USA > North Dakota > Dickey County > History Of Dickey County, ND, 1930 > Part 21
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Two Newspapers-the Fullerton Farmer, edited by J. S. Jensen about the year 1905 and continued a few years by the Fullerton Independent established by R. O. Knowles April 1st, 1915, were sold to other papers of the County.
The first Livery and Feed Stable in Fullerton was put up on Lot 5 Block seven by H. M. Gibson in the spring of 1889, and was well patronized, the "livery" being one horse and buggy.
The first band was organized by James Barret, an arrival in '89 from
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London, England. Members were; H. J. Oberman, Ike Bachtel, H. M. Gibson, Frank and Anderson Beaver, F. W. Teichmann, Bert Armstrong, George F. Bartlett, Samuel Edward and Ray Porter and C. G. Howard.
Fullerton was incorporated as a village in March 1908.
Hon. Edwin F. Sweet
Hon. Edwin F. Sweet who has been connected with this district since its early history, was born at Dansville, New York in the famous Geneseo Valley. Educated in the public schools at Yale and Michigan University Law School; is by profession a Lawyer at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Married to Sophia F. Fuller 1876. Member of the Grand Rapids Board of Education (99-'04). Mayor of Grand Rapids, 1904-1906. Member of Congress from Fifth District of Michigan, 1911 to March 1913. Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 1913-1921-Wilson's Administration. Member of the American Canadian Fishery Commission; Federal Electric Railways Commission; War Industries Board.
Came to North Dakota in 1882 and has large land holdings; has done much toward making Fullerton and vicinity the place it now is. Mr. Sweet gave the right of way to the "Soo" Railroad in 1887, donated town lots to several who erected places of business; giving a plot of his tree claim west of the village for a cemetery; the lots for the Union Church; also the base ball park.
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CHAPTER XXVII
PORTER TOWNSHIP, 132-62
[For this chapter the Society is indebted to Mr. Alex Alin one of the pioneers and one who has preserved the old records and stories of the early days.]
T WO young men from Erie, Pennsylvania, coming by way of Jamestown and Grand Rapids, about April 1st, 1882, were the first persons to take up land in this township. One of them, William J. Shauble, selected North No. 2 as Squatters Claim and afterwards purchased a span of horses. The other, Henry C. Dreunner, built his shanty on the northeast of 3. Only the top boundaries or township lines had then been staked out. The inside section lines were not surveyed by the government until October that year, so up to that time settlers had to find their location by measuring from nearest top line. The boys spent the summer at this claim or in the neighbor- hood doing odd jobs, but went back to Pennsylvania for the winter. When they returned the following spring the land was open for filings.
The next settler and the first all-year-round resident was David S. Keep, from Meadville, Pennsylvania, who in company with M. C. Alcorn, arrived at Cottonwood Lake, April 24th, 1882. Alcorn took possession of the quarter adjoining the lake on the southeast and just over the line in LaMoure County, and before the middle of June had a four room house built there, which remained his home until his death there in March, 1904. After Alcorn had his house ready, they went back to Pennsylvania to bring their families here, returning July 11th. Mr. Keep then decided to make his home on the northeast of 2, and had the first frame house in the township built there; the building being 16 by 24 and 12ft. post and in September moved there with wife and twelve year old son. These three persons were the only inhabitants in the township the winter of 1882-83; their nearest neighbors being Mr. and Mrs. Alcorn, about a mile distant. Keep having lost one leg while serving in the Civil War and unable to do hard work did not carry on much farming. They lived on the homestead until Sept. 1887, when they moved to LaMoure and a year later to Ellendale. In the summer of 1891 they went back to their old home at Meadville, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Keep died in October of that year, 54 years of age.
July 24th, 1882, Alexander Alexanderson and Swan Peterson came down from Jamestown and located claims. Alexanderson on the southeast of 10 and Peterson on northeast of 10. Each starting the walls for a small sod shanty to indicate that the land was taken, returned to Jamestown the next day, not seeing the land again until April the following year. Both
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filed pre-emptions on their claims, had breaking done and needed buildings put up and they made final proofs on their claims before the end of the year. Most of the following years Peterson was living elsewhere; but in the spring of 1899, at the age of 64, he returned and started farming his land, using only two horses, and continued for 13 years, also doing his own cooking. The last few years of his life he was cared for at R. Krook's home, where he passed away Nov. 2nd, 1920, at the age of 84 years and 8 months. He was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1881. Alexanderson died in August 1925, at the age of 78. He came from Sweden in 1869. He was survived by wife and ten children, six of whom were born in the township. The Alexanderson family, went through much of the hardships that often came with pioneer life; having no capital and very little equipment to start farming with and many small children to bring up. Losing their first farm home by fire in 1885, for many years afterward they lived in a small two-room shanty, with only a cookstove for heating in winter.
