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 61
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After the organization of the first school district, in 1859, the schools, at Blue Earth City, were the ordinary district schools, and were kept in hired rooms, until the erection of the first district school house, which was completed about the first of November, 1861, at Blue Earth City. This was quite a large frame structure, twenty-four by thirty feet, and one story in height. For a long time it was the best school house in the county. Some years after its erection, the house was doubled in size, by an addition. This building was situated on "The Court House Square." It was subse- quently sold and removed.
In April, 1872, the old district, which numbered fourteen (14), was changed to Blue Earth City independent school district, and was fully organized, as an independent district, by the election of a board of education, in May, of that year. In the course of years, this first school building became too small, and additional rooms had to be hired, for the use of different departments of the school.
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In 1874 the district erected a large two story brick school house on block seventy-seven, in this village, at a cost of about six thousand dollars. A large addition, costing about three thousand dollars, was built in 1882, and the entire building now constitutes one of the largest, most convenient and most substantial school houses in the county, The school is known as a "graded school" of six departments, and is ordinarily, attended by many scholars who reside out of the district, in addition to resident pupils, thus attest- ing to the standing of the school. In the mean time. the people in other parts of the township have organized their school districts and erected school houses and have had good schools, there being now four school houses outside of the village, situated respectively. on sections ten, twelve, twenty-six and twenty-eight, all of which are substantial structures, well finished, well furnished and well filled.
THE FIRST BRICK.
The first manufacturing industry in the county was, probably, that of making brick. Captain J. B. Gillit, in August and Septem- ber, of 1856, made a small kiln of excellent brick on lands adjoin- ing the village site of Blue Earth City.
The first child boru in the township was Mary Frances Gillit, daughter of W. C. Gillit. She was born on the 20th day of Febru- ary, 1857. The first female child born in the village of Blue Earth City was Emma Way, daughter of W. A Way. She was born in April, 1857, and the first male child born in the village was Chas. W. Constans, son of Henry P. Constans. born in November, 1857. The first frame house that was erected in the village was built by Jas. B. Wakefield, in 1857, on lot 5, block 94. It was sixteen by twenty-four feet, and one and a half story in height, and painted white.
WAR BOUNTIES.
During the war of the rebellion, the town gave certain bounties for the purpose of encouraging enlistments in the military service, as follows: The town board, on the twelfth of December, 1863, offered a bounty of $50 to any volunteers who should enlist prior to Janu- ary 5th, 1864. On the eighth of August, 1864. the bounty was raised to $100 to all volunteers enlisting to the credit of the town, and on the fourteenth of January, 1865, a special town meeting was held, at which it was voted to give $500 to such volunteer, and the action of the town meeting was indorsed by resolution of the town board January 30th, 1865. The aggregate amount of the bounties given was large, but was paid to the last dollar.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
AN INDIAN POW-WOW.
Early in the summer of 1862, there came to Blue Earth City a company of Sioux and Winnebago Indians, with their ponies, carts and dogs, and camped on the court house block, where the court house now stands. In the afternoon they put up a large enclosure, under the trees, made of brush, old canvass and carpet, and in the evening they gave a number of performances, to see which they re- quired the payment of a small admittance fee. Their lights were some sort of smoking, flaring pitch lamps and torches. They were a dirty and hard looking company. The performances consisted of the corn dance, hunting dance, wedding dance, scalp dance, war dances, and the monotonous, melancholy Indian songs, dirges and chants, sung to the beating of the tom-tom. Among their songs was the death song. When these savages, almost naked, and hide- ously painted and armed with clubs, hatchets and large knives, went through their gyrations, jumpings, dancing, flourishing their wea- pons and uttering their wild, piercing war-whoops, they appeared and acted more like incarnate fiends than human beings. The scenes were startling, wild, weird and impressive, and not desirable to be seen a second time. Some people had suspicions at the time that this visit had some serious significance, and it was said, when in August the great massacre occurred, that these Indians were spies, who came to see the condition of the country, but as this county was not attacked during the outbreak, the supposition was doubtless erroneous.
