USA > Iowa > Monona County > History of Monona County, Iowa; containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 28
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of its most active supporters but died before the building was finished. Even Evenson is one of the oldest members of the congregation or For- semling and one of its most liberal supporters, as is Knudt Thoreson, Ole Syverson, Martin Clemon and others. The first subscription for the building of the church was taken up by Erik Lee and the building committee consisted of Nils Thoreson, E. Evenson, Ole Ulven, Martin Clemon and E. Hong.
A Ladies' Aid Society was organized in support of the church in 1880 under the presidency of Mrs. Inga Thoreson, which has contributed since that time some $650 toward the church, and is still working for a good and laudable cause, having at the present the object of assisting the Infants' and Old Folks' Home, at Wittenberg, Wis. Mrs. Olava Anderson is the present president.
SOLDIER POST-OFFICE.
Owing to the location of a post-office at this point, a little hamlet has sprung into existence on sections 29 and 30, which contains a general mer- chandise store, post-office and blacksmith shop, and a small number of dwelling houses.
The first store in Soldier was erected in Novem- ber. 1877, by O. E. Strand, who was engaged in mercantile pursuits at that point until July, 1878, when the edifice and stock were destroyed by fire. T. R. Brader, who became Postmaster about that time, erected a store building. and therein opened a stock of goods. Ile carried on the business until November, 1882, when he sold out to George Steece, who run the store about a year, and was sneceeded by I. C. McMaster. The latter gentle- man, after operating alone for a time, took in a partner, W. H. Dryden, and in June, 1888, the firm of McMaster & Dryden sold out to .J. V. Lamson. James Wells purchased the store in October. 1888, only to sell out again in the following December. to Richard Palmer, the present proprietor.
In the spring of 1881, Dr. Banks located at this point and remained in the practice of medicine here about a year, removing to Kingsley, Woodbury County. Dr. Ramaley, in the spring of 1884, came here but a short time, and in February, 1885, was succeeded by Dr. J. J. Gingles, now of U'te, who remained here about a year.
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Chris. JJohnson opened the first blacksmith shop in this vicinity in 1877, on O. E. Strand's land, near the bridge. From there he removed to the foot of the hill south, and later to his place on see- tion 32, where he still carries on the trade. In 1882, Joseph Turpin started a smithy in the village and carried on the blacksmith's trade there until 1887, when he removed to U'te, where he is still engaged in the same line. Nels Solen, at one time ran a rival blacksmith shop, but is now at Albaton. Anton Hanson, the present smith, commeneed busi- ness here in 1883.
Another general merchandise store was started in the fall of 1883, by Bohn & Holden. In the summer of 1884, Mr. Holden disposed of his inter- est in the business, to Junius Brown, and the new firm of Bohn & Brown carried on business until the summer of 1885, when they sold their stock to I. C. MeMaster.
Fred J. Roberts opened a drug-store in the building formerly occupied by Bohn & Brown, in April, 1884, and was in that business bere until September, 1886, when he moved the building and stock to U'te, where he is engaged in the same line of trade at present,
About 1886, C. L. True opened a small grocery store here, and after carrying on the business about a year. sold out the stock. and removed to Ute, where he now lives.
Soldier post-office was established July 1, 1871, and Ole E. Strand was commissioned its first Post. master, and remained in that office until September, 1878. Ile was succeeded by T. R. Brader, who, in 1882 turned over the office to his successor, George Steece, who remained in charge for about two years, when he sold out his store and gave up the office. Feb. 24, 1884, I. C. McMaster was appointed Post- master, and held the same until Nov. 1, 1889, when he was succeeded by Richard Palmer, the present incumbent. The latter received his appointment October 9.
Jerome Lawrence, in January, 1889. opened a restaurant and place of entertainment for man and beast, and is earrying on the business at the present.
The following reminiscence of an early day in Soldier, by one of the oldest settlers in the county, is of interest in this connection.
AN EXPERIENCE.
