USA > Iowa > Pocahontas County > The pioneer history of Pocahontas County, Iowa, from the time of its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 39
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Louis Carmichael of Tama City had
The large immigration to northwest Iowa and neighboring territory at this the contract for a considerable portion
299
SECOND PERIOD, 1870-1882.
of the grading of this road and did received a patent from the General all that work in this county. All the Land Office for lands granted by an Act track was laid, the bridges built and of Congress approved May 12, 1874, to depots erected by the railway com- aid in the construction of a railroad pany, the two last under the direction from a junction with the Sioux City of A. L. Galy of Chicago, superinten- and St. Paul railway. This grant dent of bridges and buildings. At all included 9,202 acres located in the the stations fine buildings two stories northern part of Pocahontas county, in height were erected for depots, the 3,086 in Humboldt, 1,860 in Palo Alto, upper story being intended as a home 7,902 in Buena Vista, 11,747 in Clay for the agent and his family. The and several thousands of acres in other plastering of all these upper stories adjoining counties; but all of these in the depots from Toledo to Hawar- lands were given by the state to the den, which includes all of them in this Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul state, was done by Knight Dexter of Railway Company which did not build Toledo, who boarded at the home of a road through this county at that
John Fraser, a pioneer of Powhatan, time. while plastering the depot at Rubens, but now at Rolfe. The towns of Ru- bens, Havelock and Laurens were es- tablished along the line of this rail- road in this county, and the depots at these places were completed in the month of March, 1882, when freight began to be handled. The trains began to carry mail about the first of May following. H. G. Burt was the first superintendent of the northern Iowa division of this road, and the first ticket agents in this county were as follows: J. B. Miller at Havelock, S. R. Overton at Laurens and T. C. Morbeck at Rubens. At Rubens on section 1, Center township, the rail- way company erected a depot, section house, stock yards and side track; but after two years, at the request of the citizens of the place, the depot was moved three miles east to its present location in Rolfe. The section house was moved at the same time but the side track and stock yards were left for the convenience of the farmers in that vicinity.
It is worthy of notice that for this railroad, the second one to enter this county, the company received no pub- lic aid whatever, either in the form of a land grant from the state or of taxes paid by the townships through which it passed. In 1881 the state of Iowa
DES MOINES & FORT DODGE R. R.
In January, 1881, the Des Moines and Fort Dodge R. R. Co. expressed an intention to extend their line from Tara northward along the valley of the Des Moines river, or that of the west branch of Lizard creek and Poca- hontas to some prominent point to be designated later, provided seven town- ships of this county would vote a special five-per-cent tax as an aid to its construction. This extension would put this county in direct com- munication with the coal fields of the Des Moines district and, as an induce- ment to cross it, special elections were held and a tax voted by Center town- ship on Feb. 28, 1881, Swan Lake March 14th, Clinton May 21st and Des Moines May 23d. At the time of the survey in May it was decided the route should extend from Tara to Ruthven, and at their meeting on Sep- tember 5, 1881, when the board of sup- ervisors levied this tax on Clinton and Des Moines townships, they did not do so on Center and Swan Lake for this railroad. The appraisement of the right of way in Clinton on Aug. 23d and in Des Moines and Powhatan townships on Oct. 28th was made by a jury summoned by Sheriff Mallison, consisting of Robert Struthers, J. P. Robinson, Geo. H. Ellis, Wm. Jarvis,
300
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
C. M. Sayler and O. C. Christopherson. Fonda. Wm. Marshall, chairman of The greater part of the grading in this the assembly, in his words of welcome county was done by Edward London expressed the joy and gladness of the and Messrs. Strong (C. L.) and Mead. people of Fonda at the result achieved The track was laid in this county by the completion of this new line of about June 1, 1882, and the road was railway, connecting the town with the completed to Ruthven about July Ist following. The officers of the com-
principal coal districts of the state. After supper Thomas Barrett on be- pany were Charles E. Whitehead, half of the railroad boys among other president; C. N. Gilmore, superinten-
things said, "Citizens of Fonda: We dent, and Geo. W. Ogilvie, treasurer. have reached your town after a long, J. J. Bruce was their agent to secure hard struggle and this is a happy day the right of way through this county. for us as well as for you. The sun This company located stations at Gil- shone upon us and may it continue to more City, Rolfe and Plover and pro- shine on you and your fair young city. vided them with good depots.
DES MOINES & NORTHWESTERN R. R.
