USA > Minnesota > Meeker County > A random historical sketch of Meeker County, Minnesota : from its first settlement to July 4th, 1876 > Part 2
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Some six or eight young men-the aristocracy of Forest City-having heard of the arrival, and not having seen a lady for three or four months, joined in a " pleasure excursion " to Kingston, to see Mrs. Fitzgerald. This was the first pleasure ex- cursion that took place in Mecker County. On be-
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
ing introduced to Madam Fitzgerald, she proved to be a very good, kind,straight-forward, plain-spo- ken woman, who remarked that the " skeeters had been awful." Slightly elevating the crinoline, she exhibited an instep swolen and distorted by mus- quito bites, and assured the masculines present that that was not an over-wrought picture of her entire condition. The boys returned to Forest City wis- er and more reflective, if not better men.
In 1858 some flour had been stolen from Kings- ton, and a search warrant was duly placed in Sher- iff Jewett's hands, with the view of finding the sto- len property. Examining various houses with the assistance of Deputy Sheriff Maddox, they entered the house of Madam Morris Powers. Fearing the flour might be concealed in the cellar, the dep- uty descended through a trap door, whereupon Madam Powers stationed herself, with a tub of hot suds at the trap door,and with a tin dipper obstruct- ed the egress of Maddox, and he was not seen for about an hour. Maddox soon thereafter resigned his office.
120-30-Forest City received its name at the hands of Thomas H. Skinner, who entered the town-site of the U. S. Government in February, 1858. The town had been settled two and a half years previous, and among the first settlers were
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
Wait H. Dart, David Mitchell, W. H. Vanness, T. C. Jewett, John Whalen, Edward Campbell, Dud- ley Taylor, John Flynn, T. H. Skinner, D. M. Han- son, Dr. F. N. Ripley. R. Schultz, Chas Johnson. J. W. Quick, Matt Standish, John W. Huy and oth- ers.
The site of Forest City was originally intended to have been made farther up the river,in the town of Harvey, on the old Wigle claim (so called ), now owned by Mr. Driver, and was to have been called by the Sioux name of Kar-i-shon or Krow.
This town was organized April 5th, 1858, em- bracing the east half of 120-31 and 120-30.
Of the first settlers above named, Dart, Mitchell. Vanness, Jewett, Campbell, Whalen, Schultz, and Mrs. Dudley Taylor, with their families, alone re- main.
The log house now owned by Mr. John Heath, was the first public house in the county, and was kept by Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Taylor. Mr. Taylor afterwards enlisted in the United States service- became disabled by the falling of the deck of the steamer "Gladiator, " on the Tennessee river, and subsequently died in the State of New York, where he formerly lived.
D. M. Hanson, a fine young lawyer, and an es- timable gentleman, with whom the writer was
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
quite well acquainted, died in Minneapolis soon af- ter his return from Forest City, in the spring of 1856.
Dr. Ripley froze to death on the prairie seven miles south of Forest City, in the winter of 1856, and his remains were found in the spring, by Wm. S. Chapman, now of California, and buried near that beautiful lake adjoining Litchfield, which now bears, and will forever bear, his name .- ( See Chap- ter, Dr. Frederick N. Ripley ).
Thos. H. Skinner died at Milwaukee, August 20th 1863. and was buried at St. Albans, Maine ; aged 29 years. Up to the time of his death, he was President of the Forest City Town Company.
John Whalen and John Flynn came through the big woods in the spring of 1856, near Kingston, fording the Crow River at that point with the wa- ter shoulder deep. The river was swolen and the banks full from heavy rains, and they found it a vast deal easier to get into the river than to get out. Whalen finally drew himself out by a root on the bank, and Flynn was rescued by Whalen. They brought their bread from St. Anthony, and after selecting their claims, they started on their return for their families. They had one small loaf of bread two weeks old, and about the size of a ten-pound cannon ball, and of somewhat similar appearance,
·
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
which was to last them to Monticello, and until it was necessary to use it, they wrapped it in a hand- kerchief and used it for a pillow. The first night out, some person stole it, and they had to go through the woods without eating. Staid at Mon- ticello one night, and were charged $6 each for supper, breakfast, and lodging on shavings. They returned with their families, and reached their claims Oct. 22, 1856.
