USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 39
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 39
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
A LOCAL COMPANY
By 1871 the need of a railroad in Dickinson County had become imperative. The county was becoming settled rapidly and large crops were being raised, and some method of transporting the grain and other produce, as well as supplying traveling means to the people was neces- sary to the life of the county and its continued prosperity. In the summer of 1871 a local company was organized by some of the public spirited cit- izens of northwestern Iowa. The first move in this enterprise was made by citizens of Sioux Rapids, among them D. C. Thomas and Stephen Olney, Jr. A meeting was held at Spirit Lake on July 6, 1871, and a company formally organized. The committee on incorporation was com- posed of the following: D. C. Thomas and Stephen Olney, Jr., of Sioux Rapids; C. M. Squire and J. F. Calkins of Spencer; R. L. Wilcox and O. Rice of Spirit Lake; and H. S. Bailey of Jackson. Henry Barkman of Spirit Lake was elected president of the new organization, and Stephen Olney, Jr., secretary. E. F. Hill of Spirit Lake was named as engineer. This company planned to make a campaign along the proposed line of the railroad and secure whatever aid could be voted by the people. A survey was made in the fall of the year of organization and everything found to be promising. In every township of Dickinson County elections were held for aiding the road, and in all but one or two the proposition passed favorably. Clay County, in fact, was about the only place in which the proposed road was not regarded with favor. The people of that county even refused to hold an election. This division of opinion among the people of this part of the state doomed the new road at the start, and it was not long until the organization effected at Spirit Lake was abandoned.
Digitized by Google
358
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
ANOTHER ATTEMPT
Shortly after the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul had completed their western main line through Spencer in 1878 a number of prominent cit- izens of Spirit Lake, among whom were Henry Barkman and T. S. Sey- mour, requested the road to build a line from Spencer to Spirit Lake, and in compliance with this request the railroad company made a survey of the line between the two towns. This was as far as the work progressed at that time, the company believing that it would not be a profitable scheme.
THE C. & N. W. PLAN
In the summer of 1880 the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Com- pany planned to build a branch line from Goldfield, or nearby point, toward the west to the Black Hills. As was the custom, the railroad company demanded a specified amount of aid from the people living along the route. In Dickinson County elections were held in all of the town- ships and the proposition was carried favorably in Center Grove, Spirit Lake, Diamond Lake, Silver Lake, Superior and Excelsior Townships. This small number of townships voting favorably on the railroad tax did not satisfy the company, nor did it comply with the number demanded when the offer of building the road had been made. The company was surveying another route at the same time, through Sioux Rapids and Peterson, and by some authorities it is considered improbable that they would have built the road through Dickinson County even if the aid had been voted in every township. The Chicago & Northwestern made no further plans to help the people of Dickinson County by a line.
BURLINGTON, CEDAR RAPIDS & NORTHERN
In the summer of 1881 the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, through S. L. Dows, offered to build a railroad through the county, pro- viding sufficient aid was voted by the different townships. Elections were held accordingly and the following townships were found to be in favor of the proposition: Center Grove, Spirit Lake, Silver Lake, Dia- mond Lake and Superior. Superior first voted against the road, but the latter's promise to maintain a depot in the township had the effect of changing the vote to the favorable side. The number of townships in Dickinson voting in favor of the road, as in the election for the North- western, was not as large as the road officials had demanded in their promise to build, but in this case the company decided to build anyhow and so notified the people and the taxes were levied. The building of the
Digitized by Google
!
1
359
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
line went ahead rapidly and on July 11, 1882, the first train was run into Spirit Lake. This line is now a part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific System.
THE DES MOINES & NORTHWESTERN
About the time of the completion of the work on the B. C. R. & N. the Des Moines & Northwestern Railroad Company, through its repre- sentative, J. S. Polk of Des Moines, made a proposition to the people of the county. The road had been constructed to Fonda in Pocahontas County, and the proposition gave the information that it was under con- sideration to extend it to Jackson, Minnesota. A survey of the line was made by Surveyor Wilkins of Dickinson County in 1881. The town- ships of Milford, Okoboji, Excelsior, Lloyd, Richland and Lakeville voted aid to the road, the right of way was purchased, and the actual work of grading the roadbed was commenced. This part of the work was com- pleted from Spencer to Spirit Lake and then progress ceased. The true reason for this abandonment of the project was never learned, but noth- ing was ever attempted in getting the road completed.
CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL
While these different railroad lines were being projected and built, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company determined to construct their own line, a work which they had declined to do before. The pros- pect of other roads usurping the field and securing the business of the county evidently caused their sudden move. In the fall of 1881 surveys were made and a sufficient force of workmen put to work to finish the line between Spencer and Spirit Lake. The first train entered Dickinson County on August 1, 1882, but not until the following spring was the road completed to Spirit Lake.
MINNEAPOLIS & ST. LOUIS
The third railroad in the county, the Minneapolis & St. Louis, was built through Lloyd Township in 1899. The railroad company used part of the roadbed of the defunct Manitoba Company. The first survey for the proposed line was in a direct line between Estherville and Spencer, but later the officials decided to make the town of Terrill a station. Mr. Taylor, town proprietor, and others, donated the right of way for the road. There was an effort made by citizens of the county to have the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad built through the center of the county, with stations at Spirit Lake and Milford, but this effort was unsuccessful.
Digitized by Google
360 .
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
MANITOBA & GULF RAILROAD
The Manitoba & Gulf Railroad was the name of a railroad enterprise started in 1894 or 1895. The name suggests the proposed scope of the work. A Mr. Carpenter and others advanced the scheme, it is said without capital, intending to secure as much right of way and as large donations as possible, and then dispose of the work to some other con- cern. Minnesota gave them plenty of aid, but the townships in Dick- inson County refused to vote taxes for a scheme which they had expe- rienced before. However, this did not deter the company from surveying a line through SSuperior, Richland and Lloyd Townships. In the summer and autumn of 1895 grading was completed across Richland Township, ยท and a little done in Lloyd and Superior, but before the year closed the company had gone into bankruptcy and the work ceased.
BRIDGES
About the first mention of bridges in this county was when the con- tractors in the swamp land deal agreed to erect the county courthouse, also three bridges one across East Okoboji Lake east of the settlement at Spirit Lake, one across the straits between East and West Okoboji Lakes, and one across the Little Sioux River. The two bridges across the lake were finished in the year 1860, the one at Spirit Lake being three hundred feet long and the one at Okoboji two hundred and ten feet in length. The Spirit Lake bridge was superintended by Harvey Abbott, a brother-in-law of Howe and Wheelock, while John Loomis built the one at Okoboji, having taken the contract from Howe and Arthur before the principal contract was given to Barkman and Prescott. Four times these bridges have been rebuilt since that time.
The first bridges were not constructed with the idea of permitting lake vessels to pass under them. A plan was advanced at one time that a light, strong bridge, which could be lifted to an upright position in order to let boats through, would be feasible. This was constructed, but the task of lifting it proved too burdensome and some other means be- came necessary. In 1883 the bridges were taken out and the swing bridges erected, the first ones set on piles. In the winter of 1897-8 these were taken out and stone piers set in cement substituted for the piles.
1
Digitized by
.
CHAPTER XXVII EDUCATION IN DICKINSON COUNTY
THE PRESS
THE FIRST SCHOOLS THE FIRST SCHOOL AT SPIRIT LAKE-THE CENTER GROVE SCHOOL-THE OKOBOJI SCHOOL-SCHOOLS IN TUSCULUM- OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS - TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION - CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS STATISTICS-THE SPIRIT LAKE BEACON-DICKINSON COUNTY HERALD-OTHER SPIRIT LAKE NEWSPAPERS-MILFORD NEWSPAPERS LAKE PARK PAPERS TERRILL TRIBUNE-SUPERIOR NEWS.
THE FIRST SCHOOLS
The first schools in Dickinson County were opened at Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Center Grove and Tusculum. Dr. J. S. Prescott established a private school soon after his arrival in this county in 1858. In his house one room was used for school purposes and Miss Amanda L. Smith was employed to teach the pupils, most of whom were from Prescott's family and a few others. However, the first real public school was taught at Okoboji in the winter of 1862-3 by Myra Smith.
