USA > Iowa > Osceola County > History of Osceola county, Iowa, from its organization to the present time > Part 3
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William Anderson came with Douglass in 1871. He also
S. A. DOVE.
34
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
settled on a claim and lived here, we think, until 1877, when he returned to Wisconsin, and now lives at Sparta.
The spring of 1872 was a troublesome one in Osceola County for traveling. Then the streams had no bridges, and the treacherous snow underlying the surface water was not inviting to venture in. After a limited thaw in the fore part of March there was part of a brief winter again, and it seemed to the people then that an actual spring was never coming.
Quite a number of the early settlers came from Grant County, Wisconsin, so that even if they didn't know each other there, when acquaintance was made between these Wisconsin people it established a mutual feeling of interest in each other, for there is always an attachment arises between people of the same nativity, where the same sights and scenes were familiar to them all.
D. D. McCallum also came from Grant County, Wiscon- sin. He started from there the fore part of May and drove to Clayton County, and soon after on to Osceola County, where he arrived about the middle of June, and on the 25th day of June, 1872, filed on northwest quarter of Section 14, Township 99, Range 40, what is now West Ocheyedan. McCallum drove in with three horses and a linch-pin wagon; had with him his wife and one child (now Mary McCallum) ; had a few household goods, pork enough to last several years and $105 in money. He first struck the Ocheyedan River at what was called the Lone Tree ford, drove northwest until he came to Mandeville Homestead, on Section 26, Township 99, Range 41, and there he camped for the night. The next day he went to Buchman's, riding one horse and leading another. Buchman mounted the other horse and the two men rode over the country looking for a claim upon which McCallum could settle. He finally selected the one before described, went to Sibley the next day, borrowed a saddle from Ward- leaving his revolver as security -- and started for Sioux City, where he arrived safely and did his filing. Mc- Callum's first habitation after settlement was his wagon cover, and once installed in this he went to work breaking, and planted some potatoes. He soon after put up a sod house, lived on the claim until 1878, when he moved into Sibley. McCallum, like a great many others in those early days, had a hard time of it. Soon his money was gone, no income was in sight, and only those of the McCallum pluck were able to see it through. His house, lumber and furniture, and all its belongings, cost about $20; so that 'in those days of settle-
J. MAN2+ CA
A. D. MORELAND.
36
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
ment our ex-Judge was not in shape to entertain any of the kid glove or swallow-tail-coat members of fashionable society.
In the winter of IS72 and IS73 McCallum was in Sioux City chopping wood, and remained there until the memorable blizzard in the spring of 1873, when, feeling alarmed about his family, he returned home. Soon after this in the summer season Elder Dean while burning the prairie grass around his property, carelessly let the fire get away from him, and it swept, as a prairie fire will when turned loose, all over the country. This fire swept away all McCallum's hay and all other loose property, except the house.
The Elder, in spite of all his religious graces, his Godly ways and good intentions, was very much blamed for his care- lessness, and had he been a layman it is hard to tell what might have occurred as a penalty. As it was, McCallum had the Elder arrested, brought before a Justice, who found the accused guilty and fined him $5 and costs, which he paid. The Board of Supervisors had offered a reward of $50 for the apprehension and conviction of a party who was the cause of a prairie fire. McCallum in this case was entitled to it and got it. This affair did not cause any hard feelings between the Elder and McCallum; indeed, the Elder had not the slightest animosity, for he was a man of broad views, kind and charitable, as well as a sincere Christian. McCallum rode home with the Elder and staid all night at the Elder's house, and out of the $50 McCallum magnanimously reim- bursed him for all the outlay and trouble he had been put to, though brought about by his own carelessness. In other words, McCallum whacked up with the Elder.
Prairie fires then in this sparsely settled country were very much to be feared. Whenever they occurred but few were prepared for them. They were not set maliciously, nor with any intention to do harm, but were always the result of carelessness or inability to hold them against sudden puffs of wind unexpected, when the burning around was done with a still atmosphere.
WILL THOMAS.
CHAPTER V.
