USA > Minnesota > Fillmore County > History of Fillmore County, Minnesota (Volume 1) > 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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
Digitized by Google
476
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
settlers on the same section. One of them was Gideon Pettis, also Mr. Benson.
In the early days all country houses near timber were built of logs. All the settlers were pioneers struggling to get along in a new country and all were on terms of social equality. When a person who came from a place where the social lines were sharply drawn showed any inclination toward making a dis- tinction between classes of people, he usually soon repented of it. In 1860 P. H. McConville, the widow's son, went down to play with Henry Pray, but the latter's mother, still retaining some of the belief in social superiority brought from an older locality, found the two youngsters wrestling with each other and reprimanded her son for his intimacy with the other lad. At the battle of Gettysburg Charles Pray was wounded and P. H. McConville took Charles on his back and carried him to the rear. When the war was over and the boys returned, Mrs. Pray sent for McConville and he was feasted and flattered to his heart's content.
A schoolhouse was built within a stone's cast of Peter Lough- rey's house. Stephen A. Jones (the father of John and Richard) came over every two weeks and held preaching service. A Sunday school was in session through the summer months.
From 1857 to 1862 the young people of the valley spent many happy evenings in that schoolhouse. They had a literary society, with essays and debates. Also spelling school. The Civil War broke up the literary society, but not the day school or the church service.
Women's fashions have changed somewhat in fifty years. Not so much in men's wear, although I think more boots were worn then than now. If a lady should go to church now wearing a hoop skirt and a Shaker bonnet it would cause much merriment.
In 1865 C. Harrington had thirty-eight acres of wheat on section 36 in my town. In August I was home from the army on a furlough. I helped Mr. Harrington harvest his wheat. He cut it with McCormick's old reliable. As the reader no doubt knows, it was a self rake. At the first round a man counted the gavels and divided them into five parts and five binders kept up with the machine. From the thirty-eight acres he threshed 3,000 bushels of wheat. A stork flew over my house one day and left us a babe, in the old-fashioned way, and then I went back to my regiment in Tennessee, but came home in October.
I have been asked about fishing in the early days. The fish caught in Root river with a hook were small. Larger ones- red horse and suckers-were speared. Two men with spears and one with a torch of birch bark would wade the shallow water in the night and spear the fish. I was out one evening with a
Digitized by Google
1
1
1
1
1
1 1
MR. AND MRS. GERMAN JOHNSON
Digitized by
Digitized by
-
-
1
-
477
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
party of three-Jackson Best, Hiram Loughrey and Ansel Craine. Mr. Craine carried the light. My duty was to carry the fish as they were thrown on the bank. Mr. Craine couldn't talk with- out stuttering. When the spear men lagged behind he called out, "Come on, b-b-boys; they're he-he-he-heelin' it up stream."
Mr. Marquette told me that in 1838 he joined an army and crossed the lake at Buffalo into Canada to take it from the British. He said they fought but got whipped, and that he found himself, with others, in prison, and his punishment would have been severe only for the intercession of a Catholic priest. "What did you expect to do," I said, "take Quebec?" "Yes," he said, "when reinforcements came." "Well," I said, "the Spartans were nowhere compared to that little army for bravery." Marquette's neighbors wouldn't believe his story, but I do, for it agrees with history. I know of but two persons, early pio- neers of Jordan, who are now living-Edwin Pettis and your humble servant.
