History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 25

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343

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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).

Under the edge of a bluff near the highway in section 28 is a fine clear fountain bubbling, known as Indian Spring, which gives rise to the brook of the same name. In early days the place was a favorite one with the Indians, who used to camp here when on hunting and fishing expeditions. A more ideal spot for the purpose could hardly be found.

The first white settlers in the township were David House, with his wife and father, who in 1853 located a claim in Hokah Valley in section 14. After a while the father went on to Kansas, but Mr. House stayed quite a number of years on his farm, finally becoming a merchant in Hokah.

The claim taken by Mr. House in section 14 had been proviously se- lected by Edwin Butterfield, who, however, failed to make improvements, in accordance with the law; so on his return from a prospecting tour, find- ing Mr. House in possession, he had no recourse but to seek other land, and accordingly started a farm in section 13.

In the same year Frank J. Kitzinger took land in section 15, and opened a hotel or tavern. He subsequently became a resident of Hokah. Marcus Sammons selected five forties in the northeastern part of section 29. He died just before the war in the village of Hokah.

In the following year, 1854, Henry Snure, Sr., staked out a claim in section 29, and with him came William Henry Snure. In the fall of 1855, George Snure, a son of Henry Snure, Sr., Walter Krick, Jacob Becker, and Daniel Klein, came from Upper Canada, near Niagara Falls. George Snure lived with his father until he went out as a soldier in the Civil War. Walter Krick and Jacob Becker settled in section 31. Daniel Klein, who married Katherine Snure, daughter of Henry, located on section 30. Both Becker and Klein later went to reside in Hokah, which seemed about that time to have an attraction for the settlers, but Mr. Klein subsequently returned to his farm. Jacob Klein, who married Agnes Snure, developed a good farm in section 30. The Snure family seems to have done its part in the early settlement of the township, as another of its members, Simeon, took land in section 30, where he resided for many years, a thriving farmer. The Kleins were also active. Charles Klein, who resided in the township for awhile, finally moved to Mayville. John Klein, a pioneer of Hokah, took land in section 4, Union Township. Among the other early settlers were Hiram Griffin, a transient; James Franklin, Edward Null, W. H. Younglove and John Hurley. Some of the early arrivals were merely land speculators, who had no intention of making a permanent set- tlement, or even of making improvements, but hoped to enrich themselves by taking a middleman's profit on land deals; but this class of people had little success here. The eligible locations were soon taken, and the occu- pants for the most part, proved industrious and useful citizens, many of them in process of time becoming well to do.

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They were ready and prompt in their support of enterprises for the general, each man contributing what he had to give, according to his means, and when money was scarce, other things equally available were cheerfully furnished. Thus, when it was proposed to erect the school- house of District No. 44, a subscription paper was passed around and materials donated as follows by the men whose names were subscribed : John Snure, one quarter of an acre of land on the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of section 29; Jacob Klein, four 20-foot logs, and 100 feet of boards; Edmund Null, six 18-foot logs and one square of shingles : Henry Snure, four 20-foot logs, one square of shingles, 100 feet of boards, 300 lath, and one window; James Franklin, four 20-foot logs, and eight beams; Martin Younglove, four 20-foot logs; Daniel Klein, four 20-foot logs; John Hurley, four 18-foot logs, and one square of shingles; John Roach, three 18-foot logs; John Hyke, four 18-foot logs, and one square of shingles; Jacob Baker, four 18-foot sleepers and 15 pounds of nails; Benjamin Franklin, three 18-foot sleepers; Thomas White, one 12-light window, 8 by 10; Walter Krick, two windows, 12 lights, 8 by 10; Henry Snure, Jr., one window of 12 lights; George M. Snure, eight pairs of rafters; William Younglove, 15 one-inch boards. All the material was to be on the ground by the first of March, 1859, and the building was to be 18 by 20 feet. The first trustees of this school were John Hurley, Henry Snure and J. H. Kuyck. Edward Null was the clerk.

No authentic record has been preserved with respect to the first death in the township, but it was probably that of Samuel Hall, grandfather of David House. There were two deaths in 1855, one of James Kyle, which occurred in July, and the other of a child of John Franklin.

