USA > Minnesota > Faribault County > The history of Faribault County, Minnesota : from its first settlement to the close of the year 1879 : the story of the pioneers > Part 57
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Since 1870 this town has had convenient railroad markets at Wells and Easton.
The town has contributed to the public civil service, two county commissioners, L. Merry and W. J. Robinson, and a county auditor, W. W. White, the latter having held the office for many terms.
EDUCATIONAL.
The first school house was erected on section 27, in 1865. The first school taught in the town, was kept in a small frame house be . longing to Joel Underwood, on the banks of the lake, in the summer of 1864, and Miss Eliza Underwood, it is said, taught the first school. There are now (1879) seven substantial school houses in the town, and the district schools are regularly kept and well attended.
RELIGIOUS.
The Baptists organized a church society here, it is reported, in 1864, or about that year. Other religious denominations were also early represented here, and Sunday schools instituted.
STATISTICAL.
The population of the town in 1860 was 46. including Cobb (now Clark) and Barber. In 1865 there were 283 inhabitants, including Cobb. In 1870 the number was 500 in this town alone, and in 1875, 376. At the latter date many had left the town. In 1880 there were 487. The cause of the decrease of population from 1870 to 1875, a loss which was not regained even up to 1580, was hard times and financial distress.
The heavy hand of the usurer rested, for many years, on much of this town, and large mortgages, drawing heavy interest, drained the town of moneys which should have been used in improvements, and the energies of the people were withered, and many of them left the town, and many once fruitful fields became thickets of weeds. One could point in almost any direction and say "there is a mort-
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gage wreck." Thus speaks a number of the most honored residents of the town. But the town will at no distant day, become one of the most populous and wealthy.
The assessor's returns for 1879 present the following summary of personal property :
Horses, 279; cows, 323; other cattle, 427: mules, 11; sheep, 566; hogs, 204; wagons and carriages, 63; organs, 5.
Assessed value of real estate, 1879. $140,697
Assessed value of personal estate, 1879. 21,567
Total $162,264
Total tax assessed on said property for the same year was $2,643.62.
Agricultural products, etc., for 1879, were estimated as follows: Wheat, 27,000 bushels; oats, 32,000 bushels; corn, 18,000 bushels; barley, 2,700 bushels; potatoes, 2,200 bushels; flax seed, 1,500 bushels: butter, 26,000 pounds; wool. 3,000 pounds; apple trees growing, 2,000; trees bearing, 700; honey, 150 pounds; sor- ghum syrup, 1,100 gallons; total number of acres of cultivated land, 4,300.
Among the persons who have resided in this town, prior to the close of 1879, whose names are not mentioned in the census roll of 1860, there were the following:
A. Adams, J. D. Ackerman, J. M. Baker, H. W. Babcock, C. S. Bates, Pat- rick Coughlin, H. Copley, J. W. M. Cook, D. Cook, E. R. Cook, A. B. Chase, C. A. Cottrell, M. Duffy, J. Duffy, Jas. Duffy, J. W. Daniels, J. P.Damp, S.L. Ducan, C. Damp, H. P. Edwards, A. M. Eldred, L. O'Farrell, L. D. Fay, T. O'Farrell, W. Ford, F. W. Ford, C E. Ford, G. B. Grinnells, W. Haight, B. Harper, M. F. Higgins, W. R. Haskins, D. Herring, S. D. Hober, M. O. Hallock, J. D. Holmes, James Kelley, J. Kleine, J. Kelley, W. Kelley, S. Kelley, C. Kelsey, G. Kewes, W. Kewes, L.K. Lock, Wm. Laws, H. Laws, P. O'Leary, J. Lamphire, L. F. Loomis, F. B. Loomis, W. A. Loomis, P. Morse, Thomas Mullen, John Mullen, J. Mullen, J. Mathews, B. Maricle, T. Mathews, G. Morgan, A. Odell, O. Odell, N. Odell, Robt. Parks, T. Roundhorst, E. Ryel, I. Russell, O. B. Robbins, J. Shaw, W. H. Scott, M. Shaw, O. C. Sheldon, M. M. Sheldon, O. Shepardson, A. Shepardson, A. A. Simpson, G. Scott, P. H. Spillany, T. Shimmen, W. Thompson, A. Thomp- son, N. A. Thompson, J. Underwood, W. B. Underwood, R. P. Vroman, J. Whites, O. Wait, C. B. Weston, H. Wing, V. Wing, W. W. White, M. White, S. H. Wing, S. F. Welker, J. Weleer, C. S. Weston, Patrick Whalan, C. Zimmer- man, O. Zimmerman, W. Zimmerman.
