USA > Iowa > Osceola County > History of Osceola county, Iowa, from its organization to the present time > Part 14
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R. J. CHASE.
14
226
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
CIGAR FACTORY.
This has just been started by Nic Koerting, of Le Mars. WM. SMITH
is proprietor of a new restaurant and boarding house on Ninth street.
NIC KIMMLINGER
is Sibley's merchant tailor.
J. BROOKS,
who is one of the early settlers, has a flour and feed store.
A. ROMEY
has a general store next door to the Osceola House. Mr. Romey is an old settler in the county, as our readers have already noticed.
W. R. LAWRENCE
operates a drug store and grocery on the north side of Ninth street. He is an old resident of Sibley and Osceola County.
ROBERT RICHARDSON
has a butcher shop, and we notice in the 1873 Sibley paper that the same Robert had a butcher shop then.
W. L. PARKER
has a drug store, and erected the building he occupies, a pic- ture of which is in this book, in 1891. Mr. Parker is one of the early settlers.
WALTON BROTHERS
have a very extensive furniture store in the Academy of Music block. These are E. Walton and II. E. Walton.
THIE SIBLEY HOTEL.
Sibley hotels are fully up to the demands of the town. The Sibley Hotel, conducted by II. L. Leland, is located near the Omaha depot.
THE OSCEOLA HOUSE
is located on the north side of Ninth Street, in the business center of the town. It is conducted by John Hickok, and managed by Hickok Brothers.
227
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
J. B. LENT
is dealing entirely in farming machinery of all kinds.
ECKERMAN BROTHERS.
This firm are successors to Davidson & Eckerman in the implement business.
J. B. GREY
has in full operation one of the best creameries in the State. The output of his institution the past year ranks among the highest of any in the Northwest.
PEAVY & CO.
One of this company's elevators is located at Sibley. J. T. Grow is their manager at this place.
B. MILLER
is city drayman and transfer man.
H. E. PERRY,
mail and express transfer man, and general delivery.
F. E. CRAM
is bridge builder and house mover. Also agent for the Austin steel reversible road machines and well drills.
J. L. DURFEE
delivers milk at Sibley houses every day.
MRS. KENNY
conducts classes in instrumental music in Sibley.
MRS. WILDER
has a large class in vocal and instrumental music.
MISS GRACE CAMPBELL
conducts classes in instrumental music in Sibley, Ashton, and Bigelow, Minn.
E. F. BEAUMONT
is Sibley's artistic wielder of the brush, and a professional paper hanger.
228
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
SIBLEY MARBLE WORKS.
M. J. North looks after the monument business.
TOBEY BROS.
are dealers in agricultural implements and farm supplies.
L. D. BARNES
conducts a tin shop and deals in small hardware in the build- ing next to Webber's meat market.
B. A. WILDER,
physician and surgeon, has had forty-two years' experience in homæpathic methods.
H. NEILL,
is Sibley's oldest physician and surgeon.
MRS. HAHN-MILLINERY.
She keeps hats, bonnets, hoods, ribbons, tips, bridal wreaths, China silks, etc.
F. A. HOWARD
is an extensive dealer in all kinds of school furniture.
LAWYERS.
The lawyers of Sibley are C. M. Brooks, D. D. McCul- lum, O. J. Clark, G. W. Lister and John F. Glover. Mr. Glover is the oldest in point of residence, and Mr. McCullum also does an extensive pension business. Mr. Lister is County Attorney. Mr. Clark has been in Sibley about ten years. Mr. McCullum served a term as Circuit Judge in that judicial district, and is mentioned elsewhere as an old resident. The bar is well represented and Sibley's lawyers are efficient and able practitioners.
LONG & SCHLEGEL
are land, loan and insurance agents, south side of Ninth street.
JOIIN A. FLOWER
is county surveyor and also manager of the Sibley Gazette.
LEISCH & BRODT.
A. Leisch and C. H. Brodt are the oldest draymen in the city.
JOHN ROBERTSON.
230
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY. 10W'A.
A. W. MITCHELL
is a milk dealer. Mr. Mitchell is spoken of elsewhere as one of the early settlers.
G. W. MEADER
has an extensive hardware store, and elsewhere in this book is a picture of his building.
LIVERY STABLES.
These are represented by Littlechild Bros. and Joe Gill.
W. H. STEWART.
Mr. Stewart is veterinary surgeon.
C. W. LOWRY,
proprietor of the Sibley Steam Laundry.
D. F. CAUGHEY, is proprietor of City Laundry.
CLINT HUDSON
is handling the Dustless grain and grass seed cleaner and separator.
