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 56
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
The Indian scare over, and the country becoming more settled, con- siderable business was transacted, and Wilton began to show signs of awakening to new life and activity. But this dream of future greatness was soon dispelled. Time, that great wonder-worker, had been hard at work. Waseca was built, and the railroad had arrived. It was the old story of the boys and frogs; what was fun for Waseca was death to Wil- ton. She died rather hard, but has gradually melted away and is not now even the shadow of her former self. The old settler when he has crossed Wilton bridge always finds a sort of melancholy feeling creeping over him. He can hardly realize that this lonely spot was once the scene of active life, and will ask himself, "Is this the place where judges once held court, where juries sat, where criminals were confined, and the business of the county transacted?" and concludes that the past must be all a dream, a mere phantasy of the brain; but a wild, unearthly yell recalls him to consciousness-it is the scream of a locomotive a mile east of Wilton, the demon that murdered her. But, upon mature reflection, he concludes that the change i's for the better, after all, when he thinks of the long and weary journeys he used to make to Hastings, with wheat a. fifty cents a bushel, and Waseca within a few hours drive from home, with the pleasure of sleeping in his own comfortable bed at night, instead of lying down by a camp fire on the open prairie, with the thermometer ten degrees below zero. He thinks it is best to be philosophical, accept the inevitable, and be thankful for the change. And surely every citizen of the county ought to feel proud of the little gem Waseca, our present county seat. There is such an air of calm and dignified superiority about her that captivates every stranger who has the good fortune to visit her. Lying as she does between two crystal lakes, she appears like a beautiful bride locked in the arms of her husband. I may likewise say of the ladies of Waseca what the Irish beggar said to a Scotch lady who was as remarkable for charity as she was for beauty: "Thank you, ma'am, 1 see, your honor, that your manners and charity are equal to your beauty."
"Eve's bonny daughters, Priests blame sorely for our fall, But still-but still-I like them dearly- God bless them all!"
Yours respectfully, William Brisbane.
FIRST WHITE SETTLERS IN IOSCO.
(By M. S. Green.)
It may not be generally known, even by the present people of Iosco, that the first, permanent settlement in that township was made by Luke B. Osgood, Daniel McDaniels, and John Wheeler. Mr. Osgood erected the first shanty, in July, 1855, made of logs and covered with shakes. le had a doorway, but no door, and possessed neither window nor floor.
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'The family lived in this cabin till fall when a better house was construct- ed. Having camped in the wagon and by the roadside for about three months, the family was glad of even such accommodations.
In the early part of winter, Mr. Osgood cut two saw logs, put them on his sled and started for Morristown to get them sawed into lumber for a house floor. Although he had three pair of oxen attached to his sled, ยท he made slow progress. There was considerable snow and it was piled into huge drifts here and there. There was no traveled road and he had not proceeded more than a mile when he rolled off one log. He then shoveled and traveled until evening, having made a distance of about five miles. Here he camped for the night-camped all night with three yoke of oxen in the open air. There was a heavy snow storm during the night and the wind blew a gale. The next morning, he concluded to throw off the other log and get along with a ground floor, as they had been doing, and go on to Faribault with his team and bring back some flour After five days spent in shoveling snow, prying up the sled, unloading and reloading he arrived at home with a very small load of flour.
The winter of '55-6 was one of the most severe ever known in the state. The snow was deep, the thermometer away down to the bulb, and very few ventured from home except when compelled to go to obtain the necessaries of life. At one time there was prospect of a famine, and Mr. Osgood furnished money while David Smith furnished the pluck, energy and endurance to go to lowa for a supply of provisions. As he was detained a much longer time on the road than was anticipated by the set- tlers, some of them had to boil their seed wheat and corn. Thinking it poor economy to use their seed grain in that way, they concluded to send Jake Conrad, for flour. He started for Faribault with an ox team and sied. About five miles from home, one of the oxen fell dead. Here he camped for the night, and the next morning drove the live ox toward Faribault until he came to a house where he left the ox and proceeded to Faribault on foot. He bought one hundred pounds of flour and started with it on his back to return to the settlement. After toiling through the snow drifts for a mile or a little more, he concluded that it was too much of a load for even German pluck, so he sold the flour to a settler, return- ing home to report progress and "ask leave to sit awhile."
