USA > South Dakota > Jerauld County > A history of Jerauld county, South Dakota > Part 28
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About the same time that Hawley bought the furniture business Mr. C. A. Voorhees became proprietor of the McCurdy hotel at Lane, and on January 25th Mr. Poole bought Dave Reid's pool hall. Dave Reid then purchased the dray line from Cunningham & Lindebak and took Andrew Reid in as a partner. They continued the business until Nov. Ist when they sold to Goll & Jonker.
On February 3rd a deal was made between F. A. Franzwa and A. J. Brandenburg and his son, Otto, by which the two latter became owners of the formers building and mercantile stock which they managed until November 19th of the same year, when they sold the stock to Messrs. Burton & Craft, of Mitchell, but retained title to the building.
About October Ist Henry Schoen bought an interest in the meat market.
At the spring election the license question was before the people again and the saloon was sustained by a vote of 32 to 15.
Geo. Nelson bought the blacksmith business of N. P. Petersen about the first. of September and the latter then turned his attention to the imple- ment business.
On October IIth Dr. Martin left Lane to seek another location. On Oct. 25th Dr. Burleigh located in Lane and soon after built an office at the south end of Main street.
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W. Z. Sharpe, of Artesian, built an elevator at Lane during the sum- mer, completing it in time for the fall business.
In Chery township C. J. Bliss tried a novel experiment on his ranch. He was fatting a couple of car loads of cattle for the eastern market. Instead of turning hogs in the yards with the steers he bought 500 turkeys and turned them in. It was a great success. In January he shipped two tons of dressed turkeys to Boston, after having fed them but a few weeks with the cattle.
H. P. Will, of Logan township, was elected cattle inspector January 17th, 1906.
In Blaine township John Steichen completed his artesian well in July.
In the summer of this year L. N. Nesselroad located at Wessington Springs with a herd of registered Durham and Hereford cattle. From this herd many of the highest types of animals were sold to different parts of South Dakota and adjoining states.
Among the business changes at Alpena was one by which John Schamber, former state treasurer, became vice president of the Bank of Alpena, his son, R. E. Schamber, cashier, and J. R. Milliken, president.
Wm. Scheel bought the furniture business on the 6th day of March.
Dr. P. E. Burns, from Hornick, Iowa, located in Alpena, in June, to practice medicine in partnership with Dr. J. E. Shull.
In September J. W. Doubenmier and F. E. Manning formed a part- .
nership to do real estate business in the name of the Alpena and Western Land Co.
About the same time W. W. Hillis leased the Revere House to Mrs. G. W. Phillips.
On Nov. 7 Sunday trains began running between Aberdeen and Sioux City.
Dec. 15th Geo. Hatch sold his livery barn and stock to Thompson Bros.
Business changes at Wessington Springs were also quite numerous. In January Wm. Burger purchased the A. V. Hall confectionery busi- ness, and in February the creamery was sold to Turner Produce Co., of Mitchell.
The name of The Dakota Sieve was changed on March Ist to "Jer- auld County Review." In the same month the Wessington Springs State Bank moved into its new brick building on the southwest corner of Main and 2nd streets. About the same time Henry Hermsen, of Coon Rapids. Iowa, bought the Bryson-Shaw barber shop.
In March, also, R. A. Bushnell took charge of the feed mill he had purchased from J. W. Snart. Later in the year, (in Dec.) Mr. Bushnell obtained from the city council a franchise to operate an electric light
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R. A. Bushnell.
Thos. Shryock.
John Mounsey. Otto Brandenburg
L. F. Russell.
Chas. R. Hyde.
H. B. Ferren.
J. A. 'Zink.
Fred N. Dunham
H. O. Refvem.
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system in Wessington Springs, the power being furnished from the engines in his feed mill.
It was during the month of March, too, that Mrs. Gehan and her son, John, sold the Willard Hotel to Mr. John Verry, who took possession the first of the following October.