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HISTORY OF
CHAPTER X.
CLARK TOWNSHIP.
This town is designated on the maps of the United States sur. veys, as town one hundred and three (103) north, of range twenty- four (24) west. Its surroundings are as follows: On the north is Dunbar, east is the town of Carlston, in Freeborn county, south is the township of Foster, and west is Walnut Lake township.
The average elevation of the town above sea level is 1, 170 feet, the depth of drift to bed-rock is about 110 to 120 feet, and the bed rock is grey sandstone. The surface of this town has a slightly undulating, or often nearly flat surface, but with some slight eleva- tions in the southwest corner. There are a good many shallow de- pressions or sloughs, from five to fifteen feet lower than the gen- eral surface, the descent being by long slopes. There is one small stream, or water course, which is near the south line of the town, and is named Foster creek. There are also several small slough runs, or rivulets. This is a prairie township, there being no native timber whatever, in the town, but the residents are, every year. setting out trees in the village, and groves in the country, many of which have already reached a large growth.
The soil is black, deep, rich and productive, growing the most nutritious grasses, and is better adapted, perhaps, to grazing, than grain raising, though the amount of grain raised here averages about the same as that in many other towns, according to the acre- age cultivated. Should the improbable event ever occur, that the lands in other parts of this county should become arid or worn out. it may reasonably be expected that most of the lands in Clark town- ship will still be productive. Good water is easily obtained by dig- ging or boring, and there are in this town many artesian, or flowing wells, especially in the village of Wells. These flowing wells, or fountains, are obtained in any part of the town, and are very valu- able. The water is very good. These wells are usually two inches in diameter, and from 100 to 160 feet in depth. There are some in- dications from these flowing wells and some of their discharges and other considerations, that the locality embracing a part of this town and perhaps Dunbar, and other adjoining territory, has a subter-
CLARK W. THOMPSON.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
ranean lake or lakes of some miles in extent, and which lie at a varying depth of perhaps of 125 to 160 feet beneath the surface.
THE NAME.
This town was named Cobb by the special commissioners in 1858, they supposing that the Cobb river ran through the town. This was a mistake however. On September 7th, 1869, the name of the town was changed by the county commissioners to Thompson, but it appearing that there was another town in the state of this name. the commissioners on the twenty-fourth day of March, 1870, gave it the name of Clark. It was named Clark, and previously Thompson, in honor of Clark W. Thompson, the original proprie- tor of the village site of Wells, and the largest land owner of the town and county.
CLARK W. THOMPSON.
Clark W. Thompson was born on the twenty-third day of July, 1825. He removed with his father to Rockford, Ill., in 1839, and went to California in 1849, where he remained until 1853. In the latter year, he returned to the "States," and settled at Hokah, Houston county, Minn., where he at once took a prominent part in political and business affairs. Here he built a flouring mill.
IIe was married to Miss Rebecca Wells. The fruits of the marriage were four sons. He was a member of the 6th Territorial Legislature-1855-and of the Territorial Council in 1856 and 1857, and a member of the Constitutional Con- vention in 1857. He was a presidential elector on the republican ticket of 1860.
In 1861 he was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs in the northwest, which office he held until 1865, when he resigned it to take charge of the con- struction of the Southern Minnesota Railroad, and became president and gen- eral manager for some years. The great work of building this road is to be credited, largely, to Mr. Thompson. He was a member of the State Senate in 1871, from this county, and was president of the State Agricultural Society at one time.
There are many other references to Mr. Thompson in this history. He died in the year 1885.
It is not inappropriate to add here, that the name of Clark is one of distinction. There are five counties of the name in the United States, and there have been many noted men of this name in Amer- ica and Europe, and by the addition of the letter e, to the name, the list of counties and of distinguished persons, of this name, is greatly extended. There are also many villages and post-offices of the name of Clark, and Clarke, in the United States.
FIRST SETTLEMENT.
From the best information obtainable, it appears that one Alfred Holland, was the first settler of Clark township. He located upon the northeast quarter of section one (1), in June, 1862. Mr. Holland was an Englishman by birth. He enlisted in the military service of the United States in 1863, and served until the close of the war, in 1865. He subsequently sold out and removed to Nevada.
