USA > Minnesota > Meeker County > Album of history and biography of Meeker County, Minnesota > Part 58
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On the 22d of March, 1858, the United States land office, which had been located here, arrived at Forest City, and with it came John D. Evans, receiver. and A. C. Smith, register. Both of these men were afterward prominently identified with the growth of the place, and the institution over which they presided had a great influence in giving an impetus to the settlement of the county.
A postoffice was established in the fall of 1856, with Walter C. Bacon as postmaster, and in the spring of 1857 he was succeeded by James B. Atkinson. In turn this posi- tien was held by the following named gentle- men : William Richards, J. A. Stanton. C. F. Woodman, O. C. MeGray, Benjamin Man- ter, William Hardy and others. Nicholas Schreiner is the present incumbent.
W. S. Chapman brought with him and erected the saw-mill. and, in company with others, operated it for a short time, when it was sold to John Robson. After a little time it was again disposed of and removed to Bear Lake.
The Forest City flouring-mill was erected in 1865, by Hines, Kimball & Beedy, and was operated by that firm for several years. N. C. Hines then sold out to his partners, and they ran it until a few years ago. when, becoming financially embarrassed, it passed into the hands of Stout, Mills & Temple, of Dayton, Ohio, and was operated for them by William Hilderbrandt, until May, 1888, when it was purchased by a Minneapolis party.
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Forest City Lodge, No. 70, A. F. & A. M., the oldest lodge of any kind in the county, was organized under dispensation, May 18, 1867, with the following list of charter mem- bers and officers : A. C. Smith, W. M. ; J. B. Atkinson, S. W .; T. Carlos Jewett, J. W .; II. G. O. Thoms, tyler; George W. Weisel, Sylvester Stevens, John S. Shields, Jesse S. Hipple, and Perry D. Bentley. The charter granted the lodge was dated November 14, 1869. The first officers under this were as follows : A. C. Smith, W. M .; G. W. Weisel, S. W .; T. C. Jewett, J. W. ; M. W. Piper, T .: J. W. Mckean, S .; S. B. Hutchins, S. D. ; E. A. Campbell, J. D. ; and A. G. Peters, tyler. A. C. Smith was his own successor in the office of worshipful master, until the dissolution of the lodge, December 23, 1871, caused by the removal of most of the mem- bers to the rising village of Litchfield.
The Methodist Church was organized in the old school-house, in 1857, although there had been services held here previonsly. Rev. Thomas Harwood was the first pastor. Serv- ices were held in private houses, school- houses, or where occasion offered, until 1869, when, with the removal of most of the mem- bers to Litchfield, the church was moved to that village.
The Baptists have an organization in the village at the present, and have a neat and tasty church edifice built in 1879.
On the 19th of September, 1857, pursnant to a notice given, the people of this town inet at the house of Warren W. Woodman, to take some action toward building a school- house. Mr. Woodman was made chairman, and J. W. Griswold, secretary. After some remarks by John Robson and William Richards, a committee, consisting of C. E. Cutts, John Robson and J. A. Stanton, was appointed to see how much money could be raised for the purpose. The committee reported that the sum of $205 could be raised for a church, or $130 for a school-house, and
on putting the matter to a vote, five pre- ferred a church, and six a school-house. A committee was then appointed, consisting of C. E. Cutts, John Robson, T. C. Jewett and J. A. Stanton, to collect subscriptions. At a meeting held a week later, the committee reported that the following gentlemen had agreed to contribute toward the matter : John Robson, J. W. Griswold, W. Richards, D. P. Delamater, J. B. Atkinson, A. B. Hoyt, Jacob Ball, John Wigle, David Bal- stor, C. E. Cutts, II. Walker, T. II. Skinner, John Kimball, Thomas Grayson, James Pat- terson. H. G. O. Thoms, Allen Teachout, John Flynn, Milton Gorton, J. A. Stanton, B. F. Butler, T. C. Jewett, and A. W. Angier.
