USA > Iowa > Kossuth County > History of Kossuth County, Iowa > Part 12
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HISTORY OF KOSSUTH COUNTY
During the year 1856, and years following up to the beginning of the war, that part of the Upper country now embraced in Union township received num- erous settlers and claim takers. The Black Cat region was the first, however, in that township to obtain permanent residents.
On the 6th day of June, 1856, the Horace Schenck family entered the county and camped upon the knoll where the family of his son Myron are now living. The family contained the first woman and children who located at any point north of the Algona town site. They at once became quite near neighbors of those frontier scouts occupying the Ingham cabin on the east side of the grove.
Mr. Ingham discovered the- campers on his return that day from an explor- ing expedition, and his heart was naturally gladdened at the sight of such worthy settlers locating in that vicinity. On the 26th day of May he, in company with his companion, A. L. Seeley, had left for Spirit lake with a view of establish- ing a mill and possibly of founding a town. At that time they had with them a published map showing pine timber growing over southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, including the north half of this county. It was their desire to see this timber which induced them to go to Spirit lake. After investigating there, and points further north, they returned fully convinced that no pine timber was to be found in this part of the country.
The Schenck family were there but a few weeks until more settlers became their neighbors, including women and children, who were greatly desired by those lonely bachelors who were occupying the cabins in the Upper settlement. These arrivals were the families of Michael Reibhoff, William B. Moore, and Robert Moore. To these late arrivals, Mr. Ingham sold his entire interest in his claim on section 24, which included that magnificent Black Cat grove. Mr. Schenck came into possession of forty acres of it after he had taken his claim where he camped; William B. Moore bought that portion of it on which the Ingham cabin was standing, now the property of C. Byson; his brother, Robert Moore, became the owner of the fine tract which is now known as the Joe Thompson place; and Mr. Reibhoff settled down on what is still known as the Reibhoff homestead, and which is yet in possession of his heirs. By these deeds Capt. Ingham had $1,700 more in ready money than he had before, though it is very doubtful if he was any more wealthy as the result, for the grove as a whole was one of the most valuable in the county. The Moores being Methodists and the Reibhoffs Presbyterians the way was paved for the organization of the two churches a little later. John James also settled that year a mile or so north on what is now known as the old Sarchett place.
The Presbyterian missionary, Rev. D. S. McComb, during that fall bought and settled upon what is now the F. M. Taylor farm on section 14. A little later Alpheus Lawrence settled on the place which Tracy Taylor owned in after years. A little later still John S. Love claimed the southwest quarter of section 10. While these three last named parties took their claims on the Black Cat before the war, it is not remembered that any of them remained there dur- ing that conflict. Eli Ferris took for his claim in 1858 the southeast quarter of section 14, just south of the McComb claim, and bached in the same cabin with Jonathan Callender whose claim was in that vicinity. Ferris used to tell how they killed a wild goose, and after cooking it for three weeks, had to throw it
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HON. JEROME E. STACY (1856)
MRS. JEROME E. STACY (1857)
MRS. MICHAEL REIBHOFF (1856)
MICHAEL REIBHOFF (1856)
PIONEERS TO THE ALGONA REGION
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away because it was so tough. He soon left the country and went east, and did not return for several years.
M. D. Blanchard in July, 1857, arrived with an ox team conveying his fam- ily and settled upon his well-known preemption on section 26. He had spent the hard winter previous in Waterloo, coming there from Canada. In after years he was chosen county superintendent and then treasurer. M. W. Thayer claimed a part of section 36, just north of town, but went into the army and lost his life at the great battle of Shiloh. He is one of the few soldiers who went from this county whose regiment has never been known to any one in the community. F. P. Schaad's claim home was on section 35, now a part of the J. B. Hofius farm. Pat McClarney claimed on section 2, the creek running through the same having been named after him.
Among the Algona citizens who obtained land about that time in that town- ship were Rev. C. Taylor on section 26, now a part of C. D. Ward's farm, his son George P. on the same section, now the property of Frank Harrison, and E. N. Weaver on section 36, just north of town.
W. F. Hofius who lived a long period of years up near the Black Cat came to the county in 1859, and made claim to that farm, but lived for a time before moving on it on the Bullis farm, now D. W. King's east quarter section. He lo- cated on his own claim during the year 1862, but in a short time moved to Al- gona on account of the Indian scare which at that time was driving many people away from the county. The family then lived for a few months on the Joe Thompson place east of town, now known as the old Lund farm. During the year 1863, they moved back to the farm where he lived until his death. He was born in Hickory township, Mercer county, Pa., in the year 1830, and married Mary A. Thompson in October, 1854.
A review of the situation on the east side of the river, in the Upper country, from 1856 until war times will now be in order. This territory embraced in its settlement the western edge of the present townships, Portland, Plum Creek and northwestern Irvington.
Township 97-28, (Portland) having received as settlers Ed Moll in Sep- tember, 1855, on section 21, and his brother Richard on section 17, close to him on the northwest, that township had but few more until the latter part of the war. Beyond them on the north was a vast extent of uninhabited country almost to Blue Earth, over which wild game roamed at will.
W. H. Ingham having sold his claim on the Black Cat to Reibhoff, Schenck and the two Moores, the occupants of his cabin of course had to look for other quarters. The claim he sold was a good one but he knew where there was an- other, but that was held by Lyman Craw on the east side of the river on Plum Creek on section 20. He made a deal with Craw in the fall of 1856 and be- came the owner of the claim. He took immediate possession of the cabin and moved in, but not alone for there went with him A. L. Seeley, W. S. Camp- bell of Fort Dodge and Edward Putnam, the latter still doing service as chief of the commissary department and head table waiter. The next fall Mr. Ing- ham went back to his native state, got married and returned with Mrs. Ingham in November, 1857. The bride, on arriving at the little dusky cabin on the. edge of the grove after a few weeks spent in Algona, found conditions in strik- ing contrast with the surroundings she had left far behind her at her old New
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York home. Notwithstanding the abrupt change that cabin was her home, and one that she enjoyed despite the privation she endured incident to frontier life.
A. L. Seeley, after taking several claims and then selling them, finally set- tled on section 8 on another claim. Later he succeeded in homesteading an ad- joining quarter, thus securing a fine tract for a home. On this place he raised his family, having married Miss Alice Benschoter in May, 1861, and there he lived for many years.
During the year 1857, Abram Hill appeared in the township and bought Henry Hauzerman's claim on Plum Creek on section 15. He was a valuable acquisition to that little settlement, being popular with all of his acquaintances as well as being held in high esteem by them. The Wheelock brothers, who came about that time, had their claims on section 26. Thomas Gilbride came that year and soon erected his cabin on the claim he had purchased from H. F. Watson on section 29. Baching proved too lonely for him, so he soon left for De Kalb county, Illinois, where he stayed until 1865 before returning to his claim. Thomas D. Stacy arrived with the James Henderson family that year. After a while he settled on the farm a couple of miles east of town where he lived until the occurrence of his death. On section 28 ( Plum Creek) that year the Mike Smiths built their log cabin and extensive stabling. They were two brothers by the same name and were referred to as Old Mike and Young Mike. Even deeds of conveyances contain these names. Young Mike in after years was a member of the Border Brigade. His widow and daughters are now residents of Algona. The place where the Smiths located was later the home of the R. J. Hunt family, and now is the property of Mrs. J. G. Smith. James Roan the same year came to the settlement and bought of August Zahlten the farm now owned by L. D. Dickinson. About this time W. B. Carey, who had come into the county the year before, got a foothold on section 30 for a home by first jumping Tom Covel's claim and later by acquiring adjoining land. Tom, however, managed later to get title to an eighty on section 16, so he didn't worry.
During the year 1858 the M. C. Lathrop family came to the county. They lived for a while up on Plum Creek, also in Algona and then over in Cresco. He was a member of the first board of supervisors, having been elected in the fall of 1860. The family left the county soon after the war began.