J. S. Prescott was a visionary person-a man with good intentions, but inability of execution. He was one of the founders of a college at Appleton, Wisconsin, also at Point Bluff, Wisconsin. He heard of the country around the lakes in northwestern Iowa and conceived the idea of founding another institution of learning here, one which would follow the lines of the one at Appleton. In order to further this undertaking he per- suaded various men of means in Wisconsin and Ohio to advance funds to him. He planned to select a site well located, lay out a town site, and then hold the most desirable pieces of land for the institution of learning and as an endowment. He selected what was later known as Tusculum Grove, on the east side of East Okoboji Lake, bought Thatcher's claim and also that of Mr. Howe. He laid out the town per arrangement and named it Tusculum. The seat of learning, however, did not materialize, for many reasons which are stated in an earlier chapter. Doctor Prescott did not win for himself an enviable reputation by his "land-grabbing" tac- tics and finally disposed of his Tusculum claims for a mere song. Pres-
361
Digitized by Google
362
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
cott was given the title of "doctor" because he was educated for that profession, but later turned to the ministry and preached in Dickinson County. He was. unique, well educated and well meaning, but simply lacked the necessary quality to insure success. His private school taught by Miss Amanda Smith, later Mrs. A. L. Buckland, was abandoned after . a year and a half.
Smith's History of Dickinson County states: "It may seem strange to some that this county did not have public funds as early as the adjoin- ing counties of Clay and O'Brien. The reason is this: In Clay and O'Brien Counties the greater part of their land had been proclaimed for sale previous to the panic of 1857 and was entered up by speculators and non-residents, and was held by them at the time of the first settlement of the counties, and of course one of the first duties of the patriotic set- tler was to see that the non-resident 'land shark' paid his proper propor- tion of taxes, and especially of school, road and bridge taxes. His second duty was to see that the proceeds arising from these taxes were properly expended.
"The late Judge A. W. Hubbard of Sioux City used to tell a story of his own experience that illustrates the point better than any amount of explanation would. He owned quite a tract of wild land in one of the counties between here and Sioux City, and he said that he always noticed from his tax receipts that he was all of the time paying a good round school tax. Having business in that vicinity at one time, he thought he would drive out and see his land and see what sort of a neighborhood it was in. Accordingly he employed a man who knew the country to drive out with him and made the trip, and found somewhat to his surprise that there was but one man living in the school district in which his land was located. He found a commodious, well furnished schoolhouse, with all of the fixtures and appurtenances for maintaining a first class school, while the lone settler and the hired man were the full board of directors. His aries. His wife was also teacher and his children were the only ones wife was treasurer and his oldest daughter secretary, both on good sal- of school age for miles around.
"The judge took in the situation at a glance and was highly amused by it, and driving up to the settler's log cabin, entered into conversation with him. After talking awhile about the country and the prospects of its settlement and growth, the judge made some inquiries regarding their school and finally remarked that he could not see why it would not be a good idea for the settler to move right into the schoolhouse and live there. His cabin was small and uncomfortable, while the school house was large and commodious, and then as there were no other children, there would be no one to complain. The settler answered that he had been thinking a great deal about it of late, and he believed he would. And sure enough
Digitized by Google
1
363 .
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
when winter came on it found the family comfortably fixed in the new schoolhouse, while the 'teachers' fund' and the 'contingent fund' con- tributed liberally to their support."
THE FIRST SCHOOL AT SPIRIT LAKE
The first school in Spirit Lake was a private school, taught by Miss Mary Howe, who was paid for her services by the parents of her pupils. The first school here maintained by a public school fund was taught by Rev. William Leggett, a preacher, in the winter of 1863-4. Any room available was used for holding classes, no schoolhouse being built until 1866.
