USA > Iowa > Palo Alto County > History of Palo Alto county, Iowa > Part 7
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1 Interview with H. H. Jacobs.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
In the early seventies the principal trading point was at Algona where the railroad ended. J. J. Wilson had a freight line from Algona to Emmetsburg and also one from Algona to Dakotah City in Humboldt County and another line to Estherville. There were no regular roads then and the hauling was done by ox teams which went overland, hauling loads of lumber, hardware, goods, and supplies of all kinds which were in great demand. James A. Keeler, who came to this county in 1871, drove a wagon on this freight line. He kept a dairy and it is an interest- ing record of the early days. At places where the road was especially bad they would double up and put all the oxen on one wagon, and often had twelve yoke to one wagon to get a load through Cylinder Creek. In June of 1873, the freighters spent several days helping a circus over Cylinder Creek. This was the first show that ever came to the county. John Donovan and Thos. Slater were among those whe freighted from Algona at this time.1
The journalistic spirit early made its appearance in Palo Alto County. The first newspaper was the Demo- crat, the first issue of which appeared December 4, 1869. The editor-owner was James P. White and the paper was published at Soda Bar. The prospectus issued by the publisher is printed in full in the Appendix to this book. This paper flourished some time in spite of the difficulty of having the printing done at Estherville, Algona, or oth- er place where they could get the work done. The paper continued staunchly Democratic and when the Palo Alto Advance was published by McCarty & Hartshorn and Harrison & Burnell, June, 1870, there were many lively political contests waged in the columns of the two papers. When the copy was prepared the editors of the Advance would hitch up and drive to Humboldt or Algona where the paper was printed, wait for the printed copies, and
1 Interview with James A. Keeler.
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bring them back and distribute them throughout the coun- ty. The Advance was a Republican paper.
The Palo Alto Patriot was published at Emmetsburg in 1873. And the Monthly Enterprise, a small paper, was circulated for a short time during the same year. The Palo Alto Pilot was started during the last days of the Old Town of Emmetsburg in 1874, and moved with the town. The Palo Alto Reporter was started by Henry Jen- kins in 1876. Of these early newspaper ventures the Reporter alone has survived and is still being published in Emmetsburg. The present Democrat, now published in Emmetsburg, was a later paper started in 1884 by P. H. Ryan.
The board of supervisors, at their meeting in Janu- ary, 1870, for the first time authorized the publication of the proceedings of the board and designated the Palo Alto Democrat as the first official newspaper. The following year the Palo Alto Democrat and the Palo Alto Advance were named as the official newspapers.1
In 1870 Pat Connors and J. B. Guerdett brought a threshing machine into the county. This was not the first one, however, but there had been no machine threshing done for several years, and the advent of this threshing machine was hailed with delight by the farmers. The next spring Pat Connors sold his interest to C. T. Allen, who owned the machine until it was worn out. C. H. Gid- dings worked on this outfit, driving the horse power for five straight years. Mr. Giddings relates some interest- ing experiences of the days spent with the threshing gang and it is through his kindness that the picture of this outfit at work threshing for Martin Coonan in 1871 is given on another page, Mr. Giddings having the original picture in his possession.
In the early seventies the county officers had difficulty
1 Minutes and Supervisors' Record, Palo Alto County, vol. i, pp. 175 and 205.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
in finding suitable offices. The old court house at Paoli was untenantable and so the county officers were scattered around at whatever places they could find accommoda- tions. The board of supersisors at their January 1, 1872, meeting made the following record: "Ordered by the board that the back room and the east middle room of White & Shea's office be rented by the board for holding court, meetings of the board and county officers for six months from January 1, 1872, paying therefor the sum of fifty dollars cash, and that M. L. Brown, treasurer, has permission to hold his office at the office of McCarty & Hartshorn in Emmetsburg, and Wm. H. H. Booth, anditor, has permission to hold his office at the office of T. W. Harrison in Emmetsburg. M. D. Daniels, sheriff, has permission to hold his office at the office of T. W. Harrison in Emmetsburg. That no office rent shall be paid by the county for the last named officers." 1
During this period there were several interesting politi- cal campaigns. The Democrats were in the majority in the county and had complete control of the offices. In the election of 1870 only the clerk and recorder were to be elected and the Republicans then for the first time per- fected their organization and put a ticket in the field. The Republican candidates made such surprising gains that with more confidence in 1871 the Republicans again put up a full ticket and entered upon a vigorous campaign. Geo. B. McCarty describes the issues and the contest as follows: "In 1870 all county officers were Democrats except one or two members of the board of supervisors. The board was at that time composed of a member from each township. In the fall of 1870 the Republicans had formed an organization and put a printed ticket in the field, appointed a central committee, etc., but did not elect any officers. The county had been run very loosely finan-
