USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 14
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 14
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
The first settler in what is now High Lake Township was John Rourke, a native of the Emerald Isle, who located a claim at Island Grove in August, 1856. His wife was the first white woman to become an inhabitant of Emmet County, and their son Peter, who was born on January 4, 1857, was the first white child born in the county. Other early settlers here were James Maher and the Conlans, mentioned in a former chapter. Still another early settler was Alfred Nicholson, a well- educated Irishman, who was a somewhat noted character in the early history of the county on account of his eccentricities, one of which was his fondness for whisky. He was a great reader and was well informed on a multitude of subjects, about which he could converse intelligently, even when under the influence of liquor.
The civil Township of High Lake was established before the court- house fire, so frequently referred to in connection with the history of the several townships of the county, and the date of its erection and organi- zation is therefore lost.
Fairly good transportation facilities are provided by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, which runs along the western border, west of the Des Moines River. Wallingford, in the west side of Section 7, is a station on this road and the only village in the township. People
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living east of the Des Moines, in the southern part of the township, find more convenient railroad accommodations at Graettinger, the next sta- tion south of Wallingford, just across the line in Palo Alto County.
According to the last report of the county superintendent of schools, there are nine school buildings in High Lake, in which ten teachers were employed during the school year of 1915-16. The population in 1910 was 615, and the valuation of property in 1915, as shown by the county auditor's abstract, was $415,480.
IOWA LAKE TOWNSHIP
This township is situated in the northeast corner of the county and embraces Congressional Township 100, Range 31, or that portion of it lying south of the state line. It is bounded on the north by the State of Minnesota; on the east by Kossuth County; on the south by Armstrong Grove Township, and on the west by the Township of Lincoln. From north to south it is five miles in extent, and from east to west six miles, giving it an area of thirty square miles. The surface is an elevated plain, the only watercourse being the east fork of the Des Moines River, which just touches the southwest corner. Considerable ditching has been done in this township.
When first created, which was some time before the courthouse fire, this township was named Fairview and included also the present town- ship of Lincoln. Subsequently the name was changed to Iowa Lake, after the beautiful body of water that lies in the extreme northeast corner of the county, extending into Minnesota.
In the fall of 1857 J. R. Hopkins and a man named Gill took up claims in sections 11 and 12, Township 100, Range 31, near the south end of Iowa Lake. These two men were the first settlers in that part of the county. Iowa Lake is one of the two townships of Emmet County that is not touched by a railroad. Dolliver on the west and Armstrong on the south are the most convenient railroad stations and shipping points.
In 1910 the population of the township was 337, and in 1915 the assessed valuation of the property was $268,502. During the school year of 1915-16 there were five public schools in operation and a new school- house was built in the summer of 1916.
JACK CREEK TOWNSHIP
The Township of Jack Creek is located in the southern tier and embraces Congressional Township 98, Range 32, having an area of thirty- six square miles, the greater portion of which is prairie with an exceed- ingly fertile soil. It is bounded on the north by Swan Lake Township; on the east by Denmark; on the south by Palo Alto County, and on the
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west by High Lake Township. It takes its name from a small stream flowing in a southerly direction through the central part, but which has been converted into a drainage ditch known in the county records as No. 17.
The first settlers in this part of the county were Scandinavians, among whom were B. R. Knudson, Ole Aanonson and Nels Iverson, who were instrumental in having the township organized. The minutes of the board of supervisors for June 8, 1883, contain the following entry: "The petition of B. R. Knudson and others to have Township 98, Range 32, set off as a civil township to be known as Jack Creek was taken up and on motion was granted. Ayes, Christopher, Jenkins and Richmond; nays, Allen and Jarvis."
On September 3, 1883, the board ordered the election of October 9, 1883, to be held at the B. R. Knudson schoolhouse, and appointed B. R. Knudson, Ole Aanonson and Nels Iverson judges of the election. No returns of the first election for township officers are obtainable. Jack Creek has no railroad. Maple Hill on the north, Ringsted on the east, Wallingford on the west and Graettinger in Palo Alto County are the most convenient railroad stations.
The first school house was that known as the Knudson school house, where the first election in the township was held. During the school year of 1915-16 there were seven public schools in operation, employing nine teachers. The school in the northeast corner of the township has been abolished by the formation of the consolidated school district of Halfa, but in the summer of 1916 a new school building was erected at Hoprig, a little hamlet in the southern part of the township.
