USA > South Dakota > Jerauld County > A history of Jerauld county, South Dakota > Part 32
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
On the old Voge farm across the way, the NW of 5, Will Annis lives. He came to the territory in 1884 and settled in Crow Lake township. He lived there eleven years and then moved to the Dr. Nesmith farin. the NE of 7, in this township. Then for a few years he occupied the Kalb farm, among the hills on the west line of 6. By hard work and close economy he was enabled, in 1905, to purchase the farm upon which he now resides.
The next quarter upon this side of the road, the SW of 5, with the quarter opposite, the SE of 6, constitute the farm of E. E. Nesmith and his wife. In 1883 he settled on the SE of 5, taking it as a homestead. He sold that and bought his present location in 1887. Late in the fall of that year he began preparations for building a new house. At odd spells, when the weather would permit, he worked at the building. In the fore-
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part of January, 1888, the house was inclosed, except the windows and he began the work of finishing. On the morning of January 12th he got Henry Stephens to assist him in putting on the casings. The weather was mild, with the wind in the southeast. They were making good progress when, suddenly, about ten o'clock, the wind changed to the northwest and the room was instantly filled with snow, fine as flour. A dense fog, struck by a cold wave and frozen in its minutest particles was being driven by a whirling, furious northwest wind. The great blizzard was on. With much difficulty they boarded up the openings and finally shut out the storm. But it was dangerous work, getting fuel from the straw pile a few rods distant. All day the two men listened to the howling of the storm. Sunset came and darkness added to their unpleasant situation. Getting fuel, which had been hazardous in the day-time, was doubly dangerous in the night. About midnight, tiring of the frequent trips. necessary to keep the stove going, Elmer declared his intention of going to the school house, then, as now, located at the southeast corner of the SE of 6, and about 90 rods south of the house they were building. Henry was opposed to the attempt, but Elmer, who had successfully made all the trips to the straw pile, felt confident of being successful in the greater undertaking, and telling his companion to go or stay, as he pleased, set out. Henry followed close at his heels and together they reached the school house in safety. A fire was soon roaring in the coal stove. After getting warm and rested, Elmer determined to try to reach his father's house, 80 rods west of the school house, but Henry refused to venture further and putting more coal in the stove, settled down to wait for day- light. Nesmith, however, buttoned his coat a little tighter, tied up his ears a little closer, and made the dangerous try-how dangerous he did not fully realize until several days later, when the death list came in. He succeeded, but he would not try it now. The grit that enabled him to face the blizzard, brought him, and his no less gritty wife, through the years of hard times and discouragement that followed. Today they have a comfortable home, with a large herd, good crops and many indications of prosperity.
My next stopping place was the farm of S. T. Smith, who has 480 acres of excellent land in section 18. He moved on to this farm in March a year ago, having purchased it of John Grant. On this farm is a fine spring and I think one of the best artesian wells in the state. The water is cold and free from the peculiar taste characterstic of the water in most deep wells. A fifteen acre field of sod corn, planted on the Ioth day of June was in tassel at the time of my visit, the 27th day of July. Other crops were doing equally well. Mr. Smith has had varied experience in Dakota. His first venture was in Beadle county where he lost over a
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hundred head of cattle in the great blizzard of 1888. He went into the sheep raising business in Anina township in 1897, at one time having over 3000 head. A few years ago he returned to his home in Winnebago county, Ill., but became convinced that the northwest afforded better op- portunities for the man with limited means, and came back again and purchased the home where he now lives. Upon this quarter section and on almost the same spot where the buildings now stand, John Phillips, who took it for his homestead, had his house and stable. On the 2nd day of April, 1889, a tornado of fire swept over this tract, destroying every vestige of improvements that Phillips had built.
At the old home of T. K. Ford, I stopped again. This old pioneer residence is rich with interesting memories of the beginning of a county. It was the meeting place for discussion of all matters of local importance. On it the first religious services of the township were held, conducted by Rev. Jordan. Once started the services were continued during the months to come, before the school house, built in 1884, afforded a more com- modious place. The early settlers listened here to the earnest teachings of Revs. Vessey, Daniels, Paganhart, Jordan and Smith. Here the first Sunday school was organized. The hardy old pioneer has done his work and in gone. The world is surely better for his having lived in it. But two of his children are now residing in this county, a daughter Mrs. E. E. Nesmith and a son, Mr. J. A. Ford. The latter is living in the his- toric house, while waiting for the completion of his new house, on the NE of 18, at one time held as a tree claim by a lady named Prior. Mr. Ford is clerk of the civil township, and he and his wife being both among the earliest of the early settlers, I was enabled to get from them a fund of information concerning the early times in that part of the county.