HIENRY NEWELL
is the efficient young manager of the business of the Chicago, St. Paul, Milwaukee & Omaha Railway at this station.
GEO. W. BAXTER
is the good natured gentleman who attends to the wants of the patrons of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway. He is assisted by C. A. Thompson.
Sibley is having something of a boom in fine residences this year. A. W. Harris, grain dealer, has erected a large house of modern architecture. A Shapley, a retired farmer, has the foundation in for a large and commodious dwelling in which he proposes to take life easy for the remainder of his days. Geo. Carew, the veteran newspaper man, is com- fortably situated in a large, well built residence. Mrs. C. I. Hill has a fine residence just completed which is an ornament to the city. There are several smaller residences which have been constructed this spring.
Among its other business men are
231
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, ION'A.
W. B. STEVENS.
A picture of this gentleman and his residence will be found elsewhere in this book. He has an extensive drug store; also a line of jewelry and hardware.
SIBLEY ROLLER MILLS.
Sibley boasts of the best and most complete roller flour- ing mills in the State, with a capacity of seventy-five barrels per day. It is rushed with business every hour. Its makes of flour are considered equal to those of any mills in the country, and their field of trade extends to England. J. W. Orde and G. B. Gurney appear as its proprietors, with Charles Himes miller, and Guy P. Elliott as an interested party, and also M. A. Harbord.
BLOTCKY BROTHERS
have dry goods, clothing, groceries, etc.
HINLKEY & TAYLOR
have a general store. Mr. Taylor is manager, and his picture is elsewhere in this book.
E. F. ROBINSON
is the proprietor of the Postoffice book and news store.
BROWN & CHAMBERS.
This firm has been spoken of elsewhere as on the ground at an early day. In 1890 they erected a brick building at a cost of $15,000, a picture of which is on another page. They carry a stock of general merchandise.
IRA BRUNSON
is engaged in the general land business.
WILLIAM PROPER,
one of the pioneers, is a resident of Sibley.
DANIEL MAHONEY
is a resident, and is road-master on the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad.
JACK IIANNA,
one of the old residents. is now in the land business.
232
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTI. IOWA.
JOHN SCHESTAG
is boot and shoe maker and repairer.
GUS O'NEIL,
paper hanger and painter, kalsominer and plasterer.
Others of Sibley's business and professional men are as follows:
Brand & Suter, contractors and builders.
A. M. Mastick, wagon maker.
A. M. Culver, carpenter and builder.
Ed. Garland, blacksmith.
S. J. Cram, carpenter and builder.
A. L. Blackmore, blacksmith.
H. C. Mory, carpenter and builder.
J. Grant, blacksmith.
C. II. Manderville, carpenter.
J. W. Flint, plasterer and mason.
H. G. Upp, carpenter and mechanic.
Charles Anderson, plasterer.
Joe Hillerns, blacksmith.
N. I.I. Brand, carpenter.
T. W. Turk, painter and decorator.
SCHOOLS.
Sibley has an elegant High School building with eight rooms. The teachers are all the best that can be had, which makes the schools very thorough. A large number of scholars from other places attend hére.
CHURCHES.
Sibley has six church societies and five fine buildings. The Catholic, Methodist, Congregational, Baptist, Episcopal and German Evangelical. All support good ministers and have a large attendance.
CIVIC SOCIETIES.
Sibley has numerous fraternal orders and all in a prosper- ous, healthy condition. They consist of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Grand Army of the Republic, Sons of Veterans, Modern Woodmen, Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of Rebecca, W. R. C., L. A. S., W. C. T. U., I. O. G. T. The Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, G. A. R., and Good Templars all have halls of their own.
1
H. C. WEBB.
234
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
E. J. FAIRBROTHER
is a pioneer, and is an active, intelligent gentleman, eighty- one years of age.
S. A. COLBURN
is selling sewing machines.
F. C. ALMONT AND A. SCHMITS
have established wagon and carriage works, with paint shop attachment.
GEORGE T. VOORHEES AND II. C. WEBB
are engaged extensively in the land business. The pictures of both of these gentlemen are in the book.
W. J. MILLER
is in the land and loan business. He is one of the early set- tlers.
JOHN P. HAWXSHURST
is doing abstracting and real estate work. Mr. Hawxshurst figures in the early history of the county.
H. E. THAYER
came to Sibley in 1892, from O'Brien County. He is engaged in the real estate business with J. T. Barclay.
DR. CRAWHALL
is established over Brown & Chambers' store.
The Sibley municipal officers are as follows :
Mayor-J. F. Glover.
Recorder-W. P. Webster.
