USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 18
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 18
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An old newspaper says that in 1872 there were two flour .mills in operation at Estherville-the old mill on the west side of the river, con- ducted by Adolphus and B. F. Jenkins, and a steam mill on the east side, a short distance south of Lincoln Street. The old mill west of the river finally passed into the hands of Ammon & Brown, who continued to run it until the water in the river became uncertain as a source of power, when a gasoline engine was installed as an auxiliary. This method of providing power proved to be unsatisfactory and the mill was finally dis- mantled. The steam mill above mentioned was erected by the firm of Whitcomb & Lane, but it ran only a short time when it was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt.
In 1891 the citizens of Estherville, seeing the need for a flour mill, raised a fund by popular subscription and the Estherville Roller Mills were built. E. L. Brown assumed the management of the new mills and re- mained in charge until his death about three years later, when Brown Brothers, of Mason City, purchased the mills. The new firm increased the capacity to about seventy-five barrels of flour per day and carried on a successful milling business until the buildings were destroyed by fire. Since then Estherville has been without a flour mill.
The Estherville Foundry & Manufacturing Company was incorporated on July 23, 1888, with a capital stock of $25,000. The articles were signed by E. J. Woods, W. C. Prophit and Joseph Hardie, of Estherville, and N. J. Atkins, of Emmetsburg. The principal article of manufacture was a windmill for use on farms and two traveling salesmen were soon "on the road," covering Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
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In its advertisements the company announced that it was "fully equipped and all kinds of work will be promptly executed."
In July, 1897, the foundry was purchased by J. O. Kasa and H. Wahler and removed to Wallingford, seven miles south of Estherville on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. Here the manufacture of wind- mills, etc., was continued for a few years, when the institution ceased operations.
The Armstrong Brick and Tile Company was incorporated on Feb- ruary 19, 1902, "for the manufacture of all kinds and varieties of brick, tile and sewer pipe and dealing in the same." The capital stock was $10,000. B. F. Robinson was president; John Dows, vice president; William Stuart, secretary, and G. W. Humphrey, treasurer. The clay used by the company was found to contain too many limestone pebbles to be worked with profit, and the company was succeeded by the Armstrong Cement Works, which filed articles of incorporation on February 7, 1908. The capital stock of the new company was fixed at $20,000; William Stuart was president; T. J. Hess, vice president; P. H. Atwood, secretary and manager, and H. J. Felkey, treasurer. The company was incorporated for a period of twenty years. In the fall of 1912 an electric light plant was installed for the purpose of furnishing light to the Town of Arm- strong, and on December 11, 1912, the capital stock was increased to $50,000. This concern is now one of the largest manufacturing estab- lishments in the county.
Lewis L. Bingham has been successfully operating a cement, tile and sewer pipe plant at Estherville for several years. The Ringsted Cement Products Company was incorporated on March 1, 1911, with a capital stock of $20,000; John Thompson, president; T. W. Doughty, vice president; A. C. C. Ries, secretary ; C. B. Murtagh, treasurer; A. T. Fox, general manager.
About the beginning of the present century, immediately after the completion of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, there was something of a building boom in Estherville. As all brick had to be shipped in from outside points the cost of this line of building material was increased and some of the citizens began asking the question why Estherville could not have a brickyard of its own. While the subject was under discussion J. A. LaBrant, who claimed to be an experienced brick maker, came from Illinois and made an examination of the clay deposits near the city. It was well known that the clays of Emmet County contained limestone pebbles in such quantities as to render them unfit for making brick, but Mr. LaBrant found a bed of clay north of town that he pronounced suitable for the manufacture of brick. He took samples of the clay back to Illinois with him and made a few brick, which were afterward exhibited in Estherville.
On January 5, 1904, the Estherville Brick and Tile Company was
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incorporated "for the manufacture and sale of brick, tile, sewer pipe, sidewalk and building material of similar nature and use, as may be de- termined upon from time to time by the officers of said company." The capital stock of the company was $20,000. A. E. Bigelow was elected pres- ident; L. A. LaBrant, secretary ; L. P. Corke, treasurer. The president, secretary and C. B. Herrick were chosen as the first board of directors.
