USA > Minnesota > Waseca County > Child's history of Waseca County, Minnesota : from its first settlement in 1854 to the close of the year 1904, a record of fifty years : the story of the pioneers > Part 39
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Hon. I. C. Trowbridge, who laid out the original plat of what is now the city of Waseca, died rather suddenly of heart failure, October 3, 1893. Among other biographical sketches appears a sketch of his life.
Mrs. Clarissa (Mosher) Baker, widow of W. S. Baker, of Wa- seca, died on Friday, Oct. 20, 1893, of pneumonia. She was born Feb. 18, 1819, in Marion county, Ohio, where she resided until 1845. She was married Dec. 30, 1841, and came West as far as Dodge county, Wis., in 1845, with her husband, where they resided until 1856, when they came to Waseca county and settled in Otisco. They afterwards lived for a time in the west part of this county, and finally moved to Waseca when the town was first platted. She was the mother of seven children: Ozias, Sam- uel, Charles, Scott, Cassius, Lucinda and Carrie. Ozias, Samuel, and Charles, served in the Union ranks during the Rebellion, Ozias dying soon after his return. Lucinda married Chauncey Gibbs and died before the death of Mrs. Baker. Five children survived her.
The following notice is taken from the Waseca Herald :
The Gilmore City Globe, of Iowa, brings the sad news of the death of one of the early and most honorable settlers of this county, Mr. Jesse B. Jackson. Mr. Jackson came to Wilton, in this county, in 1857, and was county commissioner for a number of years. He was born in Jeffer- son county, N. Y., March 24, 1823. He went to Lorain county. Ohio, in 1847, and in October of the same year was married to Harriet N. Dudley. They were the parents of seven children, four daughters and three sous, five of whom are now living. In 1868 they removed to Hardin county lowa, and in 1871 moved to Pocahontas county where he has since resided,
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with the exception of two winters spent in California. The nervous dis- ease from which he suffered for many years was contracted partly from a fall from a barn on which he was at work. His collar bone was broken and he never entirely recovered from the shock. He passed peacefully away on the 29th of November, 1893, and his remains were buried on the 30th, Thanksgiving Day.
DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.
The sixteenth annual convention of the state dairymen's asso- ciation was held at Waseca, Minn., December 12, 13, and 14, 1893. The officers present were Hon. John L. Gibbs, of Geneva, presi- dent; Hon. A. P. Foster, of Plainview, vice-president; and Prof. T. L. Haecker, of St. Anthony Park, secretary. The following notes are condensed from the report published at the time in a local paper :
Tuesday was a bitterly cold day, but Father Benson, of Anoka, Secretary Haecker, of St. Anthony Park, Treasurer Short of Faribault, and others were here early in the morning. Messrs. Samuel Leslie, G. H. Wood, Samuel Hawkes, and other local dairymen were on hand to assist, and in the afternoon and even- ing many came in from abroad, among them President Gibbs, of Geneva, Freeborn county, and Prof. O. C. Gregg and his corps of institute lecturers. The meeting on Tuesday evening was held under very unfavorable circumstances. The weather was cold enough in the open air, but the temperature inside Ward's opera house was away below the comfort mark, and many were forced to leave on account of the severe cold. But cold as it was the dairymen carried out their program. Rev. E. C. Clemans made a unique prayer for good butter, honest butter, sixteen ounces to the pound, and at such prices that God's poor might get a taste now and then.
President John L. Gibbs presided. He introduced Hon. John Moonan who delivered the address of welcome in a very pleasing manner. Mr. C. L. Smith, of Minneapolis, a very fluent and enter- taining speaker made response. The secretary and the treasurer then made their written reports. James E. Child, of Waseca, and Hon. O. C. Gregg, president of the Farmers' state institute work- ers, were called upon and made short addresses the first evening. The association was in session three days and much good work
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was done. The next week this paper reviewed the meeting as follows :
"The holding of the Dairymen's annual meeting in this city, last week, was a matter of great local importance as well as of general interest. It is a fact, which can not be too often urged, that dairying and the raising of hogs and cattle, together with the growing of grain, are of the utmost importance to all the farmers of Minnesota, north as well as south. All these should go together wherever circumstances make it possible, and the discussions and papers at the Dairymen's meeting threw much light on the subject. Take for instance, the statement that a separator creamery, with 800 cows, a small number for each township, had a clear income of $40,000. That is $50, on the av- erage, for each cow, and each farmer took back with him seventy-five per cent of the whole milk in sweet, skimmed milk, beside his proportion of butter milk with which to feed calves and hogs. This amount was realized from the "average cow," while the farmer had only to milk the cows, strain the milk and cart it to the factory-the churning, salting, packing, and marketing being done hy the co-operative factory.