Of those that settled in the township in 1882 only Raynard Krook and Alex Alin are living there in 1928. These two, together with Peter Anderson, started from Jamestown, August 1st, 1882, in a lumberwagon drawn by a small span of mules. By pooling their combined wealth the boys had just enough funds to purchase this outfit. Arriving at section 12 of this township, the boys decided to locate there. Raynard chose the northwest, Alex the southwest and Pete the northeast quarter of the section. A board shack ten by twelve feet was built on Raynard's claim for headquarters, also a sod stable for the mules; on the other quarters sod shanties with board roofs were put up and the claim-holders spent some of the nights in them before returning to Jamestown to earn money to keep the company going; only Raynard staying at the claims to the end of the season. All three were back on the land before the end of March the following spring. Complying with the law as to improvements, and residence on. the claims, Raynard and Alex proved up, under the pre-emption law, on their quarters in September that year, and could henceforth leave the land to work out. While "holding down" the claims that summer to procure means of subsistance, they made occasional trips to Jamestown to get a few days work, walking the 60 miles back and forth. Peter was the mule-driver that season but as long as there was work for the team on the claims the extravagance of using them to facilitate the travel of the other boys was not to be thought of.
The following year, 1884, Alex withdrew from the company but Raynard and Pete continued as farming partners to the end of 1889. Peter Anderson proved up on his claim as a homestead in July 1889, it was his home till his death, June 17th, 1925, at the age of 67. He was married July 3rd, 1896, to Augusta Larson, who died in 1909, 44 years old. Two sons survive, Albin and Andrew. Albin continues to reside on his father's home- stead. Raynard Krook is still farming the land that he broke the first furrow on in August, 1882. His home was on the old pre-emption quarter
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until 1916 when he moved on an adjoining quarter. He was married November 19th, 1896, to Hanna Berg. They have four daughters: Anna (Mrs. Frank Johnson) at Fullerton, Mary (Mrs. Ralph Winslow) in Oregon; Mathilda and Edith at home. For a few years after proving up his claim in 1883, Alex Alin only made a visit each year to his farm. He worked at the printer's trade in Jamestown two years and three years in Duluth. Started farming his land in the spring of 1890. After raising grain a few years he began planting trees about his home and since 1908 has done very little farming. For a dozen years while doing most of his tree planting he also raised and sold nursery stock as a side business. His trees, shrubs and some orchard plantings cover about eighteen acres, including three acres of ever- greens. Many kinds of trees, ornamental bushes and perennial plants, seldom seen in plantings on the prairie. are growing in this bachelor's door- yard.
The childhood homes in Sweden of these three pioneers were about the same distance apart as their long-time homes in this township. Peter and Alex came to America in 1879; Raynard in 1880. All were back for a visit to their old country home. Alex for nearly a year in 1886-87; Raynard, the winter of 1895-96, and Pete, the summer of 1911.
In September 1882, Chas. A. Peterson, (no relation to Swan Peterson) also from Jamestown and a native of Sweden, while spending a few days in the township put up a shanty on the northwest of 10. Visited the claim again the following spring and foresummer. In July, Jack Weaver, of Cass County placed a shanty on the opposite side of the quarter from Charlie's shack and started proceedings for contesting the claim. After four years legal contention it was decided in favor of Weaver. Charlie then bought out Weaver's right to the claim and a couple years later began farming it. A yoke of oxen, a walking plow, a drag and a second hand broadcast seeder was his farming equipment. He hired for the cutting of his grain. The furnishings of his bachelor apartment were equally economically simplified. To him wheat raising was a paying proposition, while with other farmers it was a losing game. Since 1899 he has been living in Swift County, Min- nesota, but still owns his old homestead in this township. As in this town- ship half of the land was granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and deducting the two school sections, there are left only sixteen sections that could be taken under the land laws. The first day, Feb. 26th, 1883, that the government land in this township was opened for filings, at the land office at Fargo, more than one third of it was filed on by parties living in that city or vicinity. How the lure of land spread from one family circle of city folks over the bleak prairies the following is a sample: O. J. De- Lendrecie, founder of the big department store in Fargo, and at that time proprietor of it, filed on two quarters in the township, his wife on one, her father and two of her brothers, (the Basye's), on one each, and two girls named Coyle, in the employ of the DeLendrecie's filed each on two claims.
