USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Containing a history from the earliest settlement to the present time biographical sketches; portraits of some of the early settlers, prominent men, etc. > Part 45
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
again through Sections 23, 29, 32, and then west to the center of Section 31, where it empties into Jordan Creek. Three tributa- ries have their rise and join Farm Creek with- in the boundaries of the township; all of them, also, empty into the main stream in Section 22. These streams are fed by nu- merous springs, and do not dry up during the hot summer months, nor freeze over in the winter in shallow places where the cur- rent is rapid.
The origin of the names of these streams was through the following incidents. During the early settlement of the township, many of the pioneers selected their farms along the banks of a running stream of pure water. Farm Creek offered the greatest attractions in this respect, and before other parts of the township had become settled. Except a farm here and there, the land bordering this stream had been occupied by settlers, and a series of farm improvements made on either side; and through this choice of land and through the improvements which followed, the stream be- came known as Farm Creek. Among the first to settle on this creek were J. A. Watson and Messrs. Winegar, Stedham, Burris and Bagley. The name is certainly very well ap- plied, for no nicer stream, for farm and stock purposes, can be found in the county.
Long before Grove Township had been or- ganized, and even before the first permanent settler had found a home within its bounda- ries, a line of travel had worn a trail across the township. This was known as the " Mor- mon Trail," and was the route taken by that people when they moved from Nauvoo, Ill., to Kanesville, now Council Bluffs, which was their halting place when on their way to Salt Lake in 1847. Where this trail crossed Jor- dan Creek, a man by the name of Jordan had settled near the ford. In their efforts to de- scribe the points along the line, the travelers.
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gave this stream its name, by referring to the settler at the ford. This trail, which after- ward became the first public road in the township, crossed the township line about the northwest corner of Section 1, and took a sonthwesterly course through Sections 2, 10, 16 and 20, thence west through Section 19, crossing Jordan Creek about the center of this section, thence westward to Kanesville. Her fine groves of natural-growth timber, streams of living water, and fertile, undulat- ing prairies, make Grove Township one of the most desirable for stock-raising and agricult- ural pursuits in Pottawattamie County. Her citizens claim that not a single foot of the land is untillable if properly worked. The varieties of original timber growth were prin- cipally black and white hickory, burr and red oak, black walnut, red and water elm, ash, hackberry and basswood. In area there were about 3,000 acres of timber land in the town- ship, but little of it has been cleared and the land utilized for farming purposes, though in instances where the timber has been cleared away and a crop raised, has proved very prductive.
During the early settlement of the town- ship, when mills were erected and the larger timber cut for lumber, it usually occurred in the winter. From the stumps of the trees cut in winter, the settlers found these started in the spring a vigorous growth of sprouts. These usually, except one or two, died about the second year, when the growth of those which survived was very rapid and now are the required size for fence posts.
In 1848, there moved into Grove Town- ship the following settlers, with their fami- lies: they came over the old Mormon trail from Illinois: James Watson came with ox teams and settled in Section 32. George Owen drove both ox and horse teams, and se- lected his home in Section 16. George
RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM CLARK, SECTION 15, VALLEY TP.
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GROVE TOWNSHIP.
Taylor, who came with ox teams, also settled in Section 16, and John Jordan chose Sec- tion 17 as his future home. Jacob Anderson. who came with his family the same year, drove horse teams and settled in Section 20, where he made a claim, and when the Government survey was made, in 1852, entered about 600 acres, half of which was prairie and half tim- ber land. In 1853, he removed to Califor- nia, where he died some years later. widow and son, A. J. Anderson, came back to the old farm about 1865, and began improv- ing it. They have since added to it and have now 1,000 acres of fine land. John Winegar and David Bagley came from Illinois in 1849; both drove ox teams through over the old Mormon trail. The former settled in Section 21 and the latter in Section 28. David Stedman and S. M. B. Wheeler followed in 1851, Mr. Stedman settling in Section 21, and Mr. Wheeler in Section 16. The former came from Pennsylvania. Mr. Wheeler, after whom the grove in Section 16 took its name, now lives in Lewis, Cass Co., Iowa.
The first settlers of Wheeler's Grove were a Mr. Orman. George Graybill and Jacob Anderson. Mr. Wheeler bought the farms of Orman and Graybill; the former went to California, and the latter now lives on Mos- quito Creek. in Pottawattamie County. A. J. Field, J. R. Traver and Thomas Conner also were among the early settlers, the latter having a son and daughter living in the township. In 1848, 1849 and 1850, a num- ber of Mormon families stopped in Grove Township, raised a crop or two and then fol- lowed the march of their leader to Salt Lake.
