History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 89

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 89

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WINNEBAGO TOWNSHIP.

WINNEBAGO.

CHAPTER LXVI.

DESCRIPTIVE-FIRST SETTLERS-EARLY EVENTS- TOWN ORGANIZATION-EITZEN - POST-OFFICES SCHOOLS-RELIGIOUS-STATE AND COUNTY OFFI- CERS-BIOGRAPHICAL.

This township coincides with the government survey, and is the second from the Mississippi on the southern boundary of the county and State. It has Mayville on the north, Jefferson on the east, Allamakee county, Iowa, on the south, and Wil- mington on the west. The town is drained by Winnebago Creek, which, with the township, gets its name from the Winnebago Indians who used to frequent this region. The main branch of this stream rises near the northwest corner, and run- ning south of east, leaves the town about two and a half miles from the southern boundary on the east side. The valley of the river makes well up into the town, and there is the usual hill and dale 80 characteristic of the west bank of the Mississippi in this vicinity. Away from the creek there is the table land which makes good farms. In the south- western part of the township, Portland Prairie comes in, and it is no wonder that the early pio- neer, as he climbed the weary way from the river, and his eye rested upon this spot, should have ejaculated, "thus far and no farther will I go."

The town is well settled with a thriving popu- lation, and there are three Post-offices within its borders, with a nucleus for a village at each point, and no one can tell how soon either or all of them may begin to expand.

FIRST SETTLERS.

The very first man to stake out a claim in the township was Freeman Graves, a native of Under- hill, Chittenden county, Vermont, who, when

young, went to New York State, where he was reared on a farm. In 1846, he came west as far as Columbia county, Wisconsin, remaining until the early spring of 1851, when he started on foot for the new territory of Minnesota. Crossing the Mis- sissippi at McGregor, he pursued his course to the north through Clayton and Allamakee counties in Iowa, fording the intervening streams, which must have been swollen at that season, and on the 15th of March struck the place that filled his require- ments for a home, and at once stuck his stakes for a claim of 200 acres on what afterwards proved to be a part of section twenty-four, in Winnebago township, and the rest in the state of Iowa. Some of these early claims, which seemed compact enough when originally marked out by the set- tlers before the government survey, were sadly cut up and left laying around loose, after the com- pass and chain had been through them.

Unpacking his knapsack Mr. Graves went to work, solitary and alone, and put up a shanty on the south half of the southwest quarter of section thirty-four, and, after making some improvements, returned to Wisconsin and induced some of his neighbors to accompany him back, which they did in October of the same year, prepared to remain through the winter. When the lines were run his friends were found in Iowa.

In the winter of 1851-52, he returned to Wis- consin for his family, which he installed in the lit- tle shanty, and thus it was that Mrs. Graves was the first white woman in this region. That loca- tion has since been the home of the family, although the size of the farm has been reduced, as in many other cases.

Another early settler was Asa Beman, a native of Pennsylvania, who at first selected some land on section thirty, but soon after went over into

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the valley and located on section twenty-two. His claim, as first located, was among the first on Port- land Prairie. He has since gone the way of all the earth.

In 1854, Asa Sherman, a native of Rhode Island who had business relations with Mr. S. C. Perry, came and was afterwards drownel in the Missis- sippi, as was believed at the time. S. C. Perry arrived at the same time, and he, with Mr. Sher- man, pre-empted quite a large amount of land. After several years he left and is now supposed to be living in Iowa,

David Salisbury, from Rhode Island, arrived in the fall of 1854; he remained for a time with Mr. Sherman, and finally bought him out.

Soon after this the German element began to ar- rive on the prairie. Among the first to appear were F. Monk, Wm. Schapper, F. Rhug, Herman Carston and others. In the north part of the town John and Jacob Meyus came about 1855, and they still remain and have good farms. In the fall of 1854, Thomas Barry, a brother-in-law of Patrick Walsh, bought the northeast, of section twenty-five, and still remains. Walsh moved to Jefferson soon after the war.

