USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 38
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
BANKS
The first bank in Dickinson County was established by Marcus Snyder and William M. Smith and opened its doors for business January 1, 1877. Snyder later bought out Smith's interest in the institution and named it the Spirit Lake Bank. The bank then went into the hands of Duff, Pearsall & Company, and later became the Dickinson County Bank, the Dickinson County Savings Bank, and is now conducted under the name of the Spirit Lake National Bank.
In the summer of 1877 B. B. Van Steenburg, the elder, erected a small building on the north side of Hill Street, which was afterward occupied by his bank. This bank is now the First National. This institu- tion has grown until now it is the principal banking house in Dickinson County. The officers are: C. E. Narey, president; O. S. Jones, vice
Digitized by Google
348
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
president; Fred W. Jones, vice president; G. H. Rozema, cashier; L. A. Price, assistant cashier. The capital stock of the First National is $50,- 000; the surplus about $30,000; and the deposits average nearly $500,000.
The Spirit Lake National Bank is now officered by the following: B. B. Van Steenburg, president; Marcus Snyder and H. H. Buck, vice presidents ; G. C. Taylor, cashier; A. D. Chisholm and Harry Kuhn, assist- ant cashiers. The capital stock is $50,000; the surplus approximately $25,000; and the deposits in the neighborhood of $350,000.
The Farmers & Merchants Bank of Spirit Lake was opened for business on April 3, 1916. This bank was organized by Estherville busi- ness men. John P. Kirby is the president and B. A. Gronstal the cashier. The capital stock is $10,000.
POSTOFFICE
In the chapter on early settlement in this history of Dickinson County something is said of the early mail routes to and from the settlement at Spirit Lake and difficulty of transporting mail matter across the prairies. It is needless to repeat this description. The office at Spirit Lake was established in February, 1858, and R. U. Wheelock was made the first postmaster, a position which he kept until he left the county in 1863. His leave-taking was not expected to be permanent, consequently B. F. Parmenter superintended the office in his name during his absence; the office was kept at his residence near the site of the Presbyterian Church. In two years Parmenter moved to Boone, Iowa, and turned the few duties of the office over to G. Blackert, who was the next commissioned postmaster. The office was then kept in his residence on the later Carlton residence site. Blacker kept the office until 1869, when he resigned, and was succeeded by Eben. Palmer. Palmer kept the position until 1883, when the office was made a presidential one. Following him, these men have filled the position of Spirit Lake postmaster: A. B. Funk, A. F. Heath, E. L. Brownell, A. F. Bergman, Joseph A. Smith, A. F. Bergman and G. W. Stapleton. M. C. Nelson is the present incumbent.
A STORM
.
The most disastrous windstorm ever experienced in Dickinson County occurred on May 3, 1905. At seven o'clock in the evening the fury of the gale struck the city and destroyed buildings and property of fully $50,000 value. The Spirit Lake flouring mill and the Rock Island depot were more seriously damaged than any other buildings in town. Several people were injured by falling timbers and debris, but fortunately no one was killed. Many miraculous escapes were reported from the country districts, where great loss was suffered also among the live stock.
Digitized by Google
7
I
1
CHAPTER XXV LAKE PARK, MILFORD, SUPERIOR, TERRILL AND OTHER TOWNS
LAKE PARK-FIRST SETTLEMENT-FIRST STORES-BANKS-INCORPORATION -MILFORD-FIRST BUSINESS INTERESTS-REMOVAL OF TOWN SITE- MILLS BUSINESS IN NEW TOWN-BANKS AND INCORPORATION- SUPERIOR-START OF TOWN-FIRST STORES-POSTOFFICE, BANK AND INCORPORATION-DESTRUCTIVE FIRES-TERRILL-START OF TOWN AND RAILROADS-BANKS-MONTGOMERY-BANK- OTHER VILLAGES IN DICK- INSON COUNTY.
LAKE PARK
The town of Lake Park has one of the most beautiful locations of any town in northwestern Iowa-on the northeastern shore of Silver Lake in Silver Lake Township. The town of Lake Park owes its existence to the construction of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad through the present site in the year 1882. Several towns such as Supe- rior and Montgomery were established by the railroad and Lake Park is numbered among them.
Something of the first settlement of Silver Lake Township has been given in another chapter-how the first settlement was made by George Nicholson in August, 1868, etc. The first postoffice in the township was established in 1872, called Austin, with C. B. Knox as postmaster. The mail was carried through the township over two routes, the Spirit Lake and Sibley and the Spirit Lake and Worthington, each with weekly ser- vice.
