USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 13
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"Remember that a day, an hour of virtuous liberty is worth a whole eternity of bondage. Do your duty, fellow democrats, your whole duty- vote early, and then see your neighbors; assist them to the polls and when the sun shall set you will not have occasion to regret your supineness and apathy, but, on the contrary you will be seen returning from a well fought field, bearing aloft with stalwart hands the time honored standard of democracy, not a star dimmed, nor a stripe defaced-singing the glad song, lowa is redeemed !
"ONE OF THE OLD GUARDS."
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PUBLIC LIBRARY, AMES
CHAPTER XII.
COUNTY AFFAIRS BEFORE THE WAR-(CONCLUDED).
It has been noted in connection with the indictment of Barnabas Lowell for the murder of his wife, that the first session of the district court in the county was held by Judge Mckay of Des Moines, at the home of County Judge Evans, on the western border of what is now Milford Township, on September 24, 1853. The second term was held in Nevada in the fol- lowing year, and is understood to have been held in a new store build- ing that was built for a stranger, who contracted for it, but did not re- turn to pay for it, on the corner immediately north of the present court house site, and that was later removed to the location west of the city park. In the course of this year, the first court house was built, under the ad- ministration of Judge Evans as county judge, on the corner where the Lockridge residence now stands, southwest of the court house block, and this building was from that time occupied for the purposes of the county, as well as for a public hall, sometimes for a school, and for various other public uses, until its destruction by fire in the early morning of January 1, 1864. Judge Mckay did not continue long in the judicial service, but was succeeded by Judge Cave J. McFarland of Boone.
Judge McFarland was a member of a family that were then and have for the most of the time since, been prominent in Boone affairs, and he was a representative upon the bench of the early democratic regime in this portion of the state. He was a man of whom many stories were told, and it is evident that he was a very striking character. That he was of judicial temperament, probably never would have been claimed for him; but in a rough and ready, and distinctly frontier fashion, he administered justice as he regarded it, without very much attention to form of law. One story is of his meeting the sheriff on the road with an admitted horse thief, from whom he then and there accepted a plea of guilty, without the formality of an indictment by the grand jury, and whom he forthwith committed to the penitentiary for a five year sentence, which the un- fortunate horse thief duly served. Another story is of his suspending court to go out and shoot a covey of prairie chickens that were seen through the window to fly up from the prairie. His capacity for the absorption of intoxicating liquors was large, and he is credited with having taxed it well
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to the limit ; but this was a habit that in those days was more readily toler- ated by public sentiment than would be its exercise in similar situations now. Notwithstanding his own attitude on the liquor question, the judge instructed a grand jury that they were not responsible for the law, and that it was their business to bring in indictments against any one selling liquor, closing with the reminder that there was plenty of liquor being sold in town. He was always accompanied by his dog and gun in journeying from one county seat to another ; and upon his arrival in town, or upon his return to town after an early adjournment of court, there would be a liberal distribution of chickens. He was more distinctly typical of the mixture of frontier standards with the forms of official procedure, as un- derstood in old settled communities, than any other one man whose name has come down from that period in this county. But the habits which characterized him and which have secured for him so definite a place in the county's history, so undermined his constitution that he did not live out his term, but died at an early age.
The carly comer in the county had undoubtedly the proper interest in the matters of religion. but, distinctly church edifices were not erected in any number until the county had progressed considerably in population and material development. The first church in Nevada was built in 1855 by general co-operation, at the solicitation of the organization of Cum- berland Presbyterians. It was located on the west side of Elm street between First and Second avenues south. That particular church organi- zation, however, proved to have the most of its effective strength in the Mullen settlement and after a time the church property was disposed of and a new church built by the congregation at the center of Nevada Town- ship. The second church was at Iowa Center; and the Norwegians very early built a Lutheran church in the vicinity of Huxley and another about 1862, a mile east of Story City. The number of churches in this period. however, was not indicative of the amount of preaching. A church, in a sense, is an evidence of wealth as well as religion, but religious services would be and were held in the school houses, court house and other edi- fices that would serve for the purpose.
