USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 43
USA > Iowa > Winneshiek County > History of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties, Iowa > Part 43
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"We found here many flint arrow heads, two tomahawks or hatchets, one dead Indian pony and many buffalo and elk horns.
"The Indians had for years dug up the wild sod in the valley in patches and raised a crop of what might be called 'squaw corn', but we broke the first sod on what is now Paint Creek, on the 15th of May, 1850.
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
"The Government put the land into market at one dollar and a quarter per acre about the first of October following, and found us with more claimed than we had money to pay for, but Mr. Wm. H. Morrison, who lived near the mouth of the creek, having been appointed as agent to select a portion of the 500,000 acres granted by the General Government to Iowa for school purposes, came around and we entered our claim as school land; this helped us as well as many more poor settlers by giving us time to get the money and make our payments without submitting to the ex- tortions of the land sharks as the settlers called those who specu- lated in land and reaped a rich harvest, at the expense of the hard working pioneer.
"In the summer of 1850, a large number of Norwegians came in from Wisconsin and settled on the prairie north of the creek among whom were Swen Enderson Hesla, Ole O. Storla, Ole Grimsgaart, Thomas Anderson, Lars Knudtson, Nels Tolfson, Ole Severson, Bennett Harmonson, who lived in their canvas covered wagons until they could build something to get into, and the most of these families are well-to-do farmers in Paint Creek to-day.
Theodore and William Moose and Wm. McCoy came in about the same time. James R. Conway, Reuben Sencebaugh, and oth- ers came in very soon after and settled on the south side of the creek. In the summer of 1850 a family named Ellis, from Linn County, Iowa, came in and selected mill sites on the creek at what is now Beumer's mill. and one of them, Riley Ellis, located a mile site just around the bend below Waterville, known as Peter Iver- son's mill, when he put a pair of two foot French buhr mill- stone on a few logs built over the creek, which were kept running all winter cracking corn for all who came. The buhrs stood out of doors all winter and the next spring-1852-they were inclosed and a small bolt made of book muslin was attached for making buckwheat flour. Then we lived sumptuously, substituting buck- wheat cakes and wild honey for our former diet of pork and corn dodger, and people came from all quarters with their little grists, and in all sorts of conveyances, some from what is now Waukon, some from the Iowa River. It was here I first saw Scott Shat- tuck, late from California, and when I first saw him he held in one hand a piece of raw pickled pork and corn dodger, and in the other hand a large knife with which he was cutting alternate slices of each for his luncheon. This was the first grist mill ever built in the county, if it had capacity enough to be called a mill. I run this mill the most of the time the first eight months. Not long after this Nathaniel Beebe commenced getting out timber for what is now known as the Waterville mill, and later Colonel Spooner and Mr. Carpenter came in and joined him, and the mill was built and started in the winter of 1854 and 1855. They also opened a store in the spring of 1855 near the mill. In
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
the spring of 1851, Thomas B. Twiford, of county seat notoriety, and Wm. McCoy, built the Thomas Ellis saw mill above where Beumer's mill now stands, and it did a good business until 1860.
"By this time many settlers had come in, the Norwegians gen- erally settling on the north side of the creek, the Irish on the south side, with a few Americans and other nationalities sprinkled in and among them, but the large per cent. of settlers were of for- eign birth.
"The county records fail to show when the township was organ- ized by the election of township officers, but there is an entry in them, dated December term, 1353, as follows: 'Paint Creek Township was organized so as to conform to the congressional township of town ninety-seyen, range four. The Trustees gave the township its present name, and the township records show the first election to be held in Riley Ellis' mill, where the corn cracker was, August, 1852, James Bryson, George Watkins, and Reuben Sencebaugh being judges of election. and William McCoy and Thomas G. Ellis were the clerks. The Trustees appointed William McCoy, Township Clerk. These are the earliest dates our records show.
"The first election was held on the first Tuesday in November, 1852, and was the presidential election. The third election was on the fourth of April, 1853, and is the first record I find of the elec- tion of township officers, being for Trustees: James Bryson, An- drew Mitchell and Reuben Sencebaugh; for Township Clerk, Wm. McCoy; for Assessor, James Bryson; for Constables. John Bryson and John Stull; for Justices of the Peace, James Bryson and Reuben Sencebaugh. At this election there were cast for county seat, fifty-eight votes, of which Columbus had forty-nine and Waukon nine. The trustees held two meetings in the win- ter of 1852-3, one to appraise and divide section sixteen, and the other to divide the township into road districts, doing this work so well that the district remains the same to this date.