At the NE corner of 19 stands the Ford school house. It was properly named, though it had no formal christening. The SE of 18 was owned by T. K. Ford, the SW of 17 by J. A. Ford; the NW of 20 by T. K. Ford ; the SW of 20 by Mary Ford and the NE of 19 is now the property of J. A. Ford.
Twenty-five years ago J. M. Simpson had a homestead entry on the NW of 19. This quarter is now owned by Edward Curl, who came here from Manilla, Iowa, three years ago and set to work to open up a new farm, for Simpson had done but little in the matter of making improve- ments. Mr. Curl has broken up and put to crop about 60 acres on his own farm and also put out 100 acres on rented land. His crops are good and his prospects encouraging. On the quarter north. the SW 18, at the southwest corner is located Union cemetery, owned by people of Viola and Anina townships. In the beginning 12 lots were set apart as
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a potter's field. They are all vacant yet. The plan of this cemetery was drawn by J. A. Tyner. The surveying was done by T. L. Blank.
J. A. Tyner was one of the early settlers in the west part of Viola township. He was prominent in all affairs of the township and was at one time a candidate on the republican ticket for the position of sheriff. Like all candidates on the G. O. P. ticket for that office in this county, in the past, he didn't "get there." His farm was the one upon which Al- bert Ankrum has been living during the last five years, the NE of 30. Mr. Ankrum came from Woodbury county, Iowa, and is well pleased with his investment. He has been paying considerable attention to Duroc Jerseys with very satisfactory results. In 1889 this farm was occupied by S. T. Smith. On the 2nd of April, of that year, it, like all others in that vicinity, was swept by the fire that made that day one to be remen- bered. Smith saved his buildings and the most of his animals. One cow, with a small calf, was out on the prairie, and was supposed to be lost. On the morning of the 3rd of April Mr. Smith was looking about the farm when he saw the cow coming towards the buildings. All her hair was singed off and she was badly burned. At a distance he saw the calf. It was well and sound as any calf, and had not been schorched in the least. It was one of the things unaccountable that happen in all great catastrophies. It was interesting only from its strangeness.
On what was known in the early days as the Will Dixon farm, the NW of 30, Mr. S. H. LeValley, Jr., has as fine a crop prospect as will often be found. He came here with his father, S. H. LeValley, Sr., who lives across the way, on the old Christ. Johnson place, the SW of 19. in the fall of 1906. At the time of my call at the residence of Mr. Le- Valley, Sr., the household was busy preparing for the wedding reception to be given that evening to their son and his bride, in honor of their mar- riage, an account of which appeared in the columns of "The Review" at the time of the occurrence. Friends were to be there from Viola and Anina townships, as well as from a distance, for the young man had brought home one of the most popular girls in Hawkeye Valley. I made my visit short as possible-only long enough, in fact, to ask a few ques- tions, from which I learned, among other things, that this family came from Walforth county, Wis., and are pleased beyond their expectations with their South Dakota home.
On the SE of 32 I found J. M. Dougan "keeping bach in a splendid 'hall'" on a fine farm of 960 acres. It includes the NE of 33. once owned by Eliza Ellison, the C. E. Walker farm, the SW of 33, and the NW of the same section, formerly, for a short time, the home of Louis Desteiger. and a half section in the county across the line. Mr. Dougan was born in Mason City, Iowa, and never spent a day on a farm until he came here
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eight years ago and purchased this tract. He has stayed right on this farm ever since. In that time his riches have increased rapidly. Last winter he kept, without any losses, 400 cattle and 100 horses. The cattle will all be "feeders" this season and he has 80 of the horses left, having sold twenty of them this spring. The horses are of the Percheron breed and all young animals. The cattle are all steers except thirty cows and heifers. Last year he sold $2,000 worth of hogs and has 120 head on the farm now. They are all Poland Chinas.