In the pioneer days, there was no denomination more active among the settlers on the frontier, wherever that frontier might be. than the Methodist church, and the Methodist circuit riders were very early in the county or on its borders. Rev. John Parker conducted services at Iowa Center on February 24. 1855, and in 1856 a quarterly conference was held in the Parker neighborhood between Nevada and Cambridge, Rev. J. E. Hestwood being the pastor in charge. Mr. Ilestwood appears to be re- garded as really the Father of Methodism in Story County; as he was the first minister to take up the work of that church definitely in this field. He was himself the son of a Methodist minister, and one of four brothers who engaged in the same profession. He lived until April, 1908, and the Northwestern Christian Advocate, in an obituary notice, says: "Indian
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trails enabled him to make the journeys around his next circuit, the Story mission, which was 53 miles long and 30 miles wide. In each of these charges, the parsonage was a log cabin built by him. The Story mission circuit allowed him to be 36 hours at home each week during the year. These are samples of his strenuous pioneer life. He and others like minded gave Methodist tone to lowa in the early days," Mr. Hestwood was a man who left a strong impression on the people who knew him; but it was not until after the Civil war that the churches he founded, even in Nevada, built a church edifice of their own. Similarly, the Presby- terians built their first church at Nevada, after the war; but it was not until some time later yet, that the Catholics became sufficiently numerous to put upon a definite footing their churches at Nevada and Colo.
Notwithstanding, the more or less primitive conditions of the time which we are now considering, it is to be recorded of the people of this com- munity that they did what the present generation finds it difficult satis- factorily to keep doing; that is, they held a county fair. This fair was held at Nevada in October, 1859, very shortly following the close of the political contest of that year; the state election then being held on the second Tuesday in October. The livestock exhibit was about two blocks west of the present court house, and the in-doors exhibit was in the old court house. It is recorded that there were altogether 114 entries, and that the fair was a decided success, and went off better than the most sanguine had expected; that the ladies' department was far superior to calculations, and that none supposed that such an array of fine articles was to be found in the county; also that the display of horses was ex- cellent, and so was the cattle. The editor of that time further notes that, it being the first attempt at anything of the kind, there was great timidity in regard to bringing better stock or produce ;- which last expression dem- onstrates that the original editor was called upon to set an example, which his successors have often found occasion to imitate, of apologizing for the very numerous class of people in the county who might bring exhibits to the county fair and do not do so.
After Barnabas Lowell had been duly disposed of for the murder of his wife in 1853. the county appears to have been singularly fortunate as to matters of criminal proceedure; for, while there were doubtless the usual number of lesser crimes and while horse-stealing was a practice from which the people more or less suffered and for which they were occasionally able to inflict due punishment, yet it was not until near the close of the Civil war period that the county had occasion for a second murder trial. In the matter of accidents, however, the story is not so gratifying. A daughter of Henry Bailey was killed by lightning in Nevada, and Major Hawthorn's eldest daughter was struck at the same time, but recovered.
The most shocking of accidents, however, pertained to prairie fires. Tradition is to the effect that the modern inhabitant of the well grazed country, has no conception of the great mat of grass that could be accu-
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mulated on the surface of the prairie when there was nothing to remove it excepting an occasional fire. Under such conditions, fires once started, progressed rapidly and were likely to sweep all that was before them. The one successful way to fight one of the fires that was well started, was by starting a back fire, and the back fires themselves sometimes proved to be nearly as dangerous as the original fires. It was from one of these back fires that came the first death that is reported in the local paper, as having been occasioned in the county, at least, after the local newspaper had been started. This death was of a six year old daughter of Peter Larson of Lafayette Township, who in November, 1859, was caught in a back fire, that was started by a neighbor woman to fight a greater fire, which the little girl and her mother had been helping to fight. The little girl was burned to death. Much more notable, however, was the destruc- tion of John Swearingen and his family of a wife and four children, to- gether with their team and dog on the prairie in the northern part of Mil- ford Township. This disaster will be further noted in connection with reminiscences of persons in the neighborhood, later on, but the incident is to be here noted as one that greatly stirred the people of the county. Mr. Swearingen was a brother of one of the earlier Methodist circuit riders in this county, and he was bound with his family for his new location west of Webster City. It was in the fall of 1860. they were overtaken by a fire which had started down in Grant Township, and which swept for many miles northward across the prairie. He was in the wagon asleep when the fire overtook them; and before he could get his family out of the wagon, he and his wife were both knocked down by the excited horses ; and, when he recovered himself, there was nothing he could do for his family but to watch them burn, and he himself died from his injuries ten days later.
