USA > Minnesota > Cottonwood County > History of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume I > Part 39
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Under the act of congress approved on May 20, 1862, the following homesteads were taken up and proved up on at the end of the five years required by that act :
Peter P'. Moe, certificate No. 6,974, at the Worthington land office, was laid on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 12. township 105. range 32 west, issued by President Grover Cleveland. and signed on July 27, 1885.
Nels Gunderson, certificate No. 2,600 at the Jackson land office, was laid on the northeast quarter of section 20, township 105, range 32, west, issued by President Chester A. Arthur, signed on June 5. 1884.
Peter Lee, certificate No. 6.718, at the Worthington land office, on the cast half of the southeast quarter of section 2. township 105, range 32 west, issued by President Chester A. Arthur, signed on June 5. 1884.
John Turton, certificate No. 4,832, at the Worthington land office was land on the west half of the northeast quarter of section 12. township 105. range 32 west, issued by President Rutherford B. Hayes, signed on Novem- ber 5. 1878.
INDIAN ATROCITIES.
Simon Poland was wounded and his step-son, Christian, killed by the Indians in 1863. His wife and son Tosten were also severely wounded and left for dead, but recovered and fled with other settlers to Butternut Valley. Others who settled here in the carly sixties were Mads Olson Boxrud, Her- man Madson, John and Haakon Martin and Ole Palume. To give an idea
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of the hardships which the settlers of that time had to endure, it is only necessary to say that there was not a foot of railroad in Minnesota in the early fifties. The nearest flouring-mills were at Kasota. Mankato and South Bend were the nearest trading points. When it was necessary to make a long journey, several would go together so that when any bad place had to be crossed, three or four ox teams could be hitched to one wagon and thus pull it through. There were no bridges over the Blue Earth or Waton- wan rivers, and scarcely a ford: and as for roads, the people chose the lines of least resistance. There was a mail route between Mankato and Sioux City, and a postoffice was established in the Rosendale settlement, Nils Tor- sen being the first postmaster. Jens Torsen was the first mail carrier; after- wards Hans Johnson Berdell and Jacob Thorvaldson acted in the same capacity. In the summer time the mail carrier rode a pony. When the water was too deep to wade, he fastened the mail sack over his head, drove the horse into the water, clinging to his neck with one hand and paddling with the other, and thus swimming across. In winter the carriers generally used snow shoes or skis, for the weather was too uncertain to permit the use of horses, and there were long stretches of country where no shelter was to be found. When the mail carrier was overtaken by a snowstorm he bur- rowed in a snow bank and stayed there until the storm was over. There was a settlement at Jackson and another at Spirit Lake. At these two stations the carriers stopped to leave and to receive mail. Between stations they stopped at Indian encampments for food and rest.
In the spring of 1857 news came from Spirit Lake and Jackson that the Indians had risen and killed many people. A great many people living in the vicinity of Long Lake fled to Isaac Slocum's place and took refuge in his log house. However, no Indians appeared at this time. This was called the Impadutahs war, as that chief led the Indians. In the fall of 1862 came the time of trial for the settlers, as the Indians under the leader- ship of Little Crow began to attack the frontier settlements in Minnesota and Iowa, murdering and plundering and committing frightful outrages. News of the attack on New Ulm reached the settlers and their thoughts were turned to defense or flight. The Indians were sulking in the woods and in the tall prairie grass, ready to shoot down any defenseless settlers whom they might see. At Nils Torsen's place there were gathered Jacob Thorvaldsen, George Knudson and Maria Torsen Overig. Two Indians emerged from the woods nearby and opened fire, wounding Kundson in the arm. While the Indians were reloading, Knudson and Mrs. Overig ran for a cornfield and hid there
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until it became dark. Under cover of the night they made their way to Madelia and took refuge with Ole Jorgenson. Thorvaldsen ran for the timber and followed the river to Madelia expecting to be shot by the Indians at any moment. Ole Jorgenson and Knud Knudson went to Knud Larson's after horses and on the way were shot at by two Indians, Jorgenson receiv- ing a bullet in his left shoulder and a slight wound in the left cheek.
