USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 44
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The following named citizens have been presidents of the board of education since the organization of the district: A. Hanson, I. L. Rerick, John Metcalf, Hudson Mickley, D. H. Adkins, Ralph Dodge, A. P. Jacobs, WV. J. Hakes, John Cowan, Sr., and R. W. Young.
The independent school district now owns property valued at twenty thousand dollars and is entirely out of debt and has several thousand dollars in its treasury.
(Mr. Algyer has kindly written of the churches, lodges, newspapers.
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banks, etc., in Paullina, and they appear in their respective chapters in this work .- EDITOR. )
In addition to what Mr. Algyer has written on this town and vicinity the author has gleaned the following concerning early days there :
Paullina was named in honor of the Paullin brothers, who owned the land on which the town was finally platted. This is one of the few towns that started in advance of the railroad, in anticipation of its coming. When the first train of cars came in there were already several business houses on the plat of an embryo village.
The first to establish themselves in business at this point were Adkins and Davis, of Jasper county, Iowa. Their store was ready for use about the middle of March, and in it was placed a general merchandise stock, which found ready sale. Many were the days when their sales amounted to six hundred dollars. B. F. Rozell built a small house used for hotel purposes, and was named the "Pioneer House." Travelers and local guests swarmed about this hotel, and he did an excellent business from the time he was able to feed the hundreds that made application at his place. He soon had to provide larger quarters, which he did promptly. The firm of Sprague Broth- ers, of Primghar, was the next to open up at Paullina. It was this firm that established themselves in the livery business. This business grew and was enlarged from time to time. People had heard of the new town "out on the Hawarden branch" and wanted to see what it held in store for them. Others were mere real estate men, looking up lands in a country they knew to be valu- able. in the near future, and they counted that aright.
T. E. Shrader was next to sivell the number of business men, and he started a restaurant, building a large two-story building, used for both a residence and restaurant room. A bar was later added to this establishment, but not to the real betterment of the town in general.
The first regular saloon opened in Paullina was that opened by Cal Peterman in a tent near the depot grounds. Soon, however, he found his quarters too small and erected a shanty of boards, and this, later on, was replaced by a substantial building, in which he also ran a pool and billiard hall.
The first contractor and carpenter was F. C. Daniels, who began con- tracting and building, having in his employ as high as ten men at one time. Buildings grew as if by magic under his supervision.
But still the flood of immigration swept in to Paullina. The only obstacle in the way of advancement was the fact that the building material
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all had to be hauled in from a distance of eighteen miles by team. But not- withstanding this, several pushed forward and were successful in getting into buildings speedily erected ahead of the railroad's coming. Among these may be recalled C. C. Smith, who erected a large building for holding his complete hardware stock. The stock was purchased from Johnson & Hake- man, of Primghar. So great was the trade at Paullina in this important line that additions and wings and warerooms had to be built from time to time.
The next enterprise was the hotel building erected for C. R. Waterman. It was completed and thrown open on July Fourth and christened the Paullina House. Soon the trade demanded more rooms and they were added. Very soon Waterman saw the need of a meat market and opened one. Many weeks as high as ten beeves were slaughtered, besides many hogs and sheep. "The Home and Restaurant" was the name given to another hotel, which was also opened to the public on Independence day, that year. H. Godfrey was the proprietor of the place. Perhaps the "Railroad Store," as it was styled, was doing the most business of any in Paullina at the close of the month of June. The sales run to eight hundred and fifty dollars per day. After the railroad grade was completed this stock was removed to Silver Lake, in Dickinson county.
The German shoe man from Grundy county, Theodore Wiechner, who came in from Reinbeck, hauled his lumber from Sanborn and erected his store building and opened up a boot and shoe store on Broadway.
In August, the first year of the town's history, proper, the train service was established, and it was then that the lumber business of Johnson & Hakeman, of Primghar, was removed to this point. Hundreds of car loads of lumber and coal and builder's material came rolling into the village before six months had gone by-nothing like this was ever seen in O'Brien county before nor since. J. H. Queal & Company, the great lumber operators, soon headed in this way and established a yard and sold immense quantities of both lumber and coal. The Paullina fever caught hold of some residing in Primghar and they at once rolled their buildings on wheels over to the new village. Among those who thus removed was William Hastings, who lived in his residence while it was being transported to Paullina. He also brought his blacksmith shop along and set up his glowing forge and commenced to wield his sledge. In the middle of July A. Hanson began the erection of a building, the first floor being for a hardware store, while the second was used as his residence.