W. W. Woodman entered into a contract to put up the building for $250, and it was finished that same fall. This was the first school in the town.
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CHAPTER IX.
TOWNSHIP OF MANANNAH. HE subdivision of the county known by the above name em- braces all of Congressional town- ship 121, north of range 31 west, and con- tains 25,393 acres ; only 31.31 are covered by water. There is more available land in the town than in any other, were it denuded of the heavy timber that covers a large por- tion of its territory. The beauty of its scen- ery attracted the attention of its earliest set- tlers, and it has not lost any of its attractive- ness by the lapse of years. The rich farms and clearings among the primeval forests have a charm peculiarly theirown, and are found in abundance. South of the river the land is chiefly prairie, interspersed with groves of timber.
The pioneer settlers in this town were
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Nathan C. Caswell. Ziba Caswell, Alonzo M. Caswell, Edward Brown, Silas Caswell and A. D. Pierce, who came here in 1856, as already detailed in the history of the early settlement of the county. They put up their cabins, the first in the town, around the town- site of the village.
The same fall there came to the little set- tlement John Tower. Carlos Caswell. An- drew Ilamilton, J. W. Walker, Moody Bailey and Moody Caswell.
Among the settlers of the year 1857 were the following named : Jonathan Kimball, Linus Howe, Mark Bridges. Freeman T. Gould. E. B. Kingsley, C. O. Whitney, David Dustin. J. J. Baston. John Setter. G. W. Lamb, Robert Lyon, W. D. Magill, Thomas Faloon, Porter Loveless, Robert Lang. Henry Fleming, Henry Harrideen, Ephraim Pier- son, Charles Maybee, Wilmot Maybee, James Shearer, Alexander Lee, R. D. C. Cressy, John Adcock, Henry Whitman, J. Hubbard, J. Marden, J. C. Ilollis, S. Sterrett, James Lang. E. O. Britt and Chauncey Wilson.
The financial crisis that convulsed onr country in 1857 put a stop to all settlement here as elsewhere, and but a few are found to have located here in 1858. Among these, however, were Samuel Clyde, Michael O'Keefe and Robert Carroll.
Joseph Page and Philip Deck, who were killed during the massaere days, settled here in 1860.
The first birth in the town was that of Hat- tie Estelle Kimball, which occurred in 1857.
The first death was that of Samuel Clyde, who was called hence in 1859.
The first school was hell in district No. 12. in 1866, and Patrick MeNulty was the pioneer teacher.
The first ground was broken by the Cas- wells, May +, 1857.
The first religious services were held by Rev. Mr. Kidder. a Methodist clergyman, at the old village of Manannah, in 1859.
The first mass of the Roman Catholic Church was celebrated by Father Anthony, of St. Cloud, in 1865, at the house of Frank McIntyre.
Manannah was organized at an election held at the house of J. W. Walker, October 13, 1857, at which the following officers were chosen : N. C. Caswell, assessor; J. W: Walker and E. B. Kingsley, justices ; Nathan Caswell and Mark Bridges, constables, and Ziba Caswell, road overseer. At this elec- tion J. W. Goodspeed, A. D. Pierce and J. Kimball were judges, and J. C. Hollis and Freeman Gould, clerks.
The present (1888) officers of the town are as follows: Supervisors: Jacob Ilammus, chairman ; Menus O'Keefe, Jr., and James Fitzpatrick. Clerk : C. J. O'Brien. Treas- urer: N. C. Caswell. Assessor : P. Enright. Jr. Justices of the peace : Richard O'Brien and O. H. Campbell. Constable: Henry HInkreide.
A name was wanted for the village which was laid out by J. W. Walker and Ziba Cas- well, on part of scetion 30, in the spring of 1856, and search in an old Scottish history gave them the name of Manannah, so it was adopted. The party who made the survey and platted the village was a man by the name of Haleott, and N. C. Caswell acted as chainbearer.