While the Indians were reloading Ole and Knud ran behind a knoll and succeeded in concealing themselves so that the savages passed by without seeing them. Jorgenson ran to a slough where there was tall grass and lay on his back in the water with only his head sticking out. Knudson hid in another patch of grass and reached Madelia the next day. Jorgenson remained longer in hiding and was picked up by some soldiers on their way to Madelia to aid the settlers in defense against the Indians. When he nrst saw the soldiers he took them for Indians and fled, but, perceiving his mistake, returned and went with them to Madelia. The Indians stole four horses from Knud Larsen and one from Ole Jorgenson.
STOCKADES ERECTED.
Afterwards more soldiers were sent and more stockades were built at Madelia, Lake Hanska, North Branch: Ole Jorgenson's house was used as a fort by the soldiers and another stockade was built in Long Lake, on the south side of the river. The troops having established posts and patrols through the country, the settlers took courage and returned to their homes, believing that the Indians would not venture to renew their attack in the face of so formidable a force. This was, however, a mistaken notion ; for quite unexpectedly the redskins made a raid on Long Lake in 1863. killing five men and wounding several others and taking whatever property was of value to them. Ole Palme and Gabriel Ellingson had ventured to Mink Lake to trap and fish and on their return were attacked by the Indians near Kansas Lake and slain. Ole Palme's head was severed from his body and set on a pole. Troops afterwards found the head and buried it with the mangled body. Guldorand Palmeson was killed near Long Lake. He had a fish spear with him at the time and the savages took it and ran it through his body. His wife took their three children and fled to the stockades. In order to reach it she was obliged to cross the river on a fallen log, carrying a child under each arm and one clinging about her neck and shoulders. The Indians saw her, but forbore to pursue. They laughed at the sight and let the fugitives go unharmed.
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Ole Palme's children, Petera. Taar and four-year-old Inga came crying to Lars Halvorson Langemyers early one morning and reported that the Indians were coming. Lars ran to the stable for a horse, but found that all his horses had been taken. He with his wife and the Palme children then started on foot for the fort. The Indians met them on the way, but did not harm them, although they plundered the house and destroyed all the prop- erty.
Salve Torgenson had gone away from home, but left two soldiers, one of whom was named Monson, to protect his family. Some Indians came to the place early on the morning of April 19, before anyone was out of bed and fired through the windows, severely wounding Mrs. Torgenson. The soldiers sprang from their beds to get their weapons, but before they could make any resistance Monson was shot dead and the other man wounded. The wounded soldier, however, got his musket and succeeded in frightening the skulking redskins away. Mrs. Torgerson's wound was dangerous and she came near bleeding to death before she could reach the fort, a quarter of a mile away. With the aid of the soldier, himself wounded, she succeeded in reaching the fort, and it was not long before she was strong and well again.
EARLY CONDITIONS DESCRIBED.
By George M. Johnson.
Away back in the years of 1857 and 1858. while the territory now included in Watonwan county was still a part of Brown county, these beau- tiful prairies lay waving with green grass and wild flowers, without a human habitation, save an occasional Indian tepee. There was nothing to indicate the advent of the white man except the stakes and mounds erected by the government surveyors to mark the divisions of the land, which was then being divided into sections and quarter sections by a party of men among whom was M. K. Armstrong.
The state had just been admitted to the union and there was at that time a prevailing spirit of adventure and speculation. Early in 1858 there came to these parts a colony of young Englishmen who claimed all the tim- bered lands and proposed to found a great city at the end of Long Lake and call it New London, or New Glory, or some other high-sounding name, to attract more settlers. They proposed to build a canal from the lake to the river and provide it with locks to conserve the water and use the lake as a huge dam to run a saw-mill, a grist-mill and other machinery.
There were at this time a few settlers around the present site of Madelia
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and also along the river in Rosendale and Riverdale townships. The rest of the territory was practically a wilderness. And as the Indians only made periodic visits each spring and fall for the purpose of hunting and fishing. the colonists were for the most part "monarchs of all they surveyed." One of these colonists, whose name was John Kensie, was a scholarly gentleman and of a well-to-do family in England. He had a wife and three or four children and built a log hut on the south side of the grove, by the lake, which still bears his name, though in a distorted form, "Kansas Lake." The orig- inal and historic name is Kensie's Lake.
