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 57
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The location of Sac County is on the Great Divide, as the water- shed between the Missouri and the Mississippi is called. It is in the west northwestern part of Iowa, being the fourth county from the northern line of the State, the sixth from the southern, the third from the Missouri River, and the tenth from the Mississippi. Sac City, the center of the government, and not far from the geograph- ical center, is about fifty miles by wagon road west from Fort Dodge and about eighty-five miles east from Sioux City.
Sac County's only railway communication with the busy world outside is by means of branches of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. These branches are the Maple River Railroad and the
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Sac City & Wall Lake Railroad. The former has two stations in the County-Odebolt and Wall Lake. The latter has, as yet, no other stations than its termini-Sac City and Wall Lake, which are twelve miles apart. Another station is now being put in which will be better entitled to the latter name than the town which now bears it, being situated on the shores of the Lake, while the pres- ent station of Wall Lake is some four miles distant. It seems to us that the present town will be obliged, in honor, to resign its name in favor of the baby town not yet christened. Sac City is situated twenty-eight and eight-tenths miles from Maple River Junction, on the main line (Chicago & Council Bluffs) of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, and just thirty-three miles from Carroll, the nearest town of any consequence in direct railway communica- tion. Both these branches have been built within the past three years, and a large part of the present.
[The additional station on the Sac City & Wall Lake Railroad was eventually christened Fletcher. An account of it will; be found in the proper place.]
" Sac County contains sixteen congressional townships, west of the Des Moines River. It contains 369,640 acres, nearly all of which is desirable land for either grain or stock farms, and the larger part available for either or both combined. The larger part of these lands are railway property and these can be purchased by home-seekers, who will occupy them at once, on the most liberal terms. Many of the private holders are also selling on nearly if not quite as easy terms as the railway land company. And as to the grasshopper and tornado bugbears, it is perfectly safe to say that the farmers of Ohio and Indiana are as much annoyed by them, and have as much prospect for annoyance from them, as the Sac county grower of grain and stock. Sum up these advantages, and the reader will readily see why the population has been rapidly on the increase ever since the opening of railway communication. Let those who have doubts give the county a visit and they will hesitate no longer. Sac county has not even the drawback so common to these fertile counties of Northwestern Iowa. What this is, is too well understood by the early settlers who located in Northwestern Iowa before there were railways to deliver coal at every man's door. Many counties in this section had little or no timber-Ida County, for instance, had less than a thousand acres within its borders. Sac County had many thousands of acres of oak, black walnut, hickory, ash, elm, maple, box alder, cotton wood, linn (basswood), and many other varieties native to the soil. The Coon River, which traverses the east part of the county, lies buried in woods for almost its entire course. Cordwood is delivered in Sac City at from $4 to $5 per cord according to quality. The tim- ber culture laws of the State-relieving land from tax for ten years in consideration of the culture of a certain portion of forest trees -have also caused so extensive a growth of forest that there is
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probably more timber now in the county than before the first axe was struck on the banks of of the classic Coon.
" The early settlers of Sac, though they had the advantage of being able to try fruit-raising under the protection of a consider- able belt of timber, had small faith in the county as adapted to the growth of fruits. Consequently it was not until some ten or twelve years after the settlement of the county began that any at- tention was given to this important branch of the industries of the county. When proper attention was given to the matter, it was speedily demonstrated that Sac County was well fitted for fruit growing, and there are now many orchards, vineyards and fruit gardens dotting the fair surface of Sac-shire. Apples, grapes, plums, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, etc., grow rapidly and yield surely and abundantly, and the quality is unsurpassed anywhere. We are informed that pears are also successfully grown in parts of the county. In the line of vegetables there is nothing usually grown in a temperate climate which will not grow here and that in extraordinary per- fection. This section is the garden of Iowa, as Iowa is the Gar- den State of the Union. The dry, pure air of our unexcelled climate gives to trees and plants a healthy growth, and the fruits and vegetables are solid and delicately flavored and tinted, as far excelling the coarse flavor and blowzy coloring given to the same fruits by the hot and humid air of California and Oregon as the apple excels the pumpkin. You say the California fruit is larger than ours! Oh, well, the pumpkin is larger than the apple; but the pumpkin requires a good deal of cooking and spicing before it is eatable, and if you get a California apple you had better use that for cooking also. But our northern Iowa apples are of medium size, of the finest flavor and will keep longer than any apple grown in a warm climate. Therefore the Iowa apple is in the near future the apple of commerce, and it is not unlikely that the principal fu- ture industry of Iowa, may be fruit-frowing. Apples are not the only fruit which the Iowa soil and climate give a finer flavor than elsewhere. Nowhere does the Concord grape come to such per- fection as in Iowa. And although our fruits and vegetables do not rival those of the Pacific coast in size, they are unsurpassed even in that minor particular by those of any other section in the Mis- sissippi Valley or any section on the Atlantic slope.