A postoffice was established in the new village in 1857, with Jonathan Kimball as postmaster ; this has been presided over, in turn, by Carlos Caswell, Ziba Caswell and James Lang. The latter is the present in- cumbent of the offlec.
On the 4th of March, 1837, Ziba, Nathan C. and Albert Caswell commenced the erec- tion of a hewn log building 18x26 feet in size, one story and a half high, in which, the following May, Jonathan Kimball opened a hotel. This building was used as a stoekade during the Indian outbreak, as detailed else- where, but is now a thing of the past.
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In May, 1857, J. W. Walker opened a store in a hewn log building he had erected, which was the first and only one in the village.
In the same spring Walker put in the dam and the following fall put up the saw-mill. This stood there until after 1862, when it burned down.
Of the old village, nothing remains, its glory having long since departed, and grow- ing crops cover the site of the place that was hoped would be the principal place in the county.
MANANNAH VILLAGE.
The present village of Manannah was laid out in 1871, by Hines, Kimball & Beedy, and the plat filed for record September 6, 1871. Cressy's addition was platted by R. D. C. Cressy, and filed for record November 16. 1874. It occupies a small part of sections 30 and 31.
In 1869, Ziba Caswell put in a dam at this place, which partly went out the following spring. In 1871. Ziba Caswell erected a store building and opened a general stock of goods. IIe was succeeded in this stand by N. C. Hines, and he, in turn. by Hardy & Boone, Boone & Mitchell, O. B. Webb. Hines & Campbell, O. II. Campbell, Gray & Lang, Haines Bros., Con O'Brien. T. Kerry, Staples Bros., and by the present owner, C. A. Staples.
Another store was built in 1872, and run as a furniture depot by T. P. Murray until 1874, when James Lang purchased it and > opened his present general merchandise business.
The hotel was run for a time in 1871 as a boarding house by N. C. Hines, but the next year it was opened as a hotel by S. H. Cas- well. He was succeeded by James Lee, he by Jerome HIaight, and then it passed into the hands of the present proprietor. James Lang.
At one time there was a third store kept
by llaight Bros., who were succeeded by E. A. Price, and finally was abandoned.
The flouring-mill was erected in 1872, by Hines, Kimball & Beedy, and was operated by N. C. Hines until 1874. He then formed a partnership with O. H. Campbell, and it was run under the firm name of Ilines & Campbell. The next proprietors were Camp- bell & Caswell, who were succeeded O. H. Campbell, the present owner and opera- tor. He has largely added to it, changing it to the roller system, putting in eight sets of rolls, with all the other machinery, and a fine sixty-horse power engine, and it is now one of the finest mills in the county. The main structure is 50x40 feet in size, with an addition 12x40 feet, besides the engine room. Its daily capacity is 100 barrels.
There is a fine graded school building now in course of construction, which is 24x40 feet in size, two stories in height.
The saw-mill which once stood here was built by Hines, Kimball & Beedy in 1871.
The Catholic Church of Our Lady, at Ma- nannah, was established by the late Rev. John McDermott, of Darwin, in the year 1876, under whose direction was built a portion of the present edifice. The ground on which the church stands was donated by Anthony Kelly, of Minneapolis. It is situated on the bank of the Crow river, on a lofty eminence. The church building was finished during the administration of Father Kinney, the parish then being united to that of Litchfield. On the removal of the latter, the church was attended by the present pastor, Father McDevitt, who resided at Litchfield, for one year. Seeing the utility of Manannah having a resident priest, a parochial residence was erected in the fall of 1885, at a cost of about $2,000. The parish, which is a separate one, contains about ninety-five families, and is in a flour- ishing condition. The church edifice is not yet completed, as the tower is to be finished and a bell put up. The first Catholic priest
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that visited this part of the country was Father Anthony, from the Benedictine Abbey, in the diocese of St. Cloud in 1865 The mission was visited occasionally by Father Burns, who also resided at St. John's Abbey, in St. Cloud. Father Arthur Hurley, of the diocese of St. Paul was appointed to look after the spiritual wants of the people, and visited them occasionally, his residence being at Litchfield. This zealous priest had many missions to attend to and could visit each but seldom. After the removal of Father Ifurley, Father Cahill served for some time with mark- ed success. The late and much lamented priest of Darwin, Father John McDermott, came next and under his wise and able adminis- tration the parish increased rapidly. Father Kinney next took charge of the united par- ishes of Litchfield and Manannah, till his appointment to the Church of St. Stephen's, Minneapolis, in 1885. The present pastor then came to Litchfield and later to Manan- nah, as stated. The church corporation owns property to the amount of about $6.000.
