History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I, Part 83

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Jewett, Stephen
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, Jr.
Number of Pages: 892

USA > Minnesota > Rice County > History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I > Part 83
USA > Minnesota > Steele County > History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I > Part 83

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).

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HISTORY OF RICE AND STEELE COUNTIES

house's store building on Broadway, then occupied by a grocery firm-Sykora & Kaplan. On Thursday morning, March 13, 1879, Henry Reans had his left arm broken while digging a well. It appears that a hard piece of blue clay cleaved loose about thirty feet above him, and in falling struck his arm, causing the frac- ture. The house of J. C. Backus, of Owatonna, was burned March 14, destroying nearly all the furniture. The building was valued at $2,000, insured for $1,500; also $400 on furniture and $100 on wearing apparel. Died of pneumonia, March 24, Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Bixby, eldest daughter of John and Christina Eichler, aged thirty-three years, five months and twenty-seven days. The deceased was born at Lafayette, Onondago county, New York, and came to Wisconsin with her parents in 1856. She afterward removed with her family to Freeborn county, Minnesota, in 1861. She was married to J. S. Bixby, November 29, 1866. H. Reidell died April 8, 1879, aged sixty-five years and twenty-seven days. Mr. Reidell was born in Vermont and came to this state in the fall of 1855. In 1875 he came to Owa- tonna, where he lived until the time of his death. Saturday, April 5, Rev. Graves, Congregational minister at Medford, in stepping on the train while in motion, fell between the cars. One of his feet was run over and crushed so badly as to require immediate amputation. Saturday, April 5, R. S. Hatley, of Havana, had the misfortune of having his house burned, saving practically nothing. The house was valued at $500; no insur- ance. April 13, 1879, Arad Jones, of Havana, died of consump- tion, aged seventy-four years. The deceased was a very old settler of Steele county and esteemed by all who knew him. Saturday, April 30, S. G. Lund, lumber dealer in Owatonna, had his safe blown open and the few dollars in silver which it con- tained were taken. The burglars effected an entrance by the window on the northwest corner, and on leaving, left a sledge, a number of wedges, two bits and several cold chisels. Mrs. Katie Siebold, wife of F. G. Siebold, died on June 9, 1879, aged thirty- six years and nine months. Early in June, Dellie Quiggle, a child of Mr. and Mrs. M. S. or L. J. Quiggle, of Owatonna, was drowned in Straight river. On June 10 burglars effected an entrance into the residence of L. Bion, in Owatonna, and carried off $180 worth of cash and jewelry. One of the burglars was afterward shot and killed by an officer at Rochester, Minn. Part of the stolen goods were found on his person. Samuel M. Finley died of old age at Owatonna on May 30, 1879, aged eighty-seven years. On Saturday, May 31, 1879, over $6,600 of taxes of 1878 were taken in at the court house. In June a disastrous storm passed over the northeastern part of Steele county, doing con- siderable damage to buildings in Merton township. Among