Michael Sheehan and Timothy McCarthy came in the spring of 1854. They settled on sections six, seven, and sixteen, where they still live. The Tippery brothers must have arrived in . 1853. Their shanty was a little south of the residence of Thomas Barry. E. D. Eaton made a claim on section twenty-three which included the site of Barber's mill. During the season Oscar Boomer became a partner with Eaton, and the two laid out a town and called it Watertown. In the spring of 1855, the property was purchased by Wyman Trask, except about three blocks which were reserved. In the fall of 1855, Charles A. Coe came from Norway, Herkimer county, New York, and bought out the Tippery brothers. W. W. Doty also put in an appearance about the same time, and formed a partnership with Coe to build a saw-mill at Watertown. Coe and Doty went to New York State to procure the machinery. Trask got a large number of logs together in an- ticipation of the mill. In the spring of 1856, the mill machinery was shipped to Brownsville, but some disagreement arising the mill was never set up here, but finally went to Rochester. Trask had to get his timber into rails and firewood.

At an early day the Hanson brothers, five of

them, arrived from Norway, and secured claims on section eighteen, where two of them still remain.

THE FIRST BIRTH .- The first of these interest- ing events of which we have any account, was Patrick Sheehan, a son of Michael Sheehan, who was born early in May, 1854. Louella Melvin, daughter of Joseph and Cordelia Melvin, was born on section thirty-two, near Eitzen Post-office, on the 7th of February, 1857. She is a grand- daughter of Eliakim Laflin and Elvira, his wife, and is the esteemed wife of Mr. Frank Willis, of Caledonia.

THE FIRST DEATH .- This was the case of old Mr. Spangler, in 1855, and he was buried on the bluff between the upper and lower mills.

THE FIRST MARRIAGE .- In the fall of 1854 or '55, Mr. Albert Leach and Mrs. Martha McDon- ald were united in marriage at the house of Mr. E. D. Eaton, who was a Justice of the Peace of the first precinct of the county.

EARLY ITEMS OF INTEREST. ·

It is supposed that the first log house put up in the valley was by Jacob Tippery and his brother William, which was in 1853. It was placed near the upper mill on section twenty-three, where the cemetery now is, and near where there was at the time, a ford across the creek; it was sold as above mentioned, to Mr. Coe. In the spring of 1858, Peter McDonald lived in the house; he had two children, a son and a daughter, and that season the little boy was drowned in the spring branch near the house. He was buried near where Mr. Steel's granary now stands. This house was a source of considerable trouble afterwards, as it was sold to Mr. I. C. Calkins, who moved it to the prairie, a quarter of a mile east of Eitzen, and placed it across the road south of J. A. Melvin's. Of course this made Melvin indignant, to have his communications thus cut off, and the vendetta be- gan in a modified corsican style. Calkins proceeded to build a barn which was burned on the 9th of May, 1864. Melvin was arrested as an incendiary and held to bail to answer before the grand jury, but this tribunal found no bill against him. Mel- vin then proceeded against Calkins in a legal way and secured the arrest of him and his family, and he, securing a postponment of the case, took him- self beyond the jurisdiction of the court, in May, 1865, and this practically ended the local war.

The first blacksmith shop in town was started

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by Mr. Thomas Biggs, a practical workman, who built a shop on the farm of Mr. J. A. Melvin on section thirty-two, in 1862, near Eitzen, and was carried on by him for several years. Mr. T. H. Templeton, in 1862 or '63, built a shop on section twenty-five, but his fire only continued to burn about a year. The next man to erect a forge was Mr. B. J. Smith, in 1867, near the upper mill, who after hammering away awhile sold to Mr. Kemp, who still owns it. About the year 1870, Charles Vorpohl started a shop at Eitzen, and afterwards built a new shop and run it some time, then sold out to Wm. Freiburg, who still owns it, and has added a wagon shop. About 1876, Mr. T. Walsh started the shop now occupied by Mr. P. Cavin, near the lower mill.

MILLS.

The first mill in the valley was what is called the upper mill, which was built of stone in the year 1860 and '61, by Ensign McDonald, but he sold it to McMillan & Rose before any machinery had been introduced. The new firm began to put in machinery, but sold out to Sevin & Lind- burg about the year 1865, who finally got it into operation. The next year Sevin sold his share to Charles Johnson, and then, Lindburg dying, his widow sold her share to McMillan & Clark, and the firm became Johnson, McMillan & Clark.

During the summer of 1877, the firm razed the old mill to the ground, and enlarging the base- ment, placed a two story frame building upon it, put in new and improved machinery, and in the fall of that year were again in operation. In the fall of 1878, the one-half of the mill went into the hands of J. Olander, and the next fall it was sold to Olus Okerson, a Baptist clergyman, who, in the fall of 1880, sold his interest in the property to Charles Johnson, the present sole owner, whose abstract of title must have been a lengthy docu- ment.