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Bossert & Davis started a clothing store that season; they also added groceries and found quick, profitable sales from the start. The pioneer drug- gist was J. H. Stevens, from Tama county, who came that summer and put in a stock of drugs in charge of Dr. C. S. Paul. Harker & Green, of San- born, erected four good-sized store buildings. Dr. H. C. West, a former physician of Primghar, located in Paullina, building him a residence and an office.
The first attorney of the place was Oscar D. Hamstreet, who came in July, erected his office and remained. In October of that eventful year, an elevator was erected by L. D. Bechtell, but the largest thing in this line was the splendid grain elevator built by Edward Paullin. Its cost was about seven thousand dollars. In six months after Paullina had started it had erected buildings, the total cost of which reached more than forty thousand dollars.
That the people were possessed of culture, refinement and education it only needs to be added in this connection that in the eighties her people put a play on the boards which was entitled "The Soldier of Fortune." The parts in this excellent play were carried out by J. P. Bossert, L. A. Douglass, Frank Cooke, B. L. Pratt, Stephen Harris, Charles Harris, W. S. Loveless, J. W. Bunker. The three ladies in the play were Mrs. B. L. Pratt, Miss Jennie Gruver and Mrs. Ida Harris.
The shipments of grain for the season of 1888, shipped by two firms, were : Oats, 264,000 bushels ; wheat, 64,550 bushels ; barley, 185,500 bushels ; flax, 46,000 bushels: corn, 86,200 bushels; timothy, 5,860 bushels; rye, 1,600 bushels.
The first Fourth of July celebration for Paullina was in the year 1885. WV. R. Johnson was president of the day and J. L. E. Peck was orator. There was also a German oration by Rev. E. Zuerrer. The day was full of novel and interesting scenes, including the parade of the "Hipizorinktums," the base ball clubs, music, and foot and horse racing, the wind being too strong for the balloon to "go up" as advertised.
In 1887 a company was formed and incorporated for the purpose of building a town hall, which was completed in February, 1888.
It was in 1886 that the people caught the county-seat fever and on paper (only) made a fair showing. They also wanted the division of the North- western road, but failed in the two projects.
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TOWNSHIP NOTES.
In addition to what has already been said by Mr. Algyer, in liis article on the history of Union township and Paullina, it may be added that Union township, second from the west and first from the southern line of the county, had a population in 1910 of six hundred and seven.
The Norwegians were early settlers in this part of the county. The first to locate were O. S. and C. R. West, accompanied by their mother and S. J. Norland, all coming from Marshall county. These all came in the spring of 1883, locating on section 13, two and a half miles south of Paullina.
In the fall of 1883 O. P. Tjossem and L. Goodmanson, of Marshall county, Severt L. Tow. A. L. Tow and H. Graden, of Benton county, with O. P. Tjossem, of Ida county, purchased all of section 26 in Dale township. and had more or less to do with the development of Union township as the years went by. These, with the Yankee settlers who came in a little later. made up the pioneers of this township. Aside from the business transacted at Paullina, this is purely an agricultural district and is among the finest garden spots to be found in the great and growing Northwest.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
Liberty township was organized in 1869 as one of the three town- ships of the county, as then divided.
There was not much improvement or settlement in Liberty township until the building of the Sioux Falls and Cherokee branch of the Illinois Central railroad in 1887. It is in a beautiful and very productive portion of O'Brien county and has a population of about six hundred and sixty. Its town and trading place is Calumet, which unfortunately is not situated at the crossing of the two railroads that cross the township, the Northwest- ern and Illinois Central lines. It is located on section 22 and is a sprightly town for its size. It is on a fine prairie land and has two principal busi- ness streets, running north and south and east and west. After the completion of the track laying in the autumn of 1887, the first building erected was the depot. The first to build on the town site was a carpenter named Douglass. The first dealers to build were Wheelock Brothers, carry- ing a general stock of merchandise. After many changes the business was finally purchased by D. C. Fields, one of the first settlers in the township of Liberty. A postoffice was established as soon as the town was platted.
