USA > Iowa > Calhoun County > Past and present of Calhoun County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress, and achievement, Volume I > Part 15
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Few towns in Northwestern Iowa are as well provided with ship- ping and transportation facilities as Rockwell City. The Des Moines & Spencer division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway System runs north and south; a branch of the same system connects Roekwell City with Storm Lake; the Chicago & Omaha division of the Illinois Central runs east and west, and the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern, an electric line, runs southeast, giving direct connection both by steam and electricity with the capital of the state.
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Rockwell City has three banks, with aggregate deposits of almost $1,000,000; two weekly newspapers, the Advocate and the Republi- can; three hotels; a handsome public library building; churches of a number of the leading religious denominations; a telephone exchange; two telegraph offices ; lodges of various seeret orders; one of the finest high school buildings in this part of the state: a number of well equipped mercantile establishments; grain elevators, some manufac- turing enterprises and many pretty homes. On June 1, 1915, Mayor Stevenson threw the first shovelful of earth in the beginning of what is said to be the largest paving contract ever let in the state. By the close of 1915 Rockwell City, under this contract, will have about four miles of roadway paved with asphalt, with concrete curbs and gutters. In 1910 the population was 1,528. a gain of 306 during the preceding decade.
CHAPTER X TOWNS AND VILLAGES
EARLY DAY SPECULATION IN TOWNSITES-FATE OF THE EARLY TOWNS -LIST OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY-HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH-POSTOFFICES AND RURAL. MAIL ROUTES IN 1915.
In the early settlement of the West every state was afflicted with speculators who seemed to have a mania for laying off towns, without the slightest regard to the geographical importance of the site or its possible future commercial advantages, the principal object having been the sale of lots to new arrivals. Iowa was no exception to the rule. An early lowa writer (Hawkins Taylor in the Annals of Iowa) says: "Everybody we met had a town plat, and every man that had a town had a map of the county marked to suit his town as a county seat."
Sometimes these prospective towns were advertised throughout the East in a manner that did not reflect much credit upon the veracity of the advertisers. Circulars bearing a picture of some of the towns along the Des Moines River, showing a row of three and four-story buildings along the river front, tall church spires reaching heaven- ward, and a number of large side-wheel steamboats lying at the land- ing, were distributed far and wide in the hope of inducing capital to come to the new town. Many of these towns have been forgotten and where their founders hoped to see a prosperous city is now a fer- tile corn field. Others, by some fortunate combination of circum- stances, such as the location of a county seat, the building of a rail- road or the presence of a water power, have grown into cities of con- siderable size. Still others have continued to exist, but have never grown beyond the importance of a neighborhood trading point, a small railroad station, or a post village for a district of moderate area.
Fortunately for Calhoun County the era of speculation had about spent its force before the county was organized. A few towns were laid out purely for speculative purposes, but a majority of the towns Vol. I -10
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and villages of the county at least have some excuse for being on the map. All of them are located on the lines of railroad that traverse the county, and most of them were built after the railroads were com- pleted. From a careful examination of the plat books, atlases, old newspaper files and other sources of information, the following list of the towns that are or have been projected in Calhoun County has been compiled: Brooklyn, Eads, Farnhamville, Jolley, Knierim, Knoke, Lake City, Lavinia, Lohrville, Lytton, Manson, Muddy, Piper. Pomeroy, Rands, Richards, Rinard, Rockwell City, Sherwood, Somers, Wightman and Yetter.
The history of Lake City and Rockwell City, the two towns that have been distinguished by being made the seat of justice, is given in the preceding chapter. Several of the smaller towns, like Topsy in Unele Tom's Cabin, "just growed." They have no special history, but such facts as the writer could gather concerning them are given in this chapter. The population as given in each instance is taken from the United States census for 1910.
BROOKLYN V
Theoretically, the Town of Brooklyn was the first county seat of Calhoun County. The site was selected and the name given to the town by the commissioners-Phillips, Keigley and Howes-on November 9, 1855, the said commissioners having been appointed by the judge of the District Court to locate a seat of justice. Brook- lyn was located in sections 27 and 34, township 87, range 33; that part of the old town site in section 27 is on the farm owned in 1915 by Frank Hamilton. It never got beyond the "paper stage." and in fact no regular plat of the town was ever made. The stakes driven by order of the commissioners to mark the location and extent of the proposed town could be seen for several years afterward, but no house was ever built in Brooklyn.
