USA > Iowa > History of western Iowa, its settlement and growth. A comprehensive compilation of progressive events concerning the counties, cities, towns, and villages-biographical sketches of the pioneers and business men, with an authentic history of the state of Iowa > Part 50
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61
T. S. Smith was born in N. Y. in 1814; removed to Ogle county, Ill., in 1847; moved to Buena Vista county, Ia., in 1869. He, with his sons, entered land, and then engaged in merchandising at the old town of Storm Lake; also engaged in the hotel business. He is the owner of the City Hotel property, which he built at the time he moved to this place; was a member of the city council during its first and second terms. He married Mary Caldwell, of N. Y. They have eight children, James S., Augustus, Mary C., Sarah, George B., Alfred J., Hattie D. and Libbie C.
A. L. Stetson, of the firm of A. L. Stetson & Co., dealers in gen- eral merchandise, was born in Farmington, Ill., in 1855; received his education at Boston and Lake Forest, and in 1878 came to Storm Lake, and engaged in the above business, which was estab- lished in March, 1879, and occupies a fine brick store building, of two stories and a basement.
Geo. Stetson, of the firm of A. L. Stetson & Co., was born in N. Y. in 1829; removed to Ill. in 1851, and engaged in merchandising and banking; came to Storm Lake in May, 1878, and is a member of the above firm; also operates 5,000 acres of land in this vicinity.
J. R. Sovereign, manager of W. C. Hockett's Keystone Marble Works, was born in Cassville, Wis., in 1854; moved to Cresco, Ia., in 1871; thence to Eldora; thence to Muscatine, and in 1880 to Storm Lake. He married Addie C. Saucer, and has three children, Stella, Clark and Plummer.
M. Tolle, dealer in general merchandise, was born in Columbus, O., in 1823. In 1850 he moved to California, and in the autum of 1854 located in MeLean county, Ill., where he residel until 1872,
460
HISTORY OF IOWA.
when he came to Storm Lake, and engaged in the grocery busi- ness, which he has since changed to the above. He married Helen Westervelt, of įOhio.
H. O. Thomason. of the firm of Gilbert & Thomason, was born in LaSalle county, Ill., in 1859; came to Storm Lake in 1879, and was in the employ of Geo. E. Ford & Bro., until he engaged in his present business with J. W. Gilbert.
Vestal & Sutfin are the editors and proprietors of the Storm Lake Pilot, which was established in 1870, is a seven-column folio, republican in politics, has a circulation of eight hundred copies, and has never missed an issue since it was established. Terms, $2.00 per annum.
T. N Warren, of the firm of Warren & Mann, was born in De Witt, Ia., in 1850; moved to Storm Lake in 1881, and became a partner in the above firm.
C. Wilcox, M. D., was born in N. Y. in 1838; removed to White- side county, Ill., in 1855; thence to Jackson county, Ia., and after several changes of location, settled at Storm Lake in 1877. He was formerly connected in the ministry with the Baptist church; engaged in the practice of medicine in 1876. He married Amelia A. Ingham, of York, Ill., and has three children, Lucy J., Lizzie E. and Charles E.
George Witter, dealer in furniture and undertaking materials, occupies a two-story building twenty-one by seventy feet, and also owns the adjoining building, size 32x40 feet. He was born in Du- buque county, Ia., in 1851, and learned his trade at Dubuque and Galena, Ill. In 1878 he came to Storm Lake, and engaged in busi- ness as above. In 1878 he married Kate Bauman, of Dubuque county. They have lost, by death, one child, named Lora.
A. H. Witt, of the firm of Witt & DeLand, was born in Clark county, Ia. He moved to Madison county, and in 1879 came to Storm Lake. In 1881 he became a member of the above firm.
ALTA.
C. M. Bean, manager of the Alta lumber yard, was born in Penobscot county, Me .; moved to Ia. in 1871, and settled in Mitchell county. In 1880 he came to Alta, and engaged in busi- ness as above. He carries a large and complete stock of lumber and builders' supplies.
