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 56
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111
On March 28, 1865, the board appropriated fifty dollars to eover a balance supposed to be due on bounties. It was found on investi- gation, in August, 1866, that the town had paid bounties for more inen than were really required of it, and was reimbursed by the
748
HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
county to the amount of eight hundred and ninety-five dollars and fifty-three cents.
In 1880 the number of aeres assessed in the town was twenty- two thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, of which nineteen thousand three hundred and seventy-seven were improved. The lands were valued at two hundred and thirty-four thousand one hun- dred and forty-five dollars, and buildings thereon at thirty-two thou- sand six hundred and twenty dollars. Personal property at this time was assessed forty-six thousand one hundred and ninety-nine dollars. In 1870 but twenty-six thousand three hundred and eighty- eight acres were assessed, the value then placed thereon being one lıundred and twenty thousand five hundred and twenty-two dollars, and probably included buildings. Personal property was valued at fifty-three thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight dollars. In that year eighty-two thousand four hundred and fitty-seven bushels of wheat were raised, and fifty-two thousand seven hundred and twenty- three bushels of other grains.
The population of the town in 1880 was one thousand and sixty- seven. Ten years previous it was eight hundred and thirty-five. The number of births from 1870 to 1882, inclusive, are recorded respectively, as follows : 32, 34, 12, 42, 36, 24, 47, 42, 44, 40, 34, 40, 37. For the same period the deaths have been thus noted : 6, 10, 6, 8, 10, 6, 14, 6, 10, 21, 13, 21, 8.
An amusing incident is related in regard to the experience of the first constable, E. W. Hunt. Being required to serve a sunimons, he sought advice as to manner of procedure, and was told to read the summons to the defendant, and endorse it "personally served." When the document was returned to the justice wlio issued it, the endorsement read, "bodily served."
A gristmill was built on the Zumbro in the extreme southeast corner of the town in 1866, and did a good business till it was de- stroyed by fire in the spring of 1882.
No stores were maintained within the limits of the town until 1877. During this year Anthony Caspar built a large store on the north line of the town, at Belle Chester, and has sinee kept a com- plete general stock there. In the spring of 1883 John P. Wagner and John M. Weimar built a fine store on the northeast corner of section 5, opposite Caspar's, and put in a large general stock. This building and its contents were totally consumed by fire on the morn- ing of November 22, the same year, causing a loss of seven thousand dollars.
749
CHESTER TOWNSHIP.
In 1873 E. and M. Skillman, brothers, built a gristmill on the west side of section 19; Trout Brook supplies the power, and two sets of buhrs are kept in operation, one for flour and the other for feed ; Evander Skillman is the miller and now principal owner. This mill is a great convenience to farmers of the vicinity, and is kept busy the year round.
RELIGIOUS.
Rev. Frederick Hill, a Baptist clergyman who settled in Zumbro- then Hyde Park-in 1856, soon after held meetings in this town and organized a class, but no records or reliable memories of any organ- ization of this sect can now be found.
The first religious organization was a class of Methodists. This body came together under the efforts of Rev. Nelson Moon, a local elder who settled in Bear Valley in 1864. He at once began preaching at Bear Valley schoolhouse, and the class was formed Angust 27, 1864. The following persons composed it : Nelson, Casandra and Emma Moon, R. H. Davis, Samuel and Emeline Converse, Mrs. H. J. Crump, Huldah Cliff, Joseph and A. B. Spaul- ding, Susan Merrill, Hiram. Almira and Frances Stacy, Isaac Waters, David Jones, Margaret Caswell, James A. and Mrs. A. Davis, Philo Tenyke and wife. Of these twenty-one members three have died and many have moved away, and only four now remain. This class was assigned to Gilford circuit, and preaching has been maintained ever since the organization, save one year. A union Sunday school has been kept up with good results. R. H. Davis is its faithful superintendent. Meetings are now held in the grange hall near Bear Valley schoolhouse.
A Roman Catholic mission was early established on the northern border of the town to accommodate the foreign population which was fast taking up that section. At this time fully two-thirds of the town is occupied by natives of Luxembourg, Hanover, Belgium, and parts of northern Germany.
