USA > Minnesota > Cottonwood County > History of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 34
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After sending the warning to Madelia, Mr. Jorgenson mounted a horse and went to warn the settlers. At the William Knaak farm, then occupied by the Torson family, he completed his round, and in company with Knute Knudson, then fourteen years of age, recrossed the river on foot, going northeast about forty rods to catch three loose horses belonging to Mr. Larson. He had seen the horses at this point when he came to warn the family. On his return the horses were gone. He and Knute were walking in a cow-path down the east side of the river when they heard two shots in the direction of the Torson house. Knute looked about and saw an Indian running toward them from down the river. He warned Mr. Jorgenson and ran eastward into the tall grass and lay down. The Indian quickly fired, striking Mr. Jorgenson in the head. He fell unconscious. Another Indian came up and shot a bullet through the muscles of the left shoulder. This brought back consciousness. Mr. Jorgenson saw two Indians near, loading their guns. He got to his feet and walked away as rapidly as he could. The Indians slowly followed, stopping to look for the boy, Kunte. They walked on either side of him. The face of one was painted red, and could be plainly seen as they passed. Knute heard them talking as they searched for him. Mr. Jorgenson walked up the river bluff, which is quite steep and about thirty feet high. When at the top and perhaps fifty yards from the Indians and Knute, he ran for a slough that was forty rods north, reached it and hid before the Indians knew that he was gone. They spent the remainder of the day trying to find him. He lay in the water with his
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head exposed. Toward midnight he left the water because of the cold and cut grass to cover himself.
At the house the Indians made an attack, and the inmates, Mrs. Tor- son, her brother, Mr. Haroldson and George Knudson, ran to corn fields, George receiving a slight bullet wound in the flesh of one arm. While hid- ing from the Indians, Mrs. Torson had a good view of one of then. He was mounted on Mr. Jorgenson's horse and was riding about looking for their hiding place. He was an old acquaintance of the people of the settle- ment, who called him the "Beggar." The Indians took what they wished from the house, including a double-barreled gun. They also captured four horses, but left a team of oxen attached to a rack wagon, untouched. This was the last seen of them. They, with their prisoners and an ox team, made a rapid march to the neighborhood of Granite Falls.
At daybreak next morning Mr. Jorgenson started to go to Madelia. On the way he met soldiers. They surrounded him and prevented an attempt on his part to run away. They took him to a deserted house and found him food, then took him to Madelia. There his neighbor's daughter, Mary Larson, dressed his wounds and in a few weeks he was well, though both of his wounds were severe.
While the Indians were wading about in an attempt to find Mr. Jor- genson in the slough, Knute crawled half a mile and there lay in the grass. After dark he traveled a mile farther, but then stopped for fear of becom- ing lost. At daybreak he again started for Madelia, where he soon arrived and was surprised to see Mr. Jorgenson still alive, brought in by the sol- diers. The others from the Torson farm arrived before he did. All the Rosendale settlers got safely to Madelia.
Some time after this raid, at the request of Mr. Jorgenson, a squad of from five to seven soldiers were quartered at his farm during the remain- der of the Indian trouble. This gave the Rosendale settlers a place of refuge near at hand. They lived most of the time at the Jorgenson farin for the next two or three years. There were frequent alarms, but the settlers stayed and hell this extreme frontier settlement to the end of the Indian trouble. Those now living in this county, who then lived in the Rosendale settlement are: Alice and Knute Knudson and sister, Mrs. K. Heling: George Jorgenson and sisters; Mrs. A. O. Strommen, Mrs. Lewis Christopherson, Mrs. Iver Olson, Mrs. Hans Thompson, also John and Henry Madson, with their mother now over eighty years of age.
