USA > Iowa > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 22
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MORE RAILROAD PROSPECTS
In all new communities it is the earnest desire of the citizens to open up com- munication with the larger communities and better markets by means of railroads. As has been seen the question of more railroad facilities was con- stantly being agitated, and any number of projected roads were under consider- ation. Al! except the I. C. Ry. had failed to materialize. In the fall of 1876 the question of extending the narrow gauge road from Des Moines, north through Webster City was being agitated. This road was then just finished to Mmes. The matter was discussed all winter and in the spring of 1877, elections to vote tax aid were held. The four southwest townships of the county, viz .: Scott, Ells- worth, Lyon and Lincoln voted a 5 per cent tax on condition that the road be completed and a station be established and maintained within one mile of the central corner of these four townships. Boone township, which then included Independence and Freedom townships as well as Webster City, also voted on the questions but defeated the proposition by fourteen votes. This election was held in April, and being so close, the question of another election was at once raised.
At this time however the Crooked Creek company desiring to build to Webster
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City was offering to do so if 5 per cent. tax was given them. As the former prop- osition had failed to carry because five per cent. was regarded generally as too much for a narrow gauge road, it was proposed to divide the aid and give to each project a two and one-half per cent. tax, and thus secure both. The election was set for June 7, 1877, and resulted in favor of the two propositions. One J. J. Smart, the chief mouthpiece of the D. M. & M. now promised that the road would be built at once and everybody along the proposed line of the road was happy. The work of building the road from Ames, north went on but was not completed into the county that year.
THE TOWN OF CALLANAN
In the spring of 1878 the work on the narrow gauge progressed northward to a terminus near the common corner of the four townships that had voted aid. The terminus of the road was at first named Lakin, but a post office was estab- lished at that point very soon and it was named Callanan, after the president of the road. It being desirable that the town and postoffice should bear the same name, and no plats having yet been recorded, the name Lakin was changed to Callanan.
Callanan was situated on the east bank of the Skunk river and the road, com- ing north over a mile to the west made a sharp turn to the east and crossed to the town. The east bank of the river or rather the bluff upon which the town was located, was much higher than the west side of the road from the bridge, to the top of the hill on a grade of about five hundred feet to the mile. It was the steepest railroad ever seen by the writer. To get up the grade, the train would take a long run and sometimes failed to reach the top and slid back, and would have to try over again. In going out, all brakes had to be set. This arrangement looked rather unsubstantial, but it was explained that it was temporary and that the ground would be raised, and a new and higher bridge put in but these things were never done.
The town of Callanan was laid out April 19, 1878, and grew with surprising rapidity. It was situated on the northwest quarter of section 1-86-24, but most of the buildings were built on a tract of land north of the depot on section 36-87- 24, and in November of that year the south half of the southwest quarter of said section 36 was laid out in town lots and called North Callanan. The town was in the midst of a splendid agricultural country and large amounts of grain and stock were bought and shipped from that point, and considerable business was transacted. It was essentially a boom town, and along with the legitimate business there were also perhaps more of the characteristics of the far western mining towns. Several saloons were in active operation and more clear money was made in them than in any other business. The legal authority of the town also fell into rather unreliable hands and a great many stories are told of strangers who with a little money and an appetite for drink, found themselves in a row before they knew it. Without any very good cause, they were arrested, their money taken, and they were given the privilege of leaving the town or going to jail. This, of course, occurred only to transients, who, with little money and perhaps less brains, were looking for a snap and were not disappointed except that instead of getting the snap they got snapped themselves. It is reported that strangers were arrested and fined, but allowed to escape on the way to Webster City to
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jail. when the little money or valuables invariably taken from them when arrested. was confiscated and no record made of the transaction.
THE CALLANAN HERALD
In the fall of 1878, the Williams Standard suspended and a Mr. Sherpy bought the material and started a paper at Callanan called the Herald and January 1, 1879. the Callanan Herald was awarded second place as the official paper of the county. But the paper was not a paying investment and as the year progressed, its issue: became only occasional instead of weekly and it finally suspended. In December 1879, however, the paper was again revived and the name changed to the Register and in January, 1880, the board made the Callanan Register second official paper on condition that it be issued regularly. The paper struggled along for a few weeks and succumbed.