In the mean time Mr. Smith had returned with his load from Iowa, to the relief and joy of the "Plum Valley" settlement. The settlers in this township not only suffered much hardship, but they lost nearly half their cattle during the winter of '55-6, owing to the poorly huilt, open stahles, the intensely cold weather, and, more than all else, the poor hay. Owing to the lateness of the season when the settlement was made, much of the hay was not cut till after the first frost.
THE FIRE FIEND.
In the fall of 1855 Mr. Osgood went to the Winnebago Agency to move John Davis to a claim near where the village of Janesville is now situat-
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ed. While Mr. Osgood was absent, one of his neighbors, very imprudently, undertook to burn around a stack of hay. The fire got away from him and all the hay in the country was in danger of being burned. Mrs. Os- good, ever watchful of her husband's interests, went out to look after his hay. Mr. McDaniels had succeeded in arresting the progress of the fire, in part, and went to another part of the farm, telling Mrs. Osgood to keep watch of the fire and, if it should get over the trail which they had made for protection, to let him know. She had been on the ground but a short time when, to her utter dismay, she discovered that she was entirely surrounded by fire. She first endeavored to escape to the woods near by, but soon became entangled in the vines that had clambered over the thick underbrush. She turned despairingly in the direction of the fire-it roared and crackled and screamed equal to sheol itself-the flames at one moment rising mountain high, then, driven by the force of the wind, along the ground at railroad speed, it would devour everything in its path, and then rise again in its fury as though to scorch the very heavens. Mrs. Osgood with rare presence of mind stepped behind a large tree, gathered her clothing closely about her, and awaited the re- sult with Christian heroism and resignation. On came the fiery monster, and almost in a moment the flames enveloped her. She fell upon her face and lay there until the fire passed over. When she arose she found her clothing on fire. Blinded with smoke and smarting from the burns she had received, still she had presence of mind enough to go to a marsh near by, where there was some water, and extinguish the fire in her clothing. It was a narrow escape from a most painful death. She was so badly burned that it was nearly eight months before she could use one of her hands, and her face was so blistered that the skin all came off. She finally recovered, however, without showing many scars.
Mr. Osgood sold out many years ago to the Messrs. Timlin, and moved East.
THE HONORABLE JOHN S. ABELL, OF OTISCO.
Of the hardy pioneers of this county, Mr. Ahell ranks as one of the first. He was born in Constantia, Oswego county, N. Y., in 1834. His father, who was one of the early settlers in that portion of New York, and who was one of the owners of a saw mill, a grist-mill, and some manufactur- ing establishments, during the financial crash of 1837, lost all his proper- ty, and died in 1841, when John was only seven years of age. The lad then went to live with his grandfather, where he remained until he was ten years of age, when his grandfather died. From that time forward John earned his living by working out summers and attending school winters until he was thirteen. He worked at whatever came to hand until he was sixteen years old, when he commenced work on the Erie canal which he followed summers until the fall of 1856.
In the fall of '56 he came West, more to visit the country than with any expectation of remaining here. He visited his uncle in Winona county,
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HON. AND MRS. J. S. ABELL.
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arriving there in October, 1856. Austin Abell, his cousin, had already made a claim in Otisco, the September before, in company with H. G. Mosher, who afterwards was superintendent of schools in this county for several years, and is now in California.
About the first of January, 1857, H. G. Mosher, John S., and Austin Abell, left Winona county bound for Otisco. On the first day out, just west of St. Charles, they met a blizzard which forced them to stop with a pioneer settler until the storm abated. They reached Judge Canfield's place in Otisco, January 8, 1857. After remaining a short time, they re- turned to Winona county. During the summer of 1857, John worked for R. D. Fellows of that county, to earn money to pay for eighty acres of land which he bought from his cousin, Austin. In the spring of 1858, he came out with Austin, and the two did breaking for themselves and others. After the breaking season was over, they returned to Winona county and ran a threshing machine during the fall. The next spring they came out and put in crops, made some other improvements, and returned to Winona county, where John S. was married in August, to Miss Hannah Harshman, who was born in the state of Pennsylvania in 1840.
