USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 19
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The ever-dreaded winter storms claim- ed five vietims early in 18:2. In the southeastern part of Delafield township C. D. Carlestrom and his son. Clarice, met death in a blizzard on January 12 while hauling wood. The body of Mr. Carle- strom was found three days later. The
boy's body was not found until the next spring.
On Tuesday, February 13. 1523. the county experienced the most severe bliz- zard since the terrible storm of March. 18:0. The storm saged from four delock on Monday afternoon until midnight Tuesday. On Monday the weather was warm and fine. In the afternoon a warm snow fell until four o'clock. Then the wind instantaneously whipped around to the northwest and came in freezing gusts. filling the air with blinding snow and making it impossible to see more than a few yards. The change was so sudden that many were overtaken and lost in the blinding storm. Three human lives wore sacrificed to the fury of the storm. and many were the narrow eseapes.
One of the unfortunate men was Mr. Garner, of Enterprise township, who was overtaken by the storm while on his way home from Cedar lake with a load of wood. He was unable to find his house. although he passed within a hundred rods. of it. At that point le unloaded his wood and began traveling with the storm. His dead body was found on the Jackson-Win- nebago City stage road. Mr. Garner's team was found in the vicinity of Twin lakes, one of the animals frozen to death.
Terrible suffering must have preceded the deaths of John Johnson Buckeye and Ole Rognaes, of Heron Lake. They were on the way home from their timber lot when struck by the storm, within Two miles of Heron Lake station. I'nyoking their oxen, the men started out on foot for the nearest house, traveling with the storm. The tracks of the unfortunate men found by a searching party Wednes- day disclosed the fact that they had passed home after house. sometimes going within four rods of a house, but unable to ¿o it through the wind-driven snow. The body of Mr. Rognaes was found near Boot
139
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
lake, a distance of sixteen miles from the point where the men started. The ap- pearance of the snow showed that Mr. Buckeye had carried his companion some distance after the latter had given up. Mr. Buckeye pushed on with the wind. After traveling a long distance, he became so badly frozen that he was unable to walk : then he crawled for a considerable dis- tance farther. His body was found in a thicket near the Des Moines river at the foot of a hill, down which he had slid. Unable to rise, he perished there. This was at a point about four miles north- west of Jackson and twenty-four miles from the place where he began his wan- derings. The body was found on Friday.
Several other people were known to have been caught in the storm. On Wed- nesday morning, which dawned bright and clear, searching partics were sent out to look for them. The driver of the Win- nebago City stage was one of these, but he had been able to secure shelter for him- self and team. The storm resulted in many deaths in other parts of southwest- ern Minnesota and northwestern lowa.
The progress made in Jackson county during 1872 is illustratedl by the increase in school facilities and school attendance. According to the county superintendent's report for the year, there were twenty-six organized districts, of which twenty-one made report. There were 610 children of school age. Of these 82 were enrolled in winter schools and 223 in summer schools. Four teachers were employed during the winter and fourteen during the summer. There were six frame and five log school houses, the total value of which was $1,864.
A question of vital importance, relating to the diminution of the county's area, was decided at the general election in No- vember. 1872. The legislature, on Feb- ruary 29, passed a bill providing that the
townships of LaCrosse, Alba, Ewington and Round Lake should be detached from Jackson county and given to Nobles coun- ty. At the same time another bill was passed which provided that the four west- ern townships of Nobles county should be given to Rock county. " The proposition was to enlarge Rock county at the expense of Jackson county. The act was not to be put in force until both Jackson and No- bles county should ratify it by ballot. The election on the question was almost a farce. Nobles county decided in favor of the proposition by a vote of 121 to 109. but Jackson county naturally voted no. Only thirty-six voters in Jackson county registered in favor of the surrender of territory, and all except one of these ie- sided in Alba and Round Lake townships -townships which were closer to Nobles county villages than they were to those of Jackson county. The result by town- ships was as follows:
TOWNSHIPS
For Giving Range 38
Against Giving Range 38
Alba
14
2
Belmont
49
Christiania
....
51
Delafield
.....
51
Des Moines
1
103
Enterprise
40
Heron Lake
39
Hunter
25
Kimball
17
La Crosse
17
Middletown
27
Minneota
16
Petersburg
36
Round Lake
21
Weimer
66
Wisconsin
36
Total
36
575
. .
...
