USA > North Dakota > Dickey County > History Of Dickey County, ND, 1930 > Part 20
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One day one of the pupils looked out of the window and saw a herd of about one dozen antelopes passing by about eighty rods from the school house, and the teacher dismissed school so the pupils could go out and watch them. The antelopes stopped and looked at the people a few minutes and then ran off and were soon out of sight.
Mr. M. P. Flagg took the first school census in the district but the records do not show the number of children he found. The little 12 by 14 school house was moved to different locations to best serve the settlers for several years, and was finally sold to the highest bidder and now stands on the Otto Lindell farm west of Fullerton, where it is a part of a dwelling house. Among the first teachers in Yorktown township were; Mr. C. O. Roundy, Miss Cora M. White, Miss Sarah Smith, H. P. Holway, Nora Stevens, Eva Smith. The salary ranged from $20.00 to $26.00 per month.
In the year 1886 the Soo Railroad was surveyed through the township, also through the center of the townsite and the prospects looked good that Yorktown was to have a railroad station, but the station locators, after looking over the town went on and fell in with the men of the Fuller and Sweet ranch and did not come back to Yorktown, so the Soo people estab- lished a new town three miles further west named Fullerton, and Yorktown went the way of several other inland towns that were started in the early days; its buildings were moved away, some sold to settlers and moved to their claims, some were moved to other towns. The store of Crocker & Hol- way is now owned by Thomas Parks of Fullerton as a residence. The build-
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ing used for a church was sold to J. A. Dawe of Maple township who made it over into a residence, and all that remains of the village of Yorktown at the present time (1928) is the farm house of Mrs. A. P. Morey which was formerly the Yorktown House built by G. F. Morey.
Over in the eastern part of the township there was quite a settlement of Norwegians. A party of fourteen men had come out from Fargo looking for land in 1882. They were troubled by much rain and deep sloughs so did not find a location that year. Among these were B. L. Nelson and his brother Carl, Ole Enger, Erick Bye, John Anderson, Gilbert Swanson and Julius Hoganson. In the spring of 1883 they came out to Yorktown and found Wm. Gilbert anxious to earn a fee for locating people, and they as anxious to get located were soon on some land, they thought not the best in the locality but being anxious to get started they accepted their claims in the east side of the township. The land was just surveyed but was not yet opened for homesteading, so they "squatted" on what they were given and took a chance for filing when it should be opened. They paid $5.00 each to the locator for finding the land. Ole Enger located on the northwest of 26, Carl Nelson on southeast of 23, Eric Bye got southwest of 23, Erick Holm on northwest of 23, Ole Enger got 26 (no one else would look at it), Gilbert Swanson got southwest of 27 and Julius Hoverson the northeast of 34. The men went out to various jobs such as digging wells, breaking sod and any- thing to help them earn something and each one had to do some breaking for himself to hold his claim. These people constituted about one-third of the voting strength of the township and sometimes determined the elections. Of the original group of settlers who located on these tracts of land not one remained in 1925 except Mrs. Ole Enger.
Among the list of early settlers still residing in the township and vicinity in 1925 are; James Curtis, Otto Lindell, Mrs. Ole Enger, Robert Arndt, J. A. Dawe of Maple township, E. M. Wippich of Maple, Ira Barnes at Ellen- dale, B. L. Nelson and Carl Nelson of Wright township, Sol Hunter and Sam Kessler of Oakes, Mrs. Isabell (Fell) Whitfield of Glover, Matt Kelley of Porter township and John Anderson of Fullerton. Mr. A. C. Hogaboom of Yorktown was one of the first County Commissioners to be elected by the people following the original board appointed by Governor Ordway.
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CHAPTER XXVI
MAPLE TOWNSHIP, 131-62
[The note book of Mrs. E. J. M. Wippich and the story given by Benjamin Porter, both of them pioneers from the beginning of settlement, are the sources for this chapter.]
T HE first two settlers in Maple Township were Alonzo L. Hancock and Thomas H. Ingraham, who came from Beurent, Illinois, and settled on adjoining claims in April 1882. Mr. Hancock took the southeast of 23, and Mr. Ingraham the southwest of 23, 131-62.