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and the first postmaster and depot agent was Mr. Thornburg, who was in turn followed by Messrs Jones and George Reifsteck. The German parsonage was among the first houses erected and that served for a time for a hotel, but in 1890 a hotel proper was built. In 1897 the town contained several good business houses, including the business carried on by the J. H. Queal Lumber Company, the elevator, etc. The Methodist Episcopal and the Ger- man Lutheran churches were the first in the religious field at Calumet. The Calumet Bank was established in 1889 by Horstman Bros. & Seaman. of Sutherland, who sold to John C. Craig in 1890 (see Banking chapter ). In 1895 Calumet was incorporated and the court's order answering the peti- tion of the citizens interested made the town to comprise "The south half of the northwest quarter and the north half of the southeast quarter of section 22, Liberty township." The incorporating commissioners appoint- ed by the court were W. M. Bunce, B. Harrington, J. W. Neild, L. Reifsteck and D. C. Fields. At the election to see whether the town should be incorporated or not, the vote stood nineteen for and ten against. The measure having carried, the first election for town officers was held April 17, 1895, when the following were elected: W. M. Bunce, mayor; J. W. Neild, recorder ; L. Reifsteck, D. C. Fields, Ernest Pape, E. W. McComber, Peter Rehder and Lewis Meade, councilmen. The mayors of the place have been William M. Bunce, many years; George Reifsteck, many years; Fred Nott. E. Mann. The town officers in 1913 are : Mayor, E. Mann ; recorder, A. Sohin; treasurer, Frank Worden; councilmen, Ernest Boldt, J. W. Math- ern, John Riechers, William Meier and Fred Nott.
Calumet has a good town hall, erected in 1889-90, at a cost of four thousand dollars. It seats three hundred and has a large stage. It stands on the north side of Main street and was built by the subscriptions of citizens in both the town and township. It is used free of cost to the people of the neighborhood; they only have to provide the lights and fuel. Here are held the public meetings and gatherings of the neighborhood. The town also purchased a full block for park purposes and in 1906 there were planted out fourteen hundred maple and box elder trees, and these have already come to be a handsome sight and provide a good shade in summer time. At the entrance to the park stands a United States cannon. secured through the efforts of the late honored Congressman, Elbert H. Hubbard, of Sioux City.
The only fire protection of Calumet is the chemical engine, two street wells, with hose and hook and ladder appliances. The electric light plant of the town is the private property of Fred Nott. It was installed in 1911,
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and supplies the town with a twenty-four-hour service in the most modern service of lighting. The town is in touch with the outside world by the use of the Calumet telephone line. together with twelve farmers' lines, and the Iowa State and New State company's lines, with which the Calumet line connects.
A good brass band was organized here a few years since, consisting of twenty-two pieces. It was formed and is instructed by the foreman of the Primghar Bell, Ralph Langley. It is a credit to the vicinity.
The history of the Calumet postoffice shows that one was established here as soon as the place was platted. The depot agent, Mr. Thornburg, was made first postmaster and was succeeded as follows: D. C. Fields, Daniel Harrington, George Reifsteck, Ezra McComber, Thomas Rehder and the present incumbent, Gust Linneweh, in whose store the postoffice is now kept.
On May 19, 1897, Calumet met with a serious loss by reason of a sweep- ing fire, destroying five of its best business houses. Books, papers and goods were totally destroyed by the flames of that fire. The total loss was estimated at the time at about twelve thousand dollars.
The present population of Calumet is about three hundred. The busi- ness interests of the place in the autumn of 1913 were as follows :
Bank-Bank of Calumet, George Reifsteck.
Barber-Jess Redmann.
Blacksmith and machinery-E. Boldt.
Cream station-R. Branco.
Concrete bridge work-Lewis Mead.
Cement factory -- Frank Worden.
Confectionery-Theo. Steen.
Contractor and builder-A. F. Sohm.
Drugs-J. E. Farnsworth.
Elevator-E. Mann.
Garage-Fred Nott.
Hotel-Otto Grutzmann.
Hardware and furniture-James Ewaldt.
Harness-C. H. Merry.
Lumber-J. H. Queal & Co.