The lower mill has a less eventful history. It is a stone structure, built in 1865 by Alexander and Davis Beck and George Cooper, the latter being a practical miller. After getting it in ope- ration and running it awhile, Mr. Cooper left on the 6th of March, 1867, and the operation of the mill devolved upon Conrad Laufer and Mr. Mc- Millan, (Garrett Hurley was miller ten years) although still owned by the Beck brothers, who afterwards sold it to their brother-in-law, Martin Kearney. After operating it a single season he

disposed of it to Mr. T. B. Barber, who added im- provements to the extent of several thousand dol- lars, and still owns the property. These mills are prominent factors in the prosperity of the whole vicinity.

THE FIRST STORE.

This was what would be called, in pioneer ver- nacular, "a one horse concern." It was located in the mill building on section twenty-two, and was kept by Ensign McDonald.

The next stock of merchandise to be opened up was in Semfer's building by Mr. Hilbert at Eit- zen. About 1866, Mr. C. Bunge started a store in a log house. In 1873, H. F. Bucholz opened a store near Eitzen, but he was financially sub- merged in 1878, after a five years struggle. Pre- vious to this, however, in 1866 or '67, W. R. Bal- lou built a store near the upper Winnebago Mills, and rented it to Oleson & Co., two Norwegians, who run a grocery and dry goods store for two years, when they failed.

T. B. Barber, in 1874, erected a two-story build- ing near the lower mill, on section twenty-three, to be used for store purposes.

TOWN ORGANIZATION.

The first town meeting was held on the 11th of May, 1858, at the house of Mr. E. Laflin, on sec- tion thirty-two, near where Mr. C. Bunge's store now stands. Mr. Laflin took the chair, and Mr. Freeman Graves, the senior resident, was elected moderator, and Asa P. Beman, clerk. A motion to proceed to the election of town officers prevailed. At ten minutes of ten o'clock, the polls opened, and they were kept open until five o'clock. The result of the balloting was as follows: Supervisors, Joseph A. Melvin, Chairman, Fred Kohlmeier, and Edmund Lynch; Clerk, Lovel Houghton; Asses- sor, Lark E. Laflin; Collector, Harvey E. Jones; Overseer of the Poor, John Tourtelotte; Justices of the Peace, Asa P. Beman and Herman Carston; Constables, Frederick Ruhe and James H. Tem- pleton; Overseer of Roads, Freeman Graves. There must have been twenty-eight persons present as nearly all the candidates had twenty-seven votes each. A motion to have the next town meeting at Lovel Houghton's was carried. Soon after this three road districts were arranged by the town officers, and the following overseers appointed: Wyman Trask, Michael Sheehan, and Freeman Graves. Thus was the new town started on its ca-

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reer as an independent municipality, and the entire unanimity with which the organization was effect- ed, reveals a most charming condition of fraternal feeling, which must have been as encour- aging to them at that time, as it is gratifying to those who remember it now.

EITZEN.

This is the name of a small and compact gath- ering of buildings, including a store, hotel, and blacksmith shop, situated on Portland prairie, on the old wagon road between Spring Grove and New Albin, which, before the construction of the railroad, was very largely traveled. The name is in honor of Eitzen in Germany, from whence some of the early settlers came.

EARLY BUSINESS .- Mr. Conrad Laufer had a farm house in 1865, and occasionally kept travel- ers. This building now does service as a barn. In 1867, Mr. Laufer opened a saloon and arranged to accommodate, in a more suitable way, his in- creasing trade. That same year Mr. Charles Hil- bert, of La Crosse, put in a small stock of general merchandise, but bankruptcy soou overtook him, and the goods went to auction in Caledonia. About the same time Mr. C. Bunge, Jr. procured a small stock of goods and displayed them in an old log cabin in which he had kept a bachelor's hall, it being the place where the first town meet- ing was held. His success was such that he pur- chased a larger building from Laufer, moved it across the street, procured a larger stock which his increasing business demanded, and he has kept it. up ever since.

In the year 1871, Mr. Laufer erected his present commodious hotel at a prime cost of $3,000 be- sides the furniture. The building is a two-story frame, well painted and blinded, and presents a good appearance. It is 28x45 feet in size, but like many country taverns, which the railroads have superceded by whirling their passengers through other avenues, where meal places are at long dis- tances apart, the patrons have diminished in num- ber and may only be expected to again return as the country fills up within a certain radius.

In 1871, Mr. W. B. Johnson erected a hotel near the lower mill and managed it himself until 1874, when it was sold to Mr. T. B. Barber.