Reminiscences of William K. Sawyer. William K. Sawyer, now one of the prominent citizens of Three Oaks, Mich., came to Fillmore county in 1856, and still retains a clear memory of the incidents of those early days. Mr. Sawyer writes:
In 1856 I came to Minnesota from Ohio, to which state I had been taken by my parents from my native state of New York when four years of age. My purpose in coming to Minnesota was to locate a land warrant secured for the services of my father, Phineas Sawyer, in the war of 1812. His company, which was mounted, was called from Vermont to Boston, where, after serving for about three months, it was disbanded. I arrived in Fillmore county in 1856 and located on a piece of land about one and a half miles down the river from Preston. Among my neighbors was John Hurlbut. He married one of the Reams girls. Duncan Little also lived in the neighborhood, having built a two story log house. He was a man of some dignity, and a good farmer. His daughter, Kate, lived with him. B. F. Tillot- son was also a neighbor. Mrs. Tillotson had two sons by a former marriage. These boys were kidnapped by a party of people from Ohio, but before they had reached McGregor, Iowa, they were overtaken by a pursuing party of Preston men headed by Mr. Tillotson, and the boys were brought back to their mother. Henry C. Wheeler and his wife, whose maiden name was Lizzie Preston, lived on a place adjoining my claim for a while. Henry was sheriff about that time. Oscar Kennedy was another neigh- bor. He married a girl living near Big Spring. He afterward moved to Missouri, then to Battle Creek, Mich., where he died, leaving a widow and several children. Oscar Kennedy and I kept "old batch" together one winter. One Sunday morning
Digitized by Google
478
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
he put on his best clothes and in answer to my question he said, "I am going to see my girl and to learn whether I am going to keep batch much longer." A few days later I asked him how much longer he was going to keep batch. He said that the time was indefinite. However, he afterwards married the girl.
When I first arrived in Fillmore county, while looking about for land, I stayed over night with William Kennedy, father of Oscar Kennedy. I found him to be my uncle. He died in the vicinity of Preston many years ago. Aaron Knight was my neighbor also. He died in Preston not long ago. Not far away was Mortimer Thompson, who, with his mother, was on a home- stead. Then came a brother-in-law, Mr. Brierly, with his wife and two daughters. On the river lands was Mr. Talbott. He was a great deer hunter and pursued the denizens of the forest with a gun, a gray hound and a white bull dog. Next came the Austin family, a father and two sons, Henry and William. The father and Henry, I think, went farther west. William married one of the Brierly daughters. I once wrote them from Hallsdale, Mich. The wife answered that William was dead and that she was living with her children. Another neighbor was Mr. Eddy, a good farmer, with a wife and several children. Next came Mr. Rodgers and wife. Mr. Rodgers, who was a car builder from Fitchburg, Mass., later returned to that state. Nearby lived the Newcomb family, father and mother, George, Everett and Abigail. Another daughter married George Babcock, who lived near Carimona. I built the farm house for Eddy and Newcomb.
One winter I spent at Carimona at the Strong hotel. I built some black walnut counters for William H. Strong, and also built an addition to his barn. William H. Strong was the lead- ing man in the village. His brother, Belden, was deputy sheriff. Two other prominent men in the village were the elder Dr. Pickett and the younger Dr. Pickett. The elder was sheriff. Lawyer Butler had an office there. He was termed "Due dili- gence" for the reason that when in court he frequently chided the opposing party with not having used due diligence in the case to secure the attendance of their witnesses. Henry R. Wells was then studying law with Butler. Early settlers remember that Mr. Wells came here quite neatly dressed except that the toes of his stockings were protruding from his shoes. There was a flour mill then at Carimona, also a saloon.
When I arrived in Preston I first did some work for Luther Preston on the Kaercher mill. There were then working for Mr. Preston David Kerr, W. W. Fife and Stephen Carpenter. They afterward worked on the courthouse when I superintended the work. Another who worked on the courthouse was William Swazy Seely, whose daughter, Sarah A., I married, thus blessing
Digitized by Google
479
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
my home for the past fifty years and more. Her sister married W. W. Fife and both are now dead. Mr. and Mrs. Seely both died in Preston. There now remain of this family Belle, Charles and Henry, now in Preston. I cannot now recall many who worked on the courthouse. Stephen Carpenter was one. I learn that he is in California. His wife, who as a girl was Made- line Webb, died many years ago. The first two associates with me in business were Jonas and Myres Conkey. Harvey Egbert had a store then in Preston. T. J. Eames was another merchant ; later D. B. Coleman. Col. N. P. Colburn was a prominent man, prosecuting attorney and orator of the county. Reuben Wells was the grand old man of the town. S. B. Murrell was another prominent man.
At one time the bulkhead in Kaercher's mill race moved down stream. People were camped out on the flat for several days waiting for the mill to start. Some came from as far as forty miles away. I built a house for Mr. Crees, an English physician. It was a two-story building across the street from courthouse square. He used this as his store and residence. Mrs. Crees was always neatly attired and wore bloomer dresses. Gust Sham- baurr had a billiard place and Ibach a saloon. Tom Hall, who then had a saloon on the corner, had first located on a claim down the river from Preston. I boarded at the Stanwix Hotel. The proprietor, Theabald Schweitzer, would often say: "The longer I keep a hotel the more I learn, by chemony cripes out." His brother was wounded in the foot at the battle of Bull Run. Amos Day was a farmer west of Preston. The Reed family was there when I was there.