" The first settlement was made by Otho Williams, who came from Michigan in the autumn of 1854, with his family, and took up a claim in the timber near Grant City, in the southeastern part of the county. He and his family were the first white inhabitants of Sac county, but during the two succeeding years quite a num- ber of settlers made their homes either in the same neighborhood or in the vicinity of Sac City, and Otho Williams, at the end of about two years, complained that 'folks are gittin' too thick 'round yer.' and he and his family . folded their tent like the
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Arab, and silently stole away.' In other words, they sold their claim and disappeared in the direction of the setting sun. No one knows where they went. If they still live and preserve their aversion to near neighbors, they must be somewhere in the Rocky Mountain region. In the spring of 1855, Leonard Austin, F. M. Cory, Wm. Wine and David Metcalf, with their families, W. M. Montgomery, with his mother and sister, and S. W. Wagoner and Henry A. Evans, single men, took up claims in the county. On the 5th of August Eugene Criss and family arrived in the county, and located near Sac City. A few days later William H. Hobbs located in the same neighborhood. During the fall the popula- tion of Sac County was augmented by the arrival and settlement of John Condron, Joseph Lane, Joseph Williams and S. L. Watt, with their respective families. This, so far as we can learn, is a complete list of the population of the county up to the close of 1855.
" In the spring of 1858, the settlers in Congressional townships 87, 88 and 89, in range 36, now forming the townships of Wall Lake, Jackson and Delaware, thought that there was good reason to fear that all vacant land in those townships would be bid in by speculators at the annual land sale at Sioux City, thus preventing its immediate settlement. Nearly all the settlers, though not ready at that time to buy, wanted some of this land for their own use. They therefore met together and arranged matters, and when the day of sale came, the room in which the sale was held was packed full of settlers, and no others could make their way in. No bids were made, and the land was thus kept open for pre- emption.
" The first mill in the county was built by Wm. Lane, on the Coon River, near Grant City, late in the fall of 1856. That win- ter was so very severe that it has ever since been known as the ' hard winter,' but nevertheless, corn was hauled to the mill from Sac City and vicinity on hand-sleds. Many families ground their own corn in coffee mills. Provisions, flour, 'etc., were generally brought from Des Moines.
" In 1856, Sac County, which had previously been attached to Greene County for all administrative purposes, was granted a separate jurisdiction. S. L. Watt was the first County Judge-and the County Judge of those days was an autocrat, performing the functions of the present Board of Supervisors and County Auditor, and also, in part, those of the Judge of the Circuit Court. H. C. Crawford was first County Clerk, and F. M. Cory was first Treas- urer and Recorder."
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SAC CITY.
The population of Sac City is now estimated to be 800. The place is one of the most flourishing in this section of Iowa.
The present town officers are: Mayor, John Alexander; Re- corder, Charles L. Early; Trustees. R. H. Lamoreux, Phil. Schaller, P. H. Hankins, N. B. Flack, Jos. H. James.
In 1856 Sac City was laid out on land belonging to Hon. Eugene Criss, and was selected as the seat of government for the county. It is situated on the Coon River, about five or six miles northeast of the center of the county. The business part of town lies on level ground, on the first rise from the bottom lands along the river, while the residences are principally on higher ground, overlooking the business streets.
The townsite is handsome and picturesque. In fact, it would be difficult to find in our prairie country a more beautiful location for a town. The Coon River, lined by a narrow strip of bottom land, half encircles the town. Native forest trees are scattered over the whole town site, so that even the later comers may have enough shade around their homes to take away the disagreeable bareness usually belonging to a new residence in a prairie country. It would be difficult for even the most fastidious to find fault with the appearance of Sac City, taking its age and size into considera- tion.
Sac City was incorporated in 1865, and Judge Criss, the founder of the town, was, quite appropriately, its first Mayor. The town is, in every respect, in a prosperous condition-growing rapidly and gaining every season in handsome and permanent buildings, and last, though not least, it is out of debt and has money in its treasury.
Judge Criss built the first house in Sac City. It was a log house and was built in 1855 and is still standing.