We are here under the lead of our noble captain, Mr. Sullivan, who has
The survey of the Des Moines & had a hard and a strong pull to pull us Northwestern R. R. was completed all together. You have received us to Fonda on Aug. 12, 1881, and three with open arms and open hearts to a days later was continued through most bountiful and enjoyable supper. Cedar and Dover townships toward The citizens of Fonda and their grate- Spencer. The grading of this road ful reception will long be remembered was done by Edward Agnew who em- by the boys of the Wabash, St. Louis ployed C. Wolcot as his office clerk in and Pacific R. R., and on their behalf Fonda. When the graders on Oct. 2, we thank you for your kind regards on 1881, reached the limits of the Illinois us bestowed." On Dec. 20, 1882 the Central track at Fonda they were management of this road provided a ordered to stop by that company. On special excursion to Des Moines and Jan. 5, 1882, when the track was laid over forty citizens of Fonda enjoyed to the Chicago & Northwestern R. R. the trip.
at Lohrville the latter company stop- Previous to the time this road was ped the workmen and so wearied their completed, the price of a car to Chicago patience by keeping an engine and two from Sioux City was $40, but from cars on the track in approved railroad Fonda, which was 100 miles nearer but style that they became discouraged had no railway competition, the price
and disbanded. The right of way north of Fonda was appraised on Feb. 7, 1882, by a jury summoned by Sheriff G. H. Gottfriedt, Wm. Fitzgerald, D. M. Woodin, 'John Lemp and G. W. Cox. The grading north of Fonda was continued for several miles by J. H. Ryan, a brother-in-law of the con- tractor, in the spring of 1882.
was $70. It is now $45.
On Aug. 29, 1881, at a special elec- tion held in Cedar township by a vote Mallison consisting of Louis Fuchs, of 71 to 19 the citizens voted a five per cent tax in aid of this road and it was levied on Sept. 7th following, but the road not having been completed to Fonda at the specified time, July 4, 1882, the board of county supervisors on April 6, 1885, declared this tax had
On Nov. 28, 1882, when the laying of thereby been forfeited. At the spec- the track was completed to Fonda, ial election held in Dover township the event was celebrated by a public Aug. 30, 1881, the proposition to aid reception and supper to the workmen this road by a tax was lost by a vote in the town hall by the citizens of of 18 to 41.
.
301
SECOND PERIOD, 1870-1882.
This road was built by citizens of lers on top. It was an interesting Des Moines, known as the Des sight to witness the quiet, orderly and Moines & Northwestern R. R. Co., but rapid movement of the men and ma- when completed it was leased and terials as the work progressed.
continued a part of the Wabash system ST. LOUIS, NEWTON & NORTHWEST- until Oct. 5, 1887, when it was pur- ERN R. R. chased by Gen. G. M. Dodge, owner of the narrow guage line, Des Moines to Boone, and Messrs. J. S. Polk and F.
In August, 1881, the engineers of the St. Louis, Newton and North- western R. R. Co. surveyed a line from M. Hubbell, under whose manage- Newton via Tara northwest along the ment it was called the Des Moines, Northern & Western R. R. In
guage.
west branch of Lizard creek to Poca- hontas, thence five miles due west 1891 the track was made a standard along the south line of Sherman town- On Jan. 1, 1899, the road ship, thence southwest across the northwest corner of Grant township, where it was proposed to locate a sta- tion, and thence further westward. During that same month five special
became a part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul system and later that year it was extended from Fonda to Spencer; a new depot was built at Fonda north of the Illinois elections were held to vote aid in the Central railroad and a station was es- tablished at Varina.
construction of this road. In Lake, Lincoln and Sherman townships the
A track laying machine began to citizens were not in favor of the tax, lay this track north of Fonda, at the and a majority of them voted against rate of two miles a day, on Nov. 13th. it, but in Center on Aug. 19th it This machine consisted of a train of carried 19 to 5, and in Grant on Aug. nine cars suited for hauling and de- 29th it carried 17 to 1. On Sept. 7th livering the cross ties, rails and spikes following the board of county super- for a half day's work, accompanied by visors levied this tax on these town- a gang of sixty workmen, part of ships, but as the road was not built whom going before it, quickly put the the tax was forfeited.
ties and rails in place for the advance of the train and the others following
DUBUQUE & DAKOTA R. R.
In February, 1882, the engineering after it rearranged the ties and se- corps of the Dubuque & Dakota R. R. curely fastened the rails. This train Co., surveyed a line due west from consisted of an engine, three flats for Hampton to Cherokee and thence to ties, two for rails, one for spikes, two Sioux City. This line crossed Clinton, box cars for the workmen and their Center, Sherman and Marshall town- tools, and a flat car in front provided ships, but the road was not built.
with two long horizontal beams, from BOOM IN LAND. which eighteen ties were dumped from The effect of these numerous sur- a small truck on the grading for two veys, the building of three new rail- lengths of rails at each movement of roads into the county and the estab- the machine. This front flat and the lishment along them of five new and five following ones containing the promising towns-Rolfe, Havelock, rails and ties were connected on top Laurens, Gilmore City and Ployer- by a railroad on which moved the had the effect of attracting not merely little truck that conveyed and dumped public attention to this county but a the ties. The rails, two at a time, greatly increased immigration and the were drawn on rollers located in the value of land advanced thirty per cent. center of the flat cars and delivered During 1881 and 1882 hundreds of on trestles provided with similar rol- thrifty lowa and Illinois farmers came
302
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
and bought lands within this county.
In response to this petition the To them this county presented many board of supervisors submitted this special inducements. Its railroad fa- question to the decision of the legal cilities were excellent, no bonds had voters of the county at the general ever been issued to embarrass it with election held Oct. 11, 1870, with the debt, it had a new court house and the result that 123 votes were cast in favor crops had been abundant. The great of prohibition and only 25 against it. crops of 1882 not only brought a liberal The vote by townships on these two reward to the farmers of the entire occasions may be seen in the follow- county, but marked an era in the ag- ing table:
ricultural products of the county that TOWNSHIP. had not been exceeded in its previous history. The crop of wheat was pro- Bellville
FOR. 1870. 1882.
AGAINST.
1870. 1882.
11
19
23
25
83
22
54
27
19
Clinton.
8
28
2
4
Colfax.
43
21
Des Moines. .35
33
1
1
Dover
6
26
23
Grant.
6
23
1
Lake
10
12
Lincoln.
5
17
Lizard.
7
19
Powhatan.
32
32
7
Sherman
8
3
Swan Lake
26
8
Washington.
37
4
123 407
25 246
It will be perceived that in 1870
cast in favor of the constitutional many of the townships were not or- amendment, prohibiting the manu- ganized, but Lizard either did not facture and sale of intoxicating liquors vote upon this measure or the vote as a beverage, in this county 407 votes, was not reported; and in five of the and against it 246; majority in favor of townships, Bellville, Des Moines, it 161. This was the second time the Dover, Grant and Powhatan, there people of Pocahontas county had de- was only one opposing vote. In 1882 clared themselves in favor of prohib- all of the townships cast a majority in iting the sale of intoxicating liquors.
At their meeting held June 6, 1870, the following petition was presented to the board of supervisors:
"To the Honorable Board of Super- visors of Pocahontas county: We, the undersigned citizens, being legal voters in said county, would respect- fully ask your honorable body to sub- mit chapter 82 of the Acts of the 13th General Assembly of Iowa (1870), en- titled, "An act to provide for the pro- hibition of the sale of all wine or beer in the counties by a vote of the peo- ple. "-W. D. McEwen, Owen Brom- ley and others. "
favor of the amendment except four, and the majority in these was as fol- lows: Bellville, 4; Lake, 2; Lincoln, 12; Lizard 42; total, 60. In Marshall no clection was held. The majority for prohibition in 1870 was 98 and in 1882, 161.
The county records show 449 votes. for and 204 against the ammendment. This is due to an erroneous return of the vote in Lizard township as 49 for and 7 against , instead of 7 for and 49 against; as it appeared on the tally sheet.
On Jan. 19, 1883, the supreme court of Iowa ruled that the prohibitory amendment was invalid by reason of a clerical omission or error while it was passing through the legislature.
.
lific and of a superior quality; and this Cedar.
was true also of the rye, flax and bar- Center ley.
In the spring of 1882 the first cheese factory in the county was erected by Geo. Heald on Pilot creek, Clinton township. He kept forty cows, made two cheeses a day, and each was stamped with the day and year on which it was made.
PROHIBITION.
On June 27, 1882, occurred the spe- cial election known as the "Amend- ment Campaign," when there were
A. L. SCHULTZ. ROLFE ARGUS. 1894 TO DATE.
L. E. LANGE. LAURENS SUN, 1885 TO DATE.
MARION BRUCE. ROLFE REVEILLE, 1896 TO 1898.
A. R. THORNTON. ROLFE REVEILLE, 1895 TO DATE.
EDITORS OF COUNTY NEWSPAPERS.
W. W. BEAM, M. D. ROLFE.
M. F. PATTERSON, M. D. DES MOINES.
D. W. EDGAR, M. D. FONDA.
-
C. R. WHITNEY, M. D. FONOA.
PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS.
303
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
XI.
Third Period 1833 to 1899-Period of Growth and Development.
Pocahontas county indeed is fair; Of streams of water has her share; Is rich in limestone, and her soil Will bless for aye the plowman's toil.
What a lovely prospect everywhere lies Outspread before the farmer's eyes; Truly he has found the beautiful one, The fairest land beneath the sun.
OCAHONTAS county the county on the south, north and in the year 1883 en- tered upon an era of growth and develop-
east, and they afforded splendid rail- road facilities in every direction. The laying of these permanent foundations ment that was fol- for future development was followed lowed in 1899 by an- by an era of constant and uninter- other year of railroad construction. rupted growth in population, agri- The year preceding (1882) was an cultural productions and general, eventful one because in it Marshall, material prosperity, each succeeding the last of the townships to be organ- year being very much like the one ized, sought recognition and was preceding. In 1899 this era was fol- christened "Laurens." The roll of lowed by another year in which two the townships, sixteen in number, was more railroads were constructed then complete and they were dotted across the country and two new with a galaxy of six thriving railroad towns, Varina and Hanson, were es- towns that clustered around Pocahon- tablished.
tas Center, the new county seat. Four In 1883 the public officers were C. H. railroads had crossed the borders of Tollefsrude, auditor; J. W. Wallace,
304
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
clerk of the court; W. D. McEwen, nent was divided into five time dis- treasurer; A. L. Thornton, recorder; tricts, ranging from east to west, each Joseph Mallison, sheriff; J. P. Robin- district running north and south son, superintendent and Wm. Mar- across the continent and named re- shall, surveyor. The board of super- spectively, Inter Colonial, Eastern, Cen- visors consisted of J. C. Strong, tral, Mountain and Pacific. Pocahontas J. J. Bruce, James Mercer, county is in the Central district, which Wm. Brownlee and Carl Steinbrink. includes the territory between the 83d The Pocahontas Times and Rolfe and 102d degrees of west longitude, or Reporter, the only newspapers pub- from Columbus, Ohio, to the east lished in the county, were both ap- boundary line of Colorado. The date pointed official papers to do the public llne is in the vicinity of the 180 merid- printing for the county, the latter ian, which passes southward through having been established at Rolfe dur- the Pacific Ocean.
ing the preceding year.
1884.
In May, 1884, Gilmore City was
In 1881 the assessed valuation of Pocahontas county was $1,700,971; in platted and in November following 1883 it was $2,104,443, which shows a the name of Laurens township was gain in two years of $403,472. Eighty changed to Marshall. . The M. E. schools were in session and the average church was built at Rolfe, and at wages of the teachers was $27 a month. Fonda the McKee brick block, the
The year 1883, by reason of its disas- new Times building and the brick ters, passed into history as one of the school building.
most calamitous on record. Over 140,-
On April 24, 1884, the Pocahontas 000 people, of whom 110,000 were resi- Record was established at Pocahontas dents of Java, were killed by volcanic by Port C. Barron, its present editor. eruptions, earthquakes and accidents. On Dec. 13, 1884, the Fonda Herald On Oct. 15, a fire at Fonda destroyed was established by E. R. Carroll and the Ellis hotel, Times building and edited by T. J. Hagerty, but it was others in that vicinity; and that spring discontinued in February following. one-half the business houses in New-
At the general election held this ell and Pomeroy were also destroyed year it was decided to amend the state by the same element.
constitution, and the following changes
During 1883 this section of country were effected: (1) The time of hold- flourished splendidly and land ad- ing the general election, which had vanced rapidly. Its value in Poca- previously been in October except in hontas and Humboldt counties had presidential elections, was now doubled during the five years, and changed to the Tuesday after the first throughout the state during the eight Monday in November. (2) The num- years previous. Every town and vil- ber of grand jurors was reduced from lage was happy in the possession of twelve to five, and provision was made some enterprising men who led their for the prosecution of cases without fellow citizens in laudable efforts to the intervention of the grand jury. promote the public welfare, and the (3) The office of district attorney was work of improvement progressed rap- abolished and that of county attorney idly in the rural districts.
established.
STANDARD TIME ADOPTED. A new road law also went into ef- On Nov. 18, 1883, Standard Time, fect that provided for the consolida_ suggested first by Prof. Abbe of the tion of the several districts of a town- signal service in 1878, was adopted. ship into one road district, and for the By this system the American conti- levy of a one-mill tax as a county
305
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
road fund.
1885.
The population of the county that on Jan. 1, 1880, numbered. 3,713, on Jan. 1, 1885, was 6,154, which showed a gain of 66 per cent in four and one- half years. The immigration to this county in 1885 was above the average.
On June 15, 1885, the Pocahontas County Sun was established at Laurens by L. E. Lange, its present editor.
On May 13, 1885, Alonzo L. Thorn- ton, county recorder, died during his second term in office and his daughter, Miss May E. Thornton, completed it, first by appointment and later by election. She held the office eighteen months and was the first woman, and to this date the only one, to hold a public office in this county.
DRAINAGE OF THE COUNTY.
Alonzo L. Thornton was a practical surveyor and maker of maps. Having prepared an excellent map of this county he directed the attention of the people to the importance and feas- ibility of adopting a general system of drainage. Commencing in January previous to his decease, in order to ard. According to the levels of the bring this matter intelligently before the people, he wrote a number of ar- ticles for the Pocahontas Record and the Pocahontas Times from which the following outline of his views has been gleaned.
"The general distribution of low mile. The Des Moines and Cedar riv- land, often covered with water, has ers are both swiftly flowing streams
given the impression to strangers and superficial observers that this whole
that all the streams in it flow to the south and southeast in nearly direct lines, and divide it into eight long, narrow strips. These streams are the naturaloutlets of the surface water but at present they take weeks and months to do what should be com- pleted in a few days.
The track of the Chicago & North- western R. R. on the bridge over the Little Cedar in Swan Lake township, west of Laurens, is 1,330 feet above tide water, and this is the highest point reached by a railroad in the county. The bridge of the Illinois Central R. R. over the same stream at Fonda is 1237 feet above tide and it is 12 feet higher than the former one above the bed of the stream. These data show that there is a fall of 110 feet in the distance of 20 miles be- tween the two railroads, or an average of 5} feet per mile. The bridge over the Big Cedar, east of Laurens and four miles distant from the former one, is 1,289 feet above tide. This bridge is 41 feet lower than the for- mer one and the bed of the stream is 72 feet higher than at Fonda 18 miles distant. which shows a fall of four feet per mile. The railroad levels in the east part of the county show that four feet per mile is the average fall in the slopes along Beaver and Pilot creeks. and the several branches of the Liz- Des Moines Valley R. R., the fall in the Des Moines river from Fort Dodge to Des Moines, a distance of 80 miles, is only 198 feet, an average of 2} feet per mile; and the fall in the Cedar river from Northwood to Wapello, a distance of 203 miles, is 540 feet, or only a little more than 2} feet per
whenever the water is high.
The flow of the water in the smaller region was one vast bog of cold wet streams in this connty is impeded by land, the difference of level between flags, water rushes, cane grass and the slough and the corn land being so slight, that it was not easy to see how even the coarser kinds of slough grass that have so invaded their beds as to the latter could be very good so close completely fill them and produce ex- to those that were apparently worth- tensive sloughs. That which is need- less. While the surface water re- ed is a channel sufficiently wide and mains upon the low lands it interferes deep to remove the roots of these vege- with the drainage of those that are table growths and secure a continuous higher because there is no outlet. flow of the water. This at first This fact shows the desirability of a thought may seem a difficult and ex- general system of drainage. To lower pensive thing to do, in view of the the general level of the surface water great width of some of the sloughs 24 inches would materially advance thereby giving the impression they the market value of all the land. A are the result of a large flow of water. glance at the map of this county shows This is a misapprehension. A ditch
306
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
six feet wide at the surface, three Beaver 66 13
feet at the bottom and twenty four to Two branches Pilot creek. .10
thirty inches deep, cut through the entire length of our prairie creeks will accomplish this result and render val- uable for agricultural purposes thou- sands of acres that are at present com- paratively worthless. These drains would form a suitable outlet for the drainage of the slough valleys that are found along the divides between the streams. The measurement of levels indicates that the rise between the streams is nearly uniform and ranges from 7 to 10 feet a mile, or nearly double that of the slopes along the streams. The crest of each divide is generally much nearer the stream on its western side and in consequence more slough valleys or undeveloped streams are found on their eastern slopes and they vary from less than. one to four miles in length. Many of these slough valleys need a ditch of the same size as the main channels of the streams and they should be con- structed before anything like a general system of drainage can be effected. Since they are also public waterways they should be inserted by the county as a general improvement for the pub- lic good.
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