USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > History of O'Brien County, Iowa, from its organization to the present time > Part 7
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very fire he started burned the grain stacks. Mr. Holmes came near perishing in the blizzard of 1871. Harley Day was teaching the school in that district where Mr. Holmes had two children attending. The blizzard came up in school hours, and it was felt by the Holmes family that the chidren would be taken care of by the teacher, but toward night, while Mr. Holmes was at the barn, the dog acted strangely and kept running in the direction of the school house, barking, which aroused a fear in the mind of Mr. Holmes that the children, trying to get home, were lost in the snow.
This caused him to start out, and he managed to reach Mr. Day's house, and found the children there. Necessity com- pelled him to return, as his wife, if he did not, would then be troubled in fear, that they were all lost. After leaving Mr. Day's house, and half way home, he lost the track. He did not lose his head, however, but stopped and calculated the direction of the house as to the wind, and finally concluding it blew directly from his house, he turned around and backed against it, and as there were no obstruc- H. F. SMITH AND WIFE. tions he calculated well, and soon brought up against the house. Mr. Holmes was out in other blizzards, and had other narrow escapes. He has filled important positions in the town- ship and in the county, with all his official acts performed with excellent judgment, and unswerving honesty.
As stated, A. F. Herrick and Homer Herrick, came out with the Durant crowd in the spring of 1871. They worked breaking all summer, broke about 150 acres, and returned to Durant at the close of the breaking season. In the fall of that year, A. F. and his brother Frank drove up with a buggy, and reached Carroll township about the middle of September.
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When they drove through Manson there was a political gath- ering, with much excitement, so that revolvers were drawn, and it looked for a while as though there would be blood shed. The boys wondered if that was the method of running politics in this part of the country. M. G. McClellan and E. V. Van Epps left Durant four days before the Herrick boys did, who, as they were driving over the hill near old O'Brien, saw Mcclellan and Van Epps driving in. Cornelia Herrick, a sister of the Herrick boys came in 1872, and took a claim; she lived afterwards in Sheldon and died there in 1895. Frank Herrick when he came, was not old enough to take a claim, but one was held for him in a legitimate way, which he did take after he became of age. This was the southeast quarter of 12, in Carroll township. Frank has lived in the county ever since that time, was in business at Prim- ghar, and was elected to the office of county recorder in Nov- ember, 1894, and to a second term in 1896, and is known as a very competent and upright official. A. F. Herrick was a careful, honest business man, of much industry and thrift, and at the time of his death in 1877 was highly respected. Homer Herrick now resides in Osceola county engaged in farming. Parents of the Herrick boys came to the county several years later. The mother died a few years ago, and the father now resides in Des Moines.
Geo. Klock came first to the county in 1869 from Cedar Falls, and first to old O'Brien. He came with his two brothers-in-law, David and Asa Harkness. Klock took a claim, first on section 20, Grant township, and held it awhile, and finally traded it for a horse and shot gun. He then set- tled on the northeast of 8, Carroll township. This was in De- cember, 1871.
In the fall of 1871, E. F. Parkhurst came to the county, driv- ing through from Rockford, Illinois. He stopped at Klock's place while in Grant township, and they came up to Carroll township together, in December of that year. Before they came up, one of Parkhurst's horses had died, the other he
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traded for a yoke of oxen. Mr. Parkhurst settled on the northwest of section 8, in Carroll. Soon after each had estab- lished a habitation on the claim, they drove down to the Water- man for a load of wood each, Parkhurst with his oxen, and Klock with the horses. Not long before reaching the west side of the county, a blizzard set in. Klock drove on ahead, and was about perished; when he reached Mr. Butterfield's house on section 4, in Carroll, he got thawed out, and went on home, finding his way with much difficulty. Parkhurst poked along with his oxen, and finally reached M. G. McClel- lan's place,[where he got warmed up, and struck out for home. When he reached the Klock shack he was about give out, and could not have gone any further. The storm was then raging furiously and the eyes of the oxen were blinded with sleet. Mr. Parkhurst rested awhile, and his own home being near by, he soon after was glad to get there. Mr. Parkhurst told Klock, at JOHN M'CANDLESS. the time, that if he ever lived through the winter, he would get out of the country. Mr. Klock has resided in the county ever since, and now lives in Sheldon. Mr. Parkhurst went into business at Sheldon in an early day, and was for many years of the firm of Jones & Parkhurst. He moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1886, where he now resides. He was elected to the Iowa legislature, and served one term. Mr. Parkhurst is a straight, square man, a jovial fellow and left many friends in O'Brien county when he moved to Salem.