The first newspaper published at Blue Earth City, and the first in the county, was issued in April, 1861, as will be seen by reference to the general history of that year. A paper has been published at that place, continuously, from that time to the present, with the exception of a period of less than two years, extending from about October, 1862, to March. 1864. There have been as many as four papers published at that place at the same time. The newspapers published at Blue Earth City at the close of this history-1879- were The Bee and The Blue Earth City Post. Carr Huntington was the proprietor and editor of the Bee, and C. H. Slocum of the Post.
CARR HUNTINGTON.
Mr. Huntington was the oldest editor in the business, in the county, and one of the oldest editors in the northwest. He was born September 29th, 1815, in Addison county, Vermont. He was a descendant of the Huntington's of revo- lutionary fame. He learned the printing trade and worked as a journeyman printer in most of the States of the Union, at that time, but especially in the southern states, where he spent many years. For some time he was employed in the office of a paper published in Kentucky, by a Mr.Gibbon. Mr. Gibbon was killed by an assassin, and Mr. Huntington, at the request of the widow of the deceased, continued the publication of the paper. In 1846 Mr. Huntington was
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married to Mrs. Sarah Gibbon, the widow of the murdered man. At various periods of his life, Mr. Huntington published newspapers in Kentucky, Indi- ana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and latterly in Minnesota. Some of the papers which he published were dailies, of considerable prominence. He came to this county from, it is believed, Portage Clty, Wisconsin, in 1863, and established "The Whig of "76," at Winnebago City. This was the first paper published at Win- nebago City. He sold his press here and located at Blue Earth City, where in March, 1861, he established the "Blue Earth City Advocate." He remained at Blue Earth City, publishing a paper, under various names, until September, 1871, when he sold out. Up to that time he had been in the business of pub- lishing newspapers for twenty-seven years. Of his experience he said in his last issue at Blue Earth City, that, "In that long period we have passed through all the scenes, oppositions and hardships of this life, without taking down our sign, or qnailing before the flerce blasts that have sometimes crossed our path." Some of those blasts must have been quite severe, for in a paper which he subsequently published, he says: "The best printing office we ever owned, lies, like John Brown, mouldering at the bottom of the Ohio river-two burned at Beaver Dam, Wis., and one pretty well bricked up at Blue Earth City (Minn.), besides having suffered in our person, in repeated instances, from the direct attack of the armed assassin."
Mr. Huntington removed to Delavan, in this county, and in June, 1872, commenced the publication there of "The Delacan Bee." And this was the first paper published at Delavan. He remained there until early in December, 1874, when he returned to Blue Earth City, with his press, and began the publication of "The Bee." Here he continued to live until the time of his death. Mr. Huntington was a democrat in politics, until his arrival in this county, when he became a strong Union supporter, and thereafter, the papers which he pub- lished were largely republican in political sentiment, but still quite indepen- dent. Mrs. Huntington died at the home of her daughter, in Iowa, September 11th, 1888, and Mr. Huntington died January 6th, 1859, and was interred in the Blue Earth City cemetery.
On the twelfth day of July, 1872, a special town meeting was held. for the purpose of appropriating, on behalf of the town, the sum of twenty three hundred dollars, toward assisting the county in erecting county buildings, at Blue Earth City. The vote was car- ried almost unanimously in favor of the proposition, and a court house was erected in the autumn, of that year.
THE FIGHT FOR A RAILROAD.
Well knowing the absolute necessity of railroads, in the rapid and profitable development of the county, and especially the build- ing of the villages, the citizens of Blue Earth City commenced, at an early day, the labor of securing a railroad.