In 1865 the Catholic society purchased forty acres of land in Belvidere, adjoining the northeast quarter of section 5, this town, and next year erected a frame church thereon at cost of one thousand dollars. This is now used as a schoolhouse, to which has been added a residence for teachers, costing, with furniture, fifteen hun- dred dollars. Three sisters of the order of Notre Dame, from Mil- waukee, now conduct the school. Services were conducted by Red
750
HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
Wing priests until the fall of 1875, when Father C. Walters took up his abode here. The next summer he went away and this again became a mission station. In the summer of 1878 Rev. John Meyer became resident priest, and a parsonage was built at an expense of one thousand dollars. The present pastor, Rev. John Tori, succeeded Father Meyer in September, 1881. A handsome stone church, 90×50 feet in area, was finished and consecrated in 1877. Besides the hauling of material and windows, which were donated by the people, this cost eight thousand eight hundred dol- lars in cash. An average of ninety families are communicants in this church, represented in Chester by the following heads : Philip and Nicholas Arendt, Dominick and Nicholas Bartholome, Jacob Berend, Anthony Caspar, Peter Glad, Matthias Prom, John Wagner, John Weimar, Nicholas S. and Nicholas Schmitz, Peter Musty, Jolin Delwar, John and Hugh Darcy, Patrick Gillaspie, Michael Hart. William Hofschult, William Janti, Nicholas Kruer, Andrew, Nicholas and John P. Lifrige, John N. and Stephen Meyers. William Nardanger, Adam and Michael Poncelet, John Reiland. Michael Sullivan, Matthias and Stephen Schmieds, Nicholas Threner. Peter and Frank Weber. John Schuler, Michael Coffee, Frank and Paul Conrad, Charles Early. Under an act passed in the legislative session of 1878-9, incorporating Belle Chester church society, the following officers were chosen in the fall of 1879 : Councillors-Phillip Arendt, William Nardanger, Henry Straus; trustees-Herman Hofschult, secretary ; John Befort, treasurer.
Evangelical Lutheran .- To this society belongs the honor of erecting the first church edifice in Chester. As early as the fall of 1868, Rev. Rupert Weiser came here and held services in the school- house on section 2. Rev. Horst afterward visited the few Lutheran families in the neighborhood and held meetings here. The society was organized by Rev. Christ. Maeurer, of Belvidere, on January 24, 1875. It was named "St. John's German Evan- gelical Lutheran Congregation," and the following, with their fami- lies, composed it : Ernest Radke, Louis Winters ; Louis, Ferdinand and August Freiheit ; Louis and Jule Gray, F. W. Sprikes, Louis Kuh, Claus Luchan, Carsten Siems, Henry Feldman, Peter Niegers, Frederick Jette, John Webusth, August Radke -16. In 1878 the membership included twenty families, and in 1883 it had increased to twenty-four. Services were conducted three years in the school- house, and it was then decided to build a church. Frederick Win-
751
CHESTER TOWNSHIP.
ters donated an acre and a half on the northwest quarter of section 12 for a site, and a frame building was erected there under the supervision of the following trustees : Louis Gray, Louis Freiheit and Louis Winters. Beside the labor donated by the congregation, a cash outlay of fifteen hundred dollars was made to complete this structure. It is 32×45 feet on the ground, with a neat spire. It has a gallery, and will comfortably accommodate two hundred and fifty auditors. It was dedicated on September 29, 1878. The present board of trustees has one vacancy, caused by the recent removal of F. W. Sprikes, clerk. The others are Ernest Radke and Louis Freiheit, treasurer. The spiritual wants of the congregation are now ministered through the labors of Rev. A. Krahn, of Belvidere.
Bear Valley Grange .- This organization of the Patrons of Husbandry began its existence about 1870, and over one hundred members have been connected with it. In 1874 a hall was built by the society on the southwest quarter of section 23. It is 28×40 feet in area, two stories high, the lower story consisting of a single room. In the second story are entry and anteroom at the south end. The building cost about five hundred dollars. It is now used for religious meetings, town meetings, etc., but the organization that built it has gone ont of existence.
On section 12 of this town is a rare natural cave of large dimen- sions. It was discovered by Tyler Whipple, in the summer of 1856, and has been visited by numerous exploring parties. Almost every season it is entered by people from Mazeppa and elsewhere. Numerous apartments exist, and several have been entered and examined. The exterior entrance is found on the side of a small mound, and the explorer is obliged to descend a narrow passage to gain admission. The passages leading to some of the apartments are so low that one inust lie on the face and creep to reach them. The labor is, however, well repaid by a sight of the beautiful stalactites which depend from the roof. One of these rooms is in the form of an inverted jug, the entrance being made through the mouth. In another place is found a well ot limpid water; in another a deep pit has been found, whose depth is shown to be very great by the time occupied by a pebble in reaching the bottom.
Great changes must have taken place in this county at some past time. On section 8, a few years since, a solid piece of wood was found at a depth of sixty-four feet, in a well dug on the farm of Philip Arendt. A part of this timber is now in possession of Mr. Arendt.
