USA > Minnesota > Wabasha County > History of Wabasha County : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc. : gathered from matter furnished by interviews with old settlers, county, township, and other records, and extracts from files of papers, pamphlets, and such other sources > Part 41
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Until 1849 the territory now comprising Minnesota was included in six counties, namely, Ramsey, Washington, Benton, Dakota, Wabasha, Pembinaw ; total population in 1849 being four thousand nine hundred and forty. The first white man who built within the preeinets of the county was Augustin Roeque ; upon his return to his post, at or near the site of old Fort Perrot, in 1830, and when steamboats began to navigate these waters, his place was called Rocque's Landing. Gov. Sibley makes mention of his place in his memoranda of first coming to Minnesota, and says: "Some idea ean be formed of the great changes which have occurred sinee 1834
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when I state that when I performed the journey from Prairie du Chien to St. Peters, now Mendota, in the autumn of that year, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, there was but one house between these points, and that was a log cabin, occupied by a trader named Rocque, situated below Lake Pepin, near the present town of Wabasha." Mr. Cratte, as has been stated, was the first white man who built upon the present site.
The city of Wabasha was not named until 1843, when it was called Wabashaw, after the old chief. The ceremony of christen- ing was performed in the following manner : A hole was dug in the ground on the levee, and a bottle containing a paper giving an account of the event was placed in the hole ; then a post was set up over it with a board nailed thereon, upon which was printed or written the name "Wabashaw" in large letters. A bottle of whisky was broken to celebrate the christening, and everyone became jubilant. In 1853, ten years later, the old sign-post was still standing. It is difficult now to locate just the place where the post stood ; but Mr. Cratte informs us that it was on the levee between Alleghany and Pembroke streets. Mr. Francis Talbot saw it when he landed here in 1853 from the steamer Nominee. At the time of this christen- ing, Wabasha was nothing more than a trading-post and stopping- place for traders and voyageurs. It had been a stopping-place for the American traders for a long time as they passed up and down the river, trafficking with the different bands of Indians on both sides of the river and around the lakes, their headquarters being at Prairie du Chien, so that "the Prairie " seemed like home to them, particularly so to the pioneer Frenchman. After the town was organized Mr. Bailly was appointed justice of the peace by the governor, and was thereby made the first civil officer of the county. Before that time the manner of living had been quite patriarchal in its way, and no better illustration can be given of it than to quote Mr. Rocque's advice to his sons, which gives his opinion of the law. It says : " Mes fils, ce faut que vous engardez bien a ce moment parceque la loi c'est venue en ville. La loi c'est le diable, et Mon- sieur Bailly il est la loi." Interpreted : "My sons, it is necessary that you be very careful now, because the law has come to town. The law is the devil, and Mr. Bailly is the law."
CHAPTER LIV.
ORGANIZATION.
THE Territory of Minnesota was divided into counties by enact- ment of first territorial legislature. The county of Wabasha, according to this division, comprised all that portion of territory lying east of a line running dne south from a point on the Mississippi known as Medicine Bottle village, at Pine Bend, to the Iowa line ; being the entire territory belonging to the present counties of Wabasha, Goodhue, Dodge, Olmsted, Winona, Mower, Houston, Fillmore and nearly one-half the territory belonging to Dahkota. Wabasha county was not organized under that act, but the division was declared to be for the purpose of the appointment of justices of the peace, constables and such other judicials as might be specially provided for. Wabasha was attached to Washington county for judicial purposes by provision of said act. By an act of March 5, 1853, the county was somewhat reduced in size, that portion north of a line extending from a point twenty-five miles south of the north branch of the Cannon river to Lake Pepin, at a point on the lake seven miles below Sand Point, being set off into the counties of Goodhne and Dacotah. By the provisions of this act, Wabasha county was attached to Goodhue county for judicial purposes. Fill- more county was also set off and organized under the same act, and comprised all the territory south of the White Water river, and ex- tended west to a line running due southeast from a point on the north branch of the Cannon river, as above described, to the Iowa line. The remaining portion of land situated between Goodhne and Fillmore counties comprised the territory of Wabasha county as organized during the same session. By an act of February 23, 1854, the counties of Winona and Houston were organized, hence the limits and boundaries of Wabasha were again changed. By this act the boundaries were as follows: "Commencing at the southeast corner of township 107 north, of range 11 west ; thence west thirty miles to the southwest corner of Kalmar, in Olmsted county ; thence north twelve miles to the northwest corner of what is now the town of New Haven ; thence east six miles to the south-
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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
west corner of the present town of Mazeppa ; thence north twelve miles to the northwest corner of town 110, range 14 (being the present town of Chester) ; thence east six miles to the northeast corner of the same town ; thence north six miles to the northwest corner of the town of Mount Pleasant; thence east to Lake Pepin ; thence down the lake and Mississippi river to the present boundary line between Winona and Wabasha counties ; thence west to the northwest corner of Winona county ; thence south twenty-four miles to the place of beginning." By an act of February 20, 1855, Olmsted county was organized, with its boundary lines as at the present time ; eight of the southern towns of Wabasha were set off as a portion of the territory of Olmsted county, leaving the boun- daries of Wabasha county as at present described on the state maps.
