USA > Iowa > Wright County > History of Wright County, Iowa, its peoples, industries and institutions > Part 10
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ELECTION CONTEST.
The first election contest for a county office in Wright county was that of J. R. McCullum and Miss Ella S. Brown, for the office of superin- tendent of schools. Miss Brown won out after much litigation in the district court, Judge Weaver deciding in her favor. She was seated on June 18, 1888, the year following her election.
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA.
WRIGHT COUNTY'S SONS ABROAD.
Among Wright's county's citizens who have been honored by being made the nation's representatives in foreign lands, was Hon. John E. Rowen who served fourteen years as consul to South America-ten years in the Falkland islands and four years in Punta Arenas, Chile. He was appointed in 1889, and when too advanced in age for further service, he resigned. came home, and traveled and lectured. He died in April, 1914.
CHAPTER VIEL.
AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAISING.
Iowa is classed among the best agricultural sections of the Union-the great Mississippi and Missouri valley country being known the world over for its productiveness-and Wright county can show her share of big yields in grain, grasses and corn. She never fails of having a fair crop, no matter what the weather conditions are. True, there have been two, possibly three, years in its history, extending over three score years, in which the crop was not a profitable one; but, usually speaking, the climate and fertility of soil has rewarded the husbandman with a profitable harvest. Because of this, lands have gone up in value year by year. till today the farm is scarce which will not bring from one hundred and twenty-five dollars to two hundred dollars per acre. Again, it is because of these conditions that farmers have become the independent class of the county. They are out of debt: can have, if they desire, all modern conveniences and luxuries ; travel South or West in winters and are enjoying the fruit of their labors. Many of the old-time "homesteaders" are now retired, with plenty of earthly goods about them, and have sons and daughters who are today reaping where they for long years sowed the seed of prosperity. As their hair is silvering and their sun is fast setting, they look back over the toilsome decades, when railroads were only a hope for the future and when crops brought them but little real money ; but they kept plodding onward and in due time realized the fruition of their hopes and desires.
FARM SPECIALTIES.
Wright county is essentially a stock-raising district. From this county, as early as 1892, there was but little grain shipped direct, it being at first fed to growing stock-cattle and hogs. The state census of 1885 gave Wright county over a half million pounds of butter produced, and sold in the open markets of the world, for one year; of that, one-fourth only was fac- tory made. Five years later, the product had doubled and the quality very materially enhanced. When the county was first settled, the vast expanse
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA.
of wild prairie afforded an endless pasturage for large droves of cattle that roamed at will from one valley to the other-the lowa, at the east, and the Boone, on the west. Foreign cattle men used to feed tens of thousands of steers on the rich grass lands of this county, and in this way made large for- times. When the county became settled, they began experimenting with tame grasses, all of which have proved successful. Clover and timothy yield abundantly and the newer grass, alfalfa, has come to be almost a standard crop and may be cut from two to four times each season. Hungarian grass and millet do well, too, so that it will be seen that a stock grower can select almost any kind of feed, both in summer and in winter, for the profitable keeping of stock. At first the class of stock was none the best, but long years ago it was found poor policy to try to make money on inferior stock, hence the grades and thoroughbreds are now found almost entirely among the better class of farmers.
The number of horses in Wright county increased from 4.780, in 1885, to 7,998, in 1891, and the improvement in blood was fully as noticeable as it was in the cattle of the county. In 1885 there were but six pure-bred horses returned by the assessors, and two standard bred. But now the num- ber runs into the thousands, including both draft horses and roadsters. . At the county and district fairs, the annual exhibition of these fine animals is one of the great attractions, and their style and breeding points are scarcely outdone at the state fair at Des Moines.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTY.
