History of Kossuth County, Iowa, Part 11

Author: Reed, Benjamin F
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 879

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On the 4th of July, 1855, there came into the community a young man about twenty years of age. He was from Boston and came to see what he could find. He found what he was looking for and was content, but he only remained in the county fifty-eight summers! He is still here and is liable to be as long as he lives. After this introduction it might be well to suggest that his name is Lewis H. Smith. It was fashionable then to take claims, so he took one west of the river on section four, Cresco. He still owns that northeast quarter and has never encumbered it or made any transfer of it during that long period of years. Furthermore he owns the quarter south of his claim which he purchased from his brother Richard; and that was the only time that tract was ever transferred. When the county was organized, about a month after his arrival, he was elected one of the first officers, being chosen surveyor.

Edward Moll came in September and in order to get a grove claim went north into the frozen regions and beyond the limits of civilization. He built his cabin at the mouth of the Buffalo Fork, about two miles east of where Burt is located. He was on the frontier then, but if he lived there now he would find himself in as pros-

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HISTORY OF KOSSUTH COUNTY

perous a community as the county possesses. During the month of October, J. E. Blackford arrived with his family and after spending the winter at the Call cabin, took possession of the premises on which he lived until his death in 1911. The cabin had been built during the summer by Judge Call, and the Maxwell family had come over the river to occupy it until the Blackford family arrived. Had this cabin been on the town site there would have been three as a starter for the town at that time, but being a little too far to the west it could not be counted. Winter came on and the only cabins to make a showing for a town were Judge Call's and J. W. Moore's.

All the buildings erected during the year 1855; and the fall previous, of neces- sity had to be constructed of logs, as there were no saw mills in the country to manufacture lumber. Judge Call realizing that no village could grow and prosper unless lumber could be obtained, decided early to install a combined saw and grist mill. He purchased the machinery and raised the frame for the building in Decem- ber. This structure was 37 by 45 feet and two stories high. It stood just south of the Blackford grove, near the river. At the raising nearly every man in the county was present, for it was a welcomed event. The mill was not put into operation until the following summer, because of the great difficulty in transporting the heavy machinery over the bridgeless rivers and creeks and the bottomless sloughs. Am- brose A. Call went after the boiler to Warren, Stephenson county, Illinois. With much difficulty he brought it here with ten yoke of oxen. About the first of May, 1856, John Heckart, on his way to the county, passed the boiler, stuck in the mud near Independence. This mill, after it was put into operation, did excellent service for the settlers. From that time on frame buildings began to appear and log cabins were seldom built thereafter as the result. The delay in getting the machinery here enabled the Irvington boomers to have their mill in operation sev- eral weeks before any lumber was sawed by Judge Call's mill. A few years later this mill, without any insurance on it, burned and was never rebuilt. This was a severe loss to the judge financially, and a loss to the settlers which they keenly felt and much regretted.

The historic old Joe Moore cabin had the distinction of holding within its walls the first preaching services ever held in the county. That was during the fall of 1855. Elder Marks, an eccentric, religious enthusiast living at Polk City, used to preach around at the several cabins. He always had a fair-sized audience. for every one wanted to hear what he was liable to say when he attempted to soar in the realms of oratory. He represented the sect known as the New Lights. Being uneducated, he frequently became much confused as to the meaning of words, which amused the log rollers and claim holders in his audience. Lewis H. Smith claims the honor of being the only one in the county now who was present at this first meeting. Ed Blackford, who was a small boy at the time, says that he wants a part of that honor for he was present also. Sometimes the elder would hold his meetings at the Maxwell-Blackford cabin. J. E. Blackford used to tell many in- teresting stories about what the strange preacher had to say.

Mr. Blackford never forgot when Elder Marks offered the prayer, "O Lord, you know Mrs. Maxwell is the only christian in this whole settlement, bless the old bachelors for you know their cabins are desolate enough, and as for Judge Call. put something in his heart besides running saw mills and procuring timber claims." Ambrose A. Call also remembered of his saying, "My dear hearers, when you are

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HISTORY OF KOSSUTH COUNTY

wriggling over the mouth of hell you will think of what old Marks told you. Why, just a few days ago I read of the body of a woman whom her friends undertook to remove several years after her death, but they couldn't do it. It had become ver battum, it had putrified: in plain English, my dear hearers, it had turned to stun, and weighed 600 pounds." Mr. Call also declares in one of his records that one enjoyed Elder Marks' hell fire sermons during the cold weather, with as much relish as one would enjoy reading about Dr. Kane's arctic explorations in dog days.

