USA > South Dakota > Jerauld County > A history of Jerauld county, South Dakota > Part 9
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On July 7th, 1884, the board made an order making the boundaries of road districts identical with the school townships and appointing overseers as follows :
Franklin-A. L. Eager.
Anina-S. S. Moore.
Logan-A. S. Fordham.
Chery-W. N. Hill.
Dale-Francis Eastman.
Blaine-J. M. Wheeler.
Media-B. F. Swatman.
Chapter 9.
The returns having been received from the special election held April 26th, 1884, in the three school townships numbered 13, 14 and 15 (Chery, Media and Anina) the board on the Ist of May resolved itself into a canvassing board. The results in the different townships was:
No. 13-
Director-C. W. Hill. Clerk-P. B. Davis.
Treasurer-Michael Schaefer.
Name-Chery, 17; Turtle Valley, 15. The name was in honor of Mr. C. M. Chery, a veteran of the civil war, one of the early settlers of the township and a man respected by all who knew him.
No. 14-
Director-A. S. Beals, Clerk-E. L. DeLine. Treasurer-Theo. Dean. Name-Center, 12; Emma, 10; Templeton, 2.
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No. 15 ---
Director-Orzo Kellogg.
Clerk-Alonzo Cady.
Treasurer-S. S. Moore.
Name-No choice. Four votes were cast for "Butler," four for "Prospect" and one for -. This result placed the duty of naming the township upon the county commissioners. When the matter was brought up the next day Commissioner Melcher remarked, "Four and four make eight and one is nine, let's name it Anina."
The naming of townships was again before the board on the 7th of July. The territorial auditor to whom the names had been certified, had for various reasons rejected several and the commissioners were in- structed to substitute. They named 106-66 Crow Lake, instead of Custer ; 107-66 Pleasant, instead of Pleasant Valley; 106-67 Blaine, instead of Lincoln; 106- 67 Logan, instead of Lake; 107-65 Media, instead of Center.
Thereafter the townships of the county were referred to by their names instead of numbers in official proceedings.
In the summer of 1883 John Lawton settled on the NW quarter of section 20, in Harmony township. With him was his wife and five chil- dren. In the fore part of April, 1884, several members of the family were taken ill. The disease soon developed into diphteria. The house was the ordinary claim shanty, everywhere found in those days and the means of caring for the sick were extremely limited. Because of the dangers of spreading the terrible contagion the neighbors shrank from visiting them. Almost alone and unaided the mother saw her husband and children sicken and die. A young man named Anson Beals, living on the NW of section 30, of the same township, with a courage that won the admiration of all, gave his entire time to caring for the stricken family. He cared for the living and buried the dead. When the malady had run its course five new made graves, but a short distance from the shanty, marked the resting place of as many members of the family. May Ist, the matter being brought to the attention of the board of com- missioners, Mr. Fischer and Sheriff Spears were appointed a committee to investigate the case and make report. They reported on the 9th that they had inspected the premisses and found that all of the members of the family were dead but two. Mrs. Lawton and one little girl had escaped the disease. They had instructed Anson Beals to burn the building and contents, which had been done. They estimated the property to be worth $50. The board issued a war- rant to Mrs. Lawton to compensate her for the loss of the property. At the special session on the 2nd of June, 1884. the board ordered a war-
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rant for $35 drawn "in favor of Anson Beals as a partial recognition of his heroic services in caring for the Lawton family" and on Nov. 14 following the board rebated his tax for that year for the same reason. Neither the warrant nor the rebating taxes was intended as compensation for an act of such unselfish heroism, but only as an expression of the appreciation by the public of what the young man had done.
On June 4th the commissioners appointed a board of insanity, com- posed of H. M. Rice, probate judge ; A. M. Mathias, physician, and M. C. Ayers, lawyer. The appointment of this board was occasioned by the mental derangement of Emer Berjelland of Blaine township.
Chapter 10.
One of the most important sessions in the history of the first board was the one which began on the 7th day of July. In addition to road and bridge matters that occupied so much of their attention, the com- missioners had before them the work of equalizing the assessment of the county.
