USA > Minnesota > Meeker County > Album of history and biography of Meeker County, Minnesota > Part 52
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The principal stream is the Crow River, which traverses with sinuous course through the northeastern portion of the county, and with its many little affluents drains a con- siderable area of territory. The St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Company have a branch, known as the Breckinridge division, that intersects Meeker county, crossing the boundary line at the north line of section 36, in Dassell township, on the east, and after crossing the townships of Dassell, Darwin, Litchfield and Acton, re- crosses the county's limits, on the west, at the north line of section 7, of the latter town- ship. This road, which is one of the best in the State, affords ample facilities for the
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marketing of the products of the county and vicinity, and the transportation of freight or passengers. The northern part of the county is provided with shipping facilities by the Minneapolis & Pacific Railway, upon the line of which is located two stations within the limits of Meeker county.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
HE annals of the early settlement of the county, while it is the most difficult to collate, is yet the most interesting and entertaining to the general reader, and of absorbing interest to the pio- neer himself. For several years prior to the advent of white settlers, this portion of the State was frequently traversed by hunters and trappers. The nomadic Indian for ages had here found his hunting ground, and doubtless his battlefield, and the woods, if they could speak, could tell of dire deeds of blood that were enacted beneath their leafy shade.
During the summer of 1855 three men in a canoe paddled and poled their way up the Crow River, through the " Big Woods," into what is now Meeker county. They were John W. IIny, Benjamin Brown and a man named Mackenzie, and were in search of pine timber for some lumber firm. Pushing on- ward through the forest, they emerged upon the prairie east of where Forest City after- ward stood, and were delighted with the view that burst upon their sight.
"The wondrous, beautiful prairie, billowy bays of grace ever rolling in shadows and sunshine," interspersed with groves of tim- ber, islands of verdure in an emerald sea. The paradise of lake and land that lay before them in its pristine loveliness charmed them, and, returning to their employers with the
report of their failure to find in this direc- tion the object of their quest, John Huy made up a party to come to this ideal land and settle.
In company with D. M. Hanson, Rudolph Shultz and Thomas H. Skinner, he came back the same fall, by way of Glencoe, and on their arrival at the Crow River located a town site upon the north bank, opposite the mouth of the creek, on section 13 of what is now Harvey township. To this prospective village they gave the name of Kar-i-shon, the Indian name for "crow." Erecting a claim shanty upon the shelving banks of the rippling stream, Huy and Skinner commenced housekeeping, Hanson returning to Minne- apolis, where he died in April, 1856.
The two adventurers passed the winter, for the most part, in their humble cabin in the pathless wilderness, to hold their claim to the town site, but in the spring, discover- ing at some distance down the river, a more eligible site for a village, moved on to sec- tions 17 and 20, of what is now Forest City township, on which they at once erected a claim shanty, calling the place " the village of Forest City." John Huy also, afterward, pre-empted the northeast quarter of sec- tion 19.
Upon this tract arose the village that for about twelve years was the county seat of Meeker county, and a history of it is given elsewhere in this ALBUM. John Huy lived here until the summer of 1862, when he left the county. He is now a resident of the State of California, quite well-to-do. Thomas H. Skinner, who was quite a prominent fig- ure in those early days, died in Milwaukee, whither he had gone on business, August 20, 1863, and is buried at St. Albans, Me., his boyhood's home.
Rudolph Shultz made a settlement early in 1856, he having spent the previous winter in Minneapolis, on section 26, Harvey town- ship, where he now lives.
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Abijah Bemis came here in the early spring of 1856, and was appointed the first sheriff of the county, to help organize it. He re mained until the fall of 1857, and then left this locality.
Milton G. Moore, the first register of deeds of the county, took up his residence early in the year, 1856, before the snow was off of the ground. He remained for a year or so, and then left this part of the country.