120-31-Harvey. This town was named in honor of James Harvey, who settled in that town in 1860, and subsequently resided at Forest City during the Indian war.
Harvey was first settled by John and Thomas Dougherty in 1856. They broke 25 acres of land that summer. A man by the name of McCue came into the town about two weeks ahead of the Dough- ertys, but soon left. This town was originally a part of Forest City, but set off, and organized sep- arately in 1867. There were no marriages or deaths in this town till 1870. Dennis Dougherty and Mary Finnegan were married in May 1870. Ed. Dolan, a child eight years old, dicd the same year. Thomas Dougherty was the first Justice of the Peace.
Mr. E. O. Britt was among the first settlers of
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
this town. His mother, Charity Britt, nee Tib- betts, came with the family from Maine. She was born in Litchfield, Maine, April 3d, 1773, and is consequently now 103 years of age-the oldest woman in the county, if not the state. She pre- empted 160 acres of land.
The site of Forest City was first located within this township, and was to have been called by the Indian name of Kar-i-shon or Krow.
120-32-Swede Grove, was first settled in 1857 by N. E. Hanson, Nels Elofson, Hans Peterson, Peter E. Lund, Nels Weylander, Andrew Peter- son and John Rosencranz and a few others- most, or all with families. The town was named by N. E. Hanson and Nels Elofson, from the fact that this town was settled by Swedes. This town was originally a part of Acton-was organized by itself March 15th, 1868. Nels Elofson was ap- pointed Post-master in 1859.
121-30-Forest Prairie-is situate north of For- est City, in the big woods, and was named Forest Prairie for the same reason that the boy named his pony " Snow Ball "-because he was black as jet. It was called Forest Prairie because there was not a bit of prairie in the town. First settled in the spring of 1866, by Merrit B. Case, C. T. Groot, J. S. Reynolds, George Scrivner, George Smith, Mr.
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
Polk and by Stevens and Roach, mostly with fam- ilies. Next year the town was pretty well settled by the arrival of new-comers. This town was du- ly organized June 10th, 1867. Mr. Stoors was the first Post-master, in 1867.
121-31-Manannah ; was organized as a town- ship, April 5th, 1858, and originally embraced the west half of 120-31, 120-32, 121-31, and 121- 32.
On the 15th of November, 1855, Chris Davis, Green Sykes, Ziba Caswell and Nathan C. Cas- well left Monticello, Wright County in search of a mill-site and farm-land, passing through the "big woods, " so-called, and struck the prairie near the present site of Darwin, thence north to what is now Forest City, thence down Crow River about 10 miles, and thence on a straight shoot back to Mon- ticello. Trying it again, on the 10th day of De- cember 1855. Ziba Caswell and N. C. Caswell started for the big prairie, and emerged from the woods near where Kingston now stands, thence up stream past Forest City, (then a City of "Magnifi- cent Distances, " no buildings obstructing the view ) Harvey, Manannah, Union Grove and Swede Grove, thence returning, concluded to trade with "Uncle Sam " for some claims at Manannah on tick. Arrived at Monticello, December 24th, IS55.
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
On this second trip, the only white men they met on the prairie, were Thomas H. Skinner and D. M. Hanson, who were in camp at Kar-i-shon.
In 1856, Alonzo, Ziba, Silas, Albert and N. C. Caswell captured the town, and together with James Nelson, Edward Brown, and A. D. Pierce took up the claims around the old townsite, and built the first shanties in Manannah, backing their provisions from Monticello. Ziba Caswell and one J. W. Walker surveyed and named the town-site of Manannah in December, 1856. The settlement was increased the same fall by the addition of Car- los Caswell, John Tower, Andrew Hamilton, and Lucy Ann Lobdell, nee Slater, (See Chapter, “ A. Wild Woman's History "). On the 4th of March, 1857, the Caswells put up the first building of any size, designed for a hotel. Prior to the organization of the town, the County Commissioners appointed N. C. Caswell Road Supervisor, April 27th, 1857, being the first office ever held in said town. The first prairie broken by the Caswells, May 4th, 1857.
