USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 10
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We feel that our destitution is only tem- porary. The grasshoppers did not deposit their oges here the past season. They may not be seen here again in a generation. We have faith that next year we will reap boun- tiful harvests. But in the meantime. many of our people must have help or they will peris !. Careful estimates warrant the state- ment that not less than half of the seven hundred families in the county are partially or wholly destiinte. We call. therefore, upon our more fortunate brethren to help us in our distress. If this appeal should meet with a response. let the contributions be sent to I. P. Durfee, chairman of the board of county commissioners. Worthington. Nobles county. Minnesota. Ile has the entire con- fidene of all our people, and will make prop- er distribution of all that is sent. The
86
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
receipt of all contributions will be promptly and thankfully acknowledged.
J. A. TOUN; T. C. BELL, W. M. BEAR, WARREN SMIT'I, R. F. HUMISTOM, Committee.
To this appeal there was quite liberal response, but the needs were not over- supplied by any means, and there was some suffering during the winter.
The state came to the aid of the grass- hopper sufferers when the legislature convened during the winter. On Feb- ruary 12, 1875, General Sibley reported that he had turned over to Nobles coun- ty $1,952.82.9 The distribution was under the direction of the governor. In Nobles county the work of distribution was delegated to the board of county commissioners, and they left the details of the work to I. P. Durfee, chairman of the board, and W. M. Bear, county auditor.
To relieve the situation, the legisla- ture granted an extension of time for the payment of taxes in some of the counties, and, of course, Nobles was among the number. Times not improv- ing, the extension was of little benefit. People who had not money to buy food and clothing could not pay taxes. An interesting relie of this period is the following notice published in the pub- lie press of Nov. 20, 1814. by County Treasurer Humiston :
To Tax Payers:
The noble efforts which are being made by many of our settlers to pay their taxes is worthy of a public acknowledgment. Some are still in arrears, and although the time granted by the legislature last winter is past and the personal property tax of 1873 became delinquent on the first day of Nov-
"The total amount distributed was $15,551.50. divided among the devastated counties as fol- lows:
l'inewood
$200 00
Nobles
1,952.82
Rock
1.400.00
Cottonwood
.3,237.03
ember, yet I am still receiving taxes at my office. 1 must very soon call on those who do not call on me. and I do not wish to make any unnecessary trouble or costs, but the laws compel me to make the effort, and it is hoped that it will not be necessary to perform this (to me) very unpleasant duty. H. D. JUMISTON, County Treasurer.
The question naturally arises: Why did the people of Nobles county stay in a country in which the grasshoppers wrought such damage? It is doubtful it they would have remained could they have looked ahead and foreseen what they still had to go through, for this was not the end of the scourge by any means. A few discouraged ones did depart for their former homes. All who could weni away each summer to work in the har- vest fields of more fortunate communi- ties and earn enough to supply their ab- solute needs.
The majority stayed with their claims and weathered the storms of adversity. Hope was abundant that each year's visi- tation would be the last. The fertility of the soil had been demonstrated, and it was known that once the country was free from the pests, it would become one of the richest spots in the west. The settlers had invested all their accumula- tions of former years in improvements, and to desert the country meant that they must go as paupers. Many were literally too poor to pay transportation charges out of the country.
A tax levy of 16 mills was made in July, 18:4, divided among the several funds as follows: General, eight mills ; poor, two mills; road and bridge, two mills: county interest, two mills; floal- ing debt and county orders, two mills.
Watonwan
1,808.83
Jackson
.2,817.82
Murray
.1.902.82
Martin 1,363.87
Brown
300.00
Others
768.38
-
A SOD SHANTY
In Buildings Such as This Hundreds of Nobles County's Pioneer Settlers Had Their Homes.
-
Bağlı I
3
SUMMIT LAAKE
1.
HER SEY
LORAIN
0
H
WORTHINGTON
J
LITTLEROCK
GRAND PRAIRIE
RAY
BAG
1. 0
T ....
AN OLD MAP OF NOBLES COUNTY Reproduced from a Prinl Made in 1874.
87
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
The levy was revised in November, be- ing cut down to 13 mills, divided as fol- lows: General, seven mills; poor, one inill ; road and bridge, two mills; county interest, one mill; floating debt, two mills.
