USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 17
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As we have observed herein on other subjects, that, owing to its early and very large public debt, just lately paid off, the people of O'Brien county have postponed the building of its final modern court house until after this was all paid off. This has postponed this matter longer in years than most
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other counties in the state. The county was yet housing its records in a frame court house. This said, in effect, that there was something incomplete about the county seat. It lacked its final court house. This contributed in inviting the question. Again, Primghar had not secured its railroad until fifteen years after Sheldon, nine years after Sanborn and Hartley and six years after Paullina and Sutherland had each become railroad towns. Indeed. as a wag got it off. "Primghar was like an old maid waiting for a proposal- from some one proposing to build a railroad, to save its hide." A railroad is needed in the present day to keep a town building. Following the years needed in the growth of the modern ideas in hotels and brick school build- ings and other like structures, Primghar was postponed a like number of years on all these items. It had cost Primghar, with its few people before the Central landed, ten thousand dollars to secure the twenty-two miles of right of way required of it. The town had to recuperate from this. Sheldon in meantime had secured three roads. It had become in reality a distributing point. It was the largest town in the county. But, on the other hand. as results demonstrated, after all, the one prominent fact could not be departed from, that Sheldon was located on the county line and Primghar in the center. We can thus see the ground work causes in the times and condi- tions of growth, leading up to this contest, testing out that question. It was the inevitable that the question should arise.
On March 3. 1911, the people of Sheldon commenced the circulation of a petition for the "relocation of the county seat at Sheldon." It was indeed a vigorous and genuine up-to-date county-seat contest, with the frills all on, as was facetiously remarked. Both sides soon realized that they were in a real fight.
When we realize that this contest lasted for ninety days, and that for the first thirty days during the period. when both sides were in the field. each side had from twenty to thirty automobiles with earnest men rushing over the county, each making haste to secure one-half or a majority of the forty-five hundred ( one authority states forty-two hundred and seventy-six ) voters with their signatures; when we realize that Sheldon, in the first in- stance, secured twenty-four hundred and eighty-five signatures; when we realize that with a subject so spirited, that every man, woman and child in the county was discussing it, and that every one of the ten newspapers in the county were devoting all available space in all manner of discussion and side discussions ; when we realize that several dozen men on each side put in the major part of their time from sixty to ninety days, and from early morning until late at night, and that circulars and dodgers and hand bills and leading
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
articles were published broadcast and mailed systematically by both sides to every voter in the county, and that public meetings were held not simply weekly, but often for several nights in succession, we can see that it was a tense fight. Judge William D. Boies, of Sheldon, issued the main body argument from Sheldon's standpoint, which was published both by circulars and in the papers broadcast. Others joined and followed up his lines for Sheldon. Messrs. R. J. Locke, J. L. E. Peck and O. H. Montzheimer and others did the same thing from the view point of Primghar.
Summed up in brief sentence statements, the two sides made arguments from the following standpoints: Sheldon argued, first, that it had three railroads; second, that it had become a distributive point : third, that it was the largest town in the county and always would be; fourth, that farmers and others could get to court better by rail to Sheldon; fifth, that it had the better and ampler hotel facilities: sixth, that it would for all time show up better as a county capital: seventh, that from the south part of the county via Alton they could get up and back the same day; eighth, that Primghar had no adequate hotel, and, ninth, that it had better entertainments at court time and better stores for trading.
Primghar argued, first, that it was in the exact center; second, that trains were not always on time : third, that the automobile destroyed the rail- road argument; fourth, that farmers to use the train would need a team to the local town first ; fifth, that Sheldon was on the extreme west line of the county; sixth, that a farmer from any point in county could drive in and back same day: seventh, that for the long years to come Primghar would best serve ; eighth, that Primghar would build a hotel, and, ninth, that court expenses of witnesses and jurors and others at ten cents per mile for all time to come would be larger at Sheldon than at Primghar.
