History of Fillmore County, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 51

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
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USA > Minnesota > Fillmore County > History of Fillmore County, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 51

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Throughout the county, where the Trenton limestone appears, there are other lime-kilns that supply the local demand.

The Shakopee is not used for making lime in Fillmore county, though it is extensively burned in the lower Minnesota valley, at Mankato and at Shakopee. The St. Lawrence limestone is some- what employed for this purpose, and affords a lime that is nearly white, and is said to weigh 80 pounds per bushel of measure. Mr. Sherman's kiln holds about 300 bushels, and requires 10 to 11 cords of wood for thorough calcination, burning about 48 hours. But little is shipped from here. The lime is about white, and slacks perfectly white.

BRICK .- There is no lack of materials for mak- ing common red brick. In some places the sur- face of the drift clay is used, containing some fine gravel, and at others the loess-loam. Brick- making machinery was met with in the survey of the county at the following points:

Section twenty, Spring Valley, J. W. Smith. Forestville, Michael Shields. Preston, Franklin Coleman. Lanesboro, Thomas Dunsmore. Chatfield, Wm. Stafford.

Lanesboro, W. H. Roberts. Rushford, Ole Tuff. Granger, (formerly, ) Mr. Ferris. Peterson,

GOLD, COPPER .- In small quantities gold has been washed, by rude methods, from the drift at several points in the county. It was found on Luke Hague's land, in gravel, in the northeast quarter of section twenty-six, Spring Valley, and at Yearian's saw-mill, in section thirty-one, Jor- dan. There are accounts also of fragments of native copper having been found in the drift. It is hardly necessary to say that these discoveries do not indicate any valuable deposit of the kind in the rocks of the localities where they may be found, They pertain to the drift, and have been transported hundreds of miles along with the other foreign substances in which they occur, from the northern part of the State. Such discoveries have sometimes awakened an interest that has culmi- nated in stock companies formed for mining, and in the wasting of thousands of dollars. Similar small quantities of gold can be got by a minute washing of the drift at almost any place where the drift sheet is attenuated, or where the older glacial drift has been denuded, leaving the gold, which is indestructible, either by the lapse of time or by the chemistry of the elements, on the rock surface underlying. Almost every geological report in the country makes mention of them, extending at least through Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

BUILDING STONE .- With this necessary article Fillmore county is well supplied, and it has been put to an extensive use. There are hundreds of openings made to supply a local demand, besides a great many more extensive quarries, which are known for a good many miles round. A great deal of stone for building is shipped to counties west, which are drift covered, and without accessi- ble building stone. Probably three-fourths of the building-stone used in the county is derived from. the Trenton, the other fourth being made up of the Galena and the St. Lawrence. The Lower Trenton is most frequently employed. This is largely owing to the prominent manner of its out- crops, as shown under the head of Drainage and Surface-Features. The Upper-Trenton has been used in the construction of several schoolhouses and private residences. At Spring Valley the Galena is principally used. At Lanesboro,

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Whalan, Peterson, and Rushford, the St. Lawrence. The Shakopee and Jordan are but rarely resorted to.

Probably the best known quarry in the county is that of Mr. Joseph Taylor, near Fountain. It is situated near the railroad, from which a side track allows the loading of cars. It is in the Lower Trenton, and supplies the "blue limestone" that is so largely shipped by the Southern Minne- sota Railroad to points on its line in Mower, Free- born, and Faribault counties. The beds are usually less than six inches in thickness, and they are easily broken to any desired size. It is a hard stone, not easily cut, but can be dressed if neces- sary. It is not injured hy disseminated shale, as much of the Lower Trenton is, and hence makes a very durable material. At Fountain are several buildings constructed of this stone.