TWO MURDERS
As will be seen further on, the town of Callanan only grew for a little over two years, and then began to fall to pieces, but during its short life it claimed the distinction of having two murders committed within its precincts. One was by a drunken bystander on the 4th of July, who fred a revolver into the crowd on the platform of the depot striking one Jacob Hing, from the effects of which he died. The other case was that in which Hilga Espe killed Joe Isley. Hilga was a strong muscular fellow and Isley a little old man. Both were drunk. Hilga wanted to fight Isley. but Isley refused, and started to go away. Ililga followed up and picking the smaller man up by main strength, threw him from the side walk upon the frozen ground with great force and left him there. Some one at a distance saw the act and went to the old man, but finding him unconscious caller the crowd from the saloon and he was taken in and laid upon a table or beneh and remained unconscious until next day when he died.
A year passed by and the narrow gauge remained at Callanan. and refused to come north through Webster City unless they got the full five per cent. tax and threatened to go north by way of Williams or Blairsburg unless the five per cent tax was conceded.
ANOTHER VOTE ON THE R. R. T.AX
To secure, if possible, the early building of the Narrow Gauge through the county northward. the Crooked Creek Co. released their two and one-half per cent tax and an election was called to be held in July. 1878, to vote an additional two and one-half per cent to the narrow gauge road. The vote was taken and carried by a slender majority of five. \ year rolled round and still no moves were made to extend the building of the road northward.
During the winter of '78-9 the project was again brought up. The company claiming that the tax already voted was illegal and asked that a new vote be taken on the proposition of a full five per cent. tax and also asked the town of Webster City or rather Boone township to donate right of way and depot grounds. There was much opposition to the five per cent. tax. Those urging it charged that its chief opposers were working in the interest of. if not in the pay of. Fort Dodge, declaring that Fort Dodge was working to prevent the coming of the
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road so as to keep Webster City out of the field as a competing business point. There was absolutely nothing in this charge. but it was a good electioneering story and it was used for all it was worth. The election came off the 21st of June, and carried by a decided majority. It had been confidently promised that if the tax carried, the road would be completed to Webster City by September 1, and every- body could go to the State fair over it. Still nothing was done, and a short time afterwards the mortgage on the road already built was foreclosed and all hope of its extension to Webster City died out.
THE ADVERTISER IS STARTED
In the spring of 1877, J. R. Riblet came to Webster City. Being a printer and out of a job he conceived the idea of starting a monthly paper especially designed as an advertising medium and for general literature. He had no printing press. but secured advertising and putting his type in form had the press work done by the Freeman office. The paper was named The Advertiser but it only appeared two or three times in its original form which was four columns to the page, and as many pages as the amount of advertising warranted. In the fall of that year. J. D. Sutton and J. R. Riblet formed a co-partnership and in November began to issue the Advertiser as a weekly 8 column quarto. Machinery and type were pro- cured for doing business on a large scale and the presses were run by steam. It was the first steam printing outfit in the county, but it was soon found that its proprietors had started in to mow a wider swath than they were able to complete. They could not meet the payments on their power press and other material, and the manufacturer came and took out the press, steam fixtures and some of the materials. The form of the paper was then changed to a 5 column quarto. In politics it was the organ of the greenback party and was very radical. Mr. Rib- let soon retired from the firm and Med Skinner took his place. Politically, the Freeman and Advertiser were soon engaged in a regular Kilkenny cat fight, which soon took on a most violent personal aspect. Politics in the county boiled clear out of the pot and the people in 1878 were so nearly divided that ex-Governor C. C. Carpenter, the republican candidate for Congress, had only seven majority over Col. L. Q. Hoggett, of Ames, the greenback candidate. Mr. Skinner soon withdrew from the Advertiser and Sutton ran it alone. The personal conflict be- tween the papers increased in fury and folly. In the conflict the Argus was so lost sight of, that