1 Minutes and Supervisors' Record, Palo Alto County, vol. i, p. 234.
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cially and otherwise, the county warrants were selling at $.25 on the dollar in 1859 and no buyers. During the spring of 1870 John A. Elliott, land commissioner for the Des Moines Valley Railroad Company, which company had a large grant of land in this county which had become taxable, authorized the writer to buy up from $3,000 to $5,000 in county warrants to be used by the company in paying the county part of its taxes. I bought nearly $3,000 worth of these warrants at $.25 on the dollar, then another party through Jas. P. White commenced buying up war- rants and the price advanced to $.30, and finally to $.33 1-3, and a few to $.35, when I, having bought up the required amount, stopped buying and there was no further market for them. Prior to my buying, warrants had been issued by the board at $.25 on the dollar ; that is the county would buy a bill of stationery amounting to $25. They would then issue county warrants to the amount of $100 to pay for it. In the spring of 1870 while I was still buying war- rants, I went before the board and explained that it was ruinous to issue so many warrants. They said they could do nothing else as they received no money, the county treasurer always turning in warrants for all county taxes. But they finally agreed to issue no warrants for less than $.35 on the dollar, but this did not help the matter material- ly, as there was a large amount of railroad and other lands unpatented and not taxable, so that the county was each year issuing warrants far in excess of revenue. In 1871 there was a county treasurer, auditor, and other officers to elect, and the Republicans, then fully organized, held a convention and nominated a full ticket at an early date, and the contest at once became spirited. The Advance, a Republican paper, was started by E. J. Hartshorn, H. L. Burnell and myself. It was a patent inside and the local pages were printed first at Humboldt and later at Algona in the Upper Des Moines office. We would write up our
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
local and editorial matter, ads., etc., hitch a team and carry it over and have it set up and the papers run off, bring them back and mail to every one in the county. In the meantime James P. White and W. H. Shea started the Democrat, which was printed at Fort Dodge. The cam- paign became very warm. M. L. Brown was the Republi- can candidate for county treasurer and James P. White the Democratic, and the battle waged hottest in this office, but the others were not neglected. The last five weeks a house to house canvass was made by both sides and not only the candidates but several others participated-on the Republican side, E. J. Hartshorn, T. W. Harrison, H. L. Burnell, J. L. Martin, and myself. While the contest was very spirited, very little or no personal abuse was indulged in and the workers and candidates on the different sides often would meet and recite incidents of the campaign in the most friendly manner. The whole Republican ticket was elected and, as promised during the campaign, they entered upon a policy of retrenchment of the finances of the county. First, they carried a proposition for a mill cash county tax and paid only cash for supplies bought ; caused every bill to be paid at 100 cents on the dollar ; re- fused to permit the county treasurer to turn in county war- rants in lieu of cash collected on county tax from non- residents and others paying in cash, but only accepted county warrants when brought to the office by the tax- payer, for the county part of his taxes, and not for the special county tax. This brought the credit of the county up and warrants were worth their face. The old warrants outstanding were bonded and the finances of the county placed on a firm financial basis. While Clay, O'Brien, Lyon, and other counties in Northwest Iowa repudiated their indebtedness, Palo Alto County paid hers dollar for dollar, notwithstanding the fact that most of them had
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A DECADE OF GROWTH - 1863-1872
been issued at $.25 and quite a large amount of them had been issued to hire substitutes during the war." 1
From that time on the county was close on county elec- tions for many years. Sometimes the Democrats and sometimes the Republicans would prevail and often party success would be divided. These campaigns were gener- ally animated and usually fought along the lines of na- tional issues or individual qualifications. Space forbids any further consideration of this interesting subject. A complete list of all county officers elected in the county will be found in the Appendix.
The tide of homesteaders that flowed into the county continued steadily on the increase. During the years 1869-70-71-72 not only the homesteaders, but also the home- seekers who bought their land, came in great numbers to find locations on Palo Alto County farms. These new- comers, mostly with large families, seemed to settle in clusters, forming a sort of community with opportunities for social intercourse and neighborhood friendships. The day of the isolated settler had passed and the community period was taking its place. For convenience as well as for historical accuracy the remaning part of this decade (from 1868 to 1872 inclusive) will be described by town- ships.