Their wedding tour was something out of the ordinary and a little amusing. Mr. Abell bought a yoke of large, four-year-old steers that had never been used. He also bought an ox-cart, strong and trusty. He put on bows and a cover, making what is known in western phrase, as "a prairie schooner." With the assistance of three or four men he got the steers yoked and hitched to the cart, with Mrs. Abell on board, and away they went over the prairie. The exciting scenes of the trip would fill a small volume. Whenever they met a team the steers would give the whole road and more too, generally making a large circuit before coming back to the road. It took them a week to come to Otisco, camping by the way. They remained a week at their farm, and then returned as they came, only in a more moderate and orderly way.
That fall, Mr. Abell made a trip to Stillwater to visit a brother. He planned to work on the Mississippi steam boats a while but concluded, after the first half day trial, that he was not put up for a roustabout to be cursed by a half drunken boss, and abruptly cut his acquaintance with that noble functionary, and returned to Wilton on foot.
He remembers that on the 5th day of June, 1859, there was a heavy frost which killed the leaves on the trees and cut the corn to the ground. Nevertheless the corn came on and there was a good crop.
During the winter of '62-3, H. G. Mosher and the two Abells "bached it" in a dug out 10x14 feet, with a fire place to cook by. It was originally a lime kiln. He says it was so cold that winter that the water froze in one side of the bucket while the staves next to the fire were being scorched brown.
Austin Abell lived here until 1863, when he enlisted and served in the army till the close of the war. In the mean time he sold his other
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eighty acre lot to John who has since added eighty acres more, making a farm of 240 acres.
Mr. and Mrs. Abell have been the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living: Sarah, born July 11, 1862; John H., July 3, 1865; Marie, December 7, 1860; Irving O., Jan. 3, 1872; Helen L., April 23, 1874; Emma and Jennie, July 13, 1876. John H. died Jan. 16, 1882.
Mr. Abell, though differing from a large majority of his townsmen politically, held some town office continually until his last year. He served as town clerk of Otisco for twenty years, justice of the peace two terms, a member of the legislature in 1879, and county superinten- dent of schools from 1890 to 1894. In every station to which he was called he performed his duties with ability and fidelity.
DEATH OF MR. ABELL.
Since the foregoing was prepared for this history, Mr. Abell has passed away. About Nov. 1, 1904, he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis, which de- prived him of the use of one of his arms. On the 27th of January he received another severe stroke, after which he remained in an almost helpless condition. On the evening of June 30, 1905, he appeared to be as well as usual, but about two o'clock the next morning, Mrs. Abell was awakened by a noise at her husband's couch and upon going to him found that he had fallen to the floor. Irving Abell hastened to his mother's assistance and placed him back upon his couch, and a few moments afterwards he breathed his last.
Mr. Abell was a man of much more than ordinary ability. He was a reader, a thinker, and a close reasoner. He was not only honest in nis business dealings but he was honest in his politics. He believed in the doctrine of equal rights and privileges for all men-not only as a theory, but as a principle that should be maintained at all hazards and by all means. He was a good neighbor and a kind husband and father, and a citizen, of whose record, private and official, Waseca county may well feel proud.
JAMES B. HILL, VIVIAN.
The following facts were obtained from the late Mr. Hill, in 1887:
The first permanent settlement in the town of Vivian was made in the summer of 1856, by two bachelors, B. F. Hanes and E. Woodruff. The latter died in 1865. Mr. Hanes was an educated man and somewhat of a recluse in his habits of life. He was honorable and upright and a good citizen. He died at his farm in Vivian in 1872. The memory of Mr. Hanes is still held in great respect hy all the old settlers.
The next settlers were Mr. J. B. Hill, wife and children, Mrs. Hill being the first white woman to settle in the township. Mr. Hill took a claim and dated his settlement July 2, 1857. He selected a beautiful tarm on the Cobb river, section 31.
James B. Hill was born at Smithboro, Tioga county, N. Y., in 1824. He
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learned the blacksmith's trade and followed the business for several years. He married Myanda E. Stevens, who was a native of Ridgebury, Pa., in 1846. She was born in 1826.
They moved to Wisconsin in 1850, and lived in what is now Green Lake county, where they carried on a farm. They were not entirely pleased with that location, and sold their farm, making their way by team to Minnesota, and opened a farm in Vivian as before stated.