While the construction of railroad lines greatly aided in the settlement of Wright county, there was still another cause, possibly more potent than all others, in bringing about its final development, namely: Of the terri- tory of which Wright county is now a part, nearly the entire area was pur- chased at government prices by speculators. For many years the first set- tlers saw the tide of emigration sweep on to the west, because of the desire to gain homestead and tree-claim rights before it should be too late to secure a quarter section of government land. But it required the test of climate to indicate the best localities, and so it was that, in 1886-7, the attention of homeseekers in this section of the west was especially called to our soil and climate-our crops and possibilities in the production of immense crops. Then the southern counties in Iowa and down in Missouri were parching up under the burning heat and hot winds. Their meadows were brown and bare, stock was without feed and in many instances was sold at a loss for
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fear death would overtake them. But here in Wright county, and all north- ern lowa for that matter, crops were bountiful and prices good. Grain was a very large crop those years and hay was ample for all needs for home consumption and still enough for a lively export. Those years proved the staying qualities of Wright county soil. Even the oldest resident was sur- prised at the results they witnessed. Farmers here planted grain in the spring of 1886, on which no rain fell after it came through the ground, and yet they harvested good crops. It was then that northwest lowa became known as the granary of the country. Thousands of unfortunates who had gone on to cheaper lands in the Dakotas, Kansas and Nebraska, were now dependent on Wright and adjoining counties for their supply of feed and supplies. Many came back here for seed grain and not a few concluded to remain as permanent settlers of the county. Then commenced the influx of colonies from Illinois and Ohio, men of means who sold their home farms at high prices and here selected good lands at a third of the price they had sold for in the East. Some of these settlers bought wild land and some preferred to pay for improved places. In 1892 there was little wild land left in Wright county, what was left open was held at fair prices and still made safe and profitable investments for the purchaser.
There is no better farming section in all this great Mississippi valley than is found in Wright county. Since the first furrow was turned in this soil, no failure of crops has occurred. Neither excessive wet nor drouth, frost nor storm, has prevented the earth from yielding her increase sufficient to keep the people of the county and also to have enough for large exports besides.
PRODUCTS OF THE COUNTY.
In 1880 Wright county had 785 farms, 346 of which were from 100 to 500 acres each, with one farm containing a thousand acres. These farms were mostly occupied by the owners, who worked them until a few years ago. This was a good increase from 1860, when the reports say the county had only thirty-four farms under cultivation. By 1870 they had increased to 323-
In 1905 the number of farms in Wright county was 1,688; the muunber of acres of improved or cultivated land was 281,879; number of renters, 710; number of resident farmers who tilled their own land, 978; number of acres unimproved, 38,149; total value of farms, $18.760,000.
The census of Towa in 1905 gave the following concerning the farm products of Wright county: Number acres in corn, 99,627; bushels,
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WRIGHIT COUNTY, IOW.A.
3.335,000; value, $1.020,000. Acres in wheat, 2,822; bushels, 45,000; value, $35,175. Oats, acreage, 103.761 ; bushels, 2,000,000; value, $511,- 000. Barley, acreage, 1,841 ; bushels, 40,000; value, $14,220. Rye, acre- age, 160; bushels, 4,947; value, $1,608. Buckwheat, acreage, 153; bushels, 1.716; valne. $1, 129. Clover, acreage, 2,622; tons, 4,002; value, $17,000. Timothy, acreage, 22,850; tons, 31,900; value, $138, 148. Alfalfa, acreage, 23 : tons, 43 ; value. $160. Wild hay, acreage, 19,964; tons, 22,350; value, $06.275. Flax, acreage, 344: bushels seed, 4,399; value, $3.884. Clover seed, acreage. 188: bushels, 203: value, $1,288. Timothy seed, acreage, 416; bushels, 1.037; value, $2,294. Irish potatoes, bushels, 117,880; value, $33,165. Sweet potatoes, bushels, 375; value. $149. Sweet corn, bushels, 3.500; value. $1.351.
In tree fruits-apples, peaches, plums and cherries-there were sold $16,728 worth from the county. In small fruits, there were sold $8,043 worth.
The total number of cows was 12,057: total cattle, 37.579; valued at $701,000.
The total number of horses and mules was 10,641 ; swine, 44, 100, val- ned at $235,000; sheep, 2,140; goats, 27; pounds of wool produced, 5,199; number of Shorthorn cattle, 592; polled Durham, 46; Hereford, 41 ; Angus, 51 ; Galloways, 27; Jerseys, 43 : total, 808, valued at $32,000.
The number of chickens in 1905 was 172,000; other fowls, 14,000; number dozens of eggs produced. 514.000, valued at $73.000; value of dairy products. $267.859.
WEATHER AND CROP STATISTICS.
The Iowa weather and crop service bulletin, sent out in 1902 gave the following on Wright county :
Area. 576 square miles ; area in farms, 366,371 acres ; number of farms, 1,878: value of farms (in 1900), $13.221.370; value of farm buildings, $2.048,830; value of live stock, $2.521.948; value of the year's products not fed to stock. $2.584,921 ; acreage in cereal crops, 157,630.
