USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 43
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county. We have already noted him among Sutherland's bankers. E. J. Frush, Byram Eckman, James Magee are others who raised large families there. William Slack homesteaded on section 6, in 1869, but died in 1874. His widow. Mrs. Lucy Slack, was among those chiefly interested in the erection of the Covey church and other early enterprises. Her son. Charles S. Slack, resided with her on the claim until her death. Major Chester W. Inman was an old soldier, ex-county treasurer, and opened up a seven- hundred-acre farm, and built one of the first of the large residences. He was later killed in an altercation over a boundary line. Uncle Don C. Berray was an old homesteader, a very eccentric character and will be long remembered for his fun and geniality. He left a large family.
Other settlers of an early date were the Inman Brothers, southeast of the Jones homestead settlement. They arrived about 1869-70 and remained many years. One of the brothers was known as Major Inman and had served in the Civil War.
Of schools, churches and other items of interest in Grant township, the reader is referred to chapters on such general topics elsewhere in this volume.
THE MILWAUKEE RAILROAD DID ONE SQUARE DEAL.
We often hear the railroads severely upbraided for getting their rail- road land grants and handling them greedily and not to the interest of the people. Desiring to give each side of the varied questions that have arisen in the county, as historic facts, notwithstanding the editors hereof have participated on one side or the other of most questions for thirty years, we wish to call attention to one bunch of railroad lands patented to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad by John H. Gear, governor of Iowa, by patent dated April 26, 1880. This patent covered twelve thous- and two hundred and four and seventy-eight hundredths acres, covering ten thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight acres in Grant township and nine hundred and six acres in Waterman and a small tract, each in Hart- ley. Omega and Highland townships.
The Milwaukee road built from McGregor west through O'Brien county, under the land grant by Congress of May 12, 1864, hence earned divers lands right up and into O'Brien county, in fact earned the above lands before it struck what have been called the "overlapping" lands in dispute. as detailed elsewhere. Lands at the time were worth, in the county, about five dollars per acre. This road at once put these lands all on the market by public announcement at five dollars per acre, with the stated inducement
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to the purchaser to deduct the sum of two dollars and fifty cents per acre for each acre broken up for cultivation within two years, and as further stated by the company as an inducement to get the country opened up and improved, and with the idea that more settlers and more farming would produce more shipping. This was practically equal to purchasing from the government. Practically every purchaser took advantage of this induce- ment. The reader must pass judgment.
CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP.
On January 3. 1878, on petition of Leonard Hill and twelve others. what is now Caledonia township was set off from Baker and called Cale- donia, and the first election ordered held in the school house, but as there was only one school house in the township there was no trouble.
In 1910 the United States census reports gave this township a popu- lation of eight hundred and nine. It is in many ways the richest, best improved part of O'Brien county. It is, and always has been, largely held by thrifty, Americanized Germans, who know no such word as fail. For them work-hard work-is but play. Men, women and children all join in doing useful labor and in this manner they thrive in health and wealth getting. The scores of beautiful farms, with tall groves set up by pioneer hands, grace the entire territory. The roads and fences and general build- ing improvements bespeak of naught but value and contentment, while pros- perity is found on every hand. They are both a religious and educational people-believe in good churches and schools and have provided them for the rising young about them. They believe in teaching and speaking both the German and English language.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Many a fond memory clusters around the farms where the pioneer first settled. The land the first settlers claimed as their own has come to be almost holy ground to the children of these pioneers. The first person to effect a settlement in Caledonia township was H. B. Robeson, who came early in 1871. The township was not of that class of land that could then be settled upon as government land could. It had to be purchased of the individual owners. After spending a few years there pioneer Robeson retired to Mar- cus and became an honored citizen of that thriving town in Cherokee county.