As stated, there were forty-five hundred voters, or, as per one authority. forty-two hundred and seventy-six. In the first instance, twenty-four hun- dred and eighty-five voters signed the petition for relocation at Sheldon. Later on about nine hundred petitioners signed the remonstrance, and under the law were deducted. A few were struck off on account of having by some mistake signed twice, on both petition and remonstrance. From all of which one can easily see the excitements that necessarily took place.
The following is an exact copy of the record of the hearing before the board of supervisors held June 8, 191I.
"The board of supervisors finds that, after deducting from said petition the names of persons who are not legal voters of this county at the time they signed the same and the names appearing on the remonstrance which
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
also appear on the petition and certain duplicate signatures thereon, said petition for the relocation of the county seat at Sheldon has been signed by fourteen hundred and forty-seven legal voters of O'Brien county, Iowa, and that said remonstrance against the relocation of the county seat at Sheldon, Iowa, after deducting certain duplicate signatures thereon, has been signed by thirty-one hundred and sixty-three legal voters of O'Brien county, Iowa. as shown by the last census, either state or federal ; that more legal voters in said county have signed said remonstrance than have signed said petition and that no vote on the proposition of the relocation of the county seat of the county be ordered."
The following is the tabulated list by towns and townships :
Primghar. Sheldon.
Archer
32
3
Baker
107
49
Caledonia
150
36
Calumet
53
2
Carroll
59
84
Center
164
IO
Dale
116
3
Floyd
6
118
Franklin
8I
32
Grant
I53
2
Hartley City
176
161
Hartley township
97
38
Highland
175
I
Liberty
170
I
Lincoln
IOI
26
Moneta
5
6
Omega
I4I
19
Paullina
19I
45
Primghar
258
Sanborn
337
66
Summit
II6
6
Sutherland
192
IO
Sheldon
2
716
Union
152
IO
Waterman
127
3
Totals
3.161
1,447
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16;
O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
THE LEGISLATURE.
During a part of the time of this canvass the Legislature of the state of Iowa was in session. Each side maintained a lobby of from five to eight men at the state capital, each sparring for a change in the law that would aid in in- creasing or decreasing the number on petition or per cent of vote required. Mills county had been for sundry years, and in several successive contests, in the throes of like figlits, only much more tense than in O'Brien county. They were on hand with corresponding delegations and lobbies, and naturally joined hands with the respective sides in O'Brien county as their interests correspond- ed. This, also, added much to the county-wide discussion. In result, the Legislature passed an amendment to the law requiring that thereafter two- thirds of the voters according to the last census should vote for a removal be- fore a relocation can be ordered instead of one-half, as had been the law prior thereto.
NEW HUB HOTEL AT PRIMGHAR.
It has been seen that one main fight made against Primghar was that the town did not have adequate hotel facilities for court occasions. It was true that it did not. The owner of the then main hotel, Peter Manderville, while he had invested about eleven thousand dollars in his hotel, and had built it of brick and of quite adequate size, had unfortunately built it between two other brick store buildings, which cut off the light and air, and had also failed to put in a heating plant, contenting himself with stove heat.
This stern reality brought Primghar straight up on her feet, or down on her knees, as it may be argued. Forthwith, immediately, and the same day, subscriptions for stock for a new hotel were circulated. In a sense it was grimly humorous. Primghar saw that she had to convince the public, ยท and that quickly, that this hotel promised was a reality. A stock company was formed, and some one hundred and ninety-one separate stockholders subscribed. Time was the essence of the contract in real earnest. An archi- tect was immediately on the ground. A contract was at once let to Hanson & Meyer, of Fort Dodge, for the building and to the Fort Dodge Plumbing Company for a heating plant, the total costing about a dozen dollars less than twenty-five thousand.
While Primghar was in fact delinquent in this hotel matter, and while Sheldon compelled its building by her county seat persuader, yet when Primghar did act her citizens did themselves proud and built a hotel that was
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not only adequate. but a credit to the town and people county wide, for whose benefit it was built. We make the erection of this hotel an historic county item, for this very reason that it was built directly as a result of a twenty-four-mile-wide agitation, in this problem of a county-seat contest.