In the same month Mrs. N. B. England opened a millinery shop on the south side of Main St., east of the Brodkorb store.
About this time a man named Love came from Madison and organized a branch of the American Society of Equity with 35 members. John Mounsey, president ; J. A. Paddock, secretary. The purpose of this organization was to regulate the price of farm products. As yet its effect has not been materially felt.
At the commencement exercises on June 6th the seminary granted diplomas to Amy A. Cook, Ethel V. Ford, George Hubbard, Sylvia Mc- Clellan, Geo. Kennedy, May Cook and Alice Vennard.
In July Bert Healy sold his rackett-store to R. M. McNeil and J. H. Creighton made a deal with Harry Webber by which the latter became the owner of the former's mercantile business in Wessington Springs. In the same month Norman Zink bought an interest in the A. W. Richardson livery business and started a bus line.
About the first of August Alden Cutler, an attorney, of Amnes, Iowa, established a law office in Wessington Springs.
During the last week in August the W. T. George Co. sold their mercantile stock to Miles & Hunter, who had sold their Alpena store to F. A. Franzwa.
Dr. G. H. Richards located in Wessington Springs about September Ist.
In Nov. C. T. Christenson put up a building adjoining the Brodkorb building on the east.
On November 20th a special election was held to vote bonds in the sum of $2,150 to buy the site for the present public school building, at a cost of $2,000.
L. A. Mead began operations as a stock buyer at Wessington Springs in November.
Dr. Burleigh, of Lane, in November and December built a drug store building on the north side of Main street, adjoining Mrs. Easton's millinery store on the east, and in it Harry Frick began business as a druggist just before the holidays.
A P. E. O. society was formed October 24th. This is a secret organ- ization, to a membership in which only ladies are eligible. The organiza- tion was the fourth of its kind in the state. The charter members were Mrs. Cora Miller, president, Miss Edna Butterfield, Miss Florence Moul-
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ton, Mrs. Sarah Jacobs, Miss Cora England, Miss Myrtle McCray, Mrs. Mae Vessey, Mrs. Eva Campbell, Miss Myrtle Clark and Mrs. Roy Mc- Neil. Its name was "Chapter E."
At Alpena work on the Presbyterian parsonage began in May.
At the close of the spring term of the Alpena school the following class was graduated : Percy Collier, Fred Hatch, Floyd Barber, Lea Grace.
Probably at no time since the days of the old Waterbury ball team, had so much interest centered about the national game in Jerauld county as during the year 1906. The sport commenced when the Lane nine de- feated Woonsocket May 20th.
The next game was on June 8th when Alpena was defeated by Wes- sington Springs, score 3 to 2. The winning team in this game played Lane on June 12th and won 6 to 4. Then came the game at the old settlers' picnic, always a game of great interest, when the Lane team de- feated Wessington Springs, in a very close score. On June 20th Wes- sington Springs played Artesian and won 8 to I.
On June 30th Messrs. S. C. Scott, Chas. B. Marquis and W. H. Childs, of Lyons, Iowa, and E. H. Wood, real estate dealers, who had bought and sold a great deal of Jerauld county land, offered for sale at auction a large number of town lots that they had platted on some land adjoining the town of Lane. The land they had purchased embraced the Grisinger grove which was christened "Marquis Park." In preparing for this town lot sale a game of ball between the Wessington Springs and Lane teams was planned. The game was a most interesting one and resulted in a victory for Lane by a score of 3 to I.
Four days later the same teams crossed bats at the Wessington Springs celebration where the score was 3 to o in favor of Wessington Springs. On July 7th Lane again defeated Wessington Springs by a score of 3 to I.
July 18th Lane again defeated Woonsocket by a score of 7 to 2.
July IIth Wessington Springs defeated Howard by a score of 4 to o, and a few days later in a close game between the same teams at Howard at the end of ten innings the score stood 2 to I in favor of the Jerauld county team. There followed a series of games by the Wessington Springs team with one from Letcher. Five games were played of which Letcher won three. Two of these games were played on August 24th and 25th at Wessington Springs. So great was the interest that all business houses in Wessington Springs were closed during the games. The game on the 24th resulted 5 to 3 for Letcher, but the one on the 25th was won by the home team I to o-the only "shut-out" of the series.