I remember that at one time the United States district court was held in Preston. The judge and attorneys came from St. Paul. At that time the law was in force prohibiting the taking of trout from any of the streams. Nevertheless the lawyers were hungry for trout and three men went after a trout on the sly and the lawyers had a trout banquet. One of the men who caught the trout was named Hull, and it appears that this same Hull was the man who had introduced the trout bill in the state legis- lature. He was fined $25, which with the costs was paid by the St. Paul crowd.
Bear Hunt and the Killing. In the primitive days in the south- eastern portion of the territory of Minnesota game birds, such as pheasant, grouse and prairie chicken were very numerous, as were also game animals, such as bear, elk and deer, the latter predominating. In the fall of 1854 Fillmore county, that was created from a portion of the territory of Minnesota March 5, 1853, had in town 101, range 9 (now Canton township) about twenty-four bonafide settlers who were somewhat isolated, many
Digitized by Google
480
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
of whom were hunters and depended on their unerring rifle to furnish the meats for their families from the game that abounded in the then new country. At this period of time many of the game animals had sought new forage grounds, especially the elk, but there was occasionally a bear seen, and deer were very plentiful. The settlers did not possess many domestic animals, but nearly every settler owned a pair of oxen, from one to three cows, a few hogs and some chickens. Elijah Austin, who was a settler of 1853, possessed more domestic animals (especially hogs) than any other one of the twenty-four settlers in the town. There were no fences at this time and all domestic livestock was allowed to roam over the country at will. Mr. Austin resided on the north side of Weisel creek on section 11, town 101, range 9, and permitted his herd of swine to wander at large. They chose the timber covered portion of Weisel creek valley to the south and west, subsisting on the mast that was abundant, and the tubers of the wild artichoke that were very plentiful in the valleys. The hogs soon wended their way to a valley leading from the south to Weisel creek which crossed the southwest part of section 23, a distance from their home of nearly three miles, and from the habitation of a settler of more than a mile.
This valley being remote from a settler and the land covered with a dense growth of brush was visited at intervals by a black bear who soon began making raids on Austin's herd of swine. John Willford, a settler of 1853, who spent a great portion of his time hunting, on one of his excursions found the partly devoured bodies of two dead hogs in the locality that Austin's hogs fre- quented, apparently the work of a bear. The hunter visited the same locality on the following day to ascertain if the bear had returned for another meal during the night. To his surprise he found that another hog had been killed on that morning by the bear, who, after breakfasting on the dead porker, had left. The hunter resolved to capture the bear the following night, think- ing if he failed then, he surely could succeed on the second night. Accordingly he made his plan, which was to lay in ambush and watch for bruin's appearance during the night time of the bright moonlight. The hunter secured his nephew, J. L. Willford, to accompany him, and the twain lay in ambush the first night without success. On the second night the watchmen were rea- sonably sure of better success, expecting that bruin would return for a square meal again. Each man climbed up a tree near where the dead porker lay and after each had established himself on a stout limb sat waiting and watching for their expected guest to put in an appearance. Bruin's wisdom was equal to the emer- gency and rewarded them by his absence, so after an experience
Digitized by Google
481
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
of a good November night's airing of Minnesota ozone the hunt- ers arrived home in time for breakfast.