West Bend township was fairly well settled and most of the new settlers chose locations in the newer and less settled parts of the county. W. G. Henry was one who came to West Bend township in April, 1870, together with his brothers. His brothers, however, returned after the first season and did not come back until 1890. W. G. stayed on his land in section 20 until 1875, when he moved to Emmetsburg, where he still resides. Among the other early settlers in West Bend township in 1868 were E. P. Vance, John F. Little, and Frank Little; in 1869, Geo.
1 "Recollections of Early Palo Alto County," Geo. B. McCarty.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
Brown, J. E. Stone, and J. C. Fehlhauer ; in 1870 W. H. H. Booth and Sam Post; in 1871 Julius Thatcher, Sol Huntley, F. Dudgeon, and S. W. Ballard.
The first settlers in Ellington township were Ezekiel Randall, his wife, six boys and one girl. They settled on section 14, May 14, 1868. That fall James Clemens and John Acker and their families moved in. In the follow- ing years, Hud Acker, the Moffit family, Jacob Harriman, M. Wening, John Truog, Sr., Adam Rund, John Krieg, Frank Bursell, Nicholas Steil, Anton Seasnbaumer, Mike Schneider, J. Bart, G. Swessinger, John Rupert, Adam Kress, August Kunz, John Moffit, Wm. Buchacher, E. Goodlaxon, F. Comer, Henry Munch, John Rogers, H. C. Booth, and John Leuer, became residents of the town- ship. In the spring of 1870 Peter Grethen and wife came in company with John Wagner and his wife and two children. As they drove by, a school house was being built for the towsnhip. From that time on a great many settlers located on the fertile plains of Ellington township.
Rush Lake township was a mecca for newcomers in 1869. A. Griley, D. G. Grier, A. J. Scofield, H. C. Obert, X. S. Loomis, Philo Sanford, Ed and H. Sanders, M. Reed, W. H. Cammick, Mike Schuler, Geo. Fries, Linn Lough- ridge, E. Peterson, Peter Hartley, M. W. Barker, Isaac Perry, and others came that year. The next spring B. Vanderryt, R. T. Barnard, S. W. Tressler, and A. V. Lacy joined them. In 1871 J. P. Stebbins, D. C. Gross, A. Elson, Geo. M. White, Joseph Fish, and O. O. Williams came. Fred Cross and D. M. Wilcox located in the town- ship the next year, and from that time on the settlers came in great numbers.
The first settlers in Silver Lake township were C. A. Hoffman, O. A. Sterner, John Mills, and Joseph Marsh, who moved into the county in the spring of 1869. Patrick Sherlock selected a location in the fall of 1869, and in the
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A DECADE OF GROWTH - 1863-1872
following April his father, Jas. Sherlock, his mother, and three boys, Dan, John and Joe, joined him and together took a homestead on section 12. That year quite a num- ber of prairie schooners moved into the township. E. D. Treat, Hiram Kittlewell, Seymour Morrison, T. D. Collins, John and Dan Collins, J. R. Phoenix, John Hill, Chas. Willis, Wm. Wiley, L. B. Colburn, Ovid Hare, Myron Hare, Peter Olesen, Ole Williamson, G. M. Hamilton, G. L. Dickerman, J. C. Richards, C. L. Harrington, S. Har- rington, G. V. Whitman, J. W. Shepard, and Michael Whelan. The next year John Boddy, Robt. C. Owens, and H. A. Webster located there; and the next year H. I. Snow, Rufus A. Hartungs, John Sawyer, and T. W. Le- hane, and a large number of others joined the Silver Lake settlement. A postoffice called "Sherlock P. O." was established at Mr. Sherlock's house in 1874 and remained there until Ayrshire was founded in 1882.1
In addition to the settlers already mentioned in Fern Valley there were many homesteaders in Fern Valley and Fairfield townships during this period. Dr. A. C. Young and Mrs. Young and son Jerry (J. C.), came to Palo Alto County in 1869 and settled on the northwest quarter of section 6-95-31, the father taking the north half and the son the south half. The father died in '73 and the mother and Jerry sold out in '76, the latter moving to Emmets- burg, the mother returning to Michigan where she still lives.2 Some of the other settlers in these two townships during the early seventies were the following: J. M. Thompson, Rufus Miller, Kelly Bros., Geo. Pugsley, J. R. Frame, J. P. Davidson, Wesley Davidson, John Schneider, Thos. Cullen, Thos. Richardson, Andrew Satter, Wm. Richardson, Ralph Richardson, John and Steve Hoskins,
1 Since the above was written, a continued article, "Some Early History of Silver Lake Township," by an undisclosed author, has appeared in the Ayrshire Chronicle, June 9 and 16, 1910.
