USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 33
USA > Iowa > Winneshiek County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 33
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Burr Oak is the second from the west in the northern tier of townships. Geo. V. Puntney, now of Plymouth Rock, settled on section 30, in 1851. "Burr Oak Precinct" for several years em- braced all the northern tier of townships. For its several divis- ions, see County History. Burr Oak village is on Silver Creek, near the center of the eastern side of the township, and about three-fourths of a mile from its eastern line. It was platted by S. Middlebrook, May 16, and plat recorded July 14, 1855. Sam- uel S. Belding was proprietor of the town plat; Manning's addition was recorded October 15, 1856. By the census of 1880, Burr Oak
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CHAS . PAULK.
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THE MEN TORE
ASTOR LERDE TILDEN FOL DATY-
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
township has a population of 826, and the village 199. It is about 12 miles north of Decorah, with which it is connected by A. M Preg's daily mail and stage line.
A: J. Cratsenberg is postmaster and has a good general store. S. H. Willets is another merchant, and there are several other branches of business. There is a good hotel, the American House, kept by J. H. Porter. There are three church buildings, the Methodist, Congregational, and Second Adventists, and an Odd Fellows lodge of 40 members, with a hall of their own. It has limestone quarries, and the surface of the country is rolling and fertile, and well settled by intelligent farmers. In the fall of 1881 a five per cent. tax was voted for a railroad through Burr Oak, known as the Minnesota, Iowa & Southwestern, running from La Crosse southwest, and there are prospects that it will be built, and increase the importance and business of the village. In the southern part of Burr Oak township is the famous Cold Spring cave and underground lake described in the preceding chapter re- ferring to pleasure resorts accessible from Decorah. Judge M. V. Burdick thus writes of Burr Oak in 1853:
"When I saw its location, the beautiful groves that surrounded it on every side, the undulating country in every direction, the limpid stream of pure and sparkling water, cold and clear, that wound its way through the place, I could not fail to admire the judgment and discernment of the men who decided upon the place for a site of a town. In after years I became better ac- quainted with the resources of the country, its exhaustible supply of timber, and its two excellent quarries of blue limestone un- surpassed for building purposes."
HESPER TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
Hesper Township, in the northern tier of the county, adjoins Burr Oak on 'the east. Benjamin L. Bisby settled on the south- west quarter of section 29, in 1850. The next year brought in quite a number of settlers. The first permanent settler, E. E. Meader, reached his new home there on the morning of April 12, 1851, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 10, where his present residence stands. Mr. Meader came to Iowa in the fall of 1850 from his home in Maine, stopped in Clayton County, and meeting a man named Frazier, from Wisconsin, they came to- gether, looked over the lands, were pleased with them, and in March, 1851, came with teams and prepared building sites. A. M. Waterman had, several weeks previous, encamped on a part of section 11, engaged in making sugar. Having cut and hauled logs for their dwellings, Meader and Frazier had to go eight miles for hands to help them put it up. Mr. Waterman provided the meal at this pioneer house raising. Having split out boards to roof their buildings, they piled them up, and started for the Volga
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
settlements for their families. Mr. Meader and family canie alone, however, in April as above stated, Mr. Frazier not coming till fall.
"Late in the evening of April 11, 1851, they reached Ackerson's, about four miles from their destination, where they were pursuaded to pass the night. But early next morning, without stopping for breakfast, they pushed on to their new home, set out the cook stove beside the unfinished house, and there, in the open air of the chill April morning, Mrs. Meader prepared and set before her husband and 5 children, the first of many thousands of meals which she was destined to serve upon the same spot. The walls of the house had not even a doorway, and the first proceeding after breakfast was to cut an entrance, and then to put on the roof, for which purpose a supply of nails had been brought in the wagon. By night the family had a shelter overhead, and a loose, temp- orary floor of split boards; but the walls being entirely without chinking, and only a blanket hung across the doorway, the first night, which was stormy, with wind, rain and snow, was cheerless enough. By a dint of hard labor, pa- tient endurance, and the advance of the season, they were, in the course of a few weeks, settled in comparative comfort."