Jackson county's first court house was built in 1822. After the defeat of the court house bonds in 1820 the matter was
140
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
allowed to rest two years. Then, on Feb- pay the sum of $1,480, providing the ruary 12. 1812, citizens of Jackson met court house should be created during the at the office of Anderson & Tiffany to year 1872.18 All of this amount was not take steps to secure a county building. . 1 paid into the county treasury. however, and suit was brought to collect some of the contributions. A statement of the standing of these accounts made Decem- ber 26, 1878, shows the standing at that late day: Amount paid. $865: partly paid and considered collectable, $160; in suit #85 : uncollectable, $370. petition was drawn up and forwarded to St. Paul asking the legislature to enact another law allowing the commissioners to issne bonds for this purpose. In an in- formal manner it was agreed that Jackson people should donate part of the necessary funds. In accordance with the expressed wishes of the people who signed the peti- tion, an act was passed and approved Feb- ruary 22. 1822. It authorized the com- missioners to issue bonds not to exceed $6,000, but, again, the act to become op- orative must be ratified by the electors.
A special election for this purpose was held March 12, when the act was approv- ed by a vote of 226 to 156. Owing to se- vere weather, a light vote was polled, and no elections were held in the townships of Weimer, LaCrosse and Rosendahl ( Kimball). The north part of the county was almost solidły against the bonds, as the vote shows :
TOWNSHIPS
For Bonds
Against Bonds
Belmont
20
28
Christiania
...
45
Delafield
30
Des Moines
98
5
Enterprise
26
2
Heron Lake.
...
21
Hunter.
6
Middletown
20
7
Minneota ..
8
7
Petersburg.
25
2
Round Lake
...
2
Total
226
156
To assist in the creation of the build- ing the people of Jackson bound them- selves to the county by promissory note to
The $6,000 bonds were quickly disposed of, and on June 10 the contract for the erection of the building was let to T. L. Twilford, of Spirit Lake. on a cash bid of $5.800.16 The building was rushed to completion and was accepted from the contractor December 28. Faulty construc- tion was alleged, and there was consider- able trouble over the matter before a final settlement was made. For thirty-four years this building erected in 1812 served as the county court house, and was dis- placed by the handsome edifice recently dedicated.17
13Those who so hound themselves and the 'amount each agreed to contribute were as fol- lows: Anderson & Tiffany. $100; W. Ashley, $150; W. S. Kimball, $100: Chamberlin & Ashley (ensh), $50; Chamberlin & Ashley (block 25. Jackson). $400; M. A. Strong. $25; James W. Hunter. $50; J. W. C'owings, $50; Edw. P. Skinner. $50; 1. 3 Moreaux, $25; R. M. Woodward, $25; Simcon Avery, $25; Michael Miller, $10; A. E. Wood. $10; C. Baldwin (in work), $25: 11. Miner. $25; W. C. Garratt, $25; JI. M. Avery. $25; A. 11. Strong. $25; John 11. Grant, $25: 11. S. Bailey. $150; B. Il. Johnson, $25; S. M. Clark, $25: Alexander Fiddes, $25: J. ES. Thomas, $25: S. K. Ford (in work), $5; Menno Why. $5.
"Other bids submitted Were: W. S. Kimball. cash. 86,000, bonds. $6.500; 11. S. Balles, cash. $6,500, bonds, $1,000; Farmer & Hallett, cash. $6.200.
"Among the judges who beld court in this old building were Franklin H. Walte. Daniel A. Dlekinson. afterwards for many years a jus- tice of the supreme court; J. 1 .. McDonald. Charles M. Start. the present chief justice of Minnesota: M. J. Severance. A. D. Perkins. P. H. Brown. Lorin Cray and James H. Quinu. Among the eminent lawyers who practiced at its bar were T. J. Knox, who tried the first and lost lawsuits in the building: John B. Sanborn. W. 11. Sanborn. Young & Lightner, W. B. Doug- las. Savage & Purdy. J. W. Losey. H. 1. Field. James A. Tawney. M. J. Severance. John Lind. B. I. Webber, John A. Lovely, Lorin Cray, An- drew C. Dunn and Daniel Rohrer,
7
Wisconsin
23
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
AUTOR, LENGY AND TH DEN FOUNDATIONS.
1
HRISTEIN
KIMBALI.
it is
-
The
ENXERPRESE
A
HERON LAKE
JERON LARE
DES NO
ES
EWINGTONI
T
ER
WI
OXSIN
--
PETERSBURG
RQUAND DAKE
SIOUX VALLEY MINE OT ALLMIN
JACKSON COUNTY IN 1871
Reproduced from an Old Print.