Besides the quarries in the Trenton that have been mentioned in giving the scientific geology of that formation, a number were visited at which no new facts of interest were noted. Such were Ole Oleson's, in the northeast quarter of section thirty-six, Harmony; Wm. Wilbright's and Martin Quinn's, section fifteen, Forestville; George Drury's, section three, Bristol; Garret Mensing's, in the southwest quarter of section twenty-seven, Forestville. It would be impossible, and un- necessary, to mention all the places where this limestone has been wrought. In traveling over the county a number of stone houses for resi- dence were seen, belonging to farmers. Such are O. Hara's, in the southwest quarter of section eighteen, Amherst, from the Trenton; Mr. George Park's section thirty-seven, Bloomfield, from the Galena of Mr. S. S. Belding's quarry. The stone mill at Preston is of the Trenton. Of the quarries in the Galena at Spring Valley, those of Mr. Shumaker and of Mr. Allen are the most import- ant. The former furnishes a beautiful fine-grained cut-stone for trimmings, as well as stone for com- mon walls. The latter supplies a darker-colored, and coarser stone, which has been considerably used.

From the St. Lawrence limestone a very fine building stone is obtained. It is a fortunate cir- cumstance that very much of this formation is in regular, and often in heavy layers. These are also not so firm as to resist the usual means for quarry- ing. When the beds are broken the blocks are found to possess often a finely vesicular texture.

Their color is a very light yellow, or buff, resem- bling that of the well-known "Milwaukee brick." The principal buildings at Lanesboro, including the Lanesboro Hotel, the flouring mill of Thomp- son & Williams, the Presbyterian and Catholic churches, the public schoolhouse, and a number of stores, are of the St. Lawrence, quarried at Lanesboro, and from land owned by the Lanes- boro Company. At Whalan are excellent oppor- tunities for obtaining this stone in its best con- dition. It has been somewhat wrought on Whal- an's bluff. Quarries in the same are owned at Rushford by William Crampton, Joseph Otis, and Hiram Walker. Mr. Crampton's quarry furnished the stone put into Boyum's store, and also that of A. K. Hanson's. Mr. E. Larson's was built from Mr. Otis' quarry, and that of Kierland & Son from Mr. Walker's. At Amherst Post-office the Jordan is quarried some for foundations, and the Sha- kopee at Chatfield.

SAND FOR MORTAR AND CONCRETE .- Wherever the St. Peter sandstone is accessible it is employed for making mortar. It is equally good for hard- finish, being when taken from some depth, purely white and of very uniform fineness. There are, however, some portions of the county where it is much more difficult to obtain a sand suitable for common mortar. In the western part of the county a white sand, or one nearly white, is obtained from deposits referable to the Lower Cretaceous. These have been mentioned under the head of Cretaceous. They are found on the land of C. C. Temple, in the southeast quarter of section eight, Bloomfield, on section seventeen, Spring Valley, on Andrew McNee's land, in the northwest quarter of section twenty-two, Bloom- field, and on J. M. Rexford's, in the northeast quarter of section thirty-six. Besides these sources for mortar-sand, the Jordan sandstone, which is often as incoherent as the St. Peter, can be used to advantage, though it is rather more apt to be cemented by iron. There can be no question but the compact and impervious nature of the green shales of the lower Trenton have preserved the incoherency of the St. Peter, by preventing the downward percolation of ferriferous and calcarous waters, which certainly would have left their im- purities in the form of cement among its beauti- ful white grains.

The proximity and cheapness of lime and sand have suggested the building of houses by mixing

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO * ***!

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these substances in the form of a concrete. Several such are found at Fillmore, also in Jordan, and at Rushford; but this method is not general. The material is cast in the form of large brick, hav- ing the color of common brown mortar, and these blocks are laid up much like common brick walls. Patent presses are used to make the concrete blocks.

CHAPTER XLV.

PRE-HISTORIC -- INDIAN GRAVEYARD-INDIAN CORN . FIELD-EARLY SETTLEMENT-TERRITORIAL, STATE AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT-COUNTY RECORDS- VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.