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HISTORY OF
The next settler was James Glendening, a Scotchman, who took a claim in July. 1862. He left the county during the Indian excite- ment, which occurred soon after.
The next person, who located here, was Augustus Powers, who selected a claim in the winter of 1862-3, and commenced permanent improvements, in building and breaking up the sod, in the spring of 1863, and to him, in fact, belongs the honor of being the first per- manent settler. He remained, while the others, after but a short stay, left the town.
Zachariah Lovell was another of the early settlers. He made a claim during the summer of 1863. C. R. Lord selected lands in the town in June, 1863, and brought in his family in the fall. Simeon Morrill also took a claim in 1863, and brought in his family the fol- lowing year. Henry Johnston was one of the first settlers of the town. In July. 1864. he settled upon the lands formerly held by Glendening. And here, while referring to those who were among the first settlers of the town, or interested in it, it should be stated that the public lands in range twenty-four, in this county, came into market at an early day, that is, it could be pur- chased from the government, without settlement or residence upon it. In all the ranges west of twenty-four, in this county, to obtain lands from the government, residence upon them and certain im- provements were necessary, under either the pre-emption or the homestead laws, except certain tracts granted to the State for rail- road and other purposes. And there may be found, among those who either settled in the town, or had purchased lands therein prior to July. 1865. the names of G. H. Sell, C. Kendall, G. Bouse, J. Bat- tles, Jr .. A. L. Richardson, W. S. Keel. W. Damman, D. B. Smith, S. Cusick, M. A. Smith, W. Mccullough, T. Cartwright. H. G. Ab- bott. W. Snyder. J. Sawyer, M. McGarme. J. C. Easton, G. M. Bar- nard. J. Moyer. T. Pond, but especially Clark W. Thompson, who purchased of the general government. in this town, over nine thous- and acres, which is the largest body of land ever owned in this county, by one individual.
ORGANIZATION.
This town was attached to Marples (now Minnesota Lake) for civil purposes, by the special commissioners, in 1835, and on March 5th. 1860, was detached from Marples and attached to Walnut Lake township, by the county commissioners, and so remained until Sept. 7th. 1869. when. by the same authority, it was detached from Wal- nut Lake township and organized as a separate town. The organ- ization has continued from that time. The township officers, in 1879, the closing year of this sketch, were as follows: Supervisors, M. J. Myers, chairman. J. Penny and H. Gilbertson; town clerk. F. B.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
Southwick; assessor, E. S. Leavitt; treasurer, Dr. Daniel Straw, justices of the peace, W. B. Dunn and F. E. Watson; constable, Wm. Billings.
INTERESTING INCIDENTS.
The first school house was erected in the fall of 1867. It is upon the southeast quarter of section 27, and is a substantial frame build- ing, twenty by twenty-four feet in size, and cost about $800.
The first school in the town was taught by Miss Mary Thomas, in a temporary building, erected on the site of the new house above mentioned.
For many years there has been a very fine graded school at Wells, in this town, and there are now in the township four substan- tial school houses. The interest manifested in education, has al- ways been very commendable.
The first marriage, so far as we have been able to learn, solemn- ized in this town, was that of Henry Randall to Miss Jane Gilmore, March 12th, 1868, and the ceremony was performed by C. R. Lord, justice of the peace.
The following account of a very sad incident is taken from the Wells Advocate of May 8th, 1890.
IN EARLY DAYS
"Three soldiers were frozen to death in a blizzard which swept over this part of the country during the winter of 1864, and their bodies were not found uutil spring. When found one was identified as the body of Mr. Daramas. of Minnesota Lake, and the others as the remains of two comrades named Price, who accompanied him to his home in this county on a furlough. They were on their way from Minnesota Lake to visit a friend living west of this village when overtaken by the storm. The body of Deramas was taken to Minnesota Lake for burial, but his comrades, being strangers, their remains were interred on the spot where they were found, which is near Mr. Wm. Laws' farm about two miles west of town. Trees were afterwards set out to mark their graves, but about two years ago they were cut down by some person unknown. The mem -. bers of Ranson Post, G. A. R., have been interesting themselves in these lonely graves, which would soon become obliterated, and have decided to remove the remains to lots in the cemetery in this village, and began the work of disinter- ring the bodies this morning. This action of the Post is very commendable, as the members have no interest in the fate of the graves of the deceased, other than that of common humanity. '
WELLS.