The building is of red pressed brick, in size forty by one hundred and ten feet, with twenty-three sleeping rooms, practically three stories high. in- cluding a fine basement, with steam heat, ample baths, barber shop, hot and cold water all completely finished in all modern appointments, dining room beautifully decorated, as are all other rooms, dining room accommodating as high as ninety guests at one sitting, with a complete equipment of furniture and kitchen utensils hotel size-in brief. in every way an up-to-date hotel.
A prize was offered for the name selected from names contributed. The prize was awarded to Miss Demia Peck, she dubbing it "The Hub."
GRAND OPENING.
A grand opening was held in the dining room of the Hub hotel, on the evening of December 8, 1911. Guests from all over the county numbering one hundred and fifty attended, forty guests alone coming from Sheldon. After the bountiful repast a program of speeches and toasts was indulged in. J. L. E. Peck acted as toastmaster. Speeches were made by Judge William D. Boies, of Sheldon, by Judge William Hutchinson, of Alton, who were fol- lowed by further speeches by David Algyer, Jacob H. Wolf, T. E. Diamond, C. P. Jordan. Sidney Kerberg. Fred Vetsch and Mr. Lindsay.
The sentiment of loyalty to one's town and surroundings and the up- building of the county was the prevailing theme. It was a curious and notable incident that the blue and the gray in the late fiery county-seat contest so soon met at the festal board at its new hotel and enjoyed an excellent pro- gram and menu so superb.
To sum it all up, these four county-seat contests were in reality the people of the whole county solving out its destiny in its growth and develop- ments.
CHAPTER N.
OLD SETTLERS' REUNION.
Many gatherings of old settlers, in small groups and neighborhoods and townships, took place along through the early years.
But probably the first full-grown, county-wide reunion on a large scale of old settlers took place at Pringhar on August 31, 1889. The old home- steaders were practically all yet alive, and actually there. Hannibal House Waterman and Hannah H. Waterman, his wife, were the honored guests. The writer was present. He must pronounce it beyond question the grand- est public function ever held in the county, even up to this 1914. It was representative of the idea that brought the great crowd of eight to ten thou- sand people together. It was not simply from one section of the county. Every township and town was largely there. It occurred only eighteen years distant from the first large incoming of the real citizen homesteader in 1871. While this same class of a reunion was repeated in 1894, 1899, 1904 and 1909, none of the later reunions reached in size or detail its equal. It was democratic. It was pioneer. The people were in fact there. The real homesteader was there; they were all there with their children. They were close enough in time to reach back to the real grasshopper and hay twister, to understand its true meaning. and yet it had struck into the high tide of the better prosperities. The trees in the court house park had reached a sufficient size to really make a shade. It was one of the greatest, as it was probably the last occasion when the real old settler and all of them were so univer- sally present. At the succeeding reunions, many were dead. The later and lesser in numbers compared with the increasing numbers of new settlers began in the later reunions at intervals of five years to swallow the old home- steader up in the swim, as it were. On this occasion, August 31. 1889, the old homesteader had reached his climax. The bright day had dawned. The railroad at Primghar had been built but two years, the new buildings had been completed, and its new people were on hand in dress parade to bid welcome. As this was one of the great occasions in the county that rises to the dignity of a county-wide historic occasion, and inasmuch as its details will include a weaving among those details much of the early situations, customs
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
and people, we will give the full account of same as published in the O'Brien County Bell the following week.
NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT OF THE REUNION.
The O'Brien County Bell, September 5, 1889: "From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," but there is just no use in attempting to tell the story complete of the old settlers' reunion and harvest festival, held at Primghar last Saturday, for two reasons, first, the heart is too full, and the mouth is too small.
The morning came in beautiful, the sun appeared in its glory, the atmos- phere was pure. By daylight every man, woman and child in Primghar was up and dressed for the occasion, ready to assist in making the day, as it was, one never to be forgotten by the thousands who were present. It goes with- out contradiction, that the assemblage of people was the largest and grandest that has ever occurred in the entire Northwest, outside of the thronged days at the Sioux City Corn Palace exhibition.
At sunrise occurred the national salute of forty-two guns, during which time those of our citizens who had not completed (the night before) their decorations, could be seen, some on roofs, others on boxes and barrels, tack- ing up bunting, stars and stripes, mottoes and pictures.