Most people who settled in Osceola County in 1871, did not, in starting out, make directly for the county, but started for government land in Northwest Iowa. In the spring of 1871, Frank R. Coe left Clayton County, Iowa, as sort of an advance guard for several of his neighbors who had the western fever. He arrived in Osceola County and filed that same spring on the northwest quarter of Section 22, Town- ship 99, Range 41, now East Holman, and then returned to his friends, for whom also he had picked out claims. Among these was J. S. Reynolds, present County Auditor. Coe and Reynolds came up in September, 1871, and Reynolds filed on the northeast quarter of Section 22, the same section with Coe. They made the usual improvements required for a government settler, and returned again to Clayton County, where they wintered. In the spring of 1872, they returned to their claims. Reynolds drove through with two yoke of oxen, and had with him his son Samuel, then about twelve years old. Coe had a span of horses and a wagon heavily loaded with the requirements of a settler. They got to Mil- ford between the first and the middle of March, and after they had reached Milford there was a heavy fall of snow, and to push through this and run the risk of blizzards was a task they hesitated to undertake. The last shack for them to pass after leaving Milford was about ten miles out, and they would pass no other between that and the Ocheyedan. They started from Milford, Reynolds going ahead with his oxen to break the road, and Coe following behind. After they had passed the last shack about a mile, its occupant came after them and insisted upon their return, as it would be dangerous with threatening weather to go on. They did return and remained with this settler several days. They started out again when a change in the weather came on, and again they returned and tarried several days more, when they started again. This time they reached the Buchman dug-out, but everything seemed to be covered with snow. This was about March 18th, and they reached this stopping place in the evening. They went to work and about two hours had the snow cleared
A. E. SMITH.
40
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
away from the stable so they could get their teams in, which they did, and also themselves stayed there all night. In the morning they shoveled the snow from the dug-out so they could get into that, and there they remained about two weeks with bad weather and occasional blizzards. They had heard of the death of Fred Nagg, lost in a blizzard, and knew the danger of being caught in one of them on the open prairie, and they were wise in their apprehensions. At the end of about two weeks the weather and travel became such that they pushed on and soon after got to their claims. When once there they commenced improvements. Their stable was made out of a few boards they borrowed from some other settler, and with these and the wagon covers they constructed a shelter for the stock and built it across the line between the claims so that both owned the stable jointly. They then drove to Worthington and bought lumber for shacks, and bought it of Levi Shell, who was then in the lumber business at that point. Reynolds put up the usual Sx8 shack, and Coe one that was Sx12. Coe's family soon followed, but Reynold's family did not come until in September following. This left Reynolds to wrestle with the pots and kettles, and no doubt his batching was like all the rest, with the washing of dishes repeatedly deferred, and most meals consisting of a chunk of bread and a slice of fresh pork, and perhaps an occasional luxury of black molasses. His family met with a misfortune after his leaving by the burning of the house in which they lived with all its contents. They arrived safely in September in Osceola County, and the family was again united and are still here with the grown up children having families of their own. Coe left here several years ago.
In the summer of 1871, Will Thomas, present Clerk of Court, left Wisconsin with a covered wagon, containing him- self and three sisters. There was also with him in another covered wagon James G. Miller and his wife, who was also a sister to Mr. Thomas. They started for Nebraska, but came across some parties bound for Northwestern Iowa, upon which Thomas and Miller also conchided to go in the same direction, which they did, and landed in Osceola County in June of that year. They were about one month on the road, and finally located on Section 22, in what is now Wilson Township. Thomas took the northeast quarter, Miller the northwest, and the girls claims adjoining. When about a mile from the section where the claims were taken they camped for the night, using the wagon with its covering for a sleeping place
JMANZO
CHE
F. W. HAHN.
42
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
and a shelter. During the night a storm came up which was very severe, and the wind, hail and rain with frequent flashes of lightning were terrible. Will Thomas and his companions got out of the wagon, and soon a gust of wind tipped the wagon over, the horses got loose and run away, but returned after being gone about three hours. W. M. Bull was camp- ing near by, with his wagon cover for a tent, and the bows stuck into the ground. W. P. Underwood also was near with his wagon box and its cover set off on the ground. There was considerable stirring around among these campers, for the night was fearful and frightening. The Miss Thomas' sought shelter in the Underwood camp, and they all managed to worry through until morning. Of the three young ladies who experienced this midnight adventure, one of them is now the wife of Dr. Lawrence, another the wife of John P. Hlawxshurst, and the other at home with her mother and Will Thomas, who constitute the family. Mr. Miller still lives in the County at Sibley.
(H) 07 8 35332 H
JOHN SCHLEGEL.
CHAPTER VI.
