USA > North Dakota > Dickey County > History Of Dickey County, ND, 1930 > Part 23
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For the purpose of carrying on the business end of the enterprise a fine office building is maintained in the city of Ellendale. In this building is the office of the superintendent (when he can be in town), that of the secretary of the corporation for Dickey County, that of the land agent who looks after the contracts on land sold and the sale and rental of Baldwin lands not within the farms, and for the proprietor while he is in the county. For the purpose of still more closely concentrating upon the original enterprise some of the ranches have been sold and one or more rented for short tenancy. This indicates a change of emphasis and demonstrates that business methods applied to farming can be made to pay.
In the building up of these farms there was a large amount of transporta- tion and for marketing their products a storehouse was needed on a railroad
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line. Overtures were made to the Great Northern at Silverleaf as it was near headquarters, but in some way the corporation and the Great Northern did not come to acceptable terms, so an elevator and platform was con- structed on the Soo Line just as it enters the northwest corner of Section 22 of Yorktown Township.
There are no trunk line highways through Kent Township but the local authorities have built up the main roads. A telephone line out of Ellendale owned by the corporation serves the Baldwin Ranches and another line goes out to some of the farm homes. The mail comes into the township from the offices at Ellendale, Guelph and Fullerton. Silverleaf and Guelph afford trading points near its people. These people take an active part in the county and local affairs as well as having their own convictions on state and national policies.
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CHAPTER XXX
PORT EMMA, 129-60
[The story of this chapter is gathered from the interviews with Daniel Cowley, Jerry Erickson, Wm. Pyokko, William Wattula, J. W. Bush, with the notebook of Agnes Randall and the History of Ludden by Mrs. F. F. Folsom; the notebook of Lotiie M. Puffer, and the memories of others of the pioneer days.]
M R. T. W. BUSH from Canada came over the Northwestern Line to that more or less mythical place known as the end of the rails. This brought him to Ordway. He went on up the James River, and on June 8, 1882 he came to the little knoll at the "fish-hook bend" of the James. The view over the beautiful prairie, the sparkling water of the James and the rich black soil appealed to him, so he selected this spot as the site of a new town he proposed to found. There was no other settlement within fifteen miles but he believed this region would attract settlers, a faith which was abundantly justified as every available homestead was taken within a few years.
The next spring Mr. Bush and his oldest son, J. W. Bush, with Edward Pletcher, shipped their settler's goods to Ordway and proceeded to their townsite. The land was not yet surveyed except the township lines and the squatters had to trust to luck with their best estimate as to a location. The older men went on to look up their location with a team and buggy they had hired. As they went north they found the banks of the river getting higher and the place selected showed no signs of its being overflowed, so they set their stakes and started back. On their way back to Ordway they got lost after night had overtaken them and they had to sleep out on the prairie. They turned the buggy over on its side for a little shelter and got through the night.
While the men were gone the boy was busy unloading the car at Ordway. They had in the car one yoke of oxen and one horse.
After arriving at their new site they set up their tent and leaving the boy there to watch it the men drove by compass to Ellendale to get lumber to put up their shacks. They put up their buildings and did a little break- ing with the oxen to mark their ground and show some "improvements." Soon other settlers began to come in and they had all they could do to locate them on vacant land and haul out lumber for their buildings. J. W. Bush would get the job of doing a little plowing for them with the oxen and then they would put up three two-by-fours to mark the location.
Either that summer or in 1884 Mr. Bush platted and laid out the town of Port Emma, that name being chosen because the Nettie Baldwin made
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it a "port" on her trips up the river, and "Emma" was the first name of Mrs. Bush. The Walkers started a store and a Mr. Graham had a place of business and a few residences were built. One of these residences (1928) still stands where it was built, just on the line between two claims. It was occupied by two families, one living in one end on their land and the other family occupying the other end on land they were holding. Mrs. Bush came up the summer of 1883 and the family established a real home, the other brother coming in 1884.