"Under this system, the poor man, with only two or three cows, can realize as much per cow as his wealthiest brother; while, under the home system of making butter, the farmer, with two or three cows, could not compete at all with his richer brother having a large herd of cows and all the necessary appliances for butter-making.
"Our German and Scandinavian Americans, to the east of us, along the Steele county border and in Steele and Freeborn counties, have caught on to the fact that even the 'average cow' will give a return of from $45 to $60 a year under this co-operative plan. Why should not every farmer in Waseca county do as well?
"There is another consideration in this co-operative creamery plan: it does away with the cutthroat practice of speculation which is a necessity where the manufacturer, (creamery man), must take his chances on the market. By co-operation, both the manufacturer of the butter and the producer of the milk get just what their joint product is worth in the market; while, under any other plan, the manufacturer and dealer must keep down the price to the farmer in order to cover possi- ble losses and make money."
WASECA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
The annual meeting of this society was held at the court room, on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1893. Reports of the secretary and the treas- urer were read, showing at length the financial condition of the society. The total receipts during the year amounted to $877.02; and the expenses, including premiums, to $856.59, leaving a bal- ance on hand of $20.43. There was outstanding an order for $250 borrowed money, which was made necessary to pay premiums.
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the weather having prevented the holding of the last fair on two of the appointed days.
The following resolution was unanimously adopted :
Resolved, That the commissioners of the county of Waseca be, and they are, hereby requested to purchase our present fair grounds for the purpose of holding an annual county fair, under and by virtue of the power vested in such commissioners so to do by an act of the legis- lature of the state of Minnesota, passed in 1891.
CHAPTER LXIII, 1894.
COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS-PROCEEDINGS OF COUNTY BOARD- CLAGHORN DEFALCATION-A DYNAMITE EXPLOSION-ELEC- TION RESULTS-DIED: HON. WARREN SMITH, PETER BURNS, MRS. A. C. SMITH, BYRON SMITH, MRS MYRICK, JOHN REMUND.
The year 1894 opened clear, bright, and cold. The county board assembled on Jan. 5. Mr. Chase was re-elected chairman-the oth- er members present being Messrs. Sunde, Peterson, Lewer, and Bluhm. Messrs. John Moonan, S. Leslie, M. Sheeran, and O. Pow- ell, of the Waseea County Agricultural Society, presented the resolution of the society asking for the purehase of fair grounds. and also addressed the board urging the purchase of the land.
The committee of the board appointed to confer with the own- ers of the fair grounds reported that the land could be purchased at $100 per aere for twenty-five acres. The report was accepted and the committee discharged.
Mr. Peterson then offered the following resolutions which were adopted :
Resolved, That the county commissioners of the county of Waseca, Minnesota, purchase twenty-five acres of land lying just east of Second street, and north of Clear Lake road, in the southwest quarter of sec- tion 8, township 107, range 22, in the city of Waseca, the same being lands heretofore used by the Waseca County Agricultural, Mechanical, and Industrial society for county fair grounds, and other lands in the vicinity thereof as and for use as a county fair ground.
Resolved, That the title of said lands shall be vested in and remain in said Waseca county, but that the said Waseca County Agricultural ** * society shall have the exclusive use thereof for an annual rental of $25 per year, to be paid into the county treasury of said county, on or before the first day of January of each and every year.
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Resolved, That the board of county commissioners of Waseca county shall not be called upon or required to make any improvements or re- pairs on the premises as long as the same remain in the possession of the society aforesaid.
The roll was ealled and all voted in favor of the adoption of the resolutions except Mr. Jonas O. Sunde.
The author deems it unfortunate that the people of this county. and especially the farmers, have allowed the fair grounds to lapse into disusage during the past few years. May we not hope . that very soon again the people will take up the subject and re- juvenate the agricultural society of the county.
On May 26, 1894, $100 was voted the town of Ioseo for a bridge between sections 17 and 18: $20 for repair of bridge sections 18 and 19; $85 town of Alton for repair of Alma City bridge; also $100 town of Janesville for bridge seetions 27 and 34.