Dr. Frederick Noah Ripley and John McClelland took up claims in Ellsworth township, on coming to this county late in the fall of 1855. They erected a cabin on the shores of Cedar Lake, where they passed the winter, but running short of provisions, on the 1st of March, 1856, they started across the country to the shanty of John Huy and his party, near Forest City, where they knew they could replenish their stores. Although it was a beautiful morning when they started, the breeze warm and balmy, and the snow melting fast, before long a terrible blizzard sprang up and enveloped them. They were compelled to camp that night, and having neither food nor blankets, for they expected to travel the eighteen miles before dark, they suffered intensely. In the morning they again started on their quest. On striking the river they were lost and could not tell whether they were above or below the cabin they sought, so about two o'clock they, being discouraged, started back for their claim, as the storm had abated. They had no matches to build a fire, the few in their possession having become wet, and the want of food en- feebled them. As they stumbled on their course, Dr. Ripley became too weak to travel, and insisted on his companion going on and seeking safety, and leave him to his fate, telling him at the same time, if help could be got for him to come to his assistance. He perished in the snow near the shores of the beautiful lake that now bears his name, and his remains were found the following spring
by W. S. Chapman and a party of others, and buried beneath the trees where he was found. The Masonic fraternity, of which he was a member, on the laying out of the Litch- field cemetery, exhumed his body and placed it in consecrated ground in the center of the circle in that beautiful " city of the dead." McClelland had to have both legs amputated, and barely escaped with his life. IIe after- ward removed to Becker county, this State, where he finally became register of deeds.
J. B. Salisbury, still a resident of the county, came here first in the summer of 1855, with a Government surveying party, and was en- engaged in running town lines. In the fall he went back to Scott county, Iowa, but in the spring of 1856 returned here and made a settlement in Kingston. With him came Joseph Weymer, Sr., his father-in-law, and two brother-in-laws, Joseph, Jr., and Jacob. The elder Weymer settled in Forest City, as did his son Jacob. Joseph, Jr., located in Kingston. Jacob removed to Iowa, where he now lives. Joseph, Sr., died in Iowa, whence he had removed, but Joseph, Jr., is still a citizen of the county.
On the 20th of June, 1856, T. Carlos Jew- ett made his appearance in this county, and seven days later, having spent that time in looking over the country and finding the section lines, made a claim upon the south- west quarter of section 31, in Forest City township. At the time of his arrival here his entire capital consisted of $16.19, besides considerable energy and Yankee thrift. He is still among his old associates, residing in the city of Litchfield.
July 2 of the same year marked the settle- ment of Isaac C. Delamater. His claim was located upon the southwest quarter of section 29, Forest City township.
Josiah W. Dorman and Benjamin Dorman, Alpheus C. Maddox, Henry, Warren and Cyrus Averill, Mark Cates, Elmer Harper, William Higgins, John Fitzgerald, Patrick
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Flynn, John T. Kennison and A. B. Whit- ney made settlements in the territory now embraced in the civil township of Kingston. Josiah Dorman died in this county about two years ago; Benjamin Dorman remained a resident until about 1878 or 1880. John Fitzgerald died here in 1876, and John Flynn was gathered to his fathers many years ago. Alpheus C. Maddox left this county about twenty years ago, and is now living at Lake Calhoun, Kandiyohi county. Henry Averill left the county, having, when acting as sheriff, stabbed Kennison in a fight ; his brothers Warren and Cyrus left the county about 1858. Mark Cates is still a citizen of Meeker county. Ehmer Harper and William Higgins did not remain long in this locality. John T. Kennison made his residence here until about 1870, and is now a citizen of Minneapolis; and A. B. Whitney, after about two years' residence, emigrated to California, where he now lives. S. B. Hutchins, another settler in the same town in the year 1856, re- mained here until 1863, when he left, and now has his home in French Lake township, Wright county.
John Bramhall came to this county the same spring, and located in Forest City. He was a carpenter by trade, and the first in the county.
Nathan C. Caswell, Ziba Caswell, Christo- pher Davis, and Green Sykes, made a trip through this county in November, 1855, in search of a mill site and lands for farming. This party returning to Monticello, Wright county, on the 10th of December, follow- ing, N. C. and Ziba Caswell again started for the country that had pleased them so much on the first trip. They simply came to prospect, and that part of the country now embraced in the town of Manannah, pleasing them, they returned here in the spring of 1856, with Alonzo, Silas and Al- bert Caswell, James Nelson, Edward Brown and .A. D. Pierec, and took up claims in the
neighborhood of what was afterwards known as the the town site of Manannah, which was laid out and surveyed in Decem- ber, 1856. The new settlement was rein- forced the same autumn by the arrival of Andrew Hamilton, Charles Caswell and John Tower.
Timothy Dunn and Patrick Condon came to this county in 1856, and settled in Darwin township. Mr. Dann is still a resident, but Condon was frozen to death in January, 1873.