A postoffice by the name of Bushtown was established and T. W. Bush was the first postmaster. The mail came out from Ellendale as that was the nearest railroad town. Miss Emma Williams was Mr. Bush's assistant in the postoffice and their marriage was the first one celebrated in the new region. Mr. Bush erected a good hotel which he named the Ottawa House in memory of his old home. With the influx of new settlers there was much travel, and early in the town's history Mr. Bush established a ferry across the James river. This was a scow operated by hand-power on an inch rope and a pulley. After a time a bridge was put in across the bend to the site of Old Ludden, and still later a bridge was built on the line west of the new town of Ludden located on the railroad. The ferry was placed in operation April 7, 1884 and was made free to all the next October. A stage line from Ellendale to Milnor through Port Emma was established in 1884. The rates are interesting and the stage advertised to carry passengers, parcels and freight; passengers 7 cents a mile, parcels under 10 pounds, 12 cent, over 10 pounds and under twenty-five pounds, 1 cent a mile, and freight per hundred weight, two cents. This was probably one of the first parcel post lines in Dakota.
The little town had its tragedies. On April 14, 1884, Mr. James H. Rowe who had lived on his homestead was going to Ellendale to make final proof on his claim and was taking Elnathan Woodward with him as one of his witnesses. About noon of that day these two men with Josiah Smith and Dinnie Hillock attempted to cross the James river at Port Emma in a row boat. When about half way across the stream, swollen by the spring thaws, the boat capsized throwing the men into the water. Mr. Rowe was a good swimmer and started for the shore, but as they all had on their over- coats it was practically impossible to make any headway. Woodward could not swim and he and Rowe were drowned. The other men managed to get their hands on the overturned boat and held on until help came. Mr. F. L. Walker was just closing his store for the dinner hour when he heard the call for help, so he and Mr. Youmans, who happened to be near, went to the rescue with another boat, and succeeded in rescuing the two men who were clinging to the overturned boat.
The social life in the new town was quite lively, as the people had their dances and sociables, their literary societies and celebrations. Port Emma, like many other frontier towns, had saloons with the attendant evils. There
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was a community spirit characteristic of a pioneer country. The report of the celebration of the Fourth of July, 1885 is found in their paper of that time; "'Our Fourth passed off gloriously. The procession started from Mr. Smith's residence, headed by a six horse band wagon in which were seated thirteen girls dressed in white with Miss May Town in the center dressed as the 'Goddess of Liberty,' and Miss Alice Devlin as 'Dakota.' It also carried a fine banner made by Mrs. Town, which attracted much attention, and was followed by several four horse wagons and other conveyances. The ground selected was a high plateau on the hills where we could look over into four counties; and commanding a fine view of the surrounding country. There were from two to three hundred people present, and all seemed to en- joy them selves hugely. The tables fairly groaned under the weight of good things and none went home hungry. The choir sang 'Freedom's Banner' excellently. Major Copley made a fine opening address. Mr. Kennedy read the 'Declaration of Independence' unusually well. Mr. Denison sur- passed himself in his remarks to the school. Major Lovell protesting that he could not make a speech, made a good one and was cheered roundly. Col. Eaton made a ringing address which was very well received. The soldiers then formed in line, under the command of Major Lovell and marched around the ground singing 'John Brown's Body' and 'Marching through Georgia.' A game of ball was played with Couch and Tranger as captains. Five innings were played and the Couch nine came out two scores ahead. Mr. Flanders gave an excellent song accompanied by his guitar, and Mr. Bales sang several songs with organ accompaniments.' "
A new town was founded down the river about four miles below Port Emma by Mr. H. F. Eaton, a college man from New England. To his original homestead Mr. Eaton had added in a few years a large tract by purchase. He was a veteran of the Civil War and his service in the Army counted towards the time for homesteading. There was a store opened by Mr. Eaton and a ferry across the James was located about a quarter of a mile south of the store. This ferry was furnished free to those who wished to cross. It was just a scow that could carry a team and wagon. The Nettie Baldwin did some business at Eaton but its loading place for grain was down near where the state line now runs. Eaton never developed into a good-sized town, although it had a newspaper for a time and was the center of trade for many of the new-comers. Mr. Eaton was for a long time a very influential citizen. Much of his later life was spent out of the state, and he died in Fargo in the early part of 1928.