At the May 22 meeting the following appropriations were made from the county road and bridge fund :
To town of New Richland, $200 to aid in building a new bridge on the river, between sections 24 and 25, and $50 for road grading on sections 23 and 26; to town of Byron, $90 for a bridge over a creek on sections 5 and 8, and $10 for road grading on sections 4 and 9; to town of Otisco, $50 to aid in rebuilding the Walstrom bridge on section 33, $25 for re- pairs on the Holz bridge on section 7, and $25 for repairing the Hanson bridge on section 35; to town of Freedom, $125 to aid in rebuilding bridge on Bull Run at section 18; to town of Woodville, $25 for grading road on section 19, $50 for grading road on sections 17 and 28, $20 for grad- ing road on sections 5 and 6, and $30 for grading road between section 6 of Woodville and section 1 of St. Mary; to town of Iosco, $75 to aid in grading road on sections 8, 10, 11, and 26.
At the July meeting the following appropriations were order- ed :
"To town of Alton, $50 for repairing Alma City bridge and $15 for grad- ing road between sections 26 and 35 of said town; to town of Wilton, $125 for replanking the Wilton bridge, $25 for repairing St. Mary bridge, on section 4 of said town, and $25 as aid in building bridge on section 35, of said town; to town of Blooming Grove, $75 for grading road between sections 2 and 11, and $50 for grading road between sections 8 and 17 of said town; to town of Otisco, $215 as aid in building the Holbrook bridge, on section 31, of said town; to town of Freedom, $25 as aid in building bridge across Bull Run, on section 18, of said town; to town of St. Mary, $35 for grading road between sections 24 and 25, $40 for grad- ing road between sections 1 and 2, $25 for grading road between sections 12 and 13, and $20 for grading road between sections 20 and 29, of said town.
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At the September 7th meeting the following appropriations were made from the road and bridge fund :
To town of Wilton, $20 additional for replanking the Wilton bridge; Blooming Grove, $50 for a bridge on section 25, of said town; Woodville, $20 for grading road on sections 18 and 19, of said town; Janesville, $50 for grading road on section 20, of said town; New Richland, $200 for a bridge on LeSueur river, section 10, of said town.
J. L. CLAGHORN'S DEFALCATION.
J. L. Claghorn, who for many years had been a prominent citizen of Waseea in church, society and local politics, failed in business about the first of February, 1894. On the 14th of that month he was arrested on a charge of embezzling $450 belonging to the Hartford Fire Insurance company. This came as a thunder- clap of surprise to the citizens of the county. He had been trusted by almost everybody. Farmers, widows, school teachers, servants, money loaners in the East-all had entrusted him with their funds to handle and loan as he saw fit. As soon as he was arrested, it was discovered that the funds were all missing. For years he had been spending more than his income, and for a long time he had been "robbing Peter to pay Paul"-borrowing from one friend to pay another. He had stood high in the Congrega- tional church, was prominent as an Odd Fellow and a Mason, and had served a number of years as alderman of the "Puritan ward" of Waseca. He and his wife had both been great tem- perance workers and were prominent in every good work. That a man can thus serve Good and Evil at one and the same time is one of the mysteries of this mysterious universe. At the March term of the district court he was indicted for the crime of em- bezzlement -- larceny-finally pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year at hard labor in the Stillwater penitentiary. He served his time and as soon as released moved to the state of Washington. His life emphasized the doctrine-"Trust no man in business matters without security in some form."
BOARD OF TRADE.
In the latter part of the winter of 1893-4, the business men of Waseca organized a "Board of Trade." Articles of incorpora- tion were adopted May 11, 1894, and duly published and filed. The organization ran well for a few months, but very soon men would come in very late, others not at all, and at the end of the
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first year the association was laid aside as rotten timber. It died of too much apathy or laziness.
A DYNAMITE EXPLOSION.
The Herald of August 3 contained the following:
"Dynamite! The most fiendish outrage ever perpetrated in Waseca took place on the evening of July 30, 1894, about 10:25 o'clock. The Grant House 'bus had just made the 9:50 M. & St. L. train and been returned to the barn. The horses stood on the west side of the barn, and the 'bus on the east. A dynamite bomb was evidently placed in the bottom of the 'bus with a fuse attached which reached to the door. Within fifteen minutes after the team had been put into the barn there came an explosion which tore the 'bus into fragments and made the barn look as though a cyclone had struck it. The south end and the southeast corner were torn all in pieces, the north door was thrown out into the street, the upper floor was badly demolished, and the roof badly broken. Strange to say, the horses were not badly injured. Evidently they were knocked down by the concussion, for when found they had chang- ed sides, one evidently having fallen over the other. The destruction was sudden and complete. So far as is publicly known, at least, there is no clue to the perpetrator."
No clue was ever found, and the perpetrator of the terrible crime will probably die, if not already dead, with this guilt upon his soul.
THE ELECTION RESULTS.