J. W. McFarland came to the county in the latter part of May, 1871. He came from Wilton in Muscatine county, and
8
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
here, on account of the Durant crowd, which town is not far from Wilton. He was in doubt at first whether to come here, or to go to Kansas, but the choice was well made. He landed at Cherokee and walked to the plantation of W. H. Woods, lugging a large satchel considerable heavy, so that when he reached Mr. Woods' place, he was about give out. The next day he rode to Floyd township with C. W. Toothaker and Rolla Cook, selected the north half of the northwest quarter of section 34 in Floyd, made some improvement, did his filing and returned to Wilton. He came up again in February, 1872, and when he reached his claim, some other fellow by the name of Parks had built quite a large sod house, and a barn of the same material, and was living there with his fam- ily, in open defiance to McFarland and every one else. Mc- Farland at once hauled lumber from Cherokee, built a habita- tion of his own, occupied it, and was ready for business when any question of the right of occupancy should come to an issue. Parks and McFarland each went about the ordinary routine of business, turning up their noses to one another when they met, and silent with one another as to speech. At last, Parks feeling that he had better surrender, did so, and McFarland paid him $35 for the improvements. He then for a while lived with the Herrick family that summer, keeping house under wagon covers, with bows set up on piled sod. One night they heard an unearthly noise, and the county being new to them, they were somewhat startled. They got up, took the gun and then hunted for ammunition, but could find nothing but powder, so they loaded with nails, and prob- ably in their excitement, up to the muzzle. They could see nothing however, when they got outside the wagon covers, and could hear nothing, so they went to bed again. A few nights after, when McFarland was returning from his own claim he got lost, and fearful of not being able to find the Herrick claim, he hollowed at the top of his voice, which was heard by the Herricks, and being unable to make McFarland hear, got out the gun and fired; this he heard, and got in, in
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safety, but Homer Herrick went over from the recoil of the gun, loaded as it was with hardware. William McFarland, father of James, came in 1872 and settled on the north half of the southwest of section 2 in Carroll township. John Griffith a brother-in-law, also came in 1872, as also did Mrs. Sutton. John Griffith took the south half of the same quarter that Wil- liam McFarland did.
D. N. Merwin and C. W. Merwin were among the first settlers. C. W. settled on the north half of the northwest of section 10. The last named settler came in 1873, and his brother D. N. came later. He bought the Isaac Toothaker 80. D. N. Merwin is still one of the substantial well to do farmers of Carroll township. C. W. is engaged in manufac- turing brooms at Sheldon.
KEMPER & ELLIOT, BRICK BLOCK, SHELDON.
W. H. Knepper came to the county, and settled in Baker township in 1870, broke ten acres that summer and put up the usual shack. He had just returned from Texas to his home in Marshall county, where he had been with a team, and not being very much in love with what he saw there, set- tled in O'Brien. Returned to Marshall county during the
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winter of 1870 and '71, and came back to O'Brien in the spring of 1871, where he was during the summer, and brought his family up in the spring of 1872, having built a residence in 1871. Mr. Knepper settled on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 4, and still owns the claim, and resides in Baker township.
Capt. Wm. Pursell came from Winterset, Iowa, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 4, in 1870. He left here about 1878, and now resides in Minneapolis, Kansas.
In the spring of 1872, Robert Cowan located on the north- east of 30, lived there about seven years, and now resides in State Center, Iowa. Along when the Sutter family came to the county, there came with them also J. W. Egy and his brother J. S., J. W. settled on the west half of the southwest of same section. J. W. now lives at Storm Lake.
Michael Kain, who still resides in Baker township, came in the spring of 1872, and settled on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 20.
Sarah Knepper, mother of W. H. came also from Marshall county, Iowa, in 1872, and took the north half of the sonthwest of section 4. Mrs. Knepper died in Marshall county in August 1878.
E. W. Rinker, who came with the Sutter family in 1870, settled on the southwest quarter of section 2. He married a daughter of Geo. Sutter. He died some years ago.