The board of equalization was formed on the second day of the session, Mr. Smart continuing as chairman. The first act of the new board was to exempt from taxation the property of Lettie Berjelland, whose husband had become insane.
Much of the land was still held under homestead pre-emption or timber culture entries and was not assessable. In the four villages of the county the most of the lots shown by the recorded plats were held by the townsite owners. In Wessington Springs, at the time of assess- ment, but 60 lots had been sold, the balance being assessed to Scott, Burr, Bowen and Barrett.
In Alpena but 30 lots had been sold. the remainder standing in the name of the C. M. & St. P. Ry.
In Waterbury 32 lots had been sold, all the others being assessed to E. S. and D. H. Waterbury.
Sulphur Spring was all assessed to Burrpee, Miller and Cooley, the townsite company, except five lots that had been sold.
The highest assessments in Alpena on town lots were on two lots, $350 each ; one being lot 7, block 8, owned by the railway company, and the other lot 14, in block 3, owned by F. W. Whitney.
In Wessington Springs the highest assessment on a single lot was $625 on lot 16, block 9, owned by Sarah L. Barrett. Lots 12, 13 and 14 in block II, owned by L. H. Tarbell, were assessed together at $2300.
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The highest valuation put by the assessor upon single lots in Water- bury was on lots 17 and 18 in block 3, both owned by H. M. Rice.
Two hundred and thirty dollars on the hotel property, lot 8, in block 6, owned by C. A. Conrad and R. A. Wheeler, was the highest real estate assessment in Sulphur Springs.
In the various townships of the county the highest valuations were as follows:
In Alpena township the following lands were valued at $600 each : Edward Barnes, NE of 14.
Fred Gewald, SE of 14.
James Gregory, N 1/2 of SE 15.
Dan A. Mckay, NW of 24.
Isaac Pearce, SE of 24.
Blaine-NE of 17, $900, tax $27.27, owned by John Ahlers.
Franklin-SE of 14, $650, tax $9.95, owned by Andrew Hessdorfer.
Viola-NE of 30, $1135, tax $40.07, owned by J. A. Tyner.
Wessington Springs-NW of SW W half of NW and NE of NW of 7, $1,000, tax $35.30, owned by Harmon E. Clendening.
Dale-21 quarters were assessed at $500 each, the tax was $22.65 per quarter.
Anina-SE of 18, $1,000, tax $30.30, owned by Joseph Motl.
Media-NE of 7, $2600, tax, $73.58, owned by J. N. Cross.
Chery-NE of 19, $563, tax, $14.26, owned by Helen L. Thomas.
Crow Lake-N half SW and N half SE of 23, $1500, tax, $22.95. owned by Vauren Dusek.
Pleasant-SW of 18, owned by J. M. Maxwell, $950, and NW of 23, by J. E. Sullivan. Tax on each $28.79.
Harmony-NW 18, $472, tax $7.21, owned by Robert D. Titcomb. Logan-SW 5, $652, tax $18.45, owned by James H. Young. Crow-SE 28, $723, tax $25.50, owned by F. Merwin.
Marlar-SW 25, $510, tax $12.91. owned by J. W. Lamb.
The total valuation in the various townships was as follows :
Per. Prop.
Real Prop.
Total
Blaine
19,647
18,590
38,237
Viola
22,522
12,825
35,347
Anina
19,013
5.550
24.563
Crow Lake
12,874
23,025
35.899
Logan
11,434
24,527
35,961
Franklin
16,282
10,000
26,682
Wessington Springs
22,733
27.590
50.323
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Media
15,574
14.580
30,154
Pleasant
17,929
7,934
25,863
Crow
15,720
11,474
27,194
Alpena
19,753
27,976
47,729
Dale
8,892
13,850
23.742
Chery
18,729
21,437
40,166
Harmony
9,605
8,617
18,252
Marlar
9.702
4,217
13,919
Totals
241,809
232,222
474,031
The assessors' returns showed I, III voters in the county.