Early in the summer of the same year John F. Oberman, of Joliet, Illinois, filed on land in the northwest part of the township, and Thomas Hodgins on the southwest of 7. The same year Ben Davis, Harry Memory and I. E. Memory arrived from Oglesby, Illinois; G. M. D. Southworth, A. F. Gillet, Mrs. A. F. Gillet and daughter Jennie, O. B. Peckons, Benjamin Porter and E. F. Sweet from Michigan; J. N. Armstrong from Jamestown, North Dakota; William Gregory and David Craig from Canada; Charles Matter and I. S. Smith from Illinois; C. J. Taylor from Nebraska; H. C. Kohler, Jarvis Pock, Oscar Porter and C. W. Porter from Michigan and Joseph and William Blumer from Iowa.
In 1883 the new comers were Mrs. William Gregory, sons Robert and Allan, Mrs. Maggie Dawe, sons Fred, Robert and Willie; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Parke, Mrs. Anna Hines, Quebec, Canada; Mrs. Ol B. Peckons, Illinois; F. M. Wood, John and Peter Nelson, J. A. Dawe, Quebec, Canada; W. N. St. John, New York; T. M. Gibson, Neoga, Illinois.
These people, the first few years got their mail and attended all social gatherings at Yorktown. They also attended church services which were held regularly at that place. One of our early settlers, Rev. I. E. Memory preached the first sermon in the township in a claim shanty on the north- west of 17, also drove with his family, a distance of seven miles, to Yorktown where he held M. E. services for several years. He was not ordained but conducted many a funeral service, giving the comfort that otherwise would have been hard to obtain. In the year 1890 when regular preaching service was established by the M. E. church at Fullerton he occupied the pulpit on alternate Sundays with the regular minister. He also took charge of the Bible class in Sunday School, working for twenty years without salary, besides doing his work on his farm-one of the real pioneer missionaries. The family left Fullerton in 1902 for California, where he was killed in trying to protect the property of which he was in charge.
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Of the very early settlers in this vicinity of the "Territorial Days" still here in 1927 are: Mrs. William Gregory, Thomas Parke, Benjamin Porter, Mrs. F. W. Teichman, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Dawe, Mathew Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. O. B. Peckons and son Charles, Robert Gregory, F. O. Alin, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. M. Wippich and Mr. and Mrs. Alex Alexanderson.
The first women in the township were the Misses Mattie and Minnie Oberman, who with their brother Henry J. came from Joliet, Illinois, to join their father in August, 1882. These ladies, now Mrs. Mattie Snyder and Mrs. Minnie Mackintosh are both widows and in business together in Canton, Illinois. The father, John F. Oberman, passed away several years ago. The only member living here in 1928 is the son, Henry J. who has filled many positions of trust in the county, and still owns the old homestead on section 5 in the northwest part of the township.
Travel in the spring of the year when the Maple River was out of its banks was considerably hampered as there were no bridges and travelers had to depend upon finding the fords; and in times of a spring freshet this was a dangerous undertaking.
Our earliest two settlers A. L. Hancock and Thomas H. Ingraham who had adjoining claims on the Maple River southeast of the present site of Fullerton constructed a ferry in 1883 when all fords were impossible. This was made pontoon fashion; the platform resting on barrels. A year later Mr. Hancock constructed a bridge across the river on his land; charging toll to keep up expenses. The bridge was made of heavy timbers and had stone approaches that are still there.
Then came small wooden bridges, but these were either under water or swept away during the spring months, and finally these have been replaced by fine concrete bridges, of which there are five across the Maple in the vicinity of Fullerton.
"How Mrs. William Gregory Became a Pioneer."
"My husband and I had been keeping a little store in Quebec, Canada, for four years and doing nicely. About Dakota we knew very little; in the spring of 1882, David Craig who was a half brother of my husband, returned from near Fargo where he and Thomas Parke, also of Quebec, had been on a ranch. David gave such glowing accounts of the country and inspired us with the belief that money was just lying loose ready to be picked up. Mr. Gregory therefore sold the store and in November, 1882, started for the land of promise. He was accompanied by William Cathcart and David Craig; bringing some horses, cows, plows and a few household goods. He first made entry or rather located on section 18 in the western part of the township; put up his shack and other improvements.
"When J. M. Armstrong arrived a short time after, he claimed he had already filed on this land and paid Mr. Gregory $100.00 for the improve- ments. He then re-located one and one-half miles east of where Fullerton now stands on the northwest quarter of 13, 131-62.
