USA > Iowa > Calhoun County > Past and present of Calhoun County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress, and achievement, Volume I > Part 13
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When the first settlers came to this part of Calhoun County they found the north half of what is now Sherman Township covered with marshes. Purgatory Creek, a slow. sluggish stream. flows through the township, entering from Pocahontas County about a mile east of Pomeroy, whence it flows south for a distance of about three miles. There it turns toward the east for about two miles, when it again mcanders southward and erosses the southern boundary near the center. Along this creek and in the marshes were myriads of musk-
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rats and quite a number of the pioneers sold enough skins of these little animals to pay for their lands. It is said that one man trapped nearly two thousand rats in one season, and several men earned from three to ten dollars per day in this occupation.
The Fort Dodge & Sioux City Division of the Illinois Central Railroad erosses the northern portion of the township, passing through the Town of Pomeroy, which is on the line between Sherman and Butler townships.
In 1910 the population, according to the United States census, was 733, and in 1914 the taxable value of the property was $457,504. There are nine school districts in the township. The officials for the year 1915 were as follows: P. J. Gustason, C. J. Meiners and John Ehrisman, trustees: John A. Carlson, clerk: T. C. Gutz, assessor; L. C. Davy, justice of the peace; Michael Streit, constable.
TWIN LAKES TOWNSHIP
This township is one of the four central townships and is bounded as follows: On the north by the townships of Butler and Sherman, on the east by Center, on the south by Lake Creek, and on the west by Garfield. It is eoextensive with congressional township 88, range 33. and has an area of thirty-six square miles. South Twin Lake is situated in the northeast corner and it is from the two bodies of water that the township takes its name. Lake Creek, the outlet of Twin Lakes, leaves the south lake in section 1 of this township and flows along the eastern border for about two and a half miles, when it crosses over into Center Township. A tributary of Camp Creek rises near the center and flows in a southwesterly direction into Gar- field Township. The surface is gently rolling and when the first settlers eame to this part of the county they found the low places filled with marshes, where the festive muskrat was the only inhab- itant.
Township 88, range 33, was surveyed during the summer of 1853 by H. C. Caldwell, a United States deputy surveyor, who certified the fact to Warner Lewis, surveyor general, on the 14th of October of that year. Only a few of the odd-numbered sections were subjeet to individual entry, most of them being included in the land grant to the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company. James S. Easley was one of the first to enter land in this township, filing on a part of section 1, on July 28, 1855. Other early entries were made by H. C. Ruggles, J. C. Tullis, Joseph Butterfield, James D. Sullivan, Eber
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Sherman, James H. Carson, H. D. Cook, Charles Wright, William T. Prather and James Slevin. The names of some of these men will be easily recognized as speculators, who entered lands in several of the townships of Calhoun County.
One of the first actual settlers was Nelson Bacon, who came from Wisconsin in 1868 and located on a section of land between the pres- ent Town of Rockwell City and the Twin Lakes. Before leaving Wisconsin he married the widow of Alonzo Long and his two step- sons, George I. and Thomas D. Long, accompanied the family to Iowa. They afterward published the Manson Journal for many years. Mr. Bacon planted a hedge of willows around his land. They grew rapidly in the moist soil and became so firmly rooted that when an effort was afterward made to destroy them it was found to be quite a task, accomplished only by the application of great labor and careful vigilance in keeping the new sprouts from getting a fresh start. Mr. Bacon served as coroner of the county from 1877 to 1881 and soon after the expiration removed to the Town of Manson.
Others who settled within the township while the territory was a part of Lincoln were Calvin A. Childs, James Owens, Mack Easton and E. W. Butterfield. The Childs homestead is now within the corporate limits of Roekwell City. At the time the county seat was removed to Roekwell City in 1876 there were less than a dozen houses in the township.
The change in the location of the county seat brought a number of new settlers and early in 1877 a movement was started for the organization of a new township, to inelude township 88, range 33. A petition to that effect, headed by Nelson Bacon and signed by a majority of the legal voters living within the designated territory, was presented to the board of supervisors on June 4, 1877, and was granted, the new township being given the name of Twin Lakes. At the September term the board ordered an election to be held at the courthouse in Rockwell City, and appointed R. Babcock, E. W. But- terfield and James Owens judges, and Maek Easton, elerk. With the eletcion of officers under this order the township organization was rendered complete.