BY JOE B P. DAY
In May. 1858, F. A. Day was engaged in build- ing a pre-emption house on the southwest quar- ter of section 4, 83, 42, since owned by l. U. Riddle. His sons Joe B. P. and Preston, and daughter Lizzie, were with him, all enjoying them- selves in a tent on the banks of the Soldier, on the southeast corner of the tract mentioned, on the evening of May 22. It began raining about right o'clock, and just poured until nearly morning. .Just a little before day-break, Mr. Day happened to put out his hand beside the bed, and felt water. lle then heard the rush of waters all around, and alarmed the camp. By the time they were up and dressed, the water was getting six inches deep, and when they had loaded their camping outfit on the wagons, it was knee deep. They then started for the bluff west, the boys walking beside the cattle. two yoke hitched to a heavy wagon, and a lighter wagon towing behind. Mr. Day was in the wagon, and Lizzie on the forward one, hold- ing the lantern. As they neared the bluff. the water grew deeper and swifter until the oxen had to swim and the boys had to hold on to the yokes to keep np. When still quite a distance from shore, the wagons began to tilt, and first thing the boys knew, Mr. Day called out that he was gone, as his wagon had capsized. Joe yelled to him to keep with the tide, and make the point below, which he did all right, and at the same time the big wagon rolled over, and as it turned, Lizzie obeying the directions of JJoe, clambered over, and as the box floated away, she caught hold of one of the hind wheels, and when the wagon turned over again, she let go one wheel and caught the other. doing this several times before reaching the shore. Had sho missed catching hold of the wheel, or had the wagon uncoupled, she would have drowned. as she had on too many wraps to have swam ashore. While this was going on, Joe had let go of the yoke, and while swimming. was directing his sister in her move- ments. When she was safe he began to realize that he had a heavy job on hand to make the shore with his overcoat and.boots. Slowly he struggled unt.1
MONONA COUNTY.
I wont under. and then came up for another pull. With his cap in his mouth, he kept on until he felt the ground under his feet, when he was too far gone to go further, and was pulled out by Preston, It was a long while before he could breathe with comfort, having filled his lungs with water. Day- light broke as they went ashore nearly a quarter of a mile below their starting point; they had only what they stood in; were wet, cold, and hungry, and yet a more grateful set of beings never looked 1
back on the gates of death. There were no roads and bridges, and with their oxen and running gears. they took up the divide past Palmer's place. When they reached the summit, the Soldier valleys were a beautiful sight, they were all full from bluff to bluff with the rushing waters, that glistened in the rising sun like a mirror. From Charter Oak on the east, and Rush Creek on the north, to the bench opposite Soldier post-office, the valleys were a sheet of water broken only by the fringe of timber. As the party had to go around by the head of Jordan Creek, they found no rest until they reached the Kelsey place, now Copelands' on west side of Maple at one o'clock, when Mrs. Homer Kelsey ( now Mrs. Maple), welcomed them to rest, and furnished a bountiful dinner. After resting a day, the boys went back and found their camping outfit scattered
for five miles, the gun and heavy artieles were where the wagons capsized, but the bedding and lighter goods were all along the valley, the wagon- box was on a mound out east of Porter's, and Joe found one of his boots on the point below the Ran- som place. A thorough search found everything but a blanket and quilt. Dan Sampson of Onawa was camped with other parties on the creek near the Brown bridge, but took the alarm and got ashore a little sooner. It is hard work to convince settlers now, that the valley ever gets under water, but those who were on the Soklier that night, would not live on the bottom then, for any money, and they trust no one will ever see the like again. That year was the wettest year ever known in the settlement of Mon- ona. The West was flooded everywhere. The bot- toms were ponds all summer, and there was no end of web-footed folks. The year 1859 was not much better, this was the year of frogs. Frogs, like those of Egypt. As one walked on low ground, they scattered like grasshoppers, and after awhile they migrated to the east, and we never heard how far they travelled. Mr. Blackburn had a piece of ditch dug east of the Sioux, and in passing over it, thousands were caught and died there in company with snakes, who shared their prison, so one sees that some of the olden plagues have been met in this beautiful land.
KENNEBEC TOWNSHIP
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CHAPTER XXII.
HE civil subdivision of the county known as Kennebee Township is geographically lo- cated in the center of the county east and west, and is in the second tier of townships from the north line. Its topography is exceedingly beautiful, lying principally in the valleys of the Little Sioux and Maple Rivers. The surface is gen- erally quite rolling, affording a most lovely land- scape, verdant meadows, rich fields of corn and small grain, and meandering through them the ever silvery threads of those pellucid streams, with their fringes of leafy forests. Drainage and water supply are amply afforded by the Little Sioux and Maple Rivers and their affluents, and the soil is of a warm, productive and easily cultivated character.
