USA > Iowa > Humboldt County > History of Kossuth and Humbolt counties, Iowa : together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 93
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a land of dreams, possessing all good things. T. ELLWOOD COLLINS."
In the early part of the mill enterprise, Judge Rose, who had taken up some land five miles west of Springvale, said in ban- ter to Mr. Taft that he would give $100 for the first barrel of flour he should make at his mill. Accordingly, about the middle of February, that gentleman sent the barrel of flour to the judge's home, in Hamilton county. The following notice of the passage of that famous package through Fort Dodge is from the Iowa North West:
"ROLL IN THAT BARREL .- Some months since, Judge Rose, of Rose Grove, Hamil- ton county, proposed to Mr. Taft, of Springvale, Humboldt county, to give $100 for the first barrel of flour manufac- tured at the mill of which Mr. Taft was tlen just laying the foundation. To-day we learn that barrel of flour passed through town on its way to the purchaser. Pretty steep for flour, but we presume it is worth the money. We fancy the first flap-jack the farmers in the vicinity of Springvale eat from flour ground at a mill in their own county, will be the sweetest bread they ever tasted; and in the satis- faction of the present, the past, when obliged to go thirty and forty miles to mill, will be forgotten.
"Mr. Taft and the people of Humboldt county design celebrating the event in a becoming manner in a few days."
When Mr. Taft was about to commence his town enterprise, he told Edward Mc- Knight and Charles Bergk, the proprietors of Dakota City, that he desired to avoid the rivalry strife and consequent hard feeling, which often obtained between
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towns located adjacent to each other, and proposed a consolidation of the places; asking only that the "city" part of the name be dropped and the whole plat from river to river be called Dakota. To this Mr. Bergk readily assented, but Mr. Mc- Knight refused to entertain the propoxi- tion at all. Taft remarked, as he was about to leave Mr. Bergk's office: "Very well, gentlemen, I shall go on with my work, and shall build up the largest and most beautiful town, since I have the largest number of natural advantages."
From that day the struggle commenced, like that between Esau and Jacob, and it continued until after the advent of the rail- roads; and, as is too often the case, much bitter feeling was engendered between the citizens of the two towns. This feel- ing found expression in many ways. Da- kota being the county seat, and having the sympathy of many of the earlier set- tlers, was able to bring numerous influ- ences to bear against the progress of the new town. The county judge and a ma- jority of the board of supervisors took sides with Dakota, so that the proprietor of Springvale could neither get his town plat ordered on record, nor a road laid out. to the mill, until John Dickey was elected judge and a change occurred in the board. The judge first referred to wrote an article for the Iowa North West, pub- lished at Fort Dodge, which the editor, Hlon. B. F. Gue, declined to print, and in justification of said refusal, said:
"We are confident that if we should publish our correspondent's criticism on the mill, its work, its proprietors and their enterprise, it would lead to anything but "amicable feelings" between the two
towns and their citizens. We are always willing to publish anything that will ad- vance the interests and general prosperity, and promote the settlement of north west- ern Iowa, but the North West cannot be used for making personal attacks upon enterprises which are so much needed by our new country as the one now being pushed forward by the New York colony. That enterprise will, if successfully car- ried out, add to the value of every farm in Humboldt county. We know from conversation with many of the leading citizens of that county-which is one of the best in the State-that they fully ap- preciate the great benefits they will derive from these new mills."
When T. Ellwood Collins and S. H. Taft asked that a road be laid straight north from the mill to Lott's creek, now known as the Air Line Road, the board of supervisors at first refused to entertain the question. Finally S. B. Bellows was appointed commissioner, and reported in favor of the road at the January meeting, 1868. Further action on this was de- ferred until the May session, when the following action was taken, as shown by the records:
"The board then took up the matter of West Homestead and Springvale mill road. On motion of Hiram Lane it was ordered that the resolution relating to this matter, passed on the 8th day of January, A. D. 1868, be and the same is hereby re- scinded by this board, and the matter of report of commissioner be brought up for acceptance or rejection at this meeting.
" After a full hearing of this matter, H. G. Bicknell presented the following reso- Intion, which was passed by the board:
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"WHEREAS-Much feeling is manifest- ed, and much conflicting testimony has been heard by this board from the friends and enemies of this road; therefore,
" Resolved, That the chairman of this board is instructed to appoint a commit- tee of at least three members of this board, whose duties shall be to pass over the entire length of the proposed road, and to carefully examine the same, and to make a full report of their doings un- der and by virtue of this commission, at the regular meeting in June next. And to the end that the line of said proposed road be correctly viewed by them, they are hereby instructed and empowered to employ a competent surveyor. And Fri- day, the 15th day of May next, is hereby fixed as the day when said examination shall commence.