As stated before the railroad was projected westward from Spirit Lake in the late summer of 1882 and the site for the new town selected on a portion of Section 27, Township 100, Range 38. Dr. Henry Shimer of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, was the original proprietor, and the plat was filed in the county courthouse August 18, 1882.
The first building to be erected on the new town site was a store by William Thompson. Armin & Riley soon established themselves in the grain business, but after a few years sold out to Stockdale & Bahls. Har- vey & Truesdale opened up a hardware business and W. S. Bowles started the first blacksmith shop. The first hotel was constructed by Anthony
349
Digitized by Google
350
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
Arnold, who later sold out to E. P. Ring, the latter also being the first to operate a livery stable. S. Benson is said to have been the first man to open a restaurant, afterward installing a stock of dry goods in connection. In 1887 Strathman & Bock started a dry goods store. L. Stoltenberg first sold agricultural implements in 1885. John Hunt had the first meat market and Ole Knuteson was the first shoemaker. The latter built a structure for the shop in 1886. J. T. Benson sold the first furniture in 1890 and in the following year Elmer Buffum opened the first harness shop.
The year 1888 brought new life to the town and better buildings were erected, a better business and civic spirit came into existence, and for the first time the little community began to progress properly. One of the first attempts at better stores was that of Koester & Company, which firm in 1888 placed a stock of goods on sale which was considered far ahead of anything previously offered.
Lake Park was incorporated in August, 1892, with the following first officers : John Buffum, mayor; Theodore Strathman, recorder; H. H. Rohlf, D. C. May, E. P. Ring, F. W. Tutin, John Linder, William Patterson, councilmen.
The first bank in Lake Park was the private institution of Green & Patch, which commenced business in 1889. A year afterward it was or- ganized as the Lake Park State Savings Bank, with John W. Cravens, president, and M. D. Green, cashier. In 1892 a brick building, the first in the town, was erected by the bank. The present officers of the bank are: Aug. Sindt, president ; F. W. Schoellerman, vice president; J. Denk- man, cashier; C. N. Arens and A. E. Goetsch, assistant cashiers. The capital stock is $25,000 and the deposits average about $175,000. The German Savings Bank of Lake Park was organized in 1901 and is now officered by the following named: Louis Stoltenberg, president; A. H. Stoltenberg, vice president; Theodore Strathman, cashier; E. Moeller, assistant cashier. The capital stock is $25,000; the surplus $43,000, and the deposits about $315,000.
In 1882 the name of the postoffice was changed from Austin to Lake Park and William Thompson appointed postmaster. He was succeeded by Ira Breffle.
MILFORD
The town of Milford had its start on account of the erection of the Milford flouring mill in the summer of 1869. A small community began to grow around the location of the mill. The company which operated this mill procured a half section of land and, after completing the erec- tion of the mill and other improvements, laid out a plat of the town of
Digitized by Google
!
i
:
351
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
Milford in the summer of 1870. The sawmill was started in July, 1869, and the grist-mill in December.
In the summer of 1870 several buildings were constructed on the new plat, among them being two hotels, one by A. D. Inman and the other by Case & Arnold. T. S. Seymour built a residence at the same time. The Fourth of July was fittingly celebrated at Inman's this summer. The Case & Arnold Hotel was known as the Case House, and was three stories in height, the upper story being used as a public hall. Lumber was the material used in the construction of all these first buildings, part of which was hauled from Algona. Shortly, the business of the new town of Mil- ford not being sufficient for the maintenance of two hostelries, the Case House was abandoned. However, the upper room, which was the public hall, still served to house the various entertainments, meetings, religious services, dances, etc., which were the only means of diversion possible for the settlers. The hall was the home of the celebrated Milford Dancing School in the early '70s, the Milford Pioneer Society and other organiza- tions.
The first postoffice in the town of Milford was established in the year 1869, I. S. Foster, postmaster. L. A. Litel followed Foster, then W. F. Carlton. Carlton was succeeded in 1881 by Foster and the latter was postmaster when the town was moved in 1882. A daily stage from Spen- cer to Jackson carried all the mail received at Milford. It was called the Bailey & Barney stage line.
