USA > Iowa > Pocahontas County > The pioneer history of Pocahontas County, Iowa, from the time of its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 40
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Such a system of drainage would provide an outlet but leave the drain- age of the present tillable lands to private enterprise. The effect of it would be beyond computation. It would remove the greatest cause of discouragement to the farmer, es- pecially the uncertainty of crops in Two districts in this county, known as Drainage Districts No. I and No. II, have had large drains inserted in them under the direction of the board the citizens living in their vicinity. wet seasons; it would greatly increase the productiveness of the soil and we would find ourselves at one bound in the front rank as an agricultural county. We would realize that the of county supervisors at the request of goose that lays the golden egg for Pocahontas county is "Drainage."
Such a ditchi can be inserted by a double ditching plow at an average rate of 100 rods a day or two miles each week, and at a cost ranging from $25 to $50 a mile. The probable extent of the system constructed at the public expense would be as follows:
NAME OF
ESTIMATED LENGTH
STREAM.
IN MILES.
Little Cedar 22
Big Cedar 32
East Branch, Cedar 9
Outlet of Muskrat Lake 9
South branch, Lizard. 22
West branch. Lizard. 29
Lizard creek. . .36
Pilot
21
Total .203.
At $50 a mile the cost of 203 miles would be $10,150. To this should be added the cost of surveys, outlet drains beyond the county, superintendence and incidentals that cannot well be anticipated, estimated at $5,000, mak- ing a total if $15 150. Even if it should amount to $25,000 it would not be a ruinous amount for this county to ex- pend in a permanent improvement so profitable and so beneficial to the people in all parts of the county. Some counties are expending the last named amount for a substantial court house. For this county to erect such a public building at this time would be like putting a fine stove pipe hat on a man whose boots are without heels and toes, and whose feet are getting wet at every step. Better, we say, to wear the old hat and attend to the feet first. Protecting them we promote our own health, the health of our horses, cattle and hogs, and greatly increase the annual yield of hay, oats, wheat and corn. Onr soil when freed from surplus surface water is as rich and productive as any the sun shines upon, and I hope to see the day when this county shall not be surpassed in productiveness and value of farms, in beauty and attractiveness of homes, and in the general prosperity and happiness of its people by any spot in this broad land. "*
The drain in district No. I is along the course of Crooked creek, the south- west branch of Pilot creek, and ex- tends from the northwest corner of section 2, Center township. southward to section 11, thence southeast to sec- tion 16, Clinton township, and thence northwest to a point on the east side of the adjoining section No. 8. The survey and profile of this drain, made by L. C. Thornton, was approved July 21, 1886. This drain is about seven miles in length and was completed by *Pocah nias Times, Feb, 5, 1885,
307
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
F. M. Gombar and Geo. O. Pinneo of on Oct. 2d that year, when Thos. L. Dover township, Nov. 1, 1888. It cost Kelleher received the nomination for representative from the 78th district
about $3,000.
The drain in district No. II is along composed of Pocahontas and Calhoun the course of the Little Cedar in Dover counties.
township, It is two and one-third
On Sept. 7, 1835, a second conven-
miles long, has a fall of seven feet and tion was held that year at Pocahontas is located on sections 18, 19, 20 and 29. and the following persons were nom- Its depth ranges from two to seven inated for the county offices: For feet, its average width at the surface auditor, T. F. McCartan; treasurer, is 10 feet and its cost was about $2,000. Carl Steinbrink; recorder, to fill va- It was constructed in -1894 by Arm- cancy, F. E. Beers; sheriff, C. H. stead Bros. of Calhoun county. Hutchins; superintendent, Frank Dek-
In 1889 the board of supervisors be- lotz; surveyor, Wm. Marshall; and cor- gan to make an equitable allowance oner, D. W. Edgar, M. D. At this for their value to the highways, of tile convention F. E. Beers served as chair- drains constructed by farmers for the man and Amandus Zieman as secre- removal of sloughs along them. The tary.
first tile drain recognized in this way
The call for both of these conven- was the one constructed by Wm. Mar- tions was addressed to all who had shall on sections 27 and 33, Cedar town- supported or intended to support in good faith the platform and nominees
ship.