Eaton, like other frontier towns was awaiting the coming of a railroad to give it advantages. The persistent rumors that the Northwestern was to build up the west side of the James kept these hopes alive. Some attempts were made to encourage the building of a road to the town. On one occasion a meeting was called in Eaton to raise funds to provide a bonus to build through the country. One of the settlers says that after every one was
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pumped full of propaganda and they were about to take $100.00 subscrip- tions from each of the farmers, a little old man got up on the table and told them they had better keep their money, that the railroad would come any- way, as long as there were so many people living in the country. "The people cooled off and kept their money and the railroad soon came along from Columbia anyway."
The announcement of free land to be had, reached many Finnish people through their paper published in Calumet. In 1882 Erik Pikkaraisen was sent out to spy out the land. He marked a home for himself near Frederick and reported his findings. As a result of this publicity a number of people came out in 1883, and a steady stream came from Calumet, Michigan; Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; Fitchburg and Lanesville, Massachusetts; and a few from Ishpeming, Michigan. These people mostly unloaded at Frederick, the last station in South Dakota on the Milwaukee line.
A number of settlers became discouraged the first year and left for other parts. Later some of them returned. The Finns for the most part remained and passed through the hardships of pioneering. William Wattula, Jerry Erickson and John Korpua were among the first settlers. Wattula and Erickson found the land out of Frederick taken up, so they came up to Eaton and crossed the James by boat to find land on the east side. Mr. Wattula got a neighbor woman, Mrs. Pietella, to do some baking for him, borrowed a coffee pot and by the help of the little sheet iron stove that was in his shanty when he bought it, he managed to live. With these limited accom- modations his place was known for its hospitality. The visiting ministers who came along the first summer used to stop with him, and he says he would fill them with bread and coffee and ducks' eggs which he found in the nests along the sloughs and the river banks. Mr. Wattula did quite a lot of fishing in Hedge Lake which was a big slough east of the James a mile or two. He would cut holes in the ice in winter and spread his nets and get a sack full every night of pickerel and bull-heads.
Mr. Erickson had very little on which to live the first winter. He bought an ox. Mr. Korpua had an ox and Mr. Wattula had one and Mr. Erickson by getting the second ox could work by himself or by doubling up with his neighbors they could make a team of four oxen for the breaking. With a twelve inch breaker they plowed seven acres for Mr. Wattula, seven for Mr. Korpua and fourteen for Mr. Erickson. A few had some crop the first year. Mr. Pyokko raised some good corn. They did not work up the land for corn planting but chopped holes in the sod and dropped the seed in. It made big corn, ten feet tall. Most of the cropping that first year was some oats, which was cut by a scythe for feed, and the slough grass hay, of which there was an abundance. Cattle were not considered profitable in those early years, and horses were liked better.
To economize, the Matt Johnson family moved in with the Pyokko
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family, and Mr. Johnson took care of the families and the stock while Mr. Pyokko went back to Michigan to work to earn something to support the families. It was a tough winter with lots of snow and cold weather. They burned twisted hay, but it was not hard to keep warm as they had banked the outside of the house with sod, and even had one layer on the roof. Two of the neighbor families were left that winter while the men went to Canada to find work, the two women and children staying in one of the shanties. They had two cows and the women made butter and took it to market at Frederick going on foot and bringing out their groceries. The women even carried out fifty pound sacks of flour in that way through the snow. Mr. Pyokko had dug for water in the summer, making a hole sixty feet deep, the mother and son helping, but they got no water and had to depend upon the seepings into the slough well for water that cold winter. Those on the east side of the James were more fortunate in finding water, as a good well may be found there almost anywhere.