POST-OFFICES.

EITZEN POST-OFFICE .- In 1868, on the 28th of August, Mr. C. Bunge Jr. received the appoint-

ment of Postmaster, a position which he holds till this day. The office was at first in the old log cabin, but transferred to the new store on his re- moval into it.

WINNEBAGO VALLEY POST-OFFICE,-In 1858, an office was established on section twenty-two, called Winnebago Valley, which name it still re- tains. James Langmuir was appointed Post- master, and he first unlocked the mail pouch and distributed the contents to the eager people in the present house of August Wiegrefe. The mail was due once a week. Mr. Langmuir held the office until in 1874, Mr. Edward Stevens was ap- pointed, and after having the office at his farm- house a few months, Mr. T. B. Barber was ap- pointed assistant, and the office removed to the store at the lower Winnebago Mill, where it has remained ever since. In the fall of 1881, two mails a week were received from New Albin.

WILMINGTON POST-OFFICE .- The exact date of the establishment of the Portland Prairie Post- office, as it was at first called, is, with the present available means of knowledge, a little obscure, but it must have been some time in 1855. Mr. Alex . Batchellor was appointed Postmaster, and Mr. David Salisbury, deputy; the office was at a farm house on section thirty in the township of Winnebago. In about a year Mr. Salisbury moved away, and he was succeeded by Mr. Sher- man as deputy, who regularly attended to the business under Mr. Batchellor until Mr. J. G. Cook was regularly appointed Postmaster, when the office was moved to his residence in Wilming- ton, on section twenty-five, and during this time the name was changed from Portland Prairie to Wilmington, which it still retains.

In 1863, Mr. R. E. Shumway received a com- mission as Postmaster, and the office went to his residence on section thirty-six; here he remained four years, and then went to section twenty-five, and in 1868, he got on to section thirty in the town of Winnebago, across the street from Wil- mington, and there it still remains. It will thus be seen that this Post-office has had quite an itin- erant experience.

SCHOOLS.

DISTRICT No. 49 .- The first school district or- ganized in town was No. 6. This was in 1857, and on the 31st of January, James Langmuir, Ja- cob Tippery, and T. E. Smith were elected trus- tees, and Mr. C. A. Coe was clerk. The school

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was first taught for two years in a log house rented from C. A. Coe. Nine and a half months school was taught in 1858, divided into three terms, taught by Sarah E. McNelly, G. G. B. Boomer, and Miss Emily Pope, now the wife of E. E. Stewart. The schoolhouse was built in 1859 and '60, on section twenty-three. When the ques- tion of building a schoolhouse arose, the trouble began as to the location. Every member of the district of course wanted it near, but not too near, but after a few special meetings the site was fixed upon in the northwest quarter of section twenty- three, where the school-house now stands. The building cost about $700.

The first school opened in DISTRICT No. 52, Eit- zen, was in the old Laflin log house, and was taught by Miss Lizzie Williams, now Mrs. Eugene Marshall, of Caledonia. In 1866, a stone school- house was erected in the center of section thirty- two, near Eitzen. The first school in that build- ing was taught by Miss J. C. Jones, now Mrs. E. Stevens, at $18 per month, and was commenced on the 12th of August, 1867. This house was subsequently burned, but was rebuilt and enlarged in 1875.

DISTRICT No. 50 .- The first school in this dis- trict was commenced in January, 1862, and was taught by Michael McNamara, for the not to be despised amount in those days, of $14 per month. The first schoolhouse was of logs and built in 1864, on section seventeen, but it was afterward moved to section seven, where it stood and did good service until the winter of 1876-77, when it was consumed by fire, and a new frame structure replaced it in the fall of 1877.

In relation to the organization of the schools it may here be remarked that the State legislature, in 1861, provided that every township should be a school district, to be subdivided according to local requirements, and in accordance with this plan Winnebago was made into four districts, and num- bered accordingly. The next year, or the year fol- lowing, the law was changed, requiring the county to arrange the school district, giving them con- secutive numbers, regardless of town lines.

The new allotment gave No. 1, the No. of 49; No. 4, became No. 50; No. 2, became No. 51; and No. 3 was transformed into No. 52. No. 81 was next formed. Besides the above named districts there are four union districts; No. 59, with part in Wilmington; No. 66, also with part in Wilmington;

No. 44, with part in Mayville; No. 48, with part in Jefferson, and No. 40, with part in Caledonia, part in Mayville, and a part in Wilmington.