EDEN VALLEY VILLAGE.
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The village of Eden Valley, located on the Minneapolis & Pacitic Railroad, on the west half of the northwest quarter of the north- west quarter of section 2 and the east half of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 3, was laid out by Silas Cossairt, F. B. Smith and the railroad com- pany, in the fall of 1886, P. M. Dahl being the civil engineer. The plat was filed for record May 11, 1887.
Previous to the location of the town-site, a store was opened there in May, 1886, by Parker & Cossairt. This was a small branch of their Litchfield store, but, when the rail- road came here, they put upa large building and increased the stock to a great extent.
The next building was a blacksmith shop, erected by Henry Hukreide.
In December, 1886, William Hardy opened a store for the sale of general merchandise, and about the same time the two hotels, the Mansard and Pacific houses, were erected and opened for business.
During the same month two elevators were put up, one by Hoskins & Reeves, and the other by the railroad company. The for- mer is now operated by Andrew Johnson, for its present owners, Osborne & McMullen, of Minneapolis.
The first dwelling house was put up by Bartley McDonough, that fall, and the second by C. J. O'Brien. The next spring there was several other stores added to the place, among them a general stock of some $10,000, kept by Theisen & Schoen ; a hardware store by C. Schmidt & Co., and one by John Cooney ; one furniture establishment kept by William Thoms; and other smaller institu- tions. W. Il. Greenleaf & Son have a lum- ber yard here also.
The postoffice was established April 1, 1887, with Samuel Cossairt as postmaster.
A fine depot was built about the same time, with L. V. Brown as station agent.
The Christian church, a neat and tasty structure, was ereeted in the fall of 1887.
There are now, in addition to the houses mentioned above, the following business piaces: William Kersten, general merehan- dise; two more blacksmith shops; a temperance pool room, run by E. H. Caswell, and a con- fectionery stand, by T. B. Mann.
CHAPTER X.
TOWN OF KINGSTON.
HE town of Kingston is the largest civil subdivision of Meeker county, embracing all of township 120 north, range 29 west, and the south half of township 121, the same range. It contains, in all, 34,389.39 acres, of which 1.337 are
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covered with water. Much of the land is still covered by the primeval forest, a portion of "The Big Woods." The Crow River, that crosses its territory from west to east, bisect- ing sections 18. 19, 20, 21. 22, 23, 26 and 25, seems to be the boundary line between the prairie and forest, south of it being mostly prairie, and north of it timber land. Con- sequent upon this, the first settlements were made in the southern part of the town, many locating upon the banks of the river, and at the village of Kingston.
The first to settle in this subdivision of the county is believed to have been Mark Cates, in the spring of 1856, and he was fol- lowed shortly after by J. B. Salisbury, A. P. Whitney, Benjamin and Josiah Dorman, John Fitzgerald. Patrick Flynn. A. C. Maddox, Henry Averill, Cyrus Averill, War- ren Averill, Elmer Harper, William Higgins, John T. Kennison. Joseph Weymer, Morris Power, Wellington Cates, B. P. Whitney, Oliver Patch, Solomon Gray, John K. Per- kins, John Lowell, Byley Lyford, John Mar- tin, Uriah Pahner, Enoch Eastman, Rufus Eastman, Robert Niles, Nelson Niles, and Scott Hutchinson.