Daniel Cowley was one of the original settlers of Port Emma township. He came up into southern Dickey county and squatted on the northwest quarter of section 30 of 129-60. He made his filing as soon as the land was surveyed and came onto the market. In November, 1883, he went back to Wisconsin for the winter. He put up a shanty 10 by 12 on his claim before he left. He came back in the spring of 1884 and hired out to a man in Brown county for the summer. He would work through the week then come up to his claim on Saturday afternoon and stay over night; then walk back on Sunday afternoon to be ready for work. He tried to grow trees for a tree claim but had repeated failures. When he went to prove up he took witnesses who could testify that he had done his best to raise trees and he secured his claim.
For the winter of 1885-86 Mr. Cowley went back to Wisconsin, and in March he was married and brought his wife to the claim. He had told his neighbors that he was going to bring a wife, so these neighbors arranged that Dave Barnard should meet the Cowleys at Ellendale and take them out to his claim until their goods could be brought out. Mr. Cowley had gone in with another man and loaded a car of emigrant goods and shipped to Ellen- dale. He had left fifty sacks of oats and some seed flax piled up in the shanty so that he could lock it up while he was away. One of the first days when the men were gone to Ellendale, after their arrival in Dakota, Mrs. Cowley went over to look at the place. She arranged to have the grain moved out to the straw barn, and then she and Mrs. Barnard cleaned out the shanty and fixed it up to live in. Mr. Cowley did not know about this, and when Mrs. Cowley proposed going over there the next Sunday to stay, he was not pleased at the prospect of a Sunday's work at moving out the grain. However they went over and found everything ready for living there. The barn which they had at that time was a straw stack threshed over a frame, but it was warm and comfortable. That spring this barn caught
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fire when no one was at home and was a total loss with all his feed and seed grain. The cow was picketed out on the grass and most of the hens were out also.
That spring Mr. Cowley put in quite a grain crop. He got a good crop, the wheat going 18 bushels, and the oats 40 bushels to the acre. He had to haul this grain to Ellendale to sell it. It was sixteen miles and he made a trip every other day. He had to get up early so as to get to the elevator as early as he could, for there might be twenty-five teams ahead of him, waiting to unload. They would get in line and move up slowly as the one in front would unload and get out of the way. At each pull ahead the oxen would lie down and rest their sore feet till they had to move again. In the fall of 1886 the Northwestern built into Ludden and they hauled that way. He could make a trip to Ludden in a half day. By the fall of 1887 there was an eleva- tor at Guelph so he was only five miles from market.
The first Episcopal service was held on the homestead. A minister walked out from Guelph, where he left the train, and baptized the children. This .was about 1903. After that a missionary of the Episcopal church came at intervals and held services in the school house or in some of the homes. Reverend Mr. Martyr the traveling missionary came quite re- gularly. In May, 1919, they had a meeting at the school house with Bishop Tyler present. They discussed the possibility of building a church and it was decided to build. A committee of seven was appointed by the Bishop and a site was bought on the southwest quarter of Section thirty. In June they started the building and it was completed in the fall. A good congrega- tion was included in its membership and it has flourished.
The coming of the railroads left the original Port Emma founded by Mr. Bush, an inland town. Most of the buildings and people went to Lud- den. The Great Northern put in a station stop in the southeastern part of Hudson and it was called Port Emma. Also the town of Guelph grew up in the northwestern part of Port Emma township.
The first school was held in the home of Mrs. McFarland at the village of Eaton and was taught by Etta. Danforth. In 1885 the school was moved to a house owned by Frank Dorothy and the teacher was Miss Minnie Eaton. The school district was organized in 1884, and included the two townships now known as Port Emma and Lovell and was named Eaton School District. Six school houses were built by this district, three on each side of the James. The three on the west side of the river were placed at Port Emma, at Eaton and on the Henry Sidell farm, about two and a half miles west of Eaton. At that time there were twelve or fifteen scholars in the Eaton school, but soon after this the people moved away and the school house was moved across the river. In those early days church was held in the home of H. F. Eaton or at Mrs. McFarland's in Eaton and up at Port Emma in the home of Mrs. Raleigh. Later services were held in the Sidell school house, ministers coming from either Ludden or Hecla.