The first store to be opened in Milford, the old town, was that of L. A. Litel, in the summer of 1870. He bought an old granary building from A. D. Inman and used this temporarily for his stock of goods until he could finish the construction of his own building. He was supplanted by Carlton Brothers in November, 1871, who had a stock of groceries and hardware. They also added a set of tinner's tools, the first in the county, in 1872 and in 1873 a stock of dry goods. R. A. Smith was the builder of a store building in the fall of 1870, in which he put on sale a general line of goods. Mr. Smith himself writes of the early business of Milford from then on as follows: "R. A. Smith remained in business there until January 1, 1872, when he sold out to Dr. W. S. Beers, who, after con- tinuing there in business for a while, bought the Case House and fitted up the lower room for a store, to which he transferred his business, where he remained until 1874. He then sold out to Wallace Smith and moved to Spirit Lake. In the meantime he had rented the old store to A. Price, of Lakeville, who occupied it as a drugstore for a while, after which it was moved down to the lower mill. Wallace Smith remained in business until the spring of 1877, when he sold out and moved to Westport. In 1876 the Carlton Brothers finished off a store building which had been commenced by I. S. Foster & Company, across the street from their first
Digitized by Google
.
352
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
location and moved their business into it, remaining there until 1879, when the store was occupied by I. S. Foster & Company, and the Carltons occupied the building vacated by Wallace Smith. I. S. Foster & Company continued in the business until the locating of the railroad forced the moving of the town, they moving with it. The first blacksmith shop in Milford was conducted by S. E. Inman and George Middleton, but they were in a short time succeeded by Chris Kessey. Several residences were built, but these cannot be noticed in detail.
"As a village the old town of Milford started in with as bright pros- pects as any new town away from railroads could desire, but the money panic of 1872, succeeded as it was by the four years of entire destruction of crops by the grasshopper raids, put a stop to its growth, and when they had partially recovered from that the location of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad forced an entire change of location. Most of the important buildings were moved to the new town, the last but not least being the "old grist mill," which, by the way, had been thoroughly overhauled and entirely rebuilt and fitted up with modern machinery long before its removal. . . . In the summer of 1873 Henry Barkman and R. A. Smith erected a second mill on the outlet a mile below the other one. It was believed at that time that the outlet water power would prove a permanent one and had it done so it would have been one of the best in the state. The work on the mill was in an advanced state when the country was struck by the memorable grasshopper raid of 1873. To stop where they were with the work meant the loss of all that had been done, while the outlook was not very promising in case they went forward with their work. This, however, they finally decided to do. Accordingly the work was continued and the mill put into running order in October, 1873. The mill did fairly well that season as the destruction of crops was but partial. Had emigration remained what it had been for three years previous, the mill could doubtless have been made to pay, but instead of that large tracts of land were abandoned and in some instances whole neighborhoods almost depopulated. Again, what wheat was raised dur- ing and after the grasshopper visitation was far inferior in quality to that raised before. Owing to all of these adverse circumstances the mill never was made to pay. Mr. Barkman died in February, 1878."
The land upon which the new town of Milford, or North Milford as it was called, was laid out, was purchased from John Lawler. The town was laid out by him, surveyed, platted, and the plat filed at the Dickinson County courthouse August 21, 1882.
The first business to open up in the new location was the lumber yard of Rasmussen Brothers. Coal and grain were added to their stock later. Besides the old buildings which were transported from the old town to the new, several new buildings were quickly constructed. One
Digitized by Google
- -
1
EEEEEE
CATHOLIC INSTITUTION, MILFORD
Digitized by
....
i .: .
ASTOR, LENOX
Digitized by
: i
353
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
was that of the Commercial Savings Bank, now the First National. R. M. Brigham erected a hardware store for the firm of Snyder & Bowers. I. S. Foster & Company sold the first dry goods. J. A. Ellis built a store building and in January, 1883, the firm of Ellis & Blackert opened a gen- eral store there. P. Staur & Company started a second lumber yard. Chris Kessey opened the first blacksmith shop, having moved up from the old town. The first agricultural implement stock was carried by Ben- der Brothers of Spencer, Frank Knight acting as their representative. George A. White also dealt in the same line of goods. The first hotel in new Milford was the Central House, run by R. C. McCutchin. C. Potter catered to the public with a restaurant. Ira F. Hall and Hiram Davis took care of the first livery business. I. S. Foster was the first postmaster in the new town, and was succeeded by E. A. Case. It was made a pres- idential office in July, 1900.