"That said examination shall commence at 9 o clock A. M. of said 15th day of May, at the town of Springvale, and that said committee shall pass over the entire route. " Whereupon the chairman appointed the entire board such committee."
On the day appointed, the entire board, with a surveyor, make examination from Springvale to Trellinger's creek, and found the route so feasible and desirable that the road was established at the June meeting without any opposition, provid- ing, however, that the parties asking for the road should pay all expenses and dam- ages. This provision was seized upon by some of those opposed to the road who owned land along the line of it, to defeat it by asking exorbitant damages, notwith- standing the road would add largely to the value of their land. This compelled Mr. Taft, to whom it was of vital impor-
tance, to choose between three alterna- tives-to abandon his effort to obtain a road to the town from the north, to sub- mit to the slow process of securing it by legal means, or to pay what the opponents of the road were pleased to ask. He chose the latter, paying $300 for a public road which was necessary for the accom- modation of all travel seeking access to the town or mill from the north or north- west. He also had to pay all expense in- volved in surveying the road from the southwest corner of section 1 into what is now Weaver township.
Before there could be secured the build- ing of a bridge across the West Fork of the Des Moines at Springvale, the county had to be canvassed once and again. Thinking to hasten matters leading to this end, a subscription paper of several hundred dollars was made up by the citi- zens of Springvale and delivered to the clerk of the county. On the records of the proceedings of the board of super- visors is found the following, under date of Oct. 16, 1866:
" In the matter of the subscription to aid in the building of a bridge at the town of Springvale, the following action was taken: On motion of W. W. Dean it was ordered that the subscription paper be returned by the clerk to the party who filed the same, with instructions that the payment of the subscription be amply se- cured to the county, and until such time as said subscription be thus secured, the board will take no action on said bridge."
On the 12th of November acceptable bonds were given, and upon the 29th of Jannary, 1867, a contract was let to Rus-
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sell & Pinney to erect a bridge for $4,300 and the subscription money.
This feeling of rivalry, which it is so necessary to write about, althoughi so un- pleasant, found expression in other forms, one of which was an effort to defeat the certification of the lands to the energetic, enterprising head of the colony. To ac- complish this, it was represented that he had secured the legislation which pro- vided for the conveyance of the lands to him by the governor, by deception; that he had defrauded the settlers by asking more than the government price, and that dissatisfaction among them obtained. A letter containing such representation was published in the Dubuque Times, and widely circulated throughout the State. Like communications were published in a home paper. That this is no overdrawn picture, the following extract is taken from one under date of Aug. 21, 1868:
"For the people of this portion of the State can but feel alarmed if the land granted by Congress to'the State for the purpose of building a railroad through this beautiful and fertile valley, and thus give development to its wealth and re- sources, is to be parceled out by the Legis- lature for the benefit of speculators."
To correct the false impression which these misrepresentations were calculated to make on the minds of those not ac- quainted with the facts in the case, S. H. Taft made answer to the article in the Times, and published it in the Iowa North West, from which the following is taken. This is but the conclusion of Mr. Taft's reply, but will serve as a sample of the rest:
"I asked the conveyance of these lands directly from the State, that I might re- lieve those who had purchased farms of me, and those who might hereafter pur- chase, of all anxiety relative to their title, and that I could the more speedily give them deeds.
" It will be seen from the foregoing statement of facts, that the contract which I hold from Gov. Stone is in its essential features simply a duplicate of the con- tract which had been made between the Valley Railroad Company and myself a year previous to the passage of the joint resolution of Marclı 26, 1864. Now, to ask of the Legislature to break faith with me by legislation calculated to prevent or delay the conveyance of the lands (under consideration) to me, is to ask of the State to embarrass an enterprise which the railroad company had fostered; and that, too, when the State is acting simply as the guardian of the company. I do not think that the 'State government misappre- bended either my intention or object,' for I stated the case very distinctly to Sena- tors Bassett, Gue, Henderson and many others of the Senate; as also to such mem- bers of the Lower House as I conversed with on the subject.