First marriage was James Nelson and Elizabeth A. Caswell, by E. B. Kingsley, J. P., in the spring of IS57. First child born was Hattie Estella Kim- ball. First death was Samuel Clyde.
In 1857 J. W. Walker built a saw mill on Crow River at this point, which was carried off by the
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
freshet in 1859, and was never rebuilt. Two or three years since, Mr. N. C. Hines erected a fine flour and saw mill, a mile or two below the old site,and a fine village has sprang up in consequence.
A stockade was erected at the old town-site of Manannah in 1863, to aid in the protection of the settlements of that region, and a few soldiers sta- tioned there by Col. Ney-Smith, of Wisconsin, be- ing a portion of his regiment. It was here, one fine sun-shiny day of that year, that we greeted Hon. M. J. Severance in his military blouse, sun- ning himself on a log as high private. He was in the line of his duty.
This town was a point of tragic interest during the fall of 1862, connected with the Indian War, an account of which will be found elsewhere in this volume.
121-32 -- Union Grove ; was first settled in 1856 by Lyman Allen, Andrew Hamilton, and by two other men by the names of Baker and Haywood. Allen and Haywood returned to Massachusetts in 1860. Baker is dead. Mr. Allen named the town, wherefore or for what is unknown. We have been promised a sketch of the early settlement and in- cidents of this town, but have thus far failed to re- ceive it. This town was duly organized April 18, IS66.
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
117-31-Cedar Mills ; this town took its name from Cedar Lake, situate in that locality, and the lake received its christening at the hands of Nicol- let and Fremont, from the fact of an island in the lake covered with red cedar. It was hence desig- nated on the old map as Ran-ti-tia-wita, the Indian for " Red Cedar Island Lake."
This town was first settled in 1856 by Daniel Cross, who was killed by the Indians in IS62. The widow and family of three children still reside on the old claim.
In 1857 R. J. Brodwell, O. S. Merriam, Philand- er Ball, Geo. R. Jewett and a few others settled here. Mr. Nichols built a flour mill at this point in 1858, with three run of stone-capacity, 60 bar- rels per day.
116-32-Cosmos ; was named by an eccentric gentleman, an early settler by the name of Hoyt, who was frozen to death four years ago last win- ter, in an effort to go on foot to the Minnesota Riv- er.
Dr. Kennedy says the word " Cosmos " is Greek, and the Dr. knows, and that it signifies " the uni- verse." The Dr. is an original Greek scholar,and if he has deceived us, we shall never forgive him -never. We think the Dr. is right, for the Greek order of architecture pretty generally prevails in
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
this township, mostly of the plain Doric, which was invented by the Greeks, and it was in this very town that the rigor of the seasons obliged the settlers to construct shelters from the inclemency of the weather, and here they first learned to plant trees on end and then lay others across to support a covering. The bands which connected those trees at top and bottom, first gave them a clear idea of the base and capitol of pillars.
Mathews and Eddy were among the early sett- lers, but it was not much settled till after the Indi- an war. This town and Cedar Mills were voted from McLeod county, and became legally attached to Meeker County in 1871.
This town is now settled up with a hardy, en- terprising people.
CHAPTER III.
All history, except of wars, is usually made up of little things, incidents, waifs floating on the stream of time, seemingly of no account as they pass, exciting, it may be, a smile, hardly worthy of a record, and yet in the fitful passage of a century, and the historian looks back for those little inci- dents with an interest that would not surprise us, could we realize a tithe of their importance, in the estimation of those who shall come after us.