After a good dinner with bachelor Dougan I rode and walked east, for the way was not good for wheeling, until I reached the quarter sec- tion, the SE of 33, where 26 years ago H. H. Kieser settled as one of the first settlers in this part of Jerauld county. In the fall of the year before, 1881, he and his brother John had visited this region, then a part of Aurora county, and made timber culture entries-H. H. Kieser taking the SE of 33 and John taking the SW of 34. Through good times and hard times, wet times and dry times, Mr. Kieser has stuck to his land; he stayed with it when it was worth but $5 per acre and de still keeps it when he could easily get $45. He now has the south half of 34 and the SE of 33. He came to Viola township, when it was only known as "106 -64," from Kansas. In 1903 he put down an artesian well, and last year built a new house that is a credit to the township. He is rich in this world's goods, having on this splendid farm 90 acres of corn, 105 acres of wheat, 13 acres of oats, 65 head of cattle, 20 horses and 70 hogs. Mr. Kieser's brothers also have good farms in this vicinity which I will men- tion hereafter.
At the NE of 27 I met Mr. August Schuttpelz, who, in company with Mr. Wm. Wetzel came here in 1883, and filed on this quarter for a home- stead. Mr. Wetzel took the quarter across the road east. After living on this land until he made proof Mr. Shuttpelz sold his land to Herman Heinz and went back to Hancock county, Iowa. Twelve years he re- mained there and then once more came to Dakota, to repurchase his old residence. He has developed and improved his farm until now he is the happy owner of a home that ought to content any one.
Mr. Wetsel, who came with Mr. Schuttpelz in 1883. has lived one- score-and-five years on the homestead the government gave him at that time. The farm now includes the whole west half of section 26 and he and his sons are prospering to their hearts' content. The buildings are good, the soil is of the best and the crops can not be beaten in any state. An artesian well supplies abundance of water for all purposes, and with rural telephone and mail delivery, what more can any one want. The old home quarter is now owned by one of the boys, Max Wetzel, who married Bertha Klink last March.
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Max Wetzel I found harvesting a fine crop of grain on the west half of 23. Peter Klink, who lived on this half-section, was well known to all the early settlers and was interested in the organization of the town- ship. He died ten years ago. Mrs. Klink continued to live on the farm until two years ago, when she moved into Lane, where she still resides.
Lest some of the "Review" readers who live out of the county, or out of the state, and have not seen the prosperity that has come upon the people among whom I have been "a wheeling," should think that I am out on a bouquet-throwing expedition, I want to say, before writing more of my trips about the county, that I have during the past three years, been over a large portion of Iowa and Illinois, two as good states as there are in the Union, and I have no where seen farmers any more prosperous than they are in Jerauld county. Land that in the older states is selling at from $100 to $150 per acre gives no better returns than the farmers here get on land that is selling at $35 to $50. To those of the readers who have never been here I say, come and see; to thos who came early and left in "the hard times" I say, come again for the sake of "auld lang syne" and see what has come to those who couldn't go when you did. These articles are not "knockers," neither are they "boosters," but they are intended to be truthfully descriptive of the country and the people. as I have known them in the past twenty-five years. So far I have said . nothing of the "hot winds" that devastated this country as the grasshop- pers did Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Minnesota, or as the chintz bug, . weewil and cutworms did the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana : but before I am done I shall tell it all in the history of the "hard times in Dakota," about which so much has been said.
Chas. Walters has a good farmstead on the NE 40 of the NW of 22. A house that would be a credit to any farm in the older states, a large and commodious barn, with convenient outbuildings, cattle and hogs, whose numbers he doesn't know. Charlie, as he is familiarly known, is happy in the enjoyment of the fruits of his years of pioneering. About his buildings is a fine grove, planted years ago when he first settled on this land, for this was Mr. Walter's homestead. A shallow well that furnishes the best of cold water, has been known to the people for miles around during all the years that he has lived here. For several years it afforded drinking water for all the settlers in the central part of the township. People would drive past other wells for miles around to slake their thirst at this famous well. It still furnishes abundance of water, but people have become accustomed to the taste of the water from artesian wells, of which there are twenty-one in the township and so do not take the trouble to go so far to get the better water at Charlie's place. The years have prospered well with Mr. Walters. He now has just one thousand acres
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Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Hancbuth.
