USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 24
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 24
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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
For more than twenty years the society has lived up to its objects. Picnics and social gatherings have been held, a library of several hun- dred volumes has been accumulated, aid has been extended to orphans' homes and other charities, and the sick have been cared for by furnish- ing medical attendance, or by planting or harvesting the crop of some member during his illness. On August 8, 1900, the "Minde" was incor- porated. The articles were signed by John Larsen, Peter L. Petersen, Ole Justesen, Hans Christiansen, Iver Hansen, Peter M. Martensen, Paul P. Bogh, Alfred Jensen, Niels C. Krogh and Niels Jakobsen. The follow- ing provision is found in the articles of incorporation :
"Article VI. This corporation shall continue as long as there are five members following these articles. Upon dissolving, all property belonging to this society must not be divided among the members, but must be turned over so as to benefit humanity. This article cannot he amended and it also takes in the sick society and library of 'Denmark's Minde.'"
MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES
In Emmet County there are a number of societies of a social or fraternal nature, whose history the writer has been unable to obtain. Others have been organized and flourished for a time, but have gone out of existence. On September 18, 1885, shortly after Estherville was made a division point on the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad, Emmet Lodge, No. 288, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, was organized with W. S. Davis as the presiding officer; F. Slayton, vice-president; P. J. Sullivan, secretary; George Godden, treasurer.
On Monday evening, April 5, 1897, the Estherville Young Men's Christian Association was organized at the courthouse. N. A. Law- rence was elected president; Albert Mahlum, C. S. Robinson, Leonard Anderson and Edward Kline, vice-presidents; Orlando Lough, secretary; Arthur Pelton, treasurer. Sixteen members were enrolled and it was voted to hold meetings every Sunday at 4 o'clock p. m. in the courthouse. This was the beginning of the Y. M. C. A. work in Emmet County.
The Modern Woodmen of America and their ladies' auxiliary-the Royal Neighbors-have lodges at Estherville, Armstrong, Ringsted and one or two other points in the county. The Danish Brotherhood and Danish Sisterhood have strong organizations at Ringsted. The Brother- hood of American Yeomen, the Fraternal Brotherhood of the World, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Brotherhood of America,
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and some others are represented, and on February 5, 1910, the United Commercial Travelers organized Post No. 485 at Estherville with twenty- two members.
WOMEN'S CLUBS
In attempting to give an account of the women's clubs of Emmet County it is deemed inexpedient to include every organization, but only those having some historic significance, or such as have wielded a marked influence upon the civic life or the literary and educational development of the county.
The oldest women's organization, of which anything definite can be learned, is the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which was organ- ized at Estherville on Sunday afternoon, February 10, 1884. Mrs. Aldrich addressed the meeting and a temporary organization was effected. That same evening another meeting was held in the Methodist Episcopal Church, at which the following officers were elected: Mrs. Esther A. Ridley, president; Mrs. G. N. Luccock, Mrs. G. H. Stafford and Mrs. William Bartlett, vice-presidents; Mrs. H. A. Jehu, secretary ; Mrs. S. E. Bemis, treasurer. For some time the society was active in its efforts to promote the cause of temperance, but since Iowa has "gone dry" there is less call for such organizations and the Union is not so active now as in former years.
The woman's club known as the "K. K. K." was organized in Janu- ary, 1893, as a cooking club. It started with seventeen members and in 1895 gave a banquet to the members of the Upper Des Moines Editorial Association. On that occasion the members justified the reputation of the club as a cooking club, several of the editors afterward publishing in their papers articles complimentary of the banquet. As time went on the club broadened its scope and took an interest in other matters. It gave to the city one of the fountains in the public square, and con- ducted a "tag day" for the benefit of the Estherville Public Library, by which a considerable sum of money was added to the library fund. The club never numbered over twenty-two members. Some of the early members moved away and from August 12th to the 20th, 1908, those living in Estherville arranged a home-coming for the absent members and invited them to return for a brief period to their old haunts in Emmet County. The E. E. Hartung home was the headquarters for the out-of-town guests and a number of the absent ones came back to renew old acquaintances and partake of the good things to eat prepared by their sisters. There were then but. seven of the original members living in Estherville, but they did everything they could to make the home-coming an enjoyable occasion.
