USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 9
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Sce. 3. At said election the electors of said county in favor of the removal of the said county seat as provided in this act. shall have distinctly written or printed. or rartly written and partly printed. on their hallots "For removal of county seat;" those
"A paragraph of the contract read: "
that they shall have free access to said room by use of the back door at all times and access by the front door from seven o'clock
opposed to such removal, "Against removal uf county seat." and such ballots shall be received by the judges of election and can- vassed at the same time and in the same manner, and be returned to the same office as votes for county officers.
Net. 4. The county canvassing board of said county. to whom said election returns are made, shall canvass the vote- on said question. at the same time and in the same mauer as returns of votes for county offi- cers, and if upon such canvass being made it shall appear that a majority of the votes rast at such election were voted in favor of the removal of said county seat, an ab- -tract of the canvass of said votes shall be made on one sheet, signed and certified in the same manner as in cases of abstracts of votes cast for the county officers, and shall Iw' deposited in the office of the coun.y au- ditur of said county. and the said county anditor shall immediately thereafter trans- mit to the secretary of state a copy of said abstract, duly certified by said auditor.
Ser. 5. If this act shall be adopted by a majority of the electors of said county of Nobles voting at the said election at the next general election, the governor shall forthwith make proclamation. as provided by law in such cases, and it is hereby made the duty of all officers who are required hy law to hold their office at the county seat. to remove the said offices, books and records to the new county seat at Hersey within thirty days. without further notice, and any failure to so remove said offices shall oper- ate as a forfriture of their said offices.
Soe. G. All acts and parts of arts incon- sistent with this act are hereby repealed.
See. 7. This act shall take effect and be in fores from and after it- preage. except as to seecon one, which is to take effect and be in force from and after the adoption of the same as provided herein.
AApproved March 6, IST9.
The county officials made prepara- fions to carry out the provisions of the first act. Arrangements were made to secure a building at Worthington for court house purposes, and on May ? a contract was signed leasing the back room of the building known as the post- office building. This was leased for a period of one year from Charlotte E. Goodnow for $150.8
By resolution of the county board of May 20, the auditor officially gave no-
in the morning until nine o'clock in the evening of each day of the week, Sundays excepted."
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
time to the other officers that they must remove their offices at oner to the county seat, and before the first of June the county business was being transacted in Worthington. On June 10 the first meeting of the commissioners was held there.9
When Worthington was founded the railroad company gave to the county the block of land in the heart of the city. still used for court house purposes, and now worth many thousand dollars. 1 clear title was not given at first. It was provided that a court house should be erected thereon within three years ( from 18:1), and that in case the property ever ceased to be used for court house purposes it should revert to the railroad company. When the hard times period cape on it was found impossible to eret a court house within the time specified, and the railroad company granted an extension of two years. In 1816 another extension of time was given. and in 1812 a court house was erected.
In accordance with the provisions of the second act of March 6, the county seat question was decided at the general election on November 4, 1873. There was never much doubt as to the out- come, and the bitter animosities so of- ten engendered in county seal contests were lacking. Worthington was the logical location. It was the center of population and the only town of any pretentions in the county. Hersey was on the extreme castern edge of the county and a place of relatively small im- portance. Hersey and Graham Lakes town- ships returned majorilies in favor of
"After the first year the county rented of I. H. Johnson an office In a little building located on Ninth street, just west of the pres- ent court house, for a rental parler of $37.50
per quarter. There was only one room down
the smaller place; in only two other precin«ts. Seward and Fairview (L/r- ain) did Hersey receive any considerable vole. The result in detail follows :
TOWNSHIPS
For Removal
to Hersey
Against Removal to Hersey
Fairview Lorain
10
Worthington
3
96
Seward*
12
13
Wilson Summit Lake
13
Graham Lakes
29
2
Bigelow
1
45
Dewald.
39
Elk ... .
1
25
Grant Ransom).
37
Little Rock.
27
102-42 Olney +
13
Hersey .
4×
1
Indian Lake
33
Grand Prairie
13
Totals
104
379
* Including township 101 11 ( Bloom).
+ A voting precint had been established, but the township organization had not yet been perfected.