"In 1856 Mr. James Beebe built a large frame hotel in Water- ville, capable of accommodating all the guests that a town of one thousand inhabitants would furnish, but it failed for want of patronage, and its builder is now in New Mexico. In 1857 was organized in this hotel the Prairie du Chien & Mankato Railroad Company, with the Hon John T. Clark, now of Postville, for President. The object of this company was to build a railroad from the Mississippi at Johnsonsport, connecting there with the railroad from Prairie du Chien, and running up the creek to Waukon, thence west to Calmar and on to Austin and Mankato, Minnesota. Engineer Wm. W. Hungerford was the active man in the enterprise, and devotel considerable time to it, making surveys and locating the line from the starting point on the river to the State line in Howard County. Most of the resident right-
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
of-way on the entire line was secured, and about forty thousand dollars in subscriptions and donations to the capital stock, the de- sign leing to donate this to the railroad company running into Prairie du Chien if they would extend their line across the river and cover the route. The enterprise failed, the extension being made via Bloody Run and Monona, in Clayton County.
"In the spring of 1857, Spooner and Beebe started at Waterville the first tannery ever built in the county. They purchased a recipe for tanning with japonica, using it with hot liquor, thus tanning the hides in a few days so that they could put them on the market and get returns very much quicker then by the old way of tan-bark and cold water. They run their business about two years, but not proving profitable they abandoned it."
CHAPTER VI.
The Villages of Allamakee County; Lybrand, Lansing, Winfield, Waukon, Columbus, Hardin. Smithfield, Postrille, Milton, Vil- lage Creek, Ion, Rossville, Volney, Cleveland, Johnsonsport, Al- lamukee, Nezekaw, Chantry, Alton, Buckland, Manchester, New Albin, Myron. Dorchester, Lafayette, Paint Rock, Waterrille, New Galena, Werford. Union City.
Lybrand .- The first platted town in the county, was founded by Jacob Lybrand, who came from West Union in the spring of 1850 or 1851. It is located on section 15, Post Township, and was platted May 3, 1851, from a survey made April 1st by S. P. Hicks, Deputy County Surveyor. Hiram Jones and Jacob Ly- brand were the owners of the land, and their acknowledgment was taken before Elias Topliff, Justice of the Peace. Being on the main traveled road between McGregor's Landing and Decorah, it soon became a place of considerable importance for those days. Mr. Lybrand opened a store, and a post office was established
there in 1851, but was discontinued a few years later. The old "double trail" to the Indian "Decorah village" ran through this settlement from "Hickory Creek" at Hardin, and crossed the Yel- low River at what was called "the dry sink," from near which one of the mainly traveled branches diverged towards the north, pass- ing west of Waukon and extending to two Indian villages in the Iowa valley near the mouth of French Creek. Mr. Lybrand was a bachelor, of somewhat eccentric habits, and was widely known as a remarkably honest and conscientious man. He remained here
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
a few years when he removed to Minnesota and located a town which he named St. Nicholas, on Lake Albert Lea. The town of Albert Lea got the start of his place, however, for county seat, and he went to Alexandria, that state, from which he was driven by the Indian outbreak of 1862, and returned to Allamakee and Fayette counties for a couple of years. Again going to Minne- sota, he located the town of Red Wood Falls, but finally re- turned toAlexandria, where he died Jan. 21, 1875, upwards of seventy years of age.
Lansing-Was the second village surveyed and platted, in 1851, John Haney and Horace H. Honghton proprietors. The records declare that the plat was filed Jan 7, 1852, and acknowledged not until Dec. 30, 1852, but this is generally conceded to be an error, and that the latter date should be '51.
Winfield-This name passed out of existence about the year '60, it being changed to Harper's Ferry, by an act of the Legislature. It was platted May 8, 1852, by Wm. H. Hall and Dre-den W. H. Howard, before W. F. Ross, Justice of the Peace. This was one of the places voted on for county seat in 1851, under the name of Vailsville. At one time it promised to become a place of no little importance, a secondary channel of the Mississippi, or large slough-Harper's Slough-permitting large steamers to land there except in very low water. The site is one of the finest along the river, being a level plateau above high water mark, ex- tending back nearly a mile to the foot of the bluffs and three miles up and down the river. It is still a good village, to-day, with a popluation of about a hundred and fifty.