The election campaign of 1894 was an exciting one. The Popu- lists polled their heaviest state vote that year. The result in this county was as follows: state senator, E. B. Collester, rep. 1,608; R. O. Craig, dem., 705; Geo. T. Dunn, pop., 364: represen- tative, H. M. Buck, rep., 1,475; M. H. Helms, dem., 852; Keyes Swift, pop., 341 : county auditor, A. J. Lohren, rep., 1,674; J. B. Ungerman, dem., 944: treasurer, Walter Child, rep., 1,551; Thos. Boucher, dem., 1,109: sheriff, Geo. H. Goodspeed, rep., 1,331; Frank Collins, dem., 1,310: register of deeds, A. E. Bishman, rep., 977; John Wollschlaeger, dem., 1,708: judge of probate, Geo. A. Wilson, rep., 1,553; F. B. Andrews, dem., 1,072: attorney, L. D. Rogers, rep., 1,370; P. McGovern, dem., 1,298: coroner, Dr. W. L. Sterns, rep., 1,335; Dr. D. D. Smith, dem., 852; Dr. J. P. Corry, pop., 382: school superintendent, C. W. Wagner, rep., 1,523; J. S. Abell, dem., 1,136: Orson L. Smith was elected county surveyor, and P. C. Bailey and Herman Ewert were elected county commissioners.
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DEATHS OF THE YEAR.
The first old settler called to the Great Beyond. this year, was Ilon. Warren Smith, beloved by all our people. He died of stomach trouble, after a long illness, March 1, 1894, in his seventy-third year. A sketch of his life appears in the biograph- ical department of this work.
Mr. Peter Burns, of Wilton, one of the early and prominent settlers of this county, died on Wednesday evening, May 23, 1894. The Herald of that date said :
"Mr. Burns was born in Ireland in 1837, and came to America in 1851, stopping first in the state of Ohio. From that state he came to Minne- sota in 1856 and settled in this county. In 1862 he was married to Miss Anna Howlan and eight children have been born to them. By industry, economy, and good management they secured a competency, and he leaves his family in comfortable circumstances. He was a lover of good stock, and kept some very fine cattle and horses. He was a man ot much energy, and a good citizen. He was one of the pioneers that helped to make this county what it is, and cheerfully endured the hard- ships incident to frontier life. He died of inflammation of the bladder."
Mrs. A. C Smith, of Woodville, died Friday morning, June 29. 1894, after a brief illness. Her maiden name was Arminda C. Fuller. and she was born in Caynga county, N. Y., in 1832. When she was but a little girl, her parents moved to ('ataraugus county. Western New York, and when she was twelve years old, with quite a number of emigrants from that and adjoining counties, they took boat and came up the great lakes to Wisconsin, settling at Mag- nolia. Here she lived with her parents till about her eighteenth year, when she began the life of a teacher, and when she was twenty years old, while still engaged in teaching, she was mar- ried to Alfred C. Smith, and moved soon after to lowa, where they remained till the spring of 1855 when they moved, with four other families, to Wasera county, Minn., arriving June 20 of the same year. She resided here till the time of her death. She left a family of eight daughters and three sons to mourn the departure of a good mother.
Paul Billiard's hotel in Waseca took fire on the night of March 22. 1894. The fire was soon put under control but not until one of the firemen, Byron Smith, was so injured that he died the next day. Hle belonged to the hook and ladder company and. while working to subdue the fire, sustained a fracture of the skull from a falling chimney. He died the next morning, mourn-
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ed by the whole city. Byron had been a lifelong citizen of the county and city. He left a wife and one child, who were depend- ent upon his daily toil for a livelihood His sad death cast a gloom over the whole community.
Mrs. S. W. Myrick, daughter of Mr. Silas Grover, deceased,- both of these were Wisconsin and Minnesota pioneers,-passed to her final rest Oct. 22, 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Myrick were very early settlers at Minnesota Lake and opened the first hotel there. They came to Waseca at an early day in its history and opened a millinery store. She had no children of her own, but was survived by her aged husband and many relatives.
Mr. John Remund died Nov. 26, near Wilmot, S. D., aged sixty- four years. He was a native of Switzerland and came to Waseca county in 1856, where he remained until 1882, when he and his family removed to his farm two miles east of Wilmot. A Wilmot paper says: "Deceased was accounted one of the most careful and successful of men that ever did business in Wilmot. Dur- ing his residence here he had also been engaged in farming and had always been regarded as a prompt and square man by all with whom he dealt. He was married in Switzerland in 1855 to Miss Mary Minder who survived him. They were the par- ents of ten children, six boys and four girls, seven of whom are now living. His sons are Fred, John, Sam, Will, and Julius, and his daughters are Mrs. Louis Yonker, of this town, and Mrs. H. W. Bluhm, of Vivian, Minn. He was a brother of Messrs. Chris., Sam., and Albert Remund, of Blooming Grove.