D. D. Huff and his wife Anna, settled on sec. 29, on the 26th day of April, 1851.
"In the summer of 1853 there was quite an influx of settlers, among them Tristram Allen, a member and minister of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, who, with his family, came from Michigan, in August ot that year, and bought out Frazier's claim, upon which he settled and lived for almost twenty years, or until a short time before his death, which occurred in 1873. Two months later several other families of Friends came from some part of Michigan and settled some of them within the limits of this township, and some just over the line in Minnesota. Thus was begun the nucleus of the Quaker Settlement at Hesper, which has ever since been one of the prominent features of the place. Among those who came at this time was Geo. N. Holway, a native of Massachusetts, but for a time before his coming to Iowa a resident of Michigan. He purchased and settled upon the claim located by Larsen, on section 9, where he lived for. a number of years, and then removed to Decorah. Also Joseph Gibbon, D. Allan, Ansel Rogers, and Abraham West. In the spring of 1855 was held the first regularly organized meeting of the Society of Friends in the new settle- ment, and in the course of the summer, a number of families of that persuasion came in from Vermont, adding materially to the Quaker element and to the prosperity of the settlement. Among these were Russell Taber and his broth- ers, who. having purchased the claim originally located by Waterman, began to make preparations for erecting a steam mill. This they got in running or- der, so as to do sawing, before winter set in. This mill, with its subsequent additions and enlargements, still stands on the north side of the village of Hes- per. During the winter a small building was put up, a stock of goods pro- cured, and the first mercantile establishment in the place was opened, by H. H. Whaley, on the corner now occupied by Meader's store. With opening spring came another influx of immigrants, among them, several families of Friends, from Indiana. and in the course of the summer of 1856, the members of that society erected a meeting house, on the southwest corner of section 10, from which place it was, a year later, removed to a lot within the bounds of the town, then being first laid out. On the third day of July, 1856, T. N. Wilson arrived with his family from Jackson County, where he had stopped for two years after coming to the state, from the East. Immediately after his arrival he began preparations for erecting a house. On the last day of July, the build- ing was so far completed that the family moved into it, and on the the third day of August it was first opened for the entertainment of travelers. The next year still more marked advances were made in the way of enterprise and im- provement. In April, the first Methodist Quarterly Meeting was held in Wil- son's house, and the Rev. Mr. Lease, then quite a young man, was placed up- on the charge as minister. In the summer a school house was put up on a lot
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
where the building now stands, but no longer used for its original purpose; it is now known as the "Grange Hall." The first term of school in this house was taught by Eaward W. Holway."
In March, 1868, the present library association and literary so- ciety, "The Philomatheans," was burned. They have a library of about 300 volumes. The present large and handsome school building was erected in 1872. The church of the Society of Friends was built in 1870; the Norwegian Church about a year later, and the Methodist Church in 1873. The State Line, and afterwards, Winneshiek County Fairs were held for: several years at Hesper, and the village last fall voted a tax to the proposed Southwestern railroad, referred to in the sketch of Burr Oak and in the County History. The plat of the village was recorded February 24th, 1858. The township was organized the same year. It is near the northern part of the township, and fifteen miles north from De- corah. The township by the census of 1880, had 1,000 inhabi- tants, of which 212 were in the village of Hesper. The post- master is Dr. F. Worth, who keeps a drug and grocery store. Dry goods and other branches of business are well represented. Wm. Beard & Sons, Decorah, have a branch of their Ice Cave Creamery here, and the stock farm of Geo. Q. Gardner, of De- corah, is in Hesper township.
HIGHLAND.
Highland is the northeastern township of the county. Its post- office, Highlandville, is in the southern part of the township.
"Previous to the year 1851, Highland township was a wild and unsettled region, with the vast country lying west of it. But in that year, three young men-Erick Davidson, Magne Nelson and Hagen Mastad-immigrated, in the spring, from Dane County, Wisconsin, and sometime in June, of that year, settled about one mile north of where Highlandville is now situated. In the spring of 1852 there was quite an influx of immigration, and among the most notable were the Arnesons, Knudt Bjorgo, M. John, Nels Nelson, Sr., with a family of three boys, viz: Andrew, Ole and Nels, Jr., who have played quite a conspicuous part in the history of Highland township. In the same year Al- bert Stoneson made his appearance with a blooming young bride. He is now surrounded by a large family of young men and women. In the years follow- ing there were quite a number that came to Highland township, among the most notable of whom was E. Berg, father of the late Hon. K. Berg and Rev. J. Berg. K. Berg had preceded his father to this country, and had made his home, before his father's arrival here, in Dane County, Wis.
