USA > Iowa > Clinton County > Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1 > Part 31
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Beyond much doubt, the first white man to invade and settle in the lim- its of what is now Olive township was an old hunter and trapper named John Shook, or "Old Shoot," as he was termed. As early as 1836. he was found here in a little log shack on the left bank of the Wapsipinicon, at the point of the crossing of the old Boone trail and the subsequent site of the old Buena Vista ferry. Here he operated a ferry with an Indian canoe, whose capacity was but two passengers. He was an odd genius. His bed in his little cabin home was made of furs and he was attired in skins. For a hat he wore the inverted lower bill of a pelican. Among other settlers may be named Hiram Brown. Charles Dutton. Sr., Lorenzo, Charles, Jr., Leroy and Jerome Dutton, his sons, Lyman Alger, Joseph Alger, E. F. Owen, William Scott, Bennett Warren, Mr. Edgar, D. C. Curtis, Josiah Hill, Abraham Hendrickson and others whose names have been lost with the shifting sands of time. Concern- ing some of this pioneer band it should be said that they settled as follows:
D. C. Curtis, a native of Erie county. New York, born in 1826, came to Olive township in 1838; was a member of the Free-Will Baptist church and was ordained an elder in 1859; was many years a justice of the peace.
Leroy Dutton located on his farm in 1839; he was a native of New York, born April 21, 1816.
Lyman Alger, another pioneer, located here in the thirties. He was born in Madison county, New York, in 1800. He owned seven hundred acres of land in Clinton county at one time.
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Lorenzo Dutton located here in 1841 ; was an office holder and a credit to the township for his honor and ability.
Josiah Hill was a native of Erie county, New York, born in 1827, and located here in 1839. From 1850 to 1854 he was engaged in gold mining operations in California.
William Scott, born May 27, 1819, in Allegany county, New York, im- migrated to Olive township in 1843. He is said to have arrived here with a shilling in cash, one cow and two three-year-old steers. The first winter here he cut cord wood at twenty-five cents a cord and boarded himself. In 1847 he purchased a farm of forty acres. He went to California in 1850, returning in 1851. He held several public local offices.
Other settlers who came in at very early dates were: Truman Alger, E. H. Damon, Aaron Smith, John Schook (probably the one termed the first), Gordon Knight, E. F. Owen, Jerome Dutton, James Anthony, William Smith, Jr., Lemuel Smith and son by same name, Justus, David, Alonzo and Morgan Smith.
Of the Dutton family, it may be stated that they arrived in this township with sixty dollars in cash, and a few household effects. They purchased a pair of cattle, and the first season broke about ten acres of prairie and sowed white winter wheat on the same. The crop was harvested and hauled to Davenport, through sloughs and mud holes, the load having to be frequently unloaded and reloaded. It was sold at thirty cents a bushel, one-half in store pay and a part of the balance in cash articles, which then meant groceries. The store pay was calico and such fabrics. In 1849 they hauled pork to Dubuque and sold it for one dollar and seventy-five cents per hundred dressed, and took pay three-fourths in goods and balance in money.
AN EARLY LAWYER AND TEACHER.
J. S. Stowrs, Esq., opened a law office in De Witt in 1844, building the first building for such an office there, a brick one too, and he relates that his first fee was a load of pumpkins drawn to him by his client, Mr. Names. His second fee was a load of wood from James Kirtley. Finding it necessary to eke out his existence someway, he resorted to teaching school, and opened the first one in Olive township. There was no school house, few school books, and those of every variety. When he arrived at the place, he found the school director making ready for his coming. The building was an old log house and the director was boring holes in slabs for seats and into the logs drove pins, upon which a board was laid for the desk. A stone chimney in one end
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served for heating purposes. Being an attorney and having been a justice of the peace, and probate judge of the county, he commanded the princely sum of twelve dollars per month for his salary and boarded around. He also organized a Sunday school, Rev. Emerson coming down and giving it a start, but Mr. Stowrs said that the day school was the most successful, the Sunday school interfering with the fishing.
In 1839 there was a trail, known as Boone's trail, over which a man named Boone drove cattle from Missouri to Galena, by the way of Maquoketa. His usual crossing place on the Wapsipinicon was on section 5, township 80, range 2 east. The first ferryman was old John Shook, who had a small flat boat which would just take on one team and which was operated by a rope. Many other men run ferries here and near here. J. E. McArthur run a ferry in that section in 1858, selling to James Merritt and in 1859 he sold to Jerome Dutton, who continued to ferry until the spring of 1865, when the land was sold. This had been one of the most profitable ferries in the county for many years, and especially during the Pike's Peak excitement in 1859, but the erection of the Rothstein bridge destroyed its value.
