USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 42
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 42
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The first term of the district court was held in the county at Spirit Lake in June, 1859, Judge Hubbard presiding. B. F. Parmenter of this county, C. C. Smeltzer of Clay County and Patt Robb of Woodbury County were attorneys in attendance. The case between Doctor Prescott on one side and Howe, Wheelock and Parmenter on the other, which has been described before, occupied mose of the time at this first court session.
The judges of the district court since Judge Hubbard have been : Henry Ford, C. H. Lewis, Ed R. Duffie, Lot Thomas, George H. Carr, W. B. Quarton, F. H. Helsell, A. D. Bailie, Nels J. Lee and Daniel F. Coyle.
In Spirit Lake B. F. Parmenter and O. C. Howe may be mentioned as the first men having a practical knowledge of the legal profession. Orson Rice began the practice as early as 1864, R. L. Wilcox in 1869, A. W. Os- borne in 1870, J. W. Cory in 1874 and W. H. Bailey a little later.
The present bar of Dickinson County includes the following men : Leslie E. Francis, V. A. Arnold, H. C. Owen, W. F. Carlton, R. S. Carlton, H. E. Narey, of Spirit Lake; W. J. Bock and E. W. Robey, of Lake Park; J. L. Bascom of Milford.
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CHAPTER XXXI
DICKINSON COUNTY RESORTS.
APPRECIATION BY FIRST SETTLERS-THE FIRST HOTELS-SPIRIT LAKE RE- SORTS ORLEANS HOTEL-OKOBOJI RESORTS-THE VARIOUS BEACHES AND HOTELS-THE FIRST NAVIGATION ON THE LAKES-SAIL BOATS-THE FIRST STEAMER-LATER STEAMBOATS.
The county of Dickinson has within its borders the principal summer resorts of the state of Iowa, due of course to the presence of the lakes- the two Okobojis, Spirit and Silver Lakes. Every season-beginning in April or May and ending in October and November-thousands of people from all over the Middle West travel to the lakes and here reside in cot- tages or hotels during the summer. The first settlers in the county be- lieved the lakes would be the means of attracting hundreds of people to this vicinity and thereby perceived the added value which would be given to the lands nearby. Long before the railroad companies extended their steel lines through the county the lakes were well known as fishing grounds. Parties were organized in surrounding counties and pilgrimages taken to this county for a few weeks of excellent fishing and shooting. There were no pretentious hotels or cottages then built upon the lake shores, but there were a number of homes and quaint hostelries where the travelers could obtain food and lodging. The old Crandall House in Spirit Lake was a favorite stopping place; another at M. J. Smith's place near the Okoboji bridge and at W. B. Arnold's. Algona, Sibley and Storm Lake were the nearest railroad stations and the trip from there had to be made overland. The coming of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad to Spencer in 1878 brought an increase in the number of people taking ad- vantage of the lakes. The Hunters' Lodge had been built at the north end of Spirit Lake in 1871 and Lillywhite's Lodge on the southwest shore at the same time. Hunters' Lodge was the principal hotel here at that time, and was exceedingly well patronized. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad issued a booklet advertising the beauties of the lake as follows: "Spirit Lake has many summer cottages along the shores, with a few resorts where visitors are entertained. The most noted of these is Crandall's Lodge on the northwest shore. This famous place has been identified with Spirit Lake for more than thirty years and has shel-
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tered many hunters and anglers who came here year after year to enjoy the superb hunting and fishing. There are none of the restraints of a fashionable summer resort at Crandall's Lodge, but visitors here come to have a good time unhampered by anything that will prevent the fullest enjoyment. From time to time additions have been made to the lodge which at present, with the eight cottages surrounding it, has accommoda- tions for seventy-five or eighty people. The beach facing the lodge is the finest on Spirit Lake. It is quite wide, floored with clean, white sands dipping so gently into the water that bathers can go out a great distance before getting beyond their depth. This is the most popular pastime at this resort and the merry shouts of children at play upon the sand or sporting in the water are heard from morn until night. Bathing acci- dents so common at many resorts would seem to be impossible here. Boating, sailing, shooting and fishing are also prominent among the out- door pleasures here. The rooms are large, well furnished and comfort- able. The table is supplied with an abundance of well cooked and well served food." Crandall's Lodge was erected on the site of Hunters' Lodge.