EADS
The railroads now known as the Chicago & Northwestern, and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, were both built through Calhoun County in the early '80s. Near the junction of the two roads, just east of Lohrville, the Union Land Company, of which J. S. Polk was president and J. S. Runnells, secretary, laid off the Town of Eads. the plat of which was filed in the office of the county reeorder on
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February 3, 1882. The plat shows 135 lots in the southeast quarter of section 11, township 86, range 32. The Town of Lohrville, a short distance west on the Chicago & Northwestern, had been laid off but a few months before, but the founders of Eads believed that their town, being nearer the junction of the two railroads, would beeome the more important. In this belief they were doomed to disappoint- ment, for Lohrville thrived while Eads languished. Some years later the land became the property of John B. Crandall, of Sterling, Ill., at whose request the plat of the town was vacated. A portion of the land now forms Crandall's fourth addition to the Town of Lohrville.
FARNHAMVILLE
The Town of Farnhamville, situated in the northeastern part of Reading Township on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, was laid off by Peter Folsom for Willford M. Farnham and the Western Town Lot Company on August 9, 1881, and the plat was filed on the 15th of the same month by Albert Keep, president, and J. B. Red- field, secretary, of the Western Town Lot Company. In the original records pertaining to the town the name appears as "Farnham."
The first plat included fifty acres in the west half of the north- east quarter of section 12, township 86, range 31. South of the rail- road were fifteen lots reserved "exclusively for railroad purposes," and on the north side of the railroad were ninety-seven lots of differ- ent sizes. Beginning at the east side the north and south thorough- fares are Webster, Garfield and Moulton avenues. Those running east and west are Nibel, Main, Hardin and Foster streets, the last named being next to the railroad.
At least four additions have been made to Farnhamville since the first plat was filed in 1881. The Western Town Lot Company sub- divided out lot No. 2, lying just west of Moulton Avenue, into twen- ty-eight small lots and filed a plat of the first addition on September 4, 1891. The plat of Beacham's first addition was filed on March 24. 1896; Beaeham's second addition, October 8, 1900; and Beacham's third addition, October 31, 1901.
In October, 1892, a petition signed by forty citizens was presented to the judge of the District Court, asking for the incorporation of the town. After satisfying himself that the petitioners had complied with all the requirements of the law the judge appointed W. H. Wheeler, M. J. Land, F. W. Siebert, O. L. Fowler and A. G. Bur- dick commissioners to hold an election for the purpose of ascertaining
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public sentiment on the question of ineorporation. The election was held on Saturday, April 1, 1893. Of the forty-three votes cast, thirty-one were in favor of incorporating the town and twelve were opposed. The returns were made to the judge and the order for incor- poration of Farnhamville was entered upon the records on April 5, 1893.
Farnhamville is situated in the midst of a fertile and productive farming country, and, being the only railroad station on the Chieago & Northwestern between Lohrville and Gowrie, it is a shipping point of considerable importance. The history of its development is not materially different from that of many other towns. One business interest after another came into the town and in 1915 there were sev- eral general stores, drug and hardware stores, an agricultural imple- ment honse, a bank, a hotel, a large lumber yard, a eement block fae- tory, a weekly newspaper-the Farnhamville Index-and several' minor business coneerns. The town has three churches-Congrega- tional, Methodist Episcopal and German Lutheran, a commodious publie school building, in which five teachers are employed during the school year, a money order postoffice, a telephone exchange, telegraph and express offices, and a population of 332. The principal offieers in 1915 were: Thomas Parsons, mayor: M. G. Beck, clerk: George W. Safley, assessor.
JOLLEY
Eight miles northwest of Roekwell City, on the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul Railroad and near the line between Butler and Twin Lakes townships, is the incorporated Town of Jolley. It was sur- veyed on August 10, 1883, by James MeClure for the Union Land Company, of which J. S. Polk was president and F. M. Hubbell was seeretary. The original plat shows ninety-seven lots "in the north half of the southeast quarter of seetion 34. township 89, range 33," on the east side of the railroad. Wabash Street runs north and south next to the railroad and the next street east is Masten. The east and west streets are Lake, Main and Elmer.