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"In the meantime I, with the two small boys, was staying with my parents Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kerr until we were sent for; and in February 1883, I, with my two sons, Robert four and Allen two years of age left Quebec for my Dakota home. There were also with me my brother James Kerr, Robert Craig, Mrs. Maggie Dawe and her three boys, Fred, Robert and Willie. We came via St. Paul to Fargo, where we were storm bound for a week. I was so blue and homesick on account of conditions that I made up my mind to get a ticket and take the next train back home. I asked my brother Jim for some money as he was carrying $500.00 for me. He told me there was nothing to buy there and said he knew what I wanted was to return home; so he didn't give me any. There were not any trains from Fargo in this direction so we left by team in a bobsled with only a single box, and we could not keep very comfortable. All day we traveled through deep snow; nothing in sight but snow; if there was a shack we didn't see it. At night we came to a four room house, which the driver told us was near the Jim River Valley. There was a man and his wife and two small children in this home and they made us as comfortable as possible for the night and the next day we resumed our journey arriving in time to eat supper with the Stephensons at the "Half Way House"; going on that night to Mr. Gregory's shack. A blizzard came up and the storm was so bad that it seemed as though every minute our shack would be blown to pieces. They put the horses in one end of the shack with a large rug hung between them and us. We stayed there all the next day, when the storm got so bad that in the evening Thomas Hodgins a neighbor across the road and a little east came and took us all over to his place where we had to stay three days.
"Just after this storm I made my first bread, mixing it in a large pan, I put it into a large flat iron kettle to rise and baked it in the same; and you can imagine what it was like. I had never even seen bread baked before.
"The men who were now with my husband went with him to build a house on the other claims; they were-James Kerr, "Jack" Dawe, Albert McCorkle, David and Robert Craig. This was a two room building and while they were there another blizzard struck which again lasted three days and caught them just as their food was gone and they were forced to eat oats and barley which they had for the horses. In this storm as before Mr. Hodgins came over and took us women and the boys over to his place.
"As soon as the new home was finished, we all moved over and after a few days Mrs. Maggie Dawe and her boys went to Ellendale where she opened up a boarding place; there for six months I was the only woman on the prairie on the trail from my home to Ellendale; and didn't see a woman's face until in August when Mrs. Thomas Parke and her mother Mrs. Hines arrived. I was kept busy cooking for my household, which besides my own family included many of the bachelors."
Of the many dangers with which the settlers in this prairie country had to contend, prairie fire seemed to be the worst. One of these in the
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writer's own experience, that will long be remembered, is the one of Novem- ber 15th, 1905. The morning passenger train, westbound, had just passed, when some sparks from the engine set fire to the prairie about three miles west of Fullerton near the Brook Knox farm on the south side of the track. Swept by a heavy northwest wind, the fire increased as it went; in places leaping fire breaks as though they had not been in existence, and causing destruction and terror to those in its path.
Only those who have passed through such an experience can imagine our fright when we saw the terrible flames coming directly toward our little home where lay our only child ill of pneumonia. We kept as cool as possible, and worked as parents would who had so much at stake. A tub of water was carried and with a broom the mother threw water over the front of the house while the father replenished the water in the tub. The flames were coming over the hill, and terror was in our hearts, when from another direction came the sound of galloping horses; and a wagon load of men dashed into the yard, knowing that our loved one was ill and we directly in the path of the destroyer.
While some of them moved the machinery to a plowed field near by, others came into the house, rolled the sick one in bedding and carried her behind a granary, where father, mother, and rescuers gathered; then with a rush, and a roar and blinding black smoke, the fire was all around us. As soon as the head fire had passed the men rushed out and beat out the fire around the buildings none of which were burned.
The mother in gathering up valuables placed them in a bureau drawer, putting a pillow on top to hold them in; but in the excitement carried out only the pillow leaving the treasures behind in the house. In the mean- time the fire was rushing on; leaving not a spear of grass or stubble; taking hay and straw stacks as it went, and behind was the most desolate, bare and blackened country left in its wake. Much distress followed during the winter as it was a hard matter to find feed for the stock. Thousands of acres were laid bare; and the loss to the settlers was inestimable.
Some of the barns were cut into the side of a bluff and only the front and roof were made of boards, while some made a frame and covered it with straw. Of the later, the only visible lumber was the door. They were quite warm especially those cut into a bluff.