The first election in the county was held at the house of Augus- tin Rocque, in what is now the city of Wabasha, October 11, 1853. At that election the following gentlemen were elected to the county offices : Christian Shively, Oliver Cratte and Peter Larrivierre, county commissioners ; Alexis P. Bailly, register of deeds ; C. Shively, treasurer and coroner, and Levi Murphy, sheriff.
The board of commissioners met March 6, 1854, in accordance with an act passed by the territorial legislature, February 9 of the same year, and presented their certificates of election, properly certi- fied to and endorsed, which were ordered to be deposited in the files of the office. Mr. Alexis P. Bailly acted as clerk of the meeting. The board then proceeded to business. A temporary seal was adopted, consisting of a circular piece of paper containing a red wafer, upon which was inscribed : "Temporary Seal of the County Court of Wabashaw County." Mr. Shively was elected chairman of the board. Adjourned to meet again on the 11th, at ten o'clock. Pursuant to adjournment they met again the 11th, and divided the county into three assessment districts, by denominating all that portion north of a line running from an old ferry-house, which stood a little above Read's Landing, to the western extremity of the county, as the first district ; Wm. Campbell was appointed assessor. The second district comprised the territory north of a line extending west from the house of Oliver Cratte on the levee, to the county line, not included in the first district ; and the third district com- prised the residue of the county. Mr. Whitmarsh was appointed assessor for the second district, and Mr. J. Mckenzie for the third. At this meeting it was discovered that Mr. Murphy was not eligible
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to the office of sheriff, as he was not a resident of the county, and Dr. Francis Milligin was appointed by the board to fill the vacancy. They also at that time located the county-seat at Wabasha. They met again on the 13th, pursuant to adjournment, to receive the bond given by F. H. Milligin, given as security for the faithful perform- ance of his duties as sheriff. On the 20th of same month the board again met, and appointed Francis La Point road supervisor. Messrs. Campbell and Whitmarsh never having qualified, they held another meeting on the 24th and appointed Amos Wheeler assessor for the first district, investing him with power to assess the second also. At their next meeting, which was held July 3, they found they had acted contrary to law, or to the statutes regarding the assessment- roll, and the whole matter was dropped. They then proceeded to divide into election precincts. The first precinct comprised towns 108 and 109, of ranges 14 and 15 ; the place for holding elections was fixed at the house of Leonard B. Hodges, in Orinoco. Messrs. E. Chilson, J. Clark and G. Gordon were appointed judges of election. The second precinct comprised the rest of the county, the place for holding elections being the house of Augustine Rocque, in Wabasha. The board also appointed Messrs. Wheeler, I. O. Seely and J. Mckenzie for judges of election. A portion of the northern part of the county was set off in November as the Monte- zuma precinct, elections to be held at the house of Mr. John Lyons. For judges of election the board appointed Messrs. Thomas Allen, R. S. Philips and J. Hanson. At the same meeting they appointed Joseph Pingrey county surveyor.
The first representative in the territorial legislature from the county was James Kirkman, of Wabasha, in 1855, who was suc- ceeded by A. P. Foster, of Plainview, in 1856. Messrs. S. H. Kemp and B. C. Baldwin were delegates to the constitutional con- vention in 1857. James Redpath, from Tepeeotah, was the first senator. In 1858 J. T. Averill was elected senator, and W. J. Arnold, J. H. Burnham and F. E. Skillman, representatives. Owing to the delay in the admission of the state to the Union, Gov .- elect H. H. Sibly was not inaugurated until May 24, 1858, and it became optional with him to call or not to call the legislature together the next winter. As the republican party was successful that fall, and the election of United States senator the question of interest, no session was called. Politics had before that time been prominently democratic, and it was hoped the next election might
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secure again democratic majority and thus elect a democratic senator. The next autumn the result was the same, however, and the same parties from Wabasha county were re-elected with Hon. Alex. Ram- sey as governor. W. S. Wilkinson was elected by that legislature to the United States senate.