The survey for the two large drains of the democratic party, and the basis in Williams township was made in the of representation was one delegate fall of 1885 and they were constructed from each township in the county and in 1887 with a large dredging machine oue additional delegate for every ten at a cost of $20,000. In many places votes cast in 1884 for J. E. Henriques, they are 16 feet wide and 7 feet deep. democratic candidate for anditor of DEMOCRATIC PARTY ORGANIZED. state. At the latter convention Thos. L. Kelleher, J. W. O'Brien and T. J. Calligan were elected a county central committee, and the following persons were appointed chairmen of the town- ship committees: Bellville, H. W. Behrens; Center, John Stelpflug; Clin- ton, J. T. Hagan; Dover, M. J. Lynch; Lizard, M. T. Collins; Marshall, A. McLain; Grant, Henry Russell; Cedar, William Bott; Colfax, David Spiel- man; Lincoln, John Stegge; Lake, F. E. Beers; Swan Lake, J. L. Hopkins; Sherman, J. W. Carson; Powhatan, Wm. Baker; Washington, ' M. E. O'Brien.
The democratic party in Pocohontas county was regularly organized during the year 1885 under the leadership of Thos. L. Kelleher, M. D., L. E. Lange, D. W. Edgar, M. D., and F. E Beers, who perceived that at the previous general election forty per cent of the voters of the county voted the demo- cratic ticket, there having been 775 votes for Blaine and 494 for Cleveland. F. E. Beers of Lake township was ap- pointed chairman of the central com- mittee for this county and in response to his call a democratic county con- vention was held at Pocahontas Aug. 15, 1885, when Thos. L. Kelleher, D. D. Day and M. T. Collins were ap-
PEOPLE'S PARTY CONVENTIONS.
During the years 1881 '82, '83 and '84 pointed delegates to the democratic county nominating conventions were state convention held at Cedar Rapids, held under the name of the People's and B. McCartan, D. D. Day and J. Party
that were usually con- W. O'Brien delegates to the repre- vened by Wm. Snell of Cedar town- sentative convention held at Pomeroy ship.
This was a local opposition
308
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
party composed mainly of democrats occurred throughout this country. and independent republicans, who During the five years preceding, com- did not care to support the nominees mencing with 1881, they numbered of the republican party and had no each year respectively, 471, 454, 478, direct connection with, or represent- 443 and 645; but in 1886 there were ation in the democratic state and 1,412, and they involved 9,893 business representative conventions.
concerns. During the six years named ·
An account of the first People's they caused a loss of $51,815,165. Of Party convention held in 1881 has these strikes 42 per cent were caused by demands on the part of the labor- already been given. At the People's Party convention held at Pocahontas ing men for an increase of wages and Sept. 2, 1882, at which W. H. Hait 19 per cent for a reduction of the hours of labor. served as chairman and D. W. Hunt secretary, M. Crahan was re-nominated for recorder and W. H. Hait was nom- inated for clerk of the court.
On Sept. 8, 1883, the People's party held a convention at Pocahontas and placed in nomination the following persons for the county offices: For auditor, T. F. McCartan; treasurer, Wm. Brownlee; sheriff, S. H. Gill; sur- veyor, C. P. Leithead; superintendent, W. F. Bowman.
On the same day and at the same place the democrats held a convention and appointed five delegates to repre- sent this county in the democratic representative convention for the 78th district at Fonda Sept. 8, following, when L. T. Danforth of Lake City was nominated. This was the only county convention held by the democrats this year.
Wm Brownlee, nominated for county treasurer in 1883, was the only successful candidate nominated by the People's party during the years 1881 to 1884.
1886.
The year, 1886, was noted for the
The area of public lands disposed of in 1886 was 20,974,134 acres, one mil- lion more than in 1885 but six millions less than in 1884 when more than eleven millions were disposed of in Dakota alone. The amount of public lands disposed of during the five years preceding was 100,974,134 acres, an area equal to four states like Ken- tucky, three like Iowa, more than Great Britain and Ireland, or three- fourths of France or Germany.
In 1886 the Iowa and Minnesota tele- phone line was established between Fonda, Pomeroy, Manson, Pocahontas and Rockwell City with central office at Pomeroy. The steel harvesting machine of William Deering was in- troduced.
