USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 40
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a thriving, wide-awake business place, and in making it one of the best markets in the county. Mr. Watson has been in more ways than one, both to the individual and to the town. "a friend in need," and taken a prominent part in politics and public affairs, and in putting both Archer and his part of the county on the map. Archer has been very exceptional in this, that, though one of the smaller towns, with population of three hundred and fifty-one, it has actually tested out as a vigorous rival of the larger towns in the county in extent of shipments and business. Archer has been specially fortunate in the loyalty of its farmers towards the town.
ARCHER.
The town of Archer was named for John H. Archer, who owned the land upon which the town was platted. He was an extensive farmer, and is now largely interested in the town, but resides in Sheldon, where he is also interested in banking.
The town was platted in 1888 on the south half of the southeast quarter of section 24 in Carroll township, by William Van Epps and Charles E. Mc- Kinney by dedication deed dated February 10, 1888.
On February 12, 1902, twenty-six citizens filed their petition before Judge George W. Wakefield in the district court, praying for the incorpora- tion of said eighty acres of land to be known as Archer. On February 25, 1902, the court appointed W. T. Brooks, F. A. Beers, A. Menning, P. S. Tanner and Eugene Sullivan as commissioners and incorporators of the town and to act as judges of and to hold the first election. Notice of same was published three weeks in the O'Brien County Bell. At the election held March 25. 1902, the vote stood twenty-seven to one in favor of incorpora- tion. At the first election of officials, held April 21, 1902, W. J. Sinyard was elected as its first mayor, and S. George Pederson, Henry Teimens, A. Menning, P. S. Tanner, F. W. Nelson and E. W. Chapman as its first council. Mr. Sinyard was elected for five successive terms, ten years in all. He was followed in the mayor's office by Dr. M. D. Kiely, Samuel Webster and C. S. Goodrich. The present officers of the municipality are C. S. Goodrich, mayor ; R. E. McQuinn, clerk; Will Clow, treasurer, and Jacob Duimstra, Benjamin Olsen, W. J. Sinyard. Henry Teimens and H. C. Henspeter, councilmen.
The town was laid out on the then new railroad built in 1887, then known as the Sioux Falls & Cherokee Railroad, and later reorganized and incorporated as part of the Illinois Central Railroad system.
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The first building erected was a blacksmith shop in March, 1888. With- in a few months a postoffice was established with T. B. White appointed as its first postmaster, but, failing to qualify, A. A. Bisbee, the pioneer merchant and partner with West & Bisbee, who started the first store, was appointed and qualified. Milo Benedict was the first station agent. The firm of West & Bisbee, soon after failing in business, was succeeded by H. H. Parish, who became in turn postmaster and built up a large trade. W. J. Sinyard soon after became depot agent and acted in this capacity for several years, and until he became cashier of the Bank of Archer.
The following is a full list of the postmasters: A. A. Bisbee, H. H. Parish, H. L. Williams, H. H. Parish, H. K. Smith, Eugene Sullivan, Joe Lamkin, C. M. Pederson, H. A. Lemkuil and C. M. Pederson.
The business interests of Archer in the year 1914 are represented as follows: Goodrich & Co. and Garrett Vander Schoor, general stores; Chris Peterson, harness shop : Jacob Duinstra, hardware merchant ; Henry Teimens, blacksmith: Mrs. John Tanner, restaurant: John Harn, pool hall; A. J. Byers, barber; Henry Kleinheksel, livery: Joseph Lamkin, meats; Edmonds- Londergan & Co., lumber, etc .; Archer Co-operative Grain Co., grain, etc .; C. S. Goodrich, auto garage: B. S. Renswick, creamery; C. M. Pederson, postmaster and telephone manager.
For the statement and history of the Bank of Archer, see the chapter on Banks and Banking, and for its churches, see the chapter on churches.
The professional interests are well taken care of by Dr. M. D. Kiely, who located here in 1898 and has built up a very extensive practice.
ARCHER SCHOOLS.