The next actual settler. after Robeson, was John Schwebach, who
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came to this township in 1872. Thomas Barry soon followed in the march of enterprising settlers. This is a decided German settlement; almost to a man they are of this class. Among other pioneers of this goodly town- ship may be recalled these: Leonard Hill, of section 7, who now resides in Granville, Sioux county, this state; Messrs Upham and Arnold, of section 12, removed from the county many years since; H. F. Kluender came in the spring of 1881, from Cook county, Illinois, and after a time settled on his present farm, a hundred and twenty acres in the northeast quarter of section 18, where he has made excellent improvements and has a valuable property enjoyed by himself and his estimable family. Another still living in the township is Fred Boss, of section 25; Henry Hoermann was a pioneer and removed to Kansas; John Stamer, of section 5, and William Steinberg. of that section, settled here, but are now numbered among the dead; Nic Malget, of the northeast quarter of section 7, is still an honored resident of the township; also Henry Richter, of section 14; W. O. Boyd was an- other very early pioneer to this part of the county ; he owned at one time all of section 22, but later sold out and retired at Ames, Iowa, where he still lives.
What was named Shabbona postoffice was established on the south- west quarter of section 2, in 1888, six years after the building of the rail- road through the township. The postmaster was Theodore Brum, but short was his term of office, for the same was abandoned after two weeks' trial. It had been proposed to establish a town and sidetrack station at that point but it never materialized. The Chicago & Northwestern railroad runs through the southern portion of the upper tier of sections of this town- ship, going almost on a straight line till the center of section 6 is reach- ed, when it bears to the northwest before entering Sioux county. Land sells in this township from one hundred fifty to two hundred dollars per acre and is really not in the market, for all the land owners are content with the prosperity which now surrounds them.
Among the citizens of this township who have held county office should be mentioned such men as Henry Herman and William Klein, who were members of the county board of supervisors many years ago. Klein was a farmer and preached sometimes ; he now lives in Chicago.
GERMANTOWN.
This is the only village or hamlet within this township. It is situated on the corners of sections 14, 15, 22 and 23, in, township 94, range 42, and was platted June 10, 1901, by Edward D. Beerman.
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A postoffice was here established about 1892, but when the introduc- tion of rural free mail delivery came in it was abandoned and mail has since been brought daily by the carriers on the route from Paullina. The first events were the establishment of a blacksmith shop, by John Berkley; the first store of merchandise in Germantown was opened by L. F. Magers in 1887-88. He sold out to Charles Nichols after about five years. A creamery was operated in connection with the general store. Nichols let it run down and eight farmers bought out his creamery, as well as the store. At this date (1913) J. C. Lange has the store. The village black- smith is now Ben Devrier, who also sells farm implements. The creamery company was recently re-organized and changed to that of a farmers' stock company. They run wagons, five in number, to the surrounding country, col- lect cream and make butter. The only other industry is that represented by Fred Fiddelke as carpenter and contractor.
Township officials here have ever been of the best type of citizens. The first officers were elected October 8. 1878, and were as follows: Jacob Diederick, Thomas Barry and H. B. Robeson, trustees; Newall Upham, justice of the peace; George Arnold and Charles Meyer, constables; Henry Hoermann, road supervisor; F. L. Jenkins, clerk; Leonard Hill, assessor. At the present time the trustees are William Hellmann, Fred Pauling and Emil Gebert. For the last twelve years there has been no demand for the offices of constable and justice of the peace, hence none have ever qualified. though regularly elected. This speaks of peace and harmony among the inhabitants of the township of Caledonia. When, for any reason, a peace officer is needed. the sheriff is called upon: Ed. Dobberttin is present as- sessor; the township clerk is H. F. Kluender, who has held the position since 1901. There are now about one hundred and eighty voters in the township, and it is said that only one American lives in the precinct and he is a renter in the south part of the township. Very few in the township but have been naturalized. One here finds the best class of foreigners, who are practical, religious, law-abiding people of great worth to a county. in the fact that they produce and at the same time expend for the com- forts and luxuries of life, yet do not destroy and tear down as do some classes of people from the Old World. There are now several large farm houses in this township that have been provided with modern electric light- ing plants for house and barns as well. That they believe in education, it should be stated that in addition to the large parochial school at German- town, they maintain nine (the Iowa regulation number ) district schools in the township.