CHAPTER LXXVII.
MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.
GEOGRAPHY.
MOUNT PLEASANT is a full congressional township, and is bounded on the north and west by Goodhue county, on the east and south by Lake and Guilford townships. Its surface is an undulating prairie, sloping to the east and but comparatively little broken by cooleys. At a point a little south of the center begins a ridge which runs westward into the edge of Goodhue county, and in its vicinity are several natural mounds, one of these, the Lone Mound, being the highest point in the township.
The appropriate name was suggested by the magnificent view presented to an observer from the tops of some of the elevations in the south central part, and from the summit of Lone Mound the sight is truly grand. For miles in all directions stretches the expanse of prairie, whose fertility is attested by the neat and com- modious buildings everywhere present ; neat churches and school- houses add to the effect, while to the northeast the eye catches thie river hills of the Wisconsin side, and a glimpse of the blue waters of Lake Pepin through the valley of Boodie creek.
The northern part is drained by Sugar-Loaf creek, and in the eastern part Boodie creek begins its short course to the lake, amid wild and romantic surroundings.
The underlying rocks here are Potsdam lime and sandstone, which appear as picturesque walls along the valleys, with an occa- sional outcrop on the prairie, and are covered with strata of till, sand, gravel, yellow and blue clay, and rich loam.
A few birch, shrub-oak and poplar grow along the cooleys, but no timber of consequence is found. Wild grapes and plums are abundant in their season.
On the prairie roads are good and usually follow section lines, but in the cooleys much labor is required to keep them passable, owing to the rains which frequently work destruction by washing away or covering with debris from the hillsides. These roads are mainly kept in repair at the expense of the county, and in the eastern
D. L. Philley
753
MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.
part a small portion has been macadamized. An Indian trail from Central Point formerly ran through Gilbert valley, and one crossed the southern part of the township. The first road in the township was one from Central Point to Mazeppa, reaching the prairie at the head of Bull's cooley. It was laid out by P. D. Martin and Robert Phillips, of Central Point, and used but a few years, the Mazeppa road, crossing the township diagonally, was carly estab- lished and until late years saw a very heavy travel, being the main artery through which Lake City received its extensive trade from the southwest.
At first the American element largely predominated in Mount Pleasant, but of late years the population is about equally divided between those of American and foreign nativity. Of the latter class the German and Irish are the principal elements.
In production the township is probably not surpassed by any part of this rich county, grain, of course, being the main product. Stock-raising has lately received increased attention, the valleys being especially adapted to this industry. In the eastern part several attempts have been made to burn lime, but none very suc- cessfully.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
In June, 1854, the settlement was begun by the location of O. A. Warren on the northwest quarter of section 1. He came with his family from Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and was a native of the Empire State. In 1866 he moved to Pierce county, where he still lives. The fall of the same year saw the arrival of Isaac Horton and William Bean, who settled on sections 12 and 1 respectively. Both of these have since left the county. In the spring of 1855 William Walters and Alfred Hannings settled in the northeastern part, and the next summer bronght Milo Bull and Joel Clark. Mr. Clark purchased William Bean's "right of settlement" for two hundred and fifty dollars, and is still on the farm, being the oldest settler now living in the township. In the fall Sanford Gilbert settled on the farm where he now lives. The settlements above mentioned were all made in the valley, and in 1856 the prairie in the southeastern part was settled by William Mann, Benj. Taylor. E. P. C. Fowler, S. B. Clark, George Clark, E. H. Palmer, William Lewis, Jacob Rinns, Alfred Betterly, and perhaps others. The year 1857 saw quite an immigration, and the township rapidly filled up.
45
754
HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
Those who came with a supply of money got along well enough, but many who lacked ready cash, experienced considerable hardship. During the "winter of the deep snow" (1856-7) markets were often inaccessible, provisions rather scarce, and trust was not to be had by the moneyless. Stories are told of those who lived for weeks on potatoes and salt, or a similarly scant diet, and one family is said to have existed four weeks on frozen rutabagas. Here, as elsewhere, the monotony of life was broken by visiting with ox teams, merry gatherings, getting lost on the prairie, hunting, etc., and as the settlement grew older, and the virgin soil bestowed successive boun- ties on the brave pioneers, population and prosperity rapidly increased, and this little spot, but yesterday the home of the buffalo and Indian, has become one of the most desirable places in the county.
An independent, open temperance society has been in operation for abont sixteen years, and the interest is yet unflagging. Monthly meetings are held on Sunday afternoons in the Methodist and Pres- byterian churches alternately. Popular temperance speakers are secured occasionally, and readings, music and speaking vary the exercises. The life and prosperity of this society through so many years is rather phenomenal.