Treasurer-J. Fred Mattert.
Marshal-John Morrow.
Councilmen-G. O. Learned, E. Walton, C. E. Brown,
A. Romey, J. T. Barclay, John De Boos.
Street Commissioner-R. L. Norris.
Assessor-John Townsend.
Sibley has two railroads, the Chicago, St. Paul, Minne- apolis and Omaha, which crosses the townsite north and south, and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern, which crosses east and west.
A picture of J. C. Trainer appears elsewhere in the book.
235
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
This gentleman was for several years principal of the public schools in Sibley, and left an impression of thorough scholar- ship and the best of school training upon all who came under his instruction or in contact with him. He died a few years ago, and his death caused a feeling of sadness in the entire community.
WILBERN BROTHERS.
These gentlemen are engaged extensively in business, principally in real estate. They will be remembered from reading elsewhere as early settlers in the town.
So far as the writer can gather from investigation and inquiry, the foregoing comprise the business interests of Sib- ley. If any have been omitted it is unintentional.
The churches in Sibley are the following :
CONGREGATIONAL.
Services every Sunday morning at 10:30 and evening at 8 o'clock. Sabbath school immediately after the morning services. Prayer meeting on Thursday evening. Rev. P. B. West, pastor.
METIIODIST EPISCOPAL.
Services every Sunday morning and evening. Sabbath school at 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon. Prayer meeting every Thursday evening. Rev. C. Artman, pastor.
BAPTIST.
Services every Sunday morning and evening in the church. Sabbath school from 12 to I o'clock p. m. Prayer meeting every Thursday evening. Rev. R. Bradshaw, pastor.
ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHI.
Located on the corner of Eighth street and Sixth avenue. Services each Sunday. J. W. Orde officiating as minister.
ST. MARY'S CHURCHI OF SIBLEY.
Services each alternate Sunday. Father Dollard, pastor. Sibley is having a gradual growth. Some new building seems to be in process of erection all the time, and electric lights and water works will soon be the order of the day.
CHAPTER XXII.
Since writing the preceding chapters in this book there has come under the writer's observation an article written by some clever writer in 1876 on the history of Viola township, and, although it may be somewhat on the order of repetition, I will here reproduce it. We think it was written by Peter Shaw:
" VIOLA TOWNSHIP, December 2, 1876 .- In accordance with the proclamation of Samuel J. Kirkwood, the Governor of Iowa for 1876, the Centennial year, the one hundredth anniversary of America, that the several township clerks of each county be requested to write a sketch or history of their townships, though I am not much skilled in writing history or anything that would be of much interest to the people, I will endeavor to write something.
" This township was first settled A. D. 1871. The first settlers, or rather the pioneer settlers as we term them, were as follows: C. C. Collison, John Smith, J. F. Van Emburgh, H. W. Tinkum, G. W. Ketchum, J. T. Sage, John Stamm, Hugh and Oren Jones, W. H. Gates, and Mrs. Beeman, Mrs. Jane Smith and Miss Carrie Smith. These comprise the pioneers. C. C. Collison, John Smith and John Stamm were the first. C. C. Collison built the first house that was built in the township. There was considerable breaking done that year, and some sod corn raised and a few potatoes. The set- tlers worked at a great disadvantage in building, as there was no timber within fifteen or twenty miles and no lumber within fifty miles, till late in the fall the cars came as far as Worth- ington, a distance of eighteen miles, the St. Paul Railroad being completed no further. So most of the first settlers built sod houses to live in, which made very comfortable houses for the homesteaders of Viola. But they had a pretty severe winter to go through. They had their wood to haul from fifteen to twenty miles, which made snug work to keep warm, as they had not learned to burn hay at that time.
" Mr. Beeman was frozen to death. He got caught out in a blizzard on his way home from the Big Rock River, where he had been after a load of corn. He left a wife and several children to provide for themselves in the dead of win- ter in the wilds of Osceola. Though the pioneers came out