D. Burke, of the firm of D. Burke & Co., millers, is a native of Mass .: moved to Dubuque, Ia., in 1836. He came to Alta in 1879, and established his present business. They have recently put in the patent rollers, and the mill has now a capacity of sixty barrels per day.
461
HISTORY OF IOWA.
R. B. Dando, M. D., and furniture dealer, is a native of N. Y .; moved to Dubuque county, la., in 1838; thence to Alta in 1873, and engaged in the practice of medicine. The Doctor is the owner of some valuable patents. He engaged in the furniture business in 1881.
G. Gerner, dealer in general hardware, is a native of Pa .; came to Iowa in 1877, and engaged in farming near Alta. In 1880 he moved into the town, and engaged in business as above.
L. J. Harvey, M. D., is a native of Ohio. He began the practice of medicine is 1866; moved to Iowa in 1870, and opened office in Storm Lake. He came to Alta in Feb., 1882, and is already en- joying a lucrative practice.
Chester Hunt, dealer in sewing machines and musical merchan- dise, is a native of Pa .; moved to Story county, Ia., in 1861; thence to Buena Vista county in 1868. He built the first house in Nokomus township. In 1881 he came to Alta and engaged in business as above.
Dr. W. Kamp, jeweler, was one of the first to locate at Alta. He began the practice of medicine, and has since engaged in the jewelry business.
G. S. Kendall, proprietor of billiard hall, was born in Ill .; moved to Hamilton county, Ia., in 1855. In 1857 he came to Alta, and engaged in his present business.
R. J. Macdonald, of the firm of Macdonald & Prue, dealers in general merchandise, was born in Washington, D. C .; moved to Ind. in 1845; thence to Ill. in 1857; thence to Iowa. He soon after returned to Indiana, and was for several years employed by the Wood's Reaper Co., as traveling agent. In 1880 he came to Alta, and engaged in business as above.
William M. Reeder, furniture dealer, is a native of Ohio; in 1855 he settled in Johnson county, Ia., and engaged in contracting and building. In 1870 he moved to Storm Lake. His wife-now deceased-was the first white woman to locate there. He came to Alta in 1879, and engaged in business as above.
T. O. & C. J. Wiss, dealers in clothing, boots and shoes, also grain and stock, are natives of Sweden; came to America in 1869, and settled in Chicago, Ill .. They moved to Iowa in 1875, and en- gaged in the hardware business. In Aug., 1881, they engaged in business as above.
NEWELL.
H. O. Austin, manager of J. H. James' harness shop at Newell. The firm carries a complete line of harness, saddles, whips, robes, blankets, etc. This is a branch of Mr. James' large establish- ment at Sac City, and was established in March, 1880, with Mr. Austin as manager.
462
HISTORY OF IOWA.
Ball & Brooks, physicians and druggists, established drug business Jan. 1st, 1882. They occupy and own a brick building, two stories high, and carry a large stock of drugs, fancy and toilet articles, stationery, cigars, etc. They employ W. J. Kilingbeck, who is a registered pharmacist. Dr. J. H. Ball graduated from the Keokuk Medical College in 1880, and engaged in the practice of medicine at Newell. Dr. J. M. Brooks, also of Keokuk, commenced the prac- tice of medicine in March, 1881. His office is over the store.
W. H. Borman, of the firm of Swezey & Borman, dealers in lumber, lime, paint, etc., was born in Franklin county, O., in 1850. In 1869 he came with his parents to Sac county, Ia., and the fol- lowing year he pre-empted land in Buena Vista county, six miles north of Newell. In 1876 he entered the employ of L. T. Swezey, and in Jan., 1880, became a partner. Mr. B. conducts the above business, which is situated near the depot. He was elected mayor in 1881. Mr. Swezey is proprietor of an extensive hardware establishment.
O. A. Cate, dealer in general merchandise, formerly of Sher- brook, Quebec, Canada, came to Newell and engaged in his present business in partnership with his brother, C. W. In Feb., 1882, he became sole proprietor. His store is in Harris & Parker's block, on Fulton street. He employs two salesmen.