The town of Archer, in its school relations, has had an unique experi- ence, in this, that its school building and grounds are owned by the incor- porated town of Archer, as a municipal corporation. This is not true of any other town in the county. It came about in this way. Archer is not an independent school district. It is a part of the school township and in one of its districts. The town being on the edge of the school township, thus twenty-four miles around it, the rural districts could not bring themselves up to the point of voting funds for a building adequate for town purposes. Undaunted, the enterprising citizens of the town, in the year 1900, by private subscription erected a two-story school building at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars. The town or district then entered into a friendly
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agreement with the school township whereby the town shall furnish the school building and the school township shall bear the management expenses.
SUMMIT TOWNSHIP.
Summit township was not settled as soon as other parts of the county, but is now all well developed and land sells from one hundred and fifty dollars to two hundred dollars per acre. Its population in 1905, according to the state census returns, was five hundred and fifteen. It was organized as follows: On May 7, 1873, all of section 36 of what is now Summit, whereon Primghar now stands, was set off from the then Carroll and added to Center. Therefore Primghar at one time belonged to Center. On December 27, 1873, what is now Summit was detached from Carroll. In describing what should be Summit it declared it was to be bounded on the east by "96-40" and on the South by "95-41," so that in effect it set back Primghar to Sum- mit. Later on in the years all the territory within the limits of the incor- porated town of Primghar was made part of Summit township. This puts Peck & Shuck's addition and Slocum, Turner & Armstrong's additions to Primghar. which are in congressional Center, into Summit township and also puts Derby & Rowan's addition to Primghar, which is in congressional Dale, into Summit, as at present situated.
A portion of the town of Primghar is situated within the southeast corner of this township. There are no other towns or parts of towns in this sub-division of the county. John and Will Archer were early comers to this part of O'Brien county. The last named was at one time connected with the Primghar Savings Bank and was a very liberal man and highly public spirited. He donated much toward the present Methodist Episcopal church at Primghar and after its completion he donated a pulpit set, and chairs for infants' use in Sunday school. He moved to Burlington, Iowa, where he engaged in the manufacture of crackers. Others were Drew Arnold and Barney Snyder. The latter took a homestead which he proved up on and still lives there in good circumstances. John Archer's father-in-law, Mr. Ballou, was very early in the settlement and is still living, but not a resident of the township. In the north part of the township was Charles Burns, who still resides in O'Brien county, honored and respected. Another was Will- iam Artman, who came in the eighties, made good improvements and accumulated much property
This township had some tree claims, but few homesteads, when the
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settlement was effected. One "forty" in some way slipped the notice of all land-lookers until very late, when David Algyer, an abstracter, now living at Paullina, discovered it and entered it as his homestead. He made the . usual improvements and finally sold it after proving up. This was on sec- tion 29 and is the forty owned by Joseph Hulbach. Other pioneer settlers here were as follows: Joseph Potter, who came just after Mr. Holbach. M. M. Ray, now residing in Primghar, a carpenter by trade, settled in the southeast part of Summit in the seventies; married, reared his family and then moved to town, having rented his farm. Joseph Geister, ex-sheriff of O'Brien county, was early in the township, as was his father-in-law, Mr. Harges, who came to the county with over twenty thousand dollars. He was a plain dressed man and wore an odd coonskin cap. He appeared at the teller's window at a bank in Sanborn and wanted to deposit money. The banker did not believe he had a dollar, but treated him gentlemanly and soon he drew from one pocket several thousand dollars and deposited that and then dug up more from other pockets in his plain clothes, until he had taken out the sum of twenty thousand dollars. Then he commenced picking up land in O'Brien county and at one time had many broad acres.
Another one recalled by present-day settlers was James See's father, who located near Mr. Geister's present farm. The old gentleman is now deceased.
Summit is also one of the deeded townships it only having three home- steads in it. Stephen J. Jordan was an old soldier and homesteader. He met with an accident in a runaway, from the injuries of which he died. The Stephen Jordan Grand Army post at Primghar was named for him. George B. Davids was one of the very early settlers, but soon became a banker with the Ellis brothers and Morton Wilber at Sanborn, in the State Bank. John H. Archer has the credit of being the largest farmer in the county, having about four thousand acres, nearly all of which lies in Summit township. Mr. Archer himself resided with his family on a part of this long stretch of farm, or farms, for more than twenty-five years. While also a banker on a large scale, he has been personally and actively engaged in farming. Philip Brundage was one of the oldest timers in this township on section 22. Two of his sons, John R. and William, still reside in the township. Another son, Selonius, and two daughters, Mrs. M. D. Finch and Mrs. Anna Bradley. reside in and near Sheldon. The court house and all the business part of Primghar lies in this township.