The Lillywhite Lodge was run by Billy Lillywhite. He purchased the place in 1872 and erected a building considered large and pretentious at the time. In 1875, however, he sold out to C. A. Arnold. Arnold im- proved the place and called it the Westside Hotel. The first building was later destroyed by fire, but better quarters were soon erected in its place.
A. Kingman's place on Spirit Lake was another popular stopping place for the resorters. He later sold out to B. F. Stevens. Samson's Lodge was another old time hotel. This was on the north short of Spirit Lake, a mile east of Crandall's.
One of the principal hotels built on Spirit Lake at this time was the Orleans Hotel. It was located on the isthmus between East Okoboji and 'Spirit Lake and was opened June 16, 1883. The Beacon thus describes the building: "The dimensions of the main building are three hundred and twenty-four by forty feet, two stories on the east side and a basement on the west end eighty-four feet, making it three stories with an addition sixty by one hundred and twenty feet from the center of the house to the railroad track. It contains a spacious dining room fifty by sixty feet. The building is surmounted by nine handsome towers, one on each corner and one over the commodious office. The veranda affords a grand promenade three thousand feet long and sixteen feet wide. There are two hundred guest rooms all furnished in first-class style with annunciators, gas, baths and all modern conveniences. Every room has two doors, one leading to the corridor and the other direct to the veranda. There is a regular post- office named Minnie close to the hotel. The American Express and the Western Union Companies have offices in the house, and there is telephone connection with the town of Spirit Lake. Of course, there is a laundry,
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a billiard hall, bowling alley, fishing tackle, boats and all minor accom- modations in connection with the hotel."
The ceremony of opening the hotel was an elaborate one. Many prominent people were there, including Col. E. P. Howell of Atlanta, Ga .; Capt. C. B. Richards, of expeditionary fame; Governor Boynton and L. S. Coffin. Most of the prominent men made speeches. J. W. Hutchinson, manager of the Lake Park Hotel at Minnetonka, leased the Orleans Hotel and placed it under the managership of J. B. Bryant.
The hotel, however, soon underwent difficulties which eventually re- sulted in its being torn down. First, the water level question was mis- understood by the hotel authorities. In 1882 the water was very high and the difference in level between East Okoboji and Spirit was about six feet. Steamers made trips through the narrows and straits and all along the short of Spirit Lake large vessels could come close in without trouble. The hotel authorities believed that the difference in water levels could be utilized as a water power (a mistake which had been made before by Peters) and accordingly cleaned out the race and installed a water wheel and works for the hotel, also to supply the railroad tank nearby. The receding of the water in Spirit Lake resulting from this action became serious, for the level was lowered and would not rise again. The naviga- tion in East Okoboji also had to be stopped, owing to the resultant shal- lowness. This ended the profitable steamer trips from the Orleans to the points on West Okoboji Lake and of course had a bad effect on the hotel patronage. The dock at the hotel was left stranded "high and dry" by the receding waters and the bathing beach was ruined. By 1898, the year of the lowest level of the water in the lakes, the hotel people decided to abandon the hotel and tear it down. This was done to the disappointment of many people, although considering everything-not the least of which were the money panic and high rates at the hotel-the resort could not have existed upon a profitable basis.
The large park on the west shore of Spirit Lake known as Templar Park is described in the chapter on fraternal orders.
The principal early stopping places on West Okoboji Lake were: Arnold's Park, Miller's Bay and Smith's Cottage. The site occupied by Arnold's Park is one of the most historic in the county; it is the scene of the first settlements after the massacre in 1857 and is also in close prox- imity to Pillsbury's Point, where the Gardner family was killed by the Indians. J. S. Prescott made the first improvements upon this site in 1857 and 1858. He built a residence which was destroyed afterward by fire, then moved another building sixteen by twenty feet to the same site. This he sold to Blake & Arnold. This became a prominent stopping point in the early days. The small space inside made accommodations difficult, but somehow everyone who applied obtained sleeping space and plenty to
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eat. Arnold's Park at present is one the most famous and extensive amusement parks in the Middle West, combining every type of recreation common to such a place. Hotel accommodations and cottages are abun- dant at this point now and every year great crowds seek their pleasures here.