"When Decorah enjoyed the palmy days of the U. S. Land Office, High- land township suffered with the rest of the county in respect to her unoccupied lands. Every acre was gobbled up by speculators, and great was the trouble among the squatters who had not already a United States patent on their homestead. A great number lost their land, as they were not able to borrow money at the then ruling rate of interest, which was 40 per cent. The immi- gration then ceased for quite a while, and was almost at a standstill till 1860, or the beginning of the War of the Rebellion. But in the meantime the pio- neers of Highland had not been idle. Most of them had become well-to-do farmers, and many of them were already on the road to wealth, Lars Ofson came from Muskegon here in the year 1851 with only a few hundred dollars. He began to lend his money at 40 per cent., and in the short space of twenty years had amassed a fortune of almost $100,000, without any kind of specula-
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
tion whatever. Olson died a few years ago, and his money is divided among his large family of ten boys and girls, who are scattered over the southern part of Minnesota.
"About the year 1856, a school district was organized, consisting of almost the whole township. At that time the township was not very thickly setttled. In the spring of 1857 a small log school house was erected, which has long since given place to a large and commodious frame building, with all the mod- ern improvements. It was in this old log school house that the late Prof. Berg taught his first English school, and where K. Bjorgo, Jr., learned his A B C's. He is now a young minister of the Lutheran Synod, of marked ability. Mar- tha K. Bjorgo was the first child born in the township.
"In 1857 a Lutheran congregation was organized in Pleasant and Highland townships, and they, in conjunction with Spring Grove, Minn., called C. L. Clauson as their spiritual adviser. He served the two congregations for some time; but his labors became too arduous, and the congregations separated about three years after their organization, Spring Grove retaining the minister, who only lived a few years longer, he being the first Lutheran minister that died in this country."
Highland township had a population of 782 by the census of 1880. Highlandville has about 50 inhabitants. Bear Creek fur- nishes power to its flour mill, and it has a store and other busi- ness.
ORLEANS TOWNSHIP.
This is the western township of the second tier from the Minne- sota line. We have no record of the first settler. Edwin M. Farnsworth was there in 1855. It was then known as Pilot Grove but in 1858 its name had been changed to Orleans. The post of- fice for a large part of its inhabitants is Cresco, just across the Howard County line, though it has no village, it is famous for its fine farming country, beautiful rolling prairie. In former days a cheese factory was one of the prominent enterprises of the town- ship and now its stock farms are famous for their fine herds of Holsteins and other herds of blooded cattle. Among these are the stock farms of L. R. Brown and Chas. Crapser, who made splendid showings at the late Winneshiek County Fair, at Decorah. Mr. Crapser also took his herd to the Minneapolis Exposition, where he carried off all the best premiums. Population of township by cen- sus of 18SO, was 636.
BLUFFTON TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
The township of Bluffton is the second one from the county line from the east and the north. The population of the township is given as 807. of which the village, which is about one mile north of the center of the township, has 102, and is 12 miles northwest of Decorah, with which it connects by a tri-weekly mail and stage. The village and post office of Bluffton is situated in a romantic valley of the Upper Iowa River, about 40 rods wide. On one side the valley is overhung by a wall of precipitous rock, presenting a romatic and picturesque appearance, and the river and valley at and near Bluffton, is famous for its romatic and beautiful scenery,
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not excelled in this county, or State. The village was founded by Henry and Lyman Morse, sons [of "Uncle Philip" Morse, promi- nently mentioned in the history of Decorah. A saw mill was built there by Henry Morse in 1852. The plat of the village was recorded October 3, 1856. The Morse brothers lived there for years, and built a grist mill before they went away. Henry Morse built the grist mill for Joseph Speilman, at Spillville. Both the brothers finally went to California, having sold out their interest in Bluff- ton. Greer & Boggs bought the grist mill, and ran it for some years, the first named member of the firm being John Greer who now has charge of the Greer & Hunter Mill, Decorah.
This mill, which is a prominent business institution of that part of the county, is now owned by Rice & Hale, the partners being Almon Rice, for some years holding the office of County Supervis- or, as well as other offices and F. G. Hale for a time County Sup- ervisor, and recently County Auditor for three successive terms, to January 1, 1882. Both are prominent and enterprising citi- zens of the county.