Waukon-The original town plat was filed for record December 3, 1853, by the county, as the county seat-which it is to-day.
Columbus-The next in order, was also formerly an important town in prospective, and enjoyed the distinction of being the county seat about two years, from 1851 to 1853. A few little old buildings, out of repair, comprise all that remains of its original glory. Its location is on the south side of the mouth of Village Creek, and there is but little room for a town. It is sometimes called Capoli. Leonard B. Hodges, Thomas B. Twiford, and Aaron Chesebro, had it surveyed and platted June 30, 1852. Elias Topliff also had a proprietary interest in the place at one time. North Capoli is on the north of the creek and adjoins South Lansing. It was platted April 16, 1860, by Elias Topliff and J. M. Rose, "Trustees of the Columbus Land Company No. 1." Twiford and Jones, Alex McGregor, and others of MeGregor's Landing, we believe, were the original locators of this village site and landing. L. B. Hodges and a man by name of Carpenter opened a land office here at an early day. Hodges is now (or was recently) Commissioner of Forestry of the State of Minnesota, and has also, we believe, had charge of the setting out of trees along the line of the Northern Pacific railroad. Twiford went to Min-
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
nesota, where he located and laid out the town of Chatfield, and became quite well to do, but lost his wealth in the crisis of 1857, and is now in Kansas.
Hardin-Is located (the original plat) partly in this county and partly in Clayton. The owners at the time of platting-January 9, 1854-were Leonard B. Hodges, in Allamakee, and Joseph and Almiralı Collins, over the line. This was a point of some note for a number of years prior to this date, it being one of the four post offices in Allamakee County in 1851, the others being Post- ville, Lansing and Tom Corwin (later Johnsonsport). The post- master at that date was L. B. Hodges. Additions were platted in 1856, Hardin Center; in 1857, East Hardin, and in 1859; but were mostly vacated, and the village is no larger now than thirty years ago. There was at one time a large steam grist mill here, located on the Clayton side of the line.
Smithfield .- N. W. 4, Sec. 24, in Franklin township. Platted February 11, 1854; acknowledged before John R. Wilson, J. P., by Wm. M. and Sarah Smith, and Austin and Harriet Smith. This is the site of one of the many excellent mills along the course of Yellow river.
Postville .- Was not platted until June 1, 1853, although its settlement dates from 1841, as before stated. The proprietors of the town plat were Mrs. Zeruiah and George S. Hayward.
Milton .- On Section 18, Lafayette township, was laid out by Jesse M. Rose, December 7, 1854. He it was who here built the first flouring mill in the county, in 1853. Afterwards, in March, 1857, Mr. Rose had another tract of land, lying to the east of Milton, divided into lots and blocks, and named it after the stream -Village Creek. In the latter year, also, September 7, Eldridge and Marilda Howard (Mr. Howard was a Methodist divine) platted a tract of land adjoining the original town plat of Milton on the north, and called it Howard Center. All three surveys are now spoken of as one town, Village Creek, which was the name of the postoffice when established there about 1857. An effort was made to have it called Milton, but there was already an office of that name in the State. Hon. L. E. Fellows, now of Lansing, was the first postmaster. Its population in 1880 was only 167, but it is an important manufacturing community, possessing sev- eral flouring mills and a woolen mill, which will be alluded to under the head of manufactures.
Ion .- In Linton township, was surveyed and platted by D. W. Adams, January 1, 1855, for Sewall Goodridge, Chas. W. Cutter and Abram J. Kennison. Population in 1880 was fifty-five. This place was sometimes called Bunker Hill.
Rossville .- The first settlement here was made in 1850 or 1851 by Wm. F. Ross. It was laid out May 31, 1855, by David and Catherine E. Skinner, Wm. F. and Sarah I. Ross, Elias and Mary A. Hatfield, in accordance with survey made by Joel Dayton,
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
county surveyor, May 15, and acknowledged before Jackson Mitchell, J. P. This village was at one time an aspirant for county seat honors, but failing therein its prospects were blighted. A steam saw-mill was among its notable features in the early days. There are now three church buildings-Baptist, Presbyte- rian and Methodist,-a good school-house, hotel, and two stores.
Volney-On the eastern line of Franklin township was laid out by Samuel and Margaret Biggs, February 12th, 1856, in accord- ance with a survey made the previous October. Thos. Crawford, J. P., took the acknowledgment. We have not been able to ascertain the date of its first settlement. The Volney flouring mills have always been among the best in the county. Popula- tion in 1880, 93.
