History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 71

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998

USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. I > Part 71

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began : 'Mr. Chairman,' and again paused to col- lect his thoughts. The chairman bowed and said, 'Mr. McLaurie.' A moment passed, and then again 'Mr. Chairman.' The chairman repeated, 'Mr. McLaurie.' Finally recalling the incidents of the afternoon, the speaker again commenced : 'Mr. Chairman, I deeply preshate the great honor which has been confrered 'pon me zsish day, by being admitted to zhe bar. I shay I deeply pre- shate zhat honor-but I know zhat I am not yet a lawyer.' He stopped a moment, striving to recollect something that he wanted to say, and then continued : 'I know I am not yet a lawyer-' Again he stopped and again continued: "I know I am not yet a lawyer." The third time he paused, and Judge Kidder, ap- parently to encourage him, smiled upon with great urbanity, and said : 'Proceed, Brother Mc- Laurie; so far the court is entirely with you!' Mr. McLaurie never knew why he was not al- lowed to finish his speech, which was drowned in roars of laughter."

The smart young man, after a moment's thought, said: "Why, the man must have been intoxicated !"

After the laughter had subsided, some one re- marked : "Judge Kidder: he was one of your earlier judges in the territory, was he not?" "Yes," answered the gray haired lawyer, "one of the earliest, and one of the best. A man with a heart like a child's. A man who despised techni- calities, and who thought that lawsuits ought to be decided by the application of what he termed 'horse sense.' A gentleman of the old school, who would be as polite and gracious to his bitterest enemy as to his dearest friend. A man who placed the utmost confidence in the members of the bar. and who would resent any attempt to de- ceive him by never again placing any confidence in or in any way trusting that man. He never failed to appreciate an amusing situation or a pleasant joke. I remember one time when he was holding court at Flandreau. The court was held in the second story of a building, the hall- way opening from one end of the room and the judge's chair at the other. General Rice had brought an action to recover upon a promissory

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note from some farmer in that county made in settlement for some machinery purchased by the farmer. Another lawyer, I cannot now recall his name, had put in an answer for the defendant, and wished to have the case continued. There was but one term of court a year held in the county, and should the case be continued it would give a much better opportunity for the settling of the case out of court. At the call of the calendar the lawyer for the defendant stated to the court the facts upon which he desired to have the case continued. General Rice, however, more anxious to protect himself against his own client than anyone else, stated to the court that while he had 110 reason to doubt the statement made by the counsel, still the rules of court provided that an affidavit should be filed upon an application for a continuance, setting forth the facts, and that he should insist that this be done. Judge Kidder turned to the counsel and said: 'Mr. I

always take the statement of the members of the bar, and consider it as binding as I would an affi- davit from a layman, but General Rice is correct in this ; the rule of court requires that you file an affidavit setting forth the facts necessary for the court to act upon in granting a continuance. Now, sir, I will give you half an hour to take your client out and prepare an affidavit for the continuance.' The counsel whispered to his client, and together they started towards the door. They had taken but a few steps, however, when Judge Kidder called to him, 'Mr. - -! ' The counsel hastily returned to receive the further instruc- tions of the court. The court fixed his eyes stead- ily upon him for a moment, and said, 'And see, that in that affidavit he commits no unnecessary perjury.' To lawyers who are familiar with the manner in which affidavits of continuance are sometimes drawn, the quiet satire of the remark can readily be appreciated.

CHAPTER LXXXVII

SCANDINAVIANS IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND THEIR WORK IN CHURCH AND STATE.

BY P. H. DAHL.

The Norwegians commenced to settle in the Dakota territory in 1859 and the first settle- ments were made on the Missouri bottom be- tween Vermillion and Dakota rivers. On the 8th of August in that year Ole Olson, Sr., and Halvor Svenson with their families came across the Missouri from Nebraska and squatted on some land about one and a half miles southwest of Meckling. With them came Hon. Hans Myron, then a young boy, and they have since resided here. Mr. Olson is still living on the place which he first selected. On August 17th Syvert H. Myron arrived with his family and settled about three miles south from Mr. Olson. near the river, where he has since had his home. The same fall and in the spring of 1860 there were quite a number of new arrivals, among which may be mentioned Aslak Iverson, Ole Bottolsfon, Ole Sampson, John Aalseth, and others. With few. if any. exceptions, these Nor- wegians were Lutherans. Having secured for themselves temporal homes, where they by per- severance, industry and frugality were able to make a living and could hope for future pros- perity. they soon began to feel the want of a spiritual home. At their former homes they had been accustomed to assemble on Sundays in their churches for public worship and now here they were, not only without suitable places for worship but also without ministers and in this re- gard the prospects for the future were not very

bright, poor as the most of them were and so far out on the frontier.