A. II. LYMAN.
238
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
in the spring fat and smoking, for their houses were mostly covered over with snow, as the snow fell very deep that winter. "The settlers of A. D. 1872, were as follows: Peter Shaw, John H. Douglass, N. I. Wetmore, S. Ford, Abram Shapley, John Hart, M. D. Hadsell, C. C. Hadsell, E. Headley, C. C. Ogan, E. S. Bennett, C. G. Bennett, William Rubow, A. Averill, D. Averill, O. Averill, A. B. Graves, E. Mulmex, S. Smith, E. Smith, John Tann, W. M. Barnard, J. Blair, J. S. Patterson, George Carew, L. Clark, G. S. Downend, D. B. Wood, E. Nulton, J. Farren, H. Graham, T. W. Graves, H. Jordan, L. McConnell, P. L. Piesley, Levi Shell, C. T. Torrey, P. Wilcox, M. Winchester, J. F. Ransom, A. Van Blockham. These were the settlers of '72. But the settlers of '72 had great advantages over the settlers of '71. The St. Paul Rail- road being completed to Sibley in the early part of June, lum- ber and wood were within three to eight miles, and the settlers went right to work and built their several shanties, and then proceeded to break and plant sod corn and potatoes and gar- dens, and as it was a fine growing season, they had fine crops for sod crops. Some rented land that had been broken the year before, and had an excellent crop from it. I raised 206 bushels of wheat off of nine and one-half acres of late breaking that season. Most of the settlers that year raised their vege- tables and feed for their teams, but most of them had their meat and flour to buy till the next fall.
" Viola Township was organized in the fall of 1872, and held its first election in John H. Douglass' shanty. The fol- lowing township officers were elected: Peter Shaw, town- ship clerk; M. D. Hadsell and John Smith, justices of the peace; Jackson Blair, assessor; T. J. Stage, C. C. Hadsell, C. G. Bennett, trustees; C. C. Ogan and John Stamm, con- stables; Hugh Jones, road supervisor; U. S. Grant, president of the United States, re-elected; John H. Douglass, sheriff of Osceola County, Iowa. The township polled thirty-six votes, but part of the officers went away that winter and left their offices vacant. The following persons were appointed to fill vacancies: W. H. Gates and David Wood, trustees; N. I. Wetmore, assessor; John Hart, road supervisor; Abram Shapley, justice of the peace; Mr. Shapley did not qualify.
"The first blacksmith shop was erected by J. F. Van Emburgh in 1871, and in 1872 Abram Shapley built another shop.
" The first school house was erected in the summer of 1872 on the southwest quarter of Section 25, and called the
239
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
Gates School House, and Miss Carrie Smith was the first teacher. She taught a term of six months. The first half of the term was taught in one part of C. C. Collison's house, and three months in the Gates School House. The next two school houses were built in the spring of 1875, one on the northwest corner of Section 20, the other one on the northeast quarter of Section 32. The first school directors were M. D. Hadsell, N. I. Wetmore and D. B. Wood.
"The first Sabbath school was organized in the summer of IS71 and held at H. W. Tinkham's, and has been held every summer in different parts of the township. In the sum- mer of 1875 the Sunday school officers were all lady officers, with Mrs. Ripley as superintendent.
"The first church society was organized by Brother Mallory, of Sibley, in the winter of 1875 and 1876, at the Greaves School House, but meetings had been held by differ- ent denominations. Since the summer of IS72, Revs. B. A. Dean, Brashears, Webb, Lowrie and several others have held regular appointments here. G. W. Ketchum's sod house was used for the first meeting house, till the Gates School House was built.
" The first white child born in the township was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Nims, in June, IS71, and was the first child born in the county, but it only lived to the age of IS months.
" The deaths have been but few. The first was Mr. Bee- man, who was frozen to death in Lyon county in the winter of 1871 and 1872, in a blizzard, some time in February, while on his way home from the Big Rock, where he had been after a load of corn. The next was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nims. The next was Mrs. Jennings, the daughter of Mrs. Abram Shapley, who died very suddenly at Mr. G. S. Downend's with heart disease. The next was Mr. Wright- mire, though a resident of Minnesota. The next was Mrs. C. Collison, died in March, 1876. The next was Mrs. Eliza J. Smith, died in April, 1876. Mrs. Collison and Mrs. Smith died but a month apart, and came into the county together in IS72, and lived near neighbors and were highly esteemed by all who knew them. Mrs. Collison left a large family of small children. Mrs. Smith was the mother of John, Samuel, Edwin and Carrie Smith. She took a homestead when she came, and had lived within a few weeks of her five years on the homestead.
" The first married couple was Mr. John Tann to Miss
240
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
Carrie A. Smith, in Sibley, at the parsonage, by Elder Webb, January 1, 1873. The next was Edwin Smith to Miss Greaves, and several of the bachelors have married out of the county. They have all taken a better half except Joseph Farren and J. T. Sage, who still are waiting.
" The heaviest farmers are Abram Shapley, Peter Shaw, G. S. Downend, P. L. Piesley, J. Blair, J. Farren, W. H. Gates, A. Averill, A. B. Greaves, John Tarn, M. D. Hadsell, S. F. Smith, Ed. Smith and C. C. Collison.