After this unsuccessful attempt by John Willford and his nephew, J. L. Willford, to slaughter the bear, the writer in com- pany with his uncle, John Willford, believing, that by eliminat- ing the "moonlight tactics" and substituting something that would be more exciting, like a genuine Daniel Boone hunt in the daytime, the bear could be successfully captured. On the ap- pointed time we left home at three o'clock in the morning taking with us our dogs "Bounce" and "Lion," the writer carrying the old historic Pennsylvania rifle that had been in use by his ances- tors for more than half a century, and Uncle John carrying another historic gun of like make, but of much larger caliber. We soon arrived at the locality that was frequented by bruin. As soon as we arrived we saw that the bear had taken his meal and left his foot prints in the frost that covered the ground, and the chase was at once begun. After meandering a short distance through brush and woods, "Bounce" and "Lion" dropped their tails between their legs and, pointing their hair toward their ears, fell back to the rear of the hunters and began a growling noise. With cocked guns and following the foot prints of the bear's feet that were visible in the frost, we led the procession for more than a mile and then prevailed on the dogs to act as advance guard. They at once took up the trail and fol- lowed it in a zigzag course, passing to the north of the old his- toric town of Greenfield and then making a semi-circle, leading off in a northeasterly direction following the trail remarkably well until we arrived at a water hole, which was a hole or de- pression in the ground the shape of a washbasin and about four rods in diameter, filled with clear water, situated on section 18, town 101, range 9, now Canton township. Here from all appear- ances the bear quenched his thirst, as the foot prints of its fore feet were plainly visible in the mud at the outer edge of the water basin, where the water was roily. At this point we esti- mated the distance from the starting point that we had then traveled at about fifteen miles. By this time the sun had nearly reached the western horizon, but the dogs were soon on the trail again leading in a zigzag course over section 17, town 101, range 9, until we arrived in a ravine about sixty rods of the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of section 17, where the two dogs routed up two monstrous large deer and gave them chase for about an hour's time. Upon their return to the ravine, darkness had settled around us. The dogs at this time seemed to be tired and footsore from the day's traveling over the stubs of the burnt grass, and refused to further follow the trail of the bear. We reconnoitered on both sides of the ravine, hoping that the dogs
Digitized by Google
482
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
would find and take up the trail again, but were unsuccessful in our attempt. We were at this time more than five miles from home, and having had nothing to eat since three o'clock in the morning, we were tired and nearly famished from hunger, so reluctantly gave up the chase and wended our way homeward, to partake of a bountiful supper of johnny cake and venison that was prepared and held in waiting for us by Uncle John's good wife.
A few days later, which was about December 1, 1854, a light fall of snow came, covering the ground, after which a settler named W. J. Howell, who resided on section 10, town 101, range 9, now Canton township, while passing across section 9, town 101, range 9, saw a bear's tracks in the snow and followed them to a sink hole made by the crevice in the rocks at the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of section 17, which was about sixty rods southeast of the ravine where our dogs scared up the two deer a few days previous. Mr. Howell, who was greatly elated over his "find" of the den of a bear, hastened home and informed Silas Pennock, another settler, who resided with Mr. Howell, what he had discovered and signified his intention to take his trusty rifle and go down in the sink hole and dispatch bruin. He asked Mr. Pennock to accompany him, which he did. On returning to the sink hole it was discovered the bear had not departed. Mr. Howell, after tying the end of a small rope around his body under his arms, in order that Mr. Pennock could assist him in his hurried exit after firing on the bear by pulling on the other end of the rope, took his unerring rifle and a lighted tallow candle and proceeded to enter the sink hole. After a short interval of time the report of the rifle was heard, and Mr. Pennock began at once to pull on the rope which he held, as he was dictated to by the daring man in the sink hole, who soon was on top of the earth again. As soon as Mr. Howell came out of the sink hole the smoke of the burnt powder began to issue from the mouth of the sink hole, and it took fully ten minutes before the entrance was free from smoke. After the smoke had cleared away Mr. Howell took his gun and the tallow candle and again made a second descent in the sink hole and fired the second leaden missile into bruin's body, though this was not necessary as the first shot was a fatal one. This act on the part of Mr. Howell was certainly a very hazardous one as verified by the writer, who had made a per- sonal inspection of the sink hole from top to bottom. At the top was a depression in the ground of about six feet to the mouth of the sink hole which was from two and one-half to three feet in diameter. Below the mouth the hole was perpendicular about eight feet, walled by natural rocks. Then came a horizontal
Digitized by Google
483
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
arched passageway of about five feet in height, walled by stone, that led north of an east direction about six feet. Then another perpendicular hole the shape of the capital letter "A" that was also walled by nature's stone formation of the depth of six feet. At the bottom of this was bruin's winter quarters, about twenty feet below the level of the land.