The year 1886 was one of severe On Oct. 18, 1884, the People's Party drought throughout the northwest held their last convention at Poca- and the weather from July 1st to 7th hontas previous to the organization of was the hottest ever known. In some the democratic party. John Fraser places in Dakota the hot waves swept served as chairman and S. P. Thomas over the fields, blighting the wheat, as secretary. The nominations made shriveling the corn and other crops, were those of Amandus Zieman for and for awhile great uneasiness was recorder and Walter P. Ford for clerk felt as to the result. Another in- of the court.
tensely hot period was experienced from Aug. 20-26, when many ponds and lakes in this county became dry for the first time in many years; yet this was the year in which Iowa be- came the greatest corn producing state in the union.
The crops, wherever well cultivated, unusual number of labor strikes that were excellent and never before was
.
309
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
there so general realization of the fine ductive power of the soil of this county opportunities presented by this sec- Port C. Barron, editor of the Poca- tion of the country. Here was an op- hontas Record, offered two prizes of portunity for production on cheap, $15 and $10, respectively, for the best samples of corn raised on five acres of ground. The first prize was won by fertile and convenient lands; an oppor- tunity for remunerative labor to all who would engage in the development R. C. Jones of Havelock, who gathered of a new and great country. These 315 bushels from five acres, an average opportunities brought to this section of 63 bushels to the acre. This was the sturdiest and most intelligent of planted May 11-12th. The second the agriculturists of the states further prize was accorded Thomas L. Dean east and they constituted a broad and of Lincoln township who on fall plow- sure foundation on which to build ing raised 312} bushels or 62} bushels prosperity. The fact that the area of to the acre. Others that reported were desirable lands available for settle- E. S, Norton, Grant township, 300 ment in other portions of the west had bushels from 5 acres, averaging 60 been greatly reduced served to stimu- bushels; B. C. Boyesen, Sherman town- late the movement of population to ship, 234 bushels, 39 to the acre; Frank this section. Even the misfortunes of J. Sinek, Center township, 346 bushels large communities in the east and the from ten acres; and F. DeKlotz, Center, stringency felt there in all kinds of one field of 55 acres that in 1884 on industries were also considerations breaking yielded an average of 30 that encouraged immigration to this bushels, in 1885 50 bushels and in 1886 section. 33 bushels to the acre.
These and similar impulses were so strong that it was difficult to find a place in any village or even on the prairie where their influence was not felt. A knowledge of the industrial
1887.
The year, 1887, was one of unusual activity in railway construction, the amount being 12,714 miles against 3,608 miles in 1885. This unusual ac- relations of the country and an ac- tivity in railway construction through- quaintance with the resources of this out this country exerted a potent northwestern section were all that influence on its financial and industrial was necessary to demonstrate its des- condition. The construction of these tiny. Its wonderful productiveness new railroads furnished special em- and certainty of good crops even in ployment to a large army of men and the time of drought concentrated upon so increased the mileage of the rail- it more than ever before the attention way systems that their maintenance of a new class, the capitalists. In the and management gave permanent em- ployment to 65,000 additional work- men.
previous history of the other new sec- tions of this country men of liberal means waited until its development was an accomplished fact but here they came in anticipation of its develop- ment. The copious inflow of money from many directions marked a new era, for it was the evidence of faith in its destiny and every dollar meant quickened activity.
CORN RECORD.
The impulse of this general activity was felt in this county. Under the leadership of Geo. Fairburn who was then serving as mayor, the principal streets of Fonda were graded and covered with gravel, eighty cars, from Cherokee; the town was platted for drainage and sewerage and a main sewer constructed from Main street to
In the fall of 1886, in order to ob- Cedar creek; and provision was made tain correct data in regard to the pro- for lighting the streets at night by the
310
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
erection of a set of street lamps at the January corners of the principal ones. These February improvements marked the beginning of a new epoch in the history of Fonda and the leading town of Pocahontas county began to have the appearance of a city. The Fonda creamery, that had been closed for a year, was re- opened by Ed. L. Beard in May and the Presbyterian church was com- pleted in October.
During 1887 an effort was made to obtain some facts in regard to the amount and value of the railroad busi- ness of this county. The data given herewith were obtained from the agents of the several stations in this county by the Fonda Town Lot Co.
During the year 1886 the shipments in car load lots at Fonda were as fol- lows:
ILL. C. WABASH
Hay
69
480
Oats
46
144
Hogs
39
96
Flax
2
25
Cattle
19
24
Corn
14
Barley
2
8
Wheat
16
Straw
1
Lumber
2
Emigrant goods
1
Sundries
54
58
Total
251
849
Received
440
260
Totals
691
1,109
This shows that in 1886 there were forwarded from Fonda 1,100, and re- ceived 700, making 1,800 carloads.