Lyman Alger also had a ferry in this township for many years and was granted one of the first ferry licenses granted for ferrying over the waters of the Wapsipinicon.
Then the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska railroad (Northwestern) tempor- arily operated a ferry for the transferring of passengers on the stage route until the railroad was completed across the river.
CALAMUS POSTOFFICE.
This office was ordered established by Joseph D. Fegan in 1858. No one could suggest an appropriate name, so he said, "Is there no creek we can name it for in this township?" "Yes, Calamus creek." "Then it shall be so named," he replied. The creek itself takes its name from the large quan- tities of "sweet-flag." or, properly speaking, calamus, growing along its banks.
Olive township is mostly level and originally had many bogs in it. Much of the land was held out of market as mineral lands until 1850 to 1855, as there were considerable deposits of bog-iron ore, but it never proved to be in pay- ing quantities. Limestone is abundant and there are valuable quarries. At one time there were found large peat beds and in 1867 an attempt was made to utilize it on the farm of John A. Boyd. It did not prove a financial suc- cess. but it burned and made a wonderful heat.
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Buena Vista postoffice is within this township and a church is located there, mentioned in the church chapter.
In 1860, the total vote of this township was one hundred and forty, and before any draft was ordered seventy-nine men volunteered into the Union army, mostly in the Second and Twenty-sixth Infantry and the First and Seventh Cavalry. This was conceded to be the banner township in all Iowa, as regarded proportionate enlistments.
After the Civil war closed a strong post of the Grand Army of the Re- public was organized and sustained for many years until the "boys who wore the loyal blue" dropped out from earth's shining circle.
FIRST EVENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP.
The first school taught in Olive township was held in John Schook's house by E. F. Owen in 1841. Elder Curtis and William Scott cut and rafted the logs with which the first school house was built, it being completed in the forties. There the first teacher was Mrs. John Walraven, then Mary Parker. Each patron of the school was required to bring a load of wood with which to warm the building in wintertime.
The first birth in the township was Fannie Knight, born in May, 1838.
The first death in the township was in May, 1838, when Byron Winslow died. The same season two Comstock brothers were drowned in the Wap- sipinicon.
There are now eight burial grounds in the township, the Alger, Dutton, Mowder, DuBoise, Boyd and Calamus and those of the Norwegian and Ger- man churches.
The first marriage was in 1841, being that of Benjamin Davisson and Margaret Alger.
Buena Vista postoffice was established soon after the first settlement was made, R. J. Jenks being the first postmaster.
Not including the drowning of the two Comstock boys, there have been drowned in this township in the Wapsipinicon thirteen persons. They were not all residents of this locality.
William A. Huntington crossed on the last ferry-boat and rode on the first engine that crossed the Wapsipinicon.
The first Norwegians to locate in Olive township were George, John and Aaron Johnson, who came into the township in 1853. There are now large numbers and they are among the best people of the township.
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JOHN ROBINSON'S OPERATIONS.
Old settlers, and some of more recent date, will remember of the strange operations of one John W. S. Robinson, who settled here in 1865 on the old Dutton farm near Buena Vista. Generally he called himself a Disciple and had not been here long before he commenced to preach. He at once became very popular with his neighbors, especially with the poorer classes, and he was a ready speaker, a man of fine bearing and companionable. But there came a time when the people did not think so favorably of him. This nar- rative is all too brief to contain all of interest concerning this man. He bought land and then more land, until he was an extensive freeholder. His method was to purchase land and file a forged title and other documents of record and it is said that he even obtained loans on other farmer's lands in some instances, securing the man from whom he borrowed by giving him a mortgage on his-the loaner's-own farm. These operations were very ex- tensive and it is stated that in about four months these forged papers amounted to something like ninety thousand dollars. His operations were cut short when he attempted to make a loan of thirty thousand dollars. Suspicions had been aroused that all was not right and one night, between darkness and daylight, he had departed for unknown parts. In 1877 he was found to be in Georgia and, a requisition being obtained, a party was deputized to go and arrest him. This was done, but it was reported that the prisoner had escaped at Nashville. His estate was thrown into bankruptcy and his victims were paid about twenty cents on the dollar.