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Residence of C. A. Peterson on the Northwest Quarter of Section 10-132-62-1894
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Their entries covered all of section eight, south half of six, north half of twenty-two, the southwest of 4 and southwest of 10. They lost three of their tree claims in later years by contests and relinquished the fourth but proved up on their pre-emptions and commuted homesteads before the end of the year and that was also the end of their rustications in the township. Shortly after this government land inspectors were about the county, taking notes of the doings of the claim holders and checking up on their "home staying" propensities, especially those listed for proving up. The watchful claim-jumpers, which then had appeared on the scene, were also an incentive for many to stay at home more regularly. Before all claims in this township had been proved up, exactly one fourth of them had been successfully con- tested, the last one in 1903.
Settlers coming after the "land grabbing" of 1883, besides purchase of deeded land and contesting neglected claims also had chances to take over the rights of some discouraged claim holder for a small consideration. At first relinquishments were valued at two hundred to three hundred dollars per quarter but after the poor wheat crops of 1886 and 87, there was now and then opportunities to buy out claim-rights at seventy-five to one hundred dollars per quarter. The railroad company began to sell their land in 1884. The list price was seven dollars per acre, but by buying the Company's bonds, then worth about forty cents on a dollar, and exchanging these for land, the actual price was less than three dollars per acre. Up to the year 1900 what little deeded land was bought or sold for farming purposes ranged in price between four hundred to six hundred dollars per quarter. Agents and speculators had higher figures. The west half of section nine was listed for sale in a local paper in 1899 at two hundred and fifty dollars and sold at that price. In 1925 the same quarters (as well as five more belonging to the same farm) were again advertised for sale, this time by the sheriff to satisfy mortgages at thirteen times the amount that was paid for them twenty-five years before.
In the summer of 1883 there were something like forty-five "homes" in the township. Mostly shacks, sheds, shanties and other nondescript hab- itations. The most substantial buildings, though small, were those on the Keep homestead. The house was burned by lightning in 1889, no one living there at the time. After the exodus of the urbanites and other pseudo farmers and the further sifting-out process of two dry years there were only nine farmers left in the township at the end of 1887, four of whom had come after 1883. In 1900 there were twenty inhabited houses but only one farmer in the township had more than two hundred acres in crop, and only one had as many as twenty head of live stock. In 1923 there were forty-eight occupied farmsteads and the population had reached two hundred and fifty, but the continued country wide depression of the agricultural classes has since reduced the population of the township a score or so and separated a few of its farmers from their "Earthly possessions."
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In common with other agricultural communities farm improvements have been at a standstill the last few years in this township, but for about a dozen years before the deflation much was done toward better improvements and equipment for farming. During the period most of the wild prairie was put under cultivation and good sets of buildings were erected on most of the farms, several houses and barns being among the best in the country. The most commodious dwelling house is the J. M. Anderson home, southwest 7; the largest barn is on the Youngquist farm, southwest 32. Each of these buildings costing about ten thousand dollars. Jos. Pazandak, section 27, is conceded to have the most model and up-to-date farm, with Geo. P. Johnson's place, section 26, a close second. T. J. Kelsh and sons farm the largest acreage; besides rented land Mr. Kelsh has six quarters of his own. He had the first silo built in the township, erected in 1912. Fred Pazandak has the distinction of being the only "horseless" farmer in the township, using tractors exclusively for tilling the soil since 1916. There are twenty- seven artesian wells in the township, the first being drilled in 1903. A few of the farmers in the east part of the township were among the organizers of the first farmers telephone line erected in this county. This line was built in 1904 from Fullerton north to LaMoure. The first rural free mail delivery in the county, started in 1903, as route one out of Fullerton, runs through the center part of the township. The western part is served by a route from Monango. A few farms near the north line get their mail on a La Moure route and those living in the northwest corner of the township have Berlin for their postoffice.