In 1910 the population of Jack Creek was 396, and in 1915 the assessed valuation of the property was $358,593.
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP.
Lincoln Township, situated in the northern tier, embraces fractional Township 100, Range 33. It is bounded on the north by the State of Minnesota; on the east by Iowa Lake Township; on the south by Swan Lake, and on the west by the Township of Ellsworth. The township is well watered; the east fork of the Des Moines River, which rises in Lake Okamanpadu near the northeast corner, flowing southward through the eastern portion, and Soldier Creek, the outlet of Birge Lake, flowing in a southeasterly direction through the central part. The latter stream has two or three small tributaries which contribute to the natural drain- age of the township.
In the fall of 1864 W. H. Brown settled near the shore of Lake Okamanpadu (or Tuttle Lake) and was the first man to enter land in
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what is now Lincoln Township. Other early settlers were J. P. and Patrick Bagan, Fred Moltzen, Frederick Schultz and the Persons family, most of whom located their claims along the east branch of the Des Moines River or in the grove about Lake Okamanpadu. For several years this township formed a part of Iowa Lake Township. On January 10, 1878, W. H. Brown presented a petition to the board of supervisors asking that the township be detached from Iowa Lake and annexed to Swan Lake, but the board refused to grant the petition and the town- ship remained a part of Iowa Lake for nine years longer before any further action was taken. On June 6, 1887, the following petition was presented to the board of supervisors:
"The undersigned, your petitioners, respectfully state that they are residents and legal voters of Township 100, Range 32, in Emmet County, Iowa; that said township is now a part of the civil township of Iowa Lake; that there are now within the limits of said Congressional town- ship ten or more legal voters; whereas your petitioners pray your hon- orable body that a new civil township be formed and created out of the territory embraced in said Congressional township, to be known and desig- nated as the Township of Bagan, and that your honorable body make the necessary and proper orders for the creation of said township."
This petition was signed by Patrick Bagan, C. F. Persons, W. W. Persons, W. Rosenburg, Fred Allatzon, L. F. Persons, Fred Schultz, E. W. Persons, J. P. Bagan and H. C. Wilson. The board, after considering the petition, issued the order for the erection of the new township, but changed the name to Lincoln, in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the six- teenth President of the United States.
On September 6, 1887, the board designated the house of John Bagan as the place of holding the first election in the new township, and appointed John Bagan, Patrick Bagan and Fred Moltzen judges and Fred Schultz clerk to conduct said election, which was the general election of October 11, 1887. At that election the following township officers were chosen : M. M. Vallian, Fred Moltzen and P. Schultz, trustees; John Bagan, clerk; J. P. Bagan, assessor; C. F. Persons, justice of the peace; Patrick Bagan, road supervisor.
In 1899 the Jewell & Sanborn division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway system was built through Emmet County and passes through Lincoln Township. Near the center of the township was established the station of Dolliver, giving the people of Lincoln a shipping point for the products of their farms.
The several public schools of the township have been consolidated into one district and a fine public school building erected at Dolliver. Seven teachers were employed during the school year of 1915-16. In
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1910 the population, including the village of Dolliver, was 396, and in 1915 the assessed valuation of the property was $336,764.
SWAN LAKE TOWNSHIP.
Swan Lake is one of the two central townships and includes Con- gressional Township 99, Range 32. It was erected as a civil township some time previous to the burning of the county records, and was named after the body of water in the southwestern part and extending into Center Township. The surface is undulating prairie. Soldier Creek and the east fork of the Des Moines River touch the northeast corner and the Black Cat Creek touches the southeast corner. Several ditches have been constructed in different parts of the township and Swan Lake is now one of the most productive agricultural districts of the county. It is bounded on the north by Lincoln Township; on the east by Arm- strong Grove; on the south by Jack Creek, and on the west by the Town- of Center. Its area is thirty-six square miles.
Among the pioneers of this township were T. O. Burd, Joseph Lee, whose son, N. J. Lee, is now one of the judges of the District Court in the Fourteenth Judicial District, and the Lerdall family. During the Indian troubles in Minnesota in 1862-63, a number of families fled from that state and sought refuge in Emmet County. Some of them located in what is now Swan Lake Township and became permanent settlers.