in July, 1878, it was compelled to suspend and the two papers had the field all to themselves and they improved it to the best of their ability. Politics soon seemed to be but a secondary matter, so persistent and violent were the personal criminations and re-criminations of the papers. If there was any crime in the catalogue of the criminal jurisprudence that each did not charge upon the other and prove too, to the satisfaction of the partisans, pro and con, it would have been hard to discover what it was. In the domain of reckless denunciation and billingsgate, Mr. Hunter was no match for Mr. Sutton, but Mr. Hunter was infinitely Sutton's superior in craft and diplomacy. Sutton went into the charge with the same reckless daring, and about the same judgment, as the bull that tried to buck a railroad engine off the track. He attacked anything or anybody that came in his path without discretion and without compunction. He was tricky in
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his business transactions and personally unpopular. The ill-timed and violent assaults upon his enemies caused many of his party friends to withdraw their support and friendship while he lost other partisans by uncalled for assault upon them, and they left him. It was little wonder then that his patronage fell away until he was compelled to give up the fight in less than three years. C. D. Auyer leased the paper and ran it during the year 1881 until December, when it suspended for one month. In the meantime, F. Q. Lee purchased the outfit and in January 1882 began its publication, and its patronage steadily increased until October, 1883, when the paper was sold to Mr. Shaeffer who converted it into a democratic paper.
HIOG CHOLERA
During the year 1878, the terrible scourge of hog cholera broke out in its very worst form all over the county. The raising of hogs had become one of the principal and most profitable industries of the county and nearly every farmer had been improving his breed and enlarging his stock. The cholera had made a fright- ful destruction among them. In many instances, men lost every one of their porkers and if any were left where the disease took off part of a drove, they were scarcely worth keeping. A better idea can be had by giving the report of the losses as rendered to the assessors, which was as follows, by townships: Cass 2,787 ; Ellsworth, 1,286; Hamilton, 3,221; Lyon, 1,877; Scott. 1,499; Webster City, 683 ; Clear Lake, 1,408; Fremont, 2,401 ; Lincoln, 781 ; Rose Grove, 477; Webster, 2,258; making a total report of 19,170. But in the report, Boone town- ship, which then included what is now Independence and Freedom, Blairsburg and Marian townships made no report. It was estimated that had the report covered the whole county it would have shown the loss by cholera of at least 25,000 head of hogs. The magnitude of this loss will be better understood when it is remembered that the population of the whole county did not at that time exceed 9,000 people.
NEW BRIDGES
During the year 1878 a new iron bridge was built across Boone river at Bone's Mill. The work was accepted by the board of supervisors early in January, 1879.
The wooden bridge at Millard's farm had now in January. 1879. become dan- gerous and was condemned and the board at the January session, ordered it taken down and arranged to build a new iron bridge at that point. It was in this year also that the mail route from Williams to Rose Grove was extended south to Cal- lanan.
TILE COUNTY POOR FARM
The county had purchased a poor farm a year or two prior to this. It was located about one and a half miles northeast of Webster City, but there were no buildings upon it. It was urged by many that it would be cheaper to buy a farm with buildings already erected and add to them as occasion required. Others urged the abandonment of the new farm with a view of buying another located nearer the center of the county, but the board after investigating the matter resolved to build on the farm originally purchased and in April. 1879, the contract
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was let to D. N. Stearns to build a house and barn at a cost of $2,000. Mr. Stearns entered at once upon the work and it was finished and accepted by the board in November 1879 and has been occupied by the county ever since. There have been several additions to the house and out buildings, and more land has since been added, and this is now one of the finest farms in the county. The county authorities conceived the idea that it would be a convenience to the farmers of the county as well as a paying investment to make the raising of fine blooded stock, especially cattle and hogs, a specialty, and the attempt was kept up for sev- eral years and is yet to some extent, but the project did not pay and in later years a more practical kind of farming has been adopted.