In an article in a local paper G. E. Schuneman wrote of the first school in Spirit Lake: "In the summer of 1861 Mary Howe taught school in her father's attic, above the living rooms, the chimney passing through the middle of the room, and the cooking being done in the rooms below. The house stood on the site of Ed Carleton's present home. Miss Howe could stand upright only in the center of the room. The heat was intolerable. The following winter, after the Indians had ceased to trou- ble, an elderly Congregational minister, named Leggett, kept school in a log house near the east end of the lot where William Stapleton lives. Miss Lockwood taught the next winter in my Uncle Henry's house, and Miss Lawton began the next term in the Orson Rice house, then removing to the Johnston home on the McMahon place, the old school room being in the back part and a store in the front. Mr. Andrew Smith next taught a term on the east shore of East Okoboji. Then I rode horseback to the little log hut near the poorhouse. After that the courthouse was used and the first teacher was Horace Bennett."
It has already been stated how the school authorities utilized the upper story of the first courthouse, paying the rent by buying and in- stalling the seats and other equipment. Miss Myra Smith taught the first term here, in the summer of 1866.
After the courthouse had been destroyed by fire, entailing the loss of all the school furniture, a building was erected south of the Crandall House, the upper story used for a Masonic lodge room and the lower for school purposes. This was used until the school grew to such an extent that both rooms were necessary, and then the whole structure was moved to the present location of the consolidated school building, the ground which had been donated by Henry Barkman. W. F. Pillsbury was the first teacher in this schoolhouse. The last ones in this building were H. I. Wasson and Mrs. Albert Arthur, the former for the advanced grades and the latter for the primary. In 1882 it was torn down and a new building erected, which was more adequately suited to the needs of
Digitized by Google
364
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
the community and which was quite a pretentious structure for the time. This school served until 1914, when the present consolidated building was erected.
THE CENTER GROVE SCHOOL
At least one authority says that the first real schoolhouse in the county, that is, built and used for that purpose and none other, was the log schoolhouse at Center Grove. In the spring and summer of 1863 Philip Doughty, Ludwig Lewis, Samuel Rogers, C. H. Evans, M. J. Smith and W. B. Brown began a movement to erect this school, to pro- vide educational facilities for the many youngsters in the vicinity. Private donations were secured, some of them in the form of building mate- rials. A "house raising" was held after all the logs, shingles, etc., had been hauled to the site and in a short time the structure was complete. The shack, as it really was, was about seven feet in height, fourteen feet wide and twenty feet long. Boards fastened around the wall served as desks and the seats were rude benches fashioned out of rough logs. After a few years' service this "furniture" was removed and good equipment installed. The building was located in the extreme southwestern corner of Center Grove. Myra Smith taught the first classes here in the winter of 1863-4. The first summer school was taught by Julia Bennett. Some of the other early pedagogues here were: Ardella and Arletta Waugh, G. Fairchild, C. H. Rogers, A. C. Justice and George Hilbert. The latter was the last in the log building, the school being demolished in the winter of 1874-5.
The Center Grove district is notable as having been the only district organized under the law of 1872, authorizing rural independent districts. The law was repealed at the next session of the Legislature. A new school building was erected after the log one was, torn down and in this A. C. Justice was the first teacher.
THE OKOBOJI SCHOOL
The honor of being the first school in the county has been accorded to that held in the Harvey Luce cabin at Okoboji and taught by Miss Myra Smith. In the summer of 1864 a class was held in J. S. Prescoot's barn, a new structure of frame, which was also used for church meet- ings. Miss Syrena Pillsbury taught here during the following winter. Prescott had a frame building, sixteen by twenty, and this he donated to the district with the understanding that they would move it to a suit- able site and furnish it as a school. A band of the settlers got together and moved the building part of the way, an accident stopping them. Be- fore they could again undertake the task Prescott's home was burned and
Digitized by Google
365
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
he himself utilized the intended school building as a residence. In the summer of 1865 subscriptions were taken for a new building. The plan was successful and a lumber structure, twenty by thirty, was put up. The walls were bricked up. The first school, according to several author- ities, was taught here by Syrena Pillsbury, followed by Mrs. A. L. Buck- land, W. F. Pillsbury and Anna Fairchild.
SCHOOLS IN TUSCULUM
The first school in the Tusculum district was held in the old Thatcher cabin and was taught by Miss Theresa Ridley of Estherville. Christopher Rasmussen, Burgess Jones, Miss Nellie Arthur were other early teachers. In 1870 the cabin was abandoned and a modern school, for the time, erected.