On section twenty-two in Pilot Mound, on land owned by Daniel Herman, there are about a dozen mounds from two to three feet high at the present time, and from fifteen to eighteen feet in diameter and circular in their outline. On one of these mounds was found growing by the first settlers a very large maple tree, that must have been very old. Mr. James Keatch dug into this mound and found human bones in such quantities as to indi- cate that a large number had been buried there, and all of these bones appear to have been broken. A copper instrument was also unearthed, one and one-half inches wide, a half inch thick, and six inches long; also a stone pipe-bowl. A mile or so north of Lanesboro there is a village of mounds, which were opened a few years ago by Dr. Powell, Mr. Man, and others, and one of the larger in particular had quite a number of human bones, a copper, and some stone implements, pipes, etc.

AN INDIAN GRAVEYARD .- When the valley was first settled a burial place was found near Sprague's old mill. It had been used up to the time that the Indians left, on the advent of the white settlers. There were as many as one hun- dred graves there, and they were made by lay- ing the cadaver on the ground and heaping earth upon it, which was a favorite method of burial by the Indians. In the case of a noted chief he was sometimes left sitting upon the ground, propped up by stakes, and a wolf-proof pen of logs would be built over him.

INDIAN CORNFIELD .- The Indians were ac- quainted with the value of the lands in the valleys for raising corn, and there was a cornfield near the house of G. W. White in South Rushford;

the hills were about the same distance apart as now usually planted, not in rows, but in a hap- hazard sort of a way. The squaws did the plant- ing and harvesting, and to them we are indebted for preserving the seed of this cereal, which the world does not even yet appreciate at its true value.

A PRE-SETTLEMENT INCIDENT .- When the first settlers of Rushford arrived, they found, near where the Catholic church now stands, a grave with a rude wooden headboard. From the fact of its being marked in accordance with the habits of civilization, they were led to the presumption, that it must be the grave of a white person, but the mystery of a death at this place could not be penetrated from any known circumstances. Who it might have been thus wandering beyond the confines of civilization, and overtaken by the angel of death excited considerable curiosity. That there was some friend near to tenderly place the mortal remains beneath the sod, and mark the spot with the most available monumental material at hand, was certain. Thus the matter remained until some years ago, when two residents of the town, Mr. Henry Stage and Mr. C. W. Gore, were on a hunting expedition among the lumbering camps of Wisconsin, when they met a man who, on learning they were from up the Root River, related the following incident: Some time about 1845, this man, whose name is disremembered, came up the Root River to where Rushford now stands, with his brother and another man on a hunting and trapping tour. They made a camp at this place, and were proceeding to make them- selves comfortable when the brother was taken violently ill, and as they had little medical knowl- edge and no medicine, they were in a deplorable condition. The man rapidly grew worse, and af- ter terrible suffering, became delirious, and finally death came to his relief. This was a sad time for this little party, away from home and friends, but they made the best of the situation and buried him silently, hewing out the rude memorial which was afterward found, but the name had been ob- literated. This man related their experience with the buffaloes, which at night would remain on the bluffs but in the daytime would be on the bottom lands feeding and quenching their thirst from the river. This place was on the south side of the river, near the farm of O. O. Tuff. The camp was on the north side, and at that time the herd did not cross the river. Of course toward fall the

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buffaloes would return south, to revisit this section the coming season. Soon after this, the first white death in this region, the camp was broken up and the lonely adventurers sorrowfully wended their way down the river.

THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENT.

The history of the early settlement of Fillmore county is not much unlike that of the rest of the State. When, in 1853, the title to the lands held by the Indians was extinguished, there commenced an immigration into the territory which amounted to a regular wave, like the broad swell of the At- lantic, and this kept at its flood until interrupted and broken by the panic of the fall of 1857, and since that time the immigration has been of a straggling character, made up mostly by people from the "old country."

A few settlements were made in the county in 1853, and on the first of January, 1854, according to a statement published in 1858, by J. W. Bishop, the following men and their families were the only white people in the county: A. W. Gray, F. Tillotson, Elijah Austin, J. W. Elliott, After Hoag, M. C. St. John, W. C. Pickett, Daniel Pickett, Hugh Parsley, Thomas Ulatson, H. S. H. Hayes, Mr. Allen, Spencer Vincent, and John E. Parker. Our local town sketches show others who were here two years or so before this time.