Mr. Hill came better prepared than the average immigrant of those days to open a farm in a new country. He brought a span of horses, a yoke of oxen, eight or nine cows and some young stock.
The season for breaking was nearly closed when he made his claim, so that little of it was done that year.
The year 1858 brought little return to the husbandman for his toil, in Minnesota, and Mr. Hill opened a blacksmith shop in the then thriving village of St. Mary, in 1859, where he carried on the business for a year, and then returned to his farm.
Mr. Hill narrowly escaped death in the spring of 1858. As he was going from St. Mary to his home, with an ox team, he stopped to chat a moment with Mr. McLin, who then lived at Silver Lake. Mr. McLin said that they had discovered large quantities of artichokes, and brought out some and gave them to Mr. Hill, saying that they were good food for hogs. He advised Mr. Hill to plant some, if there were none growing wild on the Cobb. Mr. Hill put them into his pocket and soon after commenced eating them. He ate quite a quantity and soon became very sick. He must have had spasms, for when he recovered, he found that he had bitten his tongue severely. He left his team and lay on the prairie for several hours unconscious.
He was found by Nick Kremer and another man who took him up and carried him home. Kremer, at first, supposed that he was intoxicated, but Mr. Hill, by showing the roots and making signs, for he could not talk, made him understand that he was poisoned. Dr. Gove, of Wilton, was called, under whose treatment he soon recovered. It was soon discovered that the so-called artichokes were what are called wild parsnips.
This narrow escape of Mr. Hill explained the death of Michael McLin, which occurred a few days before, while he was plowing in the field. It was at first supposed that McLin died of heart disease or in a fit, but after Mr. Hill's experience, no one doubted that he was poisoned in the same way. It was Dr. Gove's opinion, that Mr. Hill owed his escape to the fact that he ate a quantity sufficient to cause vomiting and thus threw off the poison.
Several Irish-American families settled in the eastern part of Vivian, in 1857, and the first death in the township occurred among these set- tiers. An unexpected and very severe storm occurred early in that fall. Mr. Sweeney was at St. Mary. He was thinly clad-not expecting such severe weather-and, in returning home, got bewildered and lost on the
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prairie, and was found dead not far from his home. He left a widow, who was a sister of the Shanahan brothers.
The next death was that of Henry T. Daggett, who died of consumption, in July 1858.
The first children born were a boy (George) to Mr. and Mrs. Montreville Sias, and a child of Mr. and Mrs. Henry T. Daggett. George Sias is now a successful merchant in Kansas.
Among the early settlers were the Wests, Moore, W. H. Harman, Nels Sanderson, and Ole Johnson, who came in about 1858.
At an early day, a post-route was established through Vivian, and Mr. Hill was appointed postmaster under Buchanan's administration, a posi- tion which he held for the accommodation of the neighbors for a good many years. He was elected chairman of the board of supervisors, and served as a member of the county board during the supervisor system.
The pioneer school house was built in 1859, and a new one was built in 1866. Elder Smith, a pioneer clergyman of Wilton, used to hold services frequently in the school house.
The first marriage ceremony was solemnized by Esqnire Hill, the parties being an old bachelor named Clark, and Ann Stocker.
The settlement in Vivian, as well as many other towns, experienced some demoralization during the Indian outbreak of 1862. They took the women and children to Wilton, the men returning the next day to look after stock and crops. There were some losses both of cattle and crops, but nothing serious. In a few days the women and children all returned.
In February, 1864, Mr. Hill enlisted in the Tenth Minnesota infantry and went to the front. He was at the battle of Nashville, the siege of Spanish Fort, and was with his regiment in Kentucky, Missonri, Missis- sippi, Tennessee, and other states. He was honorably discharged at the close of the war.
In 1872, he leased his farm and moved to Minnesota Lake, where he opened a blacksmith shop which he carried on for a time but finally dis- posed of. He served as justice of the peace for several years at the Lake, but of late has devoted his time to the sale of marble work.
He has two children: Myron V. Hill, of Minnesota Lake, who is doing a successful merchandise business there; and Viola S., now Mrs. R. N. Gale, of Minneapolis.