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The two townships were separated for administration purposes and quite late in their history were made into two separate school districts, the name of Eaton going to the one on the east side of the river. The sites of both Eaton and Port Emma have been turned back into farm lands and it is only as one knows where to look, that any trace of the old villages can be found. A few of the old settlers are left. Both Mr. Bush, the younger man, and Mr. H. F. Eaton passed away in 1927.
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CHAPTER XXXI
THE TOWNSHIP OF HUDSON
[The story of Hudson is based upon interviews with George H. Ladd, G. F. Ladd, Mrs. G. F. Ladd, Kizzie Morgan, Richard Murray, George Kunrath, John Kunrath, Mrs. J. H. Denning, John Nelson, Ernest Wahsner, and for Guelph the excellent notebook of Lottie M. Puffer, which of itself is a complete and authentic story of Guelph but had to be abridged for this history and some of it furnished excellent authority for other chapters; these reinforced by the stories of Lon Puffer, True Thatcher and Gertrude Linvill, as well as the memories of others if the early days.]
A CCORDING to the best information available the Nicollet and Fre- mont exploring expedition of 1839 spent the night of July 17th of that year on what is now the farm of Kizzie Morgan .. This camping place is known to have been on the west bank of the James river and south of the "Two Forks" where the creek comes down from the site of the old town of Hudson. It must have been somewhere around the southeast quarter of section twelve, but the exact spot cannot be determined.
For over forty years after that summer night nothing is known of this place or of the nearby region. In the early Eighties, when the world began to hear about the free lands in the new territory, a surveying party went through the region to lay out the township lines. It was sometime in late 1882, or early the next year, that some pioneers located the first claims. The first settler is believed to have been George McLean, a Canadian, who locat- ed on the southwest quarter of Section six. Others came soon afterward, and by the winter of 1883 no claims were to be had, except by buying a relin- quishment.
Mr. James A. Morgan, living near Goshen, Ohio, and his wife had read in the Cincinnati Enquirer the story of a girl who had raised a wonderful crop of wheat on her homestead. This set Mr. Morgan to thinking of the possibilities of the new wheat lands, and in 1883 he came out to the new territory, landing first at Bismarck. Not finding what he wanted, he went back to Jamestown and over to eastern Dickey county. When he found the southwest quarter of section twelve he was pleased with it and its location. He took this as a tree claim, and also later bought a relinquishment to a home- stead on the east side of the river. It was necessary to establish a home on the homestead but six months time was given, so Mr. Morgan stayed in the vicinity of his land the first summer and started to build a house on his tree claim where he expected to live, but a cyclone scattered his lumber. By the help of neighbors he found a good part of the lumber and built his house on a smaller plan, hired some plowing done and raised some potatoes on the
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sod. He went back to Ohio in the fall, sold off most of his belongings there and shipped some household goods, clothing and dishes with the family. They landed in Ellendale in October and were brought out to the home by Mr. J. H. Denning a neighbor. They made their home in the new house, dug a well that fall and built a sod barn sixty feet long. He bought two yoke of cattle, a cow and some other stock. The cattle were very high priced, and it was unfortunate that he had not brought horses out with him, but he had been advised that horses could not do the work in the tough prairie sod.
After the Morgans got onto their land in the fall of 1883 they had to haul their supplies from Ellendale except for small articles which they got in Hudson. It took a day to go to Ellendale with the oxen and a day to return. The first winter they hauled coal from Ellendale but learned to use twisted hay and buffalo chips. Mrs. Morgan was afraid to take the small children out among other people, as a family had lost several children with diphtheria. In the early winters there would be months at a time when she would not see another woman. Of course the men could get out more, and go to the little settlement of Hudson where the mail would be brought. In the fall of 1884 Mr. Morgan bought the relinquishment on the east side of the river and Mrs. Morgan went over there to prevent envious neighbors from taking the shanty away. As soon as ownership was established they pulled the shanty into sections and brought it over on the Hudson ferry and rebuilt it near the river on the west side. Mr. Morgan went up to LaMoure and bought tree seed from which by careful cutlivation he raised a beautiful grove on his tree claim.
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