The following tables contain records of the meteorological station at Dows, established in 1896. Elevation of station, 1, 142 feet above sea level. The mean temperature by years was as follows: 1896. 46 degrees: 1807, 45 degrees: 1898. 45 degrees: 1899. 45 degrees; 1900. 47 degrees ; 1901, 47 degrees : 1902. 45 degrees ; average mean temperature, 46 degrees.
The rainfall at Dows station was: 1806, 43 inches: 1807. 26 inches;
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOW.A.
1898, 32 inches; 1899, 27 inches; 1900, 35 inches; 1901, 27 inches; 1902, 46 inches ; an average of 33 inches rainfall for the seven years.
WRIGHT COUNTY CROPS.
The following is the official report on crops from 1890 to 1903, and of the rainfall between May and September from 1896 to 1902:
.Average per Acre.
Total
Corn
Wheat
Oats
Barley Potatoes Hay ( tons ) Rainfall
1890
29
IO
29
25
39
I
1891
39
21
ot
35
101
2
1802.
29
12
25
24
51
1.8
1893
37
15
27
24
ot
1.8
1804
13
13
22
18
23
0.8
1805.
ot
25
58
30
107
1.4
1896
34
12
29
20
04
1.5
20.60
1897
27
15
30
24
31
1.8
16.98
1899
35
16
4 E
34
99
1.5
17.39
1900
43
18
33
34
85
1.7
18.71
1901
26
16
30
25
40
1.4
9.00
1902
25
38
25
57
2
33-49
Average
31
15
34
28
63
1.5
18.36
1.4
12.28
1898
35
18
35
-
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
The Wright County Agricultural Association was formed December 22, 1883, at the court house. It was formed as a joint-stock company as evidenced by the incorporate articles, as follows: "Whereas, we, T. W. Smith, C. N. Oberbaugh, William Welch, F. L. Dow, W. W. Cochrane, J. D. Denison, G. A. Waite, W. W. Courson, J. G. Mechem, E. J. Jameson, Will W. Sheplee, William F. Gibbs, John Summers, and others of lawful age, citizens of the United States and of lowa, have associated ourselves together for the purpose of scientific investigation and comparison, with a view of promoting, and the exhibition of, agricultural, horticultural and mechanical products, do for ourselves, our associates and our successors adopt the following articles of incorporation."
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOW.1.
Among these may here be mentioned one section that read: "The officers shall be a president, vice-president. secretary, treasurer, and a board of directors to consist of sixteen members, one from each township of the county, said officers to be elected annually, on the first Saturday of each year, at which time a regular annual meeting of the corporation shall be held."
Another section was: "The incorporations shall not incur an indebted- ness to exceed twenty-five per cent. of the paid-up capital stock at any one time. The private property of the incorporators shall not be liable for the corporate debts. Five dollars shall be the price of shares and shall be transferrable to the owners thereof."
The officers elected at this meeting were: W. W. Wilson, who declined to serve, and J. G. Mechem was finally elected in his place ; V. P. King, vice- president : G. A. Waite, treasurer. The directors were: Messrs. J. G. Mecham, of Lincoln township; F. F. Downs, of Norway township: F. L. Dow, of Lake township: John Wassem, of Eagle Grove township: C. N. Overbaugh, of Liberty township; J. R. Summers, of Dayton township; Thomas Wallace, of Wall Lake township; William Willix, of Blaine town- ship: William Welch, of Clarion township; S. N. Hinman, of Belmond township: T. B. Kaniman, of Pleasant township; Mark Harvey, of Boone township: J. D. Brooks, of lowa township: D. H. Pepper, of Vernon town- ship; B. F. MeDaniels, of Woodstock township.
Creditable annual fairs have been maintained ever since, and great interest has been shown in all branches of the enterprise, including stock shows, agriculture, horticulture and dairying. as well as speeding of fast horses.
Forty acres of splendid ground were purchased just to the south of the town of Clarion and a half-mile track constructed. Good buildings were erected, which served until the present ones were constructed in 1914. inchid- ing the beautiful floral hall, twenty by eighty-six feet. with a stock shed two hundred feet long, with box stalls. These grounds were purchased in 1884. and today, with the improvements thereon, are estimated to be worth about twelve thousand dollars.
The present ( 1915) officers are: 1. 1 .. Walls, president : William Bell, vice-president ; Ed Hood. secretary: G. R. Grattidge, treasurer. The board of directors is made up of one member from each township in the county. Wright county is now in the North lowa fair cirenit, which includes the counties of Wright, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Mower county ( Minnesota ),
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA.