Bluffton is on the line of the proposed Iowa, Minnesota & Southwestern railroad, a reference to which and the tax list voted is found in the chapter of chronological history of the county, and for which the right of way is being purchased, as this is written, and paid for in cash, when demanded. The river here is spanned by a handsome and substantial iron bridge. The village, which contains about three hundred inhabitants, is connected with De- corah by a tri-weekly mail. The postmaster, A. H. Meader, is an enterprising, popular young man, who also keeps a store well supplied with general merchandise. J. J. Glossman & Co. also keep a good general store. Lange Moritz, Justice of the Peace, is one of the early settlers, while O. E. Cooley, another old set- tler, can entertain you by the hour with reminiscences of early . life.
The village has also a hotel, shoemaker, blacksmith, cooper and carpenter shops; physician, barber, and other small places of bus- iness. F. R. Fletcher, millwright, isone of the old citizens, and an active business man, now engaged in traveling for the sale of mill machinery.
The village of Bluffton is supplied with two churches, Catholic and Methodist. The population of the village is 102, and of the township, 807. The township as well as the village is settled with an enterprisising class of people, and especially with its pros- pective railroad and its fine water power, has a promising future before it.
CANOE TOWNSHIP.
This township is the first one north of Decorah. It takes its name from the "Canoe River," which flows through it and emp- ties into the Upper Iowa, beyond the eastern border of Winne-
306
HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
shiek County. Its postoffices are Decorah, and Springwater on the Canoe River, 6 miles from Decorah, where is a good fall of water, and the mills where E. Blakeman manufactures excellent flour. Those residing in the northeastern corner get their mail, from Locust Lane, P. O. in Pleasant township. Population of the township, 991. One of the well-known oldest settlers of the county, O. W. Emory, came there on the 20th of August, 1849, and settled on the northwest quarter of section 17. Among the other settlers were John W. Hohn, who came here on the 30th of July, 1850, John Fredenburg, who settled on section 6, on the 20th of October, 1850, and Simeon M. Leach, who came on the 12th of May, 1851. Further particulars of early settle- ments are given in preceding pages of County History.
The beautiful grounds of Col. Taylor. described elsewhere in this volume, are in Canoe township, about six miles north of De- corah.
PLEASANT TOWNSHIP-LOCUST LANE P. O.
According to the tax lists, Pleasant township took its name and place in 1856. It is the eastern one of the second tier. The Ca- noe runs across the southern portion, and the Upper Iowa River across the northeast corner. Population in 1880 was 929. Lo- cust Lane postoffice is near the extreme northwestern corner of the township, has a population of about 25, and is on the tri- weekly mail route between Decorah and Hesper. I. T. Shipley is postmaster, and keeps a general store. It is 10 miles nearly north from Decorah.
"In the year 1850, two Germans from Pennsylvania, viz: John Klontz and Wm. Vale, pitched their tents in the northwest corner of Pleasant township, Vale choosing for his homestead what has since been known as the Locust Lane Farm, deriving its name from the locust trees that were planted on each side of the road immediately after the land was fenced in. John Klontz took up his ranch on the south side of Vale, and both went to work. They made money, as everything they had to sell brought them good prices. Mr. Vale one time enjoyed the privilege of holding all the township offices, except con- stable, at one and the same time. He was the first justice of the peace, the first assessor, and the first clerk the township had. He also built the first brick dwelling in Winneshiek County. Klontz and Vale have both since sold their farms and moved to Missouri. In the following year the first influx of Nor- wegians commenced. They were: Hover Evenson, Ole Magneson, and Erick Erickson, who came here from Cambridge, Dane County, Wisconsin, and Pet- er K. Langland, Lewis Peterson, Knudt K. Liquen and K. Erickson, from Illinois. Hover Evenson was the first blacksmith in the northern part of the county. He long since abandoned his trade, and attended exclusively to farm- ing; he is one of the wealthiest farmers of his township. Ole Magneson and E. Erickson settled in the northeastern corner of the township. The latter is still on his old homestead, living in a house which has become somewhat noted from the fact that it is all built from one pine tree. The walls are a solid plank, six inches thick, and only three such planks from the floor to the ceiling in the first story and two above. The floors, roof-boards, window and door casings are from the same tree. It was all sawed up with a hand-saw, as the logs could not be moved from the place where the tree grew, on Pine Creek. Ole Magneson introduced the first reaper into the neighborhood. and was also the owner of the first threshing-machine in that township.