First. They first turned to the south. The Keokuk, Fort Des Moines and Minnesota Railroad Company had been organized in Iowa, and commenced the work of building a road from Keokuk, on the Mississippi, up the Des Moines river, and looking in the direc- tion, it was alleged, of Mankato, in this State. A direct line would pass through Blue Earth City. This was away back in 1857, The company had a large land grant in Iowa. Much correspondence
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
was had, with the officers of the company, in relation to the build- ing of the road in this direction. The country was fully described, and the importance and feasibility of the route fully set forth. The prospect was bright, indeed, and the building of the road, into this county, seemed to be only a question of time. For years we worked and waited, filled with this glowing prospect. The project failed. Second. Then we turned to the east. The Southern Minne- sota Railroad Company was organized to build a road through the southern tier of counties, in this State. This was a great and hope- ful project. This was also a land grant company. As the grant was made in trust to the State, to be disposed of by the legislature, to that or some other company, the matter got into politics. Blue Earth City, and the south half of the county, as well as other local- ities, wanted the line of the road located through the several county seats of the counties, through which the road was to be built, and the company wished to be free to locate their route where they pleased. The result was some three or four political struggles of great inten- sity. Blue Earth City won the fight, so far as the political aspects of the contest were concerned, after the expenditure of much time and labor and money, but the victory was bootless, as the road was built on a more northern line. And this ended the second effort. This occurred in the years 1866, 1867 and 1868.
Third. More than a year elapsed of comparative inaction, but still correspondence was kept up with railroad men in all directions, and especially with a company in Iowa, then building a road to Fort Dodge. At length, near the close of 1869, the star of hope arose in the north. The St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad Company pro- posed to build a road from Mankato to the Iowa State line, via Blue Earth City, if aid should be voted by the townships along the line of the road, in the form of town bonds, to the amount of $200,000. Blue Earth City township, in January, 1870, voted $40,000, and the ad- joining towns, various amounts, but a great deal of work was re- quired in canvassing the towns, calling meetings and publishing information on the subject. No time, labor or expense were spared. The aid, or bonds, asked were voted. All necessary arrangements were made, and it was thought a railroad was now certain. But alas! this effort, also, in the very hour of success, was blasted, and the effort added one more to the failures of the past.
Fourth. Correspondence was still, however, kept up with com- panies building roads in this state and Iowa, with the hope of in- ducing some one of them to come this way, when at last, in the summer of 1870, hope dawned again in the southeast. The Burling- ton, Cedar Rapids & M. R. R. Co. came with a proposition to extend their road to Blue Earth City if aid in town bonds to the amount of $85,000 should be voted, forty acres of land for depot grounds se-
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cured, and the right of way through the county. Again there was a calling of town meetings, canvassing of voters, publication of vari- ous documents, a vast amount of writing-in short, much time, labor and money expended. The aid was again voted, the depot grounds secured, and all things arranged. Now, indeed, a road was cortain at last. Not quite. Just at this time a petty judge at St. Paul, decides, in relation to similar town bonds voted there, that towns cannot constitutionally vote such aid. The case is car- ried to the Supreme Court, where a year may elapse before a decis- ion can be had, and our railroad company gives up the project of building . the road. And now what? Every effort has but resulted in failure.
Fifth. A year passes away without any definite hope or pros- peet, when, in the spring of 1873, cheering words again came from the north. The St. Paul and Sioux City R. R. Co. having made more certain arrangements, again proposed to build a road from Mankato, riz Blue Earth City, to the Iowa State line, if $150,000 aid should be voted by the towns on the route. Often beaten, but not wholly disheartened, the citizens of Blue Earth City went again to work, calling town meetings in the adjoining towns, canvassing. talking, arguing and distributing documents. It was in April. the mud was deep and roads almost impassable. It rained and snowed, people were suspicious and obstinate. and the prospects gloomy, but through all difficulties, the few who had charge of the matter at Blue Earth City worked on, and at last the aid was voted. All de- tails were again arranged, and we had every reason to believe that we should now get the road. But the reader may add number five to the failures that went before.