The first birth in this township was that of a daughter to Mrs. S. B. Clark. In the spring of 1857 death first visited the town, taking from the little settlement the spirit of Mrs. Palmer. In March, 1859, the Rev. Silas Hazlett united in marrige Ephraim Selby and Adaline Clark, which was probably the first matrimonial knot tied in the township.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
In the spring of 1858 a meeting was held at the residence of E. H. Palmer to determine the name of the township abont to be organized. Several names were proposed, among them "Hunting- ton," by Wm. Lewis, and "Greenfield," by Silas Gilbert, both seek- ing to honor places of former residence. After considerable debate the present name was adopted, as before mentioned, being suggested by the views the adjacent elevations commanded. May 11, 1858, the legal voters met at the house of Benj. Taylor, on section 32, twenty-three voters being present. The meeting was organized by choosing Stanton B. Clark, moderator; James M. Knapp, judge ; and E. P. C. Fowler and Sidney Cross, clerks. No wirepulling or «veited buttonholing characterized this election. The men elected
755
MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.
were the only candidates, having been chosen beforehand by mutual consent, and were voted for regardless of party.
The result of the election is partly shown in the table given below, and besides these the following officers were chosen: J. W. Cross and Silliman Gilbert, assistant supervisors ; Harvey Seymour, overseer of town poor ; J. M. Knapp and Alfred Betterly, constables, and S. B. Clark and Isaac C. Smith, justices.
This township has always been characterized by an unusual har- mony, socially and politically. Party lines have never been closely drawn in local elections, there usually being but one ticket in the field ; and so free from domestic difficulties is the community, that the one the justice of peace usually elected is rarely called upon to exercise himself officially.
YEAR. CHAIRMAN OF BOARD.
ASSESSOR.
CLERK.
TREASURER.
1858. .E. H. Palmer
.Joel Clark.
. E. P. C. Fowler
.O. A. Warren.
1859. . Benjamin Taylor
.F. A. Johnson
.Sidney Cross
O. A. Warren.
1860. J. W. Cross ..
.E. P. C. Fowler
Sidney Cross
. Harvey Seymour.
1861.
F. A. Johnson
.. J. C. Sinclair
Sanford Gilbert
. Harvey Seymour.
1862 ..
.F. A. Johnson
.No record
Frank Tryon.
No record.
1863.
.. F. A. Johnson
. No record
.Sidney Cross
. No record.
1864.
.John Kramer
. Uriah Veeder
.Sidney Cross
Samuel Sherman.
1865 ..
. . John Kramer
.Joel Clark
.Sidney Cross
. E. P. C. Fowler.
1866. . F. A. Johnson
W. P. Wills
W. S. Townsend
. E. P. C. Fowler.
1867
.Sanford Gilbert
.Joel Clark
W. S. Townsend
E. P. C. Fowler.
18fis ...
. W. A. Carson
Sanford Gilbert
. V. Hevener
E. P. C. Fowler.
1869.
. W. J. Newton
.Sanford Gilbert
. V. Hevener
.E. P. C. Fowler.
1870 .. .. . .W. J. Newton.
. No record
V. Hevener
.No record.
1872 .. .Joel Clark.
. No record
.Sidney Cross
No record.
1874.
. Timothy Collins.
1875.
.. Timothy Collins
.Joseph Fansett
.Sidney Cross
.Joseph Townsend.
1879 .. ... O. P. Carruth.
.Joseph Fansett
.Sidney Cross
Joseph Townsend.
1880.
.O. P. Carruth.
. A. Semour
.Sidney Cross
Louis Bnrdell.
1881 ...... O. P. Carruth.
.J. G. Church
.Sidney Cross
Patrick MeCormick.
1882
.O. P. Carruth
J. G. Church
.Sidney Cross
Patrick McCormick.
1883 ...... O. P. Carruth.
.J. G. Church
.Sidney Cross
.Patrick McCormick.
1873 ..
. Timothy Collins.
.George Labbit
.Sidney Cross
Joseph Townsend.
1876.
.O. P. Carruth
Mr. O. Eggleston
.Sidney Cross
.Joseph Townsend.
1877.
.O. P. Carruth.
.Joseph Fansett
.Sidney Cross
.Joseph Townsend.
1878.
.. O. P. Carruth.
. No record
. V. Hevener
No record
1871 ...... Sanford Gilbert
. V. Hevener
. No record.
. No record
No record
.Sidney Cross
Joseph Townsend.
TAVERNS, POSTOFFICE, ETC.