The hotel built by Frank J. Kitzinger, as previously mentioned, was the first in the township, and was called the Union House. It burned down but was later rebuilt. Martin Neubury, who came about 1859, was another pioneer hotel man of Union, his place being known as the Valley House. He later removed to Sheldon.

A postoffice was established in 1857 in section 20, the first postmaster being Henry Snure. Later the office was moved to section 29, and was in charge of Edmund Null, but about 1875 it was discontinued.

During the Civil War 14 men were drafted from Union Township, namely : John Roach, Benjamin Franklin, Edwin Butterfield, Jesse Doers, Frank Kitzinger, James Franklin, David House, Daniel Klein, James Mc- Millan, George Kyle, Timothy McKenney, Henry Snure, Thomas White, and Walter Krick. Some of them reported in person to the provost mar- shal, while others escaped service by paying the $300 commutation, or procured a substitute. Some of the younger men in the township volun- tarily enlisted, and Joseph Phillips had five sons in the Union army.

The organization of the township was effective on April 5, 1859, when the first town meeting was held at the house of F. J. Kitzinger. Oliver Nelson was chairman and Edmund Null, clerk. Officers were elected as follows: Supervisors, Benjamin Franklin, chairman, John Hurley and Henry Snure; town clerk, Edmund Null; justices of the peace, David House and Simeon Snure; assessor, Edwin Butterfield, collector, John

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Culver; constables, Abner Seaman and James Franklin; overseer of the poor, Oliver Moran; pound masters, W. H. Younglove and David House.

A flour and feed mill, called the Union Valley Mill, was erected by Edwin Butterfield at an early day. It had the dimensions of 26 by 36 feet, and a capacity of 50 bushels a day, the power being transmitted by a 36-inch turbine wheel. There was a 12-foot fall of water, which was some- what scant for the demands of the mill.

Union Township has no village, but the villages of Hokah, Caledonia, Brownsville and Houston are within easy reach, and afford convenient markets, especially to the people living on the outskirts.

WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP

Wilmington township is the third from the Mississippi River on the southern border of the county, which is also the State line. In form and size it coincides with a township of government survey.

In its topography it is not unlike the neighboring townships, being quite broken and uneven, but with a productive soil, bearing in its primitive condition a light growth of small oak, popular, and hazel brush. In the southeast corner Portland extends into the town and embraces several sections. This prairie is rolling and somewhat broken, interspersed with groves which have increased in size since the suppression of the prairie fires.

The township originally labored under the native disadvantage of this section of country, a want of water for domestic and stock purposes, and the settlers had to resort to the "hauley system," as they facetiously called it, to procure a supply, and as the dependence was on natural springs, this made considerable labor, as the springs were sometimes situated at a con- siderable distance.

The character of the soil on the more elevated portions is of a clayey nature, while in the depressions the soil is richer in vegetable mould, with a gravel or clayey subsoil. Portland Prairie has a rich dark loam with a sub- stratum of clay. The township is devoid of any barren spots, being productive with ordinary treatment.

In June, 1851, Mrs. James Robinson, a widow, with her sons, William, Henry, John, and George, the eldest being hardly of age, came from Colum- bia county, Wisconsin, and located near the State line, erecting a log house July 4. One of the brothers, Henry, took a claim of eighty acres in section 36 and put up a shanty in 1852.

A tribe of Winnebagoes was at that time on the Iowa River, and they not unfrequently came among the white settlers to barter their peltries. Henry Robinson cultivated his land but resided with his mother on the Iowa side of the line, not removing to his own claim until 1861. The first cabin in time gave place to a comfortable residence.

In the year 1852 George Carver, a sturdy pioneer, settled on the Iowa side of the line. In the same year a small settlement was made on section 32, near the later mill and store north of the Bergen post office. There

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were four in the party, all natives of Ireland. John Edger was one of them, and he broke up twenty-five acres the following summer, but soon sold out and removed to the southeast part of the town, finally going to Iowa.