Sixth. Time passes on, and in the year 1877 a new project is broached. A railroad company is formed in Martin county. A scheme of this company was to build a road from St. James, Waton- wan county, ria Blue Earth City. to Ft. Dodge, in Iowa, on condi- tion of receiving aid similar to that so often voted before. The pro- ject was laid before the people of Blue Earth City and adjoining towns. A great deal of work had again to be done. The several towns approved, and contracts were entered into with the company. Work on the line of road was commenced. Some seven miles of road, from Blue Earth City northwestward, in the direction of St. James, were graded. Here, now was something tangible, substan- tial, certain. But alas, it proved but " the baseless fabric of a vision."
Besides all these greater efforts, other and minor projects for securing a road, engaged the attention of at least a portion of the people. Votes were taken, increasing or diminishing the amount of bonds already voted-time of building of road extended, railroad companies formed, various propositions submitted, and much writ-
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
ing done from time to time, not necessary to record here, until at last we arrived at the seventh and last great effort.
Seventh. It was in 1878, that the St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad Company came with their third proposition. It was accepted, town bonds were again voted, Blue Earth City giving $36,000. A part of the road was graded in that year. In 1879 the road was comple- ted from Lake Crystal in Blue Earth county, a point on the main line of the road, to Blue Earth City. The battle was won. We were connected with the great world by a railroad. A great jubilee was held at Blue Earth City in October, of the latter year, an ac- count of which is given elsewhere in this work. It was on the thir- tieth day of September, at four o'clock, p. m., just before the road was completed to Blue Earth City, that the engine whistle was first heard on the streets of Blue Earth City, and was greeted with loud cheers and clapping of hands and the projection of hats into the air. And on the thirteenth day of October, at one o'clock, p.m , the first locomotive and cars entered upon the sacred soil of the village of Blue Earth City, and was received by a multitude of cheering and rejoicing people. And here we rest.
Some six men, residing at Blue Earth City, three of whom from the beginning, and the others uniting with them some years later, were the leading workers in all these efforts to secure a railroad for Blue Earth City. It would be invidious to mention their names, as they were always ably seconded by citizens in all the towns. But these more than any others, especially three of them labored on, through all discouragements, often reviled, suspicioned and belied, always giving their time and money, braving all opposition and de- feats, holding steadily on until the end was at last reached. The work they did, the money they gave and the perseverance they ex- ercised will never be fully known to those, who to-day enjoy the the fruit of their labors.
POLITICAL AND OFFICIAL.
Prior to the close of 1879, the last year of this sketch, Blue Earth City township, including the village, furnished to the public, legislative and county service, quite a number of servants.
On the Board of County Commissioners, Wakefield, Sailor, Kiester, John- son (Albin), Scott, Neal. Bonwell and Cary; Auditor, Bonwell; Register of Deeds, Hibler, Wakefield, Kiester, Bonwell and Brown; Treasurers, Grout, Johnson (Albin), Kaupp: Superintendent of Schools, A. H. Pelsey; Clerks of Court, Jackson, Kingsley, J. K. Pratt, James C. Pratt, Neal; Judges of Pro- bate, Wakefield, Knapp, Kiester; Coroners, Gillit, Rose, Young and Balcome; County Surveyors, Kimball and Kiester; County Attorneys, Wakefield, Knapp, Hyatt, Kiester and Sprout; Sheriffs, Constans, Pratt (M. B.), Cummings; Representatives in State Legislature, Wakefield, Kingsley, Kiester and Childs; State senators, Wakefield, Childs, Goodrich and Johnson (R. B.)
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STATISTICAL.
The population of the township was: In 1860, 317: in 1865, 807; in 1870, 1121. In 1875, 1178: in 1880. 1686. These figures Include the village.
Of stock and certain other property, in the town, in 1879, we find that of horses there were 513: cows. 536; other cattle, 630; mules, 6; sheep, 1158; hogs, 613: wagons and carriages, 206: sewing machines, 74; organs, 28; pianos, 4.