Jacob Altwegg, a native of Switzerland, took a preemption that year (1858) on section 15, and was lucky at that date in getting a tract of land with plenty of timber and running water on the premises. His father, who lived with him, died that year. Mr. Altwegg married Jennie, the daughter of Alexander Brown of the Cresco country. After spending many years on the farm, they are now living in retirement in Algona. About the time Mr. Altwegg took his preemp- tion Jerome Bleakman became the owner of the grove on section 8, at the mouth of Lindner creek, which later became the home property of Geo. W. Paine, and A. F. Willoughby began making his house on the farm east of town later owned by Hugh Black. He was one of the early-day county surveyors. He soon moved to Grundy county where he and his wife a couple of years ago celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. During his residence there he has held several offices.
A short time previous to this David Hegarty settled upon the farm on which
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he lived the rest of his lifetime. This was on section 30, 96-28. In the same township Amos S. Collins secured title to the southwest quarter of section 19, and Oliver Benschoter to the farm now owned by Robert Kain. Charles Gray managed to perfect his title to a portion of the northwest quarter of section 6, east of town before he joined the 32nd Iowa Infantry. Losing his life at the battle of Pleasant Hill, La., April 9, 1864, his body lies mingled with the dust on the banks of the Red river. Gad W. Gilbert after claiming a couple of tracts finally secured title to the northwest quarter of section 16 in what is now Plum Creek.
Among those who took claims near the Algona town site in those early days was Luther Rist, who came in 1856 and settled upon a portion of the north half of section 13, 95-29. He took that tract for a claim, but not until he had paid Dr. Corydon Craw $150 for his claim interest. That far-famed doctor was noted for getting fleece-money from several new settlers when they attempted to claim certain tracts of land. After Sylvester Rist, son of Luther, had mar- ried Mary A. Millen in 1858, the two Rist families were the foremost promoters in the organization of the Baptist church, and for several years were its prin- cipal financial supporters.
Joseph Thompson moved into the county May 25, 1856, and after living for a short time in the J. W. Moore cabin in Algona built one of his own on his claim one mile and a half east of town. It stood on the spot now occupied by what is generally known as the old Lund farm residence. This was the first cabin built on the prairie anywhere in the upper country. Twelve years later Mr. Thompson sold this place for $40 per acre and then bought the home on section 24 on the Black Cat where he died many years later. Just south of the original claim taken by Mr. Thompson in 1856, H. F. Watson preempted a fine quarter section which he held for many years before selling the same. Near by the southeast quarter of section 6, now the property of Dugall Wallace, was owned by J. E. Stacy in the latter 50's.
William A. Wilson very early succeeded in procuring title to a claim now in the incorporation of Algona. It originally belonged to Judge Call's claim and was broken up by David W. King in 1855, and put into sod corn. Soon after, Wilson became the owner of three forty's in town, just west of where the Northwestern track runs. The Northwestern Hotel stands on the tract, which ran from McGregor street northward 240 rods. This man Wilson in May, 1858, became possessed of something more valuable when he joined in marriage with Chloe Lawrence, daughter of one of the Black Cat pioneers. Albert McKin- ney very early got to the front also in taking a claim close to town. His claim shanty stood where E. J. Gilmore's residence stands. The tract included the forty east to the railroad and eighty acres of what is now in the Stacy nursery. The claim shanty was built late in 1856 or early in 1857. Upon the hill east of town where Huenhold lives, Henry Carse lived in his cabin on that tract, which was his claim about that time. Moreover, just north of him Alanson Burright procured title to forty acres, and also had possession of the forty where the Milwaukee depot is located.
During the years 1857 and 1858 Black Hawk county contributed several set- tlers to Kossuth who located in what is now Plum Creek. Some of them mowed a wide swath and made early history by getting into the courts. Among those
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coming from that county were William A. Wilson, Willis and George Brown, George Gear, James Eggers and Hurlbut Lake. Wilson did well by finally get- ting title to 120 acres which now lie entirely within the limits of the Algona incorporation. The others obtained land with heavy timber in the Plum Creek country.