In the narration of events that occurred in this upper country during the year 1855, no reference has been made to the discovery by W. H. Ingham, of the battle- ground where the Sioux and Musquakies fought in the year 1852. At the time he accidentally made the discovery he was riding along the edge of the grove on the west side of the river, on the northwest quarter of section 8, in what is now Plum Creek township. The skeletons bleaching in the sun were scattered over an area of two or three acres, down the southwestern slope and into the valley below, indicat- ing where the victims were overtaken by the foe and tomahawked. It was some five years later before any of the settlers learned when the battle was fought or what tribes had been in the engagement. The story of the discovery of the battle- field, how the attack was made and the result of the fight being treated in the chapter "Interesting Historic Events," under the title of "Kossuth's Indian Battle Ground," no further account of the fight is necessary in this chapter.

WEST SIDE ARRIVALS-1855

Having presented the order of the 1855 arrivals in the "Upper country" we will now give an account of the changes that were made on the "west side" dur- ing the same period. There was considerable activity regarding claims in the vi- cinity where the first settlements began to form. Early in March Barney Holland came from the east and bought out Malachi Clark's claim, and Jason Richmond became the owner of William G. Clark's, adjoining on the south, each paying $300 for his claim. The present Parsons' grove thus became the property of these two strangers. Levi Maxwell then built the cabin on his claim (the Huntley- Clarke place). During the month of April Charles Easton sold his claim to John Johnson. This was a portion of the farm later owned by S. A. Thompson, but now the property of William Galbraith. In May Dr. Corydon Craw became the owner of Billy Hill's claim, and the latter left the country with his undesirable company. A little later Craw sold out to Charles Osgood who became one of the early-day prosecuting attorneys. This claim was on the northeast quarter of section 15, now a portion of the Chubb farm. On the 8th day of June, while Doctor Craw was living on this claim, his brother Lewis died and was buried in what is now the Wadsworth Bros'. pasture west of Algona. No one seems to know why the burial was made on that spot. Many years later the bones of the young man were exhumed by Lewis H. Smith, and after being placed in a shoe box were expressed to Albany, New York, where Doctor Craw was then re- siding. The grave was visible for a long time, but now the spot cannot be located.

Alexander Brown was one of the May, 1855, settlers on the Cresco side. He made a deal with Daniel Hill and came into possession of that fine grove now on the farm of his grandson, Alexander Brown. Invalid Daniel then left the com-

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AUGUST ZAHLTEN (1855)

JAMES HENDERSON (1857)

ELIAS N. WEAVER (1856)

A. L. SEELEY (1855)

PIONEERS TO THE ALGONA REGION

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munity. Alexander Brown's son, Alexander Brown, Jr., came with his father and took a claim near by, but he only staid one year and then went back to Massa- chusetts where he remained until 1865 before coming to locate on the old Brown preemption. There he lived until his death many years later. Mrs. Altwegg, daughter of the founder of that home, gives this account of their early experi- ences in coming to and getting settled in the county :

"In the spring of 1855 my father left his home at Whitinsville, Massachusetts, and came to the west looking for land. My brothers, John and Alexander, also came with him. They came to Des Moines and while there met the Call brothers, who induced them to come up to Kossuth county to look around and see what they could find. After they had partly finished a little log cabin for a home, my mother and I started to join them. We came on the cars to Dubuque, where father met us with a team to bring us to our new home. The track was only laid about three miles west of that place at that time. We drove through to Fort Dodge and then started north. We came up on the west side of the river without any bad mishap till we came to Four Mile creek in Cresco township, a short dis- tance from home. Here one of our horses was taken so sick that we had to leave him. We then waited there till father went up to the cabin and brought down another horse to take us home. The next morning the sick horse was dead. Just think of the home that greeted us-an unfinished log cabin in the edge of the timber, no doors, no windows, no floors, and not a board or nail on the whole place. Soon after a puncheon door and the same kind of a floor were made, wooden pins being used in the place of nails. The cracks were chinked and then plastered with mud and clay. This was our comfortable home for many years. This old landmark, known as the "Old Brown Cabin," was the last of its kind to tumble down with age. My neighbors were Ambrose Call, who was baching in the first cabin built in the country, Christian Hackman, also baching and holding down his timber claim, and the Maxwell family, which included the children, one a girl of six or seven years old and a little boy of about three. Both husband and wife had been used to pioneer life before coming here."