In 1857 Orrin Whitney, S. B. IIntchins, Benjamin Ruggles and E. II. Whitney were the most prominent settlers, but few coming here that year.
Among those who came here in 1858. and here found homes, may be mentioned F. V. DeCoster. George Scribner, A. II. Car- vill, Jefferson Carvill, and John Doyle.
The trials, tribulations and hardships en- dured by the pioneers of the town would fill a volume. Coming here. for the most part, without money, or the wherewithal to live until they could get a crop, their endurance was severely tested. The land had to be pre- pared, and seed purchased before the land could be sown, and in many cases to get the seed was a serious problem.
Some of these old pioneers still live in this
town, some are in other portions of the county, many have moved away, and a part have passed to their reward beyond the grave. Their work remains, however, and it is due to the hardy pioneers of this county to re- mark that when they laid the foundations of society in this part of the State, they builded better than they knew, and to them is due much of the development of its resources.
Enough settlers having located here, on the 5th of April. 1858, the town was duly organ- ized, at which time the following names bore a prominent part : A. P. Whitney, J. B. Salisbury, Orrin Whitney, Benjamin Ruggles, Mark Cates, E. H. Whitney. Joseph Weymer, Joseph Dorman. S. B. Hutchins and others of the older settlers. The pres- ent officers are: Supervisors. John Clay (chairman), Andrew Anderson and Geo. W. Robinson ; assessor, Ben Apfeld ; justice of the peace, Walter Salisbury, and Timothy Murphy, elerk.
The first birth in the town was that of Will HI. Cates, in the opinion of the older residents. He was born July 6, 1856.
The first death was that of Morris Power, who died in 1857.
The first marriage, which was also the first in the county. was that of Joseph Weymer and Miss Mary Dorman, in August, 1857.
The first school was taught by James A. Austin, in the summer of 1857. This was undoubtedly the first in the county. The teacher held the school in the cabin of Enoch Eastman, which the people had fitted up for the purpose.
The first school house was built in 1861, at the village of Kingston.
The pioneer religious services were held at the village, up stairs over the store, by Rev. J. C. Whitney, in 1857.
KINGSTON VILLAGE.
The village of Kingston, which lies in this town, although now of but smaller impor-
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tanee, was, at one time, the rival and peer of the then county-seat. The location of the seat of justice at Litchfield, and the arrival of the railroad at that village, destroyed the hopes of Kingston, as well as several others, aud it is now but a semblance of its former self. The town site was taken up by Albion P. Whitney, G. R. Nourse and R. P. Upton, in 1857, and surveyed and laid out that fall by a surveyor by the name of Curtis. The plat was filed for record June 2, 1858. The village is located upon the northwest quar- ter of section 22, township 120, range 29.
Here the town proprietors put in the dam. and commenced the erection of the saw-mill in 1857, and that institution commenced operations in July, of that year.
A stock of goods was brought here dur- ing the spring of 1857, by A. P. Whitney, and the first sales were made from the log cabin of that gentleman.
The same year the first store building was erected and a stock of goods put in by Whitney, Nourse & Upton. In 1858 A. P. Whitney disposed of his interest in the con- cern, and shortly after the business passed into the hands of Ilines & Carmer. The next to operate the institution was Hiram Ilall, who was followed by William Hall, and he by Peck, Hutchinson & Durkee. Peck & Durkee were their successors, and were fol- lowed by Owen & Murphy, and the estab- lishment is now under the control of the Murphy Bros.
The other store building was erected about 1859, and in it N. C. Hines commeneed the sale of general merchandise. Ile was suc- ceeded by William Hall, he by F. V. De Cos- ter, and the latter by E. A. Briggs.