The other English colonists, who were nearly all unmarried men, with- out property and quite unwilling to work, were soon reduced to the necessity of subsisting on corn bread and gopher soup, and as these substances became luxuries, the colonists were soon compelled to seek "other fields and pastures green" and the contemplated city-which was never built-with its high sounding name, fell flat.
John Kensie, who remained at Kensie's Lake long enough to make many friends among the sturdy Norwegian settlers, who soon occupied the lands vacated by his English comrades, was the last to vacate his claim-about 1860. During the winter of 1859 and 1860 this venerable gentleman was employed as teacher among the settlers, and was the first teacher in this part of the county.
NORWEGIAN SETTLERS.
The Norwegian settlers did not come in a colony, but in families, one at a time. Hans Johnson's family being the first. in 1858, was permitted by the colonists to settle on seetion 21, where there was timber enough for one family. Other settlers soon moved in and took up the vacated elaims of the colonists along the river. They brought with them a yoke of oxen. a cow or two, a wagon and some household goods. They built log huts and log stables and proceeded to till the soil on a small seale, as best they could. They raised sod corn and potatoes, and in later years wheat and garden truck, including the famous "homestead tobacco," whose flavor was only to be experienced to be remembered. The settlers had no knowledge of the method of curing the tobacco leaves and although they grew both long and broad and looked very fine, they had a raw, pungent flavor that was abomin- able.
Fish and wild game such as geese, dueks and prairie chickens were more abundant than now, and formed a considerable part of the food supply for
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the settlers. The rabbit which is now so common, was entirely unknown. Lack of ammunition was a great drawback. The settlers had nothing to sell except a few raw furs. Mankato was the nearest place where supplies could be bought, and it took from five to seven days with an ox team to make the round trip. These trips had to be limited to about two in a year and the strictest economy had to be practiced in everything. Tea was substituted by native herbs and coffee by roasted wheat, rye, corn, etc. Twenty-five cents worth of sugar was often a year's supply for a family.
Tallow dips for candles and a cotton wick with a little lard in a shallow dish for a lamp, were the only means of lighting. The men wore home- made shoes, shirts and pantaloons, while calico dresses were "all in style" among the women. Yet, the settlers, under these conditions, were quite happy, for they were all equal and free. They visited and loved one another, as good neighbors should. They had no rent to pay, no burdensome taxes and no mortgages to worry over. They were not held up by the coal trust and had no high tariff to pay on anything. They certainly had good reasons for being happy, which the present generation does not possess.
In 1860 the settlers caught the spirit of the national campaign and songs of "Old Abe" and Stephen A. Douglas were heard in every hut. "Old Abe" was the hero and Stephen A. Douglas was the butt of all the jokes.
Lincoln was elected President, the Southern states seceded and the Civil War broke out. At the first call for troops John Peterson, a young bachelor, who had settled on section 28. enlisted and went south never to return. But the great disaster of the little settlement came in 1862, when the Indian massacre broke out at New Ulm. One August morning, at six o'clock, a messenger brought the news of the Indian outbreak. As there was no means of defense against a possible attack of the Indians, the settlers moved in a body to the settlement in Rosendale township. Here they scattered; some families moved eastward to get settled for the winter, while others remained to await developments.
After a few weeks there was a lull in the Indian trouble. A company of soldiers was stationed in this township and proceeded to build a fort and a stockade on section 23. Relying on the protection of the fort and its sol- diers, some of the settlers moved back to their homes in the fall of 1862. But in the spring of 1863, early in April, they were surprised by a band of Indians who raided the settlement from east to west, killing five persons, including one of the soldiers, and wounding six persons. After this tragedy the settlement was wholly abandoned until 1866, when peace and safety were
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completely restored. Only two families of the original settlers ever returned to make their homes in this township after the restoration of peace-Hans Johnson with his family in August, 1866, and R. Danielson, in the spring of 1868.
DR. HAYNES' RECOLLECTIONS.
A few years since, Dr. Haynes, of St. James, wrote as follows: Ras- mus Danielson, one of the early settlers of Long Lake, had some interesting experiences in the Indian outbreak in 1862. He lived on a farm near the river and says that one evening in August, 1862. two men came to his house and told him to leave as soon as he could, as the Indians were on the war- path. His wagon was standing in the yard with some hay on it. He got his team out and started off in a northerly direction, toward Ole Jorgenson's place. When they got there, everyone was gone. There was nothing to stop for, so Mr. Danielson drove cross country to Shelbyville. They stayed there about two weeks, along with other refugees, who had fled from the wrath of the red men. They afterwards went to Iowa, remained about a year.