Robert Brown built his log cabin on the hill near the present home of Martin Jones. That quarter was his claim where he lived for a few years before returning to the old Bay State whence he came. His log struc- ture was a conspicuous object on the top of that hill for many years after he left the country. The grove on what is known as the old O'Rourke farm was on the claim of O. J. Smith's. In his log cabin he and a companion bached it for some time before he disposed of the claim. Christian Hackman fas- tened on to his home claim that year. His experience in getting the same has already been noted.

During the month of July, Maxwell sold his claim to Dr. Robert Cogley, that is, he traded that valuable premises for property in Homer and, as he said, got cheated out of his boots, for the Homer property was of little or no value. Maxwell then moved over across the river and lived in the cabin which a little later became the home of the J. E. Blackford family. There the Maxwells boarded the hands that were working for Judge Call. Although there were several doctors in the settlements at that time, Doctor Cogley was the first of his profession to practice in the county and must not be robbed of Vol. 1-6

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HISTORY OF KOSSUTH COUNTY

the credit due him in this regard. During the same month, Henry Kellogg came into the community from Webster City, and being pleased with the looks of the country soon after chose for his claim the southeast quarter of section 26 which he designed as the townsite of the future Cresco. Smock, Preston and Wood were land seekers in the summer of 1855 on that side of the river, but neither remained in the county very long. Some time that fall John John- son sold his claim to Stephen Millen who a little later sold it to other parties.

Occasionally a stranger coming into the community on seeing a claimant hold- ing on to more land than the law authorized, jumped a claim and hung to it successfully. Generally, however, he failed and gave up the job as a bad contract. This was true when John Hutchison couldn't understand how Levi Maxwell could be the rightful claimant for a half section on the west side, and still be living in the Blackford cabin just west of the Algona town site. About the time Maxwell sold his claim to Cogley, Hutchison thought he saw a good time to jump and settle, but he had no sooner done so than he was compelled to jump off again with as much haste as he had entered. Hutchison got off and Cogley staid on, for the latter wasn't a man to be bluffed on a matter of that kind.

An exciting historic event occurred in this west side (Cresco) settlement the first of July, 1855, which perhaps came nearer bringing on an Indian war with the Sioux than any other event in the history of the county. A large band of savages having come into the new settlement from the west pitched their tepees-about forty in all-near where M. D. L. Parsons' farm residence is located. They began entering cabins and terrorizing the settlers, and, where they found no resistance, carrying away whatever they desired. Eleven of the warriors entered the Maxwell cabin where the husband, wife and two small children were at their mercy. They had double barreled shot guns, tomahawks and scalping knives. Ambrose A. Call came while the savages were having things their own way. The story of how these two men resisted the eleven savages until help was brought from the neighbors by Mrs. Maxwell's timely escape, of how the Indians committed such bold deeds, as the compelling of Barney Holland to turn his own grindstone while several of them ground their tomahawks and knives at the same time, and of how Ambrose A. Call, William G. Clark and others entered the Sioux village and compelled them to leave the country is told with full details in the chapter on "Interesting Historic Events." Mrs. Brown used to say frequentlly in referring to that exciting event, "Had it not been for Ambrose Call I believe the whole settlement would have been murdered." He certainly knew how to handle the Indians in times like that. On that occasion he was fortunate in having good help. Maxwell was a fron- tiersman who had seen much of pioneer life and was courageous. The two Prussians, Zahlten and Hackman, had seen military service in the old country and would have made a desperate hand to hand fight had a single shot been fired. Neither would the two Browns have been the least backward in risking their lives to protect the settlement had it become necessary. William G. Clark went a couple of times into the Indian camps and ordered them to move on. He was no tenderfoot, but a man of courage and much discretion. Just what part Jacob C. Cummins took in subduing the Indians at the Maxwell cabin is not now fully known. It was reported after the event that he kicked one of the

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HISTORY OF KOSSUTH COUNTY

Sioux out of the door as he was leaving. Mr. Call makes no reference to such an incident having occurred at the time in any of his records on the subject.