Of the general appearance of the country, in the latter fifties, we have a couple of editorial expressions from the editor of the Advocate, the one pertaining to a trip for a week and spent with friends at Johnson's Grove in July of 1859. At that time, he advises us, there were several fine farms, both on the prairie and near East Indian creek, along the route. Mr. James C. Lovell's prairie farm and frame residence were sightly and made the passer-by think that comfort is located there with thrift. J. P. Pool's farm was in a beautiful location and his crops looked very promis- ing. it being situated on the east side of the creek. Micah French's man- sion was seen to the southward on a commanding elevation, attracting the attention of the traveler. Mr. Watt Murphy had a good farm, immediately east of Mr. Poor's, but his growing crops generally were not quite so for- ward. To the northeast of Mr. Murphy's was past John Counihan's place, situated in the southeast corner of the grove, and well sheltered from the northwest winds. The crops appeared as good as any observed. In the distance were noticed Page's, Kelley's, O'Niel's, and other gentleman's farms in the northeast portion of Johnson's Grove. Situated in a pleasant
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nook was the domicile of his host, whom he seems to have neglected to name. All around it was beautiful scenery, on the northwest fine timber, while on the east and south was a vast and rich prairie, slightly descend- ing southward. At his friend's hospitable mansion, he found good cheer and pleasant company, and the following morning, he attended Sabbath school and listened to a sermon by Rev. Swearingen in the afternoon at the school house. This was a comfortable frame building, occupying a pleasant location.
Also the editor made a trip across the country to Webster City and back by the way of Homer. Homer was correctly referred to in his report as being "nearly finished." This village was immediately east of the county line between what are now Hamilton and Webster counties and near the fork of the Des Moines and Boone rivers. Its location had been very promising at the time when Boone and Webster counties were a single county under the name of Webster; for Homer was the county seat of the consolidated county, with all the prospects legitimately pertaining to the center of 32 or more congressional townships of undeveloped but ยท prepossessing prairie; but when the counties were divided and two new county seats established, then the hopes of Homer declined, and the visit- ing editor was ready to anticipate its final demise as early as July, 1857.
On this trip, Editor Thrall stopped at Story City, where he found his friend Morganson at his counter ready for customers; though troubled with a bad felon on his finger, yet in good, jovial spirits as was his wont. He appeared to be doing a good, big business in the way of catering to the wants of his customers. Thence he entered upon the long territory which commenced at this point, and was soon out of Story. Hamilton county, though a fine country as far as was observed, was not, in the editor's opinion, quite so good as Story in several respects. Where broken, Hamilton was the more broken, and where level was more so than Story. Webster City was found to be a thriving business town of some one hun- dred inhabitants. No county buildings had yet been erected. There was a fine tavern, several stores, and at the office of the Hamilton Freeman, which was already established, he found Mr. Aldrich, the publisher. It was a good office, and the publisher was reported as doing a fair busi- ness, and appeared to be a whole-souled gentleman. Homer, he found, as noted, to be nearly finished, and he there visited Judge Smith at the Cottage House. Mr. Almsteed had a fine house at Saratoga, six miles east of Homer, where a short stop was made. The crops looked fine along the whole route, though the corn along Skunk river seemed the most forward of any. Wheat and oats were being cut on several farms. The Norwegians were settling along the road, and they appeared to be good farmers. Over 50 of them had settled in the county during the season.
