USA > South Dakota > Jerauld County > A history of Jerauld county, South Dakota > Part 35
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The town of Waterbury was on the west side of section 21. part in the NW quarter and part in the SW quarter. On the SW quarter of 29, near the center of the section, only a mile and a half away, was the rival town of Sulphur Springs. Between the sites of the two towns and
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Dan. C. Needham.
Joseph Ponsford.
Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah McWilliams.
J. M. Corbin.
Mr. and Mrs. O. F. Kelogg.
Clayton Brown.
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about equi-distant from each, is a deep valley, that, in those days, was a favorite camping ground for the Crow Creek Indians.
A couple of fellows had started a saloon in Sulphur Springs and after running the business a few weeks had dissolved partnership and in liqui- dation of accounts the hotel man, Conrad, had seized a couple of barrels of whiskey. He placed it in a shanty down on the flat southwest of Sulphur Springs, on land now owned by A. G. Kayser. The whiskey soon disappeared but the barrels remained in the shanty for some time.
Among the people who settled in and about Waterbury and Sulphur Springs were many from the eastern states who came heavily armed ready for combat with the savages, of whom they lived in constant dread.
One evening in the fall of 1883 both towns were thrown into a fever of excitement by the news that the old chief White Ghost with about four hundred followers had camped in the valley between the towns.
Waterbury and Sulphur Springs, like all towns had some young fel- lows who loved fun more than they feared anything. Sam Leeds, with one companion, whose name I have forgotten, procured some of the liquid assets of the defunct saloon and after dark set out for the Sioux encamp- ment. They found that some of the lodges had been placed on the hills and some in the valley. Sam and his companion seated themselves 011 the hillside in the light of some camp fires and were soon trying to con- verse, by words and signs, with the Indians of both sexes. The red peo- ple could understand but few of the English words but the sign of looking at the stars through a telescope was at once understood. It was not long until pandemonium reigned in the valley. The warriors danced and shouted while the squaws rolled like great balls down the side of the hill, laughing and shouting with glee. The noise was heard in both towns and the whites began immediately to get under arms and barricade the houses. In Waterbury, while the rumpus in the valley was at its height, some one fired a gun. The report at once spread through the town that the Indians had commenced an attack on the village. Commotion was supreme. Men ran shouting through the streets, while women and chil- dren screamed with terror. Sanı Leeds and his chum, down in the val- ley were getting nervous. The warriors had stopped their demonstrations and were sitting sullenly around one of the largest fires, while the squaws continued their rollicking sport. Sam watched the conditions anxiously for some time and then turned to tell his companion he thought it was more seemly for them to be among their own people, but found that he was alone. The other fellow had evidently read Sam's thoughts and acted upon them. In a few moments Leeds discovered a safe way of re- treat toward Sulphur Springs and took advantage of it. The excitement in the towns and in the valley soon after subsided. In the morning the In-
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dians were gone. But one lasting result came from the escapade. Whether it was from the impression he made upon his savage acquain- tances of that night, or the effect of mature reflection, the fact remains that Sam Leeds is known .among the Crow Creek Sioux to this day as "the beautiful blacksmith."
Among other things that greatly amused, and sometimes annoyed the people of Waterbury in the summer of 1884, was a crane caught by Will Dunlap. The bird soon became a general pet and went every where. No door was left open that he did not enter. No house, church, or place of business, was safe from his intrusion. Guests at the hotel table were often startled to see the long bill of the crane come sliding into their plates and taking away some morsel that suited the fancy of the bird.
A young man came out from Ohio, armed with all the weapons of war to fight Indians and incidentally shoot buffalo and deer. After be- coming thoroughly disgusted with a country in which he could stand 110 chance of satisfying the cravings of his ambition he traded his beautiful rifle to Dunlap for the pet crane and took it back to the Buckeye state.
I spent nearly two weeks with Will Waterbury at his residence on the old townsite, going over with him the days when the ground upon which he lives had the largest town in the two counties of Jerauld and Buffalo. He kindly furnished me with a few copies of the newspapers published in Waterbury in 1885. From one of them the "American Home," pub- lished by M. B. McNeil, under date of January 6th, 1885, I copy the following item concerning the neighboring town:
"Sulphur Springs has no land mark now. The old hotel was burned last Wednesday. The building was owned by Chas. Conrad and was in- sured, though if for enough to cover the loss we do not know. It was occupied by Mr. Wheeler's family, who lost all of the clothing and furni- ture. The furniture was insured for about $300."