Many of the old settlers will remember the Indian outbreak that took
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place in the Rosendale settlement in the spring of 1863. As has been men- tioned, the settlers had all moved into a house on the farm of Ole Jorgen- son, father of Mrs. A. O. Strommen, for mutual protection. The soldiers slept in a house not far from that of the settlers. The settlers were awak- ened about twelve o'clock at night by the barking of the dogs and upon rising and looking out the windows saw that the Indians had surrounded the house. A young man by the name of Ole Burkerude volunteered to go to the camp to wake the soldiers. He was advised not to attempt such a risk, but considering it best he started. The next morning his body was found horribly mutilated. Two rifle and two arrow wounds were found on the body. The remains were placed in a rude wooden box and buried on the Ole Jorgenson farin. It is thought that the soldiers were scared and did . not come out to help the young man and that he was killed on his way back to the settlement. After ten or twelve years of almost constant searching the body was finally unearthed and was taken up by Knute Jorgenson, Henry Motson and A. O. Strommen and placed in the Riverdale cemetery. Two arrow tips of steel were found lodged in his bones, one in the breast and one in the backbone. The young man was eighteen years of age at the time of his death and must be given credit for having great courage to go out alone and face such danger.
CHAPTER III.
TIIE FIRST SETTLEMENTS.
The first settlement by white men in this county was in 1855, when H. B. Sherman, T. Fitch and J. N. Barker settled in the territory now known as Watonwan county. They each staked off a claim and made the first permanent settlement in the county.
In 1856 the above pioneer band was added to by the arrival of C. M. Pomeroy, Elizabeth Olds, Ed. Taylor, Stephen P. Benjamin. John C. Sprague, James M. Hudson and Thomas Rutledge. (See township histories,
EARLY DEEDS AND LAND TRANSFERS.
The records of the register of deeds show the following early land transfers in Watonwan county :
William Griffith to Thomas P. Thomas, June 12, 1863, consideration, seven hundred dollars, for the southwest of the southeast quarter of section 21, township 107, range 30, Madelia civil township.
Theodore Leich to David Feddor, for consideration of forty dollars, lot No. 5 in the southwest quarter of section 13, Madelia township, between the lakes and consisted of three acres.
Henry Schokoman and wife to Luther E. Gove, July 1, 1864, land in section 9. Madelia township.
Daniel Buck and wife to Stephen G. Benjamin, June 6, 1864, south- east quarter of section 21, Madelia township.
D). Buck and wife, C. W. Taylor, June 2, 1864, in Madelia township, the northeast quarter of section 21, 107, range 30, Madelia township.
July 19. 1859. R. I. Sibley, executor of the will of the late Landon W. Sheppard, of Madelia. to John Travis, block No. 71, in the village of Madelia : consideration, six dollars.
TIMBER CLAIMS.
Under a wise provision of a Congressional act passed many years ago, there has come to stand in all of their beauty and value, many fine artificial
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groves of timber within this county. "Tree claims," for a time, were more sought after out of the public domain here than were homesteads. The government gave the land. providing a certain number of trees were planted and found to be living at the end of five and eight years. Here the vari- eties were mostly confined to the rapid growing trees, such as willow, cot- tonwood, soft maple, box elder and walnut. The records of such timber culture tracts in this county, as shown in the register of deeds office, give the following list of such claims :
United States to John McCarthy, claim No. 156, at the Worthington land office, granted for the northeast quarter of section 12, Antrim town- ship, March 12, 1886, signed by President Grover Cleveland.
United States to John Weager, from the Worthington land office, claim No. 236, for land in lots 9, 10 and 15, in section 6, Long Lake township- one hundred and sixty acres-granted by President Benjamin Harrison; signed April 17, 1890.
The United States to Sylvester S. Sulem, tree claim No. 63, from the Worthington land office, was granted by President Benjamin Harrison, July 30. 1889, and was laid on the northwest of the northwest quarter of section 6, in Odin township.
The United States to Paul Schneller. claim No. 176, at the land office at Marshall, the same being on the southwest quarter of section 2, South Branch township. It was signed by President Benjamin Harrison, Novem- ber 24, 1890.
The United States to Merrell M. Clark, claim No. 306, at the Marshall land office. for land in the northwest of section 30, township 106, range 32 west. It was signed by Benjamin Harrison, December 30, 1890.
United States to E. R. West, claim No. 263, at the Worthington land office, for land in the southwest quarter of section 12, township 105, range 31. It was signed by President Benjamin Harrison, July 15, 1890.
The United States to William Koenig, claim No. 357, at the Marshall land office, and called for land in the north half of the northeast quarter of section 6, township 105, range 32. It was signed by President Benjamin Harrison, December 15, 1890.
The United States to heirs George W. Cory, deceased, at the Marshall land office. to a claim on the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 34, township 105, range 31, the same being issued and signed by President Benjamin Harrison, December 13, 1890.