The Maple River branch of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway crosses the southeastern part of the town, the station of Castana, a young and thriving village lying within its limits. In 1885, by the State census, Kennebee had a popula- tion of 499, nearly all of whom were of American birth, the balance being made up of the best class of foreign born citizens.
In August, 1855. T. Elliott, J. E. Morrison and a Mr. Childs, of St. Charles, IH., and J. B. P. Day, of Hallowell, Me., left St. Charles on a prospecting tour, the first three looking for a village location and the latter for a farm and home. They entered lowa at Lyons. and thence proceeded. by way of Cedar Rapids. up the Cedar Valley to Cedar Falls;
thence west to Iowa Falls, which then consisted of two cabins; from there to Webster City, which eon- tained three or four cabins. and to Ft. Dodge, that had the old fort, some improvements and lots of prospects. From there on was open prairie, fifty miles to Sac City (three cabins in a grove on east side of river), and thenee on a blind trail to Ida Grove, where was but one cabin. After cross- ing the monotonous prairies of Central Iowa, the view of the Maple Valley from the hills east of Ida was a vision of delight. They went down the val- ley, then without a settler, to Mapleton and across to Smithland, where they found " Buekskin "Smith, who made them welcome, and invited them to come back and look at a claim of his in Monona County. That name-Monona-sounded musical -- like home. - On the eve of August 21, just at sun- set, they struck the Missouri Valley, at the mouth of Wolf Creek, and that first view of the greatest valley of the world, then in its holiday garb, was a picture never to be forgotten; it captured the crowd. They camped at Sargeant's Bluff, and vis- ited Sioux City, with its one cabin; crossed over the river to Omadi-nobody there-and started for Council Bluffs on the afternoon of the 24th. as they were getting short of provisions and some of the crowd were homesick. When they reached the vicinity of Salix there occurred one of those little incidents that change the currents of many lives. Day took it into his head to leave the
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party and go back to Smithland, and prepared his grip. The others began to debate, and they finally concluded to go his way, and they all went to Smithland, where they were joined by O. B. Smith and John B. Gard, two of the "pioneers of the prairies" seldom equalled in the best of pioneer qualities. That night they camped on the east bank of the Sioux, at the edge of the timber, half a mile northeast of Kennebee bridge. The next morning they purchased Smith's claim and left for home, via Ida Grove. The next day. as they left Ida and went up the Odebolt Creek, they were told by Smith to cross at the first little timber and keep the divide, but after crossing the creek the trail was lost, and a confab was held over what a diride was, and it was settled by the majority to be a side creek; so np a creek they went, met a naked Indian, and he knew " nary " a " divide" nor trail, only " me tribe." pointing northeast. As the creek furnished no signs of a trail, Day struck out on foot to the ridge west and found a trail, and all hands took to the divide, which they followed to Mason's Grove, where " Uncle" Dobson sup- plied meal and other wants, their larder being nearly empty. Most of those day stretches were twenty-five or fifty miles between settlers. They went by Panora and Adel to Des Moines. When nearing Skunk River, on inquiring the way of a boy he said, "Go up yon hill and you will see the road, and when you get into it you want to keep in it," which injunction was followed. The next man met, in response to an inquiry said, " It is seven- teen miles to Skunk," and as they started along he added, " And you'll find them d -- d long ones, too." They were the kind of miles that are found between the Sioux and Onawa when the mud is plenty. The party crossed the river at Davenport and were soon on the trail home. In October a company called Monona Mills Company was formed for the purpose of opening a village settlement in Monona County, and that fall F. A. Day, Frank L. Day and wife, J. B. P. Day and Preston Day, W. G. Chamberlain and family, and John L. Lay and wife drove out to Monona County. Chamberlain and Lay wintered in Smithland, and the Days on the claim bought of Smith in August. As a man had jumped the claim in the meantime, J. B. P. Day
had to file a pre-emption on it to hold it down. In April and May, 1856, Chamberlain and Lay moved down near by, and T. Elliott, I. E. Morrison, N. E. Colby, J. S. Merrill, Partridge, S. S. Pearce, Darius Pearce, Benedict, Brogden, Pond, J. A. Nevins, II. G. Hewins and others were camped in the bend around the west end of the Kennebee bridge until it looked like a village. Some planted gardens along the Sioux, and some selected farms and did some breaking, but it was finally decided to go farther west, and most of them went to Ashton and wintered there. The next spring the Monona Land Company was organized, Onawa laid out, and most of the parties settled in the village.