Livery-Henry Wolter.
Meats-A. Mueller.
Merchandise (general stores)-Gust Linneweh, Henry Freer. Newspaper -- The Independent.
Pool hall-John Schimmer.
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Physicians and surgeons-Dr. O. T. Jacobs, Dr. Sievers.
Stock buyer-Henry Wolter.
Telephones-Calumet Iowa Telephone Company and New State Tele- phone Company, Pearl Steen operator.
The town supports two churches, the Methodist and German Evangelical. an account of which is found in the chapter on churches.
What is known as an independent school in Liberty township is lo- cated at the incorporation line of Calumet, where, in 1910, at the expense of seven thousand five hundred dollars, a modern school house was erected. It is on section 22 and is free to all pupils within the townships.
WATERMAN TOWNSHIP.
The whole county was at first one township, and called Waterman township after Hannibal H. Waterman, the first inhabitant of the county, as was likewise Waterman river named for him. On November 10, 1861, what is now Hartley, Lincoln, Franklin, Floyd, Omega, Center, Summit, Carroll, Dale, Baker, Union and Caledonia was organized into O'Brien township and the first election ordered to be held at the house of Archibald Murray, March 1, 1861. The county continued with these two townships, Waterman and O'Brien, until September 24, 1869, when O'Brien township was discarded and the county was divided into three townships as follows: Waterman township to consist of what is now Waterman, Highland, Center, Lincoln, and the south tier of sections of Grant. Grant township to consist of what is now Grant, except the south tier of sections. Grant township was named after Gen. U. S. Grant. Liberty township to consist of what is now Liberty, Union, Dale, Summit, Caledonia, Franklin, Baker, Carroll and Floyd townships.
On January 3, 1870, the south tier of sections of what is now Grant was set apart from Waterman to Grant, except the southeast quarter of section 36 of same. On January 21, 1871, the southeast quarter of section 36 of same was likewise set back to Grant.
The first settlement effected within the borders of O'Brien county was by Hannibal H. Waterman, who with his wife Hannah H. and their one child, Emily A. Waterman, came in from Bremer county, Iowa, during the month of July, 1856, fifty-seven years ago. They came with an ox team and had all of their household goods along with them. The govern- ment land had not as yet been surveyed, so Mr. Waterman became a "squat- ter," following up his filing. later, when the land office was established
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at Sioux City. He selected for his claim the northwest quarter of section 22, township 94, range 39, now in Waterman civil township. There he erected a log house, eighteen by twenty-two feet. It stood in all its glory, the pioneer dwelling place of a brave, praiseworthy man now so well known in the county, but who has long since passed from earth's shining circle. His next house was built in 1860, a much better building, and this served until 1887, when it was burned in the month of April. In the old log cabin, first used by Mr. and Mrs. Waterman, was born the first child to see the light of day in O'Brien county, as far as is known among the white race. This child was Anna Waterman, who became the wife of D. W. Ken- yon, and in 1888 lived in Woodbine, Harrison county, Iowa, where in December, 1889, she died.
This township of Waterman was indeed the mother hive of all the townships. Several men later prominent in the public affairs homesteaded in this township. Among them was Ed. C. Brown, for thirty years a banker in Sheldon, who homesteaded on section 30. Archibald Murray, who figured so much in this history, in the early day, filed the first homestead entry on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 14. Ed. A. Nissen, who was an early sheriff for eight years, settled on section 8, and Michael Sweeney on section 14. Silas Steele, still residing at Sutherland, on section 18. Henry C. Tiffey, who was on hand at the very organiza- tion of the county and who sold to the county forty acres for court house purposes, settled on section 36. William Houston Woods, popularly known as "Huse" Woods, and who was the main leader in the Taxpayers' Association movement and made a vigorous fight to get rid of the old bad debt from his viewpoint, on section 8. We have already in other items recited Hanni- bal Waterman's early life in the county, and it will not be necessary to re- peat it here.
We will remark in general, relating to these old homesteaders, there were about six hundred in all, and a complete list of them may be found in the book of original entries, a book made up and certified to at the United States land office.