The United States to George H. Herrick, a claim to the southeast
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quarter of the southwest quarter of section 20, township 106, range 31 west, from the land office at Marshall, and issued by President Grover Cleveland, August 8, 1893. This claim is No. 903.
The United States to Albert D. King, at the Marshall land office, claim to the west half of the southwest quarter of section 32, township 100, range 32 west, issued and signed by President Grover Cleveland, De- cember 15. 1894, and bearing No. 1,147.
The United States to Gerhard Penner, a claim to the southwest quar- ter of section 4, township 106, range 433 west, issued from the land office at Marshall, and signed by President Benjamin Harrison; No. 608, and date of issue, April 17, 1892.
The United States to John Johnson, claim No. 739, at the Marshall land office, issued by President Benjamin Harrison, and signed on Septem- ber 2, 1892, the timber claim being situated in lot 5, township 107, range 33 west.
The United States to Frank Fowler, from the Tracy land office, claim No. 143, to the south half of the northwest quarter of section S, township 106, range 31 west, was signed by President Benjamin Harrison, and dated March 25, 1890.
The United States to Jens Olson Hereid for claim No. 89, to lands in the south half of the southeast quarter of section 8. township 105, range 32 west, issued by President Chester AA. Arthur, and signed November 13, 1884, the same being entered at the Worthington land office.
The United States to Daniel 1. Hudson, a claim numbered 1.264. for the southeast quarter of section 26, township 105, range 31 west, at the Marshall land office. It was issued and signed by President William Mc- Kinley, May 3, 1897.
The United States to Mark 11. McDonough, for claim No. 1,319, at the Marshall land office, for the south half of the southwest quarter of sec- tion 32, township 107, range 33 west. This was issued and signed by President William MeKinley, April 6. 1893.
The United States to John Bisbee, claim No. 784, for the north half of the southeast quarter of section 14, township 106, range 30 west. This was issued by President Benjamin Harrison, December 20. 1892.
The United States to John C. West, claim No. 1,368, at the Marshall land office, for the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 10. township 105. range 31 west, issued by President William Mckinley, and signed by him June 22, 1899.
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SCIIOOL LANDS PURCHASED.
Many of the later settlers in Watonwan county took advantage of the state school lands, which had been set apart by the government when Min- nesota was yet a territory, for school purposes, and held to be parceled out by the territory and state of Minnesota, at will. These lands usually sold for about five to seven dollars an acre and the purchaser was given as long as twenty years in which to pay for the same. Hundreds of such tracts were taken up in this county, the money when paid in going to the school fund. These lands, according to the provision of Congress, included every sixteenth and thirty-sixth section in the townships of the state. The books of the register of deeds in this county disclose the fact that one hundred and sixty-three tracts of school lands, of greater or less acreage, were sold, the record of such transactions being found in the record book in which such transactions are usually kept. These patents are all signed by the gov- ernor of the state.
EARLY MISCELLANEOUS DEEDS.
Among the earlier deeds made in this county may be found recorded these: John Kirk to Bernard O. Hempffer. June 4, 1861, sections 18 and 19, of township 105, range 31 west.
Amon K. Dohl and wife to S. N. Oleson, November 1, 1861, the north- west half of the northwest quarter of section 29, township 107, range 30 west, for seventy dollars consideration.
Archibald Armstrong to John Armstrong, December 28, 1861, for four hundred and fifty dollars, the south half of the southeast quarter of section I, and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 12, township 107, range 31 west.
G. W. Lamberton to C. M. Pomeroy. April 10, 1861, section 26, town- ship 107, range 30 west.
John C. Sprague and wife to H. P. Gilbert, April 23, 1862, the south- east quarter of section 28, township 107, range 30 west.
SETTLEMENT NOTES.
The early settlement of this county was effected, as has been observed by the foregoing statements, first in and around the village of Madelia, the first seat of justice in the county, where there was a good stream and water
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power, timber, etc., to begin development with. First, lands were entered at government prices ; next came the chance to secure homesteads and tree claims of the government; then the state school lands came into market, as did the thousands of acres of railroad land. Not until the advent of the railroad did the county settle up thickly in all townships, but it was confined to lands near the eastern part, around streams and lakes.