The village of Wells, situate on section nine (9), in this town- ship, was laid off in July, 1869. It appears, however, from the fol- lowing statement, taken from the Free Homestead, of July 7th, 1869, and which is valuable for several facts. that it was the original de- sign to locate this village on section five (5).
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HISTORY OF
THE NEW TOWN IN FARIBAULT COUNTY.
"On the first day of July, 1869, a few 'pioneers' rode out to the southeast quarter of section 5, town 103, range 24, and staked out one hundred and sixty acres as a town site. There was bare prairie, nothing more: but the town must have a name. The hat was passed, HI. W. Holley, of Winnebago City, M. Co- nant, of La Crosse, and all others present, voting, except Thompson, general manager, who thought It was hard to be debarred from a voice in naming his own town. The result of the ballot was WELLS, and alludes to the malden name of Mrs. Clark W. Thompson.
Last Tuesday Mr. C. C. Cottrell, of Walnut Lake, put up the first building in this embryo town, and within three months there will be upon that quarter section of prairle, a town rivaling any other in the county, Such is life in the West."
The following very spirited and interesting account of the early days of Wells. is taken from the Wells Advocate, of December 20th, 1877.
"The first invaders and settlers of the sacred soil, whereupon the village of Wells now stands, were Col. C. W. Thompson, Capt. J. C. Day, C. L. Chase, J. P. Burke, Frank Hall, II. W. Holley and M. Conant. After considerable mean- dering about over a large extent of prairie and swamp land, they finally found the spot that has became since so conspicuous in the annals of history and the minds of men."
"It was toward the close of a bright .June day, in 1869, that the above men- tioned party stuck their stakes and reared the first covering over our green sward, built the first fre, cooked the first beefsteak, and scared away the cranes for the first time since the noble red men sojourned toward the setting sun. It was a happy family that slept that first night upon the spot that was soon to be made memorable for great achievements. At this time the town site was laid out (upon paper) and many conjectures, as to its future growth, were in- dulged in. All their plans were rose-colored and fraught with the highest hopes. The second visit of these gentlemen, accompanied by others, to this new city, was made about a month later, when the town site was transferred from paper to the reality, and the erection of permanent buildings was com- menced. Here the trials and difficulties of these pioneers began. The rallroad was forty miles distant. The nearest point for lumber was Owatonna, and the only mode of transit was by teams, which, with innumerable sloughs and un- bridged streams to eross, made it conspicuously expensive, as well as discour- aging. But, like the martyrs of old, they knew not discouragement or defeat, and time, the great alleviator, brought their arduous and difficult duties to a terminus, and success over every obstacle crowned their labors with glory, as they witnessed the first frame building rise up, phoenix-like in the midst of the boundless prairie. Capt. J. C. Day occupied the first building, as a general store, that same fall, and many amusing incidents are connected with that builling, in its early day. The half dozen old stagers that were here, made it a daily practice to ascend to the roof and gaze long and earnestly across the sea of level prairie to catch the first glimpse of a passing traveler. After flays of anxious watching, one of the party discovered a small black speck against the horizon, apparently approaching them, and when the object came near enough for discernment, and they discovered It to be a women on horseback, trepida- tion seized the entire party, and an appalling scene occurred, for the poor fellows had not seen a women for many a week, and, all being bashful by nature, it re- quired the best of generalship to induce any of them to assist the heroic lady from her horse. This was the first house and the first customer; but the tide
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
of emigration had begun to flow into the new Eldorado, and new buildings began to dot the laid out lots, and a general scene of activity began to be ob- served."
"In the month of September, of the same year, we had quite a rush of set- tlers, who were willing to accept of all the discomforts appertaining to the establishing of a new town, upon a boundless, treeless and uninhabited prairie. Where the Wells House now stands, water then stood nearly three feet deep, and required the active services of men, night and day, to keep the raging tor- rent from completely submerging the basement."
"The Wells House was erected in the winter of '69, also the store building of Robert Andrews and H. A. Parks. The spring of 1870 came, and new enter- prizes were started. Burke endeavored to start a brick yard, and while on his way to Austin, to get his material, he met Capt. Day, with a load of goods for his new store, completely stalled, in a little ravine, near where Alden stands, and unable to extricate himself. The ravine was then filled with a rushing stream of water, about three feet deep and forty rods wide, which the Captain was rather dilatory about crossing, except in his wagon. But the precarious- ness of the situation soon became apparent, when the Captain shouldered his chest and gently lowered himself into the water, waded ashore. The chilly winds howled dismally around his nether parts until they were nearly para- lyzed with cold, and Burke was obliged to swing the end board of the wagon in close proximity to the Captain's chilly parts, to bring back a renewal of life. The Captain was three days getting through from Austin. O. D. Hall left Austin with four teams, loaded with household goods, and was four days on his journey, and finally came into Wells with fourteen teams, hauling what four teams started with at first."