Since the first plat was made the following additions have been surveyed and annexed to the town: Richards', October 9, 1885: Mal- lory's. October 9, 1885: Kolb's. August 15, 1893: Beach's surveyed in 1893 but not filed until March 28, 1898: Maulsby's, October 9. 1885, but not filed until August 21, 1901.
Late in the summer of 1895 a movement was started for the ineor- poration of the town. At the October term of the District Court a
PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 149
petition to that effect, signed by W. N. Steele, R. B. Beach, Jacob Kolb, F. C. Mallory and a number of others, was presented to the judge for his consideration. Affidavits of J. R. Thompson and II. C. Donaker showing that the population was 225 were also filed with the petition and the court appointed W. N. Steele, F. B. Roberts, J. R. Thompson, D. DeSart and F. L. Ovitt commissioners to hold an election and give the proper notice to the voters as to when and where the election would be held, in order that they might have ample oppor- tunity to express their views on the question of incorporation. The election was called for November 16, 1895, at the Jolley Schoolhouse. Forty-four votes were cast, of which thirty-eight were in favor of incorporation and six were against it. Returns were made to the District Court according to law, and on December 4, 1895, the judge issued the order declaring Jolley an incorporated town.
Jolley is one of the thriving towns of Calhoun County. With a population of 250, it has a bank, two general stores, a grain elevator and several smaller business enterprises, a graded school that employs four teachers, Christian and Methodist Episcopal churches, and it is the principal shipping and trading point for a large part of Butler, Sherman, Williams, Twin Lakes and Garfield townships. At the beginning of the year 1915 H. Morwitzer was mayor and A. G. Anderson, clerk.
KNIERIM
On the first two days of November, 1899, S. F. Moeller, then county surveyor, laid off a town inchiding "all that part of the north- east quarter of the northcast quarter of section 9, township 88, range 31. lying north of the Fort Dodge & Omaha ( Illinois Central) Rail- road Company's right of way." The plat was filed with the county recorder on November 16, 1899, by William Knierim and his wife, Wilhelmina Knierim and the town was given the name of the proprie- tors. Shortly after that Mr. Knierim and his wife sold a half interest in the town site to M. White and F. R. Anderson, of Winthrop, Ia.
D. H. French was the first man to locate in the town, having been sent there by the railroad company as agent. A little later a postoffice was established and Mr. French was appointed postmaster. In April, 1901. about eighteen months after the town was platted, Knierim boasted a bank, two general stores, two drug stores, three dealers in agricultural implements, two grain elevators, two lumber yards, a hotel and several smaller concerns.
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On April 22, 1901, after consideration of a petition asking for the incorporation of Knierim, which petition was signed by forty-two legal voters, Judge Elwood of the District Court appointed J. B. Wartchow, C. Richardson, J. W. Campen, H. Irwin and G. C. Wright commissioners to hold an election to ascertain the sentiment of the citizens. An election was accordingly held on Monday, May 13, 1901, at which thirty-eight votes were cast, all in favor of incor- porating the town. The result of the election was made known to the judge of the District Court, who issued an order declaring Knierim incorporated according to the laws of Iowa.
The first election for town officers was held on Tuesday, June 4, 1901, when J. B. Wartchow was chosen mayor; H. Irwin, clerk; W. E. Clagg, treasurer; M. White, assessor; G. C. Wright, C. Rich- ardson, D. F. Reents, T. O. McDermott, F. R. Anderson and C. E. Lester, councilmen.
Knierim is situated on the Illinois Central Railroad, in the north- ern part of Greenfield Township and ten miles from Rockwell City. In addition to the business interests noted above, it has a telephone exchange, telegraph and express offices, a graded school employing four teachers, an opera house, a money order postoffice, Methodist Episcopal and German Lutheran churches, and in 1910 reported a population of 220. The officers for 1915 were: J. B. Wartchow, mayor: W. C. Kennedy, clerk: Lon Chrisman, assessor.
KNOKE
This is the second station north of Rockwell City on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, eleven miles distant from the county seat. The plat of the town was made by James MeClure on October 14, 1901, for William Knoke, for whom the village was named. It shows nineteen lots on the west side of the railroad and seven on the east side, with the technical description that the town is located in the south half of the southeast quarter of section 17, township 89, range 33. A postoffice was established soon after the town was founded. The business interests of Knoke are represented by a general storc. and a grain clevator. Being located in a rich farming district, con- siderable quantities of grain and some live stock are shipped annually.