In the spring a stockade was constructed by the soldiers on the spot where Cereal postoffice afterward stood, and the house and buildings in the surrounding country were taken by the troops for material for the "fort." When Mr. Danielson returned from the army in which he entered in 1863. he brought in a claim against the state of Minnesota for the loss of his prop- erty, but it was not paid until the last session of the Legislature, when attorney J. L. Lobben presented it and got six hundred dollars by a special act for Mr. Danielson.
THE VILLAGE OF ORMSBY.
This village is partly in Martin and partly in Watonwan counties. It is an incorporated village of about one hundred and fifty people. It was platted in section 32, township 105. range 32 west, by Harry L. and Anna 1. Jenkins, October 14, 1899. It is a station on the Minneapolis & St. Louis railroad and was probably named after Colonel Ormsby, of Einmetsburg. lowa.
In 1916 the following business interests were represented :
Bank-Farmers State.
Barber-W. A. Urhback.
Elevator-Stockdale and Dietz Elevator Company.
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General Dealer-Christian Jensen.
Hardware-A. G. Dushinske. Implements-Hans M. Vagstad. Telephone-Tri-state.
The above includes only those doing business in Watonwan county.
One of the commendable organizations of this village and community is the Farmers Club, of which Mr. S. P. Stoffer is president. The club meets every two weeks in the village. usually at the school building. A definite program is usually given by members of the club, followed by a lunch and social hour.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
Ormsby became an incorporated town in 1902. The first elective officers were as follow: President, Sam. Farver : trustees, H. M. Vagstad, J. F. Northdurft, A. Ingold: recorder. F. H. Clark.
The present elective officers are as follow: President, R. H. Mueller ; trustees, T. A. Parsons, C. Jensen, W. F. Leniberg ; recorder, H. M. Vag- stad.
A pressing need of fire protection caused the town to seek an unlimited supply of water. Consequently in 1902 a well was driven just north of town to a depth of three hundred feet at which point an unlimited flow of water was found. The cost was about four hundred dollars. Reservoirs, five in number, were placed beneath the surface of the ground at various places in the town and connected by pipes. Each reservoir contains one hundred gallons. A hand engine and five hundred feet of fire hose were bought at a cost of five hundred dollars. The fire company is composed of men who volunteer their services. The town has about six blocks of well improved cement sidewalks.
MADELIA TOWNSHIP.
This is one of the original civil townships of Watonwan county, and now comprises congressional township No. 107, range 30 west. It is the northeast township in the county and is six miles square in extent. It is the seat of the old county seat, the village by the same name having been chosen such by the state authorities in organizing this county in 1860. At first it embraced all the territory in Watonwan county, but year after year, as the county was settled up, other sub-divisions were cut out of its territory,
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until at last it came to embrace only its present thirty-six sections, same as all others of the county. From section 30. to section 13. runs the main line of the old St. Paul & Sioux City railroad, now the property of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad. The station point on this road. within this township. as now described, is the village of Madelia, in sections 22 and 27. Among the numerous lakes and lakelets in Madelia township are School Lake, in sections 9, 16 and 17: Hopkins Lake, in sections 13 and I4; Lan Lake, in sections 13 and 25, and Bedje Lake, in sections 12, 13 and 14.
The principal stream of the township is Watonwan river, flowing from west to east. entering section 19 and leaving the township and county from section 36. This has smaller streams as its tributaries, and this causes the topography of the township to be somewhat more broken than other parts of Watonwan county.
Of recent years the township has a small mileage of a branch of the railroad system above mentioned, which is a feeder running from the village of Madelia to Fairmont, which line is almost an air line running north and south. It leaves the main line at the west of Madelia and runs directly south and out of the township from section 33 over into Fieldon township. Between two and three miles of this railroad are in Madelia township.