William Conley, of the firm of Conley & Watt, proprietors of the Newell livery, feed and sale barn, came to Newell in 1877 from Sac county, where he had been engaged in farming for ten years. He formed a partnership with L. S. Watt, and engeged in his pres- ent business. They occupy a barn on First street; have accommo- dations for sixty horses; keep for livery purposes eight teams and nine buggies and carriages. They are proprietors of the hack line between Newell and Sac City, and make daily trips, carrying the mails. Mr. C. was appointed city marshal in March, 1881. Mr. Watt came to Sac county in 1860 from Ohio. He was engaged in farming until Aug., 1881.
C. Dillon, dealer in general hardware, came to Buena Vista coun- ty, Ia., in 1877, from Delaware county. He engaged in farming for four years; then moved to Newell, and purchased the business of L. T. Swezey. He owns the building he occupies on Fulton st .; carries a complete stock of hardware, tinware, stoves, etc., and employs one tinner.
Ellis Bros., proprietors of restaurant, confectionery, billiard par- lor and barber shop: established business in Oct., 1881. They came to Newell in May, 1874, from Green county, Wis., and en- gaged in farming, alo contracting and building, previous to estab- lishing their present business.
Hon. L. H. Gordon. dealer in lumber and coal, came to Newell, Ia., from Dubuque where he had been engaged in manufacturing doors, sash and blinds. He was burned out in August, 1870, and.
463
HISTORY OF IOWA.
the same year came to this city, and engaged in business as above. He represented this district in the 17th general assembly, session of 1877 and 1878. He was the first mayor of Newell, and served two years.
Harris & Parker, bankers, brokers and dealers in real estate. The business was established in 1871, under the firm name of Con- dron & Harris. In 1873, S. A. Parker purchased Mr. Condron's interest, thus forming the present firm. They own and occupy a brick building, thoroughly fitted with fire proof vault, etc. They own valuable town property, and about 3,500 acres of real estate throughout the county. H. E. Harris came to Newell from N. H. in 1871. Mr. Parker moved from Quebec, Canada, to Newport, Vt., thence to this city.
L. F. Holbrook, proprietor of the Northwestern flouring mills, of Newell, Ia .. was formerly of Vt. He engaged in his present business in 1878. The mills were built by J. B. Thomas in 1871, and were purchased by L. H. Gordon & Co., who sold to the pres- ent owner. The mills have a forty-five horse power engine, and a capacity of fifty barrels per day.
C. Everett Lee, proprietor of the Newell Mirror, which was es- tablished June 15th, 1875, by W. White, who sold it to B. C. Hull in Dec., 1878. It was afterwards purchased by J. N. Miller, editor of the Sac Sun, who sold it to the present owner in July, 1881. The Mirror is the county official paper, republican in poli- tics, is an eight-column folio, and has a circulation of about five hundred. Mr. Lee was born in Schoharie county, N. Y., in 1846; moved to Sac county, Ia., in 1862. He served during the war of the rebellion in the 10th Ia. Vol. Inft. In 1876 he came to New- ell, Buena Vista county.
Thomas Mankey, wagon-maker and blacksmith, came to Newell from Mineral Pt., Wis., in Aug., 1879, and established business as above. He owns and occupies a building on Second st., and em- ploys two men.
F. P. Mack, postmaster and dealer in stationery and news, came to Newell in 1870 from Alden, Hardin county. His wife is a milliner, and carries a large and well selected stock of goods; occupies same store-room with the postoffice.
Norton & Welch, dealers in general merchandise and grain, are also proprietors of the Newell creamery. J. T. Norton and John R. Welch comprise the firm, which was established in 1878. Their mercantile business is in Union Block, and occupies a room twenty- four by one hundred feet, which is well filled with general mer- chandise, and necessitates the employment of three salesmen. The creamery was established in 1881, and has a capacity for making two thousand pounds of butter per day.