Bremer, Benton and Black Hawk. A uniform race program and premium book classification is used in all these counties.
In 1888 there was organized at Eagle Grove, a district fair society, taking in Wright, Humboldt and Webster counties, with part of Hamilton. This succeeded in holding several meetings and bid fair to continue, but, owing to various causes, it finally went down.
In the autumn of 1861 a county fair was held at Belmond, one having been held at Liberty the year previous, but neither was a great success. Those two were the first attempts at hokling county fairs in Wright county.
BUTTER-MAKING.
The butter-making industry in Wright county has always commanded the attention of the outside world, and a good grade of butter was known as coming from this county away back in 1870 and 1880, when most of it was marketed at Webster City, in cedar and ash forty- and sixty-pound tubs. It has increased in popularity until today, when tons of excellent creamery butter are shipped from this county to far-away markets of the world. It the little town of Woolstock, in 1897, there was produced at the Fountain creamery three thousand pounds weekly, consuming seventeen thousand gallons of milk, while Goldfield, Belmond, Dows and Clarion each had large and successful creamery plants, turning out the celebrated "lowa Valley" and "Boone Valley" brands of choice butter, which always commanded the highest prices.
HORTICULTURE.
Only a few of the first settlers here believed that this northern climate was suited for the orchard and vineyard, but a few had the notion that it was adapted for the more hardy varieties of fruits and so set out orchards. These included the Middletons, Paine, Haviland, and others on the Boone and as many more on the lowa in the eastern portion of the county. It was found, by the close of the war of the Rebellion, that these orchards were thrifty and good bearing and it was then that others took heart and planted trees that have long ago many times paid for themselves, giving profit and family comfort to hundreds of the citizens of the county. Now all recognize that Wright county is none too far north to produce some of the finest apples within the commonwealth of lowa, flavor and all points considered. It is no longer an experiment. As early as September, 1883. the editor of the Monitor, at Clarion, wrote as follows: "J. M. Rice, of
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA.
Vernon township, handed us samples of Duchess apples grown in his orchard this season, and finer looking or tasting fruit it would be difficult to find in any locality. Mr. Rice tells us that he will have thirty bushels of apples, about one-fourth of the crop he would have had only for the late frosts in the spring. That an abundance of apples can be successfully raised in this section is no longer an experiment, the experience of the past few years having demonstrated the fact. Every farmer should look after the future comfort and profit of this industry by giving the matter attention another year."
In 1907, Will T. Richards, of Lincoln township, raised two hundred and twenty-five bushels of fine Wolf River apples, many of which measured fourteen inches in circumference. The annual exhibits of apples grown in this county has shown that hardy fruits are a paying investment to the land- owner of Wright county.
STOCK RAISING.
Wright county has long been noted for good stock farms; indeed, this was true long years before the country was fenced, when the old herd law was in existence, and the non-resident lands were open to all stock men who desired to take a drove of cattle "up to Wright county for the summer." Many fortunes were made in this way by Hamilton, Franklin and Wright county stock dealers. Who, of the okler men, do not recall the thousands of steers annually fed from the grasses of this county, between the lowa and Boone rivers, their owners including L. L. Estes, A. D. Arthur, E. S. Frank Captain Tyrrell, with many others who had smaller droves upon these broad prairies.
In 1881, say the files of the Monitor, there were nearly six thousand head of steers feeding in Wright county. Again, another item from the same paper, dated 1875, states that there were then grazing in this county fifteen thousand head of cattle. The herd law had been passed in 1874. after which herders had to watch the droves and pay all damages they did to farmers' crops.
In September. 1883. 1. 1. Estes, of Webster City, delivered at Clarion for shipment seven hundred and thirty-five head of cattle ( some forty car loads ) that he had herded in this county, northwest of Clarion. The stock was sold to a Peoria, Illinois, firm and they corn-fed the same the following winter. For these grass-fed steers, Mr. Estes received twenty-seven thou- sand dollars-the largest single sale ever made in the county.
As to general farming, corn and growing of small grains and feeding,
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOW.A.
the following statements may be made, based on items found in the local newspapers of dates named :
In 1876, William Throssell, of Troy township, had the champion corn field in Wright county. In June he had two hundred and thirty acres all plowed through once, and one hundred acres plowed the second time. J. D. Sells had two hundred and ten acres; John Kelling, of Liberty, had one hundred and twenty-five acres; H. W. Montgomery, of Boone valley, had one hundred acres and many more had eighty-acre corn fields at that early day.