Rockwell City, in the southeast corner, and Lavinia, near the western boundary, are the only railroad stations. Six lines of railway center at Rockwell City, giving ample traffie facilities to the sur- rounding country.
Nine teachers are employed in the eight school districts, which does not include those employed in the schools of Rockwell City.
SCENE AT TWIN LAKES
HOTEL AT TWIN LAKES
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The population in 1910 was 1.954, a gain of 185 during the preceding ten years. In 1914 the taxable vahie of the property, including Rockwell City, was $760,544, showing Twin Lakes to be the wealthi- est township in the county. The officials at the beginning of the year 1915 were: Edward Geist, F. J. Heebner and F. Riseley, trustees; W. S. Geist, assessor: Floyd B. Beckwith, elerk; J. C. Friek and George M. Hartley, justices of the peace; P. C. Torrence and John Walters, constables.
UNION TOWNSHIP
In response to a petition presented on April 2, 1878, signed by James McClure and a number of others, the board of supervisors ordered: "That all of township 86. range 32, in Calhoun County, be, 1878 and the same is, hereby created and organized into a new civil town- ship, the same to be known as the Township of Union."
Prior to that time the territory now comprising Union Township was a part of Calhoun. At the same time the order above mentioned was issued, the board directed that the first election in the new town- ship should be held at the Jenks schoolhouse on Monday, September 2. 1878, and appointed the following citizens to conduet said election : R. M. Tigner, Winslow Holmes and E. Abney, judges; James MeClure, elerk.
Union is situated in the southern tier of townships. It is bounded on the north by Logan Township, on the east by Reading, on the south by Greene County, and on the west by the Township of Cal- houn. Purgatory Creek in the western part and Cedar Creek in the eastern, both flowing southward, furnish reasonably good drainage to the township, but the natural drainage has been supplemented by a number of open ditches and tile drains. The surface is a level or gently undulating prairie and the soil is unsurpassed in fertility.
On February 7. 1853. R. Jarrett, a United States deputy sur- veyor, filed his certificate with the surveyor general, George B. Sar- gent, that township 86, range 32, had been surveyed. A few of the odd-numbered sections were assigned to the land grant to the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad Company. The earliest land entries in this township were made by William C. Betzer, H. D. Palmer, J. Williams, Seymour N. Case, William F. Palmer, Wilson Hazlett and William Hogg.
Among the early settlers was David M. Brown, a native of Ver- mont, who came to Calhoun County in 1869 and purchased 120 acres
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of land in what is now Union Township. At that time his nearest neighbor was nearly two miles away and Jefferson, the county seat of Greene County, was the nearest trading place. Ile afterward pur- chased 224 more acres, becoming one of the largest farmers in the township, but in 1892 retired and took up his residence in the Town of Lohrville.
Henry J. Bolander came to the township while it was still a part of Calhoun. He was born in Marion County, Ohio, in 1840: served as a member of Company D. Eighty-second Ohio Infantry, in the Civil war, and came to Calhoun County after the death of his parents in 1870. He located a short distance east of Lohrville, though that town had not been ealled into existence then. Gowrie was the nearest railroad station, and the country was so wild that it was no unusual thing to see deer roaming over the prairie. He married the daughter of William L. Hulett, another pioneer, who came from Illinois and settled two miles south of Lohrville in 1870.
James McClure, who headed the petition for the organization of the township, was born in Pennsylvania in 1824. In 1850 he was graduated at Strasburg College, in his native state, and was for a time employed in teaching. Having qualified himself for the duties of civil engineer and surveyor, he started west in 1865 and first located at Sterling, Ill. In 1872 he came to Calhoun County and located on a tract of land about a mile south of the present Town of Lohrville. Mr. McCluire served several terms as county surveyor and was otherwise intimately identified with county and townsihp affairs.
Three lines of railroad traverse Union Township. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul crosses the eastern part; the Chicago & North- western runs east and west about a mile north of the center; and the Chicago Great Western crosses the township diagonally from northeast to southwest. All these roads pass through Lohrville, which is the principal town, and the only one except the little village of Wightman on the Chicago Great Western near the southwest corner.