464
HISTORY OF IOWA.
H. M. & J. T. Redfield, of the firm of Redfield Bros., dealers in grain, live stock, agricultural implements and coal, came from Oswego, N. Y., to Newell in 1872, and the following year estab- lished their present business. They own two elevators, with a combined capacity of ten thousand bushels; office and warehouse, on First st. They handle all the leading manufacturers' goods.
W. E. & G. H. Riddell, of the firm of Riddell Bros., dealers in general merchandise, established business in Ang., 1879, in the Swezey block, corner of Fulton and Second sts. They have a but- ter and egg packing department in the basement, and there em- ploy one man. W. E. Riddell was formerly engaged in business at Manchester; G. H. was formerly with Field, Leiter & Co., of Chicago.
W. H. Stott. proprietor of the City meat market, was born in Philadelphia, Pa. "He moved to Fairfax, Va .; remained one year; then returned to Pa., where he resided until 1868, when he moved to Iowa and located near Fonda, Calhoun county. In 1871 he came to Newell, and engaged in business as above; has also been engaged in the livery business here. He keeps a first-class mar- ket, and employs two men. Mr. S. has been marshal of Newell two years, and a member of the city council. During the war of the rebellion he served in the 110th Inft., and was twice wounded.
William Wart, of the firm of W. Wart & Son, dealers in gen- eral merchandise, came to Buena Vista county, Ia., in 1869, from N. Y. He purchased land, and has been actively engaged in farm- ing ever since. He owns 440 acres of land, four miles east of Newell, which is well improved and stocked. He has been a mem- ber of the board of supervisors for several years. The store is in Union block, on the corner of Fulton & Second sts. They carry a large and well selected stock of goods. The business is conducted by T. A. Wart, the junior member of the firm.
.
465
HISTORY OF IOWA.
CRAWFORD COUNTY.
The county of Crawford is twenty-four miles north and south by thirty east and west. It contains twenty Congressional townships, or a superficial area of 720 square miles, and lies on the Western Slope, the second county east from the Missouri River, in the fifth tier from the northern and southern boundaries of the State. It is well watered by running streams, the largest of which is the Boyer River, which traverses the county diagonally from northeast to southwest, entering five miles west of the northeast corner, and passing out three miles east of the southeast corner. East Boyer River, its most important tributary, enters Crawford from Carroll County, flows in a southwesterly direction, and unites with the main stream at Denison, a little southeast of the center of the county. Other important tributaries of the Boyer are Dunham's, Walnut, Ernst, Buss, Welsh, Paradise, Buffalo, Otter, Boone, Coon and Buck Creeks. The Nishnabotany River and Williams Creek, with their several branches, water the southeastern portion of the county. Soldier River, which crosses the northwestern cor- ner, receives a large number of tributaries, among which may be mentioned Beaver Creek. A branch called East Soldier also passes through the northwestern part of the county, with a by no means inconsiderable tributary called Spillman Creek. Willow River waters a considerable portion of one township in the southwestern part of the county. All of the above streams are small, with the exception of the Boyer River, but all afford an abundance of wa- ter for stock throughout every season of the year. In a number of places fine springs are found, and good well water is obtained at moderate depths. The water of the running streams is excellent for drinking and domestic uses, and is usually clear and cold.
The finest groves of timber are on the Boyer and East Boyer Rivers, a number of groves being scattered along some of the smaller streams, however. The largest body of timber in the county is Mason's Grove, beginning about five miles northeast of Denison. This grove includes about 2,000 acres along the east side of the Boyer River. Dunham's Grove, on the East Boyer, six miles east of Denison, contains about 300 acres of timber, among which is a quantity of black walnut. In other parts of the county are groves of good timber, principally on or near the Boyer River. The timber lands of the county aggregate about sixteen sections, or 10,240 acres-about one acre of timber to each forty- five feet of prairie. The following varieties are included: Black oak, burr oak, black walnut, black and white hickory, linn, hack-
466
HISTORY OF IOWA.