A considerable number of settlers came through the Big Woods together, early in July, 1856, and found homes in this country. They were friends, countrymen and neigh- bors, for the most part, in Indiana, who were on their way to California's golden shores, when, at Dubuque, Iowa, they heard of the rich lands in this new country and determined to investigate. These people were John Flynn, his wife, family, consisting of Michael J., then some sixteen years of age, Daniel and Elizabeth ; S. Marshall, two hired men and a nephew ; John Dougherty and family; John Whalen and family, Thomas Dough- erty and family, Edward Fitzgerald and family, Patrick Fitzgerald and family, and Morris Powers and family.
After a preliminary survey of the coun- try made by Messrs. Flynn and Whalen, they all came here and made settlements, some in Kingston, some in Forest City, and some further west in Harvey. They arrived in the county on the 8th of July. Dr. V. P. Kennedy came to what is now Meeker county, in June, 1856, and took the same claim in Ellsworth township, in section 31, on the shores of Cedar Lake, the same place as was formerly claimed by Dr. Ripley. The Dr. is now a resident of the county seat.
Nathan Butler and M. M. Standish, two surveyors, came to this locality in the early part of 1856, and prospeeted through the country. Butler settled on a claim of beau-
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tiful timber in Aeton, which he owned for some time, but finally sokl, and went to Minneapolis. He is what is known as a " cruiser," looking out timber land for par- ties engaged in the lumber trade, at the present time. Standish enlisted in the First Minnesota during the war, and never re- turned to this county.
Two men by the names of George Oreutt and Mr. Pratt, made a claim in what is now Greenleaf township, in the summer of 1856, but having had one of their oxen killed by the Indians, this breaking up their team, they, in discouragment abandoned their land, and a short time afterward left the county.
William Benson, Swen and Nels Swenson, and Michael Lenhardt made settlements in what is now Litchfield township, in the year 1856, and all are still residents of the original homesteads.
C. L. Richardson and Edwin Ayres, who were surveyors by profession, made their appearance in the county in 1856, and took up claims in what is now Dassel township. They made their home here until the Indian massacre times of 1862, when they left and never returned.
Among the others who came to this local- ity this same year, were the following :
E. O. Britt, who located in Manannah township, where he lived about one year, and then moved to HIarvey ; he died in May, 1871.
David Mitchell and William II. Van Ness, both of whom are still residents of the county, located in Forest City township.
Judson A. Stanton made a claim on section 24, Harvey, where he remained for a time, then entered into trade at Forest City. He remained there until the Indian outbreak, and now lives at Sauk City.
Harrison Thoms settled upon section 17, Forest City, where he made his home until 1868, when he left here for California and Oregon.
T. R. Webb and Dr. Russell Whiteman located in Ellsworth: the former is still a citizen of the county ; the latter is in Illi- nois.
Dudley and Samuel Taylor took up their residence in Forest City, on the 25th of June. Dudley Taylor entered the army during the late war and was hurt by the falling of the deck of the steamer "Glad- iator," in the Tennessee river, and on his dis- charge went to New York State, where he died shortly afterwards. Samuel Taylor is living on the claim he took upon first com- ing here.
J. W. Walker and Reuben Davis came to this section of the State late in the fall of the same year and settled in Harvey, but only remained a short time.
James A. Quiek came this same year, but after a year or two's residence left here, going back to Pennsylvania.
Charles McAron came to the county and helped set up a saw-mill. He ran a black- smith shop for a time and left here in 1857.
John W. Patterson took up a claim on the northwest quarter of section 30, Forest City, where he took up bachelor " house-keeping" and made his home here for some time, and then left for Minneapolis, where he was when last heard from.
IIenry Clinton made a claim on the north- west quarter of seetion 32, Forest City. In 1875 he left here for California, where he now lives.
Peter Stearns, Jolın Peiffer and Gottleib Reef, three Germans, made their appearance here and took claims in the town of Darwin. Peter Stearns, a veteran member of both the First and Second Cavalry during the last war, is still resident here; Peiffer also lives on his original elaim, and Reef is now a wealthy farmer of Kandiyohi county, having gone there in 1865.
Leander L. Wakefield made his settlement
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in the fall of 1856, on section 19, Forest City, and is still a resident of the county.
Loring G. Huy and Ogden T. Tuttle made a settlement in 1856, also, but only stayed about a year, going to Minneapolis.