L.
.
A SOD SHANTY
In Buildings Such as These Many of Jackson County's Pioneers Had Their Homes.
CHAPTER XI.
THE GRASSHOPPER SCOURGE-1873-1877.
N OW come the dark days of Jaek- son county history-the grass- hopper days. For several years, beginning with 1813, grasshoppers, or Rocky Mountain locusts, swept down upon the country in countless millions, devour- ing the eultivated erops and bringing dis- aster to nearly every citizen. The people of Jackson county, in common with those of all southwestern Minnesota, suffered as few pioneer settlers in any country ever suffered. Adversity followed adversity. The frowns of fortune overwhelmed those who had come with such high hopes in the preceding years and cast them into the slough of despond. The picture can- not be painted too dark.
The country became bankrupt. Immi- gration eeased : migration began. All who could mortgaged their property and many left the county. Some got into such straighted circumstances that they were actually without the means to pay their railway fare out of the country. It was impossible to make a living from the farm, and many sought work during the summer seasons in their old homes in the east : others attempted to earn a livelihood by trapping. In time land beeame value- less : it could not be sold or mortgaged.1
'Arthur W. Dunn, a former Jackson county boy. now the famous Washington correspond- ent. has added his testimony to the conditions.
After the first or second year castern capi- talists refused to consider loans in the grasshopper infested country.
Before taking up the story of the first grasshopper invasion, let us consider a few other events that occurred during 1813, and look at the country as it was before the devastation came.
The population had increased to per- haps between 3.000 and 4,000 people, and every part of the county was settled. All except four townships were organized. A line of railroad was operated through the county, and many stage lines carried mail and passengers to and from all the neigh- boring communities.2 Two villages. Jack- son and Heron Lake. were enjoying pros- perous times and a healthy growth as a result of the immigration and the develop- ment of their trade territories. The fer-
He has written: "Many a time have I seen a farmer who came to Jackson full of hope, who had taken a homestead, acquired title and seemed ready to enjoy prosperity. sell as fine a hundred and sixty acres of land as the sun ever shown upon for a broken down team and wagon and enough money to get hack beyond the hoppers."
"In August. 1873. seven stage lines were oper- nted from the village of Jackson. as follows: Windom (daily), B. W. Ashley, contractor; St. James (twice a week). William Barnes, con- tractor; Winnehago City (three times a week), Tom George. contractor; Blue Earth City (three times a week), O. S. Farr, contractor; Esther- ville (weekly), Welch Ashley, contractor; Spen- cer (daily ), L. E. Holcomb, contractor; Worth- ington (twice a week). William Greer. contrac- tor. All of these lines had heen in operation a year or two before this date and some of them longer.
141
14:
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
tility and value of ilu farming lands had been proven by excellent crops. The pros- pects seemed good for Jackson county continuing it- onward march to prosper- ity
Ewingion township was organized in the spring of the year. A petition was circulated in March. and on the 28th of that month the board of county commis- sioners passed a resolution declaring the township organized under the name of Ewington, in honor of the Ewing family. the township's first settler -. 3 The first town meeting was held at the home of Nancy Ewing on April 15, when the township's first officers were chosen. They were as follows: G. R. Perry, chairman ; E. K. Dunn and Orsemus Farnham, su- pervisors: T. C. Ewing, clerk and treas- urer: Frank Grim, assessor: W. F. Ew- ing, justice of the peace : Thomas Fitzger- ald. constable. Early day land patents were granted to the following in Ewing- ton township:
1872. Walter S. Bradford (14). Alson 1. Bailey (20: 1873. Mathew Smyth (6), Charles W. Curtis (14). Eady J. Stiles (28) : 1871. Franklin Grim (2). Rudolph Becker (12). James I. Weed (20). Corneliu- Johnson (26): 1875. Robert N. Deathe (12): 1876, Orsem]> Farnham (2), George Perry (6): 1877. Thomas E. Fitzgerald (4). Thomas C. Ewing (30), Wil- liam F. Ewing (32): 1878, James W. Mathews (101. age Christian-on (IS). John A. Spafford (26), Fred . Barton (30): 1879. Christian Olsen (S). Hans Olan 00). William N. Davies (22). Stram E. Barton (28): 1890, Soren Iver- son (10). Arthur N. Jordan (30), Peter Whip- key (3D): ISS1. John McCall (S): 1852. Hans Sorenson (S): 1883. Charles P. Randall (201. Andrew Gorrie (30), James Walker 1321: ISSt. James Il. Ewing (22); Isso, Herman Pinz (1).