The Commercial Savings Bank of Milford was started in 1884, by H. L. Goodrich and W. M. Smith, with a capital stock of $5,000. Subse- quently it became the First National Bank of Milford and now has a cap- ital stock of $35,000; a surplus of $55,000, and deposits averaging $375,000. The officers are as follows: C. F. Mauss, president; C. Tor- stenson, vice president; P. O. Bjorenson, cashier; and L. D. Daily, assist- ant cashier. The new building of the institution was dedicated in Feb- ruary, 1912.
The Milford Savings Bank, now the Milford National Bank, was established in 1895. The officers now are: H. H. Overocker, president; J. F. Moy, vice president ; E. L. Ewen, cashier. The capital stock of this bank is $25,000; the surplus $8,000, and the deposits over $125,000.
The town of Milford was incorporated June 11, 1892, and the first officers were W. F. Pillsbury, mayor; H. J. Norheim, recorder; William Chase, J. A. Ellis, C. A. West, R. C. McCutchin, Andrew Davidson and G. A. O'Farrell, councilmen.
SUPERIOR
Superior owes its inception to the railroad as do many of the other smaller towns along the line. Superior Township itself once defeated the railroad proposition, but the railroad promised to build and equip a sta- tion within the township, so at a second election the proposition carried. The road came through in the spring of 1882, and the station was built during the following year, with Frank Taylor as local agent.
W. S. Gardner bought a quarter section adjoining the town site the same year and put in the first general store. He delivered and traded in about every article of produce a community would need, including gro- ceries, hardware, dry goods, grain and live stock. The second store in Vol. 1-28
Digitized by Google
354
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
Superior was erected by Warren Hurd in 1884 and was used by David Mitchell as a general store. Ed Fogarty was the first grain dealer; Rob- erts & Sullivan had the first lumber yard in 1885, and were succeeded by the Farmers' Cooperative Company; the first hotel was built by D. E. Hurd; the first livery barn was constructed by Warren Hurd and run by Frank Coyle. About the first building of any size in Superior was built in 1889 and was used for many purposes and many kinds of stores.
The Superior postoffice was established in 1883. W. S. Gardner was given the position of postmaster. He kept the office at his farm, but find- ing this a great inconvenience, decided to build up-town and go into busi- ness. David Mitchell succeeded him in 1890.
The first bank in Superior, the Superior Savings Bank, was started in 1890 by W. W. Hurd. The present Superior Bank was established as such in 1904 and now has a capital stock of $6,500; a surplus of $4,000, and deposits of $55,000. G. W. Small is president; John Jacobs, vice president; J. C. Smith, cashier, and Alice Garling, assistant cashier.
Superior was incorporated in February, 1896. The first meeting of the council was held on March 6th of that year. The first officers were: L. Broderick, mayor; John Jacobs, assessor; G. M. West, recorder; L. F. Kleibenstein, M. C. Hogle, D. L. Wylde, C. D. Sergeant, T. Trowbridge and J. P. Nelson, councilmen.
Since the establishment of the town two disastrous fires have caused large amounts of damage in the business section. The first of these con- flagrations occurred in 1897, when the bank, hotel, drug store, printing office, dry goods store and furniture store, also other places of business were destroyed. Some of these buildings were afterward rebuilt, but the havoc was of such extent that the people were slow in recovering. The second fire of consequence occurred on August 11, 1903, when the entire row of buildings on the west side of the main street, including the drug store, bank and J. P. Nelson's general store, were consumed. The Es- therville fire department came to the assistance of the local fire fighters.
TERRILL
The town of Terrill was born in the summer of 1895. It was the outcome of the railroad agitation in Lloyd Township, which has been described in its proper place in this volume. A tract of land in Section 15, owned by E. E. Taylor, was selected, and he had it surveyed, platted and placed on file at the county seat. The name of Trilby was decided upon as the proper title for the new town, but upon application to the postoffice department for a local office, it was discovered that another town of that name existed in Iowa, so the name was changed to Terrill. A store, bank and hotel were the first buildings erected here, these dur- ing the initial summer. J. R. Phelps started the hotel; C. H. Avery the
Digitized by Google
355
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
dry goods store; and the Terrill Bank was established by Taylor & Ewert. The firm of Sharkey & McNary opened a hardware store. Soon, how- ever, a period of depression came to the new community, when the in- flated Manitoba & Gulf Railroad Company was punctured and all the wind let out. The men who had established business in Terrill became discouraged and several of them moved away, while others stuck grimly to their guns and waited for better times to come, displaying a courage which had its merited reward.