"Whether 'the settlers misapprehended my intention or object,' I leave for them to answer as in the document herewith enclosed. S. H. TAFT." SPRINGVALE, Jan. 25, 1866.
The document he speaks of is as fol- lows, which was published in conjunction with the above:
"To all whom it may concern:
"The undersigned, residents of Hum- boldt Co., Iowa, and purchasers of lands
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embraced in Rev. S. H. Taft's land grant, learning that representations are being made through the public press and other- wise, calculated to mislead public senti- ment with reference to Mr. Taft's colony enterprise and land grant, feel called upon to set forth the following facts:
"1. We never expected to obtain the land we occupy at government price.
"2. We are not dissatisfied with the price at which Mr. Taft has sold us our land; for we consider them cheaper, at the price which we have contracted to give, with the improvements which he has made, than they would be at government price without them.
"3. The only thing we desire in rela- tion to the ten sections of land embraced in the grant, is that they be conveyed to Mr. Taft at as early a day as practicable. Anson E. Lathrop, Walter Thomas, T. T. Rogers, Martin Alger,
Dunham S. Pinney, N. S. Amer,
Cynthia Wickes, E. Shattuck,
Charles A. Lorbeer, Fredrick G. Herman, S. C. Wickes, Daniel De Groot, Louis K. Lorbeer, R. Johnson, Russell H. Norton, Franklin W. Parsons, Chester Dean, M. Loomis,
John G. Lorbeer, John McKiterick, Milton Walters, Theresa J. Hill, O. W. Coney, Hiram Lane, Charles Lane,
D. D. Russell,
Byron C. Parsons, William B. Leland, Emilie C. Breemer, Hugh McKenstry,
David A. Martin, Charlot E. Parsons, Christian Snyder.
SPRINGVALE, Jan. 25, 1866."
"The undersigned believing that the concluding part of an article which ap- peared in the Dubuque Daily Times of
November 24, over the signature 'E. X.,' calculated to do injustice to Rev. S. H. 'Taft and the work to which he has de- voted himself since he came into this State, feel it due no less to the interest of the county than to Mr. Taft to make the following representations:
"The colony, mill and town enterprise to which Mr. Taft has devoted himself since he came into this State, has, in our opinion, done more to develop the re- sources of this section of the State, and advance the price of land, than any im- provement which has preceded it.
"Among the results which have been already attained through the labors of Mr. Taft and his colony, we would nanie the following: The building of a superior dam across the Des Moines river and the erection of a good saw and flouring mill thereon. The opening up of a new town, which, though not yet two years old, has become the business point in the county. The organization of a school district which now numbers over forty scholars, on territory where three years since there was not one scholar. The organization of a Free Congregational Church, (of which Mr. 'Taft is pastor), with a bible class and Sabbath school commenced therewith.
"In conclu-ion we remark, that the joint resolution passed by the General Assem- bly of Iowa, in March, 1864, by which the governor was authorized to convey to Mr. Taft ten sections of land, thus enabling Mr. Taft to get his title directly from the State, instead of waiting till the railroad company should be able to give title, was an act calculated to promote not only the interest of the colony, but of the entire county of Humboldt.
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"John Dickey, County Judge of Hum- boldt; J. C. Cusey, Sheriff; N. S. Ames, Supervisor of Dakota Township; James Struthers, Supervisor Wacousta Town- ship; William W. Dean, Supervisor Hum- boldt Township."
SPRINGVALE, Jan. 25, 1866.
As new settlers came into the county and the town of Springvale increased in business and population, the opposition to it grew less harmful. But in connection with this prosperity, a disturbing element appeared in its very midst, in the form of a beer saloon. Against this the people earnestly protested, and a petition, nu- merously signed, was presented to the keeper asking him to discontinue the business, which he agreed to do. Whereupon the following - communi- cation was delivered to him. It is taken from the True Democrat, of April 19, 1867, and given with the heading as there found:
"TO THE TEMPERANCE FLAG BH TRUE."
"The undersigned citizens of Spring- vale and vicinity, regarding the selling and use of lager beer as harmful to the moral interests of society, take pleasure in expressing our satisfaction with the manly course of Mr. E. K. Lord, in dis- continuing its sale in our midst. But knowing that there are persons who place their own selfish wishes and personal gains in advance of the moral well being of society, we hereby declare, that should any of that class come among us and open a lager beer saloon in town, we should feel called upon by every virtuous considera- tion, to express our disapprobation of their business by all honorable means in our power.