berry, soft maple, ash, elm, cottonwood, cherry, etc. The shrub- beries are principally ash, sumac, hazel, pith-alder, etc., which gen- erally grow in the valleys, or about the edges of the timber. There is an abundance of walnuts, hickorynuts and hazelnuts. Wild fruits grow in abundance; there are plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, cherries, crab apples, wild currants, and occasionally blackberries. In consequence of the scarcity of native timber, many of the farmers have planted groves of silverleaf ma- ple, cottonwood, black walnut and box elder, all of which have grown with astonishing rapidity; so much so that the former bound- less expanse of prairie has within a few years become dotted with beautiful groves, which ere long will re-arrange the nature of the country, as they have already diversified and improved the land- scape, affording, moreover, as great additions to the principle of utility as they have already made in the direction of ornamentation.
The surface configuration of the county is rolling, the divides separating the streams being bulky masses of earth which sweep down into the valleys over beautiful declivities from the undulating plains above. Near the headwaters of the streams the surface is more rolling and broken than on the main divides, in a few places being too uneven and precipitous for successful cultivation. The soil is almost uniformly composed of the light colored, fine, silicious material of the bluff deposit peculiar to the Missouri Slope, is of great fertility, and is in places largely mixed with sand. The Boyer Valley is probably unsurpassed in Iowa, is capable of a cultivation which is being rapidly brought about, and which when brought to the condition assured in the near future, will present one of the most attractive farming portions of the State. Compared with the size of the stream, the valley is wide, and has a deep, rich soil, well adapted to the production of the finest erops of corn, wheat, oats and other kinds of grain. Extending, as it does, some thirty miles through the county, it embraces a large area of land of unsurpassed fertility. It must not, however, be understood that the upland prairies are sterile, as the greater por- tion of them is but little inferior to the bottom lands. The best upland prairies are in the east, north and northwest portions. In the smaller valleys and ravines extensive accumulations of black soil or vegetable mould are often found, which probably came from the washing of the ravines from the adjacent slopes, which bear evidence of having been thus denuded of their coating of dark humus. The enthusiastic lover of nature can scarcely picture a more pleasing landscape than that afforded by the valleys of the Boyer Rivers, viewed from the upland ridges at almost any point along their courses, overlooking miles of their park-like valleys, embellished with clumps of trees, well improved farms, orchards, rural homes, and tasty villages.
Stone suitable for building purposes is not abundant, the only quarry worked in the county being situated about four miles
467
HISTORY OF IOWA.
southwest of Denison on a branch of Buck Creek. It is a species of limestone that answers for ordinary purposes. There are indications of the same formation in Spring Grove, Burnt Woods, and at other points in the county. Clay and sand suitable for the manufacture of brick. are sufficiently plenty, and a num- ber of handsome brick structures have been erected in Denison and other localities. No veins of coal have been found as yet in this county, and it is probable that, if the productive or lower formation of the coal measure underlies the area embraced in Craw- ford County, it is at so great a depth beneath the surface as to render its development for the present impracticable .
The soil and climate are well adapted to the production of wheat, cats, rye, barley, corn, beans, peas, potatoes and other vege- tables and grains indigenous to the Temperate Zone. The yield of spring wheat, which is the variety principally raised, has been from fifteen to forty-five bushels to the acre, with a probable average of about twenty-five busnels. Comparatively few farmers have engaged in the cultivation of tame grasses, but it has been fully demonstrated that timothy and blue grass will succeed well, while clover also does reasonably well, so far as it has been tried. There is a number of orchards in the county, which have been yielding for a number of years, and which give promise of assured success in the future. Much attention is being paid to fruit cul- ture, which is destined to become one of the important industries of this section. 'Cherries, vines and all small fruit do well, grow- ing luxuriantly and producing excellent varieties of fruit.
The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad enters Crawford County a little north of the center of the eastern boundary line, and run- ning southwest down the valley of the Boyer, a distance of over thirty-one miles, makes its exit near the southwest corner, afford- ing good communication with the eastern and western markets.