Outside of the incorporated Town of Lohrville, the township is divided into nine school districts, each of which employs one teacher during the school year. In 1910 the population was 1,184, and in 1914 the taxable value of the property, including Lohrville, was $634,660. The township officials at the beginning of the year 1915 were as follows: L. L. Parker, C. D. Ealy and A. L. Morris, trus- tees; R. W. Hieks, clerk: F. A. Spenla, assessor; E. J. Hulett and
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J. O. Smothers, justices of the peace: E. Cram and G. L. Hilliard, constables.
WILLIAMS TOWNSHIP
This township is situated in the extreme northwestern corner of the county and embraces congressional township 89, range 34. It is bounded on the north by Pocahontas County, on the east by Butler Township. on the south by Garfield Township and Sac County, and on the west by Sae County. The surface is generally level. A branch of Cedar Creek flows in a southerly direction through the western part and in sections 23 and 24 is a body of water known as Brushy Lake.
The first settlement was made in 1868 by William H. Stott and his brother-in-law. William P. Bush, who located in section 14, early in the spring of that year. They were soon followed by Samuel Poland. Jacob Stiltz. George Fastle, Hugh Hocking, Sr., Hugh Hoeking. Jr., William and John Hocking, who located near the Pocahontas County line.
In 1869 John Stott and his two sons. John and George, took up homesteads in section 18 and built a house of three rooms so located that one room was upon each of the three homestead claims. In April of that year the colony was joined by William Kennedy and George Sanborn and their families. Before the close of the year a number of new settlers came in, among them Lemuel Milnor, Rod- erick T. and William Abbott, Nicholas Strauss, Henry Baker, Orlando O. Brown and his two sons-Nathan L. and Lyman W., James Rigby, Obed Slater, James Whitbeck and the Flints-Silas, George and Charles.
The official survey of this township was made by J. T. Nowlin in 1855, his certificate to Warner Lewis, surveyor general, bearing date of December 19. 1855. The odd-numbered seetions were included in the grant to the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company, hence the early settlers located on the sections bearing the even numbers.
The first death in the township was that of Amanda, daughter of Jacob Stiltz, in January or February, 1871. Her body was buried on her father's farm, no publie cemetery having been established in that part of the county. The first school was taught by Miss Harriet ('lements before the township was organized.
On June 6, 1870, a petition eame before the board of county supervisors, signed by a number of citizens living in the northwestern part of the county, asking that congressional townships 88 and 89,
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range 34, be organized into a new civil township. At that time the territory named in the petition formed a part of Jackson Township. The petition was granted by the board and then the question of a name came up for consideration. As William Stott, William Bush and William Kennedy had been active in cireulating the petition, someone suggested that the new township be called "Three Williams," but the word "three" was dropped and the name of "Williams Town- ship" was entered upon the records. The first election was held at the house of Roderick T. Abbott in the fall of 1870, but the returns cannot be found.
As originally established Williams included the present Town- ship of Garfield, which was organized as a separate politieal subdi- vision of the county in 1882, when Williams was reduced to its present area of thirty-six square miles.
The only railroad in Williams is the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, which crosses the northeast corner, but there is no station in the township. The people living in the northern part find railroad accommodations at Fonda, Pocahontas County, and those living in the southern part patronize the stations at Lytton and Sac City.
There are nine school districts in the township, which in 1910 reported a population of 589. In 1914 the taxable value of the property was $441,229, and in 1915 the township officials were: George W. Baskerville, John Duitsman and Henry Helmbrecht, trustees: John Floyd, assessor: W. H. Bradford, elerk: William Frazier, justice of the peace.
1882-
CHAPTER IX
LAKE CITY AND ROCKWELL CITY
BEGINNING OF LAKE CITY-ADDITIONS TO THE ORIGINAL PLAT-EARLY BUSINESS CONCERNS-POSTOFFICE-THE TOWN INCORPORATED- - LIST OF MAYORS-WATERWORKS-PUBLIC . LIGHTING-PUBLIC PARK-GENERAL CONDITIONS-POPULATION, ETC.
ROCKWELL CITY-LOCATION AND ORIGIN-ADDITIONS-FIRST ENTER- PRISES-POSTOFFICE-SCHOOLS-INCORPORATION-LIST OF MAY- ORS-WATERWORKS-ELECTRIC LIGHT-FIRE COMPANY-SEWERS- MISCELLANEOUS.