A few men among them began to gather their neighbors on Sundays at some private house, where they would sing hymns, read por- tions of Scriptures and sermons from the postils of Luther, Arnd and others and private schools were provided at different places for the chil- dren, in which they were instructed principally in reading and religion and occasionally also in other branches, as writing, arithmetic, etc.

As early as in the fall of 1861, they were unexpectedly visited by a young Lutheran min- ister. Abraham Jacobson. For the purpose of seeking recreation, he had joined a company of immigrants from Iowa and arrived with them at the settlement. At the request of the people. he remained with them for a while. preached at several places, baptized some children and solemnized two marriages. Later in the fall he returned and the settlers were again left in the same circumstances as before. Quite early, at- tempts were made to organize a church society. but as they did not all adhere to the same general body of Lutheran church, they failed.

On January II. 1864, a well attended meet- ing was held at the house of Jacob A. Jacob- son, near Meckling, at which meeting a resolu- tion was adopted by a large majority to the effect, that an effort should be made to get a minister from the synod of the Norwegian

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Evangelical Lutheran church of America to visit them and that, if they in the future should feel able to call a minister, he should be called from - that synod. Accordingly, a request was for- warded to the church council of the above named body, commonly called the Norwegian synod, which request was complied with and Rev. J. Krohn, of Chicago, was sent. He came to the settlement in the month of October, 1864, and on the 5th, 6th1, 7th and 8th days of that month he conducted services at different places, . held confirmation service at the house of Peter Nelson, east of Vermillion, and baptized in all forty-five children.

arrived at his charge in the month of August, 1867, and held his first service on the Ist day of September.

The congregation was soon divided into three districts, called Vangen, Bergen and Brule Creek. Later two new districts were formed, Clay Creek and Lodi. Brule Creek district was the first to separate from the mother congregation and form an independent church. Later, Clay Creek and Lodi did the same and united with Brule Creek into one parochi or circuit.

The remaining two districts, Vangen and Bergen, have been incorporated separately but are still connected as one charge.

On the Sth day of October, service was held In 1869, Vangen district erected a church building near Mission Hill. The Bergen church was built in 1870. These churches are old land marks and the oldest Lutheran churches in the Dakotas. Part of the material used in the con- struction of these buildings was hauled from Sioux City with teams. The finishing lumber used was paid for at the rate of eighty dollars and shingles at nine dollars per thousand. at the house of Anders Ulven, near Vermillion, and immediately after a meeting was called for the purpose of organizing and then there was the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congrega- tion of Dakota territory organized with sixty- seven voting members and with the following persons elected as trustees, viz : Helge Mathia- son, Aslak Iverson, Ole Sampson, Peter Nilson and Lars Olson Fanestol. This organization in- Besides serving his congregation, Rev. Christenson also performed missionary work and visited the settlers in Lincoln, Minnehaha, Brookings and Moody counties, this state, and in Cedar and Dixon counties, Nebraska, and other places and organized many congregations. He had as his assistants successively Rev. G. Gulbrandsen and Rev. N. G. Tvedt. cluded all that territory in which the Norwegians had. then settled, from Brule creek, Union county, to Dakota river. Rev. Krohn visited the congregation again in the month of Septem- ber, the following year, and this time he came as far west as to Dakota river, where he preached at the house of Torger Nelson. In the summer of 1866, Rev. O. Naes made them a visit, In 1876, he resigned as pastor for this church and accepted a call as missionary to the Pacific coast. preached several times and administered the sacraments. By this time the congregation be- gan to consider in earnest the question of calling The work of the Scandinavian churches has kept pace with the growth of population from the first settlement of the territory and no other single nationality has contributed so much to the state's population as has the Scandinavians. By the last census there were 33.473 Scandinavians in the state, who, together with the native-born of Scandinavian parentage, aggregated thirty- eight per cent. of the entire population. They are in the main a thrifty farmer people and wherever they are found established the spire of a Lutheran church points heavenward, nearby. a minister. On February II, 1866, a meeting was held by the congregation at the house of Peter Nilson, at which Lars J. Rud was elected secretary and Aslak Iverson treasurer and on the 17th of the same month another meeting was held at the house of Syvert H. Myron, at which it was decided to call a minister and the church council of the Norwegian synod was authorized to issue the call. Rev. K. Magelssen was called but did not accept. The call was then sent to Emil Christenson, a graduate from Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He | In addition to the very numerous churches,