Rev. and Mrs. Charles V'essey.
E. E. Nesmith.
W. H. McMillan.
John Conley.
Sylvester T. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Geo. King.
Charles Walters.
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in his splendid farm. He made his homestead entry on three forties in section 15 and this one forty in 22. His pre-emption right he filed on the SE of 15 and afterward purchased the NWV of 15, the Mike Houk homestead, where Chas. Walters, Jr., now resides. He also owns the SW of 28, the old Primmer homestead and the SW of 32. The NW of 14, where Mr. Moss had his homestead claim, has also been added to Mr. Walter's farm. Mr. W. came here in 1881. His artesian well was the second one to be put down in Viola township.
In 1884 the Villbrandt family came to Viola township direct from the fatherland. They rented the NE 2 and afterward bought it for four hundred dollars, paying one hundred down, and then all went to work to clear off the three hundred dollar mortgage. Almost incessantly the whole family worked. Fate was against them. Their experience was the same as hundreds of others who were here in the "hard times"-they couldn't pay the interest and taxes. The mortgage worked more effec- tually than they could and it took the farm. William afterwards bought the farm back for $800 and paid for it, while Frank Villbrandt pur- chased the old Nate Rhodes farm the NE of 20. It hardly seems cred- ible that he should have had the courage to make another effort in the immediate vicinity of the land upon which he and his brothers had so signally failed. But he did, and I found him looking at the carpenters who were rapidly bringing to completion another of those elegant houses of which so many are to be found in Jerauld county. He was badly crippled with a sudden attack of sciatica, but there was a look of satis- faction on his face as he told me of his hardships and trials and his ulti- mate success. He has a good barn (anyone acquainted with German families knows what that means) a strong artesian well, 120 acres in cultivation, farm well fenced and to this he has added another 160 acres. the NW of 28, a quarter section once held as a homestead by Chas. Towner.
George Clodt has the south half and the northwest quarter of section 17. He was but 15 years of age when he came to Dakota Territory, and when he became of age he purchased relinquishments and placed his homestead. pre-emption and tree claim rights on the SE of 17, which car- ried him through the hard times without a heavy incumberance on the land. He then bought the other two quarters the John M. Primmer pre- emption and the J. A. Ford homestead. The three quarters make one of the best farms of the county. A large white farm house, a large red barn and other improvements necessary to the convenience of a farm. He has had poor luck with his artesian wells. He has put down two, but both have gone dry. With true Dakota pluck, however, he will try again.
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One special feature of his farm of which he is justly proud, is a fine young orchard.
At the Kleppin mail box I met A. V. Hall, also on a wheel, carrying the mail, which was light that morning, down into the country where I had been since Monday morning. He delivers every day at seventy-four boxes, the letters and papers addressed to ninety-seven persons. The wheel was heavily loaded, but he was making good time.
On the 31st day of July the wind being in the SW. I decided to take a run through Dale township and as I thought of the deep pools of Sand Creek, lying along the east side of that township, I tied my fish pole on the "bike" and headed in that direction. Harvesting was everywhere in full swing, and in some places the thresher had commenced his work. I did not stop until I reached a knoll near the north line of Wessington Springs township. It was covered with a thick growth of ash trees . planted long ago by F. T. Tofflemier, and known as "Ash Knoll."
Probably no man in Jerauld county was better or more favorably known than he. In November, 1881, he came to the Territory of Dakota and filed his homestead on the NW of 5 in Wessington Springs township and made a timber culture entry on the SW of 33 in Dale. In March the next year he brought his family and began a residence on the land se- lected for his home, which continued until the time of his death, October 22, 1905. He and his good wife lived long enough to know that their life work had been a success. A large family of splendid boys and girls grew up around them. Today those children are scattered far and wide, but wherever they are each one in his or her place is a credit to the name of Tofflemier. The mother survived the father but a few days. Of the children, Tell and Ross are in Lyman county, this state, although 50 miles apart. Maud is in Michigan, Floyd is in Red Lands, California, Ruth is in Winona, Minn., Ollie has a good home in Missouri, Lou lives at Custer, S. D., while Fanny, Louis and Kate still have their postoffice at Wessing- ton Springs. Louis lives on the old farm. Suffering from an operation for appendicitis, Louis has been compelled to hire most of his farm work done, but has managed so well that the year has been to him a very profit- able one.