In 1883. Hon. A. S. Chapman ( now deceased ) had three hundred acres of corn planted by May 16, and was expecting a harvest of not less than fifteen thousand bushels. Mr. Chapman, a Maine man, always had faith in Wright county and made a marked success of corn, hogs and cattle, in the southern part of this county. The same year, he reported to the Monitor as having had four hundred and fifty acres of corn and a yield of about twenty thousand bushels, which he was feeding to his cattle and hogs at the rate of one hundred bushels per day.
Another successful Wright county farmer was pioneer IL. W. Mont- gomery, who settled in Boone township in the autumn of 1854. He report- ed. in January, 1880, on his 1879 farming operations that he made twelve and one-half per cent. on his farm investment, after paying all expenses. llis farm consisted of 280 acres, valued then at $5,000. One hundred and twenty-five acres were then under cultivation and he had too acres in corn, from which he realized 5,000 bushels; butter sold, $too: forty-eight fat hogs sold at $640; fifty stock hogs left over, valued at $240; fifty head of cattle, etc. lle paid out for help only $75, his son J. M. and himself doing the remainder of the work on the farm. The reader will remember this occurred about thirty-six years ago, when prices were much lower than at present.
The prairies between the Boone and lowa rivers, which were not well settled up till many years later than the river portion of this county, yielded its luxuriant grasses until about 1800 as "free plunder" to stock-men. It was in 1888 that 1. L. Estes, of Webster City, above mentioned as a large feeder here, was styled the "Wright County Cattle King." That year he had more than five hundred steers in this county and herded two thousand more cattle in Minnesota and Dakota. It was stated that he realized a profit ( and stock sold low ) of sixteen thousand dollars that year.
125
1
WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA.
SHEEP RAISING.
The earlier experiences in raising sheep in Wright county were not encouraging to farmers, for much loss was met with in Civil-war days with sheep here, and but few flocks were afterwards kept. But of late years more are being kept by farmers, and they are of a better grade. As an example. W. T. Richards, of Lincoln township, in 19to was keeping one thousand head of fine Shropshire sheep, and he reported them as money- makers, besides keeping the weeds in the fence corners and by-ways trimmed close to the ground. Others then followed his example with profit to them- selves.
HOG CHOLERA. .
The worst epidemic of hog cholera in Wright county occurred in 1896- 97, when the assessors' books show that the total loss in the county was $550,000. Woolstock township lost 4,529 hogs: Wall Lake township lost 4,883, making a total in the entire county of about 75.000 hogs.
SUGAR BEET CULTURE.
While Wright county is not famous for her growth of sugar beets, the industry here needs to be mentioned in the annals of the county as having been of large enough proportions to call for mention among the industries of the farm and garden.
The Monitor, in April, 1910, made mention of a train of five coaches and four baggage cars bearing several hundred beet-sugar workers as pass- ing through Clarion. One car was unloaded at Clarion. They were Ger- mans and were sent to Bode, while the balance were transferred to the Great Western road to be taken to Swaledale, Burchnal and Clear Lake. They were sent from Kansas City and Topeka, Kansas.
In July, 1912, the sugar-beet fields near Goldfield, this county, were reported to the crop bureau as being in fine condition. The growing of sugar beets began in this county, near Goldfield, about 1910, and so well were the farmers pleased with their crop that many went into their cultiva- tion, though not at all on a large scale, as was done in other sections of Iowa. In 1912, the beets averaged ten tons per acre and were contracted for by sugar companies, who furnished Russians and other foreign help to cultivate and harvest the crop. deducting fourteen dollars per acre for such
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WRIGHT COUNTY, IOW.1.
work. Several farmers stated that this was the best paying crop, per acre, that they produced that season.
Just to the north, in Hancock county, the growing of beets for sugar- making purposes was extensively carried on a few years since, but the fac- tory at Waverly, Iowa, has been unable to branch out and do what was con- templated, on account of the removal of the customs duty on sugar. With the duty on, it was a success; with it taken off, it is a failure in this section.
CHAPTER IN.
RAILROAD AND SWAMP LANDS IN WRIGHT COUNTY.
Many landowners in the south half of Wright county derived their titles from or through the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad Company and refer- ence herein to the grants to that company and the legislation which has been passed respecting them will undoubtedly prove interesting. The act of Congress granting the lands to the state of lowa, so far as the same is mate- rially to be set out, was as follows :
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