Had we a record of all the little historical re- miniscences, as they transpired, connecting the present with the past of ancient Jerusalem, we would probably not be surprised and mortified at so much of its present disgusting appearance of squallor and misery, bodily, mentally and morally,
· (31)
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
as almost leads us to doubt the integrity of scrip- ture, when we there read of its ancient splendor and magnificence. A few centuries of history lost to that ancient city, made up of little things per- haps, has produced more skepticism in the world ' than all the false doctrine that has ever been prac- ticed since the christian era.
Waterloo and Austerlitz-so boldly emblazoned on the page of history, were never of a tithe of the importance, as the silent efforts of the people dur- ing the last century to peacefully qualify themselves and their children to maintain by education and intelligence, the vital principles of self-govern- ment.
In a former chapter, we gave the date of settle- ment of each town in Meeker County, and the names of a few of the earliest settlers. We now propose a random account of circumstances and incidents such as we think will not only interest the readers at this day, but be of more material value in the future. In this we are not confined to civil and judicial history, for while we were con- sidered as " afar off" on the frontier, carving or trying to carve out a name and a future for our county, we found a national war of gigantic pro- portions in the South, and while congratulating ourselves that men and money were all that would
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
be expected of us, and that we were fortunately far removed from bloody scenes, an Indian war of savage ferocity suddenly burst over our heads, and came near to our total extinguishment.
Between a depletion of men for the South, and self-defence on the frontier. there were few in Meeker County to indulge an idle hour.
The summer of 1856, Benjamin Dorman com- menced the first farming operations, by breaking the prairie sod. Morris Powers was the first to follow suit. Powers died the next season. Dor- man " still lives." Their farms were situate be- tween Forest City and Kingston.
The county was named in honor of Hon. B. B. Meeker, of St. Anthony-why or wherefore is unknown, unless, indeed, the Italian climate of the " Big Prairie, " the richness of her soil, and the beauty of the surroundings, were found typi- fied in the geniality of the Judge's temperament, and the quiet, good-natured rotundity of his per- son. Judge Meeker died at St. Anthony a couple of years since.
The 4th of July, 1856, was first celebrated west or the big woods, at Forest City. On the 22nd day of June, 1856, Rudolph Schultz, Chas. John- son and Jas. W. Quick backed a liberty-pole out
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
of the woods and raised it in Forest City, prepar- atory to the 4th. A small tin pan was well scoured with muck, and nailed on the top for a ball, and the stars and stripes were duly raised .. The flag was made of white cotton furnished by T. C. Jew- ett ; red flannel by Matt. Standish, and blue den- ims by John W. Huy-at a loss to each, respec- tively, of a "biled " shirt, one pair red flannel drawers, and one pair of overalls. What took place on the 4th of July, was never recorded.
The first child born in the county in July, 1856,. was Miss Sarah Jane-born in a camp wagon-to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dougherty. The next, and first male child born, was Ole T. Halverson, to Henry Halverson. Both children still live in the county.
The first death in the county was a young man by the name of Frank Parsons, Nov. 12th, 1856, aged 20 years. He was buried on the town-site of Forest City.
The first marriage in the county was Joseph Weymer to Mary Dorman, in August, 1857, by the Rev. John Robson. They " still live."
The first sermon preached was by Rev. John Robson, (Methodist ) Nov. 1856. He was from Boston, and in 1859 he returned to that city, and died at Melrose, March 5th, 1867. He erected, and
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
operated the first saw mill at Forest City-it was run by steam.
On the 22nd of March, 1858, A. C. Smith, Reg- ister of the U. S. Land Office, and John D. Evans, Receiver, arrived, with the archives of said office, at Forest City, and with others to the number of a baker's dozen, were feasted with fresh oysters in the log cabin of his honor the President of the Town Company, T. H. Skinner, and which was demolished some years since, by the vandal hands of Mr. Mallory, who now owns the ground on which it stood.
The arrival of the U. S. Land Office at Forest City was considered an important era in the histo- ry of the county, and gave quite an impetus to its settlement.