The next settler to occupy the land of this goodly county was he so well-known as "Dutch Fred." or Fred Feldman, who, it is related, was a real character study, being odd and original in all his manners. He claim- ed to have been a deserter from King William's army in Germany. He was wont to remark that here "All hold office but me, and I am de beoples." He lived a secluded, lonely life and in 1873 was taken ill, and when his true condition was known he was kindly and tenderly cared for by the will-
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ing hands of the pioneer settlers. He refused to have a doctor called and said his time had come, and wished to die, and he did die and was buried on his own claim in Waterman township. His claim was the northeast quarter of section 34, township 94, range 39.
Following the last named settler came in Daniel W. Inman and brother, Chester W. Inman; these came in the spring of 1868, and were followed the same season by several others, and W. H. Baker came in the spring of 1869. C. W. Inman married Kate, daughter of W. H. Baker. D. W. Inman emi- grated to Oregon many years ago and his brother, C. W., died in 1894, at the hands of a neighbor, who was convicted of manslaughter and served two years in the penitentiary. Inman was known as Major Inman, having served in the Union cause in Civil-war days and participated in the last battle of that great conflict, Bentonville, where he commanded the advance picket line, under such hard firing that his conduct was mentioned by General Logan in his official reports. His widow settled in Primghar.
Another settler who came in about that date was H. F. Smith ("Hank"), who, in February, 1868, when a mere strippling of a boy, landed in Old O'Brien and viewed all of the first events of that historic starting point and landmark of O'Brien county. The first settlers, some of them, had left, but those still residing there when Smith came in were the Inman boys, R. B. Crego, H. H. Waterman, A. Murray and Andrew Brown, a school teacher. Young Smith was not of age and could not enter land, but worked in the neighborhood faithfully until he became old enough to act like other men. He followed teaming for the most part. The same year he came the settle- ment was added to by the advent of E. T. Parker, then about the same age of Hank Smith, both being counted the liveliest lads in the new county. Parker and his brother, H. F., came together, driving across the state of Iowa with a horse and buggy, but walked most of the way on account of bad roads and a heavy load of supplies. Parker came chiefly with the view of trapping and hunting. He traded his horse off and secured a mule team and was the happiest of mortals at the possession of a real genuine team of mules. It was not long before Hank Smith and Ed Parker were partners and doing a very extensive teaming and freighting business. They built the first bridge in O'Brien county, though thousands of dollars had been appropriated for such purposes in this county prior to that date. This bridge was over a creek east of Old O'Brien, not far out from that village.
In speaking of this pioneer bridge, a writer many years since said : "They cut the native timber, made it into the proper length of logs, of which
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there were four, stretched across the run on proper rests, and on these were placed five cross pieces. They then hauled logs to Peterson's mill, which were sawed into planks, and with these in place, and the grading completed, the bridge was done, and it was a good job. The boys were two days in building it, and got two dollars per day each, thus earning eight dollars between them, but the bridge cost the county five hundred dollars, as this amount in war- rants was issued to the contractor."
Soon after Parker's arrival at Old O'Brien, he went out on a hunting expedition in the timber of Waterman township and at a point a mile distant from pioneer Baker's house, he killed a deer, which was brought in by the men in town, after Parker had informed them of his success at shooting game.
But prior to the coming of Smith and Parker, there came S. B. Hurlbert, commonly called "Governor" Hurlbert. He came into the township in the autumn of 1866, and his wife was the first white woman who ever lived on the west side of the Little Sioux river in O'Brien county. Hurlbert con- structed what was styled a trapper's fort at the mouth of what has since been styled Hurlbert's creek, and there put in several seasons at trapping and hunting. In the fall of 1869 he was elected sheriff of his county. He was a thorough frontiersman ; had lived in Wright county, this state, at an early day, when the family of which he was a member had to go seventy miles to inill. He later removed to Texas, where he engaged in photographing.
The old Major Inman house was burned in March, 1897. It was first started in the autumn of 1869, and several years later it was largely added to. The lower story was of stone, while the remainder was of frame. It was near Waterman creek. In the construction of the original part of this house the lumber was hauled from Fort Dodge. The farm on which it stood was what is now known as the Cedar Cliff farm, later owned by Messrs. Peck, Artherholt and Ingham; it is a part of section 26. On the same sec- tion George Hulbert built his log cabin in 1867, afterwards selling his claim to Major Inman.
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