Through the central part of the township, running east and west, is the Estherville & Albert Lea division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway system, and the Jewell & Sanborn division of the Chicago & Northwestern crosses the northeast corner. Maple Hill on the former and Gridley on the latter are. the railroad stations in the township. About a mile and a half west of the western boundary is the station of Gruver, on the Rock Island line. The two railroads provide better transportation and shipping facilities than is usually found in rural communities.
Only two townships in the county-Emmet and Iowa Lake- reported a smaller population than Swan Lake in 1910, when it was 382. While it then stood tenth in population, in 1915 it was sixth in valuation of property. Including the consolidated school district of Swan Lake, the property of the township was appraised at $400,652.
TWELVE MILE LAKE TOWNSHIP
This township occupies the southwest corner of the county. On the north it is bounded by Estherville Township; on the east by High Lake Township; on the south by Palo Alto County, and on the west by the County of Dickinson. It embraces Congressional Township 98, Range 34, and has an area of thirty-six square miles. The only watercourse
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in the township, as shown on the map, are the outlet of Twelve Mile Lake, which flows westwardly into Dickinson County, and a small tributary of the Des Moines River in the southeastern part.
In 1860 a number of Norwegians came to Emmet County and settled along the Des Moines Valley south of Estherville. Among them were the Thorsons, Paulsons and Petersons, some of whom located in what is now Twelve Mile Lake Township, where they or their descendants are still living. According to the best authority obtainable, when the first civil townships were created in Emmet County, the present township of High Lake and Twelve Mile Lake were included in "Peterson Township," so named from one of the prominent Norwegian pioneers. When Peter- son Township was divided, the western portion of it was named Twelve Mile Lake, for the lake in sections 20 and 21, which was then supposed to be twelve miles from Estherville, though in reality the distance is only about eight miles.
The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad was built through this town- ship in 1898-99 and the town of Raleigh near the northern boundary was laid out. It is the only village and postoffice in the township, but the town of Wallingford, just across the border in High Lake Township, is a convenient trading and shipping point for those living in the eastern portion.
According to the latest report of the county superintendent of schools, there are nine schoolhouses in the township and during the school year of 1915-16 there were nine teachers employed. In 1910 the population was 449, and in 1915 the property was valued for taxation at $337,034. .
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CHAPTER VIII
CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES
SPECULATION IN EARLY DAYS-FATE OF EARLY TOWNS-ARMSTRONG- BUBONA - DOLLIVER - EMMET GROVE-ESTHERVILLE-INCORPORATING THE TOWNS-CITY OF THE SECOND CLASS-WATER AND LIGHT-SEWER SYSTEM-FIRE DEPARTMENT-CITY HALL AND FIRE STATION-POST- OFFICE-ESTHERVILLE TODAY-FORSYTH-GRIDLEY-GRUVER-HALFA- HIGH LAKE-HOPRIG-HUNTINGTON-MAPLE HILL-RALEIGH-RING- STED-SWAN LAKE-WALLINGFORD.
In the early settlement of the West every state had its quota of land speculators, whose principal object seems to have been the laying out of towns, without the slightest regard to the geographical importance of the site or its possible future commercial advantages. The great aim of these speculators was to sell lots to new immigrants. An early Iowa writer (Hawkins Taylor in the Annals of Iowa) says: "Every- body we met had a town plat, and every man that had a town had a map of the county marked to suit his town as a county seat."
Many of these prospective towns were advertised throughout the East in a manner that did not reflect much credit upon the veracity of the advertisers. The proprietors of some of the towns along the Des Moines River sent out circulars showing a picture of the town, with a row of three and four-story buildings along the river front, large side- wheel steamboats lying at the landing, etc., when the truth of the matter was that only an occasional steamboat of very light draft was able to navigate the Des Moines, and the town consisted of perhaps half a dozen small cabins. A few of these towns, by some fortunate circum- stance, such as the location of a county seat, the development of a water power or the building of a railroad, have grown into considerable com- mercial centers. Others have continued to exist, but never have grown beyond the importance of a neighborhood trading point, a small rail- road station, or a post village for a moderate sized district. And some have disappeared from the map altogether.
Fortunately for Emmet County the mania for founding towns had about spent its force before the first settlements were made within its limits. The pioneers who settled and organized the county were more
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interested in the development of its natural resources than they were in speculation. A few towns were laid out purely for speculative pur- poses, but those of the present day, with one or two exceptions, are located on the lines of railroad that traverse the county, and have at least some excuse for being on the map. Most of them were founded after the railroads were built. From a careful examination of the platbooks, old newspaper files, documents, etc., the following list of towns and · villages that are now or have been projected in Emmet County has been compiled : Armstrong, Bubona, Dolliver, Emmet Grove, Estherville, For- syth, Gridley, Gruver, Halfa, High Lake, Hoprig, Maple Hill, Raleigh, Ringsted, Swan Lake and Wallingford.
Some of the smaller towns were never officially platted, and, like Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin, they "jest growed." They have no special history, but such facts as the writer could gather concerning them are given in this chapter. In the case of the incorporated towns, the popu- lation given is taken from the United States census for 1910, and that of the smaller places is taken from Polk's Iowa Gazetteer for 1915-16.
ARMSTRONG
The incorporated town of Armstrong is situated in the eastern part of Armstrong Grove Township, on the Albert Lea & Estherville division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad system, nineteen miles due east of Estherville. When the railroad was built in 1892 it was known as the Chicago & Iowa Western. The town was laid out by the Northern Iowa Land and Town Lot Company, of which F. E. Allen was presi- dent and S. L. Dows was secretary. On July 7, 1892, the plat was filed in the office of the county recorder. It shows twenty-eight blocks, . with a total of 518 lots, north of the railroad and five large outlots south of the tracks for factory sites, etc.
Prior to the platting of the town a postoffice had been established at Armstrong Grove. E. B. Campbell was the first postmaster and kept the office at his residence on his farm. Mail was carried from Fort Dodge and later from Bancroft by H. J. Felke. When the town was laid out the postoffice was moved to the new village and Mr. Campbell became the first merchant in Armstrong. He was succeeded as post- master by George Stewart. The postoffice has grown with the town. Three people are employed in the office and there is one rural mail route which delivers mail to the inhabitants of the adjacent rural districts. The present postmaster is Kaspar Faltinson, whose commission was issued by President Wilson on June 6, 1913. The receipts of the office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1916, were a little over $3,700.
On January 17, 1893, a petition was presented to the District Court
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asking for the incorporation of Armstrong, to include certain territory in the west half of Section 14 and the east half of Section 15, Township 99, Range 31. The petition was signed by E. J. Breen, T. W. Doughty, E. J. Boots, W. A. Richmond, James A. Colvin, Charles Ogilvie, T. L. Thorson, A. W. Colvin, I. E. Davis, J. M. Gannon, J. F. Hutchins, J. Jackson, Albert Davis, A. Halder, O. A. Canfield, A. Loomer, D. T. Jenkins, C. B. Mathews, J. T. Benson, W. T. Gannon, William Musson, L. L. Lawrence, B. F. Robinson, James Duffy, J. A. Finlayson, S. M. Andrew, David Mitchell, George Stickney, Jr., D. K. Hawley, W. L. Rair- den, E. W. Darling and William Stuart, The large number of signers gives some idea of the rapid growth of the town.
Judge George H. Carr, of the District Court, after considering the petition, granted the prayer of the petitioners and appointed E. J. Breen, Charles Ogilvie, B. F. Robinson, J. A. Finlayson and A. W. Colvin commissioners to call an election for the purpose of submitting to the legal voters living within the territory to be included in the town limits the question of incorporation. The election was held on March 13, 1893, commissioners Breen, Ogilvie and Robinson acting as judges, and L. L. Lawrence and T. L. Thorson as clerks. The result was forty-seven votes in favor of incorporation and only four opposed. Returns were made to the District Court as required by law, and on April 6, 1893, the order for the incorporation was formally issued and recorded. Meantime the following officers had been elected: E. J. Breen, mayor; R. Gabriel, clerk; B. F. Robinson, treasurer; George V. Davis, marshal and street commissioner ; J. A. Colvin, L. J. Rohde, E. J. Boots, George Stickney, Jr., J. L. Guest and T. L. Thorson, councilmen.
Following is a list of the mayors of Armstrong, with the year when each was elected: E. J. Breen, 1893; Kaspar Faltinson, 1894; B. F. Robinson, 1895; A. A. Reynolds, 1896; Charles Ogilvie, 1899; James A. Colvin, 1900; Charles Ogilvie, 1902; B. J. Dunn, 1904; H. A. Kingston, 1906; S. D. Bunt, 1908; Kaspar Faltinson, 1910; H. A. Kingston, 1914; W. W. Brooks, 1916.
The Armstrong Opera House was built by a company which was incorporated on May 6, 1903, with a capital stock of $15,000, with Wil- liam Stuart, John Dows, J. L. Guest, George Stewart, N. Griffin, John Flemming and H. A. Kingston as the first board of directors. By the erection of the opera house Armstrong was provided with a place for holding public meetings and entertainments.
On November 13, 1912, a petition was presented to the town council by the Armstrong Cement Works for a franchise to establish an electric light plant. The proprietors of the cement works offered to pay the expense of holding an election to submit the question to the people. An election was accordingly held on December 9, 1912, and the franchise
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was granted by a vote of nearly four to one. The plant was completed and placed in operation in the spring of 1913. An excellent system of waterworks had been installed some years before.
In 1910 the population was 586. Armstrong has three banks, all established about the time the town was incorporated, churches of five different denominations, a good volunteer fire department, a weekly news- paper (the Journal), two large grain elevators, a school building that cost $50,000, a cement block and tile factory, a creamery, a number of well stocked mercantile establishments, several minor business concerns and a score or more fine residences. In 1915 the property of the town was assessed for taxation at $311,135.
BUBONA
Some maps of Iowa show a place called Bubona in the northwestern part of Jack Creek Township, where there is nothing but a rural school and a few dwellings near. The writer has been unable to learn that a postoffice by that name ever existed there.
DOLLIVER
Near the center of Lincoln Township, on the Jewell & Sanborn division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad system is the incorpo- rated town of Dolliver. It was surveyed and laid out for the Western Town Lot Company, of which Marvin Hughitt was president and J. B. Redfield secretary, and the plat was filed in the office of the county recorder on May 8, 1899, about the time the railroad was built. On the original plat are shown seventeen lots east of the railroad tracks marked "Depot Grounds," and on the west side of the railroad are six blocks, divided into ninety-seven lots. The east and west streets are Shafter, Main and Otis, and the north and south streets are Dewey, Schley and Sampson. With the exception of Main Street all bear the names of United States army and navy officers in the Spanish-American war. On August 8, 1911, a new survey was made by A. M. Jefferis by order of the town council.
At the November term of the District Court in 1901 a petition ask- ing for the incorporation of Dolliver was presented. The petition was signed by T. C. Pier, H. F. Keables, George A. Ports, W. S. Newton, C. E. Jackson, F. D. Colgrove, B. B. Elliott, J. F. Lamb, H. P. Wilcox, B. F. Wright, M. A. Holtzbauer, Roy Wertz, T. Cunningham, C. F. Wendt, B. Lamb, J. A. Reagan, L. P. Stillman, M. Sweafet, W. H. Kep- hart, I. L. Chandler, C. E. Sullivan, A. N. Eells, I. Coleman, W. A. Russell, W. S. Mescrip, N. L. Erickson, N. Benson, F. S. Arnold, C. O.
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Harris and S. B. Reed. At that time the town was only a little over two years old, and as the thirty signers all represented that they were residents and legal voters in the territory it was proposed to incorporate, it will be seen that Dolliver had experienced a rather rapid growth.
When the petition was presented to the court, W. H. Bigelow came in with an objection. He claimed ownership of the greater part of the east half of Section 22, Township 100, Range 32, and set forth that there was no necessity for incorporating so much territory. After hearing both the petition and remonstrance, the court ordered that Mr. Bige- low's land be omitted from the plat of the town and appointed T. C. Pier, J. A. Reagan, L. P. Stillman, C. E. Sullivan and B. B. Elliott commis- sioners to hold an election and submit the question of incorporation to the voters. The election was held on December 17, 1901, when the vote was thirty in favor of incorporation and only one opposed. On Febru- ary 5, 1902, the court approved the report of the commissioners and ordered an election to be held on Monday, March 31, 1902, for town officers. At that election T. C. Pier was chosen mayor; George A. Ports, clerk; H. P. Wilcox, treasurer; S. B. Reed, B. B. Elliott, J. A. Reagan, C. E. Sullivan, H. F. Keables and L. P. Stillman. Returns of this election were presented to the District Court at the April term, and on April 16, 1902, the court declared the town of Dolliver "duly incorporated accord- ing to the laws of the State of Iowa."
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