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The Woman's Town Improvement Association of Estherville was organized at the home of Mrs. L. S. Williams on Monday afternoon, March 16, 1896 . Mrs. F. E. Allen was chosen president; Mrs. L. L. Bingham, Mrs. John Woods, Mrs. Jennie Ellerston, Mrs. Peter Johnston, Mrs. M. G. Willson and Mrs. A. O. Peterson, vice-presidents; Mrs. Letch- ford, secretary, and Miss Ellerston, treasurer. The aim of this associa- tion was to urge the city authorities to improve the streets and to educate the people to clean up their premises. It was active for a while, but finally ceased its efforts and disbanded.
Other women's clubs that are or have been in Estherville are the Ladies' Literary Club, the Searchlight Club, the Civic Club, and the Estherville Woman's Club. In February, 1900, these four clubs united in urging the passage of an ordinance by the city council prohibiting spitting on the sidewalks.
THE P. E. O.
The woman's organization known as the "P. E. O." is distinctly an Iowa institution. In 1869 seven young girls, students in the Iowa Wes- leyan University at Mount Pleasant, conceived the idea of organizing a society of some sort. The result was the P. E. O. Just what these let- ters stand for is known only to the initiated and the secret of their significance has been carefully guarded by the members for nearly half a century. One of the founders, who was still living in 1914, in then speaking of the venture of the original seven members, said: "We had no very definite idea as to what we wanted to do, and when one asked, 'What shall we call the society?' another suggested the name which in that day bound together seven girls, and in 1914 holds together in one great sisterhood 20,000 women."
Miss Alice Bird, one of the seven girls, wrote the constitution when the society was organized in 1869, and it is worthy of remark that the fundamental principles of that constitution still remain in the organic law of the society. For many years the P. E. O. was nothing more than a college sorority, with chapters in the college towns somewhat after the manner of the Greek letter fraternities. Then the scope of its work was broadened and women outside of the universities were admitted to membership. Its principal philanthropy, especially during the early years, is the maintenance of a fund which is loaned to young women to aid them in acquiring a college education. A large number of girls have been educated through the work of this society, and it is said that not one dollar has ever been lost through the failure of borrowers to repay their loans.
The Estherville organization, known as the "A. Y. Chapter of the P. E. O." was established in 1896 with only nine members. It has been
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active in the work of the general society and has also been of consider- able influence locally. It was instrumental in organizing and supporting the Estherville Associated Charities and without any flourish of trump- ets has aided in various movements for the betterment of the city and the comfort of its inhabitants.
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
On October 11, 1890, a number of women, whose ancestors had served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war, assem- bled in Washington, D. C., and organized the Daughters of the American Revolution. The objects of the society are to collect and preserve his- toric documents and relics, and to mark by monuments, tablets, or other- wise the sites of historic events. To be eligible for membership one must be able to show a Revolutionary ancestry. Local societies are called chapters. Although only a little over twenty-five years old, the organi- zation has spread to almost every nook and corner of the United States and the members have been active in marking old trails, the sites of battlefields, etc. The highest officer in each state is called a regent.
In 1895 Mrs. Emma G. Allen, of Estherville, received her charter as regent, empowering her to organize a chapter. Okamanpadu Chapter (so named from the lake on the northern border of Emmet County) was organized at Mrs. Allen's residence in Estherville on May 13, 1903, with the following charter members: Emma G. Allen, Margaret S. Alexan- der, Marietta Groves, Mary G. Knight, Mary B. Lawrence, Callie B. Letchford, Mary E. Maxwell, Mary G. Osgood, Mary R. Orvis, Jennie J. Randolph, Hattie C. Rhodes, Almira Ridley, Vestaline Salisbury, Iza B. Soper and Ethel T. Wood. Probably the most important thing done by the local chapter was the erection of the Fort Defiance monument on the north end of the public square, commemorative of the heroism and suf- ferings of the pioneers of Emmet County during the Indian troubles of 1862.