Commissioners Shively, Cratte and Larrivierre, under the terri- torial government, were elected in 1853. Mr. Shively was elected chairman, and was the only member of the board who could read and write. They held several meetings during the spring of 1854, but Messrs. Shively and Larrivierre refusing to present themselves at the regular meetings, Alexis P. Bailly and John McKee, Esq., who, by the way, was the first lawyer in the county, were appointed to their places, and Oliver Cratte made chairman of the board. This new board, consisting of Oliver Cratte, Alexis P. Bailly and John McKee, held their offices until the close of 1855. The mem- bers composing the board in 1856 were : C. R. Read, chairman, Levi Cook and A. A. Weston ; they were elected in the fall of 1855. Mr. Read was chosen for three years, Mr. Cook for two years and Mr. Weston for one. Mr. Weston being re-elected, the board, in 1857, comprised the same members with no change except that the chair was filled by Mr. Weston instead of Read. Before the close of the term, however, Mr. Read was again made chairman, owing to an injury inflicted on Mr. Weston by the shot of an outlaw, ren- dering him unable to attend the meetings of the board. The mem- bers composing the board in 1858 were : C. R. Read, chairman, Henry Amerland and G. Maxwell.
Before the termination of the year, the commissioner system was abolished and a supervisor elected from each town. Previous to this time the towns had not been organized, and during the supervisor sys- tem, which was in use from the adoption of the state coustitution until its repeal in February, 1860, the towns represented, were : Wabasha, Pepin, Plainview, Zumbro (now Zumbro and Hyde Park), Mazeppa, Mt. Pleasant, Elgin, Pall, Smithfield (now Highland), West Albany, Watopa, Gillford, Minneiska, Lake City, Bear Valley (now Chester), Glasgow and Greenfield.
In February, 1860, the supervisor system was abolished, and the legislature passed an act authorizing the division of counties into commissioner districts, from which one should be elected for a term of three years. In pursuance of that act the county was divided into five districts, as follows : First district - Minneiska, Watopa,
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Highland and Plainview ; second district- Elgin, Pell, Zumbro, West Albany and Glasgow ; third district - Mazeppa, Chester, Gill- ford and Mt. Pleasant ; fourth district - Pepin, Wabashaw and Greenfield ; fifth district- Lake City. This division was an act of the commissioners, June 5, 1860.
G. W. Marsh was the first county auditor, holding the office in 1858 by provision of the statute making the register of deeds also auditor. This law was changed at a special meeting of the legislature in the fall of the same year, when W. W. McDougall was appointed by the board of commissioners, and held the office during the years 1859 and 1860.
E: W. Foster was elected in the fall of 1860, and held the office until November, 1861, when he entered the army, thus leaving the office vacant. Again it devolved upon the commissioners to supply the vacancy. They found their task a hard one, as it was with the greatest difficulty that a sufficient number of members could agree to make a majority. Several names were proposed, and each felt anxious for the position. Finally the one hundred and third ballot resulted in the election of A. G. Foster, who held the office the remainder of the term, and was elected in 1862, and again in 1864. W. W. Case was elected in 1866 and held the office until 1871, when he was succeeded by F. E. Stauff, who in turn was succeeded in 1875 by William Campbell, and Mr. Campbell by the present incumbent, Mr. G. A. Perkins.
Mr. C. Shively was elected treasurer in 1853, but never qualified, and Dr. F. H. Milligin was appointed by the board to fill the vacancy. He held the office until January 1, 1856. Mr. William Bonnell was elected in the fall of 1856, but leaving the country soon after, the board appointed Joseph Peak, who held the office until the spring of 1857, when he left the country, and L. M. Gregg was appointed for the remainder of the term. Mr. Gregg was elected in the fall of 1857, and held the office during the years 1858-9. William W. Prindle was elected in the fall of 1859, and held the office four years. Mr. J. F. Rose succeeded him, holding the office until January 1, 1868. Mr. A. Y. Felton was elected in the fall of 1867, and re-elected in 1869. He was succeeded by Anson Pierce, who hield the office two terms ; he in turn succeeded by A. J. Fowler, and Mr. Fowler in January, 1882, by R. A. Johnson.