LISTLA
PHILINA HIGH SCHOOL, PAULLINA, IOWA.
-
bart
High School
Hartley
A FAIR TYPE OF THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS THAT HAVE MADE IOWA FAMOUS
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A history of the Evangelical Lutheran church-the church of the en- tire township-will be seen in the church chapter elsewhere in this volume, and should be read, as it is certainly a part and parcel of the history of Caledonia township. And with this are given the facts concerning the school that is connected with the church.
UNION TOWNSHIP, PAULLINA AND VICINITY.
By David Algyer.
The people of Union township, Paullina, and the surrounding country are a splendid mixture of American-born citizens, Germans, Scandinavians, Scotch, Irish, with a sprinkling of Bohemian, and they constitute a sturdy, thrifty, self-respecting citizenship, of which any community might well feel proud.
All of the above is proven by the splendid farms, neat, commodious dwelling houses, spacious barns, always well filled with the best products of earth, that adorn this beautiful prairie country, giving it the true appearance of wealth and substantial prosperity and financial responsibility found only where the soil is of the best quality.
In speaking of the improvements of Union township, it must not be overlooked that O. S. West, the "Duroc" hog raiser, has the best farm house in the state of Iowa, at least it was so conceded in Il'allace's Farmer of Des Moines, Iowa, a few years ago. It cost many thousands of dollars, and is truly a monument to the industry, not only of Mr. West. the owner, but of the country generally, and it will be admitted by any visitor of this com- munity that the farmers of Union township are as well housed and have barns for their products and stock second to no farm improvements anywhere on earth.
With the intermarriage of these peoples we have and will have a citizen- ship surpassed, in intelligence, sobriety and industry by none.
ORGANIZATION OF UNION TOWNSHIP.
On the 6th day of September, 1880, on petition of B. F. Rozell and eleven other citizens, filed with J. L. E. Peck, then county auditor of O'Brien county, and by him presented to the board of supervisors of said county, Union township was set off from Liberty township and organized into what has since been known as Union township. Prior to this time Liberty, includ- ing Union, had been set off from Waterman township.
(28)
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Still prior, in 1860, the whole county had been called "O'Brien Town- ship," and governed as one township.
A commission was issued by J. L. E. Peck, county auditor, to B. F. Rozell, B. C. Howard and John Warnke, on the IIth day of September, [880. They held the first election of officers for Union township at the resi- dence of B. F. Rozell, on section 8, township 94, range 41, on the 2d day of November, 1880, at which election the following named persons were elected as officers of said township: B. F. Rozell, John Warnke and Reuben W. Young, trustees: E. A. Howard, township clerk; Carl Levernz, assessor ; B. C. Howard and William Levee, justices of the peace; Henry Johnson and D. N. Latham, constables. Thus was the machinery of the government of Union township started, so many years ago, and the writer begs to add that the affairs of the township have always been handled by the best, wisest and most prudent citizens of the township, and he challenges any township in this county to make a better showing of prosperity of all public enterprises than Union township.
COMING OF THE CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD.
During the years 1881 and 1882 the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- way, one of the great arteries of commerce, constructed its line through O'Brien county and consequently through Union township. thus opening a great gateway for the products of this magnificent farming country, making it possible for the farmers to lay their products down in Chicago, within a few hours from time of delivery to the railway, and from a value of four dollars per acre the land around Paullina has advanced to one hundred and fifty dollars and even to two hundred dollars per acre, owing to the quality of the soil, improvements and facility of disposing of the farm products. The advance has been like the gaining of riches by "Sinbad the Sailor," and the end is not yet-indeed the people realize that our farming industry is like all else; we are in but the infancy of development, and the wisest cannot foretell future developments or the future possibilities of Union township and the surrounding country.
PLATTING OF TOWN OF PAULLIN.A.
The Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, having established their line of railway through Union township, on the 20th day of January, 1882, the Western Town Lot Company filed the original plat of the town of
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Paullina and began to sell lots for business and residence purposes. This plat was indeed a novel and, I might add, beautiful design for a town, show- ing an avenue, named Garfield avenue, one hundred feet in width. encircling the town, making a truly beautiful driveway all around the town. For some reason, not generally known, the Western Town Lot Company had this Gar- field avenue, with the consent of the town council of said town, vacated several years after the founding of the town. thus depriving the town of a most charming street.
Immediately after the town was platted. lots were sold and the town began to grow in a good, healthy, substantial manner, and soon acquired the name of "The Gem of the Prairie," which was and is a fitting name.
1
There have been several additions platted to the town, as follows: Met- calf's addition, platted and filed January 9, 1886, by John and Thomas Met- calf; Harker & Greene's addition, platted and filed September 3, 1885, by William Harker and J. L. Greene, of Sanborn, Iowa : re-plat of outlots by the Western Town Lot Company, filed December 13, 1890. December 30, 1890, October 26, 1905, and July 8, 1911 ; Dealy & Harris' addition, filed for record in July. 1909.
The prosperity of the town of Paullina has been owing to her early citizenship, to men who laid the foundation of a good town in sound morality, in a spirit of fairness, generosity and correct business dealings, so that when- ever farmers came to the town they were assured of fair dealing and just returns for their products. Among the men who first came to Paullina, and those who have since assisted in making the town what it is today, are the following: John Baumann, George Hakeman, W. W. Johnson, J. A. War- ner, D. H. Adkins, L. Wollenberg, John V. Adkins, John Metcalf, C. C. Smith. Dr. C. S. Paul. Hubert Sprague, Thomas Metcalf. O. D. Hamstreet, J. D. Simpson, O. M. Smith, A. P. Jacobs, John Cowan, Sr., and many other enterprising citizens that space forbids to mention. The history of the news- papers of Paullina will be found in the chapter devoted exclusively to this topic.
ORGANIZATION OF TOWN OF PAULLINA.
On the 23d day of August, 1883, A. Hanson and twenty-seven other citizens, by their attorney, O. D. Hamstreet, who, by the way, was the first attorney of the town of Paullina, filed their petition in the circuit court of the state of Iowa in and for O'Brien county, before J. R. Zuver, judge. asking that a commission be issued to commissioners and that the town of
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Paullina be incorporated. After hearing said petition, said court, on the 27th day of September, 1883, appointed the following citizens of said town as commissioners : A. Hanson, C. C. Smith, C. S. Paul, J. M. Baumann and O. D. Hamstreet, to conduct the proceedings of incorporation and election.
A notice of election was ordered published for four consecutive weeks in the Paullina Times. The election on the question "Shall the town of Paullina, Iowa, become incorporated, under the laws of the state of Iowa," was submitted to the electors as by law provided on the 30th day of October, 1883. Election was held as per notice given, which resulted as follows : There were fifty-one votes cast, of which forty-four were for incorporation and seven votes cast against incorporation, whereupon said commissioners declared that the proposition was carried.
Thereupon said commissioners proceeded to call an election of officers for said town, and after due notice, as by law provided, an election for the 23d day of November, 1883, was held, and the following named citizens were duly elected, as the first officers of the incorporated town of Paullina, to-wit: I. L. Rerick, mayor; Stephen Harris, recorder; and A. Hanson, John Baumann, George Veeder, J. P. Bossert, W. W. Johnson and D. H. Adkins, as the first council of the town.
All of said officers took the oath of office on the 27th day of November, 1883, and were duly installed in their several offices, and the wheels of the city government of Paullina began to turn and on the 30th day of November, 1883, at a special meeting of the council, several ordinances were passed for the guidance and government of Paullina.
The first great public utility of the town was its water works. At an election called by the council as by law provided, on the 13th day of June, 1891, to determine the question : "Shall the town of Paullina erect a system of water works and bond the town therefor," there were eighty-one ballots cast, seventy-two votes being for said proposition and nine against the same.