After Mr. Howell became sure that the bear was dead he and Mr. Pennock began to devise some way to get the 500 to 600 pound bear out of the sink hole where he lay. They called on Jacob Vought, a settler of 1853, and Earl S. Emmons, a settler of 1854, to assist them in planning and doing the work of hoist- ing the bear out. They at once proceeded to erect a windlass, but when they commenced to operate the windlass they found that it was impossible to draw him out from where he lay by this method, owing to the two underground right angles. How- ever, they kept at work with the windlass for an entire day, but were unsuccessful.
The second day the four men, by taking their turn at the work, proceeded, by the aid of the candle that furnished the light, to skin the bear and cut him into pieces where he laid at the bottom of the sink hole. These pieces they carried through the underground passageway to the outside surface of the land.
This was the only bear known to the writer to have been killed in the south half of Fillmore county during his fifty-eight years of continuous residence in that part of the county.
Mr. Howell tanned the bearskin and used it for a robe and valued it very highly as a keepsake, because he had taken such a hazardous risk of his life in killing the bear twenty feet under the ground. In the "sixties" he loaned the bearskin robe to a careless man who made a trip to Brownsville Minnesota in the winter time and lost it .- By William Willford.
Indian Scare. On the night of August 31, 1862, occurred the Indian scare in Fillmore county. The massacre of the settlers at New Ulm, Minn., and other frontier towns in that locality was made known by couriers sent out to all points of the compass to warn the people of the impending danger. These couriers being in an excited mood lost no time in warning the people by yelling in a stentorian manner, "The Indians are coming! Chatfield is in ashes, and the Indians are marching across the country killing the people and burning the houses. Get your families out of the country to a place of safety as soon as possible." Such news imparted to the settlers as if by magic paralyzed their better judgment, and the people roused hurriedly from their slumber; and horrified with the report that the Sioux Indians had invaded Fillmore county and were marching across the country massa- cring the settlers and burning the buildings, began a general and
Digitized by Google
484
HISTORY OF FILLMORE COUNTY
rapid flight. Each conveyed the tidings to his neighbor, who joined the multitude, and away they went in search of a place of safety. Some were on horseback, many in wagons, and some on foot, presenting all those grotesque appearances that frontier set- tlers naturally would supposing the Indians close in their rear. Many anecdotes are told, amusing to many of us who cannot realize their feelings, that exhibit the varied hues of courage and trepidation characterizing different persons, and also show that there is no difference between real and supposed danger, although yet those actuated by the latter seldom receive the sympathy of their fellows. A man named R-s, when apprised of the reported Indian raid, and anxious to perform a neighborly act, ran a quarter of a mile to the residence of his brother-in-law, S-h, who had been previously notified by another neighbor and had extinguished the light in the house. When R-s arrived he hastily opened the door and entered, the head of the family believing him to be an Indian, caught him by the coat collar and giving him a whirl pushed him outside of the door and while in the act of going prodded him on the broadest part of his anatomy with a number ten cowhide boot.
Another farmer, who had from sixty to eighty hogs in a feed yard when he and his family were all ready to leave the home- stead, made an opening in the fence enclosing the feed yard, and also in the fence enclosing his cornfield, then taking as they sup- posed the last view of their home, departed for a place of safety. Upon the whole, this scare did not materially injure the country, but quite an amount of produce was lost from the intrusion of cattle and other domestic animals to the gardens of those people who were slow in returning to their homes .- By William Willford.
Carimona Tavern. L. A. King, in 1910, presented to the Min- nesota State Historical Society a copy of the old register used by the Carimona Tavern. At the time of making the gift, Mr. King wrote the following letter to F. E. Titus :
Carimona, so tradition says, derived its name from the Indian chief, Carimona. In any event, the early ones to reach the region now comprised within the limits of Carimona township, found a lovely stretch of undulating prairie, slightly wooded along the Root river. Near the southeast corner was a heavily timbered section known as Buffalo Grove. On section sixteen there was also a heavy growth of timber. In this sylvan retreat, where the purling brook comes to join its babbling mother, Old River Root, Daniel Pickett selected a home, where a delightful boiling spring gushed out of a high bank, and in whose cool depths many a string of speckled beauties have been caught in boyish triumph. Mr. Pickett came in 1853, but his sons, Joseph and Edwin, came into this region in 1852, Joseph Pickett claiming what is now the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.