Almost every village in the county has its woman's club, composed of a few members, the principal purpose of which is to meet at the home of one of the number and spend an afternoon in some line of work, or to engage in social intercourse. These clubs, while of interest to the members, have no special influence upon the general development of the county.
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CHAPTER XV BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS
LITTLE NEED FOR CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS IN EARLY DAYS THE POOR FARM -ESTHERVILLE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES - HOSPITALS - CEME- TERIES.
THE POOR FARM
Those who break away from an old settlement and go out upon the frontier to develop the resources of a new country, and incidentally better their own fortunes, are never weaklings. As a rule the pioneers are men and women of great strength and courage, endowed with good health and fortitude, full of energy, and capable of contending with the difficul- ties that the first settlers in every community have to meet and overcome. Among such persons there is little need of established charities. It was so in Emmet County. If some family, through misfortunes, needed as- sistance it was cheerfully given by the neighbors, and it was many years before the citizens of the county realized the necessity for the establish- ment of a home for the unfortunate poor. The first mention found in the county records regarding such an institution, is in the following reso- lutions, which were introduced by Supervisor Leopold:
"Now, on this 15th day of September, 1910, this board being assem- bled in regular session, and deeming it advisable to establish a poor house in and for Emmet County and to purchase a farm to be used in connection therewith, it is
"Resolved, That we estimate the cost of such poor house and lands necessary and suitable to be used in connection therewith to be $25,000, and it is further
"Resolved, That the following proposition be submitted to the people of said county at the next general election, to wit:
. "1. Shall the board of supervisors of Emmet County purchase a farm in Emmet County upon which to establish a poor house or poor farm, at an entire cost not to exceed $25,000?
"2. Shall the said board of supervisors levy a tax of one mill on the dollar of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within said county for the year 1911, and continue said levy from year to year until said farm is fully paid for ?" etc.
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The resolutions were adopted and the auditor was instructed to pub- lish notice of the questions to be submitted to the voters and to see that all other provisions of the law in such cases were complied with in all respects. At the general election on November 8, 1910, both propositions were carried by a vote of 1,357 to 504.
No further action was taken in the matter until January 10, 1913, when the board received a proposal from H. K. Groth to sell to the county 228 acres (more or less), for $22,000. Supervisors W. H. Gibbs and J. J. Klopp were appointed a committee to enter into a contract with Mr. Groth for the purchase of the land, and to pay said Groth, out of the poor fund, the sum of $500 "as earnest money," the remainder to be paid on March 3, 1913, provided Mr. Groth agreed to satisfy the incumbrances against the tract of land and give to the county a clear title. This was done and in this way Emmet County came into possession of a poor farm. No buildings have been erected by the county since the purchase of the land, the old residence already upon the farm being considered sufficient to care for the few paupers who have claimed the county's hospitality.
ASSOCIATED CHARITIES
The Estherville Associated Charities came into existence in March, 1912. The organization is the outgrowth of certain lines of charity work that had been carried on for a number of years under the direction of Mrs. J. P. Littell. Early in the year 1912 Mrs. Littell, by invitation, gave an address before the Estherville Chapter of the P. E. O. and that organ- ization became interested in the subject, with the result that in March the Associated Charities were organized. Mrs. A. O. Peterson was elected president, Mrs. J. P. Littell, vice president and general superintendent; Mrs. L. L. Bingham, secretary, and Mrs. A. J. Rhodes, treasurer. Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Littell have held their offices continuously since the first organization. At the beginning of the year 1917 Mrs. W. P. Gallo- way was secretary and Mrs. Lou Wanamaker, treasurer. There is also an executive committee of three men and three women, which committee has general direction of the work.
Every Saturday afternoon, especially during the winter season, Mrs. Littell and her assistants are to be found in the Women's Rest Room, in the basement of the Estherville Public Library, giving out clothing, etc., to the needy families of the city and the immediate vicinity. The associa- tion also cares for the sick and endeavors to find positions for the unem- ployed who are able to work. In a small city like Estherville, "where everybody knows everybody else," less formality and red tape are neces- sary than in the larger cities, where impostors frequently take advantage of organized charities to get an easy living, consequently the Estherville
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association can render aid more promptly and without fear of being im- posed upon by the unworthy.