The first saw mill in Grove Township was built and owned by John Smith in 1853, and was located on Farm Creek. Prior to the building of this mill. the settlers built their cabins of round logs, and chinked the cracks with a mixture of mud and prairie hay. The
roofs were almost invariably made of prairie sod, which, when properly cut and laid, was very substantial. Smith's mill was washed away during a freshet, and was rebuilt in 1856 by C. Hurley, Sr., and again washed away. The next mill was built in 1858, by J. S. Watson, and was located about two miles farther down stream than the Smith Mill. In 1859, S. M. B. Wheeler built a mill His on Jordan Creek. These were all saw-mills and run by water-power. l'he next mill was built on the site of the old Smith Mill, by Orman Osler, and was intended for a grist mill, but when the building was completed and a part of the machinery put in. there came a freshet, and the mill was partially destroyed. The remainder was moved from over the stream and has since been used as a barn.
Great difficulty was experienced by the early settlers in getting their milling done. They were obliged to go to the old Indian mill, in Garner Township, or to Meek's Mill, on Rock Creek, in Missouri. Sometimes the traveling was bad, and when such was the case and they could not go to mill, they re- sorted to pounding their corn. To do this they would scoop a hollow in a block of wood, and fasten an iron wedge, or some other heavy instrument, on the end of a pole, which was rigged like the old-fashioned well- sweep. With this arrangement, they man- aged to make very good corn meal. Even when they did travel the long distance from their homes to the Indian mill, they were often obliged to wait until the Indians were through; as the mill had been put up by the Government for the special benefit of the Pottawattamie Indians, and when there was nothing to grind for them then the settlers could have their grinding done. Mills were built by enterprising citizens in a few years, and this great difficulty obviated.
T
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
The old Mormon trail, previously men- tioned, was used when these trips were made to the mills, and for a number of years it was the only public road in the township.
Public roads were gradually opened to meet the wants of the community. and those now in the township usually follow the sec- tion lines. The first bridge built in the township was where the old Mormon trail crossed Jordan Creok. Bridges now span all the streams in the township at the cross- ing of the public roads. The largest bridge in the township erected by the county spans a ravine near the residence of J. W. Conner. It is ninety feet in length and thirty-five feet above the water.
In 1850. the township had become so thick- ly settled that the question of a school of some sort began to be talked of. The settlers became so thoroughly interested in the matter that they hired a Dr. Williams to teach a school in one room of the residence of Jacob Anderson. The result of this experiment was so satisfactory that a second term was taught at the residence of S. M. B. Wheeler, by a Mr. John Day. In 1854, a term of school was taught in a little log cabin situated just east of S. M. B. Wheeler's, by Mr. D. T. Kelly. The first building erected in the township for school purposes was located about forty rods north of the center of Sec- tion 20. It was built in 1855, and was con- structed of logs, with puncheon floors and seats. This was used as a school building for a number of years, when it finally became unfit for use. In 1865, the next schoolhouse was built. It was located in the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the sonth- west quarter of Section 21. This school- house was used by the entire township until 1868, when the township was di- vided into three subdistricts, and three new schoolhouses erected. Subsequently, the
township was again subdivided into subdis- tricts, and this time the number increased to nine and new houses built. The township contains just thirty-six sections, and in the last division into subdistricts, it was divided into squares of four sections each, and the schoolhouses located in the center, or at the point where the four sections meet. School- houses Nos. 1 and 2 were destroyed by the cyclone of June 9, 1880, but have since been rebuilt. The statistics for the year 1881, collected by the County Superintendent of Public Schools, show the following for Grove Township:
Number of subdistricts, 9. Schools-num- ber of ungraded schools, S; average number of months taught, 53. Teachers-number em- ployed, males, 5; females. 10; total, 15. Average compensation per month -- males, $30.86; females, $29.70. Pupils-number of persons between the ages of five and twen- ty-one years-males, 175; females, 160; number enrolled in district, 234; total aver- age attendance in whole district, 114; average cost of tuition per month for each pupil, $2. - 43. Schoolhouses-frame. 8; value, $2, 800.
There are but few foreign residents of Grove Township, and in all movements tend- ing to the advancement of public schools they have been in enterprise equal to the Ameri- cans.
It is very evident the broad, rolling prairies possessed natural advantages, and were more attractive in a state of nature to the pioneers than the country surrounding Grove Town- ship. When that band of followers of Brig- ham Young had traveled over hundreds of miles of the old trail, which wound its way through heavy timber and over rolling prai- rie, and any number could have had millions of acres from which to choose a farm, why did so many of them wait to settle on the banks of the little stream, fed by numerous
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springs, which was afterward known as Farm Creek. unless it was the beauty of landscape, fertility of soil and all that nature had done to make the place so attractive? They were good judges, those travel-stained, hardy emi grants, and their settlement in one of the finest sections of country in the county was not by chance, when they had the liberty of staking out a claim almost anywhere in the thousands of acres of unoccupied lands on all sides of them. They could have forsaken their claims and improvements, and have obeyed the demand of their leader, in 1852, and joined in the march to Salt Lake. They preferred to stay where they were, and the result of their industry has proved the cor- rectness and accuracy of their judgment. The finely improved farms. good buildings and many evidences of prosperity, which in a short time marked their halting place on the banks of Fari Creek, grew too dear to them to be deserted.
They left Nauvoo, Ill., expecting to con- tinue the march to the final place of settle- ment, but when they found in the beautiful country bordering Farm Creek all that the best farmer could desire, and were not restricted in their religious liberty, those few who had laid the foundation for a future competency, remained behind when the exodus occurred. So many settlers of one religious denomina- tion were naturally the first to effect an or- ganization, and so it happened that in 1863 the first organization of a religious body in Grove Township was that of the Latter-Day Saints. E. W. Briggs and W. W. Blair were the organizers, and the original members were John Smith and wife Sarah, E. W. Knapp and wife Melissa. A. J. Fields and wife Sarah, James Otto and wife Mehitable, Lewis Graybill and wife Patience, John Winegar and wife Elizabeth, Joseph Smith and wife Rachel, and Stephen Smith. John
Smith was their first President, and E. W. Knapp their first Clerk. The present officers are: John Winegar, President, and Heber New- berry, Clerk. Services were at first held by them at the residences of the different members of the church, and sometimes, in later years, in the schoolhouses. The society becoming more wealthy and the membership gradually increasing, they decided, in 1874, to erect a church building. It was a frame building, and cost $763.85.
The present membership is ninety, and a Sabbath school is maintained, with a regular attendance of thirty pupils.
The Wheeler's Grove class of the M. P. Church was organized in 1865 by its original members, among whom were Isaac Denton and wife Cordelia, Jacob Elswick. Alexander Osler and Susan A. Stedman. Their church is a frame building, and was erected in 1875 at a cost of $1,300. It is located one-half mile north of Wheeler Grove Post Office. The present membership is about sixty, and a Sabbath school has a regular attendance of thirty-five pupils. The pastors who have presided at this church, as given by Mr. A. W. Pearce, one of the present members, were: Rev. William Van Vleet, Rev. J. Davis, Rev. J. Bratton, Rev. T. E. Pershall, Rev. J. Burch, Rev. T. W. Sketcherly, Rev. W. F. Price, Rev. E. M. Garheart, Rev. A. Overton, Rev. J. A. Bolton, and the present pastor, Rev. Josiah Sanders.
Pleasant Grove congregation of the C. P. Church was organized July 1, 1876, by Rev. J. W. Carter, and received under the care of the West Iowa Presbytery of the C. P. Church, August 18, 1876. The original members were Jackson Buckner and wife Je- mima, Jonathan Watson and wife Mary S., George Shinn and wife Martha M., Esperam Counts and Margaret McMullen. Rev. J. W. Carter was their first, and continues to be,
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
their pastor. Their church is a frame build- F. E. & N. Pershall, brothers, and who are ing, and was erected in 1879, at a cost of $1,- still engaged in business. 400. It is located in Section 27, near Wheeler's Grove Post Office. The present membership is twenty-eight, and they sup- port a Sabbath school with an attendance of thirty pupils.
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The Christian Church was organized by Rev. Cephas Ellis and Rev. Samuel Johnson, The original members were S. Brown and wife Rachel, Franklin Pullen and wife Mary, Thomas Dillardy and wife Rebeca, George Hanser and wife Sarah, John Fender and wife Millie, Cephas Ellis and wife Rachel, Thomas Moxley and wife Rachel, and Jesse Brown. Their pastors have been Rev. Sam- nel Johnson, Rev. Samuel Smith, Lewis C. Bishop, and the present pastor, Rev. Cephas Ellis. They began building a church in 1881. It is not yet completed, though nearly so, and when finished will cost about $1,100 or $1,200. It is located in Section 16. The society numbers sixty members at present, and they support a Sabbath school with an attendance of fifty pupils.
The village of Eminence, in which Grove Post Office is located, was laid out in 1875, by L. D. Woodmansee, Esq. It is a neat, thriving place of business, and is located in Section 28. The first resident of the place was Mr. Woodmansee, who built a storeroom in 1875, and has since been engaged in a general merchandising business. He was also appointed Postmaster, and continues to hold that official position. Dr. A. J. Michael was the next to risk the result of establishing a business by making Eminence his place of residence, and he was followed by Malcomb Mckenzie, the only blacksmith of the place. J. L. Harrell made the fourth business man of the little town, where he engaged in the manufacture and sale of harness. Later, a store of general merchandise was opened by
Grove Township has no railroad, but the business men of Eminence are fully able to compete with the business men of the railroad towns in the vicinity, and, being located near the center of the township, they do an extensive business.
The present officers of Grove Township are as follows: Alex Osler and L. D. Woodman- see, Justices; A. W. Pease, Clerk; John Rankin, Assessor: George Bolton, Stephen Smith and George B. Otto, Trustees.
September 30, 1863, the wife of Mr. Isaac Denton gave birth to three children, which were named respectively William, Wallace and Williard. They lived, however, but a short time, the dates of their deaths being given in the biography of Mr. Denton. This event caused a great deal of interest to be manifested in the affair by his neighbors and friends, but their excitement and wonder were greatly increased, when, on August 17, 1864, the same lady gave birth to twins, one of which lived but four and the other six hours.
The cyclone which occurred June 9, 1880, and which has previously been mentioned, was the most eventful incident in the history of Grove Township. The following report from the Nonpareil of June 12, 1880, gives a description of the scene:
" About 7 o'clock, Wednesday evening, the cyclone was discovered by a gentleman by the name of W. C. Lowrey, who resides about three-quarters of a mile northwest of Macedo- nia. Mr. Lowrey says it appeared to him as a great funnel, formed of deep, dark clouds of the most furious appearance, which seemed to be hopping and skipping first to the heav- ens and then to the earth, and traveled at a rapid rate. When it struck the earth, it took everything in its course. It so swung and revolved around, that while watching its ap-
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pearance, it struck a house occupied by Mr. Denitty, whose family had also been watch- ing its manenvers, and, realizing their danger, had vacated the building and thereby saved their lives. In an instant, the roof of the house was carried high in the air, and the body of the house badly injured, and the loose material, such as timber, farming machinery and vehicles, was carried away. The next house that came in its way was that of Capt. Beasley, one of the best known citizens of Pottawattamie Conuty. Here it also carried off the roof of the house, as well as farming implements, besides doing considerable in- jury to stock. Next it, running in a north- east direction, struck the shanties occupied by the workmen engaged in the construction of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- road, on the Macedonia Branch thereof. The occupants, realizing the danger, repaired to a culvert hard by, and crowding into it to the number of forty, thereby saved their lives. It then passed on at a furious rate and struck a house occupied by a gentleman named Smith. Here it seemed to redouble its fury, and tearing the house and barn asunder, com- pletely carried them away, carrying also the household goods. The next house with which it came in contact was that of Mr. Fender, tearing his house into a thousand pieces, it crossed what is called Second Creek and struck the classic Jordan. About half a mile distant, it struck the residence of Mr. Buckingham, tearing the entire large frame structure in pieces, and carrying away not only the house, but the household goods, as well as farming implements and stock. The next house it struck was that of Mr. C. Run- nels, carrying off the roof of the house and carrying the barn away and killing a vast amount of stock.
" Leaving this, it continued its course on up the Jordan, dealing death and destruction
with every possible thing with which it came in contact, until it reached a residence occu- pied by a gentleman by the name of Lyman. Here it seemed to have reached its zenith, and its exact actions were indescribable. Here birds were beaten almost entirely into the ground, and not a feather left on their bodies. Wire fences were torn and twisted into a thousand pieces. Speeding on its course, it reached the residence of our once much loved and respected fellow-citizen, Jesse Osler. This family consisted of Mr. Osler, his wife and two children, a boy and a girl, aged respectively eight and six years, besides three hired men, namely, John Davis, A. F. Tiderick and Jesse Pettitt. The hired men had come in from the field and had cared for their teams, when they saw the storm's ap- proach, and spoke to Mr. Osler about it. Up to this time, Mr. Osler had been fanning his little son, who lay sick. Rising to his feet, Mr. Osler said it was true that a bad storm was almost upon them, and called for the en- tire family to go with him to the cave, which was in the yard but a few feet from the door. Thereupon he gathered his sick child in his arms and started for the door, but he was too late; the elements were almost upon them, and their only remedy was to stay in the house. The doors blew open at this juncture and the wind lashed them about as though they were so many matches, and the fact that two strong men undertook to hold them shut made no difference. The house, a strong, two-story frame structure. went to pieces like a pile of dust before a whirlwind, and not a splinter of it the size of a man's arm was left to tell where the once beautiful residence of Jesse Osler stood, and Jesse Osler and his en- tire family were at the same instant dashed into eternity. When the storm had passed, the only human being about the place that had apparent life left was Mr. Tiderick, who
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was blown about six rods into some gooseber- ry bushes. Davis and Pettitt were blown about twenty rods, and when found their rea- son had fled. They were cared for, and some neighbors having arrived, the search for teh missing Osler family began. The body of Mr Osler was found about twenty rods south- west of the house, and the remains of Mrs. Osler were found blown fully forty rods. across the meadow southwest of the house, and the children were found eight or ten rods west of where the house had stood. Mrs. Osler was dressed in her usual day wearing apparel when the storm broke upon them, and when found she was stripped of the last ves- tige of her garments, except one garter string. The children were also stripped. It was a sight sickening and sad in the extreme when entering the residence of Mr. G. Naugle, one of the near neighbors of the Osler family, to find a whole family lying cold and dead. The dead bodies were all badly mangled, and, in fact, almost past recognition, the top of the little boy's head being entirely torn away. Under the efficient care of physicians, Messrs. Tiderick, Pettitt and Davis will prob- ably recover. The house of Mr. Alexander Osler, a large two-story frame, stood upon a hill to the northwest of his dead brother's about forty rods, and hence, just the edge of the storm struck it. An addition built onto the east end of the structure was completely torn away, and the main portion badly shat- tered. Mr. John Naugle and Mr. G. Nau- gle, residing about eighty rods west of this, also felt the effects of the storm. It twisted a portion of the roof off of Mr. J. Naugle's house, and tore down the well curb and some trees at the residence of Mr. G. Naugle. These well-known gentlemen were both at home and witnessed the storm pass by them, and when asked to descride it, said it sounded like ten thousand threshing machines all in
motion at one time. At Mr. J. Osler's place, there were also many horses and cattle killed and dead pigs and chickens were visible all about the place. The storm sped on up the Jordan about a quarter of a mile, when it reached a small house upon the bank of a stream occupied by a poor family by the name of Mills. Fortunately, they were all absent from home and escaped injury, but returned to find only the cellar where their little home once stood. At this point, the Jordan takes asharp turn to the southeast, and its banks were thickly studded with timber, which was com- pletely torn away. Trees as thick as the body of an ordinary man were twisted off and blown away, and what few shrubs were left were con- spicuous for their covering of bed quilts, pil- lows, petticoats, carpets and clothing of every conceivable kind. Next, the monster reached the residence of Mr. Samuel Smith. Mr. Smith owns a nice farm, situated on a bean- tiful declining bank of the Jordan. He had a good substantial house, surrounded by a fine young orchard of about three hundred trees. His family consists of himself, his wife and seven children, all of whom went into the cellar. The house was carried from over their heads and the cellar filled with debris, but, strange to say, none were hurt. The orchard was completely ruined, even the bark being stripped from the trees. On the northeast corner of Mr. Smith's farm stood a schoolhouse. This was more than an ordi- nary frame country schoolhouse, built in 1878, but a few brick scattered about is all that is left to mark the place where it stood. A few rods farther in a northeast direction, the grim monster caused more death and de- struction. Samuel Osler, a brother of the dead Jesse, had a residence on the south bank of the Jordan, but a few rods from the stream. There he resided with his wife and one child. In an instant after the storm
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