From the same paper of date February 3, 1885, I quote this :
CARD OF THANKS.
Frank P. Blair, Post No. 46, Department of Dakota, G. A. R .: Do hereby tender their . thanks to Comrade Stevens, Mr. H. E. Rex, Mr. Wm. Dunlap and Miss Minnie Waterbury for their kind assistance during our first annual camp-fire. A. E. White, Com .; W. A. Rex, Adj."
Sections 28 and 29 dip down into the valley of the east branch of Crow Creek, while 30 and 31 are almost wholly in the valley of the main stream. The SE of 29 was obtained from the government by U. E. Babb, who was one of the prominent citizens of the township. Near the south- east corner of this quarter the county has constructed across this branch
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of the creek one of the most expensive bridges in the county. It is used but little, and in fact, it is unsafe for a heavy team. The planks are rot- ted and badly broken and any attempt to take a loaded wagon over it would be to invite the disaster that would almost certainly follow. At the time it was built it was the only steel bridge in the county. The abut- ments of stone were built by Pat Brady, a carpenter, then living in Wes- sington Springs, and are apparently as solid as they were when placed there fifteen years ago. When built it was a necessity for the people of the southwest part of the county who did their trading at the town of Waterbury. Now the roads on both sides of the valley have been so badly washed by the heavy rains of the past few years as to be almost impassible for anything more cumbersome than a bicycle. The railroad station at Wessington Springs, however, has changed the line of travel so that this now remote bridge is used but little. This condition will not be for long, I think, for the railroad so confidently expected and so long looked for by the people of Waterbury and Sulphur Springs will yet traverse Crow township and the engine will whistle for Waterbury sta- tion. But no one should get excited about it, for all will have plenty of time to get out of the way.
Across the creek, south, lie sections 32 and 33, both owned by A. G. Kayser, whose ranch of 3000 acres includes also the S half and NW quarter of 34, the E half of 31, all of 29 and the S half of 28. I followed down the stream across 29, looking in every pool for ducks. Just be- fore entering the big valley of Crow Creek I stopped. Off to the right was the big sulphur spring, and up on the point of hills above it the site of the town of that name. The spring, the hills and a few cellar holes are there yet. This half section, the west half of 29, was taken as a pre- emption and homestead by John R. Miller, who located the town and cemetery on it. For some time he masqueraded under the name of Scott, and none of the settlers knew his real name until he advertised in the Sulphur Springs newspapers that he would make proof for his land. I went on west to the corner section. Here they built school house No. 3. when the township was organized for school purposes and named in 1884. It was the home at one time of the largest school in the county. The first teacher in this building was Miss Minnie Stanley, now Mrs. S. W. Boyd, of Pleasant township, and among her pupils was Miss Dunham, now Mrs. J. L. Coram, of the Oliver hotel in Wessington Springs. They two are all that remain in the county to represent that term of the Sulphur Springs school.
Across the creek from where I stood, but near the location of the old scholl house is the home of A. G. Kayser, on the northeast corner of the NE of 31. Mr. Kayser came to this farm from Parkston, S. D., about
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three years ago and now is the owner of one of the best cattle ranches in the county. The quarter upon which the ranch buildings are placed passed into the possession of several different persons before the government finally parted with the title. Geo. Gilbert, Frank Rogers, Swartwout and a man named Hubbard, held it, each in turn, until the latter made final proof for it and sold it to Herman, who made up the ranch nearly as it is now. Up to the time Herman purchased it this quarter had remained practically unimproved. He came out from Mason City, Iowa, to go into the business of raising cattle, his first move was to get a house to live in. Over on the hill in 29 was the foundation of the old Sulphur Springs hotel, much as it was when that building was partially destroyed by the fire in the early part of 1885. The stone from this spot were taken to the site selected for the new farm house and placed in a wall where they still remain. The next move was for a superstructure. The first real frame house built in that part of the township was still standing where Frank Rogers built it, on the SE of 28. This was transported bodily and placed on the wall, where it forms the east part of the house in which Mr. Kayser lives. What now constitutes the east wing of the cattle shed was also brought from the Rogers place. When the Glen creamery went out of business and was sold the ice house was brought to the Kayser ranch, where it is doing service as a granary.