MURDER OF MRS. ESTHER ALGER.
Allen's history of Clinton county mentions the following murder, which was committed in Olive township, and because of its awfulness it will be here reproduced :
On September 25, 1872, Mrs. Esther Alger, the aged wife of Lyman Alger, both early settlers in this township, was ruthlessly murdered. Mr. Alger, who accumulated a large fortune, was in the habit of loaning out his money, and frequently had large sums in his house. To obtain what was be- lieved to be a large sum, it is conjectured that this deed was committed. Mrs. Alger was past seventy-two years of age, and her husband but a year her senior. They lived alone except a grandson, Judson Curtis. On the evening of the crime Mr. Alger had gone to a schoolhouse a short distance away, to attend a prayer meeting. Judson had gone over to his father's barn, forty
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rods distant, and the old lady was left alone at home. She was evidently busily engaged in some of her household duties about the door, having her sun-bonnet on. While thus engaged she was shot down and afterwards beaten to death with some blunt instrument, supposedly an ax. Judson heard the shot fired and, running to the house, found the dead body of his grandmother lying in the path, near the door, the house opened, and the trunk where the money was kept rifled. He gave the alarm at the school house, and the people hurried to the scene of the brutal murder, which had been committed almost in broad daylight. Between a thousand and fifteen hundred dollars were taken from the trunk. Although some arrests were made, and diligent efforts put forth to discover the perpetrators of the crime, it is still an unsolved mystery.
THE TOWN OF CALAMUS.
This is the only town within the borders of Olive township. It derives its name from the old postoffice which was named for the abundance of "sweet- flag" grown in that neighborhood and the botanical name for which is calamus.
This place was platted in 1860 by R. S. Dickinson, who owned the land on the north side of the railroad, and Col. Milo Smith owned that on the south side. It was re-platted in 1865. James Keith opened the first store and in 1861 R. S. Dickinson and son, A. L., built the first business house of much importance and put in a large stock of general merchandise, also engaged in grain buying.
Calamus was incorporated in 1876 and E. F. Owens was elected the first mayor. Others who have held this office are Frank Buck, J. C. Bowman, F. L. Sunderlin, R. W. Damon. E. S. Randall, G. Baumgart, R. W. Damon, G. Baumgart, William Scott, E. S. Randall, R. W. Damon, E. S. Randall, A. Wendell and F. A. Pieper.
The 1910 officers are: Mayor. F. A. Pieper; recorder, V. A. White; marshal, Grant Brown; councilmen, W. P. Tarbert. John Wiese, W. H. Far- ren. H. J. Peterson, A. C. Peterson, J. T. Mueller.
At one time, a jail stood here, but it was burned down. The incorpora- tion leases a hall for their municipal use.
The postoffice is in the fourth class. One rural delivery goes out over a route almost twenty-eight miles long from Calamus, all in Clinton county. It is claimed by some that originally the name was spelled "Calmus" and changed, but doubtless it was a wrong understanding of what it meant.
The postmasters have included these : R. C. Dickinson, R. E. Houck. T. B. Walker, A. H. Anson, W. W. A. Huntington, William F. Siegmund, W. A. Huntington, R. B. Sherman.
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PRESENT BUSINESS FACTORS.
In August, 1910, the following were engaged in their respective callings at Calamus : Agricultural implements, George Corbin, Hayes & Peterson; banks, Exchange and Farmer's Savings; general merchants, William F. Sieg- mund, Mueller Brothers; furniture, Hayes & Blake; hardware, Peterson Brothers; grain dealers, F. Mueller & Son, Wells-Hord Grain Company: lum- ber, H. H. Dosland, Wells-Hord Grain Company ; stockmen, W. F. Siegmund. H. H. Dosland; meat market, Lester & Boylan; feed mill. F. Mueller & Son; drugs, F. A. Pieper ; millinery, Mrs. Snyder; jeweler, J. Hayes, Jr., W. W. Houck, John Lusmann ; coal dealers, Wells-Hord Grain Company, Hayes & Peterson.
About 1900 a twenty-thousand-dollar fire swept Calamus.
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CHAPTER XXXV.
SPRING ROCK TOWNSHIP.