DISTRICT No. 51 .- In 1857 or '58, a private school was opened at the house of L. Houghton near the south line of section twenty-one, and taught by Mrs. Houghton. This was a two months' term. When the county was first dis- tricted this was designated as No. 51, and a school was opened in the house of Mr. F. Graves, which was taught by Miss Annie Johnson. This school held several terms, and in 1865 a school house was put up on the south west quarter of section thirty- five, where school was kept until 1873, when the district was merged into No. 52.

DISTRICT No. 86 .- About the year 1874, this dis- trict was set off from No. 52, and a schoolhouse put up the same year by a man who received $100 for laying up the stone work, the district furnish- ing the material. Miss Annie Anderson was the first teacher.

DISTRICT NO. 81 .- This district was organized from a part of No. 49, on the 16th of August 1870. The first officers were: Wm. Gallagher, Director; John Connell, Treasurer; and G. M. Hol- liday, Clerk. The schoolhouse was a frame, con- structed in 1871. Miss Sylvia Jefferson took the initiative as a teacher.

RELIGIOUS.

The first preaching of the gospel in the Winne- bago Valley was in the year 1854, by Rev. Leon- ard Sharp, who was a Campbellite, and at the time was living on section thirty in the town of Jefferson. In January, 1856, he was killed by a falling tree.

METHODIST .- This denomination first became interested here in 1858, when the conference be- gan to treat the place as a promising missionary field, and furnished a supply from Caledonia, the meetings being held in the residence of James Langmuir, who lived on section twenty-two. Ser- vices were thus kept up with more or less regular- ity until the building of the schoolhouse in 1860, when this was occupied, and a Sunday school was started by the Rev. N. Taintor, who at the time was stationed in Caledonia with this as an outly- ing charge. In 1866, the first regular class meet- ing was organized with thirteen members, and Mr. E. Stevens as Leader. These meetings, with preaching every two weeks, and a Sunday school every week, were kept up until 1879, when the

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charge was finally abandoned by the conference. Rev. J. H. White was a prominent worker at one time, and the last one was Rev. W. M. Bowdish.

THE GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH .- The earliest meetings were held in the interest of this denomi- nation about the year 1859, at the house of Fred- erick Kohlmeir on section thirty-one, by Rev. Muckwitz, a missionary. Meetings were occa- sionally held in private houses and finally in the schoolhouse, in district No. 59, in Wilmington, where they were kept up for several years. In 1863, the field having been sufficiently cultivated, a union meeting was called at the house of Henry Deters, on the Iowa side of the line, and an organ- ization was effected, which is now known as " The St. Johns United Evangelical Church." In 1864, the church was erected on this side of the line, on section thirty-two, at a cost of about $800. The building was at first utilized on the upper floor as a parsonage, and the ground floor as a meeting and school room. This was the first religious ed- ifice in town, and in it all seemed to unite in the advancement of Christianity for the common good. Meetings were continued up to 1874, when the present commodious church was built, at a cost of about $2,700, and with a . seating capacity of about 500. In size it is 30x50 feet, and has a spire, in the belfry of which is a bell weighing 1,112 pounds, whose peals summon large congre- gations from miles around. The church has a gallery to increase its seating capacity. The membership is well up to 200. In connection with this church is a school which was established about the time the first building was erected. When the second church was built a separate schoolhouse was put up between the two, and in this a school has been kept several months each year, usually by the resident minister.

A cemetery, in accordance with European usage, was established in the church yard, which contained five acres. The first burial there being John Linde, aged four months and twenty-three days. The little pilgrim's parents still reside in town.

The whole number of interments here up to the fall of 1881, was seventy-seven. The present pastor of the church is Rev. John Jahn. This church has had various vicissitudes, with disagree- able disputes and disagreements, which have re- sulted in a second bi-section of the mother organ- ization, the result of which will be recorded.

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN IMMANUEL CHURCH .- On the 23d of July, 1866, a portion of the old con- gregation held a meeting in the church and re- solved upon a separation, and the following year a small church was built on a five acre lot purchased from Mr. C. Bunge, where the society held meet- ings until it became too contracted, when it was enlarged, and soon after another addition was made, into which the minister with his family moved. A school is usually kept in the building for about eight months in the year, generally taught by the pastor. Rev. Ludwig Ebert was the first minister to occupy the sacred desk, and there were several others before the present pas- tor, Rev. Adolph Niedergesass. A cemetery is also connected with this church.

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History of Houston County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Part 89

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

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