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The Wessington Springs team was made up of the following players : Chas. Debenham, pitcher; S. E. Pflamn, pitcher; Frank Dickerson, catcher ; S. J. Whitney, T. F. Vessey, Earnest Vessey, Wm. Zink, Fred N. Dunham, C. R. Wetherell, Emil Swanson.
In politics a good deal of interest centered about the election as usual. The tickets were as follows :
Republican.
State Senator-R. S. Vessey.
Representative-H. B. Ferren.
Treasurer-L. F. Russell.
Auditor-H. O. Refvem.
Register of Deeds-C. J. Pfaff.
County Superintendent-W. B. Wilson.
Sheriff-H. A. Butler.
Judge ---- C. C. Gleim. Clerk of Courts-W. F. Taylor.
Attorney-J. G. Bradford.
Coronor-P. E. Burns.
Co. Com., 2nd Dist .- O. O. England.
Co. Com., 3rd Dist .- Theo. Dean.
Democratic.
State Senator-Geo. Sickler.
Representative ---- WVm. Zink.
Treasurer-John Steichen. Auditor-G. W. Backus.
Register of Deeds-G. C. Scofield.
Sheriff-J. A. Zink. Clerk of Courts-Joseph Sailer.
. Co. Supt .- Dora Shull. Coronor-O. J. Marshall.
Co. Co., 2nd Dist .- R. J. Tracy.
Co. Com., 3rd Dist .- M. A. Schaefer.
Wm. Zink for representative and J. A. Zink for sheriff were both elected, all the other positions were caried by the Republicans.
Before entering upon his duties as county treasurer Mr. Russell sold his herd of Hereford cattle to L. A. Pinard of Chery township. This herd had been started by Mr. Pinard and Mr. Russell in partnership in 1893. In 1900 they divided the herd each taking half. The cattle were now united again under the ownership of Mr. Pinard, and comprised some of the best animals ever brought on to the plains.
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Mr. and Mrs. Jas. T. Ferguson.
L. N. Nesselroad.
H. P. Will.
Miss Dora Shull.
Alden Cutler.
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Chapter 19.
(1907).
At the first meeting in January the county commissioners elected L. J. Grisinger chairman of the board for the ensuing two years.
On July 8th W. F. Taylor resigned his position as clerk of courts and C. W. McDonald was appointed to fill the vacancy. At the same meeting the board appropriated $600 to complete the grading of the county road extending from the top of the grade west of Wessington Springs to the top of the hill west of the Schubert residence in Media township which had become almost impassable because of the heavy rains.
There was considerable activity in religious matters in the county during the year 1907. A district convention of foreign missionary socie- ties was held at Alpena on June 2Ist and 22nd.
A Free Methodist Sunday School convention was held in April on the 4th and 5th of the month.
In May a missionary society was formed by the Friends' church in Harmony township.
In Viola township a Methodist church was erected in August and September and named Tibbetts Chapel in honor of the minister who then had the Wessington Springs pastorate. This building was dedicated October 27th. The Solberg Lutheran edifice was dedicated Sept. 22nd in the nortwest part of Blaine township.
The Lutheran Church, of the Missouri synod, which since 1902 had been holding its meetings at the Meyers School house in Blaine township, built a church at Lane, laying the foundation in June and completing the structure in October. They began holding meetings in the new church in November. This society had been organized by Rev. R. Ulhman, in 1902, with 16 charter members.
The annual state conference of the Free Methodist church occurred at Wessington Springs, Sept. 25th to 30th.
A county Sunday school convention was held at the same place on October 8th.
About July 25th Rev. S. F. Beatty became pastor of the Lane Con- gregational church.