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GENERAL COMMENT ON THE TOWNSHIPS.
In the early times each settled township for taxation purposes wanted a deeded township to aid in revenue and taxes. It was the law that territory of any one township must be contiguous. Carroll was almost surrounded by settled townships. She wanted Lincoln for company as a township. To avoid the dilemma the novel idea was suggested and carried out, and the north row of forties of the present Summit was detached from Summit, and with Lincoln made Carroll. The now Lincoln and Carroll were thus united, like the Siamese twins, by this fiddle-string ligament. A genuine case of "taxation for revenue only." as the political phrase then went, all done to make the territory contiguous as by law in such cases provided. This fiddle string was given back to Summit June 8. 1880.
It should be added that there is now and has been for several years an- other civil township in O'Brien county, not usually known to many within the county, even in Sheldon city itself. This is known as Sheldon township, and includes all of the incorporation of the city of Sheldon, and no more territory. It was so created that the city of Sheldon might have two justices of peace within her corporate limits.
PRIMGHAR.
Of the railroad towns of the county, Primghar is second in point of time, though sharing with Sheldon its start in the same year, 1872, with Sheldon a few months ahead. Primghar has had some unique experiences. Its first forty acres of platted ground was elected by the votes of the county on November II, 1872, by a vote of three hundred and sixty to fifty-three to be the county seat, before it was named-before it was born, so to speak.
It has a distinct claim to originality in its name. Its name was made up from the initials of the names of the eight men chiefly taking part in plat- ting it :
Pumphrey, the treasurer, drives the first nail,
Roberts, the donor, is quick on his trail. Inman dips slyly his first letter in,
McCormack adds M, which makes the full Prim. Green, thinking of groceries, gives them the G,
Hayes drops them an H, without asking a fee, Albright, the joker, with his jokes all at par, Rerick brings up the rear and crowns all "Primghar."
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Primghar became a town when there were but six and one-half miles of railroad built in the county, the Sioux City & St. Paul railroad to Sheldon. During the first fifteen years of its existence it was without a railroad, and was in its sixteenth year when it was incorporated as a town.
All these items had their reasons. The land grant by Congress of May 12, 1864, provided that the Milwaukee railroad should be built through O'Brien county "as near the forty-third parallel of latitude as may be." This forty-third parallel is two miles south of Primghar. Its people reasonably expected to be thus the one big town in the county at date of platting. One other clause of that grant provided that the Milwaukee road should make a junction with the Sioux City road inside of O'Brien county. The Sioux City road the following year entered O'Brien county at Sheldon, and resulted in the Milwaukee road being compelled to build six miles north of town. This new plan of railroad building had the effect of putting the Milwaukee road through the north tier of townships, and the Northwestern railroad through the south tier of townships, and finally the Illinois Central Railroad angling through the county and through Primghar, saving to Primghar a railroad, it is true, for which it had worked and fought for fifteen years. All this, how- ever, distributed the towns and divided up the county into six lesser sized towns, instead of perhaps two large towns. Primghar and Sheldon, had the original intent of Congress been carried out. To get the county seat into the "exact" center was still another thought fixing its destiny, this exact center being in fact inside its corporate limits.
These facts left Primghar "in the air," as it were, for all these fifteen years, both on county-seat and railroad expectations. As all things have their causes, this in large part resulted in giving Primghar the unusual ex- perience of having engaged in four full fledged county-seat fights. No other county in the state has had a like experience.
This long wait was much occupied in all sorts of railroad meetings by the people generally, reaching out to the Legislature, Congress and to East- ern capitalists, to get anybody interested who might build a road. All sorts of railroad schemes and building scares and false prospects were chased up. It became even a joke through the towns and the county that whenever any other town started a county-seat agitation, that Primghar always had a ready-made railroad project or series of public meetings to head it off, and much money was uselessly spent, more than its people could afford. All these ideas and contentions were handed down and became a part of its numerous contests for its very existence, the county seat.