Those who knew Cummins the best have always said that of all those pres- ent at the trouble, he would have been the least likely to run any chances in kicking an Indian. Still there must have been some foundation of truth in the statement, as the story was told as soon as the trouble was over.

Among all those who were in any way connected with the defense against the eleven Sioux savages none are known to be alive now unless those com- posing the members of the Maxwell family. During the year 1902, Ambrose A. Call received a letter from Mrs. Maxwell stating that she and her husband usually spent the summers in Warren county, Iowa, but during the winters they lived with their two children in a warmer climate. Their son Henry, whom she carried in her arms while escaping from their cabin to Brown's at the time of the raid, lives in Montana. He was only seventeen months old at the time. The little seven year old girl Dicy (Leodica) who ran by her side on that dan- gerous escape, now has a home of her own in California.

EAST SIDE LOWER COUNTRY-1855

When the spring rains of 1855 began to descend, not a cabin roof on the "east side lower country" was dampened by the falling showers, for no cabins had been erected in that part of the county at that time. In fact there were only three that had been built at any point east of the river-Dick Parrot's on the northwest quarter of section 30, Lyman Craw's on section 20, 96-28, and Judge Call's on the town site. The first two were in what is now Plum Creek township. The region afterwards known as the old Irvington settlement did not contain a single cabin when spring came, but it soon took on activity in the way of settlement.

The Malachi Clark family, upon selling their claim on the west side for $300, crossed the river April 29, and became the first residents in the present Irvington township. Mr. Clark bought Benson's claim-the John Gaffnay grove- for the insignificant sum of one dollar and in doing so made the most fortunate claim deal in the history of the county. The family lived there in the woods for more than a year, on the bare ground, in an unfinished log cabin. Reuben Purcell came in May, claimed the eastern end of the grove, which still is known as Purcell's point, and erected in June the first cabin in that vicinity. William G. Clark, having sold out on the west side, crossed the river at about the same time his father did and claimed what is now the R. J. Skilling farm, one mile north of Irvington. He raised his cabin in the timber on the fifth day of August. Hiram Wiltfong, seven days later, raised his cabin on his valuable claim, the old Carter farm, now the property of F. C. Reinecke. This cabin, in a different location, is still doing service on the premises as a barn. It is an old landmark with an interesting history. Early in the spring Jacob C. Wright came from McLean county, Illinois, purchased Sol Hand's claim for $300 and proceeded to erect his log cabin home. That claim was the farm now owned by Max Herbst, just south of the Irvington village. On his way to Illinois to get his family, after having completed his cabin, Mr. Wright camped at Lafay- ette (Albion), in Marshall county, Iowa, for the night. There he met the families

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of Thomas and John Robison and Philip Crose, who were camping and pros- pecting for new locations. He also met other parties living there who later became residents of Kossuth, among them being Samuel Reed, Bing Howard, Leonard Hinkle, and Geo. Churchill. While he was there a tornado passed over the village, tearing down the campers' shanties, overturning their ox wagons and drenching the homeseekers. John Lamb, who was with Mr. Wright while there, caught two elk which the latter took with him to Illinois. He was offered $500 for the pair, but the dogs killed one of them.

When Mr. Wright left there for his family, the Robison and Crose fam- ilies came on up to Kossuth, arriving during the month of July. The Robi- sons took possession of the vacant Wright cabin and lived there till the owner returned. Thomas Robison selected the farm on which he afterwards lived for many years until he sold it to the present owner, A. Butterfield. His double log cabin on the hill was a conspicuous object in that vicinity for a long time. His brother John selected the grove in the northeast corner of what is now Riverdale. There he built his log cabin and there he lived until he moved away in the fall of 1858. This property is now owned by Hutchison & Gilmore and was formerly the home of Francis Long and Daniel Chapman. When Jacob C. Wright arrived with his family in October, Elijah Lane and John Lamb came with him. Soon after Lane bought Ben Hensley's claim and lived there for a long term of years. John Lamb dodged around, selecting first one claim then another until he built his shanty somewhere about the spot where the Dunn home is located in Sherman. Phil Crose, who came with his family when the Robisons arrived, took for his first claim a portion of the southwest quarter of section 19 and built his primitive cabin of logs a short distance southwest of the present Mann home. It was while the family were living there that the twins, Joseph and James Crose, were born, August 28, 1855. These were the first white children born in the county. During that fall Mr. Crose sold his claim to James Parnell of Indiana, and then in the following spring took an- other on the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 18 where he raised his large family.