The following farmers, no longer living in the township lived here for ten years or more: A. Alexanderson 1882 to 1909, died at Fullerton 1925; Peter Anderson 1882 to his death in 1925; Swan Peterson 1882-87 and from 1899 to his death 1920; Chas. A. Peterson 1882-83 and 1889-99, lives in Minnesota; Noah Yokum 1883-93, moved to Cass County; Calvin H. Corliss 1883 to his death 1894; Robert Hay 1884 to his death in 1898, Mrs. Hay and son Charles continued on the farm till 1913 when they moved to Oregon; Sam P. Alin 1884-1906, lives at Gackle; Thomas W. Jones 1887-97, is at Cleveland, Ohio; Frank O. Alin 1889-1910, lives at Fullerton; Frank T. Deane 1899-1923, is in Washington State; Jos. Barta and son Joseph Phillip 1901 to their deaths in 1918 and 1920; Austin Hoffer 1906-26, Joe D. Ander- son 1907, 1910, and 1917-26, lives in Maple Township; N. E. Cox 1907-22, lived in Yorktown Township and later in LaMoure County; R. N. Young- quist 1909-23 is in Minnesota; John P. Nelson 1909-25, lived at Fullerton, when he moved back to his farm. In the forty-five years of settlement in the township more than a hundred other farmers have come and gone, many only staying a season or two. One farm, the northwest of 6, has had thirteen different tenants since its first owner, Noah Yokum, left it in 1893.
Persons over twenty years of age residing in the township in 1927, who have lived there ten years or more are; Raynard Krook since 1882
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except part of the time in 1884 and 1887-88, his wife since 1896 and daughter Mathilda 1903; Alex Alin since 1882 except most of the time between 1884 and 1890, continually since spring of 1890; James H. Beaver and son Frank since 1897; Hans Larson from 1897, except 1898 and 1899; his wife since 1908; Albin Anderson 1897; Robert Deane since 1899, except most of the time between 1914 and 1924; Matt Kraper, wife and daughter Fanny (Mrs. Matt Louta) 1900, other children, John 1902 and Heino 1905; T. J. Kelsh, wife and children, George, Francis and Mary 1901, Thomas 1903 and Vin- cent 1905; Jos. Pazandak 1901; Fred Pazandak 1901, his wife 1917; Carl Larson 1902; S. H. Darby, wife and son Lawrence 1905, except one year 1919-20; Martin Beethe 1905 except 1911-14, his wife 1914; Andrew J. Anderson 1906, wife 1908; J. M. Anderson 1906, wife 1917; Frank E. Van Middlesworth and his wife 1906 except 1907-11, son Edward 1911; George P. Johnson, wife and children, Robert, Fred, William, and Myrtle 1907; E. R. Schiefelbein 1907, wife and son Ralph 1911; Ed Dahl and wife 1908; Henning Youngquist 1909; Henry W. Zimbleman and wife 1910; Evert Ubben, wife and children, Walter and Etha 1911; Charles M. Archer and wife 1912; Guy Meyer and wife 1915; Alois Smutny and wife 1916; J. G. Elmer, wife and daughter Esther, 1916.
Next to Raynard Krook and Alex Alin in longest residence in township aie James H. Beaver and son Frank. They came to this neighborhood in 1884, living in Keystone and Maple Townships before moving here. Mr. James Beaver is a civil war veteran, and in February 1927 passed the eighty- sixth mile stone on life's journey.
The first couple, both residents of the township, united in wedlock was Ralph M. Potter and Wealthy Phelps. The ceremony was performed at Lisbon, April 21st, 1884. The first child born in the township was Frank Alexanderson, April 1st, 1884, on the southeast of 10. In a total of 185 children born in the township up to the beginning of 1927, there were five pairs of twins. The first death in the township was that of Benjamine Gordon on June 30th, 1889, age forty-five, at his farm home, northease 4. He had lived in the township since 1886. Of forty-six deaths in the township up to January 1927, three were caused by accidents, namely; Joseph Barta Sr., southwest 23, was kicked by a horse the evening of August 28th, 1918, and died from the injuries morning of August 30th; he was sixty-seven years old. His son Joseph, age thirty-seven, received a kick from another horse but in the same barn, July 17th, 1920, resulting in death a few hours later. The chief cause of the death of Mrs. Kate Barta in 1921, at the age of fifty- eight, was undoubtedly the grief and nervous strain brought on by the tragic end of her husband and son. Another sad happening occurred May 15th, 1920, when Joseph, the four year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dean, southwest 9, accidently had an elevated gas tank fall on his head, from the effect of which he died four days later.