Kilns were erected at the clay deposit that had been approved by Mr. LaBrant and the manufacture of brick by the "wet process" was com- menced. It was soon discovered that the limestone pebbles were destined to cause trouble by crumbling to pieces when heat was applied. The com- pany then spent considerable sums of money in trying to find some way of crushing the pebbles and making brick by the "dry process," but this was found to be about as expensive as to ship in brick from outside yards. After exhausting all resources the plant was dismantled and the machinery taken away, much to the regret of the people of Estherville, who had hoped that at least enough brick could be made for local use.
ESTHERVILLE MINING COMPANY
It may be news to some of the people of Emmet County to learn that an effort was once made to find and develop coal mines near Estherville. In the spring of 1888 well drillers were employed to sink an artesian well. The Emmet County Republican of June 14, 1888, states that, "In the arte- sian well experiment the drillers struck a vein of coal at a depth of 230 feet. A second vein three feet thick was struck at a depth of 510 feet."
The coal that was brought to the surface was chopped fine by the drill, but it was pronounced to be of fine quality. Prior to this geologists had practically agreed that there were no coal deposits in Iowa north of Fort Dodge. On March 5, 1889, the Estherville City Council entered into an agreement with T. W. Jerrems to the effect that if the said Jerrems "within one year should find coal, oil or gas in sufficient quantities (of each or either) to furnish a reasonable supply for the use of the town, he shall have the exclusive right to develop and work the same for a period of twenty years," etc.
On January 13, 1890, the Estherville Coal and Mining Company was incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000 "to prospect and mine for coal and other minerals." B. H. Pendleton was elected president of the company ; Alexander Peddie, vice president; T. W. Jerrems, Jr., secretary ; E. J. Woods, treasurer. The articles of incorporation were signed by the above officers, Edward D. Doughty, Joseph Hardie, T. W. Jerrems, Sr., and W. C. Prophit. For a time the "coal mine" was one of the leading topics of conversation, but it does not appear that the company ever made any serious effort, or expended any money toward the development of a mine.
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TELEPHONE COMPANIES
While the telephone company is not an industry in the sense that it is a producer of wealth, it is one of the important agencies in the ex- change of commodities produced by other industries. The Estherville Telephone Company was organized on October 31, 1895, and articles of incorporation were filed with the county recorder on the 4th of the follow- ing December. The capital stock of the company was $25,000 and the articles of incorporation set forth that it was the purpose of the company to "construct, own and operate telephone lines and exchanges in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota." Charles W. Crim, M. K. Whelan, E. J. Breen and F. E. Allen were named as a provisional board of directors, to serve until the annual meeting in June, 1896.
On January 1, 1901, the property and exchange of the Estherville Tele- phone Company was purchased by the Western Electric Company. There were then only forty-six subscribers. The new company reduced the rate twenty-five cents per month and in a short time had increased the number of subscribers to 250.
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The Emmet County Telephone Company was incorporated on Novem- ber 5, 1904, with a capital stock of $50,000. I. O. Isham was chosen as the first president; M. B. Miller, vice president; A. J. Sanders, secretary; J. B. Binford, treasurer. The first board of directors was composed of the above officers, A. Anderson, C. C. Stover, E. H. White, A. C. Brown and W. A. Ladd.
On April 16, 1912, the Northwestern Mutual Telephone Company, with headquarters at Armstrong, was incorporated by T J. Cheever, R. B. Felkey and William Luscomb, who constituted the first board of directors. The capital stock of this company was fixed at $30,000 and the articles of incorporation stated that the purpose was "to build, purchase, sell and operate one or more telephone lines."
The Ringsted Telephone Company was incorporated on April 3, 1914, with a capital stock of $10,000; Chris P. Anderson, president; J. M. Jen- sen, vice president; O. N. Bossingham, secretary; P. W. Petersen, treas- urer.