Cleveland .- In the extreme southeastern corner of Post town- ship, is one of the places that existed only in prospective, though the land was laid out in town lots March 3, 1856, by James M. and Marie Ann Arnold, who settled there about 1850, or '51. It is near Reuben Smith's location of '49. John Laughlin was the Justice before whom they acknowledged.
Johnsonsport -- At the mouth of Paint Creek, was the earliest steamboat landing in the county and is supposed to be the place of the first permanent settlement outside of the Old Mission, the circumstances of which have been related in another place. Of course it was an important point in the early days, though but few houses were ever erected there. In 1851 there was a postoffice at this point called "Tom Corwin," with Armstrong Glover as postmaster. It was laid out as a town April 3, 1856, by Henry and Mary Johnson, Armstrong and Emily Glover, Geo. L. and Ann Miller, Wm. F. and S. 1. Ross, Michael and Mary Clark, and M. Rafter. Geo. L. Miller, J. P. This was on the N. fr } of sec- tion 15, Fairview township, and was surveyed by Joel Dayton, County Surveyor.
Allamakee-Lay to the north of and adjoining Johnsonsport, on fractions 5 and 6, section 10, and was platted in February, 1858, by Wm. W. Hungerford, County Surveyor. The later postoffice of Allamakee was some two miles further down the river. After the settlement of Lansing, Columbus and Harper's Ferry, this point dwindled into insignifigance, and with the exception of a time when it was brought to notice as the river end of the mythi- cal Prairie du Chien and Mankato Railroad, remained in that condition until the construction of the Waukon and Mississippi Railroad, in 1877, again brought it into prominence, but its origin- al names are now lost in the postoffice of "Waukon Junction.
Nezekau-Is one of those mythical towns whose very site'is ut- terly unknown to a majority of our inhabitants, and whose name is almost forgotten except when discovered on the map. It existed (only on paper) to the south of the mouth of the Yellow River. on fractions 3 and 4, section 34. Fairview Township. It was laid
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
out December 12, 1856, by Chester N. Case, I. N. Bull, Lawrence Case, F. I. Miller, H. L. Dousman, B. W. Brisbois, Preston Lod- wick, and F. C. Miller.
Chantry-Is another of the old town sites that have almost faded from the memory of all except those who are familiar with the records. It was laid out by Augustus French, Aug. 24, 1857, on the northeast fraction of section 12, Lafayette Township, five or six miles below Lansing, and doubtless had hopes of one time be- coming a useful and perhaps important river point.
Alton- - Is still another of the hopeful young villages of the fif- ties, which are nearly forgotten. Its situation was in the Iowa valley, on section 1 in French Creek Township, near the mouth of the stream of that name. It was platted Jan. 5, 1858, by W. W. and Nancy Woodmansee.
Buckland-Is the site of Buckland Mills, and is located on the Yellow River, very near the center of Linton Township. Laid out April 28, 1858, by Austin and Harriet L. Smith, John and Lucy Davis, and Asa and Cordelia Candee; acknowledged before James H. Stafford, J. P. The town plat was vacated May 10th, 1881.
Manchester-Is known as Manchester Mills, in the northwest corner of Franklin Township, on the south half, northwest quar- ter, southwest quarter section 6, and is so near to Cleveland that the names are used interchangeably. The plat bears date of May 10, 1859; surveyed by Joel Dayton in '56; and is acknowl- edged by Peter M. and Judith Gilson, before Trumbull Granger, Justice of the Peace.
New Albin .- The youngest town in the county, had a popula- tion in 1880 of 423. Its location, on the banks of a large slough just south of the Minnesota State line, is well adapted for a large town, being high and level ground, and only its distance from the main channel of the river prevented its becoming such, as it has a large section of fertile farming and dairy lands, through the northern portion of the county, naturally tributary to its market. It owes its origin to the building of the Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad, in 1872, being laid off into blocks and lots in November of that year by J. A. Rhomberg, J. K. Graves, S. H. Kinne, Hily Ross, and administratrix of John Ross.
The New Albin Herald, a six-column folio sheet, was estab- lished about June 1st, 1873, by Dr. J. I. Taylor, who placed his son, James E. Taylor, in immediate charge of it as a publisher. The following year it was discontinued, and the Spectator, an eight page paper, was established by E. S. Kilbourne, who con- tinued its publication until May, 1879, when he removed his office material to a new town in the West.