The Scandinavian people were the first foreigners to come in great numbers for the purpose of settlement.
FIRST SETTLERS IN WATONWAN COUNTY.
The northern part of Watonwan county was first settled by Germans, Norwegians and Swedes: the central part by Americans, coming from In- diana and Wisconsin, and the Irish. The Scandinavians at this time were newcomers to this country. There were no schools or churches, but as soon as the new settlers got started, especially the Scandinavians, they estab- lished schools and churches of their own. The first settlers in St. James were the Norwegians and Catholics. The township of Adrian was first settled by the Germans. When a school was established in these townships the building was usually a sod shanty and the school term ran three months. The first teachers were all men, as the hardships and the responsibilities were too much for women. Mr. H. H. Higgins was one of the first school teach- ers in the county. He taught in Adrian for two years, after which he was elected sheriff of Watonwan county. George Knutzen was one of the first teachers at Madelia. Afterwards he was elected county auditor and served in this capacity for twenty years. Thomas Thurston had charge of the schools in Riverdale and Olsendale townships for several years, after which he was elected to the office of county recorder and served for twenty years. After serving their times in the county offices, both Knutzen and Thurston were elected to the state Legislature. The reason these men could not stay in the teaching profession was because of the low wages. The salary was only about twenty-five dollars per month. Board and room cost them one dollar per week.
The first store in St. James was owned by E. R. McLean. He hauled his first load of goods from Madelia with an ox team. The first hotel was the St. James. The building stood where the Boston Hotel stands today. and was owned by the railroad and run by Captain Meyer. About ten years after the building was sold to Mr. Gibbs, who added to and remodeled the structure into its present form.
CHAPTER IV.
ORGANIZATION AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Watonwan county was organized in April, 1861, but it had really been created by act of the Minnesota Legislature, dated February 25, 1860, which act also fixed the county seat at Madelia. It is situated in the center of the second tier of counties north of the Iowa line. The first county commissioners were: J. F. Ferber, C. M. Pomeroy and Ole Jargenson; these were by appointment, and at the election held in the fall of 1861, the following officers were duly elected, the election being held at Madelia : John Travis, probate judge; John Chase, sheriff; Charles G. Mullen, audi- tor: C. M. Pomeroy, treasurer ; Joseph Flanders, recorder of deeds; Daniel Bush, county attorney; Notts Jenson, coroner; Salvor Torgenson, Lewis Varwick and Thomas Rutledge, county commissioners.
The county derived its name from a civil township by that name, in Blue Earth county, when that county and Watonwan were all in one, thus, "Watonwan township, Blue Earth county, Minnesota," became Watonwan county, Minnesota. This whole territory at one time belonged to Brown county, and extended as far south as the mouth of the Big Sioux river, at Sioux City, Iowa, and west bounds without limit, almost. But with the settling of southern Minnesota, county after county was cut off and made separate sub-divisions of the state. The name Watonwan is Indian dialect. The Watonwan river was perhaps the first natural object within this county that was known by the word.
The area of the county is four hundred and thirty-five and forty-five one hundredths square miles, or two hundred and seventy-eight thousand six hundred and eighty-nine acres, of which two hundred and seventy-seven thousand are land and sixteen hundred and thirty-eight acres are water. The land surface is divided into twelve hundred and sixty-nine farms.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS.
On February 13, 1861, appears the first entry in Book "A" of commis- sioner's records for Watonwan county : "The commissioners met at the house of J. F. Furber at ten o'clock in the forenoon the thirteenth day of
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February, 1861, for the purpose of electing county officers for Watonwan county, whereupon J. F. Furber was elected chairman and N. Jensen, clerk, pro tem; after being duly qualified they proceeded to ballot for county auditor. H. P. Gilbert received a majority and was declared elected auditor.
"For recorder of deeds J. L. Taylor received a majority and was de- clared elected. For county treasurer. B. O. Rampfer received a majority and was declared elected treasurer. For judge of probate, J. Flanders, "having received a majority of the votes, was duly declared elected. For sheriff, C. G. Mullen, receiving the largest number of votes, was declared elected. For coroner, Caleb Leavitt received a majority of the votes cast and was declared elected. For county surveyor, J. Leavitt having received a majority of the votes cast, was declared elected.