While the above companies have not all been consolidated under one management, their lines have been connected so that communication by telephone is now possible to all parts of the county, and through connection with other companies to the greater part of the State of Iowa.
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CHAPTER X INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
INDIAN TRAILS- TRAVEL IN EARLY DAYS-PUBLIC HIGHWAYS-AFTER THE FIRE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION-COUNTY ROADS UNDER THE LAW OF 1913-RURAL FREE DELIVERY-UTILIZING THE GRAVEL BEDS-THE RAILROAD ERA-A WISE SCHOOL BOARD-DES MOINES VALLEY RAILROAD- EARLY STATE LINES-MINNEAPOLIS, ST. PAUL & UNION PACIFIC-FORT DODGE & FORT RIDGELY-BURLINGTON, CEDAR RAPIDS & NORTHERN- CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL-CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN-MINN- EAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS-ROCK ISLAND BRANCH LINES-VALUE OF RAILROAD PROPERTY-DRAINAGE.
When the first white men came to Emmet County they found here and there an Indian trail winding through the groves or over the prairies. These trails "followed the line of least resistance" and were the only thor- oughfares. As most of the Indians had accepted new reservations west of the Mississippi, many of the old trails had become nearly or quite oblit- erated by the rank growth of prairie grass. What was known as the old "Dragoon Trail" entered the county from the south near Camp Grove, passed near High Lake and Ryan Lake, and crossed the state line about the middle of the northern boundary of Ellsworth Township. This was the first recognized road in the county. Farther west lay the trail called the "War Path," which marked the boundary line between the Sacs and Foxes and Pottawatomi on the east and the Sioux tribes on the west. Still another trail came up the east branch of the Des Moines River and crossed the state line not far from Lake Okamanpadu.
No roads had as yet been opened to civilized methods of travel by wagons or other vehicles, the creeks and rivers were without bridges, and frequently some immigrant seeking a home in the great West would have to encamp on the bank of a swollen stream and wait for several days until the waters subsided so that he could continue his journey.
In the march of civilization westward, the first settlements in almost every community were made along the rivers, where traffic and travel could be carried on by water. In the State of Iowa the first settlements were made along the Mississippi, where steamboats could be depended upon for supplies, and next along such streams as the Iowa and Des
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Moines rivers, up which goods could be transported by canoes and keel- boats. Emmet County, being removed from any river of navigable pro- portions, had to be reached mainly by overland travel. True, canoes could ascend the Des Moines when conditions were favorable, but in seasons of dry weather and Iow water navigation with even the lightest canoes be- came somewhat uncertain. One of the first necessities, therefore, that confronted the pioneers was the opening and improvement of
PUBLIC HIGHWAYS
Probably the first public road in the county was the one which ran from Blue Earth, Minnesota, to the settlement on Lake Okoboji, in Dickin- son County. This road passed along the northern shore of Lake Okaman- padu, crossed the state line two miles north of the present town of Dolliver, passed thence through Lincoln, Ellsworth and Emmet Townships and crossed the west line of the county about a mile north of the southwest corner of the last named township. After the Government survey of the public lands was completed, the road was altered to conform to the section lines of the survey.
In 1860 a road was opened from Estherville to the south side of Lake Okamanpadu and another from Estherville to the settlement at Spirit Lake. Like the Blue Earth road above mentioned, these early highways followed as nearly a direct course as was practicable, but later were made to follow the section lines.
The early road records of the county were lost by the buring of the court-house in 1876 and for more than ten years after the fire there was considerable confusion as to which were and which were not legally estab- lished public highways. In 1887 the board of supervisors appointed the auditor and surveyor to plat and record the roads of the county. These two officials made their final report on April 2, 1888, and in the first paragraph said :
"We have found what we consider the necessary papers for twenty- three roads, and we have gone over the supervisors' records and find that these twenty-three roads have been properly allowed by the board. We have filed the papers referring to these roads in separate covers and prop- erly numbered and listed them. We have also entered them on the road record and platted them on the plat books."