His father-in-law, Michael Callahan, also one of the party, sold his claim, which he held with Mr. Edger, to Ole Bye. Charles Kelly selected land north of the others, but he, with a blacksmith named Michael Tanner, not finding work, soon left.

Probably the first Norwegian to enter the township was Gjermund Johnson, who in the summer of 1853 took a claim on section 16. After putting up a shanty and making some improvements, he removed to sec- tions 7 and 18, where he established a good farm. Ole Bye, who, as already related, bought the Edger claim, in 1856 moved to the east line of section 33, where he remained for the rest of his life. Among the other pioneer settlers in the Norwegian part of the township were Halver Peterson, Knudt Severson, Knud Olson, and Ole O. Hefte.

Portland Prairie received a considerable accession of settlers during the season of 1854, all or most of whom were Americans, and proved perma- nent residents. Among them were C. F. Albee, Dr. Alexander Batchellor, John McNally, Jeremiah Shumway, James and Duty Paine, and J. G. Cook. These Americans came from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, arriving by the river at Lansing, without having any specific knowledge of where they were going, except "to Minnesota." The land office was located at Browns- ville, and some of the party having examined the location, they concluded not to look any further. The party bought out John Edger, and it is said that for a time the cabin had sixteen inmates.

These settlers were soon followed by a number of others, who arrived in increasing numbers. The first frame house on the prairie was built, it is said, by Asa Sherman, who was afterwards, as it was supposed, drowned in the Mississippi River.

The arrivals in 1855 included George Shumway, R. E. Shumway, John Albee, Horace Arnold, Arnold Stone, James Emerson and Amos Lapham, and by the spring of 1856 there had been built about eight dwellings, most of them being small and rude log cabins. Among the prominent pioneers who came later were: Cornelius Metcalf, Jr., in 1857; his father and family ; William Cass and Leonard Albee, with their respective families, in 1858; H. W. Pease, from Maine, the same year; D. P. Temple in 1859; L. L. Lapham in 1860; E. C. Arnold in 1861; H. P. Kelly in 1862; C. F. Wright in 1863, and Amos Arnold and Joel S. Yeaton in 1864. During these years and afterwards a number of others arrived, some of whom, however, proved only transient residents.

The first birth in the settlement occurred in the fall of 1852, in the cabin of Mr. Edger, and was that of James Kelly, son of Charles and Margaret Kelly, who were at the time living in a wagon near the cabin. This child grew to manhood and subsequently became a business man of New Albin, Ia.

The first death was that of the wife of Ole Bye. She was taken sick soon after they had bought their place here, and died in August, 1853, being buried in Winneshiek county, Iowa.

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In 1855 occurred the first marriage, that of Ole A. Quarle and Sarah Everson, which was celebrated by the Rev. Mrs. Carson, of Decorah, at the house of Gjermund Johnson, on section 7. This couple reared a family of children.

Portland Prairie was the first part of the town settled. The locality known by this name, however, lies only partly in Wilmington Township, a part of it being in Winnebago Township, and a part extending across the state line into Iowa. The county records show that the ownership of the prairie farms, for a dozen years or so from the first settlement, fre- quently changed hands. The Germans and Scandinavians were appear- ing to take up the remaining vacant lands, or purchase of the Americans who desired to sell their improvements. Like most frontier places, the first residences were not commodious, but comfortable log cabins, requiring little except a few days' hard labor to erect. Many families had to bear their inconveniences many years before the luxury of a frame house could be en- joyed. The farming at first was of a rude character, with appliances such as were in vogue before the era of machinery, and while there was an abiding faith in the ability of the soil to produce root crops, corn and oats, there was many a dubious shake of the head when wheat was men- tioned. But like many another question, practical experience soon solved the problem in the affirmative, although most of the flour at first used to come from outside the county. Wheat, oats and corn soon began to be established crops. The trouble of getting it ground, at first very serious, was in a few years rendered satisfactory by Messrs. Harney & Edward Bell, who built a log mill and set it to running in Dorchester.