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J. L. E. Peck, one of the editors of this history, lived in Primghar for ten years without a road and passed through these situations. It did not get its road until 1887. In the meantime the other towns, secure in their roads, outgrew Primghar. As we can see, this of necessity left Primghar very much of a target, which target idea it did not outgrow, in the county- seat contentions, for many years after it in fact got its road. Primghar thus hung in the balances for this full fifteen years, or even more, with from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and twenty-five people, and during this fifteen years could only have two stores and other items in proportion, with the people living on hope and waiting for a road from year to year. This. however, made of Primghar very much of a united town in the numerous contentions she passed through. Its trade was small because its people were few. The writer hereof once wrote some scribblings or items to a neighbor- ing paper, and wrote this joke: "That that week Primghar had a man and a boy, a horse and a dog in town, all trading the same day." While it was a joke, it was too grimly true.
ITS FIRST CHARTER FAMILIES.
Inasmuch as Primghar's families could then be numbered by less than two score, we will give the charter families of its first five years, 1872-1877 : John R. Pumphrey, Beuren Chrysler, Isaac W. Daggett, Henrietta Wheeler Acer, Capt. Robert C. Tifft, R. G. Allen, John Hollibaugh, Ed. A. Nissen, McAllen Green, William Clark Green. George W. Schee, Judge A. H. Willits, John W. Kelly, Peg Leg Allen. John Richardson, Dr. H. C. West, T. J. Alex- ander, W. W. Barnes, J. G. Chrysler, A. J. Edwards, Warren Walker, Charley Allen, Stephen Harris, Rev. C. W. Cliffton, James Daniels, Lemuel C. Green, J. L. E. Peck, A. J. Brock, Harley Day, Ed. C. Brown, Ed. C. Dean, Dr. A. C. Smith, Charles Titus, Mart Shea.
TOWN PLAT.
On November 8, 1872, William Clark Green and Melvenah S. Green, his wife, and James Roberts dedicated and platted the original town, con- sisting of thirty acres, into fourteen blocks and one outlot. Its then only attorney, Dewitt C. Hayes, was the draftsman. It was crudely surveyed. As Benjamin F. McCormack informed the writer, in the hurry, winter com- ing on, buildings were in process of construction by guess, before it was ineasured off ; that he actually measured it off with an ordinary four-foot
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lath; that he started out at the center government stone of the county, thence west twenty rods to provide for the ten acres not owned by the donors, then north the eighty rods. But at this point he neglected to measure back east to correct up, to be sure that his line was straight. In fact, he got this point twenty feet too far west. This left a wedge-shaped variation among all the blocks in town. The plat itself was platted regular, with right measurements, but every stake in town was wrong. All this gave much contention for years as to lot and building lines. This accounts for some buildings even to this day being out in the street sundry feet. At one time a livery barn near the school corner was fourteen feet into the street, being built according to Mc- Cormack's measurement in fact, then in the prairie grass. These contentions continued until 1888, when the whole town entered into an agreed petition in an actual suit in equity in court, entitled E. W. Shuck vs. George W. Schee and fifty others, the district court appointed a surveyor from Sioux City, and a resurvey was made and all corners located with stakes and stones with charcoal footings at all the points where the recorded plat placed them.
PETITION TO RELOCATE AT PRIMGHAR.
The petition to relocate the county seat at Primghar was circulated and presented to the board, September 5, 1872, by Dewitt C. Hayes, the first attorney in Primghar, and which resulted in the election or vote on same being ordered on November 1I, 1872.
PUBLIC WELFARE PROVIDED FOR.
Messrs. Green and Roberts, in their dedication deed, generously provided for the public business, the future of the schools and the moralities, by donat- ing one whole block of two acres each, respectively, block 12 to O'Brien county for a court house, block 13 for a public school, and block 14 to the Methodist church. Later on, in the year 1876, this church block was ex- changed for two church sites for the church proper on block 16 and parson- age on block 17, on which the properties of that church now stand.
THE PUBLIC SQUARE IN PRIMGHAR.