Of the early settlers in the county, many of them remain, while others have gone to parts unknown. or paid the debt of nature. There are from 75 to 125 voters who now reside in the county who were here prior to the commencement of the Indian War.
The financial crisis of 1857 and '58 did not facili- tate a very rapid growth to Meeker County. At the commencement of the civil war, she had about 300 voters. No county in the State furnished more men in proportion to its population, than
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
Meeker-the first installment in 1861 and the sec- ond in 1862-3. Over 125 men from the county found their way into the Union armies, many of whom were not credited to the county or State, as they had previously removed therefrom. in conse- quence of the Indian hostilities-none were ever drafted-and Meeker County is yet credited with six three-year men, or IS years service in the NEXT WAR ! But three were known of the entire num- ber, to have been killed in battle, viz : Reuben Wait, Wellington S. Cates and William Johnson-some ro or 15 died in hospital.
The following is believed to be a very correct list of volunteers from Meeker County, with the number of their regiment in the State, so far as known :
NAMES.
REG. &c.
NAMES.
REG. &c.
Angier, Albert.
Kennedy, V P
Fifth
Allen, L. D ...
Third. Fourth. Capt. Artil.
Lawrence, A C
Fourth
Luton, Henry
Cavalry
Bradshaw, J H
Third.
Little, G W P
Cavalry
Butler, Daniel.
Fourth
Larson, Andrew
Cavalry
Baldwin, SD L.
Fourth Fifth
McCaun, Michael
Fourth
Bennett, Wm P
Hatch Bat.
McGraw. Daniel.
Hatch Bat.
Branham, E F
Second
Branham, Wm
2d Cavalry
McGraw, Cornelius .. Murphy, James.
Hatch Bat. Eighth Sixth
Campbell, Dan
Second
|Mickelson, H
Campbell Wm M.
Cavalry
Maybee, Chas
Cavalry Hatch Bat.
(re-enlisted as Vet'n)
Campbell E A.
Cavalry
(re-enlisted as Vet'n)
|Nichols. Seth
Fourth
Clinton, H.
Second
Nelson, Andrew
Second
Chapin Isaac
Secondi
Cates WS
Fourth
[Oaks, O.
Second
Brink, JA.
Scout
Mixter, Horace.
Sharp Shoot
Borgusrode, R ..
Mattson, Paul.
McGaffy, Henry
Sharp Shoot
Atkinson, J B
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTX.
Caswell, William
Cavalry ||Oleson, A
Tenth
Deary, James
2d Cavalry Scout 4th, Ca1 Fourth
Page, Phillip
Delong, Albert
Page. George
Pottle, Ben ..
Peabody, Chas
Hatch Bat. Sixth Third
Evans, Ed. Eastman, Rufus
Brack'« Bat First
Reef, Emanuel.
Hatch Bat. Fourth
Fisher, Jasper
2nd Cavalry 2ud Cavalry
Rigg, Jos
Second
Flynn, Michael.
2nd Cavalry Fourth
Rogers, Leverson
Sharp Shoot
Fallon, John.
Fourth Third
Sholes jr., Geo. S
Second Cavalry 5th, Cavalry
Grayson, Thomas
Hatch Bat.
Schultz, Carl.
Salisbury, J B
Hatch Bat.
Howe, Frank.
Hatch Bat.
Stark, Felix.
Third
Howe, Henry S.
Hatch Bat Cavalry Fourth
¡Taylor, Dudley
Fourth
Hutchins, Charles
Second
Taylor, Albert
Third
Hutchins, Moses
Second
Taylor, Joel.
Fourth
Hoyt. Azro Buck
16th Wis.
Todd, Jerome
Third
Johnson, Lorain.
Waite, Reuben
Johnson, William
Walker, J W.
Sharp Shoot Capt. Caval
Jackson, Gilbert
Johnson, Chris
Fourth
Ist Cavalry
Koch, Wm.
Cavalry
Williams, Augustus .. Willis, Wilhan
Sixth
Koch, Maximilian
Third
Koch, Louis
Cavalry Heavy Artill
Sharp shoot Cavalry Vet Fifth
DeCoster, F V.