On March 1, 1888, it was found that standpoint.
the carload shipments at Fonda for the five months preceding that date were as follows:
ILL. CENT.
WABASH
Forw'd Rec'd Forw'd Rec'd found to be as follows:
October
34
57
152
96
November
31
31
177
135
December
55
25
128
162
65
32
86
105
127 39
100 103
312 184 643
601
Whole number forwarded 955, re- ceived 785, total 1,740 carloads. Dur- ing the last three months of this period cars were not available to do all the work as they were needed. If they had been available the aggregate would have been considerably larger .*
It will be perceived that the ship- ping done during these five months lacked only 60 cars of being as great as during twelve in 1886.
Two months later the following sta- tistics of the railroad business at Fonda and the neighboring towns on the Illinois Central R. R. were ob- tained for the six months of October, November and December, 1887, and January, February and March, 1888. Rec'd For'd Way Fr't Total
Manson 365
709
74
1148
Pomeroy
346
359
33
738
Newell
306
503
72
881
Storm L. 407
446
95
948
Fonda 397
980
256
1633
In the above figures of the Fonda stations, the Wabash cars are reduced to those of standard size and the way freight of all stations to cars of ten tons each.t
The publication of these statistics was a surprise, both to the railway officials who perceived the importance of Fonda as a shipping station, and to the leading citizens of the neighbor- ing towns, who did not appreciate the fact that Fonda with her population of only 600, was so far in the lead of her neighbors from this business
The amount of shipping done at the several towns in this county during the same period of six months from Oct. 1, 1887, to March 31, 1888, was
*Times, March 1, 1888. +Times, May 24, 1888.
1
311
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
Plover ....
598 than the cost of the land.
Gilmore City* 600 The hay and other crops were ex- Havelock 1234 cellent and Pocahontas county made Laurens* .1250 more substantial growth than during Rolfe. 1362 any of the previous years. The new Fonda. 1633 settlers were good farmers who came Total 6,677.1 to found homes and join with their It may be fairly estimated that one predecessors in the general improve- third of the number of cars handled at ment of the county. Thousands of Pomeroy and Manson, 629, are for acres of beautiful prairie sod were Pocahontas county, and if these be turned for the first time in this county added to the above they make the and many new houses were erected in number of carloads of shipping for every direction.
Pocahontas county in six months 7,306, and for that year about 12,000 to 14,000 In Rolfe the Presbyterian church was built and also the business house cars. A reasonable estimate of the of Crahan and McGrath, the first one value of the shipping for this county of brick in that city.
for the six months above enumerated would be $1,000,000. At that date, prevailed to an unusual
During the following winter there extent in whichi was only seventeen years from Cedar, Colfax and Grant townships, the time of the first settlements in the certain contagious diseases, such as western half of it, only about one-half measles, scarlet rash and diptheria, of the tillable land of this county was and several children died from them. occupied or under cultivation. To the
On May 4, 1887, Arbor Day was ob- man seeking a profitable farm or a served at Fonda and 125 shade trees good business location this county were planted on the school grounds, then as now presented many unusual Miss Anna E. Brown serving as prin- inducements.
cipal. This was the first year that a Arbor Day was observed in Iowa, and
The year of 1838 opened with severe blizzard on Jan. 12-13, that pre- it was done at the recommendation of vailed generally throughout the north- the state superintendent for the pur- western states, and in Dakota caused pose of attracting public attention to the loss of a number of children re- the law of 1882 which provides that, turning from school.
"the board of directors of each town- ship and independent district shall cause to be set out and properly pro- tected twelve or more shade trees on each school house site belonging to the district, where such number of trees
The season was a good one for flax and many farmers in this section real- ized from this crop alone a sufficient amount of money to pay for the orig- inal cost of the land on which it was sown. Henry Hout, southeast of are not now growing, and defray the Fonda bought that spring 80 acres of expenses of the same from the con- land for $800 and, putting 75 acres of tingent fund."
it in flax, threshed therefrom 800 In June. 1887, Aggie Garlock of bushels for which, at $1.10 a bushel, Rolfe had the honor of being the first he received $880, or $130 more than the in the county to receive the certificate cost of the land. His neighbor, Adin, for having passed a final examination at the same time threshed 650 bushels with a standing of 90 per cent, on com- of flax from 60 acres of newly broken pleting the eight years course of study prairie and received $615, or $115 more according to the classification register
*Estimated.
¡Pocahontas Record, Jan. 24, 1889
adopted Nov. 9, 1886, by the board of supervisors for the district schools of
)
312
PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
the county.
On Jan. 26, 1887, the surveyors of the Sioux City and Northeastern R. R. Co., reached Pocahontas, having en- tered the county on section 30 of Dover township. In April following, this survey was completed from Sioux City to Belmond via Kingsley, Alta, Poca- hontas and Rolfe. On June 7th fol- lowing a special election was held in Clinton township and a tax of five mills in aid of this railroad was ap- proved by a vote of 91 to 54. On June 28th a similar proposition wes lost in Dover by a vote of 41 to 55, but at a second election held Aug. 30th fol- lowing, this decision was reversed by a vote of 56 to 39. On July 5th Center signified approval by a vote of 50 to 43. On Sept. 13th, Lincoln approved a tax of 2} mills by a vote of 23 to 6. This road, however, was not built.
In October, 1887, another route, known as the St. Paul and Council Bluffs R. R , was surveyed across this county. This line passed sonthwest- erly eighty rods east of Plover, three- fourths of a mile west of Pocahontas and a short distance east of Fonda.
The practice of dehorning cattle was introduced in February, 1887, as a result of the experiments made by Prof. Henry of the Wisconsin experi- ment station.
1888.
On July 5, 1888, the Reveille was es- tablished at Rolfe by Messrs. J. J. Bruce and J. H. Lighter and that town had then two weekly newspapers.
cast only 38 for and 61 against it, but it was the only township that cast a majority against it.
NURSERY OF D. C. WILLIAMS.
On May 7, 1888, occurred the death of D. C. Williams of Washington township, his wife having died the year previous. Mr. Williams was not one of the public officers of this county but, as a practical and successful nurs- eryman, proved himself a public bene- factor by the establishment in 1881 of the nurseries in Washington township for the special benefit of the people who were settling in this new and treeless section of country. Inasmuch as his own farm was unbroken and therefore unsuited for immediate use, he leased in 1881 a plot of cultivated ground from J. C. Strong on section 32. Later he planted similar plots on his own, now known as the Edwards farm, and on that of his son, Frank Williams on section 19, now owned by John Ryon. At the time of his death he had about thirty acres on which the young trees were growing as vig- orously as any seen anywhere. The different varieties, planted each by itself, showed their natural shapes and habits of growth. Not every variety planted did equally well; some that were supposed to be hardy proved to be unsuited to this climate while others were unaffected by the cold of winter or the heat of summer. His few years of experience as the first nurseryman in this county showed that whilst it was of little use to send
At the general election held in 1888 south or very far east for trees to plant the question of restraining stock was in this section, yet success in raising for the last time submitted to the apple trees was not more doubtful voters of this county by order of the than the effort to raise maples, ash board of supervisors. For a number or butternuts; also that trees lifted in of years the "herd law" compelling the fall, shipped and heeled in over everyone to herd or keep his cattle winter do better in this latitude than within an enclosure had been in force. those lifted in the spring. After the The object of this submission was to decease of Mr. Williams the nurseries see if the people desired a change. For were converted into orchards and the herd law there were cast 1510 votes crops of beautiful fruit ranging from and against it 142. Lizard township 100 to 300 bushels, have been gathered
313
THIRD PERIOD,- 1883-1899.
from the trees planted by him as the township-now Varina-on the even- years have passed.
1889.
In 1889 the Presbyterian and Catho- lic churches at Gilmore City were built, also the Presbyterian church at Plover and the Methodist church at Havelock.
At 9 a. m. April 30, 1889 the church bells all over the country rang to cele- brate the 100th anniversary of the in- auguration of George Washington as president of the United States. This day was further observed at Fonda as arbor day and two special trees were planted on the school grounds in mem- ory of Washington and LaFayette, after the public exercises of the oc- casion.
This was also the first observance of "flag day," when our national flag was unfurled from our school houses, or poles erected in front of them for that purpose. This beautiful emblem, un- furled before the young in our public schools, becomes to them a constant lesson in patriotism the good influ- ence of which cannot be measured. Symbolizing by its colors the principles of love, liberty and loyalty and by its stars and stripes the union of all the states, it stands as a whole for the supremacy of law and order without which the union itself would be in constant jeopardy.
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