The record shows that in Logan, Crow, Marlar, Harmony and Chery the board reduced the valuation of land owned by non-residents 10 per cent and that owned by residents 20 per cent.
On July 12th the board settled with the treasurer and made the fol- lowing report ::
Receipts.
Amount received from Ter. Treas. tax on C. M. & St. P. R .. . $26.71 By J. O. Gray, J. P. fine collected 1.00
Total
$27.71
Expenditures.
Amt. paid on warrant, No. I
$6.34
Treas. fees I.IO
Total
$7.44
Balance on hand $20.27
On the first day of Sept., 1884, the board fixed the rate of taxation for the county as follows :
Road fund, 2 mills.
Bridge fund, 2 mills.
County school fund, 2 mills.
Ordinary county fund, 6 mills.
Total, 12 mills.
The Territorial tax had been already levied by the territorial officers. the amount being 31/2 mills.
Anina township filed a petition on the 2nd of September, asking for civil township government. It was referred and never heard of again.
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On Sept. 10th the board fixed the polling places and appointed the election judges for the first general election in the county. Again there was a complete change in the boundaries of the election precincts. The numbers were dropped and the precincts were designated by the names adopted for the school townships. Each precinct was named from the township in which the election was held. For this election the precincts and officers were as follows :
Blaine-and all of Viola lying east of Firesteel creek, at residence of Joseph Steichen. Judges, J. M. Wheeler, C. C. Wright and M. W. Young. .
Franklin-and all of Wessington Springs, lying east of the Firesteel creek, at residence of Wm. Houmes. Judges, Owen Williams, Wm. J. - Houmes and W. P. Pierce.
Alpena-At F. W. Whitney's store. Judges, J. O. Gray, Wmn. H. Arne and Chas. Eastman.
Viola-That part of the township lying west of the Firesteel creek, at home of J. N. Smith. Judges, J. N. Smith, B. F. Gough, Jonas Tyner.
Wessington Springs-All that part of the township lying west of the Firesteel creek, also the east one-half of sections 1, 12 and 13 of Media and all that part of Dale township lying west of the Firesteel creek, to be held at the court house (register of deeds office) in Wessington Springs. Judges, Wm. Hawthorne, M. C. Ayers and E. V. Miles.
Dale-All that part of Dale and Chery lying east of the Firesteel creek, at residence of A. Mercer. Judges, A. Mercer, E. A. Palmer, O. WV. Richardson.
Anina-At home of Ozro Kellogg. Judges, A. D. Cady, W. R. Day.
Media-All except that part given to Wesington Springs, at home of T. A. McGinnis. Judges, T. A. McGinnis, Geo. Bennett, W. I. Bateman.
Chery-All except that part lying east of Firesteel creek, at home of C. W. Hill. Judges, C. W. Hill, J. W. Mccullough, C. M. Chery.
Crow Lake-At home of L. Deinderfer. Judges, Thos. Henning. John Conley, B. F. Jones.
Pleasant-At home of O. E. Gaffin. Judges, O. E. Gaffin. S. Sower- wine. John E. Sullivan.
Harmony-At home of I. N. Rich. Judges, I. N. Rich, Wmn. Brin- ner. J. R. Eddy.
Logan-Home of H. A. Robinson. Judges, Wm. Niemeyer, A. S. Fordham, J. B. Long.
Crow-At office of A. Remington in Waterbury. Judges, Wilber N. Cross, H. E. Merwin, J. E. Herman.
IOI
Marlar-At home of J. J. Groub. Judges, B. F. Marlar, J. W. Lamb, J. J. Groub.
Acting on the advice of the attorney general of the Territory. the board on the 6th day of November fixed the length of the terms of their successors, giving the one receiving the highest number of votes the three year term; next two years and the lowest one year. This gave Mr. J. E. Sullivan the long term and Mr. Fischer the short term.
The organization of the county was now complete. Nothing remained for the first board to do. On the 3rd day of January, 1885, the outgoing board settled with the treasurer and made report as follows :
Receipts.
Taxes collected $622.39
Expenditures.