When in December 1885 the county was first arranged for civil township
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government, two congressional Townships 131-62 and 132-62 became one unit and was named Porter, for the Porter brothers, prominent settlers in 131-62. The first township election was held at Charles Porter's farm house southeast 10, 131-62, December 22nd, 1885. For more than a dozen years all the township officers were residents of the south township. Later when the north township became the dominant factor in election of the officials, the south township seceded from the union. The separation was approved by the County Commissioners in May 1913. The North Township retained the name of Porter, and Maple was selected for 131-62, but that township is still officially known as Porter School District. The officers of Porter Township in 1927 with the year they began serving are: Supervisors, T. J. Kelsh 1908, E. R. Schiefelbein 1915 and J. M. Anderson 1919; Treasurer, Mrs. Fred Pazandak 1922; Assessor, Robert H. Johnson 1914; Clerk, Harry W. Tanner 1926.
No resident of the township has held any county office, but Robert H. Johnson served as representative in the legislature 1917-18, and T. J. Kelsh was state senator 1919-23. Mr. Kelsh was unanimously nominated as candidate for lieutenant governor by the Independent Voters Association, at Devils Lake, February 23rd, 1926, but failed of being endorsed by the' voters at the primary election in June that year.
For school purposes this township was joined with Valley until May, 1886, when it began as a separate school township and was numbered, District No. 21. Rosebud was chosen as the name in 1893 and was the legal appellation till 1921. That year a move was made to adopt a name that could be used both for the school district and the civil township in common. Rosebud was ineligible as there was already a civil township by that name in the state, and Porter could not be used as an adjoining school district had that name, so Algrove was proposed at a joint meeting of the School Directors and the Township Supervisors. At the school election June 1921, Algrove was duly endorsed by the voters as the name of the school district, but the County Commissioners did not approve the change of name for the civil township, though petitioned by a majority of the voters to do so.
The first school in the township, a three months term in the spring of 1885 was held in Chas. Peterson's claim shack on Section 10; the room being a trifle over nine by eleven feet. The pupils were seated on chairs around a table and furnished their own books and other things needed for study. The following were enrolled: Rush Keep, Edith and Gertrude Peck, Ella, Mary, John and Julia Alexanderson. The teacher was Mary Stephenson, of Halfway House, Valley Township. She was afterwards married to M. B. Cassell, of Hope, N. D. She died there in 1919.
After separating from Valley Township in 1886 there were no school or any school board functioning here until 1889, when Calvin H. Corliss, Robert Hay and Mrs. B. Gordon were elected directors. A five month term of school was held in the winter of 1889-90 at the farm home of Mrs.
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Gordon, northeast 4. Her oldest daughter Luella, teacher, and the four next oldest children, Ethel, Homer, Ethan, and Arden, the scholars. The third term in the district, held in the fall of 1892, while only two months, was taught in three different houses.
The first school house in the district, fourteen by eighteen feet, was built in September 1893, cost about two hundred dollars and was located near the east section line of southeast 10. The building was moved in 1901 to near the southwest corner of section eight. It was sold in 1926 and replaced by a modern one room school, costing three thousand four hundred dollars. School No. 2, at northwest corner section 26, was built in 1901. In 1925 a basement was put under it, and an entry hall added and the original struc- ture, twenty by thirty-six feet, partitioned off with folding doors so it can be used as a two room school when needed. School house No. 3, northeast corner section 11, was built 1908. These three schools have each a grove of trees on the school grounds. School No. 4, at northeast corner of section 31, is an old building bought of Porter School District in 1909 and moved to present location. The highest number of pupils enrolled in the four schools was seventy-four in 1920. The lowest wage was thirty dollars per month in 1893, 1897-98; the highest was one hundred dollars per month in 1920-21-22. The following are the school officers in 1927 and the years they began: Directors, Evert Ubben 1922, Jos. Pazandak 1923, Mrs. J. M. Anderson 1923; Treasuter, Mrs. Fred Pazandak 1924; Clerk, Alex Alin 1913.
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