In the spring of 1857 James Eggers, a man of considerable wealth and ready cash, came into the county, with a stock of goods and opened a store in Algona as a rival to H. F. Watson. His large ideas of doing business were not such as to make his income much more than his expenses; therefore he did not re- main long behind the counter in the straggling, little frontier village of Algona. During the time he was there he bought of Samuel Hummel, in Plum Creek, about ninety-five acres in the northwest quarter of section 30 and placed the title in the name of Jane A. Eggers in November, 1857. He then began agitat- ing a proposition to build a saw mill by the river on the tract or near it. Since he had ample funds he was eager to push his enterprise. As such a plant in that locality would be a rival to the Algona mill, the project did not meet Judge Call's hearty approval. A conference between him and Eggers took place, and as the result the scheme was abandoned and was never revived. While still in the store Eggers sold a few acres of this timber tract to Geo. Gear and the remainder to Eckles. Some time previous to his selling these tracts he had paid in 1857 a large sum for a stranger's claim right to the northeast quarter of section 19, which is now the home farm of R. M. Gardner. Being in the store he could not perfect his claim and live at the same time in Algona. Fortunately a way was provided. In July of that year his daughter Rachel was united in marriage to Hurlbut Lake and the young couple began house-keeping on that fine timber claim. Eggers later sold his claim right to small tracts of the grove to several parties and received the cash for them. During the month of Oc- tober, 1858, he sold the remainder of the quarter to Lake for $1,770 as con- sideration. After abandoning the mercantile business Eggers moved upon the claim in 1859, took possession, and to all appearances was the real owner of the premises. He built a large house with one of the largest chimneys in the whole country. Besides being commodious, the dwelling had all the conveniences that could be had in that early period. Although not an ordained minister, he conducted religious services at stated times at his residence, taking texts and formulating sermons from them in accordance with his peculiar views. He furthermore dealt in claims to help defray his living expenses.
The time finally came when he had to pay the government $200 for his preemption, but alas! he did not have that amount at his command. The money he had brought with him from Black Hawk county had slipped away from him by degrees until he was comparatively a poor man. In order to obtain title to the premises, he mortgaged the tract to Fort Dodge parties to procure the money. As he never was able to lift that mortgage it was foreclosed and the property sold by the sheriff, July 1, 1862, for the sum of $325. The deed con- veyed the land to W. H. Ingham's father who had furnished the money to bid off the property at the sale. Two years later the property was conveyed to W. H. Ingham, who sold the same to A. S. Gardner in April, 1866. Eggers did not remain in the county until the court proceedings on the foreclosure were settled, as he realized evidently that his Kossuth county home could not be re-
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gained. Some of the old settlers who lived in that neighborhood at the time used to say that he left the county to attend a campmeeting somewhere, and that he never returned. It has also been reported that he died out in Colorado after being afflicted with the smallpox. Lake, his son-in-law, when last heard from was living out in Oregon.
The Browns as early as 1857 settled on their claim on section 30 and se- cured the title to the same. Willis Brown owned the land which is now the home property of Mrs. Geo. Miller, but he lost it on a mortgage foreclosure, Elijah Brown and Louisa Mears being made defendants in the suit with him. The property was sold by the sheriff in July, 1862. The H. C. Adams farm resi- dence is located on a fifty-four acre tract which J. W. Brown owned and which was sold by the sheriff to W. B. Carey in July 1862. Louisa Mears and Mary Hanna were made defendants in the foreclosure suit along with Brown.
That part of the northwest quarter of this same section, which was owned by Eggers in 1857, became the property of H. A. Henderson in the fall follow- ing. He had come to Algona during the summer of 1856 and built of logs the first hotel there. After leaving the hotel he moved his family to this little farm and lived in the cabin which had been built on the premises in the fall of 1854 by Dick Parrot. It was to this cabin that Mrs. Henderson in the fall of 1859 invited her neighbors to help eat the first bread made from wheat raised in the county. When the Doctor Hudson family came into possession of the property in the spring of 1865 they occupied the cabin while building on their homestead five miles east of town, and then demolished that pioneer log hut.