Spring Rock township is the extreme southwestern sub-division of Clin- ton county. comprises congressional township 81 north, range I east, and it was originally a part of Liberty township, which now bounds it on the north, while to the east is Olive township, to the south Scott county and on the west is Cedar county. It takes its name from a natural object in Scott county. and came about after this wise: At what is now the village of Big Rock, Scott county, there is to be seen a huge and lofty rock, known in a very early time as "Big Rock," also as "Spring Rock" for at the base of this great rock is a fine large spring of the purest water, gushing out to make glad the heart of the passer-by. The first postoffice within the present limits of the town- ship was named Spring Rock. from this old land-mark. Later, when the present township was laid out, it was given the name of Spring Rock to com- memorate its first postoffice (long since discontinued) and thus, rather curious- ly. the township derives its name from an object outside of both township and county.
Spring Rock township was organized in the month of October, 1844. The Wapsipinicon river meanders through the eastern portion from north to south. Yankee run, with its north branch, rises in Cedar county, entering the township in the northwest corner, and flows gracefully to the southeast. Its south branch flows on and enters nearly midway on the north and south line. flows northeasterly. unites on section 16; then flows east and south, emptying into the Wapsipinicon on section 23. Yankee run took its name from the fact that, about 1840, a New Englander journeying through the county with the aim of taking up a claim, was drowned in its waters some- where in the vicinity of present Wheatland. He was attempting to cross the stream in time of a flood. He being a "Yankee," the stream was subsequently named for him.
Rock creek also waters a portion of this township, running through the southern part of the territory.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
What may be strictly called early settlers to this part of the county were Eli Goddard, George Goddard, Peter Goddard, Martin Goddard, R. H.
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Randall, L. Snyder, J. B. Snyder, J. Cummings, George W. Parker, Abner Davidson, Benjamin Davidson, Ira Cortright and Anthony Cortright. Among the most prominent settlers was Eli Goddard, who was a member of the board of county commissioners and acted well his part as a pioneer settler in framing and helping to shape the government of the township and county. The township is largely settled up by Germans and German-American farm- ers, of the most sturdy type.
Of the schools and churches in this township, Iet the reader turn to the Educational and Church chapters of this volume for facts concerning these two items.
THE TOWN OF WHEATLAND.
Wheatland is situated in Spring Rock township, on the Chicago & North- western railroad, and on the southeast quarter of section 9 and the northwest quarter of section 10, township 81, range 1. In the early fifties, "Chubb." Erastus and William Holmes came to this part of the county and entered large tracts of land, including that upon which Wheatland stands today. It is said that a small cabin was erected near where later years stood the Peter Smith farm house. John L. Bennett, the real founder of this town, was born in 1803 in Delaware county, New York, and in 1855 he purchased the Holmes land where Wheatland now stands. The following year he erected a house and in 1857 removed his family from Wisconsin to it. When the railroad was extended as far west as this point, in 1858, Mr. Bennett platted Wheat- land and named it, it is said, after President James Buchanan's home, Wheat- land.
A few wild deer were still to be seen by the first settlers of this locality, in Iowa, and stumps of beaver-cut trees were in evidence along the streams. Game, such as duck, geese, brant, quail, partridge, squirrel and other animals, with fish in the streams, were abundant.
A postoffice was established in Wheatland in 1858, with M. L. Rogers as postmaster, who served until 1861, and was succeeded as follows: S. H. Rogers, John Walraven, W. H. Bayliss, Charles G. Rogers, John Walraven, S. H. Ewald, Fred Dieckmann, Jerome Dutton, and Diedrich Bechman, post- master for sixteen years last past.
Martin L. Rogers was first to commence mercantile operations at Wheat- land. He opened up in a shanty, where he sold clothing and groceries to the hands engaged in building the railroad. The station was first named "Yankee Run," but the name Wheatland was afterwards adopted.
The first dry goods merchant was William Hicks, in 1858. William M.
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Magden was the pioneer attorney, locating in 1861, and followed by Jesse Stine in 1862. The earliest physician was Dr. Thomas Gamble, who came in 1858. The town grew rapidly, at first, and many fine brick buildings were erected. But with the construction of the Midland and De Witt branch of the Davenport & St. Paul railroad, its territory was at once cut down and closely circumscribed. Then the town suffered much by several great and sweeping conflagrations, the first occurring December 12, 1872, the next was on July 4, 1874. This was to Wheatland and all her fair prospects what the 1871 fire was to the city of Chicago. People were flocking in from the sur- rounding country to participate in a genuine old-time Fourth of July celebra- tion. At ten o'clock in the forenoon fire was seen issuing from a business house. At that time the town had no fire protection and the flames had full sway, destroying all the business on the east side of Railroad street. Twenty- three business men suffered loss. The fire was caused by the careless use of firecrackers.