Miller's Bay is named from one of the first settlers on the west side of West Okoboji Lake. At first the accommodations offered here were only those which could be given at a country farm house, but in recent years extensive improvements have been made. Miller's Bay bears the repu- tation of being one of the best fishing grounds around the lakes.
Adjacent to Miller's Bay is a hill which is claimed to be the highest point of land between the Rockies and the Alleghanies. The mound was at one time pointed out to tourists as the grave of the Indian chieftain, Okoboji, who, of course, never existed. T. H. MacBride, in a geological report, writes of this hill: "The most remarkable of all these hills, a beautiful object in itself, and by far the most elegant illustration of its type, is the long famous Ocheyedan mound. This is a prairie mountain, a precipitous mound or peak, rising at last abruptly from the general surrounding level. It is situated in the southwest one-fourth of the south- west one-fourth of Section 12, in Township 99, Range 40 West, on the east bank of the Ocheyedan Valley, and about one mile southeast of Ocheyedan town. One hundred and seventy feet above the valley flood plain, and at least twenty feet higher than any surrounding land, it has long been a landmark and is visible from their homes to hundreds of cit- izens of Osceola County. The height above sea level, as estimated from data furnished by railroad surveys, is not far from 1,670 feet, one of the highest points in Iowa, its only rival the summit of the morraine in Wilson Township northwest of Allendorf, which has probably about the same elevation."
Smith's Point, an early day camping ground, is located at the cross- ing of the straits between the two Okobojis. Here was built the first bridge in the county, a foot bridge made of logs flattened on one side and laid upon trestles.
Okoboji Park was laid off into lots by M. J. Smith in 1885 and placed on sale. Judge Given, who was the first to take advantage of the sale, bought a lot and erected a cottage. Thus it became known as Given's Point. George Dimmit of Des Moines erected the first cottage at Okoboji. This place later became known as Des Moines Beach, on account of the number of Des Moines people purchasing lots and building cottages there- on. In like manner, Fort Dodge Point was named.
A postoffice was established at Okoboji in the spring of 1859, with G. H. Bush as postmaster. M. J. Smith and J. W. O'Farrell were later postmasters. E. A. Case is credited with placing the first stock of goods
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on sale here in 1880, at which time he also became postmaster. S. E. Mills erected a store building later.
Manhattan Beach, on the west shore of West Okoboji, north of Mil- ler's Bay, was first conceived as a resort in 1893 by D. B. Lyon of Des Moines. Shore lots were laid out and sold, a stock company formed, cot- tages erected, a pavilion built, and other necessaries added. The old steamboat "Ben Lennox" was overhauled and named the "Manhattan," which provided passengers with transportation to the trains. Another old steamer, named the "Robert Williams," was purchased. The scheme did not materialize, however, and the proposed resort failed to be a profit- able investment.
Dixon's Beach, first known as Maple Grove and then as Bennett's Beach, was first used as a resort upon a large scale in 1882. Not until 1896, due to various financial losses, was the spot improved to any great extent, and then J. A. Beck took it in hand. The Inn was constructed by him that year. Other inviting spots around the lakes have been laid off into lots and made into ideal summer resorts, among them being Gilley's Beach, Hayward's Bay, Pike's Point, Brownell Beach, Pocahontas Point, Omaha Beach. Gilley's Beach was started by William Gilley about 1894, when he bought the property on the east side of the lake and laid it off into lots. Hayward's Bay is located on the east side also. It was orig- inally known as Palmer's Bay, but after becoming the property of William Hayward of Spirit Lake, was surveyed and platted, and became known as Hayward's Bay. Pike's Point, north of this latter bay, was improved by Baum & Patterson of Omaha in the early '90s. It is said they were the first to install a toboggan slide. Pocahontas Point was named for the number of Pocahontas County people who invested in the land there.
Pillsbury's Point has been covered with cottages and small hotels, so that it is practically continuous with Arnold's Point. Des Moines capi- talists first invested in the land at this point and properly prepared it for sale.
Notwithstanding the many hotels scattered around the various lakes in Dickinson County, the cottage life remains the predominating one. Today the whole shore line of the two Okobojis and that of Spirit Lake is lined with cottages of every description, all of which are occupied during the summer season. There is a great demand for available quarters, a demand which increases every year, and new houses are rapidly being built. Summer homes are not matters of expensive luxury to the people of Dickinson County ; they are common and within reach of everyone.