The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad was built through the township in 1899 and Terrill was made a station upon the line. The first survey had been a little to the east of Terrill, missing the town, but eventually the officials decided to swing farther west and take in that community. Mr. Taylor, the town proprietor, donated the right of way through the land in which he was interested.
This road in operation, Terrill began a new life and quickly grew to a town of civic excellence, prosperous business conditions and attractive appearance. The old buildings were renovated and many new ones erected. Terrill is now one of the busiest towns in Dickinson County.
Two banks are doing business here, a sufficient testimony to the conditions here. The First National Bank was established in 1899 and now has a capital stock of $25,000; a surplus of $8,000, and deposits of over $150,000. H. H. Buck is the president of the institution; A. W. Bascom, vice president; C. C. Gravatt, cashier; and E. J. Starkey, as- sistant cashier.
The Terrill Savings Bank was established here in 1905. A. W. Bascom is the president; H. H. Buck, vice president; L. A. Koon, cashier ; and Donald Scott, assistant cashier. The capital stock amounts to $10,000, and the deposits about $50,000.
The town of Terrill was incorporated in 1899 and Howard Everett was elected the first mayor. D. M. Shaffer was the first postmaster.
MONTGOMERY
The town of Montgomery is a small village located on Section 34, Diamond Lake Township, on the Rock Island Railroad. This village was started with the railroad, but has never grown to the extent of the other towns along the line.
One bank is located here-the Bank of Montgomery, established in 1901. C. E. Narey is the president and B. A. Webb the cashier. There is a capital stock of $5,000; a surplus of $4,000, and deposits amounting to $55,000.
Other towns in Dickinson County, too small to merit detailed de- scription are: Orleans, Okoboji and Hagerty. The first two are prom- inent as summer resorts and are mentioned elsewhere as such.
Digitized by Google
CHAPTER XXVI
TRANSPORTATION
EARLY ROADS-NEAREST RAILROAD STATIONS-A LOCAL COMPANY-ANOTHER ATTEMPT-THE C. & N. W. PLAN-BURLINGTON, CEDAR RAPIDS & NORTH- ERN-THE DES MOINES & NORTHWESTERN-CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS-MANITOBA & GULF RAILROAD- BRIDGES.
EARLY ROADS
Prior to the coming of the railroads to Dickinson County travel and transportation were chief among the settlers' difficulties. Fort Dodge, Sioux City and Mankato were supply points and to obtain provisions, clothes and other materials the pioneer was compelled to travel overland to these points and return. Ox teams were principally used, a method of travel slow and tedious. The hardships endured en route have been described among the early settlers' experiences-how they bridged streams, crossed sloughs and directed their path. No regular roads were surveyed for several years, although frequent travel had beaten paths in the different directions, upon the lines of which many of the first roads were later laid out.
The first road to be laid out in the county, according to the official records at the county courthouse, was one from Spirit Lake running in the direction of Sioux City. One from Spirit Lake to Gar Outlet was another and was surveyed by S. H. Morrow. Another county road commencing at the bridge east of Spirit Lake and running to Gar Outlet, a resurvey and relocation of the former road, was done by C. Carpenter and R. A. Smith in 1860. A road from Stimson Mill by way of Center Grove to a "point where the east line of Samuel Roger's claim intersects a road running from Spirit Lake to Clay County" was completed in 1861 only in the southern part. A road from Spirit Lake to the south side of Center Grove was surveyed in 1865, also the Marble Grove road. The Okoboji and Sioux City road was laid out by A. Inman and R. A. Smith in December, 1866. The Spirit Lake and Sioux City road, the Spirit 356
Digitized by Google
1
357
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
Lake and Jackson road, the Silver Lake road, the West Okoboji road and the Lost Island road were surveyed in 1868 by W. F. Pillsbury and R. A. Smith. The Milford road, the Swan Lake and Estherville road and the Grand Prairie road were completed shortly afterward.
One of the first acts for the securing of railroad facilities was when much of the government land was granted to the state of Minnesota for aid of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad, which, however, passed through the counties west of here in 1871, bitterly disappointing the peo- ple of Dickinson County. This made the town of Sibley for many years the nearest railroad station, to reach it requiring a journey of from twenty-five to forty miles for the people of this county. Algona, sixty miles away, was located on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and was the next nearest station for the people of this county. In 1878 the road was built on westward as far as Spencer, Iowa.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.