A tax of fifteen mills was levied in 1823, of which eight mills was for the general fund. two mills for road pur- poses, one mill for the poor fund. and four mills to be applied on the payment of interest on the country's debt.
The report of school conditions during the year 1823 is very meager. From it we learn that there were fourteen dis- tricts in the county, in only three of which schools were held, however. The total number of pupils in the county was 369. One frame school house was erected at a cost of $51.31.
Despite the terrible times through which the early settlers of Nobles county passed, the pioneers made the best of
stairs, and in that were gathered the principal functionaries of the county. There were two living rooms upstairs. Mr. Johnson Inter opened a harness shop in this building.
.
79
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
their trials, and their social relations were always pleasant. I can give no better idea of the social conditions dur- ing these days of hardships than by quot- ing a letter written by Robert Shore, of Ransom township. in 1901:10
"Here in Nobles county some 27 or 28 years ago the lonely settlers' cabins were few and far between, and in the long. cold winters of those early times the days often dragged heavily. .
"In the rigorous winters of those early days there were no coal fires in the homes of the farmers on these prairies ; no carpeted floors : but few books and papers : and as for the luxuries or life, they were unknown. And yet people en- joyed themselves even then; indeed, T don't think I ever saw people enjoy themselves better than at some of the sociables. so-called. of those primitive times. It would be arranged that on some specified evening there was to be a sociable at the house, say, of Timothy Sharp or some other good neighbor, and.
10Published in the Nobles County Democrat. of Déc. 20, 1901.
at the appointed time people would come from every direction for miles around to spend a pleasant evening together. And then would follow a time of as unre- strained enjoyment as 1 ever saw. It seemed as if all the pent up jollity of one's nature was let loose, and, as Byron says, 'joy was unconfined.'
"One reason for this was, I think. that the little bickerings which too often disturb the peace of a neighborhood had mot arisen ; people were animated by a common purpose-the making of homes for themselves in this then new country. Then. too, people were all on an equal- ity ; there were no rich and poor, con- sequently no social distinctions. Every man felt that he was as good as bis neighbor, and his neighbor as good as he. Then, again, people in those days wore blessed, it seemed with abounding good health. People lived very plainly in those days-were obliged to-and plain living, we are told. is conducive to health. "
-
CHAPTER V.
THE GRASSHOPPER 1874-1875.
SCOURGE-
If there had been a belief that the grasshopper visitation of 1823 was only a temporary blight on the prospects, it was rudely dispelled. The story of the years to follow is one of heartrending misery. From Manitoba to Texas the grasshoppers brought desolation and suf- fering in 1824. the visitation being gen- cral along the whole frontier. Especially destructive were they in southwestern Minnesota and in Kansas and Nebraska.
A large acreage was sown in Nobles county in the spring on land that had been broken the year before. Then the settlers commenced breaking, and plant- ing "sod corn." When warm weather set in grasshoppers began to hatch from the eggs that had been deposited the summer before and began their ravages as soon as the first tender blades of grain appeared. Whole fields were strip- ped entirely bare in those portions of the county where the young hoppers were most numerous, principally in the northern and western townships. The southeastern part escaped almost en- tirely.
Had this been the only damage. the county would have survived the inflic- tion. A fine growing season caused the crops in many places to get ahead of the young hoppers. Wheat and oats were growing finely, "sod corn" was an
especially good crop, and all garden vegetables were growing as they seldom have since. Then on July 2 came a visitation of "foreign" hoppers out of the northeast, who made it evident that the country was not to escape with the ravages of the young. pests.
Conditions were such in the early summer that the people realized that something must be done to assist those who had met misfortune. On July 1 the board of county commissioners, com- posed of I. P. Durfee, chairman ; J. W. Miller and M. L. Miller, met at Worth- ington to consider the condition of the destitute and the sufferers from loss of crops by the grasshoppers, and to pro- vide for their wants. County Attorney M. B. Soule was present and offered the following resolution, which was adopted :
Be it resolved by the board of county com- missioners of Nobles county and state [of Minnesota] that an amount not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000) be and the same is hereby appropriated for the immed- iate relief of those persons in said county who are in need of such relief. and that same be expended for this purpose alone. under the direction of said board of cont- missioners. and in accordance with such rules and regulations as they deem best. And that an order of said county be issued un- der the direction of said board, bearing in- terest at the rate of twelve per cent, for the amount of such part thereof as may be needed.