One event of considerable note, occurring in the upper part of the upper country during the period under consideration, is worthy of being recorded in story form as a reminder of a most singular adventure to make money by establishing a "paper city." The promoter of this project was Geo. W. Braizee, who was then, or who had been, an alderman in Chicago. One fine day during the summer of 1857 he and three other men in a wagon drove up in front of the Ingham cabin in Plum Creek, and stopped to receive and impart some information. In the light wagon there were some commissaries in bottles that had been badly shaken up while crossing over a little log bridge just before reaching the cabin. Some of the bottles had been broken and the contents were running out of the hind end of the wagon box. This expensive waste could not be allowed. The precious fluid must be saved, but how? The four strangers concocted a plan that worked like a charm. They were a gritty crowd, and by following out their plan they received an additional amount of grit as they held their mouths against the end of the wagon box bottom and let the beverage run down their throats. They were out for -a high-old-time and seemed to be having it all their own way. The three with Braizee were probably a surveying crew who were going to run the lines of the proposed city.
Braizee stated that he was looking for a spot to lay out a town site; that he didn't care where it was, and that he preferred the roughest, hilliest lo- cation that could be found. Getting no encouragement at the cabin, they started northward and disappeared from sight. Notwithstanding his state- ments to the contrary, Braizee selected a fine location on Buffalo Fork and proceeded to have the town site surveyed. This was the north half of sec-
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tion 15 in what is now Portland township. He could not have found very easily a more lovely site for a town along the banks of any stream in the county. In all there were 117 blocks, one being reserved for churches and schools, one designated as "Kossuth Square," one as "Locust Park" and one as "Walnut Park." The record discloses the fact that the site was surveyed by John S. Jenkens of Webster county from the second to the fourteenth day of September, 1857, but that the plat was not recorded until July 30, 1858.
Although the plat of Ashuelot was on record and of full force for thirty years, no houses were ever built on the site during that period except three or four little cabins at the very start. Many lots, however, were sold to dis- appointed purchasers. How these lots were disposed of came. to light when local parties chanced to see some of Braizce's advertising matter showing the location of the town and the improvements that had already been made. These were gotten out in fine lithographed form and were very attractive. The steamboats coming up the Buffalo and landing at the well-constructed wharf were features in the illustration that could not fail to attract attention. Other imaginary features in the print were just as noticeable and just as likely to induce an innocent person to invest in the project without investigating the situation.
During the early 80's some lady in Chicago wrote to the county recorder here asking what kind of a place Ashuelot would be to open up a millinery shop. The recorder assured her that she would have a wide field for operation in case she located in the town, as there were no milliners there or anyone else. In due course of time W. H. Nycum bought the half section and set to work to have the title quieted. In doing so he encountered a tangled mess that annoyed him for some time. The town site was declared vacated by order of the district court May 7, 1888. Thus ended Braizce's wild project. Judging from the large num- ber of lots sold he must have cleaned up quite a bank account with but little ex- pense.
THE CRESCO COUNTRY-1856-1864
The Cresco side received only a few new settlers during the year 1856, several, however, took their claims on that side. Grishington Jones and family with his son-in-law, G. W. Blottenberger, arrived from Baltimore and procured loca- tions. As usual the most desirable tracts were already claimed by others who had come before them. Mr. Jones wanted a stock farm by the river where there was plenty of shelter. He found the ideal spot but John Lamb was making claim to the place, so he paid $200 and was allowed to take possession. This claim in- cluded what is known as the old Jones farm in Riverdale and also the one known as the Jim Young place. The father took the former place and his son, Grish, the latter. There the Joneses lived till long after the war and there A. J. Jones, our fellow townsman, made his home until he procured one of his own near by. From that place Martin V., went to the war never to return. The C. Byson farm in that vicinity was claimed by T. J. Foster and the old O'Rourke farm by O. J. Smith.
Michael Fisher's claim was on section 14 where there was a fine body of timber. Charles, Jesse and John Magoon claimed several tracts, but it is not remembered
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that they procured the title to any of them. They shifted around from place to place and had no fixed home for any considerable length of time. Charles claimed to have started the first nursery in the county in about 1858. He sent to New York for apple seeds and planted them on lot three, section 10, Cresco. He left the county in 1860, going to Brooklyn, N. Y., where he became a skilled dentist. Nearly all who came to locate in the new town of Algona took claims, sooner or later, and either proved up or sold their rights instead. That side of the river had many tracts controlled by town parties besides those already enumerated. It was an age of claim seeking and all became possessed of what land they could.
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