The next serious fire at Wheatland was on March 6, 1892, at which time nearly a dozen business firms were heavy losers. The next fire occurred the same year, on the night of July 30th. This originated in the Lohman building and is said to have been the most disastrous fire of all in the place, since the 1874 fire. Then came the lull in fires at Wheatland until February 5, 1893, when a loss was sustained by seven firms. Incendiarism was said to be the cause of the last three fires named. And still no fire protection was provided for the doomed town. A hook and ladder company had been formed in the seventies, but it was of little service and was abandoned. Nothing was accomplished until the spring of 1892, when in April of that year, a fire company was organized and the following autumn a system of water works was commenced.
During the winter of 1870 the main line of the Davenport & St. Paul railroad was continued north and is now a branch of the great Milwaukee system. Toward the aid of this enterprise the citizens of Wheatland paid thirty-two thousand dollars, but it was not a wise investment, as time has proven.
IN CORPORATION HISTORY.
Wheatland was incorporated July 13, 1869, and the first election was held July 29th, the same year. The first officers were: Mayor, E. Woods; re- corder, A. M. Hall; treasurer, E. Carter; marshal, James F. Scott. In 1876 the town built a two-story brick city hall.
The following have served as mayors of the city of Wheatland: E.
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Woods, 1869-71 ; C. H. Sanford, 1872; E. Woods, 1873; T. D. Gamble, 1874- 78; O. J. Thornton, 1879; C. F. Jeppe, Dr. T. D. Gamble. The present town officers are: Mayor, C. F. Jeppe; councilmen, Henry Bondorn, Louis Schneider, Joseph Steiner. Herman Muhl, Ira Willy ; recorder, W. R. Temple- ton ; marshal, John F. Schadt.
For lodge, church and schools, see chapters on these topics. The place has always been noted for its many changes in journalism. The Press chap- ter will give a detail of such matters, but in passing it might be said that the first newspaper in Wheatland was the Wheatland Times, established by a stock company ; O. D. Crane was editor and publisher.
As to the war record made by Wheatland and surrounding townships, it is found that Company I, of the Twenty-sixth Iowa Infantry, was almost solely made up from these townships and Wheatland. Clinton county was second to none in the state and Spring Rock township was not behind her sister townships in doing her patriotic part from 1861-65.
War prices were high here, as well as everywhere in the country. The Northwestern depot was a storehouse for dressed pork much of the time dur- ing those never-to-be-forgotten winters-1862-63-64. Twenty-one hogs brought seven hundred dollars in Wheatland. Other freight could not be handled, as the U. S. government had taken possession of much of the rolling stock for the purpose of carrying on the war.
Among the first factory enterprises in Wheatland was the excellent brick and tile works established in 1858-59 by John Smith.
The water works of Wheatland, already referred to, were established in 1892, after the town had been several times almost destroyed by fire, but, after much parleying, were finally constructed and have been changed from time to time, but now the town is comparatively safe from the ravages of fire. The town hall, jail, scale-house and park all bespeak of thrift and enterprise upon the part of this thriving town.
The streets were macadamized in 1904, and since 1900 the town has put on new, modern features, with cement walks and many other improvements.
A rural route was established from Wheatland in 1905, running out more than twenty-six miles.
PRESENT BUSINESS INTERESTS.
The following were in business at Wheatland in the month of August, 1910: Agricultural implements, Ficke; banks, German Savings Bank ; gen- eral stores, John Lohmann. August Lohmann & Son; lumber, John Lohmann ;
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also handle coal, wood and grain; hotel's, The Cottage, Mrs. Maggie Horst- man, Farmers Hotel, David Gleeson ; stock dealers, Ott & Witte; meat market, Siegmund Brothers; dentists, G. H. Crees, D. D. S .; drugs, Ed. J. Reidesel; newspaper, The Gazette, Buxton & Son; livery, Penningroth & Ott; photo- graph studio, F. E. Russell; brick yards, John Lohmann and Mrs. Gerhen; Farmers Co-operative Creamery, established in 1902; jeweler, John Hierl.
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