Agricultural productions for 1879, (estimated), in bushels: Wheat, 54,500; oats, 38,000; corn, 22,500; barley, 3,040; potatoes, 3,200; syrup, 1,100 gals .; wild hay, 2,000 tons; apple trees, 2,100; apple trees, bearing, 800; butter, 28,500 lbs.
The assessed value of real estate for 1879, was $323,486; personal estate $101,389: total, $424,875; the total tax assessed thereon, for that year, $10,031.86.
The following list contains the names of many persons, not hereinbefore named, who were residents of the township or village prior to the close of 1879. Alex. Anderson, John Anderson, W. Ackerman, A. W. Ackerman, Geo. Bates, Wm. H. Bates, E. Beaumont, G. W. Buswell, R. R. Bartholomew, Z. C. Butler, L. Boteber, F. P. Brown, L. W. Brown, Fred. Bemus, S. Clark, F. E. Cary, C. Il. Cary, Frank Cole, H. Cole, J. Cole, J. Conklin, C. W. Constans, J. H. Couper, S. Cummings. W. Clark, J. Casten, N. Chadbourn S. P. Child, J. B. Coutier, HI. C. Cheadle, F. Claude, F. W. Cady, C. Craig, L. Craig, S. Dutton, Wm. Dustin, J. D. Dayton, HI. Doege, C. H. Dearborn, J. Dobson, G. S. Dobner, F. Dendon, J. A. Dean, N. Dustin, A. F. Eastman, E. D. Evans, J. Emerson, Paul Fleckenstein, M. Fierky, J. Franklin, A. J. Franklin, B. Franklin, G. B. Franklin. D. F. Goodrich. H. Geise, A. Gartzke, G. Gartzke, Thos. Guekeen, C. C. Goodnow, J. Guckeen, Geo. Griffith, S. W. Graham, D. . Garrison. M. Hoffman, C. Jlaase, G. Henke, E J. IFolley, J. Heintz, C. W. Ilille- bert, N. L. Heffron, Carr Huntington, C. F. Haynes, W. T. Ives, G. W. Johnson, HI. G. Jones, R. B. Johnson, A. R. Johnson, Jud. Kellogg. O. Knapp, Wm. Krinke, Paul Krinke. Fred. Krinke, Aug. Krinke, M. Krinke, C. A. Kopplin, L. Krum, II. Kamrar, J. C. Kirschner, C. Klatt, G. Klatt, A. Kenitz, T. Kabe, E. Kuester, J. H. Lewis, W. B. Larrabee, S. Larrabee, G. D. Lake, A. B. Lind, Wmn. II. Miller, F. W. Miller. F. D. Miller, A. Meyers, H. Meyers, S. T. Mcknight, J. D. Moore, J. Manning, R. G. Merrill, C. Manske, R. McGinnis, J. D. Max- well, Wm. MeGinnis, R. Morse, F. McGuire, L. N. Nichols, J. L. Ordway, Wm. Oelke, S. Pfeffer. W. H. Pfeffer. L. Potter, Aug. Potter, Wm. Paschke, C. Paschke, II. Paschke, T. W. Pettit, M. B. Parker, W. E. Page, C. Pinkliam, E. Pulver, J. Pulver, J. C. Pratt, M. B. Pratt, C. Persick, B. Pinkham, H. Raymond, W. J. C. Robertson, W. Rosenau, J. Rosenau, J. W. Rosenberg, R. W. Richards, F. A. Squires, J. W. Squires, F. Steffen, C. II. Slocum. Geo. Strong, M. A. Strong, Sam. Sailor, C. Stockman, J. D. Stanton, D. Stanton, Cady Stanton, H. N. Saxton, W. S. II. Smith, Fred, Schmidt, Jas. Shannon, J. Shuttleworth, M. Seivert, Peter Seivert, H. Summerfield, Cor. Sullivan, Wm. Sinter, Jos. Schemek, S. Schuler, E. D. South, E. Schimmel, J. Summerfeld, J. M. Sutherland, John H. Sprout, Aug. Sasse, C. A. Sanger, G. A. Taylor, S. Teskey. Wm. Teskey, J. Tillia, D. B. Thurston, R. W. Teeter, W. Trumbell, R. C. Tremalo, G. W. Whallon, W. W. White, S. Warner, J. H. Warner, J. W. Warner, R. Walte, E. Willmert, L. Willmert, J. Werner, C. W. Weaver, F. Wilschnock, J. Weise, A. Weise, Ed. Wakefield, T. II. Webb. B. K. Whitney, J. C. Woodruff, Geo. D. Winch, W. A. Way, II. A. Young, F. D. Yendis, H. D. Yendis.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
CHAPTER XV.