With the possible exception of the win- ter of 1856-51. that of 18;2-43, was the most severe in the history of Jackson
" Along in March Filmore Ewing came to our humse in town with a petition to have the town- ship organized, naming it after the family, who were the first settlers and the homer was not misplaced. for they were a very worthy family. intelligent, neighborly, hospitable, and we have always been sorry they could not have abided where their carly residence created so favorable an impression and their unfortunate departure kindled so many regrets," I. A. Spafford m Jackson Republte, March 1, 1895.
county. Concerning this memorable sea- sun, Mr. T. J. Knox, of Jackson, has writ- 1on :
The winter of Is72-73 will long be remember- ed as the longest and severest that this coun- try It ever experienced. It began on the 12th day of November with a blizzard that continued for three days, during which time snow fell to a great depth, probably not les than two feet. but which was so blown abunt and drifted by the wind that in some places there were drifts of twenty feet or more. The newly constructed railway was hopelessly blockaded, and remained so until the following spring. From the time winter so set in there was little let up in the severity of the weather. One storm followed another, and when no1 storming the weather was cold and severe. while the deep shows, almost constantly drifting. mode travel difficult and somelines dangerous. During that long winter the inhabitants of this part of the state were practically shut out from the world. At times There were no mails for three weeks al a stretch. Many people suffered for want of necessary food, clothing and fuel. The suffer- ings and horrors of that long and dreadful winter will never be placed from the memorie- of those who experienced them.
The ill-fated year 1823 began with the most violent winter storm in the history of the state from the time of its first set- llement to the present date. For three days. beginning January :. the blizzard raged, extending over the whole north- west. The temperature was about vigh- teen degrees below zero during the whole period of the storm. The air was filled with snow as fine as four. Through every crevice, keyhole and nailhole the fine snow penetrated, putting into the house like steam. Seventy human lives were lost in the storm in Minnesota, but by a miracu- lous turn of fate none of these was in Jackson county. It was the only county in the vicinity that escaped without loss of life.
The forenoon of Tuesday, January ?. was mild and pleasant : the sky was clear and there was no wind. It seemed as though a "January thaw" was imminent. The pleasant weather had induced many farmers to start to town on business or to the neighboring farm houses with their
143
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
families to visit. A little after noon a change was apparent. The sky lost its crystal clearness and became a trifle hazy. Toward two o'clock a white wall was seen bearing down from the northwest. The front of the storm was distinct and al- most as clearly defined as a great sheet. In a few minutes a gale, moving at the rate of thirty or forty miles an hour. was sweeping the country : a full-fledged bliz- zard had supplanted the bright sunshine in a few moments. The air was so com- pletely filled with flying snow that it was impossible to see objects a short distance away.
The storm began with such fury that nearly all who were in the villages or at neighbors' homes abandoned the idea of reaching their own firesides and found shelter with friends or at the hotels. Evon some who were caught away from home in the villages, only a few blocks away, did not attempt to brave the dangers of get- ting home. All Tuesday night. Wednes- day and Wednesday night the storm raged with unabated fury. Not until Thurs- day was there any perceptible let-up. and not until Friday was the storm over. Ser- eral Jackson county residents were caught on the prairie in the storm, but there was not a single case of severe freezing. Some were obliged to spend two or three days in deserted claim shanties, but all were found alive after the storm.
Anders R. Kilen, of Belmont township. had a narrow escape. lle was returning home from Heron Lake when the storm struck, and when about three miles from his house he took refuge in a board claim shanty. The furniture of the shanty con- sisted of a coffee pot partly filled with screenings, a plow, a hammer and a little hay. From Tuesday afternoon until Fri- day morning Mr. Kilen battled for his life in the lonely cabin. He tried to kin- dle a fire by striking sparks from the plow
with the hammer, but the plow was too hard and he was unsuccessful, so he kept from freezing by physical exercise, spend- ing three days pacing back and forth with- in the narrow confines of the cabin. He utilized the hay to fill the cracks in the shanty and to make hay ropes, with which to bind his benumbed limbs. He ate the screenings and used snow for dessert. When the storm broke he found his way home. not much the worse for his experi- ence.
1 large acreage of small grain and corn was sown in the spring of 1813, and the grain grew luxuriantly during the spring months. Everybody was enthusiastic over the prospects-a state of mind which was soon to be turned to gloom.