The assessment showed a total valna- tion of $432,433, of which $250,125 was on personal property and $182,308 on real property. The total number of acres of deeded and contracted land was 3,444. Seven hundred forty-five per- sons were assessed. The population of the county, estimated from figurcs fur- nished by the assessors, was between 3.000 and 3,500-probably a slight over- estimate.
Other statistics for the year 1874 show that there were 86 births. 24 deaths. 20 marriages, one divorce and 32 first naturalization papers granted.
Despite the prevailing hard times the public schools showed a healthy growth. Ten new buildings were erected, and the attendance was greatly increased. The following items appear in the report of the superintendent of schools of Oct. 31, 1874:
Number of districts in county. 37. Number persons five to 21 years, 751.
Number persons 15 to 21 years, 197. Number pupils enrolled in winter schools, 105.
Average daily attendance, 71.
Average length of winter schools in months. 3.
Number teachers in winter schools. 2. Number pupils enrolled in summer schools. 285. Average daily attendance in summer schools. 221. Average length of summer schools in months. 3 1-7.
Number teachers in summer schools, 16. Number pupils enrolled in schools within the year, 311.
School houses built during year 1874, 10 frame.
10 He was succeeded by W. T. Jones, and he by Wm. Parry, who remained in charge until the office was discontinued Dec. 31. 1903.
Value of schools houses built during the year, $2,435.
Total number school houses in county, Il frame.
Value of all school houses in the county, $2,485.
Paid for teachers' wages in 1874, $875.81.
Cash in treasurer's hands at clo-e of school year. September 30, 1874, $53.83.
One improvement in this year of dis- asters was the establishment of a star mail route in the southern part of the county. The route extended from Bige- low to Ash Creek and passed through the townships of Ransom, Little Rock and Grand Prairie. This proved to be a great accommodation to the settlers in those townships. Two postoffices were established along the route in Nobles county. One was Little Rock, of which J. T. Green was postmaster;10 the other was Grand Prairie, located first on sec- tion 10, Grand Prairie township, and conducted by a settler named Ayers.11
The legislature of 1875 took prompt action to relieve grasshopper devastated southwestern Minnesota. An act approv- ed March 1, 1815, provided for an ex- tension of the payment of personal pro- perty tax in the counties of Martin, Jackson, Nobles, Rock, Murray, Cotton- wood, Watonwan, Renville, Lyon and parts of Blue Earth, Faribault and Brown to November 1. In order to se- cure this extension it was necessary for the residents to give proof that they were unable to pay their taxes because of loss of crop in 1824 from grasshop- pers or hail.
The commissioners of Nobles county also took action to relieve the hardships of taxation by abating the interest and costs on the delinquent real estate tax for 1844. All who should make satis-
1Avers was succeeded by Oscar Lund, Geo. Barnes, Oscar Bryan and John Butcher. The office was discontinued in 1884, when Ells- worth village was founded.
88
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
factory proof, on or before December 1, 18752 under oath to the county auditor, that they were unable to pay the 1811 real estate tax, should escape the penal- ties, providing the taxes were paid at the time of making proof.1=
Notwithstanding the terrible exper- iences of the two preceding years, the people determined to put in a crop again in 1815. The ground had been prepar- ed, but the farmers were without seed grain and without the means to purchase it. The legislature came to their rescue with an appropriation of $15,000, the act providing for the distribution of seed grain to that amount, with certain pro- visions for its repayment. A state board of commissioners was appointed to con- duct the distribution, and a local board was named in each of the stricken coun- ties to assist in the work. Daniel Rohr- er, 1. P. Durfee and Peter Thomp- son served in Nobles county. The money market was tight, and the state was not able to procure the money to purchase more than $50,000 worth of grain.
Applications at onee began pouring in. there being between 250 and 260 in Nobles county. The state commissioners arrived in Worthington March 31 -and immediately began delivering the grain. Nobles county's share of the $50,000 was about $3,000, and to each applicant was given twelve bushels of wheat.13 It was expected that so soon as the state could negotiate a loan for the other $25.000 of the appropriation, it would be issued in corn, potatoes and other seed, but this was not done. With the grain received from the state and that which was in the county there was enough to seed about eighty per cent of the prepared land. The seed grain furnished by the state
12Commissioners' Journal. June 10, 1875.
13The settlers were slow in paying for this
was a Godsend. "Our farmers never started with better prospects as to seed than they do the present year," said the Advance.
The grain was sown; it germinated, and appeared above the ground. Then came anxious days. Would the grass- hopper scourge again come with its ruin and desolation ? As the season advanced the people with deep concern seanned the skies for the appearance of the pests. Eggs had not been deposited in the county the preceding season, and the only apprehension felt was in regard to another invasion. Tidings soon came. On Monday, June 28, it was reported that a vast army was on the way to the northwest from lowa and other states to the south, headed, it was said, for the Bad Lands of Dakota. They passed over Sioux City in great numbers, and ex- tended as far north as Sheldon. A few stragglers along the right flank of the army were seen in Nobles county and created some apprehension and caused a great deal of upward gazing. But the settlers thanked Providence that, so far, they were in the suburbs of the move- ment. One curious feature of this move- ment was that it came from the south- east ; before the hordes generally came out of the northeast. What few were seen passing over Nobles county did no damage whatever.
But on Saturday afternoon, July 10, the grasshoppers settled down in con- siderable numbers in various parts of the county. They came from the northeast, and as they were not full grown, it was believed they belonged to the Minnesota valley hatch, eggs having been deposited there in great numbers the year before. Sunday morning they began ealing in a
grain, and accounts were carried on the books of the county until November, 1903, when the last payment was made.
89
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
few fields of wheat and barley, but most of them waited until Monday before they tested the merits of the growing grain. On Sunday Ransom and Bigelow town- ships were invaded from the southwest, and a few fine stands of grain in each of those townships were badly damaged. Tuesday, July 13, the greater part of the hoppers took their departure, flying in a northwesterly direction. The damli- age in Nobles county was not general or great. In no part was there total de- struction, and probably not over 100 acres were seriously damaged. By the 16th the grasshoppers had not only de- parted from the county, but from the state.
The settlers kept track of the move- ments of the grasshoppers as they would have those of an invading army of sol- diers. They knew that only by chance would they escape. They felt as though the sword of Damocles were suspended .over them, ready to fall at any moment. The pests were absent only a short time. tn the latter part of July they invaded the townships of Hersey, Graham Lakes and Seward-communities which had suffered so greatly the year before-in great numbers. For several days they were there destroying the crops and de- positing their eggs. Some of the farm- ers lost everything, and all in the three townships suffered considerable loss. It is needless to say that the farmers there were discouraged. Some parts of the county had escaped without great loss in 1824 and most of the county did in 1815; but these townships in the north- castern part of the county had now suf- fered two nearly complete crop failures.
The grasshoppers began leaving the northern tier of townships on Friday.
July 30,11 and worked from there slow- ly southward, depositing their eggs as they went. They invaded Lorain and Elk townships and on the 31st put in an appearance about Worthington in considerably numbers. They were not so numerous as they had been the year be- fore, however, and were only enough to cover one tier of townships at a time. Neither did they eat so raven- ously as formerly.
They continued their way southward and spread out over several lowa coun- ties. where they did little or no dam- age to the erops. It has been a ragamuf- fin Falstaffin army, compared with that of the 1814 army. Their appetities ap- peared to be poor, and they were of a degenerate breed : bushels died after lay- ing their eggs, and the exhausted rem- nant left the county in the first half of August.
Oats and garden vegetables suffered most. Outside of the. three northeas- tern townships, where the loss was nearly total, the damage was slight, and an es- timnate placed the erop at nine-tenths of a full one. Probably twice the quan- tity of farm prodnets ever before raised was marketed in 1875.
The population of the county in 1875. according to tigures taken by the asses- sors in the different precincts, was 2738. divided by preeincts as follows :
Worthington village 419
Worthington township 207
Little Rock 204
Bigelow
192
Graham Lakes
192
Elk
189
Seward
184
Torain
182
Ransom
175
IIersex
170
Indian Lake 162
Olney
108
Grand Prairie 107
14"We were at Graham lakes on Wednesday [August 4], and found there was scarcely a grasshopper in the whole northern portion of
the county. At present they do not extend more than three or four miles north of Worth- ington .- Worthington Advance. Aug. 6. 1875.
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
Dewald 103
2nd Assessment District 67
Summit Lake 62
First _Assessment District. 13
Total 2,738
There was an increase in the as- sessed valuation in 1815. The total was $656,363, of which $231,250 was for personal property and $102,113 for real property. The levy was again placed at thirteen mills divided as follows: Gen- eral, five mills; interest on bonds, etc .. three mills; road and bridge, two and one-half mills; floating debt, one and one-half mills; poor, one mill.