Myron .- Is situated on the Yellow River, in Post Township, near the north line, and dates its platted existence only from May 8, 1873, although it is an old-time settlement and far more en-
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY.
titled to be styled a village than many of the mythical towns so- called. It has possessed a large and excellent flouring mill for many years; also a store, postoffice, blacksmith shop, etc.
Dorchester .- The site of Haines' Mill, on Waterloo Creek, in the eastern part of Waterloo township, was settled early in the fifties, but was not platted until November 27, 1873, the proprie- tors being S. H. and Elsie T. Haines. It is quite a business-like community, with a population of 101, according to the last census.
Lafayette-Was a settlement on the river, in the township of that name, a short distance above Chantry. The first comer was one Gordon, in 1850. It was a good boat landing, and at one time possessed two stores and a large steam saw-mill; but if the land was laid off into lots it was never platted. In 1857 the saw-mill was changed to a grist-mill by Kinyon & Amsden, and in 1859, we believe, was called Foot's Mills. At this date no settlement to amount to anything exists there.
Paint Rock-Was another river point that "was to be," on Har- per's Channel, in Fairview township, section 3, near the Taylor line. At an early day (probably in 1850) Wm. H. Morrison, at one time School Fund Commissioner, brought a small stock of goods and the inevitable barrel of whisky to this point, where he built a small house and started a store. His building has disap- peared, and there is but one house there at this time. Mr. Morri- son afterward went to California, where he died insane.
Waterville .- A thriving village of 75 or 100 inhabitants, on Paint Creek, fourteen miles from Waukon and nine from the river. The first settlements in the neighborhood were made in 1850. In 1854 the Waterville mill was erected by Nathaniel Beebe, and the same year Col. J. Spooner came and bought land, and the following winter or spring purchased a part interest in the mill, which was then completed and put into operation. Col. Spooner returned to the East in the fall of 1854, but in May, 1855, came on again with a stock of goods and started a store, in which he was joined by Daniel P. Carpenter. In 1856 James Beebe built a large frame hotel, the outlook at that time being very promising for the future growth of the place, possessing, as- it does, three of as good water-powers as can be found anywhere in the valley. Here was organized the old "Prairie du Chien & Mankato Railroad Company." After the collapse of this enter- prise the many natural advantages of this village site were lost sight of, until its growth was renewed upon the construction of the W. & M. Railroad in 1877, since when there have been sev- eral substantial stores and a grain warehouse erected, and it is now a live little market town, the only railroad station between Waukon and the Junction. Although laid off into lots and streets at an early day, it has never been platted.
New Galena .- The old village of this name was situated on the north side of the Iowa River, in Hanover Township, at the mouth
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HISTORY OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
of Waterloo Creek, and nearly opposite the mouth of Mineral Creek, which comes in from the south, through what was at one time supposed to be a rich lead region; hence the name of the creek and settlement. The land in which it was situated was bought of the government by Peter Lander, July 1, 1852, who sold it to Phineas Weston, of South Bend, Ind., June 22, 1853. In 1856 one A. C. Tichenor discovered what he supposed to be paying quantities of lead, in the valley of Mineral Creek, and not having sufficient means of his own to carry out his plans, went to New York City to get men of capital interested, stopping in Indiana to see Phineas Weston, the owner of the land, with whom it is supposed he made satisfactory arrangements for opening a mine. În New York he succeeded almost immediately in inter- esting one Jas. T. Moulton, who laid the matter before another party of some means, Aug. F. Lee, and together they proceeded to act in the matter. Mr. Lee came on with Tichenor, looked ov- er the ground, procured specimens of the ore and had it tested, and everything proving satisfactory Moulton and his son Arthur came on with all the necessary materials and laborers and pro- ceeded to erect buildings. Among others, they built a large store, which was filled with a huge stock of goods purchased in New York by F. M. Clark, who had accompanied Tichenor east for that purpose, and who clerked for Moulton & Lee until the fol- lowing January. At one time the company had as many as a hundred men in their employ. The village site was laid off into lots and streets, and some of the lots were sold at good round prices; butit was never platted. The village at its best comprised some eight or ten houses, but they have disappeared, and at this time the land where the town stood is one of the best farms in the Iowa valley, and is owned by Levi Green, who purchased it from the creditors of the lead mining company. Some of the buildings were moved off, and others left to fall to pieces. Among the latter was a large stone barn which stood until a couple years ago or so, a monument of the New Galena folly.
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