Receipts and warrants redeemed
$64.22
Treas. fees 24.89
Total
$89.1I
Cash on hand
$533.28
Chapter 11.
While the county commissioners were striving to frame a county government other things were being done within the county that were of at least equal importance.
On the 28th of September. 1883, a meeting had been held at the in- stance of Mr. A. B. Smart, to offer inducements to the M. E. church of Dakota Territory to locate their university at Wessington Springs. The matter was earnestly considered and a proposition made, but other towns and cities were in the field to get the much desired institution and Wes- sington Springs failed to secure it.
In the fore part of November a move was made to get the Erie Tele- phone Co. to put in a line from Wessington Springs to Woonsocket. This also failed.
About the first of September, 1883, the townsite company began putting in a system of waterworks connecting the big spring with Main street. The pipe ran east from the spring and entered 2d street south of the Applegate building and then north along the east side of 2d street
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to the middle of Main street. This work was completed about the mid- dle of November. A pipe coming out of the ground at the end of the system made a very pretty fountain that for two years poured a constant stream. In a few weeks after fountain was establisred a mound of ice was formed that almost rendered the street impassable. A large reservoir was made and walled up with stone where the spring came out of the hill. A dam was put across the , lower part of the pond and under it the pipe ran that carried the water to the village. A sluiceway at the top of the dam carried off the surplus water in a pretty cascade into the little creek that ran down through the grove. The low bushes and underbrush were cut out of the grove, rustic seats built and bridges put across the stream. In this way the company made the beginning of what they intended should be one of the most beautiful parks in the territory. For a number of years the grove about the spring was the spot to which all picnic parties came from all parts of the county.
In October, 1883, Rev. J. G. Campbell, then one of the ablest preachers in the territory, was made pastor of the M. E. church as Wessington Springs. Religious services were thereafter held in the church building. although the seats were made of boards.
Strenuous efforts were made by the community for fitting Christmas festivities. On the 24th of December the church chairs arrived and put in place for the people who that evening attended the Christmas tree exercises in the new church. The new church building was dedicated Sept. 7th, 1884. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. I. N. Pardee. The building was entirely paid for when dedicated. The ladies' mite society had bought and paid for a carpet that cost $44.25 and had also purchased a new organ upon which they had paid $28.79. The building committee that had charge of the church construction was C. W. McDonald, president of the board of trustees, and R. S. Bateman. The church trustees at this time were Lucius T. Tarble, Chas. W. McDonald. Silas Kinney, R. S. Bateman, Harry Russe, F. T. Tofflemier.
The M. E. conference in October, 1884, appointed W. D. Luther to succeed Mr. Campbell as pastor of the church.
Other churches were organized in the county in 1884, one being the M. E. church at Alpena and the other the Friends church in Harmony township. The names of the charter members of neither of these organ- izations seem to be obtainable. The church at Alpena was incorporated June 21st, 1884, under the pastorate of Rev. O. E. Hutchins. Rev. L. C Burch received the conference appointment for this church in October. 1884.
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H. D. Fisher.
Mrs. A. B. Smart.
A. E. Turrill.
E. T'. Miles.
Chas. W. McDonald.
Gco: R. Bateman. -
James A, McDonald
Ray Barber.
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At Waterbury and Sulphur Springs the religious services were con- ducted by Rev. John Cooley, C. V. Martin, Wm. Paganhart, S. F. Hunt- ley and others. The Methodists and Presbyterians each had a church or- ganization at Waterbury, but the records seem to have been lost. Neither society had a church building. The Sulphur Springs church building which had not been completed was moved to Waterbury, finished and made a public hall. This occurred in the early part of 1884 and ended the church history of Sulphur Springs.
Additional Sunday schools were organized in the different townships of the county in the year 1884.
In the Young settlement in Blaine township near Parsons a Sunday school was organized on the 20th of April, with Mr. I. Young, supt. ; Fred Kieser, asst. supt .; Henry Wilson, sec .; D. W. Young, treas.
In Viola township religious services were held at the residence of J. N. Smith during the fall and winter of 1884-85, conducted alternately by Mr. Smith and L. F. Daniels. The meetings were held weekly.