One of the most unique barns we ever saw was made of a stack of hay; tall slough grass. The stack was 30 feet long and twenty-four feet thick. A frame was put in and the south front was made of boards in which were the door and a window. The hay cut out from the center was put on top for the roof. This made the barn very warm and comfortable for the four oxen and some chickens and gave a dry place for the tools.
This was built by E. J. M. Wippich in '86 and stood until after the owner left the farm and could no longer look out for it. A prairie fire, which swept through that vicinity in '92 destroyed both barn and shack.
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Gideon F. Morey had a large sod livery barn about sixty feet long and thirty feet wide which had a board roof. This was built in '83 and used up to the summer of '97. Many will remember the barn as it was used by the travelers from Ellendale and LaMoure in early days.
During the years 1880-81-82, Mr. Porter was practicing law with Stewart and Sweet in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There was considerable discussion at times in the office about the land boom in the west. Mr. Porter and Mr. Sweet became interested and the former made the suggestion that he, Porter, go out to Dakota and look over the land and see just what the situation was. Mr. Sweet was to finance the trip. Mr. Sweet agreed to this and Mr. Porter went to Fargo and stayed about a week. Mr. Sweet and Charles Porter came out soon after Ben reached Fargo.
On the 17th day of August, 1882 the Porter party drove across to Keystone from Grand Rapids with Mr. Kindred as guide, looked the country over and the next day drove to the present site of Fullerton where they decided to take land. Mr. Sweet and Charles Porter went back east leaving Ben to establish squatters rights. The land was not surveyed but they hired a man named Ed. Brown to make a preliminary run over to the Fullerton site so that they would have an idea where their corners would come.
Mr. Ben Porter tried to cover section 15, putting up claim shanties on six or seven quarters just to hold them till the land was open for settle- ment and the other men could get back and establish their title. Sometimes when land was to be taken and lumber was scarce, a squatter would drive a stake in the ground and nail a board to it with his name and address thereon till he could get something better, but this scant evidence was not always respected.
When the Porter party was at Keystone they had to stay at a boarding house there; rates were $2.00 a day. The people who ran the place were- J. Haggerty, brother of the town site Haggerty of Aberdeen, Miss Viola A. Knox and Mrs. Hamilton (E. B.) Mr. Porter hired a pony from W. A. Caldwell and rode over to his new location near Fullerton (to be) nearly every day; put in his time there and returned to Keystone every night and stayed there. He hired the pony at fifty cents per day.
Ed Brown hauled over a load of lumber from which to make the shanties and Mr. Porter did most of the work. The shanties were about 7x8 no floor, shanty roof. That fall Mr. Porter went back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and stayed in Mr. Sweet's office till the 26th of February, 1883, when Mr. Sweet and the two Porters came out to Fargo. They had an arrangement with their attorney at Fargo to let them know when their township would be ready for settlement or filing and he had notified them. They had reached Fargo on the day it was to be opened and they all made their filings then and there, and then went back to Grand Rapids.
In March 1883 Mr. Porter came back to Dickey County by trail via
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Aberdeen, reached end of track at Ellendale, March 28th, 1883. The old frontier days were still so near that even a stray buffalo was to be seen and Mr. Porter actually killed one.
This animal was shot about 20 feet north of a barn on the southwest of 15, 131-62. Mr. Porter had got up and started to the barn to do his chores when he met his dog coming from there. He went on to the barn and looking around the corner saw the buffalo, so he hurried back to the shanty and called his brother who was in the next room and told him what he had seen. The brother was so excited that he could not find his clothes but finally got some thing on and loading their guns they went out and shot the buffalo. The head and hide were preserved for many years but the moths finally destroyed it. Five hundred pounds of the meat was taken to Ellen- dale and sold to a butcher at five cents per pound and retailed at from twenty-five to fifty.
When Mr. Porter came back to Dickey County on the 28th of March, 1883, he "footed" it across lots from Ellendale to the claim on 15. He had to cross the Maple on blocks of ice in the channel for there had been a thaw and the ice had broken. During the year of 1883 his brother Charles W. came out from the east again and they made further improvements on the land, got some breaking done, dug wells and helped other settlers.