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numbering several hundred in all, the Lutherans maintain the splendid Augustana College at Can- ton, an excellent normal school at Sioux Falls, and orphanages at Bereford and Beloit. No other class of the people are so liberal and sys- tematic in their benevolences nor have done more for the moral uplift of the community.

An exceptionally large percentage of the Scandinavians are prohibitionists and have been strong factors in the promotion of temperance legislation. They too have uniformly stood for a reform in the divorce laws of Dakota which have brought so much scandal to the com- munity.

In this connection it may be proper to note the large number of able men which the Scandi- navians have contributed to the public service in South Dakota. Governor Andrew E. Lee, Governor Charles N. Herreid, Secretaries of State Amund O. Ringsrud, Thomas Thorson and Otto C. Berg, Land Commissioner C. J. Bach, Mr. Brandt, regent of education, Dr. Finnerud, in same office, Burre H. Lien, com- missioner of charities and corrections, O. S. Swenson, warden of the penitentiary, and a host of others in legislative and county affairs are recalled as honorable representatives of the race.

CHAPTER LXXXVIII

HISTORY OF THE HOLLAND COLONY IN DOUGLAS AND CHARLES MIX COUNTIES.

BY REV. HENRY STRAKS, HARRISON, S. D.

It is known that during the early history of our land the Dutch came in great numbers to our eastern shores, and settled in the middle Atlantic states and prospered there. When the English language became the language of the court and had to be taught in our schools the Dutch language gradually became obsolete. In the years 1840 to 1860 another stream of emigrants from the same source sought to benefit themselves by the opportunities this country so richly offered, and they settled in many states west of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, New York. Whole churches, pastor, elders and people, settled in the chosen locations; among others, western Michi- gan, northeastern Illinois and southern Iowa. In 1870 these settlements, becoming crowded, poured out their surplus settlers into northwest- ern Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. At first they suffered discouragements, not only such as are usual in new settlements, but the grasshoppers robbed the fields, luxuriant with acres of the finest crops, for two or three years in succes- sion ; but soon the country was rid of these pests and the land became valuable for agricultural purposes. In a short time the land was all taken up and raised rapidly in price, so that, as early as 1881, many settlers having large families and lacking means to purchase the high-priced farms, began to look for cheaper land farther west. In said year a mass meeting was held at Orange City, Iowa, of all the people interested in mi- grating to regions more congenial for our meager

purses. A committee was appointed to reconnoitre and look up a suitable location in the great ter- ritory of Dakota, consisting of Hon. Frank Le Cocq, Jr., Mr. Leendert Van der Meer and Mr. Dirk Van der Bos. This committee started out overland, with teams, and finally halting in Douglas and Charles Mix counties, South Da- kota, decided to locate in western Douglas county at a place now called Harrison.

About the same time Mr. A. H. Kuyper and his son came direct from Holland to Charles Mix county and settled near the present town of Platte. They labored hard and successfully in bringing over many emigrants from their native country to the prairies of said county. The greater majority of these had barely means suf- ficient to pay their transportation to this land of ours. A few of them were able to purchase a yoke of oxen and a breaking outfit, with which to turn sod on their claims obtained from the gov- ernment. Many of these, however, had to be aided for years by Mr. Kuyper and his son, now in business at Platte, South Dakota.

This Holland colony has rapidly and steadily increased in population and in wealth. Notwith- standing the fact that many of the settlers aban- „doned their farms and left for regions farther east to work rented land in older settlements, where, however, the great majority are still pay- ing high rentals with no prospect of ever living to see the day that they become freeholders. They left here on account of the stringency,

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caused by the failure of crops during the years 1892-1895, resulting from severe droughts. Many did not know that various sections of new country in Iowa had suffered similar drawbacks where today droughts are rarely experienced. Today the above named colony numbers about five hundred people, mostly well off, who speak the Dutch tongue wholly or in part.