In business circles there was the usual activity. On January Ist J. R. Milliken, who had previously bought Schamber's interest in the Bank of Alpena, sold that institution to J. E. Schull, who became its president, J. W. Doubenmier, vice-president, and F. E. Manning, cashier.
At the railway depot in Alpena, C. G. Boom having been transferred to Groton, Theo. Beuhler was put in his place the latter part of January.
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In April the business men of Alpena formed the Alpena Improvement Association, which was incorporated May 14th. Twenty acres were bought in the west part of the village and on it a race track was prepared. The first racing meet occurred on Sept. 4th, 5th and 6th. Horses were entered from Huron, Carthage, Plankinton and Alpena. The first trot- ting race was won by W. H. McMillan's horse, "Dan Sprague," and the first running race by Frank Shull's gelding, Ukiah.
In the school at Alpena, on May 22nd Beulah Milliken, Susie Rankin, Grace Ketchum, Flossie Hillis, Jessie Beals and. Matthew Smith gradu- ated from the high school department, the teacher being Prof. Hendrick- son. In the autumn this educator accepted a position as teacher of mathematics in the Wessington Springs Seminary.
In the last week of August W. W. Hillis bought Tripp's drug stock and business, and united the two stocks.
Oct. 24th W. W. Hillis again took charge of the Revere House.
About the first of November Mason and Manzo Smith bought the A. W. Holmes jewelry business.
C. W. Miller became proprietor of the Alpena Owl Restaurant in the fall of the year and retained it until early in the next year when he sold it to Mrs. G. C. Haskins.
About the first of December a tri-weekly rural route was established to run south and west from Alpena with Joseph Baldwin, driver, at a salary of $540 per year.
At Lane J. W. Mueller purchased the stock of goods owned by H. D. Butterfield, and took Mr. W. Wood in as a partner. This deal was made about January 10th.
About the same time Mrs. A. M. Johnson sold her millinery stock to Mrs. Shreve.
February Ist the Farmers' State Bank at Lane increased its capital to $12,000.
On February 27th the town of Lane voted to incorporate, taking in the south half of section 17 and the north half of section 20.
In March Mr. F. McCurdy sold his mercantile business to Ira Stim- son and a gentleman named Organ, both from Dubuque, Iowa.
About March 5th F. C. Wood succeeded Mr. Oddy as proprietor of the restaurant.
In May Mrs. Phillip became proprietor of the hotel business in Lane, succeeding David Reid.
On June 20 an I. O. O. F. lodge with 24 members was organized with Dr. Burleigh, N. G .; C. Fetzmer, V. G .; C. A. Kleppin, Sec .; L. J. Grisinger, Treas.
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June 29th was Lane's day of field sports in which all of the east half of the county participated.
On July Ist the Lane saloon closed its doors.
August 17th the independent school district of Lane voted to issue $3,000 of bonds to build a new school house.
A month later, Sept. 17th, work was commenced on the Citizens State Bank building on the east side of Main street and a week later work be- gan on the new school house.
The next month Mr. Towsley bought the pool hall and contents of Mr. Poole.
On October 19th Craft and Burton sold their stock of merchandise to J. J. Fitzgerald & Son, who on the 7th of December sold the same property to A. J. Brandenburg and his son, Otto Brandenburg.
In the latter part of October Anderson Harris sold the Lane hardware stock to Oliver Anderson, to give possession Jan. Ist, 1908.
In November R. H. Crerar bought the furniture business of D. J. Walker.
In Chery township a branch of Wessington Springs telephone line was built from Arthur Beers' farm north to connect with the Alpena line.
The county teachers institute began a one week session on July 8th.
Beginning in the forepart of December teachers' institutes were held during the following winter in most of the townships of the county.
For many years it had been the custom of some one of the settlers who came to the county before the rush of 1883 to give a "pioneer" din- ner on Thanksgiving day to the others of those who came in 1880, 1881 or 1882. In 1907 this dinner was given by Rev. J. G. Campbell. Besides the family of the host there were present the. families of Thos. Shryock. Rev. A. B. Snart, M. Sheppard, C. W. McDonald, Louis Tofflemier, E. W. Simmons, and John Francis.