In the fall of 1855, William N. Hathaway came here from Pottawattamie County and purchased the claim that a man . had on section 20, paying him $250 for it. In March, 1856, Mr. Hathaway settled on this claim and commenced the improve- ments on it. Here he has made his residence ever since. While he and his wife were absent from home, March 10, 1857, their log cabin burned down, and their little daughter, Laura, then about four years of age, was burned to death.
In August, 1855, Dr. W. W. Ordway, one of this county's best known and most prominent citizens eame to the county and purchased some 1,280 acres of land, but spent the following winter in Woodbury County, at Smithland. The next spring he put a rough log house on the place where S. Livingood now lives on section 34, and in that took up his residence. A few years later, having erected another house where W. S. Everett resides, he removed thither. After selling out to the latter- named, the Doctor put up his present residence on section 13, where he has since lived.
Seth Smith, who had settled in Grant Township in 1853, came to this township in 1855 and built a log cabin. In August, 1856, he erected a frame house on section 13, which forms a portion of the present residence of Soe. Smith. This was one of the first frame buildings in this part of the county. Mr. Smith lived here until November 6, 1876, when he was called upon to pay the debt of nature.
Elkanah T. Bullock came to Kennebec Township in the winter of 1855-56, and put up a cabin on the northeast quarter of section 18, into which he re-
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moved with his family early in the following spring. Ilere he resided for several years but finally emigrated to Kansas, settling on Solomon's Fork. Ilis sons, Lyman. William and Charles, entered the United States army during the late war, and finally located in Kansas. The land owned by J. K. Myers and James Walker in succession is now the prop- erty of C. A. Fisher.
With Mr. Bullock came John N. Sanderson, who pre-empted the southeast quarter of section 7, and which he sold, after living here, in 1858, and sometime thereafter removed to California, where he is now living.
James M. Kelsey also made his settlement here in the same winter, although he spent much of the time until spring at Smithland, Woodbury County. He located on section 2, 84, 44, where he became quite an extensive farmer. In 1865 he married Emma J. Dorward, of Belvidere. lle spent a few years in California previous to coming here, where he made considerable money. Shortly after the death of his wife he committed suicide, being of unsound mind. Ilis daughter Hattie still owns the farm, some five hundred acres just south of Cas- tana.
In the spring of 1856, Barnabas Martin, a brother-in-law of Dr. Ordway came to Monona County and settled on a farm here, but his wife dying shortly after, in the following August, he removed to Colorado.
In March of the same year three men, Abel Perry, Lycurgus Shields and William Ewing eame here from Jackson County, Ind., with the intention of settling. Ewing, after about thirty days, re- turned to Indiana; Shields remained about a year, but Perry bought out a claim of John Peirce, who had come here the previous autumn, on section 30, and has remained a resident of the county ever since.
In the summer of 1856 Abram N. Bullock came to Kennebec and occupied the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 7, where he re- sided several years. lle then went on the place now known as the McDonald farm in Grant. He traded places with Seth Smith, who died there and his widow sold the farm to J. B. P. Day in |1886.
Henry W. Hathaway, a native of New York,
came to the township in 1856, and built a cabin on the west bank of the Sioux River, a little north of the bridge near Winegars, on section 18. They lost their boy Willie by drowning in the Sioux. Hathaway died there and his widow married Calvin Metcalf, and died in 1888, in Maple Township.
Thomas II. and Willliam D. Flowers settled on section 8, in 1856, and opened a large stock farm. In 1862 Thomas christened his place "Arcola," and procured an election for the removal of the county- seat to that prospective village. At the election which took place October 11, 1862, 100 citizen electors of the county were in favor of the location of the seat of justice at that point, and 123 voted in favor of its retention at Onawa. The Flowers were natives of Kentucky, and married daughters of ludge Jolin Craig. In 1863 they went to Cali- fornia with W. N. Hathaway but returned here the next season. Thomas Flowers afterward turned his attention to railroad contracting both in Texas and elsewhere, and died in this county. William was engaged in farming for many years, and also (lied here. Ilis farm is now owned by R. T. Reese, of Turin, and Thomas' land is occupied by George Fischer.