County Auditor William M. Bear went to St. Paul, and. through the influence
4
81
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
of Governor Cushman K. Davis, sold out of the northeast. The sky was so one thousand dollars worth of the coun- tv's paper at its face value to the First National Bank of St. Paul. It must not be imagined that this money was raised for the purpose of reimbursing the sufferers : it was to prevent actual starvation. One hundred barrels of flour and eighteen barrels of pork were pur- chased and brought to the county for distribution. An informal meeting of the county board was held at the rosi- dener of J. W. Miller, in Graham Lakes town-hip. on July 2. when the following residents were named to act as distribut- ing agents in their respective townships : N. IT. Smith,1 Graham Lakes.
.J. Westinghouse.1 Seward.
C. A. Barrows.1 Hersey.
W. B. Akins, Elk.
S. Wass.1 Wilson (Summit Lake).
D. Fogo, Lorain.
T. P. Durfee, Worthington.
J. B. Churchill. Dewald.
R. Stillman,1 Olney.
Jas. Atcheson, Indian Lake.
E. S. Mills, Bigelow.
Leroy Cole, Ransom.
J. D. Roberts, Little Rock.
TT. S. Barnes. Grand Prairie.
These gentlemen at once apportioned the supplies among the most needy. They found many in a precarious con- dition ; the thousand dollars worth of provisions was only a drop in the bucket.
The destruction to erops done by the young grasshoppers and those which came on July 2 was as nothing com- pared with what was to follow. About ten o'clock on the morning of July 15 the grasshoppers were again soon coming
full of them that the sun was darkened as with dense cloud-, and the roar of their wings sounded like the approach of a storm. This time they came down for good: and what havoe they wrought : Those that alighted on the prairies2 seemed to know where the grain fields and gardens were, and gathered in them from all directions. Every cornstalk lent to the earth with their weight. The noise they made cating could be heard for quite a distance and resembled that which might have been made by hun- dreds of hogs that had been turned into the fields. In fact, such was the de- struction that within four hours after they came down. whole fields of corn and small grain were as completely har- vested as though they had been out with a reaper and hanled away. It was a dis- couraging sight.
After gorging themselves with the crops the hoppers became stupid and piled up in the fields and along the roads, often to a. depih of one or two feel. Horses could hardly ho driven through them. Stories have been told of railway trains becoming blockaded by the pests, so as to be unable to move until The insects were shoveled from the tracks. After resting from their feast. they took their departure.
On August 3 came another horde. seeking to destroy what had been left. and those settlers who had escaped with only a partial loss before were now called upon to go through the torInres of sering their grain disappear, with no means of checking the disaster. Tt seems incredible that any grain should have been left. but such is the case.3
"Were superseded by Julius Westinghouse. Graham Takes: Jonas Parshall. Seward: A. A Parsons. Hersey: J. J. Weaver, Wilson: J. V. Hartow Olney.
"The name applied to these pests is a mis- nomer. They never ate grass. We have stated that half a crop of wheat had been raised. Since threshing
83
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
From a carefully prepared estimate made by Auditor William M. Bear, we learn that out of a total of 16.410 acres planted to crop in 18:4, only 82.183 bushels of grain and vegetables were saved. Wheat averaged about five and one-half bushels per aere, oats seven bushels. corn two and one-half bushels, potatoes 38 bushels, while all other grain was nearly a complete failure. The old settled township of Indian Lake was the most fortunate, and escaped with small damage. The wheat average there was a little less than ten bushels.4 The lowest wheat average was in Sew- ard. being less than two bushels. In Hersey and Graham Lakes the loss was also nearly complete. The largest acre- age sown was in Worthington township. where 1.465 acres were planted and 10 .- 916 bushels of wheat harvested. Fol- lowing is Anditor Bear's estimate of the number of acres sown. the number of bushels harvested and the average yield per aere of the different grains and vege- tables :5
CROP
Acres Sown
Bushels Average Raised Per Acre
Wheat
8,887
49,539
5 57
Oats
2,285
16,600
7.26
Corn
3,034
8,210
2.70
Potatoes.