The public square was immediately taken possession of by O'Brien county. The board of supervisors in 1878 planted this plat of two acres to trees. William D. Slack did the planting and Emanuel Kindig, a member
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of the board, cultivated them during the year. This grove, now thirty-six years old, forms the splendid park in which not only Primghar takes a pride, but a like pride is kept up throughout the county, and in which many notable and large gatherings of old settlers, conventions and public meetings have been held. The first part of the summer of 1878 was excessively dry, and the little sprigs, having been practically planted in the prairie sod, did not leaf out until the rains began in August. The two court houses and additions thereto built on this square will be noted in the article on court houses. In 1891 the county, the town of Primghar, George W. Schee and C. S. Cooper combined or contributed in hauling down the dirt from the grading of the hill at Mr. Schee's residence, in all about two thousand yards of earth, cover- ing the square from six to eighteen inches deep. The south and west sides of the square was then a boggy and muddy slough, which made this neces- sary. Later on, from time to time, the county constructed a fine cement side- walk entirely around the square. Still later on, in 1911, the county paid its share in the sum of one thousand one hundred dollars for the construction of the sewerage system constructed in Primghar that year. This system was constructed in its proportions as estimated by the board of supervisors and the constructing engineer to be adequate for all time in its future public buildings.
FIRST BUILDINGS.
In the fall of 1872 buildings were rushed up. Clark Green built the first store building in the summer of 1873, and immediately installed a stock of goods, in fact was selling goods in it before completion. It was in size about forty-four by seventy. Here he dished out groceries and goods to the old homesteaders until 1879, when it broke him up and he made an assignment for the benefit of his creditors. This building was on the site of the Bell block. In 1873 Warren Walker built a large office and residence thirty by sixty, near Nye's store. Charles F. Albright erected the first hotel on the site of Reynoldson's store building. It was perhaps forty by fifty in size. Payne's store, for years conducted on section 8, in Highland township, was moved on back part of the block north of the square, and occupied as a court house until the then new court house was built on the northeast corner of the square in 1874, and was in size about forty feet square, with a stairway running up on outside. Judge A. H. Willits, in 1872, built a residence on the site of the Northside restaurant, with a small printing office, to which he moved the O'Brien Pioncer and at once commenced publishing that paper.
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He had conducted it at Old O'Brien not quite a year. John R. Pumphrey at once built a small bank building, about twenty by thirty in size, with a com- mon iron safe, in the same, on the present site of the Hub hotel. Capt. R. C. Tifft built what he called the Arctic restaurant, in which he ran both restau- rant and saloon. In 1873 was built the first school building, in size about thirty by sixty, two stories in height, with two rooms. A little later, in 1874, John W. Kelly built the Kelly hotel, standing just west of Pumphrey's bank, in size about twenty-four by sixty. Church services were in the meantime, and until 1879, held in either the school room or court room. Charles Titus built the first livery on the site of the present Southside livery. The public officials moved to town and each built houses. These constituted the build- ings until 1878, when it became settled that the town would not get the Mil- waukee road.
EXODUS OF BUILDINGS.
During this year, 1878-79, there were about or close to fifty to seventy- five buildings moved to the town of Sanborn and in 1881 to Sutherland and Paullina when the Northwestern road was built. Thus Primghar furnished many of the first buildings to those three towns. It was "Blue Monday" for Primghar. The sound of hammers was as vigorous in destruction and re- moval as if in construction. It indeed continued in uncertainty. But the country was by this time reviving, land was advancing, and there was plenty of business for those actually remaining here, and everybody prospered nevertheless.
SOCIABILITIES AND AMUSEMENTS.
Possibly the town population at this period, 1878, numbered close to three hundred. Never was there a better lyceum conducted in any town any- where, where the whole citizenship took part in the discussion of the county problems then in agitation, and other subjects, than were held during those five years. Everybody was everybody else's equal. The town citizenship conducted the play of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" one winter, and played it twice, at which it had large delegations from Sheldon, and with the proceeds out- fitted a band costing one hundred and fifty dollars. Charles H. Allen, attor- ney, was a skilled bandmaster, and Primghar never had so good a band as in those years of its pioneer time. Sociables, advertised as "hay twisters" sociables, were held. After the close of the lyceum proper, and the preacher had been invited to go home, the seats of the court room were whirled to the
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