The committee also reported the finding of nine petitions, etc., relating to nine roads and recommended that they be granted; also a number of petitions not complete which were referred to the board for future consid- eration. In conclusion the committee said :
"We have carefully looked over all papers in the auditor's office and the above report is as complete as can be made from all the papers and Vol. 1-11
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memoranda referring to roads. We find some roads on the plat book not on the road record-neither are there any papers to show that they were legally established. We suppose these papers have been lost, or that the roads were established before the fire.
"There are now no field notes to show where these roads are laid, and we recommend that you order a resurvey of all roads in this condition, whenever such surveys may be called for by the township officers wherein such roads are located; and that when such survey is made the county surveyor be instructed to make proper returns to the county auditor, giving field notes and description of such roads.
"E. D. DOUGHTY, Auditor. "E. J. WOODS, Surveyor."
The report of Mr. Doughty and Mr. Woods was accepted in June, 1888, and since that time, acting upon their recommendation, a number of the public highways of the county have been resurveyed and properly placed upon the records.
' STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
The Legislature of 1903 passed an act making the Iowa State Col- lege a state highway commission to supervise the construction of improved roads in the state. Work was carried on under the auspices of the college until 1913, when another act was passed creating a commission of three members, one of whom was to be the dean of the engineering department of the State College, and the other two were to be appointed by the gov- ernor, from different political parties, for a term of four years. The first highway commission, which was still in existence at the close of the year 1916, was composed of Anson Marston, dean of engineering in the State College, ex officio member ; James W. Holden, of Scranton, and H. C. Beard, of Mount Ayr.
By the provisions of the highway commission act the office of county surveyor was abolished and the board of supervisors in each county of the state was required to appoint a county engineer, "within thirty days from the taking effect of this act," and to designate roads for improvement, such roads to be hereafter known as the county road system. It is also provided that the roads so designated by the board of supervisors as county roads shall be plainly marked upon a map of the county furnished by the state highway commission.
On May 15, 1913, the board of supervisors of Emmet County ap- pointed C. P. Smith road engineer for the west half of the county and F. A. McDonald for the eastern half. The latest road map of the county shows nearly one hundred miles of public highway in the county road sys-
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tem, connecting Armstrong, Ringsted, Hoprig, High Lake, Wallingford, Dolliver and Huntington with the county seat. County roads also run west from Estherville and Wallingford to the west line of the county; north from Armstrong to the state line near Iowa Lake; and from the Estherville and Armstrong road about a mile west of Maple Hill to the state line just west of Lake Okamanpadu.
The goods roads movement received quite an impetus in Emmet County, however, before the state highway commission was created. On April 7, 1902, about a year before the State College was given supervision of highways, the board of supervisors, by unanimous action, placed the following upon their records :
"The board of supervisors of Emmet County, Iowa, at the regular April, 1902, session, are advised that a special agent of the postoffice de- partment in the rural free delivery service has visited the county and made investigations looking to the establishment of several rural free delivery routes, but finds the condition of the public highways a serious objection to making a favorable report for installing the service.
"The board recognizes the many benfiets of rural free delivery result- ing to the farming population. Cognizant of the fact that it is impossible to have good mail service without good roads, it concedes as just and right the recent ruling of the department that 'Where a rural service is ordered into operation over a territory where the roads are defective and not passable at all seasons of the year, it is with the understanding that, unless the roads are promptly improved, service will be withdrawn and given to a more appreciative community.'
"In view of the conditions set forth, and that the rural free delivery may be secured and maintained, the said board of supervisors urges the people interested, and the local road officers to use due diligence in the improvement of the highways over which the proposed routes are pro- jected, that the same may be passable at all seasons of the year. And to assist in the accomplishment of the results desired, the said board of super- visors hereby pledges and agrees to render such financial aid as the laws of the state and the available funds levied for road improvements will permit."