Frederick Cook made a trip to this county from Illinois in July, of this same year, and, liking the looks of it, returned to his home, and the next month brought his brothers, Christopher, Ferdinand and William, with him and made a settlement in Litchfield township. Fred died in 1860; Chris, in 1858; William was killed accidentally in the army, and Ferdinand is a resident of Manan- nah at the present time.
Lyman Allen and Messrs. Baker and Allen came to the county and settled in what is now Union Grove, this same year. Baker died here, and the other two, in 1860, returned to their home in the "Old Bay State."
Daniel Cross located in Cedar Mills town- ship in 1856, where he made his home until he was killed by the Indians, in 1862.
Charles E. Cutts and Walter Bacon settled on adjoining claims in the town of Forest City, in the fall of 1856, and put up bachelor quarters, where they lived. Mr. Cutts, who has been prominently identified with the his- tory of the county, is still a resident upon his original preemption ; Mr. Bacon, after living here some years, moved to Otter Tail county, and is a resident of Fergus Falls.
James B. Atkinson came to the site of Forest City on the 7th of February, 1857, where he found but about five people. Ile had with him a load of merchandise, and at once put up a store, and in April opened the first store in the county. A full account of his business affairs may be found in the his- tory of the village of Forest City. and a sketch of this well-known resident of Litchi- field in the biographical department of this work.
W. II. Dart, now engaged in the grocery
trade in the city of Litchfield, is also a set- tler of the same year, coming to Forest City in April, where he found but seven men, who all lived in one house. Their names were Thomas 11. Skinner, Walter Brown, A. Bemis, Matthew Standish, M. G. Moore, and two others. With him came Charles N. Shedd, and the two men took up adjoining claims in Forest City township.
About the same time that Atkinson came, there appeared IIenry N. Baker, one of the original Baker family, from Wankeegan, Ill., a jolly scapegrace, most widely known, who hoped to bury in the woods some of his escapades. Ile remained here for a few years, and then returned to his friends. He acted as judge of probate here in 1857-8-9.
Jacob Ball, carpenter, located in the village of Forest City, this county, in the spring of 1857, and erected a store building for James B. Atkinson. Ile followed his trade some- what, and taking up a claim on section 4, did some farming. After a few years passed here, he returned to Canada.
Rev. John Robson, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, came to the new settlement at Forest City early in the same year, and preempted 160 acres of land, the northwest quarter of section 20, and operated the saw-mill for a time. Ile was the first justice of the peace, and made this place his home for a few years, but left here previous to the Indian outbreak, remov- ing to the far East, and died at Medford, Mass.
H. Walker, a carpenter, came to the rising village in May, 1857, and took up his resi- dence. After some years' residence here he removed from the county, and, when last heard from, was keeping a hotel at Buffalo, Wright county.
Thomas Grayson, also a knight of the saw, plane and chisel, settled in the town about the same time. He is still a resident of the county.
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J. W. Griswold settled about the same time, and remained for a few years. He now lives in Minneapolis.
James Willis, who is a resident at the present of the town of Litchfield, located in a claim south of Forest City in 1857, where he made his home for many years,
Among the other arrivals of the same year was Hamlet Stevens, now a banker of the City of Litchfield, who located at Forest City.
The tide of immigration having set toward this section of the State, west of the "Big Woods," many, being delighted with the picturesque scenery and abundant fertility of the land of Meeker county, settled in the county of Meeker during the years of 1857 and 1858, and the country began to assume the appearance of being the home of white people. The blue smoke curling from the chimneys of the cabins of the settlers, the ploughed ground around their little clear- ings and breakings, and the hum of busy industry announced the coming of civiliza- tion. Among those located in the county in 1857, not mentioned were Dennis Shields, John and A. F. Ileath, John Wigle, L. F. Haines, Jacob Reef, Isaac Perrine, James Murphy, John Kimball, S. W. Ryan, B. F. Butler, Willard Keats, Charles MePartheon, David Ralston, L. A. Henry, Richard Poole, Allen Teachont, H. M. Angier, J. P. Botham, W. W. Woodman, Jacob Knapp, Henry Bierman, Louis and Maximillian Cook and their mother, A. B. Hoyt, D. P. Delemater, A. C. Campbell, Charles Willis, N. O. Grif- fin, Patrick Finnegan, Mark Warren, Messrs. Charlton and Andrews, George S. Sholes Sr., William Marble, William Cramer; Charles, William and Herman Krueger, Bengt Ifanson; John, Nels, Andrew, Peter E., and Lewis Larson; IIogan Peterson. Thol- son J. Cornelius, Ole Amundson, Nels Dan- ielson, Kettle Haroldson, Henry J. Johnson, John Nelson; Jesse V. Branham Sr., and his sons, William, Jesse and Edward; Oscar
Erickson, Nels Clements, Ole Johanson, John Winquist, Ole J. Winquist, E. S. Fitch, Bryan McNulty, Noah White, Patrick Casey, John Doyle, Louis Ekbom, John Dougherty, John MeRaith. William Cunningham, Michael Gallahne, James Shelley, Jacob Reef, three brothers O'Brien, Mr. Hagerty, John Rainsey, Hans Peterson. Peter E. Hanson, Andrew Peterson, Ole Nelson, N. E. Hanson, Nels Elofson, Peter E. Lund, Nels Waylander, John Rosencrans, Bertha Anderson, Andrew Elofson, Peter J. Lund, John and Peter Ritchie, Robinson Jones, Howard Baker, Mrs. Ann Baker, Abram Kelley, John Black- well, Capt. Robinson, Lyman Allen, and pos- sibly a few others.