In the organization of Calhoun County in 1855 a commission was appointed to locate the county seat. The site seleeted by that eom- mission was not satisfactory to the people of the county and in April, 1856. they voted unanimously to establish the seat of justice at Lake City. where it remained for about twenty years. A full account of the location and removal of the county seat has been given in a former chapter and in this chapter the purpose is to give the principal points in the history of the two towns that have been honored by being made the seat of county government.
LAKE CITY
The first move toward the establishment of a town upon the site where Lake City now stands was made on January 7, 1856, when a number of citizens, through their spokesman, Jacob Young, presented a petition to the county judge asking that the county seat be located upon "the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 18, and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of seetion 7, town- ship 86 north, range 33 west."
Peter Smith, as eounty judge, issued an order submitting the question to the legal voters at an election to be held on the first Mon- day in April, when twenty-one votes were cast in favor of the location Vol. I~ 9
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without a single vote in the negative. On May 10, 1856, Charles Amy was employed by order of the county judge to survey and plat the town, which was given the name of Lake City. The original plat of the town was filed with the county recorder on June 10, 1856, and was the first town plat to be so filed in the County of Calhoun. It shows a parallelogram four blocks wide from east to west and eight blocks from north to south, each block containing eight lots, except block 3, which was set apart for a public square. Running east and west are North, Adams, Madison, Washington, Main, Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson and South streets. The streets running north and south are East, Illinois, Centre, Michigan and West.
In the meantime, on May 13, 1856, Peter Smith and Alford White and their wives executed a deed to the county for the land upon which the new town was located in consideration of one-half the pro- eeeds arising from the sale of lots, and Judge Smith ordered that the first public sale of lots should take place on July 1, 1856. On that occasion A. W. Davis acted as auctioneer and received $1.50 for his day's work. After the sale Alford White received $72.81; Peter Smith received $231.94, these sums being their respective shares result- ing from the sale of lots. The county, after paying $3 for adver- tising the sale, $3 for appraising the lots, and $1.50 to Mr. Davis for his services as auctioneer, placed a balance of $297.25 in the county treasury. This was a considerable sum of money for that day and everybody congratulated the county authorities upon the success of the sale.
For a number of years the growth of Lake City was compara- tively slow, but with the coming of the railroad in 1881 the town experienced its first real boom, and several additions were platted. On April 30, 1881, Smith's addition of twelve blocks directly west of the original plat was filed with the recorder. This was followed by the First Railway Addition on June 6, 1881, which was made by the Western Town Lot Company. It consisted of seventeen warehouse lots near the railroad and 100 lots for business and residence purposes. Subsequently all the plat of this addition was vacated except the warehouse lots. The plat of Sifford's Addition was filed on June 8, 1881, showing eight blocks between Main and Madison streets, east of the original town. Tompkins' Addition was recorded on Novem- ber 23, 1881, and Gifford's Second Addition on December 3, 1881. Each of these additions consisted of eight bloeks.
Several years then elapsed before any further additions were made. On June 17, 1887, was filed the plat of Fulkerson's Addition
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of ten blocks northeast of the original plat. Smith's Second Addi- tion was made a matter of record on May 8, 1888. The plat of this addition shows twelve blocks. Moody's Addition of eight blocks in the northeastern part of the town was made on May 8, 1891, and Moseley's Addition of nineteen lots was recorded on August 1, 1891. Georgeson's Addition was made on November 6, 1891. Five addi- tions were platted and filed during the year 1892, to-wit: Moody & Davy's, January 12th: Moody & Davy's Second, July 26th; Moody & Davy's Garfield Park, October 20th; Townsend's Oak Park, No- vember 7th; Hobbs' Addition. December 10th. In the five additions of 1893 about one hundred and fifty lots were added to the town.
Soon after the town was laid off by Charles Amy in May, 1856, Peter Smith and David Reed began the erection of a frame store building, 16 by 24 feet, which was the first house of any kind ereeted upon the town site. Before it was completed John Lumpkin pur- chased Smith's interest and a little later bought out Reed and put in a small stoek of goods, becoming thereby the first merchant of Lake City. This little building is still standing, but upon a different lot from that where it was af first located.
No other building was erected during the first year of the town's existence. The second structure was the courthouse, which was built by Charles Amy and Moses Sherman in 1857, and the residence of Charles Amy was the third building and the first dwelling in Lake City.