THE CHEESE FACTORY
In the spring of 1879. Frank Fenton put up a cheese factory near the grounds where the old steam mill stood. It was put into successful operation and bid fair to become a profitable industry but for some cause it shut down about September I, and in November it burned down. It was never rebuilt.
THE FIRST MEMORIAL SERVICE
The first memorial services ever held in the county took place May 30, 1879. The principal promoters were George Paton and wife, Charles A. Wickware and Col. Crosley. These with a few friends assembled on the green near where the public schoolbuildings now stand and having a martial band proceeded to have martial music and sing a few songs. The martial music, the singing and the little crowd gathered, attracted attention and other citizens came out to see what was going on, until the little crowd numbered about 200, when they marched to the cemetery and decorated the graves of the soldiers buried there. There were only about five in number at that time. After this, they again assembled, prayer was offered by Rev. L. N. Call, an address delivered by George Paton, a poem read by Charles Wickware and an address made by Col. Crosley. These efforts inter- spersed with appropriate songs by the choir, and martial band made up the pro- gram. Since then, the day has been regularly observed, and thousands annually participate in the observance.
A SOLDIERS' REUNION
Early in the year 1879 the old soldiers began to arrange for a soldiers' re- union. The day was set, being the 3rd of June, and elaborate preparations were made. Col. Charles A. Clark was chosen to make the principal address while there were many scheduled for responses to toasts. All over the county the people became interested. When the day arrived, the weather was fine and fully 5,000 people attended. It was the largest crowd ever assembled in Webster City up to that time. There were 335 old soldiers in line, and everything passed off quietly and most agreeably. Several reunions have since been held, but this one will always be looked back to, by those who participated in it, as the most pleasant and successful one ever held in the county.
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THE WILBERG TRAGEDY
In the latter part of August, 1879, a tragedy was enacted that caused consid- erable excitement. It was the murder of his wife by John Wilberg and his subse- quent suicide. The facts are about as follows :
John Wilberg, a Norwegian, lived with his family a few miles southeast of Webster City. He was a man of irritable temper and very violent and abusive when angry. He had occasion to chastise one of his children and was so brutal and savage about it that his wife interfered to save the child. He turned in his rage upon his wife and kicked her in the abdomen. She fell to the ground, but managed to get into the house and to bed where she grew worse very rapidly. This occurred on Tuesday August 26th, and she died on Friday following. The story now came out and arrangements were made to arrest him. He attended the funeral with his children in Webster City and was allowed to go home after it was over. Arriving at home he jumped out of the wagon, told the chil- dren to hold the horses, and went into the house. A moment or two later the report of a gun was heard in the house and the children ran in to find him lying on the floor with the gun across him and the ramrod in his hand. He was dead. It seems he cocked the gun, took the ramrod to push the trigger with, placed the muzzle in his mouth and fired. The shot killed him instantly. He was brought to Webster City and buried the next day.
THE TOLEDO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY
About the time the hope had died out on the question of securing the narrow gange railroad, a new project was set on foot which promised well for a new rail- road of the broad gauge. The Toledo and Northwestern proposed to run a line of road from Tama City to the northwest part of Iowa and into Minnesota. Sev- eral routes were proposed, one of which was across Hamilton county, and imme- diately the citizens of Boone township began to work to induce the company to run the road through Webster City. The talk of getting this road began in 1879, but the project took no definite shape until the spring of 1880 when the company submitted a proposition to the effect that if Boone township would vote a five per cent. tax to aid in the construction of the road and Webster City would donate right of way and depot grounds, the road would build through. Up to within a month of the time a vote was taken it was hoped that the road would be secured without a tax, as up to that time no aid of that kind had been asked. A sudden change came over the management and a tax was asked. J. J. Smart who had been the principal worker for the narrow gauge road, now became interested in the Toledo and Northwestern and proposed to secure the release of the tax to the narrow gauge if the township would vote the tax to the T. & N. W. The prop- osition was agreed to, and an election called for May 22d. 1880. As usual there was strong opposition to the tax but the prospects were so good for a new broad gauge road and a fear that it would be lost if the tax was not voted induced many who at first opposed the tax to favor it, and it carried by a vote of 204 for to 45 against.