Up to January, 1854, the county embraced what is now the counties of Houston, Winona,. Fillmore, and a part of Olmsted. For some time after that it included six townships on the north which have since been set off, and Chatfield was designated as the county seat. The years 1855, 1856, and 1857 was the period of the greatest immigration, and in 1858, there were supposed to be 11,000 people in the county.

The southern boundary of the county, which is also the southern boundary of the State, is the parallel 43 degrees, 30 minutes, of north latitude. The eastern boundary is very near the meridian of 15 degrees west longitude from Washington, or 82 degrees west from Greenwich.

To show how rapidly the county was settled up during the time from the let of August, 1854, to the 1st of April, 1858, the amount of land sold in the land office is presented. Of course this in- cludes all the land covered by this office, which embraced at that time 3,500,000 acres surveyed, and 1,500,030 not surveyed. The sales were for cash, 440,384 acres, and for land warrants, 941,433

acres; total of 1,381,817 acres. The land war- rant business was the greatest in 1856, when the number of acres placed by them was 568,193. These land warrants were given to soldiers who had served in various wars, as extra pay, and were bought up by speculators in great numbers at low prices.

SOME EARLY SETTLERS.

Among the flood of first comers .who were here previous to the 1st of January, 1856, may be noted the following, many of whom appear in other connections in this work, but some of them are mentioned in no other chap- ter. They were more or less important citizens at that time and will readily be placed by the sur- vivors of that pioneer period: John I. Hubbard, Edwin D. Gere, A. T. Hay, Thomas Taylor, Thacher Blake, Hiram H. Wilder, Gulbrand Gulbrandson, Andrew Beauson, Aaron Newell, Levi Bullis, Francis Inghram, Elias C. Koonty, B. F. Tillotson, Sylvanus Allen, Nelson Darling, Elijah Austin, A. P. Darling, George B. Gere, M. Wheeler Sargeant, L. H. Springer, David C. Ken- nedy, M. G. Thompson, Grove W. Willis, Henry L. Edwards, Horace E. Loomis, F. A. Coffin, John Plumteaux, Charles B. Willford, Henry Goodman, Peter Peterson Boer, Oleson Guilbronson, Arthur Bome, Henry L. Edwards, J. W. Sturgis, George W. Willis, Isaac Day, J. W. Elliot, David Dicker- son, Wm. R. Elliot, Henry C. Wheeler, Andrew Cheney, Charles T. Lapham, Charles B. Kimball, Knud Johnson, Lars Tolifson, D. B. Baker, Will- iam Bucker, C. French, Charles Wilson, A. W. Fargo, Tulef Helgerson, Samuel F. Dickson, Charles B. Allen, Elijah Austin, Hugh Cox, Edwin Thayer, Harley B. Morse, John W. Sleepier, Wm. K. Tribue, Thomas B. Twiford, B. M. White, M. L. Edwards, James Nicholas, James Goudy, James M. Graham, Wm. Smith, Hans Johnson, Richard D. Bull, E. B. Jones, Harley B. Morse, Charles M. Foote, Charles Wilson, Columbia French, Samuel D. Short, Edwin Pickett, Joseph W. Brackett, G. B. Calder, George Provost, John Kingsbury, Nels Bareson, Thomas Armstrong, John R. Bennett, Andrew Gray, Alfred Clark, Jeremiah Clark, Enoch P. Wickersham, A. Oren, David Wisel, Justus Sutherland, W. H. Vaughan, D. W. Morrill, George McMaster, William Meighen, Benjamin Philbrick, Joseph Bisby, Joseph W. Crees, W. H. Strong, J. M. Jaquish, Harvey C. Marsh, Joel Fisher, John M. West,