The first term of court held in Nobles county convened at Miller hall, Worthington, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 18:5. and was in session until Saturday, Sept. 18. Judge D. A. Dickinson, of Mankato, judge of the Sixth district, presided. During the term E. D. Had- ley, of Luverne, and Daniel Rohrer. of Worthington- were admitted to practice. Besides the members of the Worthington bar there were present Daniel Buck, of Mankato: E. Clark. of Windom; Geo. 1. Otis, of St. Pant; Mr. Segur, of St. James; J. W. Knox. of Jackson, and Samuel Lord, of Manforville.
There were two criminal cases on the dockel. One was against one Larson, charged with selling diseased meat. The grand jury failed to return a true bill. Andrew Jacobson. charged with burglary, was discharged. owing to the fact that the grand jury was not properly drawn. ball. B. F. Congdon, John Hart.
The first list drawn was not signed by the chairman of the board, and the second list was not filed with the clerk of court. The grand jury was therefore de- «lared not competent to find an indiet- ment, and the prisoner was given his liberty.
Of the seventeen civil cases on the docket. several were quite important. The only jury ease was that of Jesse W. Palmer against Warren Smith for lilw.l. The trial occupied several days. and the case was decided in favor of the plaintiff. who was given a verdict of one dollar.
Following were the jurors who served at this first term :
Grand jurors. Michael Snyder, John T. Green. A. Buchan, Charles Fake. T. P. Crowe. C. B. Loveless, Coleman Guernsey. W. G. Randall, John D. Brown B. F. Tanner, David Fogo, J. R. Dewey, Alfred Terry, James Thom, John De- Boos. W. B. Akins, O. A. Fauskee, G. 3. Plumb. G. T. Bulick. A. W. Born- ham. David Bates. William Cuff. Otto Berreau.
Petit jurors-Peter Sweitzer, J. Tar- hert. John Alley. T. H. Parsons, Wil- liam H. Parry, IT. C. Rice, HI. M. John- son. Frank Densmore, E. W. Hesselroth, Charles Peterson, Henry Brayton, B. D. Churchill. Richard Bergratf. L. B. Har- don. Robert Firth. James Parshall, E. J. Bear. A. O. Conde. Charles Drury, William Dilly. B. W. Lyon, L. E. Kim-
CHAPTER VI.
THE GRASSHOPPER SCOURGE (Continued )-1876-1879.
The year 1876 opened auspieiously. Despite the forebodings of disaster from another grasshopper visitation. the peo- ple were in fine spirits. This was caus- ed by the prospects of another railroad building into the county. Everybody was worked up over the matter, and the belief was almost unanimous that upon the coming of another railroad depended the future welfare of the county.
The Southern Minnesota1 was the name of the road that caused the flurry in Nobles county. It had a road com- pleted and in operation as far west as Winnebago City and let it be known that the line would be extended to the west. provided sufficient money was rais- od as a bonus. Nobles county was asked to vote bonds to the amount of $40,000 as a subsidy to be paid subject lo the condition that the road be com- . pleted to Worthington and in opera- tion on or before September 1, 18:2. It was also made known that the road would later be extended. Mass meet- ings and conventions were helt to bring
1A company formed by Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul interests. The road is NOW a branch of that system.
"In the light of present conditions, this pre- diction is amusing. The Southern Minnesota did build north of Worthington; the point of crossing with the Sioux City road is at Prairie Junction, or Miloma: and anyone who has spent his time there waiting for trains will corroborate the statement that it is not
about the desired condition, and very little opposition to voting the bonds developed. The Worthington Advance of Jan. 13, 1876, said of the necessity of having the new road, and thereby voiced the sentiment of the people of Worthington, at least :
The Southern Minnesota is Worthington's opportunity. If the road comes here, Worth- ington becomes from that day a railroad center and an important inland city. If it goes north of us, the railroad center for this section of country will be at the point of crossing the Sioux City road? Worth- ington can better afford to pay the whole bonus herself than to let the road go north of ns. About one-half the tax will fall upon Worthington in any event, for about that per cent of the realty on the tax list is in Worthington. . But of course Worthington will not he asked to do this. The surrounding country will, if anything. le benefited more than the town, and will not hesitate to hear its share of the small burden necessary to secure the road.