LAVINIA
The little Town of Lavinia is situated in the western part of Twin Lakes Township, "in the south half of the northwest quarter of sec-
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tion 30, township 88, range 33." It is the first station west of Rock- well City-six miles distant-on the Storm Lake division of the Chii- cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The town was laid off by order of the Milwaukee Land Company, of which Roswell Miller was then president. September 27, 1899. The original plat shows seventy-one lots and a public park, all on the south side of the railroad. Railway, Center and South streets run east and west, and Main and First streets north and south.
Lavinia is a trading center and shipping point for a considerable tract of country in Twin Lakes, Garfield, Elm Grove and Lake Creek townships. It has a telegraph office, two general stores, a grain ele- vator, a bank, a public school, and is connected by telephone with the surrounding towns. The population in 1910 was 120.
LOHRVILLE
Next to Rockwell City, Lohrville is the most important railway center of Calhoun County. It is situated in the northern part of Union Township, ten miles southeast of Rockwell City, at the junc- tion of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Chicago & North- western, and the Chicago Great Western railroads. The popula- tion in 1910 was 674, a gain of 77 during the preceding ten years.
In 1881, while the Toledo & Northwestern (now the Chicago & Northwestern) Railroad was under construction, Albert Keep. presi- dent. and J. B. Redfield, seeretary, of the Western Town Lot Com- pany, caused the town to be laid off on land belonging to Jacob A. and Mary E. Lohr, from whom the town takes its name. The orig- inal plat, which was filed with the county reeorder on August 15, 1881, shows fifteen lots for warehouse and railroad purposes north of the railroad and south of the railroad nine blocks divided into 104 lots, with two large out lots not subdivided. From the railroad south the east and west streets are First, Seeond, Third and Fourth, and the north and south streets are Elm, Main and Oak.
Since the first plat was filed the town has been increased by eon- siderably more than its original area by the following additions: Denman's, September 1, 1885: Crandall's, November 26, 1888; Mary E. Lohr's north addition, October 15, 1889: Crandall's second, October 13, 1892: Denman's seeond, March 29, 1893; West Side addition, August 2, 1894; Crandall's third, October 21, 1895; Cran- dall's fourth, December 2, 1895; Crandall's fifth, May 24, 1897; Tower & Baird's, April 15, 1903.
152 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY
A man named Flanigan opened a saloon in the first building ereeted in the town and soon afterward Enos Ralston built the City Ilotel. John Morrison had a saloon where the Wilson House now stands. but his building burned in the fall of 1882, which was the first fire in the town. Other early business enterprises were L. W. Johnson's drug and hardware store, O. M. Hollingshead's general store. J. H. Griffin's restaurant and S. G. Crawford's bank. Among the early merchants were A. W. Safley, Hopkins & Wilkinson, and Adams & Dryden, all of whom eondneted general stores.
When the town was first surveyed a postoffice called "Green" was located a short distance south, with Mr. McCluire as postmaster. It was removed to the town, the name changed to Lohrville, and John Allison was appointed postmaster. During the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1914, the receipts of the office were over $3,600. Two peo- ple are employed in the office and four rural carriers make daily trips into the surrounding agricultural distriets.
Lohrville grew rapidly during the first two years of its history and in the winter of 1883-84 it was incorporated, with S. G. Craw- ford as the first mayor. In the spring of 1915 the mayor's office was held by J. E. Barr, and W. H. Marple was eity clerk. The town has a good system of waterworks, a deep well furnishing a supply sufficient for all domestic purposes and ordinary fire protection. The water is raised by pumps to a large tank mounted upon a steel tower, from which it is distributed to the town under a pressure of thirty- five pounds to the square ineh. The business interests of Lohrville are represented by two banks, grain elevators, a weekly newspaper -- the Enterprise-a number of well stocked mereantile establishments, a hotel and a few other enterprises. Churches of several denomina- tions have neat and comfortable houses of worship, a fine high school building was recently erected, six teachers are employed in the publie schools, and the school library numbers 275 volumes. In 1914 the property of the town was assessed for taxation at $143,968. As the taxable value is only one-fourth of the actual valne, Lohrville has over eight hundred and fifty dollars' worth of property for each man, woman and child as shown by the eensus of 1910.
LYTTON
The Town of Lytton is situated on the western boundary line of Garfield Township, the greater portion of it being in Sae County. It is a station on the Storm Lake division of the Chicago, Milwaukee
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St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Parsonage
New Methodist Episcopal Church
Christian Church
Bird' -- Eye View of Lohrville
SCENES IN LOURVILLE
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PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY
& St. Paul Railroad twelve miles west of Rockwell City. Sigwalt's addition, which is that part of the town lying in Calhoun County, was surveyed on April 29, 1901, by A. T. Martin, but nine-tenths of the 500 population live in Sac County. Lytton has two banks, a weekly newspaper, three general stores, hardware, drug and imple- ment houses, a grain elevator, Presbyterian and Methodist Episcopal churches, telephone connections with the surrounding towns, express and telegraph service, and is the principal station between Rockwell City and Sae City.
MANSON
The first plat of the Town of Manson was filed in the office of the county recorder on November 11, 1872, by the Sioux City & Iowa Falls Town Lot and Land Company. It included part of the north- west quarter of section 17, township 89, range 31, and consisted of forty-eight lots lying north of the Dubuque & Sioux City (now the Illinois Central) Railroad. In the original plat the north and south streets are shown as Main and Howard, and the streets running east and west are First and Second, First Street being next to the railroad.
A number of additions have been made to the original town, eight of which were laid off by the same company that made the first plat, or its successor, the Iowa Railroad Land Company. The first addi- tion was made on July 28, 1875, consisting of forty-six lots lying west of the original town: the second, December 22, 1879, fifty-three lots east of Iloward street; the third, July 22, 1880, consisted of sixty-three lots; the fourth, October 18, 1885, twelve small and two large lots; the fifth, September 11, 1888, seven lots and a large lot marked as "Mill Lot;" the sixth, September 11, 1888, fifteen large and eighteen small lots; the seventh, May 15, 1891, sixteen large lots, and the eighth, April 1, 1892, eighteen lots of various sizes and three large blocks not subdivided.
Other additions are Willey's, April 26, 1879, twenty large lots and fifty-four smaller ones; Willey's second, May 26, 1881, forty lots; Hallahan's, July 12, 1881, seven large lots; Hallahan's second, April 27, 1883, nine large and fifty-one small lots: Hallahan's third, April 18, 1884, twenty-six lots: Griswold's, July 21, 1881, four large and fifty-two small lots; Young's addition, July 17, 1894, eleven lots.
The settlement of Manson began about two years before the town was officially established. In 1870, when the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad was under construction through the northern part of
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the county, James Glover opened a general store on the site and built one of the first dwellings in the town. He was soon followed by HI. J. Richmond and B. F. Walton, merehants, and Seth Thomas, who built the first hotel, known as the Seth Thomas HIonse. When the railroad station was established, B. F. Freeburger was appointed agent and soon afterward engaged in the hardware business. All these and a few other improvements were made in the year 1870. 'The railroad depot was also built that year.
Joseph Yates, one of the first settlers of Lineoln Township, in which Manson is situated, lived a short distance east of the town. His house was a relay station on the old Fort Dodge & Sioux City stage line and a postoffice was established there under the name of Yatesville. After Manson began to show indieations of activity the postoffice was removed to that place and the name was changed to correspond to that of the town. Some indieation of the growth of Manson and the development of the surrounding country may be seen in the fact that in 1914 the receipts of the Manson postoffice amounted to more than $6,600 and it was then the origin of four rural delivery routes.
At the April term of the District Court in 1877 a petition signed by thirty-one eitizens was presented asking for the incorporation of the Town of Manson. The judge appointed J. L. Brown, William Clark, B. F. Freeburger, Henry Willey and W. C. Moody commis- sioners to hold an election and submit the question to the legal voters. The election was accordingly held on Saturday, May 5, 1877, when twenty-seven votes were cast in favor of the proposition to incorpo- rate and nineteen were east in the negative. The court then issned the order declaring Manson a town duly incorporated under the laws of the state, and on June 5, 1877, was held the first election for town oflieials. Henry Willey was elected mayor: George R. Allison, recorder: William Clark, Jeremiah HIalihan, James Glover, Henry Young, H. R. Feathers and James Tourtelotte, trustees.
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