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Lorenzo Luce, Horace Leach, Joseph Stevens, David B. Freemier, Sylvester Benson, William Jolly, Martin Davis, Thomas Brooks, Forest Henry, William Renshaw, Wm. R. Wattles, James R. Findley, William Barnes, William B. Norman, R. M. Foster, William Weimer, John L. Green, J. P. Kennedy, J. D. Bennett, H. K. Soper, Andrew J. Drake, William Drake, George Burl- ingham, H. S. H. Hayes, G. P. Steere, Sands Brownell, L. S. Morgan, Simeon Crittenden, Levi Heaton, Charles E. Todd, Osten Peterson, Caleb Anstine, John Simber, John Jones, Edwin Wilson, Robert S. Warren, Bela K. Ingalls, John H. Var- nell, John Bateman. Harrison Pine, Myron Conk- lin, Oshorn Merrill, R. W. Twitchel, S. B. Murrill, Martin Kingsbury, Charles A. Coger, Ephraim Stebbins, Thomas Werner, Jacob Ham, Martin Henderson, S. B. Mussell, Henry O. Billings, James L. Sharp, David Bender, Joseph Wey- mouth, John Ogg, Thomas J. Smith, Wm. H. Stevens, Edwin Hamilton.

FILLMORE COUNTY IN THE TERRITORIAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS.

The act establishing a Territorial government for Minnesota was approved on the 3d of March, 1849, and the Territorial Legislature convened on the 3d of September, 1849, The county was in the first district, which embraced the whole of the southern part of the territory, and it was repre- sented in the council by James S. Norris, who con- tinued through the s ssion of 1851.

The representatives were Joseph W. Furber and James Wells, for 1849. For 1851, John A. Ford and James Wells were in the House.

In 1852, the new apportionments placed this part of the State in the fourth district, and the member of the council for that year was Lorenzo A. Babcock. In the House the member was Fordyce S. Richards.

In 1853, the Councillor was L. A. Babcock, and Representative, James Wells.

In 1854, the Councillor was William Freeborn, and Representative, O. M. Lord.

In 1855, William Freeborn was in the Council, and Clark W. Thompson in the House.

In 1856, Clark W. Thompson and B. F. Tillotson were in the Council, and W. B. Gere, Samuel Hull, William F. Duubar, William B. Covel, and Martin G. Thompson in the House.

In 1857, B. F. Tillotson and C. W. Thompson were in the Council, and William B. Gere, D. F.

Case, W. J. Howell, John M. Berry, and M. G. Thompson were in the House. This was the last Territorial legislature, and the legislative district embraced Fillmore, Houston, and Monroe counties.

The constitutional convention contained fifty- nine members, and met on the 13th of July, 1857. The members from this district were Alanson B. Vaughan, C. W. Thompson, John A. Anderson, Charles A. Coe, N. P. Colburn, James A. McCan, H. A. Billings, Charles Hanson, H. W. Hooley, John Cleghorn, A. H. Butler, Robert Lyle, Boyd Phelps, and James C. Day.

The first State Legislature assembled on the 2d of December, 1857.

Fillmore was the 9th legislative district and, in the Senate, was represented by Samuel Hull and John R. Jones. In the House the members were T. J. Eames, Isaac DeCow, M. J. Foster, Henry Kibler, James M. Graham, and T. J. Fladeland.

In 1859-60, the Senators were H. W. Holley and Reuben Wells. The Representatives were A. A. Trow, A. H. Butler, W. Meighen, C. D. Sherwood, Daniel Dayton, and Hiram Walker.

In 1861, Fillmore became the 14th representa- tive district, and H. W. Holley was Senator. A. H. Butler, C. D. Sherwood, and J. P. Howe were in the House.

At the session of 1862, Dr. Luke Miller was Senator, and A. H. Butler, Peter Peterson, and John McGraw, were Representatives.

In 1863, Dr. Luke Miller was Senator, and he served until 1868, inclusive, making six consecu- tive years. The representatives for 1863, were C. D. Sherwood, Hiram Walker, and William Chal- fant.

In 1864, the Representatives were S. A. Hunt and M. J. Foster.

In 1865, Reuben Whittemore, William Chalfant, and E. F. West were Representatives.

In 1866, the Representatives were J. Q. Farmer. William Chalfant, and John Hobart.

In 1867, the district was represented by W. W. Braden, N. P. Colburn, J. Q. Farmer, and G. Oleson.

