USA > Iowa > Pottawattamie County > History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907, Vol. I > Part 24
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The present city administration is as follows: Mayor, J. C. Rayburn;
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
recorder, H. K. Dye; marshal, W. L. Hobson ; aldermen, A. M. Miller, Grant Pilling, Milton Osler, H. A. Smith, J. M. Kelley and T. C. Nickey.
The town, according to the census of 1905, had one hundred and nine- teen persons of school age, of which sixty-four were males and fifty-five females.
The township, exclusive of town of Macedonia, had, males ninety-five, females eighty-eight.
The board of directors are E. A. Seaberg, president; G. T. Clayton, secretary, and W. J. Hamilton, treasurer.
The township officers are as follows: Trustees, N. L. Hobson, John R. Maynes and A. C. Lewis; elerk, Thos. I. Clark; constables. W. L. Hobson and Abe Branden ; assessor, J. M. Coons.
Although this is one of the smallest townships, it possesses as good soil as can be found on earth, with streams that are utilized for power, fair groves of timber and quarries of stone, and is occupied by as progressive and up-to-date people as can be found anywhere.
MINDEN TOWNSHIP AND TOWN OF MINDEN.
Minden is the central township in the northern tier of the county. It is a full congressional township, was formerly a part of that of Neola, until 1877, when, in answer to a petition of Mr. James Crow and the requisite number of signers, their petition was granted. The township took the name of the little town already formed on the line of the Rock Island road. The first election took place in October, 1877, in the schoolhouse in Minden. The judges were Wm. Spears, August Kaven and James Crow. The clerks were J. R. Crow and J. Lake, and about one hundred votes were cast.
There is really no waste land in this township. It is gently rolling and only occasionally a little broken land along the streams, the principal ones being Keg ereek, running southwesterly with about two-fifths of the territory on the east and three-fifths west of that stream, and the Mosquito, cutting a small portion off the northwest corner. It is peculiarly fortunate in railroads, the Rock Island cutting it centrally in one direction and the Great Western in another, while the Milwaukee clips off the northwest corner after leaving Neola. There are no large natural groves of timber, but the next generation will have plenty, for, being settled largely by Germans, they will have trees and flowers, and are rapidly planting groves. Mr. Casper Foster, of Davenport, Iowa, purchased 10.000 acres of the Rock Island road, and a condition was that the company should establish and maintain a station on this property. This was complied with, hence the town of Minden, named in memory of Minden baek in the fatherland of most of these industrious settlers. The first house built in the town was by Hugo Prester. Mr. Foster built the second and Peter Ehlers the third. G. Diederich built the first store in 1875. and moved in a general stock of goods from Avoca. J. O. Jeffries built the next business house and engaged in the grocery trade, with a restaurant attached. Messrs. Bartel & Co. became successors to Mr.
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Diederich by purchase and Mr. Diederich then erceted another building, which he subsequently sold to Stuhr Brothers.
The first carpenters of the town were Henry Urbahan, August Kaven and Fred Kruganbery. The first blacksmith was a Mr. Rodecker. The first lum- ber business was by Messrs. Pria & Hornley, a Davenport firm. Peter Ehlers was the first to begin the grain trade. . Dr. McLeod was the first physician to hang out his shingle in the little town and James Crow the first land agent. Under the jurisdiction of Mr. James Crow a schoolhouse was built. Previous to this time a school had been taught by a Mr. Kelsey in one room of Mr. Fos- ter's residence. The same year that saw the new schoolhouse a prairie fire came near destroying the town, but its approach was discovered in time to enable the citizens to protect and save their homes.
The first board of trustees of Minden township met and organized January 26. 1877. At their meeting the township was divided into five subdistricts for school purposes.
No township in the county takes more active interest in their public schools than Minden. The statistics for the year 1881 show the following: Number of graded schools, 8; number of ungraded, 8; number of teachers em- ployed, male, 5; female, 12; average pay per month, male, $35; female, $33.75; number of persons between the ages of 5 and 21 years, 156; male, 123; total average attendance, 95; value of schoolhouses, $3,530; value of apparatus, $9.10.
Minden had a German day school, the only one in the county at that date.
In 1878 a German Lutheran church was organized, with Rev. Julius Och- lert as pastor. The original members were August Kaven, Adam Turk, John Stuhr, Jr., Jacob Wasser, Deidrich Rohlfs, Peter Alleman, August Bock, Wilhelm Bolte, Wilhelm Giese, John Stuhr, Sr., August Giese and Carl Leitzke.
A small church was completed and furnished. The lot on which it was built was presented by Mr. Casper Foster. A Sunday school was organized in 1876, with- James Crow as superintendent. At last reports Conrad Neil was superintendent; John Crow, secretary; J. A. Yoder, treasurer, and E. O. Morgan, librarian, and an attendance of forty pupils.
The growth of Minden has not been so rapid as some of the other towns of the county, but has always enjoyed a substantial progress, which makes success.a foregone conclusion.
The following are the names of some of the principal business men up to the year 1880: J. B. Norton, druggist; John Hammer and J. C. Garmong, hardware; Peter Stuhr and J. C. Garmong, agricultural implement dealers ; Stuhr Brothers. J. W. Crow and J. H. Yoder, dry goods and grocery mer- chants; Seiffert and Weis, lumber dealers; L. Harm, physician and surgeon ; J. C. Garmong, harness dealer; Henry Rolfs and H. Peterson, blacksmiths, and Adolph Winder, hotel proprietor.
On the 12th of June, 1881, a severe hailstorm struck Minden township and inflicted damage to the extent of $20,000. The storm came in two divi-
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sions and met near the residence of Mr. F. Bloomer, where the damage to house, trees and grain amounted to $1,000.
Although quite a town had started soon after the advent of the Rock Island road, it was not incorporated until 1890, since which time its growth has been steady and healthy. At this time, 1907, it has two banks, the Ger- man-American and Farmers' Savings ; general stores, Peiper & Mischler, George Groneweg & Co., and W. L. Richardson ; hardware, Stuhr-Ehlers-Hood Com- pany; drug store, Max Lehman; elevators, P. Ehlers & Stuhr; Recsy Grain Company; lumber yard, Green Bay Lumber Company; livery barn, Louis Ehlers; saloons, II. J. Hesly, August Kaven, Peter Schwensohn and Fred Priest; blacksmiths, E. G. Krundel, Fred Schultz and G. H. Muhlstein; phy- sician, Grant Augustine; one millinery store. one harness shop, one meat market, three hotels, Mrs. Dorscher, Mrs. Schmidt and T. J. Groepper; one church, Zion Congregational; Masonic Lodge, No. 575; one I. O. O. F., one Woodmen of the World, German verein; graded school, with L. B. Pruitt, principal, and five teachers; opera house, two pool halls, one wagon shop, printing office, Times-Herald (weekly) ; one tank manufactory, canning works; building contractors. August Bostedt, Henry Schilling and Herman Veith: two stock buyers, Henry Piper and Hesley Thompson; two barber shops, two dray lines: city waterworks, from wells to tank fifty feet high, an elevation of one hundred feet; Independent Fire Company and brass band of twenty pieces, Julius Stuhr, leader. Population of town. 400; mayor. John Geiger.
The township officers are Henry Holzfoster, Joseph Holm and Peter Langer, trustees ; Julius Stuhr, clerk; John W. Crow and John Geiger, justices of the peace; G. A. Leitzke, constable and Gustave Baumsberger, assessor; school board. Henry Blumer, president; John Geiger, secretary, and Fred Blumer, treasurer.
There are nine subdistricts in the township. According to the census of 1905 there were in the township outside of town of Minden three hundred and thirty-one of school age, of which one hundred and seventy-one were males and one hundred and sixty females.
In town of Minden there were one hundred and forty-seven, of which sixty-six were males and eighty-one females.
The people are largely German and have brought the industry and thrift, for which that nation is noted. and which so readily assimilates with the American, and, as such, we welcome and congratulate them on their pros- perity.
The present city officers are as follows: Mayor, John Geiger; clerk, Lewis Rohlfs; conncil. A. E. Grueman, J. U. Reesy, Jacob Geiger, G. H. Muhlstein, E. P. Otto and D. II. Auper.
NEOLA TOWNSHIP.
This is a full township of thirty-six sections. It is bounded on the north by Harrison county, east by Minden, south by Norwalk and west by Boomer townships.
APER
WESTERN IOWA BUSINESS COLLEGE
GLASS.
PIA
JOS - ORGANS
MASONIC TEMPLE, COUNCIL BLUFFS.
THE NEW YORF PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX ANO TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
June 10, 1872, a petition, signed by H. G. Fisher, George Remington, Fielding Steele and seventy-eight other citizens, was presented to the board of supervisors, asking that honorable body to form a new civil township to com- prise a part of the townships of York and Boomer. It was ordered by the board of supervisors that township 77, range 41, and township 77, range 42, is hereby organized into a civil township, to be known as the township of Neola. It is broken only along the streams. It is doubtful if two per cent is unfit for cultivation. Nearly the whole surface is rolling prairie and very produc- tive and will raise all the staple crops in abundance.
The township is drained by Mosquito and Pigeon creeks and their tribu- taries, nearly all of which are fed by living springs.
G. W. Henderson claimed the honor of being the first permanent white settler in the township. He came from VanBuren county, Iowa, in March, 1855, pre-empted the southeast quarter of section 12, and began at once to build a shelter for his family and to break ground for a spring crop.
Mr. Henderson's first neighbor in Neola township was Mr. Norman Ab- bott, who settled in section 19 during the latter part of the same month. Mr. Abbott remained a resident of the township until 1865, when he sold his farm to Thomas Cellars, who, in turn, sold it to a man named Hillsworth. William Tidwell came to the new country and settled in section 18, near Mr. Abbott. Joseph Balsley and Joseph Mecklin settled on Pigeon creek in 1855. Mr. Balsley continued a resident of this township until his death. The next to choose a home in the prairie now within the boundary of Neola township was John O'Brien, who settled on section 23. Prominent among the early set- tlers was Mr. Z. Remmington and family, who settled on section 33. Mr. Remmington, however, did not become a resident of this township until 1858. He lived on his place of first settlement until his death.
He was a striking figure, very large and very careless of his personal ap- pearance and dress, but a very learned man, a surveyor by profession, a man of strong connections, an uncompromising republican, and for a time the only one, he claimed, in his township, and used to send himself down as a delegate to conventions, and was always seated. Old Ike Sigler, who was just as strong a democrat, but a good, jolly fellow withall, used to say Mr. Remmington might stay, but they would not admit any more republicans into the town- ship. But both of them have long ago passed from view, but not from the memory of us old-timers.
Neola township had no special attractions until 1869, when the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was built and the town laid out on the lands owned by Messrs. Withrow, Wright and Allen. The first house where the city now stands was built by D. Little about 1868, who kept store in the building. The second was put up by Mr. Kuhl, a harnessmaker. Mr. Norris was the first blacksmith to open a shop in Neola, and it was in the loft of this shop that Mrs. Doane taught the second term of school in the town. The first term was taught in Neola in the winter of '69-70. Miss M. Webster was the teacher, and the school was held in the building owned by David Tostevin.
The Neola house was among the first buildings in the town, and was erected by Charles Hamilton.
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It was built for a hotel and has been used as suchi.
A postoffice building was erected in 1870 by Mr. Duncan, who was also the first postmaster.
Daniel Flynn erected a building the same year and opened a saloon. Mr. C. Dillin engaged in the grain trade as early as 1873, to which he added the sale of coal and lumber, and built up an extensive trade in each of these com- modities.
In 1878 Mr. Dillin built a grain elevator of a capacity of 10,000 bushels per day, and was the first permanently located dealer, though Mr. Duncan was the first to buy any grain marketed at Neola.
The first grain elevator was built by Mr. C. Hamilton. Both elevators, however, were built in 1878, and their capacity was about the same. Mr. Dillin began operating his October 1 and Mr. Hamilton began a month earlier.
In 1882 the town received its charter and became a city, and elected the following officers: J. P. Organ, mayor; C. M. Crippen, recorder; O. L. Davis, marshal. The city council was composed of T. Rishton, W. Downs, J. W. Butler and R. F. Lovell. The principal business at that day was done by the following persons: Grain. C. Dillin and J. A. Hamilton ; general merchan- dise, H. Mendel, B. Rishton. J. W. Butler, F. Rishton, Eggleston Brothers and Bradley & Burton ; druggists, Vanness, C. F. Robbins and B. A. MeKay ; hard- ware, Reichart Brothers, C. M. Witt and C. B. Stone; clothing, Remmington Brothers and C. M. Crippen : stock buyer, G. W. Rogers: newspaper, Neola Tribune, E. P. Innes, editor; real estate, H. L. McWilliams and D. Tostevin ; hotels, Commercial, S. Burgess, proprietor ; Neola house, MeKinney, proprietor ; bank. Neola, Mr. Henry, president; Mr. Lodge, cashier; meat markets, Hag- gerty & Reichart and Handbury & Sills; livery stables. A. King and Downs & Mott; insurance, H. L. Mc Williams and Riley Clark ; millinery, Mrs. F. M. Gallup; arpenters. Purcell & Rogers, Eli Vickery, Win. Schierbrook and Mr. Fulgen; physicians, Drs. Barton. Vanness, Harvey, Todd and Lawrence; attor- neys, H. L. McWilliams and .I. P. Organ : postmaster, G. W. Remmington.
The school statistics for the township for 1881. outside of the city. were: Number of subdistricts, six ; ungraded schools, six; months taught, nine ; teachi- ers employed. males eight; females, four: compensation per month, males, $34.16: females, $33.75; number of school age, males, one hundred and thirty-five : females, one hundred and sixteen ; school houses, frame, six ; value, $4.475: apparatus, $1.85.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was the first secret society to organize a lodge in Neola.
Neola Lodge, No. 410. was organized on May 27, 1880. The first offi- cers were : J. A. Hamilton. N. G. : E. E. Harris, V. G .; J. C. Chapman, secre- tary, and Jacob Brown, treasurer. There were forty-four members in 1881.
Irwin Lodge, No. 118. Towa Legion of Honor was the next secret society to effeet an organization in Neola. This was on August 15, 1881. The first officers were: E. Reichart. W. P .: John Watson, V. P .; E. L. Eggleston, R. S .: C. M. Witt. F. S .. : J. Buchannan, C .: C. B. Stone. T .: A. W. Loomis. D .; K. Lanning, S .: S. N. Harvey, M. E .; L. W. Todd. M. E.
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Agate Lodge, No. 423, A. F. and A. M., was organized in March, 1882. The first officers were: A. S. Avery, W. M .; S. L. Harvey, S. W .; W. Harper, J. W .; H. Mendel. S .; J. W. Butler, T .; J. D. Garrison, S. D .; W. Phillips, .J. D .; N. W. Watson, tyler.
On the 22d of March, 1880, by authority of the Presbytery of Council Bluffs, a church was organized by a committee consisting of Revs. G. M. Lodge, F. H. Cleland and Elder J. S. Love.
The members were John Buchannan and Jessie, his wife, and their eliildren, Katie, Jennie, Kennedy and David, Lawrence Hunter and wife, Mrs. Anna Remington and Dr. Harvey and wife.
All members rose to their feet, made confession of faith, and the church was pronounced fully and properly organized. John Buchannan was elected a ruling elder and Lawrence Hunter a deacon.
A short time subsequent to the organization a fund was raised, which, together with $500 contributed by the Presbyterian board of missions, they were enabled to ereet a church. which was completed in March, 1882, at a cost of $1,500.
At this time Neola had two railroads, which afforded shipping facilities not excelled by any place in the county, except Council Bluffs.
From 1882, the close of the above history, to 1907 is a long reach. Kingdoms and empires have risen and fallen during this time. It is five years longer than Rip Van Winkle slept in the Catskill mountains, and it behooves us to leave something for future generations by which they may know we have existed or be, like him, "too soon forgotten."
But if other people have been sleeping, those of Neola have not. We now find a full-fledged eity of 1.200 inhabitants, with its waterworks, elec- tric lights and miles of eement walks.
At this date (1907) Neola has five stores of general merchandise as fol- lows: One by G. L. Cooper. one by J. L. Wilber, one by Wm. MeGuire, one by Hamilton & Smith, one by M. O'Connor and one by E. M. Palmer & Co .; one large stock of clothing, shoes and hats by George N. Remmington, one of shoes, exclusively of shoes, by Joseph Jacoby, two of drugs by Herman Rolfes and Dr. J. T. Vanness. respectively ; implements and hardware, Sehierbrook & O'Connor, and one by T. W. MeDermott, two of hardware by the Frank West Hardware Company and A. E. Pearce, respectively; two millinery stores by the Haggerty Sisters and the Brandenberg Sisters; two banks. the Neola State bank and the Farmers' and Merchants' State bank ; one newspaper, Neola Gazette-Reporter, L. G. Merrill, editor; two meat mar- kets, Sexton & Shawgo and Sam Gaymen; Green Bay lumber yard, George Menke, manager, and Rees-Gabel Lumber Company, John Matsen, man- ager; one wallpaper store, two elevators, the Wells-Hord Grain Com- pany, John Hannan, manager, and the VanDorn Grain Company, H. H. Pogge, manager; one graded public school, with principal and six assistants; one parochial school, with two hundred pupils of both sexes, while the Catholics have a large church, with congregation numbering nearly 1,000, while the Methodists. Presbyterians and Lutherans each have churches. Of hotels the city is provided with the New Clifton. Williams house and Haggerty
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
house, and three restaurants will feed any overflow from these. The waterworks and electric plant are owned by the city. It has a volunteer fire company that carries the state belt, having won for three years. The city also has two livery stables and five saloons and a brass band of thirteen pieces.
The fraternal organizations are represented by a Masonic lodge, one of the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Knights of Columbus.
The city government at this time is as follows: Mayor, Fred Foss; coun- cil, Ed. Rattigan, George Remmington, N. B. Chrisman, A. Ransom, H. S. Watkins and G. W. Giese; marshal, George Murphy, and James Hayes, deputy. The police is limited to these two, the first doing day duty and the latter at night.
The township officers are as follows: Trustees, J. D. Porter, John R. Willmott and Frank Spencer; clerk, J. S. Hermsen; justices of the peace, Riley Clark and Thomas Kennedy; constables, C. J. Maxfield and Ed. Rati- gan ; assessor, W. C. Wilmott.
According to the state census of 1905, there are in the township, exclusive of city, three hundred and thirty-two of school age, of which one hundred and seventy-seven are males and one hundred and fifty-five are females.
In the city there are three hundred and fifty-four, of which one hundred and seventy are males and one hundred and eighty-four females.
Board of education, K. Buchanan, president; G. M. Buchanan, secre- tary, and August Sundell, treasurer. Teachers salaries, $40 and $35 for first and second grades respectively ..
NORWALK TOWNSHIP.
Norwalk township was organized June 6, 1873, and was named Norwalk by Mr. R. Foote in honor of Norwalk, Conn., where he formerly livcd.
It is bounded on the north by Neola, cast by York, south by Hardin and west by IIazel Dell townships. Three-fourths of its surface is drained by the Mosquito, and the southeast fourth by Keg creeks. The first settlers were Mormons, but finally they all went on with the last detachment to Utah. It possesses the same rich soil as its neighboring townships, and might be said to have no waste land.
The principal early settlers were Joseph Holman, Ezekiel Downs, Asa Downs, William Cox, William Hendrix, Johnson Lane and William Yocum. They all arrived and settled from 1845 to 1850. William Yocum was a wreck physically. He came from Missouri and while there joined the mob at Horn's mill against the Mormons. During the fight he received seven bul- lets in his body, from the effects of which he never recovered. He died in Pottawattamie county.
As early as 1847 Ezekiel Downs and A. Smith built saw and flouring mills on Mosquito creek. They were two-story buildings of hewed logs. Both mills were run by water power furnished by a dam built in Mosquito ercek. Both mills did a good business until a flood in 1850, which demolished the grist mill. The dam was injured as well as the saw mill, but were re-
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HISTORY OF POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
paired and finally sold to William Garner, who continued to run the saw- mill for years. In the winter 1863-4 the first school was taught in Norwalk township. It was in a log cabin built by the farmers. The first teacher was Miss Jane Davis. From this little beginning the schools grew, until in 1881 there were six subdistricts; graded schools, five; months taught, seven; num- ber of teachers, males, six; females, five; average pay per month, males, $32.41; females, $26.07 ; persons of school age, males, one hundred and sev- enty-three; females, one hundred and thirty-eight. Total cost of school houses, $3,350. In March, 1882, at Downs schoolhouse there was organ- ized a Society of Friends, under the auspices of Revs. Lewis and William Smith.
The following is a list of the original members. George F. Ward and wife, Jane Ward, Archibald N. Ward, Mary Fleck, Catharine Whitney, her son William Whitney, A. Mott and wife, Martha Mott, Ada Mott, Lena Vezy, Albert Shaw, Lizzie Vezy, Drucilla Downs, Minerva Downs and Joseph Whitney. It is crossed by three railroads-the Rock Island and the Milwaukee running parallel with each other along the Mosquito creek, while the Great Western cuts diagonally through the southeast quarter.
These furnish excellent facilities for shipping and, as a result, quite a young city has grown up, which will require separate notice.
The town of Underwood was started simultaneous with the advent of the Rock Island Railroad and has made steady growth since that time. At this writing (1907) it has three general stores, one drug store, two hotels, one restaurant, one meat market, one lumber yard, with large stock, one liv- ery stable, one machine shop, one blacksmith shop, which, in addition, handles farming implements; one harness shop, oue shoe and harness repair shop, one creamery, two elevators, one savings bank, two barber shops, one cement block factory.
The town has two churches, German Lutheran and Latter Day Saints. The Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors also have lodges here. The town has a graded school, with one hundred and thirty pupils, of which sev- enty-two are males and fifty-eight females.
Norwalk township, exclusive of Underwood, according to the state census of 1905, has three hundred and seven of school age, of which one hundred and sixty are males and one hundred and forty-seven females. Teachers receive $40 and $35 per month for first and second grades respectively.
C. G. Reese is president of the board of education ; F. T. C. Johnson, sec- retary_and K. W. Kłopping, treasurer.
The following are the township officers: Trustees, K. W. Klopping, Henry Bensen and William Whitney; clerk, W. F. Schmaedicke; justices of the peace, E. F. Schroeder and C. D. Langfeldt; constable, George Keso; assessor. F. Lee Johnson.
Of F. T. C. Johnson, above named, special mention should be made. For many years he was a prominent citizen of Council Bluffs. In his young manhood he married the only daughter of L. W. Babbitt, one of Council Bluff's best girls, was a democrat of the old school, was public spirited, was president of the first fire company organized in the city, a large contractor, and
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