The Sac City Creamery was established in 1879. It was formerly situated one and one-half miles from town. The proprietor, G. M. Parker, has subsequently built a fine brick building 24x40 feet, with ice-house 20x32 feet, steam power engine and wash- room 16x30 feet, erected in 1882. The creamery is to be supplied with all the modern improved machinery. The cost of construc- tion was about $5,000. It is to be run on the cream-gathering plan. The new creamery is to be known in future as the Pearl Creamery, and will begin operations in April, 1882.
The classification of business in Sac City is as follows: General stores, three; groceries, three; dry goods, one; boots and shoes, one; clothing, one; fancy goods, one; millinery, three; hardware, two; drugs, three; meat markets, two; blacksmiths, three; wagon- makers, two; banks, two; furniture, two; photograph gallery, one; restaurant, one; hotels, two; physicians, four; attorneys, four;
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harness, two; livery, two; shoemakers, two; tailor, one; lumber and coal, two; elevators, three; cigar factory, one; mattress factory, one; stock dealers, three; saloons, four; iron foundry, one.
The Court House is 84x56 feet, solidly and handsomely built in brick, with limestone foundations and is one of the best county buildings in the northwest. It cost $30.000. The first floor is titted up for the county officers, with vaults for the county records, etc. The upper story has the court-room, jury-rooms, etc. With the court-room fitted up for a session of court there are about 400 sittings, but in use as a hall for lectures or political speaking, there is sitting room for 600 people. The basement is only partly in use. One room is fitted up with floor, stove, chairs, tables, etc., and is in use as a jail. A cage of boiler iron, containing two cells, fills about half the room and makes the jail a pretty secure one.
On Coon River, adjoining the town, and only a quarter of a mile from the Court House, are the City Mills, the property of Hon. Eugene Criss. The mills have three run of stone (including one for the manufacture of patent flour), and are run by water power. Judge Criss, in 1857, built a steam saw mill, and in 1862 dammed the Coon and used the water-power for his saw mill. The building of railroads, and the consequent cheap transportation of pine lumber, made the saw mill no longer a necessity, and in 1872 the conversion of the Sac City Mill into a flouring mill was completed and in Decem- ber of that year the first "grists" were ground. Since that time it has been the leading mill, and one of the most important institu- tions of Sac County, as well as a source of profit to its proprietor.
Sac City has a very pleasantly situated cemetery, just at the north edge of town, and on the bank of the Coon River, but about ten feet above high water mark. It has quite a number of native oak trees, and some of the burial lots have had considerable care bestowed upon them.
Sac City, has but one newspaper, and has been able to give it a fair living support. As a rule, it is the fault of the community if the local newspaper is a poor one. Give it a better patronage and it will be improved. It takes money to make any kind of business "go." The Sac Sun was first issued July 11th, 1871, as a seven- column folio, and was enlarged July 1st, 1878, to an eight-column folio, its present size. It is, and always has been, Republican in politics. Always among the handsomest papers in the State, typographically the Sun has also been always carefully edited and with special attention to those matters which are the life of a country newspaper. Mr. James N. Miller has been the editor and the publisher during its whole existence, and the Sun itself is the best evidence of his qualifications for that position.
Sac City had two newspapers for about six weeks near the close of the year 1877. Kelly & Yarham issued the first number of the Reporter at Sac City on the 22d of October of that year, but removed it to Odebolt on the 6th of December.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES.
M. E. Church Society .- The M. E. Church of Sac City was the first church building erected in the town. It was built in 1873, and is a frame structure 30x50 feet. The building is located on the corner of Ninth and Main streets, and cost $3,000. The present pastor is Rev. Robert, Smylie. The Society has a mem- bership of sixty. There is a Sabbath School in connection, with an average attendance of fifty pupils. A. D. Peck is Superin- tendent, J. L. Comstock Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. C. L. Lane, Treasurer, and Miss Winnie Lane Secretary.
The Presbyterian Church Society .- The Presbyterian Society of Sac City was organized in 1875. The present officers are J. N. Miller, H. M. Conner, Elders; J. T. Bushnell was the first pastor, then came Rev. Baxter. A. S. Foster is the present incumbent. The church has a membership of thirty-three. There is also a Sabbath School with an average attendance of fifty pupils. J. N. Miller is Superintendent. The church has an elegant brick church building, erected in 1875, and dedicated the following year. It is 34x56 feet on the ground,and contains about 300 sittings.