A postoffice was established in 1857 and Charles Amy was ap- pointed postmaster. He continued in that position until 1872. The office was made a money order postoffice in 1884, while A. J. Scott was postmaster. Some idea of the growth of Lake City may be gained from the knowledge that during the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1914, the receipts of the postoffice amounted to over six thou- sand four hundred dollars. Three people were then employed in the office and four rural routes distribute mail daily to the citizens of the surrounding territory. R. M. Reid was postmaster in the spring of 1915.
David Reed taught the first school in Calhoun County in a small building near Lake City, in the fall of 1856. A year or two later a schoolhouse was built about where the United Brethren Church now stands. Here the Methodist Episcopal and Christian churches held services on alternate Sundays for several years before the first church edifice was erected by the latter denomination.
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Although Peter Smith sold his interest in the building began by him and David Reed, he still had a desire to become a merchant. This desire became stronger after he retired from the county judge- ship in August, 1857, but it was not until 1863 that he opened his general store. He continued in business until 1873, when he sold out to L. F. Danforth and J. J. Hutchinson. A few years later he estab- lished the banking house of P. Smith & Sons, the first bank in Lake City.
The first newspaper in Lake City-and the first in Calhoun County-was the Calhoun County Pioneer, which was started in 1871 by B. F. Gue, with E. W. Wood in charge as editor and resident manager.
Early in 1881, when the building of the Toledo & Northwestern (now the Chicago & Northwestern ) Railroad to Lake City became a certainty, a movement was started for the incorporation of the town. On March 28, 1881, a petition signed by thirty-seven citizens was filed with the elerk of the Circuit Court asking for the legal steps to be taken to make Lake City an incorporated town. Aecompanying the petition were the affidavits of T. B. Hotehkiss and Robert Baldwin to the effeet that the town had a population of 320. At the next term of the Circuit Court, Judge John N. Weaver granted the prayer of the petitioners and appointed O. H. Burt, P. R. Huber, A. J. Scott, F. E. Stevenson and W. H. Birdsall commissoners to eonduet an election for the purpose of submitting the question to the voters.
The election was held at the schoolhouse in Lake City on Thurs- day, May 12, 1881, and resulted in sixty-nine votes being cast in favor of incorporating the town and only seven votes in the negative. Returns were made to the elerk of the court aeeording to law and the judge of the Circuit Court ordered an election for municipal offieers to be held on the third Monday in June. Under this order the elee- tion was held on June 20, 1881, with the following result: H. H. Baldwin, mayor; W. J. King, recorder; O. H. Burt, F. D. Williams, A. J. Scott, J. D. Saggau, Il. C. Shurter and C. Melzner, trustees.
Following is a list of the mayors of Lake City since the incorpora- tion, with the year in which each entered upon the duties of his office: H. H. Baldwin, 1881; S. N. Earle, 1883; T. B. Hotehkiss, 1884; Aaron Hopkins, 1892; E. W. Townsend, 1894; A. H. Grant, 1895; John W. Jacobs, 1898; J. B. MeCrary, 1900; J. L. Hibbs, 1902; L. C. Albright, 1904: J. B. MeCrary, 1906; J. L. Hibbs, 1908; J. M. Toliver, 1910; Osear W. Lundberg, 1914.
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In 1915 the city government was administered by Osear W. Lund- berg, mayor: J. M. Fiekle, clerk; G. G. Hutchison, treasurer; John M. Fickle, assessor; G. R. Farley and F. O. Cottong, aldermen at large; R. C. Crawford, alderman from the First Ward: Dr. G. L. Pray, Second Ward; Edward O'Connell, Third Ward; HI. A. Low, Fourth Ward; M. H. Gormally, marshal; Dr. D. W. MeCrary, health physician.
WATERWORKS
The United States census in 1890 gave Lake City a population of 1,160. At that time the water supply was drawn from private wells. The quality of the water was not always of the best and in dry seasons some of the wells wholly or partially failed. Under the con- ditions some of the more progressive citizens began to agitate the subjeet of a municipal waterworks. The first ordinance relating to the subject was passed by the city council on June 10, 1892. It was merely a preliminary measure, and was supplemented by the ordi- nance of April 17, 1893, which authorized a bond issue of $8,000 to defray the cost of putting in some system of waterworks to supply the town.
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