John L. Lay, a native of Buffalo, came to Smith- land in December 1855, and in the spring of 1856 built a cabin on the banks of the Sioux a little northwest of the Kennebec switch. In 1857 Mr. Lay went East to engage in his business as machinist, and afterward became world renowned as the in- ventor of the Lay torpedo, which brought him a for- tune, and he was actively engaged in the service during the war and was last heard of as Major of Engineers. His place was purchased by F. A. Day, and his cabin was moved and put up on the south- west quarter of the northwest quarter of section 8, as a schoolhouse in June, 1858, and there was taught the first public school in the township that summer by Miss Nellie Billings, now Mrs. Chap- man, of Onawa. The first school taught in the township was a private one in the summer of 1857 in a log cabin on the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 7, on land held by 1. S. Peace, it being the cabin where was held the first election, in November, 1856, and subsequent ele(- tions in 1857. The Lay cabin was also the church
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until a new schoolhouse was built, and the Rev. George S. Rice used to come over from Onawa and preach. It seemed odd to Eastern settlers to see a preacher with his pants tucked in his boots.
A new schoolhouse was built in the northeast corner of section 7, in 1859, which was at that time the largest and best schoolhouse in the county. The Lay cabin was then used by Day & Co., as a stable until April, 1864. when Joe B. P. Day moved it to the hill top near Castana, on his homestead, and it was his entire mansion until he added on either side of it, and it is still there-barring what is gone. Many an old settler has been sheltered within its walls, and probably no other building in the county has had so many locations.
W. G. Chamberlain, who came out, in 1855, in company with John L. Lay, built a eabin just north of Lay's on the north side of the drain of the small lake near the Kennebec switch on the banks of the Sioux in the spring of 1856. He opened up quite a farm and lived there about three years when he went to Denver, and for years was a photographer there, having pursued that business in Chicago prior to 1856. Chamberlain and Lay married daughters of JJabez Allen, a native of London and an engineer, Chamberlain meeting the family in Peru, South America. Mr. Allen built a house on the west half of the northeast quarter of section 8, on the edge of the prairie just north of the timber above the Kennebec bridge in 1857, but moved thence to Onawa at a subsequent date.
Miss Mary A. Goodhue came to this county in May, 1856, from Iowa County, this State, and pur- chased a farm on section 34, January 2, 1858; she married Homer Kelsey, who died June 1, following. May 13. 1860, the widow married Isaiah Maple, and is a resident on the farm, where she first settled, about half of her time.
Aaron A. Davis settled on section 8, this town- ship, April 24, 1857, coming from Hollowell, Me. In the spring of the following year he purchased a farm on section 19, buying it as swamp land from the county at $1.25 per acre. Here he resided un- til 1861, when he removed to his present place of residence on section 28.
L. L. Ward, in 1857, settled in this township where he made his home until the breaking out of
the war, when he enlisted in the Union army and died while in the service.
Frederick D. Winegar, Sr., located on section 19, this town, in the fall of 1856, coming from Prepa- tion, where be settled in 1853-51, where he made his home until called to " the silent chambers of death," January 16, 1881. He settled in the county in 1855, locating at first in Spring Valley Township.
Hle was a native of Steuben County, N. Y. He joined the Mormons at Kirtland, Ohio. and was with them in their wanderings toward Nauvoo. Crossing Iowa, in 1847, with the rest to Council Bluffs, he joined the Preparation Colony, but left them with the Belvidere emigrants in August, 1855. Ilis son, Frederick D., Jr., is still living on the old homestead.
Frank L. Day, who-had come to Monona County with his father one year previous, made a settle- ment in 1856 on section 8, this township, where he resided until 1863. He is now living in Center.
J. S. Blackburn settled in this town in the spring of 1857, coming to this place from Oskaloosa, this State, and from Pennsylvania originally. He put up a mill on his farm on the Little Sioux River. which was the first gristmill in the county and was known far and wide. It received custom for some sixty miles around, and was run for about fif- teen years and then was abandoned and rotted down. Mr. Blackburn remained here until 1881, when he removed to Florida, and in 1887 disposed of his property here. He is quite an extensive grower of oranges in Florida at the present time.
Albert Beatty settled in this township near Black- burn in 1858, and opened up a farm. During the war he fled to the mountains to avoid the draft, and it is currently reported and believed, suffered at the hands of the vigilance committee in Wyo- ming.
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