Alexis P. Bailly was elected to the office of register of deeds in 1853, and held the office until July, 1855, when Dr. Milligin was
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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
appointed by the county board for the remainder of the term. Mr. Abner Tibbetts held the office in 1856-7; G. W. Marsh in 1858-9, and was succeeded by C. W. Hackett, of Lake City, who held the office until January 1, 1864. He was succeeded by Mr. D. H. Eldridge, who occupied the position until January 1, 1868. In the fall of 1867 Messrs. O. D. Ford and N. S. Wright were competitors for the office, and both claimed the election. This election was at the time of the vote for the county-seat, when exceeding heavy returns were received from some towns; and the consequence was great difficulty in determining who had the majority. Mr. Wright received his certificate of election, and held the office during the year 1868, when a decision was given by the supreme court that Mr. Ford was entitled to the election. Mr. Ford held the office during the remainder of the term, and was re-elected for another term of two years. Mr. Ford was succeeded by James G. Lawrence, who held the office four years, being succeeded by H. H. Dickman, one term, and he by J. C. Bartlett, the present incumbent.
Mr. H. P. Wilson held the office of judge of probate in 1856, Mr. G. F. Childs in 1857, Mr. B. C. Baldwin in 1858-9. Mr. A. Z. Putnam was elected in the fall of 1859, and held the office four years. He was succeeded by Mr. G. C. Dawley in 1864-5, who in turn was succeeded by Mr. E. Lathrop in 1866-7. He was succeeded by Mr. A. Fuller in 1868-9, who was re-elected in 1869 for 1870-1. Judge A. Z. Putnam followed, two terms, then J. T. Pope, one term, succeeded by F. J. Collier, one termn. In the fall of 1882 Judge Putnam was again elected.
The first clerk of the court, elected under the state constitution, was Mr. S. A. Kemp, who held the office from 1858 to 1861; previous to that time the office was held by S. L. Campbell, Esq., by appointment of the territorial district court. Mr. N. F. Webb succeeded Mr. Kemp to the office, and held the position eight years. Mr. C. J. Stauff was elected in 1869, and still retains the position.
Levi Murphy was elected sheriff in 1853, but did not qualify, and the county commissioners appointed Dr. F. H. Milligan to fill the vacancy. Mr. Amos Wheeler held the office in 1854-5 ; B. S. Hurd in 1856. He resigned the office, and R. M. Piner was appointed in his place, holding the office during the year. In the fall of that year he was duly elected, and held the office until January, 1860, when he was succeeded by H. H. Butts, who held the office until January, 1862, being succeeded by William B. Lutz. Mr.
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ORGANIZATION.
Lutz was succeeded by H. H. Slayton, who held the office four ยท years. In the fall of 1867 William Box was elected, who filled the office three terms ; succeeded by Sydney Smith, two terms ; and he in turn succeeded by Lyman H. Gregg, two terms. In the autumn of 1881 Mr. H. Brukhardt was elected, and is the present incumbent. The first judge of probate in the county was H. P. Wilson,
The first district attorney of the county was Judge John Tyson, succeeded by Hon. S. L. Campbell, and he in turn by John B. Davis. J. D. Jaqueth was elected in 1863, and in 1865 was re-elected and resigned. John B. Davis was again elected and held the office until January 1, 1867, when W. W. Scott qualified. Mr. Scott was succeeded by J. B. Davis, and Mr. Davis by J. Hahn, Esq., who held the office two terms, being succeeded by W. Matcham. Mr. Matcham held the office one term, and was succeeded by J. K. Bene- dict, one term, who was succeeded, January 1, 1883, by J. McGovern, the present attorney.
The educational interests of Wabasha county have not been neglected. The first school district was organized on November 20, 1855, and comprised a territory of some thirty square miles. The first school was taught by H. B. Potter, although a private school had been taught for a short time in Wabasha by Thomas F. Flynn. These interests have now assumed a prominent position in the history of the progress and prosperity of the county. The first superintendent of the schools was Mr. E. Hogle, who held the office in 1866 ; Wm. H. Robinson, in 1867, and he was succeeded by T. A. Thompson, who held the office until 1873. Mr. Thomp- son was an earnest, faithful worker, and to him is due, in a great measure, our present high standard of schools in the county. Mr. Thompson was succeeded by A. G. Hudson ; Mr. Hudson, by J. H. Hays, and Mr. Hays by A. J. Greer, the present official.
CHAPTER LV.
WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
THE first settlers of the county were from the eastern states, from New England to Illinois, with some Irish and German immigration, who, with very few exceptions, were poor, bringing with them barely enough to feed and clothe themselves until the first cabin could be built and the first crop gathered. Industry and economy have repaid the most of these old pioneers with comfortable, commodious homes, surrounded with nearly all the comforts of the east. They were possessed with determination, believing that others had thus prospered before them, and what others could do they could also, and would ; yet the way to opulence and comfort has been through continued hardships and untiring perseverance.
In later years nearly all nationalities have contributed to help increase the population of the county, and nearly two-thirds of these people constitute the population at the present time.
In 1857 the county began to fill up with farmers, and towns and villages grew almost like magic. The soil of the county is varied. Along the banks of the streams it is somewhat sandy, but the prairies have a deep, rich, dark loam, with a gravelly subsoil, producing all kinds of grain and vegetables in abundance. The surface of the country along the Mississippi is hilly, while back from the river is rolling prairie. That known as Greenwood Prairie, is celebrated for its immense wheatfields, some seasons there being one continuous wheatfield for twenty to twenty-five miles.
The town of Plainview was first settled by Messrs. A. T. Sharp, E. B. Eddy, Thomas Todd, Wm. Boatman and David Campbell. They arrived there in the spring of 1855, on May 21, and with one accord agreed that this was the land they long had sought, and at once decided to remain. They at once began the construction of domiciles for their families, and having provided those, commenced operations for agricultural improvement. A Norwegian by the name of Nels Oleson had arrived before them, and settled in the northeast corner of the town, and he was probably the first to break the sod in the town. Before the close of the month the number of
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families increased to seven, by the arrival of David Ackley and Edwin Chapman. In June the colony was swollen by the arrival of A. P. Foster and Benjamin Lawrence, from Vermont, together with several families from Wisconsin. They went to work with a determination that the settlement should be permanent. Before fall their settlement contained thirty families. The first thing to be considered was education, and they proceeded to erect a school- house, the boards of which were sawed out with a handsaw by Mr. Boatman, and the shingles were made by Mr. Eddy. This was in the spring of 1856. Before June their schoolhouse was completed, and Miss Annie M. White employed to preside over twenty scholars; hence to her is due the honor of teaching the first school in Plain- view. The same zeal in regard to educational advancement has existed ever since, and there is probably no town in Minnesota, containing no greater population, that has expended more in the cause of education than Plainview. At the time the first school- house was built no village existed in town, although a portion of the same section upon which the town was built was laid out into lots the same spring, and a good deal of effort was made to build up a town. Those most instrumental in this effort were Messrs. Boat- man, Sharpe and Burchard. They succeeded in getting a postoffice, and Mr. A. P. Foster received the appointment of postmaster.
The name of this office was Greenville, that being the name by which the settlement was known. A branch store had been opened during the winter previous by Messrs. Richards, of Read's Landing. Mr. Burchard became a partner in the spring, and had special charge of the Greenville branch. This was the first store opened on "the Prairie."
During the summer of 1856 Messrs. O. Wilcox, Dr. F. C. Gibbs, T. A. Thompson, J. Y. Blackwell, David Ackley, E. Chapman and T. A. Tomlinson laid out a village site on sections 17 and 8. They gave the name of Centreville to the new town. This transaction was much to the disadvantage of Greenville, and gave rise to a jealousy between the two villages. Greenville retained the postoffice, but Centreville made the more rapid strides in growth and commercial prosperity. Very few buildings were built in Greenville after the new town was laid out, and a few of the buildings erected there were afterward moved to Centreville. In 1858 the postoffice was discon- tinued and a new one opened at Centreville. This event changed the name of the town. There was a postoffice in Winona county by
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the name of Centreville. In view of the location, which was the watershed of the Zumbro and White Water rivers, and in plain view of a large tract of surrounding country, they changed the name to Plainview. Since that time the town has made rapid advancement in wealth and general prosperity. They have now a fine school-building erected at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars, and the school is in a very flourishing condition. The Methodists were the first to erect a church edifice. The first church service was held in 1856 by the Rev. J. Cochrane, a Congregational clergyman. There are at present two churches and four organizations : Methodists, Con- gregationalists, Baptists and Disciples. The first flouring-mill was erected by C. T. Allaire during the summer of 1869. The southern sections are traversed by the north branch of the Whitewater, and along the banks of this stream the wooded portion of Plain- view is situated ; the remaining portion is prairie land of vast rich- ness of soil. The amount of territory constituting the farming lands is twenty-one thousand eight hundred and sixteen acres.
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