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those who suffered loss were: P. Malone, Edward Bartley, Mike and Mark Henry, P. J. Tuttle, Jolin Lane, R. R. Stout and Dexter Carlton. A severe hail-storm passed over Steele county on July 2. Especially did the farmers in Meriden township suffer. Among others who lost heavily through destruction of grain were : G. Mudeking, G. F. Albertus, Chris. Schulke, J. P. Jack- son, John O. Waumett, Darius Cook, William Presby, Mr. Birkle, Archibald Warren, E. L. Scoville, P. Schuster, T. W. Irving, G. W. Buffum, C. H. Church, G. W. Knapp and John Q. Ellis. It was stated that fully 10 per cent of the crops throughout the county was destroyed. On July 4, 1879, the barn of Henry Moffat, about two miles north of Owatonna, was destroyed by fire; loss. $200. On Tuesday evening, July 8, 1879, a terrible hailstorm passed through the township of Berlin, Steele county, cutting a swath over two miles wide, beginning at section 18 and ending on section 36. The following are the names of the farmers whose crops were wholly destroyed: Lewis Burns, D. Gordon, Dwight Gordon, E. Kinney, P. Dunnigan, Thomas Brown, James McCormack, William Lonergan, John Lonergan, Thomas Lonergan, A. Anderson, J. Johnson, L. Peterson, H. Bradley, H. O. and Ole Thompson, Iver Oleson and John Mc- Gillicudy. The following is a list of the farmers whose crops were partly destroyed: Thomas McCormack, A. Quitbar, P. McGillicudy, M. McFarland, J. M. Sloan, J. Wolaski, H. G. Cusick, G. W. Giddings, Edward and Benjamin Wheeler, H. W. Rulliffson, J. Bohm and B. Kingsley. The loss of the town of Berling caused by this storm was estimated at $20.000. Joseph Hoffman, Sr., aged seventy years and five months, died in Owa- tonna, July 28, 1879. Mr. Hoffman came to Steele county in 1858. Daniel Gross, aged seventy-eight years, died October IS, of old age. Mr. Gross had been long known in the vicinity of Owatonna. In Owatonna, on Thursday evening, October 30, 1879, Vinzenz Nowotne was robbed by John Stransky of $8.45. Stransky was arrested. Andrew Oppliger. of Owatonna, died at the residence of his son, J. A. Oppliger, on Thursday evening. November 6. of apoplexy, aged sixty-nine years. In December, 1879, a board of trade was organized in Owatonna. The fol- lowing officers were elected: W. R. Kinyon, president : E. Don- aldson, vice-president : W. A. Dynes, secretary; William Leary. treasurer; directors; John Shea, Charles Schoen, C. N. Mc- Laughlin, M. A. Fredenburg, C. H. Randall, Edward Downie, E. Ray Fenno; committee on by-laws: E. Ray Fenno, H. H. Luers and F. T. Drebert. On Friday, December 2, Joseph Rip- kathen, a resident of Havana, was killed. While on his way to Owatonna his team became frightened, running onto some plowed ground, throwing him off the sleigh. fracturing his skull

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and killing him instantly. Mrs. Jemima Hartle, of Havana, died December 12. She had been a resident of Steele county about nine years.

1880. The United States census of this year gave Steele county a total population of 12,460. The number of American born residents of the county was 8.576, and foreign 3,884. Stecle county's total vote at the presidential election, held in November of this year, was 2,646, divided as follows: James A. Garfield, Republican, 1,642; W. S. Hancock, Democrat, 944; Neal Dow, Prohibition, 60. Mary Jane Yust, aged thirty-three years, died in Deerfield township, Sunday, January 18. She was the wife of C. Yust. March 26, George Caward's barn at Owatonna burned with all its contents. One team, valued at $500, and three other horses were burned. Loss about $2,000; no insur- ance. John P. Johnson, of Owatonna township, died of con- sumption, Wednesday, April 21. The house of Henry Brasen, of Meriden, was burned May 29. The house was known as the Farmer's Home. The building was valued at $1,500, insured for $800; furniture valued at $500, insured for $200. On Thursday night, June 12, M. L. Deving, of Meriden, had his barn struck by lightning and burned to the ground. It was valued at $1,000 and insured for $500. Joseph Chambers, of Owatonna, died Sep- tember 10, aged sixty-one years, three months and ten days. Mr. Chambers was born in Argyle, Washington county, New York, and had come to Steele county in 1864. On Tuesday, October 13, a plank, to which was attached a pulley, hoisting a mortar cask, broke from its fastening on the top of Mr. Moore's brick block, then in course of construction, and fell, striking Hans Erickson on the head, crushing his skull, thus causing his death. On Monday, November 1, five prisoners made their escape from the Steele county jail. They sawed themselves out of the iron cage, then pulled out one of the window casings, and dug enough brick out below to let themselves out. Sheriff Chambers immediately offered $25 for their arrest.