The council then proceeded to carry out the expressed wishes of the people and commenced the erection of a system of water works that has al- ways furnished the town with an abundance of the best of water, and the system being worth not less than twenty-five thousand dollars today, showing how wisely and well the affairs of the town have been administered and proving that municipal ownership is a grand success when properly man- aged by intelligent officers.
Paullina also has a system of electric light, twenty-four hours service every day and seven days every week, valued at not less than twenty-five thou-
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sand dollars and for all practical purposes is as good as any system in any city in the United States, and is also an example of what a municipal-owned light system can be made by prudent, conservative, but determined action.
Paullina also has a system of telephone, operated twenty-four hours every day, seven days every week, and has connection with all parts of the county, and long distance service that is very satisfactory.
It must not be overlooked that the town of Paullina has an exceptional manager of its public utilities in the person of Wells Sutherland, who is verily an expert workman in electricity and the control of machinery of every character and who is a tireless worker for the interests of the town, and when anything is necessary to be done, he illustrates the "Johnny on the Spot" idea of prompt and efficient work.
Besides the water works and electric plants, the town owns its hall, used for keeping fire apparatus, general meetings and elections, owing to its central location. This property is, at a low estimate, worth two thousand five hun- dred dollars.
About seventeen years ago Fred G. Frothingham made a bequest of the sum of two thousand dollars to Paullina for library purposes, and this sum soon accumulated, being at interest in the Bank of Paullina, and the town council called an election for the purpose of voting on the proposition : "Shall the town of Paullina purchase the necessary real estate for a site for a public library?" There were seventy ballots cast, of which fifty-five were for the proposition and fifteen against.
The council then purchased the present site of the library on the east side of Main street. The citizens of Paullina then made donations of about five thousand dollars in cash, and the council commenced the erection of a building composed of cement blocks, which, when completed, made a very commodious library building, giving good rooms for library purposes and an auditorium that seats six hundred people, the floor of which is used for gymnasium purposes and basket ball, etc.
When completed, Governor Albert B. Cummins made the dedication address and the same was one of his masterly efforts. The library can now boast of at least one thousand dollars worth of books, and all the appliances of a modern public library, also belonging to the town of Paullina, and valued at ten thousand dollars. The people enjoy all the good reading advantages of a large city library, so far as books are concerned, without the expensive and rare and reference books and paraphernalia of the city library. The mayor appointed the following named citizens, first trustees, of the "Froth-
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ingham Free Public Library," as our library is named: C. C. Cannon, E. Lnstfeld, John E. Ullman, John Cowan, Sr., George W. Harris, G. A. Lage, A. Bock, George Raw and B. J. Maytum. The above appointed trustees qualified by taking the oath of office and organized their board by electing Ernest Lustfeld president, and John E. Ullman, secretary, and by lot deter- mined the length of office of trustees, three to go out in three years, three in six years and three in nine years, and all members of the board to be ap- pointed by the mayor of the town.
ORGANIZATION OF THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PAULLINA.
Pursuant to notice given by the secretary of Union township school district, the qualified electors of that part of Union township, comprising sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 met on the 3d day of July, 1883, at the depot of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, in Paullina, and voted on the question : "Shall said above described territory be organized into an independent school district, known as independent school district of Paullina." A very large majority of the votes cast being in favor of the organization. it was declared adopted by the people, and notice according to law was given for an election of officers of the newly erected district. Pur- suant to said notice, the electors of the independent school district met for first election of officers on the 16th day of July, 1883. C. S. Paul acted as president and O. D. Hamstreet, secretary of the meeting and at the same time judges of the election. and at the close thereof it was found that the following named citizens were elected and declared the first board of educa- tion of the independent district of Paullina, to-wit: George Hakeman, A. Hanson and J. B. Patton, directors. On the 17th day of July, 1883, said directors having qualified as by law provided, proceeded to organization by electing A. Hanson, first president, and Stephen Harris, as the first secretary, and John Baumann as first treasurer.
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