THE WEATHER.
In striking contrast with the year before, warm, pleasant weather was the rule all the fall and continued until after the holidays. The year had been a favorable one in the line of farm productions, and, aside from the financial craze that had paralyzed the business of the country, the people of this county were as prosperous as usual. The depression of prices had caused a scarcity of money, but so far as the real necessities and com- forts go our people were well provided for.
CAPTER LXIV, 1895.
PROCEEDINGS OF COUNTY BOARD-THE NEW COURT HOUSE- CROPS AND WEATHER-DIED: MRS. JOHN BROWN, WILLIAM TAYLOR, G. GRAMS, J. R. DAVIDSON, LOUIS W. KRASSIN, ASA FRANCIS, PETER MCELROY, JEROME MADDEN.
The annual meeting of the county board came on the 8th day of January this year. Hon. P. C. Bailey was elected chairman of the board. The other members of the board were : J. O. Sunde, H. F. Lewer, H. Ewert, and H. W. Bluhm. Nothing more than the ordinary routine of work was transacted at this meeting.
At the meeting of May 20, the following appropriations were made from the road and bridge fund: Otisco, $100 for a new bridge on LeSueur river, section 35; $40 for replacing the Ander- son bridge on section 34; $50 for grading road between sections 18 and 19; $25 for ditching for the road across Bauman slough on section 5; New Richland, $200 for a new bridge on LeSueur river between sections 2, New Richland, and 35, Otisco: Byron, $30 for replanking and repairing Boot Creek bridge between sec- tions 13 and 24; Wilton, $115 for building two new bridges on the line between St. Mary and Wilton, between sections 6 in Wilton and 31 in St. Mary, and sections 5 in Wilton and 32 in St. Mary ; Iosco, $100 for grading road between sections 7 and 18, and on section 14; St. Mary, $35 for grading road on section 16, and $35 for grading road between sections 13 and 14; Woodville, $70 for grading road between sections 21 and 22; Vivian, $30 for grading road on section 28; $50 for grading road between sections 11 and 14.
At the meeting of July 8, 1895, it was ordered that $100 be
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appropriated to Blooming Grove, of which $50 was for grading road between sections 1 and 2, and $50 for grading between sec- tions 11 and 12; $35 was appropriated to Vivian for a new bridge on section 10; $30 was appropriated to St. Mary for a stone cul- vert on the Phelps road between sections 10 and 15.
At the meeting September 3, 1895, appropriations were made as follows: to town of New Richland, $25 for a bridge on LeSueur river between sections 14 and 15, $60 for two bridges between sections 21 and 28, and $40 for grading road between sections 16 and 17, New Richland; to town of Vivian, $50 for replanking the Cobb river bridge between sections 31 and 32, of said town; to town of Woodville, $50 for grading road on section 16 of said town; to town of Alton, $50 for grading road on west side of section 6, and $75 for a stone culvert on Janesville and Alma City road on section 32 of said town; to town of Iosco, $75 for grading MeWaide hill.
October 15, the following appropriations were made: to town of Janesville, $150 to aid in rebuilding old town bridge over outlet of Lake Elysian; to town of Otisco, $50 for aid in rebuilding the Ivers bridge on section 31.
The proposition to build a new court house had been discuss- ed considerably for more than a year, and at the meeting of the board Dec. 9, 1895, a petition containing over one hundred signa- tures of voters and freeholders was presented asking for the erec- tion of a new courthouse, and that a special election be appointed for the purpose of raising funds, not exceeding fifty thousand dollars, for the erection of the same. The petition was taken under consideration and the next morning aetion was taken thereon by the board as follows :
"Whereas, a petition has been heretofore duly filed with the auditor in and of the county of Waseca, Minnesota, signed by more than one hundred legal voters and freeholders of said county, addressed to the board of county commissioners of said county, setting forth that it is the desire of such petitioners that said county shall erect and construct a courthouse in the city of Waseca, in the county of Waseca and state of Minnesota, the said city of Waseca being the county seat of said Waseca county, and that the amount of money to be raised and expended in the erection and furnishing of said courthouse shall be and not ex- ceed the sum of fifty thousand dollars; and said petitioners thereby pray that the proposition expressed in their petition be submitted to the
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