1881. On Friday, March 18, a fire broke out in John Lawler's house near the depot, destroying the house and contents. The occupants merely escaped with their lives. No insurance on building. Died, on Thursday morning, March 26, Mrs. A. P. Riggs, aged forty-five years. The deceased was born in Cat- taraugus county, New York, November 7, 1836, and came to Owatonna in 1868, where she had lived until death. Mrs. Han- nah Moulton, aged eighty-six years and six months, died in Owatonna. April 27, having been an invalid for five years. She was born in New Bedford, Mass., in 1794. Dr. Edward Wallace Johnson was born in Vermont, on May 5, 1813. He graduated at Willoughby Medical College, Ohio, and subsequently entered

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upon an extensive and lucrative practice, and was so successful in his chosen profession that he accumulated a handsome compc- tency. In 1881 he retired from active practice and located in Owatonna, where he remained until the time of his death. Hon. Francis Coggswell, father of Judge Amos Coggswell, died at Goodwin, D. T., October 22, 1881. He was born at Dover, N. H., April 6, 1790, being over ninety-one years old at the time of his death. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College, and was in the defense at Portsmouth in the War of 1812. After the war he studied law, was admitted and parcticed at the Merrimack county bar for thirty years, ranking high as an able advocate and criminal lawyer. He came west in 1868, and lived with his sons, Amos and G. W. Coggswell, both well known. His re- mains were brought from Dakota and placed for their last rest beside those of his wife, in Aurora cemetery. On December 29, 1881, the residence of M. J. Mooney, in Merton township, was destroyed by fire. Loss, $800; insurance $500.

1882. Mrs. John Cottier died at Owatonna, January 16, of heart disease. She was born in Mansfield, Cattaraugus county, New York, April 1, 1862, her maiden name being Anna Griffin .. She married Mr. Cottier at Ellicottville, in the same county, September 15, 1848, and they had seven children, all of whom were alive at the time of her death. John Q. Ellis died of cancer, February 3. He was born at Sumner, Me., November 13, 1824, and came to Sparta, Wis., in 1856, where he lived until coming to Steele county, in March, 1867. At the time of his death he was chairman of the board of county commissioners, which position he had occupied for several years. Early in February, 1882, the schoolhouse .in District No. 13, Aurora township-near Staple- ton's-was burned to the ground. On March 11, 1882, the house of John Pavek, Jr., located a short distance southeast of Owa- tonna, took fire and burned to the ground. The family had diffi- culty in saving their lives. The building and furniture were a total loss. The value of building and furniture was about $1,000; insured for $400. In February, 1882, a stock company was or- ganized at Owatonna for the purpose of establishing a tow and twine factory. The following parties were first to subscribe stock : B. S. Cook, Neal Graham, W. R. Kinyon, A. Reynolds. L. L. Bennett, M. J. Toher, W. A. Dynes, J. E. Buxton, Whec- lock & Sperry. A. C. Hickman, N. C. Larson and B. E. Darby. The organization of the company was effected on March 11. 1882, when $20,000 of stock had been subscribed. The name adopted was the "Owatonna Twine and Oil Company." The following gentlemen were duly elected directors for the ensuing year: W. R. Kinyon, L. L. Bennett, B. S. Cook, L. Lord and W. A. Dynes. A. Reynolds was engaged as superintendent at