357
13,612
38 12
Buckwheat
234
243
1.03
Beans
135
56
41
Flax Seed
1,299
1,639
1.26
Barley
179
284
1.59
Total
16,410
82,143
this will have to be slightly changed. for the crop falls a little below half a crop. Nobles county raised this year two or three times as much wheat as it needed to bread the county. but, as we stated before, those who have any surplus must sell to pay debts and procure other supplies. Those who raised nothing are loft destitute and must be carried through the winter."-Worthington Advance. Oct. 3. 1874.
4When relief supplies were distributed later in the year the people of Indian Lake re- quested that no supplies be sent into that township.
The Minnesota commissioner of sta- tistics prepared a report of the estimated loss in the principal grain crops in Minnesota due to the grasshopper raids of 18:4. His estimate for Nobles county was as follows :
CROP
Acres Damaged
Loss in Bushels
Wheat
7,718
100,272
Oats
2,436
73,690
Corn
2,678
63,871
Total
12,832
237,833
The colonists had now been in the county over two years, and not a crop had been raised. They were poor peo- ple when they came : not having realized a cent of income since their arrival, the result can well be imagined. The people were compelled to practice the most rigid economy. Hay furnished the fuel ; potatoes, pumpkins and squashes- a few vegetables left by the grasshop- pers- furnished the food. Meat was not on the bill of fare, except for those who could use a gun and bag the prairie ehiekens and ducks that were in great abundance. In this manner a large number of the settlers were obliged to pass the winter.
They bore their trials more cheerfully than might have been expected, and made preparations to try their luck again next year. In preparing their land for the crop the following year, the farmers nearly ruined their horses.
5Said the Advance of Jan. 20, 1875: "These figures will be interesting to the future his- torian of the great grasshopper visitation. When Nohles county is annually turning out an average of from 17 to 25 bushels per acre, and when several more railroads will be de- manded to do the carrying for the fertile prairie regions of this latitude. these figures will be looked upon with a melancholy inter- est. and our children will wonder at the pluck and energy of the people who stuck it through."
81
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
heing without the necessary grain to be made to secure funds to prevent ter- feed them. About 18,500 acres of land was prepared that fall," which was more than had been sown in 18:1.
Many were left destitute and badly in need of aid. but during the summer and varly fall the actual suffering was not severe. But a few realized what the con- dition would be when cold weather set in, and steps were at once taken to pre- pare for the time when food, clothing and fuel would have io be supplied to prevent starvation and freezing. it was apparent that such aid as the state would furnish would be wholly inadequate to meet the demands of the destitute. Several gentlemen concluded that the only safety lay in providing a fund to meet the emergency which was sure to arise in midwinter. To this end J. C. Clark was selected to visit the eastern cities for the purpose of soliciting aid. Assurances were given Mr. Clark by Professor Hunmision and others that whether successful or not his expenses would be paid. He succeeded in raising about $1.800 in caslern cities, and, sub- sequently. about $300 in St. Louis. Others went out soliciting on private account entirely, and were more or less successful in relieving their own wanls.7
Although precautions had already heen taken as outlined above. by the middle of October it was realized that a united and more thorough effort must
ribile tragedies that otherwise would surely come with the wintry blasts. With this in view a mass meeting was held in Miller hall, Worthington, on October 13. to devise means of meeting the emer- gency. 1. P. Durfee was chairman of the meeting and J. A. Town was seere- tary. The following statement of condi- tions in the county, and the purposes of the meeting was adopted, one section at a time:8
Whereas. There is urgent and immediate necessity for aid to many destitute families in our county; and
Whereas. The efforts put forth and sup- plies now ou hand are totally inadequate to meet the demands which are constantly made for help: and
Whereas. We are fully convinced that the more favored portions of our own state and other S'ates do not appreciate the destintion in our midst; therefore
Resolved. That we appeal (1) to the chari- table of our own state for help: (2) to the people of the United Sta es; (3) to the state government ; (J) to the government of the United States, for the preservation of which many of us offered oor alf during the late terrible civil war.
The conditions were discussed in de- tail. Estimates as to the possible num- ber of families that would require aid varied from two hundred to three hun- dred. Mr. Durfee, who was chairman of the county relief committee. roporied that 32,000 pounds of flour and a large quantity of pork. furnished hy the coun- ty, had been distributed. He also stated that he bad appealed to the governor
"Estimate by Auditor Bear.