In Anina township a Sunday School was organized August 10th; 1884, at the residence of Mr. Williams, with Gordon McDonald as super- intendent.
A Sunday School was organized at the residence of S. Souerwine in Pleasant township, April 27th, 1884, with fifteen members. Supt., A. J. Miller : Ass't. Supt., Mrs. H. C. Sowerwine ; Sec'y., Miss Josie Pryne ; Treas., Gailey.
In Wessington Springs township a Sunday School was conducted at the residence of Mrs. Williams on the east side of Firesteel creek, until in October, 1884, when it was changed to the home of Wm. Hawthorne.
An organization by the name of Eden Valley Sunday school in Alpena township, was conducted there the winter of 1884-85. The society had thirty members.
In Chery township, after the school houses were built, a Sunday school was organized by T. L. White, Mr. and Mrs. Kinney, Mr. and Mrs. Georgia, Mrs. Townsend, Ed Linn, W. R. Lanning and others, at the Kinney school house. After the organization of the Sabbath school religious services were held at this school house regularly with preaching by Mrs. Huntley, I. N. Rich, F. M. Brown and others.
As we have already seen, temperance work in Jerauld county began at an early date in its history. Wessington Springs was the center from which this influence radiated to all parts of the county.
It is certain that no other person did so much to create a sentiment against the establishment of saloons in the county as Mrs. A. B. Smart. She was a member of the territorial W. C. T. U. and vice president of that organization for Jerauld county. On the 28th day of May, 1884,
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she made the beginning of organized temperance work in the county. On that day, in persuance of a call previously issued, she entertained a num- ber of ladies at her residence and perfected a local organization which they named the Pioneer W. C. T. U. The officers of this society were : Mrs. C. M. Spears, president ; Mrs. A. O. Jordan, vice president ; Mrs. L. S. Shryock, recording secretary ; Mrs. R. J. Smart, corresponding sec- retary : Mrs. Jane E. Bateman, treasurer.
From the organization of the Pioneer W. C. T. U. dates the systematic and aggressive temperance work in the county.
A county W. C. T. U. was organized Aug. 13, 1884, with Mrs. Smart, president ; Mrs. S. F. Huntley, corresponding secretary ; Miss Dona, recording secretary ; Mrs. D. W. Shryock, treasurer, and a vice president in each township.
A county temperance alliance was organized with R. Y. Hazard, pre- sident ; Wm. Hawthorne, vice president, and S. F. Huntley, secretary.
On the day preceding that on which these two county organizations were perfected a county mass convention had been held at which much enthusiasm was manifested.
On the 20th of June, 1884, the society obtained the use of one column of the Wessington Springs Herald for the publication of temperance articles. Thenceforth the W. C. T. U. column was a regular feature of that publication. The work was soon extended to all the other papers in the county and has been continued to the present time. A temperance alliance society was formed of which only voters were members, with Owen Williams as vice president, for Wessington Springs township. In November, 1884, a temperance circulating library was established. In December of that year a temperance literary society was organized in Franklin township.
Many business changes occurred in the county during the year 1884.
On December 22, 1883, the Bender drug store, that had up to that time been run by Chas. P. Taylor, in Wessington Springs, shut up shop and left the town.
In March, 1884, A. B. Smart put up a building on the west side of 3rd street a few blocks north of Main street and in it Dr. A. M. Mathias of Brooklyn, N. Y., opened a drug store in May.
Stephen Bros. went out of business in the winter of 1883-84 and in April, 1884, J. J. Barnes of Plankinton, started a drug store in the Stephens building.
Chas. W. McDonald and W. I. Bateman organized the Jerauld County Bank in March, 1884. The next month M. D. and C. E. Thayer visited Wessington Springs on the 24th to look over the situation with a view to starting a private bank. These gentlemen were so well pleased with
106
the location that they returned in a few days when C. E. Thayer arranged for the construction of a residence in the northwest part of the village, and rented of a lady named Ada L. Smith, lot 12, block 10, on the north side of Main street paying therefor a rental of $6.00 per year, but re- serving the right to remove such improvements as he might make thereon. He then erected a building on the Smith lot at a cost of about $50, painted the word "Bank" across the front of the structure, and on the 25th day of July, 1884, opened his institution for business.