In the summer of 1916 the association formed a sewing class, com- posed of a large number of girls aged from ten to twelve years, and on certain days these little girls were taught to mend clothing, some of the older ones being given instruction in the making of garments. Thus the association is trying to teach people to be self supporting in many ways, instead of merely doling out charity in times of more than ordinary dis- tress. The work is supported by voluntary contributions, which have been liberal enough to enable the association to carry it on in such a way that a great deal of good has been accomplished.
HOSPITALS
In August, 1898, the Northern Vindicator made mention of the fact that the doctors of Estherville had started a movement for the establish- ment of a hospital, and that it was "well under way." An effort was made at that time to enlist the cooperation of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company and its employees, but the railroad company was more interested in hospitals at other points and did not look upon the Estherville project with favor, hence it was abandoned.
The Estherville City Hospital was established in April, 1908, by the physicians of the city. It was at first located on the corner of Seventh and Howard streets and started with accommodations for ten patients. In 1909 the management was transferred to Dr. Ethel E. Walker, who had formerly been superintendent of the Military Hospital at Danville, Illinois. A little later the institution was removed to the large residence on the corner of Eighth and Des Moines streets, thus giving larger and better appointed quarters. Since the removal a number of improvements have been added and the hospital is now as well conducted as many of the hospitals of the larger cities. Dr. Ethel E. Walker is still at the head of the hospital.
In 1900 Dr. Albert Anderson opened a private hospital on the corner of Seventh and Des Moines streets. The patronage soon increased so that larger quarters were necessary, and the hospital was removed to No. 826 North Eighth Street. In 1906 the hospital was closed and was not reopened until 1914, when Doctor Anderson sold his interest to Miss Josie A. Roberts, who still remains at the head of the institution. The advertised capacity of this hospital is twenty-two patients, but accom- modations can be provided for twenty-six in an emergency.
Neither of the Estherville hospitals is a public institution in the sense that it is supported by taxation. They belong to that class of insti- tutions known as "benevolent," , rather than "charitable." Both are well
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equipped with all the necessary apparatus for taking care of patients, performing surgical operations, etc., and both are open to the licensed physicians of the city and county, who can send patients there and attend them during illness just as if they were in their own homes.
CEMETERIES
There is one institution of a charitable nature which the pioneers of a new country are always somewhat reluctant to see make its appear- ance, yet it is one that must come sooner or later. That is a burial place for the dead. One can hardly imagine a more desolate scene than the first grave in a frontier settlement. After a number of burials, when the cemetery has grown to proportions that naturally require greater care, when walks are laid out and improved and monuments are erected, flowers planted on the graves, etc., the desolation disappears and the people accept the cemetery as a necessary adjunct of modern civilization.
Probably the oldest cemetery in Emmet County is the one in the northeast part of the City of Estherville. It was platted and established on July 14, 1866, at which time James L. L. Riggs and his wife, Minerva Riggs, made a deed to an association conveying a certain tract of land in Section 11, Township 99, Range 34, to said association to be used as a burial place. On November 17, 1900, the Estherville Cemetery Associa- tion was incorporated by Howard Graves, Eliza M. Bemis, Mary J. Bar- nett, L. L. Bixby, J. W. Lough, W. S. Jones, C. B. Mattson, Sally A. Mattson and Robert Clark. The first seven of the above named consti- tuted the first board of directors. This association was organized for the purpose of taking control of and improving the old cemetery estab- lished thirty-four years before. A new plat was made and filed with the county recorder on April 26, 1901, showing 192 burial lots. Later on the same day an additional plat of 144 lots was also filed with the recorder. Since then the cemetery has been greatly improved and beautified, prac- tically all the money received from the sale of lots having been expended for that purpose.
Oak Hill Cemetery, west of the Des Moines River at Estherville, was established in 1889. The Northern Vindicator of April 12, 1889, says: "The project for new cemetery grounds has materialized and the location selected. Seven acres on the hill west of Mr. Hardie's have been pur- chased of J. W. Lucas by an association of gentlemen, who propose to fence and lay out a cemetery that will be a credit to the community. The grounds are covered with second growth timber, which will be trimmed up as good taste may dictate. A plat will be set apart for the Grand Army of the Republic, with a view to erecting a monument to the mem- ory of soldiers and sailors, without which, North or South, no cemetery is complete."