Mr. Hill has always been a republican in politics and has taken much interest in public affairs.
We are glad to know that he and Mrs. Hill have a comfortable home, with enough to insure comfort in their declining years. Their hospital- ity was proverbial among the early settlers, and they were liberal minded as well as liberal hearted. They belong to that class of citizens who give stability to our form of government, and who make it possible that free institutions may exist without running into anarchy and lawlessness.
Shortly after the foregoing was written, Mrs. Hill suffered a stroke of
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paralysis and became a confirmed invalid for the remainder of her life, requiring the constant attendance and attention of Mr. Hill.
Mr. Hill's health no doubt became impaired by his constant attention to Mrs. Hill, and he passed to the great beyond at Minnesota Lake, Jan. 11, 1902, honored and respected by all who knew him.
SPENCER J. WILLIS.
Among the young men who came to Minnesota early in 1857, was Mr. S. J. Willis, who afterwards became quite prominent in the politics of the county. We can best give an idea of the times and of the conditions of the country at that date by quoting his own words:
"I was born in Franklin, Delaware county, N. Y., July 28, 1833, and voted for John C. Fremont in 1856.
In the spring of 1857, I started for Hancock, our nearest depot, on the N. Y. & E. R'y. At this place I flipped a cent to see whether I should go to California or Minnesota-heads Minnesota, tails California-and heads won. West I went and stopped awhile in Chicago where I met S. P. Kellogg with whom, on the 30th day of April 1857, I left for Minnesota. Our nearest route was via Galena, Ill., where we took passage on the "Old War Eagle," and I assure you it was one of the most stormy passages in some respects I ever saw. Gambling was far above zero, and racing with other steamers was all the go. We arrived at Reed's landing about 10 or 11 o'clock in the evening.
After great effort we secured lodgings for the night at the American house, I think they called it. And in some respects it was American- at any rate it seemed to be the asylum of every nationality on earth. Such pandemonium! Such beds! Such rooms! I had never seen the like before.
The 'school section' in which I tried to sleep, was filled with men, wo- men and children of many nationalities and ways. Most of the beds were made of blankets laid on the bare floor. Our grips were our pillows. And those sheets! I don't believe they had been washed since they were made, and they bore evidence of having been made long before, and used often.
They would almost rise up like a board when one took hold of the end to get into bed. The breakfast was substantial but coarse, and for such lodging and breakfast we paid $2.50 each.
May 4, 1857, we left Reed's landing and started with teams for Red Wing, passing over snow and snowdrifts from one to ten feet deep. We were all day in making the trip to Red Wing. There were many sleighs and numerous people in our van. We remained over night in Red Wing, and in the meantime hired a conveyance to take us to Faribault for which I paid $48.
At this point there were much talk and excitement about the Spirit Lake massacre which occurred in Iowa, the previous March, a number of
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the murdered victims having been former residents of Red Wing. The name of Inkpaduta was in every one's mouth.
We went by way of Cannon Falls where we had to stop over night. We found that the further we got from the Mississippi river the less was the Indian excitement, and the less frightened people were. Of course the scare at Red Wing was the cause of the enormous charge of $48 for tak- ing us out into the dangerous (?) vicinity of Faribault.
This was the time of the town site speculations. I was shown lots in Cannon Falls that were only from three to five hundred dollars apiece, and I was assured over and over that by investing I would soon become rich. There was one log hotel on the town site, and that was all.
It was long after dark the second day out from Red Wing before we arrived at Faribault, and here, for the first time since leaving Chicago, we found some of the comforts of civilized life. Mr. Kellogg was a fine car- penter and joiner and soon got work enough. My health had been poor, but soon the invigorating climate and roughing it made me tired of loaf- ing, and I told Kellogg that I thought I would go to work at my trade. Having known me all my life, he nevertheless wanted to know what my trade was, and I had to confess that I did not know myself. But as I sauntered down the street a day or two afterwards, it struck me, upon seeing a saw and hammer exposed in a store window, that I might as well start in as a carpenter; so I purchased a saw and hammer and secured a job as a journeyman carpenter at the same place that Kellogg was at work, for which I received $2.50 per day in gold coin. And that was how 1 became a carpenter.
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