USA > Minnesota > Freeborn County > History of Freeborn County, including explorers and pioneers of Minnesota, and outline history of the state of Minnesota > Part 50
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or may not spring from motives of purity. With a bearing that never blanched in the presence of misfortune or danger, however appalling, they were nevertheless tender, kind, and considerate, when confronted by disaster and adversity, and it is certain that their deficiencies in the outward manifestations of piety, were more than compen- sated for by their love and regard for the elaims of humanity.
We who enjoy the blessings resulting from the efforts of these hardy pioneers, many of whom are around us in actual life, would be less than human if we were not filled with gratitude to these early settlers, who paved the way and made the condition of things we find a reality. The value of what they accomplished cannot be over- estimated, and it should be constantly remem- bered that whatever of romance attended the early colonists, was more than compensated for by hard work.
If this meed of praise is justly due the men, as it assuredly is, what shall be said in commenda- tion of the heroic women, who learned the vieis- situdes of frontier life, endured the absence from home, friends, and old associations, whose tender ties, that only a woman's heart can feel, must have wrung all hearts as they were severed. The de- votion that would lead to such a breaking away to follow a father, a husband, or a son, into the trackless waste beyond the Mississippi, where dark and gloomy apprehensions must have over- shadowed the mind, is above all praise. The nature of the part taken by the noble women who first came to this uninhabited region cannot he fully appreciated. Although by nature and edu- cation, liberal if not lavish, they practiced the most rigid economy, and seeured comforts from the most meager means. They often at ertical times preserved order, reelaiming the men from utter despair during gloomy periods; and their constant example of frugal industry and cheerful- ness, continually admonished them to renewed exertions; the instincts of womanhood intermitt- ingly encouraging integrity and manhood.
Ae to the etl'ects of frontier life, socially and morally, upon those who have secured homes here in the West, a few observations may not be inappropriate. During the past generation a noted divine in the East, Dr. Bushnell, who will be remembered by those who came from there in the fifties, preached a sermon on the " barbarous
tendeneies of eivilization in the West," and on this theme the reverend gentleman predicated an ur- gent and almost frantie appeal to Christianity to put forth renewed and strenuous exertions to save this region from a relapse into barbarism. This tendency, it was urged, must result from the dis- ruption of social and religious ties, the mingling of heterogeneous elements, and the removal of the external restraints so eommon, and supposed to be so potent in older communities. It is evi- dent, however, that Dr. Bushnell did not have a sufficiently broad and extended view of the sub- jeet; for the arbitrament of time has shown that his apprehensions were entirely groundless, for if he had even carefully surveyed the history of the past, he would have seen that in a nomadie con- dition, which emigration temporarily involves, there is never any real progress in civilization or refinement. Institutions for the improvement and elevation of the race must be planted deep in the soil before they can raise their battlements in grandeur and majesty toward heaven, and bear fruit for the enlightenment of the nations. The evils of which Dr. Bushnell was so alarmed were without a lasting impression, because merely tem- porary in character. The planting of a new colony where so much labor is imperative. where everything has to be constructed, involves an obvious inerease of human freedom, which is some- times taken advantage of, and the conventionali- ties of society are necessarily disregarded to a great extent. But the elements composing a sin- cere regard for the feelings and welfare of others, and of self government, everywhere largely pre- dominates; and the fusion of the races modifies the asperities and the idiosynerasies of each, and cer- tainly will in due time create a composite nation- ality, in which it is hoped in comformity with the spirit of this remarkable age, will produce a nationality or a race, as unlike as it must be superior to those that have preceded it. Even now, before the first generation has passed away, society here has outgrown the irritation of the transplanting, and there are not more vieious elements in it, if as many, as there are in the old communities, as the criminal statistics abundantly show.
In a large majority of eases the men and women coming here had at first to struggle to meet the physical wants of themselves and little ones, and they had no time, even if they had an
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inclination, to make protestations involving pos- tulates of doctrinal faith, but the results of what- ever teaching they had received was materialized in honest labor for the good of the whole com- munity, and in special acts of beneficence whenever occasion presented. It is no exaggeration to say that what has been accomplished here in thirty years, in the planting of educational and moral institutions, has been almost equal to what has been realized in New England in two hundred and fifty years.
To one who has not been actually engaged in reclaiming a farm from a state of nature, and bringing it to a condition that will yield a com- fortable support for a family, it is difficult to con- ceive the amount of toil required, which is often not represented by the difference between the government price of the land and its market value to-day. And as time goes on the estimation in which the settlers who formed the management of this northwestern civilization will be held, will be higher and higher; and the generation now so rapidly taking their places should appreciate the presence of those who remain, and endeavor to strew with flowers the pathways that are shorten- ing so certainly, and must all terminate at no dis- tant day. Let kindness and consideration wait upon them while they are still with us, and not heedlessly postpone our substantial appreciation of their merits, and between our remembrances of the toil, the privations, and the suffering they en- dured which has redounded to our benefit, until they are all gone, and then erect cold and pas- sionless monuments to their memory.
"Be grateful, children, to your sires : Light up affection's fervent fires, And fan them with your love and care, Until their aged hearts grow warm, Close sheltered from want's chilling storm, And heads are bowed in thankful prayer."
CHAPTER XLVII.
CENTENNIAL HISTORY.
The centenial history of the county is printed entire on account of the intrinsic value of the material it contains and because it is in itself a historical document. Without doubt there are some recapitulations of events in the part of the work recently compiled, and it is possible there may be discrepancy, as there always is between
eye witnesses of any event, even when under oath in a court of justice. In the lists of county officers, they all are extended to the present time, to prevent repetition, otherwise the article is intact.
CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF FREEBORN COUNTY.
PREPARED BY D. G. PARKER AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS, FOR DELIVERY AT THS CELEBRATION IN ALBERT LEA, JULY 4, 1876.
Mr. President and Fellow Citizens of Freeborn County :- A recommendation having been adop- ted by Congress, that the people make this Cen- tenial Anniversary one of historic interest, the committee to whom was referred the general man- agement of your local celebration, have extended to me the very flattering compliment of entrusting to my hands the delicate duty of compiling a brief record of Freeborn county. While appreci- ating the courtesy, and feeling grateful for the confidence thus reposed, I enter upon the work with hesitancy, fully conscious of the responsibil- ity which it entails, and not unmindful of the criticism which the historian is likely to provoke.
The task is the more embarrassing from the fact that all history is dry, and he who looks for flower of romance or the poetry of song in the musty volumes of public records, has read history to no purpose.
Nevertheless, it is fitting and proper that the 100th anniversary of our National Independence should be invested with marks of special recogni- tion, to the end that the people may retrospect the past; post their growth and doings to tlie present, and so, like a reckoning upon the broad sea of life, take from this a new departure.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
Until the year 1835, the region now embracing Freeborn county, was comparatively unknown. Iu the summer of that year, the Government fit- ted out an exploring party, consisting of 164 men, under the command of Lient. Albert Miller Lea, with instructions to make a triangular march, from Fort Des Moines, northwest to Lake Pepin, thence southwesterly to the Des Moines river, thence following the stream southward to the place of departure. On the 31st of July, of that year, Lieut. Lea crossed the Turtle River, at Mos-
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cow, and on the following day passed beyond the western line of our county, within the limits of Alden township.
On this mareh he eneamped for the night in Hayward, rested his eommand the next afternoon on the east bank of what is known as White's Lake, and made copious notes of the country along the entire ronte.
The solitude of this untrodden waste, impressed itself upon him. Sparkling lakes encireled by gently sloping woodlands, suggested the romance of nature. Smooth prairies, interspersed withı shady groves, rich with the melody of feathered songsters, was a charm to his poetic spirit. Ever has he referred to this locality. as one of the most beautiful he has ever witnessed. Afterwards one Nicollet mapped out this section of country, using Lt. Lea's notes freely, and in the acknowledge- ment of the favor, gave the name of that brilliant oflicer to one of these Elysian gems.
We can learn of no other white man visiting these parts, until 1841, when Henry M. Rice, con- conducting a party of trappers, encamped upon the shores of these enchanting waters, spending here a part of four consecutive years, in a life of daring bravery, startling adventures, and rude as- sociations. That this was then, as now, the para- dise of the sportsman, is attested by Mr. R., who affirms that in the summer of 1842 he saw over 300 elk in one day, while making his peregrin- ations around these lakes, and that in 1843 he killed two of these tleet-footed animals, one morn- ing before breakfast.
This traet of country was embraced within a neutral strip of territory, lying between two hos- tile bands of Indiaus, and was frequently made the scalping ground of both; nor were they par- tienlar as to whose hair was lifted. provided they could exhibit some trophy of their savage propen- sity. Mr. Rice speaks of many a hair-breadth escape on the part of himself and company, during his hazardous adventures in this wild and unfre- qmented region.
TERRITORIAL ACTION.
By an act of the Territorial Legislature ap- proved February 20th, 1855, the county limits were designated by boundary lines. and the name chosen. It covers a territory of 30 miles from east to west, and 24 from north to south, embrac- ing 20 townships, 13 lakes, more or less important, and a tillable area of about 400,000 acres. A
reasonably temperate elimate, and an unsurpassed rieliness of soil, combine to make it one of the most productive regions on the inhabitable globe.
It was named in honor of Wm. Freeborn, one of the pioneers of Goodhuc county, and a worthy member of the early Territorial Legislature.
By a subsequent act of the same year, the county was attached to Dodge and Goodhue for Legislative purposes, which constituted the Fourth Council Distriet.
According to the Land Office abstracts, the first entry of land was made in Jannary 1855, by Nelson Everest, and thirty-four of the first con- veyanees, by deed, were recorded in Dodge county, between April '56 and March '57, though I find nothing in the general laws to indicate by what authority this was done. In February of 1859, however, these records were transcribed and brought home to their own county.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
Although the county limits were defined at so early a date, it had no political organization until March, 1857, when the Territorial Legislature made provision for its independent government, authorizing Gov. Gorman to earry the act into effect, which he did by appointing E. C. Stacy, S. N. Frisbie, and Wm. Andrews, as temporary Commissioners.
It may be here stated that the county was or- ganized into one general election precinet, by au- thority of the State Department, in the fall pre- vious, and forty-four votes polled in the election of that year; the same being held at the house o Wm. Andrews, in Shell Rock.
The Commissioners referred to assembled on the 3d of March, 1857, and proceeded te appoint the various County Officers, as follows:
Register of Deeds, Samuel M. Thompson; Treasurer, Thomas C. Thorne; Sheriff, Geo. S. Ruble; Probate Judge, E. C. Stacy ; Coroner, A. H. Bartlett; Co. Attorney, J. W. Heath; Sur- veyor, E. P. Skinner; Justices, Geo. Watson, I. P. Linde, Elias Stanton, Patrick Fitzsimmons.
These appointments took effect on the 20th of the same month, except that of Fitzsimmons, who re- ceived his authority afterwards. In April follow- ing, Wm Morin was appointed Register of Deeds in place of Mr. Thompson, who declined to qual- ify. The Coroner's office also went begging, and was tendered in succession to Geo. Watson and C.
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S. Tarbell, after Mr. Bartlett had signified his un- willingness to serve.
At the April session, the Commissioners anthor- ized the clerk to procure all necessary books and the Surveyor's field notes of the public surveys; but as there were no taxes assessed, or other pub- lic revenue to draw upon, we have yet to learn which one of these generous officers donated the money. It is fair to presume that neither of them were in a hurry to lay his purse upon the public altar, for we find that the minutes of the Board were long kept upon sheets of foolscap, stitched together, and that field notes were not obtained until years afterward. It may also be presumed that the Commissioners felt the weight of their great responsibility, for it appears that no less than seven sessions were held between March, 1857, and November of the same year.
I do not refer to this sluringly. Everything was in a chaotic state, out of which they were ex- pected to bring regularity and order. There were assessments to be made, districts to organ- ize, towns to officer, precincts to form, roads to survey -- in short, everything to be done, and the obligation resting upon themselves. Between the various meetings of the Board, during the spring and summer of 1857, there were eleven voting precincts organized and the judges duly ap- pointed.
The first general election was held in October, 1857, at which 646 votes were polled in the county, and the following officers chosen: Register of Deeds, Wm. Morin; Treasurer, Henry King; Sheriff, J. W. Heath; Probate Judge, A. W. White; Clerk of Court, E. P. Skinner; Surveyor, H. D. Brown; Coroner, A. M. Burnham; Com- missioners, S. N. Frisbie, Joseph Rickard, Peter Clauson ..
The Legislature of 1857-58 changed the County Governments, and provided for what is known as the Supervisor system, by which each organized town was represented on the County Board, through its chairman. Several of the towns in this county being either unorganized or attached to others for township purposes, necessarily lim- ited the representation, so that the first Board under the Supervisor system, which met in June, 1858, was composed of ten delegates, as follows:
Shell Rock, William Andrews; Moscow, Theop. Lowry; Geneva, E. C. Stacy; Riceland, Isaac Baker; Hartland, B. J. Boardman; Freeborn, C.
D. Giddings; Albert Lea, A. C. Wedge; Pickerel Lake, A. W. White; Manchester, H. W. Allen ; Nunda, Patrick Fitzsimmons. Of this Board, E. C. Stacy was elected Chairman.
The Supervisor system continued until the win- ter of 1860, when its complicated and expensive character induced a return to the Commissioner plan, and in June following, the Board elected under this law, consisting of Wm. N. Goslee, G. W. Skinner, and Asa Walker, met and organized with the latter as Chairman.
COUNTY OFFICERS.
The county offices, other than the Commission- ers, have been filled as follows:
AUDITOR .- Wm. Morin, from 1859 to 1861; E. C. Stacy, from 1861 to 1865; C. C. Colby, from 1865 to 1867; E. C. Stacy, from 1867 to 1869; Samuel Bachelder, from 1869 to 1877; then Wil- liam Lincoln and Giles Q. Slocum, to the present time.
REGISTER OF DEEDS .- Wm. Morin, from 1857 to 1862; John Wood, from 1862 to 1872; August Peterson, from 1872 to - ; then Ole Simonson and Gurs Hanson, to the present time.
It will be seen from this, that from 1859 to 1861, Mr. Morin performed the double duty of Register of Deeds and Auditor.
TREASURER .-- T. C. Thorne, from March, 1857 to 1858: Henry King, from 1858 to 1860; Ole I. Ellingson, from 1860 to 1862; J. E. Smith, from 1862 to 1866; D. G. Parker, from 1866 to 1868; Charles Kittleson, from 1868 to 1877; since then, Frank W. Barlow.
PROBATE JUDGE :- E. C. Stacy, from March, 1857 to 1858; A. W. White, from 1858 to 1860; B. J. House, from 1860 to 1862; A. H. Bartlett, from 1862 to 1866; B. J. House, from 1866 to 1870; A. M. Tyrer, from 1870 to 1872; G. Gul- brandson, from 1872 to - -; and then James H. Parker, and now Ira W. Towne.
SHERIFF .- Geo. S. Ruble, from March, 1857 to 1858; John W. Heath, from 1858 to 1860; J. A. Robson, from 1860 to 1862; R. K. Crum, from 1862 to 1864; Leander Cooley, from 1864 to 1866; A. W. St. John, from 1866 to October, 1867; John Brownsill from October, 1867 to 1868; E. D. Porter from 1868 to 1872; T. J. Sheehan, from 1872 to the present time.
CLERK OF THE COURT .- A. Armstrong, from August, 1857 to 1858; E. P. Skinner, from 1858
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HISTORY OF FREEBORN COUNTY.
to 1862; H. D. Brown, from 1862 to October, 1871: John Weed from October, 1871 to 1873; A. W. White, from 1873 to --; and George T. Gard- ner to the present time.
COUNTY ATTORNEY .- J. W. Heath, from March, 1857 to 1858.
From that time until 1860 the otlice was not known to the law, it having been abolished by the adoption of the State Constitution, and a District Proseenting Attorney substituted, which otlice was held by Mr. Perkins, of Faribault.
In 1860, the office having again been provided for, J. U. Perry held, by appointment, from March until December of that year. D. G. Parker, from December, 1860 to December, 1862 : A. Armstrong, from 1862 to 1865; H. B. Collins, from 1865 to 1869 ; J. A. Lovely, from 1869 to 1873; A. G. Wedge, from 1873 to the election of John A. Lovely, who is the present in- cumbent.
COURT COMMISSIONER. A. W. White held this in connection with the Probate office, from Au- gust, 1858 to 1861; J. M. Drake, from 1861 to 1862; Samnel Eaton, from 1862 to 1874; B. H. Carter, from 1874 to 1876; R. B. Spicer, from Jan- nary, 1876 to 1878; then John Anderson, and now Herman Blackmer.
Much of this time, the otlice existed more in name than in fact.
CORONER .- C. S. Tarbell, from April, 1857 to 1858. At the general election of 1857, Dr. A. M. Burnham was chosen to this office, but he did not qualify, and it stood vacant for a period of ten years. Geo. S. Ruble was elected in 1861, but did not serve; Samuel Eaton, from 1868 to 1872; W. W. Cargill, from 1872 to 1874; N. H. Ellickson, from 1874 to 1876; Dr. John Froshaug, from 1876 to the present time.
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT .- Up to July, 1865, no well defined management of schools existed. In speculating upon the best system, the Legisla- ture created first a town Superintendey, then an Examiner for each Commissioner district, and lastly the present plan of one general Superin- tendent for each county. Under this, S. Barehel- der was appointed July, 1865, and served until 1869. E. C. Stacy, from 1869 to 1870; H. Thurston, from 1870 to the election of Charles W. Levens, the present official.
SURVEYOR .- E. P. Skinner, from March, 1857 to 1858; H. D. Brown, from 1858 to 1860; C. C. I
Colby was elected to this office in the fall of 1859, and for the two subsequent terms, holding until 1865. From this time nobody seems to have aspired to the place until the fall of 1867, when Levi Pierce was invested with that honor and held un- til 1872. W. G. Kellar, from 1872 to 1874; H. C. Lacy, from 1874 to 1876; W. G. Kellar, from 1876 to to the present time.
STATE REPRESENTATION.
Passing from our county politics, I will next refer to our legislative representation and the va- rious changes of district boundary. Your atten- tion has already been called to the connection of our county under the Territorial Government, and it is unnecessary to refer to it again.
In the early part of 1857, Congress passed an act authorizing the people to form a State Consti- tution, and in July a convention was held at Man- torville, to nominate delegates to the district and to agree upon a division of them among the three counties. From some cause, Freeborn was not represented in that convention, and the other two magnanimously awarded to her one out of the six delegates to be elected; but ever true to her local interest, she threw off on Dodge, defeating Isaac Turtlott, of that county, thereby securing two representetives in the constitutional convention, viz: Geo. Watson and E. C. Stacy.
By the provision of the Constitution that year adopted, our representative boundary was changed, and we became attached to Faribault county, the two being known as the Fourteenth Senatorial District, entitled to one Senator and three Repre- sentatives, and of these Freeborn elected the Sen- ator, Dr. Watson, and one Representative, A. H. Bartlett, as the first delegation under this appor- tionment.
In 1860, another change was made, connecting the county with Steele and Waseca, entitled the Sixteenth Senatorial District, which was awarded one Senator and two Representatives. Under this apportionment, Geo. Watson was sent to the Senate while J. E. Child, of Waseca, and W. F. Pettit, of Steele, were honored with seats in the House, as the first Representatives.
In 1871, the representation of the State was enlarged, Freeborn county made an independent district numbered Five, and awarded one Senator and two Representatives, which still continues to be the status of the county.
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A view of our representation in the Legislature shows the following :
SENATORS .- Dr. Geo. Watson, from 1858 to 1862; A. B. Webber, from 1862 to 1863; M. A. Daley, of Steele, from 1863 to 1864. This latter filling the vacancy occasioned by Mr. Webber's enlistment in thearmy, as a commissary officer. F. J. Stevens, of Steele, from 1864 to 1865; B. A. Lowell, of Waseca, from 1865 to 1867; Ang. Armstrong, from 1867 to 1869; J. B. Crooker, of Steele, from 1869 to 1871; W. C. Young, of Waseca, from 1871 to 1872; H. D. Brown, from 1872 to 1873; T. G. Jonsrud, from 1873 to 1875; T. H. Armstrong, from 1875 to the present time. It will be noticed that a number of these served only one year, which is accounted for by entries into the Government service during the war, or by vacancies occasioned through a change of dis- trict. I give the names of the Senators of the counties with which we have been connected, because we had an equal interest in their repre- sentation, and therefore the record would not be complete without them.
REPRESENTATIVES .- A. H. Bartlett, from 1858 to 1859; T. H. Purdie, from 1859 to 1860; A. B. Webber, from 1860 to 1861. It may be remarked that Mr. Webber's election was a bestowment of cheap honor, as there was no session of the Leg- islature during his term. J. E. Child, of Waseca, and F. W. Pettit, of Steele, from 1861 to 1862; H. C. Magoon, of Steele, and P. C. Bailey, of Waseca, from 1862 to 1863; Asa Walker, from 1863 to 1864; J. L. Gibbs, from 1864 to 1866; Aug. Armstrong, from 1866 to 1867; J. E. Smith, from 1867 to 1869; Aug. Armstrong, from 1869 to 1870; A. C. Wedge, from 1870 to 1872; E. D. Rogers and Wm. Wilson, from 1872 to 1873; J. W. Devereaux and E. D. Rogers; from 1873 to 1874; Even Morgan and Warren Buel, from 1874 to 1875; H. Tunell and R. Fitzgerald, from 1875 to 1876; H. Tunell and J. L. Gibbs , from 1876 to the present time. This covers substantially our political history. We might revive the memory of some stormy conventions, but that would be productive of no good, and the animosities there engendered may well be allowed to die with the issues which inspired them.
FIVE MILLION LOAN.
We would not be doing justice to our people, did we not refer to their noble act in unitedly op- posing what was known as the Five Million Loan
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