HISTORY OF RICE AND STEELE COUNTIES 191

$1,200 per year. Quite an active effort was made to secure the co-operation of the farmers, but it was unsuccessful. In April, of the same year, a meeting of the stockholders was held, at which the directors made a full report, in which they stated : "We have earnestly and faithfully tried to induce our farmers to sow sufficient flax to warrant us in the erection of buildings, purchase of machinery, etc., in order to commence the manufac- turing of twine this season, but find it impossible to do so. In view of this state of facts we do not feel warranted in making the necessary expenditure this season. We can suspend further operations for the present, dispose of flax seed on hand at a trifling expense to the stockholders, continue our organization and be fully prepared to resume operations next year, provided we can get the flax grown. We therefore respectfully recom- mend and advise that further operations be suspended for the present ; that the secretary and treasurer be instructed to dis- pose of the seed, etc., belonging to the company, pay all obliga- tions and return pro rata to the stockholders the balance of the money that has been paid in. Our largest stockholder and super- intendent, A. Reynolds, advises this course, and has canceled his engagement with the company, which was made for one year at a salary of $1,200 per year." This report is signed by "W. R. Kinyon, L. L. Bennett, B. S. Cook, Lewis Lord and W. A. Dynes, directors." It was further explained that they had only been able to make contracts with farmers for raising thirty-five acres of flax, and that the mill would require at least 800 acres. They had conditional promises of farmers to sow 109 acres more. On Tuesday morning. April 3, 1882, the graded school building at Owatonna was totally destroyed by fire, together with all furni- ture and contents. The building was insured for $5,000. Late in March, 1882, Mrs. Raedel, a resident of Deerfield township, committed suicide by hanging. She had been sick nearly all winter and her mind was partially deranged, so that it was neces- sary to keep the house locked, for fear she would run off in the night and freeze to death. She was fifty years old. R. B. New- hall died of consumption, March 31, 1882. He had contracted rheumatism in the army, and it affected him until the time of his death. He was fifty-nine years old. Mrs. W. H. Holden died of heart disease in Owatonna on April 9, 1882, aged thirty years. April 15, 1882, a fire occurred in Lemond township, which destroyed the dwelling house owned by H. E. Johnson, which was occupied by Mrs. Rease. Mrs. Eliza S. Burns, an early pioneer, died at Somerset, on Thursday, April 23, 1882. Mrs. Burns was born in Stephentown, Mass., January 7, 1817, and was married to William Burns in Italy, Yates county, New York. March 23, 1840. They came to Minnesota in 1856 and settled in

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what is now Havana township, being among the very first set- tlers. On April 18, W. S. Melvin, a former prominent resident of Owatonna, met with an accident at Brookings, D. T., which resulted in his death. It appears that he had started to cross a railroad track obliquely, when an engine-coming swiftly from the direction toward which his back was turned-struck him. He was thrown half as high as the locomotive smoke-stack and fell on the side of the engine, rolling off on the ground seventy feet from where he was struck. After the acident he lay in an unconscious condition for thirty-six hours, when he died. The remains were brought back to Owatonna and buried, with Ma- sonic honors. At the time of his death he was thirty-five years old, having been born in Hallowell, Me., in 1846. Cornelius Moran died of cancer at his home in Lemond township, on April 27, 1882, aged fifty-nine years. He was a man respected by all who knew him, and a valuable citizen. He came from New York state to Wisconsin at an early day, and in 1857 moved to Steele county, Minnesota, settling first in Meriden township, but later moved to Lemond, where he lived until his death. Dr. Thomas Kenyon died at his residence in Somerset on April 17, 1882, aged sixty-nine years. He was an old settler and for many years had taken a prominent part in all public and political mat- ters. John M. Sloan died at his home in Berlin township, on April 30, 1882, aged fifty-eight years and eight months. August Sayler died on May 16, aged sixty-four years. June 3, 1882, a fire occurred in Merton township, by which James Clark lost a barn and granary, together with several hundred bushels of wheat and oats, several tons of hay, two sets of harness, and other farming tools. Loss about $700, about half of the amount being covered by insurance. A few days later, the house of M. J. Toher, on his farm three miles south of Owatonna, was burned. Loss, $400; no insurance. William Shea died at the home of his son, P. Shea, in Berlin township, on June 12, 1882, of old age. He was born at Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland, in 1775, making him one hun- dred and seven years old. At the time of his death he was be- yond doubt the oldest man west of the Mississippi, and possibly in the United States. He was one of the pioneer settlers of Steele county, having been a resident of Berlin township for twenty-seven years. Mrs. Dolly Kinyon died of old age at the residence of her son, C. J. Kinyon, on June 17, 1882. She was seventy-two years of age. Herschel Tiffany, aged seven years, a son of Oscar Tiffany, was drowned in the Straight river on June 15, 1882. On June 23, 1882, a sad accident occurred on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in Aurora township. A stone culvert had been washed out, and the engine, tender and three cars containing stock, emigrant movables, baled hay and