In 1868, the Representatives were John Q. Farmer, Hiram Walker, W. W. Braden, and Wil- liam Meighen.

In 1869, the Senator was A. Bergen, and the Representatives, D. D. Hammer, John Hobart, J. G. McGraw, and William Meighen.

In 1870, the Senator was D. B. Sprague, and

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the Representatives, William Barton, Ole C. Bra trad, M. Scanlan, and S. G. Canfield.

In 1871, J. Q. Farmer was Senator, and the Representatives were N. P. Colburn, H. S. Gris- Wold, Hans Valder, and J. E. Atwater.

In 1872, a new apportionment went into effect, and Fillmore had two Senators and six Repre- sentatives. The Senators were Thomas H. Everts, and John Q. Farmer. Representatives, John Lar- son, A. H. H. Dayton, L. Botham. A. H. Trow, M. Egleston, and P. McCracken.

In 1873, the Senators were T. H. Everts and William Meighen. Representatives, Arne Arne- son, Horace Wheeler, Niles Carpenter. T. P. Bald- win, H. M. Daniel, and Peter McCracken.

In 1874, the Senators were C. H. Conkey and William Meighen, and the Representatives, W. N. Gilmore, A. K. Hanson, J. C. Greer, W. A. Pease, Robert L. Fleming, and J. W. Graling.

In 1875, Senators. C. H. Conkey and Wm. Meighen, and Representatives, H. C. Grover, J. M. Wheat, N. E. Ellerston, E. V. Farrington, R. J. Fleming, and Dwight Rathbun.

In 1876, Senators, C. A. Conkey and William Meighen. Representatives. H. M. Onstine, O. E. Boyum, Tallak Brokken, C. Robbins, George An- drus, and D. Rathbun.

In 1877, the Senators were C. A. Conkey and C. G. Edwards. Representatives, H. C. Grover, J. M. Wheat, Frank Erickson, D. W. Rathbun, S. Berg, and P. M. Mosher.

In 1878, Senators, J. M. Wheat and C. G. Ed- wards. Representatives, H. Christopherson, Dan- iel Currie, Hans Gunvalson, C. H. Colby, Francis Hall, and P. M. Mosher.

In 1879, the Senators were J. M. Wheat and C. S. Powers, and the Representatives, G. C. Grover, Ole O. Stedjee, Nels Ellertson, E. V. Farrington, J. N. Graling, and Peter McCracken.

In 1881, J. M. Wheat and C. S. Powers were the Senators, and the Representatives, G. A. Hayes, Ole O. Stedjee, E. Lovland, J. N. Graling, P. McCracken, and Geo. Andrus. The Legislature now has biennial sessions in the odd numbered years.

Fillmore county is in the 10th Judicial district. There have been but two judges, Sherman Page and John Q. Farmer. Charles D. Sherwood was Speaker of . the House in 1863, and John Q. Farmer in 1867.

Among those who have been officers of the Leg- islature may be mentioned Peter MeCracken, J. G.

McGraw, F. A. Von Fleet, C. R. McKenney, W. W. Williams, W. A. Hotchkiss, E. McMurtie, T. P. Gere, W. A. Powers, M. V. B. Scribner, and others whose names have not been secured.

Fillmore has been one of the most populous counties in the State, aside from those with the large cities, but it has never manifested particular greed for office.

CONGRESSIONAL.

Fillmore county has always been in the First congressional district. During the decade of 1870, the district was as follows: Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Free- born, Houston, Jackson, Martin, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Olmsted, Pipestone, Rock, Steele, Waseca, Watonwan, and Winona counties. Hon. Mark H. Dunnell is the Representative.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT ..

The county of Fillmore, when first organized, embraced the present counties of Winona, Hous- ton, Fillmore, and a part of Olmsted. The first executive board was called County Commissioners. The first meeting of this board was, pursuant to law, at the Winona Hotel in Winona, on the 28th of May, 1853.

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History of Fillmore County, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 51

Author: Edward D. Neill Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: