History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 72

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547

USA > Minnesota > Houston County > History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota > Part 72

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).

It must have been in 1853, that a man whose name was pronounced Cushon, located on section twenty-five in the western part of the town. Near his place is a high peak standing out solitary and alone, as a huge sentry overlooking the valley be- . low and the neighboring ridges for miles around, and which used to be a. landmark for travelers when this was a vast trackless region, and was named Cushon Peak. This man is remembered as an intelligent and educated man, but from whence

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HISTORY OF HOUSTON COUNTY.

he came, or whither he went, as he soon did, no one knows. He sold out on leaving, in 1854, to Mr. Hendrickson, and a few years later it passed into the hands of Mr. G. O. Laugen.

The Mr. Butterfield already alluded to as hav- ing been buried on the Indian mound, must have taken a claim on section thirty-one, as the date of his death was in July, 1854, and this was the first death in this part of the town.

During the year 1853, the settlements above described received numerous accessions, and an- other was formed on the east bank of the South Fork of Root River, this was the Swedish settle- ment which gave the name to the locality where they still live. Those who were the pioneers of this movement, were: John Anderson, who still lives on section three, and Abraham Anderson and Ole Benson, on the same section, the latter, howev- er, is dead, but his son, C. A. Benson, runs the farm. Lars Redding settled on section .thirty- fonr, but died in 1860. With the two Johnsons already mentioned, these make up six families, who, while still in Sweden, saw an account of the Root River valley in a local paper there, and at once started for the promising land, coming here and claiming these unoccupied acres, they at once began the creation of new homes and the cultivation of the soil.

During the year many located near the "Forks" in various directions. John Moore selected land south of the present village, where S. B. Mc- Intyre now lives. Moore sold to Thomas Hogarty, in 1854.

Lawrence Lynch and Harvey McAdams, with a brother, also arrived in 1853. Albert Olson, H. T. Stafford, and Morris Farmin, should be put down with the early comers. These settlements have since practically grown together, as there is now no vacant land as a demarcation between them.

The first regular store in Houston was by Ole Knudson, who opened it in 1854, bringing his goods up from La Crosse on a keel boat, which he also owned and did a transportation business.

A second store was started by Mr. Brown in the spring of 1858. This was kept a single year.

In the fall of 1858, Isaac Abrahamson arrived with a stock of about $500 worth of goods, which had been purchased from Mons Anderson, in whose store Abrahamson had been a clerk in La Crosse, and he is still here as the senior business man in

town, having occupied his present atand since 1866.

Andrew Forsyth was the first to move from the lower to the upper village; this was in the early autumn of 1866. Mr. Abrahamson soon followed, and then Mr. Horner, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Barton, D. C. Dyer, and others, took up the line of march, leaving a scene behind them for the descriptive pen of some modern Goldsmith.

A blacksmith shop was started by Peter Erick- son about 1856. A hotel was opened by Mr. Hoyt in 1857, and the following year a hotel was also started by Lawrence Lynch.

In 1857, the Post-office was established, and there should be no wonder that, with what had been so far accomplished, the most extravagant an- ticipations should have been entertained as to the future of this Root River village, located, as it was, on a navigable stream in a most productive valley.

At one time a shipyard was in active operation near the bridge, and quite a number of steamers were built.

THE FIRST BIRTH .- As near as can be ascer- tained, the first event of this character, was Miss Jennie, daughter of David and Johanna Johnson on an unknown day, in January or February, 1854. She died when ten or twelve years old, near Red Wing, in this State.

MARRIAGE .- In the early winter of 1858, Mr. Ole Benson and Mrs. Sara Anderson were married at the house of Lars Johnson, on the western part of the present village of Houston. Neither of the parties are living now.

DEATHS .- The third great event in a human life, as it happened here, was the case of Abraham Anderson, whose tottering steps had brought him, at the age of seventy-three years, to the promised land, only "to fall as the autumn leaf to enrich our mother earth." His death was in August, 1853, and instead of the old æsthetic idea of being "gathered to his fathers" he was deposited where, as the ages roll by, his children will be gathered to him. His last resting place is on a mound on the southwest of the northwest of section three.

Another early death should be recorded here, that of Miss Augusta Johnson, a sister of David Johnson, some twenty years of age, who was ac- cidentally shot in her brother's house sometime in the year 1854. Her remains were deposited near those of the venerable Nelson.

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FERRY .- Since some time in 1858, a ferry had been in operation across the Root River, on sec- tion thirty. It was first started by a Norwegian by the name of Henderson, and was a rope ferry with a self-propeller, so arranged that the current would carry it over in whichever way it was headed, but this lateral wing arrangement, for some reason, is no longer available, and muscle has to take the boat from side to side. The proprietorship has changed many times. Mr. Knud Oleson is the present owner.

EMBRYOTIC VILLAGES.

The early residents of Looney valley were re- markably enterprising, and strove to make their home the very hub of the county. Dreams of the county seat hovered over them by night, and some of their waking hours were employed in ponder- ing over the question as to the proper spot for the court house and jail. So, in 1857, while the spec- ulative fever was epidemic throughout the whole county, it assumed, here in Looney valley, the mild and comparatively harmless form of making paper villages.

A town site company was organized by Messrs Looney, Hunt, and Wilson, and forty acres were solemnly set aside, surveyed and platted by Isaac Thompson, and the whole, with numerous addi- tions, was promptly filled, in their mind, by a teeming population.

A Post-office had been established here in 1855, called Looneyville, with D. D. Wilson as Post- master. The mail was brought up by J. S. Looney. The office was kept up until 1858, when it was discontinued.

This historic city, the conception of which was 80 pleasing to its projectors, and which harmed no one else, was located in the center of the west half of the northwest of section twenty-six, and the east half of the northeast of section twenty-seven, twenty acres laying north of the east and west road, and ten acres on either side of the north and south road, which intercepts the other here. The exact location is thus given, so thatwhen, in some remote period, an antiquarian shall be hunting for buried cities, there may be no doubt as to the site of this one. The ruins of this deserted village, in the form of corner lot stakes, were a cause of considerable profanity in after years when they were encountered by the knives of the mowing machine.

As early as 1855, a store had been opened by

Corydon Looney, who was sole proprietor and business manager, and, according to the accounts coming down to us, the whole stock could have been carried off in a wheelbarrow. But the goods, whatever they were, were soon transferred to D. D. Wilson, who added materially to the stock, and kept it in the same place until 1856, when he erected a large log building and put in more goods. He afterwards put up a frame building, which served a double purpose of store and resi- dence. In 1858, the business was closed out, and Wilson went to Money Creek. He was an enter- prising and public spirited citizen, and served his fellow countrymen as a State Representative.

In 1856, the genial and enthusiastic pioneer, W. G. McSpadden; "while high hopes of wealth and fame his bosom fired," laid out a city on his farm on the southeast of section twenty-three, near his mill. This city was named Winfield, in honor of General Scott, and with its prospective streets, avenues, squares, and parks, was to be truly me- tropolitan in its proportions. As no one should despise the day of small things, & commencement was made by the establishment of a saloon, and a blacksmith shop which was handled by Henry Wilson. It was only when this project had obvi- ously failed, that Looneyville was projected.

ANOTHER VILLAGE .- Soon after Looneyville had been mapped out, another town site company sprung into existence, another titular city was founded by an ambitious company, among whom were Snow, Looney, Riley, Harvey Gillett, Pol- leys, and perhaps others. It was situated south of Looneyville, on the southeast of section twenty- seven and the northeast of thirty-four. Its found- ers were satisfied that the railroad, which had al- ready been projected, would pass through it on that side of the river, but when it did finally get through they got left on the other side.

The city was duly platted and recorded, and given the canonical name of St. Lawrence, and for a long time it was regularly assessed as city prop- erty.

The elder Mr. Looney came to this place in June, 1852, and the following September brought his family, with considerable stock, including four yoke of oxen, and two horses, with cows, etc. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and when ten years of age was taken to Illinois, and came from there to this place. In crossing the Mississippi river he had to swim his stock.

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HISTORY OF HOUSTON COUNTY.

HOUSTON'S VIGOROUS BEGINNING.

When the village of Houston was three years old it was described as numbering thirty-five buildings, including three storehouses, two shin- gle factories, turning out from three to five thous- and a day, two carpenter shops, chair factory and cabinet shop, one cooper shop, one blacksmith shop, a steam saw-mill, one corn mill, a turning lathe and broom factory. A school was also men- tioned, and the prospect of having a brewery, a ferry, a dozen or so more buildings, with brick yard, etc. Timber was represented as being abun- dant, and land from $5.00 to $25.00 per acre.

TOWN GOVERNMENT.