The first reaper was a McCormick, which, although an improvement upon the sickle and the cradle, must be regarded as the progenitor of the present self-binder, developed by the law of selection and the sur- vival of the fittest. It was introduced by Samuel Evans about the year 1857, and a threshing machine arrived about the same time. At first there was absolutely no market for anything outside the settlement, so the people devoted their time to making themselves comfortable, and to do this, made the usual recreations of hunting and fishing a part of their business. The amount of money in circulation, especially during the panic of 1857, would take but few figures to represent.

When Charles Albee arrived here he brought with him a single, old- fashioned rifle, and this was brought into frequent requisition to kill deer at long range, which were found along the river bluffs. The prairie chick- ens also had a peculiar fascination for the New Englanders, while the enormous catfish of the Mississippi were a never ending source of aston- ishment, in comparison with their diminutive namesake in eastern waters. Almost the first marketing of wheat realized the munificent amount of 38 cents a bushel, in Lansing, which was also the nearest postoffice for some time.

In 1856 a mail route was established between Brownsville and Dor- chester, and Dr. Batchellor was appointed postmaster, Con Metcalf being deputy.

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The residents in the northern part of the township, as a rule, came by way of Brownsville, while those in the south generally came through Lansing or McGregor. There were then two settlements of Norwegians, those who were in the vicinity of Ole Bye, in the southern part, and those who rallied around Gjermund Johnson, in the northern portion of the township.

Another important settlement at an early day, as well as at present, is known as the American settlement, the personel of which has already been given. The predominating element is still American on what is called the prairie. There are a few of Irish extraction, but the rest of the town was settled by people from Norway.

Four years after the general settlement of the community the first schoolhouse was built. Before this time it was hardly required, as most of the settlers were young men whose children were not yet of school age. The mail facilities were so slow and imperfect that few newspapers were taken. Letters or papers mailed in the East were ten to fifteen days on the road, and news on reaching the settlement would be so old as to lose its quality of news, and the settlers had recourse each winter to the debating club, which met in the house of Dr. Batchellor, and afterwards in the schoolhouse, where the relative gratitude due to Columbus or Washington was most vehemently argued; with questions as the beauties of nature and art, and whether capital punishment should be abolished. Thus the tedium of the long winter evenings was bridged over.

The war of 1861 of course created the usual excitement, and enlist- ments were the order of the hour.

The Sioux massacre of 1862 caused the most alarming panic through- out the whole Northwest, extending to Lake Michigan. The roads were filled with panic stricken settlers fleeing from the imaginary tomahawk and scalping knife.

The people of Wilmington, like the rest, became thoroughly frightened, and while some remained on their farms, most of them started with their families, and what few valuables they could carry, for Lansing. When near the southeastern part of the town, in the vicinity of C. F. Albee's farm, the American residents succeeded in halting the fugitives, and to assure them that there was no danger, C. F. Albee and A. Sherman started on horseback for Spring Grove to learn whether the Indians were really there, as all comers reported, murdering the people and burning all before them. Everything having been reported as quiet as the conventional Potomac, the people slowly went back to their recently forsaken homes, but many of them had turned their cattle into the grain, the losses were quite heavy.

The first town meeting was held on May 11, 1858, in what was known as the Norwegian schoolhouse, the present district No. 58, located near the center of section 28. M. Glanville was chosen moderator, and John G. Cook and Silas Perry, clerks of election. The following officers were chosen : Supervisors, A. Batchellor, chairman, Jeremiah Shumway, and Herman Peterson; clerk, John McNally; assessor, Asley Swanson; collec-

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tor, G. Pope; overseer of the poor, C. F. Albee; justices of the peace, J. G. Cook and Silas C. Perry ; constables, J. M. Paine and Peter O. Quarle.

At this meeting the town was divided into nine ward districts, with the following overseers: Mike McGinnis, G. Andreson, H. Peterson, G. Gilbertson, Knud Severson and T. Oleson. A resolution that hogs should be permitted to run at large was unanimously adopted. The meeting then adjourned. And thus the town of Wilmington was started on its career as a political entity.