In May, 1849, Cornelius Dunham, of Jackson county, Iowa, brought Franklin Prentice and his wife to the county, and left them at the place known as Dunham's Grove, on East Boyer River, about six miles east of the present town of Denison. Mr. Prentice built a cabin for Dunham, who came with his family in the autumn of the same year, accompanied also by a man named Reuben Blake. This was the first settlement in Crawford County. The same year, Prentice took a claim at the mouth of Otter Creek, on Boyer River, near Mason's Grove. The next settlers were Jesse Mason and family, and George J. and Noah V. Johnson, all of whom came in June, 1850, and settled at Mason's Grove. In the autumn of this year, Levi Skinner and Calvin Horr settled at the same place. The next settler was Thomas Dobson, in the spring of 1851, who also settled in the vicinity of Mason's Grove. In the autumn of 1853, Edward Howorth, with his sons, Edward and Daniel, located at a place called Three Bee Tree Grove, in the southwest part of the county, not far from the present thriving town of Dunlap. In
468
HISTORY OF IOWA.
1854, the settlement at Mason's Grove received the following addi- tionnl members: Benjamin Dobson, A. R. Hunt, D. J. Fowler, Clark Winans, B. F. Wicks and E. W. Fowler.
During the same year Benjamin Dobson erected the first saw mill at this place, and the following persons located in other parts of the county: John Gilbreath, John R. Bassett, and Moses and Daniel Riddle, at Coon Grove, four miles south of the present town of Denison; Mathias Didra, at Buck Grove, in the southern part of the county: Charles Kennedy and Robert D. Butterworth, at Three Bee Tree Grove, and William H. Jordan, at Lost Grove, near the present town of Crawford, on the Chicago & North- western Railroad. John A. Dunham and Rufus Richardson came the same year. Those mentioned were all the settlers in the county up to 1855, during the spring of which year the following came: Reuben and John Vore, S. C. Dow, S. J. Comfort, Cyrus B. Whitmore, John Poordy, Isaac B. Goodrich, S. B. Greek, S. S. Sisley, John Sisley, Edward Van Vleet, James Slater and H. C. Laub. The last named settled at Mason's Grove, and the others in various places in the county. In 1856, there were but few addi- tions to the settlers, the following, with their families, it is believed, comprising all: George C. King, William J. Todd, John B. Huckstep, Edwin Cadwell, Tracy Chapman, Morris McHenry, Esau McKim, and Joseph Brodgen, all of whom located at Mason's Grove; and R. B. Alexander, S. Bell, B. B. Bishop and William Wilkie, who settled in the southern and southwestern parts of the county. Hon. J. W. Denison came to the county in the autumn of 1855, and during that year and the next, selected a quantity of land for the Providence Western Land Company, and in Septem- ber, 1856, commenced the settlement of the town of Denison. He brought with him Francis Reynolds and John B. Swain, who erected a steam saw and grist mill in the new town.
The first births in the county were David and George Jesse Mason, twin sons of Jesse and Eliza Ann Mason, born in 1852. The first marriage ceremonies took place at Mason's Grove, Octo- ber 12th, 1853, at which time and place Rev. Thomas Dobson united in marriage George J. Johnson and Elizabeth Ann Mason, Noah V. Johnson and Jane Mason, Calvin Horr and Elizabeth Mowery. The first death was that of John A. Dunham, in the winter of 1854-5. The first entry of Government land was made August 21st, 1854, by John Gilbreath. The first school house erected was at Mason's Grove, in the autumn of 1856, in which Morris McHenry taught the first school, a term of three and one half months, commencing November 4th, 1856. The first sermon was preached Sunday, October 19th, 1856, by Rev. William Black, of the M. E. Church, and the same day, after the sermon, the first religious society was organized, with seven members, as follows: George C. King, Mrs. E. R. King, O. S. Wright, Tabitha Wright, John B. Huckstep, Martha A. Huckstep, and Rufus Richardson.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.