Sac City Lodge No. 323, I. O. O. F .- Instituted November 5th, 1878. The charter members were V. M. Crummett, H. W. Cran- dall, G.'N. Pratt, W. H. Hobbs, J. H. Thomas, John Dobson. H. W. Mix, C. Wadell, D. Sargent, D. F. Gifford, M. Peyton. First officers: M. Peyton, N. G .; D. Sargent, Secretary; D. F. Gifford, V. G .; W. H. Hobbs, Treasurer. Present officers: D. F. Gifford, N. G .; Martin Glass, V. G .; J. Koder, Secretary; M. Peyton, Treasurer. This lodge has a membership of thirty and meets ev- ery Thursday evening in Masonic Hall. The Lodge is in a flour- ishing condition.
Occidental Lodge A. F. d. A. M .- Instituted August, 1865; char- ter granted June, 1866. Charter members: D. C. Early, J. Wil- liams, W. V. Lagourgue, G. H. Wright, J. W. Fiberghien, T. M. Cory. First officers: D. C. Early, W. M .; J. Williams, S. W .; G. H. Wright, J. W .; W. V. Lagourgue, Treasurer; F. M. Cory, Secretary. Present officers: P. Schaller, W. M .; C. E. Lane, S. W .; J. H. Thomas, J. W .; W. M. Allen, Treasurer; C. E. Read, Secretary. Present membership, seventy-two. The Lodge meets the Saturday night on or before each full moon, in their hall.
Rose Croix Commandery No. 38, K. T .- Was instituted Dec., 1881. The charter members were: D. C. Early, P. H. Hawkins, E. R. Duffie, W. H. Hobbs, M. Childs, B. W. Trout, R. T. Shearer, M. M. Gray, H. S. Briggs and Sidney Smith. First officers: D. C. Early, E. C .; E. R. Duffie, Glo .; R. T. Shearer, C. G. The present officers are : D. C. Early, E. C .: Phil. Schaller. Glo .; Levi Davis, C. G .; W. H. Hobbs, S. W .; M. Childs, J. W .; Sidney Smith, Secretary: C. L. Early, Treasurer. The present member- ship is thirty. This society meets the second Tuesday in each month. It is in a flourishing condition.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
Darius Chapter No. 50, R. A. M .- Was instituted February 1st, 1871. The charter members were: Wm. McKay, W. H. Hobbs, E. R. Duffie, E. R. Chase, S. S. Armstrong, J. Orr, and Oliver Birt. First officers: E. R. Chase, H. P .; J. E. Armstrong, K .; E. R. Duffie, S. The present officers are: Levi Davis, H. P .; D. C. Early, K .; J. E. Armstrong, S .; R. H. Lamoreux, Treas- urer; Sidney Smith Secretary. Present membership, seventy. The Lodge meets on the Monday evening on or before the full moon in each month.
Sac Collegium, V. A. S., No. 75 .- Instituted August 21st, 1881. First officers: A. D. Peck, Rector; Geo. Schaller, Scribe. Pres- ent officers: A. D. Peck, Rector; Frank C. Knights, Scribe. The membership is twenty-one. Meet the first Friday in each month.
Sac City Public School .- Sac City became an independent school district in April, 1876. The first school house was built in 1855. The present teachers are: D. J. McDaid, Principal; Mrs. G. M. Parker, Miss Lizzie Baxter, Assistants. Present school board: A. D. Peck, President; D. C. Early, E. Criss, Phil. Schaller, W. H. Hobbs, Directors; C. E. Lane, Secretary; R. H. Lamoreux, Treas- urer. The first officers were: B. W. Trout, Levi Davis, H. Bax- ter. The public school building in Sac City is a fine brick edifice, with a stone foundation, built in 1871 at a cost of $14,000. It contains three rooms, the whole upper story being devoted to the high school department, while the intermediate and primary de- partments are accommodated on the first floor. The building is well built and handsomely furnished, and is well ventilated, com- fortable and more than ordinarily well lighted. The schools are in the best order, well disciplined and progressing most satisfacto- rily in the various branches of study.
ODEBOLT.
This town is situated in the western part of Sac County on a branch of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway. It was laid out by the Blair Town Lot and Land Company in 1877. M. H. Hen- ipen is not only the first business man of Odebolt, but is one of the earliest settlers, having been engaged in selling supplies to the laborers before the town was laid out or the railroad completed. The first house erected in the town was built by W. Van Duesen, and served both as a store and dwelling. He was soon followed by Geo. McKibbin, and James Ross. The railroad was completed to this town in 1877. The first regular train reached this point November 19th, 1877.
