated and as the population, and business
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CIVIC SOCIETIES
of the country increased the prosperity and influence of the Herald increased with it, until it has come to be regarded as one of the permanent and substantial institutions of the town and is gradually working its way into popular favor. It changed owners again in the summer of 1901 and the new proprietors are earnestly laboring to keep it abreast of the best papers of the county.
The civic societies belonging to this period were the Masons, Odd Fellows, Patrons of Husbandry and Good Templars. Twi- light Lodge, No. 329, Ancient Order of Free and Accepted Ma- sons, was first organized under a dispensation granted by the Grand Lodge of Iowa on the eighteenth day of September, 1873. The first elective officers were: Alfred Davis, W. M .; C. II. Avers, S. W. : A. L. Sawyer. J. W. : A. M. Johnson, Secretary, and Zina Henderson, Treasurer. A charter was granted on the third day of June, 1874. The present membership is sixty. The present elective officers are: O. 1. Wilson, W. M. ; Jamos Ackley, S. W. : I. N. Blakey, J. W. : S. L. Pillsbury, Treasurer, and E. D. Carlton, Secretary. The Past Masters are AAlfred Davis, C. H. Avers, O. Crandall, JJ. A. Smith, J. F. Dare. R. A. Smith, W. F. Pillsbury, George Stoerlein, W. F. Carleton, E. D. Carleton, A. B. Funk and O. I. Wilson.
In connection with the Masonic lodge, Twilight Chapter No. --. Order of the Eastern Star, was organized at Spirit Lake under a dispensation granted by the Grand Chapter some time during the winter of 1876 and 1877. The minutes of the chap- ter for the time they worked under dispensation cannot be found and therefore we have to depend on the memory of the earlier members for what facts are obtainable. The old files of the Beacon contain an account of a public installation held June 24, 1877, which was followed by a festival under the manage- ment of the Eastern Star chapter which fixes the date of their first organization back of that time. Mrs. Fannie Jemerson
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DICKINSON COUNTY - IOWA
was the first Worthy Matron and Mrs. Anna L. Rice, Associate, with Mrs. Jane Avers, Secretary, and Mrs. F. I. Pillsbury, Treasurer. Mrs. Jemerson was succeeded by Mrs. Rico as Worthy Matron either in 1878 or 1879. The charter bears date February 26, 1880. The first Worthy Matron under the char- ter was Mrs. Anna L. Rice with Mrs. D. Eighmy, Associate. and J. A. Smith, Worthy Patron. Mrs. Rice was succeeded by Mrs. E. Palmer in 1882 or 1883.
After a time the interest began to flag. The attendance was light until finally the meetings ceased altogether. A small company of members, consisting of Mrs. F. I. Pillsbury, Mrs. Minnie Francis, Mrs. Ella Johnson, Mrs. Anna Chishohn, Mrs. M. C. Cory, Mrs. Jennie Avers and possibly one or two others (this list is made from memory), rather than see the charter surrendered and the chapter fall to pieces, kept up the Grand Chapter dues and the annual reports and did what else was necessary to keep the organization intact and save the charter. Matters drifted along in this unsatisfactory manner until 1894 when the members who had stayed by it decided that it was time to make an effort either to revive the work and place the now nearly defunet organization on its feet once more or to abandon it altogether.
The attempt at reorganization was a marked success. Many accessions to the membership followed and soon the chapter came to be one of the most popular of the social organizations of the day. The first set of officers under the new dispensation was as follows: Worthy Matron, Mrs. L. H. Farnham : Patron. L. H. Farnham; Associate Matron, Mrs. J. W. Cory; Secre- tary, S. L. Pillsbury; Treasurer, Mrs. S. L. Pillsbury. In 1899 Mrs. Farnham was succeeded by Mrs. Palmer as Matrou, who in turn was succeeded by Mrs. H. A. Miller in 1901. The jother officers at the present time are: Associate Matron, Mrs. V. C. Hemenway; Patron, Thomas Burt; Secretary, Miss Ma-
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CIVIC SOCIETIES
bel Carlton, and Treasurer, Mrs. S. L. Pillsbury. The total membership is about forty-five. Much eredit is due the faithful few who stood by the organization in its hour of adversity and contributed so much to its subsequent prosperity.
A chapter of Royal Arch Masons was organized at Spirit Lake May 24, 1901, under a dispensation granted May 15. 1901. The Beacon of June seventh gives the new organization the following send-off :
"Spirit Lake Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, is now in work- ing order under dispensation officered as follows: High Priest. Chas. I. Reigard ; King, Dr. Q. C. Fuller ; Scribe, T. E. Burt : Treasurer, J. W. Cravens; Secretary, W. A. Siddall: Cap- tain of the Host, L. H. Farnham ; Principal Sojourner, W. P. Stone : Roval Arch Captain, A. B. Funk: Master of Third Vail, H. A. Miller ; Master Second Vail, P. E. Narey : Master Second Vail, C. T. Chandler : Tyler, O. Crandall. The regular night of meeting has not yet been appointed. The next meeting will be this ( Friday) evening. Nine candidates await initia- tion."
Soon after the building of the railroads to Spirit Lake som? members of the Grand Commandery of the Knights Templar conceived the plan of erecting somewhere in the lake region a structure that would be regarded by members of the Order as a kind of home or headquarters where they could spend their annual summer vacation and which would serve as a proper place for holding their annual conclave and banquet. In pur- suance of this design a committee was appointed to examine and select suitable grounds for that purpose. After examining several that were offered them they decided to report in favor of what has since been known as Fort Dodge Point on West Okoboji Lake, but when this report was presented to the Grand Commandery it was so strongly opposed by the officers and agents of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway, who were mostly members of the order, that they succeeded in defeating it and a second committee was appointed.
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