Referring again to the incoming of Messrs. Brooks, Mc- Causland, Webb and Campbell who settled on section 8 in the spring of 1871; they went to work and made continued improvements on their claims. While they were visiting with each other one day during the summer, they saw a covered wagon approaching and heard the sound of a voice singing "One Day's Journey Nearer Home." When the wagon had
got up and stopped, it was found to contain John Cronk, -- Coy and James Hankins, this last mentioned being a Methodist preacher, and it was he who was singing a Methodist hymn. The following day Hankins preached in Brook's house, to an audience of about twelve, and these were the first religious exercises held in the County, according to Webb's account of it. During the preaching Mrs. Brooks kept on with her bread making, for they couldn't live on faith alone, and this is told in the following article, written by John F. Glover, on the death of Mrs. Brooks which occurred at Denver in 1884:
DEATH OF A PIONEER WOMAN.
In the summer and fall of IS71, the wives of C. M. Brooks, M. J. Campbell, W. W. Webb and D. L. McCausland, entered on pioneer life with their husbands, all four families having claims on Section 8, Range 99, Township 41, the sec- tion on which are now the farms of Deacon Herbert and Mr. Deitz. The settlements were made on Section S before there was a single soul on Section 13, Range 99, Township 42, where is now the flourishing town of Sibley. Mr. Brooks was in the land locating business, and his house was a home that summer for several of the women. Mrs. Brooks was the daughter of Rev. John Webb, a Methodist minister of Fayette, Iowa, later a pioneer settler and minister in Osceola County, still later a pioneer Presiding Elder in Dakota Terri- tory, and now residing in Des Moines. She' was very attrac- tive in person, possessed of a good mind, and had a sensible way of doing the best that circumstances would permit, for the comfort of her household, and doing the best she could to be content. The following anecdote will illustrate her faithful performance of household duties: The greater than usual number of new comers at Mr. Brooks' made it necessary to
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NORTHWESTERN STATE BANK, SIBLEY.
46
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
bake bread on the Lord's Day, and while the baking was go- ing on, the little pioneer congregation gathered in the room to listen to a preacher-one of the new comers. In the same room were the baker and the preacher, and as the minister went forward with his discourse, so did " Mel," as Melvina Brooks was called by her relatives and near friends, go on with her baking. She realized that on her depended the feel- ing of hungry men, with appetites such as only pioneering brings to the table. Mrs. Brooks was the Martha of that little company. While others had nothing to do but listen, she had work to do for the listeners. She could both hear and work, and right down before the minister she baked the bread of earth while he spoke the bread of Heaven, and she did her work as well and as honestly as the preacher did his. It was thus she went forward doing the things most necessary to be done, and though possessed of a not very bad robust constitu- tion did her full measure of work-having less in mind her own strength than the comfort of those around her.
CIIAPTER VII.
The western part of the County was settled first, owing to the prospective incoming railroad. Goewey Township and Gilman were as early settled as any, and, indeed, the very first settler took his claim in Gilman.
In 1871 there was living in O'Brien County, where Primghar now is, Mr. Charles F. Allbright. ITis home was a small one, we should judge 14x20, one story with small addition. This house was the general stopping place, not only for people from the north part of O'Brien County, but also Southern Osceola. It will be understood that at this time there was no railroad, and freight was hauled mostly from Cherokee, and the Allbright house was about the only one on the road in O'Brien County in making trips to and from Cherokee.
Mr. A. H. Lyman made the first track across the County from Allbright's to Goewey Township, and Mr. Lyman came into Osceola County in March, 1871. He came from Grant County, Wisconsin, and first settled upon and done his filing on the northeast quarter of Section 26, Township 98, Range 41, now Goewey Township. Ile put up a residence with a shingled roof, but the walls of which were built of sod. He broke about thirty acres that season, put in beans, potatoes, turnips and melons, and of these had quite a crop. His family came in October, 1871. Mr. Lyman's house then became the stopping place for that part of the country, and it was often crowded with people, sometimes the whole floor covered with lodgers, and, if not cold, some outside.
On this same section, in 1871, Douglas E. Ball and B. F. Mundorf took claims, and Adam Batie took his claim on the same section in the spring of 1872. Mr. Lyman still lives in Goewey Township. His reputation is that of an honest and hard working man, but Lyman is considered quite a talker. He is a man of ideas and likes to express them. Several were at Lyman's one day and a fellow by the name of Patch bet $I with Lyman that lie couldn't keep from speaking for one hour. The money was deposited with the stakeholder, and the hour of silence commenced. In the course of half an hour some fellow came to the house to make some inquiries,
48
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
and the rest of them kept in the house to see Lyman wrestle with the stranger. His motions were the most awkward, for he couldn't answer the questions as his dollar was at stake, and finally the stranger left with the idea that Lyman had gone crazy.