In the fore part of May J. H. Woodburn purchased the Applegate building and made it into a hotel, which he named the Woodburn House.
J. H. Vessey and Allan Ransom formed a partnership and began a mercantile business on the 31st of May, that under different managements has continued to the present time. In October this firm was strengthened by the admission of S. H. Albert and R. S. Vessey as partners. The firm then built a branch store at Crow Lake, which was continued for several years.
The first attempt to do a millinery business in Wessington Springs was by a lady named Harris, who located in J. F. Ford's office on the north side of Main street.
On August 20th Silas Kinney sold his store building and stock of goods to N. D. Wilder, who continued the business until the next year. In other parts of the county business matters were equally active.
At Crow Lake a firm by the name of Lodge & Derrick built a store building and put in a stock of groceries. This was done in June.
In April. 1884, a man named Mills, who had worked at blacksmithing in Wesington Springs, in 1883, went to Crow Lake and began work in a shop that had been erected for him there.
At Waterbury the postmaster, E. S. Waterbury, fitted up his office with the fixtures that he purchased from the Kimball office. This was in March.
About May Ist Rice & Herring sold their mercantile business to Pritchard & Kethledge, who came out that spring from some point in Iowa.
On July 4th Waterbury celebrated. But little is remembered, even by the oldest inhabitants, of the events of that day. All say, however. that the festivities were worthy of the time and place although Wessing- ton Springs enticed their band away from them.
By this time Sulphur Springs had lost greatly in the struggle with her rival town for existence. Her church and blacksmith shop had gone across the valley to Waterbury and in the latter part of July her news- paper. "The Buffalo Herald," was sold to M. B. McNeil, who moved it to Duncan in Buffalo county and merged it in the American Home,
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published at that place. In October Mr. McNeil moved his printing office back to Waterbury, which gave that place two newspapers.
On August 15, 1884, occurred the first death in Waterbury. A young man named John Murphy was digging a well on Henry Herring's resi- dence lot east of Main street. When he entered the well in the morning he was overcome by foul air and died before he could be rescued. A grab hook was lowered and caught into the dead man's clothing. He was drawn about half way to the surface when the coat in which the hook was fastened appeared to be slipping. T. H. Null, the lawyer, volunteered to go down and fasten a rope about the body to prevent it falling back to the bottom of the well. This was done. After an appropriate funeral ceremony the body of Murphy was buried on the school section and there with one other victim of a tragic death it lies to this day.
Chapter 12.
It was a curious and anxious company that gathered about Dement & Leed's blacksmith shop in Waterbury one day in the autumn of 1883. For several days the two smiths had been busily at work manufacturing a piece of heavy artillery. Rumors were rife that great flocks of ducks were frequenting Cottonwood Lake in the north part of 108-66. No ordinary shot gun was considered equal to the opportunity and so at the instance of the sporting fraternity of the village the attempt had been made to make a vertiable cannon. Taking a piece of gas pipe about three feet in length they wound it with what wagonmakers and blacksmiths term "stake" iron. It is one inch wide and one-quarter inch thick. Hav- ing made a spiral winding with the stake iron solidly welded the whole length of the gas pipe, they reversed the spiral on about two feet of the first winding and then put a third winding over about a foot of the breach of the cannon, making the gun as they believed, strong enough to resist the explosive power of any load of powder that might be put into it. The gas pipe was then bored to make it smooth, a touch hole drilled through the iron casing of the breach, a strong breech pin put on and the thing was done. Now it was to be tested before being taken to the lake, and many were the guesses made by the crowd as they stood about the shop to see the wonderful duck gun tried. A large dry goods box was set up at a distance of 100 yards and the gun properly loaded, was trained on it through the open door of the shop. All were confident that the box would not be fit for ordinary kindling wood after the gun
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