W. H. Snook in 1871, located on the east half of the north- east quarter of section 8. He came from Poweshiek county and lives in the east part of the county.
Geo. Benbow was an early settler in Baker on the north- east quarter of section 18, and still resides on the same claim, a thrifty and substantial farmer. Levi Dingley was another early settler, on the southeast of section 6. Levi was quite a local politician, and now resides in Montana.
On the southwest of section 8 Leonard Lambkin who was an early settler, still resides. From the uncultivated prairie he has made a beautiful farm, and is one of the substantial men of the township.
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
Henry Lemkuil settled early on the southeast of section 8, and is still there with a very fine farm.
John Sheets who also came with the Sutters settled on the south half of the northwest of section 14. He now resides in Sioux City, having left here in 1885.
James Thomas now resides in Dallas, Texas, who came to O'Brien county in 1871, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 8. He lived in Sheldon awhile before his removal to Texas.
W. W. REYNOLDS.
W. A. Welman, a son of D. W. came to Baker township at the same time his father came, in 1871. He settled on the east half of the northeast of section 12. Theodore Wells came in 1872, and took the north half of southwest of section 20. He died several years ago.
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
John Weacamp came in 1872, and settled on the south half of southwest of section 20. A few years ago he went to Arkansas, having been lured there by an overdrawn picture by land agents, but returned after a brief experience, and now resides in Sioux county.
J. G. Wheeler came in 1871, and settled on the east half of southeast quarter of section 22. He now resides in Des Moines. James Marston settled in Baker, on the southwest quarter of section 6 in 1872. Several years ago, while work- ing on the railroad section between Hospers and Sheldon, the handcar upon which he was, was run into by an extra train, injuring Mr. Marston severely. The com- pany settled with him for the damage; he now resides at Shel- don.
C. V. Van Epps came from Durant, Iowa, first in 1871, in the fall, secured his claim, and built a sta- ble. M. G. McClel- lan also secured his claim at the same time, and also built a stable.
After making some improvement on the E. B. MESSER. claim, they, with C. W. Butterfield and his Uncle Oscar, went to Cherokee by team, and from there on the train to Sioux City. While cross- ing Mill Creek, just before driving into Cherokee, the mules owned by Van Epps were bound to cross the Creek in spite of all efforts to get them to ford, so in they went, and nothing but the united efforts of all hanging on to the bed of the wagon,
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kept the box on. They got pretty much wet as it was. Mr. Van Epps, as now, was called "Doc.," which created the im- pression that he was actually a physician.
In the spring of 1872, Frank Herrick was taken seriously ill with the colic, and he sent his brother Homer over after Doc. Van Epps, to come immediately. Doc. assumed the air of a physician, and having been in the army, knew considera- ble of the arts of amunition, told Homer to return at once and give a dose of twenty chicken shot, which Homer did. One cannot always account for certain species of remedies, which are poured into the human body in case of sickness, but in this case it is enough to say, that the shot did the business, and Frank was soon re- stored to health. Not long after this profes- sional prescription, a settler by the name of Martin was unwell, and having heard of Frank Herrick's sickness and recovery, he too called E. P. MESSER. upon Doc. Van Epps for advice and treatment. Doc. felt that this remedy would not do in all cases, and that it would not be professional to play the shot racket twice, so he prescribed a pint of whiskey, and told Martin to take every drop of it. This prescription was according to the patient's liking, so he followed the directions closely, only that he doubled the dose, got gloriously drunk, and strange to say, the recovery in his case, was quite as astonishing as the other, for Martin got well also.
When Doc. came out in the spring of 1872, he at first occu-
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, {IOWA.
pied the stable, as a stable and dwelling house. It was small, but he had in it the mules, two cows and a lot of chickens, a stove, a bed, and a large amount of family provisions, and lived that way until he built a house that summer of 1872. His wife came the following September. The settlers all about, knew that span of mules, mouse-colored, with all the mule propensi- ties fully developed. They are still in the county, owned by some one in Carroll township, and are now nearly forty years old. Doc. settled on the southeast of section 10, and still re- sides in Sheldon.