South of the Kayser house, but a part of the ranch, is SE of 31, the old Chas. Conrad pre-emption. He figured for some time as landlord of the Sulphur Springs. hotel.
In the spring of 1883, Chas. Marvin came to Dakota Territory from Bremer county, Iowa, to "look around". By the time he reached Mitchell he was so well pleased with the appearance of the country that he made a homestead entry for the NW of 18-106-67, now Logan township. In the fall of that year he came out again and built a claim shanty and established his residence. Early the next spring he moved his family out from Iowa and began in earnest the life of a frontiersman on the plains. He still owns the land upon which he placed his first filing, although he has changed his dwelling place to the SE of 6 in the same township. He now owns the S half and NE quarter of 6 and the NE of 7. making 800 acres of as good land as any one could wish. It has not been all "smooth sailing" for him, however. In the blizzard of 1888 he lost all the cattle he had and eleven years later, in 1899, his house on the place where he now lives was destroyed by fire. Yet, for all that, he has prospered.
No man in the county is better or more favorably known than Joe Ponsford. His land holdings includes the N half of 30, the east half of 19, the west half of 31 and the NE of 17. One of the 1883 settlers he still · retains his residence in Crow township on the farm with which he has been
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identified for over a quarter of a century. In fact, he was the only one of those who took government land in Crow township in '83 to vote there at the last election, Will Waterbury being the only other person who was a resident of that township twenty-five years ago to vote at the election of 1908.
One morning in October, I set out from W. E. Waterbury's for a run down through Logan. The old road along which E. S. Waterbury and his son, Tom, groped and floundered on the evening of the great blizzard in 1888, is now fenced off and no one travels it. So I took another road through the same pasture and reached the highway on the north line of 28 where A. E. McCall, with his steam thresher, was shelling out the tremendous crop of wheat and flax that had been grown on the old Dan Waterbury claim, the NW of 28, now owned by Gotlobb Krueger. The machine was doing good work and both McCall and Krueger wore satis- fied smiles that were Taft-like in their expressiveness. Krueger sold his flax crop for a little over a thousand dollars, for which he received a check before he had drawn more than a sample to market. He declared he would never do that again, for he was deprived of the pleasure of re- ceiving the money when he dumped a load into the bin at the elevator.
The road on the section line was ideal for wheeling and the spin down to Waterbury P. O. was a delightful one. After chatting a few minutes with the genial P. M., I headed south. I soon crossed the extreme north line reached by the prairie fine on the 28th of April '99. The change of wind that sent the flames into Main's buildings and wiped out the old town of Waterbury turned the fire southeast at this point and saved the homes of Clark Wetherell, Capt. Vrooman and several others tl:at lay directly north of it. Had it reached the Wetherell farm it would, in all probability, have destroyed a number of buildings that are associated with the carly settlement of that vicinity. Wetherell has gatnered ap quite a number of the old landmarks and preserved them. These old buildings which Clark has gathered into a really comfortable home have a story, in the aggregate that is worth telling.
The north half of the house was brought by Ed and Dan Waterbury frem Pole, Ill., and probalby has more white oak, ash, and hemlock in it than any other house in the country. . That lumber was cut in the woods near Polo, sawed into boards and dimension stuff, stored away in a dry place and seasoned for about fifteen years and then shipped to Kim- ball, S. D., by rail and hauled by wagon to Waterbury, where it was the first buikling crected on the townsite. The south half of Wetherell's house was built by S. T. Leeds for a residence in the town of Waterbury in 1884. He sold it to Harley Barnum, now mail carrier at Crow Lakc. who moved it to the NE of 30 in Pleasant township, to use in "holding
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down" his homestead. He kept it there five or six years and then sold the building to George Wicks, who took it to his homestead on the NE of 35 in Crow township. Wicks lived in the house, which seems but little the worse for its travels, seven years. About 1902 Wetherell purchased the claim shanty from Wicks and gave it a permanent location by the side of the Waterbury building. Wetherell's barn, a good substantial structure, is made of the lumber once contained in one of the two-story buildings in Waterbury. The chicken house was at one time a barn on one of the farms in Crow township, but whose I have forgotten.