2 Statement of J. C. Young.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
T. J. Cates, F. E. Walker, W. H. Melon, Simpson La Bar, Fred Falb, Wm. R. Acres, John E. Martin, and Wm. T. Drennen.
With the great tide of settlers that came into the county in 1869, the best lands were early picked out. A few of the best locations in Independence and Fairfield townships were thus selected. Some of the settlers of that year may be mentioned. C. O. Erstad, A. C. Erstad, L. Seely, James B. Elliott, John Jenswold, Fred Wagener, and Henry Hullen. During the next two years a large number found homes there. John Higley, Jacob Mathieson, Julius Mathieson, Peter O. Peterson, Paul T. Hougstein, S. A. Rustabakke, C. P. Yeager, Freeman Woodin, A. P. and Douglas Beck, Geo. L. Clarke, P. C. Forrest, Hans Han- sen, Adam Domek, Mat Gappa, Geo. Kleigle, and many others.
Aside from the very early settlers who had selected good river locations, there were not many people in Ne- vada township. John McCormick, E. J. King, A. L. Sprout, L. N. Sprout, C. N. Sprout, settled there in the early '70s and made their permanent home on the broad prairies.
In Emmetsburg township David and J. H. Millea were with the hardy pioneers of 1868 and settlement was slow there until 1870 when J. J. Kane and 1871 when Myles McNally and their families were the forerunners of the extensive settlement of later years.
In Great Oak township, in addition to those already mentioned, several families came in 1868-Terrence, Robt. and John Walsh, Thomas Egan; and a large number in the next few years, John Wooley, Sam Dyer, James Brennan, Thomas Martin, John S. Martin, John Groff, Milo Gardner, Edward Kelley, Philip Wessar, Theo. Wes- sar, G. Wessar, B. Quigley, Peter Quigley, Thos. Conlon, Martin McCarty, Geo. H. Beach, and John Jennings. In
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A DECADE OF GROWTH - 1863-1872
October, 1872, Peter Jones, James Keenan, and John Hand with their families, moved in. Peter Jones, in describing the condition of the country at that time, said : "There was high water from within a mile of my house, up to Cullen's corner, when I came here and from the foot of Burns's hill up to Coonan's corner before the town was moved up here and even after it was moved. The wagon boxes would be down in the water and the water up to the horses' sides. One year a man stayed there as guide. He was one of old man Owen's sons. When we would come into the water at Cullen's with the team, he would take care of the team until he put us on the bridge. He was a sort of pilot. That was before they got the grade in." 1
In 1869 Hiram Millerke built a house on a claim in Freedom township. It was then the only house east of the lake except Michael Jackman's on the east shore. Later John Donovan settled on section 26 and became a prominent figure in the life of the township and of the town of Emmetsburg. In 1870 John and Pat Galleger settled on section 28 and later John Lane, Terence Cullen, Orin and Wm. Ryder, Patrick C. Nolan, John Nolan, Wm. Harrison, Albert Harrison, Amos Letson, Tom Prouty, Chester Prouty, and others came to that neighborhood. T. W. Harrison bought a farm in section 28-96-32, and J. N. Prouty homesteaded an eighty near by, but as his wife ob- jected to living in a sod house, he sold out and moved back to Humboldt.
In the fall of 1869 several homesteaders met at Fort Dodge while selecting land, became acquainted and to- gether came out to Palo Alto County and settled in the northwest part of the county. These were L. C. Christen- sen, James Olsen, L. P. Duhn, John Nelson, J. J. Skow, P. C. Adamson, and Lars Olsen. The next year they were joined by J. S. Duhn, Thos. Peterson, Nels Jensen, Peter
1 Interview with Peter Jones.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
Anderson. Later Lars Thoreson and Simon Thoreson came. This was the beginning of the Scandinavian settle- ment in the north part of the county and from this sturdy stock has come some of our very best citizens, and this community has been a power for good in the affairs of the county.