"Mrs. H. M. Pinney, Mrs. M. R. Dean, Mrs. M. H. Bramble, Mrs. R. Starbuck, Mrs. M. A. Taft, Mrs. E. C. Brehmer, Mrs. A. E. Lorbeer, Mrs. A. E. Stone, Mrs. L. A. Dyer, Mra. A. E. Peckham, Mrs. C. Jack- son, Mrs. C. M. White, Mra. S. J. Martin, Mrs. M. W. Atkinson, Mrs. C. Wickes, Mrs. Harvey, Mrs. H. Leland, Mrs. M. Thomas, Mrs. M. Newman, Mrs. S. D. Thomas, Mrs. M. H. Loomis, Mrs. R. Nor- ton, Mrs. J. S. Lathrop, Mrs. Z. M. Haw- kins, Mrs. J. M. Walters, Miss M. Rich- ards, Miss E. A. Day, Miss E. Atkinson, Miss N. E. Averill, Miss S. E. Wickes, Miss A. E. Segar, Miss O. Jenks, Mrs. E. W. Lorbeer, Mrs. E. Rogers, Mrs. M. J. Rutt'es.
"E. Ward, E. Butler, C. Butler, L. Dean, O. M. Mars, D. G. Pinney, J. Kirk, D. A. Martin, J. F. Ward, A. E. Lathrop, J. H. Bramble, W. R. Starbuck, A. Rathky, S. H. Taft, J. M. Snyder, A. Bowen, J. Al- bee, C. A. Lorbeer, A. M. Adams, E. A. Belcher, H. P. Stone, M. L. Peckham, G. W. Dyer,J. White, G. Henderson, G. Mar- tin, S Hawthorne, William M. Gray, D. P. Russell, C. Atkinson, J. A. Averill, N. O. Atkinson, L. K. Lorbeer, Daniel Har- vey, William Leland, D. Thomas, L. Thomas, W. Thomas, J. Thomas, R. Nor- ton, D. Loomis, A. Harvey, W. W. Bar- ber, A. V. Hawkins, John Lorbeer.
"We take pleasure in giving the above a place in our columns, for two reasons. First, because it shows that the people are almost unanimously against the corrupt- ing presence of lager beer saloons, and, Second, it is a notice to any who may come among us with the thought of open- ing a saloon, that to do so would be to
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knowingly take the position of a social outlaw."
While in the midst of this contest for the protection of the social and moral in- teresta of society, the spring floods came down upon the town carrying away the dam and silencing the cheerful voice of the mills. This occurred on the morning of the 15th of April, and the same day flour advanced from $6 to $10 per 100 pounds. This brought the settlers face to face with more serious difficulties than had before been encountered. The year 1867 has since been referred to as the starvation year, as there was not bread enough in this part of the State to feed the people, and there was little with which to buy. The water kept very high all the spring and summer, and in June the com- pany commenced cutting a mill race, or canal, 160 rods long, and putting in a dam at the head. The following notice of the work is taken from the Upper Des Moines of Algona:
"Bro. Taft, of the Humboldt Democrat, is up and doing, as is his wont. He is now employing about fifty men, cutting a race one half mile in length, much of the way through solid lime rock. As fast as the stone are quarried out, they are taken to Springvale and used in the construction of a block of elegant and substantial stores. The new dam is to be built at the head of this race, and the water brought to the mills through the canal. The cost of the work is estimated at over $6,000. We wish Brother Taft the fullest measure of success, and are sure that if untiring en- ergy and a perseverance that is only stim- ulated to still greater exertions by the obstacles thrown across its path, can be
successful, such will be the result in his case. For he possesses perseverance that has not in its vocabulary any such word as 'I can't.'"
The race and dam were finally so far completed that notice was given in the town paper that the water would be let into the canal on the 20th of November. The following account of the celebration of the event is taken from the True Dem- ocrat of November 22:
"It having been given out that the canal would be opened for the reception of water from the river on Saturday instead of Thursday, as was designed, the Good Templars resolved to celebrate the occa- sion. Martin's Cornet Band was invited to be present. Accordingly at 3 P. M. the the Good Templars formed in procession at Union Hall, and led by the band, by whom the national banner was borne, marched up to the head of the canal, ac- companied by a large number of citizens from different parts of the county. The whole company then passed to the west side of the river, crossing on the dam.