On the SW of 25, where R. Kelley once had a tree claim, John Wicks now has a good farm and farm house. He also has the SE af 26 across the road.
The SW of 26 is a part of the farm of Geo. W. King and in the '8os was owned by E. J. Gray. He also has the SE of 27, which was "proved up" by Mittie G. Kellogg, and the NE of 34, where John Plank had his homestead. Mr. King has been in Jerauld county since 1883. His whole time of residence here has been in Pleasant and Crow townships. The NW of 31 in Pleasant was his pre-emption and the NW of the same sec- tion was his tree clain. He moved onto his present farm in Crow in 1894 and has prospered as have all the others in that part of the county, who came through the hard times and hung on.
On the NE of 35 of Crow township Geo. Wicks made a homestead entry in 189 -. This quarter had been held by E. J. Gray as a tree claim, but being abandoned Geo. contested Gray's entry and made it his home. It is a fine quarter and what makes it more attractive is the neat and trini condition of the grounds about the house. No city lawn shows greater care. George is preparing to erect a large barn and has had a good deal of trouble to get the stone for the foundation, for the reason that "nigger heads" are not common in that vicinity.
At the northwest corner of 35, I turned south, ran along the west side of that quarter, once held by C. E. Lucas, and past the SW of 35 with the old Norin quarter in the distance, past the spot where Lyme Goodrich had his residence and which was the first place at which Solo- mon stopped after killing Rohbe. The Goodrich quarter is now owned by Harvey King, who has been living there during the last two years. From the King house the Combs hill is in plain sight.
I entered Logan township on the line between sections 2 and 3. the old Combs & Harris ranch on the east, now owned by Henry P. Will and Joseph O'Brien, and the August Johnson pre-emption, of 20 years ago. on the west. Ahead of me on the SE of 3, I could see the home of Z. P. De Forest, or De La Fray, which was the name of his Hugenot an- cestors in France, and I dismounted at his door just in time for dinner.
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He is one of the earliest of the early settlers in Logan township. While eating the midday meal he gave me considerable information about the early settlement of Logan, and incidentally something of the story of his life and of the interesting history of his family. The De La Frays, like many other Hugenot families, escaped the massacre of St. Bartholomew. by changing their names and succeeded in escaping to America. Here they assumed the English form of the name which is the one by which their descendant in Logan township is known. Z. P. De Forest, ex- druggist and ex-telegraph operator, lives alone on the land he obtained from the government 25 years ago. In my' two hours visit with him he made no boast of his ancestry, yet the easily correct form of his speetch was proof positive of the gentility and refinement of the family of De Forest. A man living so long alone will certainly drop into the forms of speech of the people by whom he was surrounded in his childhood. Yet during our whole conversation I did not detect one ungrammatical expression.
From De Forest's place I went over to the Combs hill to look about the spot that was the center of so much excitement in November, 1885. The buildings are all gone, and nothing but the cellar hole and tall weeds tell where the house, barns and corrals were located. After climbing the hill and looking about the premises I walked out to the old trail leading across country from Waterbury to Crow Lake, and along which Solomon rode when he went to surrender himself to the authorities.
A. E. Hanebuth, now of Wessington Springs, was one of the early settlers of the township and for many years had his residence on the SW of 1. The farm is now occupied by Chas. Segar, who was busy putting up hay in the vicinity of Combs hill.
A mile south of the Hanebuth farm is the farm home of D. B. Pad- dock, for several years one of the commissioners of the county. . The Green Mountain school house was located on this farm and in it one of the first Sunday schools of the township was held. The farm is now owned by J. F. Jones, who purchased it of Mr. Paddock a short time be- fore he was killed.
The school records of Logan township having been destroyed by fire at the time Chas. Marvin's house was burned, but little could be gathered concerning the township schools. The data of the school organization. and of what occurred in the early years, I will have to get from the county archives, and from the memory of the settlers of that time.