Beginning with the year 1870 the county began to grow in popula- tion; emigration became larger; and in conformity with this increase new and more schools were needed in the new communities.
OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS
At Lakeville the settlers erected a schoolhouse in 1869, which at the time was the largest and best furnished of any school in the county. Mrs. Esther Carleton taught first here.
The first school in Milford was taught by Miss Helen Lawton of Emmet County in the summer of 1872. Her immediate successors were : Miss Emma Gillett, Mrs. A. L. Buckland, Mrs. H. C. Crary and R. B. Nicol. After the removal to the new town the independent school dis- trict of Milford was formed of territory from both Milford and Okoboji Townships and a schoolhouse from each was moved into town. These were used until 1888, when they were sold and a modern building erected. In 1891 this structure was destroyed by fire, but was immediately re- placed by a similar building.
The first school in Silver Lake Township was taught by Louise Mid- dleton of Lakeville and was held in the house of C. B. Knox. The second term was held in the house of John Dingwall. After the town was set off from Lakeville the first thing done was to erect a school building. It was constructed in 1873 opposite the northeast corner of the lake and was known as the Knox School. In 1874 another building was put up at the southwest corner of the lake and became known as the Dingwall School. R. B. Nicol taught the first term in each of these schools, the winter of 1873-4 in the Knox School and in the Dingwall School the following winter. After a time the township adopted the plan of having alternate terms in each of the two houses, a plan which was more suc-
Digitized by Google
1
366
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
cessful than dividing the attendance between the two places. In 1884 a new two-room building was erected in Lake Park.
Probably the first schoolhouse in Superior was built in 1886. The first term of school in Terrill was taught by E. E. Heldridge soon after the opening of the town. Lloyd Township has the distinction of having been the first township in the county to adopt the township school sys- tem. This was done in the spring of 1901 and a modern schoolhouse erected the summer of the same year.
TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION
The Dickinson County Teachers' Association was organized in November, 1873, the same time of the first institute meeting in the county. This first institute was held and conducted by Prof. James L. Enos of Cedar Rapids. Mrs. A. L. Buckland was the first president of the insti- tute and R. B. Nicol the first secretary. Meetings were at first held quarterly. This institute remained in force for about eight years.
CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS
Some discussion is presented in the educational chapter dealing with Emmet County on the subject of consolidated schools, a repetition of which in this chapter is unnecessary.
Practically the first district in Dickinson County adopting the fea- tures of the consolidated system was that of Terrill, which had a cen- tralized system of education as early as 1901.
On August 19, 1913, an election was held which resulted in the con- solidation of the town of Superior with eight sections of Superior Town- ship and sixteen sections of Richland Township. On January 17, 1914, the consolidated independent district of Superior voted bonds to the sum of $30,000 for a site and new building.
On December 24, 1913, the Lloyd Township centralized school reor- ganized under the state law and on June 12, 1914, voted $50,000 worth of bonds for a new school building, also the site.
On February 16, 1914, Spirit Lake and Arnold's Park each consol- idated with surrounding territory comprising the entire township of Cen- ter Grove and some adjacent territory. In these two new consolidated districts the entire former districts of Center Grove Township, Center Grove Independent and Crescent Independent were included, also some territory of Spirit Lake Township.
On April 22, 1914, the consolidated independent district of Spirit Lake voted bonds for the sum of $90,000, for the construction of the pres- ent school building. The old school was demolished and the new one erected on the same site.
Digitized by Google
I
CONSOLIDATED HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, SPIRIT LAKE
Digitized by
PUBLIC LILE ARY ASTOR, LENOX
Digitized by
367
EMMET AND DICKINSON COUNTIES
In April, 1914, Superior Township voted to consolidate five sub-dis- tricts and on June 18, 1914, voted bonds for $17,000 for a building and site.
On April 27, 1915, the school township of Okoboji voted to consol- idate and on the 15th of July voted bonds for $22,000 for a building and site.
STATISTICS
The following table of statistics relative to the schools in Dickinson County is taken from the 1916 report of the county superintendent of schools, Miss Jennie R. Bailey :
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.