WINNEBAGO TOWNSHIP

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, Allamkee County, Iowa, on the south, and Wilmington on the west. The town is drained by Winnebago Creek, which, with the township, gets its name from the Winne- bago Indians who used to frequent this region. The main branch of this stream rises near the northwest corner, and running 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 so characteristic of the west bank of the Mississippi in this vicinity. Away from the creek there is the table land which makes good farms.

The first man to stake out a claim in Winnebago Township was Free- man Graves, a native of Underhill, Vt., who, however, was reared on a farm in New York state. In 1846 he came west as far as Columbia County, Wisconsin, from which locality he started on foot in the early spring of 1851 for the new territory of Minnesota. Crossing the Mississippi at Mc- Gregor, he pursued his course to the north through Clayton and Allamakee counties, Iowa, until he found a place which filled his requirements for a home, and at once stuck his stakes for a claim of 200 acres on what after- wards proved to be a part of section 34, in Winnebago Township, and the rest in the state of Iowa. There this solitary pioneer put up a shanty on the south half of the southwest quarter of section 34, and after making some improvements returned to Wisconsin and induced some of his neigh- bors 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 to be in Iowa. In the winter of 1851-52 he returned to Wisconsin for his family, and Mrs. Graves thus became the first white woman in this region.

Another early settler was Asa Benson, from Pennsylvania, who at first selected some land on section 30, but soon after went over into the valley and located on section 22. His claim, as first located, was among the first on Portland Prairie.

In 1854 Asa Sherman, a native of Rhode Island, arrived in company with S. C. Perry, and together they pre-emptied quite a large amount of

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land. Mr. Sherman was afterwards drowned in the Mississippi River, as was believed at the time, while Mr. Perry left after living here several years.

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

Soon after this the German element began to arrive on the prairie, among the first to appear being F. Monk, William Schapper, F. Rhug, and Herman Carston. In the north part of the town John and Jacob Meyus came about 1855, and in time they established good farms. In the fall of 1854 Thomas Barry, a brother-in-law of Patrick Walsh, bought the north- east section 25, and remained, while Walsh moved to Jefferson after the war.

Michael Sheehan and Timothy McCarthy, who came in the spring of 1854, and took claims in sections 6, 7 and 16, were also permanent settlers. The Tippery brothers must have arrived in 1853, and put up a shanty a little south of that of Thomas Barry. E. D. Eaton made a claim on section 23, 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 sawmill at Watertown. Coe and Doty went to New York state to procure the machinery. Trask got a large number of logs together in anticipation 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 turn his timber into rails and firewood.

At an early day the Hanson brothers, five of them, arrived from Nor- way, and secured claims on section 18.

The first birth in the township, of which there is any record was that of Patrick Sheehan, a son of Michael Sheehan, and occurred early in May, 1854. Louella Melvin, daughter of Joseph and Cordelia Melvin, was born on section 32, near Eitzen Village, on Feb. 7, 1857. She was a grand- daughter of Eliakim and Elvira Laflin, and became the wife of Frank Willis, of Caledonia. The first death was that of old Mr. Spangler, in 1855, and he was buried on the bluff between the upper and lower mills. The first marriage was that of Albert Leach and Mrs. Martha McDonald, and was solemnized at the house of E. D. Eaton, a justice of the peace of the first precinct of the county, in the fall of 1854 or 1855.

It is supposed that the first log house put up in the valley was by Joseph Tippery and his brother William, which was in 1853. It was placed near the upper mill on section 23, 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

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little boy was drowned in the spring branch near the house. This house was a source of considerable trouble afterwards as it was sold to 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 it made Melvin indignant to have his communications thus cut off, and the vendetta began in a modified Corsican style. Calkins proceeded to build a barn, which was burned on May 9, 1864. Melvin was arrested as an incen- diary and held to bail to answer before the grand jury, but this tribunal found no bill against him. Melvin then proceeded against Calkins in a legal way and secured the arrest of him and his family, and he, securing a postponement of the case, took himself beyond the jurisdiction of the court, in May, 1865, and this practically ended the local war.

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History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 25

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1343

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343