"On motion of C. M. Pomeroy the board adjourned to meet at the house of H. P. Gilbert, on Saturday, the 16th day of February, 1861.
"( Signed )
NOTTO JENSEN, Clerk, pro tem.
"I hereby certify that this is an exact copy of the original minutes.
"C. G. MULLEN, County Auditor."
The commissioners failed to meet on the 16th of February, but did assemble on March 26th at the house of H. P. Gilbert. The first act in a business sense was to fix the salary of the county auditor, the same being placed at thirty-five dollars per year.
HT. P. Gilbert was called in pursuance of his appointment and qualified as county auditor. At the afternoon session Joseph Flanders and B. O. Rempfer failing to appear and qualify, the board proceeded to fill the va- cancies for the offices of probate judge and county treasurer, respectively. The first ballot for county treasurer resulted unanimously in the choice of C. G. Mullen, and his appointment for the office of sheriff was then changed for that of treasurer of the county and he duly qualified according to law.
Notto Jensen was then balloted for as judge of probate and received every vote of the commissioners, and was declared elected that office. He then came in and was qualified according to law.
Jonathan Leavitt was ballotted for as sheriff and received a unanimous vote of the commissioners present and was declared elected and immediately qualified according to law.
These minutes were taken down on loose slips of paper, but were cer- tified to later in book form and signed as follows:
"I hereby certify that this is an exact copy of the original as recorded by Auditor Gilbert of that date.
C. G. MULLEN, County Auditor." "( Signed)
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Session of September 3, 1861: On motion of J. T. Furber, C. M. Pomeroy was chosen chairman of the commissioner's board. The follow- ing oaths were then administered by the clerk of the board, H. P. Gilbert : "To J. T. Furber, C. M. Pomeroy and Ole Jorgensen, you solemnly swear that you will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the board of equalization of taxes in and for the county of Watonwan county, accord- ing to the best of your ability-so help you, God."
The above oath was then administered to the clerk (H. P. Gilbert) by C. M. Pomeroy (justice of the peace), whereupon the board then pro- ceeded to regular business.
FIRST BUSINESS OF COUNTY COMMISIONERS.
The first business of the county commissioners, after having fully per- fected the organization of the board, was to look into the merits of an application of C. Leavitt & Company, who wanted the assessment on their mill property cut from nineteen hundred to twelve hundred dollars, and this was finally allowed. It was at this meeting that David Wilcox was appointed county attorney. Also in the matter of tax levy the board, on motion of C. M. Pomeroy, voted to raise three mills on the dollar to defray county expenses. On motion of Ole Jorgensen, a mill and three-fourths on the dollar was levied for township purposes.
In January. 1862, the chairman of the commissioners' board was Thomas Rutledge, who was nominated by Louis Vorweek. The county auditor was ordered to send for all the books belonging to Watonwan county. It will be observed that the county had a small business to trans- act at that early date, for at the January meeting that year the commis- sioners issued an order to pay the county's expenses, which only amounted to thirty-five dollars and twenty-four cents. The auditor's salary was then to pay for the needed books in which to record the business transactions, the fixed for the ensuing year at thirty-five dollars. It was resolved to appro- priate the first twenty-five dollars that came into the treasury of the county register of deeds needing the most of the books required. This became nec- essary, as the records of this county had to be transcribed from the books in Brown county, of which this county had formerly been a part. It ap- pears from the record that in January, 1862. the board authorized the county auditor to purchase two hundred dollars worth of record books for use of the auditor and treasurer. At the meeting held on January 15, 1862, the auditor was ordered to purchase a seal for the county. Up to this time
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the proceedings of the county commissioner had been kept on loose sheets of paper for want of record books, but when the new books arrived these commissioners' records were carefully recorded as sworn to, being trans- cripts from such loose sheets.
May, 1863 .- The members of the board present were, H. P. Gilbert, H. Schwarble, Jens Torsen, with C. M. Mullen, clerk. Mr. Gilbert was chosen chairman. They proceeded to appoint a school superintendent for Madelia township in the person of C. G. Mullen. John Flanders was ap- pointed probate judge in place of J. Travis, who failed to qualify after he had been elected. The county auditor was authorized to write to the county auditor of Brown county to come and settle, as there was money belonging to Brown county here.
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