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grain, were piled in a heap. Mr. Musser, the engineer, was in- stantly killed, having got his legs jammed between the engine and the tender, and Dr. Hawkins, of Blooming Prairie, was obliged to cut off his feet, between the ankle and knees, before he could be taken out. Seventy head of cattle and forty hogs were killed. On October 1, 1882, the county jail at Owatonna was broken open and four prisoners escaped. They were all (except one insane man) in one cell, and succeeded in sawing or cutting a hole in the iron cage, through which they crawled, and soon dug a hole through the brick wall and disappeared. They were all from Dodge county. Three of them were waiting trial for hav- ing robbed a man on a train near Dodge Center, and, after rob- bing him, threw him out of a box car. The names of the parties who escaped were David Collins, alias James Prescott, Thomas Barrett, Michael Smith and John Snyder. Byron C. Holmes died at his home in Owatonna township, November 25, 1882, aged thirty-two year. He left a wife and four children.

1883. Henry Borchert died at Owatonna on January 3, 1883. He had for several years previous to his death been living on the Clark farm, in Aurora township, where he had been chairman of the township board and had taken a prominent part in local mat- ters. He was among the early settlers of the county, having set- tled here with his father in 1858. He was forty-four years old at the time of his death. David Wells died at Owatonna on the same day, aged nearly fifty-five years. Robert Crosby, of Meri- den township, died at his residence on February 8, aged seventy- three years and ten months. He had been a great sufferer for ten months previous to his death from a cancer to which he finally succumbed. Philip Jacob Dunker died on March 2, of inflamation of the lungs. He was born February 9, 1833, in Eisighofen, District Nastetlen, Prussia. He came to Amercia when nineteen years of age, and came to Minnesota from Wis- consin in May, 1867. At the time of his death he was the presi- dent of the Deerfield Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. A disastrous storm swept over Steele county on Saturday morn- ing. July 21, 1883, the damage resulting from which was esti- mated at $20,000, although no lives were lost. The morning was sultry and very oppresive ; an easterly storm set in and every- body expected rain. At about 11 o'clock the heavens north and west grew ominously dark and shortly afterward the storm burst upon the city. Trees were bent almost double and broken off like pipe stems. The elevator and roundhouse of the C., M. & St. P. railroad were partially unroofed. A. Simpson's flouring mill was ground to kindling wood. A large new building, size 72x 140, on the State Fair grounds was flattened to the ground, and the grand amphitheater was blown down and broken up badly.