DECORATIONS.
First the reader will be, as was the visitor, introduced to the decorations as prepared by the Primghar people, from thence invited to follow these lines on through in regular order as the exercises of the day were carried out.
One-half mile from the court house, on all roads leading into the town, and at the depot, were suspended, eighteen feet high, large banners, "Wel- come," each of which was decorated with either corn, flax, wheat, oats, hay- twists or vegetables of some description. By this it was made manifest to all visitors that they were expected, and further, that the town and inside of it belonged to them. Every house, public building, as well as numerous stables, sheds and fences were found ornamented with decorations of some sort. Front gates and sidewalks were arched over with beautiful designs, made of grain of all kinds, grasses, wild flowers, house plants and vegetables. Many of the arches bore appropriate mottoes. In the business part of the town, there seemed no way to enter except under mammoth arches at each of the four corners of the public square. At the northwest corner was an arch, or
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
rather arches, or cross arch from corner to corner, really a double arch, seventy feet square at the base and forty feet high, which was decorated with prairie flowers, wild thistles, corn and small grain, together with two hun- dred yards of bunting. At the foot of each arch was a shock of either corn or grain of some kind. An arch at the southwest corner was a duplicate of above. At the southeast corner of the square was an arch crossing the entire square seventy feet from corner to opposite corner, timbers from each corner rising to the center, pyramid shape, forty feet. The frame work was so con- structed as to leave a large square, twenty feet high, in which were placed humorous paintings by Primghar's very clever artist, M. P. Messenger. One was represented as follows: Numerous grasshoppers were stripping stalks of green corn same as sugar cane stalks are stripped, with another large hopper starting out on a journey, apparently captain of this band of hoppers, bearing in his mouth a banner, "More to conquer." At the lower right hand corner of the picture was a long, lean, lank hog, poorer than Job's turkey. On his back was perched a large hopper, and on the ribs of the hog painted the words, "Spare rib," "Corn all gone." Another of Mr. Messenger's paintings represented the "Old Log Court House," with six county officers in view, with "Old Dutch Fred" standing at a distance, smoking his long pipe, as he was making that well-known remark, "I am de beeples, you fellows am de officers." As everybody knew, Dutch Fred was the only man in the county who was not an officer, there being only seven residents at that time. Still another painting represented a large grasshopper painted in colors bear- ing a mower sickle and reaper reel in his mouth, "O'Brien County Combined Reaper and Mower, 1876."
We next come to the imposing arch at the northeast corner of the square. It was indeed a surprise. George R. Slocum and George W. Schee each had a bank across from each other at this time at this northeast corner of the square, and they had challenged each other for the best donations and decorations. It was asserted at the time that this arch as a whole actually cost over three hundred dollars. This arch was forty feet square at the base and seventy feet high, two stories, with full stairway to ascend, and held several hundred people. The long procession passed under each of the four arches, but here the officers and committees reviewed the procession. This arch was pyramid in shape, built of heavy timbers, bolted together and self- supporting in the center to hold up the audience expected, the other arches being supported only at the corners. During the day the bands dispensed music from the top of this arch, and hundreds of people ascended the stairs to take a view of the crowds and country. High in the air, at this arch, was
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
suspended "Welcomes," made of kernels of corn. The entire structure was completely covered with grain of every description and design, mixed in with hundreds of yards of bunting. George R. Slocum had constructed a map of O'Brien county about six feet square, made up of every possible combination of ears of corn and the grains of all kinds of corn imaginable. It was claimed that had value of time been considered. one hundred and fifty dollars would not have done the work. It was taken to Sioux City to the Corn Palace for exhibition and later to the state capitol, so many wanting to see it. The four arches cost about five hundred dollars. When we state that the town raised more than one thousand dollars, exclusive of individual expense for the day, we can see the scale on which it was carried out.