Mr. McClellan died in 1889. He was an active, energetic man, and was highly respected. He settled on the northeast quarter of section 10. His wife, a pleasant and refined woman, resides in Sheldon. She was a kind neighbor, and her womanly qualities were well known to the early settlers.
Bert McClellan, a son of M. G., came through on the train by way of Marcus in the spring of 1872. He was but a boy then, and attended school after he came here. That following winter while attending school at the Pottinger shack kept by H. D. Wiard, they were caught there in that severe blizzard of January following. Mr. Wiard, his wife and fifteen pupils were there all night, and the next day lived mostly on frozen potatoes. Bert now lives on the old homestead, and is an en- ergetic farmer and a good citizen.
The following, a few reminiscences of the McClellan neigh- borhood in Carroll township, were contributed by Mrs. C. V. Van Epps, a very graceful and interesting writer.
" The first death that occurred in the northwestern part of O'Brien county, was the bright, sweet little five-year-old girl of Mr. and Mrs. M. G. McClellan. This occurred on Christ- mas morn 1872, from that dread disease diphtheria, after an illness of only three days. After she had died, the first thought of the two neighbors, who were there, was, how shall we bury the child. There was not a coffin in the county, and no lum- ber nearer than Cherokee or LeMars, but finally Le Roy Hackett, a carpenter living three miles away, in Floyd town-
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ship, was thought of, and was consulted. He happened to have some boards, which would do, and enough of these were brought down and made into a box, which was made suitable for a coffin. Mrs. Ben Hatchinson had brought fifteen yards of bombazine with her, out of their store in Durant, intending to make a dress of it. She contributed enough of this to cover the coffin, and Mrs. Wiard and Mrs. Van Epps, nicely and neatly with it trimmed the coffin, worked a wreath on the top with white silk floss, and worked the name 'Gracie,' the name of the child, in the center. Thus prepared for burial, the little one was laid away in the front yard of the McClellan residence. Some years after, the grave was opened, and the body removed to the cemetery; there was not much decay, and the name was still vis- ible on the box. The next death was the only son of E. F. Parkhurst, who was taken sick with that same dread disease, diphtheria. This death occurred during J. L. M'LAURY. that terrible blizzard of January, 1873. Mrs. Wiard and Mrs. Van Epps were called upon again to do the same kind of work, in covering the coffin of little Frankie, off of the same piece of dress goods, which was finally used, all of it, in other cases, for the same purpose.
In that same year 1873, on January 14, Mr. and Mrs. Van Epps' little daughter was also taken down with diptheria, and the only doctor in this part of the county, who was a quack named Williams, was consulted. The railroad through Sheldon was blocked with snow, and there were no drugs to be had,
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
so the doctor gave the child kerosene, a teaspoonful every two hours, so that in all, there was given to her a pint, and strange to say she lived. When the child was quite bad, Mrs. Van Epps while stepping out of the door, with her eyes blinded with tears, fell, breaking one of her limbs near the knee. The same doctor was sent for, who came, and under- took to treat the fracture, and used some of the shingles from the roof of the house for splints, and knowing no better, he placed the sharp edge of the shingle up, and as the limb swelled, the shingle cut into the flesh. He remained all night with his patient. Mrs. Van Epps was in such distress, she kept telling him that it felt like a knife cutting her flesh, but the doctor would reply, that it was all right, she was only nervous, but would be soon easier. After the doctor went away the next morning, Mr. Wiard and Mr. McClellan, feel- ing that Mrs. Van Epps should be getting easier instead of suffering more pain, and both having had some experience in the army with broken limbs, went to work investigating the trouble, and found that the trouble lay in the manner that the shingles were used, so they put the thick edge up, put the bandages on again, and she soon dropped to sleep, and was easier. The doctor charged $35.00 for this bungling operation. Mr. Van Epps had plenty of milk that winter, while most of the settlers had none. Their cupboard sat within six feet of the stove, but the milk would freeze solid in the pan, so that Mrs. Van Epps would thaw it just enough to remove from the pans, then breaking it, would tie up the pieces in papers or cloth, and send it to the neighbors. I think this was the first milk route started in O'Brien county, and certainly it was a new way of delivering milk.