H. T. Martin is among the early settlers of Odebolt. He or- ganized the first Sabbath School in December, 1877, and was the first commissioned Notary Public in the place.
The depot was built in 1877. J. T. Martin was appointed the first depot agent, and Miss Emma Martin was first telegraph operator.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
The town of Odebolt was incorporated in March, 1879, James Ross being the first Mayor, and J. M. Zane, Recorder; J. Flanders, J. Ketterer, E. Geist, C. Dalbkymer, C. B. Hatfield, and J. Bowles served as Councilmen. James Ross still holds the position of Mayor, W. V. Sindt, Recorder; J. Flanders, J. Ketterer, E. Geist, H. Rheberger, J. W. Fairbanks and C. S. Lee, are the present Councilmen.
The population of Odebolt is now estimated at 1,200 souls.
The Odebolt Reporter was started in Sac City in 1877, by W. W. Yarham, and was moved to Odebolt the same year. Frank Kelley purchased the paper from Yarham. It was afterwards bought by Taylor & Mann, and still later was purchased by A. J. Mann. G. A. Kikok afterwards purchased the paper and sold it to F. L. Dennis in April, 1881. This paper is republican in politics, is an eight-column quarto, and has a circulation of 600.
The Odebolt Observer is a neat six-column quarto weekly paper. It was started in July, 1880, by Martin & Bennett. Bennett soon bought Martin's interest, and is now the sole proprietor. This paper is Democratic, and has a circulation of 500 copies.
The Central Western Iowa District Fair Association .- This comprises the counties of Sac. Ida and Crawford. and was organ- ized August 1st, 1881, with W. W. Field as President, P. Coy, W. Van Duesen. H. C. Wheeler, A. D. Peck, I. S. Bailey, E. P. Masser; E. A. Bennett and S. Peterson as Vice-Presidents; F. L. Dennis, Secretary; W. J. Summerville, Treasurer. This society owns twenty-five acres of land, situated one-half mile northeast of the town, and will hold their first fair in the fall of 1882.
Odebolt Fire Company .- The Hook and Ladder Company was organized in the spring of 1880, and consists of forty members, all uniformed. J. Mattes, Foreman; E. E. Hamlin, Secretary; W. V. Sindt, Treasurer; Dave W. Flack, Assistant Foreman.
Odebolt boasts of a flax mill which was established in 1880 by Winslow & Son. This is a large frame building with steam power. John Dement is the present proprietor.
()debolt has the finest public hall in Sac County. It was erected in 1881, by John Wright. It is a brick structure, 50x90 feet with five hundred sittings.
The business of Odebolt may be classified as follows: Seven general stores, three groceries, two harness shops, two hardware stores, three drug stores, two jewelry stores, two furniture stores, three restaurants, two banks, three hotels, three elevators, three lumber yards, four agricultural implement dealers, three livery stables, four blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, three millinery stores, three barber shops, two meat markets, one photograph gal- lery, two printing offices, one ready-made clothing house, one ex- clusive dry goods store, three saloons, postoffice.
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HISTORY OF IOWA.
CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES.
Methodist Episcopal Church Society .- Was organized in 1877. This society organized with only three or four members. Rev. Mr. Faus, acting as first pastor, was succeeded by Rev. W. W. Brown, he by Rev. D. M. Beams, he by Rev. R. S. Fysh. The present in- cumbent is Rev. William Preston. This society now has a mem- bership of thirty-two. It has a Sabbath School with an average attendance of seventy pupils. R. M. McDowell is Superintendent. The society has no church building but holds services in the Ma- sonic Hall. The present officers are: E. Geist, A. B. Smith, M. D. Fox, J. Bowker, J. W. Savage, Trustees; J. L. Brown and E. Geist, Stewards. There is a parsonage which was erected in 1877 at a cost of $450, and a lot upon which is contemplated the erec- tion of a church building this year.
The Catholic Church Society .- Was organized in the spring of 1879, by Rev. Father Pape. The first officers were: M. B. Lynch, Treasurer; J. Conradi, L. Suntz, J. Miller committee. The Rev. Father Norton is the present pastor. The present officers are H. J. Muxen, Secretary and Treasurer; H. Wester and N. Thies, committee. The society now numbers about fifty families. They have a fine frame building 40x60 feet erected in 1879, at a cost of $1,300. This was the first church building in Odebolt.
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