The records of the town under the original or- ganization have not been preserved, but the inci- dents connected with the first governmental move- ments, aside from the fact that they relate to the earliest history, are not of paramout interest. They arenot unlike those of other places, and in the case of Houston, where our record must begin in 1861, at the time a new State law went into effect, even the personnel is not materially changed in the few intervening years.

After the act of re-organization was passed, the first town meeting was on the second day of April, 1861. O. Hempsted was moderator. At this meeting considerable attention was devoted to the building of Root River bridge, which was then in process of construction, and an assessment of $200 was levied to complete the structure. The following officers were declared duly elected: Su- pervisors, Isaac Thompson, Chairman, Harvey Johnston, and Knud Solverson; Town Clerk, J. V. Cox; Assessor, O. Hempsted; Treasurer, M. Farmin; Justice of the Peace, T. Curtis; Consta- ble, H. T. Stafford; Superintendent, A. Coon. The Judge at this election was Isaac Thompson, and J. B. Shoemaker was the Clerk.

' April 13, 1861. The records of a meeting of the supervisors on this date, state that it was hol- den at Looneyville. Road business and school affairs, with appropriate action to carry out the vote of the town in relation to the bridge received attention.

May 4th, 1861. The Board met at West Houston, and in accordance with a late law of the State, making each town a school district, to be sub-divided by local authority, the districts were rearranged by making the old No. 48 to be No. 1;

Houston City to be No. 2; Looneyville, No. 3; and Silver Creek, which was numbered 34, to be No. 4. John Ewing was appointed Superinten- dent for the school district of Houston.

June 4th, 1861. At a special town meeting the question of raising a special sum by taxation to complete the bridge was decided in the negative by a vote of thirty against twenty-four. On the question of a special tax to pay the town indebt- edness, forty-two votes in the affirmative and only two in the negative. On the 25th of March, 1862, at a meeting of the town board, the report of the Treasurer was received, by which it appears that the whole sum handled by the town Treasurer dur- inn the year, was $191.97. And, as treasurer of the school district, the sum of $52.86 were the re- ceipts, for handling which, the sum of $1.05 was credited to him.

At the annual town meeting held on the 1st of April, 1862, Isaac Thompson was moderator. Mr. E. McIntire moved that a tax of $300 be levied to complete the bridge, which motion was carried; a motion also prevailed that the next annual meet- ing be held at Looneyville.

In January, 1862, the County Commissioners set off a part of the territory of Yucatan and joined it to Houston.

On the 10th of April, 1862, a petition was re- ceived by the town board, asking that a special town meeting be called, to reconsider the vote to raise money to complete the bridge. This was signed by George Stafford, and thirteen others. On the 12th inst., another petition was received, signed by E. McIntire and fifteen others, on the same subject, and with a view of devising some plan to complete the structure, so, on the 22d of the same month the meeting was called. It was held at the schoolhouse, and a motion to rescind the tax resolution prevailed.

The annual town meeting, on the 7th of April, 1863, was held in Looneyville. After the organ- ization of the meeting, it was voted to hold the next town meeting in Houston city.

In August, 1863, a contract was made by the board to build a bridge across the South Fork of Root River. A. S. Wilsey was the contractor.

THE TOWN WAR RECORD.

In February, 1864, a special meeting of the board was held to devise some plan to secure credit for Houston soldiers who had enlisted in Wisconsin Regiments, and the Chairman, D. F.

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Case, was designated to go to Madison and learn what could be done. In order to raise the amount necessary to defray the expense, various sums were borrowed of patriotic citizens in exchange for town orders bearing ten per cent. interest. The annual report of the Treasurer, in April, 1864, re- vealed the whole amount received during the year to be $236.64, and paid out, $241.98, leaving a de- ficiency of $5.34.

A special town meeting was held on the 9th of July, 1864, to see whether the town would pay a bounty to the recruits. It was voted that $100 be given to any one drafted, or who may be drafted within six months, or who may volunteer, if he is a married man, and $50 if he is single. On the 20th of August, 1864, another meeting was held in the quota interest, and $200 in town orders was voted to every one who should enlist and actually become a soldier under the calls of the President, payable in town orders drawing seven per cent. Subscriptions were at once opened to cash these orders, which were liberally filled.

At an adjourned meeting of the town board on the 26th of August, the interest on the town orders was put up to twelve per cent., and a tax of $2,500 was assessed to pay the bounties. At another meeting held on the following day, it was re- ported that $475 had been handed in as a loan, and $760 on volunteer subscriptions, and on the 29th of August, it was voted that $300 be paid any drafted man who had contributed $10 or up- ward to the volunteer fund.