A bowling alley was put in operation at Wessington Springs in January.
In the same month a farmers' institute by authority of the state was conducted at Wessington Springs for two days by A. E. Chamberlain. a lawyer, of Howard.
On March Ist W. F. Bancroft sold the "True Republican" to L. S. Dubois, of Huron.
On March IIth, A. V. Hall began carrying the mail over rural route No. I, in place of Jay Dodge who had resigned.
Ten days later R. A. Bushnell placed an engine in his feed mill and prepared to give the city a system of electric lights. The lights were first utrned on in May.
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R. S. Vessey.
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Zink & Richardson dissolved partnership the Ist of May, Zink con- tinuing the dray and bus line and Richardson retaining the livery.
At the Seminary commencement exercises held on June IIth the graduating class were, Susie B. Kennedy, Mamie A. Reid, Eva G. Gil- fillan, and Minnie C. Donaghue.
The Congregational churches in Lane and Anina townships were united under one pastorate in the early summer, Rev. Beatty, minister, and at the same time the churches of that denomination at Wessington Springs and Fauston were united under Rev. Reynolds as pastor, though each church retained its separate organization.
In July the city made another effort to obtain means of protection against fire. An agent visited Wessington Springs and demonstrated how easily a chemical engine would extinguish the fiercest fire. The council, acting on the advise of almost everybody, bought one.
A farmers' elevator company with $25,000 authorized capital was formed July 26th with John Mounsey, president. The directors were E. B. Orr, John Mounsey, C. M. Brenneman, E. B. Maris, O. W. More- head, Geo. C. Martin and J. L. Sedgwick. The company purchased the Hyde elevator, taking possession August 15th.
By August the Wessington Springs Telephone Company had increased its system, until it had fifteen lines extending to different parts of the county. The next month the company built an office on the west side of 2nd street on the alley south of the State Bank.
Sept. 21st the business men of Wessington Springs raised a bonus of $2,000 and arranged with J. L. Coram to put up a hotel such as the growing importance of the town demanded. Work on the new hotel began about the middle of October.
On December 23rd the people of the indepedendent school district voted bonds in the sun of $10,000 with which to build a new brick school house.
Early in the summer of 1907 the business men of Wessington Springs employed a team of ball players which they named "The Cowboys" and sent them out on a tour of eastern South Dakota, and Iowa and Illinois. It was an advertising project for the town and as such it was a success- though expensive. The team visited Sioux Falls and Canton in this state, and then went to Sheldon, Spencer, Soo Rapids, Ft. Dodge, Hum- boldt, Britt, Forest City, Garner, Mason City, Osage, Charles City, Clarksville, Waverly, Elizabeth, Davenport, Sabula and Charlotte, in Iowa and Savana, Galena and Dixon in Illinois. They plyed thirty-two games with the most skillful teams in the country through which they traveled, winning twenty-three of them.
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In May the Alpena ball team played three games with Woonsocket winning all of them, and on June Ist played with Letcher, being beaten by a score of I to o. During the Alpena field days in September the Alpena team defeated Wessington Springs by a score of 6 to 2, and Cavour 3 to o.
In October the markets had improved so that wheat sold at 95c, oats 41, barley 82, shelled corn 46c, flax $1.05 and hogs $5.20.
In Viola township O. W. Morehead and Chas. Wood secured ar- tesian wells in August.
The only thing occurring this year to effect political matters in Jerauld county, was an act passed by the legislature of 1907 placing Jerauld and Sanborn counties together in one senatorial district.
Another event of a political nature that occurred in Jerauld county, but only affecting state affairs, was the announcement in December of R. S. Vessey's candidacy for the position of governor.
The financial panic of 1907 came in October and was a surprise to the banks of Jerauld county as well as to other institutions throughout the country. But not a failure occurred. While at Wessington Springs the banks paid but $25.00 on any one check in a day, no cashier's certi- ficates were issued by either of the banks. At Alpena and Lane all checks were paid in full as presented.