JO DAVIESS TOWNSHIP.
This town is congressional, or land survey township number one hundred and two (102) north, of range twenty eight (28) west.
It is bounded by the following townships in Faribault county: Verona on the north, Blue Earth City on the east, Pilot Grove on the south, and by Pleasant Prairie township, in Martin county, on the west.
GENERAL PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.
The mean elevation of this town above tide water is eleven hun- dred and fifty feet, and the depth of the drift here, to bed rock, probably, exceeds one hundred feet. The surface is correctly des- ignated as rolling prairie. The only streams of living water are the Badger Creek, and its tributaries. There are several small clear water lakes in this town, one known as Gorman lake, on sections seventeen and twenty, and Pilot Grove lake, which lies partly in this town on the south boundary, and also one or two others not named. Good water is easily obtained by digging or boring any- where, at moderate depths. There is no native timber in this town- ship, except what is found at Pilot Grove, on the south side of the town, but there are many fine artificial groves found in all parts of the township. The soil is very fertile and well adapted to all farm- ing and grazing purposes.
It is proper here to state, that there is in this township, a large nursery of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubbery of all kinds, on the farm of John A. Dean, Esq., which nursery was started in 1865, and enlarged from time to time, and always carefully attended. This was the first nursery of fruit trees started in the county.
THE NAME.
Having given this hurried description of the general physical aspects of this township, we now pass to a sketch of its history, and first, a few words as to the name. The town was first named John- son, by the special commissioners, in 1858, in honor of James and Alexander Johnson, two of the earliest settlers of the county, but not at that time residents of this town. It appearing, however, that
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there was another township in the state of this name, the name was changed by the county board on the fourth day of January, 1859, to Jo Daviess, on the suggestion of James L. McCrery, a member of the board, and resident of the town. And who was Jo Daviess, after whom this town was named?
Joseph Hamilton Daviess, familiarly named "Jo Daviess," was a bold and brave soldier, an able lawyer and an eloquent orator, who, in the early days of Kentucky, ranked with her most gifted and honored names. He was born in Virginia, in 1774. When he was about five years old, his parents removed to the wilds of Kentucky. Subsequently, while still in his early youth, he was placed under the care of competent tutors, and obtained a classical education. lle studied law under the direction of one of the ablest jurists of his day-Geo. Nicholas-and became associated in the profession with such men as Felix Grundy, Bledsoe, Talbot, Pope-all men eminent in their time. In 1801 he ap- peared before the Supreme Court of the United States, though then but twen- ty-eight years of age, and argued a great cause before that able tribunal, with marvelous ability and eloquence, and won his case. In 1803 he was married to the sister of Chief Justice John Marshall. He was subsequently appointed United States District Attorney for the State of Kentucky. But Daviess was also a soldier, and as such, took an active part in the border wars of his time, with the Indians. He was in a great number of famous Ights, and finally fell in the bloody and wonderful battle of Tippecanoe. The memory of Jo Daviess is still treasured in Kentucky, as that of one of her noblest and bravest sons. He was somewhat eccentric in his habits, and usually wore the style of cloth- ing common among the western hunters-a coonskin cap, homespun frock coat and belt, buckskin breeches and moccasins, but all of the best materials, and neatly fitting. There is a county in Indiana, one in Illinois, one in Missouri, and one in Kentucky named Jo Daviess.
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