Along in May, 1858, there was another and quite surprising evidence that the county was progressing ; for the editor reports, without any evidence of excitement, however, on his own part, that considerable excitement had
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been raised in town on the previous Saturday by the announcement that gold had been discovered in the creek just west of town, and quite a num- ber had hurried with pans and shovels to the diggings. The editor procured all the specimens said to be discovered that he could find, and, after test- ing, discovered that he had ten specimens of brass and two of gold. The editor reached the conclusion that there might be gold in Iowa, but he was inclined to believe that it could only be found in the soil, and that only by using plow, shovel and hoe industriously on the rich prairies.
There is also, in this same time, the suggestion that the Eldorado in the west which the emigrant was ever seeking, was being looked for farther westward than the residents on the yet only partially settled prairies of lowa thought to be necessary. The Advocate quotes on this subject. from the Davenport Gazette, to the regretful effect that the excitement for the far west was tremendous, and emigrants and others were over- looking some of the very best lands in the whole northwestern country. when they left the fine lands of Iowa to go to Kansas and Nebraska be- cause the excitement was there; for lands in lowa and Illinois could be bought cheaper by 25 per cent than in the territories, meaning Kansas and Nebraska, and their advantages were from 25 to 100 per cent greater. The actual settler was advised to go at once and enter himself a farm while he might, of the large amount of the very best quality of lands yet to be entered in lowa; for lowa was making rapid strides toward great- ness, and a few years would make her one of the wealthiest states in the union.
About the same time, the lowa State Journal at Des Moines, published a description of central lowa, in which it described Story County as em- bracing a large amount of fine prairie, lying between the streams. The amount of timber land in the county was estimated from government sur- veys, at 21,800 acres, and by the census of 1856, there were in the county of occupied and improved land. 8.484 acres, and of unoccupied and un- improved land, 52,045. According to this author, there were in 1856 of religious denominations represented. the Methodist. Baptist. Presbyterian and Episcopalian organizations. The Skunk river was described as a fine stream, which description does not harmonize well with other reports and perhaps discredits somewhat the prospectus, and says, more truthfully, that the prairie soil is deep, rich and productive. The line of the Iowa Central Railroad is described as nearly bisecting the county east and west. This railroad, be it noted, having been at the time a paper railroad, fitly called the Air Line, and hoping ultimately to be able, by the aid of the land grant which was later forfeited for lack of construction, actually to con- struct the same. Stove coal was stated to be found here, which was true over on Squaw creek on the western border of the county, and has later been true of other portions of the county, although not in quantities that were profitably worked. In Nevada, the Shire-town, and lowa Center were
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the principal towns of the county and the only ones that were apparently thought worthy of mention.
In all of this time, the travel across the country was generally over prairie routes and by private conveyance. The first postoffice was at Nevada, in 1853, T. E. Alderman being the only settler and inevitably the post- master, and mail was established, with a weekly service over a route to Des Moines, J. P. Robinson being the first mail carrier. Along in 1857, J. A. Fitchpatrick then a youth on his father's farm, in what is now Ames, on the east side of the Squaw creek, was the carrier on a mail route which was then established from Nevada, by way of Bloomington, to New Philadelphia, the postoffice at Bloomington, being known as Camden. This was Mr. Fitchpatrick's earliest public service, and for one round trip each week, he received the compensation of 75 cents. Mail service and travel both gradually improved, however; and whereas, the earliest definite routes of travel had been indicated by a furrow plowed across the prairie from one settlement to another, affording sometimes the only safe guide for the traveler across the otherwise unmarked country, there came to be established from time to time, definite state roads, which were con- structed in the most favorable locations with little, if any regard to section lines, and which were more or less improved where the necessity for such improvement was most obvious at the crossings of streams and sloughs.