Until the building of the narrow gauge railroad through the cen- tral part of the county the Mazeppa road was the scene of a constant stream of travel, many of the farmers coming long distances. For the accommodation of this portion of the traveling public, in the tem- poral matters of eating, drinking and lodging, J. Kramer, in 1858. built a small log hotel on section 26. It was run but a few years, owing probably to the competition of the Boston House about a mile down the road. This was a commodious frame erected in the fall of 1858, by Sidney Cross. For several years after it was built · it was run by parties who rented the establishment, and in 1866 Mr. Cross himself became host and enjoyed a good patronage until
756
HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY.
1878, when the travel was materially lessened and the Boston House was closed to the public.
During and for a time after the war a postoffice was run by Dr. Veeder at his house.
But few tragical incidents in this quarter call for narration. Two or three robberies have been attempted in the lonely cooleys, and shortly after the war a negro, John Newsom by name, was found on the prairie by Patrick McCormick, rigid in the icy embrace of death. Going home on a cold winter's night, half drunk, he became lost and helpless and slept his last sleep in the drifting snow and bitter wind. July 5, 1872, a cyclone crossed the township, demolishing a house belonging to J. N. Williams. Two persons were in the house at the time, and an empty barrel and a grub-pile stood near the house on either side ; the occupants escaped uninjured and neither barrel nor grub-pile were moved. Besides taking the roof from another house 110 further material damage was done.
· SCHOOLS.
In the summer of 1856 the residents of the northeastern part hired Miss Laura Eldred to teach a term of three months. The only shelter available for the work was a little claim shanty which stood across the road in the edge of Goodhue county. These were the first educational advantages enjoyed by residents of this township. The first term taught in the township was probably in the summer of 1857, in the northern part. by Mrs. Alexander Graham. Among the other pioneer teachers of that day were Alfred Hannings, who taught the first term in district No. 7; Mary Smith, who began the work of education in No. 12 ; George Sexton, of No. 10 ; Mrs. P. C. Tabor in No. 67, and Mary Burleigh in No. 8. The first schools were nearly all taught before the organization of the districts by private subscription, and usually in some discarded claim or log shanty. In some instances schools were held in private houses for several years, and the facilities enjoyed were necessarily very crude. Books from different states, and of many kinds, was one of the diffi- culties presented to the teacher. In district No. 12 the third terni was held in a little log house in which Sidney Cross had formerly "bached it," and he again found himself master in that shanty, this time in a different capacity. In this instance each family provided a seat for its young hopefuls, the size of the family bench being regu- ' lated by the number of children. In one district a school was held
757
MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.
in a small granary about the time that very large hoops were the style ; as the teacher dressed in fashion when she entered the temple of learning but little room was left for much else. So the hoops had to be dispensed with, making an odd and noticeable change in contrast with her usual appearance. Usually the teachers of that day possessed a fair amount of pedagogical ability, but occasionally one aspired to rule whose capacity and qualifications hardly justified his pretensions. One teacher who didn't know the multiplication table ended his pedagogical career the second week, and another told his class to skip fractions, as they wouldn't have any use for them. He probably didn't believe in doing things "by halves." But since that time the schools have partaken of the general pros- perity and progress, and now eight neat frame schoolhonses dot the township.
CHURCHIES.
Rev. Silas Hazlett, of Lake City, was the first to hold religious services in this township. In January, 1857, he met about a dozen persons at the log house of Stanton Clark and began the ministra- tion which he has ever since continued. Two weeks later he preached at E. P. C. Fowler's, and for some time his services were held at private houses, or on the open prairie beneath an oak-tree's verdant roof. When the schoolhouse of district No. 10 was built services were there held, and the Presbyterian church was organ- ized with about six members. In 1867 the present frame church was erected at a cost of two thousand dollars. The strength of the church is now about thirty. For twenty-six years has Wr. Hazlett been pastor of this little flock, marrying and burying those whom in childhood he christened, and he still visits them once in two weeks.
Methodist .- During the war the community in the southwestern part of the township was visited by Rev. Stillwell, who preached a few times ; by Rev. Hill, a Baptist, who preached occasionally for about a year ; and also by Charles Hudson. In 1865 Henry Good- sell began preaching in the schoolhouse of district No. 10; he awakened considerable interest and organized a class. It was dur- ing his ministration that the church reached its period of greatest prosperity, and a church costing seventeen hundred dollars was built and dedicated free of debt. He has been followed by Messrs. Richardson, McMiff, Matson, Lathrop, Wilfred and Rock- wood, the present incumbent. A union sabbath school has been
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.