The sidewalk from the front entrance to the court house was decorated in like elaborate style. Frank N. Derby was then county treasurer and Charles H. Winterble county auditor, and they vied with each other as to which could suggest the most original idea. This sidewalk of about eighty feet was one long, high arch, covered roof like; Japanese style. In size it was eight by twelve, and thirteen feet high. The roof was thatched with oats and grains, Japanese shape, all decorated very elaborately with the grains. ears of corn and its grains as appearance demanded. The north side, near the entrance, was finished with grain and corn stalks trimmed, being placed in such a manner as to leave a large diamond, three feet square, in the center. and in which appeared steel engravings of all the Presidents of the United States to Grover Cleveland, inclusive. This diamond was beautifully draped with the Stars and Stripes. The south side was dressed with grains of all kinds, together with grasses in the center, to correspond with the diamond on the north side, its three-foot diamond being worked in kernels of corn. The interior of the whole long archway was finished with all kinds of grasses interwoven in a multitude of forms.
The inside of the court house was similarly decorated, as likewise the entrances to and the inside of the offices themselves. Near to the stairway leading to the court room was a beautiful arch constructed with flags. Isaac Clements, who was then county recorder, and John W. Walters, clerk of the courts and whose offices were on the west side, made archway decorations on an equal scale.
THE PARK ITSELF.
The trees in the park were then eleven years old, planted in 1878. There were then probably ten times the number of trees as now, many being thinned out as they grew. These trees were all decorated in all manner of forms and
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
shapes. They were smaller then, the first limbs being then just about as high as one's shoulders, the right height for decoration. The invincible F. M. (Pomp) McCormack. of the Bell, made this work his special feature. He had enthusiastically gotten every merchant and business man in town to take it upon himself to decorate one tree. For instance, one tree for the "Press" was decorated by all sorts of hangings relating to the newspapers of the county and their editors.
The speaker's stand, twetny feet by sixty, four feet above ground, with a back wall eighteen feet high, was literally covered with flags and bunting. In front of the stand, nicely arranged, was a rope of flowers twenty feet long, and very beautiful, the work of Mrs. L. D. Wooster. Directly in front of the speaker's stand was a mammoth floral anchor, the work of Mrs. Frank N. Derby. At the noon hour sixteen long tables were constructed, one for each township and each eighty feet long, or a total of twelve hundred and eighty feet. the whole loaded, as was humorously remarked that day, con- taining enough provisions to have lasted the entire population of the county in 1860 (seven voters) from that time until the grasshoppers came. The old homesteader up to that date made all his bows and comparisons to the grass- hopper.
At the northwest corner of the park, and clear across the corner, was erected a soldiers' monument, fourteen by fourteen feet at base and seventy feet high, which was headquarters all day for the old soldier homesteaders. and one hundred and forty old soldiers registered, though all did not get their names recorded. This monument was nicely and appropriately decor- ated in keeping with the other decorations of the day. Many of the business buildings were likewise elaborately decorated in various designs in corn and the grains. This subject can best be summed up by saying that everything and everybody in Primghar was decorated, and the streets were a sea of flags.
COMMENCED TO ARRIVE.
Many arrived as early as Friday, among them being Mr. and Mrs. Han- nibal Waterman, the first citizens, Mr. John McCormack, the early-day hunter, and Uncle Don C. Berry, a very unique and early-day character.
Even as early as eight o'clock in the morning the people began to pour in : at eight-thirty it was estimated there were two thousand. The excursion train from Cherokee at eight-forty brought in several hundred, who were met at the depot by Assistant Marshal Charles F. Albright, the Hub Cornet Band and reception committee. By this time every highway leading to Primghar
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
was lined with teams as far as the eye could reach, some processions actually being two and three miles in length. At ten the excursion train from Sheldon arrived, every car packed with people, bringing their fine Sheldon Band. This delegation was likewise met with Primghar committees. Next came the Sanborn and Franklin township delegation, headed by the Sanborn band. With the Paullina and Union and Caledonia township delegations came the Caledonia Brass Band, making in all six bands, including the Sheldon Drum Corps and Charley West's unique drum corps, composed entirely of members of his family. It seemed that every citizen of the county was there. Assist- ant marshals went out to meet the delegations from each township as they arrived.
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