Chapter 20.
(1908).
Of the events of local importance that occurred in different parts of the county, one was the opening of a catechism school by Rev. Witter, of Lane, in the Shultz school house in Viola township.
On July 4th the German and English Sunday schools of Viola town- ship united for a celebration at Clodt's grove.
In Logan township the most important events of a public nature were the completion of the telephone line from Kimball to Glen which was done in July. The P. O. at Glen was discontinued and a R. F. D. route was established in February.
In Anina township on July 1Ith, Jas. T. Ferguson, treasurer, paid off the last of the debt contracted in 1884 to build the school houses.
On October Walter A. Hyde bought the Templeton store of G. M. Titus and became postmaster at that office.
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Old Settlers' Picnic at Peirce's Grove, 1908.
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One of the Springs.
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In Marlar township C. F. Scofield resigned as postmaster at Hyde postoffice and the office was moved to the residence of L. W. Kreidler on Feb. 21.
In the town of Lane the building for the Citizens State Bank, on West side of Main street, was completed in January and became the home of that institution.
On the first day of the same month W. R. Hubbard became part owner and cashier of the Farmers' State Bank.
On the 15th of January the public school moved into the new school building.
Mr. J. H. Mueller, of the firm of Mueller & Wood committed suicide on the 2nd day of January and on the 19th of March, Ira Stunson pur- chased their stock of goods.
On December 3rd, the first church bell in the town of Lane was put in position in the Congregational church.
At Alpena Mason and Manzo Smith sold their stock of jewelry to Loren Laghry, on January Ist.
In connection with the Presbyterian church, a Y. P. S. C. E. was organized on January 20th.
A daily rural free delivery route was established February Ist run- ning south and west with J. F. Baldwin carrier.
M. G. Shull, who had purchased in 1906, the pool hall from J. F. Spencer, sold that institution to Roy Triplett during the first week in February.
A few days later C. C. Rohr sold the Alpena meat market to F. Mann, of Iroquois.
On March 10th Dr. D. D. Burns formed a partnership with his brother, Dr. P. E. Burns, and located in Alpena to practice his profession.
In the Presbyterian church Rev. Williamson resigned his pastorate April 5th and was succeeded by Rev. D. J. McLeod.
In April a rural free delivery route was established to run northeast of Alpena with Edgar Wales as carrier. He was succeeded in July by E. P. Kelly.
During the night of June 16th occurred one of the most remarkable things in the history of the country. Shortly after midnight there came a terrific down pour of rain. In the morning every little pool that con- tained a bucketful of water had in it from one to a dozen or more pickerel minnows, all about two inches in length.
Alpena had a celebration on the 3rd and 4th of July at which the races on the course were excellent.
An exceptionally pleasing feature of the two-days of sport was the Shetland pony race. The animals were all owned in Alpena. Five ponies
Wessington Springs New Public School Building.
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LEL
LIL LEE
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entered the race; Topsy, owned by Roy Millhause; Crickett, owned by LaRue Manwaring; Silver Bell, owned by Mary Castleman ; Gold Dust, by Cleo Castleman ; Dandy, by L. W. Castleman. They made the quarter- mile dash in a bunch. The first heat was won by Crickett, Everett Has- kins, rider; but the little mare Topsy, ridden by Orville Eaton, was so close a second that interest in the second heat ran high. Again the bunch of boys and girls and ponies came over the course, all close together, and Topsy won by half a length. It was evident by this time that the first place lay between Topsy and Crickett. In the third heat the line of racers was more extended, but the little mare and her small competitor came in neck and neck, each little rider doing his best to win. The most frantic cheering of the whole celebration occurred when little Topsy passed under the wire a neck ahead. Gold Dust was ridden by Cleo Castleman ; Silver Bell by Mary Castleman, and Dandy by Marshall Corbin.
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