11 is possible that a few took advantage of the terrille conditions prevailing, and, repre- senting themselves as duly authorized col leters for the relief fund. were in reality working for their own benefit, The Advance of September 26. 1871, said:
"Our correspondent mentions the fact that . some one from Hersey township has gone to St. Paul hogging, and has seenred quite a sum of money ard a good supply of other articles. Wo judge from the tenor of the statement that this was done on private ;c- count entirely. Of course if people will go abroad and beg there is no way of preventing them, but these persons are bringing reproach upon the whole region and giving us the rep-
utation of chronic mendicants. Ww. heard a
few days ago that one man from Graham Lakes township had recently been through Wisconsin and Michigan begging. This is his second begging tour, and no doubt he is realizing a handsome sum. We wish to warn the pullie against all leggers from this region who profess to have letters from responsible parties in this courty. The papers are gen- orally forged, ad when it Is known that there is an org: rized method of obtaining and distributing supplies, people ought to re- fuse those who pro legging on private ac- rount."
^Published in the Claim Shanty Vindicator of Oct. 21, 1874
85
HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY.
for state aid. Governor Davis replied that the county government ought to do something for the destitute and sug- gested that an additional $1,000 bonds be issued. Mr. Durfee informed his excellency that in his opinion the peo- ple of Nobles county would sooner leave the state than issue more bonds. This opinion was somewhat borne out when the mass meeting passed a resolution re- questing that the county commissioners do not issue more hands for the purpose of relief.
Warren Smith favored the immediate distribution of the $1,800 which had been raised by Mr. Clark, and suggested that the reason the governor did not favor rendering assistance was because that fund was as yet unapplied. Prof. Humiston said that he was satisfied that the governor was not cognizant of any such fund. that the money had been placed in the bank against the extreme suffering which parties foresaw would exist during the coming winter, but that if the time had arrived when it should be given out, it only awaited the order of the proper officers.
A committee was appointed to draft an appeal for aid, and soon thereafter was issued the following entreaty, in part :
APPEAL IN BEHALF OF THE GRASS- HOPPER SUFFERERS OF NOBLES COUNTY.
A meeting of the citizens of Nobles county. Minnesota, was held at Worthington. Oeto- ber 13. 1874, at which the undersigned were appointed a committee to draft an appeal to the charitable of our own state and to the friends in our old home states, in ho- half of the needy and destitute in our midst. Our people have suffered a calamity as real and overwhelming as if everything had been swept away by fire and flood. We refer to the raids of the grasshoppers during the last two years. Ours is a new country. Most of our settlers came here in the spring of
1872 and since that time. The first year of settlement is necessarily spent in breaking the prairie in order to procure a crop the second season. Thus it will be seen that many of our people have raised no crop in the three seasons of their residence on these new lands. Their need is urgent and immediate.
The question may be asked what things are needed. We answer: First, food. Many families have lived for weeks on such vege- tables as escaped destruction, and the sun- ply is almost exhausted. They have neither bread nor meat. Second. They need cloth irg. They have raised nothing to sell. and the clothing they brought with them is worn to rags. We would suggest that yarn for stocking-, thread and material for children's clothing be sent. This will give help and employment at the same time- the best human charity. Third. They need bedding. There are those who are now sleeping under a covering of prairie hay, and winter is ap- proaching. Fourth. They will need seed grain next spring or another year will not relieve the destitution.
Some may ask why we do not abandon a country which is liable to such a plague. We answer: We have seen enough in some favored portions of this and adjoining conn- ties to demonstrate the matchless fertility of the soil. In Jackson county. immediately east of us. more than forty bushels of wheat and one hundred and ten bushels of oats per acre have been reaped in former years. Our climate is as agreeable as any in the world. We have temperate. intelligent, industrion-, moral class of people. Their misfortunes cannot be laid to any improvi- dence on their part. We came here to make homes for our-elves and our children, and most of us have invested our all here in improvements on our homestads and have no means to get away, even temporarily. And heside-, where else can we go? is there any land on earth that is exempt from calamities of some kind ?
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