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
"In the year 1853 there was another influx from Dane County, Wisconsin, prominent among whom were Bottolf Olson, Magne Langland, H. Hendrick- son, Sven Olson, Ole Thorson, and others. In 1858 Ole B. Olson was one of the first settlers of Dakota Territory, and was elected the first judge of the ter- ritory, which position he occupied until his death, in 1875. Erick B. Olson, the younger brother, was one of the first four men who climbed the mountains of Colorado in search of gold, in 1859."
"The first school-house was built at Locust Lane, in 1854, and served, also, a church for every denomination. The second school-house that was built is still standing, and is known as the Ellingson school-house. This was built of logs, quite large, and intended to serve as a church for the Lutheran congrega- tion that was then organized in connection with Highland and Spring Grove. It was built mostly by private funds; every farmer would bring so many logs and work so many days. This district consisted of portions of four townships, viz: Pleasant and Highland, in Winneshiek, and Waterloo and Hanover, in Allamakee. 'The first school was taught by James Lennon, of Frankville township. The late Hon. Ole Nelson taught the first school in this house, and was also the first Norwegian Representative in the Iowa Legislature."
"In 1855 aud 1856, almost all the land was taken up, and what was not was bought up by speculators when the land office was in Decorah. Among those who came later may be mentioned K. Thompson, who became sheriff of this county in 1870, and was as good an officer as the county ever had. Al- so Peter Sampson, O. W. Ellingson, and the Johnson Brothers (of whom there were seven at one time). There is also another fact worth mentioning, and that is this, that almost every one of the pioneers that came into the town- ship in the years 1852-3-4, with the exception of one or two, are still living on their old homesteads, which shows that the pioneers must have been a strong, healthy and vigorous set of men."
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP-RIDGEWAY.
This township is the western one of the central tier of the county. The Turkey River flows diagonally southeast through the township, a little west of the center, on it is Dauber- smith's mill. Ridgeway railway station, post office and village is near the center of the eastern half, about one mile from the town- ship line. Population of township in 1880 was 992. Ridgeway has a population of about 350, and quite a number of good stores, elevator and grain ware houses, and other places of business. D. O. Aaker, late State Representative, of the firm of Galby & Aaker, is one of the prominent business men. S. Pike, hotel keeper, has been its historian in times past, and from his writ- ings the present sketch is mostly gleaned.
"The first settlement was made in Lincoln Township in the spring of 1852, Knud Alfson built a small house and broke up a few acres on Section 27, while Lars Thompson commenced about the same time on Section 34. In the fall of the same year, Jacob Knudson and Kittle Sanderson established themselves on Section 22. The next year Gunder Kittleson, Albert Kittleson, Gulliek Thomp- son, Tove Thompson and Thomas Thompson, settled in the immediate neigh- borhood, while John Seleir, Michael Farrel, Charles Straun, John Wholehan, Nels Olsen, Charles Junek, H. W. Klemme, Andrew Michael, Philip Kratz and Wm. Blackburn, came in during the two or three years following. The town- ship of Lincoln was formerly reckoned as an integral part of Decorah, an ar- rangement that did not last very long, as a reconstruction of the map was soon effected, by which the present township was apportioned to Sumner, and upon the authorized survey and platting of townships, was given its present name.
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HISTORY OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY.
In 1866, Ridgeway existed only its name. About this time, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. P. railway having reached there, the railroad company built a house for their accommodation, and Mr. S. Pike soon after took charge of it. The building was 16x32 feet base, one and a half stories high, divided into sev- eral compartments, and ceiled throughout with good matched flooring. Mr. Pike with his wife moved into the house December, 4, 1866, a day ever to be re- membered in their experiences of housekeeping. Though the ground had been frozen for some time previous, the heavy rains that had fallen the preceding week had thawed the earth again, and the different gangs who were grading the prospective grounds, and also a gang of track layers who were putting in a switch and laying a spur of track for present accommodation, had made the house a place of resort for shelter during the heaviest of the rains, and when they reached there about dark of that rainy December night, the prospect was dreary enough. Fred. Gashorn and James Kinney, antedate Mr. Pike's claim to the title, "oldest inhabitant," by about two or three weeks. They did not live within the limits of the present village, however, but were about a hundred rods below, the winter was unusually severe and protracted. the last passage of the snow plow being on March 28, 1876, and that after a three days' effort from McGregor.'
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