The first school house in this district was a one room building one and one-half miles east of where Fullerton now stands. The teacher was Miss Marie Herbert of Michigan; the pupils were: Robert and Allan Gregory Stewart, Sidney, and Estelle Parke, Mary Birdsell, Jessie Lehman, Ray and Charlie Porter. Only two of these pupils reside in this vicinity at present; Robert Gregory and Jessie Lehman-now Mrs. R. D. Johnson. The teacher Miss Marie Herbert became the wife of Benjamin Porter, August 1890 and passed away June 22, 1917.
Maple Township, was at first called or rather was, a part of Porter Township, which was named for the Porter brothers, Benjamin, Oscar, and Charles who were early settlers. In 1913 on petition, the township was divided; the north half 132-62 retaining the name of Porter; the south half given the name of Maple in honor of the Maple River that runs through it from the northwest to the southeast. The village of Fullerton was plotted on land belonging to Mr. E. F. Sweet and named Fullerton in honor of his father-in-law, Mr. Fuller. The "Soo" railroad was offered free right of way through the town site if they would locate a town on Mr. Sweet's land on Section fifteen which offer was accepted and the railroad was completed through here in September, 1887. In a short time a depot was erected and Charles G. Howard of Emmetsburg, Iowa, with his wife and daughter, Bessie arrived to take charge as the first agent. Trains only ran once a week, Sunday afternoons.
The first store was a large building erected by Mr. E. F. Sweet and oc- cupied by George F. Bartlett, who kept a general line of merchandise also
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a millinery department in charge of Mrs. Bartlett. They had a baby daughter, Immogene, and the family occupied the very nice seven-room apartment over the store. Mr. Bartlett was also the first post-master; taking the place of Benjamin Porter who received the appointment but refused to qualify. This postoffice was located in his store. A building was erected on the east side of main street for a boarding and lodging house, and this was first conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Paxton from Ellendale.
The Fullerton schoolhouse as it originally looked. This was built in 1889. In later years an addition was erected on the west side making it twice the original size.
The village school house, a two story building was erected in the summer of 1889 and at the dedication the address was given by Joseph Devine, at the time County Superintendent of schools for LaMoure County and the music was by Mr. and Mrs. James Barrett. Mrs. Fuller, mother of Mrs. E. F. Sweet donated $1,000 toward the expense of the building. The
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upper room was seated with chairs and used for church and Sunday School, entertainments and socials; while the lower room was used for school. Professor Sorick of Michigan was the first teacher in this building.
The first Church Society organized in Fullerton was the Presbyterian, by Rev. E. E. Saunders of Fargo in March, 1889. The first minister was Rev. Sangree. A Presbyterian Sunday School was orgainzed at the same time in the house of G. F. Bartlett. L. H. Getman was elected an elder in the church, also Superintendent of the Sunday School.
The first hotel the "Carrol House" so named in honor of Mr. Sweet's eldest son Carrol, was erected by Mr. Sweet in 1889 and is a three story structure. The first landlord was L. Getman.
F. W. Teichmann had the first blacksmith shop in Fullerton moving here from Yorktown where he had been since 1884. Mr. Teichmann was married December 11, 1888, to Miss Emma J. Wells of Yorktown and they went immediately into their new house-the first residence built in Fullerton. Mr. Teichmann passed away September 14th, 1922, but this is still the home of Mrs. Teichmann.
The first rural mail delivery in the county was established at Fullerton December 1st, 1902-making a twenty-five mile circuit through the Porter, Wright and Yorktown Townships. It was mainly through the efforts of F. O. Alin that this route was established. Thomas Parke was the first carrier. Route No. 2 was established May 1st, 1905. Frank Van Middles- worth was the first carrier. The first lumber yard was owned by the Sawyer and Arnold Lumber Company and Harry Doney was the first agent. The first elevator was the Atlantic-now the Farmer's elevator-Mr. Coffee was agent.
The Union Church was erected in Fullerton during the summer of 1907. The Committee for soliciting funds were Messrs. G. M. Gamber, Thomas Parke, B. S. Kingley, E. S. Thomas, Benjamin Porter, J. A. Dawe and E. J. M. Wippich, people of all denominations contributed and it was to be used by any religious organization, by each paying a small sum for the up-keep. The two lots on which it stands were donated by Mr. E. F. Sweet. The Church was dedicated August 1907. Among the speakers were Bishop Cammeron Mann and Rev. Cowan, Epsicopal Rector here at that time; Rev. C. M. Haas, Presbyterian Church at Monango; and Rev. C. W. Samuelson, Lutheran Church at Oakes.
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