"We had but little sickness in our midst, and those who were unfortunate, laid their claims upon the cooking of Q. J. Adams, who was only a natural born citizen, and did not fully understand the modus operandi of always making bread that wouldn't stick to a fellow's teeth; but in general, Adams made good bread. Daniel Carpenter was our physician, and his great experience and knowl- edge of medicine saved us'many times from borrowing a spade to dig a neigh- bor's last resting place."
Wells was the first railroad town in this county, and for a time its growth was very rapid. It was in January. 1870, that the South- ern Minnesota Railroad was completed to Wells, and the first train of cars reached the village. For a year following it was the rail- road grain market of the county. Some years after (1874) the Min- nesota Central Railroad, running from Mankato to Wells, was com- pleted, and afterwards became a branch of the Southern Minnesota Railroad. This branch gives the village important connections. Wells has, from the first, been much indebted to the public spirit and energy of Mr. Thompson, who, at an early day, secured the location here of the railroad machine shops, and finally, for a time, the general offices of the company. Other great enterprises of Mr. Thompson were the erection of an immense cheese factory, one of the best in the United States, subsequently changed to a creamery. During subsequent years, he also erected a barrel factory, the bar- rels being manufactured by an invention of his own. He erected a vinegar factory, at an expense of forty thousand dollars, which was
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HISTORY OF
in operation when destroyed by fire. And not least of his enter- prises was the breaking up, in 1871. of many hundreds of acres of land. near the village, and the erection of some twenty brick farm houses and barns thereon, which farms he let out. stocked with cows. A newspaper named The Prairie Bugle (democratic), purporting to be issned at Wells in August and September. 1869. started out with a great demonstration, but it was really printed. half in Mil- waukee and half in Austin. Minn .. and soon failed. On or about the 20th day of January, 1870, the first issue of the Wells Atlas ap- peared, being the first newspaper really printed and published in the village. A newspaper has been published at this place during most of the past years, a full history of which will be found in the various years of the general history of the county.
The village was first incorporated by act approved March 6th. 1871. as "The Village of Wells," and embraced the following terri- tory: The south half of section four and the north half of section nine. Mr. J. K. Brown was the first village president. Many amendments to this original act have been made, from time to time, which are noted in the legislative history of the county. Of an early school teacher in Wells, a writer in the Advocate says:
"Alsip's brick yard furnished us with a school teacher, called "Dixie," Chas. Dixon, who had a peculiar way of dismissing his pupils, by first filling his inch and a-half clay pipe, and standing ready with a match in one hand, and while slowly drawing it across his knee, would sing out, "Attention, grub time, git!"
It is stated that this teacher, having no great reverence for re- ligious ceremonies, frequently opened his school by singing the famous classic song known as "Paddy and the Bear."
Miss Abby Parks was the first regular school teacher of the village. The first village school house, a frame building. was erected in 1870.
As to the early hotels, it appears that Q J. Adams, erected, in August, 1869, a frame building to be used as a hotel. As Mrs. Adams had not yet arrived when he opened his hotel, Mr. Adams himself did the housework for some time. Two hotels were erected in 1871, the Wells Ifouse and the American House.
The first child born in the village was Wells Lounsberry, son of the editor of the Atlas. He was born in Feburary. 1870.
George Keeler, Esq .. was the first lawyer to locate in the vil- lage. He subsequently removed to Montana, where he died.
The first bank in Wells was established in 1873, by J. C. Easton, of Chatfield, Minn.
RELIGIOUS AND OTHER SOCIETIES.
The first sermon delivered in the village of Wells, was preached by the Rev. R. B. Abbott. of Albert Lea, Minn., on the evening of the first day of April, 1870, Quite a large audience was in atten- dance, and the sermon was a deeply interesting one.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
The same writer for the Advocate, further says:
"Up to 1871 no church spires were observed in our town. Services were held in passenger coaches and private houses. Albert Lea supplied us with min- isters."
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