The fore part of the summer of IS71 was a very dry one. There was not a drop of rain from the middle of March until the 16th day of June, and during that time of dryness several got out of the County, as they have got out of Dakota, for the reason, as they said, the County was too dry ever to raise crops.
In April, 1872, Walter Fisher and Reed Patch started west from Spencer to Lyman's place. They knew the quarter that Lyman was on, so took the bearings and navigated as the sailors do, by compass. They made it all right and reached the Lyman place safely. These three then went to Siblev with a sleigh. The ground was soft, however, and the creeks had some water in. While crossing the Otter the horses sud- denly went down in the soft, watery snow, and went so sud- deuly it pitched Lyman out, who went in up to his neck. Lyman was got out and over the river, and Fisher, by care- ful work, got himself across, and the horses were unhitched and they safely landed. Patch determined to stick to the sleigh and not get wet, the other fellows he thought could look out for themselves. After the horses were got over, the boys hitched a rope to the end of the tongue of the sleigh to pull that out, and Patch was sort of crowing over his safe and dry-shod transportation. The horses started and the first jerk of the sleigh landed Patch into the creek and up to his neck. The boys got him out, but he was not only a . sorry looking object, but had the appearance of a man disgustingly disappointed. Lyman thought honors were easy, and they soon got where their condition was made dry and comfortable.
In June, IS71, J. B. Lent, who was Treasurer of Osceola County, preceding Mr. Townsend, arrived at the Lyman place. Mr. Lent also came from Grant County, Wisconsin, and had started with some others for Nebraska. The others who started with him with teams kept on to Cherokee, while Lent diverted his course to go to Lyman's for the purpose of leaving some stock there for Lyman, they having lived in the same neighborhood in their Wisconsin home. The reason that the 16th of June arrival is so well remembered is that on that day the dry spell was broken, and Lyman and Lent gazed upon the falling water with supreme satisfaction and delight.
1 MANZ & 1
REV. S. C. OLDS.
50
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
Lent, after leaving the stock at Lyman's, went to Cherokee and told the rest of his party he was so delighted with Osceola County that he would settle there and go no further; they went on, except Louis Folsom and Lent, and these returned to Lyman's place. The first night they slept out under the wagon cover set on the ground, and during the night the wind blowed that over, when they went into the house. Lent and Folsom soon did their settlement and filing, Lent on south- west quarter of Section 24, Township 98, Range 41, and Fol- som on south half of southeast quarter of Section 24, Town- ship 98, Range 41.
The great thing to be feared then on an open prairie was a blizzard. The early settlers encountered several of them. In December, 1871, Dr. Hall, then living in Goewey Town- ship, and his son, Arthur, a boy, started to the creek for some willows for fuel. While they were gone a terrible blizzard came up and they were caught out in it. They made their way towards home the best they could, but the blinding snow and extreme cold made it slow progress, and the oxen, too, were hard to get along. Soon the boy discovered that the father was missing and could not be found anywhere. Of course no search could be made, for the boy was struggling to take care of himself, but all at once Mr. Hall himself had disappeared, either strayed away from the boy or fallen in sheer exhaustion unable to go further. The boy went west for a while, then turned and went east again, and after travel- ing a few miles the oxen gave out; the boy then hollered as loud as he could, and as luck would have it he was near enough to the house of F. O. Messenger so that Messenger heard him and went in the direction from where the sound came until he reached the boy. The boy's hands and feet were frozen, but Messenger got him to the house and after a while the boy got around all right again. The oxen were also rescued. Dr. Hall himself perished in that December blizzard, and was not found until the spring of 1872, and was then found by Mr. Messenger's dog bringing to the house the bone from a human body, which was noticed, and Mrs. Mes- senger then directed the dog back and followed him to Dr. Hall's remains, which were but his bones. The boy, Arthur Hall, grown to manhood, now lives in Washington State. The blizzard in February, 1872, the same in which Nagg perished, was also a fearful one. The first day of that blizzard, Lyman with others went to Sibley to buy goods at Roger's store. The blizzard commenced while they were in town, and they
J. MANTICO CHI
GEORGE T. VOOREES.