When the settlers of Douglas county arrived here they found in the center of the county a settlement known as the Brownsdale settlement. These had taken matters into their own hands and had set out to rob the county by reporting a pretended county organization to the territorial government and issuing and selling bonds. A certain Walter H. Brown was making successful efforts to settle a large indebtedness upon the county by issuing county warrants. They had also proceeded to divide up the county into school districts and had issued bonds on the several districts for thousands of dollars. For some reason or other they had left out of these districts, so divided, the four western townships of Douglas county. In order to get outside of the regions so bounded the Holland settlers set- tled beyond these borders in said four western townships of said county. These bonds caused the county much trouble. Much money had to be spent to resist the payment of these bonds. After persistent effort these bogus bonds were finally declared void by the higher courts. So the swindle failed and we were glad.

In 1882 the territorial legislature declared the Brownsdale organization fraudulent and void, authorizing the governor to cause a reorganiza- tion of the county to be made. Accordingly this was followed by a complete organization, and the election of a full set of legal officers. Among others Hon. Frank Le Cocq, who also was a member of the first legislature of this state, was elected a member of the county board. The center of this Holland settlement was Harrison, now a village of about two hundred inhabitants. It was so named in honor of Senator Harrison, who introduced the first bill into the United States senate to divide the territory and to admit the south half as the state of South Dakota.

The first postoffice in the settlement was at this village, being on the military route from Plankinton to Fort Randall, with Peter Eernisso as postmaster. The whole tract of these four west townships was almost entirely settled upon by Holland settlers. At present they number about one thousand five hundred people who use the Dutch language wholly or in part.

In later years this settlement was still more extended by a number of families from the eastern states, as well as from the mother coun- try, settling at Grandview, near Armour, then the county seat. They number about three hun- dred and fifty souls, also using the same tongue.

In the fall of 1882 these settlers concluded that they needed, first of all. a church. A Sun- day school was accordingly organized and a provisional church building was erected of the customary building material-rough boards and sod. Here services were regularly held on Sun- days and during the week. This building also did good service as a public-school building. Miss Sophia Le Cocq, now Mrs. L. Markus, was the first instructor.

The first general merchandise store was put up by Messrs. P. Eernisse and L. Van der Meer, and Mr. L. Markus had a blacksmith shop. Many a breaking plow did he repair for our pioneer farmers. Hon. Frank Le Cocq put up a land office (without which no modern western town is complete), and sold many of the settlers their selections. Soon H. Vis came to us from Orange City, Iowa, with a full line of drugs and medicines, thus providing for the emergency of colds and fevers. Mr. Garret - Van der Linden built a hotel where, in the pioneer days, Major Sharp, the paymaster of Fort Randall, often bivouacked for the night, after a hard day's ride in a four-mule ambulance. With the cash wagon without and the howling of the prairie wolf in various directions, and a hotel with crevices be- tween the boards large enough to serve as port holes, and one or two soldiers sitting up all night at his bedside, with rifles in hand, the outfit was an ideal of completeness, making the place at- tractive and safe also for land seekers with

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pockets full of money, sleeping with one eye open in every nook and corner of the twelve-by-twenty "Waldorf Astoria." Of course the lonely pio- neer settlers did all they could to induce their relatives to hasten on to this land of prospective prosperity, and during the year 1883 the land was all taken up so that nothing but school sec- tions remained unoccupied. The people were all doing well and were highly pleased. Church- es and schools were built; dug-outs and sod houses were abandoned for more convenient dwellings, ,

In 1884 the Reformed church of Harrison was organized and the services of the candidate, Abraham Stegeman, were secured. He served them very acceptably till 1892. During his in- cumbency a church and parsonage, costing about five thousand dollars, were built by the aid of the Board of Domestic Missions of the Reformed Church in America. At about the same time the people of Grandview, under the leadership of Rev. F. J. Zwemer, also built a suitable church and parsonage. Shortly after this the Christian Reformed people built a church at Harrison and one at New Holland, four miles west. The first ministers of these churches were, respectively, Revs. T. M. Van der Bosch and H. Temple. But now sad times waited the people of these | settlements. With the people all over the state of South Dakota, they shared in the hard times caused by a failure of crops for three consecutive years.