" So far the farmers have had rather discouraging farm- ing on account of the grasshoppers. They came here in June, 1873, and destroyed the greater part of the crops that year, so that the people had to apply for assistance in the way of relief. The State Legislature appropriated $50,000 to the grasshopper sufferers in the way of seed grain. But in 1874 the 'hoppers hatched here and came in from Minnesota, and hurt the crop from about one-fourth to a third. In 1875 the crops were good except corn and oats, which were badly eaten by the pests. But the people began to feel considerably encouraged, and in 1876, the centennial year, they went in as if they were going to make up for losses, and put in every foot of ground that they had broken. And the grain was looking fine and promising until within a few days of harvest- ing, when the 'hoppers came again from the north in great numbers and waded into the grain, and destroyed almost the entire crop in this township. So most of the farmers are bankrupt, without seed or money.
" Many of the settlers were compelled to go away for the winter in order to make a living for their families and get something to seed their places with for the next year. Some are too poor to get away and have been compelled to prove up on their homesteads and mortgage their places to raise money to carry them till they can raise another crop. The people nearly all burn hay for fuel because they have not the wherewith to buy anything else to burn, but if all other ne- cessities could be remedied as easily as the fuel we could man- age to get along very well. As it is, most of the farmers will be compelled to let part of their farms lie still next year, for the want of means to get seed to seed their lands. Most of the farmers did considerable breaking this season, and now have more ground broken than they have the means to carry on. There were about fifteen hundred acres broken in this township this summer. The lands in this township are very rich and productive, and the face of the country is most beau-
J. JAÑO
DIEDRICH WASSMANN.
15
P. A. CAJACOB.
245
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
tiful, just rolling enough to drain well, and it is as well watered as any part of Osceola county. It has the Otter creek run- ning through on the east, the Little Rock on the west and the Muddy creek on the north. These streams all have fine grass land along them, which produces the best of hay for stock. It is not only good farming land, but well adapted to raising stock and the dairying business. We have one cheese factory in the township, which is owned by David B. Wood, and is located in the center of the township. All that is lacking now is the means to get the stock to make it one of the most pro- ductive townships in the northwest. Some new settlers have settled in this township."
CHAPTER XXIII.
TOWNSHIPS.
To start on there were only three townships. The con- gressional township running east and west across the county, numbered 100, was called Horton Township ; the same run- ning east and west across the county, numbered 99, was called Holman Township, and the same numbered 98 called Goewey Township. These remained in that way until October 7, 1872, when the board divided Horton Township into three townships, making section 100, range 42, Fenton, section 100, range 41, Wilson, and section 100, range 40, and section 100, range 39, Horton. Afterwards, by a demand of the people in that township, Fenton was changed to Viola. Fairview was set off September 7, 1874. Holman Township remained as established until at the September 27. 1873, meeting the board made two townships out of the four, making the east, being section 99, range 39, and section 99, range 40, one township, and giving the name Ocheyedan. These townships, remain- ing the same as Holman, comprise two congressional town- ships, and Ocheyedan two, which for convenience sake are called East and West Ocheyedan. At the January 1, 1884, meeting, Gilman Township was set off by itself. June 7, 1875, the board passed a resolution that township 98, range 40, be set off and called Baker, except sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29 and 30, in township 98, range 39. Harrison was set off Septem- ber 3, 1888, and that fall had its first election.
EDUCATIONAL.
If there is any one thing that is distinctly American, it is our educational system, which offers to each rising generation the grandest facilities for scholarship that can be found in the world.
The American boy knows no barrier to distinction in the line of education save in himself. Iowa is not behind any other state in the Union in its legislative provisions concerning schools, and Osceola County, as a part of the great state, is ever active in the organization of its school districts and their effective management.
1236
MARY L. MCCALLUM.
H. G. DOOLITTLE.
251
If any boy or girl lives in Osceola County during their
school days, and grows to manhood or womanhood here with- out a good common school education, the fault must be charged
to the parent or the child and not to lack of opportunity. Immediately upon the formation of the civil townships,
as made by the Woodbury County Board, the same townships by operation of law became school districts, and the school townships now are the same in size and name as the civil townships.
F. W. Hahn is the present County Superintendent of
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Ocheyedan
Harrison
Baker
Goewey
Gilman
Holman
Sibley, town
Ashton. town
The value of Osceola County school houses is estimated at $44,000 ; the value of school house apparatus at $2,000.
The present school officers are as follows :
President-J. C. Ward.
Secretary-M. B. Smith. Treasurer-Wm. Mowthorpe.
President-Dick Wassmann.
Secretary-John Robertson.
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