C. S. Duncan, in the spring of 1871, drove through from Wisconsin to Palo Alto County and located a homestead on the land which is now a part of the north side of Graet- tinger. After building a shack he sent for his wife and children. They struck Iowa at a very inopportune time, as the grasshoppers took their crop year after year and even the hardest kind of work failed to accomplish much against such a serious handicap. Mr. Duncan, telling of his experiences soon after they arrived in Palo Alto Coun- ty, says: "I had saved up ten dollars and I hitched up and drove to Fort Dodge, bought potatoes at $.45 a bushel and brought them to Emmetsburg near the river, and ped- dled them off at $1 about as fast as I could pour them out of a sack. I made three trips."1 By teaching, as both Mr. and Mrs. Duncan were excellent teachers, they man- aged to get ahead and after having lived on their home- stead a year (Mr. Duncan having served in the army four years, and Mrs. Duncan also having had experience as an army nurse), they proved up, raised $500 on the place and built a very comfortable house. In 1876 he sold his place in Walnut township and bought a place in Ellington town- ship, in the south part of the county, where he lived until he moved to the city of Emmetsburg.1
Lost Island township at first contained all that is now Highland and Lost Island, as they were not divided until 1878. John A. Anthony, who settled on the north side of Lost Island Lake, was the first settler in this township. He used to keep a postoffice called Lost Island and it was
1 Letter of C. S. Duncan.
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headquarters for the stage line from Algona to Spencer. James Freeman, brother-in-law of Anthony, located on the eastern side of Lost Island Lake; Cruikshank and Amos J. Miller settled there soon after. In 1870 Mc- Laughlin came, and in the fall of 1871 the Barringer boys, Emmet, Clayburn and Lyman, located in the township. Dwight Goff also came that year. The Ruthvens home- steaded there in 1870, but went back east and worked on the railroad all summer, coming back to the homestead in the fall and resided here permanently from that on.1
In Lost Island township in addition to those already named, James Spaulding and John Cruikshank came in 1869.
Others coming to Lost Island in 1870-71 are as follows: Torry Knutson, P. H. Funkley, Warren Goff, Halver Rierson, W. I. Perry, J. B. Fellows, Anfin Rierson, Severt Johnson, A. Simonson, G. Gunderson, Torkel Larson, and many others too numerous to mention in the brief space at our command.
In Highland township in addition to those already re- ferred to the following became residents in 1870: J. T. Soners, Chas. Harris, John Brennan, Thos. Lee, Martin Doyle, P. Radigan, P. McAlhany, D. Foly, Michael Flem- ing, John Fleming, James Lynch. In the following year many more came: Alex Ruthven, John Rutliven, Robt. Ruthven, Joseph Damon, James Currans, J. M. Carpenter, James McBride, Lars Bargstrom, Silas Ryder, F. O. Howe. In 1872 Peter Hanson and John W. Hovey cast their lot with the people of this township, and the settlers began to come in great numbers.1
Walnut township has already been referred to, but be- sides the earlier settlers already mentioned, D. M. Leek and the Conway family settled in Walnut township in 1870, and in the following year E. P. McEvoy, a well- known settler, located near the present town site of Os-
1 Interviews with Amos Miller, E. P. Barringer, Alex Ruthven, and others.
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HISTORY OF PALO ALTO COUNTY
good. L. M. Cooley, a retired Baptist minister, also came there to live. Thomas Moran, James and Thomas O'Con- nor, made their home in that township that year. P. F. Van Gorden and family in the same year settled on a farm near the present site of Graettinger.
Vernon township with its fertile lands did not long evade the homeseekers. In 1869 David G. Baker came from Wisconsin and in the early spring settled in Vernon township. He has kept a careful diary throughout his life and the little book that records the daily events of the trip to Palo Alto County and their first experiences there is an interesting and valuable historical record. J. C. Baker was another prominent settler of that township. Other settlers there in 1869 were Chas. C. Gibbs, H. R. Boardman, S. Hammond, and Rev. B. C. Hammond, H. F. Giddings, U. Butler, H. T. Allen. In the following year B. Bradley, C. T. Allen, and L. C. Barnum settled there, and from that time on the settlers came in ever increas- ing numbers.
Thos. Slater tells his story as follows: "In the year of 1871, the last of March, we moved from Wisconsin to Vernon township and took up a homestead on section 30, five miles north of the present town. After having gone to Algona to purchase lumber to build a house, I began its erection about the seventh of April. It was not a man- sion, however, the boards were set up end ways, the roof was shingle and the one-story home was soon ready for its occupants. On the ninth of April my family and I began life anew in this humble hut, on a treeless prairie. The following morning we were welcomed to our new dwelling place by a blinding blizzard that lasted three days. We awoke on the first day of the sweeping storm to find the floor and bed covered with six inches of snow that had made its way through the open cracks between the boards. We had on hand only a half bunch of shingles for fire-
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