"About this time the workmen, with picks, spades and shovels thrown over their shoulders, came dashing across the river at double quick, and marched and countermarched under command of Capt. Rowley, cheering for whatever most ex- cited their admiration. After the band had played a number of pieces, Rev. F. Hand made some well chosen remarks rel- ative to the work, and the relation it sus- tained to the business interests of Hum- boldt county, and concluded by calling on Mr Taft, who responded by a brief speech, in which he gave a sketch of the work, paying a high compliment to the work-
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men, thanking the citizens for the inter- est they had manifested in the arduous undertaking, and expressing a hope that their many words of hearty cheers might be soon responded to by the music of the water wheels and machinery of the mills. Ile also spoke of the signal aid which the merchants of Springvale had rendered the mill company in prosecuting the work. Thanking the ladies for their cheering presence, Mr. Taft retired amid hearty cheers.
"A. McFarland was then called for and responded with a few well chosen re- marks. The band played another piece. Cheers were given for the band, the Good Templars and the ladies, when the pro- ession reformed and all marched down to the mill, the band playing the while.
"Here another halt was made, when cheers were given for Springvale, for the mills, for the mill company, for the work- men and for the canal, when the proces- sion marched back to the hall and dis- persed. Many of the most prominent citizens of the county were present and participated in the exercises."
Tradition hath it also, that as the proces. sion marched along the north bank of the canal, Mr. Taft rode its whole length to the mill in a boat, borne on the first water that passed down the race.
The company found the undertaking more expensive than was anticipated, foot- ing up over $17,000 before it was complet- ed. To command the means to meet this large outlay as needed, was a task of great difficulty. Workmen, however, could be obtained in any number by their being supplied with provisions to live upon ; they waiting for the remainder of their
pay until the mill should run again. But to meet even this demand became very dif- fieult toward the close of the work. The straightened circumstances into which all were brought, is well illustrated by the following occurrence which transpired in November.
The company had gathered up all the wheat which could be obtained in the county, and sent it off to the nearest mill, forty miles distant, and had it ground ; this was all gone, and the money obtaina- ble had all, disappeared, yet when Satur- day came round, there must be flour for more than forty workmen and their fami- lies, that were dependent upon them, or the work, so nearly completed, must stop, the mill remain silent and the partially completed dam be swept out by the spring floods For unless the water could be turned into the race, instead of running over the dam, the timber work, by which what had been built up should be made secure, could not be put in place. Cold weather, which might freeze the earth so as to vastly increase the expense of the work, was liable to set in any day. Under these circumstances Mr. Taft went to Fort Dodge with his driving team, directing that another team should follow, for be had made up his mind that flour must be obtained, although he had not a dollar with which to buy. On reaching his des tination he found that flour had fallen from the high price it had attained when the roads were nearly impassable, and could be obtained for $5 per 100 pounds. He offered $7 a hundred, to be paid in ninety days, but was answered: "Flour is cash." Knowing that Hon. G. W. Bas- sett had in his hands agricultural col-
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lege funds, Mr. Taft asked of him the loan of $100 for three months, and was told that he could have it, by Hon. B. F. Gne's endorsing the note. The circum- stances being stated to Mr. Gue, he promptly and cheerfully gave his name, and with a light heart Mr. Taft hastened to Fuller & Ringland's store, where his teamster and team were waiting his re- turn. Twenty hundred pounds of flour was quickly loaded and on its way to Spring- vale, Mr. Taft tarrying to attend to other business. On his way home it occurred to him that if the load reached his house before he did, there would be no flour left for his own large family, so he urged his team more than was his custom, and com- ing in sight of the other team, crossed the bridge just as it was driving up to his residence, located on block 43. Mr. Taft found that he had not miscalculated, for a number of workmen had already reached the wagon and were bearing away sacks of flour, while he was yet forty rods distant, and other men were on their way from the canal, each one running at the top of his speed. Mr. Taft's trip to the Fort, and its probabili- ties, had been the chief theme of remark among the workmen during the day, and on the load coming in sight, shovels, spades, wheelbarrows, plows and scrapers were dropped, and teams not hitched to wagons were left unticd, while those at- tached to wagons were being driven rapidly, all hastening toward the loaded wagon, on reaching which, each man seized a sack and bore it away. Mr. Taft was just in time to save two sacks, which he retained by springing into the wagon and seizing hold of them, remarking to
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