Nearly every western colony has had dis- couragements to contend with and those who "stood the storm" and braved the drawbacks and remained on their claims were the wisest after all. Nevertheless many of the settlers became discouraged and returned back east, where they are today paying high rents and repenting for their not staying here. Those who stayed are today well-to-do freeholders, owning large herds of cattle, with tubular or artesian wells to supply abundant water of the purest quality; organs, pianos and lots of work for music teachers; car- riages and all sorts of improved farm machinery ; homes of the modern type, well furnished,-a wonderful progress in so short a time! When we write this history we are not accounting for many other Holland colonies in the state, all alike or even more prosperous, as, for instance, in the following counties : Bon Homme, Brook- ings, Campbell, Denel, Grant, Hamlin and Turner. Today we enjoy the privileges of higher instruction for our children in our own town. A classical academy has a good start and is doing work that will tell on the future gener- ations of our state and country.

People living in South Dakota have reason to be grateful and to take pride in a state that affords such splendid advantages. Great is our responsibility to our country and to our Father in heaven to make the proper use of all the splen- did opportunities offered us, for material, mental and spiritual progress.

CHAPTER LXXXIX

ANCIENT FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS.

Among the very first settlers of South Dakota were several Masons, and as early as 1862, during the first session of the territorial legislature, consultation began looking to the organization of a lodge, but the Indian troubles of that season suspended operations in that line for a period. However, no sooner was safety to the community assured that the matter was again taken up and Melancthon Hoyt, Episcopal missionary ; John Hutchinson, secretary of Da- kota territory; Henry C. Ash, the pioneer hotel- keeper, of Yankton; Nelson Miner, captain of Company A. Dakota Volunteer Cavalry ; Justus Townsend, physician, and auditor of Dakota territory; Downer T. Bramble, legislator and pioneer merchant; G. N. Propper; James M. Allen, who was secretary of the provisional gov- ernment established at Sioux Falls, and Frank M. Ziebach, founder of the Dakotan newspaper, petitioned for a dispensation to establish a lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Yankton. The dispensation was duly granted and the lodge instituted with the petitioners above named as charter members, the charter bearing date June 3. 1863. The lodge was called St. John's, No. 166, of the jurisdiction of Iowa. For six years thereafter it was the only lodge in the territory. The genealogy of Dakota Masonry is as follows : From England to North Carolina, from North Carolina to Tennessee, from Tennessee to Missouri, from Missouri to Iowa, from Iowa to Dakota territory, from Dakota territory to South Dakota. The first

officers of St. John's lodge were as follows: Melanchton Hoyt, master; Downer T. Bramble, senior warden; John Hutchinson, junior war- den; George W. Kingsbury, treasurer; Moses K. Armstrong, secretary; George N. Propper, senior deacon; F. M. Ziebach, junior deacon ; Bligh E. Wood, tyler.

The next lodge to be instituted in Dakota territory was Incense No. 257, of Vermillion, chartered February 10, 1869. Alpheus G. Fuller, of Yankton, who had been elected delegate to congress by the Sioux Falls provisional govern- ment in 1858, was the instituting officer. A year later, April 16, 1870, Elk Point Lodge, No. 288, was instituted, with H. H. Blair as master ; Elias Hyde, senior warden ; E. H. Webb, junior war- den ; P. E. Maynard, treasurer ; John Lawrence, secretary ; C. W. Beggs, senior deacon; J. A. Wallace, junior deacon; Eli B. Wixson, tyler. On June Ioth Minnehaha Lodge, No. 328, was chartered at Sioux Falls, with Thomas H. Brown, R. C. Hawkins, E. Sharpe, T. Pomeroy, G. B. Sammons, W. H. Holt, J. H. Moulton, and George Hill as charter members. On June 3. 1875. Silver Star Lodge, No. 345, was or- ganized at Canton, and W. H. Miller, Sr., M. W. Bailey, S. H. Stafford. Jr., W. M. Cuppett, D. H. Hawn and others were charter members.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 71

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 998

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998