About the middle of July, Kendall Young, Lyman L. Treat and George Smith came into the settlement from Webster City with plenty of funds behind them. They fancied they saw a favorable opportunity for locating claims and starting a town to become the county seat in the near future. As yet no town sites had been platted nor was the county organized. As the first election of officers was to be held in August, they began a campaign to elect a county judge in favor of having the county seat located in what is now Irvington township. Kendall Young made claim to the quarter lying just north of the present village and land adjoining on the west. Treat chose the Bush-Spear farm west of the river, and Mr. Smith claimed the Goeders farm and grove in Riverdale. They did their electioneering on the sly among the settlers of that part of the county. The day of the election was near at hand before those in the vicinity of the Algona town site caught on to the project. Asa C. Call was put forward by the northerners and Dr. Corydon Craw by the Webster City capitalists. Doctor Craw had been holding down a claim on the Cresco side, also one near the Algona town site and was controlling some tracts in the Irvington vicinity. Election day approached, but some of the voters were away who were favorable

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to the Algona ticket. Jacob Cummins was on his way to Cedar Falls but was overtaken sixty miles away and brought back to vote. At that time the north twelve miles of Humboldt county belonged to Kossuth. Ambrose A. Call spent two days in that part of the county locating settlers who were out on the prairie hunting elk and deer. He managed to bring two of them to the polls. They were Sol Hand and Harlow Miner. The contest was a spirited one and resulted in a victory of Asa C. Call over Doctor Craw by a majority of only one vote. John F. Duncombe came up from Fort Dodge and swore in the judges of the election. The vote was canvassed at Homer, the county seat at that time of Webster county. The officers elected were: Asa C. Call, judge; Robert Cogley, clerk ; J. W. Moore, treasurer and recorder ; Lewis H. Smith, surveyor.

Notwithstanding this defeat for the Young-Treat-Smith boomers they began preparing to start the first village in the county. It was to be called Irvington after Washington Irving. They contracted with Hiram Wiltfong and William G. Clark to erect for them a substantial log hotel on the site. This building, known as the Kendall Young house, was completed in October.

The only other settler who located in that part of the county that year was Richard Hodges, who came about the 8th day of December and proceeded to make his home on the prairie in what is now Sherman. There he lived for many years with a lawn on the east of his home fully fifty miles in length. The Humboldt portion of Kossuth that year also received some settlers. Michael and John Johnson, after whom Johnson's Point was named, were the first, then came Harlow Miner, Sol Hand, G. W. Hand, Eber Stone and Mayberry.

THE UPPER COUNTRY-1856-1864

The pioneers who had spent the winters of 1854-5 and 1855-6 in the river settlements were made happy on the approach of the spring of 1856, when new settlers in large numbers began arriving. They kept on coming dur- ing the summer and fall until there were nearly four times as many people in the county as there had been before. Prairie schooners, filled with living freight, brought many who came to become identified with the growth of the commun- ity. Teams coming up from Fort Dodge conveyed to the settlements almost as many more. Then again the settlers on their return from central or southern points in Iowa, with loads of provisions, frequently brought with them those who were to become their neighbors. The quality of the arrivals that year was even more satisfactory than the quantity. Conspicuous among them were the first promoters of churches, schools and the higher ideals of life. Had the governor himself designated who should become settlers of Kossuth, to best promote her interests, he hardly could have chosen a better class of citizens. They had the right kind of mettle for frontier life and character behind them to make desirable neighbors. Many of them had a hand in later years in mak- ing Kossuth what it is today. The upper county, including the Algona vicin- ity, the Black Cat, the Plum Creek, and the Buffalo Fork regions, received its share of the desirable arrivals from the spring of 1856 until the close of the war. Prominent among the arrivals of 1856 and a few succeeding years, how- ever, were those who settled at Algona and later became identified with its growth rather than with the country settlements.

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History of Kossuth County, Iowa, Part 11

Author: Reed, Benjamin F Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 879

Author: Reed, Benjamin F
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 879