The first boating upon the lakes of the county was probably done by the Indians-either in canoes or flat rafts constructed of logs. Spirit Lake is undoubtedly an exception, for no record remains to show that the Indians ever dared to navigate this lake in the face of the evil spirits
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which they believed lived beneath the waters. The first settlers in the county built a raft which they used in crossing the narrow passages, but later canoes were constructed. One was built at Okoboji by W. B. Brown and Lawrence Furber, and another at Center Grove by R. U. Wheelock and Lewis Hart. They were made from basswood logs, about twelve feet in length. After the construction of the saw-mill several row boats were made from lumber.
Perhaps the first real sail boat on the lakes was the "Martha Wash- ington," built by a man named Benedict, who stayed at Crandall's. Lilly- white also constructed a sail boat, which he called the "Old Tub." Zina Henderson, of Okoboji, built one named the "Lady of the Lake." By 1876 there were enough sail boats on the lakes to warrant the holding of races. Much interest was aroused by these contests. Among the participants were: The "Old Tub," William Lillywhite, owner, and L. M. Waugh, captain ; the "Martha Washington," O. Crandall, owner, and R. L. Wilcox, captain; the "Lady of the Lake," Henry Baxter and Zina Henderson; the "Little Red Wagon," A. A. Mosher, owner and captain; "Queen of the West," J. F. Hall; "Okoboji Star," George Chase. The "Old Tub" proved to be the best boat in the races, although the "Martha Washington" was a close second. The "Foam" owned by T. J. Francis, the "Swan" by James F. Hall, and the "Petrel" by the Hendersons were subsequent sail boats placed on the lakes. The "Foam" bore the reputation of being the fastest boat on the lakes and easily captured the races in which she was entered.
The first steam boat on the lakes was the "Favorite," built to carry about thirty passengers. This boat was built on the Cedar River, and was later shipped to Okoboji and placed in charge of John Hackett, for the purpose of carrying passengers between Arnold's Park and Spirit Lake. For several years this was the only steamer on the lakes. In 1882 the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad Company transported a steamer called the "Alpha" from Burlington and placed it on Spirit Lake. This boat was succeeded by the "Queen" and the former taken to East Okoboji for passenger service.
In 1882 Captain May of Minneapolis made preparations to build the largest steamer yet afloat on the lakes. He was backed in his enterprise by the Milwaukee Railroad. The boat was over eighty feet in length and named the "Ben Lennox." The boat was launched in July, 1884. The "Queen" on Spirit Lake was built about the same time by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad Company. She was built of iron and carried about 250 passengers. The "Hiawatha," built by Captain Kendall on East Okoboji, was launched about this time also. This boat could easily carry eighty passengers. The "Lelia," the "River Queen," the "Huntress" and the "Iowa" were shortly placed in service on the lakes. The "Okoboji" was built in 1900; the "Irma" in 1898; the "Orleans" in 1896; the "R. J.
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Hopkins" in 1896; and the "River Queen" in 1890. The large steamer "Sioux City" was built and launched on West Okoboji in June, 1911.
Small sailing boats, motor launches and other craft are numerous on all the lakes at the present time. A boat of some kind is in the possession of practically every cottager, from the small fishing craft propelled by oars to the multiple horse-power motor launch used for pleasure and for speed contests.
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CHAPTER XXXII
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
THE LAKE NAMES STORMS AND BLIZZARDS THE GRASSHOPPER INVASION- VERSE, CHARGE OF THE GRASSHOPPER BRIGADE-GAME-FISH-CENSUS REMINISCENCES-A FAMINE.
In that the geological history of Dickinson County appears in another chapter, also the formation of the many lakes in the county, something of the origin of the names of the lakes may be given here. Spirit Lake is, of course, the largest and, in the early days, the most important of the Dickinson County waters. It was known by the Indians as Minnie- Waukon, or Minnie-Mocoehe-Waukon and by the French as Lac D'Esprit. The pronunciation of the. name led to many oddities of spelling, one of them being in the language of General Clarke: "The Ceuoux River passes through Lake Despree." The spelling was truly phonetic. It is said that the Granger party attempted to give the body of water the name of Green Lake, but were unsuccessful.