Depot grounds had already been secured for the narrow gauge road and they were now offered to the T. & N. W. and were accepted. The line from Tama City
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was laid through this county where it now runs and work was pushed upon it with such rapidity that it was completed into Webster City and a regular passen- ger train put on which made its first run December 6, 1880. A transfer stage was put in between Ellsworth and Callanan a distance of a little over a mile and now the people had railroad facilities both to Des Moines, south and east to Chicago. And now, after all the heated contests over voting railroad taxes the Chicago & Northwestern was found to be back of the T. & N. W. and to own the road and it refused to take the tax and the same was cancelled without being paid. The reason it refused the tax was that under the law, each tax payer was entitled to a certificate of stock for the amount of the tax paid, and as C. & N. W. stock was worth its face in cash, it was more convenient for that road to issue its stock direct than to be bothered with so much stock in such small certificates. A certain amount of money was collected however in another way. Certain citizens gave notes for the amount of their tax, released the company from its obligation to issue stock on account of tax, and the company released the tax of record. Later the notes were returned to the makers and the donation of the depot grounds was the only aid received by the road from the citizens.
CHAPTER XI
REMINISCENCES OF PIONEER LIFE
PIONEER LIFE BY PETER LYON-CHRISTMAS IN 1857-A PIONEER CANDY PULL-A PIONEER LAW SUIT, BY E. G. WHALEY-EARLY LIFE IN WEBSTER-PIONEER COURTSHIP-TIIE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE -- THE FIRST CHIARIVARI, BY A. HASWELL- HOW JOHN KEARNS HAULED FLOUR FROM VINTON TO WEBSTER CITY, BY J. V. KEARNS-FISH TRAP FORD-THE LAST ELK, BY ISAIAH DONE-WEBSTER CITY'S FIRST QUARTER CENTURY, BY S. B. ROSENCRANS-A ROMANTIC WEDDING TRIP, BY MRS. H. H. KITTS.
PIONEER LIFE.
I came to Hamilton county in the summer of 1852. A yoke of stout cattle furnished the motive power to transport my family, our clothing, and a few neces- sary utensils over the then unbridged creeks and sloughs that lay in our route. I bought the quarter section now know as the Paine farm, just east of Webster City at the mouth of the creek which bears my name. For this land I paid $120, turning over as part pay a yoke of cattle, a few pounds of rools (wool ), a fifteen gallon iron kettle and the balance cash. The improvements at this time were a small log cabin, a log stable and five acres of clearing. This being the 2d day of June I immediately set to work to see what could be done towards raising something to supply the needs of my family. As the land was largely covered with timber and an undergrowth of hazel, wild plums and crabapple trees, there was not much time for visiting, hunting and fishing during the growing season. But in the winter time I had many a lively day with the game that abounded along the streams, as well as on the prairie. The first deer I killed was during the winter of 1852-3. I had followed him for several hours and at last got a pop at him while he was crossing what is now the old fair ground near Rosencrans' park. This deer furnished our first venison, a very, very toothsome meat and highly esteemed by the settlers; in fact many of the settlers had but little meat except that which was furnished by the various kinds of wild game which was very plentiful in those days. To avoid the drudgery of "backing" the game home after it was killed, and to save time harnessing teams, we would tie a rope to the deer or elk and the other end to the tail of a horse and in this way "snake" or drag it quickly home. This may seem a little fishy to the young men of today, but I am still here and can vouch for the truth of it. For our convenience and to accommodate travelers, we kept a small ferry boat and when the water was up we would ferry them over the river, crossing near where the Illinois Central rail- road bridge now stands. The boat would only carry about four persons and so
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we had to unload wagons and take them over in sections, next the load, and when all was over put them together again. The team could always swim over. PETER LYON.
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