In 1890 this township had a population of 541 : in 1900 it had 651, and in 1910 the last United States census gave it as having a population of 574. exclusive of the village of Madelia.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The following list of the very earliest settlers at Madelia and in Madelia township is as follows, as recalled by Mr. Estes: S. B. Estes. William Estes, J. Flanders, James Glispen, C. N. Pomeroy, section 2, Ma- delia : Messrs. Hlartshorn, Sheppard and Haire, Jonathan and Caleb Leavitt. William Gilbert. H. Hoge. M. Olson, John C. Sprague. C. I. Ash. D. R. Bill, J. S. Benear. J. N. Cheney, J. A. Clark. James H. Cornwell. J. T. Furber, H. J. Gilbert, J. A. Gieriet. W. Golden, William H. Witham, James Hopkins, 1I. D. Joy, H. C. King. B. O. Kempfer, section 28; A. Kinzzell, M. E. Mullen, Charles Mullen, Helge Pommeson, section 19: John M. Robb, Thomas Rutledge, B. C. Sanborn. T. C. Serving. section 2: T. L. Vought (Flanders Hotel), H. B. Wadsworth. A. J. Nickolson, O. F. Winnestrand, John Chase (an army veteran), J. T. Mitchell, Samuel Driggers, J. Travis, James P. Haycraft and Siver N. Fjelsta.
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LANDS ENTERED RY WARRANTS.
Among the interesting land entries found in the books of the register of deeds in the court house at St. James are the following :
Patent No. 1 is issued on a soldier's script warrant to Lydia Russell, widow of Stephen Russell, seaman gunboat No. 128, flotilla service, War of 1812, and is warrant No. 70,036, and was laid on the northwest quarter of section 28, township 107, range 30 west, at the St. Peter land office. It was by her assigned to Bernard O. Kempffer, and the document is signed by President James Buchanan, who caused the seal of the general land office to be attached to the same. and states that it was given at the City of Wash- ington, D. C., November 10, 1859. This appears as the first warrant for lands taken up in Watonwan county.
Land warrant No. 80.708-Bounty lands to soldiers of the United States military service, for one hundred and sixty acres in the west half of the northwest quarter of section 26, township 107, range 30, on account of services had in the Seminole Indian War. It was issued to H. P. Gilbert by Abraham Lincoln, President, June ist, 1861, and signed by him, as well as by secretary, W. F. Stoddard. Mr. Gilbert secured it from the guardian of an Indian girl. whose father was a loyal warrior in war in Florida. This is in Madelia township.
Land warrant No. 93,147, for a quarter of section 22, township 107, range 30, in favor of Joseph B. Brown, a private in Captain Candee's com- pany, New York militia, in the War of 1812, was patented by President Abraham Lincoln, June 1, 1861. This is within Madelia township.
Patent No. 49,011, for a quarter of sections 20 and 21, township 107. range 30, was granted to Richard Russel, a private in Captain Jeffry's com- pany, Ohio militia, in the War of 1812, and is signed by President A. Lin- coln. June 1, 1861.
A pre-emption claim was filed as No. 6,175. by James H. Hazer, at the St. Peter land office, and is described as being the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 14, township 107, range 30, and is signed by President Andrew Johnson. This is situated in Madelia township.
Land patent No. 55,455, for a hundred and sixty acres, was in favor of Elizabeth F. Cummings, widow of Stephen Murphet, private in Captain Holt's company, Massachusetts militia, in the War of 1812. It was laid on the northwest quarter of section 32, township 107. range 30 west, and issued from the St. Peter land office and signed by President James Buchanan.
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Military warrant, under the act of Congress approved in 1855, giving land warrant to soldiers and sailors in the various wars of this country, and bearing the number of 69,664, is on a quarter section, granted to John Eng- land, teamster in the quartermaster's department. War of 1812, and is described as lots one, two and seven in section II, township 107, range 30, in Madelia township, the same being signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
Another warrant, under the above act, was laid on a hundred acres in the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 25, township 107, range 30 west, and is numbered 49,216, and signed by President James Buchanan, March 15, 1860. It was in favor of Thomas Platt, ensign in Captain McComb's company of Pennsylvania militiamen, in the War of 1812.
Mexican War scrip was held by Sarah Mckenzie, mother of George Mckenzie, private in Captain Duff's company, Third regiment. United States dragoons, and was in shape of a warrant No. 80, 168, and bears date of October, 1847, and the land was secured in this county.
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