A petition was presented to the board of county commissioners on February 19, asking that the Nobles county law makers call an election to vote on the question of issuing bonds.3 The same day the commissioners took favorable ac-
3The petition was signed by Daniel Shell. H. W. Kimball, H. J. Grant, L. E. Kimball, Otis Bigelow, C. P. Hewitt, R. F. Baker, Gen. O. Moore, H. Davis, S. A. Davis, E. C. Hill, A. M. Smith. Elihu Smith, C. B. Loveless, (. T. Pope. B. N. Carrier, T. C. Bell. A. P. Miller. M. B. Soule. J. P. Moulton, W. S. Stockdale. R. D. Barber, H J. Ludlow, C. Z. Sutton, M. Grinager. I. B. Bennett. Daniel Rohrer, J. A. Town, C. Johnson and I. N. Sater.
metropolis.
91
92
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
tion, and called a special election for on its main line. The point favored the village of Worthington to be held was Sibley or some station in Iowa. March 11. Provision was made for vol- The wants of the Dakota town were made known to the officials of the Sioux City & St. Paul road. President E. F. Drake responded as follows: ing on the question in the townships on the same day, that being the date of the regular township elections. By a vote of 353 to 199 the bond issue was an- thorized. Following is the result by precinets :
PRECINCTS
For Bonds
Against Bonds
Worthington Village
Worthington Twp.
10
1
Lorain
Dewald .
93
Olney .
16
Hersey
30
5
Summit Lake
16
2
Graham Lakes
1
36
Seward
41
Indian Lake.
Bigelow. .
25
Ransom .
10
Little Rock
10
Total
353
199
That was the end of the matter for the time being. The road was not ex- tended until three years later, and then it barely touched Nobles county, passing through the northeastern corner of Gra- ham Lakes township. The bonds for the subsidy voted were not issued.
But the Southern Minnesota was not the only railroad that showed activity in 1826. Simultaneous with the agita- tion for the extension of that line, the people of Sioux Falls and vicinity were laying plans to have a road built into that prosperous community. In the fall of 1825 several public meetings were held in Sioux Falls, the object of which was to secure a road, either hy building one with local capital or by inducing the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad company to construct a branch from some point
St. Panl. Minn., Oct. 28. 1875. Sir: Vour favor of the 21st duly received. Absence has prevented an earlier reply. It stems to me your proper line of road is from Worthington, or a point on our road at the state line. The great product of your country is to be wheat, and our route to Lake Superior is always to be the best route for it. Had the west escaped grasshoppers we would have long since taken np this project, but our stockholders have sunk in operating our road abont as much as would be required to build to Sioux Falls, Foreign aid cannot be had until the state of lowa. by some act of her legislature, can assure investors that they will be free from un- friendly legislation. I think, as matters now stand. our preference will be to build from some point in Minnesota. While we are not ready to begin to build, and would desire (in case we do) the cooperation of Sioux Falls, still we are not losing sight of the importance of the proposed route, and will give it every encouragement in our power. I am of the opinion that the road can only be built by local aid liberally voted. It will not be in my power to be with you at your meeting. but whatever may be its result. and whatever route you may determine on, I shall wish you success. Your people are entitled to a road one in some direction, and when you develop your plans and determine what you wish to do, I shall be glad to have further correspondence.
Yours, E. F. DRAKE, Prest.
The information contained in the let- ter did not prove entirely satisfactory to the progressive people of Sioux Falls ; they wanted a road at once, and Presi- dent Drake had stated that the company was not in position to build at once. They continued the agitation, determin- ed to construct a road themselves if nee- essary, and an association was formed, composed mostly of people of Minne- haha county, Dakota territory. Presi- dent Drake had given a hint as to the proper place from which to build, and late in December. 1825, the Dakota
35
Elk
93
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
boomers met and designated Worthing- ton as the eastern terminus of the pro- posed road.
A preliminary survey of the country adjacent to Big Sioux river and Brown creek from Sioux Falls to the Minnesota line near Valley Springs was made. The surveyors reported a route favorable for construction as well as operating. The people of Minnehaha county very strong- ly urged the people of Rock and Nobles counties to unite with them in further- ing the work." But the people of No- bles county were at the time too much absorbed in the Southern Minnesota to be aroused in the interest of the Dako- tans.
During the month of January, 1876, the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad company decided to build the road. This action was taken because of the evident intention of the Southern Minnesota to invade the territory. The decision was reached. ostensibly. through the efforts of the Minnehaha county committee. who visited the officers of the railroad com- pany and secured from them the promise to build the road.5 The railroad com- pany asked that the three counties
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