The mercantile life of the village is now represented by the firm of Murphy Bros .. dealers in general merchandise ; E. A. Briggs, capitalist; a blacksmith shop kept by Mr. Mahoney, and a wagon-making shop operated by Samuel Dorman.
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The grist-mill was erected in 1858, by A. P. Whitney & Co., the foundation having been put in by Orrin Whitney, for them. The following year the property passed into the hands of Hiram Hall, and was run by Hall & Davis, Hall & Thompson, King & De Coster, Ilall & Thompson again, and J. II. Thompson, successively, until it was pur- chased and improved by John Mattson, the present owner.
East Kingston was laid out in 1871, by Jefferson Carvill, upon the northeast quar- ter of section 14, and the plat filed for record January 24. 1871.
Jefferson and Dr. A. H. Carvill had, how- ever. in 1866. taken up the mill site, and erected a dam at this place, and the follow- ing year put up the grist and saw mill, which constituted the entire business of the place. The Carvill Bros. ran the mills until 1873, when the doctor sold out to Jolin Norgren, and for several years they were operated under the firm name and style of Carville & Norgren. Jefferson Carvill then became sole proprietor, but for the past three years the mills have been silent, they being in liti- gation.
CHAPTER XI.
CEDAR MILLS TOWNSHIP.
HIS town, which embraces all of township 117, north range 31 west, lies in the extreme southern part of the county. It contains a total acreage of 24.209.44, but 677 aeres are taken up by the various lakes that dot its level and beautiful surface. The largest of these pel- Ineid bodies of water, Red Cedar Lake, received its name from Nicollet on account of an island in it covered with timber of that variety. On the old maps. and in John C. Fremont's work, it is designated by its Indian title of Ranti-tia-wita, or the Lake of
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the Red Cedar Island. From this the town drew its name. The ground is slightly roll- ing and of a prairie character, and the soil is of a warm, rich, black loam, which has a wonderful adaptability for raising wheat and other cereals.
The first to make a settlement within the limits of this town was Daniel Cross, who came here with his family in 1856. He was one of the victims of the tragic days of the Indian outbreak, being shot down by the treacherous Sioux.
In 1857 R. J. Brodwell, O. S. Merriam, Philander Ball and Elmer Eighmey made settlements here. The same year the follow- ing settled here also: Milton Coombs, Hector Hunter, David Hern, John Hunter, a German by the name of Steinkopf, William Hunter, Charles II. Stinchfield, L. S. Wey- mouth and a Doctor Hester, who brought several young men with him. The names of the latter have passed out of the minds of the settlers, and can not be given at this late day.
The settlers of 1858 were the following named, who all found homes here: S. D. L. Baklwin, George R. Jewett, C. G. Topping. . In the year 1859, a few more settlers here found the land they were seeking, and took claims. Among them were-George Nichols and Jesse W. Topping, both of whom were largely instrumental in the growth of the town.
Among the promment arrivals of 1860 were Il. J. Lasher, J. M. Pitman, Seth Nichols, and one or two more that no longer live here. No more valuable citizens than those named above could have found a home here, and after they took up their claims here they were strongly identified with every movement calculated to benefit the community.
Among those who, although not very early settlers, still having done so much to- ward the upbuilding of the town, deserve
mention in a work of this character, are the following named : Arthur Wheeler, Isaac Wheeler, Jesse Barrick, A. C. Barrick, John Curry, William Owens, James A. Austin, Elijah Austin, E. R. Austin, R. D. Grindall, Edward Stafford, Edwin Gillett and C. B. Jordan.
The first deaths occurred in 1859, and were two children of Ehmer Eighmey's.
The first school was taught by Miss Sophia Pratt, at the residence of Daniel Cross, in 1860, at Cedar Mills. The first school-house was built in 1869, and E. B. Comstock was the first teacher there.
The first religious services were hekt the winter of 1859-60, at the house of H. J. Lasher, by Rev. II. Adams, a Presbyterian minister from St. Peter.
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