Mr. Jones' farm includes the NW of 12, Freeman Paddock's claim. the SW of 12, D. B. Paddock's homestead, and the SE of II, where John Sleighter had his pre-emption right in the 'Sos.
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Geo. Titus.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Posey.
Geo. H. Young.
Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Robeson.
E. H. Vrooman.
Mrs. D. A. Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Robeson.
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From the Jones residence I took an "angling" road southwest across section 14, crossing Mrs. Wheelock's claim, the NE quarter, August Buckholtz' homestead and timber culture claims on the SE and SW quar- ters and Andrew Wilson's homestead on the NW quarter.
On this NW of 14 Andrew Wilson performed a feat that was one of the most remarkable things accomplished in those early days. In his effort to get water on his claim he dug a well 155 feet deep, doing all the digging with a shovel, while his wife and the girls drew the dirt to the surface with a common windlass. He got good water and plenty of it.
Across the section line west, on the NE of 15 lived H. A. Robinson, at one time a merchant of Lyndale. His son, Roy, was the first white child born in Logan township.
After crossing section 14, I walked along the north line of 22 for one of my bicycle tires had sprung a leak, until I reached the home of An- drew Pflaum on the NE quarter. Here, since the spring of 1884, has lived this veteran of the Civil war, or what is left of him-he lost one arm in the fight at Champion Hill. The loss of his arm was the second wound received that day. The same grit that kept him in the firing line as a soldier has served him in good stead as a settler. He has endured drought, hot winds and prairie fires in the years gone by, but he can now look with pride about him at his pleasant, comfortable home and sharing the credit with his wife who has been his true helper, say "mother, it paid us to stay." He is not only proud of his home, but he is proud of his family, and well he may be. They have not only been successful in what they have undertaken, but in all the years they toiled together in the prairie home, they never failed him-not once.
I passed the night with Andrew Pflaum and the next morning took the road west through the pasture to where John Boeson lives on the NE of 21. He is clerk of the civil township, but like the school clerk, liis records are not old, for the fire that burned Mr. Dykeman's house a few years ago destroyed the township books. This NE of 21 was taken by Squire Atkins in April, 1883, and was his residence until he died a few years later. It is now owned by John Wicks, who also owns the SE quarter of the same section.
John Wicks was one of the early settlers in that township, holding the west half of 22 as a homestead and tree claim. Mr. Wicks was for a number of years closely identified with the schools of Logan township, and the county. An account of his experience with his school through the night of the great blizzard, will form a chapter in the history of the county.
From Boeson's residence I ran south to section 27. On the NW of this section was located what was known in the old times as the Pleasant
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Hill school house. In it Sunday school and church services were held twenty years ago.
On this same quarter, the NW of 27, is located the Pleasant Hill cemetery. This section was considerably cut up by the early settlers who took it from the government. John C. Ferris had a 160 acres out of the center of the north half, taking the two center eighties running north and south. The east half of the NE quarter was taken by Henry Krum- wied, who is now a member of the Omaha police force. The NE quar- ter of the SE quarter of this section was taken by Henry Geffiki, who had a blacksmith shop here and did work for a large circle of settlers. The SE quarter of the SE quarter was owned in the 'Sos by Henry P. Will, who for years has been one of the most successful ranchmen of the county. The west half of the SE quarter and the east half of the SW quarter were a tree claim whose holder's name is not on the chart that I have, while the west half of the west half was a claim held by H. A. Frick.
Near the north line of the section and on the mile long strip held by Mr. Frick, is the cemetery. It is a beautiful spot and for a country churchyard is well kept, though I can see no reason why people who live in the country should not take as great care of the little plat of earth where their friends are at rest as people in the towns or cities. But may- be the beautifying of a grave yard has nothing of love for the departed in it and is only a matter of vanity like the parks. However it is, there are several cemeteries in the county that should receive attention. In this acre are ten graves without headstones and eight with headstones. One stone bears this inscription: "Mary Carrol Frick, born Aug. 20th, 1809, died June 30th, 1894." A span of life that endured while civilization was crossing a hemisphere. In that time the arts and sciences had advanced more than in all the six thousand years gone before; in that time one race of men was destroyed and another made free. The little plat of ground is fenced and well protected from prairie fires.
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