Dunn, James W
Peterson, Ole
Peterson, John
Rhodes, Dan.
Fitzgerald, John.
Fallon. Thomas
Rogers, Jerome.
Cavalry
Foster, William
Stearn, Peter
Stinchfield, CH.
Captain
Hutchins. Samuel
Hall, Wm H ..
Third Cavalry Second Second
Whit comb, Geo. C ... Whitney, Augustus .. Wigle, John.
CHAPTER IV.
The Indian War formed a tragical episode in the history of Meeker County
About II o'clock A. M., of Sunday. the 17th of August, 1862, the first deliberate massacre of the brutal Sioux outbreak, took place 13 miles west of Forest City in the town of ACTON.
Six Indians came first to the house of Robinson Jones, and thence to that of of Mr. Howard Baker. where they deliberately shot five persons, viz : Robinson Jones, Howard Baker, Mrs. Ann Baker. Viranus Webster and Miss Clara D. Wilson, (the last named, at Jones' house ). This was the com- mencement of that terrible Indian scourge, which resulted in the massacre of about nine hundred whites, on the frontier of Minnesota in the fall of 1862.
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
The preliminary tragedy at Acton, was not the result of a drunken riot-but was the commence- ment of a premeditated design to exterminate the whites from this region of country, although prob- ably this early commencement, by an insignificant band, was not a part of the programme of Little Crow and other leaders. I allude to this, to correct errors which appear to have already been manu- factured into departmental history. The Secreta- ry of War reported to Congress, and all the pre- ·tended histories yet written, CRAW FISH to the fur traders,and allege a drunken broil as the commence- ment of the affair, and also make statements credited to the reports of a child afterwards found in Jones' house on the eve of the 17th, about 8 o'clock. Mr. John Blackwell, a reliable citizen, now de- ceased, found a little grand child of Mrs. Ann Ba- ker, 18 months old, on the floor in Jones' house (the only one left or found in the house ) and took it away-this child was too young to talk and was totally unconscious of its tragic surroundings.
It was lying upon the floor where it appeared to have cried itself to sleep.
Whether the Indians considered the child too in- significant to kill, or did not see it at all, cannot be known, the latter supposition is probably cor- rect.
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
One writer says that the child lay on the bed and witnessed the scalping of his sister, but this is a mistake. The bed had not been tumbled and no other act done indicating that the Indians ever went into the house, and the girl had not been scalped or mutilated in any way but lay partly up- on her back in a pool of blood just where she fell.
After Baker and Webster ceased to breathe, their wives started for the house of Mr. John Blackwell. their nearest neighbor, Mrs. Baker carrying in her . arms an infant child preserved from the massacre.
When they reached Blackwell's they found no one at home, and proceeded on to the next neighbor, named Olson, a blacksmith, whom the Indians af- terwards killed.
Late in the afternoon Blackwell, on horseback, came riding leisurely home. and learned from Ole H. Ness, Esq., whom he met on the prairie, the ter- rible news, which he at first could not believe. but Mr, Ness advised him to go to the house of Olson where the women then were and learn the particu- lars from them which he did, and learned from them that their husbands were dead before they left the house, and that two other persons, Robinson Jones and Mrs. Baker (mother of Howard Baker) were both shot, were both in great agony and evidently dying; that Mrs. Baker was lying in the house and
1
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HISTORY OF MEEKER COUNTY.
Jonesin the yard near the house; that the latter came there from his own house but a short time before where he had left the said niece and child.
The fate of those children was then problemat- ical, fearing the worst, the Indians having gone in that direction, Blackwell concluded at once, that to find out what had become of them was an im- perative duty, and immediately rode back to where he had left Ole H. Ness and found him with Hen- ry Hulverson, A. Nelson Fosen and several others who had assembled and were discussing the mat- ter.
The men were all in favor of going at once to the scene of the tragedy and securing, if alive, the girl and child.
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