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The damage to the State Fair grounds was fully $2,000; on Simp- son's flouring mill, about $6,000. The old Turtelott ice house was blown down and Potter's stock barn was unroofed. The north end of the Main street Methodist Episcopal Church was moved east four inches. Probably two hundred chimneys in various parts of the city were demolished. The porches on the west side of the Nickerson House were badly wrecked, and the roof of the upper one carried off. At Meriden station the German Meth- odist Episcopal Church was blown down, a part of the steam flouring mill unroofed and the depot moved half a foot. The house and barn of William Abbe were blown down, loss about $2,000. Frank Chamber's barn in Havana blew down, killing four of the five horses it contained. William Goudie's new barn was blown down. The east end of George Chamber's barn was unroofed, Byron Holmes's barn, about three miles southeast of town, was demolished. T. H. Frazer's granary was destroyed. Levi Morehouse's barn was partially unroofed and Thomas Irv- ing's barn blown down. Besides these were many smaller losses scattered over the north half of the county. But the most serious calamity was the effect of the storm upon the passenger train on the Winona & St. Peter Railroad, then due at Owatonna at 11 :48. Whilst nearing town at full speed, the coaches were caught in the clutches of the wind and whirled almost over and over. The baggage car turned a double somerset and landed right side up. The rear car was well filled with passengers and was hurled over and dashed against a stout wire postfence. It is almost miraculous that none were killed, although quite a number sus- tained severe injuries. On July 30, Frederick Runge, of Havana, was run over by his heavy lumber wagon, on which there was a load of lumber, and soon died from the effects of his injuries. It appears that he had got off the load to fix something when the team made a sudden start, throwing him down, and the wheels passed over his body. "People's Press," August 17, 1883: "Steele county never had better harvest weather than the past week af- forded. The crops are remarkably fine and the farmers are jubliant." Mrs. Harriet Knowlton, wife of C. R. Knowlton, died of paralysis at their home in Lemond township, September 1. She was fifty-seven years of age. On Sunday, September 8, 1883, the house of Mrs. Smith, in Owatonna, was entered by burglars, and the inmates robbed of about $150 in cash and jewelry. The death of Cyrus J. Reynolds occurred in September. He was born in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, New York, March 15, 1830. Ile removed to Minnesota in 1862 and from that time until his death he spent most of his time in Owatonna. G. G. Oppliger died at his residence in Owatonna on Wednesday, October 10.

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On September 22, 1883, the Bryant house, about three miles southeast of Owatonna, was destroyed, together with all its con- tents, by fire ; insurance, $600. It was stated on good authority that the average yield of the southern half of Steele county in 1883 was: Wheat, sixteen bushels per acre; oats, fifty-five to sixty. William Goudie, of Havana, died on October 20. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, August 12, 1824. When seventeen years old, he commenced his apprenticeship at the carpenter and joiner trade. At twenty-two he married, and five years later, in 1851, he removed to America, locating at Waukesha, Wis., where he remained eight years, then removing to Vernon, in the same State. In 1864 he came to Minnesota, locating in the township where he died. William Jones, a resident of Havana township, died on October 23, 1883, of consumption. Matthew P. Hough died October 23, 1883. He was born in New York state in 1795, and was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was the father of B. S. Hough. The blacksmith shop and residence of F. A. Stebbins, at Meriden, were entirely destroyed by fire on October 23, loss about $1,000; insurance, $550. Robert C. McClintock died at Owatonna on November 4, 1883, aged fifty-six years. A serious accident occurred early in December, at Owatonna, by which Fred L. Burdick nearly lost his life. A runaway team was the cause. December 19, Charles Early's house, just north of Owa- tonna, was burned to the ground. A destructive fire occurred at Medford on December 20, 1883, destroying five stores and a doctor's office. The losses were as follows : Captain Heath, build- ing and pool table loss, $1,000; G. H. Butler, stock, loss, $550 insurance, $400; A. P. Bryant, drug store, loss, $800 insurance, $600: J. F. Curtis, drug store, loss, $1,500 insurance $1,000; O. Lee's meat market, barber shop, doctor's office, store and hall, loss, $2,800 insurance, $1.350. John Bailey's loss was about $1,000 on store. This was the only fire that had occurred at Medford for over twenty years, except the burning of the flour- ing mill.

1884. January 5, 1884, Dr. Morehouse's building at Owa- tonna, occupied by Bennett's butter depot, was destroyed by fire. Loss about $900. On January 18, of the same year another fire occurred at Owatonna, which destroyed several buildings. The losses were as follows: P. Mallinger, saloon, residence, stock, etc., loss $2,000; insurance, $800. Ole Hanson, owner of what was known as the Thompson building, loss $1,000; insurance, $700; James Thompson, loss on stock, $500; insurance, $1,100, loss on household goods, $100. Elisha Smith died of consump- tion at Blooming Prairie, January 25, 1884. lle was born in Vermont in 1809. He settled in Bloomington, Minn., in May,

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History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota, Vol. I, Part 83

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Jewett, Stephen Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, Jr. Number of Pages: 892

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Jewett, Stephen
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, Jr.
Number of Pages: 892