The first grasshopper invasion of Jaek- son county was on Saturday, June 14. 1813. People noticed something floating through the air from west to east. at a great height and apparently drifting with the wind. At first sight it was taken to be the fluff that comes from cottonwood trees, but before long a few scattering ob- jects began coming to the earth from the floating clouds, and they were found to be grasshoppers-forerunners of a scourge that for several years devastated this part of the country and resulted in the retar- dation of the county's progress for many years.
The flight kept up for several days, and then the pests took their departure. A great many came down and feasted on the growing crops and deposited their eggs in the ground.+ Great damage was done to the crops, but not so great as in later years, and a light harvest was gathered.5 The story of the invasion was told by the
4Eggs were deposited preferably in solid ground and to a depth of from one-half inch to " inch. The tail of the female grasshopper is a hard, bonv. cone-shaned substance, and this was easily bored into the solid ground and the eggs deposited.
"The damage to crops in Minnesota in 1873 was officially estimated at $3.034,000.
144
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Jackson Republic in its issue of June 21:
Our curiosity i- satiated. We have always had a desire to see one of those "clouds" of grasshoppers, of which we have read from time to time. They have been here for a week in countless millions and yet we have failed to discern any diminution of strength of the sun's rays. To be sure there were plenty of them in the air. but were only visible in a small radins around the sun. As a matter of course, some of the timid settlers want to sell and get away, taking it for granted that their crop- will all be eaten off and a famine ensue. Many fields of wheat and barley were mercilessly gobbled by the hoppers, at least to judge from appearance. but careful examina . tion shows that the injury is comparatively slight. The pests have taken their departure and the field- are making rapid progress in gaining the growth the crop- lost.
A farmer residing in the northern part of the county told of the ravages of the pests in his neighborhood and the at- tempts to protect the grain :
The all engrossing subject in this vicinity at present is the grasshopper question. They made their appearance here last Saturday af- ternoon and innediately began their aggres. sive movements. Next day they ate five or six acres of my wheat. Their number- rapidly in- created, the air seeming to be full of them. They resembled large flakes of snow in a snow storm, and they soon took possession of all the grain field- in the neighborhood. Break ing teams had a general holiday: men travel- ed their fields, not knowing what to do. so sud- den and unexpected was the general onslaught. A few with small field- and large families marshaled all their available forces, who, with long poles and switches, walked their fields a few rods apart and thus tried to chase off the invaders, but their numbers increased so fast that the ceaseless efforts proved of little avail. A few of the more despondent are offering their claims for sale at ruinous figures and starting in search of some region where gras .. hoppers are unknown. But it is really en- comaging to see how cheerful and courageen- the great majority are. The carlier sown oats. so far as I have heard, are as yet compara tively safe.
Grasshoppers were seen in the air again on August 2, but they passed over with- ont stopping to feed. At harvest time it was found that these fields which had not been molested yielded abundantly. The hoppers seemed to prefer wheat. and the oats were not badly damaged. Corn that had been well put in was a fine erop.
On August 23 the Jackson Republic said of the harvest :
Some men have no grain worth cutting. while their neighbors' field- lying alongside have a large yield, and on other farms some pieces or parts are poor and the rest good. . As a general rule, those who have high rolling land on their farms have heavy crops. while some whose farins are wet were unable to get their -ved put in well in the spring, and. being backward, was nice and tender for the hop- pers. Those who have lost their crop- must not despair, but rather profit by the experi- ence and give more attention to stock raising.
In addition to the grasshopper devasta- tion. the panie, which hold the country in its grip in 1823, added to the hard times which followed. The loss of their crops left many families in destitute cir- cumstances, and there was much suffer- ing. When winter came it was known that some measure for the relief of the destitute must be taken. During the clos- ing days of December mass meeting- to discuss the situation were held at Heron Lake and at Jackson.
The Heron Lake meeting was held De- comber 26. Dr. R. R. Foster was the chairman and John T. Smith secretary. A committee composed of J. W. Benson. John T. Smith, J. P. Prescott, John Weir and R. Johnson was named to make an investigation as to the needs of the citi- zens. Ex-Governor Stephen Miller ar- rived at Heron Lake the next day and loft some funds which he had obtained from the relief committee at St. Paul to relieve the immediate wants of the desti- inte. On the 29th the committee divided $61-one-half the amount in the treasury -among ten residents who applied for aid. A Heron Lake citizen, writing on that date. said: "Today there were ten persons here for aid. Some of them were in actual starving condition. They did not know where the bread to eat was com- ing from two days hence."
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