Rev. J. C. Whitney, in 1858, came to the new settlement, and bought the claim of Nathan Roberts, adjoining the town site, where he lived for some years, after which he removed to the city of Minneapolis, and acted as United States ganger for a time, since which time he has grown quite wealthy in the real estate business, and makes his home in the " Flour City."
John Goodspeed settled in Union Grove in the same year, where he made his home for several years. He afterwards removed to Monticello.
Among those who took up their residence in the county during the year 1858, there have been gathered the following names-J. D. Evans, A. C. Smith. R. W. Brown, Ursil- lius S. Willie, George S. Sholes Jr., J. A. Baird, Thomas E. Massey, Charles and Sam- uel Getchell, Daniel Campbell, Levi L. Getchell, E. K. Wright, James Merrill, F. M. Scott, Dennis Cronin, G. W. Parker, N. W. Bannister, Charles Maybee, E. O. Britt, Vin- cent Coombs, Thomas MeGannon, Iver Jack- son, Bengt Nelson, Dana E. King, William H. Greenleaf, Bennett M. Brink, William HI. Wilcox, Thomas Ryekman, Christian Eriek- son, Halver Michelson, Ole Munson and Ole Lindquist.
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A full history of the settlement, location of their homes, etc., of many of the old set- tlers is given in detail in the annals of their respective towns, or in the biographical de- partments, to which chapters the reader is referred for particulars.
HISTORICAL ITEMS.
The first birth in Meeker county was that of Sarah Jane, daughter of Thomas Dough- erty, born while the family were still living in a wagon, before getting to their claim, July 15, 1856. She is now living with her parents in Harvey township.
The first male chill was Ole T. Halverson, son of Henry and Margaret Halverson, born December, 11 1856, in Litchfield township.
The first death was that of Dr. Frederick N. Ripley, who was frozen to death March 3, 1856, on the shores of the beautiful lake that bears his name, in Litchfieldl township, and commemorates this unhappy man's cruel fate. The second death was that of Frank Parsons, who died November 20, 1856, and was buried on the town site of Forest City.
The first land broken was by Benjamin Dorman, in the summer of 1856, in Kings- ton township. Morris Powers broke the sod next the same season.
The first house erected was a shanty, put . up by John Huy and his party at the june- tion of the creek with the Crow river, on sec- tion 13. Harvey township, in the summer of 1855.
The first barn was built by Ole HI. Ness in the summer of 1856, in Ripley, now Litch- field township.
The first religious services were held at Forest City in November, 1856, at which Rev. John Robson, a Methodist elergyman. delivered the sermon and led the exercises.
On the 22d of March, 1858. the United States land office, under A. C. Smith, reg- ister, and John D. Evans, receiver, was opened at Forest City, and this was deemed
an important era in the history of that town and of the county. There was but a small quantity of land upon which claims had been filed at that time, in this portion of the State, and consequently, with the consider- able tide of immigration this way, the land office was crowded nearly all the time. Okt settlers state that in those days it was no uncommon sight to see a large number of land- seekers camped all around the office, await- ing their turn to enter their claim or transaet other business with the officers. The build- ing in which it was located was a small log shanty. Here the office remained until after the Indian outbreak in August, 1862, when it was removed back to Minneapolis, but some time after the cessation of hostilities and peace again reigned upon the border it was brought back to this county and located at Greenleaf, where it remained some time.
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