On the 11th of February, 1865, a town meeting was held to see if a special tax should be levied for bounty purposes, and fifty-two persons voted, twenty for the proposition, and thirty-two against it, so it was lost.

The question was again tested on the 11th of March, and sixty-nine votes were cast, twenty-seven for the proposition, and forty-two against it, so it was again defeated. This seems to have been the end of the trouble in filling the quota.

OTHER TOWN AFFAIRS.

On the 11th of April, 1872, a town meeting was held to see about building a bridge at the Loon- eyville road, and it was resolved to build one at that place, and another at the ferry. I was also voted to issue $10,000 in bonds, to build county buildings, provided the county seat should be moved to Houston. Mr. Smith was Town Clerk at this time, and Isaac Thompson, Chairman.

Bids were advertised for the construction of a bridge at the lowest point named, and the contract was finally concluded with Olaus Foss for the sum of $2,950.

In 1874, Alex. S. Reid was Town Clerk. In September of this year a contract was let to build a bridge across the South Fork, to Charles Benson for $375.00. An ice breaker was constructed to protect the lower bridge, at a cost of $350, by W. G. McSpadden.

On the 14th of March, 1876, the day of the an- nual town meeting, the water was so high that the electors could not assemble, so a special meeting was called for the 18th of March, when the regu- lar business was transacted.

VILLAGE ORGANIZATION.

The village of Houston was organized on the 7th of April, 1874, in accordance with an act of the legislature of the State, approved on the 19th of February, 1874.

The first officers elected were: H. Rasmusson, President; A. P. Johnson, E. A. Brown, and P. Errikson, Trustees; D. F. Case, Clerk; O. A. John- son, Marshal; I. Abrahamson, Treasurer; E. A. Horner, Justice of the Peace, and G. C. Turner, Assessor. At this election D. C. Dyer was Mod- erator; D. C. Sherman, Inspector, and P. Down- ing, election Clerk.

The board procured a village seal, and proceeded to administer the affairs of the village by passing appropriate ordinances. The licenses for saloons have been fixed at various times at from $75 to $125. For several years the price has been $100, and with the revenue thus derived the village ex- penses are usually paid without a resort to & direct tax. The officers have been selected from among the best citizens, and there has been no malfeasance or defalcation in office.

The last village officers elected were: Presi- dent, L. A. Tennison; Trustees, A. S. Reid, C. Rasmusson, O. Olson, and S. S. Drake; Clerk, M. A. Dieson; Treasurer, Herman Swanson; Assessor, P. Bjornson, who was elected, but died on the 22d of April, 1881, and A. S. Reid was appointed to the vacancy; Justices of the Peace, J. W. Tim- monson and Thomas Ryan; Marshal, Thomas Parish was elected but resigned, and L. White- house was appointed in his place.

THE VILLAGE PLAT.

The old village of Houston, which, by courtesy

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is now called Lower Houston, was the east eighty of the southwest of section thirty-three, claimed by McSpadden. The west half was then "Crooks- ton," The west half of the southwest of section thirty-four was owned by Ole Knudson, and a small strip on section thirty-three.

West of the above described property, there was 160 acres taken by David Johnson, a Swede, in 1853, and west of this, 160 acres was taken by Lars Johnson. Both of these parties subsequently sold to Mons Anderson of La Crosse. David Johnson's claim, was originally taken by Mr. W. Webster, who sold it, in 1853, for $30. This tract is now the village of Houston.

It is stated that when the Southern Minnesota railroad was laid through here, that Mr. Anderson gave seventy acres of land and thus secured the station, which involved the removal of the village to where it now is.

POST-OFFICE.

As early as 1857 a Post-office was secured, Mr. A. Marsh was the first Postmaster. At Looney- ville the Postmaster was Dr. Wilson, as elsewhere mentioned, and was discontinued after a few years when it was found that that village did not mate- rialize. In 1866, the Post-office took its turn in moving to the new location, and was transferred, building and all; this was while Mr. Marsh was yet Postmaster. L. A. Tennison was the next incumbent of the office, and then D. F. Case, who was followed by the present officer, F. N. Good- rich. The receipts of the office are about $200 per quarter. While Dana F. Case was Postmas- ter, in 1871, it was made a money order office. The first order issued was on the 3d of August, to Ly- man R. Hall for the sum of $30, payable to Brad- ley & Metcalf, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first month there were twenty-four orders issued. In December, 1881, the number of orders issued was one hundred and nineteen.

MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES.

At an early day Mr. McSpadden, realizing the value of water-power, secured the south half of the southeast of section twenty-three which em- braced a fine undeveloped power of twelve feet head, on Silver Creek, So he set himself at work in his usual vigorous way, and succeeded, in 1855, in improving his property, and by 1856, he had his saw-mill in operation. It was an old fashion- ed vertical frame saw, driven directly by a crank

connection with a flutter wheel, and could run through a thousand feet of inch boards in a day. Mr. Eli Baker bought an interest in the mill, but soon re sold to McSpadden who run it alone for a time. It was afterwards operated by different parties up to the close of the war, when it was finally shut down as a saw-mill. This mill was really of great value to the village of Houston and to the farmers for miles around.

WAKEFIELD FLOURING MILL .- In 1865 and '66, Mr. McSpadden put up a flouring mill at the old saw-mill dam, securing about seventeen feet fall. The mill was 30x40 feet, two stories high, with a basement, and was propelled by a turbine wheel. It did good work until 1874, when a flood swept it away.

With an enterprise which was most commendable, Mr. McSpadden at once put up another and a su- perior mill of the same size, and placed in it three run of stones, with an oat meal attachment. It was .driven by an improved turbine wheel under a tweenty feet head, and had a capacity of fifty barrels a day. This mill run with varied success until December, 1878, when it was destroyed by fire, and has not been rebuilt.

THE REDDING FLOURING AND SAW-MILL .- This mill is on the South Fork of Root River in section thirty-four, about one mile east of Houston village. On this spot a saw-mill was commenced about the year 1867, and completed two years afterwards by E. W. and Charles Hoyt. In 1871, this property was bought by Mr. N. A. Redding who has since run the mill, which has a circular saw with a ca- pacity of 3,000 feet per day, and is driven by water.

In 1875, Mr. Redding commenced the erection of a flouring mill adjoining the saw-mill; it is 30x 40 feet, two stories in height, and has two run of stones and a capacity of thirty barrels a day. It has a head of six feet, and a turbine wheel trans- mits the power. In 1879, a run of feed stones was introduced, and the whole establishment is run as a custom mill.

SAW-MILL AND MACHINE SHOP .- Sometime in 1867 or '68, a shop was put up on the farm of Charles Smith on section thirty-six, in the western part of the town. Blacksmithing utensils were put in at first, and after a while an engine and turning lathe, making quite a machine shop, which was managed by Mr. Simeon Todd. In 1872, Mr. Todd and Mr. Smith erected a saw-mill with a

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good sized steam engine for power, and with a re- ciprocating saw began operations and kept it in motion for about two years, when some of the machinery was sold, and the rest lays along the roadside as corroding emblems of departed useful- ness.

' HOUSTON ROLLER FOURING MILL .- In 1875, Wm. H. Gorsland commenced the erection of a flouring mill on the Root River, on the northern edge of the village of Houston, and in May, 1877, it was put in operation at a cost of about $40,000, and run through the summer as a custom mill. At that time it had six run of stones. In the fall of that year he began the manufacture of merchant flour, and some months subsequently disposed of a two-thirds undivided interest in the whole prop- erty to Williams & Fall. The new firm thus created proceeded to make additions to the mill by adding 20 feet in length to the original building, which was 36x40 feet, so that the mill is now 36x60 feet, four stories high and a basement, and a side track from the railroad to the mill was built. This enlargement made room for six more run of stones. In August, 1880, Mr. W. W. Cargill bought the working interest of Mr. Gorsland. The mill was about this time converted into a roller mill, and the machinery, as then arranged and still operated, consists of three run of stones, seven sets of corrugated and six sets of smooth rolls, one separator, one smutter, one cockle machine, nine purifiers, and other appliances requisite for the production of the finer grades of flour. It has a capacity of from 250 to 300 barrels per day, and is run continuously, except Sundays, with two sets of employes. The mill has a good water power, with eight feet head, and seven improved tur- bine wheels keep the machinery in motion. In connection with this mill there is a cooper shop, which employs ten or twelve men. This manufac- turing establishment is, of course, by far the most important in the town, contributes largely to the prosperity of the village, and furnishes a large proportion of the freight from this station. The firm name is now Williams, Cargill & Fall. They are extensive grain dealers, Mr. Reid being their purchasing agent.

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History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 72

Author: Edward D. Neill Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 547

Author: Edward D. Neill
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 547