These roads led very much more directly from one town to another than by the present highways as between towns that are not on the same parallel of latitude or meridian of longitude ; and for this reason, they have, in later years been generally lost sight of in the reconstruction of the highways existing upon lines of the government survey. The most im- portant of these roads across the county, came from Marietta in Marshall County, by way of Clemons Grove thence across Sherman Township to the crossing of East Indian, south of Johnson's Grove, and thence across Richland to Nevada. At Nevada, it crossed by the west ford, near the southwest corner of the Nevada cemetery, thence across the prairie to Bloomington, and from there to New Philadelphia. There were branches southwest from Nevada. from the lower ford, direct to the Skunk river crossing near Cambridge, this being the main route to Des Moines; while southeastward, there was a route through Iowa Center to the county line at Peoria, where it divided in the directions of Newton and Des Moines. As the railroad progressed westward, and the travel increased, a hack line was established over the route from Marietta and from there to Des Moines or Boonsborough ; and, when the railroad in the latter part of the war period, finally reached here, the traffic by the Western Stage Com- pany, over this route, became very considerable; that is, for stage travel, but in the fifties, there was very little actually of this sort of service. Col. Scott records that he tramped into town in 1856, and, as a general rule, the traveler who could not furnish his own outfit or find accommodation
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with some one going in the same direction. had to walk or depend upon such facilities as the mail carrier was able to afford.
But all of this time, the county had been developing. It was not yet a great county, but, at the beginning of 1860, it had a considerable popula- tion and well-defined politics, had made the beginnings from which were to result the first great railroad and the very great institution of practical education ; and, without knowing what it was really doing it was getting into shape to bear its share in the great struggle for the Union, which was soon to come. As the initial action of the county, in respect to this struggle, it is recorded in the Advocate of January 11, 1860, with most discouraging brevity, as follows: "As per public notice, the republicans of Story County met at the court house and organized by calling J. P. Robinson to the chair, and appointing R. R. Thrall secretary, the object of the meeting be- ing to appoint delegates to attend the state convention to be held at Des Moines, on the 18th inst. and elect delegates to attend the republican na- tional convention ; for the purpose of nominating a candidate for president and vice president. It proceeded at once to business and appointed E. C. Evans, T. C. McCall, Geo. Child and P. A. Queal, delegates, and T. C. Davis. M. F. Baldwin, J. 11. Miller and F. Thompson, as alternates." There are no comments and there are no suggestions of controversy; but this mass convention, apparently not very largely attended, and certainly occa- sioning no excitement, was the part which the people of Story County, in their individual capacity, took in the nomination of Lincoln. How many of these delegates actually attended the state convention, we do not know, but T. C. McCall did attend, and he lent his best endeavors to the election of John A. Kasson as delegate at large to the national convention. The delegation which lowa elected to that convention was considerably larger than the number of delegates to which the state was entitled, and the dele- gates had to cast fractional votes, and these were considerably divided as to the candidates; but Kasson was made the Iowa member of the com- mittee on resolutions, and is credited with having been one of the chief framers of the platform on which Lincoln was elected; so Story County was early and effectively lending its influence in support of the political movement that was soon to succeed, but opposition to which would involve the country in a consuming struggle.
CHAPTER XIII. PIONEER REMINISCENCES.
MAJOR S. P. O'BRIEN- 52 AND LATER-INTERVIEW BY JESSIE B. PAYNE.
It was only fitting that it should be a mellow autumn day that I was permitted to have my chat with the silver-haired major and his smiling wife. One naturally expects a hush to have settled down over a room where even a semi-invalid is confined but there is no gloom-nothing but brightness and good cheer in the room where Major O'Brien sits in his wheeled chair. His mind is clear and his speech unimpeded. And Major Parley Sheldon, who kindly presented me to this venerable couple of the old and new Ames remarked, "You may have infirmities, Major, but they're not of mind, not of mind." In a smiling, unassuming manner then the Major proceeded to give some pioneer stories, and I have tried not to spoil them by changing a word. Major O'Brien said :
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