At no place in my travels awheel have I met more gratifying evidence of what energy and perseverance can accomplish, even in the face of manifold discouragements, than on the NE of 32, the C. D. Brown claim of twenty-five years ago. E. W. Simmons, and his determined wife, after long years of hard work and adversity, in which they had tried claim- holding, farming, renting and "working out" three years ago found then1- selves in position to buy this quarter and again start farming "on their own hook." They won, with the help of the boys, and last spring added to the
1
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farm the E half of the SE of 30. They rented other land and have 450 acres of crop that will place them among the people on "Easy Street." At last they have a home of their own. It's a "dandy," and not for sale.
A few rods further north and on the opposite side of the road, in a fine grove of trees, stands the dwelling of Mr. Christiansen, the school clerk of Dale township. He came from Minnesota in 1904 and purchased the south half of 29 and the old Elmer Taylor 80 in the SE of 30. The latter tract he sold to Mr. Simmons last spring. He has 120 acres to crop on the S half of 29. It is fine grain and he is content. The early map of the county says but little of this half section. On the SW quarter ap- pears the name Beal and on the SE is the name Miller, and on each is the letter "D," indicating that at the time the map was made both quarters were deeded land.
I went on north past the Chas. Smith homestead, the NW of 29, past the Sarah Brown tree claim, the SW of 20, and turned the corner at the north side of that section, where Lawrence Russell had a homestead when wild antelope looked from the top of the Wessington Hills at the canvas tops of the settlers' wagons that dotted the Jim river valley. In the road near the corner on the west side of the section stood Jim La Bau's engine and separator. That night some one set fire to the separator and it was utterly destroyed. Who did it is one of the mysteries that will probably never be solved.
John Doctor lives with his mother on the Lawrence Russell quarter and though a bachelor, seems as happy and contented as any benedict in the land. His crops are good and the acreage large enough to keep hin busy.
I went east past Frank Eagle's place and turned north along the west line of the school section, but crossed the NW quarter to where R. J. Tracy, ex-county commissioner -- "ex" simply because he is a democrat and the republicans had the most votes-was making extensive improve- ments to his already commodious house. He has 960 acres in his farm. which includes the SE of 9, where John Dynes had his homestead; the SW of 9, where Adam Graham had a tree claim entry; James Eastman's old pre-emption, the NE of 9; Wm. Burn's pre-emption and the John Maxon tree claim, these two quarters giving him the west half of ten, and his own homestead, the NW of 15, entered at the Mitchell land office in May, 1883. A large herd of fine cattle and 300 acres of good crops with old corn in the crib, "Rob" is "fixed" well enough. He went through the hard times and stayed, while those who took the land from the govern- ment left and endured the hard times somewhere else. With some of them the complaint became chronic and they will have "hard times" as
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long as they stay in this world and nothing but universalism can help them in the next.
After leaving Tracy's land I turned northeast across the quarter at one time held by Solon Palmer, as a homestead; to the northwest corner of Lewis Fenstimaker's homestead; then north between Wm. J. Reese's pre-emption and Ed Palmer's homestead, until I reached the SE corner of the claim held by Henrietta M. Arne as a tree claim, the SE of 3. Wm. J. Reese had another claim, the SW of 2, and after rolling along past that I came to John Teasdale's milelong homestead. It took in the south half of the SE of 2 and the south half of the SW of I. Mrs. Teasdale's father, Chas. Dawson, had a claim on the north 80 of the SE of 2.
At the southeast corner of the Teasdale land stands the school house that bears his name. This building is unlocked and destitute of furniture, but is to be fitted up for school again this year.
The Teasdale land is now owned and occupied by Michael Wahl, a Russian gentleman, who has added greatly to the improvements and ex- tended the limits of the farm, which now includes the Teasdale homestead the SE of 1 ; the S half of NE of 1 ; the S half of 2, and a quarter section in Beadle county. An artesian well affords abundance of water for his 125 head of cattle, while 400 acres of good crops insure ample forage and grain for the coming winter.
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