The Dacotah Sioux knew Okoboji, the east lake, as Okoboozhy and West Okoboji as Minnietonka, the latter meaning Big Water. Granger wished to name West Okoboji Lake Harriott in honor of the doctor who gave up his life during the massacre and East Okoboji, Rice Lake, in honor of Sen. Henry M. Rice, senator from Minnesota, but again he failed to persuade the inhabitants to adopt his titles.
It is thought by many people, including several writers, that Okoboji was the name of a celebrated Sioux chieftain. This is not true, as no chief by that name ever lived according to the best information. It is an Indian name, however, and means "rushes."
Center Lake was known by the early settlers before the massacre as Snyder's Lake, as Bertel Snyder held a claim on the east side of it. Then it was called Sylvan Lake, and finally by common consent it was named Center Lake.
Gar Lake was first called Carl Lake in honor of Carl Granger. The name thus given by Bill Granger did not last, however, and the lake prob- ably took its name from Gar Outlet, which was known as that for several years previous. R. A. Smith writes as follows about Gar Outlet: "Gar Lake was first designated by Granger as Carl Lake in honor of Carl
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Granger. Whether the name of Gar Lake is a corruption of that cannot be positively stated, but the presumption is that it is not, as the outlet was known by the name of Gar Outlet long before anyone knew anything about Granger's name for the lake. It had its origin in a little incident which, though not important, may be worth telling. On the evening of the day of the arrival of the first party of settlers subsequent to the massacre, as a small party of the boys were cruising around on a voyage of discovery, they brought up at the outlet in which were a school of gars working their way upstream. The boys had never heard of such a fish and thought them pickerel and became much excited. One of them ran to the cabin where he procured a spear which they had brought along, and for two hours they waded up and down the outlet spearing and throwing out the worthless gars. When they tired of that they strung what they could carry on some poles and started for a cabin with their wonderful catch. Upon arriving there a young fellow from Illinois saw what they were and exclaimed, "Boys, those are gars and are no earthly good." When the boys became convinced that they had had all. their work and wetting for nothing, and that their fish were indeed worthless, they were somewhat crestfallen. They took the guying they received from the others in good part, but it was some time before they heard the last of their wonderful exploits. And this is how Gar Outlet first received its name and Gar Lake soon followed."
First there were three Gar Lakes, known as the Upper, Middle and Lower Gar Lakes. The Upper and Lower retain their names, but the middle one has been named Minnie Washta.
The name of Silver Lake is known to have been given by trappers long before any permanent settlement was made in Dickinson County. The true origin of the name is in doubt.
STORMS AND BLIZZARDS
Something has been said before of the severity of the storms and blizzards in Northwestern Iowa in the early days, and the difficulty of living and traveling during these trying times. Several accounts and personal experiences have been written regarding the terrible weather here, one of them being that of Zina Henderson, who trapped in this vicinity prior to the first coming of the settlers. His story follows in part :
"In the month of February, 1865, a party consisting of E. V. Osborn, Clayton Tompkins, Richard Long, George Barr and myself were trapping · on the Rock River, our camp being situated at the forks of the Rock, near where the town of Doon has since been located. There was another party in camp on the Big Sioux some twenty miles to the northwest of us. We used to cross back and forth from one camp to the other as occasion might
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require. At this time there were a few soldiers stationed at Sioux Falls, but as yet there were no settlers there. Our camp at the forks of the Rock was a kind of general headquarters or supply station for the smaller trapping stations in that locality. The trappers used to have their sup- plies sent out there by the load, from which point they were distributed to the smaller camps as needed by such means as were available, the little handsled being the most common, although some of the trappers had Indian ponies with which they moved their camps.
"On the 14th of February, 1865, a party consisting of Osborn, Tomp- kins, Long and Barr left the main camp on the Rock to take some sup- plies over to the camp on the Big Sioux. Barr was a member of the camp on the Big Sioux, although he had been with us at that time, waiting until some of our party could return with him. The party had a pair of ponies and a light wagon and were loaded with flour and provisions. I remained behind to look after the camp in their absence. They left camp not far from nine o'clock in the morning. The day was remarkably fine and pleasant, and the boys, seeing no occasion for hurrying, took things very leisurely, never doubting their ability to reach camp that afternoon, or at least, early in the evening.
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