The first school in the northwestern part of the county was taught by Rev. Wiard in Carroll township, who lived on sec- tion 10, one-half mile west of the Van Epps claim. He taught in his house, which consisted of a room fourteen by sixteen feet, with an addition ten by fourteen. The large room was used for a parlor, kitchen and school room, and the addition
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
part for a bed room. This being the only school thereabout, scholars came who lived nine miles away, and boarded with the settlers. On the morning of that terrible blizzard in Jan- uary, 1873, when it was bright and clear, there were enrolled twenty-two pupils, ranging in age from 5 to 22 years. The blizzard began about 10 o'clock and increased all through the day, so that by 4 o'clock, the time school should be let out, it was so dark that the lamps had to be lighted. Mrs. Wiard prepared supper the best she could, from her meager supply of food. They kept fire and sat up until about II o'clock when they found the fuel was giving out, so the next question was, how they should all go to bed, for there were only two beds, and twenty-four sleepers to occupy them. But necessity is the mother of invention, so they took the two beds and made one on the school room floor, and made the bed as large as possible by using the wraps of the children. Then Rev. and Mrs. Wiard got in the middle of the bed, and the girls were put on Mrs. Waird's side of the bed, and the boys on that of Mr. Wiard. The next morning when they SCOTT LOGAN. got up, the storm had not abated; it was bitter cold, and every thing in the house was frozen. The breakfast consisted of frozen potatoes made into soup, and under all the circumstances they were glad to get this. It cleared off by night, so that most of the children got home, and Mr. Wiard made his way to the Van Epps ranch for something to eat for his family, and some fuel with which to cook it."
Mrs. Van Epps well remembers another incident of those
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terrible blizzards, when there were no trees nor fences, nor anything as protection from the wind. It was the winter of 1880 and 1881. " The first blizzard of that winter commenced on the 6th of October, lasted for nearly three days, and as the farmers were not expecting winter to commence so early, it caught them in a sad plight with potatoes in the ground, corn in the field, and so much drifted snow it was impossible to use teams in picking the corn. Most of the farmers then had quite a start in stock, so they had to resort to all kinds of de- vices to get out any corn for feed, but most of them used small hand sleds with a box or a basket on the sled to hold the corn, and they also had to use corn for fuel, as the railroads were blockaded. During that winter Bert McClellan lived three miles south of Sheldon on a farm he owned, joining D. L. Ling. Bert's wife had a rag bee, and invited the McClel- lan and Van Epps neighborhood to it. There were three sled loads went, and as the roads were full of snow, they drove around by Sheldon to get there. Towards noon it looked storm like, and by 2 o'clock a blizzard had set in. As several had children at home, we decided to return at once, and arranged that the sleds were to start together, and keep together so as to not get lost. We got to Sheldon all right, but by that time it was quite dark, and after leaving Sheldon, and going across the prairie to Klock's corner, we did get lost and knew not where we were, for the horses seemed to be going around in a circle. Women with little children were stowed away in the bottom of the sleigh, and covered with wraps, and I with Mr. Whitmore who was driving in our sled, kept a look out for a light in some window. We let the horses have their own way, and finally after wandering around came up against old Mr. Whitmore's house, about 10 o'clock at night. We were indeed happy, remained there all night, and soon went to bed. In the morning when we got up, the snow was drifted above all the doors and windows, so that to get out, Mr. Pottinger, after opening the door stood on a table, and with a scoop shovel made a hole through the snow at the
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HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA.
top of the door then jumped through the hole, and soon had the snow cleared away from the doors and windows. As there was no fuel, nor any corn gathered froin the field, we waited until the men with a hand sled gathered some corn with which to build a fire. They soon brought in this kind of fuel, with which we cooked our breakfast. It cleared off through the day, so that some of us got home, while others remained there a week on account of the snow drifts."
Among the first settlers in Carroll township, was Abel Ap- pleton, who still resides on the original claim, with an elegant house and otherwise substan- tial improvements. He came from Madison county, Iowa, in 1871, and settled on the north- west quarter of section 36, with his family. Their daughter Lulu was the first child born in the township, who a few years ago married Will Bilsland, and they also live in Carroll town- ship. The Appleton home is one of hospitality, and the womanly graces of Mrs. Ap- pleton are such, that a guest always feels at ease. Mr. Ap- REBECCA W. PERKINS. pleton, familiarly called Abe, is one of the substantial men of the township, and highly respected by all who know him.
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