In various parts of Emmet County there are beds of gravel suitable for road building. Some gravel roads had been constructed previous to the introduction of the free rural mail delivery system. Immediately after the above action of the board of supervisors more attention was given to the construction of improved highways and the gravel began to be more extensively used upon the roads over which the rural mail carrier would have to make his daily round. Some of the roads thus built are now in- cluded in the county road system. Experience has taught the farmers of
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the county the advantages to be derived from good roads and it is certain that the gravel beds will be utilized to a still greater extent in the future.
THE RAILROAD ERA
Early in the Nineteenth Century a railroad about nine miles in length was built to connect the City of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, with some coal mines. This was the first railroad of practical utility in the United States. In its construction wooden rails were used, with a strap of iron nailed on top. The locomotive was no larger than some of the engines used by threshermen of the present day, and the coal cars would not carry over five tons each. Accidents were frequent, owing to the working loose of the nails and the displacement of the iron strap on the top of the wooden rail. The possibilities of a railroad, even of this crude nature, were seen by capitalists and it was not many years until railroads were projected for carrying passengers as well as for freighting coal.
It seems almost incredible that any sane, intelligent person should ever have opposed the building of railroads, yet such was the case. About 1828 some young men of Lancaster, Ohio, organized a debating society and addressed a communication to the school board requesting the use of the school house in which to hold their meetings. The communication also stated that the first subject selected for debate was whether railroads were feasible as a means of transportation. To the request the school board replied as follows :
"We are willing to allow you the use of the school house to debate all proper questions in, but such subjects as railroads we regard as improper and rank infidelity. If God had ever intended His creatures to travel over the face of the country at the frightful speed of fifteen miles an hour He would have clearly foretold it through His holy prophets. It is a device of Satan to lead immortal souls down to hell."
Such was the opinion of the members of the Lancaster school board less than a century ago. They were no doubt men who were chosen to direct the education of the young people of the city on account of their wisdom and sagacity, sincere in their opinions regarding railroads, and felt that they were benefiting the community by preventing the discussion of an "unholy subject" in a building erected for school purposes. Their opposition availed nothing in the end. Railroad building went on and the passenger of today on a railroad train that was. not making better speed that fifteen miles an hour would be likely to find fault and make sarcastic remarks about the management. In fact, a railroad that could not run its trains at a greater speed would neither deserve nor receive a great deal of patronage. Yet such a rate of speed was considered "frightful" by the school board of Lancaster in 1828. Verily, the world moves.
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THE DES MOINES VALLEY RAILROAD
Not long after the first settlements were made in Emmet County, the pioneers began to feel the need of some better methods of transportation. The best prospect at that time seemed to be in the Des Moines Valley Railroad. This road was chartered in 1853, by the Iowa Legislature, as the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad. A survey was made in 1854 and in the spring of 1855 the company was reorganized as the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company, with Hugh T. Reid, of Keokuk, presi- dent. A contract for the construction of the road was let to the firm of Smith, Leighton & Company. Smith was later succeeded by David W. Kilbourn. After eleven years of trials and tribulations, the first train arrived at Des Moines on April 29, 1866.
It was the intention of the company to extend the line up the Des Moines Valley into Minnesota. On March 19, 1869, Howard Graves wrote to Kilbourn, Leighton & Company, who had become the lessees of the road, asking that the valley of the west fork of the Des Moines be selected as the route for the extension. Under date of March 31, 1869, Kilbourn, Leighton & Company replied as follows :
"We are now pushing the road to Fort Dodge with all the speed that men and money can do, and hope to have the cars running to that point by October next at the latest. As regards the location of the line north of Fort Dodge, that has not yet been finally determined upon and will not be until surveys are made, which we think will be done some time this year. Much depends upon the character of the country and the assistance which we may expect to receive from the inhabitants along the line; but the writer may say to you, if the west branch of the Des Moines shows a good route, and the people will give aid, we are inclined to favor that location."
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