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The members of the association mentioned by the Vindicator were as follows: F. E. Allen, John M. Barker, William Bartlett, J. B. Binford, W. H. Foote, J. J. Klopp, W. M. McFarland, A. O. Peterson, F. H. Rhodes, R. E. Ridley, E. R. Littell, J. M. Snyder, William Stivers and E. J. Woods. Subsequently ten acres additional were acquired and on May 28, 1898, the Oak Hill Cemetery Association was incorporated with the following board of directors: F. E. Allen, William Bartlett, J. W. Lucas, A. O. Peterson and R. E. Ridley. This cemetery has a naturally beautiful loca- tion and it is now one of the most popular burial places in the county.
Swan Lake Township Cemetery was laid out on June 23, 1880, by J. M. Barker, who was at that time the county surveyor. It is located in the northwest part of Section 21, Township 99, Range 32, about two miles southwest of the village of Maple Hill. At the time it was first platted the Town of Swan Lake, about two miles southwest of the ceme- tery, was the county seat of Emmet County. On June 7, 1886, the trustees of Swan Lake Township had a new survey made, the new plat show- ing 132 burial lots, but the plat was not filed with the county recorder until April 11, 1901. Swan Lake Township Cemetery is used by the people occupying a large district in the central part of the county.
About a mile west of Armstrong, on the high ground near the east branch of the Des Moines River and just south of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, is one of the prettiest burial places in Emmet County. It is situated in the northeast corner of Section 16, Township 99, Range 31, and was surveyed on July 10, 1888, by E. J. Woods, who was then county surveyor. The plat was filed with the county recorder on the 16th of the following November. The original plat contains 152 lots, on which a number of fine monuments have been erected, and from this cemetery a fine view of the surrounding country may be obtained.
In Lincoln Township there is a cemetery in the northeast corner of Section 33, near one of the public school houses. It was established as a burial ground at an early date by some of the early settlers in that vicinity. Subsequently a plat of 144 burial lots was prepared and filed in the office of the county recorder.
In the northwest corner of Section 13, in Denmark Township, is a small, well kept cemetery in which a number of the pioneers of that part of the county lie buried, and there is a neat cemetery in the northwest corner of Section 17, in High Lake Township, just across the road from the Norwegian Lutheran Church, having been established by that con- gregation soon after the church was organized.
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CHAPTER XVI
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
MOSQUITOES IN EARLY DAYS-A DOG PHILOSOPHER-A MIRACLE-ORIGIN OF THE WORD BLIZZARD A MYSTERIOUS MURDER-PRAIRIE FIRES-A SA- LOON WAR-GRASSHOPPERS-AN AEROLITE-DISASTROUS FIRES-TWO NOTED SONS SOLDIERS' MONUMENT-FROZEN TO DEATH.
MOSQUITOES IN EARLY DAYS
One of the annoyances the early settlers of Emmet County had to contend with was the great number of mosquitoes that infested the coun- try. Before the swamps and ponds were drained they formed a veri- table breeding ground for these little pests. As evening approached they would besiege the cabin in swarms and make life a burden to the pioneer and his family. Wire screens had not then been invented for doors and windows, and even if they had been many of the early settlers were too poor to afford them. The only method of combating the insects was to build a fire or "smudge," which was fed at intervals with moist grass or some other fuel that would produce a great amount of smoke without much flame. The mosquito does not like a smoky atmosphere and would do without his supper rather than pass through it to dine off the pioneer's family. The smoke caused some coughing and watery eyes, but it kept the mosquitoes away. Young girls on the frontier found it difficult to maintain a clear complexion, for they either had to be smoked to the color of a Sioux Indian or have their faces covered with mosquito bites, which gave them the appearance of having a mild case of small pox. As one old settler expressed it some years later: "It's a wonder the women of Northwestern Iowa had any complexion left."
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