52
HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
hurried up their purchases in order to return, and were soon on their way back again. It was a foolish start, but still they got through and no lives were lost. There were Lyman, B. F. Mundorf, Lon Sanfrisco, Eve Adler and A. Carpenter. When they got to the house of A. Romey, Mundorf and Ly- man had about eight miles further to go, and Mundorf in- sisted on going and was bound to go. All the others objected to any such thing, and Mr. Romey declared that not one of them should leave his house. Mundorf, however, had made up his mind to go and go he would, and as there was no other alternative, Lyman, knowing that Mundorf would surely get lost, started with him. Nothing saved them but the team of horses Mr. Lyman was driving. They who are accustomed to the road know the great difference between horses in know- ing the direction to go, and Mr. Lyman's team was of that kind which could find their way home in the darkest night or in any storm in which they could travel. This was the reason Lyman went with Mundorf, and Lyman made no attempt to guide his team but let them take their own way, and they landed these storin-driven settlers safely home.
At this time there was considerable of an attempt, and some of it successful, to hold claims in fictitious names and cover them up, so-called. It was done by filing applications in the land office at Sioux City, and the filer signing some name which would make it appear of record that the claim was taken. It took an incoming stranger a little time, using a western expression, "to catch on to the racket," but he soon did, and there was not much after all made in that kind of speculation. Soon after Lent and Folsom got here, and they, with Lyman and some others, were taking it easy sitting on the prairie grass at Lent's claim, a stranger, who gave his name as Freman, drove up and informed these gentlemen that they were trespassers on other people's claims; that he had done the filing for them, and they were now on the road to settle. Lent cross-questioned the fellow a little, Lyman gathered himself together for a controversy, and when the stranger had told all he knew about it and the boys had sized the thing up so that a conclusion was reached, Mr. Freman was told in a most emphatic manner, and in language that was not doubtful of construction, that if he was seen in that part of the country in just sixty minutes after that interview, they would hang him; and Lyman went to hunting a rope and to get the well ready to drop him in, when he started, to use Lyman's expression, as though the devil was after him, and was never seen afterwards.
SOUARE DEALING CLOTHED
THE PALACE GROCERY
LANSING & BROWN BUILDING, OCCUPIED BY T. H. DRAVIS.
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HISTORY OF OSCEOLA COUNTY, IOWA.
Mr. A. Romey, who is now a merchant in Sibley, came to Osceola County in April, 1871. He drove through from Fayette County, Iowa, and William Barkhuff started and drove through with him; also, Mr. A. Carpenter. On the road, Mr. J. F. Jones, Joshua Stevens and Waldo joined them; also W. H. Lean. Mr. Stephens and Mr. Waldo have since died. Mr. Jones and Mr. Carpenter are still residents of the county. Mr. Romey filed on the northwest quarter of Section 4, Goewey Township. He put up a sod house, with shingled roof, and hauled his lumber from Sioux City. He broke about fifteen acres in 1871, but put in no crop.
JMANZ +
T. H. DRAVIS.
CHAPTER VIII.
In September, 1881, Henry C. Allen landed in Goewey Township. There came with him, August Thomson, C. Thomson and Francis Allen, these four forming the party. H. C. Allen settled on the northeast quarter of Section 8, in Township 98, Range 41, where he still resides, and the others filed upon and settled on claims near him, and are now non- residents. This party commenced housekeeping by putting up a house partly on three quarter-sections, making their home together until later on, when separate houses were to be built. In the latter part of 1871, H. C. Allen and Frances Allen drove their teams to Minnesota for work, and they re- mained there during the winter, Frances Allen stopping at Eagle Lake and H. C. going on further to Waterford. H. C. Allen took his family along with him, consisting of his wife and three children, and with them returned early in the spring of 1872. He drove to Minnesota with a wagon and started back with a wagon, but on his way was overtaken with a blizzard and a large fall of snow, so that he had runners put under his wagon bed. He was traveling alongside the railroad track, and a few miles beyond Heron Lake came to a deep ravine which was filled with snow and there seemed to be no way of getting across it, and, as Allen was anxious to get home before the time run out to get on his claim, he drove across the railroad bridge, it being a high and reasonably long one made in trestle work. It seemed a hazardous undertaking, but Mr. Allen got over all right, and in watching the horses ahead, had actually forgotten that he had one tied behind, but when fairly landed on the other side everything was all right and got over safely. Mr. Allen finally reached his claim, but before getting there went down into a slough which required the aid of his neighbor, Dagel, to pull him out. Someone had been in the house and left it open, so that everything was in confusion and covered with snow.
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